Quantcast
Channel: Latest News
Viewing all 5527 articles
Browse latest View live

US and Russia finalise arms treaty

0
0
Image The US and Russia have finalised a nuclear arms treaty that limits the number of atomic warheads the two former Cold War enemies are allowed to possess. The New START treaty went into effect when US secretary of state Hillary Clinton exchanged the ratification papers with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich. The treaty limits each side to 1,550 strategic warheads, down from 2,200. The pact also re-establishes a monitoring system that ended in December 2009 with the expiration of an earlier arms deal. The treaty was approved by the US Senate in December after US president Barack Obama pressed strongly for its passage. Russia ratified the deal last month.

Briton among Iraq plane crash dead

0
0
Image The Foreign Office is investigating claims that a Briton has died in a plane crash in Iraq. The man, who has not been named, was reportedly one of seven who died when the plane's engine caught on fire shortly after taking off from Sulaimaniyah Airport in northern Iraq. The plane had tried to land but crashed in a heavy snowstorm on Friday. The flight was heading to the Turkish capital of Ankara and authorities have blamed the crash on a mechanical failure. Sulaimaniyah is 160 miles north-east of Baghdad. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We are aware of the reports and are investigating."

Far-right protest ends peacefully

0
0
Image A controversial protest by right wing group the English Defence League (EDL) has passed off peacefully amid a huge police presence. The rally had been billed with the slogan "Back to Where It All Began" but the demonstration in Luton - the town where the group was founded - petered out without major incident. The centre of Luton resembled a ghost town before the rally with many shops and pubs opting to close rather than risk becoming a target for protesters. Around 2,000 EDL supporters, some from far-flung corners of Europe, gathered in the town's St George's Square for speeches. Some had banners with the slogan "No more mosques", while others chanted "Muslim bombers off our streets." At the same time around 1,000 supporters of Unite Against Fascism (UAF) assembled in nearby Park Square for a counter demonstration. A massive police operation was under way to keep the two sides apart, with more than 1,000 officers on the streets at a cost of more than £800,000. The demonstration was taking place just hours after Prime Minster David Cameron delivered a speech in Munich in which he declared that multiculturalism had failed in the UK and he called for a "muscular liberalism" that challenges Islamist extremism more forcefully. EDL founder Stephen Lennon, 28, told the crowd: "There are no racial tensions in Luton, just religious tensions." The EDL protesters were branded "racist thugs" by Labour MEP Richard Howitt, who spoke at the counter rally. Police said 19 people received medical treatment, 16 of them were members of the public or protesters - all injuries are classed as minor. Three were police officers, all with minor injuries and none thought to be as a result of assaults. Police said later officers dealt with a fight at the bottom of Dunstable Road which left two men with minor head injuries. Eight people were arrested during the day, mostly for possession of offensive weapons and assault.

Britain battered by wind and rain

0
0
Image Parts of Britain have been battered by high winds and heavy rain. Wales and northern England were worst affected, especially in mountainous areas. The wettest place was north Wales, with 61mm of rain falling in Lake Vyrnwy from 6am-6pm. Some 45mm was recorded in Capel Curig in Snowdonia. The rain also interrupted League One football as Notts County's match at Tranmere Rovers was abandoned because of a waterlogged pitch in Merseyside. The highest winds of the day were recorded at Aberdaron, a coastal area of north-west Wales, where gusts reached 78mph. Brendan Jones, a forecaster with Meteogroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said the areas with the worst rain had also experienced the highest winds. The parts of the UK south of Manchester saw gales of 40-50mph at their peak, he added. The recent weather conditions have been caused by several areas of low pressure from the Atlantic. The band of heavy rain will move northwards on Sunday, causing a wet start to Wales and northern England. Southern Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England will experience rain for most of the day, but winds are not expected to be as strong as in previous days.

Nursery worker arrested over abuse

0
0
Image A nursery worker has been arrested following allegations of sexual assault at a childcare centre. A spokesman for Dorset Police said the employee was arrested on Thursday after detectives received a report of abuse against a child at Starlight Childcare Centre in Winfrith - close to Dorset Police headquarters. Ofsted has suspended the day nursery's licence pending police inquiries, a spokesman for the education watchdog said. Police would not say whether the suspect was male or female but confirmed the person was released on bail while investigations continue. A Dorset Police spokesman said: "It should be emphasised that this investigation is in the preliminary stages and, at this time, no person has been convicted of any offence. "This investigation will be conducted by the child abuse investigation team. "The primary concern of Dorset Police and its partner agencies - including social services - is the continued safety of all children who attend this nursery." An Ofsted spokesman said: "Ofsted is aware of the police investigation and is working closely with police and the Wareham Childcare team. The nursery registration has been temporarily suspended."

Chiefs of Egypt's ruling party quit

0
0
Image The top leadership body of Egypt's ruling party has resigned, including the president's son, but the regime appeared to be digging in its heels. It appeared to be calculating that it can ride out street demonstrations and keep President Hosni Mubarak in office. The ruling party leaders who resigned included the country's most powerful political figures - and its most unpopular among many Egyptians. The move may have been aimed at convincing protesters in the streets that the regime is sincere in implementing democratic reforms they demand. But state TV, announcing the resignations, still identified head of state Mubarak as president of the ruling party in a sign he would remain in authority. Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq said stability was returning to the country, appearing confident that a deal on future reforms can be reached with the multiple opposition movements to defuse protests without the 82-year-old Mubarak necessarily leaving power immediately. Protesters have refused to end their mass rallies in the central Tahrir Square until Mubarak quits. Tens of thousands gathered there, waving flags and chanting a day after some 100,000 massed there in an intensified demonstration labelled "the day of departure," in hopes it would be the day Mubarak leaves. Their unprecedented 12-day movement has entered a delicate new phase. Organisers fear that without the pressure of protesters on the street, Mubarak's regime will enact only cosmetic reforms and try to preserve its grip on power. In the meantime, the government has sought to draw opposition parties and the youth groups involved in the protests into immediate negotiations on constitutional reforms so presidential elections can be held in September to replace Mubarak. Protest organisers, wary of a trap, have refused until Mubarak goes. Meanwhile, the Egyptian government is denying that the newly named vice president was targeted in an assassination attempt. A statement says a stray bullet from an exchange of fire between "criminal elements" struck the lead car in Vice President Omar Suleiman's motorcade as it moved through an area of disturbances on January 28. It said the vice president was not injured.

Three Pakistan cricketers banned

0
0
Image Three Pakistan cricketers who allegedly accepted cash to deliberately bowl no-balls during a Lord's Test match have been handed long bans from the sport. The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed it has imposed suspensions on Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir after charges under the ICC's anti-corruption code were proved. Former Pakistan captain Butt has been banned for 10 years, five of which are suspended. Mohammad Asif has been banned for seven years, two of which are suspended, while Mohammad Amir has been banned for five years. The ICC bans come a day after the trio were told they would have to appear in a British court charged with cheating bookmakers. Butt, Asif and Amir - who were questioned by Scotland Yard detectives over the alleged match-fixing scandal last August - will be charged with conspiring to cheat bookmakers, along with agent Mazhar Majeed, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on Friday. Michael Beloff QC, who chaired the three-man anti-corruption tribunal in Doha, found the charge that Butt had failed to disclose an approach from player agent Mazhar Majeed to bat out a maiden over in the third Test against England at The Oval in August as proved, although a charge that he agreed to bat out a maiden over was dismissed. Charges under article 2.1.1 of the ICC's anti-corruption code against Asif and Amir - that they had agreed to and did bowl one no-ball and two no-balls respectively in the Lord's Test against England last year - were proved, as was the fact that Butt was party to the bowling of those no-balls as captain. The tribunal found that the charge under Article 2.1.1 of the code that Mr Butt agreed to bat out a maiden over in the Oval Test match played between Pakistan and England from 18 to 21 August 2010 was dismissed, whereas the charge under Article 2.4.2 that Mr Butt failed to disclose to the ICC's ACSU the approach by Mr Majeed that Mr Butt should bat a maiden over in the Oval Test was proved. Mr Beloff said in a statement released by the ICC: "The tribunal found that the charge under Article 2.1.1 of the Code that Mr Butt agreed to bat out a maiden over in the Oval Test match played between Pakistan and England from 18 to 21 August 2010 was dismissed, whereas the charge under Article 2.4.2 that Mr Butt failed to disclose to the ICC's ACSU (Anti-Corruption and Security Unit) the approach by Mr Majeed that Mr Butt should bat a maiden over in the Oval Test was proved. "The tribunal found that the charges under Article 2.1.1 of the Code that (respectively) Mr Asif agreed to bowl and did bowl a deliberate no ball in the Lord's Test match played between Pakistan and England from 26 to 29 August 2010, Mr Amir agreed to bowl and did bowl two deliberate no balls in the same Test, and Mr Butt was party to the bowling of those deliberate no balls, were proved."

Soldier killed by Afghanistan blast

0
0
Image A British soldier has been killed by a roadside bomb while on operations in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said. The soldier, from 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, was attempting to secure an area in the north of Nad-e Ali when he was hit by the Improvised Explosive Device. His family have been told. Task Force Helmand spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel David Eastman, said: "Unfortunately I must announce the sad loss of a soldier from 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment. "The soldier was part of on-going operations to secure an area in the north of Nad-e Ali when he was hit by an Improvised Explosive Device. "He was at the forefront of the fight to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan, putting his life on the line to secure our nation. "We salute his bravery and our thoughts are very much with his family and friends at this sad time." On Friday the MoD announced that a soldier from 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment, had been killed in an "operational accident". He was also serving in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand. His death brings the number of troops who have died as a result of accidents, illness, non-combat injuries or who have not yet officially been assigned a cause of death, to 42. A total of 352 UK military personnel have now died since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001.

Green energy plan at military bases

0
0
Image British military bases on the front line in Afghanistan could be run on solar and wind energy in future under Ministry of Defence plans. The move would cut the need for expensive and dangerous convoys to supply diesel for the electricity generators at forward operating bases deep in Taliban territory. The MoD's Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) agency has invited contractors to put forward ideas for how remote bases could switch to renewable energy sources. Firms have also been asked to look at everything from introducing more efficient generators to reducing the power used for laundry. Insurgents have regularly targeted tankers carrying fuel into Afghanistan, and the military seeks to keep diesel resupply convoys to a minimum because they are vulnerable to attacks with improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Ray Fielding, of DE&S's programmes and technology group, said: "Alternative power systems must provide a similar level of electrical power with the same degree of robustness and remove the logistics burden of transporting fuel to the base. There must be no compromise to the effectiveness of the operations." He added: "Although more efficient generators offer one possible solution, to minimise regular resupplies of diesel, renewable technologies are of great interest. While a single technology may not be the answer it may be possible to combine a number of approaches to supply the power needed." The programme is being run with the British Antarctic Survey and Canada's Department of National Defence, which are also seeking to reduce the need to supply isolated bases with fuel. The MoD is currently buying portable solar panels which will be issued to British personnel at smaller bases in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan within the next six months. The panels - which look like large mats and can be folded up and stored in a bag - are intended to cut the weight of the kit troops carry by reducing the need for heavy batteries.

Cameron and Obama discuss Egypt

0
0
Image David Cameron has discussed the crisis in Egypt with US president Barack Obama after a flight carrying Britons fleeing the stricken country touched down in the UK. The Foreign Office chartered-flight arrived at Gatwick Airport at around 9pm on Saturday, with around 70 ex-pats and tourists on board. As the Britons fled the country, Mr Cameron and Mr Obama spoke on the telephone to reaffirm their desire for the transition to a "broad-based" government to begin immediately. A Downing St spokesman said: "They agreed that it was vital that the Egyptian government respond to the aspirations of the Egyptian people through reform not repression. Violence was unacceptable. "The Prime Minister welcomed the restraint shown by the army in policing the most recent protests. "The leaders agreed that it was for the Egyptian people to determine the leadership of their country. But they were clear that an orderly transition to a broad-based government, with real, visible and meaningful change needed to start now. "The Prime Minister said that a clear and credible roadmap to change was needed as soon as possible, including a path to free and fair elections. "They agreed to keep in close touch in the coming days." Earlier, in an apparent change of tone, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton warned that without orderly change, extremists could derail the transfer of power. She said: "It's important to support the transition process announced by the Egyptian government actually headed by now-vice president Omar Suleiman."

Soldier killed by Afghanistan blast

0
0
Image A British soldier has been killed by a roadside bomb while on operations in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said. The soldier, from 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, was attempting to secure an area in the north of Nad-e Ali when he was hit by the improvised explosive device on Saturday. His family has been told. Task Force Helmand spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel David Eastman, said: "The soldier was part of ongoing operations to secure an area in the north of Nad-e Ali when he was hit by an improvised explosive device. "He was at the forefront of the fight to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan, putting his life on the line to secure our nation. "We salute his bravery and our thoughts are very much with his family and friends at this sad time." On Friday the MoD announced that a soldier from 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment, had been killed in an "operational accident". He was also serving in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand. A total of 352 UK military personnel have now died since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001, including 42 who have died as a result of accidents, illness, non-combat injuries or who have not yet officially been assigned a cause of death.

Lawyers want to halt murder film

0
0
Image Lawyers for American student Amanda Knox and her ex-boyfriend, who were found guilty of killing her British roommate Meredith Kercher in Italy, are demanding that US television channel Lifetime scraps a planned film about the trial. Carlo Dalla Vedova and Luca Maori said they had sent letters to Lifetime warning they would go to court in the US to try to sequester the film unless it was cancelled and a trailer removed from Lifetime's website. Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy, which features Heroes star Hayden Panettiere in the title role, is due to be shown on February 21. Les Eisner, a spokesman for Lifetime's parent company A&E Television Networks, said the network was not commenting at this time. Knox, 22, and ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, 25 were convicted in 2009 of sexually assaulting and murdering Ms Kercher, 21, from Coulsdon, Surrey, in the apartment she shared with Knox in the central Italian city of Perugia. Ms Kercher was stabbed to death on the night of November 1 2007. Knox received 26 years in prison and Sollecito 25 years. Both deny wrongdoing and their appeal is under way. The film is based on the trial. A preview posted to Lifetime's website shows scenes from the run-up to the murder - including one split-second scene showing the actress playing Ms Kercher, wearing a grey bra, being attacked by two men. In its 2009 ruling, the Perugia court said that on the night of the murder Knox and Sollecito were at the house with a fourth person, Rudy Guede, an Ivory Coast citizen who has also been convicted of murder in separate proceedings. The court said Knox and Sollecito assisted Guede's sexual desire for Ms Kercher, becoming her brutal assailants together with Guede and ultimately killing her when she resisted the advances. Ms Kercher's father Jon has described the re-enactment scenes as "absolutely horrific". Knox's lawyer Mr Della Vedova said he had sent a warning on Thursday to Lifetime to cancel the film and trailer, which was not loading on the Lifetime website yesterday. Sollecito's lawyer Mr Maori said the warning included a threat to go to court to sequester the film to ensure it was not shown. He said it presented scenes that were "beyond any logic" and hyped up to attract viewers.

PM rejects multi-cultural criticism

0
0
Image David Cameron has rejected criticism of his decision to attack multi-culturalism, saying a "whole new way of thinking" was needed. In a controversial speech on Saturday, the Prime Minister declared multi-culturalism a failure and called for a tougher approach in tackling Islamist extremism. Shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan responded by accusing Mr Cameron of "writing propaganda for the EDL (English Defence League)", while Muslim groups described the Prime Minister's words as "disappointing". But Mr Cameron stood by his philosophy, telling the Sunday Telegraph: "You have to confront the extremism itself. You have to say to the people in Birmingham Central Mosque, or wherever, who are saying 9/11 is a Jewish conspiracy, that that is not an acceptable attitude to have. "We don't tolerate racism in our society carried out by white people, we shouldn't tolerate extremism carried out by other people. It certainly means changing the practice, changing the groups you fund, the people you engage, the platforms you share with people, the people you let into the country. I think it needs a whole new way of thinking." Speaking at a security conference in Germany with fellow world leaders, Mr Cameron said: "Frankly, we need a lot less of the passive tolerance of recent years and much more active, muscular liberalism. A passively tolerant society says to its citizens: as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone. It stands neutral between different values. "A genuinely liberal country does much more. It believes in certain values and actively promotes them - freedom of speech, freedom of worship, democracy, the rule of law, equal rights regardless of race, sex or sexuality. "It says to its citizens: this is what defines us as a society, to belong here is to believe in these things. Each of us in our own countries must be unambiguous and hard-nosed about this defence of our liberty." He said British society had been too cautious in standing up to "unacceptable views and practices" when they involve people who are not white and cited forced marriage as an example. Mr Cameron's comments came as the anti-Muslim EDL held a major demonstration in Luton, prompting accusations that he was playing into the hands of the far-right. EDL leader Stephen Lennon reportedly said of Mr Cameron: "He's now saying what we're saying. He knows his base."

Queen marks 59 years on throne

0
0
Image The Queen will mark the 59th anniversary of her accession to the throne by attending a traditional Sunday church service. She will be among the congregation this morning at West Newton Church on the Sandringham royal estate in Norfolk. But celebrations are unlikely as Accession Day is a royal anniversary tinged with sadness. Although it marks the Queen's accession, the day also commemorates the death of her father, George VI. The Queen prefers to stay at Sandringham, where the king died peacefully in his sleep early in the morning of February 6 1952. Royal gun salutes are usually fired around the country on Accession Day but, because this year it falls on a Sunday, the salutes are being withheld until tomorrow at noon. Next year the Queen will celebrate her Diamond Jubilee - 60 years as Queen. The sovereign, who is 85 in April, will return to Buckingham Palace tomorrow after being in residence at Sandringham since before Christmas.

Risk to public from probationers

0
0
Image More than four out of five offenders in probation hostels pose a high or very high risk to the public, figures showed today. Terrorists, murderers, rapists and child sex offenders were being housed in the approved premises across England and Wales, the probation union Napo said. Harry Fletcher, Napo's assistant general secretary, warned that as higher risk offenders were now being sent to such hostels, budget cuts and proposed privatisation were "bound to compromise public safety and increase the risk of reoffending". Almost 90% of the offenders were subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements (Mappa) and at least 19 offenders were regularly monitored by police, the union's study found. Of the 455 men studied in more than a fifth of the hostels in England and Wales last month, 374 were deemed to pose a high or very high risk and 399 were being monitored by Mappa. This included 183 sex offenders, 216 men convicted of violent offences, and four other dangerous offenders. A further 24 were convicted of arson, terrorist offences or drug dealing, 18 were persistent prolific offenders and 10 were on bail. "Sex offenders and those convicted of violence and terrorism must be supervised at the highest level possible," Mr Fletcher said. "It is of deep concern therefore that the Government is cutting probation hostels' budgets and considering privatisation." Cuts of 15% over the next four years and introducing a "profit motive" with private providers "will undermine supervision and compromise the relationship between the police, probation and other statutory agencies", he said. Probation hostels are "a vital resource for probation's public protection strategy", he said, adding that it was far better for offenders to be in hostels than dispersed in the community. Over a 24-hour period, an average of 11 staff were working in each of the 23 hostels studied, with each housing an average of 20 offenders.

Police 'to lose 10,000 officers'

0
0
Image More than 10,000 police officers in England and Wales are to be cut over the next two years according to figures obtained by the Labour Party. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the job losses showed the "shocking and brutal reality" of the Government's spending cuts. The spending review set police budget cuts at 20% by 2014-15.. Ms Cooper was quoted in various reports saying: "These figures show the shocking and brutal reality of the 20% police cuts. "Far from protecting frontline policing as ministers promised, over 10,000 police officers are being cut in the next few years alone. "That's 10,000 fewer police officers fighting crime, solving serious cases, or keeping our country safe. "Cutting so fast and so deep into police budgets is crazy. It is completely out of touch with communities across the country who want to keep bobbies on the beat," said Ms Cooper. "How do they think it helps the fight against crime to force so many experienced police officers onto their pensions or trained police community support officers onto the dole, leaving the rest of the force overstretched as a result? "Chief constables are being put in an impossible position. They are working hard to fight crime, but the government is pulling the rug from underneath them." The Government has said it aims to avoid any reduction in the visibility and availability of police on the streets. It has said what matters is not the total size of the police workforce but the efficiency and effectiveness of its deployment.

MoD probe Iraqi beating claims

0
0
Image Ministry of Defence detectives are conducting a criminal inquiry into claims that British soldiers investigating the murders of their comrades beat four Iraqi policemen so badly they needed hospital treatment. The incident is alleged to have happened at the same police station in Majar al-Kabir, Maysan, southern Iraq, where six UK Red Caps were killed by a 400-strong mob on June 24 2003. The alleged victims claim the soldiers kicked and punched them as well as hitting them with rifle butts and batons, according to documents submitted to the High Court as part of a so-far unsuccessful attempt to force a wide-ranging public inquiry into allegations of abuse by UK forces during the Iraq War. The British troops are also accused of making the policemen lie on the floor and walking over their backs, verbally abusing them and dragging one by his ankles, the legal papers show. A disturbance at the front of the police station allowed the Iraqis to escape but they all required treatment in hospital for their injuries, according to legal firm Public Interest Lawyers, which is representing the men. The murders of the six Red Caps - Sergeant Simon Hamilton-Jewell, 41, Corporal Russell Aston, 30, Corporal Paul Long, 24, Corporal Simon Miller, 21, Lance Corporal Benjamin Hyde, 23, and Lance Corporal Tom Keys, 20 - shocked UK forces in Iraq. The British military policemen had been training local Iraqi officers when the police station came under attack. An inquest in March 2006 heard that some of their bodies were found riddled with bullets, while others had marks that suggested they had been dragged, tied up or beaten with rifles. The abuse of the Iraqi policemen is alleged to have taken place in July 2003 as British soldiers tried to discover who was responsible for the Red Cap killings, but the MoD said it only received the complaint in February 2009. The MoD said no arrests have been made in the case.

Queen at church on Accession Day

0
0
Image The Queen has attended a church service on the 59th anniversary of her accession to the throne. Scores of well-wishers gathered to watch her arrive at a church in West Newton, Norfolk. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have spent Christmas and the New Year in the royal residence at nearby Sandringham. They are due to return to Buckingham Palace on Monday. George VI - the Queen's father - died in his sleep while staying at Sandringham early on February 6 1952. Royal gun salutes are usually fired around the country on Accession Day. This year salutes will be fired at noon on Monday because Accession Day falls on a Sunday.

Abuse of disabled MP condemned

0
0
Image Equalities chief Trevor Phillips has told how MPs who mocked a colleague over his disability made him feel "physically sick". Mr Phillips said the abuse of Tory MP Paul Maynard, who suffers from cerebral palsy, was "shocking". But the chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission said he would not be intervening in the Top Gear race row, sparked after presenter Richard Hammond referred to Mexicans as "lazy" and "feckless". Mr Phillips told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "I am not going to get hot under the collar about schoolboy provocation which frankly is organised so that we can get in to a ruck and sell more DVDs for Jeremy Clarkson. "Jeremy is rich enough. I don't need to get in to that. I am bothered about what he said. It's juvenile, it's vulgar, it's unacceptable but that's for broadcasters and columnists to argue about. It's not for the law." He told Marr: "We need to deal with more serious things. The other issue that you dealt with is the Paul Maynard MP problem, where he was obviously being mocked, according to his account, by other Members of Parliament. "That to me is shocking. I felt physically sick when I read about it. If that had happened in a football ground, the people doing the mocking him would have been on CCTV and they would have whipped out of the ground and not let back. That's one for the Speaker (John Bercow) to look at as part of his drive to increase diversity." In an interview with The Times, Mr Maynard, 35, MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys, accused Labour MPs of "pulling faces" at him in an apparent mimic during a debate last October.. He said: "They were constantly intervening, trying to put me off my stride, which may be just normal parliamentary tactics. But some were pulling faces at me, really exaggerated gesticulations, really exaggerated faces. Only they know for certain whether they were taking the mick out of my disability. But it felt like it." A spokeswoman for Commons Speaker John Bercow said "discrimination or abuse towards any Member on any grounds is not acceptable".

Search goes on for yacht Britons

0
0
Image The search is continuing for two Britons whose sailing boat was capsized by a large wave off the coast of Portugal. The accident happened at 3.30am on Saturday when the men battled rough seas as they headed towards a marina north of Porto. The missing men are aged 23 and 52, while a 24-year-old crew member was able to swim to safety at Povoa de Varzim. Search teams have used a helicopter to try to find the men. A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of a boating accident off the coast of Portugal involving three British Nationals, two of whom are missing. "We have offered consular assistance." The men had been sailing their yacht, WaterWave, from the north-western Spanish port of Vigo when they hit a storm.
Viewing all 5527 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images