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Heart risk warning over painkiller

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 29 Juni 2013 | 19.12

29 June 2013 Last updated at 00:08 ET

People with heart problems have been advised to stop using one of the most commonly prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs in the UK.

The medicines regulator said painkiller diclofenac could significantly increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke for some patients.

The advice has been updated after a European review of the risks.

Millions of people take diclofenac for a range of conditions including headaches, back pain and arthritis.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the drug should not be used by people with serious underlying heart conditions.

People who have suffered heart failure, heart disease or a stroke should stop using it completely.

Smokers and people with high blood pressure, raised cholesterol and diabetes have been advised to use the drug only after consulting their GP or pharmacist.

The MHRA said diclofenac would continue to provide safe and effective pain relief, apart from patients in certain "at risk" groups.

Dr Sarah Branch, deputy director of the MHRA's vigilance and risk management of medicines division, said: "Whilst this is a known risk and warnings have been included in patient and healthcare information for some time, this advice is now being updated."

Six million prescriptions were written for diclofenac last year and the drug is also available over the counter.


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Obama praises Mandela 'inspiration'

29 June 2013 Last updated at 07:31 ET
Barack Obama

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Obama: "Madiba's moral courage... has been a personal inspiration to me"

US President Barack Obama has praised Nelson Mandela as "an inspiration to the world", during his visit to South Africa.

He was speaking in the executive capital, Pretoria, after talks with President Jacob Zuma.

Mr Mandela, South Africa's first black president, has been critically ill for nearly a week.

Earlier, Mr Obama said he would not visit the 94-year-old in hospital, but would meet his family in private.

The White House said the decision had been made "out of deference to Nelson Mandela's peace and comfort and the family's wishes", but that Mr Obama and his wife would offer the Mandela family "their thoughts and prayers at this difficult time".

Mr Zuma said the former leader remained "stable but critical", but said he had "every hope that he will be out of hospital soon".

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Joseph Winter BBC News, Johannesburg


Nelson Mandela's ill health has overshadowed Barack Obama's first trip to South Africa as US president. Both Mr Obama and South African President Jacob Zuma began their remarks to the media by mentioning the hero of the fight against white minority rule.

But the trip was planned long before Mr Mandela was taken to hospital and was intended to focus on increasing trade, for mutual benefit. President Zuma noted that Mr Obama had been involved in the campaign to impose economic sanctions on apartheid South Africa in the 1980s, but said now was the time to shift from "disinvestment to reinvestment".

While South Africa has been criticised for having slow economic growth at a time when other African countries are booming, Mr Zuma rebuffed this by saying: "We are pursuing the dreams and policies of Nelson Mandela." He even said the former president had recently told him: "When I go to sleep, I will be happy as I know I will leave South Africa moving forward."

'Outpouring of love'

In Pretoria, Mr Obama said Mr Mandela's example of "the power of principle, of people standing up for what's right continues to shine as a beacon".

"The outpouring of love that we've seen in recent days shows that the triumph of Nelson Mandela and his nation speaks to something very deep in the human spirit; the yearning for justice and dignity that transcends boundaries of race and class and faith and country," he said.

Mr Zuma said that as the first black leaders of their respective countries, Mr Obama and Mr Mandela were "bound by history" and so "carry the dreams of millions of people in Africa and in the diaspora who were previously oppressed".

The two leaders addressed a wide range of issues in their conversations, including trade and industry, conflicts in the region, efforts to tackle HIV/Aids and foreign affairs.

Mr Zuma said Mr Obama's visit was "well timed" to take advantage of a growing market in South Africa, and called for greater US investment.

He also said he believed the Africa National Congress (ANC), which he leads and which was founded by Mr Mandela, was still "moving in the footsteps" of the former leader.

"I have no doubt that what we have been doing is part of what Mandela would be doing if he was here," he said.

When asked whether the US felt threatened by the increasing influence of other countries, particularly China, in Africa, Mr Obama said he believed it was a good thing for the development of the continent, but cautioned South Africa to ensure that foreign companies were employing local workers and investing back into the country.

Continue reading the main story

Nelson Mandela: Key dates

  • 1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
  • 1944 Joins African National Congress
  • 1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped
  • 1962 Arrested, convicted of sabotage, sentenced to five years in prison
  • 1964 Charged again, sentenced to life
  • 1990 Freed from prison
  • 1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
  • 1994 Elected first black president
  • 1999 Steps down as leader

Mr Obama, who is travelling with his family, arrived in South Africa from Senegal on Friday evening.

During his weekend trip, the US president will visit Robben Island off Cape Town, where Mr Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. On Monday, he will continue his African tour in Tanzania.

Lung damage

Mr Mandela is revered for leading the fight against white minority rule in South Africa and then preaching reconciliation despite being imprisoned for 27 years.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was elected president the following year. He left office in 1999 after a single term.

Mr Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has rarely been seen at official events since.

He has a long history of lung problems, and was diagnosed with tuberculosis in the 1980s while he was a prisoner on Robben Island.

After his release, Mr Mandela said that the tuberculosis was probably caused by dampness in his prison cell.


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Cameron pledges Afghanistan memorial

29 June 2013 Last updated at 07:33 ET
David Cameron in Afghanistan

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Footage shows David Cameron meeting troops, as the BBC's Carole Walker reports from Helmand

A permanent memorial to British service personnel who died in Afghanistan is to be built at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

Prime Minister David Cameron made the announcement as he visited UK troops in Camp Bastion on Armed Forces Day.

The memorial will be paid for from fines imposed on banks that rigged inter-bank interest rates, he said.

Hundreds of celebrations are planned across the UK to celebrate the fifth national Armed Forces Day.

The day started with a volley of gun blasts at Nottingham Castle.

Armed Forces Day recognises the contribution made by service personnel past and present. Members of all three services take part.

Speaking from Britain's main base in Afghanistan, Mr Cameron said: "I think Armed Forces Day is an opportunity for the whole nation to say a very big thank you, but also to say how proud we are of our armed forces and everything they do for us.

Memorial transported

"I can announce today we will be taking more money off the Libor fines and putting it into the military charities - including building a permanent memorial at the Staffordshire arboretum, so that we can always remember, and future generations can remember, those that fell and died here in Afghanistan."

The number of UK service personnel to have died since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001 is 444.

The existing memorial in Camp Bastion, which Mr Cameron visited during his time at the base, will be dismantled as troops leave next year and as much of it as possible will be used in the arboretum.

The memorial, which will receive funding of £300,000, will be built over the next 18 months and dedicated once combat operations in Afghanistan have ended.

The National Memorial Arboretum, near Lichfield, hosts more than 250 different memorials, including a number to the armed forces.

Mr Cameron also announced how an additional £2.5m from fines levied on banks for attempting to manipulate the Libor interest rate would be spent on helping the armed forces community.

The Warrior Programme for Veterans and Families will receive just over £930,000 to further their efforts to support veterans moving into civilian life. The Veterans Council Headquarters will get £500,000 to create a one-stop shop for the military community to access mental health, health and social care services. Veterans Aid has been awarded £160,000 to expand its substance abuse and mental health treatment programmes.

During his visit Mr Cameron ate a cooked breakfast with British troops and was briefed about recent operations in Helmand, using a tactical map laid out in a sandpit.

He also took the controls of a bomb disposal robot, steering a Wheelbarrow robot using a remote control, and mimicked the action of launching a Desert Hawk 3 drone as he held the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Asked about efforts by the US to start talking to the Taliban, the prime minister said it was important to pursue a political solution - as well as a security solution - in Afghanistan.

In the UK, this year's main Armed Forces Day event kicked off with a tri-service parade from Nottingham's castle to the Old Market Square, where a drumhead service will be attended by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

Parachute display

The Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, will fly over and, at the service's conclusion, current and historic craft from the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force will also fly past - including the RAF's latest multi-role fast jet, the Typhoon.

There will be Royal Navy and Royal Marines displays on the River Trent, and members of the RAF Falcons Parachute Display Team will land on Victoria Embankment.

The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery will close the day in Nottingham.

Further support has come from Defence Minister Mark Francois who launched the Corporate Covenant, giving businesses and charities the opportunity to sign an official commitment to help improve the lives of the Armed Forces, their families and veterans.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Ed Miliband said the party would give military veterans guaranteed "special provision" in the health service and change the NHS constitution to enshrine those rights.

He tweeted: "Armed Forces Day is a day when we rightly commemorate the sacrifices, past & present, that our servicemen & women make to protect us."

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.

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West 'should have talked to Taliban'

29 June 2013 Last updated at 07:42 ET

The West should have tried talking to the Taliban a decade ago, the UK's top general in Afghanistan has said.

Gen Nick Carter told the Guardian it would have been easier to find a political solution when they were on the run in 2002.

Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged that the original settlement for Afghanistan "could have been better arranged".

His comments come days after planned negotiations with the Taliban stalled.

Gen Carter also warned Afghan forces would need military and financial support after troops leave in 2014.

The Kabul government would have only shaky control over some areas, he said.

Negotiation attempts

A major conference on the future of Afghanistan held in Bonn, Germany, over a decade ago did not include the defeated Taliban former government of Afghanistan.

Gen Carter, deputy commander of the Nato-led coalition, acknowledged it was easy to be wise with the benefit of hindsight but added: "Back in 2002, the Taliban were on the run.

"I think that at that stage, if we had been very prescient, we might have spotted that a final political solution to what started in 2001, from our perspective, would have involved getting all Afghans to sit at the table and talk about their future.

"The problems that we have been encountering over the period since then are essentially political problems, and political problems are only ever solved by people talking to each other."

Speaking as he visited UK troops in Camp Bastion on Armed Forces Day, The prime minister said he was encouraged that the Taliban no longer wanted Afghanistan to be "a haven for terror".

He said: "You can argue that the settlement we put in place in 2001 could have been better arranged.

He added: "You have to remember why we came here and that was because the Taliban regime allowed Al Qaeda to have a base in Afghanistan, so that's why that regime was removed, why an Afghan democracy has been created and why we have now built up an Afghan National Army and police force which are capable of securing this country.

"But do we want people to give up weapons to give up an armed struggle and join a political process so that everyone in Afghanistan can be part of that political future, yes."

Doha talks row

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said it would have been "very difficult" to negotiate with the Taliban a decade ago.

He said: "I suspect ten years ago it would have been very difficult.

"We've reset the parameters of the debate by building the Afghan security forces, by supporting the Afghan government to reach out across the country, delivering services to the people in a way that has given it legitimacy, and I think the time is right now for that negotiation to take place."

Last week, US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed caution over whether peace talks on Afghanistan with the Taliban could take place.

A row over the status of a Taliban office in Qatar's capital Doha has overshadowed efforts to start peace negotiations there.

BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said the row had simply underlined the diplomatic and practical difficulties that remained for anyone wishing to talk to the Taliban.

Gen Carter said he was confident that Nato's handover of security to Afghan forces would eventually bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.

Gradual withdrawal

He said that overall the police and army had been shaped into sustainable institutions strong enough to protect a critical presidential election next year and guarantee stability for the majority of the country after Western forces withdrew.

However, he added that the Afghan army and police would still need help in the years to come because they had been built up very quickly.

However, he expressed optimism about Afghanistan's future as long as the US and its allies came through on promises of financial and military support.

Some 8,000 British troops are still serving in Afghanistan, around half of them at Camp Bastion in Helmand province, ­many of them still mentoring or advising Afghan forces.

Until last year, the UK had 137 bases in Helmand but the gradual withdrawal ahead of the end of combat operations by 2015 means the mission is gradually changing with just 13 bases still operating.


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Australia 16-15 Lions

The British and Irish Lions were unable to wrap up their first series victory in 16 years as Australia snatched a late win in Melbourne.

Adam Ashley-Cooper touched down after 75 minutes, with Christian Leali'ifano keeping his cool to add the conversion, to deny the Lions.

Leigh Halfpenny booted five penalties as the Lions led 15-9, but missed a 40-metre kick in the final seconds.

The three-Test series, now level at 1-1, will be decided on 6 July in Sydney.

More to follow.


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UK government backs three-person IVF

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 28 Juni 2013 | 19.13

27 June 2013 Last updated at 19:33 ET By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

The UK looks set to become the first country to allow the creation of babies using DNA from three people, after the government backed the IVF technique.

It will produce draft regulations later this year and the procedure could be offered within two years.

Experts say three-person IVF could eliminate debilitating and potentially fatal mitochondrial diseases that are passed on from mother to child.

Opponents say it is unethical and could set the UK on a "slippery slope".

They also argue that affected couples could adopt or use egg donors instead.

Mitochondria are the tiny, biological "power stations" that give the body energy. They are passed from a mother, through the egg, to her child.

Defective mitochondria affect one in every 6,500 babies. This can leave them starved of energy, resulting in muscle weakness, blindness, heart failure and death in the most extreme cases.

Continue reading the main story

Every time Sharon Bernardi became pregnant, she hoped for a healthy child.

But all seven of her children died from a rare genetic disease that affects the central nervous system - three of them just hours after birth.

When her fourth child, Edward, was born, doctors discovered the disease was caused by a defect in Sharon's mitochondria.

Edward was given drugs and blood transfusions to prevent the lactic acidosis (a kind of blood poisoning) that had killed his siblings.

Five weeks later Sharon and her husband, Neil, were allowed to take Edward to their home in Sunderland for Christmas - but his health slowly began to deteriorate.

Edward survived into adulthood, dying in 2011 at the age of 21.

Now Sharon is supporting medical research that would allow defective mitochondria to be replaced by DNA from another woman.

Research suggests that using mitochondria from a donor egg can prevent the diseases.

It is envisaged that up to 10 couples a year would benefit from the treatment.

However, it would result in babies having DNA from two parents and a tiny amount from a third donor as the mitochondria themselves have their own DNA.

'Clearly sensitive'

Earlier this year, a public consultation by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) concluded there was "general support" for the idea and that there was no evidence that the advanced form of IVF was unsafe.

The chief medical officer for England, Prof Dame Sally Davies, said: "Scientists have developed ground-breaking new procedures which could stop these disease being passed on, bringing hope to many families seeking to prevent their future children inheriting them.

"It's only right that we look to introduce this life-saving treatment as soon as we can."

She said there were "clearly some sensitive issues here" but said she was "personally very comfortable" with altering mitochondria.

Scientists have devised two techniques that allow them to take the genetic information from the mother and place it into the egg of a donor with healthy mitochondria.

Continue reading the main story

The result is a baby with genetic information from three people.

They would have more than 20,000 genes from their parents and 37 mitochondrial genes from a donor.

It is a change that would have ramifications through the generations as scientists would be altering human genetic inheritance.

Dr David King

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Dr David King says the move crosses "a crucial ethical line"

Objections to the procedure have been raised ever since it was first mooted.

Dr David King, the director of Human Genetics Alert, said: "These techniques are unnecessary and unsafe and were in fact rejected by the majority of consultation responses.

'Designer baby'

"It is a disaster that the decision to cross the line that will eventually lead to a eugenic designer baby market should be taken on the basis of an utterly biased and inadequate consultation."

One of the main concerns raised in the HFEA's public consultation was of a "slippery slope" which could lead to other forms of genetic modification.

Draft regulations will be produced this year with a final version expected to be debated and voted on in Parliament during 2014.

Newcastle University is pioneering one of the techniques that could be used for three-person IVF.

Prof Doug Turnbull, the director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Mitochondrial Research at the university, said he was "delighted".

A baby's hand

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He said: "This is excellent news for families with mitochondrial disease.

"This will give women who carry these diseased genes more reproductive choice and the opportunity to have children free of mitochondrial disease. I am very grateful to all those who have supported this work."

The fine details of the regulations are still uncertain, yet it is expected to be for only the most severe cases.

It is also likely that children would have no right to know who the egg donor was and that any children resulting from the procedure would be monitored closely for the rest of their lives.

Sir John Tooke, the president of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said: "Introducing regulations now will ensure that there is no avoidable delay in these treatments reaching affected families once there is sufficient evidence of safety and efficacy.

"It is also a positive step towards ensuring the UK remains at the forefront of cutting-edge research in this area."


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Gallagher kicks off Glastonbury

28 June 2013 Last updated at 06:54 ET
Tents in field

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People have been flying in from all over the world, as Lucy Hockings reports

Liam Gallagher has launched the 2013 Glastonbury Festival with a surprise appearance on The Other Stage.

The singer, who headlined with his former band Oasis in 2004, squared up to the audience at 11:00 BST and launched into Flick Of The Finger, a recent single with his band Beady Eye.

Other acts on the bill for Friday include Chic, Sinead O'Connor, Dizzee Rascal and headliners Arctic Monkeys.

About 180,000 music fans are attending the festival in Somerset.

"It's never too early for a bit of Rock'n'Roll aggro, is it?" asked Gallagher as his band launched into Oasis hit Morning Glory for the gathering of fans keen for an early start to the weekend of live music.

Gallagher, who has not been particularly effusive about the festival since his former band headlined nearly ten years ago, told the BBC: "Glastonbury's back in the good books. I just had a bad experience but now it's cool again.

"It's always been cool, it's just me. I'm full of it."

He added that playing such an early starting time on the Friday morning had been something of a surprise.

"Someone just asked us - do you fancy going on at 11 o'clock, and we thought, why not? We've headlined it, we've done all that. It's time to do something different.

"I absolutely loved it, I mean it. I thought 11 o'clock could be really ropey but I thought we done well, man."

As tradition dictates, the site was drenched with rain on Thursday but forecasters expect the weather to be dry for the rest of the weekend.

It has been largely peaceful so far, with 107 reported crimes and 61 arrests.

Somerset police say there have also been 32 drug related offences reported, 12 of which were for possession of restricted substances.

Other headliners include Mumford and Sons and The Rolling Stones.

Speaking to Radio 1's Newsbeat, Stones guitarist Keith Richards said the band had a few reservations about their set.

"I think the only pressure we feel is that it is the first time we've done an outdoor show for yonks and English weather," he said.

"Throwing in those two equations, yeah there is maybe a little apprehension."

On the main Pyramid stage, Friday's music started with the charismatic Congolese act Jupiter Bokondji and Okwess International.

They will be followed by BBC Sound Of 2013 winners Haim, pop star Rita Ora, Hackney rapper Professor Green and rock group The Vaccines.

Rumours of "secret appearances" are always rife at Glastonbury, and this year's crop range from the likely (Fatboy Slim and Radiohead's Thom Yorke) to the fanciful (David Bowie).

Definitely on the bill are veteran entertainers Sir Bruce Forsyth and Kenny Rogers, while Solange Knowles - younger sister to 2011 headliner Beyonce - plays the smaller Park Stage on Friday afternoon.

Although the main music programme only kicked off on Friday, revellers have been gathering on site since Tuesday.

They've been entertained by smaller performances and installations around the 900-acre green field site, including the vaudevillian cabaret area Shangri-La.

Tucked away in the darker confines of the South-East corner, Shangri-La harbours some of the alternative spirit of the original Glastonbury Festival in 1970.

This year's theme is Heaven and Hell - the idea being that Glastonbury's year off in 2012 coincided with the apocalypse, and revellers must now enter the afterlife.

Split into two areas, guests can choose to party in the seven circles of hell - where bars are strewn with bullets and rifle shells, and transgender nurses perform "an enema of the soul" on unwitting volunteers.

If you prefer to spend an evening in heaven, where the sofas are trimmed with fur, and the bars have working fountains, you must first convince an "admin angel" that you are worthy of the honour.

The lucky few will be given a gold wristband… and be forced to remove their wellies, in case they mess up the Glastonbury God's pristine white carpets.

Dressed like a film set, it is one of many distractions from the music.

Others include a giant (and currently mud-strewn) Twister board; and the Block9 nightclub - which has been designed to look like a 50ft tower block with a life-size, flaming tube train bursting out of the fifth floor.

The festival continues until Sunday.


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Ian Brady loses prison move bid

28 June 2013 Last updated at 07:58 ET

Moors Murderer Ian Brady has lost his bid to be transferred from a psychiatric hospital back to prison.

He had requested a transfer to a Scottish prison, but Ashworth Hospital said he had chronic mental illness and needed continued care at the Merseyside top-security facility.

Brady, now 75, and Myra Hindley, who died in prison in 2002, tortured and murdered five children.

He was jailed for three murders in 1966 and has been at Ashworth since 1985.

He and Hindley later confessed to another other two murders.

Judge Robert Atherton, who headed the three-person tribunal at Ashworth, said: "The tribunal has concluded that Mr Ian Stewart Brady continues to suffer from a mental disorder which is of a nature and degree which makes it appropriate for him to continue to receive medical treatment, and that it is necessary for his health and safety and for the protection of other persons that he should receive such treatment in hospital, and that appropriate medical treatment is available for him."

The reasons for the tribunal's decision will be released later.

Continue reading the main story

Ashworth Hospital argued that Brady was after "a win" over the authorities. This decision, which denies him that victory, comes down to the very narrow legal remit that had to be fulfilled by his mental health tribunal.

The panel had one simple duty: to assess the patient's health and what would be clinically right for him.

So although we have not yet seen the full reasons, the tribunal's decision means it has decided that Brady is still suffering from paranoid schizophrenia or another treatable disorder.

Once it had come to that conclusion, it could further rule that it would be appropriate to keep Brady at Ashworth, either to receive treatment or because it would be necessary for his own safety or those of others.

It's going to be very difficult for him to challenge the decision because he can only launch an appeal if he can show that the tribunal got the law wrong.

Brady, whose legal costs are estimated to be around £250,000 and paid by the taxpayer, as he gets legal aid, has the right to challenge the decision.

Dr David Fearnley, medical director at Ashworth, said: "We appreciate the time and effort the mental health tribunal has given to this case and its judgment is consistent with the expert opinions of our clinicians.

"Mr Brady suffers from a severe personality disorder and a mental illness which still require high-quality care.

"It is a testament to the staff of Ashworth Hospital that we have been able to stabilise his schizophrenia to the degree we have. However, his condition is chronic and will require this support for the foreseeable future."

Asked if the tribunal, which was held in public at Brady's request, may have exacerbated the illness, Dr Fearnley said: "I think the difficulty with an individual such as Ian Brady is that he has a complex mental disorder and for many years has been able to publicise his concerns.

"However, we see this as part of an overall problem which our experts are looking into and will continue to provide expert care."

Brady has been on a hunger strike since 1999, and appeared at the tribunal with his feeding tube in place. The tribunal heard that he also eats some food on "most days".

Dr David Fearnley

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Dr David Fearnley: Ian Brady is "in the right place to receive the right treatment by the right people"

Dr Fearnley said his treatment was under review by the specialist team, including the issue of feeding.

'Method acting'

Brady gave evidence for more than four hours at the tribunal, which sat at Ashworth psychiatric hospital in Maghull. It was the first time he had spoken in public for 47 years.

Brady had told the tribunal he used "method acting" to trick doctors into classing him as insane so he could be transferred from prison to hospital.

But he said he now wanted to leave Ashworth because he hated it and "the regime has changed to a penal warehouse".

The tribunal heard from Brady's lawyer that Brady had a severe personality disorder but was not mentally ill and could be treated in prison rather than hospital.

During his evidence, Brady refused to answer a question from his own lawyer about whether he intended to take his own life if he was declared fit to return to prison.


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Woolwich murder trial date set

28 June 2013 Last updated at 08:07 ET

The two men accused of murdering soldier Lee Rigby will stand trial on 18 November, it has been decided at an Old Bailey hearing.

Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, appeared at a scheduling hearing via video link from separate rooms in Belmarsh prison, London.

The pair are accused of murdering Drummer Rigby outside Woolwich barracks on 22 May.

The two suspects spoke only to confirm their names.

Members of Drummer Rigby's family were present in court.


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Double jeopardy rapist jailed

28 June 2013 Last updated at 08:08 ET

A man convicted under the amended double jeopardy law of raping a pensioner has been jailed for life.

Wendell Baker, 56, of Walthamstow, had denied raping Hazel Backwell, then 66, at her home in Stratford, east London, in 1997.

He was found not guilty after a judge decided in 1999 the case could not proceed for legal reasons. He was retried after the law changed in 2005.

Baker has been ordered to serve a minimum of 10 years and six months.


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May: 'All options open' on Lawrence

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 27 Juni 2013 | 19.12

27 June 2013 Last updated at 07:21 ET
Doreen Lawrence

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Doreen Lawrence: "I felt quite sick to the stomach... I thought we'd heard everything"

The mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence - who is calling for a public inquiry into claims of a police smear campaign - says the home secretary has told her "all options are open".

Doreen Lawrence, speaking after meeting Theresa May, said: "I want answers."

The Home Office said Mrs May would "reflect" on how to "get to the heart of all outstanding questions".

Ex-officer Peter Francis says he posed as an anti-racism campaigner after the murder to find "dirt" on the family.

'Very promising'

Stephen, who was black, was 18 when he was stabbed to death by a gang of white youths in an unprovoked attack as he waited at a bus stop in south-east London in April 1993.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

Unless we have a public inquiry that goes through the whole thing, we will never get to the bottom of it"

End Quote Doreen Lawrence

A number of suspects were identified but it took more than 18 years to bring his killers to justice. An inquiry accused the police of institutional racism and found failings in how they had investigated the crime.

Mrs Lawrence, standing outside the Home Office after the "very promising" meeting, said that, "for the past 20 years", the family had been "talking about corruption and we have undercover officers trying to smear our family".

"I want answers," she added

"I want to know who was the senior officer who signed that off."

Mrs Lawrence, who was accompanied in the meeting by her lawyers and Stephen's brother, Stuart, said this week's revelations had made her "feel quite sick to the stomach because I think it's the last thing I expected".

Any review "should be open and not behind closed doors so that we can hear once and for all exactly what was going on after Stephen was murdered," she said.

"I think unless we have a public inquiry that goes through the whole thing, we will never get to the bottom of it."

She had "made my point quite clear and so did our legal representatives," she added.

Mrs Lawrence said the home secretary had told her "all options are open".

Her lawyer, Imran Khan, said the home secretary had "gone away to consider" the points made "and what the family hope is that she'll be agreeable to holding a public inquiry in due course".

Another meeting between Mrs May and Mrs Lawrence and her lawyers is planned although a date has not yet been set.

The Home Office said in a statement that Mrs May was "grateful to Doreen and Stuart Lawrence and their representatives for coming to the meeting today".

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

The home secretary understands that these fresh allegations have only added to the suffering of the Lawrence family"

End Quote Home Office

"The home secretary understands that these fresh allegations have only added to the suffering of the Lawrence family.

"She will now reflect on the best and quickest way to get to the heart of all outstanding questions and will speak to the Lawrence family very soon."

Meanwhile, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has said he will be meeting Mrs Lawrence and Mr Khan at New Scotland Yard on Friday.

He revealed, while being questioned by the London Assembly's police and crime committee, that Mr Khan had written to him asking "12 or 13 questions", adding that he would "answer them as far as possible".

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe

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Hogan-Howe: "We are now in a different context... I don't believe it is happening at the moment"

'Outrageous' document

Former undercover officer Mr Francis has told the Guardian and Channel 4's Dispatches programme that, working as part of the Metropolitan Police's Special Demonstration Squad (SDS), he was pressured to find "any intelligence that could have smeared the campaign".

That included whether any of the family were political activists, involved in demonstrations or drug dealers, he said.

Mrs May announced on Monday that the claims would be investigated by two existing inquiries, those of:

  • Barrister Mark Ellison QC, who is examining police corruption during the original investigation into the killing
  • Operation Herne, an investigation into undercover policing at the Met, led by the chief constable of Derbyshire Police, Mick Creedon, and partly overseen by the police watchdog

Mr Hogan-Howe told the London Assembly committee he had asked Mr Creedon to "prioritise" the Lawrence allegations and thought the two inquiries would get to the bottom of them.

He said he was "shocked" by the latest smear claim and said, if it turned out to be true, "then it will be a disgrace".

"I don't think it's for me to call for a public inquiry," he added.

"I'm confident what's set up will work so therefore I can hardly call for a public inquiry to substitute for it."

Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has said it is looking into claims its Special Branch sent a request in August 1998 to all divisions asking for information about "groups or individuals" expected to attend the Macpherson Inquiry into the handling of Stephen's murder.

National Black Police Association president Charles Crichlow told the Daily Mirror the "outrageous" document "sent a chill through me" when he saw it at the time.

GMP Deputy Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said officers were trying to find the memo, but said it was likely to be a "routine" document making reference to the policing of the inquiry, which was held in Manchester.


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Ofgem warns of power shortage risk

27 June 2013 Last updated at 07:24 ET

The danger of power shortages in the UK by the middle of the decade has risen, according to industry regulator Ofgem.

Spare power production capacity could fall as low as 2% in two years' time, increasing the risk of blackouts.

More investment in power generation and other action is needed to protect consumers, Ofgem said.

"Ofgem's analysis indicates a faster than anticipated tightening of electricity margins toward the middle of this decade," it said in a report.

Andrew Wright, the regulator's chief executive, said: "Britain's energy industry is facing an unprecedented challenge to secure supplies."

The global financial crisis, tough emissions targets, the UK's increasing dependency on gas imports, and the closure of ageing power stations were all contributing to the heightened risk of shortages, Ofgem said.

It suggests that - should power shortages become critical - National Grid could be given powers to negotiate with major users about coming offline "during times of stress".

"Preventive action taken now will help protect consumer supplies," the report said.


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Energy and roads get share of £100bn

27 June 2013 Last updated at 07:52 ET
Danny Alexander

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Danny Alexander: "We are putting long-term priorities before short-term political pressures"

Plans for a £100bn modernisation of the UK's infrastructure, including new homes, road repairs and improved flood protection, have been announced.

The package, of which £50bn will come in 2015-16, is also aimed at boosting new sources of energy like shale gas.

Treasury Minister Danny Alexander said the plans put "long-term priorities before short-term political pressures".

But Labour said projects must start now and capital investment in the engine of the economy was actually falling.

The announcement of the government's infrastructure plans came a day after Wednesday's Spending Review, in which £11.5bn of cuts to Whitehall departments were spelt out.

While the first £50bn is committed to infrastructure projects starting in 2015-16, the rest is for the period from 2016 to 2020.

The main funding commitments include:

  • £3bn to build 165,000 new affordable homes
  • £28bn for road improvements, including £10bn for essential maintenance
  • £10bn to clear a "backlog" of school building repairs
  • 850 miles of railway to be electrified as part of £30bn rail investment
  • £250m for extended super-fast broadband to rural areas
  • £370m for flood defences
  • Agreement with industry to provide affordable insurance for flood-hit homes
  • £800m extra funding for Green Investment Bank
  • £150m for health research including into dementia
  • £100m for a new prison in Wales

"This is an ambitious plan to build an infrastructure that Britain can be proud," Mr Alexander told MPs.

The road building programme was the largest for 40 years and the support for new homes the most substantial for more than two decades, he said.

As part of efforts to boost home building, government-owned land will be sold to the private sector and together with sales of other government assets, including the Student Loans book, would raise £15bn.

There will be new support to help the building of new nuclear plants, including Hinkley Point in Somerset, a guaranteed price for offshore wind energy and tax incentives brought in for shale gas projects.

His speech came as a report was being published showing that the UK's shale gas reserves were greater than previously thought.

Continue reading the main story

PDF download Spending Round 2013[1.9 MB]

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The transport plans focused mainly on roads and railways.

Mr Alexander said £10bn would be spent on dealing with the UK's "decaying" road network, with 21,000 miles of roads to be resurfaced and new lanes to be added to the busiest stretches of motorways.

Among the most significant projects, the £1.5bn upgrading of the A14 between Huntingdon and Cambridge will be brought forward by two years to 2016.

Mr Alexander said the spending on roads was equivalent to the cost of filling 19m potholes.

On rail, he restated plans to electrify large parts of the network and increased the budget for the proposed HS2 line connecting London and seven of the largest ten UK cities, to more than £42bn.

Chancellor George Osborne

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Osborne: "We've got a long-term plan now as a country to up our national game"

He also confirmed that £2m feasibility funding would be provided for London's proposed Crossrail 2 project, but said Mayor Boris Johnson's challenge was to work out how the private sector could meet at least half the cost of the scheme.

He also said the basis of an agreement had been reached with the insurance industry for it to pay for a new scheme to help 500,000 homeowners in areas prone to serious flooding to get cover at reasonable prices.

Earlier, Mr Osborne told BBC Breakfast that "you cannot just build a road in a week" but new homes, schools and roads were already finished and the coalition had a "long-term plan" rather than the "stop-start" approach of previous governments.

"We have got a long-term plan as a country to up our national game and make sure Britain is competing with the likes of China and India," he said. "We are doing all the things a country needs to do if it serious in winning the global race."

On energy, he said shale gas was "environmentally safe" and could provide "cheap energy" for many years to come - but that projects - criticised by environmental campaigners - would need to get the appropriate planning approvals.

Real-terms fall

But shadow chancellor Ed Balls said the "problem" was that "none of it starts for four years".

"They should do an immediate boost for housing and transport this year and next," he told ITV's Daybreak.

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls

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Ed Balls: "The international monetary fund says a £10bn boost is needed now"

"George Osborne talks about capital spending but he's not actually acting.

"I don't think the public buy into this at all - I think people see their living standards falling, tax cuts for millionaires, the economy flatlining, unemployment high. The plan has completely failed."

The £50bn for 2015-16 represents a real-terms fall of 1.7% from the infrastructure budget for 2014-15.

But the coalition says the figure is still higher than the one Labour was planning when it was ousted from power in 2010.

In Wednesday's Spending Review, the chancellor said the economy was "out of intensive care" and announced several measures aimed at saving money, including:

  • Millions of public sector workers learning they face losing automatic annual pay increases
  • British pensioners living in six warmer EU countries will no longer get a winter fuel allowance
  • A cap on total welfare spending and axing winter fuel payments for expatriate pensioners in hot countries
  • Most unemployed having to visit a JobCentre every week instead of fortnightly
  • Total annual spending on welfare, including housing benefit, disability benefit, tax credits and pensioner benefits - but excluding the state pension - will be capped for the first time, from April 2015
  • Local government will take the biggest hit, with cuts at the Department for Communities and Local Government of 10%
  • The Home Office must save 6% from its budget, but the police budget will be cut by a lower 4.9% and counter-terror policing will be spared
  • The culture department escapes the worst of the cuts with expected savings of 7%
  • Science and research funding will remain flat
  • The NHS, schools in England and foreign aid will continue to be protected from budget cuts
  • The security services were the biggest winners, with a 3.4% boost to funding and Mr Osborne praising their "heroic" efforts to "protect us and our way of life"

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Nelson Mandela 'critical but stable'

27 June 2013 Last updated at 07:55 ET
Ndileka Mandela

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Ndileka Mandela: "A lot of comfort" in messages of support

Former South African leader Nelson Mandela is in a stable condition, his granddaughter says, though he remains critical.

Ndileka Mandela said the 94-year-old's family were taking comfort from messages of support from the public.

Meanwhile his daughter Makaziwe said he was "still there" and responding to touch.

South Africa's first black president has been in hospital in Pretoria since 8 June with a lung infection.

His health has worsened in recent days, prompting current President Jacob Zuma to cancel a foreign visit. He has now arrived back at the hospital.

Continue reading the main story

At the scene

The gate outside the hospital is festooned with flowers, cards and placards. "Get well soon, Tata Madiba" many of them say, as they gather to pay tribute to a man who changed the face of a nation.

A group of children from a nearby township squealed with delight, as they released dozens of balloons into the air. Members of the ANC Youth League arrived singing songs, dressed in yellow T-shirts emblazoned with the words: "There is no born-free without a liberator."

Members of Nelson Mandela's family continue to visit his bedside, as they have done for the past 20 days. A granddaughter emerged from the hospital to thank well-wishers for their messages of support.

"They have given us strength to carry on," she said, "and to give him positive energy." But as she gathered a bunch of flowers from the pavement, she spoke of her anxiety at her grandfather's critical condition.

Emotional crowds have gathered outside, adding messages of support for Mr Mandela, known by his clan name Madiba.

Children released 94 balloons into the air in his honour.

Correspondents say South Africans now seem resigned to the prospect of his death.

"We don't like seeing Mandela going through so much pain, he has had a tough time in his life and he's gone through a lot of struggle. I think this struggle should get over sooner," Khulile Mlondleni told Reuters news agency.

"We are all going to feel bad when he passes [away], but at the same time we will be celebrating his life. He has done so many great things for this country," said 25-year-old John Ndlovu, quoted by the agency.

US President Barack Obama, who is in Senegal, described Mr Mandela as "a hero for the world".

"His legacy will linger on through the ages," he said.

Speculation warning

After visiting her grandfather in hospital, Mdileka Mandela said it was an anxious time for the family.

"He's stable and we'd like to say that we thank everybody for giving their support and praying with us... we are anxious as you know that he is critical but he's in a stable condition right now," she said.

"It's been hard, especially because of all of this - that we have to do everything in the public eye."

Continue reading the main story

Nelson Mandela: Key dates

  • 1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
  • 1944 Joins African National Congress
  • 1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped
  • 1962 Arrested, convicted of sabotage, sentenced to five years in prison
  • 1964 Charged again, sentenced to life
  • 1990 Freed from prison
  • 1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
  • 1994 Elected first black president
  • 1999 Steps down as leader

Later Mr Mandela's daughter Makaziwe said that while the situation was serious he was still responsive.

"He doesn't look good, I'm not going to lie. But as I say, if we speak to him, he responds and tries to open his eyes. He's still there. He might be waning off, but he's still there," she told public broadcaster SABC.

She was also highly critical of the behaviour of the international media.

"There is a racist element with many of the international media where they cross boundaries - truly vultures waiting for when the lion has devoured the buffalo, it has gone overboard," Ms Mandela said.

Mr Zuma's spokesman Mac Maharaj said on Wednesday evening that Mr Mandela's condition had deteriorated over the weekend.

After consultations with doctors, Mr Zuma said he was cancelling his trip to a regional summit in the Mozambican capital Maputo.

The statement from his office said he "reiterated his gratitude on behalf of government, to all South Africans who continue to support the Madiba family".

The decision will only reinforce the impression that Mr Mandela's life is slipping away, the BBC's Mike Wooldridge reports from Johannesburg.

But later Mr Zuma's office warned against speculation about Mr Mandela's health, saying that announcements about his condition would come from the president himself or Mr Maharaj.

Messages outside the hospital where Nelson Mandela is being treated

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The BBC's Karen Allen says there is a "mixture of emotions" outside the hospital

Mr Maharaj criticised some media outlets for broadcasting unverified information, as rumours spread on social media sites.

Meanwhile media reports say the bodies of three of Mr Mandela's children are to be moved from his birthplace to his home in Qunu, where he himself has said he wants to be buried.

They include his son Makgatho, who died of an Aids-related illness in 2005.

Mr Mandela is revered for leading the fight against white minority rule in South Africa and then preaching reconciliation despite being imprisoned for 27 years.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was elected president the following year. He left office in 1999 after a single term.

Continue reading the main story

Mr Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has rarely been seen at official events since.

He has a long history of lung problems, and was diagnosed with tuberculosis in the 1980s while he was a prisoner on Robben Island, off Cape Town.

After his release, Mr Mandela said that the tuberculosis was probably caused by dampness in his prison cell.


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Spending Review explanation 'woeful'

27 June 2013 Last updated at 08:03 ET

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has criticised the documentation and explanation of Wednesday's Spending Review as "woeful".

"Publishing such a small amount of information with so little explanation is not an exercise in open government," said IFS director Paul Johnson.

He also expressed surprise that there had been no outcry at news that 144,000 public sector jobs will go in a year.

"We seem to have got used to this level of austerity," he said.

The IFS gave as an example of the lack of information the fact that the Budget had said that Home Office expenditure limits for day-to-day spending would be £7.4bn while the Spending Review said it would be £10.4bn, without any explanation.

It turned out that it was a result of the police grant moving to the Home Office budget from the Local Government budget, but that information was hard to come by.

'Looks tough'

The influential think tank pointed out that the cuts announced in the Spending Review would take the split between spending cuts and tax increases away from the 80% cuts, 20% taxes originally planned, to an 85%,15% split.

Continue reading the main story

PDF download Spending Round 2013[1.9 MB]

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Getting back to the 80%, 20% balance would require a £6bn tax increase after the next election, which the IFS pointed out would be close to the average tax rise seen in post-election budgets in recent decades.

It suggested that the £25bn of additional cuts pencilled in for the two years after 2015-16 "looks tough indeed".

One of the debates since the chancellor's speech on Wednesday has been whether investment in infrastructure is going to rise.

The IFS said that public sector net investment would be "broadly flat" over the next four years.

Paul Johnson criticised the decision to freeze council tax again, saying: "However much council tax payers may welcome it this is not a sensible reform."

He pointed out that council tax was the only tax on property and that the longer it was frozen the harder it would be to unfreeze it.

He suggested that the marginalisation of council tax was being introduced without proper announcement or debate.


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Women offered NHS breast cancer drug

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 25 Juni 2013 | 19.12

25 June 2013 Last updated at 04:47 ET By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online

Thousands of women across Britain with a family history of breast cancer are to be offered drugs on the NHS to help prevent the disease.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says tamoxifen or raloxifene taken daily for five years can cut breast cancer risk by 40%.

Its guidance for England and Wales means 500,000 women now have a choice other than mastectomy.

The Scottish government says it will offer tamoxifen to women at risk.

One in every five breast cancers has a family link.

Having close relatives - a mother, sister or aunt - with breast cancer increases a woman's chance of getting the disease, as does inheriting certain genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2.

Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie revealed last month that she had undergone a preventative double mastectomy to cut her own chance of developing breast cancer because she carries one of these risky genes.

Risk reduction
Continue reading the main story
  • Women in general have a 1-in-8 chance of developing breast cancer
  • But some are at higher risk than this because of their family history
  • Having a mother or sister diagnosed with breast cancer doubles your risk of breast cancer, for example
  • If several members of your family have had particular types of cancer, or if a relative was diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age, your risk of developing breast cancer may be increased further
  • Moderate risk means you have at least a 1-in-6 risk of getting breast cancer by the end of your life, while high risk means you have a 3-in-10 risk
  • Inherited genes - like BRCA1 and BRAC2 - increase your lifetime risk by up to 90%
  • Most breast cancers have no family link

The new guidelines from NICE - which says the decision about the best treatment should be a joint one between the patient and the medical team - are the first in Europe to recommend that healthy women are given drugs to prevent breast cancer. It is likely that Northern Ireland will soon follow suit.

The Scottish government says women with two or more family members who have had breast cancer will be offered the treatment for five years.

It was announced last month that genetic testing would also be offered in Scotland to those with a 10% risk of a faulty gene.

NICE says women in England and Wales who are aged over 35 and at "moderate" or "high" risk of breast cancer as a result of their family history or genes should be considered for preventative drug therapy.

By this they mean women with at least a one in six chance of developing the disease.

Wendy Watson

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Wendy Watson, who has had a preventative double mastectomy, says "it has to be what is right for the individual"

The Welsh government said it welcomed the changes and expected health boards to make the drugs "available to patients who meet the clinical criteria".

Taking a tamoxifen or raloxifene tablet every day for five years could nearly halve breast cancer risk and this protective effect should last for at least a decade, studies suggest.

But experts say women need to carefully weigh up their options.

Surgery to remove both breasts would bring a woman's lifetime risk down to virtually zero.

And tamoxifen can be unpleasant to take, causing side-effects such as hot flushes and blood clots.

Up to half of breast cancer patients prescribed the drug as a treatment for their tumour give up taking it, research suggests.

Wendy Watson chose to have a preventative double mastectomy at the age of 37 because she knew of nine relatives who had breast cancer.

Ms Watson, who runs a helpline for those at high risk of breast cancer, told BBC Breakfast: "For me, personally, I'm more than happy with the decision that I made and I've been able to take control and get on with my life and do lots of things."

But she said "risk-reducing surgery is not for every woman and I think what we need to do is offer these women as many choices as they can".

Breast nurse specialist Susan Heard, a member of the NICE guidelines development group, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Tamoxifen is not an expensive drug - to give a woman five years of tamoxifen would only cost about £130 - it can cost £12,000 to treat a woman for breast cancer in a year.

"Tamoxifen has been used for 40 years in the treatment of breast cancer very successfully to stop it coming back and I think the healthcare professionals are very familiar with the drug and that experience can be passed on to our patients."

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with about 50,000 women and 400 men diagnosed with the condition each year.


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OECD jobs fear for unqualified youth

25 June 2013 Last updated at 05:00 ET By Sean Coughlan BBC News education correspondent

The poorly educated are paying the highest price for the financial crisis, says the OECD's education adviser, Andreas Schleicher.

Youngsters without qualifications now face a shrinking chance of getting jobs, according to the economic think tank's annual review of education.

For the UK, the OECD warns of the "significant" numbers of youngsters outside of education, work or training.

This is the "biggest challenge" for the UK, says Mr Schleicher.

According to the OECD's figures for 2011, people aged between 15 and 29 in the UK spend on average 2.3 years unemployed, compared with 1.7 years in Germany and 1.1 years in the Netherlands.

The report warns that too many youngsters in the UK drop out of education and are left without skills needed to get jobs.

Widening gap

The OECD's annual report describes how the financial downturn has widened the economic gap between those with and without a good level of qualifications.

The jobs market has become tougher across the developed world, but levels of unemployment are now three times higher among the poorly qualified, such as those with the equivalent of less than five good GCSEs.

There has always been an earnings gap between graduates and those less well qualified, but the OECD says that this widened even further between 2009 and 2011.

The labour market shows no sign of being overloaded with graduates, Mr Schleicher says. Instead it is the unskilled jobs that have been disappearing, leaving those without qualifications vulnerable to unemployment.

In the UK, the report highlights a particularly exaggerated gap. At the upper end of qualifications, the UK has one of the highest graduation rates in the developed world.

But at the other end of the skills scale, there are a disproportionately large number of youngsters leaving education with few qualifications and diminishing chances of regular work.

Smoke signals

These figures for 2011, show that in the UK almost a quarter of those who failed to achieve basic secondary qualifications ended up in the so-called Neet category - not in education, employment or training.

For those who have five good GCSEs or their equivalent, there is a much lower level of people who are NEET, at 14%.

The report highlights that the UK has one of the lowest percentages of 16 to 19 year olds in education among industrialised OECD countries.

This could change with the raising of the leaving age to 18. But Mr Schleicher warned that it was not enough to keep people in education, they needed to be given skills that could get them jobs.

The costs of a bad education are not only economic, says the report.

There are also health implications. A person with a degree is half as likely to be obese as someone without secondary school qualifications, says the survey.

The poorest educated are most likely to smoke. Graduates are the least likely to smoke - and this is particularly the case in the UK, where graduates have among the lowest levels of smoking in the developed world.

But the UK is at the unhealthiest end of the scale for obesity. A person from the UK without secondary school qualifications is more likely to be obese than anywhere else in the OECD.

Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, welcomed the report's evidence of the economic and social benefits of higher education..

"The report is clear that investing in higher education pays off in the long term, both for individuals and society."

The CBI warned of the need to improve vocational skills in the UK to make young people more employable.

"We need to end ingrained snobbishness about technical education," said Neil Carberry, the CBI's director of employment and skills.

"We're facing a critical lack of skills which risks holding back our long-term growth. UK competitiveness relies on a highly skilled workforce, so we cannot afford to waste talent."


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Taliban assault in Kabul secure zone

25 June 2013 Last updated at 06:35 ET
Smoke rises from near entrance to presidential palace in Kabul (25 June 2013)

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The BBC's Bilal Sarwary witnessed the attack in Kabul: "We were forced to run"

Afghan security forces have put down a militant gun and bomb attack near the presidential palace, in one of the most secure areas of Kabul.

Officials say four insurgents and three security guards died. The Taliban say they carried out the attack.

President Hamid Karzai was in the palace, but the target appears to have been the nearby Ariana hotel, which houses a CIA station.

This is the latest in a string of attacks on Kabul in recent months.

Most recently a suicide bomber in the capital targeted a prominent Afghan politician on 18 June, just hours before Nato formally handed security responsibility to the Afghan forces.

Continue reading the main story

At the scene

It was a close brush with death for a group of nearly 20 Afghan colleagues including myself.

We were at the palace gates to attend a press event with President Karzai - and security restrictions dictated we arrived hours prior to the event. As we waited to get inside, there was suddenly gunfire followed by loud explosions 10-15 metres away. We had found ourselves in the middle of the fighting.

As presidential guards exchanged fire with insurgents, personnel from the Ariana hotel, the home of the CIA for the last 12 years, also returned fire in self defence as their building came under direct fire. The fighting intensified in a matter of minutes. We took what little cover there was near a wall for the next 40 minutes.

An eight-year-old boy, crying and stuck in the fighting on his way to his school, also sheltered with us.

This attack caused no civilian or military casualties but this is a huge propaganda victory for the insurgents as they have managed to infiltrate one of the safest places in the country.

With this attack the Taliban infiltrated one of the most heavily-guarded areas of the capital, with several key buildings such as the defence ministry and Nato headquarters located very close by.

The Afghan Taliban have showed no sign of abating their assault on security targets, despite last week's announcement that they had set up an office in the Gulf state of Qatar for peace talks.

In another attack on Tuesday, at least 10 civilians, including eight woman were killed when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province.

President Karzai raised strong objections to the Taliban office, saying the flag and nameplate initially erected at the building showed they were trying to portray themselves as a government-in-exile.

Officials say the High Peace Council, the Afghan government body set up to lead peace efforts, would not take part unless the talks process was "Afghan-led".

News conference

The attack near the presidential palace, in the central district of Shash Darak, began at about 06:30 local time (02:00 GMT).

The militants initially targeted the palace's eastern gate - a few hundred metres from the actual building - where dozens of journalists had gathered for a news conference with Mr Karzai scheduled for 09:00.

The BBC's Bilal Sarwary, who was among the crowd of journalists, says they were forced to run for cover as bullets flew overhead.

The journalists heard several explosions, and reports said grenades were being thrown. Tolo TV reported as many as 14 blasts.

Continue reading the main story

Recent Kabul attacks

  • 9 March: A suicide bomb attack on the Afghan defence ministry kills nine
  • 16 May: At least 15 are killed and dozens wounded in a suicide bomb attack on a military convoy in the capital
  • 24 May: A Nepali soldier is killed as well as an off-duty policeman as militants battle security forces in the city centre
  • 10 June: Seven insurgents, including suicide bombers, lay siege to the main airport for four hours before they are killed
  • 11 June: Suicide bomb attack kills at least 16 people and injures more than 40 outside the Supreme Court.
  • 18 June: Three killed as bomb targets prominent politician Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq

Our correspondent says the area around the palace, which is patrolled regularly throughout the day by special forces and intelligence agents, is now under lockdown.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a text message: "A number of martyrs attacked the presidential palace, defence ministry and the Ariana Hotel."

The Ariana Hotel is known to house a CIA station.

Kabul's police chief, Ayub Salangi, said the attack was brought to an end just under two hours after the first shots were fired.

Four attackers wearing uniform and carrying fake ID cards began the attack, with one blowing himself up, a defence ministry spokesman told the BBC. They were eventually killed by private security forces attached to the hotel.

The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force, whose headquarters is also not far from the scene of the attack, wrote on Twitter that the Afghan National Security Forces had led "the response efforts".

Last week, Afghan forces assumed security responsibility for the whole of the country for the first time since the Taliban government was ousted in 2001.

International troops will remain in Afghanistan until the end of 2014, providing military back-up when needed.

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Snowden 'has not entered Russia'

25 June 2013 Last updated at 06:53 ET
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov: "He did not cross the Russian border"

Russia says it has had no involvement in the travel plans of fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden.

The exact whereabouts of Mr Snowden, who flew to Moscow from Hong Kong on Sunday, are unclear.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted he had not crossed the Russian border.

He criticised what he termed US attempts to blame Russia for his disappearance, saying they were "groundless and unacceptable".

Correspondents say Mr Lavrov's comments suggest that Mr Snowden remained air-side after landing at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, and so has technically never entered Russian territory.

"We are in no way involved with either Mr Snowden, his relations with US justice, nor to his movements around the world," Mr Lavrov said.

"He chose his itinerary on his own. We learnt about it... from the media. He has not crossed the Russian border.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's assertion that the fugitive American "hasn't crossed the Russian border" may well be technically correct - Edward Snowden may. for all we know, remain "in transit" at the hotel, air-side, at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.

But it is hard to believe that the Russians are not exploring what information they can get from Mr Snowden, if any.

He is at the very least a potential intelligence gift horse that has almost literally dropped into their laps.

Mr Lavrov was clearly irked by US pressure, saying that attempts to accuse the Russian side of flouting US laws were "unjustified and unacceptable". Moscow's annoyance is mirrored by Beijing.

As yet it is still too early to say what long-term damage this affair may do to China and Russia's relations with Washington. But the US-Russia relationship in particular could get seriously strained the longer this saga goes on.

"We consider the attempts to accuse the Russian side of violating US laws, and practically of involvement in a plot, to be absolutely groundless and unacceptable."

The 30-year-old IT expert is wanted by the US for revealing to the media details of a secret government surveillance programme, which he obtained while working as a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA).

He is charged with theft of government property, unauthorised communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence.

Mr Snowden has applied for asylum in Ecuador. The US has revoked his passport.

Reuters news agency quotes a Moscow airport source as saying that Mr Snowden arrived in Moscow from Hong Kong on Sunday afternoon and was due to depart for the Cuban capital, Havana, the following day, but did not use the ticket.

The source said he was travelling with Sarah Harrison, a British legal researcher working for the anti-secrecy group Wikileaks.

Meanwhile, China has also described US accusations that it facilitated the departure of fugitive Edward Snowden from Hong Kong as "groundless and unacceptable".

A foreign ministry spokeswoman said the Hong Kong government had handled the former US intelligence officer's case in accordance with the law.

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Hawaii

20 May: Snowden flies from Hawaii to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong

5 June: From Hong Kong, Snowden discloses details of what he describes as a vast US phone and internet surveillance programme to the UK's Guardian newspaper.

Moscow

23 June: Snowden leaves Hong Kong on a flight to Moscow. He is currently thought to remain airside at Sheremetyevo airport.

Cuba

From Moscow, Snowden could fly to Cuba, en route to Ecuador, which has said it is "analysing" whether to grant him asylum.

Venezuela

Venezuela had also been considered a possible destination for Snowden, however it is thought he would only pass through on his way to Ecuador.

Ecuador

Snowden is reported to have requested asylum in Ecuador, which previously granted haven to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in its London embassy.

The White House had criticised what it termed "a deliberate choice to release a fugitive despite a valid arrest warrant".

'Sanctimonious mask'

The Chinese government has expressed deep concern about Mr Snowden's allegations that the US had hacked into networks in China.

Tuesday saw the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party praise Mr Snowden for "tearing off Washington's sanctimonious mask".

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Snowden leaks timeline

  • 5 June: First leak published in the Guardian saying the National Security Agency (NSA) is collecting the telephone records of millions of people in the US
  • 6 June: Details of the US Prism internet surveillance programme published by the Guardian and Washington Post
  • 9 June: Guardian identifies Edward Snowden as the source of the leaks, at his own request, and says he has been in Hong Kong since 20 May
  • 14 June: US files criminal charges against Mr Snowden
  • 23 June - Mr Snowden leaves Hong Kong for Moscow, Ecuador confirms he has applied for political asylum and Washington urges countries to send him back to the US
  • 24 June - Mr Snowden is believed to be in Russia; Moscow says it is studying a US extradition request

In a strongly worded front-page commentary, the overseas edition of the People's Daily said: "Not only did the US authorities not give us an explanation and apology, it instead expressed dissatisfaction at the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for handling things in accordance with law.

"In a sense, the United States has gone from a 'model of human rights' to 'an eavesdropper on personal privacy', the 'manipulator' of the centralised power over the international internet, and the mad 'invader' of other countries' networks."

Speaking during a visit to India, US Secretary of State John Kerry said it would be "deeply troubling" if it became clear that China had "wilfully" allowed him to fly out of Hong Kong.

"There would be without any question some effect and impact on the relationship and consequences," he said.

He also called on Russia to "live by the standards of the law because that's in the interests of everybody".

Mr Snowden was in hiding in Hong Kong when his leaks were first published.

Passengers on Moscow to Havana flight

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Journalists look for Mr Snowden on board a flight to Havana, however, his seat is left empty as Julie Peacock reports

He is being supported by the whistleblowing website Wikileaks, which said on Sunday that he was heading to Ecuador accompanied by some of its diplomats and legal advisers.

Ecuador is already giving political asylum at its London embassy to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who is wanted for questioning in Sweden over allegations of sexual assault - which he denies.

Mr Snowden's leaks have led to revelations that the US is systematically seizing vast amounts of phone and web data under an NSA programme known as Prism.

US officials have defended the practice of gathering telephone and internet data from private users around the world.

They say Prism cannot be used to target intentionally any Americans or anyone in the US, and stress that it is supervised by judges.


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Moors killer Brady attacks treatment

25 June 2013 Last updated at 07:11 ET

Moors Murderer Ian Brady has told a mental health tribunal he has been misdiagnosed as mentally ill.

Brady, speaking publicly for the first time in 47 years, said his actions were interpreted by "opportunistic" doctors and nurses as signs of mental illness.

Brady - wearing a suit and tie, and dark glasses - says he should be moved from a high-security hospital to jail.

Along with his accomplice Myra Hindley, Brady, now 75, tortured and murdered five children aged between 10 and 17.

The pair buried some of their victims' bodies on Saddleworth Moor in the Peak District.

Brady is speaking at the final day of the tribunal, which is sitting at Ashworth high-security psychiatric hospital in Maghull, Merseyside, where he has been held since 1985.

Proceedings are being relayed to the press and public on TV screens at Manchester Civil Justice Centre.

The killer told the tribunal he talked to himself when alone, just like many other people.

He said he had been in solitary confinement for a while in prison and would occupy his days by memorising pages of Shakespeare and Plato - and then recite them aloud as he walked up and down in his cell.

He said that any similar activity in Ashworth was seen as a sign of mental illness and then used against him.

"If I interact with the TV, Tony Blair or something on, and make any comment, this is interpreted as psychosis.

"And who doesn't talk to themselves? This is a question people very rarely ask."

Asked why he wanted to leave Ashworth, he said he hated it because "the regime has changed to a penal warehouse".

"They give you false drugs and turn you into a zombie," he added.

And he criticised "some of these psychiatrists" saying he "would throw a net over them".

"I would not allow them on the street - they are unbelievable.

"How has this person got the job in the first place and how is it they're able to hold the job?"

Brady, who never looked up during the opening half hour of his evidence, spoke carefully in a soft and quiet Scottish accent.

The tribunal had earlier heard that Brady sometimes blocked out the world by listening to white noise on headphones - but he told the tribunal it was a "simply pragmatic" decision to make conditions more tolerable.

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For almost 50 years the high walls of prison and hospital silenced Ian Brady.

Well, on Tuesday, he finally got what he has wanted for years - to speak about the way he says he has been misdiagnosed.

Brady sat in the hearing quietly and, never looking up once, began a long list of complaints - some clear to understand, others less so.

He has a soft voice and speaks carefully - apparently weighing his words. Sometimes he adds caveats to qualify what he wants to say. At other times he tries to use sarcasm and wit - such as describing medicated patients as zombies.

Brady is clearly a clever man. But the question is whether he is clever enough to get out of Ashworth.

His crimes involved dominating his victims. The experts at Ashworth believe that he now wants to dominate them and, through this mental health tribunal, control how the public perceive him.

They are determined he will not.

He said his resistance of the regime at Ashworth began in 1999 after he says he was assaulted by a group of riot-gear clad warders who were moving him from one unit to another.

Asked how he had spent his time in prison over the years, he said he had studied psychology and German and had worked on braille texts.

He said he had also worked as a barber at Wormwood Scrubs before he was sent to Ashworth.

'Makes toast'

Brady said he had mainly stayed in his room for the past 10 months because of "negative, regressive, provocative staff that I am avoiding".

Asked about the theory he stayed in his room because he was paranoid about other patients, he said his relationship with other patients was "unremarkable".

The serial killer, who said he had mixed down the years with the notorious Kray twins and IRA terrorists, added: "Only the authorities call it paranoia - the prisoners say it is sensible suspicion."

Brady's legal team say he has a severe personality disorder but is not mentally ill and could be treated in prison rather than hospital.

But staff at Ashworth say he remains a paranoid schizophrenic who should stay at the hospital.

David Kirwan

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Solicitor David Kirwan: "There's a moral imperative in this case and I don't think we should give in to him."

His reasons for wanting to return to prison remain unclear, although it is thought he might try to starve himself to death in prison.

He had been reported that he had been on hunger strike since 1999 and that doctors at Ashworth could force-feed Brady through a tube in his nose under mental health law.

But on Monday, a nurse told the tribunal that, despite his hunger strike, Brady often took the food made available to him, and he "makes himself toast every morning".

The judgement of the panel will be released at a later date yet to be fixed.

The last time Brady was heard in public was in 1966 at Chester Assizes, where he denied the murders.

He was eventually found guilty of three of the murders and jailed for life. He and Hindley later confessed to the other two. Hindley died in prison in 2002, aged 60.


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Brazil president announces reforms

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 22 Juni 2013 | 19.12

21 June 2013 Last updated at 21:23 ET
Dilma Rousseff

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Dilma Rousseff spoke on national television

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has unveiled a series of reforms in an attempt to end days of nationwide anti-government protests.

In a televised address she said she would draft a new plan to benefit public transport and that all oil royalties would be used in education.

She also said that thousands of doctors would be drafted in from overseas to improve the national health service.

Earlier she held an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss the protests.

The demonstrations began over transport fare rises in Sao Paulo, but quickly grew into rallies across the country against corruption and other issues.

On Thursday night more than a million people took to the streets and there was violence in various cities in which dozens were injured and two people died.

Protests continued on Friday with an estimated 1,000 people marching in Rio de Janeiro.

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"Start Quote

I want institutions that are more transparent, more resistant to wrongdoing"

End Quote Dilma Rousseff Brazilian president

Witnesses said some stores were looted and an empty arts centre building was invaded. Police were pelted with rocks and responded with tear gas.

Demonstrations also took place in Sao Paulo, where traffic was brought to a halt but no violence was reported, and in Fortaleza in Brazil's north-east.

In her address - pre-recorded and broadcast nationally on TV and radio - Mrs Rousseff said she was listening to the demonstrators' concerns.

She promised to meet the leaders of the peaceful protests saying she needed "their contribution, their energy and their ability".

Football anger

The BBC's Gary Duffy in Sao Paulo says President Rousseff struck a conciliatory note for the most challenging speech she has had to make as Brazil's leader.

"I want institutions that are more transparent, more resistant to wrongdoing," she said.

She also defended hosting next year's football World Cup saying Brazil had always been welcomed in international events.

"We will treat our guests with respect and make a great World Cup," she said.

Answering criticism of the cost of hosting the event, she said the World Cup would be financed by companies that are making use of the sporting arenas.

"I would never allow this money to come out of the taxpayers' money, harming essential areas such as health and education," she said.

Some of the protests have targeted the Confederations Cup, the eight-team tournament currently taking place which is considered a dry run for next year's World Cup.

Demonstrators have expressed their anger at steep ticket prices and the money spent on both tournaments, as well as the 2016 Olympic Games, which Rio de Janeiro is hosting.

Football's world governing body, Fifa, has strongly rejected Brazilian media speculation that the Confederations Cup could be cancelled.

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Belem

Protesters in Belem

In the city of Belem - at the mouth of the Amazon River - riot police clashed with stone-throwing protesters. Demonstrators also hung protest banners and flags on City Hall.

Brasilia

Protesters in Brasilia

In the capital Brasilia, demonstrators targeted government buildings around the city's central esplanade. Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to try to scatter the crowds.

Belo Horizonte

Protesters in Belo Horizonte

Police and protesters clashed in the eastern city of Belo Horizonte, which hosted a game in the Confederations Cup - the warm-up tournament for the World Cup.

Sao Paulo

Protesters in Sao Paulo

The widespread demonstrations taking place across the country followed a police crackdown on smaller protests in Sao Paulo, which galvanized Brazilians to take to the streets. The city saw thousands gather once again near the city's landmark Avenida Paulista late on Thursday.

Fortaleza

At least 30,000 people rallied in the north-eastern city of Fortaleza ahead of the Confederations Cup game with Mexico this week. Brazilian police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters.

Salvador

Protesters in Salvador

There were clashes outside a football stadium in Salvador ahead of a Confederations Cup football match between Nigeria and Uruguay. Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds.

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro has seen some of the worst unrest. Late on Thursday, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at groups of masked young men trying to approach the City Hall. A number of people were injured.

Porto Alegre

Protesters in Porto Alegre

Earlier this week, more than 40 people were arrested in the southern city of Porto Alegre after a small group peeled away from a protest march of about 10,000 demonstrators to attack shops.


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