Woolwich Soldier Murder: Date Set For Pleas

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

Two men accused of hacking a soldier to death near a military barracks in Woolwich will be asked to enter a plea in September.

Michael Adebolajo, 28, of Romford, Essex, and Michael Adebowale, 22, of Greenwich, London, are both charged with the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in May.

They spoke only to confirm their names as they appeared at the Old Bailey via video link from separate rooms at HMP Belmarsh.

The men were told a plea and case management hearing would take place on September 27. They are expected to stand trial on November 18.

Drummer Rigby was attacked as he returned to base after working at the Tower of London.

Drummer Rigby died from multiple cut and stab wounds, a post-mortem found

An inquest heard the soldier, who was 25, suffered such "extensive and serious" injuries that he had to be identified using his dental records.

Adebolajo and Adebowale are also charged with possession of a firearm with intent to cause others to believe that violence would be used.

Adebolajo faces further charges for the attempted murder of two police officers.

He appeared to still have his left arm in a bandage after being shot by armed officers at the scene of Drummer Rigby's death.

Members of Drummer Rigby's family were in court for the short hearing.

The case was adjourned.

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Moors Murderer: I Killed Four More People

Previously unpublished letters show Moors murderer Ian Brady claimed to have killed four more people.

As his bid to be transferred from a maximum security hospital to prison failed, the letters show that he confessed to killing two men in Glasgow and a man and woman in Manchester.

Brady made the claims in a series of letters to former journalist Brendan Pittaway, which have been published in The Daily Telegraph.

On Friday, Brady lost his £250,000 legal bid to be transferred to a jail. The decision, which follows a week-long public hearing, means the Moors Murderer will remain at Ashworth Hospital on Merseyside on the grounds that he is mentally insane.

The tribunal was the first time Brady has been seen in public since the 1980s, when he was taken back to Saddleworth Moor in the search for the bodies of two of his victims.

The hearing was also the first time he had spoken in public since being jailed for life at Chester Assizes in 1966.

But families of the victims have criticised the mental health tribunal, saying it gave Brady the opportunity to "grandstand".

Brady, pictured in 1966, is one of Britain's most notorious killers

In the newly-published letters, written in the 1980s, Brady described the four additional murders as "happenings".

He says that he killed a man "on the waste ground behind the station" and a "woman in the canal".

He went on to say that he also killed a man in Glasgow and another man "above Loch Long", which is 20-mile long sea loch at the mouth of the Clyde.

The decision on Brady's appeal was given by the three-man panel headed by Judge Robert Atherton, who heard the tribunal at Ashworth Hospital.

Reasons for the decision will be given at a later date because of the length of the material the panel needs to consider.

After the ruling, Dr David Fearnley, medical director at Ashworth, said the judgement was "consistent with the expert opinions of our clinicians".

"Ashworth Hospital has been subject to in-depth scrutiny and the public has been able to see at first hand the quality of care which we offer to all of our patients," he said.

Brady has been at Ashworth Hospital since 1985

"Mr Brady suffers from a severe personality disorder and a mental illness which still require high quality care.

"It is a testament to the staff of Ashworth Hospital that we have been able to stabilise his schizophrenia to the degree we have.

"However, his condition is chronic and will require this support for the foreseeable future."

Terry Kilbride, whose brother John was one of Brady's victims, said he had "good reaction" to the decision.

"It means that they're going to keep him alive," Mr Kilbride said.

Brady - who claims to have been on a hunger strike since 1999 - told the hearing he was merely "a petty criminal".

He described his crimes as "recreational killings" which were part of an "existential experience".

His legal application challenged the order made under the Mental Health Act when he was transferred from prison to Ashworth in 1985, when he was diagnosed as being a paranoid schizophrenic.

Brady's legal team argued that, despite his severe personality disorder, he is not mentally ill and therefore no longer fulfils the legal criteria for detention in hospital.

He suggested that, if he is allowed to go back to a jail, he would be "free to end his own life" by starving himself to death.

Brady, whose legal costs will be paid by the taxpayer as he gets legal aid, has the right to challenge the decision, which would require a further hearing at an Upper Tribunal.

Brady and his partner, Myra Hindley, were convicted of luring children and teenagers to their deaths, with their victims sexually tortured before being buried on Saddleworth Moor.

Hindley died in hospital, still a prisoner, in November 2002 at the age of 60.

The brother of victim Keith Bennett, whose body was never found, has said Brady was "nothing more than a serial killer of children, a paedophile, a coward and a self-pitying liar".

Alan Bennett said the only people that mattered to Brady was Brady himself and those he manipulates.

He wrote: "I have to say now that I am glad Brady did have his say, he tied his own defence team in knots, never gave a definitive answer under cross-examination and went on to show anybody interested that he is nothing more than a self-pitying liar."

In Brady's letters he says Bennett's body was buried in Yorkshire, rather than the Moors as originally thought.

Martin Bottomley, head of Greater Manchester Police's Cold Case Review Unit said: "In the 1980s, Brady 'confessed' to a number of other unrelated murders. All these claims were thoroughly investigated at that time and found to be completely unsubstantiated.

"GMP has been investigating Brady's horrendous crimes and their aftermath for over 40 years now.

"A week hardly goes by when we do not receive some information which purports to lead us to Keith's burial site.

"All of these claims are investigated and it remains our aim to find Keith for the sake of his surviving family members.

"Only one person knows where Keith is buried and he refuses to disclose that information, preferring to taunt Keith's loved ones, assisted by those who seek to profit from his manipulative scheming."

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School Crisis: Class Shortfall Could Hit Pupils

A crisis is looming in primary schools across England with predictions there will be a shortage of 250,000 classroom places in the coming school year.

In the rush to provide enough school places, local councils may have to make decisions that affect the quality of pupils' education, according to a new report by the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

In areas facing a squeeze on places, and a lack of space, buildings such as libraries or music rooms could be turned into classrooms to meet the demand, it says.

The committee is the latest group to raise concerns about a lack of school places.

In March, a study by the National Audit Office (NAO) warned that by September 2014, an estimated extra 256,000 primary and secondary school places will be needed to meet demand.

Of these, 240,000 are required in primary schools, with more than a third (37%) needed in London alone.

The Department for Education has said it is spending £5bn by 2015 on creating new school places, and that it expects 190,000 extra places will have been created by September.

In its report, the PAC suggests there has been "little oversight" of the impact decisions on how to create new places would have on children's education.

"In the rush to deliver sufficient places, authorities may have to make decisions that affect the quality of education on offer," it says.

"For example, in areas where there is pressure on school places and a shortage of suitable land, authorities may have to convert communal spaces and specialist areas (such as libraries or music rooms) into classrooms.

"Some authorities may have no choice but to expand poorly performing schools, if places are required in that area."

The report criticises the Government for failing to fully understand "the risks to children's learning and development that may arise as authorities strain the sinews of the school estate to deliver enough places."

It warns that the need to increase the number of school places should not be done at the expense of quality.

The report says that the DfE does not know whether it is achieving value for money with the funding it provides to create new places, and suggests the department was "slow to respond to the rising demand for school places."

But the DfE has improved the way it targets money to areas where it is needed, the report adds.

It goes on to say that councils are not responsible for academies and free schools as they fall under the DfE's remit, and that local authorities must have "mature discussions" with everyone, including these schools on how to meet demand for places.

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World's First Three-Parent Baby May Be British

By Frazer Maude, Sky News Reporter

Britain may become the first country in the world to allow babies with three genetic parents to be born.

A landmark decision by the Department of Health has opened the door to controversial treatments for inherited diseases that use donated DNA from a second donor mother.

The Department of Health announced today that the government intends to publish draft regulations later this year in a public consultation about the IVF-based techniques to eradicate Mitochondrial Diseases.

The new regulations to fertility law allowing the procedures will be issued for consultation and then debated in Parliament.

Should MPs find the regulations ethically acceptable, the first patients could be treated within months.

It is envisaged that between five and 10 three-parent babies would be born in Britain each year.

The aim of the IVF treatments is to stamp out serious Mitochondrial Diseases which can be passed from a mother to her children.

Mitochondria replacement involves transferring nuclear genetic material from a mother's egg or embryo into a donor egg or embryo that has had its nuclear DNA removed.

This would allow a woman carrying Mitochondrial Diseases to have healthy children.

Around one in 200 babies are born each year in the UK with defects in the mitochondria, rod-like bodies that supply cells with energy.

One in 6,500 is seriously affected and can suffer potentially life-threatening diseases including a form of muscular dystrophy.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said: "Mitochondrial Disease, including heart disease, liver disease, loss of muscle co-ordination and other serious conditions like muscular dystrophy, can have a devastating impact on the people who inherit it.

"People who have it live with debilitating illness, and women who are affected face passing it on to their children. It's only right that we look to introduce this life-saving treatment as soon as we can."

Allowing the currently illegal techniques would mark a turning point. At present only unadulterated sperm and eggs can be used for assisted reproduction treatments.

Professor Doug Turnbull, one of the leaders of the research project based at Newcastle University, said: "I am delighted that the Government is moving forward with publishing draft regulations this year and a final version for debate in Parliament next year."

One of those affected with Mitochondrial Disease is Nicola Parker.

Ms Parker did not know she had Mitochondrial Myopathy, a condition which reduces her energy levels and restricts her movement, until she had already passed it on to her daughter.

She told Sky News: "No parent would ever want to pass on an illness to their child, so this work should be applauded. It means my daughter could now have the chance of being a mother herself one day, without having to take the risk of this genetic condition being passed on again."

But some people think the techniques are ethically questionable.

The ethical issue is that the techniques will result in a tiny trace of DNA from the donor egg's mitochondria remaining, effectively creating a baby with three genetic parents.

Josephine Quintavalle, founder of the group Comment on Reproductive Ethics (CORE), thinks the creation of children with genetic material from more than two people is incompatible with both human dignity and international law.

"We're obviously outraged, but it's not just my outrage and the outrage of many people in the United Kingdom - it's worldwide.

"People just mustn't sit back comfortably and think this is a great idea; we're going to cure disease and get better.

"It's crossing a line that many, many experts in ethics and genetics and scientists generally are very concerned about worldwide."

Dame Sally said: "There are clearly some sensitive issues here, but it's clear there is general support to allow these treatments subject to strict safeguards. So what we're going to do is move forward."

The researchers at Newcastle University say they need to carry out more tests on human eggs in order to make sure the techniques are proven and safe.

In order to speed up that process they are asking potential donors in the North East to contact them.

Details can be found at www.ncl.ac.uk/eggdonate.

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Lawrence Mother To Question May On 'Smear Plot'

The mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence will ask the Home Secretary for either a judge-led or independent inquiry into claims undercover police were ordered to smear her family, her lawyer said.

Doreen Lawrence is to meet Home Secretary Theresa May to ask for details about the claims made by an officer from the Metropolitan Police's Special Demonstrations Squad.

Peter Francis said that he was asked to "dig up dirt" on the Lawrence family in the aftermath of their son's murder in 1993.

Mrs Lawrence's lawyer, Michael Mansfield QC, said: "She will be wanting something done in public, and the nearest example is Leveson, or an alternative scenario is one like the Hillsborough panel that looks at all the material. One of these two has got to happen. Not another internal inquiry which will not be made public because they will claim it's sensitive information.

"It doesn't necessarily have to take particularly long. Leveson was done in a year, and it's a good example of something that was done in public, and quite searing questions were asked. Hillsborough was very efficient too.

Stephen Lawrence was murdered by a racist gang in 1993

"We're not talking about a public inquiry that takes years and a report that gets left on the backburner, we're talking about an efficient, focused inquiry."

Claims have also emerged that police had bugged meetings between officers, lawyers and Stephen's friend Duwayne Brooks, who was with him on the night that he was murdered by a racist gang.

Mr Mansfield, who represents the Lawrence family along with fellow lawyer Imran Khan, said: "I'm wondering if they did exactly the same with Imran and myself. I will want assurances that they have not done that. It's a very serious situation.

"This has been a very sorry saga. Doreen has been extraordinarily patient."

Neville Lawrence has already called for a public inquiry

Earlier this week Mrs May said Mr Francis's claims would be investigated in two continuing inquiries - one into the undercover operations of the SDS and another into alleged police corruption in the original inquiry into Stephen's murder.

However, the 18-year-old's father, Neville, insisted that only a judge-led public inquiry would be enough to get to the truth.

Earlier today Mr Brooks's lawyer, Jane Deighton, told Sky News that, if the bugging claims were true, they were "bizarre and sinister".

She said: "It's bizarre because it's a meeting that the police sought, it was a meeting that the police felt they had to seek after the Macpherson Inquiry had found that they had treated Duwayne in an institutionally racist way.

Michael Mansfield QC will seek assurances his conversation were not bugged

"The meeting was sold to us as a measure the police were taking to treat him with the respect he deserved.

"It's bizarre and it's sinister that they should have sought authority to bug this meeting."

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "An investigation into the circumstances of what took place has now been started by the DPS (Directorate of Professional Standards).

"This investigation will seek to establish exactly what was authorised and what happened to any material which may have been gathered, in the context of the legal framework of that time."

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Spain Shooting: Three Found Dead In Mijas

Three members of a family have been found dead in a Spanish apartment.

A man, a woman and a young woman, believed to be their daughter, were discovered in the property on the Costa Del Sol.

The two women were Irish and the man is believed to be British.

Police said they are working on the theory that the deaths were a murder-suicide. It is thought the three died from gunshot wounds fired by one of the adults.

The trio were found inside the apartment in Mijas, Fuengirola, on Wednesday by their landlord.

A Guardia Civil spokeswoman said they rented the property where they were found dead.

A police van parked outisde the house pic: diariosur.es

"The latest information we have is that the owner of the house had not heard from the family for a few days and had not been paid," she said.

"He went to the house today and when there was no reply at the door, he went inside. Inside he saw the man dead on the sofa and immediately called the Guardia Civil.

"When officers inspected the house they found the wife and the daughter dead in a bedroom. The initial hypothesis at this early stage of the investigation is that this was a murder-suicide."

The spokeswoman said she could not confirm reports that the daughter had Down's Syndrome.

The Foreign Office said it was aware of the reports and officials are in contact with local authorities.

Mijas is a popular town with a reputation for being family-friendly with its many cafes and restaurants.

Its centre is a typical Andalusian white-washed village, and the Britons' crime-scene apartment is on a pretty mountainside.

The town has three distinct neighbourhoods - the village high in  the mountain, a more modern development and an eight mile stretch of sea punctuated by pretty villages.

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World Wide Web Inventor Wants Online Freedom

The founder of the world wide web has called for safeguards to prevent his invention being controlled by governments or large companies.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee's warning came as he and five colleagues were recognised by the Queen for their pioneering work.

Asked about claims made by fugitive American whistleblower Edward Snowden that governments have accessed people's online communications, the scientist said the internet should not be "undercut".

"The original design for the web of 24 years ago was for a universal space," he said. "We didn't have a particular computer, browser or language in mind.

"When you make something universal ... it can be used for good things or nasty things.

Sir Tim receives his engineering award from the Queen

"We just have to make sure it's not undercut by any large companies or governments trying to use it and get total control."

Together with Robert Khan, Vint Cerf, Louis Pouzin and Marc Andreessen, Sir Tim was awarded the inaugural £1m Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering at a reception at Buckingham Palace.

Their work in establishing the internet - a network of interconnected computer systems - and later interlinked web pages accessed via the internet has revolutionised communication.

The Queen said their achievements had "completely changed" aspects of modern life, adding: "The internet and the world wide web have brought the world and its people together in ways we could not have imagined 60, or even 30, years ago."

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Earn £48k As A Lap Dancer, Careers Advisers Say

Young entrepreneurs have been offered career advice on how to earn up to £48,000 as a lap dancer, stripper or escort by a Welsh Government-backed scheme.

The "aspirational career opportunities" were featured on the Business Wales website, where those interested in moving into the industry were told they could command an average of £232 an evening - an annual income of between £24,000 and £48,000.

Users interested in setting up escort agencies were advised "the escorts provide companionship to the client when attending events such as a formal dinner or the theatre".

The factsheet went on to explain clients typically included single businessmen and women who hired an escort to "accompany" them to events and holidays.

It said: "Escort agencies usually have several escorts on their books. Agencies charge escorts an 'introduction fee' of between 25% and 55% of what the client pays to the escort."

The guide pointed out it was an offence for an agency to "incite escorts to act as prostitutes" but went on to provide links to websites offering "transsexual post-operation and submissive escorts".

Carwyn Jones, the First Minister of Wales, has now launched an investigation into the gaffe.

Plaid Cymru AM Jocelyn Davies said: "I'm certainly not a prude but it is hard to understand how the Welsh Government can believe it is acceptable to provide information to help women become strippers or run a lap dancing club, which is classed as a sex establishment.

"While jobs are difficult to find and money is tight, should the Welsh Government be effectively facilitating these activities by putting information on their website?

"Stripping is degrading for women and the Welsh Government should not the promoting the view that sexually exploitative work is an acceptable career."

Her remarks were echoed by Lib Dem Eluned Parrott and Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies.

Miss Parrott said: "These are perfectly legitimate businesses. However, I was very surprised to learn that these factsheets are offered to young people via a link on the Welsh Government's Big Ideas Wales website which is aimed specifically at youth entrepreneurs.

"The adult entertainment industry is just that - a field that is appropriate for adults, but not one that should be marketed as an aspirational career opportunity to potentially vulnerable young people."

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Breast Cancer Drugs To Be Offered To 500,000

By Thomas Moore, Health Correspondent

Half a million women with a family risk of breast cancer are to be offered drugs to prevent the disease, in a ground-breaking move by the NHS watchdog.

The drugs, which cost as little as £25 a year, can reduce the risk of the cancer by a third, potentially saving thousands of lives.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) says women with several close relatives who have developed breast cancer should be offered five years of preventative treatment with the drugs tamoxifen or raloxifene.

It will make England and Wales the first countries in Europe to offer breast cancer drugs to healthy women.

Professor Gareth Evans, a consultant in clinical genetics at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester who helped develop the new NHS guidelines, said: "This is a major breakthrough for women.

"This treatment is not just cost-effective, but cost saving to the NHS.

"More importantly for women, they don't have to go through the stress and trauma of a diagnosis, radiotherapy and potentially chemotherapy."

He said that preventing "four or five" breast cancers will result in one life being saved.

Around 50,000 women and 400 men develop breast cancer in the UK each year.

Angelina Jolie recently had a double mastectomy

Currently those with a family risk of the disease are offered either more intensive screening, or surgery to remove their breasts.

Actress Angelina Jolie recently opted for surgery because of her inherited risk.

But the new guidelines offer women a middle way.

Dr Caitlin Palframan, from the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said the guidelines were a "game-changer".

"We think more women will have more options to reduce their risk, which ultimately means we will prevent more breast cancer cases," she said.

The guidelines also call for more women with relatives who have developed the disease to be tested for faulty BRCA genes.

Charlotte Pittuck inherited the BRCA2 gene and several of her relatives have had breast cancer.

She was given an 85% chance of developing cancer and will have her breasts removed next week.

"While some would say it is a drastic measure, I feel it is my only option," she said.

"I want to be around to see my children grow up. And if I had the diagnosis I would have had to have this operation anyway."

Breast cancer prevention has been thrown into the spotlight after Jolie revealed she had a double mastectomy in May because she was at high risk of developing the disease.

Testing had showed she carried the genes that increase the likelihood of developing breast and ovarian cancers.

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Moors Murderer Brady To Address Tribunal

Moors murderer Ian Brady will speak in public for the first time since 1966 as he bids to be transferred from hospital to prison.

The child killer is expected to give lengthy evidence from 10am to a mental health tribunal sitting at Ashworth Hospital in Merseyside where he has been held for 28 years.

The 75-year-old argues he is no longer mentally ill and should be returned to prison to serve the remainder of his whole life sentence.

Brady, who is said to have been on hunger strike since 1999, has previously said he wants to starve himself to death in jail where he cannot be force fed.

Brady has been treated at Ashworth Hospital since 1985

Currently, he is fed through a tube in his nose, although the panel heard on Monday he is actually eating other foods at present and makes himself toast every morning.

Since 2002 Brady has repeatedly asked for a public hearing which he said would provide "true independence", the tribunal has heard.

He last spoke at length in public when he gave evidence at his trial at Chester Assizes where he was eventually found guilty of three murders.

His legal team say he has a severe narcissistic personality disorder but is not mentally ill and could be treated in prison rather than hospital.

Child killer Ian Brady is driven to court in 1966

But Ashworth say Brady is still chronically mentally ill and remains a paranoid schizophrenic who needs around-the-clock care.

He has refused medication and therapy for his mental disorders since 2000 as he is "wholly resistant" to any treatment and now tries to hide his mental illness, the tribunal panel was told.

Brady spoke briefly in his thick Glaswegian accent at the tribunal last Tuesday when he complained he had listened "ad nauseam" to arguments about his mental state from medics at Ashworth Hospital.

Wearing dark sunglasses, dark jacket and shirt and tie most days, he has been seen mainly writing notes and reading case papers throughout the hearing where he has sat between his solicitor, Corinne Singer, and close confidante Jackie Powell, who acts as his mental health advocate.

Moors murderers Myra Hindley and Ian Brady

Brady and his partner, Myra Hindley, were convicted of luring children and teenagers to their deaths, with their victims sexually tortured before being buried on Saddleworth Moor.

Pauline Reade, 16, disappeared on her way to a disco on July 12 1963 and John Kilbride, 12, was snatched in November the same year.

Keith Bennett was taken on June 16, 1964, after he left home to visit his grandmother; Lesley Ann Downey, 10, was lured away from a funfair on Boxing Day 1964; and Edward Evans, 17, was killed in October 1965.

Brady was given life for the murders of John, Lesley Ann and Edward.

Hindley was convicted of killing Lesley Ann and Edward and shielding Brady after John's murder, and jailed for life.

Both later confessed to the murders of Pauline - whose body was found in 1987 - and Keith whose body has not been discovered.

Hindley died in hospital, still a prisoner, in November 2002 at the age of 60.

Judge Robert Atherton has said that no questions would be heard about the whereabouts of Keith Bennett's body because the tribunal has no authority to investigate the matter.

The hearing is being relayed to the press and public on TV screens at Manchester Civil Justice Centre.

The judgment of the panel will be released at a later date yet to be fixed.

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Plot To 'Smear' Family Of Stephen Lawrence

An ex-undercover police officer claims he was part of an operation to "smear" the family of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence.

Peter Francis said he was told to find "dirt" that could be used against members of the Lawrence family, shortly after the 18-year-old was killed in a racist attack in April 1993, the Guardian reported.

He was also asked to target the friend who witnessed the murder and campaigners angry at the failure to bring his killers to justice, the newspaper said.

Mr Lawrence's mother, Doreen, told the Guardian that there was no justification for efforts to discredit her family following her son's murder.

Scotland Yard said it recognised the seriousness of the allegations and shared the concerns of the Lawrence family.

The claims have surfaced as a result of a joint investigation into undercover policing by the Guardian and Channel 4's Dispatches programme, to be broadcast this evening.

Doreen Lawrence says the revelation 'tops' everything she knows

Mr Francis, who reportedly posed as an anti-racist activist in the mid-1990s, said he came under "huge and constant pressure" to "hunt for disinformation" to undermine those arguing for a better investigation into the murder.

He told the Guardian: "I had to get any information on what was happening in the Stephen Lawrence campaign.

"They wanted the campaign to stop. It was felt it was going to turn into an elephant.

"Throughout my deployment there was almost constant pressure on me personally to find out anything I could that would discredit these campaigns."

Mr Lawrence, an aspiring architect, was stabbed to death by a group of up to six white youths in an unprovoked racist attack as he waited at a bus stop in Eltham, southeast London.

The teenager's death sparked a change in how race crimes are investigated

In January 2012, Gary Dobson and David Norris were found guilty of being involved in the attack and sentenced to life  imprisonment, after a forensic review of the case found significant new scientific evidence on clothing seized from their homes following the murder.

Responding to Mr Francis's claims, Mrs Lawrence told the Guardian: "Out of all the things I've found out over the years, this certainly has topped it."

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper described Mr Francis's claims as "shocking and appalling" and called for Home Secretary Theresa May to seek a faster investigation into his specific allegations.

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Mosque Bomb: Anti-Terror Police Drafted In

Counter-terror police have been drafted in to help with a hate crime investigation after a home-made bomb exploded near a mosque.

Around 150 people were evacuated from their homes in the Caldmore area of Walsall on Saturday night while bomb disposal experts dealt with the small device.

West Midlands Police said a loud bang heard by residents late on Friday "appeared to be consistent" with the device exploding. No one was injured and it caused minimal damage.

The remains of the device were found in an alleyway adjoining the Aisha Mosque and Islamic Centre in Rutter Street on Saturday by a local man who took them home and showed them to his wife.

The mosque's imam also took them home later before anyone realised their significance.

Assistant Chief Constable Sharon Rowe said: "The force is taking this attack against the mosque very seriously and we have a major investigation under way.

Police confirmed the suspicious package was an explosive device

"To that end, I have called in support from all over the force, including the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit, which has a number of experts supporting the inquiry.

"Specialist investigators have been working all day and continue to ensure that we maximise every opportunity from the crime scene."

She added: "At this stage we are keeping an open mind on a motive, but have recorded it as a hate crime. A hate crime is any criminal act committed against a person or property that is motivated by the offender's hatred of people because of their gender, race, religion, disability or sexual orientation."

Police have stepped up patrols in Walsall to reassure the community, despite believing the planting of the device was an isolated incident.

The mosque is known for its open policy, welcoming people from other religions. A spokesman said there have never been any problems at the venue.

Zia Ul Haq, a committee member and spokesman for the Aisha Mosque, thanked the police and local authority for their support.

"We found this suspicious item which we didn't consider to be very serious or very threatening. but as a precaution we thought that we would call the police and bring this to their attention," he said.

A bomb disposal team

"They have taken this very seriously and they have supported us wholeheartedly."

Bomb disposal experts from the Royal Logistic Corps attended the scene to ensure the device was safe and forensic teams spent several hours conducting a detailed search for evidence.

About 80 people evacuated from the area as a precautionary measure overnight were given shelter by Walsall Council, while 70 residents stayed with friends or family.

Councillor Zahid Ali, portfolio holder for public health and protection, said: "We stand shoulder to shoulder together as a community in support of the police.

"We've worked very hard with the community and shown that we were there for them when the evacuated residents needed shelter.

"Walsall has really shown its mettle in coming together and responding with calm determination."

It comes after a number of recent incidents at mosques following the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich, London.

Last week, two men were charged in relation to an alleged arson at a mosque in Gloucester, and an Islamic cultural centre in Grimsby was hit by petrol bombs last month.

Mosques in Braintree, Essex, and Gillingham, Kent, have also been targeted.

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Osborne: Economy 'Leaving Intensive Care'

Chancellor George Osborne will claim the British economy is "moving from rescue to recovery" as he unveils his fresh round of spending cuts for Whitehall.

Mr Osborne will deliver his spending review on Wednesday, setting out £11.5bn of cuts in Government departments in the year after the next general election.

Alongside the cuts the Chancellor will announce plans for an infrastructure plan to "power Britain back into the economic premier league", using savings to invest in roads, railways, education and science.

Final details of the spending review are still being worked out, with reports suggesting some ministries, including Vince Cable's Business Department, are yet to agree their settlements.

Mr Osborne is expected to tell MPs on Wednesday: "Britain is moving from rescue to recovery. But while the British economy is leaving intensive care; now we need to secure that recovery.

"Full recovery won't be easy but I won't let up in my determination to put right what went so badly wrong. We are already making progress: the economy is growing, more than a million new jobs have been created by British businesses and the amount the government has to borrow each year - the deficit - is down by one third.

"But there's more we have to do - it's time for the next stage of our economic plan."

Ed Balls calls on Mr Osborne to pump money into the economy

Mr Osborne has come under pressure to invest in capital projects in order to help the fragile recovery and he will give details of  "a long term infrastructure plan".

He will say: "We're saving money on welfare and waste to invest in the roads and railways, schooling and science our economy needs to succeed in the future.

"I know that times are still not easy for families. But we have a clear economic plan. We've stuck to it. It is working. And I'm determined to go on delivering it. Now, together, we're moving Britain from rescue to recovery let's build an economy that works for everyone."

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls urged Mr Osborne to pump money into the economy now in order to reduce the need for cuts in two years' time.

Writing in the Sunday Mirror, he said: "Instead of planning more cuts two years ahead, they should use this week's spending review to boost growth and living standards this year and next year.

"More growth now would bring in more tax revenues and mean our public services would not face such deep cuts in 2015."

He said the Government should boost lending to businesses with a new British Investment Bank and reintroduce the 10p income tax band.

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Wind Farm Plan In Bristol Channel 'Catastrophic'

By Emma Birchley, Sky Correspondent

A battle is being fought to stop one of the world's biggest offshore windfarms being built in the Bristol Channel as the race continues to hit tough targets on renewable energy.

The Atlantic Array is a development of 240 wind turbines that will be visible both from South Wales and North Devon.

If planning permission is granted, it would provide enough power for 900,000 homes and reinforce the UK's status as the global leader in offshore wind power.

But Steve Crowther from the Slay The Array campaign says it will be "environmentally catastrophic".

"They call this an offshore wind farm - it's inshore. It is between this beautiful Devon coast visited by four million people every year and the Pembroke coast visited by three million people every year.

"And people don't come here to see the landscape and the horizon covered in wind turbines. They come here for peace, tranquillity, rural settings and seascapes."

But with the Government committed to offshore wind power, the number of turbines is only going to increase.

One of the biggest players in the industry is DONG Energy.

Steve Crowther says the wind farm will destroy the beauty of the area

It operates the 48 turbines at Gunfleet Sands near Clacton, which have been up and running for three years and supply electricity to 120,000 homes in Essex.

UK wind power manager for the company, Benj Sykes, says despite concerns about the efficiency of wind farms, they are generating energy more than 80% of the time.

"They are becoming more efficient by the day and Dong Energy is committed to improving that further.

"By the end of the decade we will see the cost of energy coming down by something like 40% making them competitive with other technologies."

And with nearly 8000 miles of coastline there is plenty of opportunity for further development.

Offshore wind turbines in the UK can currently generate more than 3GW watts of energy - enough to power two million homes.

In all, 12.5% of the UK's electricity is already created from renewable sources.

The target is to produce around 30% by 2020, which means building many more turbines - and that creates jobs.

In Brightlingsea, an entire business has been built because of the Essex wind farm.

Andy White, chairman of Ctruk and Cwind, said: "Three years ago we didn't exist. We started the two companies to go out and help build offshore wind farms for the utility companies so three years ago we had zero people working for us and now three years on we have 150 people working for us."

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