AV referendum: Huhne confronts Cameron

Row about David Cameron's endorsement of no campaign tactics in the referendum on the future of the voting system reached cabinet on Tuesday when Chris Huhne, the energy secretary, demanded to know if Cameron would disown the tactics.

However Mr Cameron refused to be drawn into a discussion and dismissed Mr Huhne’s behaviour as ‘inappropriate’ during an official government meeting. Sources described the moment as ‘a bit of a bust up.

Clegg isn’t, unlike Cable and Huhne, openly attacking the Tories. But he is doing so implicitly. This morning, for example, he declared that the Liberal Democrats were ‘the progressive party in this arrangement’. He also said that ‘real collective discipline’ was now no longer necessary — a license to his colleagues to keep sniping away at the Tories.

Both men replied that they were only responsible for the no campaign being run by the Conservative party. One source discounted claims that the chancellor countered that the issue was not appropriate for cabinet. They said the issue did not last that long. Tory sources were accused of leaking the row.

Browne said the party had moved "quite a long way backwards" towards the nasty party image during the AV campaign, and said such divisive action could leave the coalition looking "a bit different" after the referendum.

Earlier in day Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg admitted for the first time today he was ‘naïve’ to think the Alternative Vote referendum would not cause cracks in the Coalition government.

Some cabinet sources then claimed Huhne had not been supported by his Liberal Democrat colleagues in cabinet, but one senior Liberal Democrat said he merely said in private to their faces what he has been saying in the papers.

Cameron, for his part, concentrated his fire on John Humphrys’ questionable understanding of AV. When it came to the coalition, he was keen to suggest that it was business as usual in Whitehall: that what happens on the campaign trail, stays on the campaign trail. But Cameron’s boast that this remains a ‘cohesive and strong government’ does seem at odds with Clegg’s line that it is no longer imperative that there is ‘real collective discipline’ in the Cabinet.

Swinley forest rare birds at risk

(States Twitter)-Berkshire forest is part of a Special Protection Area (SPA) for three rare birds: the Woodlark, Nightjar and the Dartford Warbler.

Natural England conservation officer Des Sussex said: "The timing is dreadful because a lot of the birds are in the middle of the nesting season.

At Swinley Forest in Bracknell, Berkshire four fires have been raging since Monday evening. Roads in large areas of Bracknell have been closed and the fires are estimated to cover around 200 hectares.

Colin Dudley, vice-chairman of the Royal Berkshire Fire Authority and a Bracknell Forest borough councillor, said: "We are asking the public to please stay away. It's causing additional problems having to manage onlookers.

Samantha Dawes, conservation manager at the RSPB South East, said: "This is the breeding season for these rare and vulnerable birds, and both species will now be on their nests with eggs or chicks.

A spokesman for the Forestry Commission said the forests had been designed to have natural breaks in but further clearing was being carried out.

Wild fires have also broken out in the Scottish Highlands where 22 firefighters were battling a blaze near Shiel Bridge. A second fire was being fought at Torridon where a crew of nine have been working since Sunday to bring the flames under control.

In Northern Ireland fires have burned for much of the bank holiday weekend in Counties Down, Armagh and Tyrone as hundreds of acres of land have been scorched.

British police arrest five men near nuclear plant

LONDON — British police arrested five men under anti-terrorism legislation close to a nuclear plant, but said Tuesday the case appeared to be unconnected to the death of Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

Counter-terror detectives have raided a string of houses after five men were arrested close to the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria.

They were arrested under a provision of Britain’s terrorism laws that allows suspects to be questioned without charge, police said, and have now been handed over to the specialist North West Counter Terrorism Unit in Manchester.

The men were detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act after a stop check on a vehicle.

The five, all in their 20s and from London, were held overnight at a police station in Carlisle.

The investigation is being led by counter-terrorism officers in Manchester.

A police source said the men appeared to be "acting suspiciously near the perimeter of Sellafield" but refused to disclose further details.

Britain is on high alert because of fears of possible Al-Qaeda revenge attacks after US special forces killed bin Laden in a raid in Pakistan overnight Sunday.

But she did say that there is “no link at this stage” to the death of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, an event which prompted Islamic extremists to warn that Britain will be a target for retaliatory attacks. British authorities have told the public to be alert on public transportation and in other venues.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the investigation was in its early stages and no further information would be released yet.

The location and timing of the incident, which came hours after news broke that Osama bin Laden had been killed by US special forces, is likely to cause concern.

The closely-guarded site is one of few major employers in the region, providing some 10,000 jobs in the storage and reprocessing of nuclear waste.

Established in the 1940s, it once housed the world’s first commercial nuclear power station which operated from 1956 to 2003. It was the scene of Britain’s worst nuclear disaster in 1957 when the core of a reactor caught fire, releasing radioactive contamination.

One in five heads 'are bullied online

Mike Welsh is the head at Goddard Primary School and the outgoing president of the National Association of Head Teachers.

He has examples of social networking sites being used maliciously to abuse or denigrate teachers.

Delegates at the National Association of Head Teachers' conference in Brighton held over the weekend voted to hold their first national strike ballot almost unanimously - with one abstention and no votes against.

Nearly 75 per cent of respondents had received verbal abuse or threats from parents in the last five years, and 68 per cent said that parents' behaviour was worsening.

A Facebook spokesperson said: "These online discussions are a reflection of those happening offline.

"But while you can't report a conversation outside the school gates or easily stop a person sending abusive, anonymous emails, Facebook have worked hard to develop reporting mechanisms that enable people to report offensive content they are concerned about.

NAHT member Brian McNutt described the government's approach as "disaster politics" and said career averaging would have a very serious impact on the youngest head teachers - as much as double that on teachers.

Emotions run high when children are involved. School leaders often have to make difficult decisions about discipline, exclusions, holidays and the distribution of limited budgets. Many come under unacceptable pressure designed to effect undue influence on them. All are dedicated to doing what is best for the children in their care. Some pay a high personal cost for this dedication.

Spartan life for fugitive Osama bin Laden

American forces were led to Osama bin Laden by his most trusted courier, a Kuwaiti-born man named Sheikh Abu Ahmed.

The shadowy figure was identified after Al Qaeda commanders held at Guantanamo Bay admitted they knew him - and that he had connections to Bin Laden.

A handful of heavily armed loyal subordinates guarded the compound in the northern Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad.

Bin Laden's only contact with the outside world and the lieutenants running his organisation was through a man he trusted with his life.

It was not until 2004, when top Al Qaeda operative Hassan Ghul was captured in Iraq, that the CIA made any progress.

Ghul told the CIA that al-Kuwaiti was a courier and that he was close to Faraj al-Libi, who replaced Khalid Sheikh Mohammed as Al Qaeda's operational commander.

The bin Ladens occupied the top two levels of the $1 million mansion, while on the bottom floor were the men who would fight to the death for their leader.

Footage suggests a fairly spartan life. The yard consists of little more than dirt and vegetable allotments.

It was only later under conventional interrogation techniques that he admitted he knew him - though he still did not surrender a full name or where the courier could be found.

The CIA were now convinced that if they found Abu Ahmed they would find Bin Laden.

They flooded the field with agents, scouring Pakistan and Afghanistan for the merest whisper of Ahmed's whereabouts.

Locals in Abbottabad have described the compound as a "red zone area" of exceptionally high security, even though women and children could be heard chatting, playing and crying.

Neighbours referred to the men who entered and left the compound as simple, rural people as opposed to the urbane middle-class locals who call the military town home.

There was a real risk that Bin Laden would flee once again, thwarting U.S. attempts to capture or kill him

In the early hours of May 1, two dozen members of the Navy's elite SEAL Team Six went in.

Bin Laden was shot twice, once through the head. His daughter, 12, watched him die.

The squad left the compound with a trove of computers and files.

Three others also died - a woman who is said to have been used as a human shield and Ahmed's brother among them.

Ahmed himself, Bin Laden's closest lieutenant, who had finally given him away, was also killed.

Ever since September 11, the CIA knew about the existence of one particular courier who was close to him.

That it was al-Kuwaiti was confirmed first by al-Qaida's third in command, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and then by al-Qaida operative Hassan Ghul. Both were interrogated at Guantanamo Bay using controversial techniques such as waterboarding.

And we know that he had released videos and audios. We know that he was in contact with some senior al Qaeda officials,' Brennan added.

'So what we're trying to do now is to understand what he has been involved in over the past several years, exploit whatever information we were able to get at the compound and take that information and continue our efforts to destroy al Qaeda.

LONDON:Cameron reacts with caution

LONDON — It was the deepest part of the night here when U.S. President Barack Obama made his dramatic announcement.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron's office in Downing Street released an immediate statement, while their man woke up and got ready to face the nation. When he had got dressed he told the cameras: "This news will be welcomed right across our country." But he added a note of caution. "Of course, it does not mark the end of the threat we face from extremist terrorism. Indeed, we will have to be particularly vigilant in the weeks ahead.

British Prime Minster David Cameron also said the West would have to be "particularly vigilant" in the weeks ahead.

As he announced bin Laden's death, Obama said: "There's no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must and we will remain vigilant at home and abroad.

British Prime Minister David Cameron congratulated U.S. President Barack Obama for the success of the Navy Seal operation that killed the terrorist leader in the Pakistan city of Abbottabad. He described the death of bin Laden as a massive step forward in the fight against extremist terrorism.

"Of course, it does not mark the end of the threat we face from extremist terror. Indeed, we will have to be particularly vigilant in the weeks ahead," said Cameron. "But it is, I believe, a massive step forward.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said bin Laden's death was a "massive step forward" in the battle against global terrorism.

"The news that Osama bin Laden is dead will bring great relief to people across the world," he said in a statement.

"Osama bin Laden was responsible for the worst terrorist atrocities the world has seen — for 9/11 and for so many attacks, which have cost thousands of lives, many of them British.

Vowed not to shave until Osama Bin

When a middle school teacher vowed not to shave until Osama Bin Laden was caught following the terror attacks, he thought it would only be a matter of months.

So when Gary Weddle, 50, found out the Al Qaeda leader was dead last night, he was probably more happy than most.

The news of Osama Bin Laden’s death came as joyous news to Gary’s wife Donita not just because of the elation felt because they perceived justice had been done, but also because Gary (according to his wife) now looks ten years younger.

When the twin towers came down, I was horrified and I was glued to that television set for several days," Weddle said during an interview with KOMO News in June of 2003.

"And (I) realised that not only was I not taking showers I wasn't shaving

Unsurprisingly Mr Weddle's wife Donita was also rather relieved to be able to see a bit more of her husband's face.

He looks 10 years younger,' she said. 'It's a very happy moment for us. It's a very happy moment for the whole nation.'

The principal of the middle school where Gary teaches, Jill Palmquist paid tribute to Weddle’s vigilance over the ten year period saying “For 3,454 days, Mr. Weddle kept his word, faithful and true“.

“He endured ridicule, jokes and no doubt people telling him that his was a lost cause.”

Well you have to admire Gary’s dedication even if you do question the facts surrounding 9/11.

TripAdvisor poll ranks Stratford-Upon-Avon 6th in UK

TripAdvisor asked its users to state where in the world they had visited and whether they liked it or not.

The website received contributions from more than one million people in 2010 to form the Travellers Choice Awards.

The firm's Travellers' Choice Awards uses information based on millions of travellers' reviews of their favourite and most visited destinations as registered on the company's website and its Facebook page.

TripAdvisor spokesman Emma O’Boyle said: "These awards honour the world’s best destinations as decided by those judges that really matter - travellers themselves.

She said: "For Stratford to come in at number six and beat a lot of other famous and larger, obvious tourist destinations is a fantastic achievement.

Other Scottish destinations to make the UK list included Inverness in eighth place, St Andrews in ninth, Glasgow at number 11, while Oban came in at number 25.

"These awards are testament to Scotland's impressive beauty and welcoming culture, which have clearly impressed a great deal of visitors.