Gay Advert Ban On London Buses 'Not Illegal'

Transport for London's decision to ban a Christian group's controversial bus advert about gays was not unlawful, the High Court has ruled.

The ad posters, earmarked for the sides of the capital's buses, suggested that gay people can be helped to "move out of homosexuality". The advert read: "Not Gay! Ex-Gay, Post-Gay and Proud. Get over it!"

Core Issues Trust, the Christian charity behind the ads, had taken the matter to court, claiming that London Mayor Boris Johnson - who is chairman of TfL, was "politically driven" when he intervened to block the ad in the run up to the last mayoral elections.

Mr Johnson condemned the "gay cure" ad as "offensive to gays" and said it could lead to retaliation against the wider Christian community.

But a judge ruled that the Mayor of London did not abuse his position.

Mrs Justice Lang, sitting at London's High Court, said that TfL's process in introducing the ban "was procedurally unfair, in breach of its own procedures and demonstrated a failure to consider the relevant issues".

But that was outweighed by factors against allowing the ad, including that it would "cause grave offence" to those who were gay and was perceived as homophobic, "thus increasing the risk of prejudice and homophobic attacks", said the judge.

TfL insisted that it was an internal decision to ban the advert, of which Mr Johnson was "informed".

Welcoming the court ruling, a spokeswoman for the transport body said: "The advertisement clearly breached our advertising policy as it contained a controversial message and was likely to cause widespread offence to the public.

"This was borne out by the hugely negative public reaction the advertisement generated, including on social media and newspaper websites. We are taking steps to address the Judge's comments regarding our internal processes."

The judge revealed her concern over the issues raised by the case by giving Core Issues permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal.

The judge said that, although she did not think an appeal would succeed, there were "compelling reasons" to allow an appeal to go ahead.

She said the case "concerns interference with the right to freedom of expression which is a matter of such fundamental importance that it merits consideration by the appellant court."

Core Issues, which works with gay people seeking to change their lifestyles, had asked the judge to rule that the charity was unlawfully denied the freedom to express its views on homosexuality.

Paul Diamond, appearing for the charity, said it was imposed in April last year "very close" to the mayoral election on May 3, when Mr Johnson defeated political opponent Ken Livingstone.

Mr Diamond said: "It was clearly a highly-charged issue, and the mayor took credit for the highly, politically-driven decision.

"The mayor was strongly of the view this advertisement should not run."

Mr Diamond said the Core Issues Trust had nothing but "utter respect for people struggling with same-sex attraction".

He denied that it was attempting to offer a so-called "gay cure".

He said the ads were a response to a bus poster campaign by gay rights group Stonewall, which carried the message: "Some people are gay. Get over it!"

Mr Diamond contended the trust was equally entitled to express its view on the sides of buses, and to have its right to freedom of expression protected under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

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Killer LA Cop: Fight Breaks Out Over Reward

An unseemly squabble has broken out over who should get the $1.2m (£790,000) reward for killer LA cop Christopher Dorner.

A couple tied up in their holiday home by the fugitive and a camp caretaker he carjacked shortly after have laid claim to the prize, but they may not be alone.

Both parties say they provided the key tip that helped police track down Dorner.

The rogue former LAPD officer took his own life after a shootout with police at a remote California mountain cabin in February.

By then he had killed four people, including two police officers, during his rampage across southern California.

The remains of the mountain cabin where the rogue cop died

"Everybody's coming out of the woodwork on this one," said Los Angeles police Lieutenant Andy Neiman.

"These people are being very public about it because they know Dorner can't come after them," he added.

Officials are waiting on a handful of law enforcement agencies to determine who was responsible for the capture.

Karen and Jim Reynolds, who were briefly bound up by Dorner in the Big Bear Lake cabin where he hid for days, contend that their 911 call led to the murder suspect being cornered last month.

Their lawyer Kirk Hallam wrote to LA County officials earlier this month that "no one else is entitled to a share of the reward".

Karen and Jim Reynolds were tied up by Dorner

The Reynolds family disputes a claim filed by Rick Heltebrake, a Boy Scout camp ranger whose car was stolen by Dorner shortly before the final confrontation.

There is "indisputable evidence," Mr Hallam wrote, that Mr Heltebrake "did not in any way, shape or form contribute to the capture of Christopher Dorner".

Mr Heltebrake's lawyer claimed in a letter that he notified authorities of the rogue cop's location, provided a description of the vehicle he was fleeing in, and "was a substantial factor in the capture of Mr Dorner at the cabin location".

Rick Heltebrake was key to the arrest, says his lawyer

But it might not just be a two-way battle, with no lack of other people to claim credit.

They include the man at a petrol station who waved down officers after spotting Dorner hours after authorities named him as an armed and dangerous fugitive.

There was also the San Diego sailor who Dorner tied up when he tried to steal his yacht.

The Los Angeles mayor and police chief hope to wrap up the arguments and settle the rewards by mid-April.

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Olympic Stadium: West Ham Handed The Keys

West Ham have been handed the keys for the Olympic Stadium after a deal for the London 2012 venue was finally agreed.

The announcement ends a seven-year battle for the showpiece venue in Stratford between rival football clubs that often saw the process bogged down by legal challenges.

West Ham were named preferred bidders ahead of Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient, but negotiations with the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) have been lengthy and complicated.

However, the LLDC announced this morning that a deal has now been signed off that sees the Barclays Premier League club become anchor tenants, paying £2m a year on a 99-year lease.

The club says it will pay back the government "and more", but former sports minister Richard Caborn and London Assembly Conservatives Olympic spokesman Andrew Boff slammed the deal as poor value for taxpayers.

The stadium during London 2012

As expected, it was confirmed that the LLDC will receive a windfall payment should West Ham's owners sell on the back of the move within 10 years.

It is thought the deal was agreed after the Government agreed to put in an extra £25m towards the cost of converting the venue for football, taking the Treasury's overall contribution to £60m.

West Ham are also understood to have upped their funding of the project from an initial offer of £5m to around £15m.

The rest of the cost of adapting the stadium - estimated at between £150m and £190m - will come from sources including the Mayor of London's budget, a £40m loan from Newham Council and a £20m loan from the LLDC.

Boris Johnson says the deal 'defies the gloomsters'

As well as the £2m rent and a possible share of any future sale of West Ham, the taxpayer stands to claw back money from a share of naming rights and catering and hospitality revenue.

Plans for the revamped stadium were also unveiled, with the facelift due to be completed in time for the 2016-17 football season.

It will be transformed into a 54,000-seater venue with a new roof, corporate areas, toilets, concessions and retractable seating. As well as football the stadium will also be used stage athletics, live concerts and other events.

London Mayor Boris Johnson told reporters: "This is a truly momentous milestone for London's spectacular Olympic Stadium, ensuring its credible and sustainable future.

Karen Brady: 'We'll pay our way'

"Through this deal with West Ham United FC, we are defying the gloomsters who predicted this landmark would become a dusty relic."

West Ham vice chairman Karren Brady insisted that the club intends to "pay its way".

She told reporters: "We want to pay our way, we accept that we have to pay our way and myself and the two owners of West Ham have been very clear on that.

"We will put in a lump sum, we will pay a rent that will cover most of the running costs and then of course we're sharing naming rights and other revenues.

David Sullivan and David Gold said the decision was 'fantastic'

"We accept that the cost of making it that world class stadium is coming from the Government but we hope that over 99 years we pay back not only that but an awful lot more than that."

West Ham's owners David Sullivan and David Gold said the decision gives the club a platform "to compete on the pitch at the highest level".

But former sports minister Richard Caborn branded the deal "the biggest mistake of the London Olympics".

Mr Caborn said that he welcomed the fact that the future of the stadium was now settled but insisted there has been unnecessary cost to the public purse.

He said: "This is the biggest mistake of the Olympics and lessons should be learned from this. West Ham are basically getting a stadium costing more than £600m for just £15m and a small amount in annual rent.

"The mistake was made in 2006-7 when they [the Olympic Board] ruled football out of a retro-fit design as we has done successfully in Manchester with the Commonwealth Games stadium."

An application by Leyton Orient for a judicial review of the decision to award West Ham preferred bidder status is still outstanding, but it is not expected that it will affect the outcome.

Orient owner Barry Hearn said the LLDC had made "a massive, massive mistake".

He said: "What does the word legacy really mean? I hear the word from politicians all the time and I don't think they can even spell the word.

"It is just a game. Well we are not in a game, we are in a fight for survival and we have to do everything available to us to continue the fight."

London Assembly Conservatives Olympic spokesman Mr Boff called for the deal to be scrapped.

He said: "It is a disgrace that another £25m from the public purse will now be used to prop up this agreement."

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Bus Stabbing Girl: Funeral Of Christina Edkins

The family of a 16-year-old girl stabbed to death on a bus say they have been "overwhelmed" by the support of well-wishers.

Christina Edkins' funeral was held at Birmingham Cathedral.

Speaking on behalf of Ms Edkins' family before the service, her cousin Stephen Newby said: "Today we will say goodbye to Christina.

Christina's parents said she was "bubbly, beautiful and intelligent"

"We are devastated that she should have been taken away so senselessly and continue to try to come to terms with what has happened.

"We have been overwhelmed and comforted by the spontaneous reactions of so many people.

"While many of them never knew Christina, all have been touched in some way by this tragic event and share in our grief."

Ms Edkins died of a single stab wound to her chest on March 7 during morning rush hour after she was attacked on the top deck of a bus in Edgbaston.

The driver raised the alarm and attempts were made to resuscitate the schoolgirl, but she died at the scene.

The teenager's silver coffin was taken to the cathedral in a white carriage, pulled by a pair of white horses.

A message from Christina's parents

Christina's parents Jason and Kathleen led her family into the 300-year-old building which was packed with those wanting to pay their respects.

Despite the icy chill about 300 mourners stood outside to pay their respects, while inside the service was attended by 600 family and friends.

Among them were 120 pupils from Leasowes High School, which Christina attended in Halesowen, and colleagues from the Tesco supermarket where she worked part-time.

There were tearful tributes to Christina, including from her school principal, Neil Shaw, who called her "an inspiration".

Christina was stabbed on a bus on Hagley Road, Birmingham

Following her death, Christina's parents Jason and Kathleen described her as a "bubbly, beautiful and intelligent" teenager.

Mr and Mrs Edkins said in a statement: "We are heartbroken by the loss of our beautiful princess, Christina, and it's hard to find words to describe the pain we're all feeling.

"Her family and friends will remember her as an amazing individual with her whole life ahead of her - a life that was tragically cut short on that Thursday morning.

"Our lives will never be the same again."

Christina was attacked on the top deck of the bus

The grieving parents added: "We are truly overwhelmed by the kindness that's been shown by friends and neighbours, people who knew Christina well and also those who never got the chance to meet her."

Her parents said she was "just like most 16-year-olds" and had been studying hard for forthcoming exams while looking forward to her school prom.

The statement continued: "We'd bought Christina's prom dress the week before and recall the day she tried it on ... she looked like a princess.

"Christina was studying extremely hard for her exams and weighing up which college to attend.

"In many ways she was like most 16-year-olds - worried about her appearance, what fake tan to wear, how her hair and nails looked and about 'hot boys', as Christina would call them!

"We would like to thank everyone for their kind words, flowers, teddies, balloons and candles ... the support has been fantastic and shows what good, kind people there are in this world.

"We'd like to thank West Bromwich Albion for their half-time tribute at the weekend and to the fans for their heartfelt applause, which was very emotional."

Phillip Simelane, 22, from Walsall, has been charged with her murder.

He has been remanded in custody in a secure mental health unit and is due to appear in court for a plea hearing on May 31.

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Israel Apologises For Gaza Flotilla Raid

The Israeli Prime Minister has apologised for a raid on a Gaza flotilla which resulted in the deaths of nine Turkish activists.

Benjamin Netanyahu announced the restoration of normal diplomatic relations with Turkey and expressed regret during a phone call with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

President Barack Obama helped arrange the call shortly before leaving Israel.

In a statement released by the White House, Mr Obama said: "The United States deeply values our close partnerships with both Turkey and Israel, and we attach great importance to the restoration of positive relations between them in order to advance regional peace and security.

Video taken on-board the ship showed the arrival of Israeli commandos

"I am hopeful that today's exchange between the two leaders will enable them to engage in deeper cooperation on this and a range of other challenges and opportunities," he added.

The flotilla incident severely harmed ties between the once-close allies. Turkey withdrew its ambassador from Israel, and diplomatic ties and military cooperation were greatly scaled back.

Mr Netanyahu said the "tragic results" were not intentional and Israel "expressed remorse" for the loss of life. He cited "operational mistakes".

The nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed aboard the Turkish-flagged ship Mavi Marmara on May 31, 2010, after passengers resisted a takeover by Israeli naval commandos.

The flotilla was en route to Gaza in an attempt to bring international attention to Israel's blockade of the Palestinian territory.

At the time, the former legal adviser to Israel's foreign ministry, Alan Baker, said it was tragic that lives had been lost, but there was no need for an apology.

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Horsemeat Found In Beef From Hungary

Lancashire County Council has found 100kg of horsemeat in beef from Hungary with 40kg of it already sold to the public.

The meat was imported by Hungarian Food Ltd in Preston and sold on its market stall in the town and a shop in Liverpool called Taste of Hungary, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said.

It said the horse flesh was being sold in 1kg bags labelled as "diced beef". The remaining unsold meat has been withdrawn from sale.

A FSA spokesman said the European Commission and the Hungarian authorities had been informed and the meat will be tested for the veterinary drug bute as part of the council's investigations.

The manager of the Taste of Hungary deli ate some of the horse meat he bought, thinking it was beef, he said.

Attila Fabian, who runs the Eastern European store in Waterloo, Merseyside, said he was shocked to have discovered he had been selling the meat when environmental health officers visited the shop.

He said he had bought 20 1kg bags of what he thought was diced beef from Hungarian Food Ltd in May last year, rather than import it directly, but it sold so badly that he took four or five bags home for his family.

"I didn't know about it," he said.

"It tasted like beef, it looked like beef.

"I was shocked today when environmental health told what happened exactly."

He said they sold 12 or so bags of the horse meat, and there were still three bags in the freezer which were taken away today for tests.

He said the shop had ceased trading with Hungarian Food Ltd after they "fell out" in July last year.

The food scandal erupted in January with horsemeat DNA being found in school dinners and supermarket products across the country.

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Punxsutawney Phil Indicted For Poor Forecast

World-famous weather-predicting groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, has found himself on the wrong side of the law.

A prosecutor in Ohio is seeking the death penalty for the rodent who wrongly predicted an early spring when he emerged from his Gobbler's Knob home in Pennsylvania on February 2.

As much of America still struggles with unseasonable temperatures and snowstorms, Butler County attorney Mike Gmoser issued his official-looking indictment.

"The offence of MISREPRESENTATION OF EARLY SPRING, is an Unclassified Felony, and against the peace and dignity of the State Of Ohio," he alleged.

Phil acted "purposely, and with prior calculation and design, (to) cause the people to believe that spring would come early," he added.

"The people further find and specify that due to the aggravating circumstances and misrepresentation to the people that the death penalty be implemented to the defendant, Punxsutawney Phil."

Phil emerges from his hole in Pennsylvania in February with good news!

The legend has it that if the rodent does not see his shadow then an early spring is on the way.

Spring officially began on Wednesday.

But the National Weather Service predicts no imminent improvement in the weather for northeastern states, with isolated snow showers expected into the middle of next week.

Mr Gmoser admits the indictment is more than a little tongue-in-cheek, but that did not stop Phil's handlers rushing to his defence. 

John Griffiths declared the groundhog was innocent and would be acquitted.

He pointed to several defences, including the fact that, since February 2, there have been some spring-like temperature spikes.

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Mother And Toddler Killed By Train Named

A woman and her three-year-old son who died after they were struck by a train in the morning rush hour have been named.

Donna Oettinger, 41, and Zachary died at Riddlesdown rail station near Purley, south London at around 8.20am, according to the British Transport Police (BTP).

"Medics from the London Ambulance Service also attended, but Donna and Zachary were sadly pronounced dead at the scene," a BTP spokeswoman said.

Detective Chief Inspector Iain Miller, the senior investigating officer, said: "Our thoughts remain with Donna and Zachary's family and friends at this sad and difficult time.

"Officers are continuing to work to establish the full circumstances of what happened, although early indications show that no one else was believed to have been involved.

"A file will be prepared for the Coroner."

The station was temporarily closed while the emergency services dealt with the incident. Electrical power to the line between Woldingham and South Croydon was also turned off for several hours.

There was considerable disruption to services run by the Southern train company in the area, with buses running between some stations and extended journey times.

The line between Uckfield/East Grinstead and South Croydon reopened in the afternoon.

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Facebook Backlash Over 'Child Porn' Video

Facebook has sparked a furious backlash after a video allegedly showing child pornography circulated on the social network.

Users vented their anger on rival website Twitter after the footage apparently popped up in personal news feeds and was reportedly shared more than 16,000 times.

Those who claim to have seen the film said it showed a young girl being abused by an older man.

Comments on Twitter suggested the clip received almost 4,000 "likes" before it was taken down.

Facebook said it removed the video "quickly" after users reported its disturbing content. But the site continued to draw caustic remarks, even after the footage was deleted.

Twitter user Nicholas wrote: "Someone posted child porn on facebook and it's spreading like wildfire. Why the **** would someone do that to a child?!"

Another social networker said: "Child porn video on Facebook, no wonder I hate that website."

And Twitter user Bon Bon wrote: "They got child porn on facebook! that **** so sad. They need to take that video down! It's a cruel world we live in."

The video is believed to have originated in the US.

Most of those who passed on the film are understood to have done so to condemn its contents. Facebook has urged its users never to share videos of this nature.

A spokesman said: "Nothing is more important to Facebook than the safety of the people that use our site, and this material has no place on Facebook.

"We have zero tolerance for child pornography being uploaded on to Facebook and are extremely aggressive in preventing and removing child exploitative content.

"We are pleased that this material was reported to us quickly, enabling its swift removal."

Every Facebook user who passed on the video has been warned against sharing explicit films, the site said.

It reports each occasion such clips are circulated to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, based in the US.

In the UK, Facebook reports all alleged child abuse to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop).

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Weather: Body Found In Floods, Rain And Snow

A body has been found at a house in Looe, Cornwall, which was badly damaged in flooding following heavy rains last night, firefighters said.

The front wall of the three-storey building crumbled away after a downpour caused mud and debris to crash into the back of the property.

There was widespread flooding across the South West after rain hit on Thursday night. It then moved further north falling as snow in central and northern England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

Breakdown services reported there had been thousands of call-outs from motorists, while in Northern Ireland power was cut to more than 110,000 homes and businesses. Roads and airports were closed.

Three amber snow warnings were issued across Britain

However, the body found in Looe appeared to be the only fatality so far from the wintry weather.

Fire crews had been searching the wrecked building for Susan Norman, who is said to be in her 60s, for several hours before the body was discovered.  

David King of Devon and Cornwall Fire and Rescue told Sky News: "We have not fully identified the body and have not recovered it from the position it is in.

"The property is still very unstable and the urban search rescue team is still on site and is trying to make it as safe as possible."

More than a dozen residents were evacuated from the building earlier.

Buxton in the Peak District was said to be virtually cut off by the snow

Sky's weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar warned the bad weather could continue to cause problems into the weekend.

"There'll be more snow tonight, from around the M4 up into central Scotland and across the north of Ireland, while southern counties will have yet more rain," she said.

"Saturday will see snow over central parts slowly fading, but there'll be a raw wind and it will stay near freezing away from the South West.

"The average temperature for the month so far, combining day and night, has been around 3C, well below the long term average of 6C. It's highly unlikely to be record breaking (the coldest March on record was in 1962, at 1.9C), but it could well be the coldest for over 25 years."

Up to eight inches (20.3cm) of snow is expected to hit the worst-affected parts of the North West, North Wales and south-west Scotland.

Higher areas could even see up to 16in (40.6cm), while bitterly cold gale-force winds create blizzard-like conditions and plunge temperatures down well below freezing.

Northern Ireland's game against Russia at Windsor Park has been postponed

:: Send in your photos of the weather here

In Northern Ireland, power was cut to more than 110,000 homes and businesses and around 70 schools were closed. Electricity was restored to 60,000 of the properties by mid-afternoon but engineers were still trying to reconnect thousands in counties Antrim and Down.

Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifying match against Russia at Windsor Park in Belfast was postponed from Friday evening to Saturday despite ground staff working through the day to clear the pitch.

Drifts of up to 40cm (15.7 inches) were reported in some areas.

Non-essential staff at the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria were sent home early as local schools were closed and transport disrupted because of the bad weather.

In the West Midlands, nearly 230 schools shut their doors to pupils, with many reporting burst pipes and frozen heating systems.

Staffordshire was worst hit with 170 closing their doors, but there was also disruption in Walsall, Dudley and Wolverhampton.

Another 200 schools closed across North Wales and scores were shut across Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lancashire and Cumbria.

Food supplies were being airlifted to the Isle of Man as the severe weather disrupted scheduled ferry services.

Co-operative Food, which has 10 stores across the island, commissioned a Hercules aircraft to fly from Manchester to Ronaldsway Airport with around 18 tonnes of food and drink onboard.

More follows...

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Australia: Stranger Saves Girl In Supermarket

A builder has been praised after he resuscitated a child who had collapsed and stopped breathing while out shopping with her mother in Australia.

CCTV footage shows two-year-old Shaylar's mother, Amy Collard, carrying her to a counter of a Perth supermarket to plead for help after she had lost consciousness before running outside to find her husband, Michael Narkle.

A couple, including tradesman Rowan O'Neill, can then be seen rushing to help the stricken girl - and fearing she was choking, Mr O'Neill turned her upside down in an effort to revive her.

When Mr Narkle enters the store, he can be seen breaking down before he and Mr O'Neill try to save Shaylar by shaking her, patting her on the back and attempting the Heimlich manoeuvre.

When this fails, Mr O'Neill begins mouth-to-mouth resuscitation - and after 90 seconds the girl opened her eyes, local media said.

The toddler's parents told A Current Affair they were grateful to Mr O'Neill for saving their daughter's life.

Ms Collard said: "I thought she was going to die. I'm lucky that he was there."

"Thank you very much," Mr Narkle added.

Local TV stations have reported that doctors thought Shaylar's fever caused her to pass out and she was back at home after one night in hospital.

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China: Residents Fear Cover-Up Over Dead Pigs

Anger is mounting in Shanghai where 14,000 dead pigs have been floating down rivers but residents have been told there is nothing to worry about.

The number of carcasses in a river system that supplies drinking water to the city's 23 million people has been increasing for nearly two weeks.

But officials have not explained where the pigs came from, how they died or why they suddenly showed up in the river.

They have said the drinking water is safe, while authorities have censored microblog posts suggesting that the public organise peaceful protests.

The official response reminds many of the government silence that surrounded previous health concerns, from the SARS epidemic to bird flu to contaminated milk.

"They are only giving the runaround," said Huang Beibei, a Shanghai microblogger whose revolting photographs of the pigs first prompted local media coverage and government attention. "'Who believes what they are saying?"

"Those pigs must have come from somewhere," author Li Mingsheng said. "That's a basic question, but the government still has not told us that."

Authorities have retrieved at least 13,996 dead pigs as of Wednesday, and have released daily bulletins saying drinking water remains within national standards.

Officials so far have punished only the eight small-time hog farmers whose pigs could be traced through ear marks. The farmers in the Zhejiang town of Jiaxing, where hog farming is a major industry, were each slapped with a fine under 3,000 yuan (£319).

The central government in Beijing, which has been enmeshed in a leadership transition, dispatched a chief Agriculture Ministry veterinarian, but Yu Kangzhen's conclusion was merely that there had been no major outbreak of swine disease to blame for the dumping.

Villagers have told local media that pig dumping spiked in the wake of a police crackdown on the illicit trade in pork products harvested from dead, diseased pigs.

With no black-market traders to collect their dead pigs, farmers are simply dumping them in rivers, they say.

Other observers have suggested that farmers are feeding pigs small amounts of arsenic to make their skins look shinier, thus increasing their mortality rate. Government officials have not addressed either theory.

"As to the cause of death and the risks, the government has been evasive and vague. The explanations are bordering on being ridiculous," columnist Liu Shengjun wrote on his microblog. "It reminds me of SARS, and I hope history will not repeat itself."

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Philpott Trial: Mosley Will Not Give Evidence

By Darren Little, Nottingham Crown Court

The friend of a couple accused of the manslaughter of six children has chosen not to give evidence in his own defence.

Paul Mosley has denied six counts of manslaughter along with the children's parents Mick and Mairead Philpott, after a fire at the family home in Derby.

A jury at Nottingham Crown Court was told by Mr Mosley's barrister Ben Nolan QC: "On behalf of Paul Mosley we do not call any evidence."

The Philpotts' children who died in the fire

Mr Nolan was then asked by the trial judge whether Mosley had been advised that the jury may draw such inferences as appeared proper from his failure to give evidence.

Mr Nolan replied: "We have so advised him and he has elected to exercise his right to silence."

Mr Mosley along with Mr and Mrs Philpott have pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of Jade, 10, John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six, and Jayden, five, who all died in the fire at Victory Road, Derby last May.

Mairead's eldest son Duwayne died in hospital in Birmingham days later.

The trial will resume on Thursday.

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Seal Abuse Causes Beach Shutdown: CCTV

San Diego's mayor has ordered a two-month overnight shutdown of a beach after cameras caught people apparently abusing a colony of seals.

The CCTV system was set up to allow the public to monitor mothers and their pups.

However at least two women were filmed kicking, punching and sitting on top of the animals.

Now the southern California city's mayor has ruled the La Jolla beach, known as Children's Pool, will be closed between sunset and sunrise until May 15.

San Diego's La Jolla Beach. Pic: KFMB

The 24-hour "seal-cam" was introduced in January and equipped with night vision so researchers could watch the seals give birth during the pupping season.

Wildlife campaigner Andrea Hahn told the KFMB news station that the seal abuse has been a problem for years.

"We've had reports of poaching. We've had shootings here at night. We've had seal mutilations at night," she said.

The beach has been the centre of a long legal fight over human access versus seal protection.

It is not illegal to venture near the roped off shoreline, but harassing the seals is against the law.

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Cyprus Bailout Crisis: No Deal Yet With Russia

Sacrificing Trust In The Banks

Updated: 8:16am UK, Wednesday 20 March 2013

By Ed Conway, Economics Editor

I'm rather glad that the Pope managed to mention Abraham in his inaugural mass.

After all, of all the Old Testament, the tale of Abraham and Isaac is probably about the most comparable to the current imbroglio in Cyprus.

The father and guardian takes his son to the top of the mount, binds him and is on the point of sacrificing him when, at the last minute, God sends down an angel to stop him.

In an analogous way, the Cypriot government, on orders from on high (the eurogroup in this case, not God) has come to the brink of gouging an unprecedented tax out of its peoples' savings, and, at the last minute, seems to have been offered a reprieve.*

Now, if this were the Bible, the story would end there. Abraham's faith was tested, and he passed the test. Conveniently, the ancients glossed over the question of what this incident did to the father-son relationship.

However, this is not the Bible, and so we're left unpicking a relationship that has gone very wrong indeed. There is clearly a widespread sense of betrayal in Nicosia, and one can understand why.

Even if, as is the current plan, small savers with less than 20,000 euros in their accounts are let off the deposit tax, this episode will leave a lasting scar in place.

After all, the Government had spent the past few years insisting to savers that any deposits below 100,000 euros would be safe, protected by its deposit insurance scheme.

That it could subsequently play fast and loose with the bank accounts is unlikely to be forgotten.

Even if the Government were to stop short of a deposit tax, it's hard to see why savers wouldn't simply withdraw all their cash in droves when the banks reopen (whenever that is) – even if it's simply to put it underneath a mattress at home.

This episode has fatally undermined the element of trust in the banking system – something which is fundamental to the way capitalist economy functions in its current form.

Whether this triggers chaos elsewhere is difficult to predict. Markets have become more unsteady as the situation in Cyprus has deteriorated, but we haven't yet seen any kind of depositor panic elsewhere, for instance in Portugal and Spain.

However, the story in Cyprus is far from over. Anger is mounting, the parliamentary system is creaking under the weight of the demands coming over from Brussels, and the threats from Frankfurt to cut off emergency funding to the banks if the country doesn't co-operate haven't made them any more willing.

Short of a papal intervention, it's hard to imagine how to get a happy ending out of this story.

*Yes I know there are some inconsistencies. For instance, it's debatable whether the eurocrats have ditched the plan or whether it's simply being rejected by the government, the latter of which would be akin to Isaac breaking free of his bindings and escaping.

Plus, Isaac had not borrowed himself so far into penury that he was facing bankruptcy. Nor had he become a go-between for Russian tax avoiders but let's leave that aside for the time being.

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Budget 2013: The Key Points You Need To Know

George Osborne's Budget lasted 54 minutes and contained a raft of measures as well as data about the state of the economy. Here is a handy guide.

ECONOMY

:: The independent Office for Budget Responsibility predicts Britain will avoid a second quarter of negative growth and slipping into a triple-dip recession.

:: OBR forecasts put growth for this year at 0.6%, down a massive 50% on its previous forecast of 1.2%.

:: Growth forecasts for the coming years are now: 2014 - 1.8%, 2015 - 2.3%, 2016 - 2.7% and 2017 - 2.8%.

:: The deficit has been cut by a third from 11.2% of GDP in 2009/10 to 7.4% this year. It is forecast to drop to 2.2% by 2017/18.

:: Borrowing forecast to hit £114bn this year instead of £108bn, then £108bn in 2014, £97bn in 2014/15, then £87bn, £61bn and £42bn in the following years.

:: Proportion of national income spent by the state has fallen to 43.6%.

:: Public sector net debt is due to be 75.9% of GDP this year, then 79.2%, 82.6%, 85.1%, 85.6% in following years falling to 84.8% in 2017/18.

:: The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee keeps 2% inflation target but has its remit overhauled.

CUTS AND SPENDING

:: Whitehall departmental budgets cut by 1% after £11bn underspend this year.

:: Bigger savings of £11.5bn sought in the spending review for 2015/16, up from £10bn.

:: Public sector pay cap of 1% extended by a year in 2015/16. Military will receive full recommended increase and be exempt from changes to profession pay.

:: New limit on "annually managed expenditure", which includes welfare budget, debt interest and payments to the EU.

:: Deal on the European budget secured by David Cameron saved Britain £3.5bn.

:: Infrastructure plans given and annual £3bn boost from 2015/16 - a total of £15bn over the next decade.

:: Plans to take forward two major carbon capture and storage projects.

:: "Generous" new tax regime to promote early investment in shale gas and tax incentives for the manufacture of ultra low emission vehicles.

TAX AND WELFARE

:: Corporation tax cut another 1% to 20% in April 2015 and small company and main rates of corporation tax merged at 20p.

:: Corporation tax cut paid by rise in bank levy rate to 0.142% next year.

:: Help for employees with more generous shareholder status, Capital Gains Tax relief for sales of business to workers and doubling tax free loans for commuter season tickets to £10,000.

:: Large new package of measures targeting tax avoidance and evasion to bring in £3bn in unpaid taxes.

:: New Employment Allowance from April 2014 taking off first £2,000 from employer National Insurance bills. Means around 450,000 small businesses will pay no employer NI at all.

:: Rise in personal allowance brought forward to 2014, meaning no income tax will be paid on the first £10,000 of earnings.

:: Extension to the Capital Gains Tax holiday.

:: Tax-free child care vouchers worth £1,200 per child and increased support for families with children on universal credit.

HOUSING

:: New Help-to-Buy scheme for people struggling to build up a deposit to buy a house, worth £130bn in loans.

:: Includes £3.5bn for shared equity loans and Government interest-free loan worth 20% of the value of a new build house.

PENSIONS AND SOCIAL CARE

:: Flat rate pension of £144-a-week brought forward to 2016.

:: Cap on social care introduced in 2017 and set at £72,000. Threshold for means-testing of help raised from £23,000 to £118,000.

:: Help for Equitable Life Policy holders extended to those who bought with-profits annuities before 1992, with payments of £5,000 and extra £5,000 for those on lowest incomes.

FUEL AND BEER

:: Planned rise in fuel duty this autumn is cancelled.

:: Planned 3p rise in beer duty tax scrapped and replaced by a 1p cut on a pint of beer.

:: Beer duty escalator axed. Planned rises for other alcohol duties is retained. 

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Budget: Labour Attacks Evening Standard Leak

The Evening Standard prompts calls for an investigation after it published Budget details before the Chancellor stood up in the Commons.

The front page was published on Twitter

The front page, photocopies of which were being scrutinised by the Opposition front bench as the speech began, detailed several aspects of the Budget relating to duty changes, tax and macroeconomic figures.

Labour leader Ed Miliband said George Osborne "almost need not have bothered coming" to the Commons "because the whole Budget, including the market-sensitive fiscal forecasts, were in the Standard".

"To be fair to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, I'm sure he didn't intend the whole of the Budget to be in the Standard before he rose to his feet," he said as he responded to Mr Osborne's speech.

Details of the Budget were handed to journalists ahead of the speech but the content was not to be published until after the Chancellor had addressed MPs.

Evening Standard editor Sarah Sands apologised, saying she was "devastated" that the paper had broken the embargo.

"An investigation is immediately under way into how this front page was made public and the individual who tweeted the page has been suspended while this takes place," she said in a statement.

"We have immediately reviewed our procedures. We are devastated that an embargo was breached and offer our heartfelt apologies."

The newspaper's political editor, Joe Murphy, also issued an apology during the Chancellor's speech.

He tweeted: "I wish to apologise for a very serious mistake by the Evening Standard earlier which resulted in our front page being tweeted.

"We are so sorry to the House of Commons, to the Speaker and to the Chancellor for what happened. We shall be apologising to them."

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls told Sky News: "The idea the Treasury was giving maket-sensitive information about the borrowing numbers to the Evening Standard before the Chancellor has said it to the Commons, that is very unusual ... that is a big, big mistake."

When questioned about whether similar briefings had been given under a Labour Government, he said: "What Governments do is they shape the agenda. We have seen lots of leaks in the last few days but to give out the fiscal numbers, market-senstiive in advance, I've never heard of that before." 

In 1947, Labour Chancellor Hugh Dalton was forced to quit when the Budget was leaked before it was delivered in the chamber.

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Father Faces Court Over Stabbing Death Of Son

A 54-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the stabbing murder of his son.

Neil John Davies was arrested at his home in Llanrumney, Cardiff, on Sunday.

His 24-year-old son Joshua Reece Davies had suffered a stab wound to his neck, as well as injuries to his chest and abdomen.

Davies has appeared at Cardiff Crown Court, where he spoke only to confirm his identity.

Wearing a blue jumper, jeans and black-rimmed spectacles, Davies broke down as he was led into the dock by two security guards.

Judge Mr Justice Wyn Williams heard a brief submission as to how the Crown intended the case to proceed from prosecuting barrister James Wilson.

Defending barrister Steve Jones then confirmed that no application for bail would be made.

Davies has been remanded into custody until June 4, when a plea and case management hearing will take place.

As he was led out of the dock, he began crying again and indicated to family members in the public gallery that he wanted them to write to him while he was in custody.

In the meantime, police said they are continuing to piece together information on last weekend's incident in Cranleigh Rise, Llanrumney.

Detective Inspector Tudor Thomas, from South Wales Police, said: "I would like to thank the local community for the support already provided during the course of this investigation.

"Although a man has been charged with murder, our inquiries are continuing."

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Canal Death Girl's Twin Brother Raised Alarm

The twin brother of a six-year-old girl who died after plunging into a canal ran for help when she and two of her friends, also aged six, got into trouble.

Imie Harrison was pulled from the water by police officers and a member of the public at about 6.20pm on Tuesday.

Tribute has been paid to her by her head teacher, Lawrence Gittins, who said: "She was a much-loved and talented girl and we will miss her very much."

Imie was resuscitated by medics at the scene but West Mercia Police said she was in the water for "some time" before she was rescued.

One of the other children is understood to have jumped in to help after Imie and another youngster fell in near a lock on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at Springfield Park, Kidderminster.

Imie, who was in cardiac arrest, was airlifted to hospital by police helicopter but died shortly after arriving at Birmingham Children's Hospital.

Police are investigating Imie Harrison's death at Woverley Court Lock

The other two children, who have not been named, were treated for hypothermia and taken to hospital, where they are expected to make a full recovery.

Superintendent Kevin Purcell, of West Mercia Police, said Imie's family had been left "devastated" by what appeared to be "an extremely tragic accident".

"We are working hard to establish exactly how Imie came to be in the water."

He added: "There were four children who went over to the canal to play.

"They are young children and all clearly traumatised by what has happened and it will take some considerable time to find out what went on."

Mr Gittins, headteacher of Imie's school St John's Church of England Primary in Kidderminster, said everyone had been left "deeply saddened" by her death.

He added: "At this time our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Imie and all of the pupils and staff who knew her at school.

"Our focus now is to help family, friends and our whole community through this difficult time."

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Budget: 2013 Growth Forecast Is Cut In Half

George Osborne has unveiled tax breaks for beer drinkers, drivers and first time buyers as he admitted the economy is still struggling.

The Chancellor's Budget contained a string of moves designed to ease the cost-of-living, including a 1p cut in the price of beer and the cancellation of a planned fuel duty hike.

A £130bn mortgage guarantee scheme will help people without big deposits buy homes, with interest-free loans worth 20% of the value of a new build property also available.

And in what he called a Budget for "the aspiration nation", Mr Osborne said the income tax threshold will rise to £10,000 in 2014, a year earlier than planned.

The Chancellor also gave small businesses a boost by unveiling a new employment allowance which will save employers £2,000 on their National Insurance bills.

But he was forced to admit that the recovery was taking far longer than expected as he confirmed growth forecasts for this year have been cut in half to just 0.6%.

Ed Miliband called George Osborne a "downgraded Chancellor"

The independent Office for Budget Responsibility does expect Britain to avoid a triple-dip recession but public borrowing will be higher because of the floundering recovery.

It is now forecast to hit £114bn this year instead of £108bn before eventually falling to £42bn in 2017/18.

Driving home the problems facing Britain, figures released hours before the Budget showed the first rise in unemployment for a year - up 7,000 to 2.52m.

But despite growing calls to change course from his austerity regime, Mr Osborne insisted there could be no turning back.

"It is taking longer than anyone hoped but we must hold to the right track," he said.

Labour leader Ed Miliband claimed: "All he offers is more of the same - higher borrowing and lower growth - a more of the same Budget from a downgraded Chancellor.

"He is the wrong man in the wrong place at the worst possible time for the country."

The Chancellor leaving Number 11 Downing Street with his Budget

But Mr Osborne declared: "This is a Budget that doesn't duck our nation's problems. It confronts them head on. It is a Budget for an aspiration nation. It is a Budget for a Britain that wants to be prosperous, solvent and free."

He fleshed out plans for a further £2.5bn in Whitehall cuts over the next two years to fund capital spending projects.

And he confirmed plans to help working parents with tax-free childcare support and to introduce a flat rate pension by 2016.

The Capital Gains Tax holiday will also be extended and corporation tax cut further by 1% to 20% in April 2015.

But there will be anger at the extension of the 1% public sector pay cap to 2015/16, which came as civil servants staged a 24-hour strike.

There will also be further cuts in the spending review for 2015/16, up from £10bn to £11.5bn.

And the Chancellor announced that the Bank of England's remit was being overhauled but that it will keep its inflation target of 2%.

The House of Commons was extremely rowdy as Mr Osborne delivered one of the most important speeches of his career.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls was singled out by the deputy speaker for barracking from Labour's front bench.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) now predicts growth of 2.3% for 2015, 2.7% in 2016 and 2.8% in 2017.

A Twitpic shows George Osborne at work

This means the Chancellor is now set to borrow £55.7bn more over the next five years than he was planning as little ago as in December.

Figures do show that the deficit has fallen from 11.2% of GDP in 2009/10 to 7.4% this year and is set to continue dropping until it reaches 2.2% in 2017/18.

But the OBR confirms Mr Osborne will miss his target for total public sector debt to start falling as a percentage of national income by 2015/16.

It now forecasts this will rise to a peak of 85.6% of GDP or a staggering £1.58tn in 2016/17 - an increase of 6.4% on its previous figures.

There was consternation as the speech began when the London Evening Standard newspaper posted its front page, complete with full details of the Budget, on Twitter.

The paper suspended the person behind the tweet and launched an investigation as it issued a fulsome apology for breaking the embargo.

Editor Sarah Sands said: "We have immediately reviewed our procedures. We are devastated that an embargo was breached and offer our heartfelt apologies."

John Longworth, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, criticised Mr Osborne for not going far enough to support business and boost growth.

"We are at an unprecedented moment in economic history, and the Government should be doing everything in its power to get the economy moving", he said.

But Simon Walker, director general of the Institute of Directors, said: "We applaud this Budget. The Chancellor has stuck to his guns and held his nerve - which is exactly what we wanted to see.

"Deficit reduction is not an optional policy, it is an absolute necessity, and he is right to reject the siren calls to abandon it."

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