Prosecutors defend Knox evidence

30 July 2011 Last updated at 18:22 GMT Knox is serving a 26-year sentence for Miss Kercher's murder Italian prosecutors have rejected claims that evidence used to convict Amanda Knox of the murder of UK student Meredith Kercher was unreliable.

Knox, 24, and her Italian ex-boyfriend Rafaelle Sollecito, 26, are appealing against their convictions for killing the Surrey student in Perugia in 2007.

On Monday, experts told the court the DNA evidence which helped convict the American could have been contaminated.

But the scientific police director has defended the original forensic work.

In a letter read out to the court, Piero Angeloni described the technology used as being world-class and said the officers were highly experienced.

"Never before" has there been such criticism of his agency, he said.

Patrizia Stefanoni, the police forensic scientist who originally found the DNA on the knife and Miss Kercher's torn bra clasp, has said she will fight the appeal trial experts' accusation that basic errors were made.

'Not reliable'

During proceedings in Perugia, prosecutor Manuela Comodi sought to undermine the independent experts' conclusions and show that the forensic evidence used to convict Knox could stand.

The experts - appointed by the court to review the evidence and procedures used to obtain it - maintain that the original investigation was marked by some glaring errors, the Associated Press reports.

Much of the debate centred on a kitchen knife the prosecutors believe to be the murder weapon.

In the first trial, prosecutors maintained that Knox's DNA was found on the knife's handle and Miss Kercher's DNA was found on the blade. They also said Sollecito's DNA was found on the clasp of Miss Kercher's bra.

But the appeals court heard that the collection of evidence fell below international standards.

Carla Vecchiotti, a forensic specialist from La Sapienza university, Rome, said it was impossible to say whether the British student's DNA was found on the knife.

"There is a complete genetic profile, but it's not reliable," she said.

"We don't know if Meredith's DNA was on it or not."

Ms Comodi insisted that the genetic profile found on the blade should not be thrown out.

Miss Kercher, a Leeds University student, was living in Italy as part of a year of study abroad when she died.

Knox is serving a 26-year sentence for Miss Kercher's murder while Sollecito, an Italian, was sentenced to 25 years.

Both deny any wrongdoing.

Rudy Guede, 21, was also convicted of Miss Kercher's murder in a separate trial and is serving a 16-year term.

The hearing was adjourned until September.

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Aiming for the A-list

29 July 2011 Last updated at 14:18 GMT By Alain de Botton Philosopher and writer We usually think of social climbing as a bad thing, but is it always wrong to seek out the company of the successful?

There are few more distressing or pejorative tags to be labelled with than that of "social climber".

In an age when people are ready to admit to an extraordinary variety of misdemeanours, it would remain genuinely shocking to confess to a strong interest in meeting rich, famous and powerful people - as well as in fending off the appeals of lesser acquaintances whose careers have not developed as they might have done.

You can be sure there's a problem of honesty when society spends its time brutally condemning a behaviour which most of its members seem to be quite interested in, so it's perhaps time to take a frank look at the phenomenon of social climbing - and see what exactly is wrong with it, and if there are any times when it might be OK.

Part of the reason the label is so shocking is that it fails to make any distinction between varieties of social aspiration, some less vicious than others.

Putting them all in the same boat, it implausibly forces everyone sensible to deny any interest in the whole topic. And yet social climbing, like anger or envy, has its good and bad versions, and like these other so-called sins, is an inherent part of our make-up that we would be wise to understand and to nuance - rather than deny and attempt to stamp out in shame.

There are as many ways of being interested in those at the top of society as there are ways of reading books.

What looks to be a unitary activity in fact shelters a range of approaches. Being fascinated by esteemed figures is not a sign of evil per se, just as reading Moby Dick is not in itself a proof of intelligence. One has to dig a little deeper, to figure out how the interest is unfolding before one can deliver judgement.

Let's start by being kind on the activity.

No doubt social climbing would be looked on more benevolently if we described one manifestation of it as "sightseeing" or "ethnography".

To pass over an old chum from primary school in order to take up a chance to meet Bill Gates or Barack Obama should not be thought a depravity - rather evidence of an entirely natural, indeed desirable, curiosity about the way the modern world works.

Many of us take a dim view of social climbers

It is an incoherence of our mechanisms of judgement that one should be labelled a serious and honourable person for sitting alone in bed reading a scholarly book on the robber barons of 19th Century America (filled with details on how they made their wealth, the attitudes of their compatriots, their relationship with religion, their personal habits etc), and yet that it might be deemed trivial, desperate and shallow to want very badly to take up an opportunity to have dinner with a group of titans from Silicon valley.

Social climbing also becomes a little less absurd if one acknowledges how much of it is really a strategy for survival.

A great many people's interest in going to parties and having a conversation with the powerful is not idle pleasure-seeking, but an attempt to keep oneself in line for work, based on the true supposition that bosses often look more benevolently on those they have met socially.

To make a bee-line for a plutocrat may hence be no less serious, and no less worthy of respect and dignity, than a boar hunt on whose successful conclusion the fate of an entire primitive community might once have hung.

Parties carry mortgages and food bills on their backs. We may not be taught to associate corporate events with heroism. They involve battles fought with the most bathetic of instruments, with bad jokes and remarks about the quality of the canapes, but they are battles nonetheless, comparable in their intensity and demands to the tracking of furtive animals through the deadly forests of the prehistoric world.

Continue reading the main story

What really marks out corrupt as opposed to forgivable social climbers is the former's strong belief that the rich, powerful and famous are at heart better than other people”

End Quote It's impossible to be a social creature, to be part of society, and not feel miserably ripped apart by envy quite a lot of the time. Of course, few emotions are as taboo for us as envy.

If we chuckle at Gore Vidal's famous quip - "Every time a friend of mine succeeds, a small part of me dies" - it is because it gives us a rare chance to own up to a feeling that we are otherwise largely forced to endure in lonely silence.

Then again, as social creatures, we should be careful to deny ourselves the chance to feel envy fairly regularly. To refuse to feel envy is also to refuse any chance of growth or development, for our envious feelings are in truth important guides to what we should aim for in life.

To shut yourself off from all envious feelings is also to shut yourself off from what you actually want, and might one day have - if you can bear to look frankly at what is still missing.

It is only right, indeed healthy, for anyone starting out in business or sport or cookery or art to envy more successful people - to pour over their success and feel crushed by a sense of inadequacy by comparison. How else could one ever have the energy to achieve?

Envy becomes noxious when we become helpless before it. We can fall into hatred, pure and simple, and then, gradually, a self-destructive bitterness.

The most envious people are often consciously unaware of their envy, and their inadequacies infect their judgements on everything. The person envious of another's love life will start to make abstract speeches about how romantic love is an illusion.

Social aspiration is a recurring theme

We are in danger of missing out on something valuable when we simply label envy a sin. Like many of our drives, it has positive and negative components, which need to be balanced and managed - rather than simply cut out like a cancer.

We might respect envy as the first step, painful but inevitable, towards generating something we can be proud of - something that will make others envious.

What really marks out corrupt as opposed to forgivable social climbers is the former's strong belief that the rich, powerful and famous are at heart better than other people. They don't merely accept that these types are lucky or gifted in a particular area, they sincerely hold that they are finer human beings. This is the route to true snobbery as well as to a vicious neglect of anyone who cannot display the necessary badges of success.

In the 16th Century, the French philosopher Montaigne advised us to remember the role played - in his words - by "chance in bestowing glory on us according to her fickle will: I have often seen chance marching ahead of merit, and often outstripping merit by a long chalk".

So Montaigne asked that we keep a rein on our excitement when meeting the powerful and wealthy and on our judgements when encountering the poor and obscure.

As he wrote: "A man may have a great suite of attendants, a beautiful palace, great influence and a large income. All that may surround him, but it is not in him. Measure his height with his stilts off."

There are better and worse people at large in the world, but it is naive and cruel to assume that they could be so conveniently located on the basis of how much money they have or what work they do.

It is this the snob refuses to believe, trusting instead in the existence of water-tight elites whose members unfailingly win out over the rest of us - electricians, nursery teachers or writers whose names one has never heard of.

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Non-league team play Real Betis

30 July 2011 Last updated at 21:46 GMT Portsmouth FC's players became stranded in the US when their plane was hit by a catering lorry A non-league football team lost 7-0 in a "once in a lifetime" game against Spanish side Real Betis, after replacing Portsmouth at the 11th hour.

Conference South side Havant and Waterlooville took on the La Liga team in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.

Pompey players, who were due to take on Real Betis, are stuck in North Carolina after their plane was hit by a catering lorry at the end of a tour.

Seville-based Real Betis are currently on a pre-season tour of the UK.

'Lengthy discussions'

Trevor Brock, a director at the Hampshire club, described the visiting team as "electric".

"I think we knew they were going to be good but I don't think we knew how good they were going to be, " he said.

"They have just won the equivalent of the Championship - they basically brought their whole squad here.

"This team was something else, we did the best we could."

The visiting club were already 5-0 ahead by half time, with a hat-trick by Ruben Castro and two goals by Jorge Molina.

Sergio scored the sixth goal in the 54th minute with the victory sealed by Salva, who knocked in a penalty two minutes from full time.

About 800 supporters packed into Westleigh Park, with tickets costing fans ?5 and ?10.

Goalkeeper Nathan Ashmore managed to hold off about eight near misses.

Havant and Waterlooville are hoping for a win away against local side Gosport Borough on Monday in a pre-season friendly.

Mankini invader

Real Betis had been due to play Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Portsmouth FC said: "Almost all of the squad and its coaching staff will not arrive back in Britain until Sunday.

"After lengthy discussions, the difficult decision to call the match off was made in conjunction with Real Betis."

Portsmouth FC chief executive David Lampitt said: "Unfortunately events outside of our control have conspired against us and we have been left with no choice but to cancel this match.

"We are naturally disappointed as we were looking forward to welcoming Real Betis, their fans and directors to Fratton Park and we thank them for their patience and understanding."

Fans who bought tickets for the Portsmouth match will be refunded, the club said.

In 2008, Havant and Waterlooville played Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup, losing 5-2.

In March the team also hit national headlines after a match against non-league Dorchester Town. A Dorchester player was sent off for tackling a pitch invader who was dressed in a mankini.

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Crowded skies

30 July 2011 Last updated at 10:56 GMT By Susannah Cullinane BBC News EasyJet will offer 70 flights a week from Southend Airport From next spring, one of Europe's largest airlines will be flying from a small airport in south-east England. The BBC's Susannah Cullinane went to London Southend Airport in Essex to find out more about the deal.

There are very few people on the 08:32 train from Liverpool Street to London Southend Airport's new ?12m rail terminal.

A quick glance at the neighbouring Stansted Express shows it to be comparatively overflowing - or at least carrying more people per carriage than the one person in mine.

But from next April, Southend Airport - a 50-minute train journey from Liverpool Street compared to Stansted's 46 minutes - will be the departure point for 70 EasyJet flights a week.

The Stobart Group, which owns the airport, aims to have two million passengers a year passing through its terminal by 2020.

Aer Arann and Flybe already operate from Southend, offering flights to Ireland and Jersey, but EasyJet will massively extend the airport's reach.

The airline has announced it will fly from Southend to Alicante, Barcelona, Ibiza, Malaga and Majorca in Spain, as well as Belfast, Amsterdam and Faro in Portugal.

The deal means Southend be the sixth airport serving south-east England to offer flights to mainland Europe, alongside Stansted, Heathrow, Gatwick, London City and Luton airports.

Arriving at Southend Airport railway station the expansion work is immediately obvious.

A ?3m control tower opened on 18 July stands opposite, near a new terminal building due to be completed by autumn. A few hundred metres away, the airport's current terminal is flying an orange EasyJet flag.

'No hustle and bustle' Easyjet's arrival at Southend airport has put it on the map

Inside, however, the impression is more black coffee and full English breakfast than international transport hub.

About 15 people are scattered at wooden tables, apparently unworried by pressing travel concerns, lingering instead over the day's newspapers and chatting amongst themselves.

Cafe Stobart supervisor Jill Ross explains that the relaxed mood is probably because 85% of her customers are local residents rather than travellers.

"That's why it's so friendly - they're sort of friends rather than customers."

But Ms Ross says there have been a lot of changes at Southend Airport since she started working in the coffee shop four years ago.

Since Aer Arann began flying out of Southend this March, she says, cafe staff numbers have doubled.

"Everyone is for the expansion," Ms Ross said. "Everyone's said 'how brilliant that they're going to fly here'."

Smoking a cigarette beneath the orange flag outside, is Ann Duffy who says she flew into Southend from her home in Waterford, Ireland, to visit her son and his family.

Cafe Stobart has been serving more local residents than air passengers

She is pleased at news that the airport is to be expanded. "It's good to give some money back to this area. Keep it close to home," she said.

Waiting for a fare at the airport, taxi driver Jim Nolan says he expects the expansion will bring work and jobs to the area.

"It's long overdue that this airport is being developed. It should've happened years ago."

Judicial review

Not all Southend's residents are as supportive of the expansion however.

Continue reading the main story

I think it's long overdue that this airport is being developed. I think it should've happened years ago.”

End Quote Jim Nolan Local resident Stop Airport Extension Now (SAEN) was formed in opposition to the extension of Southend's runway. SAEN says the 300m extension will lead to a "massive" increase in flights and impact on the lives of people living, working or going to school near the flight path.

Spokesman Denis Walker says EasyJet will not be able to land fully-laden Airbus 319 planes at Southend until the airport's runway has been lengthened.

SAEN had been trying to get a judicial review of Southend Council's decision to approve planning permission for the extension, but on Wednesday its appeal was refused.

Mr Walker says the secretary of state must approve the closure of a road at the end of the current runway and a public inquiry into the closure of some public footpath - due to start in November - also needs to be completed before work on the extension can begin.

"We're very concerned about the effect the expansion will have, particularly because it's so close to housing on the south-west side," he said.

Southend's head of business development, Jonathan Rayner, says time has become an important commodity for air travellers and the airport hopes to attract passengers through the relative accessibility of its services.

The airport says it will ensure it takes no more than four minutes to go through its security area while passengers travelling without check-in luggage can expect to be on the arrivals platform within 15 minutes of their plane's doors opening, he says.

A spokesman for Stansted says the airport is disappointed EasyJet is transferring some of its operations to Southend. But he says the airports are so different it is impossible to directly compare them.

"The decision clearly reinforces just how competitive the airports market is for point-to-point passengers, especially if the UK's largest airline is prepared to start-up at one of the UK's smallest airports."

Southend Airport has opened a ?3m control tower and ?12m railway station

Gatwick Airport says EasyJet's decision to fly from Southend "shows that competition is working". It says 15 million people live within an hour's drive of Gatwick.

"Some of those people will have the choice to fly from either Gatwick Airport or a smaller airport like Southend."

London City Airport says "London has a chronic long term shortage of airport capacity" and it recognises attempts will be made to bring "peripheral destinations" in the area market.

Luton Airport says it is too early to tell what the impact of Southend's expansion on its own operations will be.

Peter Morris, chief economist for aviation consultancy Ascend, says the actual level of demand for EasyJet's flights from Southend will only become clear once they're up and running.

With six airports servicing the area around Greater London, and in the face of a weak economy and high fuel costs, Southend's expansion is more likely to redistribute existing aviation traffic than to create a new market, he says.

"Whether the market has got a critical saturation - that's something that only gets validated when people try it and see if it works," he says.

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'Record' for space hopper bounce

30 July 2011 Last updated at 17:11 GMT More than 700 people took part on their space hoppers

Hundreds of people jumped on space hoppers in Leeds in an attempt to break the record for the largest number of people bouncing for 100m.

More than 700 people took part in Bounce for Leeds at Roundhay Park on Saturday.

Organisers Yorkshire Cancer Research believe they managed to break the record - which they set at an event last year.

On that occasion, 771 hoppers took part in a race in Sheffield.

Rachel Speight, from the charity, said the aim was to raise more than ?30,000.

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Button hoax story taken off site

31 July 2011 Last updated at 00:06 GMT Button will start third on the grid for Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix Hackers who posted a story on Jenson Button's official website claiming that he had been seriously injured in a car crash carried out a "distasteful hoax", his spokesman has said.

The story appeared on Saturday night, saying the F1 driver was in a "critical condition" in hospital following a "serious accident" in Hungary.

The website was taken down soon after the post emerged.

His spokesman said a hacker had breached the site's security.

"The story is completely untrue and is a very distasteful hoax," the McLaren driver's spokesman said.

"The website was immediately taken down and its security will now be reviewed. Jenson was asleep in bed when we were made aware that someone had hacked into his site and made the untrue claims. He is still totally oblivious.

"We can assure people that he is completely fit and healthy and will be taking part in today's race."

The hacker had posted the story on www.jensonbutton.com and his representatives were made aware just after 2330BST. They later posted an explanation of what had happened, adding to Button's fans: "We can only apologise for any alarm this may have caused."

Button, 31, and his team are in Hungary ahead of Sunday's Grand Prix where he will start third on the grid.

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Why do social networks want your real name?

28 July 2011 Last updated at 07:26 GMT By Alex Hudson BBC News Many people are loath to reveal their identity Google+ took only 24 days to reach 20 million users but their decision to delete accounts without real names attached has caused anger. So why do social networks insist on your real name?

Many people choose to conceal or alter their identity online.

Visit many forums and you'll see the likes of "Jboy72" and "NYgirl" outnumbering those giving their real names. But it's something social networks really don't like.

Over the past few days, Google has enforced its policy for requiring a real name on its new social network Google+ by suspending accounts.

The affected users were not happy at all. Blogger GrrlScientist, who prefers her real-life identity to remain private, thinks the decision to delete her account was "gormless".

"I've established an identity and a personality and an online and off-line world using this name," she says. "I look at it as the best part of myself so I'm not going to give it up now."

So why do the social networks want your real identity?

Many social networks require a full name before you can use their services

Google says it is addressing those with genuine complaints, but it maintains that to use the network effectively, users should be able to search for a friend or a family member as quickly and as easily as possible. And that, they say, means demanding real names.

Indeed, the guidelines are very similar to other social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn.

"By providing your common name, you will be assisting all people you know in finding and creating a connection with the right person online," a Google spokesman says.

Insisting on real names is supposed to combat spam. MySpace struggled with it in the past and Twitter "spambots" crop up from time to time.

And some see being made to use your real name as the antidote to the unpleasantness that happens on forums.

The theory goes that when people are using their real names online, they are more likely to act responsibly and engage honestly with the community.

"There is an issue of trolls," says Benjamin Cohen, Channel 4 News' technology correspondent.

Continue reading the main story Facebook users must agree to provide their real names and giving any false personal information allows Facebook to stop providing all or part of the siteGoogle says: "To help fight spam and prevent fake profiles, use the name your friends, family or co-workers usually call you. For example, if your full legal name is Charles Jones Jr but you normally use Chuck Jones or Junior Jones, either of those would be acceptable.""The authentication is important - it's a big problem on the internet and social networks make it more unlikely for someone to be pretending to be someone else."

And certainly things can get heated when the mask of anonymity is granted to users. Messageboard community 4Chan has received significant attention for its posts, often featuring adult content, which offer absolute anonymity, though founder Chris Poole still believes that this is vital to allow honest opinions and is responsible for much of the popularity of the site.

But choosing to use a pseudonym is not just about examples like GrrlScientist.

Some users choose to hide their identity to avoid being found by people they would not like to be contacted by. Others live in countries where identification could have serious implications for those who have expressed political views or associated themselves with others who have.

Many users in China, where access to Google+ itself is difficult because of restrictions by Chinese authorities on some websites, have called on Google to change its mind.

Twitter user Newsinchina - known by the English name Richard Zhang - wrote in Chinese on Google+ before his profile was removed: "Please Google+, when you are deciding regulations, you must consider Chinese usage, especially from users in mainland China.

"Be sure to consider the user's actual situation. Please do not force them to use a real-name system. Otherwise, I think that Google will be violating its principle of 'don't be evil'."

Indeed, Google's motto of "Don't be evil" has featured in a number of posts, but some analysts think Google+ suspending accounts is more an oversight than anything else.

"They're still in Beta [test] mode and perhaps been too strict in enforcing the rules," says Robin Grant, managing director of social media agency We Are Social.

"They are most probably going to change it to allow human rights activists, for example, to hide their identity. They're not going to leave themselves open to that sort of criticism.

"It's not a fully fleshed out product and they made a mistake but I don't think it's sinister."

But there has been a muttering in the blogosphere that the real reason the social networks want real names is that it makes them more money. A real name is more lucrative for advertisers.

"The more Google knows about its audience, the better it can target adverts of interest and therefore make more money," says Nate Elliott, vice-president principal analyst at technology company Forrester Research.

"That said, it's very unlikely that people would focus on the first name or last name fields to target people."

"Of all the ways Google has to connect your profile with your other behaviour on Google, that's by far the least exact."

Others agree that it is not the name that is vital, but demographics and interests information that holds the real key to revenue.

"It's not really about being to sell someone's name but their intent - people's search and social behaviour," says Grant.

"It doesn't matter if you know their name or not, it matters that there's a link between what they say they do and what they actually do."

But whatever the reasons, there will be many who still press for the right to use a pseudonym.

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Attwood in bid to save blaze mill

30 July 2011 Last updated at 19:50 GMT The fire at Herdman's Mill re-ignited on Saturday morning Environment Minister Alex Attwood has vowed to help "save and protect" the listed Tyrone mill badly damaged in a fire on Saturday.

Fire crews battled for hours to contain the blaze which broke out at Herdman's Mill in Sion Mills in the early hours.

Fire crews were first alerted at about 0120 BST but the blaze later re-ignited and burned for several hours.

Mr Attwood said he would work to save the mill which featured in the BBC television series Restoration in 2003.

Last week, Ulster Bank appointed a receiver to the building.

The move ended more than 170 years of ownership for the Herdman family.

The former owners of the historic mill said they feared it may have been completely destroyed by the fire.

Forty fire officers were needed to deal with the blaze which was brought under control in the late afternoon.

Fire-fighters, who used two high-reach appliances while battling the blaze, are expected to remain at the scene until late on Saturday.

Mr Attwood said: "Our built heritage is a vital cog in our tourism industry and this fire greatly concerns me.

"The fire at the Mill damages a jewel in our built heritage... I have already raised my concern with my staff at the Environment Agency and other officials about the increase in fires at important at-risk buildings this year and we are urgently examining what needs to be done."

Senior fire officer Mark Deeney said: "It was a quite difficult fire to fight. Because of the previous fires, the building was very structurally unsound.

'Access problems'

"We have had a minor collapse at the rear of the building overnight because of the previous fire.

"You can also see the fire has spread into the roof area which provides us with problems for access."

It had been hoped to redevelop the 60-acre site which dominates the village.

Celia Ferguson, a member of the Herdman family and a trustee of the Sion Mills Buildings Preservation Trust, said she was "watching the most important industrial building in Ireland being destroyed by fire".

She said it was because of the "neglect of funders to do anything with the building".

She added: "It's a tragedy not just for Sion Mills, but for the whole northwest."

Strabane District Council chairman Brian McMahon said there was a "palpable sense of loss in the local community" at the devastation.

The Sinn Fein councillor, speaking from the scene, said: ""While the full extent of the damage will not become clear for a few days, this fire has undoubtedly delivered a setback in the efforts to redevelop the mill and the 60-acre site it stands on for the socio-economic benefit of the people of this area.

"However, this setback will hopefully reinforce everyone's determination to forge ahead."

Herdman's Mill, the last wet-spinning flax mill in Ireland, was opened during the potato famine.

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Libya taunts UK over rebel death

30 July 2011 Last updated at 10:57 GMT Abdel Fattah Younes had defected from the government in February Libya's government has taunted the UK over the death of rebel military commander General Abdel Fattah Younes.

It has been claimed the former Libyan government minister was shot by an Islamist militia linked to the rebels.

A Libyan government spokesman said the incident showed the UK government had made a mistake by recognising the rebel council as the sole authority in Libya.

He said it was "a nice slap to the face of the British" that the rebels were unable to protect their army chief.

On Saturday, the rebels' Oil Minister, Ali Tarhouni, told reporters in Benghazi that a leader of the Obaida Ibn Jarrah Brigade had provided information on the circumstances of Gen Younes's death.

But he did not provide a motive for the killing, which he said was still being investigated.

On Wednesday, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said the UK would recognise the Libyan National Transitional Council of the rebels as the "sole governmental authority", as it expelled Gaddafi-regime diplomats from the UK.

Gen Younes and two aides were killed by gunmen after being recalled from the front line of fighting.

Hundreds of mourners carried a coffin containing the general's body into Benghazi's main square on Friday.

Col Muammar Gaddafi's government in Tripoli said the killing was proof the rebels were not capable of ruling Libya.

'Nice slap to face'

Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said: "It is a nice slap to the face of the British that the council that they recognised could not protect its own commander of the army."

Speaking before Mr Tarhouni's comments, Mr Ibrahim suggested Gen Younes had been killed by al-Qaeda and repeated a claim that the group was the strongest force within the rebel movement, which is based in the east of the country.

"By this act, al-Qaeda wanted to mark out its presence and its influence in this region," he said.

"The other members of the (rebel) National Transitional Council knew about it but could not react because they are terrified of al-Qaeda."

Gen Younes - a former interior minister who had served at the heart of Col Gaddafi's regime since the 1969 coup - joined the rebels at the beginning of the Libyan uprising in February.

On Wednesday, the Libyan charge d'affaires in the UK was called to the Foreign Office to be told he and other diplomats must leave.

Instead the UK will ask the National Transitional Council to appoint a new diplomatic envoy.

It follows similar moves by the US and France. The UK had previously said it recognised "countries not governments".

Meanwhile, Nato said a "precision air strike" had disabled three Libyan state TV satellite transmission dishes.

Nato said the operation was intended to stop "inflammatory broadcasts" by Col Gaddafi's regime.

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Labour publishes media meetings

30 July 2011 Last updated at 10:13 GMT Ed Balls met Rebekah Brooks and Will Lewis (right) in February The Labour Party has published a list of the shadow cabinet's meetings with the media.

Ed Miliband had already published the list of his meetings with newspaper proprietors and editors since he became Labour Party leader in September 2010.

The new details come after documents released earlier this week disclosed meetings with cabinet ministers.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls met Rebekah Brooks and Will Lewis from News International in February.

He also met the former News of the World editor Colin Myler at the Labour Party Conference in Manchester last September and attended a News International reception at the conference.

Mr Balls met Mr Myler again in March and June and attended a News International reception as recently as 16 June.

The shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper attended that same reception and the one at the party conference.

She also met Mr Myler in September.

Shadow cabinet office minister and minister for the Olympics Tessa Jowell met Rupert Murdoch's daughter Elisabeth socially in London and Oxfordshire several times over Christmas 2010. Rebekah Brooks was also at two of these gatherings.

Summer party

Ms Jowell also attended Elisabeth Murdoch's summer party in Burford, Oxfordshire on 3 July 2011.

The Tories have already given full details of their meetings with the Murdochs and other media chiefs

The shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland Shaun Woodward also met Ms Brooks socially in Oxfordshire on Boxing Day and again, in France, in June.

Eleven of Mr Miliband's 32 meetings were with News International executives or editors.

It has previously been reported that the Prime Minister David Cameron had 26 separate meetings with executives from Mr Murdoch's companies since last May's election.

Mr Miliband had 15 meetings or social contacts with News International executives over the same period, while the Chancellor George Osborne had 16.

Mr Cameron has ordered all ministerial meetings with media proprietors, senior editors and executives to be published.

It comes amid fears politicians have become too close to the Murdoch empire.

Mr Cameron, Mr Miliband and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg published a list of their meetings earlier this month.

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Hamilton to start in second in Hungary

By Sarah Holt
BBC Sport at the Hungaroring Venue: HungaroringDate: 29-31 JulySunday 31 July: Grand Prix live: 1205-1525, BBC One/BBC Radio 5 live/online; F1 forum: 1525-1625, BBC Red Button/online; Highlights: 1900-2000, BBC Three/Red Button Highlights - Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel edged out Lewis Hamilton's McLaren to take his eighth pole position of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Red Bull broke a curfew on working overnight to overhaul Vettel's car and the changes helped him get back on top.

McLaren's Jenson Button lines up third ahead of Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who out-qualified Fernando Alonso for the first time in 2011.

Last year's winner in Hungary, Mark Webber, starts in sixth for Red Bull.

Hungary Grand Prix - Top three drivers

The main protagonists had been split by just half a second on Friday and it was another close battle in qualifying as Vettel edged out Hamilton by just 0.163 seconds.

"Any one of five drivers could have taken pole position," BBC F1 analyst Eddie Jordan said. "We were served up another titantic battle. Vettel has answered all the critics - he has unbelievable one-lap pace."

A decision by Red Bull on Friday to break with Vettel's car the six-hour overnight curfew, which was introduced by the sport's governing body this year to stop teams working round-the-clock on their cars, seemed to be the key to his improved performance.

The world champion praised his team's hard work, adding: "I felt much more comfortable in the car. I've got my confidence back."

Webber appeared to be getting the upper hand on Vettel after taking pole position at the last two races in Britain and Germany but the Australian was left baffled by his performance in Hungary.

"It's bizarre," said Webber, who was more than half a second adrift of Vettel. "There's no way I could do that lap time, no way. Yesterday it was nip and tuck but today there is a gap. We'll have to look at it."

It later emerged that the Australian's margin was explained by him forgetting to use the DRS overtaking aid at the start of the lap, cutting his pace on the straight.

Lewis Hamilton will start second in the Hungarian Grand Prix

Hamilton had difficulty tuning up for qualifying as a brake problem hampered his preparations in final practice.

After the team switched to a more responsive brake ahead of qualifying, the 2008 world champion unleashed a brilliant first lap in qualifying to set the benchmark.

During the first runs on super-soft tyres, Button, Vettel and Webber failed to close down Hamilton but Vettel found the pace to relegate Hamilton to second place by just 0.163secs in the final flurry of flying laps.

Hamilton looked downhearted after the session but said: "I'm happy we can get some really good points from here. Hopefully we can challenge Sebastian.

"I don't feel that I should have been on pole.

"It was a possibility and we were quick this weekend, and in Q1 we were very competitive and in Q2 but I knew it was going to be very, very close and if I'm honest I knew it was going to be difficult to be ahead of Sebastian.

"He showed serious form. My lap started out well but it didn't finish so well and that's what happens when you put the car on the edge."

Alonso was surprisingly upbeat despite being denied fourth place by his Ferrari team-mate.

"It's OK," said the Spaniard, who was 0.015secs slower than the Brazilian. "Maybe fifth is better than fourth as here it is quite a big difference (in grip) on the grid. Let's hope McLaren can put pressure on Sebastian in the first corner.

"We need to have consistent pace all through the race but it's still very open."

Nico Rosberg will start in seventh for Mercedes ahead Adrian Sutil's Force India and his Mercedes team-mate Michael Schumacher.

Sergio Perez made it through to the top-10 for the first time but did not set a fastest time after choosing to save a set of super-soft tyres for the race and will start in 10th. Force India's Paul di Resta lines up behind the Sauber.

Continue reading the main story

2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull)

2009 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)

2008 - Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren)

2007 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)

2006 - Jenson Button (Honda)

"I was quite happy with the car and maybe I could have been more adventurous," said Di Resta. "In terms of our long-run performance we should be quite optimistic."

A late run from Williams driver Pastor Maldonado had squeezed Sebastien Buemi's Toro Rosso out of the first phase of qualifying.

A hangover from the German GP means Buemi will now start in 23rd after receiving a five-place grid penalty as punishment for his collision with Nick Heidfeld's Renault.

"We could not aim for better than 16th but tomorrow with three sets of super-soft tyres I hope I can score points," said Buemi.

An intriguing internal team battle at Team Lotus ended with Heikki Kovalainen edging out Jarno Trulli. Despite being beaten for the ninth time by Kovalainen, Trulli was happier with his car after a new power steering system was fitted to the Lotus.

Qualifying position is deemed to be of even greater importance at the Hungaroring where it can be difficult to overtake.

But this year the moveable rear wing (DRS), Kers power-boost and tyre strategy are expected to help the drivers move through the field.

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Newspaper review

31 July 2011 Last updated at 06:06 GMT A look at the first editions of the UK papers

The Observer sees the murder of Libyan rebel General Abdel Fatah Younes by fellow rebels as evidence that efforts to topple Col Gaddafi are in disarray.

It says it raises doubts over the wisdom of the UK government's decision to recognise the rebel leadership.

The Mail on Sunday believes the assassination has "cast serious doubt over Britain's Libyan intervention".

Meanwhile, its Africa correspondent describes meeting the general after a "James Bond-style car scramble".

Policy mess

The Sunday Times agrees, saying: "The West's intervention, which was supposed to make things better, has created yet another foreign policy mess."

The paper finds it "difficult to be anything other than pessimistic about how this will end".

According to the Sunday Telegraph, the timing of the general's murder could not have been worse.

But it believes Nato should press on, while trying to foster political unity among the insurgents.

Modern marriage

Pictures of the wedding of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall appear on nearly all the front pages.

The Independent on Sunday talks of "a thoroughly modern marriage".

The Sunday Times calls it the "not so royal wedding" but says there was a throng of about 10,000 people on the streets of Edinburgh, more than three times the police estimate.

The Sunday Express and Mail on Sunday both come with 16-page souvenir pull-outs on the wedding.

Famine fears

The Independent on Sunday highlights "a terrible new front in Africa's deadly famine".

It says Kenya is on the brink of its own famine while the situation in Somalia deteriorates.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Mirror welcomes Thursday's Supreme Court ruling giving more than 1,000 former servicemen the right to seek compensation.

It comes more than 50 years after they were exposed to radiation during nuclear weapons tests by the UK in the South Pacific.

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MP sorry for Morgan hacking slur

29 July 2011 Last updated at 14:56 GMT By Victoria King Political reporter, BBC News Piers Morgan had vigorously denied Mrs Mensch's accusation Conservative MP Louise Mensch has apologised to former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan for accusing him of "boasting" about hacking phones.

She told the Commons select committee last week that Mr Morgan had been "very open about his personal use of phone hacking" in his memoir The Insider.

But she now says she made a mistake and had misread a newspaper report about the book.

Mr Morgan, who denied the accusation, thanked Mrs Mensch for her apology.

Mrs Mensch made her remarks during the Commons culture, media and sport committee hearing with News Corporation bosses Rupert and James Murdoch on 19 July.

This later developed into a row between the pair on Twitter after Mrs Mensch stood by her remarks but declined to repeat them outside Parliament, where comments have greater legal protection against libel proceedings.

'Outrage'

During the hearing the Corby MP - best known as the best-selling author Louise Bagshawe until she married Peter Mensch, manager of rock band Metallica, in June - asked why the committee not spoken to Mr Morgan about phone hacking.

She said: "As a former editor of the Daily Mirror, he said in his book The Insider recently that that 'little trick' of entering a 'standard four digit code' will allow 'anyone' to call a number and 'hear all your messages'.

"In that book, he boasted that using that 'little trick' enabled him to win scoop of the year on a story about [former England football manager] Sven-Goran Eriksson. That is a former editor of the Daily Mirror being very open about his personal use of phone hacking."

Louise Mensch said she had misread an article about Piers Morgan's book

A furious Mr Morgan, who now hosts his own programme on the US news channel CNN, called the claim "a complete outrage" and challenged her to provide evidence for it.

He also accused her of being "cowardly" by using parliamentary privilege to make it.

On 21 July, Sly Bailey, chief executive of Daily Mirror publisher Trinity Mirror, wrote to the committee demanding the MP correct her remarks.

"On two occasions Mrs Mensch made uncaveated statements purporting to be facts," she wrote. "On both occasions she made allegations that are wholly untrue."

Scoop

In a letter to committee chairman John Whittingdale on Friday, Mrs Mensch said she had "wrongly stated" that Mr Morgan had "been open about personally hacking phones".

"This was based on my misreading of an article in the Daily Telegraph... which covered Mr Morgan's description in his book of how to hack a phone and how he won the Scoop of the Year on the story of Sven-Goran Eriksson and [TV presenter] Ulrika Johnson.

"The Telegraph report covers the claim of a blogger that this story was acquired by phone hacking, and I misread that as Mr Morgan himself claiming this to be true.

"Therefore, I must apologise to Mr Morgan and the committee for this error about his book."

Mr Morgan later said on Twitter that he "graciously accepted" her apology.

Earlier on Friday, Mrs Mensch admitted it was "highly probable" she had taken drugs while working for record company EMI in the 1990s.

She said MPs were "entitled to a life before politics, including making mistakes".

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Drivers get organ donor 'nudge'

31 July 2011 Last updated at 00:53 GMT Less than a third of people are registered as organ donors Drivers will have to state whether they want to be an organ donor when they apply for a new or replacement licence.

The move has been put forward by the government's "nudge unit", which has been set up to encourage changes in behaviour through gentle persuasion.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency already asks if applicants want to be donors - but from Monday an online form will require that the answer is stated.

Ministers hope it will help improve organ donation rates.

Less than a third of people are signed up to be organ donors - despite research suggesting that nine in 10 would he happy to be one.

Debate

The situation has prompted much debate in recent years about how best to improve rates.

Some have called for presumed consent, where it is assumed an individual wishes to be a donor unless he or she has opted out by registering their objection.

Continue reading the main story It is an idea based on a book by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein which advocates influencing behaviour by altering the context or environment in which people choose. It differs from traditional approaches to changing lifestyles which tend to be more overt.Conventional measures might include steps such as bans, using tax to increase price or promotional campaigns.But nudge tends to be more subtle, perhaps involving the provision of information about social norms or changing the environment, such as installing fewer lifts in a building to encourage people to use the stairs more.As well as working on organ donation, the Cabinet Office "nudge unit" will be looking at tax self-assessment and stop smoking services.The government has so far rejected presumed consent and instead the Cabinet Office's behavioural insight team has suggested the driving licence idea as part of its "nudge" drive.

The DVLA's existing scheme is already responsible for about half of the 1m new donor registrations each year.

As well as becoming compulsory to answer the question, the section will be moved from the end to the start of the DVLA process, so when applicants from England, Wales and Scotland apply for new or replacement licences they will have to say whether they want to become an organ donor or not.

When a similar scheme was introduced in the US state of Illinois, donor registration jumped from 38% to 60%.

Public health minister Anne Milton said the move was aimed at encouraging people to discuss the issue more and make it easier for them to sign up.

"Being an organ donor is a truly selfless act and a life-saving gift to someone in need," she added.

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Man arrested over Moffett freed

30 July 2011 Last updated at 19:04 GMT Bobby Moffett's murder has been blamed on the UVF A 55-year-old man arrested on Saturday by detectives investigating the murder of Bobby Moffett has been released without charge.

Police said he was detained in the north Belfast area on Saturday morning.

Mr Moffett, a former loyalist prisoner, was shot dead by two masked gunmen on the Shankill Road in May last year.

The International Monitoring Commission said the killing was sanctioned by the UVF. A number of people have been arrested but no-one has been charged.

The leader of the UVF-linked Progressive Unionist Party, Dawn Purvis, resigned from the party in protest at the murder.

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Shale gas extraction policy call

31 July 2011 Last updated at 07:44 GMT By Caroline Rigby BBC News Up to ?70bn worth of shale gas reserves may lie in the rocks below south Wales, research suggests Shadow UK Energy Minister Huw Irranca-Davies has called for the UK government to devise a policy on shale gas.

Potential multi-million pound reserves lie under in south Wales but its claimed an extraction method called fracking causes pollution and could lead to earthquakes.

The Ogmore MP says the gas could help supply energy needs but must be handled safely.

The government says attempts to drill for it must be environmentally viable.

Mr Irranca-Davies Davies told BBC Wales Country Focus programme that he will continue to put pressure on UK Energy Minister, Charles Hendry over the issue.

It comes after research by exploration companies found a potential ?70bn of reserves in rocks deep under south Wales and numerous planning applications have been submitted for test drilling to be carried out.

Wind and renewables

Continue reading the main story

If shale gas, for example, can be part of our transition to a low carbon future and can provide cheap affordable gas, as it has done in the US, then great”

End Quote Huw Irranca-Davies Ogmore MP Fracking began in Blackpool this year but has been suspended while a review looks into any link with two recorded earthquakes.

Mr Irranca-Davies said the UK Government must embed shale gas in its wider energy policy.

"The reason is that if you look at anything else, whether it's nuclear, whether it's oil industry, whether it's wind and renewables or even tidal they all fit within a proper coherent policy structure.

"Whereas, with shale gas, we have the risk it will take us unawares."

However, he is not against shale gas exploitation altogether.

Health and safety

"A lot of people recognise that there may well be potential for shale gas. Particularly if you look at the decline in North Sea Gas and our increasing reliance on imported gas -- LNG and elsewhere, pipelines from Russia, pipelines from Norway -- this could have potential."

He added: "If shale gas, for example, can be part of our transition to a low carbon future and can provide cheap affordable gas, as it has done in the US, then great.

"But only if it is done safely, if there's no environmental impacts and the health and safety of individuals in the areas are looked after as well. Why doesn't the government look at this and decide how do it safety, if at all?"

"We'll keep on pushing for it because I don't want to rule out shale gas entirely -- although I know there are some people who would want to see it completely prohibited.

"But I don't agree with them because I think we need to assess both its potential and its risks properly."

The Department of Energy and Climate Change has said companies must go through a variety of checks, including gaining planning permission before any fracking takes place.

Earlier this month Vale of Glamorgan council leader, Gordon Kemp, called for national level guidance on shale gas extraction.

The Welsh Government has also said it would welcome working with UK ministers to set up a policy framework.

A spokesperson said it "would welcome the UK Government working with devolved administrations to put in place a policy framework for shale gas. But the case for a moratorium rests with Westminster."

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Broad hat-trick revives England

By Sam Sheringham
BBC Sport at Trent Bridge

Second Test, Trent Bridge (day two):

England 221 & 24-1 v India 288 - England trail by 43 runs

Broad's place in the team was in doubt heading into this series Stuart Broad took a sensational hat-trick to fire England back into contention in the second Test against India at Trent Bridge.

The tourists were in total control of the match, leading by 46 on 267-4, when Broad dismissed Yuvraj Singh for 62 to break his partnership of 128 with centurion Rahul Dravid.

Then in his next over Broad had Mahendra Dhoni caught in the slips, Harbhajan Singh trapped leg before wicket and Praveen Kumar clean bowled in successive balls to send the crowd at his home ground into delirium.

Broad was the 12th Englishman to take a hat-trick in Test cricket and the first since Ryan Sidebottom in Hamilton in 2008.

Dravid was caught soon afterwards for 116, before Broad removed Ishant Sharma to wrap up the India innings for 288.

That wicket gave Broad Test-best figures of 6-46 and completed an astonishing 16-ball spell of five wickets for no runs.

It was a breathless period of play, and all the more remarkable for the fact that Broad was once again the instigator of England's comeback - the Nottinghamshire all-rounder having struck a rapid 64 to rescue England from 124-8 to 221 all out in their first innings on Friday.

Continue reading the main story Phil Tufnell,
Former England spinner and BBC summariser

Absolutely riveting day's cricket. This series is getting better and better, a great effort by Stuart Broad really dragged England back into the match. It looked like India would bat us out of the game but England will be thinking if they bat well and get a lead of 250-260 they will have a great chance. I can't wait to come back tomorrow

India's collapse left England 11 overs at the end of the day and they finished up 24-1, 43 runs behind, after Alastair Cook was caught off a leading edge.

Up until Broad's dramatic intervention the day had been entirely India's, with Dravid and VVS Laxman scoring 69 in the first hour - 56 of those runs coming in boundaries.

Laxman advanced untroubled to his 54th Test fifty before the return of Tim Bresnan from the Pavilion End brought about his downfall. One away swinger beat the bat, but the following ball caught the outside edge and was snaffled by a jubilant Matt Prior.

Sachin Tendulkar received a standing ovation as he set out once more in search of his 100th international century. But the Little Master's poor run of form continued as he was caught in the slips off Broad for 16 before Suresh Raina glided a catch straight to Eoin Morgan at point.

With the seamers bowling well, England were on top, and they should have reduced India to 144-5 when Yuvraj - on four - was dropped by Kevin Pietersen in the gully.

The error proved costly as Yuvraj and Dravid batted India well beyond England's total, with Dravid reaching three figures for the second successive Test and the 34th time overall.

The duo scored at almost four runs per over but just when they seemed to be taking the game away from England, the second new ball provided the catalyst for Broad to unleash an unforgettable spell.

Continue reading the main story Malcolm Ashton,
Test Match Special scorer Broad is the 12th Englishman to take a Test hat-trick and the 39th in Test historyRyan Sidebottom was the last Englishman to achieve the feat - against New Zealand in Hamilton in 2008Broad was the final victim of the last Test hat-trick - Peter Siddle v England in Brisbane in November 2010England are first side to take a Test hat-trick against India

It started when a ball angled across Yuvraj drew an edge and the catch was taken by Prior.

With the baying crowd roaring him to the crease, Broad produced a quicker ball that Dhoni slashed to second slip and a straight one that trapped Harbhajan on his crease, although replays revealed the ball took an inside edge on his pads.

The hat-trick ball was superb, moving in off the seam and slamming into Kumar's middle stump.

England's reply got off to an inauspicious start when Cook was removed cheaply, but Strauss and Ian Bell survived a testing period at the end.

Bell was forced to bat at number three after Jonathan Trott suffered a shoulder injury in the field, although a scan revealed no bone damage and he will be assessed again on Sunday morning.

Listen to Jonathan Agnew and Geoff Boycott's review of the day's play on the TMS podcast.

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Falling goalposts kill boy, 12

30 July 2011 Last updated at 15:32 GMT Floral tributes left for Casey Breese on Saturday A 12-year-old boy has died after being hit by falling goalposts while playing football in Powys.

Dyfed-Powys Police said Casey Breese was playing with local boys in a recreation ground at Caersws on Friday.

A spokesman said the goalposts were being examined after the "sad death" of Casey and there were no suspicious circumstances.

He was pronounced dead after being flown to hospital in Shrewsbury.

A police spokesman said it is understood that a group of local boys were playing football on the recreation area when the goalposts fell to the ground.

"Sadly a local boy died from injuries sustained," said the spokesman.

He was later named by the force.

Casey was treated at the scene by ambulance staff before being taken by air ambulance to the Royal Shrewsbury hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.

Continue reading the main story

Our thoughts are with the family and his friends and it is a tragedy for the village”

End Quote Peter Harding Caersws FC chairman "The goalposts have been taken away by the police, who have also spoken with the other children and some adults who were in the area at the time," said the spokesman.

"The children present have been affected by the incident and a specially-trained officer will be speaking with their families, and if necessary, further support will be put in place."

'Sympathies'

A liaison officer is supporting the family. A tribute is expected to be paid on Monday.

Floral tributes and a football top were placed at the ground, while tributes were also left to Casey on Facebook and Twitter.

A football shirt left in tribute to Casey Breese on Saturday

One said he was "a star and will never be forgotten".

Det Insp Ian Andrews said the police were working in collaboration with the environmental health department at Powys Council.

"Our condolences go to the family who have suffered this terrible loss and we would ask that the media respect their privacy," said Det Insp Andrews.

"In addition, we would ask any member of the public who witnessed the incident to come forward as their information may help the investigation."

The coroner has been informed.

The incident happened in a recreation ground, also home to the village's football club.

Caersws FC's pre-season friendly with Carmarthen Town, due to be played on Saturday afternoon, was called off as a mark of respect.

Caersws FC chairman Peter Harding said: "Our thoughts are with the family and his friends and it is a tragedy for the village.

The boy was flown to hospital in Shrewsbury but was pronounced dead

"We are helping the police with the investigation. It has knocked us for six."

Vice chairman of Carmarthen Robert Lloyd told BBC Wales: "We had a request late yesterday following the tragedy at the ground, to call the game off.

"Naturally we agreed and our condolences and sympathies go to everyone involved."

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) spokesman said: "HSE is aware of this incident and is following up with police and local authority officials."

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