Friend or foe?

8 April 2011 Last updated at 11:40 GMT By James Gallagher Health reporter, BBC News The link between alcohol and cancer has been made starkly clear by a report in the British Medical Journal.

It shows that for men 10% of all cancers can be traced back to alcohol, for women the figure is 3%.

And the more you drink the greater the risk.

But when you look at the wider effect on health, the message is more confusing. This centres around the red-wine effect, where a small amount is thought to benefit heart health.

Continue reading the main story

Men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units a day.

Women should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units a day.

Source: NHS Choices

However long-term excessive alcohol consumption is clearly deadly. Alcoholic liver disease accounts for approximately 5,000 deaths in the UK each year.

The latest study shows that the dangers of drinking escalate quickly, especially for cancers which have already been linked to alcohol such as oesophagus, liver, bowel and breast cancers.

In men who regularly drink less than a pint and a half of beer, 3% of these cancers were linked to alcohol.

For those who had more, the figures go up to 18%.

Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, the chair of the UK Alcohol Health Alliance, said: "I think what becomes quite clear out of this study is that there is a link between the amount that people drink and the risk, so the more that people drink the more they will be at risk."

'Better with alcohol'

But several studies have reported the benefits of drinking in moderation.

In February, the Institute for Population and Public Health at the University of Calgary published an analysis of decades of research on the subject.

Continue reading the main story

People drink alcohol because of the pleasurable effect the chemical has.

But the same chemical has different effects in different parts of the body.

It has been shown to increase the levels of "good cholesterol" which is beneficial to the heart.

Alcohol is also converted into a chemical called acetaldehyde, which can damage DNA. This has been suggested as an explanation for the cancer-causing effect.

It is also thought to increase levels of the hormone oestrogen, which can drive the growth of breast cancer in women.

It showed a 14% to 25% reduction in heart disease in moderate drinkers compared with those who had never consumed alcohol.

One of the challenges here is the definition of moderate. The effect was noticed in those regularly drinking between 2.5g and 14.9g of alcohol. One small glass of wine contains approximately 12g.

At the time, the lead researcher, Professor William Ghali, told the BBC: "Our extensive review shows that drinking one or one to two drinks would be favourable.

"There is this potentially slippery slope, most notably with social problems and alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, but the overall mortality including cancer and accidents shows you would be better with alcohol."

Although as Ellen Mason, from the British Heart Foundation, warns: "Drinking more than the recommended daily maximum appears to offer no protection at all and can lead to high blood pressure, increasing the risk of strokes and heart attacks.

"If you don't drink alcohol already there is no reason to start just because of the potential heart health benefits. There are much safer and healthier ways to look after your heart, like getting physically active, eating a healthy, balanced diet and stopping smoking."

Professor Karol Sikora, the medical director of Cancer Partners UK, said: "On balance a small amount does no harm. Once you go above two slugs a day then you get into the danger zone. Although people always underestimate how much they drink.

"I've got friends coming over tonight and I will be cracking open a bottle, maybe a few."

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Producer price inflation picks up

8 April 2011 Last updated at 10:39 GMT The rising cost of petroleum goods was the biggest contributor to producer price inflation in March The rising prices of manufactured goods unexpectedly accelerated in March to the highest rate since October 2008, figures show.

Producer price inflation hit 5.4%, up from 5.3% in February, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Markets had been expecting a fall to 5.1%, and the news caused a brief jump in the value of sterling.

The rise will renew pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates.

The Monetary Policy Committee chose to hold off for the 25th month in a row on Thursday.

'Collective groan'

A large part of rise in producer prices was due to accelerating prices of food, drinks, tobacco and petroleum, which are typically more volatile than other producer prices, according to the ONS.

The oil price was the biggest factor driving prices higher in the past month.

"The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee will no doubt issue a collective groan at the sight of these numbers," said Chris Williamson of research firm Markit Economics.

Continue reading the main story It heightens the Bank's dilemma, as the accelerating producer prices may lead to higher consumer price rises.

"Worse may be yet to come," says Mr Williamson. "Oil prices have since hit a record high in sterling terms, and supply chain disruptions from the Japanese earthquake could also drive up prices for certain highly sought-after components."

Input costs

The cost of petroleum products rose 17.9% in the year to last month, by far the fastest component of the index.

In contrast, the cost of computers and transport equipment rose only 0.7% and 0.4% respectively.

Meanwhile, the cost of inputs - materials and fuel - rose by 14.6% in March compared with a year earlier.

This was down from the 14.9% rate registered in February, which was the highest level since 2008.

But with input price inflation continuing at such an elevated level, it will put increasing pressure on manufacturers' profit margins.

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Canada coins mark royal wedding

6 April 2011 Last updated at 22:38 GMT The mint plans to release more royal coins ahead of the couple's visit to Canada in the summer The Royal Canadian Mint has unveiled collectors' coins to mark the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

A 20 Canadian dollar silver coin, which will cost about $105 (US$109; £67), has a sapphire-coloured crystal inlay, to symbolise the bride's engagement ring.

And a 25-cent coin features a colour portrait of the couple.

Mint chief executive Ian Bennett called the wedding later this month "a priceless opportunity to celebrate Canada's pride in royal tradition".

The coins "will give Canadians, royal watchers and collectors everywhere exceptional keepsakes by which to remember this historic event", he said in a statement.

The coins will be sold at Mint shops in Ottawa, Winnipeg and Vancouver, online, and elsewhere.

The couple are to marry on 29 April and plan to travel to Canada two months later, on their first official overseas trip as a married couple.

They will visit Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and the capital, Ottawa.

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BNP candidate former TUV member

7 April 2011 Last updated at 05:28 GMT A BNP candidate in the assembly elections is a former member of the Traditional Unionist Voice.

Ann Cooper, who is standing in East Belfast, previously stood for the TUV in last May's Castlereagh by-election. She left the TUV soon after.

She later drew criticism by voicing support for seven Customs and Revenue workers, sacked for deliberately underpaying ethnic minorities.

Tweeting on the case, Ms Cooper said the sacked employees deserved a medal.

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One killed in submarine shooting

8 April 2011 Last updated at 13:47 GMT Aerial footage showed police at the scene of the shooting

One person has been killed and another is in a life-threatening condition after a shooting on board the nuclear submarine HMS Astute.

A man was arrested after police were called at 1212 BST to Southampton docks where the vessel has been berthed since Wednesday as part of a five-day visit.

The BBC's Jonathan Beale understands that a crew member shot two of his crew mates before being overpowered.

A police spokeswoman said the incident is not linked to terrorism.

She said there is no public safety risk and the area is sealed off.

BBC News understands the arrested man was handed over to Hampshire police by Ministry of Defence police.

Brian Cedar, who lives in Hythe marina, said: "I saw at least six people carry a stretcher off the gangway into a waiting ambulance.

"There were a couple of forensic people who have now left.

"If you can have a shooting like this on a nuclear submarine it is worrying."

The area around the docks has been sealed off by officers from Hampshire police.

The 97m-long (318ft) HMS Astute, the UK's newest and largest nuclear submarine, is based at the Faslane Naval Base on the Clyde.

HMS Astute is currently berthed in Southampton as part of a five-day visit

It ran aground on a shingle bank between the Scottish mainland and the Isle of Skye in October last year and remained marooned for several hours.

HMS Astute was named and launched by the Duchess of Cornwall in June 2007 before being welcomed into the Royal Navy in August last year at a commissioning ceremony at Faslane Naval Base on the Clyde.

The submarine weighs 7,800 tonnes, equivalent to nearly 1,000 double-decker buses, and is almost 100 metres (328ft) long.

Its Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles are capable of delivering pinpoint strikes from 2,000km (1,240 miles) with conventional weapons.

The submarine's nuclear reactor means it does not need refuelling and it makes its own air and water, enabling it to circumnavigate the globe without needing to surface.

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Scores missing off Italian coast

6 April 2011 Last updated at 21:08 GMT The BBC's Emma Wallis in Rome: "Coastguards are not giving up on the missing people yet"

Rescuers are searching for scores of migrants missing in the Mediterranean after their boat capsized off the south Italian island of Lampedusa.

Italian coast guards rescued 48 and three were saved by a fishing boat, but 20 deaths were confirmed and at least 130 people are unaccounted for.

Officials say the boat left two days ago from western Libya.

Lampedusa has struggled to cope with thousands of migrants arriving by boat from north Africa.

The Italian coast guard responded to a distress call from the boat, which was in Maltese waters some 70km (40 miles) from Lampedusa, at about 0400 local time (0200 GMT) on Wednesday.

Continue reading the main story

What we saw was incredible: heads were coming in and out [of the water] and people were screaming”

End Quote Francesco Rifiorito Captain of fishing boat Three coast guard vessels were dispatched along with at least one helicopter, which spotted the bodies in the water. A Maltese plane was reportedly also involved in the operation.

Lifejackets and lifeboats were cast into the water to help any survivors.

Coast guard spokesman Vittorio Alessandro told AFP news agency the boat, just 13m (42 ft) long, had been caught in high seas caused by strong winds and had overturned after passengers panicked.

Coast guards said the boat had been carrying around 200 people but the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) put the figure at 300.

Teams of rescuers, working in conjunction with the Maltese authorities, battled heavy seas, a force six storm and winds of up 30 knots (35 mph; 55 km/h) all day.

'Eritreans and Somalis'

The captain of the fishing boat described what he said was a terrifying scene.

"What we saw was incredible: heads were coming in and out [of the water] and people were screaming," Francesco Rifiorito told Italy's Ansa news agency.

"We did all we could."

Lampedusa's small field hospital has been overwhelmed, the survivors lying on beds around electric heaters to combat hypothermia.

The coast guard said the boat had left two days ago from the town of Zuwara in western Libya, which is embroiled in a civil war.

Those on the boat were mostly Eritreans and Somalis, they added. However, according to the IOM, the migrants and asylum-seekers came from Bangladesh, Chad, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan.

Among them there were five children and 40 women - of whom only two survived, the organisation said.

The European parliament held a minute's silence to mark the tragedy.

Hundreds of refugees from Libya, many of them migrant workers, have landed in Italy in recent days.

Italy and Tunisia agreed measures on Tuesday to stop large numbers of illegal immigrants arriving on Lampedusa from Tunisia, which has also been in turmoil since a revolution in January.

Italy says it will give six-month residency papers to some 20,000 migrants already in Italy, but new arrivals will be deported.

The accord followed talks between Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Tunisian ministers in Tunis on Monday. Mr Berlusconi also visited Lampedusa last week and pledged to tackle the island's migrant influx.

Italy has moved many migrants from Lampedusa to the mainland, because they outnumbered locals and overwhelmed the holding facility there. Unhygienic conditions, with dozens of migrants sleeping rough outdoors, created a health risk.

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Crackdown disciplines 230 pupils

7 April 2011 Last updated at 19:21 GMT Some parents are angry that pupils are being sent out of class

More than 230 out of 1,250 pupils were removed from classes at a school in Cambridgeshire as part of a head teacher's zero-tolerance programme.

About one in five City of Ely Community College pupils were disciplined on the first day of a crackdown on "low-level disruptive behaviour".

The new policies were introduced by head teacher Catherine Jenkinson-Dix.

Pupils not wearing the uniform or using mobile phones were taken out of class and made to work in a school hall.

Zero-tolerance

Governor Ben Gibbs said parents had been warned of the new policy, brought in on Monday, which also punished chewing or eating in class.

Mr Gibbs said the number of offenders fell to fewer than 200 on Tuesday and by Wednesday it was down to 115.

He said senior staff had studied other schools' use of similar zero-tolerance policies and decided to follow suit.

Teachers, most parents and the majority of pupils approved of the new approach, he added.

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Iraq forces attack Iranian exiles

8 April 2011 Last updated at 13:32 GMT Iranian exiles accused Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki of ordering the attack Iraqi forces have attacked a camp housing an Iranian exile group north of Baghdad, home to about 3,500 people.

Reports suggest at least three died in the clashes between troops and the People's Mujahideen Organisation of Iran (PMOI) at Camp Ashraf.

The PMOI said more than 25 were killed and many wounded in the raid, but Iraqi officials have disputed the figures.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates expressed concern and urged Iraq to show restraint.

The PMOI, a guerrilla group that opposes Iran's Shia cleric leaders, is considered a terrorist group by the US and Iran.

'Unprecedented murder'

The Iraqi army says that it went into Camp Ashraf, in Diyala province, to confront stone-throwers, and that the clashes were limited.

But the PMOI described the raid, which took place early on Friday, as a full-scale military assault with armoured vehicles.

Continue reading the main story

I can't deny the occurrence of injuries among residents of Camp Ashraf, because we do not have information from inside the camp”

End Quote Ali al-Dabbagh Iraqi government The PMOI said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, under the order of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had committed an "unprecedented murder in Ashraf".

Major Hassan al-Tamimi of the Iraqi army in Baquba, capital of the province, told AFP news agency that three people had been killed and 20 injured, among them six soldiers.

But the death toll was not confirmed by the government.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Ashraf residents had thrown rocks at security forces during a "riot" and denied that Iraqi forces had opened fire.

"The security forces have pushed back residents of Camp Ashraf inside the camp by force," Mr Dabbagh said. "The situation is now controlled."

"I can't deny the occurrence of injuries among residents of Camp Ashraf, because we do not have information from inside the camp," he added.

'International obligations'

The PMOI, also known as Mojahedin-e Khalq, set up Camp Ashraf in Iraq in the 1980s and was welcomed by then-President Saddam Hussein, who was fighting a war against Iran.

The PMOI's military wing fought alongside Iraqi soldiers.

Correspondents say many of the organisation's members continue to live in Camp Ashraf, to the annoyance of both Iraqi and Iranian governments.

Human rights organisations say that the residents of the camp should be protected from persecution or attack.

Mr Gates, who is visiting Iraq, said: "We're very concerned with reports of deaths and injuries resulting from this morning's clashes.

"I urge the Iraqi government to show restraint and to live up to its commitments to treat residents of Ashraf according to Iraqi law and their international obligations."

In January, a Spanish judge opened an investigation into a raid by Iraqi security forces on Camp Ashraf in July 2009 which left 11 people dead. He wanted to see whether crimes against humanity were committed.

A complaint filed by human rights lawyers on behalf of relatives of the victims alleged that police and soldiers shot and beat unarmed residents of the camp so they could clear a space to build a police station there.

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MoD 'reprieve' on £1bn fund gap

8 April 2011 Last updated at 12:30 GMT Some 7,000 jobs are expected to be lost from the Army over the next four years The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has won a reprieve on its £1bn funding gap this year, the BBC understands.

The Treasury and MoD have agreed on measures to be taken this year in a deal apparently brokered by Downing Street, the BBC's Caroline Wyatt says.

Under the strategic defence review announced in October, defence spending is set to fall by 8% over four years.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg played down reports that the cost of the Libya operation would lead to extra cuts.

The defence review called for the Royal Navy and RAF to lose 5,000 jobs each, the Army 7,000 and the Ministry of Defence 25,000 civilian staff.

But the review, which was concluded before service personnel were deployed to Libya in addition to Afghanistan, failed to close a £1bn spending gap in this year's MoD budget.

'Politically unpopular'

Our correspondent said some spending will be either frozen or postponed. The Treasury says there has been no extra funding for the MoD.

She said there had been a lot of "juggling" of figures and that the deal agreed between the Treasury and MoD came amid increasing speculation that senior military figures were pressing Downing Street to think again about some of the cuts decided on in the review.

Continue reading the main story

It would be wrong to make any further cuts to capability when our forces are in operations overseas”

End Quote Jim Murphy Shadow defence secretary Mr Clegg said: "The basic judgement which we made in the Strategic Defence Review - to make savings to the defence budget, which had run completely out of control under Labour, but to do it in a way that protects what we do on the front line - that basic judgement remains the same.

"Of course, where necessary, we will make adjustments to ensure that the brave servicemen and servicewomen who are defending us in Afghanistan and elsewhere are always properly supported, but everyone is having to make savings and that includes the Ministry of Defence."

But shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said the agreement seemed to be more about politics than defence and that there could still be more cuts to defence capability.

He said: "The defence community knows the rushed defence review did not survive its first contact with world events and needs to be reopened and thoroughly rethought.

"It would be wrong to make any further cuts to capability when our forces are in operations overseas and amidst a changing security landscape."

'Balancing the books'

Professor Malcolm Chalmers, from the Royal United Services Institute, said: "I don't think there is any suggestion that things that were going to be cut are now not going to be cut.

"Rather I think it's because the spending review left a funding gap there was a danger that more capabilities would be cut beyond what had already been announced.

"Because of Libya, and also Afghanistan ongoing, it's very difficult to find areas in which to make cuts without there being very serious political problems.

"This settlement will just about balance the books for this financial year. But it doesn't address the medium-term funding gap."

Our correspondent said: "Some costs will be shifted from the MoD's budget to the Treasury special reserve, for example the allowance given to those on active duty." She added that there were also targets for efficiency savings, with a clampdown on all non-operational spending.

However, some analysts argue the MoD budget will come under renewed strain next year, with some of the pain simply deferred unless deeper cuts are made in 2012 or extra money is found for defence.

SNP defence spokesman Angus Robertson said the government must lift the threat of closure from Scottish RAF bases in light of these developments.

He said: "As jets from the Tornado and Typhoon fleets are committed to this mission in Libya, it is totally unacceptable that we have continued uncertainty over the future of their bases at home."

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RAF jets join Libya ground attack

6 April 2011 Last updated at 22:51 GMT Four RAF Typhoon jets will begin ground attacks in Libya More British warplanes are moving from policing the no-fly zone in Libya to begin ground attacks in the country, the Ministry of Defence has said.

Four Typhoon jets will join 16 RAF ground-attack aircraft already under Nato command.

They are all based in southern Italy as part of an international coalition fighting Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi's regime.

Meanwhile, RAF missiles hit 12 targets around rebel-held Misrata and Sirte.

The targets were six armoured fighting vehicles and six battle tanks, the MoD said.

Libya's deputy foreign minister, Khaled Kaim, said a British air strike had hit its major Sarir oilfield and damaged a pipeline connecting the deposit to a Mediterranean port.

The Reuters news agency said he told reporters: "British warplanes have attacked, have carried out an air strike against the Sarir oilfield which killed three oilfield guards and other employees at the field were also injured."

In an update on the UK military action over Libya, the MoD said that two Typhoon aircraft had flown from Gioia del Colle air base, southern Italy, to police the no-fly zone, while two RAF VC10 aircraft provided air-to-air refuelling.

It comes as former US Republican congressman Curt Weldon arrived in Libya on a mission to meet Col Muammar Gaddafi and ask him to step down from power.

Mr Weldon, who met the Libyan leader in 2004, says it is a private visit, with the knowledge of the White House.

The White House has also have confirmed that President Obama has received a letter from Colonel Gaddafi. It was said by state television in Tripoli to be a message to mark the reduced American role in the "hostile, colonial alliance".

Misrata 'a priority'

After criticism from rebels that Nato was taking too long to respond to calls for air strikes to protect Misrata, Nato vowed to do all it could to protect civilians there.

"Misrata is our number one priority," Nato deputy spokeswoman Carmen Romero told AFP news agency on Wednesday.

She added that alliance warplanes had hit Col Gaddafi's military around Libya's third largest city on Monday.

Nato also says forces loyal to Col Gaddafi are using "human shields" in Misrata, by using civilian vehicles and hiding heavy armour in civilian areas.

Prime Minister David Cameron announced earlier this week that an additional four RAF Tornados would be sent to Italy, joining 18 RAF jets already deployed.

A total of 34 nations are involved in operations in Libya in support of the UN Security Council resolution to protect civilians in the north African country.

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Live - 2011 Masters day two

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1605: Formerly-relatively-obscure-American-now-new-BBC-text-commentary-hero Charley Hoffman continues his run of pars - he's one over through 12. He is joined by Ian Poulter, who bogeyed eight to drop back and take the gloss rather off that earlier run of birdies. 1600: All change at the top of the leaderboard! Overnight leader Alvaro Quiros drops a shot at the first to slip back to six under, KJ Choi birdies the second to join him, Charl Schwartzel bogeys 12 to fall to three under - and at the top, Ricky Barnes pulls alongside YE Yang and Rory McIlroy with a two at the par three sixth. We're mixing it up now, people. Mixing. It. Up.
LEADERS: -7 Yang (7), Barnes (6), McIlroy -6 Choi (2), Quiros (1) -4 Kuchar -3 Schwartzel (12) + seven others Stewart in Liverpool via text: "RE: Paul in Kent. If the rule came in last year, doesn't that mean Andy was wrong and Will was wrong, which means you're wrong too, but Steve was originally right? Erm, where am I?"
My head hurts. Seriously. BBC Sport's Rob Hodgetts on Twitter: "We've co-leaders in Pants (in US sense) of the Day contest: Donald (purple/green tartan), Poulter (blue/white check), Hoffman (lurid green)."
Hoffman again you see? We're creating a legend here, people. 1553: It is notoriously the kiss of death (Rory McIlroy before last year's Open, Ross Fisher before last year's PGA) but Luke Donald is threatening to overcome another bok at Augusta - being the subject of a pre-tournament interview with Ben Dirs. Donald told our man how he was going to his major 'disease' and he's doing just that so far today - a birdie at making it three out from his last four holes and he is storming up the leaderboard, the Englishman now three under, tied for seventh. For a man dealing with having won the par-three tournament as well, you have to say he's doing things the hard way. If you believe in fate, omens, magic that kind of thing anyway. 1548: Many of you enquiring as to when your favourite players are out and about today, and here are some of the most requested tee times: sexiest man in golf Camilo Villegas is off at 1614 BST; overnight leader Rory McIlroy is off with fellow Young Turk Rickie Fowler at 1742; three-time major winner Padraig Harrington goes off at 1804; Lee Westwood of England is out of the blocks at 1826; Tiger tees off at 1848 with Northern Ireland's US Open champion Graeme McDowell; and Sergio Garcia, showing flickers of form, brings up the rear at 1859. 1544: Fred Couples, back at the scene of his only major triumph in 1992, is looking to recreate former glories with a second-round run... and he's not doing a bad job at at the moment, birdieing two and four to move up to three under, just four off the lead. Someone was asking after Trevor Immelman a moment ago, too, well I can report he has just bogeyed seven to drop back to two over. Erm... sorry.
LEADERS: -7 Yang (6), McIlroy, Quiros -6 Barnes (5) -5 Choi -4 Schwartzel (11), Kuchar -3 Couples (3), Casey (2) + five others Paul in Kent via text: "Andy had it wrong, the rules came in last July, 2010, so proper nouns are now allowed, Will was right."
The counter blows rain in. What a debate this is. 1533: South Africa Charl Schwartzel returns to the birdie party, picking up a shot at 10 to go four under and a tie for sixth. Paul Casey - much like compatriot Luke Donald before him (cough) - birdies two to go three under, while another birdie for Donald, this time at four, takes him to two under. Just like M People, the English are moving on up... Andy, Ipswich (although currently at work in London!) via text: "In Will's defence new rulers aren't until July so he wins as of current state of play."
Scrabble-gate continues apace. Stuart, Sweltering in Camden, via text: "Our Charley [Hoffman] is the second most searched for Charley on Google. This guy has become a legend in a single afternoon..."
Top work all round people, top work. 1525: Correction! Englishman Luke Donald birdied the second hole. Being sat some 4,000 miles away from the action without any TV or audio coverage comes to bite me firmly on the behind. I shall immediately pull myself to one side for a darn good horse whipping. 1522: Ricky Barnes on the surge now, the American adding a birdie at four (Flowering Crab Apple) to his earlier one at two (Pink Dogwood) to move up to six under, a shot off the three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard. Englishman Paul Casey is also up and running, people, he picked up a par at the first.
LEADERS: -7 Yang (5), McIlroy, Quiros -6 Barnes (4) -5 Choi -4 Kuchar -3 Schwartzel (9) + seven others 1514: An update on your new best friend and mine Charley Hoffman now - the American is playing very much by the course with a run of eight pars to add to his opening-hole birdie and stay one over. Impressive. 1506: No such worries for YE Yang, though, who has cast that opening-hole bogey firmly to one side with a hat-trick of birdies - and the Korean is our new Masters leader! I'm not just saying this, but only this morning I told anyone who would listen that this was YE Yang's tournament to win. The good news all round is that I was too chicken to actually stick any money on it. Oh well. Misery can be entertaining in many ways. Elsewhere, Ricky Barnes picks up a shot at two to move to five under. Just as at a teenage disco, moves being made all over the place now.
LEADERS:-7 Yang (4), McIlroy, Quiros -5 Choi, Barnes (2) -4 Kuchar-3 Schwartzel + seven others 1502: Ah, Ian Poulter's hot streak comes to an end in Georgia with a bogey five at five, the Englishman slipping back to level for the tournament. Dan, not working, via text: "Hoff fact no.11: His favourite food is 'round table pizza'."
Incredible. Will, in a surprisingly sunny Manchester, via text: "RE: Steve in Soho: Oh Sam you've been done like a kipper there, people names are of course illegal tender in Scrabble!"
An insight into Will's crazy social life, there. 1456: No, I'm not Yang-king your chain, Korean star YE Yang has just picked up another shot at three to move to six under and third place on his own. Birdie, too, for Charl Schwartzel - this time at eight - to move him back up to his overnight three under, but it's not so great for another Korean Kim Kyung-Tae, who has slipped to one under with a bogey-bogey run at six and seven. Shame.
LEADERS: -7 McIlroy, Quiros -6 Yang (3) -5 Choi -4 Barnes, Kuchar 1451: Anyone else worried Andrew Cotter's lost it? BBC Sport's Andrew Cotter on Twitter: "Ha ha.... good job Randy! Looks like the I-20 is a no go..... Back to sports and Iayyn Poulter from Great England is getting hot hot hot out at Augusta. Three birds and a par and the dog moves to minus 1 total. That's your sports. Kicking back now with The Doobie Brothers..." 1448: Relatively obscure American alert: Ben Crane is slipping way down the field, not helped by a run of bogey-bogey at five and six. Ben could really do with... a lift. Ahem. Steve in Soho via text: "Hoff fact no.10: His name is worth 33 points in Scrabble."
Sad but true. Probably. I'm not going to check if I'm honest. BBC Sport's Rob Hodgetts on Twitter: "The pin positions are generally tougher today - tucked towards edges. Front left on 13 close to creek, 16th front right, 9th back left, 6th back left." 1441: Like a hungry nine-year-old boy looking for a snack, Ian Woosnam is digging out the bogeys at the moment - a four at six (Juniper) making it a hat-trick of dropped shots. Snot (snigger) what he would've wanted.
LEADERS: -7 McIlroy, Quiros -5 Yang (2), Choi -4 Barnes, Kuchar 1437: YE Yang is back on track after a birdie at two, he is the leader on the course at five under, while Ian Poulter's birdie run ends at four with a par. I'm pretty sure he'd have taken that opening at the start of play. American Zach Johnson, meanwhile, birdies the second having bogeyed it yesterday to move to level for the round, but compatriot Craig Stadler is struggling. Badly. He is now 10 over and already considering a weekend break to his holiday home in Bognor. Tom B, Manchester, via text: "Hoff fact no.8: His wikipedia page is receiving a record number of hits today, although the previous record was possibly about 6..."
Sam Lyon - starmaker. 1428: On the charge! Ian Poulter makes it three birdies in his first three holes by picking up a shot at the par-four Flowering Peach - he is making a real go of this front nine in good scoring conditions. American Ricky Barnes, meanwhile, opens up with four at the first to stay four under for the tournament. BBC Sport's Ken Brown on Twitter: "Today - the pin on the 13th is front. Some will think "My heart says go, but the mind say no!" It's in the position where Tiger putted into the creek!" David, bored (obviously), via text: "Surely Craig (below) is confusing his Hoffs? Fabricated or not, aren't we talking Charley here, not THE Hoff?"
Man I hope his story was about Charley. Really hope. 1422: Cracking opening from Ian Poulter - he makes it birdie-birdie at the second to move to level par. The Englishman looks pumped. Elsewhere, close... but no cigar (boom boom) for Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez as he opens up his second round with a bogey at the first to drop to level par for the tournament, while Swede Peter Hanson, taking time out from his recording studio duties, has followed his par at the first with a birdie and a bogey. Meanwhile, Jose Maria Olazabal, the last European winner of the Masters in 1999, opens up with a par. Anon via text: "Hoff fact no.7: Charley has a BSc in Communications."
So dull, it must be true. 1414: Charley Hoffman update - the new text commentary favourite is still one over for the tournament, the American one under for the round after a run of four pars. Anyone think he might celebrate a Masters win with a dash across the beach and into the surf, boogie board tucked under his arm? Just me? Right. Unsteady start from overnight contender YE Yang, meanwhile, the Korean dropping a shot at the first to slip to four under, three off the lead.
LEADERS: -7 McIlroy, Quiros -5 Choi -4 Yang (1), Barnes, Kuchar Craig, in the office clock watching, via text: "Hoff fact no.6: I sat next to the great man on a flight to Australia. A flight attendant asked him for an autograph, with which he pulled a stack of glossy A4 pictures of himself from his hand luggage stating... "I never have enough of these". Absolute legend."
Love it. 1407: Kim Kyung-Tae birdies the second, moving the Korean star up to three under and a share of seventh alongside South African Trevor Immelman, who has landed a par four at the first. Also, poor from me - I've mis-numbered your Hoff facts! Woeful. Now, even though I'm sure 97.6% are fabricated, you may want to refresh to restore order. Or, you know, not. Whatever. 1400: Anyone have their money on Craig Stadler before the tournament? You'd have been better off buying shares in sundials. The American has just bogeyed three to slip to nine over. Ouch. Eamonn, toasting in the office, via text: "Hoff fact no.4: The Hoff shares his birthday with Gerard Depardieu (27 December)."
Intriguing. 1351: "Mmmbop his way up the leaderboard"... hahahaha... ah I do make myself laugh. 1349: Ah. Schwarztel's hopes of making an early push while the front-runners enjoy a lie-in take a bit of a kick in the Charls with a bogey four at the par-three fourth (the Flowering Crab Apple, no less). Sweden's Peter Hanson, meanwhile, gets going with a par at the first - will he be hoping to Mmmbop his way up the leaderboard today I wonder? 1345: The Poults comeback is on. Ian Poulter, he of the crazy hair and even crazier dress sense, gets his second round going with a birdie at the first to go one over. A few more of those today and he get himself right back in contention for the weekend. 1339: I didn't thieve the extra bacon slice, I hasten to add, it was merely waved through as a reward for my abundant charm and winning smile. Honest. 1338: Fans of flags might want to give this page another refresh, by the way, 'cos I've only gone and stuck a couple of American ones in to dictate the ups and downs of the early runners. It is, quite literally, the highlight of my day so far. And this from a man who got away with an extra slice of bacon in his canteen roll this morning. 1334: As Ian Poulter gets his second round up and running looking to turn his Masters around following a two-over-par 74 yesterday, Ian Woosnam rolls back the years with a birdie at two to 'leap' up to five over. Charl Schwarztel is doing his best mouth-trumpet at Augusta, with a par-par-par start.
LEADERS: -7 McIlroy, Quiros -5 Choi, Yang -4 Barnes, Kuchar Todd, stuck in the library, via text: "Hoff fact no.2: The Hoff's middle name is Lindley."
Brilliant. 1326: Sad news for fans of relatively obscure American golfers - DA Points, Kevin Streelman and Nathan Smith have all bogeyed the first. Any fans of relatively obscure American golfers out there, by the way? Or have I just inadvertently insulted the exalted members of the previously unheard of Points/Streelman/Smith fan-club? 1321: Par-par so far for Charl Schwartzel and Stuart Appleby in the first group, Charley Hoffman following up his birdie with a par five at two, the Pink Dogwood. TeamBevan on Twitter: "Hoff fact no.1: He was the first two-time winner of the California State High School Championship!"
Fascinating. 1313: Steady start for Ian Woosnam, the veteran Welshman hoping for an improved round today after a torrid six-over-par 78 yesterday. He kicks off with a par four at Tea Olive - the launchpad for an assault on the leaders, for sure. Ish.
LEADERS: -7 McIlroy, Quiros -5 Choi, Yang -4 Barnes, Kuchar BBC Sport's Rob Hodgetts on Twitter: "Heard good yarn on way in. Phil Mickelson went to drive-in for certain donut emporium in Green Jacket with kids on way to airport last year. Anyway, here at Augusta it's a bit cloudy. Not too cold. Dry. Highs of 84F (29C) expected." Anon via text: "Now you mention him, I'd love to see Miguel Angel Jimenez win this event. Unlikely, but what a character. Imagine that cigar in the winners hut..." 1307: May I ask you to refresh this page quickly? I ask only so you can all enjoy a feast of video action at the top of this page with action, archive material and interviews all available for your perusal. That way, you don't have to read my witterings about almost making it as a pro footballer. Which is nice. 1303: Birdie for the Hoff! New BBC text commentary hero Charley Hoffman thrives on his new-found fame by sinking a birdie three on the first to move up to one over. Is this the start of a surge? Charl Schwartzel kicks off with a par, as does Stuart Appleby. That's the first group through the first hole. chrisridge on Twitter: "I can see Mickelson going for it today and significantly moving up the leaderboard. Can't see Tiger moving up though!" 1255: Let's have a look at today's early runners and riders, then. As you know, South African Charl Schwartzel - T7 on three under - was in the first group out at 1245 BST, with Welshman Ian Woosnam (+6) due out round about now, Englishman Ian Poulter (+2) out at 1329 and Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez (-1) teeing off at 1351. We've also got Americans Ryan Moore, Davids Toms and Zavh Johnson in the next hour or so, so all is not lost. Oh, and The Hoff, of course. Don't forget The Hoff.
LEADERS: -7 McIlroy, Quiros -5 Choi, Yang -4 Barnes, Kuchar Gareth, east London, via text: "Yeh, Leyton Orient WISH they could have someone with your skills."
Damn right! And I cut a mean half-time orange too. Wasted. 1247: The Hoff has teed off! American Charley Hoffman - sporting surely one of the worst barnets on the circuit (think Phil Mitchell meets Terry Nutkins) - gets going in the day's first group alongside Aussie Stuart Appleby and South African Charl Schwartzel, only the latter of which is anywhere near the leaders at the start of play. The tension in our office is palpable. dhr1000 on Twitter: "Watch out for a move from Rickie Fowler today also a bounce back from Ian Poulter." 1243: Plenty more chat on all that jazz to come, obviously, but I must warn you that on the face of it, it looks a quiet start to proceedings today to say the least. Unless you're all big Charley Hoffman fans, of course, in which case your ship has very much come in, people. All the more reason for you all to get involved! Tweet the commentary via the hashtag #BBCMasters, Tweet me @sampatricklyon or text in via 81111 (UK). No excuses. 1239: Of course it's not just about Rory McIlroy today - good heavens, no. For a start, Spaniard Alvaro Quiros shares the Holywood star's lead at seven under, you have the likes of YE Yang, KJ Choi, Matt Kuchar and Ricky Barnes hot on their trail, British names like Ross Fisher, Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Sandy Lyle not a million miles away and monster stars like Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods bang in the mix as well. And that, as Titanic captain Edward John Smith might have said to his first officer, is just the tip of the iceberg. Bonanza. 1234: He says he has. But then I say I had football trials for Leyton Orient as a kid, you know what I mean? "I know better than anyone else what can happen after you lead in the first round of a major," says the Northern Irishman. "St Andrews is going to be big on my mind but I've learned from it and I'll be better prepared to go out and shoot a good score." Is this weekend going to be a big fat red letter day in the life of Rory McIlroy, then, or another lesson on the 21-year-old's brilliantly steep learning curve?

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Mickelson set for Masters defence

By Rob Hodgetts
BBC Sport at Augusta Venue: Augusta National, GeorgiaDate: 7-10 AprilCoverage: All rounds live on BBC Radio 5 live and online from 2100 BST; third round live from 2030 BST and final round live from 1900 BST on BBC2, BBC HD and online (UK only); scores, highlights and live text on BBC website Mickelson is ahead of Woods in the rankings for the first time since 1997 Phil Mickelson will start as hot favourite to defend his title when the 75th Masters begins on Thursday.

The 40-year-old three-time champion won last week and has 13 top-10 finishes in his 18 appearances at Augusta.

Before Mickelson's win in Houston, the year's first major was being billed as one of the most open in recent years.

Europe has six players in the world's top 10, including the top-two ranked players - Germany's Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood of England.

The last European to win at Augusta was Jose Maria Olazabal in 1999 but in Kaymer and Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, the continent has the reigning USPGA and US Open champion respectively.

England's Luke Donald has an impressive record at Augusta with a best of third place in 2005, and has won in the United States this season - while countryman Justin Rose has led at some stage on all four days of the tournament and also brings some confidence from recent third and fifth places in PGA Tour events.

Former world number one Tiger Woods, now ranked seventh, is seeking a fifth Green Jacket but has been struggling for form after last year's divorce and programme of swing changes under new coach Sean Foley.

Woods, though, was fourth on his reappearance last year following a spell out of the game after a sex scandal and there are some, including former coach Hank Haney, who think he will feature prominently this week because of his knowledge and liking for the course.

Woods's last victory at Augusta was in 2005 and he won the last of his 14 major titles in 2008.

A new breed of young Americans are also capturing the headlines for their big-hitting, putting prowess and confident approach.

Nick Watney was seventh last year and is the form player on the PGA Tour, while Dustin Johnson went close in both the USPGA and US Open last year and has also had some good results this season.

Woods is confident of winning his fifth Masters title

Bubba Watson lost in a play-off to Kaymer in the 2010 USPGA but left-handers are thought to have an advantage on certain holes at Augusta and could also feature.

"I've always felt that this tournament has a lot of players that are playing well heading in," said world number three Mickelson.

"Guys gear their game for this and it can be one of the toughest tournaments to win because so many guys are playing well. And I think that as a player, I would never discount any single player in the field."

But Mickelson is the name at the top of most people's shortlist to add to his Masters tally following last year's emotional win, which came a little under a year after his wife and mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

"I have enjoyed and felt great on this golf course even before I won here," said Mickelson, who also triumphed in 2004 and 2006.

"It's something I've come to love with all my heart and I feel very fortunate and it means a lot to me to have won here and be able to come back and be a part of this tournament."

Woods, who has been passed by Mickelson in the rankings for the first time since 1997, discounted the fact that he had lost the favourite tag.

"Doesn't matter," he said. "You still have to play the golf tournament, right? We all have an opportunity. So just go out and play and see where it adds up."

Woods now finds himself at something of a crossroads in his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major titles but remains adamant that it is still his goal.

"I absolutely want to do it," he said. "That's the benchmark and gold standard in this sport."

Of his swing changes, Woods said: "It's taken a long time to develop the patterns and know what the fixes are. I'm finally starting to shape the ball both ways and being able to fix it if I don't. It's just a totally different philosophy from what I was doing before."

Mickelson will begin his defence at 1348 local time (1848 BST) in the company of Australian Geoff Ogilvy and US amateur Peter Uihlein.

Woods tees off at 1041 ET (1541 BST) with McDowell and Australian Robert Allenby, while Westwood will resume his quest for a maiden major title two groups earlier at 1019 ET (1519 BST) with Kaymer and another in-form American, Matt Kuchar.

Westwood, who also finished second in last year's Open Championship, admitted his recent reconnaissance trip to Augusta was a chance to put last year's near miss behind him.

"I got rid of all the memories a week last Sunday," said Westwood, who has rectified some recent putting problems after a lesson with his dad. "If it all clicks into place this week, I know if I'm on my game, it's good enough to win."

The weather for the week is set to be fine with increasingly warm temperatures in contrast to the storms and high winds that hampered practice on Tuesday. The drying conditions should make the course play fast, evening up the perceived disadvantage for the shorter hitters.

"You don't have to be a big hitter to win here," said Mickelson, who has been having treatment for arthritis.

"You have to play away from your weaknesses to your strengths. So if you're not the longest hitter your strength needs to be wedge play, take advantage of the par fives and miss the par fours in spots where your short game can give you an advantage."

Four-time champion Arnold Palmer, 81, and record six-time winner Nicklaus, 71, will perform the honorary starter duties at 0740 ET (1240 BST) before the first group of Jonathan Byrd, England's Ross Fisher and Sean O'Hair get the tournament under way at 0745 ET (1245 BST).

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Wales to DNA 'barcode' plants

Will DNA barcoding help conserve the rare plants of Wales?
Wales is set to be the first country to produce a DNA barcode for every one of its native flowering plants, scientists claim.

The Barcode Wales project will aim to catalogue all 1,143 species of native flowing plant based on each plant's unique gene sequence.

This would mean that the tiniest fragment of leaf or pollen grain could be used to identify any plant in Wales.

It would also allow scientists to better understand the plants' genetics.

The information will help biologists to track the status of pollinating insects, such as bees.

And the database itself could be used to test the authenticity of Welsh products, including honey, and help identify plant fragments in forensic examinations.

Dr Natasha de Vere from the National Botanic Garden of Wales is leading the study along with her colleagues, Dr Tim Rich from the National Museum of Wales, and Professor Mike Wilkinson from Aberystwyth University.

The team is taking on the substantial task of collecting samples from every species of Welsh flora.

Using a combination of freshly picked plants and dried specimens housed in the National Museum Wales collections, they have gathered examples of all of Wales' "floral heritage".

The scientists have extracted and sequenced a section of the DNA code from each plant.

Dr de Vere explained that, to identify species with DNA barcoding, scientists look specifically at its genes. These are chunks of DNA that code for the protein material that makes up the plant - the plant's "building blocks".

"Because [these segments of] DNA have important functions, they should be the same across all the plants of one species, but they will differ between species," she said.

The unique gene sequences can be used as identifiers or barcodes.

The barcodes can then be compared to other plant barcodes from across the world, held in the international Barcode of Life Database (Bold).

"The patterns in DNA can show how individuals are related to each other, where they have come from and who is reproducing with who," said Dr de Vere.

"Conservation genetics is about looking at the DNA of a species in order to answer questions that will help to conserve it."

Spice of life

The natural differences between individuals of the same species, or genetic variation, allows a species to adapt to different environments.

Barcoding the spreading bellflower may help answer the debate over its origin

Little to no variation in genes shows that all breeding individuals live in a similar niche environment. So a lack of variation is likely to make a species more vulnerable to changes in climate or in the environment it has adapted to.

The team is able to assess the genetic variation within the Welsh plants by looking at the differences in the areas of DNA that do not contain genes, the non-coding DNA.

These regions vary within a species, giving each individual a unique profile.

"We are currently working on the spreading bellflower, a critically endangered plant that has declined throughout Wales," explained Dr de Vere.

"We are looking at the DNA of plants now and comparing them to plants 100 years ago by extracting DNA from herbarium specimens."

By comparing the DNA barcodes of modern day plants with specimens from the Natural History Museum of Wales, the team will be able to determine if plants are losing their genetic variation.

The results of the Barcode Wales project are due to be published this summer; the findings will be used to establish tailored conservation programmes for Welsh plants.

The scientists hope eventually to extend the project to include the rest of the UK.

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EU to discuss Portugal bail-out

7 April 2011 Last updated at 07:09 GMT Mr Socrates stood down as prime minister after failing to pass austerity measures Portugal's bail-out request is expected to be discussed when EU finance ministers meet later in Budapest.

European Central Bank head Jean-Claude Trichet is also likely to mention Portugal at his news conference after the latest eurozone rate decision.

The ECB is expected to raise interest rates, which could create problems for debt-ridden countries.

Portugal's caretaker Prime Minister Jose Socrates said on Wednesday he had asked the EU for financial assistance.

Portugal follows Greece and the Irish Republic in seeking a bail-out.

'National interest'

However, Spain was quick to say it would not be following these countries in seeking assistance.

Spain's Economy Minister Elena Salgado said that financial markets were perfectly capable of distinguishing between the situations in Portugal and Spain.

In an interview on the national radio station SER, she said that the risk of contagion was "absolutely ruled out", and added it was clear that Spain's economy was much more competitive than Portugal's.

Spain has the EU's highest unemployment rate and is struggling to deal with a banking crisis and the collapse of its property boom.

In Portugal, Mr Socrates put off a bail-out request as long as he could, having stepped down as prime minister after failing to pass austerity measures.

"I always said asking for foreign aid would be the final way to go but we have reached the moment," he said.

"Above all, it's in the national interest."

Borrowing costs

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement that Portugal's request would be processed "in the swiftest possible manner, according to the rules applicable".

He also reaffirmed his "confidence in Portugal's capacity to overcome the present difficulties, with the solidarity of its partners".

Mr Socrates did not say how much aid Portugal would ask for. Negotiations will now be underway and the BBC's business editor Robert Peston said rescue loans could amount to as much as 80bn euros ($115bn; £70bn).

On Wednesday, the government raised about 1bn euros after tapping the financial markets in order to repay loans, but will have to pay a higher interest rate to lenders.

Portugal's cost of borrowing has risen sharply since the minority socialist government resigned last month after its proposed tougher austerity measures were defeated in parliament.

Since then several rating agencies have downgraded the country's debt.

Elections are likely to take place in a few months' time.

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Celtic 3-1 Hibernian

Highlights - Celtic 3-1 Hibernian

Celtic returned to the top of the Scottish Premier League with a comfortable win against Hibernian.

Anthony Stokes fired the hosts into a fourth minute lead, then Gary Hooper converted from a penalty after Scott Brown was fouled by Hibs' Martin Scott.

Hooper added his second of the night before the break, then a Liam Miller penalty gave Hibs a lifeline.

Six minutes from time, Hooper sent a penalty wide after Freddie Ljungberg was brought down by Paul Hanlon.

The victory puts Celtic two points ahead of Rangers at the top of the table, with both clubs having played the same number of matches.

Celtic made three changes from the side who lost the Co-operative Insurance Cup final to Rangers with Stokes, Glenn Loovens and James Forrest all starting and Thomas Rogne, Georgios Samaras and Kris Commons all named on the bench.

Hibs made four changes after their draw with Hearts at the weekend, as Michael Hart, David Stephens, David Wotherspoon and Ricardo Vaz Te were all added to the team for the visit to the east end of Glasgow.

Hooper almost snatched the lead for Celtic inside the first minute, but struck straight at a fully-alert Mark Brown in the Hibernian goal.

Two minutes later, Stokes made no mistake when Izaguirre threaded through a neat pass and the Irishman blasted the ball into the back of the net.

Hooper grabbed Celtic's second from the spot after Scott was penalised for a clumsy challenge on Celtic captain Brown in the 20th minute.

A Charlie Mulgrew free-kick almost handed Loovens his second goal of the season when the big Dutchman rose highest and nodded wide.

The onslaught continued when Forrest fired in a right-footed shot from the edge of the Hibernian penalty area that warmed the hands of Brown.

Hibs' first opportunity of the match arrived from a free-kick wide on the right that Miller sent straight into the arms of Celtic keeper Fraser Forster. Moments later, Vaz Te beat the offside trap to test Forster, who could only parry wide for a corner.

The Hibs defence were left standing as half-time approached when Stokes delivered an inch-perfect ball through to Hooper and the Englishman struck with precision past Brown.

On the stroke of half-time, Vaz Te headed a sterling opportunity wide of Forster's left-hand post.

Shortly after the interval, Derek Riordan sprang into action and struck for goal from 18 yards out, Forster deflecting out for a corner - then the former Celtic man was substituted for Akpo Sodje due to injury.

Brown had to look lively in the Hibs goal when Hooper bore down on him chasing a defence-splitting pass, then Izaguirre flashed a shot across the face of goal and inches past the right-hand post.

Wotherspoon went down in the Celtic penalty area after a feeble challenge from Mulgrew in the 67th minute and referee Euan Norris pointed to the spot.

Former Celtic midfielder Miller stepped up and coolly lobbed the ball past Forster to handed Hibs a lifeline.

Stokes fired in a curling free-kick in the 72nd minute, but Hibs keeper Brown saw it coming a mile off and parried wide for a corner.

A searching cross from Wotherspoon 10 minutes from the end could not find a Hibernian team-mate and the brief spell of pressure from the visitors soon fizzled out.

In the final 10 minutes, Ljungberg came off the Celtic bench and earned the hosts another spot-kick after Hanlon needlessly brought the Swede down near the goal-line.

However, Hooper passed up the chance to complete his hat-trick when he stepped up and sent the ball wide of Brown's left-hand post.

Wednesday, 6 April 2011

Scottish Premier

Stokes 4Hooper (pen) 20Hooper 39Final Result Full Time 90:00+3:03 The final whistle goes and the game is over. 90:00+1:00 Outswinging corner taken by Fredrik Ljungberg from the right by-line played to the near post, clearance by Paul Hanlon. 86:26 The ball is swung over by Fredrik Ljungberg. 85:48 Victor Palsson fouled by Gary Hooper, the ref awards a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Michael Hart. 85:15 Corner taken by Liam Miller from the left by-line, Charlie Mulgrew makes a clearance. 83:42 Booking Paul Hanlon is shown a yellow card. 83:42 Penalty missed by Gary Hooper. 83:42 Unfair challenge on Fredrik Ljungberg by Paul Hanlon results in a Penalty. 83:18 Lewis Stevenson gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Kris Commons. Free kick taken by Kris Commons. 82:33 The ball is delivered by Mark Wilson, Close range shot by Kris Commons goes wide of the right-hand upright. 81:18 Free kick awarded for a foul by Lewis Stevenson on Mark Wilson. Direct free kick taken by Fraser Forster. 81:18 Substitution Beram Kayal leaves the field to be replaced by Fredrik Ljungberg. 80:20 Kris Commons delivers the ball, save by Mark Brown. 77:55 Substitution James Forrest goes off and Kris Commons comes on. 77:40 Headed effort from deep inside the penalty area by Gary Hooper goes harmlessly over the crossbar. 77:05 Foul by Callum Booth on Scott Brown, free kick awarded. Charlie Mulgrew takes the free kick. 74:31 Liam Miller has shot on goal from just outside the penalty box which goes wide of the right-hand upright. 74:11 Anthony Stokes is caught offside. Indirect free kick taken by Mark Brown. 71:58 David Wotherspoon challenges Joe Ledley unfairly and gives away a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Anthony Stokes. 71:58 Substitution Matt Thornhill replaces Ricardo Vaz Te. 71:58 Substitution Lewis Stevenson replaces Martin Scott. 68:50 The ball is crossed by Mark Wilson, Paul Hanlon manages to make a clearance. 67:04 Short corner worked by Liam Miller. 66:17 Foul by Charlie Mulgrew on David Wotherspoon, Penalty awarded. Assist by David Wotherspoon. 66:17 GOAL - Liam Miller:Celtic 3 - 1 Hibernian Liam Miller scores a penalty. Celtic 3-1 Hibernian. 65:18 Booking Charlie Mulgrew receives a caution. 61:28 Scott Brown has an effort at goal from just outside the area which goes wide of the left-hand post. 58:35 Foul by Martin Scott on Beram Kayal, free kick awarded. Thomas Rogne takes the free kick. 58:35 Booking Martin Scott receives a yellow card for unsporting behaviour. 55:40 Shot by Emilio Izaguirre from deep inside the penalty area misses to the right of the goal. 52:21 Anthony Stokes is caught offside. Free kick taken by Mark Brown. 50:58 Substitution Akpo Sodje on for Derek Riordan. 50:38 Derek Riordan takes a shot. Mark Wilson gets a block in. 50:26 Corner taken right-footed by Liam Miller from the left by-line, clearance by Charlie Mulgrew. 47:43 Outswinging corner taken by Charlie Mulgrew from the left by-line. 46:44 Mark Wilson delivers the ball, Paul Hanlon manages to make a clearance. 45:01 The referee starts the second half. 45:01 Substitution Thomas Rogne joins the action as a substitute, replacing Glenn Loovens. Half Time 45:00+1:24 The first half comes to an end. 44:51 Header from deep inside the area by Ricardo Vaz Te goes over the bar. 43:13 Victor Palsson gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Joe Ledley. Beram Kayal takes the free kick. 43:13 Booking Victor Palsson receives a yellow card for unsporting behaviour. 41:51 The assistant referee signals for offside against Gary Hooper. Free kick taken by Mark Brown. 40:02 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Ricardo Vaz Te by Beram Kayal. Derek Riordan restarts play with the free kick. 38:27 Anthony Stokes provided the assist for the goal. 38:27 GOAL - Gary Hooper:Celtic 3 - 0 Hibernian Gary Hooper finds the net with a goal from inside the area to the top right corner of the goal. Celtic 3-0 Hibernian. 36:56 Derek Riordan is ruled offside. Indirect free kick taken by Mark Wilson. 35:37 The referee gives a free kick against Martin Scott for handball. Shot on goal comes in from Charlie Mulgrew from the free kick, Mark Brown makes a comfortable save. 35:16 Emilio Izaguirre sends in a cross, Callum Booth makes a clearance. 34:11 Derek Riordan is ruled offside. Glenn Loovens takes the indirect free kick. 32:45 Beram Kayal challenges Martin Scott unfairly and gives away a free kick. Liam Miller restarts play with the free kick. 31:06 Corner from the right by-line taken by Liam Miller, Glenn Loovens makes a clearance. 30:43 Corner taken by Liam Miller from the right by-line, Joe Ledley makes a clearance. 30:31 Ricardo Vaz Te takes a shot. Save made by Fraser Forster. 29:13 Liam Miller fouled by Mark Wilson, the ref awards a free kick. Free kick taken by Liam Miller. 29:13 Booking Mark Wilson receives a yellow card for unsporting behaviour. 27:53 Foul by Gary Hooper on Paul Hanlon, free kick awarded. Direct free kick taken by Paul Hanlon. 26:13 Effort from the edge of the area by Emilio Izaguirre goes wide of the right-hand upright. 25:25 Drilled right-footed shot by James Forrest. Mark Brown makes a save. 24:29 The ball is delivered by Anthony Stokes, David Stephens makes a clearance. 22:42 Michael Hart concedes a free kick for a foul on James Forrest. Charlie Mulgrew restarts play with the free kick. Headed effort from inside the box by Glenn Loovens misses to the right of the target. 20:40 The ball is sent over by Mark Wilson, clearance by David Stephens. 20:20 The ball is sent over by Emilio Izaguirre. 19:06 Scott Brown fouled by David Wotherspoon, the ref awards a Penalty. 19:06 GOAL - Gary Hooper:Celtic 2 - 0 Hibernian Penalty scored by Gary Hooper. Celtic 2-0 Hibernian. 18:36 Assist on the goal came from Scott Brown. 17:35 Inswinging corner taken by Charlie Mulgrew from the left by-line played to the near post, Mark Wilson takes a shot. Clearance made by David Wotherspoon. 17:31 Emilio Izaguirre crosses the ball, clearance made by David Stephens. 16:35 Free kick awarded for a foul by Martin Scott on Beram Kayal. Free kick taken by Joe Ledley. 15:31 Scott Brown takes a shot. Paul Hanlon gets a block in. 15:22 Centre by Emilio Izaguirre, Paul Hanlon makes a clearance. 11:43 Unfair challenge on Victor Palsson by Beram Kayal results in a free kick. Paul Hanlon takes the free kick. 10:53 Ricardo Vaz Te challenges Charlie Mulgrew unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by Mark Wilson. 8:59 Unfair challenge on Gary Hooper by Derek Riordan results in a free kick. Charlie Mulgrew takes the direct free kick. 8:44 The official flags Mark Wilson offside. Indirect free kick taken by Callum Booth. 8:11 Mark Wilson sends in a cross, Paul Hanlon makes a clearance. 7:29 Corner taken right-footed by Mark Wilson from the left by-line to the near post, David Wotherspoon makes a clearance. 7:23 A cross is delivered by Mark Wilson, Martin Scott gets a block in. 6:09 Header by Joe Ledley from deep inside the penalty area misses to the left of the goal. 4:19 James Forrest fouled by Michael Hart, the ref awards a free kick. Mark Wilson restarts play with the free kick. 3:13 Assist on the goal came from Emilio Izaguirre. 3:13 GOAL - Anthony Stokes:Celtic 1 - 0 Hibernian Anthony Stokes finds the net with a goal from inside the area to the bottom left corner of the goal. Celtic 1-0 Hibernian. 0:18 Gary Hooper takes a shot. Mark Brown makes a save. 0:00 The match gets underway. Live text and data provided by The Press Association.

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Brazil rejects dam halt request

6 April 2011 Last updated at 15:04 GMT Local indigenous groups have been vocal opponents of the project Brazil has said a request to halt work on its massive hydro-electric dam in the Amazon rainforest is unjustified despite environmental concerns.

Brazil's foreign ministry was responding to the request by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

The commission said the construction of the Belo Monte dam should be suspended until the concerns of indigenous people in the area were addressed.

There are fears the dam would displace some 20,000 people and damage wildlife.

Controversial project

On Tuesday, Brazil's foreign ministry described the request by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) - an organ of the Organization of American States - as unjustified and premature.

It said Brazil had acted in an "effective and diligent" manner to respond to demands by environmentalists and indigenous communities living in the northern Para state, where the the $17bn (£10bn) dam would be built.

The ministry added that the federal authorities had carried out all the necessary impact reports on the area.

Last Friday, the IACHR said Brazil should stop the dam's licensing process until its developers consulted with environmentalists and indigenous groups in the area.

The commission was acting in response to a complaint filed last year by the indigenous communities.

The government, in Brasilia, says the dam is crucial for development and will create jobs, as well as provide electricity to 23 million homes.

The 11,000-megawatt dam would be the third biggest in the world - after the Three Gorges in China and Itaipu, which is jointly run by Brazil and Paraguay.

It has long been a source of controversy, with bidding halted three times before the state-owned Companhia Hidro Eletrica do Sao Francisco was awarded the contract last year.

The singer Sting and film director James Cameron have joined environmentalists in their campaign against the project.

They say the 6km (3.7 miles) dam will threaten the survival of a number of indigenous groups and could make some 50,000 people homeless, as 500 sq km (190 sq miles) of land would be flooded.

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Principal's tuition fees warning

7 April 2011 Last updated at 06:26 GMT Prof Downes believes students should contribute between £3,000 and £4,000 a year A university principal is warning that political promises to keep tuition free for Scottish students may have to be broken after the Holyrood election.

Prof Pete Downes, who runs Dundee University, believes higher education will need more money than the next Scottish government can afford.

The SNP, Labour and the Liberal Democrats all say any funding gap can be filled without ending free tuition.

The Conservatives are calling for a graduate contribution.

Prof Downes told BBC Scotland a charge of between £3,000 and £4,000 for each year would be "quite reasonable".

He said that without that, Scottish universities might need an extra £200m a year to stay competitive when English institutions start charging top-up fees.

The professor warned that a funding gap could be greater than estimated

That estimate is more than double what the last Scottish government said would be needed.

Prof Downes said: "Undergraduate education is not a universal benefit - it's a benefit to about 45% of the school-leaving population.

"But the other areas of the public purse, like the National Health Service, school education and councils, are universal benefits, they benefit everybody irrespective of whether they go to university.

"So that's why I think graduates contributing in some way would be fair."

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US rebuffs letter sent by Gaddafi

7 April 2011 Last updated at 00:52 GMT Rebel forces kept up attacks in the west on Wednesday The US has rebuffed a personal appeal from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to US President Barack Obama, repeating that he must resign and go into exile.

"Mr Gaddafi knows what he must do," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, commenting on the three-page letter received by the president.

Colonel Gaddafi urged Mr Obama in his letter to end an "unjust war".

An unconfirmed report from Libya says a coalition air strike has damaged a disputed oil pipeline.

Khaled Kaim, a deputy foreign minister in Col Gaddafi's government in Tripoli, told reporters that three guards had been killed and other staff injured during an air strike by British jets on the Sarir oilfield in the Sirte basin.

Tim Wilcox spoke to one of the opposition leaders, who wished to remain anonymous

However, the oilfield has been under rebel control, and the rebels reported attacks this week by Libyan government forces in the area, which forced a halt to oil production.

There was no immediate official comment from the UK's Ministry of Defence on the Libyan government report.

But on Wednesday afternoon, it reported that British jets had hit targets around Sirte and Misrata, attacking armoured fighting vehicles and tanks.

'Our son'

A White House spokesman responded to Col Gaddafi's letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Associated Press news agency, by saying actions, not words, were needed from the Libyan leader.

Continue reading the main story

I don't think there is any mystery about what is expected from Mr Gaddafi at this time”

End Quote Hillary Clinton US secretary of state American warplanes are no longer involved in the air strikes on Libya - a fact hailed by Col Gaddafi in his letter.

Referring to Barack Obama as "our son", the Libyan leader urged the US leader to end an "unjust war against a small people of a developing country", and dismissed the rebels as "al-Qaeda" militants.

His nation, he said, had been been hurt "morally" more than "physically".

Mrs Clinton said in Washington: "I don't think there is any mystery about what is expected from Mr Gaddafi at this time.

"There needs to be a cease-fire, his forces need to withdraw from the cities that they have forcibly taken at great violence and human cost...

"There needs to be a decision made about his departure from power and... his departure from Libya."

In another development, a former US congressman has arrived in Tripoli at the invitation of the Libyan government.

Curt Weldon says he will urge Mr Gaddafi to "step aside", and is suggesting that his forces pull back from western cities under siege while rebel fighters do not try to advance any further from the east.

The White House was informed about the visit in advance but a spokesman stressed that Mr Weldon was not an official envoy.

Change of tactics

Nato has promised to do everything it can to protect civilians in the west Libyan city of Misrata which is besieged by Col Gaddafi's forces.

Rebel leaders have predicted a massacre there within a week unless Nato takes more decisive action.

The BBC's Wyre Davies reports from rebel-held eastern Libya that rebel forces remain enthusiastic but ill-disciplined, despite attempts by the few former regular soldiers among their ranks to try to coordinate their operations.

It is a safe bet that after firing off their rockets and mortars in the general direction of the enemy, the same rebels will come charging back, unable or unwilling to dig in and take on Col Gaddafi's better-trained troops, our correspondent says.

Meanwhile, government forces have adapted their efforts to frustrate Nato air strikes, no longer using tanks or other military vehicles that could easily be identified and attacked.

They are using the same pick-up trucks and civilian guise as the rebel fighters, our correspondent says.

Col Gaddafi's opponents are still not in immediate danger of losing strongholds like Benghazi but nor are they in any shape to make significant advances on the ground without more Nato air strikes, he adds.

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Gas pumped to prevent Japan blast

6 April 2011 Last updated at 18:15 GMT The process of injecting nitrogen could take several days, engineers say Workers in Japan have begun injecting nitrogen into one of the reactors at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to prevent more hydrogen blasts.

The gas is being pumped into reactor 1 of the six-unit plant which was damaged by last month's quake and tsunami.

Explosions caused by a build-up of hydrogen gas happened in three reactors in the aftermath of the 11 March quake.

Earlier, workers succeeded in plugging a gap leaking highly radioactive water from the plant into the Pacific Ocean.

The plant's operator, Tepco (Tokyo Electric Power Co), said it had injected chemical agents to solidify soil near a cracked pit of reactor 2 that was the source of the leak.

Since the earthquake knocked out cooling systems, workers have been pumping water into reactors to cool fuel rods, but must now deal with waste water pooling in and below damaged reactor buildings.

Radioactive iodine

Technicians began injecting nitrogen, an inert gas, at 0131 local time Thursday (1631 GMT Wednesday), said Makoto Watanabe, a spokesman for Japan's nuclear agency.

A Tepco official was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying that it was "necessary to inject nitrogen gas into the containment vessel and eliminate the potential for a hydrogen explosion".

Continue reading the main story Reactor 1: Damage to the core from cooling problems. Building holed by gas explosion. Radioactive water detected in reactor and basement, and groundwater. Hydrogen gas building up again. Reactor 2: Damage to the core from cooling problems. Building holed by gas blast. Highly radioactive water detected in reactor and adjoining tunnel. Crack identified in containment pit now plugged.Reactor 3: Damage to the core from cooling problems. Building holed by gas blast; containment damage possible. Spent fuel pond partly refilled with water after running low. Radioactive water detected in reactor and basementReactor 4: Reactor shut down prior to quake. Fires and explosion in spent fuel pond; water level partly restoredReactors 5 & 6: Reactors shut down. Temperature of spent fuel pools now lowered after rising highThe process could take several days, officials said.

The prevention of further hydrogen explosions - like those that had ripped through reactors 1 and 3 - is seen as a priority, because blasts could spew more radiation and damage the reactors.

On Wednesday engineers managed to plug the the leak from the pit in reactor 2. It is thought to have been the source of high levels of radiation found in seawater nearby.

In order to stem the leak, Tepco injected ''water glass'', or sodium silicate, and another agent into the pit.

Desperate engineers had also used sawdust, newspapers and concrete in recent days to try to stop the escaping water.

The government's top spokesman said workers could not rule out other leaks at the reactor.

Meanwhile, engineers are continuing to pump some 11,500 tonnes of low-level radioactive seawater into the sea so the more highly contaminated water can be stored in waste buildings.

Officials said this water would not pose a significant threat to human health, but local fishermen have reacted angrily.

In a letter, the largest fisheries group accused the government of an "utterly outrageous" action that threatened livelihoods.

On Tuesday, elevated levels of radioactive iodine - about twice the legal limit for vegetables - were found in small fish caught off Ibaraki prefecture to the south of Fukushima.

The government has promised compensation for the fishing industry and Tepco has already unveiled plans to compensate residents and farmers around the nuclear plant.

The number of people known to have died in the earthquake and tsunami has now reached 12,494, with another 15,107 still missing, according to police.

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Barcelona 5-1 Shakhtar Donetsk

Iniesta wheels away in celebration after his dramatically early strike

Barcelona produced a Champions League masterclass as they took a giant stride towards the semi-finals by crushing Shakhtar Donetsk at the Camp Nou.

The superb Andres Iniesta slotted them ahead before his majestic pass enabled Dani Alves to take a touch and prod in.

Gerard Pique's shot deflected in off Yaroslav Rakitskiy but Rakitskiy turned a cross in as Shakhtar pulled one back.

However, Barca were rampant and Seydou Keita hit an unstoppable fourth before Xavi tapped in late on to wrap it up.

Barca must still survive the second leg in Ukraine on Tuesday to complete their passage into the last four and if they do, they will almost certainly meet their great rivals Real Madrid, who dismantled Spurs 4-0 in their first leg.

That would set up the mouth-watering prospect of four El Clasicos in the space of little more than two weeks, with the clubs also due to meet in La Liga on Saturday 16 April and in the Spanish Cup final on Wednesday 20 April.

Barca coach Pep Guardiola had warned his side about the threat of Shakhtar prior to kick-off, revealing he did not have a "good feeling" about the prospect of playing Mircea Lucescu's outfit.

Alves gets the better of Pyatov to score Barca's second goal

Iniesta will have calmed his coach's nerves, though as he gave Barca a dream start with the hosts' first attack of the contest.

Lionel Messi's through ball was intended for David Villa but when the ball broke off a defender into the path of Iniesta, he took full advantage, haring into the box and coolly firing past Andriy Pyatov.

Despite falling behind so early, Shakhtar gave a good account of themselves in the opening stages, with Willian's pace down the left testing Alves and Luiz Adriano posing a constant problem as the focal point of the visitors' attacks.

Willian's cross-shot forced Victor Valdes to smartly tip over and then Douglas Costa sent Adriano clean through, the 23-year-old wastefully toe-poking his golden opportunity wide from 12 yards.

Barca were not in the mood to be lenient and after Messi curled a 30-yard free-kick narrowly wide and forced Pyatov to catch his cheeky chip, they doubled their advantage.

It was chiefly thanks to the brilliance of Iniesta once more as he clipped an outrageous diagonal pass into the path of Alves, who took a superb touch to take it round Pyatov and with the outside of his right foot flick the ball into the net.

Lucescu's half-time teamtalk must have focused on damage limitation, but against a Barca team committed to wave after wave of attack and with a monopoly on possession it was an almost impossible task.

Messi fired a volley into the arms of Pyatov before the third duly arrived, Pique pulling away from his marker to direct a Xavi corner goalwards from 15 yards, the ball flying in off the unfortunate Rakitskiy.

Shakhtar were allowed one flicker of hope when Iniesta picked up a booking for encroachment that rules him out of the second leg and, when the free-kick was eventually taken, Rakitskiy beat a batch of Barca players to the ball and sent it past Valdes.

But their renewed optimism was dashed less than a minute later as Messi raced up the other end and teed up Keita just inside the Shakhtar box, the Mali midfielder crashing a magnificent left-foot drive into the roof of Pyatov's net.

With the job all but done, Barca played keep-ball from then on, though there was time for Shakhtar's Adriano to hit the post with a shot from a narrow angle.

It was left to Barcelona captain Xavi to finish the Ukraine team off, the Spaniard slotting in from close range after more fine work down the right from Alves as the Camp Nou faithful celebrated another resounding victory.

Wednesday, 6 April 2011

Champions League

Iniesta 2Daniel 34Pique 53Keita 60Xavi 86Barcelona 50%Shakhtar Donetsk 50%

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