Man charged with 'terror' murder

22 July 2013 Last updated at 17:41 GMT Mohammed Saleem was stabbed after leaving the Green Lane Mosque A 25-year-old Ukrainian man has been charged with the "terrorist-related" murder of Birmingham grandfather Mohammed Saleem, police have said.

Mr Saleem, 75, was stabbed as he walked home after prayers from a mosque in Green Lane, Small Heath, on 29 April.

Pavlo Lapshyn, a student from Dnipropetrovsk, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

He was arrested following two explosions near West Midlands mosques.

The 25-year-old is still being questioned by detectives investigating the blasts near the mosques in Walsall and Tipton, and a third in Wolverhampton, between 22 June and 12 July.

Mr Lapshyn, who has been in the UK on a temporary work placement since 24 April, was initially arrested on Thursday. He was arrested again on suspicion of the murder of Mr Saleem on Saturday.

'Anxiety and distress'

Police said a post-mortem examination showed Mr Saleem had been stabbed three times in the back in April.

The grandfather of 22 had been taken to Heartlands Hospital but was confirmed dead shortly after arriving there.

Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale, from West Midlands Police, urged anyone with any information to contact the force.

Mr Beale said: "We understand that these incidents have caused a great deal of anxiety and distress within local communities and I want to thank them for the way they have dealt with the developments and the assistance they have given my officers.

"For the family who lost a beloved grandfather it has been a particularly difficult time and we will continue to support them."

In a statement issued after Mr Lapshyn was charged, West Midlands Police called the killing of Mr Saleem a "terrorist-related murder".

The force also said officers would be travelling to Ukraine in the next few days to learn more about Mr Lapshyn's past history.

Louise Gray, a lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service Counter Terrorism Division, said she had been considering the evidence gathered following an investigation by West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit.

"I have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to charge Pavlo Lapshyn with one count of murder," she said.

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Bankers guilty in Greek arson deaths

22 July 2013 Last updated at 16:07 GMT Three people in their thirties died in the attack Three bank officials in Greece have been given jail sentences of up to 10 years for failing to protect the lives of staff during a fatal arson attack by anti-austerity protesters in May 2010.

Three Marfin Bank staff members died in the attack on a central Athens branch, including a pregnant woman.

No-one has yet been convicted of causing the fire.

The Marfin branch had refused to allow staff to leave early, unlike other banks in the area.

The arson attack remains one of the most tragic moments of Greece's financial crisis, BBC Athens correspondent Mark Lowen reports.

Youths threw firebombs into the bank during a protest, starting the fatal fire.

The prime minister at the time, George Papandreou said it was a "raw, murderous act" while President Carolos Papoulias declared his country had "reached the edge of the abyss".

Suspended terms

The trial in Athens heard that the defendants had failed to take adequate measures to protect their staff, especially given that the branch had been attacked before. The defendants could have "predicted and prevented the outcome," the court heard.

The managing director of the Cyprus-based bank, Constantinos Vasilakopoulos, and the security head of the Stadiou street branch, Emmanouil Velonakis, were sentenced to 10 years in prison for manslaughter and causing bodily harm through negligence.

But the court ruled that the officials would have their terms suspended pending an appeal.

Branch manager Anna Vakalopoulou was given a five-year term while a fourth defendant, the deputy manager, was acquitted.

The court also asked for the case to be re-examined to see if other senior staff were responsible for ''negligent homicide''.

Arson attacks against public and private institutions in Greece have been frequent since the start of the financial crisis.

But street protests in Athens have calmed somewhat, with violent clashes no longer so common, our correspondent says.

Marfin Bank was later rebranded as Cyprus Popular Bank which nearly collapsed during the island's financial crisis in March.

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Turkish ship with Indian crew freed

23 July 2013 Last updated at 04:37 GMT By Subir Bhaumik Calcutta It is not clear whether the pirates made a demand for ransom Pirates have released a Turkish cargo ship with a crew of 24 Indians which they hijacked near Port Gentil off the coast of Gabon in West Africa last week.

The Indian crew of MT Cotton is safe and many of them have called home after their release, family members say.

It is unclear if a ransom demand was made by the pirates.

The region has so far been considered safe with no previous hijacking or piracy incident recorded there.

"They are all safe but they have been robbed by the pirates," said Preeti Wahi, wife of MT Cotton's captain, Sishir Wahi.

She said her husband told her the ship was released on Monday. The crew will reach India next week.

Officials at Geden Lines, the Turkish company owning the ship, say the captain has been asked to move the ship at "fullest possible speed" from its present location at the Gulf of Guinea to a "safe port" in West Africa.

"The crew on board the ship are safe and nobody is in need of urgent medical attention. But they have been looted of everything," said Gautam Chatterjee, India's director-general of shipping.

Mr Chatterjee said the pirates had also taken away nearly a third of the ship's cargo.

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Crowds celebrate royal baby at palace

23 July 2013 Last updated at 06:12 GMT A formal bulletin confirming the birth was displayed at Buckingham Palace

Thousands of well-wishers descended on Buckingham Palace on Monday night to celebrate the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's baby boy.

Many tried to glimpse a formal bulletin announcing the 16:24 BST delivery of the baby, who weighed 8lb 6oz.

The birth will be marked later with a series of gun salutes and the ringing of Westminster Abbey's bells.

Prince William said the couple "could not be happier". Kensington Palace said the baby would be named in due course.

The duke stayed with Catherine and the new arrival - the third in line to the throne - overnight at the private Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, west London.

BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said it was unclear how long the baby would be kept in.

Continue reading the main story The world now awaits the couple's choice of names for their son, who will be known as the Prince of Cambridge.

George is the bookmakers' favourite, followed by James and Alexander.

At 14:00 BST, the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery will stage a 41-gun salute in Green Park, after riding past Buckingham Palace.

At the same time, the Honourable Artillery Company - the City of London's army reserve regiment - will fire a 62-gun salute from Gun Wharf at the Tower of London.

And the church bells of Westminster Abbey, where William and Catherine were married in April 2011, are expected to ring out for three hours from 14:00.

'Doing well'

After the new arrival was announced in a statement issued by Kensington Palace, a large cheer went up from well-wishers and journalists outside the hospital.

Continue reading the main story

It is an incredibly special moment for William and Catherine and we are so thrilled for them on the birth of their baby boy”

End Quote Prince Charles A bulletin - signed by the Queen's gynaecologist Marcus Setchell, who led the medical team that delivered the baby - was taken by a royal aide from St Mary's to Buckingham Palace under police escort.

It was then displayed on an easel in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace in line with tradition.

The notice announced the delivery of the baby, adding: "Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well."

Kensington Palace said the Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth of his son.

"The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed and are delighted with the news," a statement said.

The Prince of Wales, in a separate statement, said he and the Duchess of Cornwall were "overjoyed at the arrival of my first grandchild".

"It is an incredibly special moment for William and Catherine and we are so thrilled for them on the birth of their baby boy," he added.

"Grandparenthood is a unique moment in anyone's life, as countless kind people have told me in recent months, so I am enormously proud and happy to be a grandfather for the first time and we are eagerly looking forward to seeing the baby in the near future."

David Cameron: "A wonderful moment"

Royal doctor Mr Setchell described the new arrival as a "wonderful baby, beautiful baby", our correspondent added.

Prime Minister David Cameron, speaking outside Downing Street, hailed the "wonderful news".

"It is an important moment in the life of our nation but I suppose, above all, it's a wonderful moment for a warm and loving couple who've got a brand new baby boy," he added.

He said the Royal Family could "know that a proud nation is celebrating with a very proud and happy couple tonight".

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said: "I am sure that people across Scotland will be absolutely thrilled to hear the news of the birth of a baby boy to the Royal couple and will want to join me in wishing the proud parents many congratulations."

And Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones congratulated the couple "on behalf of the people of Wales" as "they enter their journey into parenthood".

The Archbishop of Canterbury, meanwhile, said he was "delighted to congratulate the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the arrival of their baby boy".

"Along with millions here and around the world, I share in their joy at this special time," added the Most Reverend Justin Welby.

"May God bless this family with love, health and happiness in their shared life ahead."

And US president Barack Obama was among foreign leaders to send their good wishes, saying of the duke and duchess: "We wish them all the happiness and blessings parenthood brings. The child enters the world at a time of promise and opportunity for our two nations."

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EU agrees Hezbollah blacklisting

22 July 2013 Last updated at 22:46 GMT Jim Muir hears from people in Beirut who tell him Hezbollah is "everything to us... It is not a terrorist organisation"

European Union foreign ministers have agreed to list the military wing of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation.

The move required the agreement of all 28 of the EU's member states.

It makes it illegal for Hezbollah sympathisers in Europe to send the group money, and enables the freezing of the group's assets there.

In a statement, Hezbollah said the EU decision "was written by American hands with Israeli ink".

The group said the move "has no justification and is not based on any proof".

Some EU member states had been wary of the measure, saying it could further destabilise the situation in Lebanon.

The BBC's Chris Morris in Brussels says some states had also argued it would be difficult to distinguish fully between the group's military and political wings.

Continue reading the main story Jim Muir BBC News, Beirut

Given the magnitude of on-the-ground developments in which it is involved, the EU's move to blacklist Hezbollah as a terrorist group will likely be shrugged off by the militant movement as part of the Israeli-backed conspiracy against "resistance" that it sees behind much of what is happening in the region.

In practical terms, it would be more of a political slap on the wrist than a stunning body-blow. Hezbollah is not known to have substantial identifiable assets in EU countries which could be frozen, and it does not depend on donations from supporters there.

Hezbollah is the most powerful military force in Lebanon but also the dominant behind-the-scenes political mover. Diplomats may find it hard to differentiate between its military and political wings.

It's ironic that Hezbollah's open involvement alongside regime forces in the Syrian conflict may have helped harden EU opinion against it. One of its main stated reasons for doing so is the need to combat extremist Sunni Salafi rebels such as the Nusra Front, which has also been designated a terrorist group by the US and others.

The US, which has blacklisted Hezbollah for many years, welcomed the EU move.

"A growing number of governments are recognising Hezbollah as the dangerous and destabilising terrorist organisation that it is," said US Secretary of State John Kerry.

'Essential component'

Hezbollah has a powerful political organisation and, along with its allies, dominated the last Lebanese cabinet, which resigned in March.

EU officials had reportedly been proposing a compromise to satisfy more sceptical members - a statement that the bloc "should continue dialogue with all political parties in Lebanon".

The Lebanese government had on Friday urged Brussels not to move against Hezbollah, describing the militant group as an "essential component of Lebanese society".

But the group's involvement in the war across the border in Syria, in support of President Bashar al-Assad, has hardened European opinion, our correspondent says.

Countries that support the EU move say there is compelling evidence that Hezbollah was responsible for a bomb attack against Israeli tourists in Bulgaria last year in which six people died. The group denies any involvement.

In February, Bulgaria handed the EU's police agency the names of two people it suspected of involvement in the attack. Bulgarian officials said they believed the two men were Hezbollah members.

Hezbollah's involvement in the Syrian conflict has hardened EU opinion

EU diplomats also point to a court case in Cyprus, where a Hezbollah operative was found guilty of planning attacks against Israeli citizens.

Hossam Taleb Yaccoub, 24, said he had been asked to record information about Israeli flights arriving on the island and registration plates of buses carrying tourists from Israel. He said he did not know what the information was intended for.

Hezbollah has already been blacklisted by the United States, Canada, Australia, the UK and the Netherlands.

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Can Nazi symbols be art?

19 July 2013 Last updated at 16:19 GMT By Stephen Evans BBC News, Berlin German artist Jonathan Meese claims he has the right to artistic freedom Performance art is all very well - but Jonathan Meese may have taken it too far.

When the artist and theatre director appeared in court in Kassel in Germany, accused of making Nazi salutes, he treated the court as a stage.

He was dressed completely in black, including dark glasses and long dark hair and beard.

He told the magistrate: "You just don't understand the 'discourse of art'. You need to read up if you want to evaluate if something is art."

He has held exhibitions of his paintings and sculpture on both sides of the Atlantic, to some acclaim.

Continue reading the main story

He didn't get the audience on his side when he referred to them as 'human clones of flesh' and 'slaves to democracy'”

End Quote Audience member He also directs stage performances and has been hired by the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth to produce Parsifal there in 2016.

It promises to be - or threatens to be, depending on your point of view - highly controversial.

Poking fun

In Mannheim earlier in the year, members of the audience walked out of a performance he produced - an "experimental drama", as it was termed - where he simulated oral sex on an alien which was daubed with a swastika. During the performance, he made the Hitler salute.

According to some reports, the whole audience left.

One member of the public was reported as saying afterwards: "He didn't get the audience on his side when he referred to them as 'human clones of flesh' and 'slaves to democracy'."

Under the German constitution, there is both freedom of speech and a ban on Nazi speech. Article 5, Paragraph 3 says: "Art and science, research and teaching shall be free", but Section 86a of the Criminal Code forbids "the use of symbols of unconstitutional organisations" - and the Hitler salute comes at the top of that list.

The caveat is that works of art are exempt. After all, Brecht depicts Hitler and those depictions are often performed to acclaim in Berlin theatres.

In 2009, the artist Ottmar Hoerl caused a stir when he produced garden gnomes with their arms raised in the Nazi salute.

Ottmar Hoerl's work 'Dance of/with the Devil' offended some people

A gallery tried to ban one, but he responded by making 1,250 of them and standing them in a square of a Bavarian town near Munich.

His defence was that his work was satirical - the gnomes were poking fun at the Nazis. It was a defence that worked in court - though there was then a big rise in demand for his creations.

The difficulty for the court considering Jonathan Meese's case is that he is accused of making the salute twice at an arts event.

In June, he appeared in Kassel - where his trial is now taking place - at an event called "Megalomania in the Art World".

He had, said the organisers, been invited as an expert on both aspects of the title.

They asked him there knowing he was provocative, and he did not disappoint.

His defence of making the salutes is that it was all art. As he told Der Spiegel magazine: "Of course I am innocent. What I do on stage and in the name of art is protected by the artistic freedom clause in the German constitution."

Enfant terrible

But that is no defence in the eyes of his critics. They say that if making the Hitler salute becomes too acceptable on stage, then it will become more acceptable off stage.

As one Jewish magazine put it: "Loaded words lose their punch once they become commonly used".

Meanwhile, there may be some thinking to be done in Bayreuth. It has hired Mr Meese to direct Parsifal in the festival of Wagner operas there in the Summer of 2016.

Wagner and Nazi symbolism are difficult territory, held at the opera house the composer himself designed for his works, because of Hitler's frequent visits and the adoration of him by Wagner's descendants during the war.

Certain performances of Richard Wagner's works have caused upset in Germany

Last year, one star singer withdrew when it was learnt that he had had a swastika tattooed on his chest when he was a youth, playing in a Russian heavy metal band. It had been tattooed over in adulthood, but the damage remained.

So Mr Meese's production has already got the antennae twitching.

One of the current directors of the Bayreuth Festival is Katharina Wagner, the composer's great-granddaughter. Over the years, she has tried to distance Bayreuth from its unfortunate past, and nobody identifies her with the poisonous views of previous generations of her family.

But she does now have a difficult managing act with Mr Meese, the current enfant terrible, on his way.

She described him as "one of the greatest German artists" in the newspaper Die Welt.

In the interview she was asked: "Should one play with swastikas?" She replied: "No. And I don't think Jonathan Meese plays in a bad way with such symbols." She thought he used them ironically, to say things about German history and identity.

She was asked whether there was a clause in his contract prohibiting him from using Nazi symbols.

"Naturally not," she said. "There is still no contract, but a verbal assurance that we made public with his permission."

The public is sensitive to these matters. Earlier this year, a production of Wagner's Tannhauser closed to a chorus of boos shortly after opening in Duesseldorf. Its violent depictions of a Nazi concentration camp were too much for the audience.

So Jonathan Meese's production in Bayreuth will be interesting. So will the remainder of the court case in which he stars in Kassel.

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Greek treasures plundered in downturn

20 July 2013 Last updated at 01:20 GMT By Theopi Skarlatos BBC Fast Track, Athens Greek police are trying to stem the rise in illegal antiquity trading

The financial crisis in Greece has already had far-reaching consequences for many people, but now it is claiming a new casualty as some of the country's ancient treasures become a target for thieves.

Detective Gergios Tsoukalis puffs nervously on his cigar. In the passenger's seat of a taxi, he grapples with four different mobile phones as he tries to co-ordinate the arrest of yet another antiquities smuggler.

As the driver pulls into the port, he sees ahead of him that plainclothes police officers have already pounced on the unassuming man, who is completely shocked by the early-morning operation.

Continue reading the main story

We've tracked down ancient Greek antiquities as far away as Columbia - in the hands of drug dealers”

End Quote Detective Gergios Tsoukalis As he is being bundled into a van, one of the officers shouts at him: "How many of you are there? Don't mess me around. How many?"

Mr Tsoukalis is less concerned with the accused. He is following the trail of the treasure. He heads straight to the back of the suspect's vehicle and pulls out a bag to confirm that these are the stolen artefacts.

"These are them, here are the coins," he says with relief, immediately lighting up another cigar.

These moments are what the detective lives for.

Vulnerable artefacts

Hunting down illegal traders and saving timeless ancient objects does not just provide him with a rush of adrenaline or a satisfying buzz.

First and foremost, he does this job because he is Greek and cannot stand to see his country's most valuable and vulnerable artefacts in the wrong hands.

There has been a rise in the last three years in illegal trading. According to police reports, there has been a 30% increase since the crisis took hold in 2009.

Mr Tsoukalis believes the most popular buyers are Russians, Chinese and Latin Americans.

"In the last few years with the crisis, people who have reached their limits have become more easily tempted," he says.

Continue reading the main story Fast Track is broadcast on BBC World News and each week has the latest news about travel, destinations, flights and holidays, for people travelling on business or for leisure.The programme is broadcast at 03.30, 13.30 and 18.30 GMT on Saturdays and 06.30 GMT on Sundays."They are more likely to either sell antiquities in their possession or search for them in abandoned excavation sites, in order to sell what they find to dealers who take them abroad.

"We've tracked down ancient Greek antiquities as far away as Columbia - in the hands of drug dealers".

In February, he received a call from one man determined to do the right thing.

Yiannis Dendrinellis, from the coastal town of Derveni in Corinthia, came across what he has now been told could be the site of an ancient temple.

He found a bag left at the side of the road where someone had been digging.

"Inside there were some old coins and parts of small statues. You read stories about people finding treasure, but it can't be compared to finding it yourself with your own hands. It was amazing, just something else."

Yiannis will receive a small share of the value of his find because he contacted the authorities. He is still waiting to hear more about its worth.

Inadequate protection There has been a 30% rise in illegal trading of antiquities since 2009

From the onset of the financial crisis in Greece, it became easier for people to steal and sell on artefacts because many sites, including those still being excavated are not adequately protected.

"Some islands only have one guard to protect and maintain all of the ancient sites," says Despina Koutsoumba, of the Association of Greek Archaeologists.

"How can he do his job properly? Things are being stolen all the time. Only recently a man was arrested and caught with a Macedonian tomb - and inside the entire warrior's outfit. We didn't even know it existed until the man who took it was arrested."

Her main worry is ensuring the maintenance and security of the already registered artefacts in Greece's museums.

In December 2012, the finance ministry took control of the archaeological fund containing all the profits from museum ticket sales - a budget of 2m euros (£1.72m).

"We have not seen this money since December last year and this money is needed to keep our museums running properly. Not only can we not afford toilet paper and petrol for our drivers, but we haven't been able to pay our electricity, water and phone bills, since last year.

"So you can imagine what this means for a museum, to be threatened and have its electricity cut off, what that means for its operations and what that means for its alarms," she said.

The Ministry of Culture stresses it is doing all it can to protect Greece's most important sites and museums.

Despina Koutsoumba says museums cannot even afford toilet roll

Maria Vlazaki, General Director of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage says: "There are a lot of people employed to guard Greece's most important sites, but of course there are less than before.

"As there are fewer employees in all other sectors, we have the same problem with this one. But we have done all the work we can to protect our museums and archaeological sites and keep them safe. I know it is a difficult situation, but we try hard".

Last week the government secured another bailout instalment from the troika of international creditors, the EU, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Central Bank (ECB). In return, a further 25,000 public sector workers will be dismissed and all ministries will be affected.

Those working for the Ministry of Culture are waiting nervously to find out not only if their jobs will be protected, but also the ancient antiquities behind glass cases - and those yet to be discovered.

Fast Track can be seen on BBC World News at 03.30, 13.30 and 18.30 GMT on Saturdays and 06.30 GMT on Sundays.

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Vodafone revenue hit by Europe woes

19 July 2013 Last updated at 07:37 GMT The fall in revenues was in line with expectations Vodafone has reported a fall in underlying service revenues as growing competition and the economic downturn in Europe hit trading.

The mobile phone operator said underlying revenues for the three months to 30 June fell by 3.5%.

Revenues in Germany - its largest European market - fell 5.1%, and they dropped 4.5% in the UK.

The weakness in Europe offset better news from emerging markets, with revenues in India up 13.8%.

'Strong foundations'

Vodafone said that conditions in Europe "remain challenging due to ongoing economic and regulatory pressures and increased competitive intensity within some markets".

Service revenues in southern Europe fell by 14.4%, with a 17.6% decline in Italy and a 10.6% drop in Spain.

Despite the falls, the 3.5% drop in overall revenues was in line with expectations, and Vodafone confirmed its outlook for the full financial year.

"Although regulation, competitive pressures and weak economies, particularly in Southern Europe, continue to restrict revenue growth, we continue to lay strong foundations for the longer term," said chief executive Vittorio Colao.

Last month, Vodafone has agreed to buy German cable operator Kabel Deutschland for 7.7bn euros (£6.6bn; $10bn).

The deal has been seen as a change in strategy for Vodafone as it marks its first foray into consumer broadband and television.

It will mean Vodafone has around 32.4 million mobile, five million broadband and 7.6 million direct TV customers in Germany.

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Magnificent masques - how the Stuart kings were entertained

19 July 2013 Last updated at 07:22 GMT In the early decades of the 17th Century, the Stuart monarchs bore witness to magical shows known as masques. Extravagant, elaborate and expensive, masques were one-off spectacles held in the Banqueting House at Whitehall in London.

This summer, the Banqueting House is capturing the spirit of the Stuart era - celebrating the spectacles which entertained King James I/VI, Charles I and their courts. Take a look with Rhiannon Goddard from Historic Royal Palaces.

Continue reading the main story

'Generous' tax cuts for shale gas

19 July 2013 Last updated at 14:58 GMT The UK is believed to have large resources of shale gas that have yet to be extracted The government has outlined plans to give tax breaks to companies involved in the UK's nascent shale gas industry.

It has proposed cutting the tax on some of the income generated from producing shale gas - found in underground shale rock formations - from 62% to just 30%.

The plans would make the UK the "most generous" regime for shale gas in the world, the government said.

But they have been criticised by environmentalists, with Friends of the Earth calling them a "disgrace".

Greenpeace added that communities affected by fracking - the technique for extracting shale gas - faced a lot of disruption for very little gain.

Chancellor George Osborne says Britain must be" at the forefront of the shale gas revolution"

Chancellor George Osborne said shale gas was a resource with "huge potential" for the UK's energy mix.

"We want to create the right conditions for industry to explore and unlock that potential in a way that allows communities to share in the benefits," he said.

"I want Britain to be a leader of the shale gas revolution because it has the potential to create thousands of jobs and keep energy bills low for millions of people."

The shale gas firm Cuadrilla welcomed the news and said it would consider the implications.

"Whilst we are still in the exploration phase, we believe that shale gas has the potential to make a considerable contribution to the UK's energy supply and security, while at the same time creating thousands of jobs and generating very significant tax revenues and community benefits," said Cuadrilla's chief executive, Francis Egan.

The UK is believed to have large resources of shale gas.

A recent report from the British Geological Survey estimated there may be 1,300 trillion cubic feet of shale gas present in the north of England alone - much of it in the Bowland Basin under Lancashire.

Continue reading the main story

Just how generous are these tax breaks?

Gas production is typically taxed at 62% although in some parts of the north sea long standing operations are taxed at up to 81%.

So the 30% tax rate proposed for shale gas does look generous.

The government insists it is in line with what already exists for small or challenging fields offshore.

What's more it won't be for the lifetime of the well.

In practice part of the profits from the well will be exempt from the higher tax rate. Just how much is still to be decided, but it will be linked to the amount of investment that a firm has made.

The industry insists the tax break is necessary as initial costs will be high and there is still much uncertainty about how much oil and gas will be liberated from our shale deposits.

But with up to 50 wells expected to be drilled in the next 2 to 3 years - the hope from the government is that this tax announcement will help to kick-start what could be a hugely important new industry.

Drilling companies have previously estimated that they may be able to extract about 10% of this gas - far in excess of the three trillion cubic feet of gas currently consumed in the UK each year.

However, the industry is still in its infancy with a handful of companies holding licences for shale gas exploration in the UK, none of which have begun extracting gas.

Water quality

In backing shale gas exploration, the government points to the experience of the US, where a shale gas boom has had a dramatic effect on the energy sector.

Under its plans, the tax break would apply to a proportion of the income generated from shale gas production. What that proportion is will be determined after a consultation.

BBC industry correspondent John Moylan says the industry regards the tax incentives as necessary, as costs are likely to be high during the initial exploration phase over the coming years.

The government has also confirmed plans to give communities that host shale gas sites £100,000 per site, and up to 1% of all revenues from production.

That is designed to offset some of the controversy surrounding the process of fracking.

Science Editor David Shukman explains the process of fracking

There are concerns the process, which involves pumping high pressure water, sand and chemicals into rock to force out the gas, is related to water contamination and even earth tremors.

Continue reading the main story

Promising tax hand-outs to polluting energy firms that threaten our communities and environment, when everyone else is being told to tighten their belts, is a disgrace”

End Quote Andrew Pendleton Friends of the Earth Water companies have warned that the quality of drinking water must be protected "at all costs".

Water UK, which represents the UK water companies, points out that fracking requires huge amounts of water which could put a strain on local supplies.

It also says the drilling and the fracturing process could damage water pipes.

"The water industry is not taking sides. If it (fracking) goes ahead we want to ensure corners are not cut and standards compromised," said Jim Marshall, policy and business adviser at Water UK.

Environmental groups argue that investment in the industry will divert attention from the need to develop renewable sources of energy.

Andrew Pendleton, from Friends of the Earth, condemned the move.

"Promising tax hand-outs to polluting energy firms that threaten our communities and environment, when everyone else is being told to tighten their belts, is a disgrace," he said.

"Ministers should be encouraging investors to develop the nation's huge renewable energy potential. This would create tens of thousands of jobs and wean the nation off its increasingly expensive fossil fuel dependency."

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OECD plan to prevent tax 'abuse'

19 July 2013 Last updated at 15:08 GMT Tax avoidance by big firms sparked protests this year Existing tax rules need updating as they can be "abused" by multinational companies, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

It has launched a plan to update and co-ordinate national tax laws.

There was criticism in the UK earlier this year when it emerged that Google, Starbucks and Amazon paid little tax despite having big UK operations.

Following that criticism Starbucks agreed to pay more tax.

The OECD came up with the plan at the request of the G20 group of leading nations. Finance ministers from the G20 are meeting in Moscow.

Closing gaps

OECD secretary-general Angel Gurria said: "International tax rules, many of them dating from the 1920s, ensure that businesses don't pay taxes in two countries - double taxation.

Continue reading the main story Andrew Walker BBC World Service Economics correspondent

It's a plan to produce a plan.

At a time when there's much controversy about corporate tax, the OECD has certainly succeeded in grabbing the headlines. But will it produce any real results?

There is significant political support for the idea of a crackdown on tax evasion and avoidance. The British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and several other European finance ministers have been pushing this agenda.

In the United States there is political capital to be earned by being tough on multinationals.

Nonetheless, the OECD still has to come up with the detailed proposals and then governments have to choose to implement them.

Some probably will be co-operative. But the OECD has no power to compel those who are not.

"This is laudable, but unfortunately these rules are now being abused to permit double non-taxation."

It is calling for greater international co-operation to close gaps that allows income to "disappear" for tax purposes.

The OECD also said that tax income should reflect the economic activity it generates.

That would address some of the criticism aimed at big companies.

Earlier this year, Google was fiercely criticised by UK MPs for routing £3.2bn of UK sales through Dublin and paying little tax as a result.

Starbucks has been questioned for transferring money to a Dutch sister company in royalty payments.

And Apple's chief executive Tim Cook was questioned by US lawmakers about the billions of dollars his company keeps in its Irish divisions.

The companies point out that these schemes are legal and they have a duty to their shareholders to minimise their tax bills.

Corporate responsibility

British Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "delighted" the OECD had produced the report.

"Taxpayers, governments and businesses all suffer when some companies manipulate the tax system to avoid paying their fair share of taxes," he said.

The OECD hopes its recommendations will be put into action over the next two years and is working on an international legal structure that would help countries introduce the new rules quickly.

"Multinationals still have not grasped that tax honesty is an integral part of corporate responsibility," said Florian Wettstein, professor of business ethics at the University of St. Gallen, based in Switzerland.

"As a result, the public increasingly perceives them as hypocritical and untrustworthy."

Campaigners say that aggressive tax policies are particularly hard on poorer nations, who need all the tax revenue they can generate.

ActionAid tax campaigns manager Chris Jordan said: "For the developing countries that lose billions of dollars each year to aggressive tax avoidance, the stakes couldn't be higher.

"It's vital that they have a seat at the table, so global tax rules aren't stitched up by the major powers."

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Manchester City legend Trautmann dies

Bert Trautmann, the German goalkeeper who won the FA Cup with Manchester City in 1956, has died at the age of 89.

Trautmann is best remembered for playing the final 17 minutes of City's Cup final win against Birmingham City with a broken neck.

He played more than 500 times for City between 1949-64, having first arrived in England as a prisoner of war.

Born: 22 October 1923 in Bremen, Germany

1949: Joins Man City from non-league St Helens Town

1956: Wins FA Cup with City, but breaks neck 17 minutes from end of final versus Birmingham City

1964: Ends playing career after 545 appearances for City

2004: Made OBE for Anglo-German reconciliation work

Trautmann, who had survived two heart attacks this year, passed away near Valencia in Spain on Friday.

Bob Wilson, the former Arsenal goalkeeper and BBC Sport presenter, paid tribute to Trautmann in an interview with Radio 5 live

"I just adored what he did," said Wilson, 71. "I don't think I could have chosen a greater hero."

Wilson said Trautmann's bravery - "diving headlong at people's feet" - won him over, as did his "thorough decency" and "humanity".

Francis Lee, the former Manchester City player who later became the club's chairman, said: "He was one of the all-time great keepers.

"I knew Bert wasn't keeping well for the last six months but it has still come as a shock that he has passed on.

"I made my debut as a 16-year-old for Bolton against City with Bert in goal and I scored a header after a quarter of an hour. It convinced him, he later told me, that it was time to pack up."

Born in Bremen in 1923, Trautmann fought as a paratrooper in World War II before being captured on the Russian front.

Trautmann escaped captivity and returned to serve in France, but, after escaping from the French resistance, he was captured for a final time by the British Army and interned near Ashton-in-Makerfield, Lancashire.

Trautmann is helped from the field after the 1956 FA Cup final, unaware he has broken his neck

Remaining in England following the the war in 1945, Trautmann began his English football career with non-league St Helens Town.

He signed for Manchester City in October 1949, but, with memories of the war still fresh, initially faced hostility from some supporters.

However, his bravery in the 1956 FA Cup final saw Trautmann become a hero to many fans after he broke several vertebrae in his neck when he collided with Birmingham's Peter Murphy with City leading 3-1.

The German was unaware how serious the injury was and played the rest of the match, only learning he had broken his neck three days later.

"I don't think he knew he'd broken his neck, not until they had the scans and X-rays," Lee added. "There was no way he was coming off because there were no subs in those days. He was as brave as a lion.

"He was on the Western Front as well the Eastern Front, so he saw a bit of action and a broken neck was not going to put him off."

Trautmann made a full recovery and, following his retirement in 1964, went on to manage Stockport County.

He also helped the German Football Association promote football development in Africa and Asia.

In 2004, he was awarded the OBE for his work with the Trautmann Foundation, which promoted sportsmanship and exchange programmes between young and amateur players in Germany and the UK.

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Clashes over Spain corruption claims

19 July 2013 Last updated at 09:50 GMT Tom Burridge reports on Spain's "most angry" demonstration since reports of the scandal broke

Spanish police and dozens of anti-government demonstrators clashed in central Madrid overnight, leaving several people injured.

More than 1,000 people protested outside the governing Popular Party (PP) headquarters in the capital.

There is widespread anger over allegations of illegal cash payments to members of the conservative PP.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is under pressure to give an explanation to parliament. He denies wrongdoing.

The demonstrations on Thursday night caused disruption to traffic in central Madrid.

Protesters held placards calling on the government to resign. There was also a protest outside the PP offices in Valencia.

The corruption allegations coincide with Spain's worst economic crisis for decades, with record unemployment and many Spaniards struggling to make ends meet.

The PP's former treasurer, Luis Barcenas, is in custody facing trial for corruption and tax fraud. He denies the allegations.

He says he made numerous bonus payments - in cash - to Mr Rajoy and other senior party members, out of the party slush fund of illegal donations by businesses.

Ledgers detailing such payments, and apparently written by Mr Barcenas, have been published in two Spanish newspapers - El Pais and El Mundo.

Mr Rajoy and other PP members have repeatedly denied that they received illegal payments.

The prime minister has accused Mr Barcenas of blackmail.

For now at least there is no sign that Mr Rajoy might resign over the scandal, the BBC's Tom Burridge reports from Madrid. The PP has a comfortable majority in parliament.

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Kurdish rebels warn Turkey on peace

19 July 2013 Last updated at 14:46 GMT The PKK has been fighting Turkish forces for nearly 30 years Kurdish rebels have warned Turkey that it must start implementing reforms agreed under a plan to end their 30-year conflict.

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) said in a statement that "concrete steps" should be taken "in the shortest time".

The PKK has already begun withdrawing its fighters from Turkey, but Ankara insists on a full withdrawal for peace talks to progress.

The 30-year Kurdish insurgency has left more than 40,000 people dead.

"If concrete steps are not taken in the shortest time, on the subjects set out by our people and the public, the process will not advance and the AKP [Turkey's ruling party] government will be responsible'', the PKK said on the pro-Kurdish website Firatnews.com. It called the statement a "final warning".

The PKK took up arms in 1984 with the aim of creating a Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey, but it has now moderated its goal to regional autonomy.

It has been designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and European Union.

Kurds make up about a fifth of Turkey's population.

Slow progress Continue reading the main story The PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984, demanding greater autonomy for Turkey's Kurds, who are thought to comprise up to 20% of the populationSince then, some 40,000 people have died in the conflictIt is regarded by Turkey, the US and European Union as a terrorist organisation because of its attacks on Turkish security forces and civiliansThe imprisoned PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, announced peace talks with the Turkish government last October, saying the PKK should switch from armed struggle to a political process.

As part of these efforts, Turkey is under pressure to abolish an anti-terrorism law - under which thousands have been imprisoned for links to the PKK - and allow Kurdish children to be educated in their own language.

As part of wider democratisation demands the PKK also wants Turkey to lower the electoral threshold, so that Kurdish parties - rather than independent candidates - can get elected to parliament.

The rebels agreed to move their fighters out of Turkey and into northern Iraq - but Ankara says the withdrawal is happening too slowly.

Ocalan was sentenced to death for treason in 1999, although that was later commuted to life imprisonment.

The Turkish government believes it has already taken a big step by negotiating directly with Ocalan. A full PKK withdrawal is necessary, Ankara argues, for the peace process to move on to a democratisation process and then normalisation, which would include the release of political prisoners.

Ankara says that so far no more than 20% of the withdrawal has been accomplished.

Ocalan is still the final decision-maker among the Kurds, despite the 14 years he has spent in Turkish custody.

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Italy minister Alfano survives vote

19 July 2013 Last updated at 12:39 GMT Mr Alfano says he was unaware of Kazakh diplomatic pressure Italy's Interior Minister Angelino Alfano has survived a no-confidence vote in the Senate, triggered by a row over the deportation of a Kazakh dissident's family.

The row has threatened the stability of Italy's ruling coalition.

The opposition motion against Mr Alfano was defeated by 226 votes to 55.

There are suspicions that the extradition was carried out as a favour to oil-rich Kazakhstan, which has a poor human rights record.

Just before the vote, Prime Minister Enrico Letta strongly defended Mr Alfano.

He told the Senate that the minister had not been involved in the expulsion of Alma Shalabayeva, wife of dissident banker Mukhtar Ablyazov, and their six-year-old daughter in May.

But Mr Letta acknowledged that the deportation meant "embarrassment and disrepute" for Italy.

Mr Alfano insists he was unaware of Kazakh diplomatic pressure over Mr Ablyazov's family. His chief of staff resigned over the affair this week.

Ms Shalabayeva and her daughter were arrested by police who raided their home in suburban Rome in May and who then put them on a private Kazakh jet which flew them to the Central Asian republic.

UN experts voice concern

The Italian government has ordered an investigation into the case and has revoked the deportation order retroactively.

Mr Letta urged senators to back the minister so the government could carry on its work of addressing Italy's economic problems.

"What I am asking you for is a new vote of confidence in the government which I have the honour to lead," he said.

Mr Letta heads a fragile coalition of centre-left and right-wing parties.

Mr Alfano is an ally of the former conservative Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

UN human rights experts have criticised Italy over the Kazakhstan affair. The dissident's wife and daughter were legally resident in the European Union.

"The circumstances of the deportation give rise to the appearance that this was in fact an extraordinary rendition which is of great concern to us," the UN experts said.

Extraordinary rendition was the name given to the controversial US policy of handing over terror suspects to US-friendly countries where they were at risk of torture and other human rights abuses.

Mr Ablyazov, a former energy minister and chairman of BTA bank, fled Kazakhstan in 2009. He was granted political asylum in the UK but his current location is not known.

BTA filed a lawsuit against him, accusing him of siphoning off billions of US dollars from the bank.

He denies wrongdoing, calling the case politically motivated. He is said to have funded opposition parties and media in Kazakhstan, where President Nursultan Nazarbayev keeps a tight grip on power and resists calls for democracy.

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Berlusconi aides guilty in sex trial

19 July 2013 Last updated at 16:10 GMT Mr Mora, Ms Minetti and Mr Fede are all expected to appeal Three associates of former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi have been found guilty of procuring prostitutes for his controversial "bunga bunga" parties.

Emilio Fede, Lele Mora and Nicole Minetti were given jail sentences of between five and seven years.

Last month Mr Berlusconi was given seven years in jail for paying for sex with 17-year-old Karima El Mahroug.

Both Mr Berlusconi and Ms Mahroug deny having had sex, and she says she has never been a prostitute.

Ms Mahroug is one of the women that the three associates in the current trial are alleged to have procured.

Mr Berlusconi is appealing against the earlier ruling, which also banned him from public office. He remains a free man and a member of parliament while he does so.

Mr Berlusconi insists the alleged sex parties were actually dinners where female guests performed "burlesque" dancing.

Raunchy dance

The three convicted in the current trial deny the charges and are likely to appeal.

The prosecution said they used to vet the young women and then introduce them to Mr Berlusconi's soirees at his mansion near Milan, the BBC's Alan Johnston reports from Rome.

The prosecution told the court the evenings would begin with dinner, but become increasingly sexually charged, our correspondent adds.

The court heard of an occasion when Ms Minetti, formerly a showgirl, performed a raunchy dance for the then prime minister.

She appeared dressed as a nun and then stripped down to her underwear.

She told her lawyer by telephone that she was "stunned by the excessive punishment", AFP reports.

Mr Fede, a former talent agent, and Mr Mora, a television host, were also banned from holding public office.

Mr Berlusconi has blamed the multiple legal cases against him on left-wing elements in the judiciary. He says they are determined to smear him and drive him out of politics.

Neither he nor Ms Mahroug was a defendant in the current trial.

However, judges have asked prosecutors to investigate whether he lied when testifying in the three aides' defence and should face further charges.

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Kidnap case CIA agent 'heads for US'

19 July 2013 Last updated at 17:47 GMT The cleric, known as Abu Omar, says he was tortured for seven months after being rendered to Egypt An ex-CIA station chief held in Panama after being convicted in Italy over the kidnap of a terror suspect is '"en route" to the US, officials say.

Former Milan station chief Robert Lady had been released and had boarded a US-bound flight, said American officials.

Lady was sentenced to nine years in jail for his involvement in the 2003 abduction of the man - an Egyptian cleric - in Milan.

The cleric, known as Abu Omar, was allegedly flown to Egypt and tortured.

In 2009, Lady was convicted in absentia with 22 other Americans for their role in his "extraordinary rendition".

He was reportedly arrested on Wednesday near Panama's border with Costa Rica.

According to Italian media reports, an international search warrant for Lady was sought by the justice minister in Italy's previous government in December 2012.

The Milan trial was the first involving extraordinary rendition, the CIA's practice of transferring suspects to countries where torture is permitted.

The practice has been condemned by human rights groups as a violation of international agreements.

Rendition controversy

Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, was considered a terrorism suspect by the US.

He was abducted on a Milan street in February 2003 and transferred between US military bases in Italy and Germany before being brought to Egypt.

Twenty-two CIA agents, including Lady and an air force pilot, were convicted in 2009 of abducting the cleric. Their sentences were upheld last year by Italy's highest appeals court.

Three more Americans, including CIA Rome station chief Jeffrey Castelli, were convicted by an appeals court in February.

None of the 26 convicted has ever appeared in an Italian court, and only two have had any contact with their lawyers.

Lady reportedly rushed back to the US in 2007, when court hearings began in Milan to decide whether to put the 23 Americans on trial.

He said he had opposed the proposal to kidnap the imam, but was overruled.

Italy had previously said Lady was the only one of the 23 Americans that could be extradited, given the length of his sentence.

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Portugal crisis talks break down

20 July 2013 Last updated at 01:54 GMT Socialist leader Antonio Jose Seguro said his party's proposals were rejected A week of talks by Portugal's three main parties on how to end a political crisis has broken down, leaving the country's bailout programme in doubt.

President Anibal Cavaco Silva is seeking a "national salvation" deal to back austerity policies demanded by EU and IMF lenders.

But opposition leader Antonio Jose Seguro said the governing coalition had rejected most of his party's proposals.

He said it was now up to the president to decide how to end the crisis.

It began nearly three weeks ago with the resignation of the finance and foreign ministers.

Foreign Minister Paulo Portas was unhappy with the extent of the austerity measures needed to comply with the conditions set in the 78bn euros ($102bn; £67bn) bailout received in May 2011.

Finance Minister Vitor Gaspar - seen as the architect of austerity - quit because of a lack of support for his approach.

Lisbon has had to request a delay in the eighth review of the bailout by its creditors. The review was due to start last Monday but has been put back until the end of August or early September.

Coalition parties made no comment in the immediate aftermath of the talks on Friday.

However, socialist leader Mr Seguro told reporters: "There were two different visions to exit the crisis. That being clear, it made no sense to continue negotiating for the sake of negotiating."

Analysts say the president could still avoid an escalation of the crisis by keeping the governing coalition in place rather than calling a snap election.

The austerity cuts are widely blamed for keeping Portugal in recession over the past two years, angering trade unions and left-wing parties and causing a wave of street protests.

On Friday, Portuguese government bonds had outperformed others in Europe on hopes of a deal.

The BBC's Alison Roberts in Lisbon says there are now fears that the markets will take a tumble on Monday.

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Ericsson quarterly profits jump

18 July 2013 Last updated at 10:01 GMT Ericsson is hoping new faster networks will boost business Ericsson, the world's biggest maker of mobile phone equipment, has reported a sharp rise in profits.

The company made 1.5bn swedish krona ($230m, £150m) in the second quarter up 26% on the same period in 2012, helped by cost cuts and higher profit margins.

But sales were flat at 55.3bn swedish krona, which disappointed analysts who watch the company.

Ericsson has struggled in recent years as customers have held back on investing in mobile phone networks.

The company is hoping new faster networks, particularly a technology know as 4G LTE, will persuade customers to start spending again.

It is estimated that 4G will allow download speeds up to 10 times faster than current 3G networks.

In a statement with the second quarter results, Ericsson's chief executive, Hans Vestberg said: "We continue to strengthen our leading position in 4G LTE. The vendor selection processes for 4G LTE in Russia and China continue and to date we have been awarded contracts by two large operators in Russia."

Ericsson shares were down almost 5% in early trading in Stockholm.

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Hitachi wins £1.2bn UK train deal

18 July 2013 Last updated at 10:10 GMT Carriages on the new intercity trains will have wider aisles A £1.2bn deal to build new UK trains has been won by Hitachi Rail Europe.

The firm will build 270 carriages at a new factory in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, which will start production in 2016.

The carriages are part of the class 800 series and will go into operation on the East Coast Main Line from 2019.

Last year, the government agreed an initial order for 596 carriages with Agility Trains, a consortium of Hitachi and British project manager John Laing.

In a statement, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "This new order for class 800 series trains is part of the government's commitment to invest in our nation's infrastructure".

Thursday's order is part of Britain's £5.8bn programme, launched in 2005, to replace the nation's ageing stock of trains.

In total the new fleet will comprise 122 complete train sets and will have more seats and wider aisles than older models.

The trains are capable of running at up to 140mph (225kmph), but to run at that speed lines and signals will need upgrading.

Hitachi Rail Europe's chief executive Alistair Dormer said: "This order extends firm orders at the (Newton Aycliffe) factory until the end of the decade with significant capacity remaining available for further UK and export contracts actively being pursued."

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Kit turns sweat into drinking water

18 July 2013 Last updated at 15:53 GMT The sweat-extraction machine was developed to promote a campaign by Unicef in Sweden A machine that takes sweat-laden clothes and turns the moisture into drinking water is in use in Sweden.

The device spins and heats the material to remove the sweat, and then passes the vapour through a special membrane designed to only let water molecules get through.

Since its Monday launch, its creators say more than 1,000 people have "drunk other's sweat" in Gothenburg.

They add the liquid is cleaner than local tap water.

The device was built for the United Nation's child-focused charity Unicef to promote a campaign highlighting the fact that 780 million people in the world lack access to clean water.

Moist cyclists

The machine was designed and built by engineer Andreas Hammar, known locally for his appearances on TV tech show Mekatronik.

He said the critical part of the sweat machine was a new water purification component developed by a company named HVR in collaboration with Sweden's Royal Institute of Technology.

"It uses a technique called membrane distillation," he told the BBC.

"We use a substance that's a bit like Gortex that only lets steam through but keeps bacteria, salts, clothing fibres and other substances out.

"They have something similar on the [International] Space Station to treat astronaut's urine - but our machine was cheaper to build.

Volunteers have been sampling the treated sweat since the start of the week in Gothenburg

"The amount of water it produces depends on how sweaty the person is - but one person's T-shirt typically produces 10ml [0.3oz], roughly a mouthful."

The kit has been put on show at the Gothia Cup - the world's largest international youth football tournament.

Mattias Ronge, chief executive of Stockholm-based advertising agency Deportivo - which organised the stunt - said the machine had helped raise awareness for Unicef, but in reality had its limitations.

"People haven't produced as much sweat as we hoped - right now the weather in Gothenburg is lousy," he said.

"So we've installed exercise bikes alongside the machine and volunteers are cycling like crazy.

"Even so, the demand for sweat is greater than the supply. And the machine will never be mass produced - there are better solutions out there such as water purifying pills."

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Monsanto drops GM crop plan in EU

18 July 2013 Last updated at 13:30 GMT Monsanto will now look to import genetically modified crop varieties into Europe Biotechnology giant Monsanto is scrapping plans to win approval to grow new types of genetically modified crops in the European Union.

It says the move is due to the lack of prospects for cultivation in the EU.

Monsanto produces GM crops and agro-chemicals which are in wide use in the US and in other parts of the world.

In Europe there have been concerns about the use of GM food products, and approval for GM crop cultivation can take years to obtain.

The Monsanto decision related to pending requests to grow genetically modified maize, soybean and sugar beet.

It comes just days after the EU began talks with the US on a wide-ranging trade deal, with agriculture likely to be one of the toughest issues.

The company said it would now concentrate on growing its conventional seeds business in Europe.

It will also look to get EU approval to import its genetically modified crop varieties from the US and South America into Europe.

In 2012, Germany's BASF halted the development of genetically modified crops in Europe and moved its European research operations in this area to the US.

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Fifa loses UK World Cup TV battle

18 July 2013 Last updated at 16:45 GMT By Bill Wilson Business reporter, BBC News All World Cup finals games will remain free to watch on TV in the UK Fifa and Uefa have lost an appeal against a European ruling that the World Cup and Euro Championships should be shown on free-to-air TV in the UK.

In 2011, the European General Court said the UK could keep the events on a list of "protected" events of national sporting interest broadcast for free.

It means the two tournaments cannot be sold exclusively to pay-TV firms.

Fifa and Uefa had appealed, after saying they could not sell the events fairly for their real value.

But the European Court of Justice - Europe's Supreme Court - has now said the original decision in the General Court (formerly Court of First Instance) in 2011 was correct.

Big money

The BBC and ITV had already secured the rights to broadcast the football World Cup finals in 2014, and they were guaranteed of being shown free-to-air.

But there had been fears that moves towards a pay-TV model would have been in place in time for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, should Fifa and Uefa have won their case.

Continue reading the main story

The result means that Uefa and Fifa have now reached the end of their European Court journey”

End Quote Daniel Geey Sport TV rights expert The court said it "dismisses the appeals brought by Fifa and Uefa in their entirety".

Fifa earned a minimum of $2bn (£1,3bn) in TV and media rights deals for the South Africa 2010 World Cup, and Uefa makes hundreds of millions of dollars from the sale of its TV rights to the European Championships.

Pay-TV rights for football are currently big business, as seen by the huge sums paid by BT Sports and Sky in the latest Premier League TV deal, which kicks off in the forthcoming 2013/14 season.

BT has spent £738m over three years for the rights to 38 live matches a season. and Sky paid £2.3bn for 116 matches a season.

'Major importance'

Even if Fifa had won its case, World Cup finals games featuring England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would have remained free to watch in the UK, as would the opening games, semi-finals and the final.

But it was the other dozens of games featuring non-UK teams that Fifa was disputing - and had argued that matches such as these should not be shown for free in the UK.

Fifa's proposal meant fans in the UK would have had to pay to watch World Cup matches such as Spain v Paraguay

Fifa and Uefa had argued that the current set-up interfered with their ability to sell television rights at the best commercial price they could get in the marketplace.

However, the UK argued that all the 64 World Cup finals matches and 31 European Championship matches were an important part of the list of national sporting "crown jewels", that have to be made available to the whole population to watch on terrestrial television.

And the court agreed, saying that European states were able to select broadcast events, "which they deem to be of major importance for society" and show them for free.

Otherwise it "would deprive a substantial proportion of the public of the possibility of following those events on free television".

'Rebuffed'

Belgium was also successful in keeping the rights to World Cup and European Championship matches on free-to-air services.

Despite the more than two-year wait for the result of the appeal by Fifa and Uefa, many experts had expected the decision to go against them.

"The result means that Uefa and Fifa have now reached the end of their European Court journey," said Daniel Geey, a TV sports rights expert at Field Fisher Waterhouse law firm.

The court said World Cup football was of interest to the general public, not just die-hard fans

"Their aim was to try and secure concessions to market some of their World Cup and Euro matches to pay-TV channels in the UK and Belgium with the ultimate aim of maximising their revenues.

"The European courts have rebuffed such an approach."

The case has been working its way through the European courts for the past five years, with Fifa and Uefa lodging legal papers just before the Euro 2008 football championships.

In its ruling the court said it was "for the [European] member states alone to determine the events which are of major importance" to their viewing publics.

It also said that all the matches in the final stages of the World Cup and Euros "actually attracted sufficient attention from the public to form part of an event of major importance".

The court also pointed out that the tournaments "in their entirety, have always been very popular among the general public and not only viewers who generally follow football matches on television".

'Strength of feeling'

In 2009 former BBC journalist and FA chief executive David Davies chaired a panel which looked at the way the listing system of sporting "crown jewels" was drawn up.

Following the latest European court decision he said he could see both sides of the broadcasting argument.

"I can't say I am surprised by the decision, as I know the strength of feeling on this issue," he said.

"I have some sympathy - in the new media world in which we live - for Fifa and Uefa's case, even though I believe in what we call 'listed events'."

He said that World Cup or Euro matches featuring England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, were events of "major resonance" for those countries.

"The argument about whether the whole tournament - including, for example, a match between Mexico v Latvia - can be deemed as an event of national resonance, in perpetuity, will be harder to sustain."

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Air ticket 'discrimination' concern

18 July 2013 Last updated at 12:46 GMT By Brian Wheeler Political reporter, BBC News IATA says the new system will be fully compliant with all data protection laws A new booking system for air tickets could see some passengers being discriminated against due to their nationality, age or race, MEPs claim.

The airlines want to offer more options to passengers booking tickets through price comparison sites, such as in-flight movies and wider seats.

At the moment choice is mostly limited to business or economy class, unless customers go to the carrier's own site.

But the plan has raised concerns about data protection and "profiling".

Customers will still be able to shop for tickets anonymously when the New Distribution Capability (NDC), currently being trialled, is introduced.

But they could also have the option to give personal details to airlines, such as nationality, age, marital status, travel history, shopping history, previously purchased services, frequent flyer participation and whether the trip is intended for business or leisure.

'Sophisticated models'

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says this will enable airlines to offer an "Amazon-style" shopping experience to their customers, including personalised "just for you" fare offers.

But Labour MEP Claude Moraes says some passengers could end up paying more for the same flight based not on when they booked it, or whether they are in first class or not, but on who they are.

"Sophisticated models are being used to decide what you should be charged based on your nationality, ethnicity and spending habits. That crosses the line," he told the BBC News website.

Airlines will not ask customers for their race, but Mr Moraes claims they would be able to work it out from other information provided, potentially opening the door to discrimination.

"It is highly unlikely if you carry a Nigerian passport that you are going to be white," he told the BBC News website.

IATA which represents more than 400 airlines, including British Airways, Lufthansa, Air-France-KL and American Airlines, says concerns about "profiling" are totally unfounded.

'Free to choose'

Perry Flint, IATA's head of corporate communications, said: "Nothing in the NDC changes the legal responsibility airlines and travel agents have to protect the rights of consumers.

"Consumer information will not be treated any differently than it is today.

"In an NDC-based environment, consumers are free to choose whether to remain anonymous or whether they enter personal information. and, if they opt for the latter, what they will provide."

The European Commission's data protection watchdog, the Article 29 Working Party, is investigating NDC.

In a letter to IATA in April, it said the NDC project "raises a number of privacy and human rights concerns, in particular those related to the profiling of individuals".

Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, is also monitoring the NDC trial and the Commission's vice-president for mobility and transport, Siim Kallas, has raised "profiling" concerns with IATA.

In a letter last month to Mr Moraes and a group of other MEPs, Ms Reding said: "I share your concern that the amount of personal information processed by airlines and travel agents around the world for the simple reason of providing different ticket offers should be proportionate."

She said customers must have "unambiguously" given their consent for their data to be used to set prices and this was "particularly relevant when it comes to data which are sensitive in nature (for instance the name together with the nationality may reveal racial or ethnic origin)".

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French hostage 'was shot dead'

18 July 2013 Last updated at 15:17 GMT Philippe Verdon (R) was kidnapped with associate Serge Lazarevic in 2011 by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb A French hostage found dead in Mali this month after being held by Islamist militants was killed by a shot to the head, the Paris prosecutor's office says.

A post mortem examination conducted on Philippe Verdon's body revealed the circumstances of his death.

The prosecutor said it showed that Mr Verdon "was assassinated".

Mr Verdon's body was found early this month in northern Mali, and brought back to France this week.

He was kidnapped in 2011 by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

He had been known to be in ill health, and some had speculated that his death was related to his pre-existing medical conditions.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb recently said that eight other foreign hostages it was holding, including five French nationals, were alive.

Preliminary investigation

"After the return of the body to France, the autopsy... was able to establish that Philippe Verdon was murdered by being shot in the head," the Paris prosecutor's office said in a statement.

A preliminary investigation into the murder was open, he said.

Mr Verdon, a geologist, was kidnapped with an associate, Serge Lazarevic.

His body was found in the northern Mali town of Tessalit.

Earlier this year, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for his death.

It said in March that Mr Verdon was killed in response to France's military intervention in Mali.

France sent some 4,500 troops to Mali, its former colony, in January to halt an offensive by al-Qaeda-linked Islamists, ending their 10-month control of the north of the country.

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'Parasite threat' from imported bees

18 July 2013 Last updated at 01:51 GMT By Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC News Between 40,000 and 50,000 bumblebee colonies are imported into the UK every year Bumblebees imported from Europe carry pathogens that pose a threat to native honeybees and bumblebees in the UK, according to scientists.

Between 40,000 and 50,000 bumblebee colonies are imported into England each year to assist with crop pollination.

For a study in the Journal of Applied Ecology, scientists bought 48 colonies - hives containing up to 100 bees each - from three producers in Europe.

They found 77% had parasites that could infect native bees.

Lead researcher Prof William Hughes, of the University of Sussex, said commercial production and importation of bumblebees had been "going on for decades".

"We couldn't grow tomatoes in this country without these bumblebees," he said.

And with the decline in pollinating insects in recent years, food producers are increasingly reliant upon imported bees.

"Over a million colonies are imported globally - it's a huge trade," said Prof Hughes. "And a surprisingly large number of these are produced in factories, mainly in Eastern Europe.

"We sought to answer the big question of whether colonies that are being produced now have parasites and, if so, whether those parasites are actually infectious or harmful."

Undercover science

With his colleagues from the universities of Leeds and Stirling, the researcher set out to buy colonies "in exactly the same way a farmer would".

Continue reading the main story Bees have different colour detection systems from humans, and can see the world in ultraviolet. This helps them to detect the flowers they pollinate and take nectar from Pollination is essential for agriculture, as well as the reproduction of non-food flowers and plants. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, pollinators, including bees, birds and bats, are involved in more than a third of the world's crop productionHoneybees evolved to make honey as a food source for the colony. Selective breeding of European honeybees by humans has produced colonies that make excess honey for us to harvestThe team then screened the bees for parasite DNA.

"We found quite a number of parasites within the bees," Prof Hughes said.

The imported bumblebee colonies carried a range of parasites including the three main bumblebee parasites (Crithidia bombi, Nosema bombi and Apicystis bombi), three honeybee parasites (Nosema apis, Ascosphaera apis and Paenibacillus larvae), and two parasites that infect both bumblebees and honeybees (Nosema ceranae and deformed wing virus).

The team also found parasites in the pollen food supplied with the bees.

The scientists say that current regulations governing bumblebee imports are ineffective.

In England, for example, the non-departmental public body responsible for the protection of the environment, Natural England, issues licences for the release of non-native bumblebee subspecies.

But this study found parasites in both native and non-native subspecies that were commercially reared in Europe, and no licences are required to release native subspecies into the environment.

Natural England said under current regulations it was "not possible to impose disease control conditions or environmental safeguards on the release of imported bumblebees which originally descended from British bumblebees".

"It is therefore of particular concern that this research has revealed that imported bees - descended from British stock - have been found to be carrying disease," its statement added.

"Our licensing regime stipulates that where non-native bumblebees are used, they must be disease free, only used within polytunnels or greenhouses, using hives from which queens cannot escape, and that all hives and surviving bees must be destroyed at the end of their use."

But the researchers say that regulatory authorities need to strengthen measures to prevent importation of parasite-carrying bumblebee colonies, including checking bees on arrival in the UK and extending regulations to cover imported colonies of the native subspecies.

Prof Hughes said: "If we don't act, then the risk is that potentially tens of thousands of parasite-carrying bumblebee colonies may be imported into the UK each year, and hundreds of thousands worldwide.

"Many bee species are already showing significant population declines," he said.

"The introduction of more or new parasite infections will at a minimum exacerbate this, and could quite possibly directly drive declines."

The British Beekeepers Association said in a statement: "Defra (the UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) must take urgent steps to tighten regulations together with practical steps to ensure that imported bumblebee colonies are not heavily laden with pathogens.

It continued: "[Regulations must ensure] that these bees are not released into the environment at the end of the season putting our native pollinators at enhanced risk."

A Defra representative responded to the study, saying: "Imported colonies of non-native bees are required to be screened for parasites and disease.

"We will continue to work with Natural England to ensure that growers who break the rules are punished."

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WWII bomb near Hungarian nursery

18 July 2013 Last updated at 13:48 GMT Hungarian towns were bombed heavily at the end of World War II A Soviet-made bomb dating back to World War II has been found near a kindergarten in Hungary.

Hungarian police began an evacuation in the central city of Szekesfehervar, moving about 10,000 people.

The 100kg (220-pound) Soviet-made bomb contained 25kg of explosives, a city official said.

Cities and towns across Nazi-allied Hungary were bombed heavily during the final months of World War II.

Rare find

The bomb was found near a kindergarten sandpit in a densely populated housing estate in the city of Szekesfehervar, south-west of the capital Budapest.

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It's rare to find such a large bomb in an inhabited area of Hungary these days.”

End Quote Norbert Dancs Szekesfehervar county office head "It's rare to find such a large bomb in an inhabited area of Hungary these days," Szekesfehervar county office head Norbert Dancs told a press conference.

Local media report that people living and working within 400m of the bomb have been moved out.

Hungary was under heavy bombardment by US, British and Soviet forces in World War II, with Budapest carpet-bombed on 37 occasions.

Many unexploded devices were left underground and are often uncovered during construction work. There have been 14 evacuations in the capital since 2008.

On Wednesday police evacuated around 1,500 people in Budapest after a bomb was found during construction work at an apartment block near Buda Castle.

All the bombs have so far been secured without damages or injuries.

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Boston accused 'manhunt photos' seen

19 July 2013 Last updated at 02:29 GMT Angry commenters compared the cover picture to an image of Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors Disturbing images of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect have emerged the day after Rolling Stone magazine revealed the accused on its next cover.

Police Sgt Sean Murphy released photos of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev taken when he was captured in Watertown, Massachusetts.

The images, given to Boston magazine, show him with the red dot of a laser sight of a sniper rifle on his face.

A number of US retail chains said on Wednesday they would not stock the Rolling Stone edition.

A spokesman for state police said the release of the photos had not been authorised, and they would not be given to other news media.

'Relieved of duty'

The spokesman also said Sgt Murphy, a police photographer, was subject to an internal investigation.

A tweet from the author of the Boston Magazine article said Sgt Murphy had been "relieved of duty".

He reportedly released the contrasting images of Mr Tsarnaev as a response to the Rolling Stone cover.

The latest pictures show the "real Boston bomber, not someone fluffed and buffed for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine", Sgt Murphy said.

"These were real people, with real lives, with real families," he said in a statement. "And to have this cover dropped into Boston was hurtful to their memories and their families."

The pictures were taken when Mr Tsarnaev, wounded after a gunfight with police, was found hiding in a drydocked boat in a residential garden.

On Wednesday, Rolling Stone defended its decision to put Mr Tsarnaev on the cover, saying it was committed to serious, thoughtful coverage.

But two Massachusetts-based convenience store chains, Rockland and Tedeschi Food Shops, and national pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens, said they would not stock the edition.

An outpouring of angry comments appeared on social media networks saying the magazine cover was tasteless.

Three people were killed and more than 260 injured in the two explosions at the marathon finish line on 15 April.

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German minister hails Greek reforms

18 July 2013 Last updated at 13:57 GMT Germany's finance minister (L) championed the unpopular austerity measures in Greece Germany's finance minister has praised Greek economic reforms just hours after parliament passed a bill cutting thousands of public sector jobs.

Wolfgang Schaeuble visited Athens on Thursday amid massive police security.

During the visit he discouraged talk of Greece receiving a second write-off on its public debt owed to eurozone governments through bailout loans.

Deeply unpopular in Greece, Mr Schaeuble is viewed as the enforcer of the country's harsh austerity measures.

"I am very impressed by what Greece has already achieved in rebalancing and modernising the economy," Mr Schaeuble said, adding that Germany would contribute to a fund to provide liquidity to Greek businesses.

His visit followed several days of protests and a general strike over the new bill of austerity measures outlining the redeployment of up to 25,000 civil servants.

The bill is tied to new bailout loans worth 6.8bn euros (£5.8bn), needed to keep the Greek government afloat.

'No shortcut'

While the German minister acknowledged that Greece had taken "big steps" to try and balance its budget, he said it was a "long and painful path" to achieve sustainable growth.

"There is no convenient shortcut. We Germans know this."

He also warned Greeks to stop lobbying for some of the bailout loans Greece owes to be written off, saying it would undermine confidence in Europe's rescue programs.

"We have to stick to what we've achieved. Anything else is not in the best interest of Greece. Another haircut beyond the 53% for the private sector in not doable," he said.

Chris Morris in Athens: "Protesters rallied outside parliament until the last possible moment"

Greece's coalition government led by conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras agrees it has no choice but to enforce further painful adjustment.

Mr Schaeuble met with Mr Samaras and other Greek officials on his first visit to Greece since the debt crisis exploded in 2009.

During the visit, central Athens went into lockdown with protests banned and metro stations closed.

The moves followed protests of up to 5,000 outside the Greek parliament during Wednesday's vote, and a recent series of strikes against the latest cuts.

Champion of austerity

Thursday's ban on protests prohibits gatherings of more than three people holding banners or shouting slogans. It will be in force from 09:00 to 20:00 local time (06:00 to 17:00 GMT), reports said.

It was described by Greece's main left-wing opposition party, Syriza, as "fascist and undemocratic".

Correspondents say Mr Schaeuble is viewed bitterly as a champion of the austerity policies which have gripped Greece over the past four years. During that time, Greece has received two bailouts worth more than 240m euros, but at the cost of wage cuts, tax rises and unemployment that now stands at 27%.

MPs backed the latest budget-reduction measures by 153 to 140 in the vote late on Wednesday.

Under the bill, more than 4,000 state employees, including teachers and local government workers, face dismissal this year.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras was congratulated by MPs after the vote

In addition, 25,000 will be put into a "mobility pool" by the end of the year.

The employees will have an eight-month period on 75% of their salaries in which to seek redeployment, by which point, if they are not transferred to another department, they will face redundancy.

Many Greeks believe that once in the pool, they will inevitably become jobless.

It is thought up to 11,000 could lose their jobs by the end of 2014, to comply with the demands of the so-called troika of creditors - the European Union, European Central Bank (ECB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Before Wednesday's vote, protesters outside parliament expressed their outrage at the measures - the orange jackets of school caretakers mingling with the khaki uniforms of municipal police officers, who also face suspension and possible dismissal.

'Better days'

"I've been a school guard for 13 years and suddenly we find out we have no job. They say we'll be suspended. But that means we'll be fired," 47-year-old Maria Denida, who had travelled from the northern city of Thessaloniki to demonstrate, told AP.

"All of us have kids, unemployed people at home, and bills we can't pay. We were getting 780 euros a month. And if we lose that, we're finished," she said, her voice cracking with emotion.

This was the latest in a week of angry protests including demonstrations and strikes which have seen abandoned rubbish piling up in the streets.

But Prime Minister Samaras defended the measures in a surprise television statement on Wednesday.

"Better days will come for our people," he said.

"We will not let up. We will climb uphill and reach the end, which is not far."

He also announced a 10% cut in restaurant sales tax - from 23% to 13% - to boost the tourist season, but cautioned the old rate could be restored if Greece's notoriously high levels of tax evasion persisted.

The trouble is that despite all the measures that have been taken, Greece's debt is still regarded as unsustainably high, the BBC's Chris Morris in Athens reports.

He says that sooner or later, a new debate will have to begin, about writing off another chunk of the debt. And that could mean that other countries in the eurozone - who have lent huge amounts to Greece - will not get all their money back.

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