VIDEO: Beckham helps stranded motorist

9 February 2011 Last updated at 18:35 GMT Help

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VIDEO: Budget passed at Decision Time

MSPs have voted to pass the Budget (Scotland) Bill on 9 February 2011. 79 MSPs voted for the bill, with 48 against.

The minority Scottish government's £33 bn budget was passed by MSPs, after a series of last-minute opposition concessions.

Finance Secretary John Swinney agreed to demands from the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives to boost support for youth employment, private sector projects and housing.

Labour refused to back the spending plans, saying they failed to support economic recovery.

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Charles attacks climate sceptics

9 February 2011 Last updated at 13:54 GMT Prince Charles warned against the "voracious" consumption of the planet The Prince of Wales has hit out at climate change sceptics for what he calls the "corrosive" impact they have on public opinion.

The prince was speaking to an audience of MEPs and other policymakers at a conference in Brussels.

He warned against the pursuit of growth at the expense of the environment.

And the Prince said environmentalists should sell the benefits of sustainable living rather than just telling people what to give up.

In his speech, Prince Charles set out to illustrate how problems with the environment led directly to economic difficulties.

And he attacked climate change sceptics who he said were denying a vast body of evidence.

Continue reading the main story

I would ask how these people are going to face their grandchildren and admit to them they failed their future”

End Quote Prince Charles The implication of their arguments was that thousands of scientists throughout the world were conspiring to destroy the capitalist-based market system, he said.

"I would ask how these people are going to face their grandchildren and admit to them they failed their future."

He added that they were playing "a reckless game of roulette with the future inheritance of those who come after us."

Rainforests

"I cannot see how we can possibly maintain the growth of GDP in the long term if we continue to consume our planet as voraciously as we are doing," he warned.

He claimed the fabric of "the Earth's life support system" may be beginning to fragment.

The prince says halting the destruction of rainforests is not "a lifestyle option"

Pointing to the destruction of the rainforests he said that stopping the process was "not a lifestyle choice".

Failure to address it meant an end to any chance of stopping climate change.

But the prince also criticised environmentalists for concentrating "on what people need to stop doing".

"If we are constantly told that living environmentally friendly lives means giving up all that makes life worthwhile, then it is no surprise that people refuse to change."

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VIDEO: Roadside bomb explodes in Iraq

9 February 2011 Last updated at 19:06 GMT Help

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Three bomb attacks in Iraqi north

9 February 2011 Last updated at 13:30 GMT Television pictures caught the moment one of the bombs exploded

Three bombs have exploded in the northern Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk, killing at least seven people and wounding more than 70, police say.

The bombs went off within minutes of each other near a Kurdish security headquarters.

Two policemen are reported to be among the dead.

While violence has decreased in Iraq in the last few years, attacks are still frequent and government officials are often targets.

Kirkuk's police chief, Maj Gen Jamal Tahir, told the Associated Press news agency that a suicide bomber slammed his pickup truck into a wall surrounding the Kurdish security headquarters (Asayish) around 1000 local time (0700GMT).

The second explosion hit a few streets away, near a gas station, and the third bombing happened down the street from the first and was followed by gunshots.

These are reported to be the first big attacks in the city for about six months.

No group has claimed responsibility for the bombings but the BBC's Jonathan Head in Baghdad says the militant group Ansar al-Islam has made recent threats.

Kirkuk, which sits on a third of Iraq's oil reserves, is at the centre of a tract of disputed territory claimed by the central government in Baghdad as well as Kurdish authorities in the north.

The city is populated by Kurds, Arabs and Turkomen, and ethnic tensions have delayed a long-awaited national census that would determine the real numbers of the country's religious and ethnic groups.

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Lab ends drink-drive sample tests

9 February 2011 Last updated at 18:43 GMT The Forensic Science Service is being wound down until its closure next year A forensics lab has stopped analysing samples taken from drink-drive suspects by police forces in England and Wales.

The Forensic Science Service (FSS) had planned to close the lab in Lancashire and move the work to south London.

The closure will go ahead next month but there will now be no move as the government has said the FSS would be wound down by next year.

Forces have been told to refrigerate blood and urine samples until another forensic service provider can be found.

However this would have "no impact on the criminal justice process", according to senior officers.

'Appreciate challenges'

The FSS confirmed it would not be doing any more tests on drink-drive samples but it is understood there are at least four other providers who already do similar work.

A memo from the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) to chief constables said the FSS said would no longer process any samples taken under the Road Traffic Act.

Officials hoped to to find "alternative suppliers" within seven working days, it added.

The memo stated: "We appreciate the challenges and difficulties that this change may cause your force. However, we would ask that you continue to work with us whilst we resolve this issue."

The move affects cases where the suspect is unable to provide a breath test or the equipment is faulty, or opts for an alternative means of testing.

The government announced in December that the Birmingham-based FSS was to close.

'Swift arrangements'

The move, called Operation Slingshot, is being overseen by Wiltshire Deputy Chief Constable David Ainsworth, working with the the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), the Home Office and the NPIA.

A joint statement from Acpo and the NPIA said: "As part of the managed wind-down of the Forensic Science Service a number of services currently delivered to police forces will be discontinued.

"There is capacity to undertake these services by other forensic suppliers under the NPIA's national framework for the supply of forensic services to policing.

"A transition plan was already in place for the transfer of the testing work undertaken by the Forensic Science Service. Swift arrangements will now be made to ensure that alternative suppliers provide the analysis for Road Traffic Act drink and drug cases. There are already other forensic suppliers who undertake this work.

"A small number of samples may be held by police forces whilst the new arrangements are put in place quickly, but this will have no impact on the criminal justice process."

The FSS, which employs 1,600 people, carried out the testing at a lab in Chorley and had planned to move operations to its site in Lambeth in south London.

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Botox 'little help' for migraines

9 February 2011 Last updated at 12:51 GMT By Helen Briggs Health reporter, BBC News Chronic migraines can dramatically impair quality of life There is "limited evidence" for using botox to treat migraine, say experts.

The anti-wrinkle jab, which costs about £276 per injection, has been licensed in the UK and US as a preventative treatment for chronic cases.

But a review of evidence by the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin said it could not "see a place" for giving botox to migraine sufferers.

Migraine Action said patients should still be given the option of having botox as some had seen improvements.

It is thought around 700,000 people in the UK get chronic migraines.

People can be treated with injections of botox, or botulinum toxin A, on the NHS at their doctor's discretion, if they suffer headaches on at least 15 days a month of which eight days or more are migraine.

The injections are more commonly used for smoothing out wrinkles.

It is not clear how the neurotoxin works in chronic migraines but it is thought that it may block pain signals.

Continue reading the main story Severe headacheVisual disturbances such as spots or flashing lightsSensitivity to light, noise, or smellsNausea and vomitingTingling sensations, pins and needles, and weakness or numbness in the limbsA trial of more than 1,300 patients showed success in reducing the frequency of headaches.

But experts from the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin, which reviews medical treatments in the UK, questioned the selection of patients in the trial, saying the diagnosis of chronic migraine was incorrect in some.

Botox leads to a worsening of headache symptoms in around one in 10 people, they said, with a similar number developing itching, rash, pain, stiffness and muscle spasms.

"These discrepancies and the limited evidence of benefit make it difficult for us to see a place for botulinum toxin A as treatment for chronic migraine," the authors wrote.

The charity Migraine Action said it was surprised researchers had come to this conclusion, as the treatment had been licensed by both UK and US regulators.

Some patients had reported modest benefits and others a marked improvement - allowing them to go back to work, said director Lee Tomkins.

She added: "Anyone who suffers from chronic migraine knows that there is no cure, but for these patients, who are often quite disabled by their unremitting and remorseless pattern of headaches and migraines, any new treatment that helps them to get their lives back in control and to proactively manage their condition like Botox, gives them hope for a better future.

"Migraine Action believes they should be offered that option."

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Medical split

9 February 2011 Last updated at 17:26 GMT By Anna Browning Reporter Removing lymph nodes is a painful procedure which can leave lasting problems Removing cancerous lymph nodes from some women with breast cancer has no benefit, US scientists have revealed in a new study.

But while the findings may have been hailed in parts of the media as a revolutionary approach to combating breast cancer, it has also revealed divisions among cancer specialists in the UK on how best to treat the disease.

While some hope the study will bring widespread change to practice - some UK units already operate a less surgically-agressive approach - others urge caution about the findings.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that in women with early stage cancer the standard practice of removing cancerous nodes made no difference to survival rates.

They also found that carrying out the painful procedure - which can leave women with lasting arm swelling, stiffness and pain - made no difference to whether cancer returned.

Continue reading the main story

This shows centres doing less aggressive therapy were correct in their approach”

End Quote Professor Ian Ellis University of Nottingham The study, which involved about 850 women, follows a trend away from radical surgery in combating breast cancer in recent years.

Rates of mastectomy (the removal of the breast) are declining, but the removal of nodes as a way of preventing the spread of cancer, has remained standard procedure, particularly in the US.

All those taking part in the clinical trial, between 1999 and 2004, had had initial biopsies showing cancer had spread to one or two nearby lymph nodes.

They were then assigned at random to have 10 more more additional nodes removed or none at all.

They were also treated with lumpectomies to remove their tumours and a common type of radiation that covers the breast and underarm area. Most also had chemotherapy, hormone treatment, or both.

The researchers were led by Armando Giuliano of Saint John's Health Center, in Santa Monica, California.

'Practice-changing'

Professor Ian Ellis, professor of cancer pathology at the University of Nottingham, said the study was "very powerful" and had been conducted in an "exemplary way".

"You can't knock it, it should be practice changing," he said, but acknowledged units in the UK were very "polarised".

"It sometimes takes more than one study to change people's minds. In the UK doctors are a little bit conservative, they want more evidence."

He said a trial of 3,000 women conducted in Edinburgh about 15 years ago, and which produced similar results, had failed to change practice across the UK, but that this study vindicated his unit and others'.

"This shows centres doing less aggressive therapy were correct in their approach."

Dr Rachel Greig, senior policy officer at Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity said the findings were "exciting", particularly as they corroborated past findings, but was cautious on how quickly practices would change.

"They could change the way some women are treated for breast cancer in the future," she said.

"This is important as it may mean these women can avoid unnecessary lymph node surgery. The findings agree with past research so we eagerly await further developments in this area."

Professor Michael Baum, retired breast surgeon and director of the clinical trials group at University College London, said he was amused at the research.

Continue reading the main story

It's a classic problem in cancer management; we don't have the answer”

End Quote Professor Robert Mansel University of Wales College of Medicine "What they are doing is reinventing the wheel," he told the BBC. "I have been preaching this for decades."

"We have known for 20 years or more that leaving an untreated lymph node behind that contains a tumour does not impair long-term survival."

However, he said, the study would be influential in changing practice and patients would benefit.

But Professor Robert Mansel, professor of surgery at University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, and expert in breast cancer research, said it was a very controversial area with a lot of practice "based on feelings, not data".

Caution urged

He currently favours the removal of lymph nodes, believing the research on leaving them intact to be inconclusive so far.

He urged caution about the US study, pointing to "lots of warning signs" in the paper, such a failure to recruit as many women to the study as they would have liked - meaning the trial was "under powered".

When faced with the prospect of lymph nodes not being removed, a lot of patients failed to enter the trial, he said.

He also pointed to the study's five-year follow-up, which he said was quite short.

"Breast cancer, if nothing else, is a long-term disease, which makes this study only half way to being reliable".

On the differences of opinion in the field, he said: "We are using the same evidence, but interpreting it differently."

"It's a classic problem in cancer management; we don't have the answer."

He said a European trial, Amaros, which he is heading and is due to publish its results like year, would be more likely to change practice.

Like the US trial, this trial takes an initial biopsy, but it then gives radiotherapy to the remaining nodes to see if this is in fact enough and there was no more need for surgery.

"We are on the cusp of finding out the information, but there isn't enough of it. If you make changes before you have the data that you can get a shock. Nobody is right or wrong, it's a philosophy.

"When Amos reports hopefully we should get a definitive answer.

"We may well change practice, but it's going to take two or three years before we can say definitively one way of another."

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PM pledges £200m to Big Society

9 February 2011 Last updated at 17:07 GMT Ed Miliband tells David Cameron he is not Mother Theresa after an apparent dig at Gordon Brown

David Cameron has announced a £200m boost for his Big Society drive - as Labour's leader says his cuts are making society "smaller and weaker".

The PM said a Big Society bank would invest £200m from the financial institutions in the voluntary sector.

Ed Miliband said billions of pounds were being cut from voluntary groups across the country.

And Labour accused the PM of not being "straight with people" over cuts to Sure Start children's centres.

The row over the Big Society follows criticism from the retiring head of one charity that cuts were "destroying" Britain's "volunteer army".

Dame Elisabeth Hoodless told The Times on Monday that "massive" cuts to council spending would make it harder for people to do more in their communities.

At Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Miliband asked why Mr Cameron "doesn't listen to people who know about volunteering" and said charities up and down the country were concerned about the impact of spending cuts.

The Labour leader said Mr Cameron had promised to protect Sure Start children's centres but had cut funding by 9% and said there were predictions from childcare charity The Daycare Trust that 250 would close within a year.

'Sniping'

He said even the Conservative leader of the Local Government Association believed Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles was "detached from reality" about the impact of the cuts.

And he asked Mr Cameron: "How do you expect people to volunteer at the local library if it is being shut down?"

Continue reading the main story

You shouldn't get so angry, it will cloud your judgement - you're not the first prime minister I have said that to”

End Quote Ed Miliband But the prime minister accused Mr Miliband of "sniping" and said all parties supported the aims of the Big Society - in terms of devolving power to councils and communities.

He said he disagreed with Dame Elisabeth as the government was putting in £470m over four years into charities and voluntary bodies and a further £100m would be made available to help charities worst affected by spending cuts.

Mr Cameron added: "And something I can tell you for the first time today because of our deal with the banks, the Big Society bank will be taking £200m from Britain's banks to put in to the voluntary sector."

On Sure Start, he said the budget was "going up" from £2,212m to £2,297m and said the chief executive of the Daycare Trust, Anand Shukla, had said the government had "allocated sufficient funding for the existing network of Sure Start children's centres to be maintained".

'No idea'

But Mr Miliband said the government was "cutting billions of pounds from voluntary sector organisations up and down this country".

He said Mr Cameron was "cutting too far and too fast and society is becoming smaller and weaker, not bigger and stronger".

The prime minister said the Labour leader did not have "a single idea for making this country a better place" and should support the Big Society.

As noise levels rose in the Commons, Mr Miliband, who was a cabinet minister under Gordon Brown, joked: "You shouldn't get so angry, it will cloud your judgement - you're not the first prime minister I have said that to."

A spokeswoman for the Daycare Trust told the BBC that the government had removed the ring-fence around Sure Start budgets and the charity stands by its warning that 250 Sure Start Centres face closure.

The figures referred to by Mr Cameron related to the Early Intervention Grant to local authorities, which includes other projects as well as Sure Start, and cover 2011-12 and 2012-13. But they are lower than the budget for 2010-11, £2,483m.

Shadow Education Secretary Andy Burnham said: "David Cameron needs to be straight with people. The truth is that he's cutting Sure Start funding, not increasing it - that's what his own figures show.

"On top of a real terms cut for Sure Start, he's cutting funding for children, young people and families by 10.9% next year. No wonder the Daycare Trust is standing by its claim."

The government says it protected Sure Start's budget in cash terms in the spending review - although the ringfencing of the money was removed.

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NY and Deutsche bourses mull deal

9 February 2011 Last updated at 17:26 GMT NYSE Euronext will be the junior partner, analysts say Two of world's leading exchanges, Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext, are in advanced talks about a merger.

The deal would create the world's biggest stock exchange firm by revenue and profits and would be jointly based in New York and Frankfurt.

But the two warned there was no guarantee that discussions would end with a deal.

The announcement came on the day that the London Stock Exchange (LSE) confirmed a tie-up with Canada's TMX.

Deutsche Boerse shareholders would own between 59%-60% of the combined exchange, while NYSE shareholders would hold 40%-41%, a joint statement said.

The two would be able to save about 300m euros ($411m; £255m) through merging, as well as boosting revenues, it added.

"That's as big as deals get," said Ed Ditmire at Macquarie Securities. "Clearly Deutsche Boerse would be the buyer. It would be a stretch to call it a merger of equals."

If the deal goes ahead, it would overshadow Wednesday's merger of the LSE and TMX, which operates the Toronto Stock Exchange.

This merger is the latest in a long line of deals between leading stock exchanges around the world.

In recent years, the New York Stock Exchange has bought Euronext; Deutsche Borse has taken over the International Securities Exchange in the US; and the London Stock Exchange, which has successfully fought off a number of takeover approaches, has bought Borsa Italiana.

Analysts say they expect further consolidation among other exchanges.

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Personality disorder 'widespread'

9 February 2011 Last updated at 04:12 GMT Personality disorders are widespread, experts say We need to be more aware of personality disorders - which are more prevalent than people realise, say experts.

Prof Eddie Kane, of the Institute of Mental Health, said 4% of people have such a condition, with some studies showing rates as high as 13%.

These vary in severity and in personality disorder type.

People with personality disorders are more likely to end up in prison, commit suicide and have mental health problems.

A personality disorder is defined as a pattern of behaviour that deviates markedly from the individual's culture.

Those with personality disorders repeatedly behave in a way that is not acceptable to the community that they live in and cause distress to themselves, or others.

There is a range of different disorders including borderline, anti-social, paranoid and narcissi.

Continue reading the main story

We all have personalities and it is difficult for us to change the way we behave if it goes against our personality 'type'”

End Quote Kingsley Norton West London Mental Health Trust Doctors say that one of the reasons they are so difficult to treat is that the disorder is ingrained in a person's behaviour - in the same way that we all have ingrained personality traits.

Dr Kingsley Norton, personality disorder lead at West London Mental Health Trust, said: "We all have personalities and it is difficult for us to change the way we behave if it goes against our personality 'type'.

"For example, a belief that people with personality disorders often have is, 'people cannot be trusted - they will always let you down.'

"This is a core belief to that person and will govern the way that they interact with everybody."

That can lead to unco-operative behaviour that is threatening or aggressive - and can get the person with the disorder into trouble.

Continue reading the main story Odd/Eccentric: people can be paranoid; indifferent to social relationships; unable to relate to people; have an unusual appearanceDramatic: people can be histrionic; narcissistic; have unstable moods; fear being abandoned and self-harm.Anxious: people can be preoccupied with orderliness and perfectionism. They may fear negative evaluation; feel inadequate in social situations; are dependent and submissive. Most people with personality disorders do not commit offences.

However, for some it significantly contributes to behaviour that gets them involved in the criminal justice system.

About two-thirds of prisoners meet the criteria for at least one type of personality disorder and they have a higher risk of drug abuse.

Staff training

Leading experts say the disorders are under recognised - even though the numbers of people suffering from personality disorders is much higher than those with more well known problems, such as schizophrenia.

Prof Kane, director of the Personality Disorder Institute at the Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham, said: "Although 4% is the generally accepted figures for prevalence some international studies have shown prevalence as high as 13%.

"But because personality disorder is not a disease it does not attract the sympathy that conditions such as schizophrenia does."

Experts are now trying to train those who are most likely to come into contact with a personality disorder how to recognise the condition to make the situation easier to manage.

This is crucial because the way in which staff interact with someone who has a personality disorder can affect the patient's condition.

Dr Norton said: "If the relationship with a patient is not right, it will affect the condition adversely but relationships can also be a cure. It is therefore very important that staff are trained properly."

Prof Kane has developed a training programme for staff that are most likely to come into contact with those who have personality disorders.

It uses video reconstructions to show the types of situations where staff may encounter someone with a personality disorder and what they can do to keep the situation in control.

So far, the programme has been rolled out to a variety of staff including prison officers, police officers, GP receptionists and nurses.

About 5,000 people will have been trained by 2012. In the future professionals working in education and with younger people are likely to get training.

Prof Kane said it could stop difficult situations escalating: "This training helps people to understand personality disorders.

"It is delivered by a trainer and a person with a personality disorder. Feedback from those with personality disorders has shown that it makes a big difference to their experiences in those situations."

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VIDEO: Brits in Egypt: 'Only tourists in resort'

9 February 2011 Last updated at 19:14 GMT Help

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Tevez misses game for 'attitude'

Tevez, 27, last played for Argentina against Japan on 8 October last year
Argentina striker Carlos Tevez will not feature in Wednesday's friendly with Portugal because of his "attitude".

Tevez missed Argentina's match with Brazil on 17 November saying he had a muscle problem, though he played for Manchester City the following weekend.

"His absence is because of an attitude he had," said Argentine Football Association president Julio Grondona.

"He didn't come to play, and then did so for his club. The coaching staff didn't like that attitude."

The match against arch-rivals Brazil in Qatar was coach Sergio Batista's first in charge since he was confirmed in the job after three matches as caretaker boss.

When Batista named his squad on 25 January to face Portugal on Wednesday in Switzerland, he claimed he was resting several players - including Tevez - in order to look at other options.

The news came as a surprise at the time, given that Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Higuain was out after having back surgery.

Inter Milan striker Diego Milito, who did make the squad, then pulled out earlier this week because of injury.

Batista has named a front three of Ezequiel Lavezzi, Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria to face Portugal.

The off-field attitude of Tevez was also called into question when he handed in a transfer request, asking to leave Manchester City in December before withdrawing it eight days later after talks with the club.

Speaking to Radio Pop in Buenos Aires, Grondona stressed that Tevez's omission had nothing to do with him voicing his support for Diego Maradona when the legendary ex-Argentina player was not retained as coach by Grondona after last year's World Cup in South Africa.

Tevez has recently spoken about how he has to cope with feeling homesick, especially with his children living in Buenos Aires.

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Fourth Lords defeat over AV bill

9 February 2011 Last updated at 18:40 GMT The government has suffered a fourth Lords defeat over its bill setting up a referendum on the UK voting system.

Peers backed plans for a compromise aimed at ending a row over the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill.

Labour opposes plans to cut the number of MPs and redraw constituencies.

Ministers wanted the number of voters in each constituency to be within 5% of around 76,000 - peers backed moves to make that 7.5% in "exceptional" cases.

The bill must become law next week if the government is to meet its deadline for holding the planned referendum on the alternative vote system in May this year.

It paves the way for a referendum on changing the way MPs are elected.

But it also contains plans to cut the size of the House of Commons from 650 to 600 MPs and change the size of parliamentary constituencies, which are opposed by Labour.

The government wants all but two of the constituencies in the Commons to be of equal size, containing about 76,000 voters.

Ministers had proposed that the number could be varied by 5% either way to take account of local circumstances.

Continue reading the main story

Under the AV system, voters rank candidates in their constituency in order of preference.

Anyone getting more than 50% of first-preference votes is elected.

If no-one gets 50% of votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their backers' second choices allocated to those remaining.

This process continues until one candidate has at least 50% of all votes in that round.

Crossbench peer David Pannick QC proposed changing that to 7.5% in an effort to end the political stand-off over the bill. He said the Boundary Commission would only be able to apply the variation in "exceptional circumstances".

Labour supported the changes, but Conservatives and Liberal Democrats argued against the proposals and the government urged peers to reject the amendment.

But when peers voted the government was defeated by 275 votes to 257, a majority of 18 votes.

On Tuesday the government suffered another defeat when peers backed a plan to make the referendum on the voting system binding only if 40% of the public took part.

MPs must now decide whether to retain the proposal or overturn it when the legislation returns to the Commons.

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Murray slumps to defeat on return

Murray played in Rotterdam having initially suggested he wanted a breakAndy Murray lost to Marcos Baghdatis at the World Tennis Tournament in his first game since losing to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final.

Less than two weeks since his third Grand Slam final loss, world number five Murray was blown away 6-4 6-1 by the Cypriot in just over an hour.

The second-seeded Scot led 3-0 with two service breaks but went into free-fall.

Baghdatis broke Murray three times to win the first set and never looked back as he wrapped up a comfortable victory.

The world number 20 will next play Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in the second round in Rotterdam after seeing off Florian Mayer.

Murray may have been making his first indoor appearance for three months, but it was, more significantly, a chance to begin the process of easing the pain of a straight-sets defeat by Serbia's Djokovic in Melbourne on 30 January.

The 23-year-old had intimated he would take a lengthy sabbatical and instead opted to compete in the Netherlands in a tournament he won two years ago.

Despite his lack of preparation, Murray began his first-round encounter against the unseeded but lively Baghdatis in sparkling fashion.

Highlights - Djokovic ends Murray's slam dream in Australian Open final

Two breaks of serve had Murray cruising at 3-0, and although the Cypriot, runner-up at the 2006 Australian Open, fought back with a break of his own, Britain's number one still looked favourite after steadying the ship at 4-2.

But then the wheels fell off as the 25-year-old secured the first set in 39 minutes with four games on the bounce.

The first three games of the second set went with serve, only for Baghdatis, who beat Murray at Wimbledon in 2006, to turn on the style and swiftly come through to seal his second-round spot with the minimum of fuss.

It is not the end of Murray's participation in Rotterdam this week as he and brother Jamie will be involved in the doubles after they were handed a wildcard having initially been overlooked.

Djokovic was ruled out of the World Tennis Tournament because of a shoulder injury and is still needing another week's rest before playing again.

The new Australian Open champion was replaced as top seed by Swede Robin Soderling, who began his defence of the Dutch title with an easy win in less than hour over local favourite Robin Haase.

Two second round results on Wednesday included a defeat for fifth-ranked Jurgen Melzer by unseeded Croat Marin Cilic, while Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had to work hard to beat France's Michael Llodra 4-6 6-4 6-2.

Victory for the eighth seeded Tsonga, who lost the 2008 Australian Open final to Djokovic, came a day after he declared the era of domination by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal over.

"Federer and Nadal are not alone at the top of the rankings any more," said Tsonga. "Maybe on clay, Nadal's victories are still the same, but not on other surfaces.

"Djokovic and Murray are beating Nadal and Federer very often, all the players are improving their games. It's not just about Nadal and Federer any more."

Other first-round results:
Feliciano Lopez (Spa) bt Florian Mayer (Ger) 6-3 6-4
Mikhail Youzhny (Rus) bt Marcel Granollers (Spa) 6-2 7-6 (8-6)
Benoit Paire (Fra) bt Gilles Simon (Fra) 6-2 2-6 6-3
Marin Cilic (Cro) bt Mischa Zverev (Ger) 6-2 6-4
Michael Llodra (Fra) bt Nikolay Davydenko (Rus) 6-3 7-6 (7-4)
Viktor Troicki (Ser) bt Thomas Schoorel (Ned) 6-2 7-6 (7-1)
Dmitry Tursunov (Rus) bt Andrey Golubev (Kaz) 6-4 7-5
Jurgen Melzer (Aut) bt Jesse Huta Galung (Ned) 6-4 6-4
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Fra) bt Grigor Dimitro (Bul) 6-4 6-4
Tomas Berdych (Cze) bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spa) 6-1 6-2
Thiemo de Bakker (Ned) bt Philipp Petzschner (Ger) 6-4 0-6 6-1
Jarkko Nieminen (Fin) bt 3-David Ferrer (Spa) 6-3 6-4
Philipp Kohlschreiber (Ger) beat Lu Yen-Hsun (Tai) 6-4 7-6 (7-5)
Robin Soderling (Swe) bt Robin Haase (Ned) 6-3 6-2
Ivan Ljubicic (Cro) beat Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukr) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3

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Oil supertanker hijacked off Oman

9 February 2011 Last updated at 19:15 GMT The tanker was attacked about 400 miles (650km) south-east of Muscat A supertanker carrying about $200m (£125m; 146m euros) worth of crude oil has been hijacked off the coast of Oman, the vessel's Greek operator says.

Athens-based shipping company Enesel said they had lost communication with the Irene SL.

The 333m (1,093ft) vessel was on its way from the Gulf to the Gulf of Mexico when it was attacked.

Although the incident happened hundreds of miles from Somalia, pirate gangs are known to operate there.

A body representing the owner's of much of the world's tanker fleet warned that - unless governments do more to combat Somali pirates - global oil-supplies could face severe disruption.

25-member crew

"This morning the vessel was attacked by armed men," said Enesel in a statement quoted by Reuters.

"For the moment there is no communication with the vessel."

Greece's Merchant Marine Ministry told the Associated Press that the ship was carrying 266,000 tons of crude oil. It is believed to be one of the largest vessels ever seized.

It has a 25-member crew including seven Greeks, 17 Filipinos and one Georgian, according to the ministry.

The EU's naval mission in the region Eunavfor said in a statement on its website the Irene was sailing 400 miles (650km) south-east of Muscat.

Joe Angelo, the head of the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners said that the tanker's cargo represented approximately 20% total US daily crude oil.

"If piracy in the Indian Ocean is left unabated, it will strangle these crucial shipping lanes with the potential to severely disrupt oil flows to the US and to the rest of the world," Mr Angelo told Reuters.

The incident comes a day after pirates took control of an Italian oil tanker in the Indian Ocean, some 800 miles from Somalia's coast.

Before the latest incident, Eunavfor said pirates were currently holding 29 vessels along with an estimated 681 hostages.

Somali pirates have made millions of dollars in recent years by capturing cargo vessels in the shipping lanes around the Horn of Africa and holding the ships and crew for ransom.

Somalia has had no functioning central government since 1991, allowing piracy to flourish off its coast.

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Bomb expert was 'under pressure'

9 February 2011 Last updated at 15:05 GMT Staff Sgt Olaf Schmid made safe 64 bombs during a five-month tour of duty A bomb disposal expert appeared "under pressure" and "rushed" on the day he died in a bomb blast in Afghanistan, an inquest has heard.

Staff Sgt Olaf Schmid, from Truro in Cornwall, died disarming a roadside bomb in November 2009.

Cpl Thomas Stace told the inquest the "inspirational leader" appeared "somewhat impatient" as he defused explosives on the day of his death.

The inquest at Truro Coroner's Court is expected to last two days.

Staff Sgt Schmid, who had diffused 64 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Afghanistan, had made a comment to a colleague about speeding up, Cpl Stace said.

However, in written evidence he told the inquest the pressure was not imposed by Army chiefs.

'Pulled wire'

"I think he was under pressure to deal with them all and that it was a self-imposed pressure," he said.

Sapper Craig Butterworth, who witnessed the death, described Staff Sgt Schmid as a "total inspiration" but said he had also noticed signs of stress.

The IED which killed the disposal expert instantly was the fourth device tackled that day, the inquest was told.

Colleagues said he pulled a wire from the ground, before turning round to them and saying "you didn't see me do that, did you?".

This was "very unusual" they said, but they trusted him completely because of his professionalism and experience.

Sapper Butterworth added: "On that day it occurred to me that he was slightly rushed.

"I could only think that this was because it was his last day before going home for rest and recuperation."

'Come home'

L/Cpl Gary Parsons told the inquest about a telephone conversation between Staff Sgt Schmid and his five-year-old stepson, Laird.

During the conversation, Laird had said "Daddy, time to come home", he added.

The inquest also heard evidence from pathologist Nicholas Hunt that Staff Sgt Schmid had fainted while on duty on 14 September - two months before he was killed - but was in good health.

The 30-year-old soldier, who had made his home in Winchester, Hampshire, died the day before he was due to return to the UK.

Known as Oz, Staff Sgt Schmid had been part of the 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, based in Didcot, Oxfordshire.

He was awarded a posthumous George Cross, which his widow Christina accepted in a ceremony last June.

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At what age can you babysit a toddler?

8 February 2011 Last updated at 09:56 GMT By Marie Jackson BBC News Young people need to learn to take responsibility for others, one childcare expert says A mother has been given an official police caution for leaving her 14-year-old son in charge of his three-year-old brother. So at what age can children be left at home alone without parental supervision?

It's a story that would sound alarm bells for many mothers and fathers.

Any parent who sometimes nips out to the shops, leaving their children to look after each other, will take note.

Or with the prospect of a rare night out, the couple that offers £20 to a sensible teenage neighbour in return for keeping an eye on their little ones, may now think again.

A mother-of-three from the Thames Valley area has been cautioned by police after leaving her 14-year-old son at home with his little brother.

Sources quoted in the Sunday Times are reported as saying the mother, in her 40s, was away for 30 minutes, the time passed without "incident" and the toddler was never in any danger.

It's very rare to hear about cases like this, but is 14 too young to be babysitting and might more parents find themselves facing a caution?

At the heart of this is what all parents of teenagers - and anyone who has ever been a teenager - knows, that one 14-year-old can differ dramatically from another in their maturity and reliability.

The law on this is vague but the police can - and do - use their discretion in judging these cases.

Continue reading the main story

I venture to suggest that the parents have a better idea of the capability of their children than outsiders”

End Quote Megan There is no minimum age at which children in the UK can be left on their own, nor do laws specify how old someone needs to be to babysit. However, if the babysitter is under 16, then the parent remains legally responsible for the child's safety.

And, under the Children and Young Persons Act parents in England and Wales can be prosecuted for wilful neglect if they leave a child unsupervised "in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health". Punishment ranges from a fine to 10 years' imprisonment. Similar legislation is in force in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Without legally specified ages to guide them, parents may be left scratching their heads over this grey area.

But children's charity, the NSPCC, advises that children under 13 should not be left at home alone for long periods and children under 16 should not be put in charge of younger children.

Chris Cloke, from the NSPCC, says calls to its Childline helpline showed that being left alone to look after young children can be distressing - one 10-year-old boy called to say he had no idea how to comfort his younger brother to stop him crying.

But Mr Cloke acknowledges the difficulties facing parents making the judgement call.

Parents are the best judge, say many people

"What parents need to do is move their children on so they become more independent and of course it's a question of striking the right balance.

"What's really important is that parents talk through with their children, discuss the issues and if they are going to leave them at home alone make sure the child feels happy about that and feels confident and knows what to do and who to contact if there's an emergency."

Jacqui Gilliatt, a family law barrister, says there are difficulties with bringing in an age barrier as it would only ever be arbitrary and you will never eliminate the need for agencies or authorities to step in if something came to light.

She points out that parents do not have to accept a caution, which indicates an admission of guilt. Instead, she advises seeking legal advice and perhaps putting the case before a magistrate.

Continue reading the main story

Children are becoming less competent because they are being treated like carefully protected pets”

End Quote Sue Palmer Child development specialist Justine Roberts, of Mumsnet website, also accepts there probably isn't a right age.

"Some Mumsnetters report having children who will never be sufficiently competent to look after a sibling - even when fully grown - but others have 12-year-olds who are hugely responsible."

Many mothers on Mumsnet mention their own experiences of babysitting, often for money, from the age of 12 and in some cases younger.

One highlights how attitudes are different in Germany and Switzerland where children commonly walk to school alone from the age of six. The mother also says she leaves her eight-year-old and six-year-old children at home when she goes shopping.

Another says the police caution is ridiculous and asks whether a 15-year-old mother can't look after her own child unsupervised?

Ms Roberts adds: "Ultimately the parents are the best judges, as they know both the caring child and one being cared for - and what their limits are."

Child development specialist and author of Toxic Childhood Sue Palmer argues that parents, as well as too much legislation in the UK, are part of the problem.

"Children are becoming less competent because they are being treated like carefully protected pets.

"Unless you let them take on chores and take responsibility for their own behaviour and learn to deal with real time, space and people, you won't be able to leave them in charge of another child."

But she also says such state interference, including the recent threat of more criminal record checks for people working with children, means people are ceasing to use common sense and losing their own ability to judge other human beings.

"We are almost legislating ourselves into a world built on accountability procedures and bureaucracy and statistics, and that's a very unpleasant world."

And this is, she says, fast making the UK a laughing stock among its European neighbours, where a 14-year-old in charge of a three-year-old is considered normal behaviour.

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Southern Sudan minister shot dead

9 February 2011 Last updated at 12:44 GMT Jimmy Lemi Milla had been the rural development minister since August 2010 A minister in the government of Southern Sudan has been shot dead inside his ministry building in Juba.

Co-operatives and Rural Development Minister Jimmy Lemi Milla was killed by a former employee, said Philip Aguer of the Sudan People's Liberation Army.

The assailant also killed a bodyguard and was then arrested.

The incident comes only days after referendum results confirmed that Southern Sudan would become the world's newest independent state on 9 July.

Nearly 99% of southerners voted for secession in last month's poll. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has said he will accept the outcome.

Officials in the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) believe the motive for Wednesday's shooting was personal rather than political.

But the BBC's Peter Martell in Juba says it is a clear sign of the security challenges ahead for Southern Sudan as it moves toward its full independence.

Shock The killing has dampened the excitement of the referendum result

Col Aguer said the attacker was a former employee of the minister and believed to be related to him by marriage.

Our reporter says Mr Milla arrived as usual at his office in the centre of town in the government ministry complex.

But his bodyguard left his pistol in his car and the disgruntled former employee smashed the window, grabbed the weapon and went inside to shoot the minister.

It was first reported that the killer shot himself, but it has later emerged that he was arrested by police.

Our correspondent says there is shock in Juba that the shooting could have happened right in the centre of the city and at the hub of government.

The killing has also dampened the excitement in Juba following the announcement of the referendum results this week, he adds.

Milla was a former supporter of the northern ruling party, but switched allegiance to the SPLM after 2005, when the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed to end two decades of civil war.

Although the referendum was peaceful, tension remains high in parts of the oil-rich area which straddles the north and south. Fifty people were killed over the weekend in fighting in Southern Sudan's Upper Nile state.

Show regions

The great divide across Sudan is visible even from space, as this Nasa satellite image shows. The northern states are a blanket of desert, broken only by the fertile Nile corridor. Southern Sudan is covered by green swathes of grassland, swamps and tropical forest.

Sudan's arid northern regions are home mainly to Arabic-speaking Muslims. But in Southern Sudan there is no dominant culture. The Dinkas and the Nuers are the largest of more than 200 ethnic groups, each with its own traditional beliefs and languages.

The health inequalities in Sudan are illustrated by infant mortality rates. In Southern Sudan, one in 10 children die before their first birthday. Whereas in the more developed northern states, such as Gezira and White Nile, half of those children would be expected to survive.

The gulf in water resources between north and south is stark. In Khartoum, River Nile, and Gezira states, two-thirds of people have access to piped drinking water and pit latrines. In the south, boreholes and unprotected wells are the main drinking sources. More than 80% of southerners have no toilet facilities whatsoever.

Throughout Sudan, access to primary school education is strongly linked to household earnings. In the poorest parts of the south, less than 1% of children finish primary school. Whereas in the wealthier north, up to 50% of children complete primary level education.

Conflict and poverty are the main causes of food insecurity in Sudan. The residents of war-affected Darfur and Southern Sudan are still greatly dependent on food aid. Far more than in northern states, which tend to be wealthier, more urbanised and less reliant on agriculture.

Sudan exports billions of dollars of oil per year. Southern states produce more than 80% of it, but receive only 50% of the revenue, exacerbating tensions with the north. The oil-rich border region of Abyei is to hold a separate vote on whether to join the north or the south.

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Rainbow Warrior's farewell tour

9 February 2011 Last updated at 09:43 GMT By Annemarie Evans BBC News, Hong Kong Hong Kong's air pollution was commented on by the visiting Greenpeace team The Greenpeace flagship, the Rainbow Warrior II, has arrived in Hong Kong on its farewell tour to Asia.

It is the swansong of this former British fishing trawler on her farewell tour of Asia.

The ship was bought 22 years ago from compensation money received by the environmental group after the French secret service bombed the original Rainbow Warrior in New Zealand in 1985.

The tour also marks 40 years of Greenpeace actions.

The ship is being replaced by a modern and more environmentally friendly ship later this year. The Rainbow Warrior is III currently being built in Poland.

Lion dancers greeted the crew of the Rainbow Warrior docked at a public pier in Hong Kong's business district.

Marine police had been closely watching the boat, crew members said, possibly nervous of what actions the crew have planned for their three-week stay in the city.

Air pollution

The ship's captain, South African Mike Fincken, remarked on the air pollution he could see round the city's skyscrapers as the ship entered Hong Kong waters.

"I did notice sailing into Hong Kong, there seems to be a continuous sort of haze around the buildings, which I've been told is air pollution," he said.

"Hong Kong, being one of the most affluent cities of the world, really should be counted as a leader towards greener energy solutions."

The group will be holding open days and tours aboard the Rainbow Warrior.

However, it was tight-lipped about actions planned to highlight climate change and what they call Hong Kong's dirty energy policies involving both nuclear power and electricity from coal-fired power stations.

Greenpeace has previously embarrassed the city's leader, Chief Executive Donald Tsang.

It hung a huge "Wanted" banner with his face on it on a finance building in Hong Kong, saying he was a climate change fugitive.

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