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Cruise firms adopt bill of rights to guarantee safety
A passenger bill of rights which guarantees the "safety of comfort and care" of guests has been pledged by the cruise industry.
The bill promises full refunds for trips that are cancelled due to mechanical failure, and a back-up power source on every ship to keep emergency systems running if main power systems fail.
The announcement by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which represents 25 major companies including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Holland America and Cunard, comes in the aftermath of the Carnival Triumph debacle.
Earlier this year, the ship drifted for several days without power as passengers endured filthy conditions.
'Terrorists will never win' religious groups condemn attack
Islamic charities and groups have condemned the attack in Woolwich saying that, "London and our nation will come together and will not be divided."
– Akbar Khan from Building BridgesWe totally condemn the killing of an innocent person in Woolwich.
And we also condemn all forms of extremism wherever they are.
The thoughts of the Muslim community are with the family of the man who lost his life, and we pray for him.
– Mohammed Shafiq from the Ramadhan FoundationI wish to condemn the evil and barbaric crime carried out in Woolwich.
Our immediate thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims. From whatever angle you see the attack, it was at every level evil.
We must allow the police to gather all the facts before unnecessary speculation and wait for the facts before determining its impact on our country.
But what happens in the days to come, London and our nation will come together and will not be divided. The terrorists will never win and succeed in their evil plans.But tonight we think of the family of that soldier killed.
– Fiyaz Mughal, the director of charity Faith MattersThe cold-blooded killing of a serving British soldier is a crime that sickens every member of every community in the UK.
For the peace of our communities to be shattered like this is almost unthinkable. We must come together, isolate those who believe that extremism and violence are acceptable, and work to ensure that they meet the full force of the law.
We must send a clear message to anyone that an attack on a serving soldier going about their daily activities is something that must be utterly condemned.
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Sailing experts' bid to increase safety in America's Cup
Thirty seven recommendations to increase safety in the America's Cup by sailing experts, following the death of British Olympic sailing champion Andrew Simpson.
The group, led by regatta director Iain Murray, unveiled proposals nearly two weeks after a training run turned deadly.
Suggestions included quipping crews with body armour, high-visibility helmets, and hands-free breathing apparatus.
Thirty-six-year-old Simpson, nicknamed Bart, died trapped underneath his Artemis Racing AC72 catamaran after the vessel overturned in San Francisco Bay on May 9.
Headteacher at Woolwich primary school describes 'lock-down'
David Dixon, headteacher of Mulgrave Primary School and Early Years Centre, near the attack in Woolwich said the school had been in lock-down and described seeing a body lying in the road.
Speaking to BBC News he said:
We got word of an incident at the end of our road, so I went out to find out the nature of it and of course there were lots of police and saw a body lying in the road.
Went immediately back to school and got us to lock all the gates and in to lock-down and make sure all the children were inside, so they were as safe as possible.
All the traffic had stopped. There were gunshots after that so I am not sure about the situation after.
But all I needed to know was that there was an emergency and we needed to go into our emergency procedures to make sure that the children were as safe as possible.
That was my main priority.
We got all the staff to get the children in because some of them were outside doing activities, we locked all the gates.
I and some of my senior staff liaised with police to find out what we needed to do after that.
He also said that the air ambulance had landed in the playground of the school.
Woolwich attackers 'may have been Boston copycats'
Counter-terrorism expert Richard Barrett has raised the possibility that the Woolwich attackers may have been "copycats" of the Boston bombers.
He said:
I don't think we have seen much of this in terms of attacks on armed service personnel in the UK before.
It may be that this is a copycat after the Boston bombings. That two individuals could cause a lot of mayhem is maybe more of an inspiration than attacking soldiers.
The former United Nations co-ordinator for the al Qaida and Taliban monitoring team, who has served with MI5 and MI6, said it was clear the attackers wanted to "explain" their actions:
It looks like an attack which has certainly been done for effect. The way that they are hanging about and wanting to be arrested and explain what they were doing fits a pattern of people who want to send a message.
Latest migration figures to be released this morning
The Office for National Statistics will publish its quarterly migration statistics this morning.
The figures will include data on work permit applications, asylum claims, child detentions and student visas.
The information is based on the provisional migration data for the 12 months leading up to September 2012.
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Secret files reveal drunken Stalin and Churchill meeting
Secret files reveal drunken meeting between Stalin and Churchill, a cross-dressing spy and King Edward VIII's phone bug.
Read the full storyHome Office: 'By law' PCCs must register interests
A Home Office spokeswoman has responded to calls for greater scrutiny from PCCs, she said by "by law" they are expected to publish a register of interests, including budgets and expenses.
– Home Office spokeswomanThe local electorate will judge whether PCCs are making best use of public money and hold them to account at the ballot box.
Police reforms are working and crime is falling - by more than 10% under this government.
PCCs have brought democracy into policing for the first time and given people a real say over priorities in their area.
The Home Office will consider the committee's recommendations.
MPs' tributes after Woolwich attack
Many MPs have taken to Twitter to pay tribute to those who witnessed the attack in Woolwich yesterday and tried to help and sent their thoughts to the family of the man who was killed:
Not a day for humour. Time now to pray for the family of the man murdered in Woolwich & salute the bravery of those who went to help him.
From @chhcalling on Twitter:Following the barbaric murder in #Wolwich Our community must stand together against all extremists that seek to divide us
From @CliveEfford on Twitter:Reading accounts of the brave women in Woolwich tonight shielding the body of the soldier (RIP) & quietly tackling the murderers. Heroines.
From @theresecoffey on Twitter:National parks 'contribute billions' to the economy
Activities within England's national parks contribute billions of pounds to the economy, a report has found.
National Parks England said the ten sites generate between £4.1 billion and £6.3 billion for the economy, which is the equivalent to the UK aerospace industry.
It added that more than half of the English population lives within an hour's drive of a national park, receiving about 90 million visitors a year.
Environment minister Richard Benyon said: "Our national parks are the most treasured places in the country. More than 90 million people visit them each year, helping to boost economic growth in rural areas.
"This report highlights the value of these areas in promoting tourism and contributing to the UK economy."
