Thursday, September 13, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
A British soldier who died in the UK after being wounded in Afghanistan
Afghan death soldier named as Guardsman Karl Whittle
Guardsman Whittle was injured when his checkpoint was attacked by insurgents
A British soldier who died in the UK after being wounded in Afghanistan last month has been named as Guardsman Karl Whittle of The Queen's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
The 22-year-old from Bristol was shot during an insurgent attack in Nahr-e Saraj, Helmand Province, on 14 August.
He later died in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, on Friday.
The father of one joined the Army in 2009 and deployed to Afghanistan for the first time on April 5 this year.
'A great soldier'
His family said: "Karl was one in a million. He was a proud and caring man who took pride in whatever he did.
"The family are obviously devastated. Karl was the light of many lives and touched all who knew him.
"He will be especially missed by his baby daughter Grace, who has lost her number one man."
Lieutenant Colonel James Bowder, Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, described Guardsman Whittle as "one of our very best. A great soldier and a young man of rare character, he was destined to go a very long way in the Army.
"Big, strong and full of fight, he battled hard against his injuries right to the very end. His loss has been keenly felt in a close Battalion, and our prayers are with his family at this most difficult of times."
He added: "I am immensely proud of what Guardsman Whittle achieved out here in Afghanistan and more broadly during his military career.
"He was utterly committed to his fellow guardsmen, his company and the mission. He will never be forgotten by either the battalion or the broader regimental family."
'Inspired confidence'
After completing his combat training, Guardsman Whittle spent time conducting public duties at the Royal Palaces and taking part in state ceremonial tasks with Nijmegen Company, Grenadier Guards.
In August 2011, he joined 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards as part of Three Platoon, The Queen's Company, and later deployed to Afghanistan.
A statement from the Ministry of Defence said: "Guardsman Whittle was one of the leading lights of his Company.
"He was compassionate, selfless and, despite his comparative inexperience, a figure others would turn to in the face of adversity."
It also described him as "a soldier whose presence inspired confidence in all who were fortunate enough to know and work with him."
His death brings the number of UK military deaths in the Afghanistan operation, since 2001, to 426.
A Conservative MP has said he was asked to mount a leadership bid against Prime Minister David Cameron.
Bob Stewart was 'asked to challenge David Cameron'
Colonel Bob Stewart would not reveal the identities of those who asked him to challenge David Cameron
A Conservative MP has said he was asked to mount a leadership bid against Prime Minister David Cameron.
Colonel Bob Stewart said two party colleagues approached him before the summer break and asked him to consider a "stalking horse" challenge.
He refused to say who spoke to him and said he told them to "get lost", describing the idea as "silly".
It comes as Boris Johnson's office confirmed the Mayor of London discussed plans to stand in a by-election.
BBC political correspondent Robin Brant said Mr Johnson was "a more serious leadership contender".
The London mayor is understood to have discussed the idea of standing in a by-election as part of a bid to fight plans to expand Heathrow Airport.
Mr Johnson met his fellow Conservative, Richmond Park MP Zac Goldsmith, last week.
Both are strongly opposed to plans to expand Heathrow.
Last week ministers said the final decision on UK airport expansion will be taken by the next government.
London Mayor Boris Johnson is considered by some to be a serious Conservative leadership contender
A statement from the mayor's office confirmed that Mr Johnson and Mr Goldsmith discussed the idea of the latter resigning in protest and London's mayor running in his place.
However, aides said no offer was made and the idea was "laughingly dismissed out of hand" by both men.
Last week the government said a commission chaired by ex-Financial Services Authority boss Sir Howard Davies to examine ways to expand airport capacity will report in 2015.
Options include a third runway at Heathrow and a new four-runway facility in the Thames estuary. The latter option is backed by Mr Johnson.
'Prelude to U-turn'
Official coalition policy is still to be opposed to Heathrow expansion but some leading Tories are now calling for a third runway.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Mr Johnson's spokesman said: "It's no secret the mayor opposes the building of a third runway, he was re-elected opposing any such notion, he'll continue to oppose any such notion, and he'll be doing it as mayor of London."
Mr Johnson has also criticised the prime minister's decision to remove transport secretary Justine Greening from her post in a recent reshuffle, which the mayor claimed was a prelude to a U-turn on a third runway.
Ms Greening's successor, Patrick McLoughlin, has said the Davies commission would identify and recommend to government "options for maintaining this country's status as an international hub for aviation".
A man imprisoned in Africa after being suspected of involvement in a massacre
frica massacre suspect David Simpson back in UK
Mr Simpson's return has been welcomed by the foreign secretary
A man imprisoned in Africa after being suspected of involvement in a massacre is back in the UK after being cleared of all charges.
David Simpson, 24, a pilot, was working in the Central African Republic in March when he reported coming across 18 bodies in remote bushland.
Mr Simpson, of Gillamoor, North Yorkshire, went voluntarily to answer questions and was arrested and jailed.
Foreign Secretary William Hague welcomed Mr Simpson's return.
Game hunting
Mr Hague said: "Government ministers and officials have worked hard on his behalf. I raised the case with Central African Republic Foreign Minister Gambi in August and am pleased that his case has now been resolved."
Mr Simpson had been working as a manager for a Swedish company, Central African Wildlife Adventures, which takes clients game hunting.
He was looking for a water supply in remote bushland in Bakouma in the south-east of the country when he found the bodies, which were tied together and mutilated.
Mr Simpson was held on suspicion of murder in Ngaragba Central Prison in the capital, Bangui, before being put under temporary house arrest after the jail was stormed by rioters and destroyed earlier this month.
Many commentators have linked the killings to supporters of Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Police have begun a second day of searching the home of a British family targeted by killers in France.
Alps shootings: Police resume family home search
The detailed search of the al-Hilli family home is likely to take some time
Police have begun a second day of searching the home of a British family targeted by killers in France.
Senior French police officer Colonel Marc de Tarle said the investigation into the shootings was likely to be "long and complex".
French officers and a British forensics team are scouring the home of Saad al-Hilli, 50, in Claygate, Surrey.
Mr al-Hilli, his wife, a woman thought to be his mother-in-law and a local cyclist were shot twice in the head.
The couple's two daughters survived the attacks and are in hospital in France.
Officers began a detailed search of the family's house on Saturday as part of a bid to establish a motive for the murders.
Surrey Police set up a forensic evidence tent in front of the house ahead of the arrival of French officers.
Mr al-Hilli's daughters are believed to be the only witnesses to Wednesday's killings
Speaking outside Woking police station on Saturday, Mr de Tarle said: "We are here within the framework of a request for international mutual help launched by the French judicial authorities towards the British authorities.
"The co-operation is working well and the British police are putting in place all necessary means on a human and a technical level."
Surrey Police assistant chief constable Rob Price said his force would "do all we can in support of the investigation on behalf of our French colleagues".
"Throughout that support, I want to place the emphasis on the victims of this tragic incident and Surrey police, again with our French colleagues, are ensuring that all those who need support will get the support," he said.
Mr al-Hilli's wife, Iqbal, and a 74-year-old woman who held a Swedish passport and who is reported to be Mr al-Hilli's mother-in-law, were killed during the attack in Chevaline, close to the tourist destination of Lake Annecy on Wednesday.
Shot twice
The fourth victim, a cyclist whose body was found near the car after apparently stumbling across the attack, has been named 45-year-old Sylvain Mollier.
The al-Hillis' four-year-old daughter, Zeena, spent eight hours hiding in the car where her parents died before being found by officers. Police said she had hid under her mother's skirt when the shooting started.
Her sister, seven-year-old Zainab, remains in a medically-induced coma in Grenoble University Hospital after being shot in the shoulder and beaten around the head.
Two relatives of the al-Hilli family have gone to France, accompanied by a British social worker and family-liaison officers from Surrey Police, to comfort the girls.
Seventy organisations involved in the benefits system have raised concerns about a government overhaul.
Benefits changes: Universal Credit system warning
The government says the new system will pay people to work rather than claim benefits
Seventy organisations involved in the benefits system have raised concerns about a government overhaul.
The Universal Credit aims to make the system simpler by replacing five work-based benefits with one benefit.
The groups are worried about moving to monthly payments, access to an online system and whether a new IT system will be ready by an October 2013 deadline.
The government says managing the system online will save money, and that the new benefit is set to come in on time.
Ministers have said they are determined to reform the system, so it pays people to work rather than claim benefits.
Written evidence, seen by BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend, was submitted to the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee by organisations representing councils, charities, trades unions, business groups and housing organisations.
The Women's Budget Group is among those expressing concerns about new monthly payments, saying "many on low incomes in work have wages and/or benefits and tax credits paid more frequently, which matches common budgeting patterns for those on low incomes".
The group, which works towards "a gender equal society", adds: "Women are likely to be hit harder, as in low income families they tend to make more frequent purchases that will be squeezed as money is stretched."
The BBC's Chris Mason says there are concerns that a policy of paying the Universal Credit to just one person in a household could, in some instances, upset the family dynamic - potentially putting that individual in a position of considerable power and influence.
And Gingerbread, the charity for single parents, asks: "What consideration has been given to providing grants to cover a shortfall when transitioning from fortnightly to monthly payments, rather than claimants having to rely on budgeting advances or 'pay-day loans' which need to be repaid?"
The Local Government Association, meanwhile, is among groups concerned that there is "a real risk that the central government Universal Credit IT systems will not be ready on time".
And the CBI business organisation says: "The new system's tight delivery timetable, coupled with low awareness among companies, is a risk to business and to the implementation of the Universal Credit."
'Rigorous testing'
The government's push for claimants to access benefits online is also questioned by some groups.
Community charity Citizens Advice warns that the Universal Credit system "risks causing difficulties to the 8.5 million people who have never used the internet and a further 14.5 million who have virtually no ICT skills".
However, the submissions also show that many organisations acknowledge the government's motivations for reform are sound.
Ministers insist the timetable for the introduction of Universal Credit remains on track to begin in October 2013.
It will be phased in over a number of years, with eight million households signed up by 2017.
In its own submission to MPs, the Department for Work and Pensions says rigorous testing of the IT system is already under way.
It says those who struggle to use the online system will still have access to face-to-face help and telephone assistance.
And it adds that managing Universal Credit online makes sense as it saves money - and says most jobs do now require computer skills.
Are you on benefits? What do you think about plans to digitise the benefits system? Please send in your comments using the form below.
Friday, September 7, 2012
teams Screenshots in Fifa 13 demo
Yesterday the company announced EA Sports official release date of the demo version of Fifa 13 release is scheduled for Tuesday 11 September for PC platforms, PS3 and Xbox 360. Here we propose to you the screenshots of the team record demo, which can be download on our website.
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