Suspensions over Adebolajo restraint
By Anonymous on Jul 20, 2013 01:42 am 19 July 2013 Last updated at 07:39 ET 
A prison officers' group has denied "any wrongdoing" by guards after one of the two Woolwich murder suspects claimed he was assaulted in prison.
Michael Adebolajo, accused of killing Fusilier Lee Rigby in May, reportedly lost two front teeth during an incident at London's Belmarsh Prison on Wednesday.
The Prison Officers Association said a prisoner was subjected to restraint by officers using approved control and restraint techniques.
Police are investigating the incident.
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Heatwave continues with west hottest
By Anonymous on Jul 20, 2013 12:44 am 19 July 2013 Last updated at 23:10 ET 
It is the first time since 2006 that temperatures have been above 30C for more than six days
The north-west of England and the western fringes of Scotland look set to be the warmest parts of the country on Saturday as the heatwave continues.
BBC Weather's Philip Avery said temperatures could hit 30C (86F) along the west of Great Britain.
The level three heatwave warning issued by the Met Office remains in place for western England and at two for the east of the country.
Temperatures next week could get as high as the mid-30s, Mr Avery said.
On Saturday, while the entire UK will see plenty of sunshine, the east will be cooler.
Low cloud could mean that on some parts of the east coast temperatures could drop to 17C (62.6F) or 18C (64.4F).
Heatwave warnings alert healthcare services to help those in high-risk groups such as the elderly and young children.
Friday was the hottest day of the year in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Temperatures reached 29C (84.2F) at Prestwick, South Ayrshire, 31C (87.8F) at Porthmadog, north Wales, and 30C at Castlederg, Co Tyrone.
The warm weather has had a number of effects.
HM Coastguard has issued safety advice to swimmers and sailors after call-outs in the past month were up by nearly a quarter compared with the same period last year - as more people take to the coast to enjoy the sunshine.
And firefighters had to tackle a grass fire at the southern edge of Epping Forest in east London.
Continue reading the main story Too hot to sweat
Normally, when it is hot, the body copes by sweating.
As sweat evaporates, the body cools down.
But if humidity is high, that process is impaired
That's when you feel hot, sticky, and uncomfortable.
The NHS advises people to keep cool by wearing loose clothes, staying indoors in the coolest rooms and splashing faces and necks with cold water.
People with underlying health issues, particularly heart and breathing problems, are likely to suffer more.
Research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has estimated there might have been between 540 and 760 extra deaths in England and 60 to 100 in Wales due to the hot weather.
Level three alerts are triggered when threshold temperatures have been reached for one day and the following night, and the forecast for the next day has a greater than 90% confidence level that the day threshold temperature will again be met.
Level two warnings are also currently in place for the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber. These alerts are triggered by a 60% or higher chance of the threshold temperature again being reached on the second day.
North-east England remains on a level one warning.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not included in the alert system.
Temperatures are expected to increase again early next week with an increase in humidity, Mr Avery said.
There is a likelihood of level three being reached again in some areas.
It is the UK's first prolonged heatwave since 2006, with six consecutive days of temperatures above 30C.
Read in browser » Freed Kremlin critic vows poll win
By Anonymous on Jul 20, 2013 03:17 am 20 July 2013 Last updated at 02:52 ET
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has told supporters he will fight and win the Moscow mayoral vote, after he was freed from jail pending an appeal against a five-year jail term.
He has returned to Moscow from Kirov, where a judge convicted him of embezzlement, in a case widely condemned as political.
The court ruled on Friday he could go back to Moscow until the appeal.
The jail term has been criticised by the US, EU and human rights groups.
Navalny told a crowd of supporters at Yaroslavsky station on Saturday that "we are going to stand in the elections and we will win".
He was accepted as a candidate in the 8 September mayoral poll shortly before he was found guilty of embezzlement and there had been some doubt over whether he would run.
Read in browser » 'Trayvon could have been me' - Obama
By Anonymous on Jul 20, 2013 12:55 am 19 July 2013 Last updated at 13:58 ET
President Barack Obama has said that "Trayvon Martin could have been me, 35 years ago", in his first comments on the case since last week's verdict.
The unarmed black 17-year-old was shot and killed in Florida in February 2012.
George Zimmerman, 29, said he opened fire on the teenager in self-defence and was acquitted of murder by a Florida court last week.
In an unexpected press call, Mr Obama said very few black men in the US had not experienced racial profiling.
Read in browser » MPs worried by police chief sackings
By Anonymous on Jul 20, 2013 01:55 am 19 July 2013 Last updated at 19:38 ET 
Mr Vaz's comments follow confrontations between PCCs and chief constables
Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) are showing a "worrying" ability to evade rules when sacking chief constables, the Commons Home Affairs Committee chairman has said.
Keith Vaz spoke out as the committee raised concerns that PCCs are too quick to call upon police chiefs to quit.
The new PCCs set police budgets and can hire and fire chief constables.
The MPs said it seemed "very easy" for a PCC to remove a chief constable for "insubstantial" reasons.
PCCs replaced existing police authorities in 41 force areas across England and Wales following elections in November 2012. Fewer than 15% of voters turned out for the PCC elections.
Confrontations have already arisen between them and chief constables.
In Gwent, Chief Constable Carmel Napier retired under pressure from commissioner Ian Johnston, and in Avon and Somerset, Chief Constable Colin Port decided not to reapply for his job.
Lincolnshire chief constable Neil Rhodes was suspended by PCC Alan Hardwick but was reinstated following a High Court judgment that described the decision as "irrational and perverse".
'Hold to account' The Home Affairs Committee said the early indications are that it was "very easy" for a PCC to remove a chief constable for reasons of an "insubstantial nature" and even the home secretary was powerless to intervene.
They were particularly critical of Mr Johnston who "persuaded" Chief Constable Carmel Napier to retire earlier this year.
Commissioners remove chief constables by "calling upon" them to resign or retire - but they must first give a written explanation of the reasons for the proposal and then consider any response.
Police and crime panels must make a recommendation to the commissioner within six weeks backing or opposing the plan and may consult HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary.
Neither of the two chief constables removed had ended up going through the process, the committee said.
Mr Vaz said: "It is worrying that Police and Crime Commissioners seem able to side-step the statutory process for dismissing a chief constable. Police and Crime Panels should make more active use of their powers to scrutinise decisions such as this.
"We will be returning to this area when we carry out our next major inquiry into Police and Crime Commissioners, towards the end of this year."
The chairman of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners board, Tony Lloyd, countered that "in the vast majority of cases, the relationship between Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables have developed strongly and purposefully".
He added: "The appointment and removal of a Chief Constable is a duty that Police and Crime Commissioners take very seriously.
"Police and Crime Commissioners and chief constables work together to decide the direction of travel of a force and Police and Crime Commissioners have a duty to hold chief constables to account for the delivery of the most efficient and effective service for the public."
Read in browser » Israel-Palestinian talks 'to resume'
By Anonymous on Jul 19, 2013 05:56 pm 19 July 2013 Last updated at 14:31 ET
Israel and the Palestinians have reached an agreement which establishes the basis for resuming peace talks, US Secretary of State John Kerry has announced.
Mr Kerry is in Jordan, where he has been meeting with both sides.
He gave no details of the agreement, but said both sides would hold initial talks in Washington next week.
The last round of direct talks broke down two years ago over the issue of Israeli settlements.
Mr Kerry told reporters in Amman that the parties had "reached an agreement that establishes a basis for resuming direct final status negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis."
"This is a significant and welcome step forward," he said, but stressed that it was still "in the process of being formalised".
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and his Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni will travel to Washington next week.
Mr Kerry said any details of the agreement which might be reported were "conjecture" and stressed that "the best way to give these negotiations a chance is to keep them private".
He also thanked the Arab League, which on Thursday gave its backing to his plan for resumed talks, saying this had made an "important difference".
In recent months, John Kerry has paid six visits to the Middle East in an effort to restart talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
He has said that time is running out for a two-state solution to their decades-old conflict.
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