| Prisoners 'should work 40 hours' Prisoners in England and Wales should work a 40-hour week, Justice Secretary Ken Clarke says in his Tory conference speech. bbc.co.uk |
Sir Philip Green: civil servants run up £1billion bill on Whitehall 'charge cards' Civil servants ran up a £1billion bill on Whitehall 'charge cards' without any central monitoring of how the money was being spent, a report from businessman Sir Philip Green has found. telegraph.co.uk |
Briton kidnapped in Somalia 'in good spirits' Save the Children contractor abducted by masked gunmen on Thursday is 'well', charity saysA British security consultant abducted by masked gunmen in Somalia is "well" and "in good spirits", Save the Children said today.The contractor, a British national born in Zimbabwe, was taken from a guesthouse compound in Adado, a small town close to the border with Ethiopia, on Thursday night.Anna Ford, Save the Children's spokeswoman in Nairobi, said: "We can confirm that he is well. He is being looked after and is in good spirits. We are still extremely concerned about him and call upon whoever is holding him to release him."A Somali national who was also taken from the compound was released unharmed hours later. The two men were working with Save the Children while the agency carried out a feasibility assessment into setting up a programme to help sick and malnourished children and their families in the area.Tensions are running high in the lawless region, where armed forces include pirate gangs and factions of militias allied to the government. Kidnapping for ransom is not uncommon in the area, though hostages are usually released unharmed.The Horn of Africa country has been beset by famine and years of fighting between rival warlords leading to thousands of deaths. It has had no functioning central government for nearly 20 years. But the western part of the country had been considered one of its safer areas.SomaliaCharitiesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Lloyds shareholders hold meeting Lloyds Banking Group shareholders who lost money after the former Lloyds TSB bought Halifax Bank of Scotland have held a protest meeting. bbc.co.uk |
Tony Blair's sister-in-law converts to Islam Iran trip prompted journalist Lauren Booth to become a Muslim and wear a hijabTony Blair's sister-in-law has converted to Islam after having what she describes as a "holy experience" during a visit to Iran.Journalist and broadcaster Lauren Booth, 43 – Cherie Blair's sister – now wears a hijab whenever she leaves her home, prays five times a day and visits her local mosque whenever she can.She decided to become a Muslim six weeks ago after visiting the shrine of Fatima al-Masumeh in the city of Qom."It was a Tuesday evening and I sat down and felt this shot of spiritual morphine, just absolute bliss and joy," she said in an interview today.When she returned to Britain, she decided to convert immediately.Booth – who works for Press TV, the English-language Iranian news channel – has stopped eating pork and reads the Qur'an every day. She is currently on page 60.Booth has stopped drinking alcohol and says she has not wanted to drink since converting.Before her spiritual awakening in Iran, she had been "sympathetic" to Islam and has spent considerable time working in Palestine, she said, adding that she hoped her conversion would help Blair change his presumptions about Islam.Tony BlairIslamReligionIranMiddle EastTelevision industryHelen Carterguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |