Latest News

Tube Staff Targeted By Angry Passengers

2012-02-23T07:46:38Z

Tube staff are being attacked and threatened by angry passengers because of "misinformation" about delays to London Underground services, their union claimed on Thursday.

The Rail Maritime and Transport union said passengers were being told there was a good service when there were "severe delays".

London Underground denied the claims.

The union also alleged that major delays were being described as "minor" and that messages to passengers were changed too quickly after an incident.

The issue was sparking threats and assaults against staff by frustrated passengers caught up in travel "chaos", said the union.

General secretary Bob Crow said: "Abuse of service information to create a misleading picture as to what is running and what isn't immediately throws our members on the stations and platforms into a confrontational situation as angry passengers realise they have been misled.

"We are calling for an end to this practice. You cannot cover up the impact of cuts to jobs and finances by throwing up a barrage of misinformation. It might suit the politicians and the senior managers but it's frontline staff who are left to take the flak at station level."

Howard Collins, chief operating officer at London Underground, said: "London Underground provides timely and accurate real-time information on how Tube services are operating for the benefit of our customers and staff. This is provided directly by

Transport for London through tfl.gov.uk, and on the network, through 'rainbow' boards and customer announcements. Also, via the many real-time travel apps created by developers using our trusted real-time data.

"It is completely wrong to suggest we provide misleading or inaccurate information, or that there is any evidence this is leading to violence against Tube staff.

"We know this real-time information is valued by our customers and we have recently improved it, to make it more detailed and relevant to our customers. For example, if there is good service on one branch of a line but minor delays on another, we can now show that."

Inquest For Toddler Hanged By Window Blind Cord

2012-02-23T07:32:10Z

An inquest will be held today into the death of a toddler who was accidentally hanged by a window blind cord.

Emily Warner died in December, four months after she was left brain damaged when she accidentally hanged herself on a window-blind cord in her bedroom.

Her father Jamie Warner found the two-year-old unconscious in her bedroom at their home in Royston, Hertfordshire, with the cord around her neck in August last year.

He had gone upstairs to talk to his son, James, four, when he found her seemingly lifeless body.

Warner previously told the Cambridge News: "James had been naughty so he had been sent to bed at the same time as Emily.

"If James hadn't been naughty and been sent to bed early I might not have gone to check on her in time."

The accident left Emily unable to walk, talk or feed herself.

She was in a coma in intensive care at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, for a week after the accident in August but died in December.

At the time of the accident Michael Corley, of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: "There have been 18 deaths, similar to what happened to Emily Warner, since 1999, and many more we don't know about."

The inquest into her death will be held at Hertfordshire Coroner's Court in Hatfield today at noon.

Atkinson Attacks Ageism Row

2012-02-23T07:31:15Z

Blackadder star Rowan Atkinson has waded into the debate about ageism on television, saying Miriam O'Reilly's legal action against the BBC was an "attack on creative free expression".

The former Countryfile presenter won an age discrimination case against the corporation in 2011 after she was rejected for a role on a revamped prime-time version of the popular rural affairs programme.

In a letter sent to BBC Radio 4's The Media Show, Atkinson said he did not "blame" Ms O'Reilly for "pursuing her case".

He added: "My argument would be that the creative industries are completely inappropriate environments for anti-discrimination legislation and that the legal tools she used should never have been available to her."

Atkinson compared her case to "Pierce Brosnan complaining that he was sacked from the role of James Bond for being too old" and said the BBC show was "no less contrived" than a 007 movie.

He said: "And as with any creative construct, whether it's a BBC Factual Television programme or a film or an oil painting, if creative freedom means anything, it is having complete creative latitude to include or exclude anybody or anything for any reason."

He added: "I remain amazed that, to this day, few people seem to appreciate the attack on creative free expression that Miriam O'Reilly's case represents."

A New Dawn

2012-02-23T07:25:49Z

Dawn French may have cut down on chocolate, but she is not skimping on romance - the newly slim star has a new man on her arm following her split from husband Lenny Henry.

The Vicar of Dibley actress and her comic partner decided to walk away from their marriage of 25 years at the end of 2010 and Dawn has since stunned fans by showcasing a slimline new figure after dropping a staggering seven stone.

But the star has something to take her mind off her junk food cravings - a new fella.

The 54-year-old has been dating charity boss Mark Bignell for several months, and the pair went public after they were snapped enjoying a romantic stroll along a beach near Dawn's Cornish home.

According to reports, twice-divorced Mark is CEO of a charity which has the star's mum on the board of trustees.

A friend of Dawn told The Sun: "She and Mark got together last year. They make a great couple and are very happy together."

The beloved funnywoman opened up about hitting the dating scene again last year, admitting it was the only new thing in her life since splitting from Lenny.

She explained: "I’ve got lots of interesting gentleman callers - but I can make the choice. In fact I’m scrabbling for time on my own. I don’t even like to call it dating, like some teenager, I’m just trying to have a bit of fun every now and again. I’m trying to work out who I am in relation to other people. It’s very strange finding out who you are as a romantic.

"I don’t feel like I am starting again, it’s just a new phase. I’m trying to have a bit of fun every now and again. But I am not a predator, I am not going out looking. I think it’s a mistake to say never about anything. I’m open to marrying again, but I’m certainly not thinking about it right now."

CELEB PICS OF THE DAY

Prison Part For Perry

2012-02-23T07:13:36Z

Pop star Katy Perry is set for a spell behind bars - as a tough-talking TV prison guard in hit US comedy Raising Hope.

The Firework hitmaker will join the cast of creator Greg Garcia's Emmy-nominated TV series for the upcoming 6 March episode - and the singer has her best friend, Raising Hope star Shannon Woodward, to thank for landing her the role.

In a fun statement, the estranged wife of comedian Russell Brand says: "Shannon Woodward is my best friend. A couple weeks ago, I was home, just toasting up a frozen chicken fillet when she called me up and asked if I wanted to do something 'fun' for a change and try out a guest role on her TV show. I thought, 'Sure, I have nothing else to do, and I like chillin' with my best friend.'

"Greg was nice, but I hope he's not secretly sabotaging my potential future career by typecasting me in the role of just a looker, so that I would never be able to play anything more challenging."

An equally entertaining statement from executive producer Garcia reads: "Shannon Woodward told me that her friend Katy was interested in doing an episode and I thought, 'Why not? Let's do your friend Katy a favour.'

"Then she came in and did a terrific job. She was hilarious. And now people are telling me that Katy is also a singer. I sincerely hope that her appearance on the show helps her get her singing career off the ground. It's a tough business."

'TOWIE' Trouble

2012-02-23T07:05:12Z

It was false nails at dawn for TOWIE girls Jessica Wright and Lauren Goodger after they became embroiled in a massive bust-up during a night out in Essex.

The TV stars were heading home in a cab following an evening at Faces Nightclub when Lauren lashed out at Jessica, the sister of her former fiance Mark Wright.

According to The Sun, Lauren - who is still reeling after her new salon was firebombed by yobs - accused Jessica and her family of wrecking her relationship with the I'm A Celeb... hunk.

A source tells the newspaper: "Lauren and Jess got in the cab after a night out and they suddenly started having this almighty row about Mark and why he wasn't with Lauren any more.

"Lauren was trying to claim that her split from Mark was all Jess and her family's fault as they were getting in the way.

"She was insisting there could still be a future for her and him. It all got out of control then Lauren just lost it and started screaming at Jess."

Mark, who is now carving a career for himself as a TV presenter, is said to be fuming over the altercation and wants nothing more to do with his girlfriend of 10 years.

The source adds: "He can't believe Lauren won't just leave it alone. It's one thing to be upset but to verbally attack his sister and blame her and her family for them not being together is ludicrous."

However, the argument has given producers of the ITV2 series a chance to film the two girls, who are no longer on speaking terms, ironing out their differences on screen.

BRITS AFTERSHOW PARTIES

Cameron's Plea For Somalia Support

2012-02-23T06:59:25Z

David Cameron will appeal to international leaders to step up support for Somalia in an effort to stabilise the country described as "the world's most failed state".

Representatives of more than 50 countries are gathering in London on Thursday for a high level international conference amid fears the east African nation is becoming the new breeding ground for international terrorism.

Cameron said he wanted to "forge a new momentum" and put in place the "building blocks" to create a stronger and safer Somalia after two decades blighted by war, piracy, terrorism and famine.

Among the senior figures attending will be United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as well as the leaders of neighbouring African states.

Hopes for progress have risen in recent months after troops from the African Union force in the country (Amisom) succeeded in driving the Islamist al Shabaab group from the capital Mogadishu.

They were further bolstered by reports that the al Shabaab stronghold of Baidoa in the south west of the country has fallen to troops from neighbouring Ethiopia and Somali government forces.

The UN Security Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to increase the Amisom presence from 12,000 troops to 17,700 while increasing funding and expanding its area of operations.

Nevertheless al Shabaab remains in control of much of the country and earlier this month it underscored its commitment to violent extremism by publicly declaring its affiliation to al Qaida.

A recent report by the Royal United Services Institute thinktank estimated that there were currently around 200 foreign fighters in training camps in the country - with around a quarter of them coming from Britain.

The report echoed a warning made by MI5 director general Jonathan Evans in 2010 that it was "only a matter of time" before there were terrorist attacks on the streets of Britain inspired by those fighting in Somalia.

With the London Olympics later this year, Cameron has acknowledged that the security threat from al Shabaab was "real" and "substantial".

"The threat to our national security is growing. Young British minds are being poisoned by radicalism. Pirates are disrupting vital trade routes and kidnapping tourists and aid workers," he said in a statement ahead of the conference.

"The Shabab control a third of the country. Famine and instability in Somalia are spreading instability across the wider region.

"Our national interest is clear: we can't just sit back and let all this carry on."

Officials said Cameron's decision to summon the conference - being held at Lancaster House - reflected the deep concern in Whitehall at the threat posed by the continuing instability.

"It is clear that there are British nationals who have been among the foreign fighters who find a haven in al Shabaab areas," said one senior diplomat.

"We know al Shabaab has reach beyond Somalia. What we are talking about is not simply a threat to the region - it is a threat to the UK."

Downing Street has sought to play down reports that Britain and other EU nations have been looking at the possibility of airstrikes against al Shabaab bases.

"We have been focused on pursuing a different strategy to a military strategy," the Prime Minister's spokesman said.

However the spokesman also acknowledged that Britain had military "assets" in the region, including Royal Navy warships operating with the international anti-piracy task force.

British officials said they were looking for an "action-orientated" approach at the conference with agreement on a series of practical measures to tackle piracy and terrorism, stamp out corruption, strengthen the political process and bolster humanitarian support.

Claims Doctors Grant 'Illegal Abortions Based On Gender Of Baby' Investigated

2012-02-23T06:49:23Z

An investigation into claims that some doctors are granting women illegal abortions based on the sex of their unborn baby has been launched by the Department of Health.

It has been sparked by an undercover newspaper investigation into sex-selection abortions, secretly filming doctors at British clinics agreeing to terminate foetuses because they were either male or female.

The doctors were also allegedly recorded admitting they were prepared to falsify paperwork to arrange the illegal abortions.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said he was "extremely concerned" about the allegations made by the Daily Telegraph, and has instructed officials investigate.

He said: "I'm extremely concerned to hear about these allegations. Sex selection is illegal and is morally wrong.

"I've asked my officials to investigate this as a matter of urgency."

The newspaper said undercover reporters accompanied pregnant women to nine clinics in different parts of the country and in three cases doctors were recorded offering to arrange terminations after being told the women did not want to go ahead with the pregnancy because of their unborn child's sex.

In the UK, abortions are allowed on certain grounds, including that continuing with the pregnancy would be a greater risk to the woman's life, physical or mental health than ending the pregnancy, continuing would be more of a risk to the physical or mental health of any of the woman's existing children and there is a real risk the child would have a serious physical or mental disability.

In September Tory backbencher Nadine Dorries and Labour's Frank Field lost a Commons vote on the issue of counselling.

They wanted to prevent non-statutory abortion providers such as Marie Stopes and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) from offering counselling.

Dorries said that, because they receive money for carrying out terminations, the organisations have a vested interest.

Labour MP Taken Away By Police After Commons Bar Fight

2012-02-23T06:09:56Z

The Labour MP Eric Joyce was taken away from the Commons by police on Wednesday night after attacking several Conservative Members of Parliament. Joyce, who represents Falkirk for Labour, is said to have headbutted the Tory MP for Pudsey Stuart Andrew in the Strangers bar, which is reserved for MPs and their guests.

Joyce is thought to have attacked three other Conservatives and one Labour MP during the incident, which happened at 11pm, around three hours after the Commons had risen for the evening.

The bar had been busy during the evening, with the Speaker of the House of Commons in Canada, Andrew Scheer, among the guests invited there by MPs.

A Scotland Yard spokesman told the Press Association "We were called at approximately 10.50pm (on Wednesday) to reports of a disturbance at a bar within the House of Commons. A man aged in his 50s was arrested by officers on suspicion of assault. He remains in custody in a central London police station. Inquiries are continuing."

Mr Joyce, the MP for Falkirk since December 2000, served in the Army Education Corps before pursuing a career in politics.
In 2010 he resigned as shadow Northern Ireland minister after pleading guilty to failing to provide a breath test.

From 2003 Mr Joyce served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to a number of government ministers.

Mr Joyce quit as the PPS to Bob Ainsworth in 2009 due to his concerns over the war in Afghanistan. Prior to that he had been a parliamentary aide to John Hutton, including the period when he was defence secretary, Mike O'Brien and Margaret Hodge.

Labour MP Taken Away By Police After Headbutting A Tory In Commons Bar

2012-02-23T06:09:56Z

Labour MP Eric Joyce was taken away from the Strangers Bar in the Commons and arrested by police on Wednesday night, after headbutting a Tory MP and attacking several other Conservatives.

Joyce, who represents Falkirk for Labour, is said to have headbutted the Tory MP for Pudsey Stuart Andrew in the bar, which is reserved for MPs and their guests.

Joyce is thought to have attacked three other Conservatives and one Labour MP during the incident, which happened at around 11pm, three hours after the Commons had risen for the evening.

The bar had been busy, with the Speaker of the House of Commons in Canada, Andrew Scheer, among the guests invited there by MPs.

The Commons had seen a series of rowdy debates on the NHS earlier in the day, with a fiery exchange at PMQs between David Cameron and Ed Miliband. This was followed by a long and rancourous debate over whether Andrew Lansley should publish the NHS Risk Register.

The PoliticsHome website quotes sources as saying Joyce had complained that the bar was "full of Tories". Strangers Bar sees MPs from all parties drinking there every night that Commons sits.

Mr Joyce, the MP for Falkirk since December 2000, served in the Army Education Corps before pursuing a career in politics.

In 2010 he resigned as shadow Northern Ireland minister after pleading guilty to failing to provide a breath test.

From 2003 Mr Joyce served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to a number of government ministers.

The Strangers Bar has seen more than its fair share of controversy so far this year, after Labour MP Kate Green complained about the allegedly "sexist" beer sold there. One of the guest ales in January was called "Top Totty", and after complaints from Green it was withdrawn and replaced with another guest ale, called "Kangaroo Court".

Prince Charles Invests In Clean Tech Startup

2012-02-22T22:07:02Z

By Adveith Nair

LONDON (Reuters) - The Prince of Wales' private estate and financier Jacob Rothschild are among a group of investors who plan to invest more than 65 million pounds ($103 million) in a clean technology start-up focused on producing energy from organic waste matter.

The new company, Tamar Energy, will develop a network of over 40 anaerobic digestion plants to generate 100 megawatt of green electricity over the next five years, the consortium said on Wednesday.

The investor group is led by Rothschild's London-listed RIT Capital Partners and Fajr Capital, along with the Duchy of Cornwall, Lord Rothschild's Family Interests, and supermarket group J Sainsbury, among others.

Anaerobic Digestion is the conversion of organic waste material into biogas by bacteria. The methane-rich biogas can then be used either in a local generating plant to produce electricity, or cleaned and injected into the gas grid.

According to a report published last September by green energy consultancies, there are already 214 anaerobic digestion facilities in Britain, with a total installed generating capacity of 170 MW.

"This investment shows there are great business opportunities in this technology, creating heat and power to run homes and businesses and reducing the amount of organic waste that would otherwise lie rotting in landfill," Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said.

Sainsbury, which is investing 2 million pounds in the venture, said it will work with suppliers to ensure that they have access to Tamar's new plants, which it said would reduce waste in the supply chain.

($1 = 0.6321 British pounds)

(Reporting by Adveith Nair, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

What The Pope Is Doing For Lent

2012-02-22T21:15:17Z

For the next 40 days, users can follow Pope Benedict XVI on Twitter to receive daily messages during Lent.

Themes from the Pope's 2012 Lenten message will be posted to the social media site every day, starting on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 22), Vatican Radio reports. After Easter, the Vatican says it hopes to continue to send out excerpts from other relevant speeches and documents.

The goal is to help spread the Pope's messages to younger generations and those already on social media networks, according to the report. The Vatican says followers have retweeted messages in the past, so the avenue seemed like a perfect fit.

Even His Holiness agrees succinct messages can be effective.

"In concise phrases, often no longer than a verse from the Bible, profound thoughts can be communicated, as long as those taking part in the conversation do not neglect to cultivate their own inner lives," Pope Benedict was quoted as saying in a January report by the Guardian.

Unfortunately, the Vatican Radio report does not specify which account to follow, but the Vatican news issued the following tweet on its account:

Pope Benedict XVI sent out his first tweet in June 2011 through the Vatican news account. Since then, the Pope's presence has been rather subdued on the website. At the time, the Vatican news Twitter account had 12,000 followers; today it has nearly 80,000.

Earlier today, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass at the Basilica of Santa Sabina in Rome, where he marked churchgoers with ashes.

Via Mashable

'Just One More Story'

2012-02-22T21:10:44Z

Sunday Times journalist Marie Colvin was killed after defying an order to leave the besieged Syrian city of Homs because she wanted to finish "one more story", her mother said tonight.

The award-winning war reporter, 56, died alongside French photojournalist Remi Ochlik, 28, when the house where they were staying was shelled by Syrian government forces this morning.

Sunday Times photographer Paul Conroy and French reporter Edith Bouvier, of Le Figaro newspaper, were also injured in the attack.

Fellow journalists mourned the loss of US-born Ms Colvin, highlighting her huge courage in repeatedly placing herself in danger to bear witness to atrocities around the globe.

Her mother Rosemarie said she remained in Homs despite being ordered to get out by her editor because of the risk, adding: "She had to stay. She wanted to finish one more story."

Rupert Murdoch, owner of the Sunday Times, said she was "one of the most outstanding foreign correspondents of her generation".

Ms Colvin was the only British newspaper reporter in the opposition stronghold of Homs, which has become a symbol of the 11-month uprising against Syrian president Bashar Assad.

Syrian activists accused Assad's forces of deliberately targeting the journalists in today's rocket and shell attacks on the city, which they said killed at least 13 people.

The United Nations estimated last month that at least 5,400 people, mostly civilians, had been killed in the Syrian government's crackdown on the rebels.

French politicians expressed outrage at the journalists' deaths. President Nicolas Sarkozy said: "That's enough now, the regime must go."

In Britain, David Cameron joined tributes to Ms Colvin, telling MPs at Prime Minister's Questions: "This is a desperately sad reminder of the risks that journalists take to inform the world of what is happening and the dreadful events in Syria."

Foreign Secretary William Hague said she embodied the "highest values of journalism" and for many years "shone a light on stories that others could not".

He added: "Marie and Remi died bringing us the truth about what is happening to the people of Homs.

"Governments around the world have the responsibility to act upon that truth - and to redouble our efforts to stop the Assad regime's despicable campaign of terror in Syria."

Colvin working in the Chechen Mountains, Chechnya in 1999

In her final dispatches, Ms Colvin sought to alert the world to the human tragedy unfolding in Homs, which has been devastated after weeks of intense shelling from Assad's forces.

She and Mr Conroy sneaked into the city from Lebanon via a secret smugglers' route despite the risks they faced.

In an interview with the BBC yesterday, she described watching a two-year-old boy who had been hit by shrapnel die in a makeshift clinic.

She said: "The doctor just said 'I can't do anything'. His little tummy just kept heaving until he died. That is happening over and over and over.

"No-one here can understand how the international community can let this happen, particularly when we have an example of Srebrenica - shelling of a city, lots of investigations by the United Nations after that massacre, lots of vows to never let it happen again."

Describing the situation in Homs as "absolutely sickening", she said: "There's just shells, rockets and tank fire pouring into civilian areas of this city, and it's just unrelenting."

In a front-page article published in the Sunday Times at the weekend, Ms Colvin reported that wounded civilians in the Baba Amr area of Homs were being treated by a vet because no doctors were available.

Warning of an impending massacre, she wrote: "The scale of human tragedy in the city is immense.

"The inhabitants are living in terror.

"Almost every family seems to have suffered the death or injury of a loved one."

Ms Colvin was intensely aware of the danger she was in, writing to a friend on Facebook shortly before her death: "I think reports of my survival may be exaggerated.

"In Baba Amr. Sickening, cannot understand how the world can stand by and I should be hardened by now."

The Sunday Times said it was doing all it could to rescue Mr Conroy and recover Ms Colvin's body.

With the Duchess of Cornwall at a service to commemorate journalists, cameramen and support staff who have fallen in the war zones at St. Bride’s Church in Fleet Street, 2010

Over her distinguished career, Ms Colvin, originally from Oyster Bay, New York, reported on conflicts around the world, including in Kosovo, Chechnya and Sierra Leone.

She wore a distinctive black eyepatch after losing an eye when she was wounded by shrapnel while covering Sri Lanka's civil war in 2001.

Her recent reporting focused on countries caught up in the uprisings of the Arab Spring, among them Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

Ms Colvin summarised the foreign correspondent's job succinctly when she addressed a November 2010 memorial service at St Bride's Church in London's Fleet Street for British journalists killed reporting on conflicts.

"Our mission is to report these horrors of war with accuracy and without prejudice," she said.

"We always have to ask ourselves whether the level of risk is worth the story. What is bravery, and what is bravado?

"Journalists covering combat shoulder great responsibilities and face difficult choices. Sometimes they pay the ultimate price."

She added: "It has never been more dangerous to be a war correspondent, because the journalist in the combat zone has become a prime target."

Sunday Times editor John Witherow said Ms Colvin was an "extraordinary figure" in the life of the paper.

He went on: "She believed profoundly that reporting could curtail the excesses of brutal regimes and make the international community take notice.

"Above all, as we saw in her powerful report last weekend, her thoughts were with the victims of violence.

"Throughout her long career she took risks to fulfil this goal, including being badly injured in Sri Lanka. Nothing seemed to deter her.

"But she was much more than a war reporter. She was a woman with a tremendous joie de vivre, full of humour and mischief and surrounded by a large circle of friends, all of whom feared the consequences of her bravery."

ITV News international editor Bill Neely added: "At a time when journalists are being examined as never before, it's time to acknowledge someone who made a difference, a moral difference, to our country and our lives. That was Marie."

A number of Western journalists have died in Syria since the uprising began.

Remi Ochlik, the French photographer killed in Homs

French TV reporter Gilles Jacquier, 43, was killed in Homs last month, and New York Times correspondent Anthony Shadid, also 43, died of an apparent asthma attack last Thursday as he was leaving Syria.

Jim Boumelha, president of the International Federation of Journalists, warned: "The situation in Homs is becoming increasingly difficult for journalists and we are concerned about its impact on independent reporting on the conflict.

"We will hold the authorities to their international obligations to protect journalists who are in Homs and other Syrian cities."

Foreign Office officials told Syrian Ambassador to London, Dr Sami Khiyami, the UK Government was "horrified" by the violence in Homs and expects immediate arrangements to be put in place for Ms Colvin's body to be repatriated.

Mr Hague ordered officials to summon Syria's representative to a meeting with political director Sir Geoffrey Adams this afternoon.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "The political director said the Foreign Office expected the Syrian authorities to facilitate immediate arrangements for the repatriation of the journalists' bodies, and for the medical treatment of the British journalist injured in the same attack.

"Sir Geoffrey stressed that the British Government was horrified by the continuing unacceptable violence in Homs, which has been under attack for 19 days.

"He noted that today alone the world had witnessed the death of more than 60 civilians, including children, on the single street of al-Hakoura in the Baba Amr neighbourhood.

"Our clear demand was for the violence to stop immediately. The Syrian authorities must implement the undertakings they had given to the Arab League, halt all violence against civilians, and start an orderly political transition before a single further death took place."

Comedian Frank Carson Dies

2012-02-22T20:52:34Z

Comedian Frank Carson, best known for his catchphrase "It's a cracker", has "set off for his final gig" after losing his battle with stomach cancer, his family said on Wednesday.

The Belfast-born stand-up, 85, had been in ill health and died at home surrounded by his family in Blackpool, Lancashire.

In a statement, his family said Carson was a "husband, father, Gaga and comedian" who had "set off for his final gig today".

"He went peacefully at his home in Blackpool surrounded by his greatest fans - his extended family. We will be taking him home to Belfast to lay him to rest and celebrate his joyful life.

"It's quieter down here now. God help them up there!"

Carson once joked with the Pope about seeing Elvis when he died. Taking part in around 80 events a year until shortly before he died, his irrepressible and irreverent sense of humour was present to the last.

Journalist and friend Eddie McIlwaine recalled: "He met the present Pope (Benedict XVI) and the Pope said 'did you ever meet Elvis Presley' and Frank said 'no I have not but it won't be long now'."

Carson grew up in the deprived working-class area near York Street in north Belfast known as Little Italy.

Mr McIlwaine said: "A lot of his humour came from his mother. She was the real wit in the family."

He said an inspiration behind Carson's comic career was meeting Laurel and Hardy in a barber's shop in Belfast when he was already performing at pubs and small concert halls. The former tradesman subsequently shot to fame when he won TV talent show Opportunity Knocks.

Mr McIlwaine said: "His big breakthrough came when he was commissioned to take part in the television show the Comedians in the early 1960s.

"That was a big series, Frank was one of the big hits and he became a household name."

His comedy went on to define him. The comic was known for his catchphrases "It's a cracker" and "It's the way I tell 'em" and travelled all over the UK entertaining audiences from his Blackpool base.

Celebrity friends who predeceased him included Eric Morecambe, Bernard Manning, Tommy Cooper, Spike Milligan and Norman Wisdom - part of a dying brand of comedy.

He also worked ceaselessly for charity and was made a Knight of St Gregory by Pope John Paul II in 1987, the highest honour in the Catholic church. Only a couple of months ago he was at the late pontiff's beatification ceremony in Rome wearing his knight's uniform, Mr McIlwaine said.

He dedicated much of his life to looking after his wife Ruth, who had serious eyesight problems, with his sons Tony and Aidan and daughter Majella, despite his own heart problems. They have also put a huge effort into bringing the two sides of the community in Northern Ireland together through education.

The sports fan was a supporter of Blackpool FC. Politically, he backed the UK Independence Party.

But Carson's sense of humour shone through in everything he did.

Mr McIlwaine added: "He was not just a comedian on stage, he was always a funny man and an expert at the one-liner, he was a naturally born comedian."

British Fugitive 'Fast Eddie' Appears In US Court

2012-02-22T20:36:14Z

A British man wanted by police for 19 years after a £1m security van robbery has appeared in a US court.

Eddie Maher, 56, appeared before the US District Court in Missouri wearing a green prison jumpsuit, ankle shackles and handcuffs. The restraints were removed for the hearing.

The preliminary and detention hearing, relating to a charge of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, lasted about three minutes.

Judge James C England recognised the affidavit in the federal complaint and an immigration detainer.

Maher was represented by a public defender as he could not afford his own lawyer. He will appear again at a later date.

Maher, known as "Fast Eddie" was arrested in Ozark, were he was working for a cable company.

He vanished after the theft of a Securicor van, which he was driving, in Felixstowe in 1993.

He is believed to have been working under a false name, the name of his brother, Michael, and had regularly moved around the US.
The alleged crime happened outside Lloyds Bank in Hamilton Road, Felixstowe.

It is thought a colleague made a delivery to the bank while Maher waited outside in the vehicle.

The van vanished and was later found empty on the seafront.

Police believed 50 bags containing £1m in coins, £20 and £10 notes, had been transferred into a Toyota Previa spacecruiser vehicle with false number plates, stolen earlier in London.

The Toyota was then driven to a car park on the nearby Landguard peninsula.

It is believed the money was transferred again into a car later found burnt out in Essex.

If extradited to the UK, Maher is expected to face questioning from Suffolk Police.