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Tuesday 28 August 2012

Three killed in Kenya's Mombasa riots after cleric shot dead


A man accused of allegedly instigating street riots is detained by Kenyan policemen in the coastal city of Mombasa, August 28, 2012. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola
MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - Two Kenyan police officers and a civilian were killed when rioters hurled a grenade at officers in the port city of Mombasa on Tuesday after two days of violence over the killing of a radical Muslim cleric.

Mobs of youths had fired at police with machineguns just before throwing the grenade into a police truck, Benedict Kigen, a senior police intelligence officer said.

Policemen attempt to extinguish a fire lit by demonstrators during protests by youths in the coastal town of Mombasa August 28, 2012. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola The riots broke out on Monday after Aboud Rogo, accused by the United States of helping al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants in Somalia, was shot dead. Gunmen sprayed Rogo's car with bullets in an attack many Muslims in Mombasa blamed on the police, who denied involvement.
A man accused of allegedly instigating street riots is detained by Kenyan policemen in the coastal city of Mombasa, August 28, 2012. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola Police said at least 16 police officers were wounded in the grenade attack in Kisauni, a predominantly Muslim area, where youths set two churches on fire and barricaded roads with burning tyres as the riots spread to the outskirts of Kenya's second-biggest city, a tourist hub and major Indian Ocean port.

"These are pure criminals, and now terrorists are infiltrating within to launch grenades at us. They are looting even chicken," Kigen told Reuters.
Policemen charge at rioting youths during protests by youths in the Kenyan coastal town of Mombasa August 28, 2012. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola The city's main streets, usually thronged with shoppers and foreign tourists, were deserted and some shops were shuttered. Shopkeepers reported looting in some areas of the city and police said rioters had looted and set fire to a bank.

"People are breaking into our shops and looting our property and police are doing nothing," said Francis Mutua, 33, a kiosk owner who said he and his colleagues had beaten up an offender.
Shopkeeper Kassim Ali also complained about police as they cleared a smouldering roadblock nearby. "These people, the police, are joking. They are taking this thing lightly, but the way I see it, it will not be good," he said.

One person was killed in riots on Monday when protesters set fire to several churches, stoking fears that the unrest may become more sectarian in a city where grenade attacks blamed on Somali militants and their sympathisers have already strained Muslim-Christian relations. Mombasa has a big Muslim minority.
Police and Muslim leaders had described the church burnings as impulsive, not premeditated. On Tuesday the gangs of youths appeared to focus their anger more on the police.

Church leaders scrapped plans for a peaceful march on Tuesday for fear it might incite further clashes in a country where overall relations between Muslims and Christians have been relatively good.
"We have been asking how we will defend ourselves. We are wondering how the killing of Rogo was related to churches and Christians. Muslims are now against the Christians and that is what we need to concentrate on," said Bishop Lawrence Dena.

Sheikh Mfaume Bakari Mfaume, representing Muslim clerics at a meeting called by Muslim and Christian clerics to end the violence said: "Muslims did not plan these attacks. These were rogue youths, and the fact that they might be Muslims doesn't drag the entire Muslim fraternity in this."

RADICAL PREACHER
Washington and Nairobi had both accused Rogo of helping al Shabaab, Somalia's Islamist rebel group.
The al Qaeda-linked militant group urged Kenyan Muslims on Tuesday to protect their religion at all costs and boycott next year's presidential election. It condemned what it called a "witch-hunt" against Muslims by the Kenyan authorities.

"Muslims must take the matter into their own hands, stand united against the Kuffar (non-believers) and take all necessary measures to protect their religion, their honour, their property and their lives from the enemies of Islam," al Shabaab said in a statement posted on the social media site Twitter.

The violence could worsen if it taps into long-standing local grievances over land ownership and unemployment, as well as calls by the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) for the coastal strip to secede. The MRC said it was not involved in the unrest.

Prolonged trouble in Mombasa would hit Kenya's vital tourism industry, already damaged by the kidnappings of Western women tourists from beach resorts by Somali gunmen, at the height of the tourist season.
"Right now we have closed all our tourists in the hotels. We can't take them on safaris, we can't take them on tours of cultural sights ... because it is unsafe," said Titus Kangangi, owner of the Platinum hotel just north of Mombasa.

Mohammed Hersi, who runs the Whitesands Hotel, the largest resort on the coast, said tourists were worried. "It's tricky to even take them or pick them from the airport because the main highway from the airport is the epicentre of the chaos."

The unrest could also knock trade and transport to Kenya's landlocked neighbours. Rwanda and Uganda rely on Mombasa port for imports of food, consumer goods and fuel.
(Additional reporting by Richard Lough; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Louise Ireland)

G4S confirms £50m hit on Olympics

Olympic Contract Fiasco Costs G4S £50m


G4S security (PA)
Security provider G4S (Other OTC: GFSZF.PK - news) says the security fiasco surrounding its Olympic contract has cost it £50m, but said it expected to "over-deliver" staff for the Paralympic Games.

The company reported a 59% fall in pre-tax profit to £61m in the six months to the end of June 2012 - down from £151m over the same period last year.
G4S faced intense criticism after it failed to meet its £284m contract to provide 10,400 staff for London 2012.

Thousands of military personnel had to be called in - including Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force staff - after the company only managed to deliver 83% of its contracted shifts.
But the amount of troops and police officers on duty is due to scaled back for the Paralympic Games - which begin tomorrow - after organisers confirmed that G4S will provide the majority of security for the venues.
Locog chief executive Paul Deighton said he was "fully confident" the private firm would deliver enough staff.
"The military contingent this time will be 3,500 soldiers, with 1,000 in reserve and typically G4S will be between four and 5,000," he said.

"In very simple terms, we're switching from an approach which had a slight majority of military during the Games to one which will have a slight majority of private sector security for the Paralympics."
G4S was also confident looking ahead to the Paralympics, saying it expected to "over-deliver" staff.
The £50m it has set aside as a loss on the Olympic contract is an estimate, and takes into account the cost of military and police deployment and contractual penalties, the company said.
It has begun an internal review into the contract failure, with the findings due to be made public towards the end of September.

Chief executive Nick Buckles said: "We are deeply disappointed that we had significant issues with the London 2012 Olympics contract and are very grateful to the military and the police for their support in helping us to deliver a safe and secure games."
The company, which employs more than 650,000 people, also said restructuring will result in the reduction of 1,100 jobs - fewer than 100 of which will be in the UK.
Some investors had feared the Olympic contract problems would hurt the group's prospects for Government work looking ahead.

Mr Buckles confirmed the costs involved in sorting out the debacle meant the company withdrew from bidding for a Department for Work and Pensions contract worth £20m a year.
But he added no contracts had been lost as a result of the Olympic deal and insisted the company would continue to play a "major role" in the public sector.
G4S' share price fell 2% to 260p after the results were announced.

Monday 27 August 2012

The cheapest places in the UK and world for petrol


The bank holiday is an opportunity for people to head out of (or into) town and visit friends, relatives – or even jet overseas for a short break.

But those driving in the UK will not just encounter a change of scenery, but a large difference in the cost of filling up the car.

Figures from Santander show there’s a 16.2p a litre difference in the petrol prices paid by Brits in different parts of the country, meaning filling up could cost you £10 more (or less) depending on where you go.

Where’s cheapest then?


Looking at credit card data, Santander compared the prices paid for unleaded at petrol stations across the country - the cheapest region to fill up in was Grampian in Scotland with an average petrol price of 129.7 pence a litre.

Outside of Scotland, Denbighshire in Wales has the cheapest price per litre of 130.9p.

Regionally, north-west England was cheapest at an average of 131.9 pence per litre of premium unleaded fuel.

Where to avoid

As well as the cheapest place to fill up in Britain, Scotland is also home to the most expensive – with a litre of unleaded the Shetland Islands costing 145.9p on average, more than anywhere else.

After the Shetland Islands, Humberside was the next costliest place to fill up, where petrol costs 137.9p a litre. That high price helped push Yorkshire and Humberside to the top of the most expensive region table.

Average petrol costs by region
Region Price
Yorkshire & Humberside
133.4 pence per litre
South West
133.2 pence per litre
Wales
133.1 pence per litre
West Midlands
133.0 pence per litre
Scotland
132.8 pence per litre
East Midlands
132.8 pence per litre
North East
132.5 pence per litre
London
132.3 pence per litre
East of England
132.3 pence per litre
South East
132.2 pence per litre
Northern Ireland
132.1 pence per litre
North West
131.9 pence per litre

Heading overseas

The savings available to people in different countries dwarf those available to people in different parts of the UK.

New research from car dealers Evans Halshaw shows Venezuela is the cheapest country to by petrol in for the second year running.

At just 8p a litre, the South American state has a bigger petrol smuggling trade than a drug smuggling one – especially given that residents of neighbouring nation Columbia pay more than 40 times as much for their fuel.

After Venezuela, Egypt (9p a litre), Saudi Arabia (10p a litre), Qatar (12p a litre) and Bahrain (15p a litre) are the cheapest countries to but petrol in.

By contrast, Norway was found to be the most expensive country to fill up in – with petrol costing an astonishing 1.64p a litre in the Scandinavian state.

Turkey (£1.62 a litre), the Netherlands (£1.48 a litre), Italy (£1.46 a litre) and Greece (£1.45 a litre) were the next most expensive.

The 10 cheapest countries to buy petrol

Mobile Phone operating systems:

A smartphone user (PA)

Mobile Phone operating systems: Which is the right one for me?

The big four smartphones have very different operating systems and features but which is best for you?

The four main operating systems

With a uniform black rectangular shape, touchscreen, smattering of buttons and a rear camera, you’d be forgiven for thinking that all phones are the same.

In fact, the majority of smartphones use four distinct operating systems (or OS for short): Apple (iOS), Google’s Android, RIM’s BlackBerry and Windows Phone.  Despite some common features -  like access to an app store and push mail - each OS has specific traits that will suit different users. Whether you are a beginner, business user, social networker, media consumer or simply price savvy, there is an operating system for you.

Beginner

Apple (iOS): If you’ve never used a smartphone before, pick up an iPhone and within minutes you’ll feel comfortable using it. Each screen consists of rows containing apps, shortcuts and features, which you can move around.  The slick transition animations between screens give a real sense of navigation - it’s immediately obvious whether you have gone forward or back in menus. Couple this with the single Home button and it’s impossible to get lost in iOS.

Windows Phone: Consisting of a homescreen and main menu, Microsoft's Windows Phone OS is a fantastic choice for beginners.  It features ‘tiles’ that cascade vertically down the homescreen, some of which update automatically. These tiles can be moved around, so you can have features you use most near the top. 

Business user
BlackBerry: Business users need secure and reliable email - particularly when travelling so for many big businesses RIM’s BlackBerry OS is first choice. BlackBerry email is deservedly renowned for its secure encryption, along with remote wipe and device locate capability.

Apple (iOS): BlackBerry is losing ground to iOS. The iPhone includes Exchange Support for setting up corporate email, but surpassses RIM with its superior browser, usability and app support.
                                    
Social networker

Android:  All operating system have Facebook and Twitter apps, but Android offers social networking widgets. Put the Facebook widget on your homesceen and your news feed will update automatically.
What separates Android from iOS, is its tighter integration with Twitter, Facebook and other services like Instagram, so you can quickly upload a photograph, share a URL or YouTube video. 
Android phones can easily synchronise contacts from online accounts, like Gmail and Facebook, into a single manageable list.

BlackBerry:
BlackBerry smartphones offer BlackBerry Messenger, or BBM for short. BBM enables BlackBerry owners to send instant messages to other users -  worldwide - using a pin number.  Many BlackBerry tariffs include unlimited BBM use, making it a cheap way to stay in touch.
BBM only works between BlackBerry phones, though with support for other IM services like WhatsApp and Google Talk and a QWERTY keyboard, BlackBerry phones have the messaging edge.

Media consumer


Apple (iOS):
  The crown jewel of iOS is the Apple App Store, which offers the biggest selection of apps and games - over 650,000 -  many of which are free and exclusive to iOS.
iTunes is also packed with movies, TV series and music, which are downloadable directly to your phone. iTunes in the Cloud even lets you share media between iPhone and iPad automatically.

Android: The Google Play Store offers over 500,000 apps, movies and books, with music downloads on the way. The store is rapidly growing, but lacks the choice of Apple’s store and it’s not as user friendly.
Unlike iOS, there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of handsets that run Android, all with different screen sizes and processors, so the user experience varies tremendously. Some games, movies and services will therefore only run smoothly on high-end phones.

Price savvy

Android: Android is an open operating system, so any manufacturer can create handsets that run it and consequently it has more phones than any OS. With prices starting from £50, there is an Android phone to match any budget. Cheaper phones like the ZTE Kis (£50) and Huawei G300 (£99) have a slower processor and smaller screen than the Samsung Galaxy S3 (£499), but the overall feel is similar, with a web browser, widgets and access to Google Play Store apps like Angry Birds.

Windows Phone: If you want to save money but want a simple operating system, opt for Windows Phone. Microsoft is really pushing Windows Phone so there are some real bargains like the Nokia Lumia 710, which is currently £99 on pay as you go - amazing value for a 1.4GHz processor (the same speed as Android phones double the price) and 3.7-inch screen.

So whether you’re a novice, workaholic, social network addict, movie buff or simply a price-conscious buyer, there’s an operating system and a phone out there just for you.

Sunday 26 August 2012

Worst day for accidents approaches


Around 40 per cent more accidents than average were recorded on September 1 last yearMotorists are being urged to drive with care on what has been identified as the worst day of the year for road accidents.
Around 40% more accidents than average were recorded on September 1 last year as swathes of motorists returned from holidays.
And in the previous two years, the rate was 30% higher than the summer holiday average.

The fact that September 1 falls on a Saturday this year means the number of crashes is likely to be higher still, say experts.
Sarah Vaughan, motor director at AXA insurance which published the study, said: "Every year we see a surge of accidents at this time of year as people head back after the August bank holiday, or return home after their summer holidays.
"Generally speaking we tend to see lots of accidents on our roads over the few days following the Bank Holiday Monday.

"However, we are particularly concerned this year that the 'bogey' date of 1 September also falls on a Saturday which is traditionally a big switchover day for holidaymakers.
"We would urge all motorists to take special care driving home and plan their journey to eliminate the stresses that often cause needless accidents."
She added that drivers could reduce the risk of a collision by leaving plenty of time for journeys, taking breaks on long trips and checking traffic information to avoid congested routes.

Security crackdown on train passengers

Passengers queueing at a London train station (PA file photo)

Train Passengers Face Airport-Style Security

The Government wants to security scan at least a quarter of all train passengers for explosives, knives and guns to protect railways and the London Underground from terrorists.
The Home Office has published details of what it wants the scanners to detect and how they should work, and is asking for advice on the technology available.

"The main focus is on the detection of explosives and weapons on people and in bags," the research brief states, suggesting that technologies including X-ray, magnetometry, vapour and trace methods, electromagnetic radiation and ultrasound could be used.
The researchers also want to know whether wheelchairs, false limbs, crutches, pushchairs, and bikes could be scanned and whether so-called dirty bombs could be spotted.

Crucially, the document insists the scanning must be done without holding anyone up.
"Any screening methodologies proposed must not delay the passengers any more than they are currently as they pass through the station," it states.
The scale of the challenge is highlighted by official figures which show almost four times as many rail passengers arrive in central London in the morning rush-hour period as pass through the security scanners at Heathrow and Gatwick airports all day.

The Department for Transport, which is also involved in the project, said it wants to balance "the need to protect passengers with the need to travel freely and easily on rail networks."
Aware of the limitations of existing scanning methods, the Home Office is asking for future technology to be assessed in addition to commercially available equipment.
It wants to know how many people might be able to go through each scanner when one in four is being actively scanned, and what the rates would be for hazard detection and false alarms.
But a leading detection company told Sky News the Government's wish-list is unlikely to be achieved in the foreseeable future.

Kromek , in County Durham, designs and builds cutting edge scanners including one that can that can differentiate between water and paint thinner held in a metal container.
Commercial director Nigel Day said even with predicted screening technology advances, the quickest security check inevitably involves some kind of delay.
"There would be too many people trying to move too quickly through a security checkpoint with various different items," he explained.

And he predicted that airport screening, which is the main focus of scanning technology development, is unlikely to be transferrable to the rail system.
"We've already seen the challenges in aviation security," he pointed out. "They're only going to be magnified in rail transport."