Brit is 20th Para to be Killed

A Para yesterday became the 20th British soldier killed in Afghanistan since UK operations began there in 2001.

The soldier, from the 3rd Battalion, died fighting the Taliban in Sangin, Helmand province. Three of his colleagues suffered minor injuries during the clash.

Their battalion is based at Colchester Garrison in Essex. Defence Secretary Des Browne said, “I am deeply saddened.”

Five Afghan troops were also killed.

Nato forces were hitting back after an ambush on a police convoy.
Afghan and Nato forces used rockets, artillery and airstrikes to smash Taliban positions.
Britain’s death toll in lawless Helmand now stands at 11 in the last two months — including five in the Taliban “hotspot” town of Sangin.

Meanwhile, troops killed at least 71 insurgents in another battle to protect the country’s main highway.

More than 4,500 of Brit squadies are leading attacks on rebels in Helmand.

Israel Accused of Breach

Lebanon’s Prime Minister accused Israel of violating a UN-brokered ceasefire by sending commandos deep inside Lebanon on Saturday

Israeli special forces landed west of the Hezbollah stronghold of Baalbek, before one of their officers was killed and two other soldiers were wounded in the gunbattle that ensued.

“The landing carried out by the Israeli occupation forces today in the Bekaa was a flagrant violation of the cessation of hostilities announced by the Security Council,” Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said in a statement.

But the Israeli army said its commandos entered Lebanon to "interfere with terror activity against Israel" which it claimed included the smuggling of arms from Iran and Syria to Hezbollah.

Mr Saniora added that he had complained to a UN delegation that visited him Saturday, and would take up the matter with Annan.

He said he spoke with Annan by telephone late Friday, to complain about Israeli warplanes repeatedly entering Lebanese airspace since the ceasefire took effect on Monday.

Religion of Peace?

The link below is actual footage of individuals being stoned to death by fellow Muslims.

It is quite graphic but an interesting insight into the 'religion of peace' as Muslims claim it to be.

Please click here for the Stoning footage

This footage was released from the 'Apostates of Islam' website, which is produced by ex Muslims who wish to spread the REAL truth about the so called 'Religion of Peace', Islam.

You'll find this fascinating site by clicking here.

How long before this becomes a common practice in the UK???

Terror Detectives Find Bomb Kit

Police probing an alleged plot to bring down an airline have found a suitcase containing items which could be used to construct a bomb, the BBC has learned.

Officers have been searching a piece of land called King's Wood in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

A police source told the BBC the case contained "Everything you would need to make an improvised device".

A police spokeswoman said some 49 residential and business premises and one area of woodland had been searched in connection with the inquiry.
She said of that total, 36 searches had finished and 14 remained ongoing, including the search at the wood.

A district judge has granted anti-terror officers an extra seven days to question 21 suspects, and an extra five days to question two.

The 23 suspects in custody in London were arrested in raids in London, High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, and Birmingham last week.

Under the 2006 Terrorism Act the maximum period someone suspected of terrorist activity can be held without charge is 28 days, subject to regular court approval.

It is believed up to 17 people are being held in Pakistan over the alleged plot with two 'British' nationals of Pakistani descent among them.

Pakistani officials said one of the 'Britons', Rashid Rauf, was believed to have links to al-Qaeda, but they released no details about the other 'Briton'.
Mr Rauf is believed to have played a pivotal role in planning the operation, as well as being the go-between between al-Qaeda and the alleged plotters in Britain.
According to the Associated Press new agency, Pakistani officials believe he was the planner of the alleged attacks and recruited people to take part.

Fear of Hezbollah Re-Arming

Israeli's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni yesterday urged the world to make sure Hezbollah did not re-arm.

Israel fears the ceasefire will allow the Lebanese terror group to build up its weapons. In a speech to US Jewish groups, Ms Livni said, “The war is not over yet.”
Meanwhile Hezbollah leaders insisted it has the right to attack any Israeli forces still on Lebanese soil.

Sheikh Nabil Qawuq said, “Israeli tanks in the south is an aggression and the resistance reserves its right to face such aggression.”

The Israelis are due to leave southern Lebanon in the next ten days after a Lebanese/UN peacekeeping force replaces them.

Breaking News: Three Bombers Hunted

A 'British' Muslim is being hunted in Pakistan in connection with the foiled jet bomb plot.

Authorities there are also trying to trace an Eritrean national and a Pakistani.

All three are suspected of having been in contact with plotters who wanted to blow up US-bound flights from the UK.

No further details about the trio have been released.

Terror Suspects' Deadline Nears

Police investigating an alleged bomb plot on flights from the UK to the US are expected to ask for extra time to question the suspects being held.
The period for which detectives can question 23 of the 24 people in custody expires on Wednesday, but the police can ask judges for an extension.
Meanwhile, further details have emerged about a British-born suspect arrested in Pakistan over the plot.
Rashid Rauf is believed to have played a key role and liaised with al-Qaeda.

Twenty-three of the 24 people in custody were arrested in raids in London, High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, and Birmingham last week. The 24th was arrested in the Thames Valley area on Tuesday.
Searches are continuing at a number of addresses and parts of a wood in High Wycombe.

At private hearings via video link, lawyers for the police will produce further evidence and argue for an extra seven days' custody for those they want to continue investigating.
Under the 2006 Terrorism Act the maximum period someone suspected of terrorist activity can be held for is 28 days.
The brother of one of the suspects arrested over the alleged liquid bomb plot insisted that he had no involvement in terrorism.
Amjad Sarwar told Channel 4 News that his brother Assad was innocent.
"There is no way he could have anything to do with terrorism. He condemns terrorism.
He's always talking about bin Laden being a terrorist and the Iraq war - they're all terrorists. So he condemns all that."

In Pakistan, it is believed up to 17 people are being held over the alleged plot, including two British nationals of Pakistani descent.
The Pakistan government said one of the Britons, Rashid Rauf, is believed to have links to al-Qaeda. No details are known about the other Briton.

Mr Rauf is believed to have played a pivotal role in planning the operation, as well as being the go-between between al-Qaeda and the alleged plotters in Britain.
Pakistani intelligence believe it was the Briton's role to plan and co-ordinate the operation on behalf of a senior al-Qaeda figure, described as the plot's mastermind, the BBC has learned.
It has also emerged that Britain wanted to delay making arrests to enable further tracking of the suspects, but Pakistan wanted to move in immediately.

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry has said it has not received a request from Britain for the extradition of Mr Rauf, but the option still remained open.

Speaking after a meeting with EU ministers on Wednesday to consider their response to the alleged London plot, Home Secretary John Reid said the countries of Europe must stand together to "evolve our reaction" to the "evolving threat".
"The EU, indeed the wider world, is now confronted by a form of terrorism that is unconstrained in its evil intention. Given the means of destruction on a massive scale which is available through modern technology - biological, chemical and other means - it is virtually unconstrained in its capacity and its ability to do immense harm, death and destruction."
Practical measures on improving transport security, the "formal coming together" of intelligence services and the "whole discussion of European Islam" were among issues discussed, Mr Reid added.

Conservative Party leader David Cameron has criticised the way the government is dealing with the threat of Islamic extremism.
He criticised a funding freeze planned for the Home Office, and said intercept evidence should be allowed in courts.

Meanwhile flights are slowly returning to normal, with BA planning to operate 90% of its flights on Wednesday.
However, it is still searching for 5,000 pieces of luggage which have been misplaced in the confusion of the last few days at Heathrow alone.
And authorities at Gatwick airport are investigating how a 12-year-old boy managed to board a flight without a ticket or passport.
He got on the flight bound for Portugal on Monday morning despite the high state of alert across all airports.

Race Profiling Demands

Muslims could face extra security checks in moves to target airport screening on passengers posing the biggest terrorist threat.

The profiling technique would pick out people behaving suspiciously, those with an unusual travel pattern and people from certain ethnic or religious backgrounds.

Transport chiefs have discussed a new system with airport operators, including BAA — but it is set to outrage British Muslims.

Security experts believe profiling young Muslim men is a more effective way of spotting potential terrorists than random searches.

Ex-Scotland Yard chief Lord Stevens said the controversial move would help reduce check-in chaos.
Aviation security expert Philip Baum added, “If we do not introduce some form of profiling we will be continuing to look for needles in a haystack. As a consequence the air industry could remain in crisis.”

Ex-BA boss Sir Rod Eddington has said it is irrational to subject a 75-year-old gran to the same checks as a young man who paid for his ticket in cash.

Those for the move claim similar techniques have made Israeli airports the safest in the world.
But Muslim leaders in Britain branded the plans “an extreme form of stereotyping”.

Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, said targeting people on ethnic grounds would be racist.

AN Islamic extremist last night warned that Britain faces a terror attack on the scale of 9/11.
Anjem Choudary, 39 , former head of radical group al-Muhajiroun , said planned atrocities will succeed.

Terror Paedophile Brothers Banquet

The Islamic brothers at the centre of the Forest Gate terror raid and their family stuffed their faces with £1,300 of food in 24 hours, at taxpayers’ expense.

Their hotel bill came to more than £50,000, including £800 in a day on phone calls, as they finally moved back to their East London home.

Shaven-headed Mohammed Abdul Kahar, 23, and Abul Koyair, 21, were arrested on June 2 by anti-terror police looking for a chemical device. Kahar was shot in the shoulder by accident when his brother attacked an armed officer, who's weapon went off in the raid at their home in Lansdowne Road. The brothers were released without charge, after spending a week in custody, when no device was found.

Since then the pair and their family have been put up in posh and expensive hotels by the Metropolitan Police as the house was stripped.

They initially stayed at the Holiday Inn in Bloomsbury, central London, but after complaining they were transferred to the five-star Crowne Plaza Hotel next to Buckingham Palace, where they ran up huge bills while gorging themselves.

Kahar is expected to seek up to £500,000 in compensation after being shot in the raid. He has since been charged over paedophile images found on a computer at the address.

The brothers and family left the hotel at 8am on Saturday when they were driven away in two hired people carriers.

Reid Tells of 'Four Terror Plots'

Home Secretary John Reid has revealed that "at least four major plots" have been thwarted since the 7th July attacks in London last year.
Mr Reid said the government believes that the first al-Qaeda plot in the UK was in 2000 in Birmingham, preceding the war in Iraq and the 9/11 bombings.
He told the BBC's News 24 Sunday show that current security measures at UK airports would be "time limited".
Police are holding 23 people over an alleged plot to blow up several planes.
The home secretary said he thought it was right to keep Britain at the highest possible level of terrorist alert.
But he acknowledged that the "terribly inconvenient regime" of restrictions imposed on carrying hand luggage was affecting airlines and the travelling public.
He said those limits were being reviewed but any new regime would still need to ensure safety.
"We think we have the main suspects in this particular plot. I have to be honest and say on the basis of what we know, there could be others out there - so the threat of a terrorist attack in the UK is still very substantial," he told the BBC programme.

While the police and security forces were doing their job with 100% effort, he said: "We can never guarantee 100% success."
"This has been an ongoing threat, it is a chronic one and it is a severe one," he added.
Even if the threat level was reduced to "severe", Mr Reid said it was "highly likely there would be another terrorist attempt and that is one thing of which we can be sure."
Asked whether the four major plots he revealed could have caused a major loss of life, Mr Reid said, "In my view yes, on the information I have received."
The Home Secretary was also asked about a report in Sunday's Observer newspaper which said that "up to two dozen" terror investigations were operating across Britain.
Mr Reid said, "I'm not going to confirm an exact number but I wouldn't deny that that would indicate the number of major conspiracies that we are trying to look at.
"There would be more which are not at the centre of our considerations and there may be more that we don't know about at all."
Responding to questions on whether the government would once again push for a 90-day detention of terror suspects, the home secretary said the current situation did not represent "a good time" to look at such measures. But he said it was his own view that 90 days was what police required.

He was also asked his opinion on a letter written by a group of British Muslim leaders who believed the UK's foreign policy could be linked to the terror threat.
Dr Reid said such a belief was a "dreadful misjudgement that foreign policy of this country should be shaped in part, or in whole, under the threat of terrorism activity".
Shadow home secretary David Davis, speaking on Sky News, also criticised the letter.
"It (foreign policy) might be part of the catalyst, but to explain this is not to excuse it," he said.
"There are plenty of people with legitimate arguments with the government's foreign policy on Iraq, in Afghanistan in Lebanon and the Middle East but none of them take the stance of attempting to murder many thousands of their fellow citizens".

US Soldiers Killed in Afghan Battle

United States-led forces in Afghanistan say three of their soldiers have been killed in fighting with taliban militants in north-eastern Afghanistan.

Two other soldiers were wounded in the clashes in Nuristan province - officials have not yet disclosed the nationality of those involved.

US-led troops on Friday raided a building in the south-east, killing three suspected al-Qaeda fighters.
Militants have been stepping up attacks on government and foreign forces.

"The soldiers killed and wounded today fought against extremists who oppose the rights of women, murder the innocent and harbour terrorists as they did during the Taleban regime," US Army Brig Gen James Terry said of Friday's fighting in Nuristan.

Nuristan has seen fierce clashes in recent days. US-led troops said they killed 15 insurgents on Wednesday who were trying to attack an army base.

US forces are pushing up to the northernmost points along the Afghan-Pakistan border in an attempt to crush militants, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Afghanistan has seen a surge in violence this year, particularly in the south where taliban fighters have increased their attacks.

Three suspected al-Qaeda members were killed and three others detained in the eastern province of Khost during an operation by coalition forces, a US military statement said.

The raid was aimed at an al-Qaeda militant who was linked to a series of bombings, the statement said.

A suicide bombing on Friday in the southern province of Kandahar is now known to have killed a Canadian soldier serving with Nato-led forces. He was the seventh Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan this month.
Nato's 8,000 soldiers took over control from US forces in the south on 31 July.

The soldiers, under the umbrella of Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), are in six provinces in the south - Day Kundi, Helmand, Kandahar, Nimroz, Uruzgan and Zabul.

Police Quiz Terror Plot Suspects

Muslim Covert Suspect Don Stewart-Whyte changed his name to Abdul Waheed



Anti-terror police are continuing to quiz 22 people arrested over an alleged plot to blow up transatlantic jets.

The Met Police has been granted warrants for the further detention of the suspects until next Wednesday.

A hearing regarding the detention of another individual was adjourned until Monday, and one person has been released with no further action.

The suspects were held following raids in London, High Wycombe in Bucks, and Birmingham, early on Thursday.
The person whose warrant hearing was adjourned until Monday will remain in custody over the weekend.

Those held are suspected of involvement in a plot to blow up airliners travelling from the UK to the US, possibly using liquid explosives hidden in hand luggage.

Airport security has been stepped up in both countries, with stringent luggage searches and restrictions on the carrying of liquids on board.

Although services are beginning to return to normal, travellers are being warned to check with airlines before they set off.

Officials in Pakistan said security forces in the country had also arrested two British men of Pakistani origin in connection with the alleged plot, who were picked up in Lahore and Karachi last week.
The Pakistan Foreign Ministry has identified one of the men as Rashid Rauf.
"There are indications of an Afghanistan-based Al-Qaeda connection," a spokesman said.
A Pakistani security official told Reuters he had been put under surveillance after Britain had tipped off Islamabad that he was in Pakistan.
"He has been staying here for quite some time and he has been under strict surveillance since then," the unnamed official added.
Rashid Rauf is thought to be related to Tayib Rauf, 22, who was arrested in Birmingham. He is among the 19 suspects who have had their assets frozen by the Bank of England.

Britain's security threat level remains at 'critical' and investigations are continuing.

Detectives are still searching properties where the arrests took place. Officers have also seized computer equipment from three internet cafes in Berkshire - one in Reading and two others in Slough.

Speaking to chief constables on Saturday, Home Secretary John Reid said no-one should imagine that the recent arrests ended the current terror threat.
"This isn't a time for complacency or self-congratulation. As I have said all along, no-one should be under any illusion that the threat ended with the recent arrests. It didn't. The threat, as well as our efforts, is ongoing," he said.
"The initial targets - the main suspects - have been successfully apprehended, but all of us know that this investigation hasn't ended. I know there is a huge amount to be done and that presents enormous challenges.
"So, we're not yet at the stage where we can or should stop searching. That is why the alert level remains at critical as a precaution."

Meanwhile, British Muslim groups have written an open letter to the prime minister calling for "urgent" changes to the government's foreign policy, because its stance on Iraq and the Middle East is putting civilians at increased risk in the UK and abroad.
Sadiq Khan, one of three MPs to sign the letter along with three peers and 38 groups, said "a sense of injustice" caused by the current approach "plays into the hands of extremists".
Responding to the letter a Downing Street spokesman said, "We should always remember that the terrorism affecting the West today has blighted Muslim countries for several decades.
"It certainly pre-dated our decision to support democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq and of course the September 11 attacks. Our foreign policy is focused on supporting the people of those countries in their desire to live in a democracy just as we enjoy in the UK."

TERROR IN THE UK

A plot to blow up planes in flight from the UK to the US and commit "mass murder on an unimaginable scale" has been disrupted, Scotland Yard has said.

It is thought the plan was to detonate explosive devices smuggled in hand luggage on to as many as 10 aircraft.

Police were searching premises with 21 people in custody after arrests in the London area and West Midlands.

High security is causing delays at all UK airports. The threat level to the UK has been raised by MI5 to critical.

According to MI5's website, critical threat level, which is the highest, means "an attack is expected imminently and indicates an extremely high level of threat to the UK".

Heathrow Airport has been closed to all incoming flights that are not already in the air, while several outbound services have been cancelled.

The airport is crammed with thousands of passengers, while at Stansted more than 2,000 people are queuing to pass through customs.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Paul Stephenson said the alleged plotters had intended "mass murder on an unimaginable scale". "We are confident that we have disrupted a plan by terrorists to cause untold death and destruction and to commit, quite frankly, mass murder," he said.
"We believe that the terrorists' aim was to smuggle explosives on to aeroplanes in hand luggage and to detonate these in flight. We also believe that the intended targets were flights from the United Kingdom to the United States of America. I can confirm that a significant number of people are currently in custody and the operation is ongoing."

The majority of the arrests were in London with some in the Thames Valley and Birmingham, he said.
Police had spoken to a "good number of community leaders to make them aware that a major operation was under way," he added.

According to BBC sources the "principal characters" suspected of being involved in the plot were British-born. Arrests were made in High Wycombe, London and Birmingham.
BBC home affairs correspondent Andy Tighe said police sources had told him they had found "interesting items" which were being examined.

The US Department of Homeland Security increased the threat level applied to US-bound commercial flights originating in the UK

The Home Office confirmed there had been three meetings overnight and on Thursday morning of the Cabinet's emergency committee, Cobra, chaired by Home Secretary John Reid, to discuss the terror alert

A spokesman for Number 10 said Tony Blair had briefed US President George Bush on the situation during the night

All passengers were banned from taking hand luggage onto flights, while the government warned of delays.

BBC home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford said he did not think the police believed an attack was imminent now there had been arrests.

Joe Lynam, a BBC journalist at Gatwick,"The reason for raising the threat level is in case there is some other sub-plot, back-up plot around this that the police aren't aware of," he said.

BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera said given that most liquids were being banned from flights it suggested the suspected plot involved "some kind of liquid explosive".
He also said the plot had an "international dimension", while the investigation had involved the CIA. "The Americans have definitely been involved for quite some time," he said.

Prime Minister, Tony Blair is on holiday in the Caribbean, but Downing Street said the police operation was undertaken with his full support and he had been "in constant touch".

The current threat level is assessed as critical as of 10th August 2006 - this means that an attack is expected imminently and indicates an extremely high level of threat to the UK

Passengers are only allowed to take on board only the barest essentials including passports and wallets which will be allowed to be carried on board in transparent plastic bags.

Muslim Terrorist Pair in Death Taunt to Soldiers

The two Muslim brothers at the centre of the Forest Gate terror probe have been accused of screaming at soldiers, “We hope you DIE in Iraq.” The duo also pretended to machine-gun guardsmen outside their barracks near Buckingham Palace, it is alleged. Sickened squaddies also claimed that the pair then spat at them.

Mohammed Abul Kahar, 23 and brother Abul Koyair, 20, are now being investigated over the claims — with CCTV footage from the area being checked.

Last night a Met Police spokeswoman stated, “We are investigating an allegation of harassment outside Wellington Barracks at 10pm on August 1. There have been no arrests made so far.”

The alleged rant comes as British casualties mount in Iraq, where 115 of Our Boys have died. The three Welsh Guardsmen were on duty at Wellington Barracks, London, when the insults were hurled.

One Whitehall source said of the brothers, “The guardsmen knew exactly who they were because they pass by very often. There have been various incidents in the past but never this bad. The soldiers showed great restraint and just showed them the steely eye.”

The brothers, who wear traditional Muslim dress, are staying at taxpayers’ expense at the luxury £260-a-night Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Scotland Yard has already spent more than £30,000 of public money on their hotel bills and living expenses since armed police stormed their East London home on June 2.

Kahar was accidently shot in a scuffle while anti-terror officers looked for a chemical device, which has still not been found.

Police agreed to place the family in luxury accommodation while their house is being repaired.

Kahar is being investigated over suspicion of possessing child porn after 'suspect images' were allegedly found on a computer seized in the raid.

Israeli Death Strike On Village

Israeli air strikes killed 14 people yesterday in a village that was busy burying 15 victims of a bombing raid just 24 hours earlier.

Another 23 people were injured in Ghaziyeh, southern Lebanon, as 1,500 mourners scattered into the streets.

The Israelis said they were targeting the home of Sheik Mustafa Khalifeh, a Hezbollah cleric.

Earlier at least 30 people died as Israeli bombs wiped out three blocks of flats in a terrorist stronghold in Beirut.

The huge blast was the closest to the centre of the city since Israel launched its offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon nearly a month ago.

Residents of the Shiyah district thought they were safe because they bordered the city’s Christian old town.

Meanwhile, a proposed UN peace deal will be delayed while ministers of Arab nations appear before the Security Council. They want Israel to withdraw from Lebanon once fighting ends.
Lebanon says the current US-French resolution favours Israel — and has suggested sending 15,000 of its own troops into the war zone.
A resolution could be decided today — but there will be no vote until tomorrow.
Hezbollah will reject any truce that leaves Israeli troops in Lebanon.

Israel insists it will not withdraw until it is guaranteed Hezbollah rocket fire will stop.

Garden Searched for Children's Remains

Police are searching for human remains at a south London house where a convicted paedophile once lived.
Officers acted on an anonymous letter claiming remains linked to events more than 30 years ago were buried there.

A forensic archaeologist is among a team which will dig up the garden in Walton Green in New Addington, Croydon.
The paedophile, Leslie Ford-Thrussell, 72, is currently serving a 12-year jail term for 36 offences including seven counts of rape.
Among the offences was one count of gross indecency with a child.

Ford-Thrussell, who was convicted in 2004, also admitted to taking and making obscene images.

Police said he had not been questioned about the latest investigation.

The search led by Croydon CID began on Monday.

So far no arrests have been made, but police said the author of the letter had been identified.

Next-door neighbour and mother-of-two Nicola Nunn said she had thought Ford-Thrussell was a "very friendly, nice old man".
"We obviously knew about his conviction but this is something else altogether," she said. "I think about my two babies and it just scares me."

The most recent tenants moved out about three months ago leaving the council-owned property empty. They are not connected to the operation, police said.

Officers delivered leaflets to local people informing them the operation may take several days, offering reassurance and asking them to contact police with any concerns.

Scotland Yard would not confirm what specialist equipment would be used in the survey, expected to begin on Wednesday morning.

A police spokesman stated, "The Metropolitan Police has wide experience of serious crime investigation and access to a diverse range of specialist support, internally and externally."

Muslim Police Chief 'Warns' of Discrimination

Britain's most senior Muslim police officer is to tell a conference that Muslims are being discriminated against by law enforcement agencies.

Met Police Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur will be speaking to the National Black Police Association.

He will say stop-and-search powers and some profiling tend to be based more on physical appearance than intelligence. He will also call for an independent judicial review into why some young Muslims are becoming radicalised.

The conference is taking place in Manchester until Thursday.

According to the Guardian newspaper, Mr Ghaffur will tell delegates, "Not only has anti-terrorism and security legislation been tightened across many European countries with the effect of indirectly discriminating against Muslims. But other equally unwanted practices have also emerged, including 'passenger profiling' as well as increased stop and search and arrest under terrorism legislation.
They're increasingly concerned about the disproportionate impact of anti-terror laws, not just by the police but by other law enforcement agencies. There is a very real danger that the counter-terrorism label is also being used by other law enforcement agencies to the effect that there is a real risk of criminalising minority communities. The impact of this will be that just at the time we need the confidence and trust of these communities, they may retreat inside themselves."

Iran Ignores Nuclear Resolution

Iran has vowed to pursue its nuclear programme, in its first official response to last week's UN resolution urging it to curb nuclear activities.

Chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani stated Tehran would continue to develop nuclear energy within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Last week the Security Council said Iran faced possible sanctions if it did not stop uranium enrichment this month.

Some members fear Iran may use the technology to build nuclear weapons but Iran claims its motives are peaceful. "Our activities respect the Non-Proliferation Treaty... so we will not accept the suspension [of uranium enrichment]," Mr Larijani stated.
"They should know that such resolutions will not affect our determination. We will pursue the nuclear rights of Iranians which are enshrined in the NPT."

Mr Larijani also warned that sanctions would hurt the West more, leaving people there shivering from cold during the winter because of higher oil prices.

The UN Security Council passed resolution 1696 by 14 votes to one on 31 July.
It gives Iran until the end of August to suspend uranium enrichment and open its nuclear programme to international inspections.

If Tehran fails to do so, the council will consider economic sanctions.

Nato Soldier Dies in Crash

One soldier from Nato-led forces in Afghanistan has died when an armoured jeep crashed in the south of the country, a Nato statement says.

Three other soldiers from the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) were injured in the incident in the province of Kandahar. The injured soldiers were airlifted to a local army hospital.

The crash was not the result of hostile action, the statement says.
It says the soldiers were accompanying a supply convoy.

Nato forces formally took control of military operations in southern Afghanistan from the US-led coalition which overthrew the Taliban in 2001.

Afghani Plane Hijackers to Stay in UK

John Reid, the Home Secretary has lost his court appeal battle to remove the right to work in the UK of nine Afghan hijackers.

The Home Office argued that, although the nine could not be deported, immigration law allowed him to impose 'temporary admission' status on them and curb their freedom while they remained in the country. But the Master of the Rolls, Sir Anthony Clarke, Lord Justice Brooke and Lord Justice Neuberger, today dismissed the Home Secretary’s appeal against an earlier High Court ruling.

The nine Afghans hijacked a Boeing 727 on an internal flight in Afghanistan in February 2000 and forced the crew to fly to Stansted in Essex. Although they were refused asylum, a panel of adjudicators ruled in 2004 that, under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, they could not be sent back to Afghanistan because their lives would be endangered.

In December 2001 all nine were convicted of hijacking, false imprisonment, possessing firearms with intent to cause fear of violence and possessing explosives. In June 2003 their convictions were quashed by the Appeal Court, which found they had been acting under 'duress'. Following a public outcry over the nine being granted a 'hijackers’charter', successive Government ministers attempted to restrict their rights.

They were eventually granted only temporary admission last November by the then Home Secretary, Charles Clarke. But the Home Office suffered an embarrassing High Court defeat in May this year when Mr Justice Sullivan ruled that it was unlawful under the 1971 Immigration Act to keep the nine on temporary leave.

The judge declared they were entitled to 'discretionary leave' to enter and remain in the UK, subject to review every six months. This allowed the nine to work, possibly claim state benefits, and support their families in the UK, even though they were not entitled to full refugee status. In contrast, those subjected to temporary admission normally have to rely on state hand outs, cannot work or obtain travel documents, but have to live where they are told, report to the police regularly and remain subject to detention at any time. It was argued during the appeal hearing that the Home Secretary was entitled in law to have a policy of granting only temporary admission to failed asylum seekers who had been allowed to remain in the country on human rights grounds. The nine have 'apologised' to passengers on the flight they hijacked to Stansted for the fear they caused.

Reshad Ahmadi, Abdul Shohab, Abdul Ghayur, Taimur Shah, Nazzamuddin Mohammidy, Mohammed Kazin, Ali Safi, Mohammed Safi and Mohammed Showaib say they are educated people who do not want to 'sponge' off the state.

Kiddie Rapist On The Run

A suspected child rapist was on the run last night after a judge astonishingly granted him bail to attend a funeral unescorted.

David Parry, 30, had been in custody since June awaiting trial on a charge carrying a maximum life sentence.
But on Monday at Worcester Crown Court, Judge David McEvoy granted him bail to attend the funeral of his partner’s mother.

The decision prompted shock and fury among Home Office officials, police and prosecutors.
One Whitehall source stated, “I cannot imagine what this judge was thinking. You have an obvious public protection issue given what this individual is charged with. I understand the judge has a reputation as a maverick — but even so this defies belief.”

Norman Brennan of the Victims of Crime Trust blasted, “Ludicrous decisions such as these lead to a continuing lack of faith in the judiciary.”

Judge McEvoy ordered Parry, of Malvern, Worcs, be released, effectively in his own custody, from Blakenhurst Prison at Redditch at 9am on Tuesday. Under his bail terms Parry, accused of attacking a girl under 16, was meant to report back to the jail at 6pm the same day. He failed to return and a police hunt was launched.

Detective Inspector Damian Barratt of West Mercia Police added, “We are conducting an investigation into the circumstances.”

Sources in the Midlands say prison staff were also outraged by the decision to let Parry out. He was last seen outside the jail getting in a car driven by a woman.

A Home Office Prison Service spokeswoman commented last night, “Neither the Prison Service nor Home Office were included in the decision-making process, which was opposed by the Crown Prosecution Service.
The Prison Service only grants leave for a prisoner to attend the funeral of a direct family member.
Prisoners held in Category B prisons like Blakenhurst would normally be escorted to a funeral by at least two officers.”

In June, Judge Carol Hagen bailed illegal immigrant Mohammed Reza Talabi Zemani, who vanished after being charged with rape.

'Worst' Paedophile Jailed

A 65 year old man was today jailed for 20 years after a 30-year campaign of sexual abuse against young children which the trial judge described as the worst ever to come before the courts.

Robert Smith, of Scarborough, was jailed at York Crown Court after pleading guilty to 42 sex offences, including rape against 21 children between 1954 and 1984.
Sentencing Smith, Judge Paul Hoffman stated, “If the sentence that is passed results in you dying in prison, that’s no more than you deserve.”

The judge told the court that in the law book, Thomas’s Sentencing Encyclopaedia, there was no case “that’s as bad as this one”. The judge also said the case was made even more serious by the “sheer scale of wickedness” and Smith’s “callous regard” for his victims’ feelings.

Smith had showed a “prolonged and insatiable depravity” and admitted many more sex offences against children to probation officers.

The judge also stated, “Yours is the worst case of its type that I’ve ever encountered in nearly 42 years of criminal practice. It stands apart in its sheer scale of wickedness and your callous disregard for the victims’ feelings. For 30 years you abused the trust placed in you by parents and children alike.
You dominated these children by your presence and behaviour. They were terrified of you and you abused them through fear.”

The court heard that the 42 offences lead to some of the victims developing nervous personalities, stammers and stuttering. Many were still traumatised, the judge said.

Smith, wearing a grey T-shirt and blue tracksuit bottoms, occasionally shook his head during the sentencing.
As he was led from the court in handcuffs, several of his victims in the packed public gallery shouted “Rot in hell” at the defendant - Smith responded by making a V-sign with his hand.

Turning to the public gallery, the judge commented, “Your outbursts are entirely understandable and I have nothing but sympathy for your suffering.”

Free lessons For Asians Only

A race row broke out yesterday after a Labour council ran free driving lessons for Asians only.

The scheme was aimed at 15 to 19-year-olds 'from the Asian heritage community' after a local survey showed they were three times more likely to be injured in crashes.

Teenagers aged 17 to 19 got free driving lessons costing £22 an hour in the ward of Bastwell, in Blackburn, Lancs.

Fifteen and 16-year-olds had lessons in a car simulator and were warned of the dangers of drink-driving and joyriding.

Blackburn-with-Darwen Council extended the scheme to two neighbouring white wards after Conservatives branded it 'racist and sexist'.

The council insisted the schemes targeted areas with high accident levels, 'regardless of race'.

Airports on Full Alert

Britain has been warned today to expect a security risk after 900 stolen visas were sold on the black market in Pakistan. Ports and airports were on full alert last night after it had emerged the documents are being snapped up in Muslim extremist countries for £500 each. Staff have been ordered to carry out extra passport checks.

A Whitehall spokesman stated, “Pakistan is one of the worst places these visas could have turned up. They could be used by illegal immigrants and fundamentalists.”

Terror Threat on UK 'Severe'

The official level of the threat of a terror attack on Britain was made public for the first time today.

The current state of alert, which stands at 'severe' was published first on a new Government website www.intelligence.gov.uk.

The site has been set up to explain the role of the 'intelligence community'.
As well as showing the threat level, there is a link to the web page explaining the new terror threat system.

The current 'severe' threat level is the second highest out of five, and indicates an attack is 'highly likely'.

The highest level is 'critical', meaning an attack is 'expected imminently'.

Two more UK soldiers killed

News breaking today is the MoD has announced that two more British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan - the number may possibly rise to three or four.

The soldiers were patrolling in the north of the Helmand province when they were ambushed and attacked by militants, a third soldier was seriously injured and another is missing presumed dead.

The soldiers were attacked by militants armed with rocket propelled grenades and heavy machine guns.

The loved ones of the soldiers are being informed.