'Scores killed' at Egypt protest
By Anonymous on Jul 27, 2013 03:26 am 27 July 2013 Last updated at 00:22 ET 
Troops clashed with pro-Morsi supporters in the capital Cairo
Violent clashes have broken out in the Egyptian capital Cairo where defiant supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi are staging a protest.
Running battles are taking place around the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque and several people have been injured, says the BBC's Quentin Sommerville, who is at the scene.
Morsi supporters say 23 people have been killed but this is unconfirmed.
Overnight, huge rallies were held by supporters and opponents of Mr Morsi.
Many thousands occupied Cairo's Tahrir Square in support of the army, which removed Mr Morsi from office earlier this month.
Army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had urged people to take to the streets to give the military a mandate for its intervention.
In Egypt's second city Alexandria, at least five people were killed late on Friday when clashes broke out between rival factions, state media reported.
Then, early on Saturday, Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said the sit-in protest by Morsi supporters at the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in Cairo would be "brought to an end soon and in a legal manner".
He gave no details but said local residents had complained about the encampment.
Our correspondent says automatic gunfire can be heard and the area is being hit by barrages of tear gas.
Security forces appear to be forcing protesters closer to the mosque and ambulances are taking people to nearby hospitals, he adds.
Other reports said a field hospital in the area was flooded with casualties, but this could not be confirmed.
The Muslim Brotherhood - which backs Mr Morsi - said 23 people had died, Reuters reported, but this could not be confirmed.
Morsi supporters have been holding a sit-in at the mosque. Witnesses say many women and children are among them.
Since Mr Morsi, the country's first democratically elected president, was ousted on 3 July, dozens of people have died in clashes between his supporters and opponents.
Militants have also staged deadly attacks in the Sinai peninsula. Unconfirmed reports spoke of an attack on security forces in the town of Sheikh Zuwayid on Friday.
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Social workers voice grooming fears
By Anonymous on Jul 26, 2013 08:52 pm 26 July 2013 Last updated at 20:52 ET 
The technology used by young people has left some social workers behind
Many social workers lack confidence and know-how when it comes to dealing with online grooming and sexual abuse of children, a survey has suggested.
The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) said they desperately needed specialist training.
An online survey of 327 social workers found 74% wanted more support, while half felt concerned about dealing with online sexual abuse or behaviour.
One said social workers were "way out" of their depth.
Warning signs Almost three in four of those surveyed said they needed more support with child protection cases which involved "an aspect of online and complex sexual abuse".
The survey also found:
- 17% did not know how to "assess the risks" to a child when there was an "online dimension", such as internet grooming, to the case
- 20% said they did not know the "warning signs" of what online sexual abuse looks like
- 43% lacked confidence about the language used by young people talking about the internet, and more than a third said they did not know the right questions to ask in order to identify and assess online abuse
"The number of cases in which the internet plays a part in the grooming and abuse of children is rising," said the BASW's Nushra Mansuri.
"Social workers need to be equipped to recognise the warning signs."
Grasp the basics One of the social workers, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: "I have worked with a young girl who experienced horrendous sexual and violent threats via her mobile phone... and it was very difficult to know how best to proceed."
Another said: "We are way out of our depth and training measures are needed without delay."
The NSPCC charity said it had developed an online training guide for child protection professionals - backed by the BASW - to educate them about the risks the internet posed to children.
Chief executive Peter Wanless said paedophiles were using chatrooms and social networks to groom victims, adding that young people were being "coerced into sharing explicit images of themselves via mobile phone messages and apps".
"It's worrying that the majority of social workers surveyed by BASW are struggling to understand how online child abuse happens," he added.
"We know they are doing a tough job under pressure and shouldn't need to be technology experts but they do need to have a grasp of the basics."
Read in browser » Ex-boyfriend held over woman's death
By Anonymous on Jul 27, 2013 03:42 am 27 July 2013 Last updated at 03:42 ET 
Linzi Ashton was found dead on 29 June
Police have arrested a man on suspicion of the murder of his ex-girlfriend in Greater Manchester.
Police had been searching for Michael Cope, 28, after Linzi Ashton, 25, was found dead at her home in Westbourne Road, Winton, Salford on 29 June.
Mr Cope was arrested at an address at Leigh, Greater Manchester late on Friday night.
Linzi, a mother of two, died after pressure to her neck and suffering multiple injuries.
Read in browser » N Korea stages anniversary parade
By Anonymous on Jul 26, 2013 11:22 pm 26 July 2013 Last updated at 23:22 ET 
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The BBC's Lucy Williamson describes a show of military might in N Korea
North Korea has staged a huge parade to mark the 60th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War.
State TV showed soldiers and military hardware parading through the capital Pyongyang in a carefully choreographed display.
Troops and spectators shouted their allegiance to North Korea's young ruler, Kim Jong-un.
The 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce although the North and South remain technically at war.
Correspondents say the lavish parade of weapons and goose-stepping soldiers is reminiscent of marches held by the Soviet Union and China at the height of the Cold War.
The TV pictures showed Kim Jong-un walking up to the podium on a red carpet with a military band playing in the background. He oversaw the parade flanked by military and ruling party leaders.
Large banners hung from gas-filled balloons and the main square in Pyongyang was filled with North Korean flags.
Over the past week North Korea has staged mass rallies and fireworks displays to commemorate the anniversary.
It comes as North and South Korea try to restore ties following a period of high tension.
Earlier this month, they ended a third round of talks on the re-opening of a jointly-run industrial zone without reaching a deal.
Work at Kaesong has been suspended since mid-April when North Korea withdrew its workers.
The move came amid tense relations between the two Koreas after Pyongyang's nuclear test in February.
In South Korea, the anniversary was marked with a speech by President Park Geun-hye.
She vowed not to tolerate provocations from North Korea but also said Seoul would work on building trust with the North.
"I urge North Korea to give up the development of nuclear weapons if the country is to start on a path toward true change and progress," she said.
Read in browser » Bolt powers to victory in London
By Anonymous on Jul 26, 2013 04:57 pm By Aimee Lewis BBC Sport at the Olympic Stadium
Six-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt produced a season's best to win the 100m on his return to the Olympic Stadium for the Anniversary Games.
A year on from the London 2012 opening ceremony, Bolt paid his own homage to last year's Olympics by completing the blue riband event in 9.85 seconds.
Before a sell-out crowd, the Jamaican ran nine hundredths of a second quicker than he had done this year.
Britain's James Dasaolu withdrew injured before the race.
The Olympic Stadium was hosting an evening of athletics for the first time since last summer, when the likes of Bolt, Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis-Hill whipped the crowd into a frenzy during an unforgettable Olympic Games.
Much has changed in this corner of east London since that glorious sporting summer. The Olympic Park now resembles a building site, while gone is the Olympic flame, but Friday night's 60,000 capacity crowd rekindled the Olympic spirit, and the feel-good factor returned mainly thanks to the appearance of Bolt.
For all of the nostalgia, however, the night was effectively the first of a two-day Diamond League meeting, the last track and field event before next month's World Championships in Russia.
And for all the Olympic talent on display - 12 gold medallists will compete over the two days - it was Bolt, the world's fastest man, who was the centre of attention on a celebratory evening in the capital.
All eyes were on the 26-year-old for many reasons. The night began with Bolt being transported into the arena in a gigantic metallic vehicle, described as a 'rocket ship'.
Such is his box-office appeal - and importance to a sport which is in the doldrums because of drug scandals - Bolt now routinely opens Diamond League events by driving onto the track, but seeing the great sprinter in the sort of contraption more normally seen in a sci-fi movie was a first.
Unsurprisingly, a wall of sound greeted Bolt's arrival, stirring up memories of the thunderous noise which filled the stadium 12 months ago.
The 100m and 200m world record holder stood on top of the formidable-looking machine, dancing on top of the podium and waving his country's flag during the lap of honour, exhibiting the showmanship which has made him one of the world's most recognisable sportsmen.
That moment of razzmatazz alone from one of the sport's greats was perhaps reason enough to justify chancellor George Osborne granting a tax exemption for every overseas athlete competing this weekend.
But the crowd saved their loudest cheers for when Bolt brought the curtain down on an uplifting, albeit sentimental, evening.
Indeed, if there are doubts over the credibility of sprinting following the positive tests of Asafa Powell, Tyson Gay and Sherone Simpson two weeks ago, then the thousands of fans at the Olympic Stadium at least seemed to put such thoughts to one side as they revelled in watching Bolt lift their spirits and, with it, his sport out of the doldrums.
During the build-up to the evening, the sprinter admitted he had been below par this season, with 9.94 seconds being his quickest time over the distance before his performance at the Olympic Stadium.
But despite a lacklustre start, the Olympic champion overpowered his rivals to dip home three hundredths of a seconds ahead of America's Michael Rodgers in second.
Jamaica's Nesta Carter was third in 9.99 while Dwain Chambers, the only Brit remaining in the race following Dasaolu's withdrawal, was fifth in 10.10 seconds.
Chambers later described the Jamaican as "phenomenal" while the man himself admitted he had work to do ahead of Moscow.
"My start was poor and I need to work on that," he said.
"To make a perfect race I need to make a good start and just get into the race. hopefully I can make a good time at Moscow and continue to do well."
Read in browser » Train crash driver maintains silence
By Anonymous on Jul 26, 2013 03:18 pm 26 July 2013 Last updated at 07:03 ET 
Spanish police have formally detained the driver of a train that derailed on Wednesday, killing 78 people.
The driver - who was injured and is under guard in hospital - faces charges of "recklessness", police say.
There are reports that the train was travelling at more than double the speed limit at the time of the crash.
Spain has declared three days of national mourning over the crash, one of its worst-ever rail disasters. About 90 people are still being treated.
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