Tickets offered to Jackson fans!

Pictures of Michael Jackson in rehearsal two days before his death have been released

Michael Jackson fans who paid in advance for the singer's UK concerts have been offered their money back or a souvenir ticket as an alternative.

Promoter AEG Live said the tickets feature graphics "inspired and designed" by the music legend, who died at the age of 50 on Thursday.

An estimated 800,000 people paid £50-£75 to watch the star perform 50 concerts at London's 02 arena.

The company will not be printing any further tickets as collectables.

It adds that the originals will become collectors' items, and feature special images which give them a 3D moving effect.

Fans have until 14 Aug to take up the offer of receiving the original tickets for the This Is It dates.

Jackson sparkled in rehearsals, said photographer Kenny Mazur

AEG also released pictures of Jackson rehearsing in Los Angeles for the concerts just days before he died.

Photographer Kenny Mazur, who captured his image several times in the 1980s, said: "When he hit the stage at rehearsal, I was thrilled that the magical Michael Jackson was back.

"I felt the same adrenaline rush as when I photographed him the first time moonwalking."

AEG president Randy Phillips said of Jackson: "The world lost a kind soul who just happened to be the greatest entertainer the world has ever known.

"Since he loved his fans in life, it is incumbent upon us to treat them with the same reverence and respect after his death."

Ticket holders can get information about refunds or keeping the tickets at www.michaeljacksonlive.com from Wednesday.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Rai star 'forced French abortion'!

Cheb Mami says he is persecuted because he is a successful Arab

Algerian singer Cheb Mami is to stand trial in France over allegations that he forced a former partner to undergo an attempted abortion.

Cheb Mami, whose real name is Mohammed Khalifati, was arrested at Orly airport in Paris on Monday.

The singer, 42, is credited with bringing Algeria's popular Rai music to an international audience.

He faces 10 years in prison if convicted of complicity in violence but has denied the charges.

Prosecutors at Thursday's trial in Bobigny will allege that Cheb Rami was one of a group who abducted and beat the woman, a French photographer, in the Algerian capital, Algiers, in 2005.

The woman was allegedly forced to undergo an abortion, but on returning to France she discovered she was still pregnant and later gave birth to a daughter.

France issued an international arrest warrant for Cheb Mami after he skipped bail in Paris in May 2007 and fled to Algeria.

He denies any involvement in the alleged abortion and says he is being persecuted because he is a successful Arab star.

His former manager, Maurice Levy, is also under investigation along with two former aides.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Fatal explosion on Italian train!

Emergency service workers at the accident scene

At least 13 people have been killed and some 50 injured after a freight train carrying gas derailed and exploded in northern Italy, officials say.

The carriages jumped from the tracks and crashed into several homes, setting off an inferno in the town of Viareggio in the middle of the night.

Several of the victims died when their houses collapsed. There are fears some people may be trapped under the rubble.

Officials say there is still a risk that other gas tanks could explode.

The explosion happened shortly before midnight local time (2300 BST) when one carriage in the 14-carriage train carrying liquefied petroleum gas came off the tracks before ploughing into several homes near the station in Viareggio.

"The carriages flipped over on their sides on the rails and the gas spread out among the nearest houses before exploding," firefighter Antonio Gambardella was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

A number of fires immediately broke out in the area.

Several of the victims died when their houses collapsed with the force of the blast.

At least two other people are thought to have been killed on the road next to the station.

Many of the injured suffered severe burns.

"It was a terrifying scene which I'll never be able to forget," a witness was quoted as saying by Italy's Ansa news agency.

Police say the incident may have been caused by damage to the tracks or a problem with the train's braking system.

The train's two engineers, who were only slightly injured, said they felt an impact about 200m (650ft) outside the station, shortly before the rear of the train derailed, officials say.

Liquefied petroleum gas is a mixture of propane and butane that is used for cooking or as fuel for specially-adapted vehicles.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Murray wins late-night thriller

WIMBLEDON
Date: 22 June - 5 July
Coverage: BBC One, BBC Two, BBC HD, Red Button, website streaming (UK only) and text commentary, 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra, BBC iPlayer
Tennis on the BBC

Highlights - Murray clinches thriller

By Piers Newbery BBC Sport at Wimbledon

Andy Murray kept his campaign on track with a dramatic late-night win over Stanislas Wawrinka as Wimbledon witnessed its first floodlit match.

The fourth-round contest was played under the new roof after a rain shower.

And the Scot battled to a 2-6 6-3 6-3 5-7 6-3 win in three hours 56 minutes, with the end coming at 2238 BST - the latest Wimbledon finish.

Murray was outplayed early on but recovered to set up a quarter-final against wildcard Juan Carlos Ferrero.

"It was pretty special, I thought Stan played a great match," Murray told BBC Sport afterwards. "The standard he set at the start was tough to keep up with.

Dramatic win 'pretty special' for Murray

"He was playing great and he came out with some big shots. In five-set matches there are these momentum shifts sometimes.

"It was great, always when you play indoors the atmosphere is great, but when you've got 15,000 supporters it makes it extra special, so thanks a lot."

The 22-year-old from Dunblane is trying to become the first British man to win the Wimbledon singles title since Fred Perry in 1936, and the first Scot ever to win a Grand Slam singles title.

Murray and Wawrinka had met seven times before, with the Briton holding a slender 4-3 lead, but he had won the last two and thrashed the world number 18 last time out at the US Open.

After Dinara Safina and Amelie Mauresmo had become the first players to play competitively under the roof in the previous match, the men were the first to start a match in the new conditions.

In the unusually echoing surroundings of the now indoor Centre Court, Murray received a huge ovation as he came out to serve, but Wawrinka made the stronger start as he got to 0-40 and converted his fourth break point of the opening game.

If that could be put down to early nerves, the situation got more serious when Murray thumped a backhand well over the baseline to fall two breaks down at 3-0.

606: DEBATE Can Murray win the title?

There was the first sign of nerves from Wawrinka when successive double-faults offered up a break-back point in game four but Murray could only find the net, and the chance to get a foothold in the match disappeared.

A first-serve percentage of below 44% and no aces was a dramatic decline from previous matches, while Wawrinka grew in confidence as he served out a set he had totally dominated in 34 minutes.

There was a huge cheer after Murray held comfortably at the start of the second set, but he was in deep trouble after the Swiss got to 15-40 at 2-2 with a killer drop shot and an unplayable forehand.

The first break point went begging quickly enough before Wawrinka then went just wide with a forehand, and when Murray unleashed a forehand cross-court winner on game point there was a palpable release of 58-minutes' worth of tension from both player and spectators.

Wawrinka received attention to his left thigh on the changeover before game eight, which then proved to be a key game as Murray finally earned two more break points, converting the second when Wawrinka put a backhand wide.

Murray and Wawrinka are the first players to begin under the roof

Murray screamed in delight and powered through the next service game to love, taking it with an ace to level up a match that had been in danger of slipping away.

There was no let-up in the tension as the third set began, and Murray's first-serve percentage had slipped to 32% when he offered up three break points in game six.

The Briton was very fortunate that Wawrinka let him off the hook with three unforced errors, and he soon made him pay.

Wawrinka had a lapse of concentration in the following game and Murray pounced, moving to 0-40 and converting his second break point by forcing the Swiss to volley long, and a second break followed soon after as the 19th seed's game temporarily disintegrated.

With the light fading outside as the time approached 2100 BST, there was no danger of the match ending early as the new floodlights ensured play would go on for as long as necessary.

Again it was Murray who faltered first in the fourth set, a poor forehand giving Wawrinka 30-40 at 3-3, but the Swiss sent a forehand long to waste a ninth break.

With the floodlit contest now effectively a night-match, like those seen at the US and Australian Opens, Murray had a break point to serve for the match but netted a forehand and Wawrinka kept the contest alive.

The Swiss then let a chance slip in game nine but finally made the breakthrough on his 13th break point of the match to lead 6-5, and he served out with an ace to force a decider at 2153 BST.

Murray grabbed the initiative in game two of the final set when Wawrinka netted a volley but the Swiss came storming back with three straight games to level at 3-3.

Outside Centre Court, thousands of fans remained glued to the action on the big screen despite the total darkness, and their man urged those inside the 15,000-seater arena to give greater support in a dramatic eighth game.

The world number three netted on two break points before he set up a forehand on the third and cracked it down the line to a huge roar from the crowd, and Murray then threw in a stunning drop shot before surviving a tense Hawkeye challenge on his way to serving out an extraordinary victory.

"I'll have a pretty deep sleep tonight after that," said Murray. "After a match like that you take a lot of confidence, it was a great day."

BBC SPORTS REPORT.

"Sayings"

"ADVERSITY BRINGS KNOWLEDGE,

AND KNOWLEDGE WISDOM" !

__________

Iran frees five from UK embassy!

Tehran has blamed the US and UK for post-election unrest

Five out of nine local staff from the UK embassy detained in Tehran have been released, Iranian officials say.

Iran's media earlier said local employees at the UK mission were held over their role in protests against June's disputed presidential election.

UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband has dismissed the allegations as baseless.

Separately, Iran's top legislative body began a partial recount of the poll - a move rejected by defeated opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi.

n

"Out of nine people, five of them have been released and the rest are being interrogated," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said at a news conference, state television Press TV reported.

Iran's Intelligence Minister Gholam-Hoseyn Mohseni-Ezhei on Sunday said "the British embassy played a crucial role in the recent unrest both through its local staff and via media", Iran's Irna news agency reported.

"We have photos and videos of certain local employees of the British embassy, who collected news about the protests.

"The embassy sent staff among the rioters to direct them in order to escalate the riots so that the rioters could file fabricated reports about the [rallies] to the world from various locations," the Iranian minister added.

Britain has protested strongly over the arrests, which have now been been confirmed by the BBC.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown told a news conference in London that Iran's behaviour was "unacceptable, unjustified and without foundation".

Standing alongside his Swedish counterpart and President of the EU Commission, Fredrik Reinfeldt, Mr Brown also thanked the EU for "its support and solidarity".

On Sunday, the European Union warned Iran that "harassment or intimidation" of embassy staff would be met with a "strong and collective" response.

Video appearing to show arrests following protests in Tehran on Sunday

The British foreign office has not said what the four staff still in custody do at the embassy, but the BBC understands that one of them has the job of reviewing local news sources and keeping abreast of political developments, our Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen in Tehran says.

He says that none of the nine who were detained has dual Iranian-British nationality.

Despite the releases, the fact that some employees are still being held means the issue remains a serious problem for the UK, our editor adds.

IRAN UNREST 12 June Presidential election saw incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad re-elected with 63% of vote Main challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi called for result to be annulled for electoral fraud Street protests saw at least 17 people killed and foreign media restricted Your questions answered Q&A: Election aftermath How Iran is ruled Who's who in Iran Send us your comments

Iran has repeatedly accused foreign powers - especially Britain and the US - of meddling after the 12 June election.

The poll was won by a landslide by incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but his opponents said the victory was achieved by massive fraud. Some 17 people are thought to have died in subsequent street protests.

In the fallout from the crisis, Tehran has expelled two British diplomats and the UK has responded with a similar measure.

However, Mr Ghashghavi said on Monday that "there is no plan at the moment to close any embassy or downgrade ties with them".

Some 17 people are thought to have died in street protests after the disputed presidential poll, which the opposition complains was rigged.

At least 1,000 opposition supporters are reported to have staged a noisy rally outside a mosque in Tehran on Sunday evening before it was broken up by police and militia.

Riot police used tear gas and clubs to disperse the crowd outside the Ghoba Mosque, Iranian eyewitnesses said.

The report could not be independently verified because of reporting restrictions on foreign media.

In a separate development, Iran's state TV said the recount had started on Monday in the capital Tehran as well as in the provinces.

Iran's Guardian Council has offered to recount a random 10% of the votes from the election.

The process was expected to be completed later on Monday and the result would be announced shortly afterwards, al-Alam television said.

But Mr Mousavi insists the poll was rigged and therefore should be annulled.

On Sunday, Mr Mousavi met members of a committee set up by the Guardian Council to examine the disputed poll, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported.

It said Mr Mousavi was expected to present his proposal on the issue, without giving any further details.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Man dies at SA initiation school

A teacher at an illegal South African initiation school is expected in court on a murder charge this week, after a man was allegedly beaten to death.

General Morale's body was found hidden in bushes inside an initiation camp in North West Province on Friday.

The other initiates in the school told police the teacher had often beat them since the school opened in May.

Initiates occasionally die after being circumcised but this is believed to be the first death from physical assault.

Circumcision is a tradition in some South African cultures and is seen as a rite of passage into manhood.

Police spokesman Captain Adele Myburgh told the BBC the school has been running since 5 May with eight initiates.

"We understand that the initiates have been assaulted on a daily basis.

"They are told that to be a man you need to be able to take the punches," she said.

Police could not say if any weapons were used during the alleged assaults.

This is the first death of this nature to the reported in the area.

"Usually we have deaths after the circumcision ritual has been conducted; either because it was done incorrectly or an unsterilized tool was used which leads to infection, but this is the first death due to actual physical assault," Captain Myburgh said.

Last month, eight boys died after botched circumcisions in neighbouring Mpumalanga Province.

Police say they are concerned that more more lives could be lost in the coming winter months, as this is the time when most circumcisions are done.

They say they are trying to crack down on the illegal schools but admit that this is a difficult battle to win

"When we learn of an illegal school operating in the area we close it down and in most cases the initiates we find at the schools need some kind of medical attention," Captain Myburgh said.

Initiation schools are required to register with the health department, which ensures teachers are trained how to carry out the circumcisions and makes sure that proper health standards are met.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Madoff sentenced for $65bn fraud

Bernard Madoff has been given a prison sentence of 150 years for masterminding a massive fraud that robbed investors of $65bn (£40bn).

US District Judge Denny Chin is sentencing Madoff on 11 charges, including securities fraud and money laundering.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Ten ways to beat the heat!

A week-long heatwave is forecast for much of the UK. How can one keep cool and carry on when the mercury is rising?

After two less-than-dazzling summers, the sun is back. Temperatures in parts of the UK this week are expected to top 30° Celsius, prompting the Met Office to issue its first ever heatwave warning.

But the effects of soaring temperatures can be countered. With some help from the NHS' Heatwave Plan, here are 10 suggestions - some eminently practical, others a little more ambitious - to help you keep a cool head while all around you are losing theirs.

1. PAINT YOUR HOUSE WHITE

In many parts of the Mediterranean houses are whitewashed

The NHS's heatwave plan for England suggests using "pale, reflective external paints" to keep your house cool.

It's something you can see in many of the hottest parts of the world. Go to areas of Greece or north Africa and whitewashed villages are the norm. And there's science behind this.

"It will certainly help," says physicist Prof Robin Marshall. "If you make the roof of your house white you will bounce a lot of heat back into the atmosphere."

Of course, keeping your house white may not be totally straightforward. In a dry, pollution free area of the Med you may be OK. If your house is in London, Leeds or Liverpool, you might find it soon loses its reflective qualities. And titanium oxide paint, which provides the brightest white, may cost a bit.

"Metallic paints are better - they reflect further out into the near infra-red range," says Prof Mark Dickinson, of Manchester University's Photon Science Institute.

2. KEEP OUT OF THE SUN

Keep out of the sun between 11am and 3pm. If you go outside, walk or sit in the shade, apply sunscreen regularly and wear a hat. (To produce vitamin D, which is all important if you want to maintain functioning organs, the body only needs 10 minutes' exposure without sunscreen once or twice a day. And it breaks down if you stay too long in the sun.)

3. CHANGE YOUR DRESS

This Tuareg man seems to believe dark colours are best

The NHS advice says: "Wear light, loosefitting cotton clothes."

So if white houses keep you cool, then white clothes must also be the best for keeping cool? It's perhaps not quite as simple as that. If you go to some of the hottest places in the world, people often wear dark colours. You can find Tuareg tribesmen resplendent in navy blue robes, and Chinese peasants toiling in black.

"I look at what people do who have got experience living in hot sunny climates," says Prof Marshall. "They wear black clothing.

"If you can stay out of the sun it will radiate heat off much better. But if you are in the sun it would be nice to have something on that is white."

While this Tuareg man prefers white

Richard Trillo, author of the Rough Guides to Kenya and West Africa, knows a thing or two about dressing to stay cool. He advocates loose cotton trousers, where shorts are not an option.

But there are other things to bear in mind as well.

"Don't carry anything in your pockets. I find even a credit card in my pocket is noticeably uncomfortable. It is covering up a bit of skin surface.

"If you can bear to have a short haircut, do so, it makes you so much more comfortable."

4. SHUT SOME WINDOWS

Shut windows exposed to the sun, and draw blinds or curtains against the light. Open these at night, or once the sun has moved off, to let in cooler air.

5. TREES AND PLANTS

Trees offer shade and other benefits

"Trees, plants and green spaces act as natural air conditioners, provide shade and absorb carbon dioxide," says the NHS's plan.

If you're in a warmer part of the British Isles, pop a palm tree in front of your house and it will soon be blocking out the sun.

And there's a chance you'll be contributing to a wider effort. Trees pump out moisture.

6. BOWLS OF WATER

You can get the same effect in the house, not just with plants, but by leaving bowls of water around. "Evaporation helps cool the air," says the plan.

Of course, if humidity is not your thing, you may want to ignore this advice.

7. DRINK WELL

Keep hydrated with cold drinks, and eat foods with high water content such as fruit and salad.

A chilled lager or iced tea may seem refreshing, but avoid alcohol and caffeinated beverages.

8. INSULATION

Insulate lofts and cavity walls - this helps keep the heat out when the weather is hot, and in when the mercury drops.

This may be more practical than painting your house white, says Prof Dickinson.

"It all depends on what your house is made of. If it's good at keeping heat in, it's good at keeping heat out."

9. SASH WINDOWS

Not one from the NHS, but one that would please the Victorians, is proper use of your sash windows.

The simple fact is that many of those who own homes with sash windows don't open them in the right way. We should be leaving equal gaps at the top and bottom of the window.

The theory, explored by researchers at Imperial College London, is that cool comes in through the lower opening and warm air is pushed out through the top.

10. RELAX

Avoid over-doing physical exertion. Reaching for a cold drink ought to raise enough of a sweat as it is.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Scant return from Tsvangirai tour!

By Jonah Fisher BBC News, Johannesburg

Mr Tsvangirai's Western friends were more generous with kudos than cash

Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai embarked on a three-week tour hoping to convince world leaders that the time had come to re-engage with Zimbabwe.

On the surface things went well.

A photo inside the White House of a friendly handshake with Barack Obama and meetings with European leaders all helped convey the message that this is a man the West feels it can work with.

Ultimately, though, this was not about goodwill but the cold hard cash that Zimbabwe's government needs to get the country back on its feet.

And of that, Mr Tsvangirai secured very little.

Just over $200m (£121m) is a scant return when the country's finance minister says they need $7bn.

Tellingly, very little of that money will go into the hands of government ministers.

TSVANGIRAI'S WORLD TOUR From 7 to 25 June 2009 Visited US, UK, Belgium, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany, Norway and France $200m in aid secured Viewpoint: PM's ambiguous trip

"To us that is neither here nor there," Prime Minister Tsvangirai said on the French leg of the trip.

"The funds that are being given are going to Zimbabweans."

But the channelling of funds through international aid agencies is a very public rejection of the government Mr Tsvangirai is supposed to be leading, and of his claims that Zimbabwe has embarked on "an irreversible transition to democracy".

On a basic level there is no doubt that things have improved in Zimbabwe since the signing of the power-sharing agreement in February.

The scrapping of the Zimbabwe dollar has put an end to hyperinflation and there are now goods in the shops - available of course if you have the hard currency to pay for them.

Mr Tsvangirai appealed for exiles to return to Zimbabwe

Schools and hospitals are also starting to function again, thanks to salaries being paid.

The maize harvest for this year, thanks to good rains and the liberalising of the grain market, has doubled.

But crucially, there is still little to show that on key political issues Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is being treated as an equal partner, or even heard, by President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party.

Differences over appointments are unresolved, activists are still being detained and media laws restrictive.

Amnesty International recently released a report saying "persistent and serious" human rights violations were still taking place.

Despite that, there are many in Harare willing to give the prime minister the benefit of the doubt.

"Any kind of re-engagement is good," a 24-year-old from the University of Zimbabwe said. "Zimbabwe has finally returned to the family of nations."

And here in Johannesburg there are signs that some Zimbabweans believe things are changing for the better and are heading back.

This month voluntary repatriations organised by the United Nation's International Organization for Migration got underway.

Sixty people were packed onboard the bus as it left early in the morning with more than 100 left disappointed on the side of the road.

"I'm concerned about my security but the degree of concern has actually decreased because of the coalition government," a man called Hardlife told the BBC from his seat on the bus.

Others are returning out of a sense of civic duty.

"More than 10% of Zimbabweans are in exile, so I'm calling for them to go back and rebuild their country," a teacher called Tafudzwa said.

"I'm going back to school I will be teaching on Monday."

BBC NEWS REPORT.

LEGAL SETBACK FOR SUU KYI DEFENCE !

By Jonathan Head BBC News, Bangkok.

Burma's highest court has rejected an appeal by lawyers for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to allow two prominent dissidents to testify in her defence.
Ms Suu Kyi is on trial for allowing a US man to stay in her home last month, after he swam there across a lake.
Her lawyers wanted four witnesses but have been allowed only two.
The trial has been widely condemned as a ploy to keep Ms Suu Kyi locked up until after next year's elections, the first in 20 years.
The trial has also cast doubt on a planned visit to Burma by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.
Burma's Supreme Court accepted the prosecution's argument that witnesses for Aung San Suu Kyi's defence could not be allowed to appear in court as they are government critics, and one is being held under house arrest.

The machinations of Burma's court system are in any case immaterial to many outside observers, who believe the entire case against Ms Suu Kyi has been cooked up as a ruse to keep her in custody.
She is being charged with failing to evict an uninvited visitor to her lakeside home, where she has been held for 14 of the past 20 years.
The court case will now proceed later this week, and is widely expected to deliver a guilty verdict against the opposition leader.
But it is taking much longer than expected, with the authorities allowing far more "due process" than they normally do during dissidents' trials.
The government seems to have been taken by surprise by the storm of international protest over its treatment of Ms Suu Kyi.
Her trial presents a dilemma for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who has been invited to visit Burma next month.
He is known to want to sustain a dialogue with the country's isolated military rulers, but risks being condemned if he comes away from a visit with no concessions.
Special envoy Ibrahim Gambari has just left Burma after spending two days negotiating the terms of Mr Ban's visit - it still is not clear whether it will go ahead.
BBC NEWS REPORT.

WEEK-LONG HEATWAVE SET TO HIT UK

A heatwave is to hit the UK bringing soaring day and night time temperatures and thundery showers throughout the week, the BBC's weather unit have said.
In London the temperature will rise steadily from about 29C on Sunday to about 32C by the end of the week.
In the rest of the UK temperatures will climb from about 22C on Sunday to about 29C on Friday.
However, BBC weather said an on-shore breeze will keep Eastern England and Eastern Scotland cooler during Sunday.
On Friday the Met Office issued a heatwave alert for England and Wales and the Department of Health has asked people to check up on vulnerable friends, relatives and neighbours.
NHS staff have also been warned to prepare for a surge of elderly and ill patients suffering from the heat.

The Met Office has predicted that around the country daytime temperatures could reach 29-30C, with minimum night-time temperatures of 15-18C.
London, the East of England, South West, South East and the Midlands are the most likely to be affected.
Above average temperatures are expected in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The high temperatures will be accompanied by high humidity and thundery showers, BBC weather centre said.
Various parts of England were hit by severe thunderstorms on Saturday night.
In Birmingham, a 16-year-old boy suffered a cardiac arrest and five others were hurt in a lightning strike.

Officials had already said this summer may be warmer than the past couple of years.
With climate change, heatwaves are likely to become more common over the next few decades and the Chief Medical Officer has warned of an increase in deaths in times of hot weather.
Heatwave guidance
The Department of Health has advised people to keep their homes as cool as possible and remembering the needs of friends, relatives and neighbours who could be at risk is essential.
"Windows should be kept shaded and closed when the temperature is hotter outside than inside.
"People with respiratory problems should stay inside during the hottest part of the day," a DoH spokesman said.
Other advice in the government's heatwave plan includes to drink cold drinks like water or fruit juice regularly and avoid tea, coffee and alcohol.
Help the Aged and Age Concern welcomed the advice.
A spokesman said: "Older people, especially those on medication, can often find coping with the heat particularly difficult."
BBC NEWS REPORT.

HONDURAN LEADER FORCED INTO EXILE!

Troops in Honduras have ousted the president and flown him out of the country after a power struggle over plans to change the constitution.
After arriving in Costa Rica, deposed President Manuel Zelaya said he had been kidnapped by soldiers in a "coup".
Mr Zelaya, elected for a non-renewable four-year term in January 2006, wanted a vote to extend his time in office.
His arrest came just before the start of a referendum ruled illegal by the Supreme Court and opposed by Congress.
There was also resistance within Mr Zelaya's own party to the plan to hold the vote.
Soldiers stormed the president's residence in the capital, Tegucigalpa, before dawn on Sunday, an hour before polls had been due to open.

In pictures: President ousted
Profile: Manuel Zelaya

Mr Zelaya was taken to an airbase outside the city and rumours swirled over his whereabouts, as his supporters confronted security forces outside the president's home.
Several hours later Mr Zelaya turned up in Costa Rica, where he said troops had arrested him in his pyjamas. He urged Hondurans to resist those who had removed him.
"I've been the victim of a kidnapping by a group of Honduran soldiers," he said.
"This was a plot by a very voracious elite, an elite which wants only to keep this country isolated, in an extreme level of poverty."
Later the Honduran Supreme Court said it had ordered the removal of the president, who had been due to leave office next January.
Honduran MPs are expected to appoint as acting head of state Congress President Roberto Micheletti, a member of Mr Zelaya's own party but an opponent of the deposed leader, reported Reuters news agency.

There was international condemnation of events in Honduras:
• At an emergency meeting in Washington, the Organization of American States condemned it as a "coup"
• Mr Zelaya's ally, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, blamed "the Yankee empire", and threatened military action in the event that the Venezuelan ambassador to Honduras was attacked
• The White House denied any involvement, US President Barack Obama urged Honduras to "respect the rule of law" and the EU condemned Mr Zelaya's arrest

MANUEL ZELAYA

Elected for Liberal Party in Nov 2005; beat ruling National Party candidate
Has moved Honduras away from its traditional ally the US
Enjoys the support of Venezuela's leftist President, Hugo Chavez
A civil engineer and rancher by profession

The military's dramatic move came after President Zelaya defied a court order that he should re-instate the chief of the army, Gen Romeo Vasquez.
The president sacked Gen Vasquez late on Wednesday for refusing to help him organise the referendum and accepted the defence minister's resignation.
A day later, the Honduran Congress approved plans to investigate whether the president should be declared unfit to rule.
The planned referendum was to ask the population if they approved of a formal vote next November on whether to rewrite the Honduran constitution.
Ballot boxes had been distributed by Mr Zelaya's supporters and government employees throughout the Central American nation.
In an interview with Spain's El Pais newspaper published on Sunday, Mr Zelaya said a plot to topple him had been thwarted after the US refused to back it.
"Everything was in place for the coup and if the US embassy had approved it, it would have happened. But they did not," Mr Zelaya said.
Honduras - an impoverished coffee and banana-exporting nation of more than 7 million people - has experienced military coups in the past.
Soldiers overthrew elected presidents in 1963 and again in 1975; the military did not turn the government over to civilians until 1981.
BBC NEWS REPORT.

The etiquette of swine flu!

All very well, but what do you tell friends?

As the number of UK swine flu cases rise, a whole host of social questions arises if a person is infected. When exposed to the virus, you may find yourself temporarily shunned by friends and family, says the BBC's Bella Hurrell, whose five-year-old daughter recently had the virus. How should you behave?

Medical advice can be pretty confused as health authorities adjust their containment policy on the hoof in a frantic attempt to stop the spread of the virus.

One minute you can find yourself being told it's fine to carry on as normal, only to be advised a short time later by someone else that you shouldn't be setting foot outside your house.

Here are some of the dilemmas you may face if you find yourself exposed to swine flu.

HOW TO GREET A FRIEND WHO DOESN'T KNOW

People are scared of this virus, probably more scared than they would be if you said you had TB, but maybe not quite as worried as they would be if you said you had Ebola.

If you meet a friend in the street, a clear announcement is best, before your acquaintance gets too close. It's a great opportunity to avoid any awkward continental cheek-kissing.

Do be prepared for people to take a step back and suddenly remember an urgent appointment elsewhere.

If you have had the virus and your friend stays around long enough to ask: "But how are you?" the correct response is a small sigh, a martyrish smile and: "Well, through the worst..."

SHOULD YOU GO TO WORK?

Having a child with swine flu, or even getting it yourself, is currently the perfect excuse for a leisurely week or two off work, no questions asked.

Once through the initial illness, which if you are very lucky may just be a couple of days of feeling a bit feverish, the days stretch ahead in a sunshiny haze.

For the childless that may mean a festival of homemade lattes and catching up with holiday reading but for those with children who have been forced into a netherworld of exclusion from school and playgrounds, the time can be a little more fraught.

Medical advice can vary wildly depending on whether you are speaking to the Health Protection Agency, a flu centre, your GP or some other vaguely medical person who doesn't really have that much idea, but will try to be helpful anyway.

So despite Health Protection Agency (HPA) guidelines which state that if you have no symptoms you can carry on as normal, others may advise if you have been exposed that you take the antiviral Tamiflu and stay off work for up to 10 days, just to be on the safe side. So, the choice is yours.

SHOULD YOU GO SHOPPING?

It would be madness to trek to the shops if there is the remotest chance that you or your child is contagious, wouldn't it?

However, being trapped in the house with no interesting food and apparently healthy children who are trying to pull each other's ears off is no fun and a trip to a supermarket can seem like an exciting adventure. After all, who is going to know?

Well, there is some anecdotal evidence that at least one shop in the Midlands, where swine flu has been most acute, took to banning shoppers with swine flu, though how this would work in practice is a bit unclear.

The HPA says that if you have no symptoms you pose no risk to fellow shoppers, but this advice is complicated by the fact that it is possible to be contagious for up to 24 hours before the onset of symptoms.

So just remember, if you do choose to go to the shops, try to prevent panic by not mentioning the S-word in public or popping your Tamiflu in the produce aisle.

SHOULD YOU GO TO THAT PARTY/BBQ/WEDDING?

Potentially infecting people you don't know is one thing, but possibly infecting those you do seems like another.

The HPA advises that if you no longer have symptoms then it is unlikely you are still contagious.

Symptoms can last up to seven days after the onset of the illness in adults and a day or two longer for children.

So theoretically there is no reason why you can't socialise if you feel fine, but fear is never rational, and your friends may not feel quite so confident in your recovery.

Even if you or your family members are no longer symptomatic, you may want to consider that good manners should prevent you from ruining a social gathering by turning up like Typhoid Mary.

And finally, although no-one really knows for sure, if you haven't developed any symptoms a week after close contact with a person infected by the virus it is likely you are completely in the clear. At least, for now.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Glastonbury bows down to The Boss !

Springsteen got the crowd singing along with classics like Born To Run

By Ian Youngs Music reporter, BBC News

Bruce Springsteen has become The Boss of Glastonbury after a two-and-a-half hour crowd-pleasing headline set.

Hits like Dancing in the Dark, Glory Days and Born To Run got fans moving as the star made his first UK festival appearance at the Somerset event.

Springsteen got close to his British fans with repeated runs from the stage to sing right next to the front row.

"He was down with his fans and cared that he was here," said 28-year-old Siobhan Farmer, who was in the crowd.

"I wasn't a fan before but he certainly puts energy into it."

Her friend Anna Burgess, 23, added: "I knew nothing of Bruce but it was the best gig of the festival so far. His passion made it. It was brilliant."

Springsteen jumped down from the stage during numerous songs

Another fan, Amil Ahir, 43, from Devon, said he last saw Springsteen at Wembley Stadium about 15 years ago.

"He definitely is The Boss and tonight he proved that again, in terms of entertainment, real rock and a fantastic blend of different musical types," he said.

"Bruce rocked Glastonbury tonight."

Tom Winter from Stoke-on-Trent commented: "Even from miles back, I thought it was brilliant. There was so much energy coming through."

Springsteen started the night with an acoustic cover of Coma Girl by late Clash frontman Joe Strummer.

Strummer wrote the song about Glastonbury, and his love of the festival helped convince Springsteen to play.

The song begins with the line: "I was crawling through a festival way out west," before continuing: "And the rain came in from the wide blue yonder, through all the stages I wandered."

"What happened to all the rain?" Springsteen asked the crowd as the show got under way. "I wore my boots."

In black T-shirt and blue jeans, the 59-year-old star was not short of the indefatigable passion and down-to-earth devotion that have always defined his on-stage persona.

The 25-song stint stretched into all corners of his blood, sweat and tear-stained catalogue.

The Saturday headline show is traditionally the biggest slot of the weekend

But it was not a greatest hits show. He never plays Born in the USA, perhaps his biggest anthem, live these days, although the Glastonbury crowd tried their best to persuade him by chanting its chorus.

During the title track from his newest album Working On A Dream, the singer delivered a lengthy message with evangelical zeal.

"We are so glad to be in the beautiful rain-free Glastonbury tonight," he told the crowd.

"I heard about it, I heard about it, I heard about it - now I'm seeing it.

"The mighty E Street Band has come thousands of miles tonight to fulfil a solemn vow to rock the house."

On No Surrender, from the Born in the USA album, Springsteen was joined by Brian Fallon, singer with up-and-coming band The Gaslight Anthem and a fellow New Jersey native.

Earlier, The Boss had made a surprise appearance on one song with The Gaslight Anthem during their slot on the John Peel Stage, the traditional home of new bands at the festival.

In headlining the main Pyramid Stage, Springsteen followed another redoubtable rock legend, Neil Young, who topped the bill on Friday.

Other acts to draw crowds on Saturday included rapper Dizzee Rascal, comedy rockers Spinal Tap, indie stars Kasabian and reggae-folk singer Paolo Nutini.

Revellers enjoyed warm, sunny weather after downpours on Thursday and Friday.

More than 175,000 people are at the event, which has been run on Michael Eavis' dairy farm for for 39 years.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

'Best job' winner flies from UK!

Ben Southall begins work on 1 July

A man who won "the best job in the world" is en route from the UK to begin work as the new caretaker of an Australian tropical island.

Ben Southall, 34, a charity fundraiser from Petersfield, Hampshire, beat more than 34,000 applicants to the position.

His new job requires him to live and report from Hamilton Island on Queensland's Great Barrier Reef.

Mr Southall was due to arrive in Brisbane on Saturday to begin his six-month post next month.

He officially begins work on 1 July, according to his father Duncan Southall, based in Ropley.

"He was very enthusiastic on Friday and has taken quite a bit with him," he said.

"We [Mr Southall and his wife Margaret] are going travelling in August for three weeks and hope to spend one of them with Ben."

The rigorous selection process involving snorkelling, barbecues and time at a spa, gave a global profile to Australian tourism, which has gone into decline amid the worldwide recession.

Mr Southall was one of 16 finalists competing for the A$150,000 (£73,500; $110,000) position.

He was named as the successful candidate in a reality TV-style ceremony by Tourism Queensland on 6 May.

Earlier, Mr Southall said: "To go away now as the island caretaker for Tourism Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef is an extreme honour."

As well as the salary, the post of caretaker at Hamilton Island comes with a three-bedroom beach home, a swimming pool and golf cart.

The job description requires Mr Southall "to explore the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, swim, snorkel, make friends with the locals and generally enjoy the tropical Queensland climate and lifestyle".

As a thoroughly modern caretaker, Mr Southall will also be expected to report back to Tourism Queensland and the world via blogs, a photo diary, video updates and interviews.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

US PASTOR OPENS CHURCH TO GUNS !

A pastor in the US state of Kentucky told his flock to bring handguns to church in what he said was an effort to promote safe gun ownership.
Pastor Ken Pagano told parishioners to bring their unloaded guns to New Bethel Church in Louisville for a service celebrating the right to bear arms.
He said he acted after church members voiced fears the Obama administration could tighten gun control laws.
When the service began, some 200 people were present, AP news agency said.
"We are wanting to send a message that there are legal, civil, intelligent and law-abiding citizens who also own guns," Mr Pagano told the congregation.
"If it were not for a deep-seated belief in the right to bear arms, this country would not be here today," he said.

The pastor also held a handgun raffle, as well as providing information on gun safety.
"I wish more churches did this, I wish more people did this," the Louisville Courier-Journal quoted one attendee, Doreen Rogers, as saying.
"For some reason, most people think that carrying guns is sinful. It's not. I think my life is worth protecting."
About 10 members of a private local militia also attended, the Courier-Journal said.
A coalition of religious groups and campaigners held a rival gun-free event at the same time on the other side of Louisville.
"The idea of wearing guns to churches or any sacred space I think many people find deeply troubling," organiser Terry Taylor told AP.
In the US, the right to bear arms is enshrined in the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. There are thought to be more than 200 million firearms in private hands.
But some gun owners fear that the new administration in the White House could try to challenge or amend some gun ownership laws.
Critics of the laws, meanwhile, link high levels of gun crime with high levels of gun ownership.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

"SAYINGS"

"NO ONE CAN MAKE YOU FEEL INFERIOR

WIHOUT YOUR CONSENT" !

___________

Suspected swine flu at festival!

Three people attending the Glastonbury Festival have been diagnosed with suspected swine flu.

Two students and a 10-year-old child from a family of four showed symptoms of the illness when examined by festival medical staff.

The students, from Exeter and Edinburgh universities, and the family were moved off the festival site and into an isolation facility.

After receiving advice they have now all decided to return home.

Dr Mark Salter, one of the 600-strong medical team at the festival, said: "This is generally a mild illness but we are taking no chances and strongly advising people with symptoms to leave the festival.

"Because of the number of people it is highly likely that we will see other cases, but we are fully prepared."

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Cathy Buckle's Weekly Letter from Zimbabwe !

GOLD AND DIAMONDS!

Dear Family and Friends,

A few months ago a friend was approached by a vendor who had a large
walnut -sized transparent stone. The vendor didn't want to say where
he'd got the stone from but claimed it was a diamond and he was
trying to sell it. The stone had a sharp edge which made a deep
scratch in a steel drill bit without damagaing the stone.Was it a
diamond? Who knows but there are plenty of stories like this doing
the rounds. People in Mutare tell of deals going down all the time,
men in dark glasses, cars with tinted windows and little bundles
changing hands. Some talk of clear stones, others are grey or cloudy
but whatever the colour we are all wondering just who died while
digging for these stones.

A chilling report has just been released by Human Rights Watch
implicating Zimbabwe's military in horrific abuses at the newly
discovered diamond fields in Chiadzwa. Human Rights Watch collected
evidence of violence, murder and forced child labour at the diamond
deposits in Marange. The report talks of military helicopters gunning
people down, of teargas being thrown into shafts and of people buried
alive. It says that at least 214 people were killed during a three
week military operation in October 2008 and of people buried in mass
graves. Press reports quote Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at
Human Rights Watch as saying: "The police and army have turned this
peaceful area into a nightmare of lawlessness and horrific violence."


Human Rights Watch says that: "Zimbabwe's new government should get
the army out of the fields, put a stop to the abuse, and prosecute
those responsible."

It is incomprehensible that this is going on even now as Prime
Minister Tsvangirai tries to persuade the west that we have changed
and are deserving of their money.

The Human Rights Watch report could not be more damning, or more to
the point when it notes:

"The government could generate significant amounts of revenue from
the diamonds, perhaps as much as $200million US dollars per month, if
Marange and other mining centres were managed in a transparent and
accountable manner. This revenue could fund a significant portion of
the new government's economic recovery programme."

There remains little doubt in anyone's mind just exactly why Zanu PF
refused to concede defeat in the 2008 elections: from farms and
wildlife to gold and diamonds.

Until next week, thanks for reading, love cathy.

©Copyright cathy buckle 27th June 2009.

Thai protesters return to streets!

The protesters want the government to resign and call elections

Thousands of protesters have gathered in Thailand's capital Bangkok to call on the government to resign, in the biggest rally since riots in April.

About 4,000 security officers are policing the red-shirted demonstrators, who are loyal to ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The rally organisers say Mr Thaksin will address the crowd by telephone from Dubai, where he lives in exile.

Protests in April led to the worst street violence in 15 years.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva called a state of emergency as the rallies by red-shirted protesters threatened to destabilise his government.

The protest leaders eventually called off their action after days of rioting and clashes with security forces left at least two people dead and more than 100 injured.

One of the organisers of the current protest, Nutthawut Saikua, told the Associated Press the aims of the demonstrators had not changed since the April clashes.

Royalists saw Mr Thaksin's popularity as a threat to the monarchy

"We rally today because we want to get rid of the government, the aristocracy and bring back true democracy to the people," he said.

"We demand that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva resign and dissolves the [parliament] because the government is not democratic."

Mr Abhisit came to power last December after previous Thaksin-supporting governments were brought down by a concerted street protest by yellow-shirted demonstrators.

He was eventually chosen as leader after several MPs who had previously backed Thaksin were persuaded to change sides.

Analysts say the rift in Thai society - symbolised by the red and yellow shirts - remains strong.

Many Thais in rural areas support Mr Thaksin and ally themselves with the red-shirt cause.

The "yellow shirts" draw their support from Bangkok's urban elite, the middle classes and the conservative royalists.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

'No foul play' in Jackson death!

There has been an outpouring of grief around the world

There was no sign of foul play in the death of Michael Jackson, coroners who completed a post-mortem on the singer's body have said.

But toxicology and other tests have been ordered, and the cause of the 50-year-old's death could take several weeks to determine.

Police also want to speak to Jackson's doctor who witnessed his collapse.

Jackson's body has been released to his family but no funeral details have been made public.

Michael Jackson's body moved to an "undisclosed location"

Seven hours after the post-mortem examination was completed, Jackson's family was allowed to claim his body, seemingly managing to elude the media crowd outside the coroner's office.

The body has been taken to an undisclosed location.

Announcing the results of a three-hour autopsy, Los Angeles County Coroners spokesman Craig Harvey said there had been no indication of any external trauma or foul play, but he said the cause of death had been deferred.

"It means that the medical examiner ordered additional testing such as toxicology and other studies," Mr Harvey said.

These would take between four to six weeks, he said.

"We know he was taking some prescription medication," Mr Harvey said, without specifying which.

Unconfirmed reports suggest the singer had been taking a daily dose of Demerol, a painkiller also widely known as pethidine.

DEMEROL/PETHIDINE Strong painkiller, addictive Same drug class as morphine Given by tablets or injection Used post-surgery or for childbirth High doses can stop breathing or lead to delirium and seizures Medical notes: Demerol/pethidine

Jackson, who had a history of health problems, collapsed at his Los Angeles home around midday on Thursday.

A recording of the telephone call made to emergency services has been released, in which the caller said Jackson was unconscious and had stopped breathing.

His personal doctor - who witnessed his collapse - was trying to revive him, the caller said.

The singer was pronounced dead two hours later at the UCLA medical centre. Jackson's brother, Jermaine, said he was believed to have suffered a cardiac arrest.

Former Jackson family lawyer Brian Oxman told US TV that he had been concerned about the star's use of pain relief medication.

MICHAEL JACKSON 1958-2009 Full name: Michael Joseph Jackson Born: August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana, US Also known as: The King of Pop, Wacko Jacko Biggest hits: I Want You Back, Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Bad, Black or White, Earth Song Sold:750 million albums Earned:$700 million (estimated) Obituary: Remarkable talent Life in pictures Tributes paid to Michael Jackson

He told ABC's Good Morning America programme that Jackson took prescription pain relief for injuries sustained earlier in his career.

"It caused him great pain. He just didn't like to feel such discomfort. He started taking pain medication. It became part of his life," he said.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department said investigators had briefly spoken to Jackson's personal doctor, named by US media as Dr Conrad Murray, but they wanted to speak to him again.

Police also said a car owned by a doctor had been towed away from Jackson's home.

A spokeswoman said the doctor was not under criminal investigation, but that the car could contain "medications or other evidence that may assist the coroner in determining the cause of death".

The star had been due to stage 50 concerts at the O2 arena in London, beginning on 13 July.

Entertainers, world leaders and fans have continued to pay tribute to the star.

Across the world, people have been voicing shock and disbelief at the news of his death. In Hollywood, thousands of people filed past his star on the Walk of Fame.

Dr Murray witnessed Jackson's collapse

A White House spokesman said US President Barack Obama considered Jackson a spectacular performer, but said he felt parts of his life were "sad and tragic".

Former Beatle Paul McCartney described Jackson as a "massively talented boy-man with a gentle soul".

Jackson began his career as a child in family group The Jackson 5.

He went on to achieve global fame as a solo artist with smash hits such as Billie Jean and Bad.

Thriller, released in 1982, is the biggest-selling album of all time, shifting 65m copies, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

He scored seven UK number ones as a solo artist and won a total of 13 Grammy awards.

"For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words," said Quincy Jones, who produced Thriller, Bad and Off The Wall.

"He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."

The singer had been dogged by controversy and money trouble in recent years, becoming a virtual recluse.

He was arrested in 2003 on charges of molesting a 14-year-old boy, but was found not guilty following a five-month trial.

The star had three children, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II.

Jackson's former wife Debbie Rowe is the mother of two of the children, and there is already speculation about who will gain custody of them.

He is survived by his mother, Katherine, father, Joseph and eight siblings - including Janet, Randy, Jermaine and La Toya Jackson.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

ZIMBABWE- LETTER FROM THE DIASPORA !

25th June 2009

Dear Friendsm,

There has been a religious foundation on the Southwark site where the present Cathedral stands for over a thousand years. I wonder if, in all those centuries, there have been many scenes that matched in sheer drama what happened there on Saturday June 20th.
Southwark Cathedral has strong ties with Zimbabwe and the Bishop of Southwark is himself clearly in sympathy with the Movement for Democratic Change and has links to many parishes in Zimbabwe. There was thus no reason for him to think that Saturday's address by the Prime Minister would be any other than a joyful occasion. Zimbabweans had travelled from all over the UK to be present to hear Morgan Tsvangirai address them. The vast cathedral was crowded with over a thousand Zimbabweans. I was one of them and what follows is my personal reaction to the tumultuous scene we witnessed.

After two weeks of travel to various capitals and being feted by Heads of State, including President Obama of the US., Morgan Tsvangirai arrived in London. Perhaps the Zimbabwean Prime Minister was a touch complacent about the welcome he would receive from his own compatriots but whatever the reason he was certainly ill-prepared for what happened. It started so well; he entered the Cathedral to a warm welcome from the huge crowd. There was no doubt at all that we all loved him and wished him well. So what happened, where did it all go wrong? There had been press reports all week that the Prime Minister was going to urge the people to go back to Zimbabwe. Indeed on that very Saturday, the UK Independent carried a whole page headed 'Come home, Tsvangirai tells ex-pats. Prime Minister comes to London with message for the Zimbabwean diaspora.' I read it on the train going into London; we knew in advance what he was going to say and they were almost his first words as he stood in the pulpit of this ancient church. That was Morgan Tsvangiral's biggest mistake. He totally failed to gauge the mood of his audience and he failed to understand the strength of feeling among his compatriots, many of whom had lost everything and been brutalised and tortured by the Mugabe regime. By the time he was telling the audience that 'peace and stability prevailed in Zimbabwe,' that schools and hospital were open again and that there were goods in the shops, Morgan Tsvangirai had completely lost his audience. He was hit by a wave of highly vocal anger and he stood apparently bemused by what he was hearing. Instead of raising his voice and reasserting his authority he simply left the pulpit; that was the very worst thing he could have done. When he returned some minutes later, he made things even worse by asking in a rather aggrieved way, 'Did I say start packing now? No, I said you should be thinking about going home.' As if we don't think about that all the time, the audience muttered angrily. The questions from the floor, apart from being very badly organised, were direct and to the point. 'What is there for us to go back to while Mugabe is still there?' And that was the focal point for the crowd's anger; a huge shout went up, 'Mugabe Out, Mugabe Out' but of course, Tsvangirai couldn't respond to that. After all, he sits in partnership with the same man who has given and is still giving the orders to continue the oppression of all dissenting voices. The 'change' we all long for has not come about and the original MDC slogan, 'Chinga' has become no more than an ironical comment on the path the MDC has taken.

Utterly sickened by it all, I walked out of the cathedral only to find hundreds of people already outside. Intensely angry and profoundly disappointed, they sang out their fury at the Prime Minister's message. I spoke to lots of people and I heard nothing but intense disappointment: 'The struggle continues' was the message from everyone I spoke to. What should have been an occasion for renewed hope and belief in the future had turned into a miserable fiasco. One woman, shaking with anger, said “I was raped, my children were beaten and traumatised and Morgan Tsvangirai tells me to go back, go back to what?” she demanded.

I was no longer in the cathedral when Tendai Biti attempted to speak but I understand he was drowned out and the meeting ended with the MDC team being led out of the cathedral by the clerics. It was all over, at least an hour earlier than expected. There are many possible explanations for the ignominious failure of the Prime Minister to make his case. While I understand the choice of Southwark Cathedral as a 'neutral' venue, the setting itself did not make for a suitable meeting place. All the chairs had been removed so the crowd were standing for a long time; the PM was late arriving; the sound system was so poor that much of the input was practically inaudible; there was no obvious chairman to control the meeting and the question and answer session was consequently chaotic. My own impression, however, is that Morgan Tsvangiri himself was not prepared. I had the distinct feeling that he had given little thought to what he was going to say. Perhaps, after weeks of international adulation he just could not believe that his harshest critics would be his own countrymen and women? Yes, there may have been trouble-makers in the audience but if there were, they were tapping into the very real anger of the crowd. Whatever the reason, Saturday June 20th was a disaster for Morgan Tsvangirai and the media, who were present in force in the Cathedral, were not slow to pick up the story. For Zimbabweans in the diaspora their Prime Minister himself had given the British authorities the perfect reason to send them home. Why should the British Home Office allow them to stay here when the Zimbabwean Prime Minister tells his own people that there is 'peace and stability' in Zimbabwe? Just the day before the Prime Minister made that nonsensical claim, the Woza women were savagely beaten by the police and the violent farm invasions were continuing but the Prime Minister made no mention of those unpleasant truths.

As they left the Cathedral, people were asking why could Morgan Tsvangirai not just have told them the truth; that things were not yet right at home but that he and his fellow MDC ministers were working hard to rectify the situation? Instead, he was assuring them all was well. He forgets that all of us in the diaspora are in regular communication with families and friends back home. We understand very well the reality on the ground. He also forgets that without the hard-earned cash contributions from Zimbabweans in the diaspora, thousands of families at home might never have survived. Yet, still, he tells us to Go home. Go home to what? To a country where there is, on Tendai Biti's own admission, 94% unemployment and NGO's are feeding an estimated 5 million people, expected to rise to 7 million next year. It was all utterly incomprehensible and has left Zimbabweans in the UK diaspora stunned and bereft of hope. Instead of an honest and realistic assessment of the situation, the truth was distorted and the man we trusted, the man who was our hero has shown himself no more honest than any other politician.

Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF will be laughing all the way to the ballot box.

Yours in the (continuing) struggle PH.

Twelve facts about Michael Jackson!

Read about Michael Jackson's extraordinary life in facts and figures or click on the numbers in the Neverland clock on the picture below to jump straight to the facts.

FACT 1

Michael Jackson is the third biggest selling pop act of all time, after The Beatles and Elvis Presley.

His 1982 album Thriller is thought to be the biggest-selling album ever, shifting 65 million copies, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

With the music industry moving from selling whole albums to marketing individual tracks online he is likely to keep his position on the list of all time greats.

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FACT 2

Michael Jackson's earnings from record sales, tours, merchandising and other business interests are estimated to have exceeded $700m (£423m) in his 40-year recording career.

Since the early 1980s his recordings have generated more than $300 million in royalties. Despite this, in 2006 he is said to have secured a loan of around $300 million to pay off his debts.

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FACT 3

In 2005 the jury at the trial of Michael Jackson in Santa Maria, California, sat through 66 days of evidence.

He faced 10 charges, including molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo, giving alcohol to a minor and conspiring to kidnap him and his family.

Had he been convicted Jackson could have faced up to 18 years in prison, but after hearing the evidence of 141 witnesses the jury cleared him on all charges.

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FACT 4

Jackson was finishing rehearsals for a series of 50 concerts at the O2 Arena beginning on 13 July.

Originally announced as 10 concerts, further dates were added until around 800,000 people had bought tickets worth a total of £52m.

AEG Live, the organiser of the concerts has already spent $30m on the production but could be in financial difficulty since it only insured the first 10 nights, according to a report in Billboard magazine.

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FACT 5

In 1985 Jackson paid $47.5 million for the publishing rights to a catalogue of 4,000-songs, including at least 200 Beatles tunes.

By 2005 the catalogue, now co-owned by Sony, was worth $500m.

One person said to have been irritated by Jackson's ownership of publishing rights for The Beatles is Paul McCartney, who is believed to have originally tipped him off about the financial benefits of owning music catalogues.

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FACT 6

Fans had kept a vigil outside the Santa Maria courthouse during the whole of Jackson's trial in 2005.

When it was announced that he had been cleared of all charges, a fan released 14 white doves to celebrate his acquittal.

His acquittal was also a relief to local police who, in case of a guilty verdict, had dozens of officers on the street outside the courthouse carrying riot batons.

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FACT 7

Michael Jackson won 13 Grammy awards.

Ten were for his work as a solo artist, three others were shared with producer Quincy Jones, his sister Janet, and various artists who contributed to his Aid for Africa track, We Are the World.

Thriller netted him Album of the Year and Best Pop vocal Performance awards.

Tracks Billie Jean and Beat It each won him another pair of Grammys. He also picked two other awards for his music video work.

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FACT 8

Michael Jackson was 11 years old when he performed on television for the first time with The Jackson Five.

They were regulars on programmes such as 'The Ed Sullivan Show', one of the most watched shows in the US, and on which they performed their debut single I Want You Back.

He quickly became the centre of attention taking lead vocal duties as the band built up a reputation on the live circuit.

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FACT 9

Michael Jackson released 10 solo albums containing original material: Got to be There; Music & Me; Ben; Forever Michael; Off the Wall; Thriller; Bad; Dangerous; HIStory and Invincible.

As well as his solo albums Michael recorded another 16 albums with his brothers as both The Jackson 5 and The Jacksons.

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FACT 10

Michael Jackson was the seventh of nine children.

His brothers, Jackie, Jermaine, Tito, Marlon and Randy, have all had careers as singers, after they stopped performing together. His sisters, Rebbie, La Toya and Janet, are also performers.

He is survived by his three children: Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, born to Mr. Jackson's second wife, Deborah Jeanne Rowe, and Prince Michael Jackson II, the son of a surrogate mother.

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FACT 11

In 1987, Jackson bought a 2,800 acre property north west of Santa Barbara for $14.6m and named it Neverland, after the imaginary land in JM Barrie's novel Peter Pan.

Within the grounds he built a private zoo and a fairground with a roller coaster and a ferris wheel. By 2006 it was costing $4m a year to run the Neverland ranch and its staff.

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FACT 12

This is the number of Michael Jackson statues floated down the River Thames.

Asked how he would like to promote his 1995 album, HIStory, Jackson told Sony record executives: "build a statue of me".

A 30-feet high glass fibre statue of the troubled popstar was placed on a boat and towed down the Thames.

Tower Bridge was raised to let it pass and it was moored near the Tower of London for a week before "touring the country."

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BBC NEWS REPORT.

MICHAEL JACKSON : A LIFE IN MUSIC !

By Julian Marshall Newsbeat online editor

Michael Jackson was on the brink of a massive live comeback due to start in London in July.

But after 10 years of seeing him in the courtroom or in the papers rather than on stage, you would have to be at least 18 years old to remember a time when Michael Jackson was first and foremost a pop star.

However if you strip away all of the gossip, rumours and allegations and look simply at his music, the phrase King of Pop does Jackson justice.

Which other musician had a career which spans four decades, reinventing himself every time? No, Cliff Richard doesn't count.

If you ask your parents, they'll tell you stories of a cherub faced boy who fronted the Jackson 5.

Signed to Motown records, he was just 11 years old when he was singing with his family on tracks like I Want You Back, which was a hit way back in 1969.

Growing up in the public eye from such an early age, the Jackson 5 had hit after hit - ABC, I'll Be There and Rockin' Robin to name just three.

Even then it was clear that Michael would be the one to break from the group for solo success. In 1979 he cracked it with a completely different sound.

Off The Wall, a disco album, sounds as fresh today as it did 30 years ago and is a contender for his greatest record.

You might know the slushy ballads Girlfriend and She's Out Of My Life, but when Jackson lets loose is when the album really shines.

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Rock With You and Working Day and Night can still set the dance floor on fire and are an influence on the likes of Usher and Justin Timberlake.

Memorable Michael Jackson moments

By the 1980s Michael Jackson was the biggest star on the planet and Thriller is the biggest selling album of all time.

Almost every track a hit, Jackson took the disco sound of Off The Wall and, on tracks like Billie Jean and Beat It made it sound huge.

But what really tipped him over the edge into a universe of his own was a pioneering use of music video.

Thriller, less a promo and more a mini movie, was on almost constant rotation on MTV at the time. The sight of Jackson in red jacket, performing a perfect dance routine surrounded by zombies, is one of his most iconic.

With his success came the tabloid headlines. Claims of plastic surgery, skin bleaching, oxygen tents, monkey friends and a Peter Pan lifestyle were regular fixtures in the press across the world.

But none of this could stop his phenomenal rise. While the papers were saying Jackson was acting like an alien from another planet, if you were growing up in the late 80s he was one of the most exciting pop stars imaginable.

Bad, released in 1987 isn't really as good as Off The Wall or Thriller, but that didn't stop it selling over 30 million copies across the world with five number one singles in America.

One more studio album followed in the 1990s, Dangerous, but there's little of merit on it.

The hit Black or White is cheesy, and the rest of the album retreads old ground without any of the character of his best songs.

From then on, even Jackson's biggest fans admit that he was in creative decline.

Caught up in the child abuse claims and the court case that followed, most of the 90s were spent promoting greatest hits compilations with new tracks tacked on the end.

But that shouldn't take away from the fact that his albums in the late 70s and early 80s stand up as some of the best music ever made.

If you love Justin Timberlake, check out Off The Wall, if pop is your thing try Thriller, and if you prefer a few more guitars Bad is for you.

You simply cannot underestimate the influence these records had on stars including R Kelly, Britney Spears, P Diddy, Madonna, Fall Out Boy and Black Eyed Peas.

And we haven't even started to talk about the way he danced…

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Singer Michael Jackson dies at 50!

Michael Jackson had been due to play 50 concert dates in the UK this summer

Pop star Michael Jackson has died in Los Angeles, aged 50.

Paramedics were called to the singer's Beverly Hills home at about midday on Thursday after he stopped breathing.

He was pronounced dead two hours later at the UCLA medical centre. Jackson's brother, Jermaine, said he was believed to have suffered a cardiac arrest.

Jackson, who had a history of health problems, had been due to stage a series of comeback concerts in the UK, beginning on 13 July.

Speaking on behalf of the Jackson family, Jermaine said doctors had tried to resuscitate the star for more than an hour without success.

Jermaine Jackson on his brother's sudden death

He added: "The family request that the media please respect our privacy during this tough time."

"And Allah be with you Michael always. I love you."

TV footage showed the star's body flown from UCLA to the LA County Coroner's office where a post-mortem is expected to take place on Friday.

Concerns were raised last month when four of Jackson's planned comeback concerts were postponed, but organisers insisted the dates had been moved due to the complexity of staging the show.

AT THE SCENE Rajesh Mirchandani BBC News Michael Jackson was brought here to the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles around 12 hours ago. Earlier there were several hundred people here, before it got dark - there was a sense of grief, of disbelief. But in the last few hours, these people have been singing his songs, dancing, there was a guy on a keyboard earlier, playing his songs for people to dance along to. This has turned into an impromptu celebration of Michael Jackson's music. He's the king of pop as far as they're concerned. They're still shocked by his sudden death but they're here because they want to show their support.

A spokeswoman for The Outside Organisation, which was organising the publicity for the shows, said she had no comment at this time.

Broadcaster Paul Gambaccini said: "I always doubted that he would have been able to go through that schedule, those concerts. It seemed to be too much of a demand on the unhealthy body of a 50 year old.

"I'm wondering that, as we find out details of his death, if perhaps the stress of preparing for those dates was a factor in his collapse.

"It was wishful thinking that at this stage of his life he could be Michael Jackson again."

Uri Geller, a close friend of the star, told BBC News it was "very, very sad".

Speaking outside New York's historic Apollo theatre, civil rights activist Rev Al Sharpton paid tribute to his friend.

"I knew him 35 years. When he had problems he would call me," he said.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Can't believe it. I'm gutted. RIP Michael, thanks for everything you gave us.

Tommy, Cardiff

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"I feel like he was not treated fairly. I hope history will be more kind to him than some of the contemporary media."

Melanie Bromley, west coast bureau chief of Us Weekly magazine, told the BBC the scene in Los Angeles was one of "pandemonium".

"At the moment there is a period of disbelief. He was buying a home in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles and the scene outside the house is one of fans, reporters and TV cameras - it's absolute craziness.

"I feel this is the biggest celebrity story in a long time and has the potential to be the Princess Diana of popular culture."

Tributes from the world of music and film have already flooded in from celebrities including Madonna, Arnold Schwarzenegger and ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley.

Jackson's contribution to music

Large numbers of fans have also gathered outside Jackson's home and at the UCLA medical centre with lit candles to mourn the star while playing his greatest hits. Facebook groups have also been set up for fans to share their memories.

The singer's albums are occupying the top 15 slots of online music retailer Amazon.com's current best-seller chart, led by his 1982 smash hit Thriller.

Paramedics were called to the singer's house in Bel Air at 1221 (1921GMT) following an emergency phone call.

They performed CPR on Jackson and rushed him to the UCLA medical centre.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department said the robbery and homicide team was investigating Jackson's death because of its "high profile", but there was no suggestion of foul play.

Jackson began his career as a child in family group The Jackson 5.

MICHAEL JACKSON 1958-2009 Full name: Michael Joseph Jackson Born: August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana, US Also known as: The King of Pop, Wacko Jacko Biggest hits: I Want You Back, Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Bad, Black or White, Earth Song Obituary: Remarkable talent Life in pictures Tributes paid to Michael Jackson

He then went on to achieve global fame as a solo artist with smash hits such as Billie Jean and Bad.

Thriller, released in 1982, is the biggest-selling album of all time, shifting 65m copies, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

He scored seven UK number ones as a solo artist and won a total of 13 Grammy awards.

"For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words," said Quincy Jones, who produced Thriller, Bad and Off The Wall.

"He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."

The singer had been dogged by controversy and money trouble in recent years, becoming a virtual recluse.

Michael Jackson's body is delivered by helicopter for a post mortem report

He was arrested in 2003 on charges of molesting a 14-year-old boy, but was found not guilty following a five-month trial.

The star had three children, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II.

He is survived by his mother, Katherine, father, Joseph and eight siblings - including Janet, Randy, Jermaine and La Toya Jackson.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Viewpoint: Tsvangirai's ambiguous trip!

Morgan Tsvangirai was saluted and greeted on his extensive tour of the West

In our series of weekly viewpoints from African journalists, columnist and filmmaker Farai Sevenzo considers Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's week.

In the end he arrived in the West's capitals like a collection of many personalities:

The messenger, the fledgling diplomat, the suffering leader-turned-prime minister, the widower, the money-raiser, the prophet of hope sailing on rough seas of scepticism.

No time to dwell on the gruesome details of the past... all the world needed to know was that Zimbabwe was now stable Still living in fear in Zimbabwe

In a packed week, Morgan Tsvangirai was greeted in Washington, Oslo, Stockholm, Berlin, Brussels like the acceptable face of a country one remembers for the wrong reasons.

US President Barack Obama greeted him in the Oval Office and for the first time in a long, long time the sight of the Zimbabwean flag placed by a podium in close proximity to the host's stars and stripes seemed to say - yes, the broken country is on its way to being mended.

After all here is a man who has known beatings and jail standing next to President Obama, next to Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and putting his country's case to the world. Surely something is going to give?

The Zimbabwe PM spent five days in the US meeting top officials

But as usual, views about Mr Tsvangirai remained polarised:

Is he raising money for his Movement of Democratic Change party or the people of Zimbabwe? Is he in charge or is the old man, President Robert Mugabe, above him the new puppeteer?

Why is he being treated like a long lost relative by these people who have banned President Mugabe's cabinet from travelling?

Why is he being saluted by the German defence forces as if he is the head of state? How much is all of this costing?

The questions were all over the place.

And depending on the answers you were looking for it was agreed that the man who entered into a pact with the people who once beat him, refused to salute him and killed hundreds of his supporters had gone through a kind of practical conversion in order for his broken country to be mended.

There was no time to dwell on the gruesome details of the past.

All the world needed to know was that Zimbabwe was now stable - there is food in the shops, the 500bn% inflation has vanished like a witch in the night to leave 3% as the shining new number.

And the 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollar note can be found in wallets from Harare to Helsinki only as souvenirs of the kind of figures which give calculators a heart attack.

Somewhere in a presidential residence in Harare, a man may have seen the prime minister's week on the news, and smiled 'Why I booed Morgan Tsvangirai'

But as soon the wandering prophet paints this version of peace, unity and development, Amnesty International lands in Zimbabwe and says the picture on his canvas is pure fiction:

Human rights are still precarious; citizens are still living in fear; the poor have no real hope of laying their hands on scarce foreign currency, which is the only currency in circulation.

That freedom of expression and the right to protest is tied to police beatings and that human rights defenders, including journalists and lawyers, continue to be intimidated, harassed, threatened and charged.

And, tellingly, that the sweet words which laid the foundation for the unity government had not been followed by action.

"The government must give as much attention to securing human rights reforms as they are to seeking economic reforms," Irene Khan, secretary general of Amnesty International said.

And behold the miracle of miracles - she was saying this in a Harare press conference. Surely change is in the air?

Then the wandering prophet arrived in London.

Exiles were not persuaded by Mr Tsvangirai's speech in London

The thousands of exiled Zimbabweans who gathered to hear from the man they have only seen on news footage fighting enormous demons in a political life that required courage and tenacity focussed their mobile phone cameras on him.

They were like music lovers at a pop concert committing a star to memory.

But when he uttered those words, "It is time to go home", the crowd turned against Prime Minister Tsvangirai and shouted their disapproval.

"Not yet," they said. "Mugabe must go!"

They wondered how they could return to a country with no jobs, how they could uproot their children from this exiled life to a life of uncertainty and fear.

Now, I've never understood this need for asylum, and perhaps I'm lucky, but I go in and out of my home country as often as the pennies permit.

But there are thousands who say they fled to the United Kingdom in search of asylum from rape, torture and persecution.

So the prime minister's words were in one stroke killing the legitimacy of their status.

"I am not saying you have to leave today," said the prime minister. "But you should start thinking about it." They did not seem convinced.

They said he was speaking just like Mugabe and heckled and booed him so much that his Moses speech to the exiled children of the broken country had to be cut short.

Somewhere in a presidential residence in Harare, a man may have seen the prime minister's week on the news, and smiled.

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If you would like to comment on this column, send us your views using the post form below.

A selection of comments received so far:

Give the poor guy a chance. He must be facing a mountain of difficulties, aside from losing his partner. He visited many states, which demonstrates his vigour. No harm in asking his fellow countrymen to come and shoulder the burden. They can do more good there.
Govind BHADRESA, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada

How do people in exile expect Mugabe to be removed if they do not go home and vote? Their support of the opposition MDC in the UK does not make any sense if they will not cast the ballot. Can they give us a clue on how Mugabe should be removed in power? It's high time people went home and contributed to its development!!
pinky, Reading UK

The problem with Zimbabweans is that they choose not to forgive at a wrong time and it works to their disadvantage. They did the same to the people who were sustaining their economy, the farmers, and it cost them their economy. Now the PM is trying to save the country and they choose to crucify him. At least Mr Tsvangirai is working for the good of the country. Keep on moving Mr PM, people will see the fruit of your labour later.
kajani banda, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

Morgan Tsvangirai must think the world out there and his exiles are stupid. Surely he cannot be that naive to think people will be wooed back into Zimbabwe and that world leaders will open up whilst Mugabe is in power.
JOHN PERKS, Johannesburg, South Africa

I think the people who live comfortable life in London should be the last to criticise the PM. Had they been patriotic as they would want us to believe, they should have been on the ground trying to help as the PM is doing. It is high time people stopped pretending and be proactive. I would be more convinced by those living through the problems than those who watch it on TV.
Patrick, Nairobi

Let us be honest. Probably 99% of the people who have left Zimbabwe did so for economic reasons and not because they are running away from political persecution. That they need asylum is a convenient excuse to remain and work in the host countries. Even known Zanu-PF supporters have been claiming that they need asylum. When Tsvangirai told them 'It's time to go home.' perhaps they feared that his statement would invigorate the host country to evict the thousands illegally staying in the UK. Why should the UK continue granting asylum to Zimbabweans after Tsvangirai has said everything is fine back home. Tsvangirai was booed to for politics of principle but for politics of the stomach.
Jupiter Punungwe, Johannesburg, Zimbabwe

Give the PM a chance. He did not flee the country like most of you did. Running away from our problems is not a solution. Many have sought and received asylum in the UK and are living "the good life". The thought of going back home has become foreign to them. If you do not want to go home and join the new effort to change the country,just remain silent.Dr Eric Tangumonkem, Littleton, USA

I was at Southwark Cathedral. The small minority of the gathering who were booing and ululating to drown the PM's speech were composed of people on asylum, asylum seekers, over-stayers, border jumpers and other illegal immigrants. Most have no skills to offer here in the UK or back home. The professionals like doctors, engineers and nurses were prepared to listen. These are the people who are wanted here in the UK and in Zim. Economic refugees should come out in the open and not hide behind a finger!!Most of them are here on false grounds and are afraid that the chickens may be coming home to roost.
Tatenda , London, UK

We are watching and the truth should be told. Something that will never be acceptable is that, unless Europe has a hand in reform it will not be acceptable. Unless there is war and bodies lying in the streets, like Somalia, Goma and Darfur, peace should and can't come through round table and discussions. We need to understand why the out cry, go Mr Tsvangirai, Mugabe and Mutambara as Zimbabweans know what they want.
Thuthukani, Jo'burg

I am a Zimbabwean who lived in Zimbabwe during the toughest time. I am currently living outside of the country but I do visit Zimbabwe regularly. I know for a fact that most of the people that went to the UK did not go because they were running away from rape, torture etc. The honest truth is that the majority of these people left to seek "greener pastures" what they should be saying is that they are not yet ready to go back home as there is no economic stability yet - and not this rubbish of Mugabe must go etc. What we Zimbabweans should be doing - is putting our heads together to come up with plans to rebuild our economy and return our country to normalcy. If you really look at it these people are not in a position to rebuild our economy - they lack the right attitude and aptitude (which is really sad) and they know that they cannot do anything to rebuild the economy so rather than admitting that they would rather waste time crying Mugabe must go etc. I really and truly commend the Prime Minister on his efforts - some may criticise him saying that he is now Mugabe's puppet but I believe that the strategy he has taken is the best for now.Zimbabwean in Africa

It is obvious that the exiles most of whom left the country to claim for asylum in the UK dont want to listen and hear the truth. Instead they want to get the papers and continue to exploit Zimbabwe's situation for their benefit. Its high time the African wake up and know how power is wielded behind the scenes, lets stop moving on emotions but facts.
Themba , Harare

I am quite disgusted at the people who live in London and have the sheer audacity to boo and jeer at a man who has done more for the country in the past couple of years thatn anyone else. As many have said previously if you are really that patriotic and believe that Mugabe should go - maybe you should support the opposition in whatever way possible. I would hate to think after all the beatings and torture that Morgan has gone through the disapora would not provide any support possible - allowing the man to speak his mind is the least people could do. In my opinion, if this transition government does not work for one reason or another at least there has been a change and some hope!!
Michael , London, England

Morgan has impressed me a lot. I think Zimbabwe will be rescued by his gestures. He sounds very confident about now and what his country can become. That is a spirit i want in a leader. The past may have beem grim, but we have now and tomorrow to shape. Lets go...semms to be his message and I love him for that. Its not easy to loose your wife, grandchild, friends,all in a short span of time and still put yourself out there like he is doing for his country. He should be encouraged and not the unwarranted criticisms I hear from others.
Ike, Toronto Canada

Mr Tsvangirai please support people in the diaspora. Some of us are struggling students who can' t find school fees here and there at home so please can you urge the West to grant us the necessary papers to stay in their countries.
Anonymous, Australia

Tsvangirai's speech in London showed a classic weakness of his, which is 'failure to gauge the people's mood'. This is the same thing that led the Archbishop Tutu to say Zimbabwe opposition lacks a 'Nelson Mandela figure'. Such words were always going to be slated by all who heard them, given the reality on the ground in Zimbabwe. Tsvangirai is only damaging himself & a leadership challenge from within will at some point materialize.
Thando Siziba, Birmingham, UK

As a Zimbabwean professional living in the United Kingdom, I was astounded by the reaction of my fellow Zimbabweans to our Prime Minister's come back home message. This response was clearly inappropriate and retrogressive. As pointed out by the Prime Minister himself, the statement did not imply that Zimbabweans should pack their bags tomorrow and leave the UK. His statement was based on the premise that there is significant progress, given that the Government of National Unit (GNU) has only been in place for four months, and therefore if people start making the consideration to return to Zimbabwe, it would take at least one year before anyone is ready by which time more progress would have been made in most areas in need of rectification. The changes in Zimbabwe are a real part of the process and therefore we need to give the GNU time and the aid required to implement the changes. We have to believe in Morgan Tsvangirai as the torch -bearer for freedom and democracy in our beloved country. He is the only leader who has managed to coerce the Zimbabwean government into a compromise without resorting to a full-blown war. Let us therefore not pre-empt the possibilities of returning to Zimbabwean in the not too distant future. Wilson Mubaiwa, London, UK

Exiles in the UK know what freedom of expression is, they know what freedom of speech is, they know what human rights are. They have tested and now know what it means to have human rights, questions still remain unanswered in Zimbabwe. Unfortunately some of my countrymen still think it is right for the police to harass residents or the CIO to kidnap and kill at will all in the name of patriotism. Exiles in the UK have the right to demand safety assurances and they know that as long as Mugabe is still in control their safety can not be guaranteed. The elections will come and mark my words violence will return to the streets and villages once more and l predict that Zanu and her thugs will deal with opposition ruthlessly. tim, liverpool

Everyone seem to miss the point everyone wants to go home but where is home? The reason why these people left Zimbabwe is because of Mugabe and Zanu so as long as they are still in office I doubt if anyone will buy Morgan's words of (wisdom)not even Jesus can convince most people that Mugabe is now a pastor, Chihuri is now saint, the CIO are no longer fanatics of Mugabe and Zanu. Whoever wants to let them its an individual choice. To this day there are still Jews in America why they didn't go to Israel?
otto, london

The Prime minister is very desperate and manipulates facts selectively to come up with something that looks like the truth. The people of Zimbabwe in exile understand the situation on the ground in Zimbabwe from their loved ones there. It's sad that the Prime minister of Zimbabwe does not understand what's happening in Zimbabwe. The actions of the Prime minister show us a transformed person who does not listen to people but imposes as I quoted him saying "Zimbabweans Must!","You have to listen to me" this is supposed to be the other way round, he should listen to the people.. Who in his right mind would believe that he is in control of the Zimbabweans security when the security chiefs do not even salute him? There is no evidence of any law and punishment on people responsible for violence. He boasts about lowering inflation yet the truth is very simple that Zimbabwe is not using its currency, so it's no longer printing money and again what's the point of opening schools and putting food on the shelves of shops when the people cannot afford it.
Farai, leicester

I have considerable respect for our Zim PM. But I beg to disagree with his sentiments regarding the status quo in Zim. We are in constant touch with our folks, we go home now and again. Its not yet time to go back home and scrounge for resources. If anything, he should have encouraged exiles to invest at home. if it were not for all those who left Zim, the country could have long ground to a halt. Everyone is playing their part, home and away. When the time comes, we will fold our tents & head back home to a certain future. Now is not the time.
Mcash Mcash, Luton, Uk

Give this guy a break. Morgan Tsvangari has been to hell and back trying to help Zimbabwe reform and all this with "his hands tied and a gun to his head" by the government who are so scared of losing control and the trappings of power that they treat their countrymen with distain, with cruelty and with such violence.

This man should be treated with respect, dignity and honour. There are not many men in this world who have taken such beatings, time and time again and still have the courage to stand beside his tormentor to help his country and the people in it.
flowerybun, Devon, England

I sincerely hope that change for Zimbabwe has arrived.But until there is restoration of basic services, health care, sanitation, clean drinking water, electricity, education etc - how can people like myself be expected to return with young children who were born Zimbabwean but had to leave because we were told to go back to Britain because Africa is for Africans. I for one would love to go back and indeed dream of going back, but back to what?.
Christopher Paulo, Bury St Edmunds United Kingdom.

People ran away coz they were suffering. Most left nothing back there. For them to go back there must be security(job wise) a sustainable situation.
Thembelani Sibanda, Joburg,South Africa

Let's face it, Zimbabweans are scattered through out the world. I think if the constitution is changed and this will need a referendum, there must be sufficient people to vote for this change. Come election time, there must be a huge turnout to vote and remove politicians you don't want. Now, to those hounded out of Zimbabwe, how do you intended to effect this change whilst you are nestled away in foreign capitals? My view is that plan now. Make a contribution to the constitution to ensure that you can make a vote in the diaspora or if you can't ,you come and vote in Zimbabwe. Are you registered as a voter? Democracy is about voting and voting. You must be part of the change you want. Those you support at home cannot depended on your financial support for ever.I will make my move appropriately. Mr Tsvangirai does not owe me anything if I dont mandate him through recognised means. Don't maintain the status core in Zimbabwe
Waiting a little longer, Johannesburg, South Africa

Why do you think my name and address is withheld? Because I will be beaten and tortured if I reveal it! I have to hand it to Mugabe, he's done it again. He has transformed his arch enemy into his puppet, just as he did with Nkomo. Mugabe the puppeteer!
withheld , Harare Zimbabwe

When I read the comments above it reminds me why Zimbabwe doesn't work. Distracted and fragmented views will not help the situation. Blaming each other only gives negative forces "reason" to counter anything " good " that could come from Zimbabwe. Tribalism, racism and division are what the press utilises to instil "moral panic". These words are no good to anyone who is patriotic and loves their country and the people without judgement. Everyone has their part to play. Business is what makes the world go round and especially business that benefits the many. There are millions of Zimbabweans, some in very powerful positions all over the world, who unknowingly, are just waiting for a sense of moral pride, honour and dedicated commitment by all Zimbabweans to unite as one voice , for them to begin acting. This in itself is a very powerful positive thing. Let's all concentrate on this initiative , and one of the greatest secrets in the world will be revealed.
Phil Day, London UK

Zimbabweans should be patriotic enough and return home. The fruits of comfort they're enjoying outside their country was fought for by someone they don't, perhaps who has not even lived to enjoy it. If you stay home don't criticise the little that courageous people back home are doing to improve the country. Surely, two heads are better than one. Return home or your country remains in quagmire.
Bright Mukwasa, Lusaka

I went home to Zimbabwe this April. I got arrested (handcuffed and roughed up) for not wanting to pay a spot fine for a made-up traffic violation. My two kids were watching, the younger one actually crying. And now I am fighting an uphill battle to convince my kids that home is best. We will come home. But we have to figure out how.
Stephen Mhere, Topeka, Kansas, USA

The more I get to know Tsvangirai the deeper my admiration for him. He's been through so much just to see a better Zimbabwe. And I agree with the others who say most Zimbabweans left Zimbabwe for economic reasons. All this stuff about persecution, human rights abuses etc.. well I never saw it to be honest. I just wanted to be able to buy a house and a car without having to pay cash because mortgages and car payments are out of the reach of the ordinary person. Yes we need to go back. In fact I wish Tsvangirai had spoken to the Zimbos in America. I would have cheered him on. My husband & I are moving back in the next year. We'll take the plunge - we can't wait!!!
Tinashe, Brooklyn, New York

I'm glad people see through that shameful outburst by our fellow diasporans. What an embarrassment to Zimbabweans as a whole and our cause. We DO need to go home and many of us are on our way back. No one else will fix our country for us.

"Be the change you want to see."
Ruvi, Calgary, Alberta

Can the real patriots stand up, go home now and stop crying.
Munya, London

Many may say that those in England did the PM a dis service on Sat, but the reality is, he tried to sell a vision that lacked a base in the everyday reality of Zimbabweans at home and abroad. Few schools are open, meds r still scarce, personal safety is still an issue. The only way to pay for food and water is in foreign currency. Those who really need it don't have it. People I spoke to on Sat want to go home but they also want to be secure in their minds that they are not jumping out of the pot into a fire. They made a different type of sacrifice. Giving up parents, sisters, brothers in order to have a life with food, work and a roof over head. The foreign currency on the street in zim is as a result of the "economic" migrants. Without them many in zim would not have survived as long as they did. Zimbabweans love there country too much to send it into civil war and that would have been the likely scenario if so many hadn't left. We want to rebuild, we want to contribute, but we also want our sacrifices to mean and stand for something. At the moment the PM hasn't set out a convincing plan that outlines that the infrastructure in Zimbabwe can support thousands of working age people. We await his master plan, if he needs help developing it there are many groups springing up ready to contribute to rebuilding a better Zimbabwe.
Mintah, London

Instead of asking us to come home , the PM should of asked us to invest in Zimbabwe, what's the point of going home to a broken country that expects the whole world to believe that the country is on the mend when it is far from the truth, it is just like telling lies to relatives to seek meat for the pot. We can rebuild Zimbabwe from where we are, there are millions of Zimbabweans all over the world living in exile and contribute a great deal to the foreign currency floating on the streets today, all we need to do is invest in our beautiful Zimbabwe in forms of property, small businesses and education for the kids, raise aid for those in desperate situations and return home when the time is right. Many of us have been well educated and know what freedom of speech and human rights is, there is no way we can live in country that dictates how we should live.

Stephanie, UK

The audacity of some people to say that Zimbabweans are cowards and unpatriotic to flee their country !!!!! If you have children whose fees need to be paid and other family members to support, you surely would not sit, twiddling your thumbs in the hopes that things are going to get better. Thanks to money that has been sent by people in the diaspora, life went on, houses were built, food was bought (yes, even when it cost 3 times as much as really should have), school fees were paid etc. It's not even a case of people fled Zimbabwe to go and sit pretty overseas - it's not all luxury. Highly qualified professionals who were well respected in Zimbabwe are out there doing the most menial jobs - all to survive and send some money back home. Please don't put down the people in the diaspora like they are some cowards. Far from being cowards, they were the ones willing to leave their luxurious homes, office jobs, cars, families and memories to go live in foreign countries. Mind you in these foreign countries they also suffer from xenophobic attacks, inability to secure good jobs because of their foreign passports, tiny housing and even worse weather (UK).
Analyst, South Africa

Reading the comments from my fellow compatriots, I am reminded of Peter Tosh's song whose lyrics goes along the lines, "Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die". Virtually all of them, myself included, are urging others to go home and help rebuild Zimbabwe, but they are all shouting from the comforts of their "homes" outside Zimbabwe. The messages would carry more weight were we to hear from Zimbabweans who have left the outside world to help build their country!
Taurai, Pretoria, South Africa

It's different for everyone. When the hecklers first started it sounded to me like some people were almost cheering, that they were not all feeling the same thing. Then it changed to "Mugabe must go" in unison. The reality underlying that is not that simple. Some are in forced exile, others not. Some just want the security Europe promises.
Zimbabwean, Tucson, Arizona

Most Zimbabweans, my family and I amongst them, would go back in a heartbeat of things returned to normal. There is no reliable public transport system, electricity/ water can be switched off without warning, no Community Care system and the public sector is on it's knees. In addition, there is no employment security. It will take a lot of effort for that to resume to the way it was years ago. What guarantee have we got that the financial assistance will not be mismanaged? Only time will tell. Until then I can not foresee that anyone would be heading on the first flight home.
Amanda Kane, Bury St Edmunds, United Kingdom

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Surge of flu cases 'on the way'!

Health Secretary Andy Burnham: 'The vast majority... have shown mild symptoms'

Tens of thousands of cases of swine flu could be emerging each week by the autumn, the chief medical officer says.

Sir Liam Donaldson said the most likely scenario was that the UK would see a surge of cases from the current levels.

Over 3,500 cases have been confirmed so far, and the government has already paved the way for some areas to move away from trying to contain the virus.

Glasgow, London and the West Midlands have been identified as the areas with the most rapid spread.

To date, local health officials have been attempting to put a ring around the outbreaks by tracing the people with whom confirmed cases have come into contact and giving them drugs to try to prevent flu developing.

This approach has also involved the closure of several schools.

But Sir Liam said certain areas were seeing rapid community spread which meant this was not now practical.

In these areas, anti-viral drugs may in the future only be given to those people showing symptoms, while the tracing of contacts will stop.

However, he said this pattern was not emerging everywhere, with some parts of the UK - Wales and Northern Ireland in particular - hardly seeing any cases.

He said the contingency plans always envisaged the containment phase would not last indefinitely.

Sir Liam said: "We still think we are heading for a larger surge of cases in the autumn and winter.

"Although it still remains a fairly mild virus and in most places is only spreading gradually."

It also seems likely the UK will receive the first batches of vaccines slightly earlier than normal.

Sir Liam said it may be available from August rather than the autumn as first expected.

The government has contracts with two manufacturers for 132m doses - enough for the whole population.

Sir Liam acknowledged that they would not get all the jabs in one go, but added this did not necessarily matter.

"In all previous pandemics excess mortality has occurred for three years after the new virus emerges. It is not just a consideration for this winter."

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Top BBC bosses' expenses revealed!

Mark Thompson: "Public has a right to see" expenses

The BBC has published the expenses of some of its top executives, alongside the expenses and salaries of its 50 top-earning managers, on its website.

The corporation has revealed the figures in response to Freedom of Information requests.

The detail includes two family holidays which had to be cut short by BBC director general Mark Thompson, costing a total of more than £3,514.

The total paid for talent will also be revealed but not individual star fees.

EXECUTIVE EXPENSES IN FULL 2008/09 [115KB] 2007/08 [103KB] 2006/07 [108KB] 2005/06 [95KB] 2004/05 [93KB] Executives' individual expenses

The salaries and expenses of the BBC's top 100 executives and decision-makers will be published, quarterly, from September.

The expenses published on Thursday are those the executives paid for out of their own pocket before claiming back. They do not include any flights, hotels or other purchases booked directly through the BBC.

They include £2,236.90 claimed by Mr Thompson to fly back from a family holiday in Sicily, Italy, in October 2008 to deal with the row over lewd calls made to actor Andrew Sachs on Russell Brand's Radio 2 show.

He also chartered a private plane from Maine to Boston - at a cost of £1,277.71 - on 8 August 2004 to interrupt a family holiday to return to London to "deal with an urgent staff issue".

Other expenses detailed include:

• £99.99 claimed by Mr Thompson to pay for a bottle of vintage champagne given to Bruce Forsyth for his 80th birthday last year

• £1,137.55 claimed by former head of audio and music Jenny Abramsky for a dinner to celebrate Terry Wogan's knighthood in 2005

• £238 and £217 for iPods in 2005 and 2007 respectively claimed by former future media and technology director Ashley Highfield

• £500 claimed by BBC Vision director Jana Bennett after her handbag and contents were stolen on official BBC business. This cost was ultimately covered by insurers - not the BBC

• £231.55 claimed by Ms Bennett for a dinner with Jeremy Paxman to discuss the presenter's contract in July 2004

• £100 claimed by Ms Bennett for flowers for Jonathan Ross in May 2006

• £4.99 claimed by deputy director general Mark Byford for a book on the history of QPR football club in September 2007

Hospitality expenses claims - 2008/2009 Mark Thompson, director general: £8,040.73 Mark Byford, deputy director general: £1,429.24 Tim Davie, director, audio and video: £5,218.99 Jana Bennett, director, BBC Vision: £4,017.54 Zarin Patel, chief financial officer: £4,223.76 John Smith, chief executive, BBC Worldwide: £3,080.05 Caroline Thompson, chief operating officer: £3,072.38

The BBC already publishes the pay details of its executive board, as well as the pay and expenses of the corporation's governing body, the BBC Trust.

In a speech to the Chartered Institute of Public Finances and Accountancy's annual conference in Manchester, Mr Thompson said the trust and the BBC's executive board had "strongly encouraged us to look at whether we could and should go further in our practice of routine disclosure".

As a result, there would now be a breakdown of the pay and expenses of the "top 50 earners in BBC management" and 50 "top decision-makers", he said.

The 100 individuals, including "those with the greatest responsibility both for spending public money and for overseeing the BBC's services and operations", will be published in addition to the existing publication of the salaries of executive directors.

Media attention will doubtless now focus on the BBC's reluctance to make public the same kind of information about highly-paid presenters or 'talent' Martin Rosenbaum Send us your comments

Mr Thompson said there was "a legitimate interest in how much the BBC spends on talent, including top talent".

"In future, we will disclose the total amount we spend on talent as a whole, and we will work on a plan to make our spend on talent more transparent so the public can monitor the direction of travel over time," he said.

But it would be wrong to disclose individual star salaries "in an industry where confidentiality is the norm", he added.

"There's a real danger that talent would migrate to broadcasters where confidential information about how much they are paid will not be disclosed."

Earlier this month, stars including Bruce Forsyth and Sir Terry Wogan were warned to expect their salaries to be cut when their contracts were renewed as part of the BBC's plan to save money.

Stars such as Forsyth and Ross have been warned of pay cuts

A report in the Times on Thursday suggested the BBC was "refusing to reveal how much is spent on hospitality and gifts for its best-paid celebrities".

But in his speech Mr Thompson announced that a hospitality and gifts register would also be published.

"Public expectations about openness, trustworthiness and every kind of value for money are becoming more trenchant, more insistent and more vocal than ever before," Mr Thompson said.

'Maintain trust'

BBC correspondent Torin Douglas said there was "a great appetite" for this material in the wake of the MPs' expenses scandal.

There's a real danger that talent would migrate to broadcasters where confidential information about how much they are paid will not be disclosed Mark Thompson, on not disclosing the fees of BBC stars

Privacy rights will prevent some claims - such as money spent on lunches to recruit people who did not go on to join the BBC - from being published.

But Mr Thompson was keen that as much information as possible was published, our correspondent added.

In an email to staff, Mr Thompson said: "I don't underestimate the extent to which this may feel uncomfortable for individuals," Mr Thompson said in the email.

"However, I firmly believe that these changes will help us maintain trust with the licence fee payer and will ensure the BBC continues to lead the way in transparency and disclosure."

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BBC NEWS REPORT.

Iran's Mousavi defies crackdown!

Mir Hossein Mousavi has not been seen in public for days

Iran protest leader Mir Hossein Mousavi says he holds those behind alleged "rigged" elections responsible for bloodshed during recent protests.

In a defiant statement on his website, he called for future protests to be in a way which would not "create tension."

He complained of "complete" restrictions on his access to people and a crackdown on his media group.

A BBC correspondent in Tehran says the statement is a direct challenge to Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

"I won't refrain from securing the rights of the Iranian people... because of personal interests and the fear of threats," Mr Mousavi said on the website of his newspaper, Kalameh.

ANALYSIS Jon Leyne BBC News There are signs the government is beginning to regain control. Wednesday appears to have had the least protests of any day since the result was announced. But any idea that the opposition is about to go gently is probably an illusion. This is an argument within Iran about the future of the country. The two sides have deeply differing views on how Iran should be run, and its place in the world. And neither is about to give ground. Iran poll row set to rage on

Those who violated the election process "stood beside the main instigators of the recent riots and shed people's blood on the ground", Mr Mousavi said, pledging to show how they were involved.

Mr Mousavi, a former prime minister, spoke of the "recent pressures on me" that are "aimed at making me change my position regarding the annulment of the election".

He described the clampdowns he and his staff were facing.

"My access to people is completely restricted. Our two websites have many problems and Kalameh Sabz newspaper has been closed down and its editorial members have been arrested," said Mr Mousavi, who has not been seen in public for days.

"These by no means contribute to improving the national atmosphere and will lead us towards a more violent atmosphere," he added.

Opposition leaders had called for a day of mourning on Thursday, but some reports say it has been cancelled.

Separately, nearly two thirds of MPs appear to have stayed away from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's poll victory party.

All 290 MPs were invited to attend the party, Iran's press reports, but only 105 turned up. An earlier BBC report wrongly reported that 105 did not attend.

One of those who reportedly failed to turn up was Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, a high-profile figure who shares some of Mr Ahmadinejad's hardline views but has been critical of some aspects of the government's handling of the protests.

President Ahmadinejad on Thursday criticised US President Barack Obama for his condemnation earlier this week of the violence in Iran.

"Our question is why he fell into this trap and said things that previously [former US President George W] Bush used to say," he was quoted by the semi-official Fars news agency as saying.

IRAN UNREST 12 June Presidential election saw incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad re-elected with 63% of vote Main challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi called for result to be annulled on grounds of electoral fraud Street protests saw at least 17 people killed and foreign media restricted Q&A: Election aftermath How Iran is ruled Who's who in Iran Iran: Send your questions

The Guardian Council, which supervises elections, has already said it will not re-run the election.

Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated on Wednesday that he would "not yield" over the election result.

About 50 MPs in the Iranian parliament are reformist and would not have been expected to attend Mr Ahmadinejad's victory party.

But the high number of MPs who stayed away is another indication that the disputed election has split the nation, says the BBC's Jeremy Bowen in Tehran.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Mousavi's website said 70 university professors were arrested immediately after meeting with him.

Hundreds of opposition protesters and activists are believed to have been taken into custody and at least 17 people have died in the unrest since the election.

Ahmadinejad: US must not interfere

Wednesday's street protest was smaller than on previous days as the increasingly heavy security presence and government decrees to stop the demonstrations took effect.

But there were reports of riot police firing tear gas, shooting in the air and beating with batons demonstrators who defied the ban in central Tehran.

Severe reporting restrictions imposed on foreign media in Iran mean the BBC cannot verify the reports.

The Washington Times on Thursday said one of its freelance reporters, Jason Fowden, who has British and Greek nationality, was arrested at the airport as he tried to leave the country at the end of last week.

British officials said they were working with the Greek foreign ministry on the case.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Somalis watch double amputations!

Witnesses estimated the age of the four men at between 18 and 25

Hardline Islamists in Somalia have carried out double amputations on four men for stealing phones and guns.

They have each had a hand and foot cut off after being convicted by a Sharia court in the capital earlier this week.

More then 300 people, mainly women and children, watched as masked men cut off their limbs with machetes.

The four men reportedly admitted to the robberies, but were not represented by a lawyer and were not allowed to appeal against their sentence.

The al-Shabab group, which controls much of southern Somalia, has carried out amputations, floggings and an execution in the southern port of Kismayo but such punishments are rare in the capital.

'Help, help, help!' one of them shouted Eyewitness Mohamed Abdi Somali justice - Islamist-style

The amputations were carried out in the open in front of an al-Shabab military camp in the north-east of Mogadishu.

A local resident said the four men cried out during and after the amputations. Each man had his right hand and left foot cut off.

"'Help, help, help!' one of them shouted," Mohamed Abdi told the BBC.

Eyewitnesses estimate the age of the four men - Aden Mohamud, Ismail Khalif , Jeylani Mohamed, and Abdulkadir Adow - to be between 18 and 25.

Mr Abdi said the whole process took about an hour to complete.

Human rights lobby group Amnesty International has condemned the amputations.

"These punishments amount to torture," said Tawanda Hondora, Amnesty's Africa deputy director.

Somali president calls emergency Should troops enter Somalia?

The group says that committing torture could amount to a war crime.

After the four were sentenced to double amputations on Monday, mosques in the area announced through their loud speakers that the amputations would take place at 0800 local time on Thursday.

Al-Shabab spokesman Ali Mohamud Rage told journalists that the amputations were a warning to all thieves.

"If they are caught red-handed in similar circumstances, they will face amputation," he said.

He also said al-Shabab would look after the welfare of the amputees.

On Monday, the court had said it was too hot for the sentence to be carried out on that day as an amputation in such conditions could lead the accused to bleed to death.

The punishments carried out in Kismayo have shocked many Somalis, who traditionally practise a more tolerant form of Islam than al-Shabab's strict Wahabi interpretation.

Onlookers at the amputation in Mogadishu on Thursday declined to comment when asked for their reaction.

President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, a moderate Islamist, took office in January but even his introduction of Sharia law to the strongly Muslim country has not appeased the hardliners.

The government has not carried out any amputations under its version of Sharia.

Since 7 May, al-Shabab and its allies have been locked in ferocious battles with pro-government forces.

The president has declared a state of emergency and has appealed to Somalia's neighbours to send troops to help.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Google access disrupted in China!

China uses the so-called "Great Firewall of China" to control access

Access to Google has been disrupted in some parts of China, amid a row over what Chinese citizens should be allowed to view over the internet.

Users reported they could not access either Google's search engine or its Chinese-language version.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang accused Google of spreading pornography and breaking Chinese law.

The move came as the US called on China to scrap its plan to put net-filtering software on all new computers.

China has demanded that all computers come supplied with software called Green Dam Youth Escort from 1 July, which it says would filter out pornographic content.

Separately, google.com and some of its products, such as its mail service, were not available in China from Wednesday night to Thursday morning Beijing time, according to Chinese portal Sohu.com.

Most users were able to connect on Thursday, though it was unclear exactly how widespread the disruption actually was. Google said it was investigating the outage.

The disruption to Google's services reported by users in Beijing and Shanghai comes a week after China accused Google of deliberately linking to "pornographic and vulgar" websites and ordered it to stop.

"We have found that Google has spread a lot of pornographic content, which is a serious violation of Chinese laws and regulations," Mr Qin told reporters on Thursday.

He urged the company to abide by local rules, but said he had no specific details on the outage.

Ron Kirk has now objected to several aspects of Chinese trade policy

Meanwhile, the US said China's proposed internet filter would violate China's free trade obligations, weaken computer security and raise serious censorship concerns.

"Mandating technically flawed Green Dam software and denying manufacturers and consumers freedom to select filtering software is an unnecessary and unjustified means to achieve that objective, and poses a serious barrier to trade," said US Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

The latest comment raises the concern about a broader trade war between the US and China over everything from computer security to chicken poultry imports.

It came a day after it filed an unfair trade complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) over raw material exports.

The US is now complaining that putting such pressure on manufacturers to pre-install or supply the software would violate China's WTO free trade obligations.

Quentin Sommerville, BBC Beijing correspondent The software, Green Dam Youth Escort, has been heavily criticised by Chinese internet users, and even parts of the state media. It appears to have been badly written, and parts of it may have been lifted from a rival US software filter. Critics says it will put computers at greater risk from hackers. It works by looking for fleshtones, as well as keywords, but has also been found to block sites which contain lots of the colour pink.

"China is putting companies in an untenable position by requiring them, with virtually no public notice, to pre-install software that appears to have broad-based censorship implications and network security issues," said US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke.

The Green Dam Youth Escort software was created to stop people looking at "offensive" content such as pornographic or violent websites, China has said.

But China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology later said that use of the software was not compulsory and that it was possible to uninstall the program.

Tests carried out on Green Dam outside China also showed that it left PCs open to many different security risks, including being hijacked.

Petitions calling for Green Dam to be scrapped have circulated widely within China, which has the world's largest net-using population.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Countdown to Glastonbury opening!

Fans have arrived at Worthy Farm in fine weather

UK band Maximo Park will kick off this year's Glastonbury Festival later, as fans descend on the Somerset site ahead of the event's official opening.

The Newcastle band are due to open the event on the Queens Head stage at 1600BST (1700GMT).

Despite a sunny start to the festival, more than 130,000 revellers are bracing themselves for yet another wet and muddy weekend at Worthy farm.

Weather forecasters have predicted torrential thunderstorms.

They say the mild conditions may turn on Friday, creating "an absolute mud bath".

Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Blur are headlining the event.

Also on Thursday, reformed boy band East 17 will play the Dance Lounge, in a line-up which features old-school dance duo Altern-8, best remembered for their trademark chemical suits.

Chris Fawkes from the BBC's Weather Centre said: "On Friday, the air will become very humid and the heat and humidity will combine for thunderstorms which although torrential, will be very isolated.

Maximo Park played the Other Stage in 2007

"It's an all-or-nothing forecast - if one hits Glastonbury it could make an absolute mud bath for the rest of the weekend, but could easily hit down the road and remain dry," he added.

Fawkes said although there could be some really heavy downpours, it would only last for around an hour and could be fine for the rest of the day.

"The weekend should be very warm, if not hot, with a lower risk of a shower," he said.

He also dismissed the suggestion that Glastonbury was cursed with the weather.

Fans arrive early for Glastonbury

"In the average summer month you get 40-50mm of rain, so there's no reason why Glastonbury should be more favoured than other local areas for rain," he said.

"Maybe they've been unlucky, but it's just the natural variability of the British climate. Western areas of the UK tend to get more rain than eastern areas - it's just one of those things."

In 2005, storms and flash flooding caused havoc at the Worthy Farm site, with tents underwater in some camping areas.

There was also heavy rain in 2007, but a new drainage system helped to prevent a repeat of 2005.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Williams questioned over robbery!

Williams is on holiday in the Exuma district of the Bahamas

Police in the Bahamas have questioned Robbie Williams over the robbery of two photographers who had taken shots of him on a private beach.

The paparazzi said they got into an argument with the pop star's entourage while photographing him on Sunday.

Hours later, they claimed, four armed men broke into their hotel room and stole $20,000 (£12,294) of equipment.

Police superintendent Ellsworth Moss said Williams, who rose to fame as part of Take That, was not a suspect.

"We don't think he was the one who actually committed the robbery, but it may have been a spin-off or may have been triggered by what reportedly happened with his party on the beach," Mr Moss told the Associated Press news agency.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Raymond Gibson said two men were in custody in connection with the case.

He did not disclose further details, saying the investigation was continuing.

A phone call to Williams' representative in London was not immediately returned.

The 35-year-old star has not released any material since his "experimental" electro-pop album Rudebox in 2006.

He has recently recorded new tracks with Frankie Goes To Hollywood producer Trevor Horn.

A message on Horn's website says Williams' new album is due out later this year.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

F1 deal ends threat of breakaway!

F1 resolution 'very satisfactory' - Mosley

An agreement has been reached between Formula 1's governing body and the teams to prevent a breakaway series.

The two parties had been engulfed in a bitter row over planned budgetary and technical changes for the 2010 season.

But it appears a resolution has now been found and, as part of the deal, Max Mosley has agreed not to stand for re-election as president of the FIA.

"There will be no split, there will be one F1 championship. We have agreed to a reduction of costs," said Mosley.

"The objective is to get back to the spending levels of the early 90s within two years."

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone added that he was "very happy common sense has prevailed" following a meeting of 120 members of the FIA in Paris aimed at resolving the crisis.

Ferrari chief president Luca di Montezemolo, head of the Formula One Teams Association (Fota), added: "I think the decisions we have shared this morning are important. We will have the rules of 2009, same rules for everybody.

"It means that we have stability.

"I think [Max Mosley] has done a very good fix of the problem. When you have reached an agreement everyone has to help in the same way."

Ahead of the meeting, Mosley had insisted that he would not step down as part of any potential agreement and might even seek re-election as head of world motor sport.

He hit out at what he described as "wholly unjustified criticism" of the FIA, adding: "It is for the FIA membership, and the FIA membership alone, to decide on its democratically elected leadership, not the motor industry and still less the individuals the industry employs to run its F1 teams."

However, it appears Mosley has now agreed to move aside when his fourth term as FIA president ends in October, saying: "I will not be up for re-election, now we have peace."

Furthermore, writs that had been threatened against Ferrari and the other teams in Fota - McLaren, BMW Sauber, Renault, Toyota, Red Bull Racing, Toro Rosso and Brawn GP - are likely to be shelved.

"Fota's public stance before this meeting was that they weren't in the mood for negotiation or compromise - and if we take that on board, the fact that they've got their way today must be seen as something of a capitulation by the FIA," reported BBC Five Live's David Croft.

And that is a view shared by Ferrari, who issued a statement reading: "The FIA's World Motor Sports Council has approved all Fota's proposals."

It added: "The objective is to avoid continuous changes decided by one person alone."

However, Mosley sought to play down suggestions he had bowed to Fota's requests, telling BBC Sport: "I know it's an old cliche but everybody's won.

"What we wanted was to get new teams into F1. We've got new teams in, which we haven't been able to do for 10-15 years, and at the same time got costs down so independent teams are profitable

"If they're happy with what they (Fota) have got, fine, I've won what I wanted.

Report - Mosley agrees to stand down

"As far as I'm concerned the teams were always going to get rid of me in October, well they still are. Whether the person who succeeds me will be more to their liking remains to be seen."

The agreement ends two months of wrangling since Mosley announced after a World Council meeting at the end of April that a voluntary £40m budget cap would be imposed from next season - a plan that prompted a rebellion from eight teams, with Fota announcing on Thursday they were planning a rival series.

But the new agreement ends that threat, while still maintaining the "financial viability" of teams which had been targeted with the initial budgetary restrictions.

Mosley explained: "There is no budget cap because costs will come down to the levels of early 1990s in two years - it's a different way of doing the same thing. I always thought there wasn't much between us, now we've agreed there isn't."

As part of the agreement, existing teams must help new outfits - Campos, US F1 and Manor - with their engines and chassis.

We look forward to working with the FIA Senate to achieve a prosperous and exciting future for Formula 1 Toyota president John Howett

Toyota president John Howett, the vice-chairman of Fota, hailed the unity of the teams even though Williams and Force India broke ranks and submitted unconditional 2010 entries earlier this month.

"This has been a challenging period," he said.

"But thanks to the unity of the Fota teams and the foresight of the World Motor Sport Council members we have achieved the right result for Formula 1," he said.

"We look forward to working with the FIA Senate to achieve a prosperous and exciting future for Formula 1 and its millions of fans around the world."

BBC sports news correspondent James Munro, reporting from Paris, said: "It's come as a bit of a surprise, given that Fota was planning to meet in Bologna on Thursday to discuss plans for the breakaway championship.

"But what we got today after a meeting of World Motorsport Council was an impromptu press conference and Mosley began by saying there will be no split, there will be one championship.

"He said that over the course of the negotiations he had been able to secure guarantees from the teams who were threatening to break away that they would try to rein back the levels of their spending to the levels they were spending in the early 90s.

F1 now has stability - Di Montezemolo

"It was him that had come up with the idea that next season all teams would have a budget cap of about £40m, but there has clearly been a trade-off as he has also agreed to do what he says was always the plan - stand down as president of the FIA this October."

It is not the first time Mosley has promised to stand down as FIA president - in June 2004, he announced he would stand down from his position in October of that year, only to rescind his decision a month later and secure re-election.

But he was adamant that with his 70th birthday approaching, and with the row finally settled, there was no way he would be having a change of heart this time.

"As long as the teams behave themselves I will be gone," he said. "A deal is a deal and if it is not stuck to you sometimes have to reconsider things. However, I have absolute confidence that this resolution will be stuck to."

Fota was expected to address the media at a press conference on Thursday.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

China corruption website crashes!

The tip-off system was deluged with visitors after its launch

A Chinese website set up so people can inform on corrupt officials has been inundated with so many visitors that it crashed shortly after launching.

Staff said the website was designed to cope with a maximum of 1,000 people making a complaint at the same time.

But the number of people using the site far exceeded this when it was launched on Monday.

A Beijing News editorial said the site's popularity showed that people preferred national to local inquiries.

The idea of the 24-hour anti-corruption website (www.12309.gov.cn) and its accompanying hotline number was to inform central government officials about local-level corruption.

An earlier version of this nationwide tip-off system generated 20,000 reports of official abuse in 2008.

Corruption is a huge problem in China, and correspondents say the central authorities are keen to crack down on it to prevent the issue weakening government control.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Protesters 'in new Iran clashes'!

Footage of a protest in Tehran, believed to be on Wednesday

Iranian riot police are reported to have clashed with demonstrators defying government decrees to stop street protests over disputed elections.

Eyewitness reports say there have been clashes near the parliament building in the capital Tehran, in the streets around Baharestan Square.

Reporting restrictions in Iran mean the BBC cannot verify the reports.

The new protests came hours after Iran's supreme leader said he would "not yield" over the election result.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei again said the result would stand, despite days of protests in which at least 17 people are reported to have died.

See map of central Tehran

The ayatollah has repeatedly demanded that the protests stop, but his calls have gone largely unheeded.

Witnesses told the Associated Press that police beat protesters with batons, fired tear gas and shot into the air to disperse the crowd on Wednesday.

Although some demonstrators fought police, others fled to another square about 2km (1.2 miles) to the north, the witnesses said.

IRAN UNREST 12 June Presidential election saw incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad re-elected with 63% of vote Main challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi called for result to be annulled on grounds of electoral fraud Street protests saw at least 17 people killed and foreign media restricted Q&A: Election aftermath How Iran is ruled Who's who in Iran Iran: Send your questions

Another witness told Reuters that the crowd had been dispersed by tear gas, but did not know of any casualties.

Iran has placed severe reporting restrictions on the BBC and other foreign media which mean many reports from the country cannot be verified.

The main protest leader, former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, has not been seen in public for days, but his website quoted his wife as saying the protests would continue.

Zahra Rahnavard was also quoted as demanding the release of people detained since the election. They include 25 employees of her husband's newspaper.

"It is my duty to continue legal protests to preserve Iranian rights," she was quoted as saying on the website.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner of the 12 June poll.

Mr Mousavi alleges the election was rigged and is demanding a re-run.

The ayatollah had earlier agreed to extend by five days the amount of time allowed to examine complaints of electoral fraud.

But Iran's state-run Press TV channel said on Wednesday that a partial recount of the vote had verified the result, although it did not give details.

In other developments, another defeated candidate, the moderate Mehdi Karoubi, reportedly denounced the new government as "illegitimate", Reuters reported on Wednesday.

"I do not accept the result and therefore consider as illegitimate the new government. Because of the irregularities, the vote should be annulled," he is quoted as saying on his website.

Diplomatic row

Iran has blamed foreign governments for inflaming the protests.

Tehran said on Wednesday it was considering downgrading ties with Britain, after expelling two diplomats the previous day for "activities incompatible with their status".

The UK later announced that two Iranian diplomats were being sent home in retaliation.

Washington said on Wednesday it had rescinded invitations to Iranian diplomats to attend US 4 July celebrations held by embassies around the world.

A White House spokesman said Iranians had not replied anyway.

The BBC's Kim Ghattas, in Washington, says it is the first concrete step taken by the Obama administration in protest at Tehran's crackdown on demonstrators.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Ryan O'Neal to wed Farrah Fawcett!

The couple have been together on-and-off since 1982

US actor Ryan O'Neal has said he will marry his longtime companion, actress Farrah Fawcett.

"I've asked her to marry me, again, and she's agreed," the 68-year-old told Barbara Walters in a US TV interview.

He added the actress was "fighting for her life" after being diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006.

O'Neal and Fawcett, 62, have been romantically involved on and off since 1982. The couple have a son together, Redmond, but have never married.

"I used to ask her to marry me all the time but it just got to be a joke, you know. We just joked about it," he said in the interview.

He added this time the agreement was real, saying: "We will, as soon as she can say 'yes' - maybe she can just nod her head."

Last month, O'Neal told People magazine that the Charlie's Angels star's cancer had spread to her liver and that her treatment had effectively ended.

Fawcett declared herself cancer-free four months after originally being diagnosed with cancer, only to have the disease return in May 2007.

She shared her experiences of battling the disease in footage she released to the media in 2008.

O'Neal's interview will be shown in the US on 26 June.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Viewpoints: Pakistan's extremist threat

Pakistani army soldiers after an operation against the Taliban in the Swat Valley

Four experts offer a range of views on the nature of the threat posed by violent extremists based in Pakistan, and assess whether or not the country's nuclear weapons could fall into the wrong hands.

DR DANIEL MARKEY

Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia, at the Council on Foreign Relations

Pakistan faces multiple layers of threat from extremism.

International terrorists, including al-Qaeda, have networks that extend from Pakistan's largest cities to remote sanctuaries along the Afghan border. Militants opposed to the Nato-backed government in Kabul, including former Afghan Taliban leaders, organize their insurgency from Pakistan's western tribal belt.

Much of Pashtun Pakistan, including settled districts of the North West Frontier Province, is now threatened by the loosely-organized Pakistani Taliban. A range of militant and sectarian groups with long-standing ties to Pakistani intelligence now engage in destabilizing activities at home and throughout the region. And extremist sympathizers within Islamist political parties and social networks indoctrinate the public.

Extra funding will be needed to support displaced civilians

There is also a nuclear issue. Only in Pakistan do you have the juxtaposition of a significant nuclear arsenal and the world's most sophisticated terror network. Pakistan's nuclear weapons are not uniquely vulnerable, but they are geographically close to al-Qaeda's core leadership, which has a declared intention to obtain a nuclear device.

The US can help in a number of ways.

[There is] the juxtaposition of a significant nuclear arsenal and the world's most sophisticated terror network

There is an urgent need for assistance to the displaced residents of the Swat Valley to prevent them from turning against the state.

To make Pakistan's nuclear arsenal less vulnerable, Washington can offer training for forces protecting the weapons, improved systems for screening personnel, and technical means for disabling weapons in case of theft.

US drones should continue to target the worst of the terrorist cells active along the Afghan border, but Pakistan's own counter-terror capacity should be enhanced by sharing tactical intelligence and providing other tools such as helicopters, night vision goggles, and appropriate training.

Longer term, Pakistan needs civilian assistance programmes on a large scale and private sector help to create opportunities for its next generation - 60% of the population is under 24 years of age - to undercut the appeal of violence and extreme ideologies.

DR GARETH PRICE

Head of the Asia programme at Chatham House

Fears that Pakistan's nuclear weapons are likely to fall into the hands of the Pakistani Taliban seem overblown. But concern that a large, and growing, part of Pakistan is controlled by a range of pro-Taliban groups, and not by the state, is well-founded.

The situation in the tribal areas has clearly created safe havens for Taliban forces fighting in Afghanistan. But Taliban activity has also been growing in Pakistan, particularly in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Once entrenched, as in the Swat valley, the state is unlikely to regain control with non-military solutions.

A range of challenges lie ahead:

• First, we don't really know what has happened in Swat. Have thousands of militants been killed or did the bulk of them slip away? And how many civilians have died? Civilian casualties alienate the wider population, in Pakistan as in Afghanistan. Military campaigns that go wrong increase support for the Taliban.
• Second, what will the state do next? Will it follow up a military victory with moves to demonstrate the benefits of the Pakistani state, through economic development and improvements in social services, health and education? Or will it leave people to return home to shattered houses, and move on to the next military campaign, maybe in Waziristan?
• Third, and most dangerous, is the gradual spread of radical Islamist ideas in Pakistan, in parts of Punjab, as well as the NWFP. This is accentuated by the fact that it is easier for the Taliban to destroy, than for the government to create. In the long-run the solution lies in education, and in creating an environment in which individuals have hope in this life. But few people would choose to teach in schools in Waziristan, above schools in Lahore. Implementing such a vision is easier said than done.

AHMED RASHID

Pakistani journalist and author of Taliban

For the first time since 9/11, the Pakistani army has begun determined efforts to drive the Pakistani Taliban and other foreign extremist groups out of South Waziristan. This follows a successful campaign to expel the Taliban from the Swat valley, north of Islamabad, in which the army claims to have killed 1500 militants.

However the US, Nato and millions of Pakistanis are not yet convinced that the government is fully committed to eliminating the Taliban threat, killing its leaders and overturning the army's longstanding support for the Afghan Taliban.

It so happens that many of Pakistan's nuclear facilities are in western Punjab just outside the war zone in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan and the southern part of the North West Frontier Province.

Taliban have infiltrated into western Punjab as far as Mianwalli, which lies within 30 miles of nuclear facilities at Chasma on the right bank of the Indus river and Khushab further east.

But international fears that a Pakistani-built nuclear weapon or dirty bomb fissile material could fall into the hands of the Taliban appear unfounded for the moment.

Since April there has been a heavy deployment of security forces around these nuclear sites and several Taliban have been arrested in Mianwalli.

Pakistan has more than 10,000 dedicated security personnel looking after its nuclear facilities - all highly trained and constantly monitored for any possible links with the Taliban.

It is widely believed that after 9/11, and the discovery that Pakistani nuclear scientists had been in contact with Osama bin Laden, the US persuaded Pakistan to install safeguards on its nuclear weapons, for which the US paid some $100m.

Washington's current fear and frustration partly stems from the fact that Pakistan has never shown the US these safeguards, or subjected them to rigorous international testing.

But it is also true that if the Taliban are not beaten back and their leaders eliminated, fears about the fate of Pakistan's bomb will multiply not just amongst foreigners but also among Pakistanis themselves.

KANWAL SIBAL

Former Indian Foreign Secretary

Pakistan created and used the Taliban to achieve its strategic goals in Afghanistan. It was September 11 and the Taliban's refusal to shed the al-Qaeda baggage that created a strategic rift between the US and Pakistan on the continuation of the Taliban in power in Afghanistan.

Even now the Taliban remains a powerful instrument in the hands of Pakistan's military, to secure its long-term strategic interests in Afghanistan. This explains the shelter still given to the Taliban leadership in Quetta, and the resurgence of the Taliban threat to Afghanistan.

Pakistan is under pressure from the US to act

A distinction should be made between the Afghan Taliban and the Pakistani Taliban. The Afghan Taliban are not staging terrorist attacks within Pakistan, the Pakistani Taliban are. Pakistan is taking military action against the latter, not the former.

Pakistan has allowed extremist thinking to grow within the country because it suited its domestic political needs of unifying the country around Islam, as well as its strategic needs vis-a-vis India and Afghanistan.

Pakistanis see the Taliban as a product of US policies in the region.

The Pakistani authorities have no choice but to take a section of these forces on. For one, those behind the terrorist attacks have to be neutralized for the sake of civil security. For another, Pakistan is under pressure from the US to act.

If these groups impede Pakistan from supporting the US effort in Afghanistan or deepen their strategic space within Pakistan, then the core of US strategy will be in disarray.

Pakistan's counter-insurgency measures involving the use of the Air Force and heavy weaponry against their own people, causing internal displacement of the population on a massive scale, can potentially put strains on the unity of the country by sharpening already existing ethnic divisions.

Do I seriously think there is a chance of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of extremists? Such an apocalyptic scenario is difficult to visualize. This presupposes the collapse of the Pakistani state and its armed forces, which is unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future.

If the Pakistan army itself becomes Islamized, then the "extremists" would have gained access to Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. But these are imaginary scenarios for the time being.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

"SAYINGS"

"A MAN IS A SUCCESS IF

HE GETS UP IN THE MORNING AND GETS TO BED AT NIGHT,

AND IN BETWEEN

HE DOES WHAT HE WANTS TO DO" !

__________

Woolworths returns as online shop!

The closure of Woolworths' shops led to vast closing down sales.

The Woolworths brand is about to begin trading as an online business, more than five months after the ex-High Street giant went into administration.

Shop Direct Home Shopping reportedly paid administrators between £5m ($8.24m) and £10m for the brand name.

Goods on woolworths.co.uk include toys, Ladybird clothing and the firm's iconic pick n' mix confectionery.

In December, Woolworths' 807 stores and distribution arm, EUK, went into administration, with £385m of debt.

Shop Direct is part of the Littlewoods group, which is owned by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, and which already runs Littlewoods Online, one of the largest UK web retailers.

Within hours of the announcement that the brand was to return online, 20,000 customers were said to have registered.

They were then encouraged to suggest what they would like the store - which opens from 0600 BST on Friday - to sell.

"Families wanted us to bring back Woolies as soon as possible, so that's what we've done," said Shop Direct chief executive, Mark Newton-Jones.

"From acquiring the brand to launching it has only been 20 weeks; something you could never achieve with a High Street business but can do online.

"We're aiming to create a fun, family web experience which keeps on getting better and better."

Rising rents and a recession-induced cash crisis brought to a head Woolworths' long-running problems, which were largely attributed to its outdated business model.

Administrator Deloitte has said that about 180 stores have been sold or are under offer with buyers including discount stores such as Poundland.

Supermarkets including Iceland, Tesco, and Sainsbury have bought properties from Woolworths, while others have been snapped up by local authorities.

Other retailers are understood to be waiting until the leases are returned to their respective landlords to negotiate a better deal.

In January this year, the former Woolworths branch in Dorchester was reopened by a former Woollies manager as Wellworths and celebrated its 100,000th customer in three months.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Tories attack Iraq inquiry 'mess'!

William Hague: "The government has performed a U-turn"

Gordon Brown has been accused during a Commons debate of making a "monumental mess" of setting up the Iraq inquiry.

Shadow foreign secretary William Hague said the PM had "set out trying to keep it behind closed doors" and said there were still "serious deficiencies".

But Foreign Secretary David Miliband accused the Tories of "sham outrage" and said the inquiry deserved support.

He said that while it was not a "trial or impeachment" it would be free to "praise or blame whoever it likes".

The Conservatives called the debate after Mr Brown told MPs last week the inquiry would be in private.

Amid much criticism he later said it was up to the inquiry's chairman, Sir John Chilcot, to hold some sessions in public if he chose to.

But opposition parties and some Labour MPs are pressing for further assurances.

MPs will vote at about 1900 BST on a Tory motion demanding it be held "whenever possible" in public and calling for its terms of reference to be put to MPs for scrutiny

Opening the debate shadow foreign secretary Mr Hague said Mr Brown had talked of improving transparency but had produced proposals for a "secretive, behind-closed-doors inquiry".

It needs to be comprehensive, independent, not a trial or an impeachment but an effort to learn for the future David Miliband Foreign Secretary Brown denies Iraq inquiry U-turn

He added the membership was too restricted while the timing of the inquiry - which is due to report back after the next election - was "utterly cynical and politically motivated".

Since then he said the government had "engaged in a series of climbdowns - a U-turn executed in stages" and had relied on Sir John to announce changes, rather "admit that the government were in the wrong".

"Now an inquiry that is seriously overdue can't get off to a clean start but will spend an unspecified period of time adjusting its remit - a recipe for confusion rather than clarity," he said.

The government has pointed out the Conservatives had been asking for a Franks-style inquiry - a reference to the committee that reviewed the Falklands War - which was partly held in private.

But Mr Hague said several important elements of the Franks inquiry were "completely missing" while the government had chosen to continue with the one most people regarded as "no longer appropriate", holding it in private.

He called for MPs to be allowed to approve the inquiry's terms of reference, saying it was "unfair" to Sir John to leave him to clarify all the terms and rules.

s

Senior Tory Sir Michael Ancram also warned the inquiry's remit could end up being so "open and vague" that Parliament was asking Sir John to "do the impossible".

For the government, Mr Miliband told MPs all parties agreed there was a need for an inquiry adding: "It needs to be comprehensive, independent, not a trial or an impeachment but an effort to learn for the future."

He confirmed it would have access to all Cabinet papers, papers from foreign governments and appeared to confirm it would have access to the original legal advice to cabinet on the legality of the war.

But he said it was "right and proper to leave the discretion" on whether evidence should be given under oath, to Sir John.

However Clare Short, the former cabinet minister who resigned as a Labour MP over the war, and former Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell said Sir John did not have the power to do so and it would have to be decided by MPs.

Mr Miliband said the inquiry would deliver "insight and value" and would have "complete freedom to write its own report".

David Miliband: "It can praise or blame whoever it likes"

But he said there was a balance to be struck between "speed and confidentiality" and "comprehensiveness and transparency".

Denying reports it was Tony Blair who had pushed for a closed inquiry, Mr Miliband said the former PM had told a question and answer session last night he had "no problem" answering questions in public.

Asked whether, if it wanted to attribute blame, the inquiry should be able to do so, Mr Miliband replied: "It is not an inquiry that has been set up to establish civil or criminal liability, it is not a judicial inquiry.

"Everything beyond that is within its remit, it can praise or blame whoever it likes, it is free to write its own report at every stage."

Labour backbencher Gordon Prentice said he was still unclear about how much of the inquiry would be in public.

He said a briefing note circulated to Labour MPs had said the inquiry would "sit in private with scope for public events and hearings" - he believed it should have been the other way around.

Mr Miliband said Sir John had already said "as much as possible" should be public.

But for the Liberal Democrats, David Heath demanded to know the criteria for closed sessions.

He added: "It suits the government to have us believe that the inquiry will be mostly in public, but I have my doubts."

Tory leader David Cameron says Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Alastair Campbell [Tony Blair's former press secretary] must give evidence in public.

Earlier the prime minister's spokesman said Mr Brown would have "no difficulty in giving evidence in public", if national security considerations are met.

Former Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell said there should be a "presumption" that Mr Blair and other key figures in the decision to go to war should give evidence in public unless national security interests dictated otherwise.

"The important thing is not to confuse government embarrassment with the national interest," he said.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

China activist formally arrested!

By Michael Bristow BBC News, Beijing

Mr Liu has been a political activist for more than two decades

One of China's most prominent political activists has been formally arrested for inciting subversion.

Liu Xiaobo is accused of spreading rumours and defaming the government, according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency.

Mr Liu's arrest comes six months after he was taken into custody.

He was detained just before the publication of a document that he co-authored calling for political change in China.

There has been constant speculation about Mr Liu's fate ever since he was taken from his home late at night last December.

That has now ended with the announcement from Beijing's public security bureau that the activist has been formally arrested.

"[Mr] Liu has been engaged in agitation activities, such as spreading of rumours and defaming of the government, aimed at subversion of the state and overthrowing the socialism system in recent years," the bureau told Xinhua.

It added that Mr Liu, a writer as well as an activist, had confessed to the charge in an initial police investigation.

Mr Liu's wife, Liu Xia, has been informed of the arrest, the detained activist's lawyer Mo Shaoping told the BBC.

The lawyer has not been able to see his client since his arrest, but hopes to do so within the next 48 hours.

"According to the law, the public security bureau must allow us to see him," he said.

Mr Liu was detained on the eve of the publication of Charter 08, a document signed by hundreds of Chinese artists, academics and political activists.

It was published on the 60th anniversary of the promulgation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

It called for political reforms in China, such as a new constitution, judicial independence and the freedom to assemble.

Many of those who signed the document were subjected to harassment from the Chinese government after its publication.

Mr Liu has been a political activist for more than two decades. He took part in the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 - for which he spent two years in prison.

After his release he continued to push for political change.

Human rights organisations, such as Amnesty International, have called for Mr Liu's release.

"This use of state security charges to punish activists for merely expressing their views must stop," said Amnesty's Roseann Rife after Mr Liu's arrest was announced.

"This is another act of desperation by a regime that is terrified of public opinion."

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Cowell finalising firm with Green!

Simon Cowell and Sir Philip Green have been friends for a long time

Reality television mogul Simon Cowell and retail billionaire Sir Philip Green are finalising details of a new company they plan to run together.

Mr Cowell has a production company called Syco, which makes shows such as Britain's Got Talent and X Factor.

Sir Philip would add his business acumen as the owner of BHS and Topshop.

"They've been good friends for a long time and there's a good chance they'll be working together," Mr Cowell's publicist Max Clifford told the BBC.

It is understood that the details are likely to be completed in the next month if all goes according to plan.

Simon Cowell has been involved with many of the most successful reality television programmes.

Singers featured on his programmes are signed to the Syco Music label, which is part of Sony Music.

It is unclear how the new entertainment company would fit in with his existing interests.

BBC NEWS REPORTL

Why do Buddhist monks sleep upright?

WHO, WHAT, WHY? The Magazine answers...

A group of Buddhist monks recently emerged from four years in isolation in a retreat in Scotland, having spent their nights sleeping in an upright position. Why?

Most of us sleep horizontally

The monks at the Samye Dechen Shing Buddhist retreat in Dumfriesshire are supposed to sleep upright in a "meditation box". For less than five hours.

We've all fallen asleep in armchairs, but it seems a different proposition to sit bolt upright every night for four years.

According to Buddhist monks, it is possible to sleep that way, but it's not for the uninitiated.

"If somebody is diligent they make a lot of effort to sit upright," says Ani Lhamo, secretary to the abbot at the Samye Ling monastery, which owns and runs the retreat.

"The aim is definitely to sit upright and reduce the need for sleep. If the person is strongly motivated and healthy and strong there is no reason why not."

THE ANSWER It is possible to sleep upright But in deep, dreamy REM sleep muscle tone is lost The monks may get around this by the way they sit Or it may be that they constrain their REM sleep

For those spending the four years on retreat the aim is to spend as much time meditating as possible.

"If possible, if somebody is well-attuned to that kind of thing, they can develop the amount of time eventually to be able to use the sleeping time [for meditation]. Also if you are more upright when you sleep, when you wake up you haven't slept so deeply, and it is easy to wake up quickly and get going."

Bedtime at the retreat is 11pm and the gong goes at 3.45am when the monks are supposed to start praying and meditating.

Of course, we don't need to be supine to be asleep.

"We can sleep in a chair. We can sleep standing up but we are not as good at it as other creatures, for example birds," says Derk-Jan Dijk, professor of sleep and physiology at Surrey University.

These people have been sleeping upright for four years and are happy

Soldiers on sentry duty are among those who have been known to take 40 winks standing up, but if we enter the deeper, dreamy phase of sleep it starts to become difficult to remain upright.

"In Rapid Eye Movement sleep we lose the tone in our muscles which makes it difficult to stand up or even sit up," says Prof Dijk.

Dr Neil Stanley, sleep expert at the Norfolk and Norwich hospital, says sleeping upright may be easier for those who have a different concept of comfort.

"It is possible. In order to sleep you need to be safe and comfortable. We all know we can nod off in front of the TV. When you go into dreaming sleep you lose all muscle tone.

WHO, WHAT, WHY? A regular part of the BBC News Magazine, Who, What, Why? aims to answer some of the questions behind the headlines

"But I imagine [the monks] are sitting in a posturally correct way and are not going to slip and slither off their chair and that they could have a perfectly good night's sleep."

It's not easy to verify the sleep patterns of the monks. They are in individual rooms at the retreat, and although the gong goes at 3.45am nobody comes around to check they are awake.

Prof Dijk says there have been studies where professed short sleepers, when observed over 24 hours, turned out to be getting more sleep than they had stated.

But at the Buddhist retreat it may all just be a question of dedication.

"In the beginning I had a lot of sore knees," says Ani Lhamo. "It suited me better than lying in a bed in the end."

But for anybody thinking of starting to sleep upright, and only for a brief period, there are dangers in short duration sleep.

Meditation is the main activity

"There is a large body of epidemiological literature suggesting that there are associations between short sleep duration and a number of negative health outcomes including cardiovascular disease," says Prof Dijk.

These negative effects are noticed in those who regularly sleep for less than six hours, but also those who regularly sleep more than 10 hours. The effects of reducing only REM sleep are not known.

"If you are artificially constraining sleep that can cause problems - heart disease and depression," says Dr Stanley. "That may be taken care of by the fact that these people are meditative - they don't have the stresses of 21st Century living to contend with in their lifestyle.

"I wouldn't have thought that poor sleep is going to be a huge, huge problem for them. But it isn't recommended for the man in the street."

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Multiple bigamist facing prison!

Emily Horne faces jail again for bigamy

A former glamour model and adult film actress has admitted getting married while still legally wed, for the fifth time.

Emily Jane Horne, 30, from York, will be sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester next month.

No facts were given in court and she was given conditional bail after admitting bigamy.

When she was jailed for six months for the same offence at Ipswich in 2002 she was called "a very predatory female".

Ms Horne, who now lives in the West Midlands, left court without comment.

She is believed to have got married to a soldier for the first time in York in December 1996, on her 18th birthday.

In 1999 she took husband number two in Leeds and the year after another man in Rotherham became number three.

She was then cautioned for two offences of bigamy by West Yorkshire Police.

But in 2002 she wed again - but failed to get her previous marriages annulled and was jailed for six months after the case in Ipswich.

Marriage number five came in September 2007 at Chadderton Register Office near Oldham, Greater Manchester.

But on their way to Scotland for the honeymoon she revealed she was already married - and police were called in.

She will be sentenced on 27 July.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Sarkozy stirs French burka debate!

By Emma Jane Kirby BBC News, Paris

The use of the head-to-toe veil is dividing opinion in France

Since this was the first time in almost one and a half centuries that a French president had been allowed to address parliament, President Nicolas Sarkozy's speech was already on course to ruffle a few feathers.

The Greens and Communists refused to attend and the Socialists left early, claiming the venue for the address - the Chateau of Versailles, which was home to King Louis XIV - smacked of monarchy and a thirst for power.

But it was the French leader's attack on the burka that really caused a stir.

He expressed his strong distaste for the head-to-toe Islamic veil, calling it not a sign of religion but a sign of subservience.

"It will not be welcome on French soil," he said." We cannot accept, in our country, women imprisoned behind a mesh, cut off from society, deprived of all identity. That is not the French republic's idea of women's dignity."

President Sarkozy's comments have not come out of the blue.

They are in response to a call last week by a group of 65 cross-party MPs, led by the Communist Andre Gerin, who wants a parliamentary commission set up to investigate the spread of the burka in France.

They want to see whether such a spread is indicative of a radicalisation of Islam, whether women are being forced to cover themselves or are doing so voluntarily, and whether wearing the burka undermines French secularism.

Mr Gerin believes the burka "amounts to a breach of individual freedom on our national territory".

Because, if the mention of monarchy triggers warning bells in France, the mention of religion triggers much louder ones.

The concept of secularism or "laicite" is sacred in France.

We must not fight the wrong battle. In the republic, the Muslim faith must be respected as much as other religions Nicolas Sarkozy, French President

The separation of church and state is jealously guarded by everyone from school teachers to government ministers - and the constitution states the republic "does not recognise, subsidise or remunerate any religious body".

It underpinned the French Revolution, and has been a basic tenet of the country's progressive thought since the 18th century when French Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire, Diderot and Montesquieu regarded religion as divisive, benighted and intolerant.

It was this same concept that was invoked five years ago to ban conspicuous signs of religion - including Islamic headscarves - from schools.

That decision sparked controversy and debate across Europe, with critics claiming it stigmatised Muslims at a time when France needed to be stepping up its fight against rife discrimination in the job market, which had caused so many youths of Muslim origin to feel forgotten by French society.

This latest call for a potential ban of the burka has prompted the head of the French Council for the Muslim Religion to warn MPs they risk stigmatising Muslims again.

But the special inquiry does have the backing of Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Paris Mosque and a former head of the Muslim council, who insists that Islam in France should be an "open and convivial Islam that allows people to live side by side".

He fears that anecdotal evidence that more women are wearing the burka in France is linked to an "excess, a radicalisation" among some Muslims.

Find out about different styles of Muslim headscarf In graphics

With five million Muslims living here, France is home to Western Europe's largest Islamic community and the government will be anxious not to isolate the Muslim population by being seen to be trying to dictate to women what they should wear.

The issue has even split the French cabinet.

Rama Yade, the Muslim human rights minister, said she would be open to a ban if it was aimed at protecting women who wore a burka against their will. The immigration minister, Eric Besson, believes a ban will only create tensions.

President Sarkozy may have given his backing to an open debate on the burka, but he also insisted France needed to make sure it knew exactly what it was debating.

"We must not fight the wrong battle," he said. "In the republic, the Muslim faith must be respected as much as other religions."

BBC NEWS REPORT.

UK announces £5m aid for Zimbabwe!

Gordon Brown: "Let this meeting be a sign of our shared desire for change"

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced an extra £5m ($8m) of aid to Zimbabwe after meeting his Zimbabwean counterpart Morgan Tsvangirai.

This takes the total this year to £60m ($98m) but Mr Brown said more money would only come after further reform.

He also said the aid would go through aid agencies, not the government in which Mr Tsvangirai shares power with President Robert Mugabe.

Zimbabwe says it needs $8bn (£4.9bn) to revive its shattered economy.

Mr Tsvangirai has been on a tour of Europe and the US to ask for increased funding but many donors are still wary of sending money which could be misused by Mr Mugabe and his allies.

Under Mr Mugabe, relations between the UK and its former colony have become severely strained.

Some £4m ($6.5m) of the new money is to be channelled into food aid and agriculture, with the rest towards buying text books for Zimbabwean schools.

Morgan Tsvangirai said Zimbabweans were positive about overcoming meltdown

At their joint news conference in London, Mr Tsvangirai defended his decision to share power with President Mugabe in February.

Mr Tsvangirai said "irreversible change was now taking place in Zimbabwe towards a transition to democracy and elections".

Mr Brown said it was the first time a British and a Zimbabwean prime minister had stood together in Downing Street for 25 years.

"I pay tribute today to your courage, your determination, your strength of character and your fortitude in this tragedy," he said.

The British premier added: "There are great signs of progress, a budget and economic plan are in place, schools are reopenin

"As a result of the progress, we will increase our support to help Zimbabwe move from mere survival towards a genuine recovery."

ZIMBABWE AID PLEDGES Australia: $6.4m (£4.7m) World Bank: $22m (£14.4m) African nations: $650m (£400m) US: $73m (£44m) Germany: $35m (£21m) UK: $98m (£60m) Zimbabwe needs: $8bn (£4.9bn) 'Why I booed Morgan Tsvangirai' Viewpoint: Ambiguous trip Slideshow: Zimbabwe's orphans

But he said that further money would only be forthcoming if "the reform programme on the ground gains momentum".

He called for more economic reforms, an improvement in human rights, media freedom, the scrapping of repressive laws and an end to the invasion of white-owned farms, reports the Reuters news agency.

Mr Tsvangirai had been expected to ask Mr Brown to lift sanctions against Mr Mugabe and his officials but there was no change in this stance. These include a travel ban and assets freeze.

Up to half the population - some four million people - is believed to need food aid after years of economic meltdown.

Mr Tsvangirai also told the news conference that he hoped the ban on the BBC operating in Zimbabwe would be rescinded soon.

He said media reforms were being implemented and that the BBC should "look forward to coming to operate in Zimbabwe openly, and not secretly".

Last week, Amnesty International said that the human rights situation in Zimbabwe remained "precarious" despite the power-sharing government.

Opposition and civil rights activists continue to be arrested by the security forces, which are still largely controlled by Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party.

On Saturday, Zimbabwe's prime minister was booed by Zimbabwean exiles in London when he urged them to return to the country.

Many were bitter that, following years of outspoken opposition to the Zimbabwe government, he had decided to join it and offer public support to Mr Mugabe.

Mr Tsvangirai is due to round off his visit to Europe and the US - his first official tour since becoming prime minister - with a stop in Paris on Wednesday before returning home.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Six killed in US subway collision

The crash happened on a section of line that was above ground

Two rush-hour subway trains have collided in Washington DC, leaving at least six people dead and 76 injured.

Carriages of one train came to rest on top of the other after hitting it from behind as it was stationary, although the cause is unclear, officials said.

The female driver of the moving train was among the dead.

The crash - the worst in 33 years of the Metro system - happened above ground between Fort Totten and Takoma Park at 1700 local time (2200 BST).

President Barack Obama said in a statement: "Michelle and I were saddened by the terrible accident in north-east Washington DC. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends affected by this tragedy.

"I want to thank the brave first responders who arrived immediately to save lives."

Washington mayor Adrian Fenty has visited the scene of the crash

Washington fire chief Dennis Rubin said approximately 200 firefighters were at the scene of the accident.

He said 76 people were treated at the scene and six of those were sent to hospital with critical injuries.

He said the majority were walking wounded.

The dead driver was named as Jeanice McMillan, 42, by the Associated Press (AP) and the Washington Post

Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty described it as "the deadliest accident in the history of our Metro train transit system".

He added: "We have to at this time continue to act and behave as a rescue scene."

BBC correspondent Richard Lister said it was possible people were still trapped in the lower of the two train carriages.

He said Mr Rubin had reported that parts of that carriage were 70 to 80% compressed.

'Ploughed into the back'

The general manager of the Washington subway, John Catoe, said the crash had happened as one train waited for another to clear a station ahead.

He said: "The next train came up behind [the waiting train] and, for reasons we do not know, ploughed into the back.

"We are committed to investigate this accident until we determine why this happened and what must be done to ensure it never happens again."

Both trains involved in the collision were heading in the direction of Washington rather than to the city's outlying areas.

This meant the trains were likely to have had less people on them, AP quoted Debbie Hersman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Passenger Jodie Wickett told CNN she had been sitting on one of the six-car trains, sending text messages on her phone, when she felt the impact.

She said: "From that point on, it happened so fast, I flew out of the seat and hit my head."

Ms Wickett said she stayed at the scene and tried to help.

She added: "People are just in very bad shape. The people that were hurt, the ones that could speak, were calling back as we called out to them.

"Lots of people were upset and crying, but there were no screams."

Another unnamed passenger said: "I was on the train that got hit. We stopped and then it felt like an explosion... when we were hit it seemed like at full speed by the train behind us.

"It was horrible. The second train - the first car was just absolutely shredded, the second car, the seats were out the window. It was awful."

Our correspondent added the accident had happened at the peak of rush hour, on what is a popular and busy commuter line.

The accident is the Metro network's first crash with a passenger fatality since 1982 when three people were killed in a derailment.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

RBS boss set for £9.6m pay deal!

Stephen Hester took over as RBS boss late last year

Royal Bank of Scotland is this week expected to approve a pay package worth up to £9.6m for its chief executive Stephen Hester.

The remuneration deal was agreed on Friday by RBS chairman Sir Philip Hampton and its leading shareholders.

One of the groups represented was UK Financial Investments, which manages the 70% stake in RBS held by taxpayers.

The package is made up of £1.2m in pay, up to £2m in non-cash bonuses and up to £6.4m in long-term incentives.

The long-term incentives will only be payable if share price targets are hit over the next three years.

It is important that the incentives are linked to the share price because the government is keen to sell its shareholding, which was bought at a price of about 50 pence a share.

In early trading on Monday, the shares were trading at 37p a share.

Mr Hester would only get the maximum remuneration if the share price were to hit 70p, which would give the taxpayer a profit of £8bn.

The problem, according to BBC business editor Robert Peston, is that Bank of England governor Mervyn King believes banks are still not lending enough money to fuel a recovery.

Lending more money would be risky and might not be compatible with big growth in the RBS share price.

Mr Hester took over as RBS chief executive late last year following the departure of Sir Fred Goodwin.

He had previously been chief executive of British Land and chief operating officer of Abbey National.

In April, RBS announced 9,000 job cuts, having made a loss of £24.1bn in 2008 - the largest loss in UK corporate history.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Miami's tent city for sex offenders

A Miami law is forcing many of the city's sex offenders to sleep rough under a bridge, reports Emilio San Pedro for the BBC's Americana programme.

As many as 70 released sex offenders live in the camp

The area under the Julia Tuttle Causeway in downtown Miami has in recent years become the unlikely home for a growing community of about 70 convicted sex offenders.

They have ended up living in a makeshift tent city under one of the causeway's bridges because of a local law which prohibits those who have sexually abused minors from living within 2,500 ft (760m) of anywhere where children congregate, such as schools, libraries and parks.

After the local laws were enacted, Florida's correctional authorities found there was virtually nowhere else for these people to live and began dropping them off at the bridge.

Some of them have even been issued driving licences with the bridge listed as their home address.

"Welcome to American justice," said Dr Pedro Jose Greer, the Dean of Florida International University's Department of Humanities, Health and Society, as he met me under the bridge to discuss the squalid conditions at the camp.

"We have people living together with mental and physical illnesses in an environment where people can't possibly sleep because of the cars going by overhead - where you can smell the urine and see the trash mounting all around us."

This is the stupidest damn law I have ever seen and it's purely mandated by revenge without any consideration for the well-being of these people Dr Pedro Greer Campaigner

Dr Greer has for decades been a leading advocate in Miami for homeless people and their right to receive adequate medical and social services.

He told me that he has become increasingly angry over the last few years at the existence of this camp and the lack of an alternative way to reintegrate these convicted sex offenders into society.

"What we're doing is we're saying 'let's take the people that we most despise, that did some of the most egregious things in society and let them all get together and not supervise them and let them wander around the community'," he tells me with a clear sense of frustration in his voice.

"This is the stupidest damn law I have ever seen and it's purely mandated by revenge without any consideration for the well-being of these people - who deserve better despite the severity of their crimes," he says.

As we walk around the camp, with its tents and makeshift huts, lack of running water, electricity or any form of sewage, I meet Isaias, a 35-year-old Latino and former US Marine, who has been living at the camp for over two years.

He tells me how the state authorities simply drop former offenders like him under the bridge and - as he puts it - let them fend for themselves.

"They don't give us no water, no food, no portable toilets, no money - nothing," he tells me.

I've only been here five days but I can't believe these criminal conditions we live in Julio

Isaias - who served five years in prison for having sexual relations with a 16-year-old girl and is now out on parole - says that all that he and many of his neighbours under the bridge want is to be able to attempt to lead a normal life and move beyond their criminal past.

"I can't live with my wife and my daughter. I would like to have a normal life and be able to become a productive member of society again, but society is not giving us that chance," he tells me.

I then ask him if - as a father himself - if he can understand why society harbours such anger for people who have committed these sorts of crimes.

"I would understand it - yes - as a father but at the same time I cannot expect that a person who committed this kind of crime against my own child should then come out of jail and be forced to live like an animal - as we're doing here," he says.

A few metres away I meet Julio - a 62-year-old Cuban immigrant, who served 10 years in prison for abusing a 12-year-old girl. He is a recent arrival at the camp and is finding it very difficult to adjust.

"The conditions here are terrible. I've only been here five days but I can't believe these criminal conditions we live in. I have absolutely nothing and no-one to give me any form of assistance at all. I wonder if I'll ever get out of here," he concludes.

The problem for people like Julio is that the serious nature of the crimes they committed makes it very difficult for them to get much sympathy from the local community or from local politicians - who for the most part have found the issue too sensitive and downright controversial to become involved.

However, earlier this month, one city of Miami commissioner, Marc Sarnoff, did just that.

With the backing of the city government, he wrote a letter to the state governor, Charlie Crist, asking him to shut the camp down.

He based that request on the fact that there is a small island that serves as a weekend park for boaters and their children that lies within the existing local boundaries.

I met Mr Sarnoff on a recent sunny morning at a local park, where a group of boys were playing baseball with their coach.

He told me that his top priority remained protecting these children from sex offenders like the ones who lived at the camp.

"Let me be absolutely clear. I'm not here to support or endorse anything with regard to sexual offenders. They are my least bit of concern," he tells me.

"However, they are living in squalor. I don't think human beings will stay in that condition. They're going to start leaving and what we thought was a good law of 2,500 ft to keep them away from our children will eventually push them back into the population."

Mr Sarnoff hopes that the letter to Governor Crist will force the state either to find some alternative place to house the sex offenders or force some form of legal action that will get the state's courts, which are not beholden to the desires of the electorate, involved.

For the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and others like Dr Greer - who believe the offenders have already served their time in prison and deserve the right to attempt to get on with their lives - the camp's existence and the desperate conditions there serve as a troubling reflection of the values of modern-day Miami.

"The question is - have we become a society that doesn't let you die but let's you suffer? Do we just say we're living in the Middle Ages - an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?" Dr Greer told me after we had finished touring the camp.

"I think we've gone beyond that."

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Australia row over 'fake' e-mail!

Kevin Rudd said the opposition leader should resign over the allegations

Australian MPs are locked in a fiery debate over claims that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd tried to help a car-dealer friend get a government loan.

The debate is focusing on an e-mail purportedly from the prime minister's office asking the Treasury to deal with the loan request "asap".

Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull said the e-mail showed an "abuse of power" and Mr Rudd must resign.

But in a preliminary investigation, police said the e-mail had been faked.

Analysts say it is the biggest test Mr Rudd has faced since he was elected in 2007.

The row has been brewing for weeks, since it emerged that car dealer John Grant lent a pick-up truck to Mr Rudd for use in his constituency.

Mr Grant is a friend of the prime minister, and opposition politicians believe Mr Rudd tried to help him secure money from a Treasury fund called OzCar to help his business deal with the global economic slump.

The row escalated on Friday, when Treasury official Godwin Grech told a Senate committee he thought he could remember receiving an e-mail regarding funding for the car salesman, but added he had no proof.

We have a treasurer who has used his considerable influence to get a favour for a mate. And not just any mate - a mate who is a benefactor of the prime minister Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull

Police were called in to search Mr Grech's home on Monday and specialists examined his computer equipment.

"Preliminary results of those forensic examinations indicate that the e-mail referred to at the centre of this investigation has been created by a person or persons other than the purported author of the e-mail,'' the Australian Federal Police said in a statement.

The row forced a special session of parliament on Monday in which the two sides traded insults and demanded resignations.

Mr Rudd had given Mr Turnbull an ultimatum to produce the e-mail in the parliamentary session, or resign.

"It is false, fake and a forgery. There can be no graver offence in public political life than to be in the business of communicating a document that is false, out there, through the media, in order to bring your political opponent down," Mr Rudd said.

He told parliament the opposition had failed to provide the evidence so had "no alternative now but to stand up and apologise and resign".

But Mr Turnbull mounted his own attack, telling parliament: "What we have here is a shocking abuse of power.

"We have a treasurer who has used his considerable influence to get a favour for a mate. And not just any mate - a mate who is a benefactor of the prime minister," he said.

Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey demanded Mr Rudd and Treasurer Wayne Swan should both stand down.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Schumacher 'revealed' as the Stig!

The Stig removes his helmet - Clip courtesy Top Gear - BBC Two

The Stig, a mystery driver who tests high-performance cars on Top Gear, has been "revealed" as Michael Schumacher.

The seven-times Formula 1 champion dressed as the show's famous driver and removed his helmet during an interview with presenter Jeremy Clarkson.

However, an appalling driving performance by Schumacher at the end of the show cast doubt on the "revelation".

Clarkson told viewers: "I don't think Michael Schumacher is the Stig".

The presenter had earlier revealed in his column in the Sun that Stig's identity would be a "staggering surprise" to viewers.

"As a television moment, it's up there with Neil Armstrong walking on the... corpse of JR Ewing," he added.

Earlier, a BBC spokesman said: "As Jeremy said, in tonight's Top Gear Stig will remove his helmet for the first time."

After the show a BBC spokeswoman could not confirm whether or not Schumacher was the genuine Stig, or a stunt to mark the first episode of a new series of Top Gear.

But she added: "You have to bear in mind that Top Gear is an entertainment programme."

Perry McCarthy, a former Formula 1 driver, was the original Stig, wearing black overalls for his appearances.

He was replaced with a new Stig, dressed in white, after he had revealed his identity in his 2002 autobiography.

BBC NEWS REPORT

Burmese jailed for Suu Kyi prayer!

Burmese in Japan prayed for Ms Suu Kyi on her 64th birthday on Friday

A court in Burma has sentenced two supporters of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to 18 months in prison after they prayed for her release.

The two were convicted of insulting religion after leading prayers at a pagoda for Ms Suu Kyi and other activists to be freed, her party said.

Ms Suu Kyi, 64, has been in detention for more than 13 of the past 18 years.

She is on trial, accused of breaking the terms of her house arrest, and is being held at Rangoon's Insein prison.

A spokesman for Ms Suu Kyi's party, the National League of Democracy, said Chit Pe and Aung Saw Wei were sentenced on Tuesday.

They were arrested in April after leading prayers at a pagoda in Twante, about 40km (30 miles) south of Yangon, said the spokesman, Nyan Win.

Supporters traditionally pray for the release of Ms Suu Kyi and other activists at Buddhist pagodas.

Prison sentences for insulting religion were rare in Burma until recently, correspondents say.

But the law was resurrected in 2007 to jail monks demonstrating against the military authorities, and has since been largely used to prosecute political cases.

Nyan Win also said that three other members of the party had been arrested on 12 June after handing out photos of Ms Suu Kyi in Rangoon.

"We do not know the details about their arrest but they were detained on remand under the Explosives Act," he said.

Observers say the charges against Ms Suu Kyi - which carry a maximum punishment of five years in jail - are designed to keep her imprisoned until after next year's election.

Her trial is due to resume on Friday. She was charged after an American man swam uninvited to the house where she was being held, and stayed there overnight.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Two dead British hostages named!

The men were seized on 29 May 2007

The remains of two British security guards held hostage in Iraq for two years have been identified and named.

They were highly likely to be those of Jason Swindlehurst, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, and Jason Creswell, from Glasgow, the Foreign Office said.

Two other guards and the IT consultant they were protecting, Peter Moore, are still thought to be captive.

Gordon Brown sent his condolences to the victims' families and called for the release of the remaining hostages.

The prime minister said: "There is no justification for hostage taking and I call on those people who are holding the other Iraqi and British hostages to release them immediately."

Consultant Mr Moore, from Lincoln, and his guards were captured by armed militants at the Ministry of Finance in Baghdad in May 2007.

They were surrounded in broad daylight by 40 gunmen wearing police uniforms and bundled into vans.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown offers his condolences to the families

The bodies of Mr Swindlehurst and Mr Creswell were handed over to Iraqi authorities on Friday night, two years after they were taken in Baghdad. It is unclear how they died.

The kidnappers had previously claimed Mr Swindlehurst committed suicide in May 2008, but his family had said "Jason's not that sort of guy".

In the first video released by the kidnappers, dated 18 November 2007, he was seen saying "my name is Jason Swindlehurst" with a black banner displaying Arabic writing in the background.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said: "This is incredibly tough for the families because there really was so much optimism. This was a blow out of nowhere."

The Foreign Office said it had "grave concerns" over the safety of the three men still thought to be held. The two other security guards have been named only as Alan, from Dumbarton, and Alec, from South Wales.

Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent "The Foreign Office approach is a softly-softly one. Questions will be asked whether this was the right approach. "When the BBC's Alan Johnston was kidnapped in Gaza, we made a big song and dance about it. We put the whole story on the news the whole time. "There were operational reasons why that wasn't advisable in this case. "The kidnappers said they wanted a media blackout, which they kept breaking, but I think there will be a lot of soul-searching about this."

A spokeswoman said it informed the families of the dead men "with deep regret".

"Our thoughts are with them at this sad time, and we ask that the media allow them privacy to deal with this news. We continue to do everything we can towards the safe release of the other hostages," she said.

Mr Moore's father Graeme, from Leicestershire, said waiting for news that he was not one of the dead men was "torture".

The 59-year-old delivery driver, from Leicestershire, said his thoughts were now with the family members of the other hostages.

"Obviously, I hope my son is alive but I feel desperate for the other families. What they are going through is unimaginable," he said.

It is possible the handover of the bodies could be seen as a trade-off for the release of a militant Laith al-Khazali, on 6 June.

His freedom had been a stipulation for the hostages being freed, the BBC's Frank Gardner said.

Little is known about the the men because of a media blackout during a large period of their captivity.

The blackout originally came on the instruction of the hostage-takers who said they did not want publicity.

The British government has a policy of not making substantive concessions to kidnappers to discourage further kidnapping.

The policy has been criticised by some and praised by others, including some North African countries who have attacked other European nations for paying huge ransom to kidnappers.

Mr Moore had been working for American management consultancy Bearingpoint when he was kidnapped, while the other men were contractors employed to guard him.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Top Gear's Stig 'to be unveiled'

The Stig's identity would be "a staggering surprise", Clarkson said

The Stig, the mystery driver who tests high-performance cars on Top Gear, will take his helmet off for the first time later, the BBC has confirmed.

Presenter Jeremy Clarkson, writing in his column in the Sun, revealed the unmasking, saying Stig's identity would be a "staggering surprise" to viewers.

He said the Stig would barge into the studio in Sunday night's pre-recorded BBC Two show before showing his face.

The driver has previously been named by papers as ex-stunt driver Ben Collins.

The BBC has previously refused to confirm or deny whether Collins, who has worked on films including James Bond movie Quantum Of Solace, is the Stig.

Clarkson, 49, said that, while filming the scenes, "hardened, emotionless camera crews said the hair on the back of their neck prickled".

"As a television moment, it's up there with Neil Armstrong walking on the... corpse of JR Ewing," he added.

A BBC spokesman would only say: "As Jeremy said, in tonight's Top Gear Stig will remove his helmet for the first time."

It is not clear if the apparent unveiling is part of a publicity stunt which could mean that Stig's identity remains a mystery.

Perry McCarthy, a former Formula 1 driver, was the original Stig, wearing black overalls for his appearances.

He was replaced with a new Stig, dressed in white, after he had revealed his identity in his 2002 autobiography.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Pundits' predictions for Wimbledon!

WIMBLEDON
Date: 22 June - 5 July
Coverage: BBC One, BBC Two, BBC HD, Red Button, website streaming (UK only) and text commentary, 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra, BBC i Player
Find complete listings here

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Federer is determined to win back the title after defeat by Nadal last year

BBC Sport caught up with a host of tennis experts to get their take on who is going to win the 2009 Wimbledon singles titles.

With champion Rafael Nadal out injured, many pundits have gone for Roger Federer, or a certain Andy Murray.

In the women's draw, Venus and Serena Williams are tipped by many to continue their dominance at the All England Club, but the field is wide open.

A selection of commentators, writers and former players have given us their views on who they think will be victorious in SW19 and an outsider who could go a long way.

Sue Barker, BBC TV presenter

MEN'S
Winner: I'm going to go with Roger Federer and I'm sure most people will because he is fit and happy. I think it would be a wonderful story if he beat Sampras's record of Grand Slam victories on Centre Court, I think he is the greatest ever and would fully deserve it.

Outsider: I was pretty impressed with Lleyton Hewitt at Queen's Club. His ranking has dropped of late, but he was striking the ball so well and I'd love him to have a big run.

WOMEN'S
Winner: I'm never, ever going to write Venus Williams off again. I think she is the best on grass if she is fit, healthy and in form. I think if she gets through the first week she will be the person to beat.

Outsider: Sam Stosur. I think she has one of the best serves in women's tennis, she's an attacker, a great doubles player and getting to the semis of the French was was a major breakthrough for her. One everyone will want to avoid.

Andrew Castle, BBC TV commentator

MEN'S
Winner: I'm going to say Federer, with Murray a very close second. When Federer lost the final at Wimbledon last year, no one would have thought that he would be coming into this year's event having won two out of the last three Grand Slams. With that happiness and that contented feel, who knows what sort of tennis he might play?

Outsider: Look out for Juan Martin del Potro, he has unbelievable ground strokes and he really might fancy it.

WOMEN'S
Winner: I saw Svetlana Kuznetsova win Eastbourne when she was 18 and I thought this girl is going to dominate. She has always struggled with getting over the winning line, but after winning the French she has got to be feeling unbelievably good.

Outsider: Look out for a couple of junior champions from the past couple of years in Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Victoria Azarenka.

Pat Cash, former Wimbledon champion

MEN'S
Winner: I'm going to say Andy Murray. I'm not all that confident about it, but why not! He has such a good record against Federer and he is due for it at some stage. Maybe I'm just optimistic, but I think Federer might be tired and Nadal is injured so I've got a feeling he might do it.

Outsider: I'm going to say Stanislas Wawrinka as he is a good all-round player.

606: DEBATE Anybody can win women's tennis nowadays, there is not enough consistency in the game FedererWarrior

WOMEN'S
Winner: I'm going for Venus again. She is one of the best two or three athletes I have ever seen on a tennis court and she is so deadly at Wimbledon. The place seems to give her an extra bit of oomph.

Outsider: I certainly don't think Caroline Wozniacki could win the tournament, but I think she could go far as she is a talented young player.

Mark Petchey, BBC TV commentator

MEN'S
Winner: Federer for me is the favourite, especially after what happened at the French Open. In many ways he has got some freedom to play now. The rest speak for themselves - Murray has the capability to win but I don't put him as favourite.

Outsider: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is someone who could definitely come from outside the pack and have a good run at it.

WOMEN'S
Winner: It's very difficult, but if I had to pick I'd be hard pressed to pick between the Williams sisters as a favourite. It is wide open.

Outsider: Wozniacki would be my outsider. She is a player that perhaps the British public don't know a great deal about.

Annabel Croft, former tennis player and BBC analyst

MEN'S
Winner: Nobody knows how Federer is going to respond to winning the French Open. I think he will win, but Murray is right up there. He seems to play a brand of tennis that other players can't grasp, he makes you play worse, make errors and really gets into your head.

Outsider: Del Potro has a huge serve and the improvement that he has made has been immense. He is so exciting to watch and is so calm and collected.

WOMEN'S
Winner: I don't know why I'm tipping Serena as I should be going with Venus, but it's time that Serena pulled through again. She had a bit of a dip yet still won the Australian Open in January and I think she will come back strongly.

Outsider: Wozniacki is so feisty, gutsy and determined. She has made vast improvements in every department and she has got it all.

Jonathan Overend, BBC Radio 5 Live tennis correspondent

MEN'S
Winner: I've got a hunch that Federer is going to win Wimbledon. Murray is a close second favourite and is proving himself as a definite Wimbledon contender. It will be fascinating if Murray and Federer meet as the Scot has the most incredible hold over Federer.

Nadal will not defend his title because of a knee injury

Outsider: Grigor Dimitrov won't win the title, but he is going to get a lot of attention. Last year's junior Wimbledon champion is very reminiscent of a young Federer, both in the way he plays the game and in the way he conducts himself off the court.

WOMEN'S
Winner: There is no real stand-out player. Venus Williams is the one player who always comes good and it is very hard to see her getting beat on grass. The thing about the Williams sisters is, you have no idea how their form is as they don't play any warm-up matches.

Outsider: I'd go for Wozniacki. She looks like a good grass-court player and came close to beating Jankovic last year.

Barry Flatman, Sunday Times tennis correspondent

MEN'S
Winner: Federer will be on a crest of a wave after winning the French Open. With Nadal out, Murray will be Federer's biggest threat. We have been through the dip of Federer and now we are on the climb again.

Outsider: If the draw falls right for him, Ivo Karlovic could be an outsider. With his serve he has got a chance of going a long way.

WOMEN'S
Winner: There's not too many contenders. I don't think you can look much further than either Williams sister and at the moment Venus seems to be better than Serena.

Outsider: There are some very good young kids coming through now like Azarenka, Wozniacki and Agnieszka Radwanska, but out of those three I'd say Radwanska after what she did on grass at Eastbourne last year.

Neil Harman, Times tennis correspondent

MEN'S
Winner: I think Murray is ready to win. His game is there, he has been to a Grand Slam final before and I don't think he finds the pressure overbearing. Call it an instinct or feeling, I think this is the one where it is going to happen for him.

Outsider: My outsider is Mardy Fish. He is a very good grass-court player. It is about time he broke through in a Grand Slam and I think Wimbledon is the place he could do it.

WOMEN'S
Winner: I'm looking at Maria Sharapova if she gets some good games under her belt and is over her shoulder injury, but of course Venus Williams will always be a challenger.

Outsider: My outsider is Azarenka, she is someone who could surprise a few people.

Mike Dickson, Daily Mail tennis correspondent

MEN'S
Winner: I'm going for Federer, which I know isn't very original. I think he is far from unbeatable though and I don't think he has been playing quite as well as he can. His win at the French wasn't a cure-all, but he is rightly the favourite.

Outsider: I'm expecting Tsonga to do well. It's about time he had another good Grand Slam. He has actually won quite a few grass-court matches in his career, seems fit and motivated and he is a very dangerous player with a huge game.

WOMEN'S
Winner: Someday Venus's luck is going to run out so it's about time Serena did something at Wimbledon and I think she might be a bit sore after defeat at Roland Garros.

Outsider: Sharapova is the obvious outsider as she has been out for so long. I don't think anyone would want to be anywhere near her in the draw. If she is fit and fine there's no way she couldn't win as she is still a fighter.

BBC SPORTS REPORT.

Record crowd for Solstice sunrise!

Druid describes 'wonderful' feeling during sunrise over Stonehenge

A record crowd of about 36,500 revellers has welcomed the dawn of the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge.

The number of people attending the event caused roads in the area to become gridlocked in the hours leading up to sunrise at 0458 BST.

Druid ceremonies took place alongside music and Morris dancing, however overcast skies obscured the sun.

Police praised the crowd and said there had been only 25 arrests for minor disorder and drug offences.

Sam Edwards, from Wiltshire police, said: "We are very pleased everything went to plan.

"The atmosphere has been very good, especially around the stones.

"Most people have been very co-operative with us and very understanding of the reasons for our presence.

The event to mark the dawn of the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere has grown in popularity since a four-mile exclusion zone around the site was lifted nine years ago.

English Heritage, which manages the ancient monument, said the car park was full with 6,500 cars two hours before sunrise.

Meanwhile the main route into Stonehenge, the A303, was closed due to volumes of traffic.

Peter Carson, head of Stonehenge, said: "We were expecting it to be busy this year, but we had ensured that it has been a peaceful and enjoyable solstice.

"There has been a great atmosphere and where else would you want to be on midsummer's day?"

Police drafted in extra officers and said there would be a zero tolerance approach to drugs and drunkenness, with an alcohol limit of four cans of beer or a bottle of wine per person imposed by English Heritage.

Druid King Arthur Pendragon told the BBC shortly before sunrise: "It's a very nice atmosphere and everything's fine at the moment.

"There have been more police present this year, more security, but everything's passed off very jovially and everyone's in a good mood.

"And the police for the most part are wishing people a happy Solstice and so are the security guards."

English Heritage issued an advisory note to visitors which warned: "The police will be on site during the access period and will take immediate action against anyone flouting the law.

"Summer Solstice is not a good time to experiment with drugs - the crowd, the noise and the sheer size of the place are likely to make any bad reaction much, much worse."

Meanwhile, a limit of 200 tents was set at a field near the Avebury Ring after residents complained about the number of visitors to that site in 2008.

BBC NEWS RPORT.

Cowell admits mistakes over Boyle!

Boyle become a global hit thanks to video-sharing websites

Mistakes were made in the handling of Britain's Got Talent runner-up Susan Boyle, the show's chief judge and creator Simon Cowell has admitted.

Writing in the Daily Mail, Cowell said that it had become "clear to me that we didn't handle the situation with Susan as well as we could have".

The singer, 48, from West Lothian, was taken ill in London suffering from exhaustion after the TV show.

She has since missed a number of shows on the Britain's Got Talent live tour.

Organisers said Boyle would be taking a "rest day" on Saturday, missing a matinee and an evening performance in Nottingham, but was expected to perform shows at Wembley Arena on Monday.

Cowell, 49, said he was not in showbusiness to upset "a nice lady" like Boyle, who shot to international fame after performing I Dreamed A Dream on the ITV1 show.

"Looking back on it all, it has become clear to me that we didn't handle the situation with Susan as well as we could have," he said.

"Yet, to be honest, I don't know that I could have done it any differently."

He said that, after she sang in her first audition, he "thought she had come over well, but not sensationally".

He added: "I certainly didn't think, 'here comes a phenomenon who is going to become the most famous woman in the world, I wonder if she can mentally cope with it?'

Dance group Diversity beat Boyle in Britain's Got Talent

"I thought she looked a bit eccentric and certainly a character, but that was all.

"Then, several weeks later, after Susan had become a global sensation, we were on a satellite link to the Oprah show together."

He said that in the run-up to the semi-final and final, he "started getting calls from the production team".

"It had become clear that Susan was finding the experience difficult to cope with."

But Boyle gave him assurances she was still happy to carry on.

Cowell said he had realised how distressed Boyle was immediately after dance group Diversity were declared winners of the live final of Britain's Got Talent.

"I looked over at her face and thought, 'Christ, she doesn't know how to deal with not winning'."

Boyle later said she was well enough to join the UK tour but has so far pulled out of dates in Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff and Nottingham.

Cowell said he had spoken to Boyle's family last week and asked them, "did we do right or did we do wrong" in letting her carry on with Britain's Got Talent "once it became clear that she was finding it stressful".

"And they said, unanimously, that we did the right thing," he added.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Zimbabwe PM jeered by UK exiles

Mr Tsvangirai had appealed for exiles to return to Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has been forced to cut short an event where he was addressing Zimbabwean exiles due to jeering.

Mr Tsvangirai was addressing more than 1,000 exiles, whom he urged to return home to rebuild the country, during an event at London's Southwark Cathedral.

But his appeal was poorly received as questions were raised over assurances he made about the country's stability.

Mr Tsvangirai's UK visit is the final stage of a tour of Europe and the US.

He has been seeking funding for the unity government he formed with President Robert Mugabe in February.

Mr Tsvangirai, the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change who became prime minister in the power-sharing deal, said the country needed the exiles' skills and money to help to rebuild Zimbabwe.

During his speech, the prime minister said: "Zimbabweans must come home."

He told the audience that improvements had been made through the creation of a "transitional" government, and that no-one had been "fooled" or co-opted.

Referring to the power-sharing deal, he went on: "It represented the best solution to a crisis that has engulfed us as a people."

The Zimbabwean prime minister said inflation had been cut, schools had reopened and previous scarce commodities were now available, adding that the government had "made sure that there is peace and stability in the country".

That assertion provoked a noisy reaction from sections of the audience.

He went on: "Our mission is to create the necessary space, the necessary freedoms for Zimbabweans. Our mission is to make sure that we give the people of Zimbabwe hope.

"Zimbabwe is changing for the better, and that change is for you and me to ensure that we can build a Zimbabwe together."

He acknowledged that no-one should forget the struggles and suffering of the Zimbabwean people, adding that he, as a victim of beatings and arrests, would be the last to forget the past.

However, Mr Tsvangirai told the gathering that the plan to work towards a new constitution and referendum over the next 18 months was the correct one.

The European Union still holds sanctions against Zimbabwe, and EU leaders have told the Zimbabwean prime minister they want to see improvements in the human-rights situation in the country before they consider lifting them.

The Foreign Office in London has sounded a similar note, with minister Lord Malloch Brown saying sanctions would not be lifted until Zimbabwe's transition to democracy has "reached a point of no return".

Mr Tsvangirai is expected to hold talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Monday.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

Two bodies handed to Iraqi forces!

The kidnappers have released video claiming to show some of the captives

Two bodies feared to be those of British hostages held in Iraq have been handed to authorities, Foreign Secretary David Miliband has said.

Mr Miliband said the bodies were handed over on Friday night.

He described the handover as "very distressing" and said the government was trying to identify the bodies.

IT consultant Peter Moore, from Lincoln, and four security guards were captured by armed militants at the Ministry of Finance in Baghdad in 2007.

Their captors are a group called the Islamic Shiite Resistance in Iraq.

The militants have released videos of the captives, including one - broadcast on Dubai-based TV station Al-Arabiya - warning that a hostage would be killed unless British troops withdrew from Iraq.

Mr Moore had been working for American management consultancy Bearingpoint when he was kidnapped, while the other men were contractors employed to guard him.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

CATHY BUCKLE'S WEEKLY LETTER FROM ZIMBABWE !

Dear Family and Friends,

Behind the scenes, out of the spotlight and against the most overwhelming odds, some amazing things have been going on in Zimbabwe these last nine years. This week we saw proof of one in the form of a documentary about a black rhino called Tatenda. Hand reared from a baby, Tatenda was orphaned when he was just a few weeks old. His mother, together with another heavily pregnant female and a male rhino were all shot and killed one night in November 2007 on a game farm outside Marondera. The slaughter was for a small handful of horn supposed to have medicinal properties.

The tragedy came after years of breeding and re-introducing black rhino to the wild. Tatenda survived the massacre, was nurtured and protected by John and Judy Travers and their family and staff and his early life is immortalized in this enchanting Animal Planet film: "There's a rhino in my house. " Perhaps hand rearing one animal doesn't sound like such a spectacular event, these sorts of things happen all the time in Africa, but the fact that an endangered orphaned black rhino could be saved here, at this time in our history, is astounding. Farms ravaged by ongoing land seizures, rampant unchecked poaching, shops without food, filling stations without fuel. Everything involved in keeping Tatenda alive was surely a major undertaking. Game cubes, milk powder, even rubber teats had to be sourced and imported from other countries. This film isn't just about a baby rhino, it's about dedication, devotion and a vision for the future.

Throughout the film there is no bitterness, blame or anger but only compassion and a determination to save a species for the next generation. Enchanting images of the children from Numwa School coming to a Rhino's birthday party, squirming and giggling as they stroke his hard grey skin are the picture of the real Zimbabwe that we all love so much There are many stories within this story; many people who helped, donated and were involved behind the scenes. One who must be mentioned is Johnny Rodrigues and his family and their ZCTF (Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force). Always on the move, fetching and delivering, monitoring and recording, this family are determined to expose what's been going on this last decade and to save Zimbabwe's wildlife.

Like many of Zimbabwe's little known heroes, their own life has been on hold while they've sacrificed all for love of their country and its flora and fauna. As desperate as the plight of the people of Zimbabwe is right now, the state of the environment and the animals is even more precarious. For Tatenda and everyone involved in saving him, we are thankful.

Until next time, thanks for reading, love cathy.

WHO MAKES MONEY FROM A PINT OF MILK?

WHO, WHAT, WHY? The Magazine answers...

Dairy farmers warn they are struggling to survive on what they are paid for milk. So who gets the money when you buy a pint?

HOW FARMERS LOSE MONEY

61p - cost to farmer to produce four pints
58p - paid to farmer by processor
3p - farmer's loss
£1.07 - paid to processor by supermarket
£1.45 - cost to customer to buy four pints from supermarket
Source: DairyCo.

Times are not good for many dairy farmers. The gap between how much it costs to produce milk, and how much they are paid for it, is widening - but not in their favour. And one of the industry's biggest cooperatives has gone into receivership, leaving hundreds unable to sell what they are producing.
Milk is a staple of the average Briton's daily diet. According to industry figures, 98% of households in the UK buy the white stuff, and on average we each consume over two-and-a-half pints a week.
We pay on average 39p for a pint, according to the milk trade body, DairyCo. It comes to this figure by dividing the average cost of a four-pint carton in the supermarkets. So where does that money go?
Getting milk from a cow to the chiller cabinet involves the farmer, the processor and the supermarket. The first produces the milk, the second collects, pasteurises, bottles and distributes it, and the third sells it.
Each has costs and overheads to cover, from feed and vet bills for a farmer, to staffing and electricity bills for the supermarkets. When all these costs are taken into account, it's the farmers who are missing out.
Farmers made a loss of 1p for every pint they sold last year, according to DairyCo figures for 2007/2008. Obviously, this is an average across the industry. Some farmers, with more cost-effective operations, will be making money.
But no one disputes that times are hard, with the farm-gate price of milk - what the processor pays the producer - falling month on month. In May, it was down to just 23p a litre, on average.

Crisis deepens for dairy farmers

"Prices are simply unsustainable. The average farmer is losing money on each litre of milk produced, leaving no room for reinvestment on the farm," says a spokesman for the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF).
Processors on average make money from each pint they sell, but the story isn't straightforward here either. The Dairy Farmers of Britain cooperative (DFOB), responsible for 10% of UK milk production, went into receivership earlier this month.
The co-op had been struggling to pay its 1,800 member farmers a competitive price for their milk, and large numbers were leaving. It also lost the milk contract for Co-operative supermarkets.

WHO, WHAT, WHY?

A regular part of the BBC News Magazine, Who, What, Why? aims to answer some of the questions behind the headlines
The supermarkets' margin on fresh milk has increased steadily over the years, according to DairyCo figures. The big few enjoy considerable bargaining power with many of their suppliers, so can keep prices competitive for customers.
"Farmers have been placed under extreme pressure by retailers and the service sector for far too long to produce milk at the lowest price possible, and they continue to make a loss," says the RABDF's spokesman.
But retailers say paying farmers a fair price is important. While Tesco, the UK's largest supermarket group, will not discuss margins - "it's commercially sensitive," says a spokeswoman - in 2007 it signed up its own group of dairy farmers, paying above the market rate for their milk.
"We were credited with bringing up farm-gate prices," she says.
BBC NEWS REPORT.

IRAN READY TO USE FORCE !

Iranian police have warned they are ready to use force to prevent a rally in the capital, Tehran, over the disputed presidential poll.
Hundreds of police are said to have gathered in the city centre, amid an atmosphere of extreme tension.
There are conflicting reports as to whether the rally will go ahead.
But correspondents say a demand by the country's Supreme Leader to end street protests appears to have made some protesters merely more determined.
People contacting the BBC from Tehran spoke of a heavy security presence in the area around Enghelab Square. Users of the micro-blogging site Twitter said protesters were gathering.
One witness told AFP news agency that he saw police beating people trying to reach rally site.
The reports could not be independently confirmed, and foreign news organisations - including the BBC - have been subjected to strict controls which prevent reporters from leaving their offices.
Early on Saturday, the wife of defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi and an aide to another rival candidate, Mehdi Karroubi, said the rally would go ahead.

1200GMT TEHRAN

Jon Leyne
The situation is very tense and very confused. We don't have direct, immediate reports from the scene because of course we're not allowed to go there.
It's not even entirely clear whether the opposition wanted the demonstration to go ahead. There were a lot of mixed messages through the day whether or not it had been called off. My instinct is that I think opposition supporters are so fired up, they're going to turn up anyway.
They've been very good at getting messages between themselves very quickly, so it's possible they might move the demonstration if there are riot police in the planned location.
But later reports said first that Mr Mousavi would be making a statement - which still has not been delievered - and then an aide to Mr Karoubi said his party had cancelled the protest.
The BBC's Jon Leyne in Tehran says that even if the rallies are formally cancelled, it is so late now that many protesters are expected to turn up anyway.

See map of central Tehran
Speaking on state TV, deputy police chief Ahmad Reza Radan warned police would "certainly fight against any form of illegal gathering and protest". He also said protest organisers would be arrested.
It seems this may be the big moment of confrontation, our correspondent says.
Tensions have mounted over the previous week, with scores of people arrested and tough restrictions imposed on foreign media, including the BBC.
Recount offer
Official results of the 12 June presidential poll gave President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a resounding 63% of votes, compared to 34% for his nearest rival, Mr Mousavi.

Tough choice for Mousavi
Reporters' log: Iran's upheaval
Key excerpts: Khamenei speech
Living in Iran: Your views

The result triggered almost daily street protests - a challenge to ruling authorities unprecedented since the Islamic revolution of 1979.
Mr Mousavi had been expected, along with fellow challengers Mr Karroubi and Mohsen Rezai, to discuss more than 600 objections they had filed complaining about the poll at a meeting of the Guardian Council, which certifies elections, on Saturday.
But neither Mr Mousavi nor Mr Karroubi attended the meeting - which suggests, our correspondent says, they have abandoned their legal challenge to the election results.
State TV quoted the Guardian Council as saying it was "ready" to recount a randomly selected 10% of ballot boxes.
It had previously offered a partial recount of disputed ballots from the election, rather than the full re-run of the election demanded by protesters.
The human-rights group Amnesty International says it believed about 10 people had been killed in the protests.
On Friday, US President Barack Obama warned Iran that the "world is watching" events there. He expressed concern at "some of the tenor and tone of the statements that have been made".
Ayatollah's address
A new rally on Saturday would directly challenge an order from Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran's spiritual leader and highest authority.
"Straight challenge is not acceptable after the election," Ayatollah Khamenei told thousands of Iranians who massed to hear him on Friday.
"This is challenging democracy and election itself. I want every side to put an end to this method. If they don't then the responsibility of its consequences, the riots should be shouldered by those who do not put an end to it."
The ayatollah insisted the Islamic Republic would not "cheat voters" - and blamed foreign powers, in particular the UK, for fomenting the unrest.
He said "bloodshed" would result if the protests went ahead.
The rally was attended by President Ahmadinejad. But former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani - a close associate of Mr Mousavi, and open critic of President Ahmadinejad - did not attend.
But correspondents say the ayatollah's warning only appeared to incite protesters, and the nightly chants of "God is great" - which have echoed from rooftops around Tehran in a call to protest - became louder on Friday night.
Although the Supreme Leader controls many levers of power, Mr Rafsanjani heads the Assembly of Experts, which has the power to elect the leader, supervise him, and theoretically even to dismiss him, our correspondent says.
Behind the scenes, he says, there appears to be both a political battle between two veterans of the Islamic Revolution, but also a titanic dispute about the whole future of Iran, whose outcome no-one can predict.

BBC NEWS REPORT.

MPs 'over-claimed' on council tax!

Several MPs are said to have claimed too much for their council tax

More than 50 MPs have claimed expenses for council tax they have not paid, the Daily Telegraph says.

They are said to have claimed more than the rates of tax published by councils.

The new expense allegations came after police launched a criminal inquiry into an alleged misuse of expenses by a small number of MPs and peers.

Police say its economic and specialist crime command will investigate, following a public outcry about the way some MPs used their allowances.

The BBC understands that former Labour minister Elliot Morley is one of the MPs under scrutiny by police, as is another Labour MP, David Chaytor.

Both allegedly claimed interest on mortgages they had already paid off.

A Labour peer, Baroness Uddin, may also face questions about her use of a flat in Maidstone.

In new revelations by the Telegraph - which has obtained expense claims made by all MPs - it is alleged that politicians claimed for council tax on second homes in excess of town halls' published rates by house band.

The paper also said 18 of the 50 politicians accused over their council tax claims had already made re-payments to the Commons Fees Office.

The Telegraph says Labour MP Eric Illsley was accused of over-claiming by more than £6,000 between 2004 and 2008. Mr Illsley apparently refused to comment about the allegation.

Former minister Beverley Hughes was said to have profited by up to £2,000.

She told the paper she was checking her records, but did not believe the amount was as much as that.

Former home secretary David Blunkett told the Telegraph he may have over-claimed by £178, while government whip Mark Tami allegedly profited by about £1,500.

Mr Tami said: "I am going to look into whether I have over-claimed and if I have then clearly I will pay back any over-claim."

Tory MPs David Willetts and Jeremy Hunt admitted to having over-claimed for council tax by about £500 each, the Telegraph said.

Mr Willetts said it was possible that he had "inadvertently" claimed for an 11th month while his council tax bills were divided into 10 payments.

"If I have inadvertently made incorrect claims I will of course pay any money back," he said.

In a separate development announced on Friday, Scotland Yard confirmed it would investigate claims made by some MPs and peers.

Among those being investigated were Labour MP David Chaytor, who said his solicitor had been contacted by the police, and that he wanted to clear his name.

Former farming minister Elliot Morley said he expected to be cleared of any deliberate wrongdoing.

The BBC has so far been unable to speak to two other Labour MPs and the Labour peer thought to be among those under investigation.

Both Mr Chaytor and Mr Morley have already announced they will stand down as MPs after it emerged they claimed interest payments for mortgages they had paid off.

Labour MP David Chaytor says he is happy to talk to police and wants to clear his name

Labour peer Baroness Uddin, who apparently claimed an empty Maidstone flat was her main home so she could claim expenses for peers living outside London, may also face questions, the BBC understa