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Assange prosecutor 'is anti-men'

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Image The prosecutor who wants WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange extradited to Sweden to face sex charges is "biased" against men, a court has heard. Retired Swedish appeal court judge Brita Sundberg-Weitman made the claim about Marianne Ny as Assange's legal team said putting the 39-year-old Australian into the hands of the authorities in Stockholm would be a "flagrant denial of justice". They fear a move to Sweden could lead to him being taken against his will to the United States, detained at Guantanamo Bay and ultimately executed for spying. Mrs Sundberg-Weitman, who was flown to London by Assange's legal team to give evidence supporting their argument, said she could not understand the "attitude" of Miss Ny, a specialist rape prosecutor, and accused her of having a "rather biased view against men". She said: "She seems to take it for granted that everybody under prosecution is guilty. I think she is so preoccupied with the situation of battered women and raped women that she has lost balance." Woolwich Crown Court, sitting at Belmarsh Magistrates' Court, heard extradition is disproportionate and the offences he faces are not crimes under British law. Geoffrey Robertson QC said Swedish officials were not authorised to order his extradition and filled out vital paperwork ambiguously and incorrectly. Swedish officials confirmed for the first time they want to prosecute Assange, not just question him, and said they have followed due process. Assange faces three charges of sexually assaulting one woman and one charge of raping another during a week-long visit to Stockholm last August. Speaking outside court after the hearing, Assange said: "For the past five-and-a-half months we have been in a condition where a black box has been applied to my life. "On the outside of that black box has been written the word 'rape'. That box is now, thanks to an open court process, been opened. I hope over the next day we will see that that box is in fact empty and has nothing to do with the words that are on the outside of it."

Pay rise bid amid Egypt protests

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Image Egypt's embattled government has tried to buy its way back into favour with a 15% pay rise for state employees. The move was seen as an attempt to shore up its base and defuse popular anger amid ongoing protests demanding president Hosni Mubarak's removal. The pay decision followed earlier promises to investigate election fraud and official corruption as well as an announcement that one of the most prominent youth organisers - Wael Ghonim, a marketing manager for Google - would be released. The gestures so far have done little to persuade the tens of thousands of people occupying Cairo's Tahrir Square to end their two-week long protest, leaving the two sides in an uneasy stalemate. The protesters have vowed to stay put until Mr Mubarak steps down, while the regime wants him to stay in office until elections in September. Newly-appointed Finance Minister Samir Radwan said 6.5 billion Egyptian pounds (£676 million) will be allocated to cover the salary and pension increases, which will take effect in April for the six million people on public payrolls. "We don't trust him and he's a liar - he's made many promises in the past," said Salih Abdel-Aziz, an engineer with a public sector company, referring to the president. "He could raise it 65% and we wouldn't believe him. As long as Mubarak is in charge then all of these are brittle decisions that can break at any moment." Public employees have been a pillar of support for the regime, but their salaries have stagnated in recent years while prices have soared, forcing the government to periodically announce rises to quell dissatisfaction. Following widespread labour unrest in public sector factories in 2008, Mr Mubarak announced a 30% increase in public sector salaries that appeared to temporarily blunt public anger at the time. Egypt's vice president Omar Suleiman also met several major opposition groups, including the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, for the first time on Sunday and offered new concessions including freedom of the press, release of those detained during the protests and the eventual lifting of the country's hated emergency laws.

Sudan vote creates new country

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Image The final results from last month's vote in Southern Sudan have shown that more than 98% of the ballots cast were for independence. The results mean that Southern Sudan will become the world's newest country in July. Sudan president Omar Al-Bashir said he accepted the outcome of the vote. North and south Sudan fought a decades-long civil war that ended in 2005 with a peace agreement that guaranteed last month's vote. More than two million people died in the war between 1983 and 2005. The two sides must still negotiate citizenship rights, oil rights and border demarcation. The result will bring its own set of problems, experts warned. Global children's organisation Plan International's regional director said: "One of the biggest challenges we must deal with now is the influx of returnees, most of whom had moved to the North during more than a decade of political turmoil in South Sudan". Mr Kebede said an estimated 850,000 to 1.5 million people flooding back are expected to cause shortages of food, shelter, water, health care and sanitation. There are also fears that 2.7 million people could suffer food shortages. He said access to affordable food was proving difficult for returnees and also the rest of the Southern Sudanese population. As demand for resources increase, the price of basic commodities such as flour, sugar, beans and rice has risen sharply, especially in the border areas. Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed the results of the referendum. He said: "This moment is testament to the leaders in both north and south Sudan who ensured a credible and peaceful process. "I particularly welcome the positive reaction of the government in Khartoum and their clear statements that they will respect the wishes of the south to secede from the north and establish an independent nation."

Nikitta's family make police appeal

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Image The grieving parents of a heavily pregnant teenager have spoken of their struggle to come to terms with her violent murder. Nikitta Grender, 19, was found dead by firefighters called to a blaze at her flat in Newport, South Wales, on Saturday morning. Neighbours in the community on the estate in Broadmead Park, Liswerry, where she lived, have spoken of their shock and anger at the killing. Now Miss Grender's parents have spoken out for the first time in a brief statement paying tribute to their daughter and unborn granddaughter who was to be named Kelsey-May. "As a close family we are trying to come to terms with the tragic events which have led to the untimely death of our beautiful daughter Nikitta and granddaughter Kelsey-May," they said in the statement issued by Gwent Police. "We wish to appeal for any persons with information to contact the police in an effort to find out why this has happened. "We ask to be left alone at this time with Nikitta and Kelsey-May's family to come to terms, if possible, with the tragic events which have taken our daughter and grandchild from us." Police confirmed that the mother-to-be was murdered before the blaze was set at her flat, almost certainly in an effort to hide the killing. Friends have said how Nikitta and her boyfriend had moved to the flat less than six months ago and were excited about becoming parents. Neighbours warned that emotions are now running so high on the estate that people could take the law into their own hands. Mother-of-four Christine Tovey, 26, warned: "I can see vigilantes coming in if the police do not find who did this. I couldn't blame them if anyone did. Emotions are running so high around here. Life isn't fair any more."

Cameron accuses Labour over Megrahi

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Image David Cameron has accused the former Labour government of ignoring the feelings of the Lockerbie families after an official review found it had sought to "do all it could" to secure the release of the only man convicted of the bombing. The Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell, who carried out the review of the paperwork, concluded the decision to release Abdelbaset al-Megrahi in August 2009 on compassionate grounds had been taken by ministers in the Scottish government alone. However, he also found that British ministers had believed that Megrahi's release would be the "best outcome" as they feared that UK interests in Libya would be damaged if he was allowed to die in a Scottish jail. Newly-declassified documents show that officials advised that they should "work actively but discreetly" for Megrahi's release and that promoting contacts between the Libyans and the Scottish executive should be "part of our game plan". Mr Cameron said it was clear ministers at the time had not given a "full picture" of the government's position and that the decision to release Megrahi - who had been thought to be close to death - was "profoundly wrong". He said Labour ministers had "badly underestimated" the impact in both Britain and the United States, where most of the 270 victims came from. "This man was convicted of the largest mass murder in British history. That should have been coursing through ministerial veins and brains when they read these memos," he said. Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said that while Labour in Scotland had been attacking the Scottish National Party administration for releasing Megrahi, ministers in London had been quietly working to achieve that end. "It seems to me the greatest example of organised political hypocrisy that I've ever seen in my time in politics," he said. Former prime minister Gordon Brown strongly defended his government's actions, saying: "When the issue came to me, I took the view - as the report confirms - that the British government should not pressure or attempt to use influence on this quasi-judicial decision of the Scottish minister."

Soldier 'accidentally shot at base'

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Image A soldier killed in Afghanistan was accidentally shot by a colleague, his family has said. Ranger David Dalzell, 20, of 1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment, died on Friday in an "operational accident" in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand. After claims that he may have been shot while he and a fellow soldier cleaned their rifles, his family spoke out to say they were devastated by their loss. His bereaved relatives, from Bangor, Co Down, in Northern Ireland also expressed their concern for the colleague who may have fired the shot that fatally wounded their son. They said: "We think it is important for us and David that the speculation and rumours end. David died after being accidentally shot by another soldier, having returned to base from a patrol. "We do not know exactly what happened, just that our son was fatally wounded. As well as our huge loss which has devastated the family, the other soldier must also be suffering and our thoughts are with him as well. "We have been told there is an investigation by the army's Special Investigation Branch (SIB) is under way and we hope to learn more from that." The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has so far refused to be drawn on the circumstances surrounding Ranger Dalzell's death and a spokeswoman said details of the accident would be heard during an inquest. Tributes were paid to Ranger Dalzell and Warrant Officer Class 2 Colin Beckett, Company Sergeant Major of 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, who was killed on Saturday. Ranger Dalzell's parents, Gordon and Susan, said: "David was a loving and caring son and he was very proud to be a soldier. We are very proud of David as a son and he leaves behind a void that will never be filled. He will be missed by his brothers Gareth, Mark and Stewart and sisters Kelly, Catherine and Rachael."

Bus chiefs not warned of blasts

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Image Bus controllers were only told bombs had gone off on Tube trains after a fourth device detonated on a bus, the 7/7 inquest has heard. There was a gap of nearly an hour between the first wave of three attacks on the London Underground at about 8.50am on July 7, 2005 and the bombing of a number 30 bus in Tavistock Square at 9.47am. However, it was not until 9.53am that the senior official with the power to halt the capital's bus services was told bombs had been used on the Tube. The families of some of the 13 passengers killed on the number 30 have questioned why London's entire public transport network was not shut down after the Underground attacks. But Alan Dell, London's bus network liaison manager, said he would not have stopped the buses even if he had known about the earlier bombings. He told the inquest it was the role of London's buses to help move the 200,000 people evacuated from the Tube network that day. "All the indications, with hindsight, were that the attacks were taking place on the Underground," he said. Mr Dell did suspend all buses from running in central London after suicide bomber Hasib Hussain, 18, blew himself up in Tavistock Square. But he said that takes up to 90 minutes, meaning that even if the order had been issued earlier it may not have stopped the attack. The Metropolitan Police's control room received a report at 9.10am that a bomb had gone off on a train at Aldgate station but this was not passed on to Mr Dell, the inquest heard. At 9.53am when bus controllers got a call from London Ambulance Service to say a major incident had been declared and bombs had gone off across the capital. Mr Dell said he thought this was the first time he learned a major incident had been declared. He added: "It's certainly the first time the word 'bomb' was used."

Girlfriend tells of Moat shooting

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Image The ex-girlfriend of Raoul Moat has told a court about the moment the killer shot dead her new boyfriend then turned his shotgun on her. Samantha Stobbart, 22, was left fighting for her life in hospital after Moat, 37, blasted her through the glass window of a friend's home in Birtley, Gateshead, a shotgun round piercing her arm then hitting her liver, stomach and pancreas. The former doorman had just shot her karate instructor boyfriend Chris Brown in the neck and chest before "calmly executing" him with a final shot to the head, a trial heard. Ms Stobbart wept as she told a jury at Newcastle Crown Court how Moat "just appeared" and started shooting on July 3 last year. Wearing a short-sleeved dark blouse which exposed a livid scar caused by the injury Moat inflicted on the inside of her left forearm, and with her hair dyed dark brown, she described fearing what Moat would do. Moat wrongly believed Mr Brown, 29, was a police officer after Miss Stobbart said he was in an effort to scare him off. She and Mr Brown were walking towards her home in Birtley when Moat, who had been lying in wait beneath the open window of a friend's home, attacked them. Prosecutor Robert Smith QC asked whether Moat had anything in his hands. She whispered: "A gun. A gun. I did not see the gun at first. Then I seen him load it." Moat then raised the sawn-off double-barrelled shotgun and shot Mr Brown in the chest. Miss Stobbart said: "Chris went down to the grass and I followed him. I remember Raoul was shouting. I don't know what. Shouting. He pointed the gun at my legs and I ran into the house. I was panicking because my daughter was upstairs and I was running about the house looking for the keys and I did not know what they looked like. "I heard two shots. When I looked out the window it was done. I didn't see Raoul come towards the house, I was concentrating on Chris. I just heard shouting and before I knew it I got shot." Miss Stobbart was giving evidence at the trial of two men alleged to have been the willing accomplices of Moat during his rampage. Karl Ness, 26, and Qhuram Awan claim they were being held hostage by the former doorman, who shot Miss Stobbart, killed her new boyfriend and the next day blinded unarmed Pc David Rathband after going hunting for police officers. Both defendants deny conspiracy to murder, the attempted murder of Pc Rathband, a firearms offence and robbery of a Northumberland fish and chip shop.

Robbery victim 'killed for iPhone'

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Image A robbery victim died after he was stabbed in the head with a screwdriver while trying to get his mobile phone back. Police believe Keith Soons was attempting to recover his iPhone 4 when he suffered fatal head injuries in an assault in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. The 36-year-old, from Gloucester, was found by a member of the public in Wellington Lane at around 8am on Saturday. Mr Soons, father to a two-year-old daughter, suffered serious head injuries. He was taken to hospital but died later that day. Detectives said Mr Soons' mobile phone was missing and they believe he may have been killed as he tried to get it back. Detective Superintendent Simon Atkinson, who is leading the murder investigation, said: "This is a tragic case where it appears a man has tried to retrieve his stolen property and, in doing so, received fatal injuries. "Preliminary post-mortem results show that Mr Soons is likely to have died from a penetrative puncture wound to the side of his head. It is too early to say exactly what caused this but it is thought to have been a screwdriver-type implement." More than 30 detectives are working on the investigation and house-to-house inquiries are continuing. Mr Atkinson said: "We know Mr Soons' mobile phone is missing, it was an iPhone 4 and we are appealing to anyone who may have recently been offered one of these for sale, or knows someone who may have unlawfully obtained one, to contact us," Mr Atkinson said. "Also, those responsible could well have been injured or have blood on their clothing. We are appealing to anyone who has knowledge of those involved to get in touch."

MPs warn on doctor regulation plans

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Image There are weaknesses in the current plans for regulating doctors to ensure they are fit to practise, MPs have said. Identifying potentially dangerous doctors is seen in some quarters as "almost an insignificant part" of the appraisal process, according to a report from the Commons Health Committee. At present, doctors can go for their entire career without facing any formal assessment of their competency. The General Medical Council (GMC) hopes to change this by introducing "revalidation" - fitness to stay on the medical register - by the end of 2012. This would take the form of annual appraisal and a fuller meeting every five years. Doctors will be expected to demonstrate they meet clinical standards and have kept up to speed with the latest developments in their field, while appraisals will include feedback from patients and colleagues. Audits of how patients fare after seeing their doctor will also be included, alongside a requirement to ensure there are no causes for concern in how a doctor works. The reforms are designed to help protect patients from another killer like GP Harold Shipman. The doctor, from Hyde in Greater Manchester, murdered more than 200 people over a period of 23 years. In the report, MPs agreed that the focus of revalidation for most doctors should be a commitment to improvement. But the need to "identify inadequate and dangerous doctors must not be overlooked or diminished in the general move to use revalidation to eliminate unsatisfactory practice and improve overall performance," they said. A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "We welcome the report's recommendations and are pleased that most NHS organisations have or are in the process of appointing a Responsible Officer. They will have an important statutory role in evaluating the fitness to practise of individual doctors and the role is key to the implementation revalidation."

Retail sales bounce back in January

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Image Shoppers eager to hit the high street after being trapped at home by the snow helped retail sales bounce back in January, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said. A rush to beat the VAT hike on January 4 and the allure of clearance sales boosted non-food sales at the start of the month, but they eased back as consumer caution took hold, said the BRC. Like-for-like retail sales were up 2.3% year-on-year in January, the BRC said, the strongest growth since March last year and an improvement on the 0.3% year-on-year decline seen in snow-struck December. UK retailers had a torrid festive season as Arctic conditions gripped the country, with big players such as Next and HMV reporting a slump in sales. But the BRC's January retail sales monitor does not give a complete picture as it compares with a feeble, snow-hit performance last year. Stephen Robertson, BRC director general, said: "Growth this January was driven by a relatively short but strong burst of non-food buying early in the month. Clearance discounts and a last chance to beat the VAT rise got people buying things like furniture and electricals in the first few days." He went on: "Later in the month sales of non-food goods slowed, particularly for bigger items, as the reality of worries about jobs and personal finances returned to customers' minds." The BRC data comes a few weeks after official figures revealed a weak services sector, which includes retail, led the economy into an unexpected decline in the final quarter of 2010. Mr Robertson said improving consumer confidence was essential for turning round the economy. He said: "A range of pressures is bearing down on customers. As it considers the Budget, the Government must not add any more."

Processed foods 'lower child's IQ'

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Image Diets high in fats, sugars and processed foods are lowering toddlers' IQs, a new study suggests. It found eating habits among three-year-olds shape brain performance as they get older. A predominantly processed food diet at the age of three is directly associated with a lower IQ at the age of eight and a half, according to a Bristol-based study of thousands of British children. Food packed with vitamins and nutrients notably did the opposite, helping boost mental performance as youngsters got older, the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health reports. Researchers said toddlers' diets could change IQ levels later in childhood, even if eating habits improve with age. "This suggests that any cognitive/behavioural effects relating to eating habits in early childhood may well persist into later childhood, despite any subsequent changes to dietary intake," the authors wrote. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) is tracking the long-term health and well-being of around 14,000 children. Parents completed questionnaires detailing the types and frequency of the food and drink their children consumed when they were three, four, seven and eight-and-a-half years old. Every one-point increase in the study's dietary pattern score - a record of processed fat intake - was associated with a 1.67 fall in IQ. The brain grows at its fastest rate during the first three years of life. "It is possible that good nutrition during this period may encourage optimal brain growth," the report added.

Children warned of 'sexting' risks

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Image Children and teenagers who send sexy images of themselves to their boyfriend or girlfriend have been warned to "think before you send". A hard-hitting video shows the dangers of so-called "sexting" after the Beatbullying charity found one in five 11 to 17-year-olds has received a sexually explicit or distressing text or email, with 70% admitting they knew the sender. Exposed, a 10-minute film by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (Ceop) Centre, shows a teenage girl distressed after indecent images she sent to her boyfriend appear on the internet. She stresses she can never take back what has happened and warns others to watch what they send in texts and emails, saying anything sent and shared can become "public and permanent", affecting lives and even job prospects. Peter Davies, Ceop's chief executive, said: "We know that young people are increasingly using technology not only to stay in touch, but to explore their sexuality and to push the boundaries in what they send and to whom they send it. It is now so easy to send pictures instantly via emails and texts that we are seeing instances of boys or girls sending sexual images of themselves to others without considering the consequences. "They often find out later that the image has been passed on to many others and as a result they can be the victims of bullying or harassment. In some rare instances we have seen these images end up in the collections of offenders." Crime Prevention Minister James Brokenshire added it was a "worrying trend". "We should encourage young people to use technology but it's really important that they are made aware of the dangers involved too," he said. Beatbullying worked with 2,094 young people for the survey, which was carried out in 2009. The video is available at www.thinkuknow.co.uk/teachers.

Booker Prize honour for Dame Beryl

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Image An author who missed out on the country's most prominent literary prize five times will finally be recognised almost a year after her death. Dame Beryl Bainbridge, who died last July, was shortlisted for The Man Booker Prize five times but never won. Organisers are now asking readers to vote for one of her five shortlisted novels to be awarded a special prize called The Man Booker Best of Beryl. The prize's literary director Ion Trewin said: "Dame Beryl was a very gracious non-winner and no Man Booker dinner was complete without her. "She may have been the eternal Booker Bridesmaid but, with this special prize created in her honour, we are delighted to be able finally to crown her a Booker Bride by letting the public choose what they believe to be the best of her books." Bainbridge, who was born in Liverpool, wrote 17 novels, two travel books and five plays for stage and television. Her shortlisted books were The Dressmaker (1973); The Bottle Factory Outing (1974); An Awfully Big Adventure (1990); Every Man for Himself (1996) and Master Georgie (1998). Her daughter Jojo Davies said: "Beryl did want to win the Booker very much despite her protests to the contrary. We are glad she is finally able to become a bride, no longer the bridesmaid." An online poll, on the awards website at www.themanbookerprize.com, opens today with the winning novel announced in April. This year's prize, awarded to the best novel of the year written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland, will be announced in October with the winning author collecting a £50,000 and a boost in sales.

Cuts 'make mockery of Big Society'

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Image Unions and voluntary groups have joined forces to campaign against the Government's spending cuts, arguing that they make a "mockery" of the Government's Big Society. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber accused ministers of driving through "savage" cuts which he said will impact hardest on the poorest, most vulnerable communities. The union organisation said the voluntary sector was set to lose around £4.5 billion because of the Government's austerity measures. Mr Barber said: "This unnecessary and economically damaging austerity will make Britain a meaner, nastier, more unequal place to live, so we're bringing together unions and voluntary sector organisations to defend our civil society from attack and campaign against these cuts to vital support services. "The TUC is keen to build the widest possible coalition against the cuts, involving unions, charities, community groups and faith organisations." Belinda Pratten, of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, said: "We hear every day from organisations that are fearful for their future, and public spending cuts are already having a severe impact on charities' ability to deliver vital services. "Spending cuts must be managed intelligently, otherwise they will compromise the sector's ability to support the individuals and communities who need them most. By working together, we can send a strong message to government about the scale of the challenges ahead." Neil Cleeveley, of the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action, said: "Public spending cuts are hitting local charities and community groups hard. Local grants budgets are being slashed and neighbourhood services face cuts at a time when people are turning to local charities for help. "It's a double whammy - squeezing them just as demand is rising. This will cause real damage to many communities, which is why we all have a duty to speak out to protect services for our most vulnerable citizens." Around 150 representatives from unions, charities and voluntary groups are expected to attend an event at the TUC in London.

Sisters sentenced for father murder

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Image Two teenage sisters are due to be sentenced for the brutal knife murder of their father. Retired antiques dealer Antoni Robinson, 61, from Old Colwyn, north Wales, was stabbed 15 times as his daughters and their boyfriends tried to get their hands on the contents of his safe. Ashleigh, 19, and 16-year-old Holly Robinson "supported and encouraged" the frenzied late-night attack on Mr Robinson in July last year, Mold Crown Court was told. The pair were convicted of murder alongside boyfriends Gordon Harding, 20, and Sacha Roberts, 19, following a month-long trial. The four had hatched a plot to sneak into Mr Robinson's bedroom and take the contents of his safe - around £900 in cash. Harding repeatedly knifed Mr Robinson, who was asleep in bed, using a knife handed to him by Roberts as the girls stood by, prosecutor Andrew Thomas, QC, told the jury. Mr Robinson suffered wounds to his face, neck and upper body, including four stab wounds to his back. The jugular veins on both sides of his neck were severed and he died within minutes of the attack, Mr Thomas said. The sisters and their boyfriends then plotted with the girls' mother Joanne Barr to give a false account of what happened to police - claiming Mr Robinson had attacked one of his daughters and Harding killed him in self-defence. But the prosecution showed Mr Robinson had not been able to fight back or to escape. Barr, her daughters and Roberts pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Harding was found guilty of the same charge by the jury. The four killers and Barr will all be sentenced by Mr Justice Griffith-Williams at Mold Crown Court.

PM urged to order Megrahi inquiry

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Image Prime Minister David Cameron is facing renewed pressure from US senators for an independent inquiry into the decision to free Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi. The calls came after a review concluded that the former Labour administration did "all it could" to help Libya secure the release of the only man convicted of the bombing. Democratic Senator for New Jersey Robert Menendez said it "really stretches the imagination" to accept the review's finding that there was no direct pressure from London on the Scottish government to free Megrahi. "We renew our call again for an independent inquiry," said Mr Menendez. "It is important to get to the totality of the truth here." Megrahi was released in August 2009 on compassionate grounds, after the Scottish government was told he had only three months to live. American fury at the decision was compounded by the hero's welcome he received in Tripoli, as well as the fact that he remains alive 18 months later. The review of paperwork in the case by Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell was ordered by Mr Cameron following his visit last year to the United States, where he faced claims that oil giant BP had lobbied for Megrahi's release because of the prospect of lucrative contracts with Libya. Sir Gus said on Monday that he had found no evidence that BP tried to put pressure on the Scottish government, or that UK ministers pressed Edinburgh to clear the way for the release. However, he found that British ministers believed Megrahi's release would be the "best outcome" as they feared that UK interests in Libya would be damaged if he was allowed to die in a Scottish jail. Newly-declassified documents show that officials advised that they should "work actively but discreetly" for Megrahi's release and that promoting contacts between the Libyans and the Scottish executive should be "part of our game plan". But he concluded that the decision to free him was taken by ministers in the Scottish government alone - as former Labour ministers and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond have always maintained. The Prime Minister described the decision to release Megrahi as "profoundly wrong" and said Labour ministers had "badly underestimated" the impact in both Britain and the US, where most of the 270 victims came from.

Parents mourn murdered daughter

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Image The grieving parents of a heavily pregnant teenager have spoken of their struggle to come to terms with her murder. Nikitta Grender, 19, was found dead by firefighters called to a blaze at her flat in Newport, south Wales, on Saturday morning. Neighbours in the community on the estate in Broadmead Park, Liswerry, where she lived, have told of their shock and anger at the killing. Murder hunt detectives re-appealed for anyone, particularly close friends of the murdered woman, to come forward with information. Ms Grender's parents paid tribute to their daughter and unborn grand-daughter who was to be named Kelsey-May. They also joined police by issuing their own appeal for public help in hunting down the murderer. "As a close family we are trying to come to terms with the tragic events which have led to the untimely death of our beautiful daughter Nikitta and grand-daughter Kelsey-May," they said in the statement issued by Gwent Police. "We wish to appeal for any persons with information to contact the police in an effort to find out why this has happened. We ask to be left alone at this time with Nikitta and Kelsey-May's family to come to terms, if possible, with the tragic events which have taken our daughter and grandchild from us." Police confirmed that the mother-to-be was murdered before the blaze was set at her flat, almost certainly in an effort to hide the killing. In a fresh appeal Gwent Police said: "Specifically, police are appealing for any of Nikitta's friends and associates to come forward as they may have vital information." Forensic investigators are examining items taken from the scene of the murder. CCTV footage from the area is also being scrutinised in the hope that it will offer a clue.

Bank profits tax to be permanent

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Image Chancellor George Osborne has announced that he was making the levy on bank profits permanent, raising an extra £800 million this year and £2.5 billion every year. He said he wanted to make sure "banks make a fair contribution to closing the deficit". But Mr Osborne, speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, conceded he had not yet struck a deal on limiting bankers' bonuses - saying he hoped that making the tax position plain would aid the prospects of a deal. Mr Osborne denied his move was politically motivated, saying: "No, it's economics and the need to make sure the banks make a fair contribution to closing the budget deficit. "The measure we have just announced means there's an extra £800 million coming in to the Treasury this year. "What I have announced is a permanent tax on banks, every year banks contributing £2.5 billion net." He continued: "I'm still confident we can secure a deal with the banks on seeing an increase in lending to small businesses and see that bonuses are lower this year than last year." The Chancellor said he was originally going to phase the levy in, but banks were in a healthier position than had been thought. "We can move more quickly to the full rate and that's exactly what I have just announced," he said.

Agency 'mishandled' M25 project

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Image The Highways Agency mishandled the project to tackle congestion on Britain's busiest motorway at a potential extra cost to taxpayers of around £1 billion, according to a report from MPs. The agency's cost estimations for a 30-year, £3.4 billion private finance contract for widening the M25 were "poor", the report from the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee said. The committee expressed concern that the invitation to tender for the contract excluded hard shoulder running (HSR) in which drivers are allowed to use the hard shoulder at peak times. Launching the report, Public Accounts Committee chairman Margaret Hodge MP said: "The Highways Agency's mishandling of the project to tackle congestion on the M25 could cost the taxpayer an extra £1 billion. "The agency should not have focused just on widening but also have given proper consideration to a much cheaper alternative, hard shoulder running. A private finance project intended to transfer risk to the private sector should not have restricted innovation by ruling out this alternative solution. "The decision to stick with widening was also substantially influenced by a technical error in the agency's cost estimates. Had the error not been made, HSR would have been shown to be the cheaper option." She went on: "The costs of the widening project have also been driven up by the nine years it took to conduct the procurement process, from the first commissioning of consultants in 2000 to the signing of the private finance contract in May 2009. "This delay exposed the project to the credit crisis, resulting in £660 million of extra financing costs. And the advisers upon whom the agency spent an excessive £80 million would have benefited from the drawn-out procurement." Roads Minister Mike Penning said: "This Government is driven by the need to get value for money for taxpayers so I welcome this report. It is another example of Labour costing taxpayers dearly. I am determined to learn the lessons of the report and we will act on its recommendations." Highways Agency chief executive Graham Dalton said: "We note the conclusions reached by the Public Accounts Committee and will act on its recommendations. Meanwhile, widening of the M25 in Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex is progressing to time and under budget and will be completed before the opening of the Olympic Games in summer 2012."
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