News
Live news stream
Clifford arrives for indecent assault trial
Publicist Max Clifford has arrived at Southwark Crown Court at his trial over indecent assault charges.
Mr Clifford is charged with 11 counts of indecent assaults relating to seven alleged victims, ranging in age from 14 to 19, between 1966 and 1984.
He was arrested in December as part of the Metropolitan Police's Operation Yewtree.
China urges Malaysia to speed up search for jetliner
China has urged Malaysia to step up the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner that went missing three days ago with 239 people on board.
Around two- thirds of the passengers are Chinese, and the country's authorities have said the families of the missing deserve an explanation soon.
"This incident happened more than two days ago, and we hope that the Malaysians can fully understand the urgency of China, especially of the family members, and can step up the speed of the investigation and increase efforts on search and rescue," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.
Flight MH370 vanished in the early hours of Saturday, around an hour into its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, and a friend of one passenger said families were growing impatient at the long wait for news.
"The family members are really not happy. They feel like they have waited far too long. The main thing they are interested in is whether there is anyone left alive or not," the man, surnamed Zhou, said.
Read: Floating 'yellow object' not life raft from missing plane
Advertisement
Postmortem expert does not want evidence televised
Expert Professor Saayman, who carried out the postmortem on the body of Reeva Steenkamp, explained to the court why he does not want his evidence to be televised.
Prof Saayman explains why he doesn't want evidence televised: dignity of deceased, rights of her family and 'good morals of society'
Media propose that edited excerpts of evidence from next witness be televised
Prosecutor asks judge to bar broadcast of postmortem evidence
The trial hearing of Oscar Pistorius was adjourned after the chief prosecutor asked the judge to bar the broadcasting of what he described as "graphic" evidence of the expert who carried out the post-mortem examination on Reeva Steenkamp.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel says Prof Saayman's evidence has an "explicitly graphic nature" and that it should not be shown around the world.
Professor Saayman himself then has explained why he does not want the evidence televised.
Amnesty: Civilians treated like 'pawns in a deadly game'
An Amnesty International report has said that the civilians in Syria are being treated like 'pawns in a deadly game'.
Philip Luther, Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa Programme director, said: “Civilians of Yarmouk are being treated like pawns in a deadly game in which they have no control.”
The report highlights that government forces and their allies have repeatedly carried out attacks, including air raids and shelling with heavy weapons, on civilian buildings such as schools, hospitals and a mosque in Yarmouk.
Read: Syria government 'using starvation as a weapon of war'
Codes to give energy customers 'easy comparison tool'
Quick Response Codes will enable customers to compare the best energy deals with a "simple swipe of the phone", Ed Davey has claimed.
The Government said it was introducing the scheme because companies "still haven't done anything about it" despite evidence that it could make a real difference to customers.
The Energy and Climate Secretary said:
We’re determined to make energy markets work better for consumers – and despite all the evidence showing that QR codes on bills would make a real difference to people, energy companies still haven’t done anything about it.
That’s why we’re acting to make sure people have a quick, straightforward way to compare the best deal for them with a simple swipe of their phone.
With so many of us using smart phones and tablets nowadays it would be strange if we weren’t using the latest technology to help us save money at home.
Read: Govt to introduce Quick Response codes to energy bills
Advertisement
Govt to introduce Quick Response codes to energy bills
The Government says it will put "consumers in control" of their energy costs by introducing Quick Response codes to bills.
Customers will be able to get an instant cross-market comparison under the plans, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey said.
The codes will allow smartphone users to transfer data from their bill to their smartphone and computer which will help customers control their energy consumption and costs.
The Government said it was taking action as there had been no "voluntary move" by the energy sector to introduce QR codes.
Mr Davey also suggested that vulnerable customers who do not use smart phones would benefit from the scheme as they could receive additional support from family and friends on their energy costs.
Syrian army accused of using starvation as a 'weapon'
The Syrian army has been accused of using starvation as a “weapon of war” in a siege on a refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus, Amnesty International said.
The human rights watchdog said.said early 200 people, including 18 children and babies, have died since the army tightened a siege and cut access to food and medicine to civilians in the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in July.
"Life in Yarmouk has grown increasingly unbearable for desperate civilians who find themselves starving and trapped in a downward cycle of suffering with no means of escape,” Philip Luther, Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa Programme director, said in the report.
Floating 'yellow object' not life raft from missing plane
A floating "yellow object" discovered in the sea is not a life raft from the missing Malaysian Airlines jet, Vietnam's civil aviation authority has said.
"It has salvaged the object, at the notice and request by Malaysia's rescue centre, 130 km southwest of Tho Chu island. The object has been identified as a moss-covered cap of a cable reel," the civil aviation authority of Vietnam said on its website.
'Overwhelming response' to search for missing jet
The response to the search for the missing Malaysian Airlines jet from neighbouring countries and international agencies has been "overwhelming", the Malaysian acting transportation minister has said.
Hishammuddin Hussein said coordinating the search effort had not been easy, but revealed the situation was now "moving very, very fast".
"Let us pray that we get some more positive results in the near future," he added.
The minister also warned the media against publishing any unverified information to avoid causing distress to the families of the 239 missing passengers.
