Schumacher's Wife: F1 Champ Getting Better

Michael Schumacher's wife has spoken publicly for the first time about his skiing accident, saying he is "getting better" after coming out of a coma last month.

Corinna Schumacher, 45, told Neue Post, a German women's weekly magazine, she was encouraged by the former Formula One driver's recovery.

"It's getting better, slowly certainly, but in any case it's improving," she said.

Her husband, 45, suffered serious brain injuries when his head hit a rock while he was on a skiing holiday in the French Alps in December.

The seven-times F1 champion was reportedly travelling at speeds of up to 60mph when the accident happened.

Schumacher was placed in a medically-induced coma after the accident

It is thought he was saved by his skiing helmet, which split on impact.

Last month, he was transferred from Grenoble university hospital to Lausanne University Hospital, close to his family's home in Switzerland.

Speaking at the time, his manager, Sabine Kehm, said Schumacher was no longer in a coma but gave no further details of his condition or medical outlook, saying only he would "continue his long phase of rehabilitation".

It was also reported in the German media he was responding to his wife's voice.

His medical records were reportedly stolen last month and were being touted for sale to the media.

Ms Kehm warned potential buyers that purchase or publication of the documents was a criminal matter.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Archbishops Split Over Right-To-Die Debate

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has made an extraordinary U-turn by announcing he is backing laws to legalise assisted dying.

His support for Labour peer Lord Falconer's Bill, which will be debated in the House of Lords next week, goes against the Church of England's official line that the law on assisted suicide should not change.

Lord Carey said it would not be "anti-Christian" to legalise assisted suicide and that by opposing reform the Church risked "promoting anguish and pain".

Tony Nicklinson died two years ago

He said the case of Tony Nicklinson - the locked-in syndrome sufferer who died after being refused the legal right to die - had the "deepest influence" on his change of heart.

"Here was a dignified man making a simple appeal for mercy, begging that the law allow him to die in peace, supported by his family," he wrote in the Daily Mail.

"His distress made me question my motives in previous debates. Had I been putting doctrine before compassion, dogma before human dignity?"

Assisted suicide is already legal at clinics like this in Switzerland

Mr Nicklinson's widow Jane said she was "amazed and thrilled" at Lord Carey's U-turn.

His comments come as a surprise because he was part of a coalition that helped stop Lord Joffe's Assisting Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill in 2006 in the House of Lords.

But while the former Archbishop has come out in favour of a change in the law, the current Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, has condemned the Bill as "mistaken and dangerous".

Writing in the Times, Archbishop Welby warned the "deep personal demands" of individuals should not blind people to the pressures others could be put under should the practice become legal.

Lord Falconer's Bill would allow adults to ask for help to die

"It would be very naive to think that many of the elderly people who are abused and neglected each year, as well as many severely disabled individuals, would not be put under pressure to end their lives if assisted suicide were permitted by law," he wrote.

Archbishop Welby said a law that permitted assisted suicide would be "bound" to lead to some people feeling they ought to stop "being a burden to others".

Under the 1961 Suicide Act, it remains a criminal offence carrying up to 14 years in jail to help take someone's life.

If successful, Lord Falconer's Bill would allow mentally capable adults in England and Wales to ask for help to die if they were suffering from a terminal illness and had less than six months to live.

Modelled on a system in place in the US state of Oregon, patients would be able to administer a fatal dose of drugs to themselves, but would not be able to be given help if they could not lift it or swallow it.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Croc On A Plane: Reptile 'May Have Caused Crash'

An escaped crocodile may have caused a plane crash which killed a British pilot and 18 others, an inquest has heard.

Chris Wilson died when the jet he was co-piloting plunged to the ground during a routine flight across the Congo in August 2010.

No cause for the crash has ever been established but an inquest was told a crocodile may have sparked a stampede by roaming around the aisles moments before the aircraft came down.

It is thought the plane, which was travelling from Kinshasa to Bandundu, may have nosedived as passengers and crew members ran from the reptile.

Assistant Coroner David Dooley said it was "apparently quite normal" for animals to be carried on the plane, adding: "It was used like a taxi in this regard."

"There is apparently a video of the crocodile being taken out of the plane," he told the hearing at Gloucester Coroner's Court.

"(Investigators) think it may have frightened the cabin crew member and she ran forward, with the other passengers following.

"The weight shift caused by the panic may have affected the plane, causing it to nosedive or stall."

Mr Wilson moved to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2010 after giving up his job as a cabin crew member to follow his dream of becoming a commercial pilot.

The 39-year-old worked for local company Filair but is said to have become increasingly concerned about the flying ability of co-pilot Danny Philemotte, who owned the firm.

In a statement read to the court, his brother, Martin, said:  "Every time he flew with Mr Philemotte, there was always one incident or another.

"He said he didn't want to fly with him anymore.

"He said if it wasn't for the fact they could see where they were going, they wouldn't ever get anywhere because Mr Philemotte couldn't read the instruments.

"He said he didn't know how Mr Philemotte was still alive (because) his flying was so bad."

Timothy Atkinson, an air accident investigator, said he had reviewed evidence from the Congolese authorities but was unable to draw any definitive conclusions because they were not given the plane's black box data recorder.

"There is no evidence suggesting an engine failure or a nose dive, although I cannot be sure without looking at the plane," he told the court.

"The accident appears to have the hallmarks of a stall and spin, which may have been from a variety of causes.

"Essentially, it fell out of the sky."

Mr Dooley recorded an open conclusion, saying a lack of witnesses and data from the black box "have only resulted in vague guesses as to what happened".

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gaza: Hague 'Concerned About Loss Of Life'

A Complex Web Of Friends And Enemies

Updated: 5:06pm UK, Friday 11 July 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel at dawn. The opening of a new front for Israel already engaged in an escalating air campaign in the Gaza Strip? No.

Neither the Israelis nor Hezbollah, which has an arsenal of 100,000 rockets and controls southern Lebanon, are that stupid.

The missile attack on Israel's north was an attempt by Sunni militants to spark a confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel that both know would be a zero sum.

Why would Sunnis, in all probability descendants of Palestinian refugees from what is now Israel, want to do that?

It's Hezbollah, a Shia movement, after all, that has been a major conduit of experts, funding and modern rockets to Hamas, a Sunni organisation, in Gaza. Hamas and Hezbollah are allies.

But only when it comes to fighting Israel.

In Syria, Hamas has condemned the Assad regime, which like Hezbollah is backed by Iran.

Sunnis of Palestinian descent are among volunteers who have joined rebel groups fighting Damascus, while Hezbollah has sent thousands of its best fighters to the frontlines to defend the regime of Bashar al Assad.

There is a logic at work here.

If Sunni groups in south Lebanon can sucker the Israelis into a war with Hezbollah they could enjoy the double whammy of reduced pressure on Gaza, and the use of Israel's devastating air power against Hezbollah, the Sunni's enemies in Syria.

No better example of an attempt to kill two birds with one stone.

It won't happen because both Hezbollah and Israel, foes who have the greatest respect for one another, saw through the plot some time back. It's not the first time it has been tried.

But it does signal just how the Middle East's tectonic plates of conflict have shifted and can overlap.

The explosion of sectarian Muslim war between Sunni and Shia in Syria, which has spread into Iraq and has destabilised Lebanon, has become the defining clash in a new age of chaos.

Rival regional powers Saudi Arabia and Iran use proxies to vie for influence and control.

The Saudis have become increasingly nervous of the spread of a Shia crescent from Tehran through Baghdad to Damascus and south Lebanon.

But Tehran has also used enemy forces to bolster the positions of its allies.

According to intelligence sources Muhsin al Fadhli, once a senior al Qaeda figure based in Iraq has taken up an operational roles inside Syria - at the instigation of the Iranian government.

Why would Tehran release someone to fight a key client an ally in Damascus?

Because radical groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have fought harder against fellow rebel groups than they have against the Assad regime.

Tehran has split the rebels.

But now ISIS threatens Iran's client government in Baghdad showing that an enemy's enemy may be a friend from time to time, but will remain an enemy.

This may be complicated but there is no excuse for stupidity in the Middle East. Failure to comprehend this can be fatal.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hamas: Israel's Main Airport Will Be Targeted

The armed wing of Hamas has threatened an imminent attack on Israel's main airport in response to Israeli airstrikes on Gaza that have now reportedly killed 100 Palestinians.

The Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades warned they planned to fire rockets at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion international airport through the course of the day.

It urged airlines to divert their flights for the safety of their passengers.

Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 100 people, most of them civilians

"In the light of Israel's ... attacks on the residents of Gaza Strip ... The armed wing of Hamas movement has decided to respond to the Israeli aggression and we warn you against carrying out flights to Ben Gurion airport, which will be one of our targets today because it also hosts a military air base," it said.

A spokesman for Israel's Airports Authority said activity at Ben Gurion was briefly halted after an air raid siren sounded, but operations has since resumed.

The Israeli army launched an offensive targeting Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. 

A rocket from Gaza hit a petrol station in Israel early Friday

Hamas health ministry spokesman Ashraf al Qudra was quoted by AFP as saying 100 Palestinians had been killed since then after two men were killed in the Bureij area.

Hours earlier, the military bombarded the city of Rafah, killing six people. Five of them, including a seven-year-old child, died in a strike on the home of an alleged Islamist militant.

According to Palestinian officials most of the victims over the past four days have been civilians, many of them children.

The Israeli military says the offensive, named Operation Protective Edge, comes in the wake of persistent rocket fire from Gaza into Israel. 

It says more than 550 rockets have been fired into Israel since Tuesday alone, but there have so far been no Israeli fatalities.

Many rockets, including three spotted over Tel Aviv on Friday, have been intercepted by Israel's partly US-funded Iron Dome missile defence system.

Five Palestinians were killed overnight in a strike on a home in Rafah

However, one struck a petrol station in the Israeli city of Ashdod in the early hours of the morning, triggering a major blaze.

The Israeli fire service said several people were injured in the attack, one of them seriously.

One witness told Sky News' Alex Rossi he was filling up his car when air raid sirens went off. 

"We heard a huge explosion and after (that) a big ball of fire and (there were) a lot of people injured," he said. "We are lucky to be alive."

Soldiers inspect a shell thought to have been launched from Lebanon

For the first time at least one rocket was also reportedly launched from southern Lebanon which, according to Israeli army spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, struck Israel's northern border, prompting the military to respond with artillery fire.

It is not yet known who was responsible for the attack, although fire from Lebanon has previously been blamed on radical Palestinian factions. 

Southern Lebanon is also a stronghold of the Shia militant group Hezbollah which has battled Israel on numerous occasions.

Rocket fire from Gaza aimed at Israel has increased in recent days

With no end to the violence in sight, US President Barack Obama has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington would be willing to help negotiate a truce.

Mr Obama said he was concerned the fighting could escalate and "called for all sides to do everything they can to protect the lives of civilians", the White House said.

"The United States remains prepared to facilitate a cessation of hostilities, including a return to the November 2012 ceasefire agreement."

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Teenager Admits Killing Teacher Ann Maguire

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

A 16-year-old has admitted killing teacher Ann Maguire in a classroom stabbing.

The teenager is accused of murdering the 61-year-old Spanish teacher at the Corpus Christi College in Leeds in April this year.

Prosecuting barrister Paul Greaney QC told a hearing at Leeds Crown Court that the boy didn't admit murder but said: "It did amount to an admission of manslaughter."

No formal plea was entered but defence barrister Richard Wright QC said the boy had "accepted responsibility for unlawful killing".

Ann Maguire was the first teacher to be fatally stabbed in a British school

The schoolboy, who cannot legally be identified because of his age, appeared via video link from an undisclosed location.

He wore blue trousers and a red T-shirt and responded clearly to confirm details of his identity and that he understood what was happening. 

Members of Mrs Maguire's family sat in the public gallery for the 10-minute hearing.

A note left among the tributes to Ann Maguire by a pupil

The teacher had worked at Corpus Christi College at Halton Moor for more than 40 years and was just weeks away from retirement when she died. 

It is the first time a teacher has been stabbed to death in a British classroom.

The public was warned at the hearing not to risk contempt of court by commenting on the case through online blogging or social media.

Flowers laid outside Corpus Christi Catholic College in April

Others have been jailed over recent months for doing so, Judge Peter Collier QC said.

The boy was remanded in custody until the next hearing on September 26. 

Psychiatric reports will now be prepared before the trial, which is due to start on November 3.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Internet Trolls Pose Like Teen Rape Victim

A 16-year-old girl who says she was drugged and raped at a party has been mocked on the internet by people posing how she appeared in pictures and video of the attack.

The online abuse started after the girl, named only as Jada, told KHOU 11 News that she only realised she had been assaulted when images of her semi-naked, unconscious body started appearing on social media. 

In the interview, the teenager said she had waived her right to anonymity because she wanted justice.

"There's no point in hiding," she said. "Everybody has already seen my face and body, but that's not what I am and who I am."

She added: "I'm just angry."

However, shortly afterwards Twitter and Vine users started posting videos and photos of people replicating the image of her after the alleged rape.

In a second interview with KHOU, Jada said: "My friends are getting harassed, I'm getting harassed. We can't go out or nothing. It's very embarrassing."

Social media users condemned the meme. Pic: Twitter

The teenager said she was at a house party with a friend and was given a drink by the 16-year-old boy hosting the event, which she believes was spiked with a drug.

She said she passed out and had no idea what had followed until she saw the images of herself online.

Houston Police are investigating the alleged attack, while the online abuse mimicking her has been condemned by social media users as "sickening" and "disgusting".

One girl tweeted: "Living in a generation that turns a serious crime such as rape into a joke just for laughs. You can laugh your way into hell."

Another wrote on Twitter: "Mocking a rape victim and making internet memes of her rape is not funny at all."

One said: "This ... thing is sickening... Rape haunts a person for ever(sic). Those who mock are uneducated, selfish, attention seeking idiots."

Jada's mother, who did not want to be named, told KHOU: "No one's daughter deserved this. No human being deserved this."

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ulster Rugby 'Sorry' Over Players Blacking Up

Ulster Rugby have apologised after a photograph of two players covered in black make-up appeared on Twitter.

The picture shows Irish internationals Chris Henry and Paddy Jackson alongside three unidentified men.

Posted by Jackson, it apparently shows him with a chain around his neck.

"Ulster Rugby would like to apologise unreservedly for any offence caused by a photograph posted on Twitter of some players at an Olympic-themed fancy dress party held two years ago," said a statement.

Jackson and Henry were part of Ireland's victorious Six Nations side

"It was not the intention of the players to cause upset and the photograph has since been removed."

For a time the image was Jackson's profile picture.

It is unclear how long it, or a similar shot posted by Chris Henry on May 16, was online.

It is thought the group were dressed as the Ethiopian Olympic team.

A similar photo posted by Chris Henry

Joseph Ricketts, from ACSONI (African and Caribbean Support Organisation Northern Ireland), told Good Morning Ulster the photo was "deeply offensive".

"I am shocked and appalled by this irresponsible behaviour," he said.

"It's worse than bad taste. One of the characters was seen with a chain around the neck, which mimics the most awful period in history for black people.

"It's nasty and people who have seen it are very appalled by it."

The photos have been described as "deeply offensive"

He added: "Whether they were trying to justify it as good craic, or something, people are offended by it and as public figures, which they are, they need to be more responsible in the way they behave."

Jackson and Henry were part of Ireland's victorious Six Nations side earlier this year.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Strike 'Damaging' To Families, Says Minister

Unions: Workers Can't Feed Their Families

Updated: 8:59am UK, Thursday 10 July 2014

Unions say they are angry at 'abysmal pay', working conditions and pensions. Here is a snapshot of each union's main complaints.

:: Unite

Members: 1.4 million from various sectors, ranging from industry and manufacturing to education and agriculture - 70,000 of them are in local government and are directly affected by Thursday's strike.

Unite national officer for local government Fiona Farmer said: "Our members have endured four years of pay cuts in real terms and they voted overwhelmingly to strike on July 10 to drive home the message to ministers that poverty pay in local government must end.

"The depth of feeling on the pay issue is reinforced by the fact that local government unions, GMB and Unison, and members of the National Union of Teachers are all taking action on tomorrow.

"Poverty pay is widespread across local councils. Household bills continue to soar, but our members' buying power is constantly being eroded. The national minimum wage will soon overtake local government pay scales; members are choosing between heating and eating."

:: NUT

Members: 300,000 qualified teachers

Christine Blower, General Secretary National Union of Teachers, said: "Despite months in talks with Government officials, the real issues of our dispute have not been addressed. Teacher morale is at a low ebb.

"Changes to pay, pensions and a workload of 60 hours are unacceptable and unsustainable. Thousands of good, experienced teachers are leaving or considering leaving their job and a teacher shortage crisis is looming.

"The fact that teachers are prepared to take strike action is an indication of the strength of feeling and anger about the Government's imposed changes. Strike action is a last resort but, due to the intransigence of the coalition Government, it is one which we cannot avoid."

:: Unison

Members: 1.3 million workers from a range of roles within all public service areas, including people employed by public service authorities, private companies and community organisations.

Dave Prentis, Unison General Secretary, said: "Unison's local government and school members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland hold their first one day strike over an abysmal 1% pay offer. Faced with soaring food, fuel and housing costs, they have had to put up with three years of frozen pay, and now yet another below inflation offer.

"They have seen the value of their pay fall by nearly 20% since the coalition came to power and many struggle to make ends meet, to feed their families and pay their bills. Our charity is seeing more and more people asking for help and we know that many have had to resort to food banks to put food on the table.

"This is a national disgrace that these workers, who keep vital services running for their communities should be paid so badly, that they can't pay all their bills. And the lowest paid are still waiting for £250 promised by the Chancellor for two years' running. They have now voted to take strike action; that is not something they do lightly. But they are saying enough is enough. Work should pay enough for people to be able to live on."

:: GMB

Members: 617,000 workers, including school meal servers, street cleaners, binmen and carers.

GMB National Secretary, Brian Strutton, said: "We have tried sensible discussions, we've sought to negotiate reasonably, we've said we are willing to accept ACAS arbitration rather than go on strike - but to everything we've tried the employers have said 'no'. So we have no choice.

"GMB members serving school meals, cleaning streets, emptying bins, looking after the elderly, helping children in classrooms and in all the other vital roles serving our communities are fed up with being ignored and undervalued.

"Their pay has gone up only 1% since 2010 and in October even the national minimum wage will overtake local authority pay scales. Their case is reasonable, the employers won't listen and don't care, no wonder they have turned to strike action as the only way of making their voices heard."

:: PCS

Members: 270,000 civil servants.

A PCS spokesman said: "We're striking because, as well as tens of thousands of job being cut from the civil service since 2010 and the ongoing threat of more of the civil service being privatised, wages have been frozen and capped to such an extent that by next year incomes for many civil servants will be 20% lower than they would have been if they'd kept pace with increases in the cost of living. That is a huge hit in salary to take.

"There are other endemic issues, such as unequal pay. For example, staff in the Passport Office - in the eye of the storm at the moment - can be paid £3,000 less than their colleagues doing similar work elsewhere in the Home Office.

"Across the civil service, women are paid 10% less than men, 14% less for part-time workers. We've tried to negotiate but the Government refuses. Faced with this, it's inevitable that people will want to take industrial action."

:: RMT

Members: 80,000, of whom 361 TfL (Transport for London) backroom staff will be on strike.

RMT's Acting general secretary Mick Cash said: "While the political class, the bankers and the idle rich have all got their snouts in the trough, of course we are right to stand up and fight for the millions of workers told to take a hit despite the fact that they had no part in creating the financial crisis.

"We would be foolish not to maximise the unity of the trade union movement in the face of an aggressive, anti-union government that is mired in its own cesspit of scandal. We will take no lectures in morality from them.

"The front line of defence against cuts and austerity is the organised working class and that is why the Tories and big business want to tighten the legal noose around our necks. They will have a fight on their hands."

:: FBU

Members: 44,000 firefighters

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: "The government must realise that firefighters cannot accept proposals that would have such devastating consequences for their futures, their families' futures  - and the future of the fire and rescue service itself.

"We have tried every route available to us to make the government see sense over their attacks.

"Three years of negotiations have come to nothing because the government is simply unwilling to compromise or even listen to reason despite a huge amount of evidence showing their planned scheme is unworkable."

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

GoPro Dad Films Son's Birth At Hospital Doors

Footage shot by a dad-to-be shows his dramatic rush to the hospital with his wife in labour and her delivery of a baby boy outside the hospital entrance.

Kristin Dickerson of Rosenberg, Texas, went into labour at 42 weeks pregnant in the middle of the night on June 28.

Her husband, Troy Dickerson, was wearing a GoPro camera on his head throughout the entire ordeal as he sped 95mph (150kph) toward the hospital.

Mr Dickerson thought he could make it to the hospital. Pic: YouTube

"I can't make it! I can't make it," Ms Dickerson says between screams in the 10-minute video.

"We need to stop!"

The couple eventually do make it to the hospital but before Ms Dickerson can sit on a wheelchair and go inside, the baby is born.

Ms Dickerson minutes before delivering the baby. Pic: YouTube

Ms Dickerson, who works as a childbirth educator, delivered the baby kerbside, with nurses rushing to assist and her husband comforting her and trying to calm her down.

"She had gotten out of the car and she had just frozen, like stood there. And me and the valet guy were like, 'Sit down! Sit down in the wheelchair!'" Mr Dickerson told local TV KPRC.

The baby boy was named Truett.

Truett was born before MS Dickerson got into a wheelchair. Pic: YouTube

"I'm thrilled to have the footage," Ms Dickerson later told ABC News.

"I'm more hesitant to send it to people, because it's such an intimate moment for us, but as a birth educator, it's really cool to let people see that our bodies know what to do."

It is the third baby for the Texas couple and Mr Dickerson also filmed the births of the first two children, ABC said.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Germany Expels Top US Spy Amid Espionage Row

The German government has asked the top US intelligence official in Berlin to leave the country.

The move comes amid reports of two cases of suspected American espionage in Germany and a longer dispute over alleged NSA spying on the US ally.

Clemens Binniger, a lawmaker from Chancellor Angela Merkel's party, said the US intelligence official had been told he was no longer welcome in the country.

Mr Binniger, who chairs a parliamentary committee on the intelligence services, told reporters on Thursday "the government has asked the representative of the US intelligence agencies in Germany to leave the country as a reaction to the ongoing failure to help resolve the various allegations, starting with the NSA and up to the latest incidents".

The move was confirmed by a government spokesman. 

Shortly before the decision was announced, Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters that Germany and the US had "very different approaches" to the role of intelligence agencies.

"I think that in these times, which can be very confusing, very much depends on trust between allies,"  she said.

More follows...

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Recovery Fears Return To World Stock Markets

Stock markets are taking a pounding due to fears over the global economic recovery and a crisis of confidence at Portugal's largest bank.

Weak economic data from Italy and mounting concern about the future of Banco Espirito Santo drove the sell-off, spreading from southern euro nations and across Europe to the United States.

Portugal's PSI was almost 4.5% down by early afternoon trading - with banking stocks worst affected as allegations surfaced that Banco Espirito Santo's parent firm covered up a €1.3bn (£1bn) hole in its accounts.

The Italian MIB and IBEX in Spain had both lost more than 2% - with the DAX in Germany and French CAC shedding 1.5%.

The rush for safe havens, and gold in particular, was also seen in London - the FTSE 100 losing just shy of 1% after bleeding value each day over the course of the week amid fears of a looming correction.

The problems in Portugal were blamed on shares and bonds of Espirito Santo Financial Group, the chief shareholder in Banco Espirito Santo, being suspended over "material difficulties" at the parent firm.

It was reported earlier by the Portuguese newspaper Diaro Economico that Espirito Santo FG was considering filing for controlled insolvency if debt renegotiations with clients failed.

Banco Espirito Santo shares dived more than 17% at one stage despite government assurances the bank was solid.

Trading in the bank's shares was later suspended - pending "an announcement".

Italy's contribution to the sell-off was economic data which showed Italian industrial output posting its steepest monthly fall since
November 2012 in May, casting doubts over the country's economic recovery.

Nerves were already frayed across world stock markets after confirmation the previous evening that the US Federal Reserve would end its quantitative easing programme in October if the US recovery continued on its current course.

The move would effectively cut off the supply of cheap credit the financial markets had grown used to since after the financial crisis - the stimulus being cited as artificially lifting world stock market values - some to record highs in recent months.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost almost 1% on opening on Wall Street - the jitters in Europe contributing to the risk-off sentiment.

Alistair McCaig, market analyst at IG, said of activity on the FTSE 100: "That 6,700 from a psychological point of view was giving it a bit of confidence, and with the 200 day moving average around there as well, we were looking for some support.

"When that didn't transpire and we have broad weakness across Europe, it's a risk off day on the FTSE 100."

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

BlackBerry Unveils Bizarre Square Smartphone

Muscled out of the smartphone market by iPhone, Android and Samsung, BlackBerry has rolled the dice on its latest product and come up with a square phone.

The Canadian firm has unveiled more details about the unusual device called the Passport, which it first previewed in June, including a 4.5-inch square HD screen.

A post on the official BlackBerry blog said: "Many have thought that creativity around the design of smartphones was dead.

"Device companies have been emulating the same, entertainment-driven look for so long that there's been a homogenisation of the visual cues in smartphone design."

BlackBerry was once the phone model of choice for businesspeople

The screen width fits 60 characters rather than the 40 seen on a rectangular five-inch device.

Under the heading "it's hip to be square", the post said the width is ideal for reading ebooks, viewing documents and browsing the web.

Comparing it to a giant cinema screen, the post added: "The Passport is like the IMAX of productivity and you don't have to sacrifice screen real estate, vertically or horizontally."

The post said the device was aimed at professionals such as architects, writers and medical staff.

The BlackBerry Passport fits more characters across the screen

Earlier this year, BlackBerry announced a quarterly loss of $423m (£254m) after suffering a revenue drop of more than 60%.

The company said its revenue for the last quarter of 2013 was $976m (£587m), down from $2.7bn (£1.6bn) in the previous year.

It was the first time the Canadian company had reported quarterly revenue of below $1bn (£600m).

The figure was more than a tenth lower than what analysts had forecast.

Early last year, the company released BlackBerry 10, which failed to spark a turnaround in its fortunes.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Israel Pounds Gaza As Hamas Fires Across Border

The Israeli military says it has shot down more rockets sent by Palestinian militants as Israel's major air offensive over the Gaza Strip enters its second day.

A spokesperson for the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said the military intercepted a total of eight rockets over Tel Aviv, Ashdod an Ashkelon on Wednesday.

Israeli media is reporting that two long-range rockets crashed into the sea off the northern coastal city of Haifa, which lies 102 miles from the Gaza border.

If confirmed, they would be the furthest rockets to have ever travelled from Gaza.

IDF claims that 48 missiles, sent by the Islamist militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, have landed in Israel since midnight.

A wounded Palestinian is stretchered into hospital

The furthest confirmed rocket landing was Hadera, 60 miles from Gaza.

No fatalities have been reported. 

In Gaza, meanwhile, at least 14 Palestinians were killed during the second day of Israel's "Operation Protective Edge" offensive.

The fatalities come after at least 23 people, including children, were killed overnight in the biggest Israeli assault on Gaza in nearly two years.

The Israeli military said a total of 550 Hamas targets have been hit since the offensive began.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev told Sky News the operation is a "defensive" measure, taken in response to Hamas rocket fire.

The exchange of fire marks the heaviest fighting between Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza, since an eight-day battle in November 2012.

A house in Gaza destroyed by an Israeli attack

The Israeli cabinet has warned it may now send ground troops into Gaza, and has authorised the call-up of as many as 40,000 reservists.

Hamas has targeted numerous cities including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in recent days.

On Tuesday wedding guests in Holon, central Israel,  were forced to run to shelter after sirens alerted them to incoming missiles.

Video footage shows Israel's Iron Dome defence system intercept an incoming rocket.

IDF also posted an image on Twitter which it said shows rockets being sent from civilian areas in Gaza.

The IDF says Hamas is firing from civilian areas. Pic: IDF/Twitter

Announcing the start of "Operation Protective Edge", Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said continued rocket attacks on Israeli communities would not be tolerated.

"Therefore I have ordered the military to significantly broaden its operation against Hamas terrorists and against the other terrorist groups inside Gaza," he said on national TV.

However Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the Israeli offensive as an "orchestrated and brutal aggression."

Israeli tanks at the southern border with the Gaza Strip

He said he had called on the international community and the United Nations to "provide international protection for our people."

Israel and Hamas had, until recently, been observing a truce that ended the 2012 hostilities.

Tensions increased last month after three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped and killed in the West Bank.

Israel blamed Hamas and launched a crackdown on the group's members and arrested hundreds of people.

The situation deteriorated last week when a Palestinian teenager in Jerusalem was abducted and burned to death in what was viewed as a revenge attack.

According to news agency Reuters, a US official involved in the investigation into the deaths of the three Israeli youths has revealed they were shot at least 10 times with a silenced gun, indicating premeditated murder.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Assassins Creed Gamer Killed Screaming Newborn

A father has been jailed for eight years for killing his five-week-old daughter who screamed while he played a computer game.

Mark Sandland suddenly lost his temper at his flat in East Sussex, where he picked up Aimee-Rose and violently shook her.

The 28-year-old later told officials he had suffered an epileptic fit and had regained consciousness to find the baby trapped underneath him.

Lewes Crown Court heard Sandland, of St Leonards-on-Sea, had logged onto a website offering tips on how to play Assassin's Creed 3 on November 5, 2012.

The prosecutor, Sally Howes QC, said there would have been little point in him reading the site's step-by-step instructions unless he was playing the game at the time.

The court was told Sandler dialled 999 less than 20 minutes after accessing the website, telling the operator he had suffered a fit.

But the judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, said: "It's obvious that ... you appreciated what you had done and ... lied and sought to cover up what had actually happened."

Dr Hannah Cock, a consultant neurologist, found it was "highly unlikely" that a seizure contributed to Aimee-Rose's injuries.

Miss Howes added: "Even if he had fallen on to Aimee-Rose, her pattern of injuries is not consistent with a fall and crushing alone.

"Dr Cock would have expected more disturbance to adjacent furniture than reported."

The court also heard about a text message sent by Aimee-Rose's mother to Sandland on the day of the attack, in which she asked how her daughter had been while she attended the first class of her university course.

She received a reply which read: "She hasn't shut up since about half an hour after you left."

Sandland, who will serve half his sentence before being released from jail on licence, was charged with murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of lack of intent.

The judge said the attack was a "momentary" event that was not pre-meditated.

However, he said there were a number of aggravating factors, including that Aimee-Rose was a vulnerable child and that Sandland was in a position of trust, had lied to authorities and had shown no real remorse.

Lewis Power QC, for the defence, said Sandland would forever "carry the heavy burden" of knowing he had killed his daughter.

"There can be no greater tragedy in life than the death of a child - a young child, a life extinguished, compounded by the fact it was at the hands of a loving parent," he added.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Polar Bear Attack: I Heard Growls And Screams

A teenager has told of the moment she heard a fellow student being fatally attacked by a polar bear during an adventure holiday.

Lauren Beech, from Ilford in Essex, has been telling the inquest into the death of Horatio Chapple, 17, that she saw the white fur of the bear from her tent.

"I heard growls of the bear along with other shouts and screams," she said at the inquest in Salisbury. "I was very distressed and I do not think I had any idea of the timescale."

Scott Bennell-Smith, from St Mellion in Cornwall, was lying asleep in the same tent as Horatio when it started shaking.

He said: "The material of the tent roof collapsed over all three of us and I could feel the presence of the bear over all of us. I could feel the size of it and see its paws.

The bear was shot after attacking several people

"When the material collapsed over me I couldn't see what was happening.

"From what I remember I think we were all shouting the same thing ... shouting for help."

Mr Bennell-Smith, 20, who was 16 at the time, added: "The material had all ripped, it had fallen about either side of us. I saw the bear attacking someone.

"I think it was right in the centre of the camp, biting (him) in the head.

"I just put my head down again and tried to stay still basically then I could just hear the bear moving around the camp, just heard commotion."

The expedition was to the Arctic wilderness of the Svalbard islands

He was then attacked and injured by the bear, before it was shot.

Horatio was on the adventure holiday to the remote Svalbard islands in August 2011 with the British Schools Exploring Society (BSES) when he died.

The Eton pupil from Salisbury, Wiltshire, suffered fatal injuries to his head and upper body.

Four others were hurt before the bear was shot dead at the camp site, where the group, known as Chanzin Fire, had been staying.

Also injured during the incident were trip leader Michael "Spike" Reid, from Plymouth, Devon, Andrew Ruck, from Brighton, and Patrick Flinders, from Jersey.

Horatio, from Wiltshire, was a pupil at Eton

Ms Beech told the inquest that Horatio had found a bear print in the ground just two days before the attack.

She also said she found out after the incident that the local authorities had issued a warning about increased polar bear activities in recent months before the attack.

More follows...

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two Britons Guilty Of Syria Terror Offences

Two British men who travelled to Syria to fight alongside rebels have pleaded guilty to terrorism offences.

Mohammed Nahin Ahmed and Yusuf Zubair Sarwar spent eight months in Syria last year after contacting Islamist extremists from the UK.

The childhood friends, both 22 years old, come from Handsworth, Birmingham.

Ahmed and Sarwar admit preparing for terror acts

They were arrested at Heathrow Airport on their return from Syria in January.

Appearing at Woolwich Crown Court, Ahmed and Sarwar both admitted one count of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorism acts contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act.

Immediately after their arrest, the men claimed they had travelled to Syria for humanitarian reasons.

Police found an image of Ahmed posing with a toy gun prior to his departure

However "thousands" of incriminating images were found on a digital camera they brought back into the UK, including pictures of them posing with guns.

Specialists said the images indicated that Ahmed and Sarwar had been in and around Aleppo, a flash point city in the fight between rebels and forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al Assad.

Close examination of their clothes and trainers also revealed traces of "military-grade explosives" including TNT and nitroglycerine.

West Midlands Police said they had travelled to Syria via a well-trodden route through neighbouring Turkey.

Ahmed was born in Bangladesh and moved to Britain as a child, while Sarwar is of Pakistani descent and was born in Britain.

Investigations into the pair began after Sarwar's family reported him missing in May last year.

He had left a handwritten letter in which he said he had joined a terrorist group called Kataib al Muhajireen (KaM) - later renamed Kateeba al Kawthar - which means "to do jihad".

Police then uncovered online conversations between the pair in which Ahmed revealed his plan to travel abroad to join the jihad.

The pair were pictured on their way to the airport

He told Sarwar: "I cannot tell anyone I'm going to jihad. Lol. I'll get arrested."

Conversations were also found between Ahmed and two Islamist extremists.

He told a Swedish national fighting with the KaM: "I come to join KaM."

The Swede replied: "Inshallah (God willing)."

Images of Islamist propaganda, including Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) flags, and incriminating literature were also found on both of their computers.

The families of both men say they put pressure on them to return to the UK once they discovered where they were.

Sarwar's family said he had told them he was travelling to Turkey on a trip organised by Birmingham City University, where he was studying computer science part-time.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Woman 'Hid Cash In Knickers For Jihadists'

A 27-year-old British woman is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of attempting to smuggle 20,000 euro (£15,800) in her underwear to fund jihadists fighting in Syria.

Nawal Msaad was taking the money to Turkey on behalf of her close friend Amal El-Wahibi, also 27, whose Muslim-convert husband Aine Davis, left London last July to pursue the jihadist cause, the court heard.

Msaad was stopped by police as she approached the departure gate at Heathrow Airport on January 16 this year.

She told officers the three-day trip to Istanbul was a "short break" to buy gold for her mother.

Prosecutor Mark Dennis, QC, said: "She was then taken to a private room where she pulled out a roll of banknotes from inside her underwear and handed it across to the officers. The banknotes were tightly rolled and were wrapped in cling film.

Amal El-Wahibi also denies funding terrorism

"It would appear that it would have been further hidden inside her body, wrapped in a condom."

Both Msaad, of Holloway, north London, and El-Wahabi, of northwest London, are on trial accused of funding terrorism. They deny the charge.

Jurors were told the arrangements were made in the days before the planned flight in phone calls and WhatsApp messages between the pair and 30-year-old Davis, who was also born in London and has two young sons with El-Wahabi.

Mr Dennis said: "It is alleged in this case that the money that the second defendant was attempting to take out to Turkey was money that had been raised in this country and had been destined to support the jihadist cause which Davis was now pursuing with like-minded supporters.

"The allegation in this case is that each defendant, when becoming concerned in the arrangement of the smuggling of this money to Turkey at the behest of Davis, knew of, at the very least had reasonable cause to suspect, that the money was or might be used for the purposes of terrorism."

After her arrest, Msaad refused to explain the money and gave "no comment" police interviews, while El-Wahabi said an iPod, Kindle and iPad found at her address belonged to Davis, who was now living in Turkey.

She denied knowledge of any terrorist activities or their funding.

But her mobile phone showed Davis had sent her photos including a "selfie" while he had been away, as well as videos containing jihadist propaganda, including one of a "boy martyr" aged between 10 and 13 holding a Kalashnikov rifle, jurors heard.

The trial continues.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

McCanns' Son 'Asked About Madeleine Claims'

Kate McCann has told a libel hearing her son asked her about allegations linking her to the disappearance of Madeleine, which were published in a book by former police chief Goncalo Amaral.

Mrs McCann told a court in Portugal, her son Sean had heard about the claims on the radio while travelling on a school bus.

She said: "Sean asked me in October: 'Mr Amaral said you hid Madeleine.'

"I just said he said a lot of silly things."

The McCanns are suing over the allegations in Mr Amaral's book, The Truth Of The Lie, which included suggestions they hid Madeleine's body after she died in an accident and faked an abduction.

They say the allegations damaged the hunt for their daughter and exacerbated their anguish.

Sky News' Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said she testified for almost an hour at Lisbon's Palace of Justice.

Madeleine has been missing for seven years

After the hearing, Gerry McCann told reporters they had brought the case to court to "challenge assertions that have gone more or less unchallenged".

He said whoever took Madeleine "must have been laughing at what has been told in the book; that there was no abduction, that there is no predator out there.

"There is. And he, she or they may strike again."

If successful, the couple could receive around £1m in damages. A judgement is not expected until later this year.

The trial was adjourned last month when Mr Amaral sacked his lawyer in what the McCanns claimed was a "blatant and cynical" attempt to hold up proceedings.

Police have been searching in Praia da Luz in recent weeks

Afterwards they accused him of trying to wear them down and delaying justice for their missing daughter.

Madeleine, who was then nearly four, disappeared from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3, 2007 as her parents dined at a nearby restaurant with friends.

Their latest visit to Portugal comes after Scotland Yard detectives returned to the country last week to help interview suspects in the case.

Officers from the force's Operation Grange joined their Portuguese counterparts in Faro as they questioned "people of interest".

The suspects were believed to include three workers from the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz who have been linked to a string of burglaries in the area before Madeleine vanished.

Last month the British detectives teamed up with their Portuguese counterparts in searches of three areas of land near the Ocean Club.

Afterwards police said it was the "first phase of this major investigation which has been agreed with the Portuguese".

They added there was "still a substantial amount of work yet to be completed in the coming weeks and months".

Mr and Mrs McCann previously said the fact police found no evidence relating to Madeleine had reinforced their belief she could still be alive.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Polar Bear Killing: Trip Leader 'Wrestled' Animal

Polar Bear Victim Was 'Fearless' - Family

Updated: 7:37pm UK, Saturday 06 August 2011

A British teenager mauled to death by a polar bear in Norway has been described by his family as "strong, fearless and kind".

Horatio Chapple, 17, from near Salisbury in Wiltshire, was killed while camping with the British Schools Exploring Society in the country's remote northern Svalbard archipelago.

A statement issued by his family said: "Horatio was so excited about his plans to be a doctor, strong, fearless and kind with an amazing sense of humour and an ability to laugh at himself.

"He was on the cusp of adulthood and had a clear vision of where his life was going."

Four other group members were badly injured - the group's leaders Michael Reid and Andrew Ruck along with two of the participants in the trip, Patrick Flinders and Scott Bennell-Smith.

But officials told a press conference all four had undergone surgery to treat head injuries and were now well enough to be transferred back to hospitals the UK.

It is understood the bear will now be forensically examined to try to determine the cause of the attack.

A series of emotional tributes to Mr Chapple having been pouring in on a special page set up on social networking site Facebook.

One post, from a Magnus England Chapple said: "You were the best brother and still are. I love you and rest in peace."

Another, from Harry Cunliffe, one of Mr Chapple's godparents, said: "Horatio, I will miss your smile, your impish grin, your sensitivity, your graciousness and your genuine care and interest in others.

"Your sense of adventure, your hard work, commitment and determination have been inspiring to me."

The chairman of BSES, Edward Watson, also paid tribute to Mr Chapple.

He said: "Horatio was a fine young man, hoping to go on to read medicine after school. By all accounts he would've made an excellent doctor."

Horatio's grandfather, Sir John Chapple, 80, was the head of the Army from 1989 to 1992, the former governor of Gibraltar and the former president of the BSES.

Mr Reid, who is a member of staff at the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), was leading the group as part of his summer break and is thought to have shot the bear.

His father, Peter Reid, 65, from Plymouth, said: "He told us the bear attacked the tent with three people in it, and he and another leader went to help and were viciously attacked by the bear.

"He managed to get away, ran to get a gun and shot the bear."

He added: "The other members of the group wanted to know how Spike was, and they said he was very, very brave."

An RGS spokesman told Sky News: "He is a member of staff however his role in the BSES expedition is not connected with his employment at the (RGS).

"Mr Reid's involvement with BSES was a personal undertaking in his own time and he joined the BSES expedition this summer using his holiday time allowance."

The group was attacked while on a trip near Spitsbergen, in the Svalbard islands, and were part of a larger group of around 80 people.

The BSES's Mr Watson added: "We and the Norwegian authorities are currently establishing the full circumstances of his tragic death and will not be releasing this until we have discussed it with the family."

He later said the expedition had been called off and all members would be brought home.

"This tragic incident has affected everyone involved and we believe ending the expedition is the appropriate decision to make," he said.

The victims were staying in a campsite containing 13 people which was attacked by the bear.

A helicopter photographed shocked survivors at the site, in an area covered by glacial rubble, where tents were pinned down by large rocks.

In an interview with ITV Channel Television Patrick Flinders said he was inspired by the BSES to make the trip after they gave a talk at his school.

Mr Flinders, from Jersey, tried to fend off the bear but was injured when it lashed out.

"It was an organised group. They had a camp set up and this attack happened in the camp," he said.

A spokeswoman for the governor of Svalbard said explorers usually set up trip wires which fires off a rocket if animals enter the camp.

British ambassador to Norway, Jane Owen, said the group had taken adequate precautions to minimise risks and increase safety.

The attack took place near the Von Post glacier and it is believed the expedition group undertook firearm training prior to the incident.

After the attack the group alerted authorities by a satellite phone.

The deputy governor Lars Erik Alfheim told Sky News: "We deployed a helicopter with medical and police personnel, upon arrival one person was declared dead and four people injured.

The injured are being treated at University hospital in Tromso, and the British ambassador has travelled to the area.

The trip which began on July 23, was due to continue until August 28.

Kyle Gouveia returned early from the trip due to frost-nip.

Speaking to Sky News, he described the group as a "friendly bunch" and said he had not seen any polar bears on the trip.

In a statement, Norwegian authorities said the bear, which weighed 250kg, had been shot dead before it was transported back to a nearby base.

Earlier this year the governor of Svalbard issued a warning about the animals after several were spotted close to Longyearbyen, the nearest major town.

:: If you are concerned about a relative's safety you can call +47 7902 4305 or +47 7902 4302

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pistorius: Broadcaster Defends Killing Video

An Australian TV broadcaster has defended its decision to air of a video showing Oscar Pistorius re-enacting the night he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The material - shown by Australian TV network Channel Seven - was filmed to help the Paralympian's defence team build their case.

It shows Pistorius, wearing a vest and shorts, running without his prosthetic legs with his fist clenched as if holding a gun.

The video also shows him carrying a woman. It is unclear where the re-enactment was filmed.

Mark Llewellyn, executive producer of the Sunday Night programme, said: "This was a significant investigation ... examining the critical 85 minutes on Valentine's Night 2013 when Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead by Oscar Pistorius," said Mark Llewellyn, executive producer of the Sunday Night programme.

"The material shown on Sunday Night goes to the heart of both the prosecution and defence cases, including the account provided by Oscar Pistorius.

"The story was run in Australia only and not made available to any other territory."

Pistorius' legal team said they were taking action against Channel Seven, but the video was not explicitly raised by either side in Monday's court hearing.

Pistorius and Ms Steenkamp had been dating for around three months

Sky's Emma Hurd said the report was the "elephant in the room" during the latest hearing.

"The video has not been mentioned explicitly but has been hinted at, so we're not expecting it to be introduced as evidence," she said.

During the hearing, Professor Wayne Derman, a doctor for the South African Paralympic team, was further questioned over Pistorius' ability to get around on his stumps.

He conceded that fleeing to another room would have been an "option" despite the defendant's lack of mobility.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel also claimed that Prof Derman was too close to Pistorius to be considered an objective witness.  

His lawyers criticised the "illegal" broadcast as the court heard evidence from the last defence witnesses.

The video was produced by an American company apparently hired by the athlete's lawyers, but has not been used during the trial.

Pistorius, who is on trial for premeditated murder, denies deliberately killing his girlfriend, claiming he mistook her for an intruder.

He faces between 25 years and life in prison if found guilty.

20.49 | 0 komentar | Read More

'No Stone Unturned' In Child Sex Ring Inquiry

Claims that politicians and high profile public figures were at the centre of a powerful paedophile ring in the 1980s will be investigated, the Prime Minister has said.

David Cameron has said there would be "no stone unturned" in an independent inquiry into how public bodies had handled child abuse allegations, mainly dating back to the 1980s.

Allegations that a powerful paedophile ring was operating at Westminster have been at the centre of those claims.

Mr Cameron said:  "I am absolutely determined that we are going to get to the bottom of these allegations and we're going to leave no stone unturned to find out the truth about what happened - that is vital.

"It is also vital we learn the lessons right across the board from these things that have gone wrong.

The allegations include claims of abuse by late Liberal MP Sir Cyril Smith

"And it's also important that the police feel that they can go wherever the evidence leads and they can make all the appropriate arrangements to investigate these things properly."

A Downing Street spokesman said the speed of the inquiry would be of importance.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We want to make sure that answers are achieved as quickly as possible. Clearly it needs to be a process that commands confidence and credibility as well."

The Home Secretary will on Monday afternoon announce the full details of the inquiry, which the Chancellor, George Osborne, has said will be "independent and authoritative".

Theresa May is expected to say the investigation will examine who knew what and when and why allegations were missed, overlooked or ignored by public bodies.

Lord Tebbit believes an establishment cover-up is possible

It has been suggested that a panel of experts will take evidence from members of the public as part of the investigation but it will stop short of a full public inquiry.

Labour has said it wants a full public inquiry by child abuse experts and shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said there were claims of child sex abuse by politicians that were more recent than the 1980s claims.

She said: "We need a wide-ranging review that can look at how all the allegations put to the Home Office in the 80s and 90s were handled. Any stones left unturned will leave concerns of institutional malaise, or worse, a cover-up, unaddressed."

It comes after former Conservative cabinet minister Lord Tebbit said there may have been a political cover-up of allegations in the 1980s to "protect the establishment".

A Home Office investigation found that 114 official files relating to claims of child abuse by politicians have been lost or destroyed.

These files are in addition to a missing dossier alleging child abuse involving around eight powerful and famous figures at Westminster in the 1980s, handed to the Home Office by the late Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens in 1983.

The allegations include claims of abuse by the late Liberal MP Sir Cyril Smith and alleged paedophile activity at parties attended by politicians at the Elm Guest House in Barnes, southwest London.

Lord Tebbit, who served in a series of senior ministerial posts under Margaret Thatcher, said the instinct at the time was to protect "the system" and not delve too deeply into uncomfortable allegations.

"At that time I think most people would have thought that the establishment, the system, was to be protected and if a few things had gone wrong here and there that it was more important to protect the system than to delve too far into it.

"That view, I think, was wrong then and it is spectacularly shown to be wrong because the abuses have grown," he told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show.

Asked if he thought there had been a "big political cover-up" at the time, he said: "I think there may well have been."

20.49 | 0 komentar | Read More

Video Captures Dramatic Runway Near-Miss

Amateur video has captured the moment a pilot was forced to abort a landing to avoid hitting another plane crossing the runway in front of him.

The footage, filmed by an aviation enthusiast on Saturday, shows a passenger plane taxi across a runway at Barcelona's El Prat Airport on which a Russian jet is about to land.

The pilot immediately decided to abort the landing and pulled up the nose.

The UTair Boeing 767-300 plane then flew on, circling several times before landing on the same runway a few minutes later.

The pilot aborted the landing and pulled the plane to safety

It was not clear whether the taxiing airbus was cleared to cross the runway.

Sky's Technology Correspondent Tom Cheshire said Spain's Airports and Air Navigation (AENA) - which manages Spain's airports - has said the incident was nothing to worry about and within the margin of error.

An investigation has been ordered into what led to the incident.

20.49 | 0 komentar | Read More

Super Typhoon Neoguri Barrels Towards Japan

A super typhoon that is barrelling towards Japan has prompted the country's weather agency to issue its highest alert.

Neoguri is on its way towards the southern Okinawa island where violent winds and high waves are expected.

It is currently east of Taiwan, but is expected to head northwest and then turn northeast towards mainland Japan.

The typhoon warning - the first since a new system began last August - means that the storm poses a threat to life.

Another image taken by satellites of Neoguri

It is feared it could inflict massive damage as it gusts up to 160mph (270kph).

Government leaders held emergency meetings and warned local governments and residents to be prepared.

Satoshi Ebihara, the head of the Japan's weather forecast division, told reporters: "This typhoon could be the strongest typhoon in history, for the month of July."

"There is a risk of unprecedentedly strong winds and torrential rains. Please refrain from non-essential outdoor activities," he said.

The approximate route that Super Typhoon Neoguri is expected to take

There are no nuclear plants on Okinawa but there are two on nearby Kyushu and one on Shikoku island, which borders Kyushu and could also be affected.

The power plants have been shut down in line with national policy.

A large number of US military personnel are based on Okinawa.

20.49 | 0 komentar | Read More