UK Age

The widow of bomb disposal hero Olaf Schmid has criticised the inquest into his death and accused ground forces chiefs of covering up the “true reasons” he died.

Christina Schmid, 35, told the News of the World she felt “betrayed” by the Ministry of Defence.

The soldier - known as Oz - died in Helmand province on October 31, 2009, defusing his third home-made bomb of the day just hours before he was due to Begin a fortnight’s holiday.

The staff sergeant was posthumously awarded the George Cross.

At an inquest into his death held in his home town of Truro, Cornwall, this week, coroner Emma Carlyon recorded a verdict of unlawful killing.

She added nothing could have prevented the 30-year-old’s “catastrophic injuries” sustained when the IED blast threw his body 150ft into the air.

But Mrs Schmid told the newspaper: “The inquest was futile and rushed. They didn’t seem to want to look into the true reason for his death.

“All they wanted to talk about was what happened to his body parts when I have always been more concerned about what was natural event in his encephalon leading up to that point.”

She added that a fainting fit the soldier had before his death was caused by exhaustion.

She said: “I feel betrayed - but I should have learned by now that the MoD is nothing more than an establishment which cover its back and does what’s easiest.”

Egypt’s military is taking down the makeshift tent used by contestant who camped out on Tahrir square in an endeavour to allow traffic and formula life to income tax return to central Cairo.

There were a few verbal fracas between soldier and contestant as the tents were removed, but the process was generally peaceful.

The military has called on contestant to return home, but some of the demonstrators are refusing to leave.

Protester Ashraf Ahmed said the military can tear down his tent, but he still wont leave “because so much still need to be done”. He added: “They haven’t implemented anything yet.”

Traffic also returned for the first time in more than two week to Tahrir, which was the epicentre of 18-days of protestation that toppled President Hosni Mubarak.

A man is due to appear in court charged with the execution of pregnant teen Nikitta Grender.

Carl Whant, 26, will also face a complaint of child destruction before jurist in Caerphilly.

Heavily pregnant Miss Grender was stabbed twice in her flat in Broadmead Park, Liswerry, Newport, South Wales, on Feb 5, before her flat was set on fire

Whant is the second first cousin of the victim’s swain Ryan Mayes, 18, who is the father of her baby, already named Kelsey-May.

Stacey Turner, the CPS’s territorial dominion Crown prosecutor for Gwent, said: “The Crown prosecution Service has been working closely alongside Gwent Police as the investigation into Nikitta Grender’s execution progressed.

“We can now confirm that, having carefully examined a file of evidence provided by Gwent Police, we have concluded that there is sufficient evidence to charge Carl Whant with the execution of Nikitta Grender and that it is in the public interest to do sol Accordingly, we have advised Gwent Police to complaint him.

“Offences relating to unborn children fall outside the scope of execution legislation. Therefore in regard of Nikitta Grender’s unborn child, we have also advised Gwent Police to charge Carl Whant with the offensive of child destruction under the Infant Life Act 1929.

“The suspect will appear at Caerphilly judge Court on Monday 14 Feb at 10am.”

Almost half of local authority head executives were paid more than £150,000 last year - more than the Prime Minister, according to research.

A study of 300 council in England and Cambria showed that wage ranged from £62,000 in West Somerset to almost £300,000 in the London borough of Wandsworth.

The highest paid female head executive last year was at Essex county Council, earning £237,000, said the report by income information services .

County council head executives in the South due east were the highest paid, with average profit of £204,000, compared with £159,000 in the South West, the study showed.

District council head executives in the South due east were also the highest paid, receiving an norm of £118,000, while the lowest figure was in the North West at £104,000.

Only one in five head executives was female, although wage rates were similar to men, said the IDS report.

Nasreen Rahman of ID said: “With nearly half of all local authority head executives earning more than the Prime Minister, clearly, in the current climate, town hall gaffer will be facing street fighter questions from council tax payers.

“For the first time, such . comp icon of local authority senior executive director wage is possible because of the new revealing regulation brought in last year, where local authorities have to give more salary information on their top paid officials.”

The study showed that 43% of local authority head executives were paid over £150,000 last year, more than the Prime Minister’s pay of £142,500, said IDS.

David Cameron has fought back against accusal that his vision of the Big Society is simply a “cover” for Government spending cuts.

The prime rector said that his enterprise to hand power to local communities and voluntary organization is intended to change the way GB is run.

He acknowledged, however, that at a time of disbursal restraint, it would benefit society if people were prepared to voluntary more.

“Building a stronger, bigger society is something we should endeavor and do whether disbursal is going up or down,” he said.

“But there is a broader point to be made. As the state spends less and does less - which would be natural event whichever party was in government - there would be a positive benefit if some parts of society were to measure forward and do more.”

His intercession came after doll Elisabeth Hoodless - who is standing down as executive managing director of Community Service Volunteers, United Kingdom biggest volunteering charity - warned that disbursal cut could obliterate the existing voluntary base.

Writing in The Observer, Mr Cameron insisted that curate are opening up one million million of pound of Government contracts so that charity and social enterprises can compete for the first time.

“The ordered series of this chance dwarf anything they’ve ever had before,” he said.

He acknowledged however that “while the opportunity lie in the future”, local councils are seeing their budget cut now.

In order to bridge the gap, he said that curate would next week be launching a transition fund to help charity bidding for those contract and a Big Society depository financial institution to provide some working capital for the successful applicants.

Colin John Rupert Firth was crowned the country’s lead thespian as The King’s address swept the board at the Orange Brits academy Film awarding .

The tale of stuttering crowned head King George VI scooped VII awarding on the night at the Royal opera House in London.

Speaking as he picked up the Leading thespian award for the second year running, he joked: “I like approach here, thank you Bafta.”

Referring to his part in the Abba-inspired mummy Mia!, John Rupert Firth thanked his family for “remaining so sweetheart whether they are dealing with . saltation queen or a sometime king”.

Speaking backstage, he joked he had “plenty of shelf space” for the awards he has South Korean South Korean South Korean won for the role as the king, and said he was looking forward to the Oscars where he is heavily tipped to win Best Actor.

He said: “There is immense excitement, there is no deficiency of exhilaration but it is very hard to talk about something that hasn’t happened.”

Asked about reports the film had been given royal approval by the Queen, he said: “It would mean an enormous amount if that were to be the case. Even if the person you were playing had a living daughter who wasn’t the Queen it would be important.”

He also paid tribute to his co-stars, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter, who won awarding for Best Supporting thespian and Best support actress respectively.

The picture show also picked up awarding for Best Film, master copy Music, Outstanding Brits picture and master copy screenplay for its writer, Saint David Seidler.

Natalie Portman won the Leading actress award for her part as a ballet professional dancer in Black Swan, while the event ended with a standing standing ovation for veteran actor sir St. Christopher Lee who accepted the Bafta family from Tim Burton.

Television channels will broadcast a logo for three s at the start and end of program which have been paid to characteristic products.

Ofcom launched the logo, which will also appear after advertising breaks, ahead of the introduction of merchandise placement on Feb 28.

Channels will also run information motion-picture show explaining the introduction of merchandise placement and what the logo means.

Product arrangement will be allowed in films, dramatic play and documentaries, telecasting series, soaps, amusement and athletics shows.

It will be banned in all children’s and word program and in UK-produced current affairs, consumer affairs and religious programmes.

UK legislation prohibition tobacco, alcohol, gambling, food or drinks that are high in fat, salt or sugar, medical specialty and baby milk being used in merchandise placement.

Ofcom has also prohibited the paid-for arrangement of ware and services that cannot be advertised on TV, such as weapons or escort agencies.

Shadow premier ED Balls has accused Saint David Cameron of pickings United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland back to the era of “nasty confrontation” which marked Margaret Thatcher’s years as prime minister.

Mr ball said that the Government is playing a “dangerous game” with its program of spending cuts, climb what he described as a “real assault” on public services.

His comments, in an interview with the BBC politics Show North West to be broadcast on Sunday, came after justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke warned that center England does not yet fully understand what is about to hit them.

Mr ball cited an open letter to The Times signed by more than ninety senior liberalist Democrat councillors, complaining that the Government is cutting too far, too fast, as evidence of the damage that is being done.

He said that the coalition’s top leadership - such as Mr Cameron, prime minister St. St. George Osborne and deputy prime parson Nick Clegg - are out of touching with the realities of life facing ordinary voters.

“I think Saint David Cameron is playing a really dangerous game here. People remember the 1980s - deep cuts, trouble in the streets and Margaret Thatcher spurring confrontation, blaming local councils,” he said.

“David Cameron is pickings us back to those days I think people up and down the country are expression ‘Look, we’ve moved beyond that, we don’t want that nasty confrontation’. I think he is making a really, really unwise selection here Increasingly I think people are looking at at David Cameron and St. George Osborne and nick Clegg and expression they are not in touch with the reality of our lives. information technology dangerous for them.”

In an interview with The daily Telegraph, Mr Clarke warned that the coalition is going to face “some political difficulty” as people Begin to hold just how hard they will be hit.

Mr Clarke, who was premier in the last conservative government, described the current economic situation as “calamitous” and warned that there will be no “quick rebound”.

“One reason we’re going to get some political trouble is that the public know we’ve got to do something about it, I don’t think center England has quite taken on board the scale of the problem,” he said.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Simon Hughes has said he had progress notice of a letter signed by his political party senior councillor attacking the Government over the pace of town hall cuts.

Mr Ted Hughes said he knew of the missive about a day before it was published but said it was “not in my gift” to deter them.

The senior military policeman accused some working class councils of politicising the cuts and laying worker off when they did not need to do so.

Eighty-eight local Lib Dem group leaders - including seventeen council leaders - signed an open missive to The Times last week warning that the way the cuts had been “front-loaded” by the Treasury would have an “undoubted impact” on public services.

Underlining the tensions within the coalition, they also bitterly attacked the Conservative Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles for his “gunboat diplomacy” plan of attack to dealing with councils.

Asked if he knew about the plan, Mr Hughes told BBC1’s politics Show: “I did, but only about a day before.” Pressed on whether he advised against it, he said: “I thought it would be helpful if they were middle of the roader and constructive in their language while expressing their strong feelings.”

He did not attempt to deter them. saying: “It was not in my gift, they had decided to do that. They are there elected by local people to represent their local authorities, that’s what they are there for. They wanted to make the point that they were going to base up for and fighting for their communities.”

He said party leader and deputy prime minister Nick horse fly was “fully aware of the strength of feeling” among Lib Dem councillors.

But he said there was a “huge difference” between the way the cuts were being handled by Lib Dem regime and Labour-run town halls.

“There is a huge difference between council that we run in spot like Sheffield which are having a small number of redundancies, spot like Portsmouth where they are gap services not shutting them, and spot like Manchester and Liverpool which are clearly politicising the cuts to make it sound worse and, bluntly, forcing people out of occupation when they needn’t do so.”

The star had to stratagem the rain on the red rug as they arrived for the Bafta motion-picture show awards.

Some of the biggest names in the business, including capital of Montana Bonham Carter, Samuel L Glenda Jackson and Danny Boyle, were at the Royal opera House in Greater London for the event.

Bonham Carter, who is nominated for Best support actress for her office as the Queen Mother in The King’s speech said she was not worrying too much about her rival for the prize.

She said: “I am happy to lose. They are very welcome to them.”

The narration of male monarch Saint George VI’s attempt to overcome his stutter is in the running for the most coveted prizes, including best motion-picture show and managing director as well as histrion for Colin Firth.

The motion picture XIV nomination follow letdown at the Golden Globes, where the royal drama, directed by Briton Tom Hooper, took only one - Firth South Korean won best histrion - of the seven awarding for which it was contending.

Bonham Howard Carter arrived in a restrained black Vivienne Westwood outfit after making headline at the Golden world when she turned up in mis-matched shoes.

She admitted she had behaved like “an ostrich” the day after the awards in Los Angeles because she was so embarrassed, and said she hoped the rumours the Queen approved of the film were true.

Host Jonathan Ross opened the ceremony with a string of gags, promising Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais would not get into the building and expression any young actor would have given their right arm for a office in 127 Hours.

He then welcomed sir Paul McCartney to the stage to the strains of Live and Let die to hand out the award for master copy Music, which went to Alexandre Desplat for his work on The King’s Speech.

« Older Entries

Newer Entries »