French 'enter Mali rebel town'

30 January 2013 Last updated at 07:10 ET

French forces say they have entered Kidal in the north of Mali, the last major town they have yet to secure in their drive against Islamist militants.

French forces now control Kidal airport after a number of aircraft, including helicopters, landed there overnight.

Islamist militants were reported to have already left the town and it was unclear who was in charge.

French and Malian forces have been sweeping north, earlier taking Gao and Timbuktu with almost no resistance.

France - the former colonial power in Mali - launched a military operation this month after Islamist militants appeared to be threatening the south.

French army spokesman Col Thierry Burkhard confirmed that "French elements were deployed overnight in Kidal".

Haminy Maiga, the interim president of the Kidal regional assembly, told the Associated Press news agency: "The French arrived at 9:30pm [Tuesday] aboard four planes. Afterwards they took the airport and then entered the town and there was no combat.

"The French are patrolling the town and two helicopters are patrolling overhead," he said.

'Eradicate terrorism'

Kidal, 1,500km (930 miles) north-east of the capital Bamako, was until recently under the control of the Ansar Dine Islamist group, which has strong ties to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Continue reading the main story

The Islamist militants fled Timbuktu in haste, but they took the time to commit one last act of vengeance"

End Quote

The Islamist militants had taken advantage of a military coup in March last year to impose Sharia in a number of cities in the north.

However, the Islamic Movement of Azawad (IMA), which recently split from Ansar Dine, says it is now in charge in Kidal.

The IMA has said it rejects "extremism and terrorism" and wants a peaceful solution.

An IMA spokesman confirmed the French arrival in Kidal and said that its leader was in talks with them.

However, another rebel group, the secular National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), is also influential in the area. It is ethnically driven, fighting mostly for the rights of Mali's minority Tuareg community.

An MNLA spokesman told the BBC its fighters had entered Kidal on Saturday and found no Islamist militants there.

The MNLA has also said it is prepared to work with the French "to eradicate terrorist groups" in the north but that it would not allow the return of the Malian army, which it accused of "crimes against the civilian population".

Some reports say Ansar Dine leader, Iyad Ag Ghaly, and Abou Zeid of AQIM have now moved to the mountainous region north of Kidal.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says rebel groups could still strike in Mali or elsewhere

The BBC's Thomas Fessy, in Timbuktu, says that taking Kidal will mark the end of the first phase of the French military intervention, but that there will remain the difficult task of chasing the fighters down across the vast desert.

The French arrival at Kidal came only 24 hours after securing Timbuktu with Malian forces.

The troops had to secure the streets after hundreds of people looted shops they said had belonged to militant sympathisers.

The retreating Islamist militants were also accused of destroying ancient manuscripts held in the city.

However on Wednesday, Shamil Jeppie, the Timbuktu Manuscripts Project director at the University of Cape Town, said that more than 90% of the 300,000 manuscripts said to be in the region were safe.

Donor pledges

France has been pushing for the swift deployment of an African Union-backed force, the International Support Mission to Mali (Afisma), to take control of Malian towns.

On Tuesday, international donors meeting in Ethiopia pledged $455.53m (£289m) for Afisma and for other projects.

African leaders say the overall budget could be around $950m.

France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told the meeting impressive progress had been made but that this did not mean the danger was over.

Mr Fabius also said credible elections in Mali would be vital to achieving sustainable peace in the country.

Mali's interim President Dioncounda Traore said on Tuesday that he wanted to hold "transparent and credible" elections by 31 July.

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Overseas officers 'can run police'

30 January 2013 Last updated at 06:30 ET

Senior officers from overseas will be able to run police forces in England and Wales for the first time, under a government overhaul of recruitment.

Outsiders will be able to join forces as superintendents and recruits can be fast-tracked to inspectors.

Police Minister Damian Green said the service would benefit from a wider talent pool.

Critics within the police have said some of the plans present "risks" to the public and police officers.

The overhaul is part of a package of reforms put forward by Chief Inspector of Constabulary Tom Winsor, in the widest-ranging review of police pay and conditions in more than 30 years.

'Fast-tracking'

The current system sees all police recruits begin work as a constable but, under the proposals, some new starters would be able to skip the compulsory two years on the beat.

The changes being put out for consultation include:

• Fast-tracking recruits to inspector level within three years
• Allowing outsiders to join as superintendents with 15 months' training
• Opening up chief constable roles to senior officers from countries such as Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand

Current legislation prevented Bill Bratton, former head of New York police, applying to take charge of the Metropolitan Police in 2011.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

A debate about the benefits of direct entry has been going on for a decade but Tom Winsor's report has finally prompted action.

Winsor found that although the police culture had "many extremely valuable strengths" it was also "somewhat closed, defensive and inward-looking".

He said an "infusion of experience and expertise" from other disciplines and occupations would improve things.

The revelation of links between Scotland Yard and News International, and the sense in the early stages of the London riots that there was a lack of police leadership, has bolstered the argument for change.

But the idea of an outsider being recruited as a superintendent, taking charge of a firearms operation or the policing of a protest march, is likely to prove hugely controversial.

The Home Office is determined there will be change - but it may have to proceed cautiously.

Under the plans put forward by ex-rail regulator Mr Winsor, a direct-entry scheme for inspectors would recruit about 80 candidates each year and would target graduates from the best universities, and the brightest and the best from within the police service.

He also put forward a scheme for superintendent level in a bid to attract "exceptional" individuals from other fields including the military, the security services and industry.

The Home Office proposals herald a fundamental change to the current system of police recruitment, BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw says.

It currently takes about 25 years for a newly recruited constable to work their way to the most senior level, a process that is thought to deter talented people from other professions from joining the police, our correspondent adds.

Several police forces, including Britain's largest, the Metropolitan Police, already have graduate recruitment schemes. They all insist that recruits spend time on the beat.

Police Minister Damian Green told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there was direct entry in other services, including the Army and the prison service.

"Policing is largely successful in this country, crime is down 10% in the past two years," he said.

"But there is no organisation in the world that cannot get better and it must be the case that if you widen the pool of talent, then you will get even better policing in this country."

The changes will happen and the consultation was about the best way to do it, he added.

Continue reading the main story

Police numbers in England & Wales
Rank	Full-time staff
ACPO ranks*	209
Chief Superintendents	380
Superintendents	890
Chief Inspectors	1,727
Inspectors	6,590
Sergeants	21,371
Constables	102,934

* Association of Chief Police Officers includes the top three ranks of all 44 police forces in England, Wales & Northern Ireland, and members of other national police agencies

Source: Home Office, March 2012

Ann Barnes, the first police and crime commissioner for Kent and former chair of the county's police authority, has experience of recruiting chief officers.

"The pool I was fishing in was frankly too small. The talent we have is good but there's not enough of them," she told the BBC.

"It's virtually impossible to attract experienced older talent into the service because they don't have time to climb the police ladder to the top jobs. We are saying goodbye to fresh talent and new ideas."

Peter Fahy, lead on workforce development for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said the organisation had no problem bringing in expertise from outside, and "in many forces up to 50% of staff are non-police officers".

He said forces were not short of talent and the changes could see existing officers frustrated in their bids for promotion.

Sir Peter, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, said currently all top officers have experience on the police beat.

"This is the model used by other countries who have followed the British system, such as the USA," he added.

'Work experience'

Ch Supt Derek Barnett, president of the Police Superintendents' Association of England and Wales, said allowing people to become superintendents after 15 months' training would present "risks to the public and police officers".

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

He said it was a misconception that superintendents were desk-bound and in reality, they were the senior operational leaders of the police service.

"One of the benefits of having an operational grounding is that you have been able to deal with critical incidents, you have felt the collar of criminals, you have dealt with the very sad incidence of dead bodies," he told BBC Breakfast.

Steve White, vice-chairman of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said it did not support proposals that would allow external candidates to join the police service at any rank above that of constable.

"We believe the rank structure allows officers to perfectly equip themselves for their next role within the service," he said.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Ch Supt Derek Barnett said the plans were risky

He said there were also reservations about overseas recruitment of senior officers, adding: "We have the best police service in the world so it seems strange that the government - which often echoes this view - may wish for forces to recruit chief constables from overseas."

But Britain's highest-ranking officer, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe, has said he would like to recruit 10% of senior officers from external candidates.

The consultation on the proposals launched on Wednesday 20 January and closes on Thursday 28 March.

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

UK petrol market 'working well'

30 January 2013 Last updated at 06:35 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Petrol Retailers' Association's Brian Madderson: "This is a grave disappointment to independent retailers"

A study of the UK petrol and diesel market by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has said little action is needed.

"The evidence gathered by the OFT suggests that at a national level, competition is working well in the UK road fuel sector," its report said.

It found the UK has some of Europe's cheapest fuel prices before tax.

It said there was very little evidence that petrol and diesel prices rise quickly when oil prices go up, but are slow to fall when prices drop.

"We recognise that there has been widespread mistrust in how this market is operating," said OFT chief executive Clive Maxwell.

"However, our analysis suggests that competition is working well, and rises in pump prices over last decade or so have largely been down to increases in tax and the cost of crude oil."

But the OFT found that fuel was significantly more expensive at service stations and was concerned that motorists were not able to see the prices until they had left the motorway.

The report asked the Department for Transport to introduce new signs on motorways to display prices.

It also said that while it did not plan to do any more work on the national fuel market, it might still take action in some local markets if there was "persuasive evidence of anti-competitive behaviour".

Independent retailers had complained that oil companies and supermarkets had been using their scale to give themselves an unfair advantage, but the regulator found no evidence of this.

Brian Madderson from the Petrol Retailers' Association, which represents independent forecourts and made the original complaint to the OFT, said the findings were "a grave disappointment".

"This is the sort of thing that the OFT and the establishment have done many times before," he said.

"They have failed to take on the big players in the market - the oil companies, the supermarkets - and have left the smaller independent businesses to their fate."

He questioned why wholesale petrol prices had gone up seven pence a litre since Christmas when refineries were saying they had a glut of petrol and demand had been hit by wintry weather.

'Drivers' misery'

The investigation into the £32bn sector was launched in September last year.

Since September it has been hearing evidence from trade bodies, government and regulatory organisations, consumer bodies and motoring groups.

"This report will give only limited comfort to the UK's 35 million drivers who continue to pay near record prices at the pumps, but the OFT does identify the true cause of drivers' misery - the chancellor and crude oil prices," said Prof Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation.

"About 60% of the pump price is accounted for by fuel duty and VAT and we would now call on retailers to provide a breakdown on till receipts to show exactly what the proportion the Exchequer is creaming off."

"Some will find it hard to believe, but the report does make clear that the fuel market is helping keep prices lower and supermarkets have actually helped competition."

Quentin Willson, spokesman for the pressure group FairFuelUK, said he was shocked.

"Every motorist and business in Britain instinctively knows that 'something's not right'," he said.

"The OFT appears to have failed to address the key issues of : why diesel is more expensive than unleaded in the UK when this is not the case in Europe, why falls in the oil price take so long to be reflected at the pump, and why there are such variations in price, often from the same branded forecourts, within the same area."

The report was welcomed by Chris Hunt, director general of the UK's Petroleum Industry Association, which represents refiners.

"The UK has had amongst the lowest pre-tax pump prices in the EU for over a decade so the findings come as no surprise," he said.

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Scots Indy question change backed

30 January 2013 Last updated at 06:39 ET By Andrew Black Political reporter, BBC Scotland

The Scottish government has agreed to change the wording of its independence referendum question, after concerns it may lead people to vote 'Yes'.

SNP ministers wanted to ask voters the yes/no question: "Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?" in autumn 2014.

The wording of the question now looks set to be altered to: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"

The change was suggested by the Electoral Commission watchdog.

Final approval of the referendum arrangements rests with the Scottish Parliament.

The commission, which has been testing the government's proposed wording, said concern had been raised over the phrase "Do you agree" and said more "neutral" language was needed.

Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon immediately said the Scottish government would accept the commission's recommendations.

The commission also recommended increases in the campaign spending limits proposed by the Scottish government in the run-up to the referendum.

That would see the cap on the two main campaigns - Yes Scotland and Better Together - raised from £750,000 to £1.5m, while there would also be changes in the cap for political parties.

Continue reading the main story

Referendum questions

Proposed yes/no Scottish government question: Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?"

Proposed yes/no Electoral Commission question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond previously described his government's question as "short, straightforward and clear", but critics claimed the wording was biased.

Scottish Electoral Commissioner John McCormick said voters were entitled to have confidence in the result of the referendum.

He said: "We have rigorously tested the proposed question, speaking to a wide range of people across Scotland.

Continue reading the main story

Spending limits

Electoral Commission recommendations:

Designated lead campaigns (Yes Scotland and Better Together): £1,500,000

Scottish National Party: £1,344,000

Scottish Labour: £834,000

Scottish Conservatives: £396,000

Scottish Liberal Democrats: £201,000

Scottish Green Party: £150,000

Other registered campaigners: £150,000

Campaigns spending below £10,000 are not required to register.

Scottish government proposals:

Designated lead campaigns: £750,000

Scottish National Party: £250,000

Scottish Labour: £250,000

Scottish Conservatives: £250,000

Scottish Liberal Democrats: £250,000

Scottish Green Party: £250,000

Other registered campaigners: £50,000

Limits cover the 16-week regulated period before the poll.

"Any referendum question must be, and be seen to be, neutral. People told us that they felt the words 'Do you agree' could lead voters towards voting 'yes'."

Mr McCormick also called on the Scottish and UK governments to work together to provide more clarity on the vote.

He added: "People had a clear understanding that 'independent country' meant being separate from the UK.

"But they did want factual information in advance about what will happen after the referendum."

On campaign spending limits - which cover the "regulated", 16-week period of the campaign before the poll is held - the commission based its recommendations partly on information it now had on the likely shape and scale of campaigning.

Mr McCormick said: "The campaign spending limits we have recommended are designed to ensure there are no barriers to voters hearing from campaigners in what will be a historic vote for the people of Scotland.

"We have listened carefully to the views of the Scottish government and to campaigners, and have set out proposals based on our principles that spending limits should allow effective campaigning for all outcomes, deter excessive spending and encourage transparency."

The Scottish government proposed a limit of £750,000 for lead campaigns, on the basis that the total was half the maximum spending limit of just over £1.5m for parties fighting Scottish Parliament elections, and that the referendum will not involve constituency campaigns.

In drawing its findings on the question, commission spoke to voters across Scotland to see whether they could easily understand and answer the question and took advice from "plain language" experts, politicians, academics and others.

The terms of the referendum will be contained in a Scottish government bill, which would need the approval of the Scottish Parliament.

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Doctors to repair Malala's skull

30 January 2013 Last updated at 07:00 ET

Doctors have revealed how they are going to repair a missing area of the skull of Pakistani schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai.

Surgeons at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital have been giving details about two procedures due to be carried out on the 15-year-old.

She was discharged from the hospital earlier this month after being shot in the head by the Taliban in October.

The hospital said Malala's surgery would take place in the next 10 days.

The first procedure will involve drilling into her skull and inserting a custom-made metal plate.

Doctors said Malala was completely deaf in her left ear after being shot at point blank range.

'Remarkable recovery'

The shockwave destroyed her eardrum and the bones for hearing.

Surgeons said the second procedure would involve fitting a small electronic device that provides a sense of sound to someone who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing.

Dr Dave Rosser, medical director at the QEHB, said: "Her recovery is remarkable and it's a testament to her strength and desire to get better.

"There is no doubt that the surgery she underwent in Pakistan was life saving.

"Had that surgery not been of such a high standard she would have died."

He added her full recovery could take another 15 to 18 months.

Dr Rosser said the missing part of Malala's skull had been put in her abdomen by surgeons in Pakistan to "keep the bone alive".

Doctors in Birmingham have chosen to use a metal plate to repair her skull instead of the bone in her abdomen, which they say may have shrunk.

Dr Rosser added Malala has asked to keep the bone once it has been removed.

Continue reading the main story

Malala came to prominence when, as an 11-year-old, she wrote a diary for BBC Urdu, giving an account of how her school in Mingora town dealt with the Taliban's 2009 edict to close girls' schools.

Her love for education, and her courage in standing up to the Taliban, earned her a national peace award in 2011.

Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition calling for Malala to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Pakistan government has given Malala's father, Ziaududdin Yousafzai, a job in Birmingham as the education attache at the Consulate of Pakistan for at least three years.

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Six years for Bali drugs Briton

29 January 2013 Last updated at 04:14 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

The BBC's Karishma Vaswani says Julian Ponder looked visibly relieved as the sentence was delivered

A British man has been jailed for six years in Bali for drug offences.

Julian Ponder, 43, from Brighton, was cleared of smuggling but was convicted of possessing 23g of cocaine which carried a maximum sentence of life.

Ponder was one of three Britons detained after Lindsay Sandiford, 56, from Cheltenham, was arrested for smuggling cocaine into Bali last year.

Sandiford was sentenced to death and is suing the UK Foreign Office for not supporting her appeal.

The two other Britons were also cleared of trafficking and received sentences of four years and one year each.

Prosecutors in Bali had sought a seven-year prison term for Mr Ponder.

Judge Gunawan Tri Budiono also ordered him to pay a fine of one billion rupiah (£65,000).

Ponder's lawyer Arie Budiman Soenardi said he would not advise his client to appeal: "(The sentence) is quite light, not far from what the prosecutors had asked, so we will soon advise our client to accept it."

Sandiford, 56, from Cheltenham, was arrested on drugs charges in May 2012 and sentenced to death by firing squad last week by a panel of judges at the district court in Denpasar, Bali.

She claimed she had been coerced into carrying a suitcase into the country by criminals who threatened her family.

Legal charity Reprieve said the UK government was in breach of its obligations to Sandiford as a British citizen.

Reprieve said Sandiford, originally from Redcar, Teesside, had no money for an appeal after exhausting her family's finances to pay for a lawyer for her trial.

Charitable donations

The charity said the appeal involved filing a complicated legal document in Indonesian, which she does not speak, by 12 February.

Reprieve, and solicitors Leigh Day & Co, have filed a judicial review in the UK on Ms Sandiford's behalf against the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

This argues that: "In failing to make arrangements for an adequate lawyer to represent the claimant's interests the defendant is acting unlawfully, in breach of its obligations as a matter of EU law, to take all reasonable steps to ensure that she does not face the death penalty, is not subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment, is not tortured and receives a fair trial."

Reprieve said Sandiford was relying on charitable donations for basic provisions such as food and water.

Sandiford was sentenced to death despite the prosecution seeking a 15-year sentence.

Harriet McCulloch, from Reprieve, said: "Everyone knows that capital punishment means that those without the capital get the punishment. Lindsay's poverty means that she has ended up sentenced to death after a manifestly unfair trial."

Sandiford's MP, Martin Horwood, called on the Foreign Office to review its policy on Britons facing the death penalty abroad.

The Foreign Office said the UK government did not fund legal representation abroad but Sandiford's case was being dealt with through diplomatic channels.

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nursery changes 'to raise quality'

29 January 2013 Last updated at 05:08 ET

Nurseries and childminders in England are to be allowed to look after more children, in a package ministers say will improve quality and cut costs.

The ratio of children to carers can be raised, but only if carers' qualifications meet new standards.

Children's Minister Liz Truss said the proposals would make more childcare places available and reduce costs for parents in the "long term".

Critics warn the change in ratios could actually compromise quality of care.

They also predict the changes - which are due to come into force in the autumn - will be unpopular with parents and are unlikely to reduce the overall costs of childcare.

Continue reading the main story

England's nursery ratios

• CURRENT
• Under one and one-year-olds - 1:3
• Two-year-olds - 1:4
• Three-year-olds and above - 1:8 or 1:13 (teacher-led)
• PROPOSED
• Under one and one-year-olds 1:4
• Two-year-olds - 1:6
• Three-year-olds and above - 1:8 or 1:13 (teacher-led)

Statutory ratios for carers per child vary depending on age and setting. Ratios for two-year-olds are set to rise from four children per adult to six children per adult, and for ones-and-under to rise from three children per adult to four children per adult.

Ratios for three-year-olds and over would remain at eight or 13 children per adult, depending on whether a qualified graduate was present.

Ms Truss says the changes will bring the UK in line with countries such as France and Sweden. England's higher ratios lead to higher costs for parents and lower pay for staff, she says.

Ms Truss told the BBC the proposals were about raising standards and only those nurseries that hired staff with higher qualifications would be able to take on more children.

"It will make it higher quality, more available and more affordable. It will take time to recruit new people and expand nurseries. In the long term it will be more affordable," she said.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Liz Truss: "We're raising the standards so that parents will be able to get more available nursery places."

Britain has some of the highest childcare costs in the world, with many mothers with two or more children saying it does not make financial sense to work.

An earlier report by Ms Truss suggested the average family spends 27% of their income on childcare.

Ms Truss said childcare professionals should be better qualified in the UK.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

Research also overwhelmingly indicates that introducing young children to quasi-formal academic learning too young has lifelong negative consequences"

End Quote Richard House Early Childhood Action Campaign founder

"When parents hand their child over to the care of a childminder or nursery, they are not just entrusting them with their child's physical safety, they are also entrusting their child's brain," she said

"With this in mind, it is no longer acceptable that childcare professionals are not required to have a GCSE grade C or above in English and maths."

This will apply to new nursery staff only, however.

'Very difficult'

Shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg said the plans to increase the ratios would undermine the quality of childcare in the UK.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Stephen Twigg: "Saying that more children will be in each setting risks undermining quality and even risks undermining safety."

"I think this is one area where we've actually got something to teach other countries.

"If you look at France, there's actually quite a big public debate about whether they've got this right. I don't think you can compare the situation with Sweden where they have very, very generous parental leave so very few young babies are in these sorts of settings."

Anand Shukla, from national childcare charity Daycare Trust, said: "No matter how well qualified the members of staff, there are practical considerations when you increase the number of children that they have to look after," he said.

"For one person to look after six two-year-olds, for one person to talk to six two-year-olds, to help their language development, we think is going to be very difficult."

National Day Nurseries Association chief executive Purnima Tanuku welcomed the commitment made by the government to improve childcare but said the "quality of childcare and early education must not be sacrificed".

She said: "Many parents do not want an increase in the number of children nursery staff are allowed look after. They are worried it will have a negative impact on the individual attention and care their child receives."

Anne Longfield, chief executive of children's charity and nursery provider 4Children, said: "The welfare of the child must be our first concern throughout, but with highly qualified early-years teachers and a better inspection regime, there is an opportunity to review current arrangements and provide simpler information for parents and better incentives for providers to concentrate on what matters - children."

International comparison
Ratios of children to childcare professionals
Source: OECD * Allows teams of carers to look after extra children as part of a group
	Denmark	France	Ireland	Italy	Norway	Portugal	Sweden	UK	United States
1-year-olds	1:3.3*	1:5	1:3	1:7	1:8	1:11	1:5.5*	1:3	1:5
2-year-olds	1:3.3*	1:5	1:6	1:7	1:8	1:11	1:5.5*	1:4	1:5

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Government in criminal records row

29 January 2013 Last updated at 06:59 ET

The government is to seek leave to appeal against a court ruling that job applicants in England and Wales do not have to disclose all criminal records.

The Court of Appeal has ruled the law which requires people to disclose all previous convictions to certain employers is a breach of human rights.

The case at the heart of the row is a 21-year-old man - identified only as T.

He had to disclose in a job application that he had warnings from police over two stolen bicycles when he was 11.

Delivering the ruling, the Master of the Rolls, Lord Dyson, said the disclosure of old convictions and cautions was designed to protect children and vulnerable adults.

Continue reading the main story

Today's judgement will affect parents and children, employers and employees. The Court of Appeal has ruled that the current system which requires the blanket disclosure of criminal convictions, cautions and warnings, is disproportionate and incompatible with the right to a private and family life.

That raises the issue of when crimes committed by children should be expunged from their records. The court has said, firmly, that it will now be a matter for parliament to decide what amendments to make to the current system.

However, the potential implications of the judgement go beyond children. All criminal records checks are carried out under a system which is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.

Today's ruling could apply to all of those checks, effectively throwing the entire system of criminal records checks into confusion.

However, he said, "requiring the disclosure of all convictions and cautions relating to recordable offences is disproportionate to that legitimate aim".

'Disappointed'

But a government spokesman said: "The protection of children and vulnerable groups must not be compromised. We are disappointed by this judgement and are seeking leave to appeal to the Supreme Court."

Liberty said the law had been incompatible with Article 8 of the Human Rights Act, the right to a private and family life.

Liberty's legal officer, Corinna Ferguson, said: "This sensible judgment requires the Government to introduce a more nuanced system for disclosing this type of sensitive personal data to employers. For too long irrelevant and unreliable information provided under the blanket CRB system has blighted people's lives.

"We hope that long overdue reforms - properly balancing the aim of public protection with privacy rights - will now be forthcoming."

Criminal records checks are the responsibility of the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) which took over the role when the Criminal Records Bureau and Independent Safeguarding Authority were merged last month.

Lord Dyson said a system of "filtering" was required, to allow for irrelevant criminal records to be removed, but he added: "It will be for Parliament to devise a proportionate scheme."

In allowing the appeal he rejected the argument of the Home Office's lawyer who said the judges should leave it to Parliament. He aid: "This is not a case where we can be confident that Parliament will move swiftly to find a solution."

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Murdoch apology over Scarfe cartoon

29 January 2013 Last updated at 07:09 ET

Rupert Murdoch has apologised for a "grotesque, offensive cartoon" printed in the Sunday Times that has led to complaints of anti-Semitism.

The cartoon, by Gerald Scarfe, appears to depict Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu building a brick wall containing the blood and limbs of Palestinians.

Scarfe has expressed regret over its publication on Holocaust Memorial Day.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said it had complained to the Press Complaints Commission.

The cartoon was captioned: "Israeli elections. Will cementing peace continue?"

In a message to the Jewish Chronicle reportedly denying permission to reprint the cartoon, Mr Scarfe is quoted as saying that he "very much regrets" the timing of the cartoon.

He had apparently been unaware that Sunday was Holocaust Memorial Day.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the cartoon was "shockingly reminiscent of the blood libel imagery more usually found in parts of the virulently anti-Semitic Arab press".

Continue reading the main story

• The origins of the term blood libel lie in the Middle Ages when Jews were falsely accused of ritualised murder, particularly of children
• The claims were used to justify violence against Jewish people
• The earliest known example in the UK involves the death of a 12-year-old boy, William of Norwich, in 1144, followed by an unfounded rumour he had been kidnapped and murdered by Jews
• During the 1930s, Nazi propaganda in Germany periodically explored accusations of Jewish ritual murder
• The evolution of the term means it now can refer to any false accusation deemed to be anti-Semitic and/or involving bloody violence
• Former US politician Sarah Palin provoked controversy in 2011 by labelling as blood libel media suggestions that heated political rhetoric could have contributed to a mass shooting in Arizona in which then-congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was wounded and six people died

It added: "Its use is all the more disgusting on Holocaust Memorial Day, given the similar tropes levelled against Jews by the Nazis."

The term "blood libel" refers to myths dating back to the Middle Ages that Jews murder children to use their blood during religious rituals.

Israel's UK ambassador Daniel Taub said: "The image of Israel's security barrier, which is saving the lives of both Jews and Arabs from suicide bombers, being built from Palestinian blood and bodies is baseless and outrageous.

"The use of vicious motifs echoing those used to demonize Jews in the past is particularly shocking and hurtful on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but the crude and shallow hatred of this cartoon should render it totally unacceptable on any day of the year."

Mr Murdoch wrote in a tweet: "Gerald Scarfe has never reflected the opinions of the Sunday Times. Nevertheless, we owe major apology for grotesque, offensive cartoon."

The paper's acting editor, Martin Ivens, said in a statement that insulting the memory of Holocaust victims was "the last thing I or anyone connected with the Sunday Times would countenance".

"The paper has long written strongly in defence of Israel and its security concerns, as have I as a columnist," he said.

"We are, however, reminded of the sensitivities in this area by the reaction to the cartoon, and I will, of course, bear them very carefully in mind in future."

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Mr Ivens is set to meet representatives of the Jewish community this week to discuss the controversy.

In a statement, the Sunday Times said the cartoon was aimed at Mr Netanyahu and his policies, not at Israel or Jewish people.

Veteran satirist Scarfe has been the Sunday Times' political cartoonist since 1967.

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

No 10 confirms Mali troop numbers

29 January 2013 Last updated at 07:10 ET

The UK is to deploy about 350 military personnel to Mali and West Africa to support French forces, No 10 has said.

This includes up to 40 military advisers who will train soldiers in Mali and 200 British soldiers to be sent to neighbouring African countries to assist in the training of the army.

Britain has offered a roll-on, roll-off ferry to transport equipment to the French force in Mali.

It said the UK was doing what it could to support the French mission.

'Regional approach'

French-led troops are consolidating their position in the historic Malian city of Timbuktu after seizing it from Islamist extremists.

In Brussels later, defence officials are set to discuss details of the planned European Union-led training mission to build up the Malian army.

The BBC's Norman Smith says the British team of 40 military advisers is expected to be sent to Mali "fairly urgently".

But government sources told our correspondent no decision had been taken on who should provide "force protection" for them. It is possible existing French forces in Mali could be used.

Separately, deputy national security director Hugh Powell is to discuss the potential UK contribution at an international donors conference for Mali hosted by the African Union in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

Prime Minister David Cameron has assured French President Francois Hollande that Britain is "keen" to help Paris with its military mission.

The RAF has already provided two C17 transport planes and a Sentinel surveillance aircraft to assist France's operation.

Meanwhile, the UK's national security adviser, Sir Kim Darroch, was in Paris on Monday to discuss what further help the UK could provide to France's operation to drive Islamist militants from its former colony.

Mr Cameron has said the UK is ready to offer logistical, intelligence and surveillance help to France.

The French and Malian military said troops encountered little resistance when they entered the historic city of Timbuktu. They seized Gao, northern Mali's biggest city, on Saturday.

Islamist militants took the north of the country last year, but have been losing ground since French forces launched an operation earlier this month.

'Politically important'

Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said it was important the UK supported the mission in Mali, but it is "not for us to put combat troops on the ground".

Continue reading the main story

I suspect the strategy will be to guarantee the cities are safe so that Islamists are kicked out and then let time do its work"

End Quote Prof Michael Clarke RUSI

"We have to be very clear about how long we intend to be there [and] what it is we're seeking to achieve, so that the public, who are wary and weary after Iraq and Afghanistan, don't say 'Oh not again'," he said.

Mr Murphy also said British forces must be properly protected.

Military analyst Col Mike Dewar said the initial UK support was short term but its latest offer of help constituted a "much more long term plan".

It could take "years" for the British troops to make a difference to the "ill-trained" Malian army, he said.

Prof Michael Clarke, a director of the Royal United Services Institute think-tank, said the British involvement was a "politically important" gesture to illustrate Anglo-French military co-operation.

He said he could not discern a clear strategy at the moment in Mali, but he added: "That is understandable. In Libya we went in for humanitarian reasons and then a strategy evolved. That is what the French did, they went in initially for humanitarian reasons.

"I suspect the strategy [in Mali] will be to guarantee the cities are safe so that Islamists are kicked out and then let time do its work."

The former head of the Army, General Sir Mike Jackson, backed the government's position but warned that nations involved may face a "protracted guerrilla warfare".

"It doesn't really surprise me that the British government feels it needs to be seen to be helping," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

"We cannot let states fail because we know from recent history that failed states just lead to really difficult circumstances, instability."

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Brazil mourns nightclub fire dead

28 January 2013 Last updated at 02:21 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

The BBC's Gary Duffy says there is a sense of national shock in Brazil

Brazil has declared three days of national mourning for 231 people killed in a nightclub fire in the southern city of Santa Maria.

The fire reportedly started after a member of a band playing at the Kiss nightclub lit a flare on stage.

Authorities say most of the victims were students who died of smoke inhalation. The first funerals took place place on Monday morning.

It is the deadliest fire in Brazil in five decades.

The BBC's Gary Duffy reports from Sao Paulo that the national sense of loss is profound.

Continue reading the main story

At the scene

The local gym has been turned into a makeshift morgue and is being called The Room of Despair.

That is where a few hours ago, the mobile phones of the victims could be heard ringing with no-one to answer them, and where, later on, family members identified their loved ones.

It is not only dozens of doctors and psychologists who have volunteered to help in Santa Maria, but also the local people who are displaying a tremendous sense of solidarity.

They are offering the victims' relatives - who have arrived from other towns - and volunteers free accommodation and food.

Some are walking around, carrying trays with food, fruit and biscuits. Others have offered to clean the gym's toilets as the last bodies await burial.

Brazil postponed a ceremony due on Monday in the capital, Brasilia, to mark 500 days to the 2014 football World Cup. In Santa Maria, 30 days of mourning were declared.

President Dilma Rousseff, who cut short a visit to Chile, has been visiting survivors at the city's Caridade hospital along with government ministers.

"It is a tragedy for all of us," she said.

Authorities have released the names of the victims, after revising down the death toll from 245.

More than 100 people were being treated in hospital, mostly for smoke inhalation.

Officials will now investigate reports that a flare was lit on stage, igniting foam insulation material on the ceiling and releasing toxic smoke.

They will also look at claims that many of those who died were unable to escape as only one emergency exit was available.

'Dark, heavy smoke'

The fire broke out as students from the city's federal university (UFSM) were holding a freshers' ball, the Diario de Santa Maria, a local newspaper, reported.

A local journalist, Marcelo Gonzatto, told the BBC that the flare had "started a huge and fast fire that grew quickly and made a very dark and heavy smoke."

Continue reading the main story

Eyewitness - Fernanda Bona

"I am the official photographer at the club and I was taking photos of people. I was watching a band on stage and the fireworks.

I was in the VIP area and I could see the whole club. The area was close to the exit. I saw the fire going through the club.

People were screaming 'fire, fire' and to run. People were scared and were running everywhere.

I ran as quickly as I could to the door of the street. But it was hard to get out because there were so many people.

It took a few minutes for me to get out of the club. I know people who are in hospital or who are missing. A lot of people died from not so much the fire but the toxic smoke."

"Lots of people couldn't get out and died mainly because of the smoke not the fire," he said.

Witnesses spoke of scenes of panic after the fire started, and a stampede as people tried to escape.

One, Mattheus Bortolotto, told local television: "It was sheer horror. The emergency exits did not work, and then I lost my friend in the confusion. Then a girl died in my arms. I felt her heart stop beating."

A large number of victims were trapped in the club's toilets, they said, possibly after mistaking them for an exit.

Survivors and police inspector Marcelo Arigony said security guards briefly tried to block people from leaving the club, the Associated Press news agency reported. Bars in Brazil commonly make customers pay their whole tab at the end of an evening before they are allowed to leave.

One of the owners of the club is reported to have confirmed that they were in the process of renewing its license to operate, and that its fire safety certificate had expired last year.

He is said to have received threats on the internet - in addition to surviving members of the band that was performing on stage when the blaze started.

Its guitarist, Rodrigo Martins, told local radio: "It might have happened because of the Sputnik, the machine we use to create a luminous effect with sparks.

"It's harmless; we never had any trouble with it. When the fire started, a guard passed us a fire extinguisher. The singer tried to use it but it wasn't working."

He said the band's accordion player had died in the fire.

Brazilian broadcaster Globo said most of the victims were aged between 16 and 20.

A temporary morgue was set up in a local gym as the city's main morgue was unable to cope.

Family members came to identify the dead, led in one by one to see the bodies, Diario de Santa Maria reported.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

HS2 northern rail route announced

28 January 2013 Last updated at 06:24 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

George Osborne: "I think it is the engine for growth in the north and the midlands"

Details of the next phase of the £32bn HS2 high-speed rail network have been unveiled by the government.

The preferred route of phase two running northwards from Birmingham will have five stops: Manchester; Manchester Airport; Toton near Nottingham; Sheffield; and Leeds.

Chancellor George Osborne said it would be "the engine for growth in the North and the Midlands of this country".

Phase one's London-Birmingham link has faced considerable opposition.

Critics argue that HS2's predicted economic benefits have been overestimated by the government, and suggest swathes of picturesque countryside will be blighted by the railway.

Mr Osborne's Tatton constituency in Cheshire is among the places phase two will pass through.

The chancellor said: "If our predecessors hadn't decided to build the railways in the Victorian times, or the motorways in the middle part of the 20th Century, then we wouldn't have those things today.

"You have got to commit to these projects even though they take many years."

Continue reading the main story

Seven months is ever such a long time in politics.

Last summer there were rumours that HS2 was about to be quietly ditched. A Tory minister told a magazine that the project was "effectively dead" because George Osborne was going cold on the whole idea.

Today, George Osborne will be all over your telly telling you HS2 is going to transform the economy, heal the north-south divide and help set us on the fast-track back to growth and prosperity.

This "dead" project is now back at the heart of the government's growth agenda; in a bid to convince voters that there is an ambitious plan to help rebalance and boost our sickly economy.

But there are still plenty of critics who claim the government's economic case for building a super-fast train line simply doesn't stack up. And that there are far better ways of spending £33bn to stimulate growth.

The Department for Transport said that HS2 phase two would virtually halve journey times between Birmingham and Manchester - to 41 minutes - and between London and Manchester from two hours and eight minutes to one hour and eight minutes.

Speeds of up to 250mph on HS2 will also reduce a Birmingham to Leeds journey from two hours to 57 minutes, while phase one will cut London-Birmingham travel to 49 minutes, from the current one hour and 24 minutes.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "It's not just about journey times, it is also about capacity.

"We are finding the railways are overcrowded. We've seen massive growth in rail passenger numbers, so this is taking HS2 so it serves the north."

A final route for phase two is expected to be chosen by the end of 2014.

A proposed spur to Heathrow Airport has been put on hold pending a review of UK aviation policy, due to report in 2015.

'Fundamentally flawed'

More than 70 groups oppose HS2. StopHS2 argues the project is "fundamentally flawed", saying the majority of journeys will be to London so England's North and Midlands will lose out rather than benefit, and that projections do not take into account competition from conventional rail.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Andrew Bridgen MP: "I have no confidence in their consultation process"

StopHS2 campaign manager Joe Rukin said: "Fifty-five percent of the economic benefits are based on the cash value of time, no-one works on trains and every business user is worth £70,000 a year - it's basically a train for the rich that everyone else is not only going to have to pay for the construction of but also have to subsidise throughout its lifetime as well."

Other opponents object on the grounds that HS2 will cut through picturesque countryside, and 18 councils along the route have said taxpayers cannot afford the line, and that it will increase greenhouse gas emissions.

The phase two announcement was welcomed by officials in northern English cities including Leeds, where city council leader Keith Wakefield said: "It will strengthen Leeds' position as the northern transport hub, and unlock major investment, jobs opportunities and connectivity to the rest of the country."

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "We can't keep turning a blind eye to the north-south divide in our economy. That is what this high-speed project is all about."

Construction on the Y-shaped extension could start in the middle of the next decade, with the line open by 2032-33.

Construction of the London-West Midlands route is expected to begin around 2017, once Parliament has approved the necessary powers, probably in 2015.

The Toton station along phase two of the route will primarily serve Derby and Nottingham, while the Sheffield station will be sited at the Meadowhall shopping centre five miles from the city centre.

'Timetable slipping'

Labour's shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle said: "I think it's tremendously important that we link our airports to our cities, not some station in the middle of nowhere near a city and bypass our main hub airports.

"So I think there are questions to be asked and we will be asking them, but overall this is a good thing for the country and we need to get on and give certainty."

She previously highlighted "worrying signs that the Department for Transport's timetable to deliver this vital infrastructure is slipping".

Details have also been published of the consultation on HS2 Ltd's proposed exceptional hardship scheme for phase two, which will cover compensation to affected property-owners.

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Delhi rape accused 'is a minor'

28 January 2013 Last updated at 06:45 ET

One of the suspects in last month's fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old student which shocked India is a minor, a court has ruled.

The Juvenile Justice Board said it accepted the accused's date of birth as 4 June 1995, making him 17 years old. He will be tried in a juvenile court.

If convicted, he faces a maximum of three years in a reform facility.

Five other accused are on trial for the crime at a specially convened fast-track court and face the death penalty.

The case has shocked India and sparked a debate about its treatment of women.

A lawyer present in the court said a magistrate announced the decision after going over documents presented to the court by officials of the suspect's elementary school, which indicated that he was a juvenile at the time of the attack, Associated Press reported.

The physiotherapy student, who cannot be named in India for legal reasons, and a male friend were attacked on a bus in south Delhi on 16 December.

Police said the assailants beat both of them, and then raped the woman. She suffered massive internal injuries and died nearly two weeks later in hospital.

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Green Deal loans scheme to launch

28 January 2013 Last updated at 06:53 ET

Householders are to be offered long-term loans to help make their homes more energy efficient and cut bills under a new government scheme.

Ministers said the Green Deal, which operates in England and Wales, will help thousands "stay warm for less".

Under the scheme, households can use cheap loans to spend on energy-saving improvements, such as insulation and new boilers, with no upfront cost.

Campaigners said the project would "not stop fuel poverty rocketing".

How it works

The move to insulate the UK's aged housing stock is designed to save carbon emissions, keep people warm, and make energy affordable.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

People who've taken on the Green Deal will generally feel a lot better off"

End Quote Paul Reeve Electrical Contractors' Association

Homeowners will first be visited by an assessor, who will ask some basic questions about their energy usage.

Approved Green Deal installers, such as energy companies or DIY chains, will then advise on potential improvements, such as double-glazing, insulation or new heating systems.

Consumers will pay for the improvements by taking out a loan with the Green Deal Finance Company, a non-profit making organisation backed by the government.

Such loans will be paid back through electricity bills for periods of up to 25 years.

There is no guarantee that the eventual savings made by consumers will match the cost of the loans they take out to make the improvements.

"However, there's a good chance that you will make savings," said Paul Reeve, of the Electrical Contractors' Association.

The costs

Consumers taking out Green Deal loans will have to repay them at a maximum rate of 6.92%, according to the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Compared to a standard home loan rate, that is relatively high.

On top of the loan, householders will have to pay a £63 set-up charge, and a £20 a year annual fee.

On a loan of £5,000, the overall rate that is repayable is just under 8% over 10 years, or 7.7% over 25 years.

The government argues that such rates are comparable to the best High Street rates for long-term unsecured loans.

The amount that anyone can borrow will be capped at £10,000.

Moving on

Mr Reeve said it was possible, but unlikely, that consumers could end up out of pocket.

"Many of us believe that energy prices will continue to rise over the coming years. If that's true, people who've taken on the Green Deal will generally feel a lot better off," he explained.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

We call on the prime minister to use money from the carbon tax to super-insulate this country's homes"

End Quote Ed Matthews Energy Bill Revolution

Should householders sell their home, the loan will need to be taken on by any new homeowner.

Mark Bayley, the chief executive of the newly created Green Deal Finance Company, said: "What makes it work is that the experience of energy companies is that people's default rate is very much lower than the experience in consumer credit and that's how we're able to construct very long term, low cost financing."

"And as people move house the loans they take out under Green Deal plan stay behind with their electricity meter."

If householders transfer to a different electricity provider, the loan will transfer at the same time.

Consumers are allowed to pay the loans off early, but a fee might apply.

More needed?

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "The Green Deal will help thousands of homes stay warm for less. Those people will benefit from energy saving improvements - and their energy bills will fall."

However, campaigners have warned that the new scheme does not go far enough.

Ed Matthews, head of fuel poverty campaign group Energy Bill Revolution, said: "The Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation will not stop fuel poverty rocketing in the face of high gas prices."

"We call on the prime minister to use money from the carbon tax to super-insulate this country's homes.

According to Groundwork UK, which has been working on the scheme, potential energy savings can be worth up to £300 a year.

"For relatively low expenditure, you can make a big difference to the cost of your fuel bill," says Sir Tony Hawkhead of Groundwork.

He estimates that typical average savings on a small house can be £120 a year, rising to £270 for a three or four bedroom house, "or possibly higher than that".

But he acknowledges that in some cases, the cost of the loan could be more expensive than the savings gained.

"Obviously the cost of installing the energy efficiency measures, such as a new boiler or dealing with solid walls, can be higher."

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Troops 'take Timbuktu airport'

28 January 2013 Last updated at 06:57 ET

French-led troops in Mali have seized the airport in Timbuktu, as they move to capture the historic city from militant Islamists, officials say.

The troops encountered no resistance as they headed towards the city, where a building housing ancient manuscripts has reportedly been set on fire.

French and Malian troops have been pushing north in their offensive against Islamist rebels.

On Saturday, they seized Gao, the most populous city in northern Mali.

Thousands of people in Gao poured out into the streets to celebrate the arrival of the troops.

Islamists seized the north of the country last year, but have been losing ground since French forces launched an operation earlier this month.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

French troops seem to have been very successful in retaking the major towns that had been occupied by Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda for months.

Gao was reconquered over the weekend and Timbuktu should be falling within hours. Kidal will be next.

But this rapid advance has mainly been made possible by the fact that most rebel fighters had left their positions in the few days preceding the French-led operations.

Islamist combatants melted away with all their vehicles and weapons into desert hideouts. Hunting them down in this vast region they know better than any army will be much harder.

The French are hoping for a quick deployment of thousands more African forces but without the experience of the terrain and the equipment, these troops will achieve nothing.

This second phase is likely to last months and the French may well be on the frontline longer than they have said in public.

Most militants appear to have fled into desert hideouts, says the BBC's Thomas Fessy in the capital, Bamako.

The advance comes as African Union (AU) leaders are meeting to discuss sending more troops to Mali.

'Killed for celebrating'

"We control the airport at Timbuktu," a senior Malian army officer told AFP. "We did not encounter any resistance."

French army spokesman Col Thierry Burkhard told the BBC that "substantial airpower" had been used to support about 1,000 French and 200 Malian forces in their offensive against the militants in Timbuktu.

"Overnight, the French have retaken access points to Timbuktu," he said.

"The terrorist forces have refused all contact with us. We think they have either gone back into Timbuktu to blend in with the local population or they have fled the city into the north of the country."

Our correspondent says ground forces units and paratroopers have been despatched around Timbuktu and it is believed that these troops are cautiously trying to find a way into the city.

"We are going to liberate Timbuktu with the Malians very shortly," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said.

Timbuktu Mayor Halle Ousmane Cisse, currently in Bamako, told the BBC that he had very credible accounts of Islamist militants burning ancient manuscripts that have been kept in the desert city for centuries.

"The rebels set fire to the newly-constructed Ahmed Baba Institute built by the South Africans... this happened four days ago," he is quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

It was not yet clear how much of the building had been damaged, he said.

Continue reading the main story

Treasures of Timbuktu

• Timbuktu was a centre of Islamic learning from the 13th to the 17th Centuries
• 700,000 manuscripts survive in public libraries and private collections
• Books on religion, law, literature and science
• Added to Unesco world heritage list in 1988 for its three mosques and 16 cemeteries and mausoleums
• They played a major role in spreading Islam in West Africa; the oldest dates from 1329
• Islamists destroyed mausoleums after seizing the city

He said that the homes of several civil servants had been burnt down during the last week and a young man killed for celebrating the approach of the French-led forces.

Once Timbuktu is secured, the French-led troops are expected to focus on the last rebel stronghold, Kidal, near the border with Algeria.

Kidal - home of the head of Ansar Dine, the main militant group in northern Mali - was bombed overnight by French forces, Malian officials say.

Once Kidal is taken, the first phase of the French operation will be over, our correspondent says.

The second phase will be to track down the militants to their desert hideouts, which could prove a much more difficult task, he adds.

Mr Fabius warned that the militants had adopted a "strategy of evasion and some of them could return in the north".

Col Burkhard told the BBC that Malian and other African troops - not French forces - would be in charge of holding on to cities after they had been recaptured from militant forces.

He said a contingent of African troops was expected to make their way soon to Mali from Niger's capital, Niamey.

Some troops from Chad have already entered Gao.

French officials said they now had 2,900 troops in Mali, backed by 2,700 African forces in Mali and neighbouring Chad.

The African contingent is expected to be bolstered to 7,900, including 2,200 troops promised by Chad, AP news agency quotes a Nigerian military official, Col Shehu Usman Abdulkadir, as saying.

At an AU meeting in Ethiopia on Sunday, which is continuing on Monday, outgoing AU chairman and Benin's President Thomas Boni Yayi criticised the slow response of African states to the Malian conflict.

France's intervention was something "we should have done a long time ago to defend a member country", he said.

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ofsted head warns over bright pupils

27 January 2013 Last updated at 00:00 ET

England's chief inspector of schools, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has ordered a "landmark report" into how state schools teach the most able students.

Ofsted's head warned some pupils, who got top marks at primary school, were not doing as well at secondary school.

Such students ought to be pushed, as they would be at independent or grammar schools, he told the Sunday Telegraph..

The news comes as league tables reveal hundreds of schools failed to produce pupils suitable for elite universities.

The tables, released on Thursday, showed almost a quarter of England's sixth forms and colleges had no pupils with the top A-level grades sought by leading institutions.

'Nonsense'

Setting out a "rapid response" to the data, Sir Michael promised the watchdog's survey would investigate fears that some of the brightest secondary school pupils are being let down by teachers who fail to stretch them to get the best exam results.

Many are left to coast in mixed ability classes, or entered too early for GCSE exams in order to gain the minimum C grades required for league tables, he warned.

He also said the report - to be published in the spring - would address the "nonsense" that a tiny number of independent schools were sending more youngsters to Oxford and Cambridge than thousands of state secondary schools.

England's comprehensive schools would have to learn lessons from the independent and selective sectors, he said.

The new report is due to be carried out over the coming months by Ofsted inspectors visiting a sample of more than 50 secondary schools, looking at statistics on gifted and talented provision and pupil progression, according to Sir Michael.

"I am passionate about this, it will be a landmark report.

"I am as concerned as the next person on the issue of social mobility. Are our children and our children from the poorest backgrounds who are naturally bright doing as well as they should?"

Leading universities have been urged in recent years to do more to recruit bright students from a wider set of backgrounds.

But data released this week shows that many schools are not producing students of a high enough calibre to automatically get places at such universities.

League tables - drawn from the latest official government figures on pupils' academic achievement - have shown some 594 (23.4%) of the 2,540 schools teaching A-levels had no pupils with the two As and a B in the subjects recommended for the best degree courses.

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

French-led troops target Timbuktu

27 January 2013 Last updated at 05:48 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

French may face little resistence in Timbuktu, the BBC's Thomas Fessy says

French-led forces in Mali are advancing on the key northern city of Timbuktu, as they press on with their offensive against Islamist rebels.

On Saturday Malian and French forces seized Gao, another key northern city.

The advance comes as African Union leaders are meeting to discuss sending more troops to Mali.

Islamists seized the north of the country last year, but have been losing ground since French forces launched an operation earlier this month.

Late on Saturday French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Malian and French troops would arrive "near Timbuktu soon".

Overnight they secured Gao - northern Mali's most populous city- after special forces captured the airport and a strategic bridge to the south.

Most militants appear to have fled into desert hide-outs and the hunt for them may prove more difficult once all major towns are secure, says the BBC's Thomas Fessy in the capital, Bamako.

Continue reading the main story

• Timbuktu was a centre of Islamic learning from the 13th to the 17th Centuries
• 700,000 manuscripts survive in public libraries and private collections
• Books on religion, law, literature and science
• Added to Unesco world heritage list in 1988 for its three mosques and 16 cemeteries and mausoleums
• They played a major role in spreading Islam in West Africa; the oldest dates from 1329
• Islamists destroyed mausoleums after seizing the city

Troops from Niger and Chad are to assist Malian forces in further securing the town.

Also overnight, French forces bombed Islamist position in Kidal, Malian officials say.

An army source told AFP news agency that the home of the head of Ansar Dine, the main militant group in northern Mali, had been destroyed in a raid.

US refuelling

African Union leaders are holding a summit in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, as members move to deploy troops to help the French-led operation there.

Outgoing AU chairman Boni Yayi on Sunday hailed France for its military intervention, saying it was something "we should have done a long time ago to defend a member country".

In a statement on Saturday, the AU said it wanted to make "an African Standby Force" operational in Mali soon.

African states have pledged nearly 5,700 troops to support French and Malian forces in their campaign. Only a small part of the African force has so far deployed.

Meanwhile, the US said it would provide mid-air refuelling for French warplanes. The Pentagon said it had also discussed plans for the US to transport troops to Mali from countries including Chad and Togo.

Some 3,700 French troops are engaged in Operation Serval, 2,500 of them on Malian soil.

France intervened in its former colony after Islamist launched a push to the south earlier this month. Paris said the whole of Africa, and even Europe, was under threat if the Islamist offensive succeeded.

As French and Malian troops moved into Gao, Malian officials spoke of scenes of joy, but also some looting.

Malian Foreign Minister Tieman Coulibaly said ahead of the summit in Addis Ababa: "This terrorist group intends to spread its criminal purpose over the whole of Mali, and eventually target other countries."

The AU has recommended civilian observers monitor the human rights situation in the areas which have come back under the control of the Malian government.

Human rights groups have accused the Malian army of committing serious abuses.

Islamist groups and secular Tuareg rebels took advantage of chaos following a military coup to seize northern Mali in April 2012. But the Islamists soon took control of the region's major towns, sidelining the Tuaregs.

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Clegg: Coalition resolute on economy

27 January 2013 Last updated at 06:08 ET

The government is "absolutely not going to change course" on reducing the deficit, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has insisted.

The latest GDP figures showed the UK economy shrank by 0.3% in the last three months of 2012, fuelling fears the economy could re-enter recession.

Mr Clegg said the government was "resolute" and "restlessly creative" in finding ways to make the economy grow.

He also said the government was finding new ways to boost capital investment.

But he warned against a return to the "bad old days" of extensive borrowing.

Mr Clegg's comments come amid rising calls for a new economic strategy in the face of the GDP contraction and figures showing a slight year-on-year increase in public sector net borrowing.

'Long, hard road'

Last week, IMF chief economist Olivier Blanchard suggested that Chancellor George Osborne should consider slowing down austerity measures in his March budget, and London mayor Boris Johnson urged his Tory colleague to "junk talk of austerity" and press ahead with major infrastructure projects.

The deputy prime minister told the BBC's Andrew Marr show: "You can be very tough on the deficit, which we have - we have reduced it by a quarter - and you can be restlessly creative about how within those strictures you do things to make the economy grow.

"We're being tough, but pragmatic. We are being resolute, but innovative. If people have ideas about how we can provide further capital investment into our infrastructure, without breaking the bank, of course we are open to that.

"We are absolutely not going to change course in paying off one of the world's largest budget deficits - why? Because if you just shrug your shoulders and say 'it's too complicated', we end up asking our children and grandchildren to pay off this generation's debts."

Mr Clegg defended comments he made in a magazine interview in which he appeared to suggest the coalition government had cut capital spending too much when it came into office.

"What I was describing is what is the fact... What we did in the first instance, Labour said there was no money left so we couldn't go around writing cheques.

"What we have done since then is systematically found ways to raise new capital."

He highlighted Crossrail - a new rail line which will run from east to west across London - as one of the largest infrastructure projects in Europe and said Monday's expected announcement to extend the £33bn high-speed rail line to Manchester and Leeds would "heal the north south divide".

Treasury-backed guarantees would also help drive private sector investment in infrastructure, Mr Clegg said, allowing investors to take advantage of lower borrowing costs.

Mr Clegg admitted that there was "a long hard road" ahead to secure the economic recovery and said some parts of the economy were going to "take longer to repair than anybody anticipated".

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dozens die in south Brazil fire

27 January 2013 Last updated at 06:35 ET

At least 90 people have died in a fire that swept through a nightclub in southern Brazil, police say.

They say the fire began when a band on stage started a fireworks display at the Kiss nightclub in the city of Santa Maria, in Rio Grande do Sul state.

Reports say there was only one exit and panic spread as people tried to get out. Many victims reportedly died from inhaling toxic fumes.

The fire is now out and bodies are being removed from the scene.

"Fire services are looking for other victims. We can't give an exact number of victims. People started panicking and ended up treading on each other," fire chief Guido de Melo told local media.

A reporter at the scene told local radio that the nightclub had a capacity for up to 2,000 people and was believed to be full on a Saturday night.

Thick smoke engulfed the venue after acoustic insulation caught fire, officials say.

Fire crews reportedly knocked through a wall to help those trapped inside escape.

The death toll could be as high as 130, the reporter said.

Hundreds of people have been taken to hospital.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Floods threaten as UK thaw begins

27 January 2013 Last updated at 07:11 ET

Serious flooding is possible across many parts of the UK as milder temperatures thaw snow and rain moves in, forecasters have warned.

Parts of Carmarthenshire, Powys, Gwynedd and Norfolk have flooded and a Met Office yellow warning for rain is in force for much of the UK.

Seventy flood warnings and 308 alerts are in place in England and Wales. Scotland has seven warnings.

Forecasters say Sunday will see a mix of sunny spells and blustery showers.

The Met Office said heavy rain across much of the country, combined with fairly rapid snow melt, was likely to lead to localised surface water and river flooding.

Western Scotland and Cumbria saw the heaviest rain on Saturday night. Wales, central and south-west England are expected to be the worst-hit areas on Sunday morning, with at least 1in (2.5cm) of rain expected to have fallen by mid-morning.

There are flood warnings in place in East Anglia, south-west England, the Midlands, north-east England, north-west England and Wales.

The Environment Agency said emergency teams were out in these areas checking "high priority defences" to make sure they were working.

Norfolk Police have reported flooding caused by melting snow and ice, which has closed a number of roads in the area.

In Wales, there has been flooding in Powys, Gwynedd and Carmarthenshire.

Environment Agency spokesman Innes Thomson told BBC News: "The message is that there's wet weather all over the country, we've already got flooded fields, we've got localised flooding, we've got high ground water and we've got spring tides this week coming.

Continue reading the main story

Latest local information from the BBC

"So we've actually got a complete cocktail of issues and concerns for us to keep an eye on."

Spring tides occur when the sun and moon are aligned, so their gravitational pull is combined - leading to especially high, high tides and low, low tides.

The seven flood warnings issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) include the Scottish Borders, Whitesands in Dumfries and Galloway and parts of central Scotland.

The BBC weather centre said much of the rain would clear eastwards through Sunday.

BBC forecaster Laura Gilchrist said Sunday would see sunny spells and blustery showers - with the heaviest in the west and north. The wind would be brisk and there was also a risk of hail and thunder.

Moving into the night, the showers would leave off, but Monday would see wet and windy conditions for most.

The enhanced content on this page requires Javascript and Flash Player 9

Map Key

Fog

Light

Heavy

Frost

Light

Heavy

Rain

Light

Heavy

Extreme

Snow

Light

Heavy

Temperature tab only

Temperature (°C)

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gunman dies as public stop robbery

26 January 2013 Last updated at 05:18 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Ladbrokes are assisting the police with their inquiries

A masked gunman has died after being pinned down and restrained by customers during an armed robbery at a bookmakers in Plymouth.

The man, in his 50s, entered the Ladbrokes branch in Crownhill Road at 18:45 GMT on Friday wearing a gas mask and holding a pistol.

Police arrested the man, who was already unconscious, but he died a short time later at the scene.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Chief Insp Ian Drummond-Smith: "We have recovered a firearm of sorts"

'Immediately tackled'

The man has been identified but next of kin have not yet been informed, a spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said.

The spokesman said when the man entered the shop, he was "immediately tackled" by customers and "held down still wearing his gas mask".

Ch Insp Ian Drummond-Smith said: "Customers and staff tackled the man, overpowered him, disarmed him and restrained him and when police officers arrived they found him being restrained but noted that he was unresponsive and wasn't breathing."

He said the police and ambulance service attempted to resuscitate him but he was declared dead about 20 minutes later at the scene.

Ch Insp Drummond-Smith added: "We have recovered a firearm of sorts, it hasn't been fully examined yet so I'm unable to confirm whether its a replica or a genuine firearm.

"This is a very serious incident. We cannot speculate on what has actually taken place here today."

A spokesman for Ladbrokes said they were assisting police.

Witness David Marfleet said: "As I drove past you could see that Ladbrokes was absolutely full of policeman at that time.

"[There were] easily 10 police cars and then two riot vans and then the ambulance that turned up on site as well.

"We don't normally have any trouble around here, it's quite a surprise it being such a nice quiet area."

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Call for UK to allow women in combat

26 January 2013 Last updated at 05:38 ET

The UK should consider following the US and allow women to serve in combat roles, says a woman who became one of the most senior female army officers.

Brigadier Nicky Moffat, who retired in December, said it was wrong to dismiss people just on gender.

Major Judith Webb, who became the first woman to command an all-male field squadron disagrees.

She said resources would be wasted trying to train women up to a standard they were unlikely to reach.

On Thursday US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta lifted the military's ban on women serving in combat roles, potentially opening frontline positions to women.

Brig Moffat told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Ultimately the responsibility for the operational effectiveness of the army and for the lives of the soldiers that are deployed lies with ministers and with the heads of the services and they must make that judgement."

But she said that judgement should be made on the basis of "capability" and she was "deeply uncomfortable" with the idea of excluding a whole group of potentially capable soldiers, just because of gender.

She said "It is not just about physical strength. It's about endurance, it's about ability to operate within a team, it's about a range of skills.

"But we shouldn't dismiss the point about strength. The infantry combat fitness test is extraordinarily demanding and individuals are required to carry herculean amounts of kit.

"But if we look at the achievements of our women Olympians I don't think any reasonable person could say that there aren't some women who could meet those standards."

Brig Moffat said the British Army was in a difficult position because it worked closely with the US and the Canadian army, which has already allowed women into combat roles.

But Maj Webb previously told Today: "By opening it up to women are women shooting themselves in the foot? Because they are not going to meet those standards.

"Two women who made it through marine training in the US didn't qualify."

'Wasting resources'

She said: "So what are we achieving by trying to open it up to women, except wasting a huge amount of resources by trying to train women up to a level I don't think they are going to meet."

No women are deployed in the infantry where the primary role is to "close with and kill" the enemy - to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

But they do perform support roles, such as medical duties and at any one time about 500 to 600 women are in theatre in Afghanistan.

The armed forces are exempt from the 1975 Sex Discrimination Act "for the purpose of ensuring the combat effectiveness".

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "The vast majority of roles in the armed forces are open to women and hundreds are currently serving their country with distinction in Afghanistan.

"Women are fundamental to the operational effectiveness of the UK's Armed Forces, bringing talent and skills across the board.

"The MoD 2010 review into women serving in combat roles concluded there should be no change to the existing policy. There are no plans to review this policy before the end of operations in Afghanistan."

In the US President Barack Obama welcomed the "historic step" and a senior defence official said about 237,000 jobs would be newly open to women "who can meet the standards".

The decision was also welcomed by Congressman Tammy Duckworth, a former helicopter pilot who lost both legs in Iraq.

She wrote in the Chicago Tribune: "It's time we stop being surprised that America's daughters are just as capable of defending this nation as her sons."

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More