Cardiff Hit And Run: Tributes To Dead Mother

Tributes have been paid to a mother-of-three who died in a series of hit and run crashes in Cardiff, which also left seven children injured.

The woman was named locally as 32-year-old mother Karina Menzies, who died after she was knocked down outside a fire station in the Welsh capital.

A 31-year-old man, arrested on suspicion of murder, remains in police custody for questioning in the wake of the collisions, which occurred at five different locations in the Ely and Leckwith areas.

A total of seven children and four adults were injured in the crashes.

Friends of Miss Menzies have expressed their grief on social networking sites.

Facebook user Katy Johanna Benson wrote: "Rest in piece (sic) Karina Menzies. Sleep tight beautiful angel and may the scum responsible for this senseless, evil murder be brought to justice. Cant (sic) imagine what her family are feeling."

The drama began when South Wales Police received calls about an accident on Crossways Road in Ely at 3.30pm on Friday.

One eyewitness reported a woman being dragged along underneath the vehicle suffering terrible injuries.

Police were called to five locations in Cardiff

There were soon reports of hit-and-run collisions in several locations in the west of the city, including Grand Avenue, Cowbridge Road West and the Leckwith Retail Park.

Ely sub-postmaster Shady Taha, 29, served two girls and a young woman moments before one of the hit-and-runs in Grand Avenue, immediately outside a row of shops.

He said the two girls, aged about 10, and a woman in her mid-20s had been browsing the birthday cards in the store before buying a jar of coffee and leaving.

"All of a sudden I heard a bang. I looked out and across the road one girl was on the floor and the other girl was screaming," he said.

"I heard a van speed off but I did not see it."

Other residents said pedestrians were deliberately targeted by someone driving a van.

Ramesh Patel, who runs RM Patel Convenience Stores on Cowbridge Road West, said: "I was in the shop working at the time so I didn't actually see anything but customers have said a white van purposely drove at people.

Police examine the scene of one of the crashes

"Obviously, when someone tries to run you down deliberately that is frightening, not pleasant at all.

"I was working here in the store so I didn't see that myself but that is what most people who have come in here have said. People seem very shocked."

Superintendent Julian Williams said the suspect was arrested while driving a white Iveco transit van and was taken to Cardiff Bay police station.

"Whether the actions were deliberate or reckless is a matter for the inquiry and the person will obviously be spoken to," he added.

The injured were taken to the city's University Hospital of Wales, where the A&E department was initially shut to anyone not involved in the crashes, but has since reopened.

Dr Grahame Shortland, medical director at the hospital, said those being treated mostly had fractures and head injuries.

Cardiff NHS had appealed for blood donors in the immediate aftermath.

South Wales Police is asking anyone with any information on the collisions to contact them on 01656 655555.

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Woman And Two Children Die In House Fire

Three people have died following a fire at a property in Prestatyn in North Wales, police say.

More follows...

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Perversion Files: Decades of Scout Abuse Revealed

Confidential papers showing US scout leaders covered up generations of alleged sexual abuse inflicted on their young members have been published.

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has released decades worth of so-called "perversion files", showing how a range of authorities - from police to church pastors - quietly allowed scoutmasters and others accused of molesting children to go free.

In many instances - more than a third, according to the Scouts' own count - police were not told about the reports of abuse. And even when they were, sometimes local law enforcement did nothing, seeking to protect the reputation of Scouting.

The Oregon Supreme Court ordered the papers, dating from 1959 to 1985 – and a handful from later years -to be released, despite objections played out in a lengthy legal battle from the Boy Scouts.

The boxes of newly released files containing allegations of sexual abuse

The 14,500 pages of confidential files, including handwritten notes, reveal details of alleged abuses by more than 1,200 scout leaders and other adults.

Officially called the Boy Scouts Ineligible Volunteer Files, some of the papers had been released previously, but others were made public for the first time.

In one case from the files, a distraught mother walked into a Louisiana sheriff's office in 1965 and said a 31-year-old scoutmaster had raped one of her sons and molested two others.

Six days later, the scoutmaster sat down in front of a microphone in the same station and confessed. He admitted to raping a 17-year-old boy on a camping trip and sexually molesting two other boys. The victims corroborated his confession.

"They just occurred," the scoutmaster said.

A boy scout statue outside the organisation's American HQ

Seven days later, the decision was made not to pursue charges against him.

The man "was asked to leave the parish, and if he was caught around or near any boy or youth organisation, he would be sent to state prison immediately", a Scouting executive wrote to national headquarters. "We are indeed sorry that Scouting was involved."

The files also show Scouting volunteers serving in the military overseas molesting American children living abroad and sometimes continuing to molest after returning to the States.

The lawyers who unveiled the files said BSA had not done enough to root out paedophiles using the youth movement to prey on minors.

"What these files represent is ... the pain and the anguish of thousands of scouts," said lawyer Paul Mones, while presenting details of the files at a press conference in the northwestern US city of Portland.

A Boy Scouts of America handbook

Mr Mones said the files "demonstrate the depth and breadth of the BSA's vast knowledge about the threats to scouts by scoutmasters and adult leaders who used their authority ... to sexually molest generations of boys".

The lawyers highlighted a 2010 court case, in which an assistant scoutmaster in a Mormon Church-sponsored troop sexually molested a boy in the 1980s.

The abuser involved had previously confessed to molesting 17 other boys in the troop, but was allowed to return to scouting within a few months and then found a new victim.

Responding to the release, BSA national leader Wayne Perry reiterated an apology to the victims.

He said: "There have been instances where people misused their positions ... to abuse children, and in certain cases, our response to these incidents and our efforts to protect youth were plainly insufficient, inappropriate or wrong.

The uniform worn by Boy Scouts of America

"Where those involved in Scouting failed to protect, or worse, inflicted harm on children, we extend our deepest and sincere apologies to victims and their families."

In a statement on its website, BSA also said it has improved its procedures to ensure safety, including now requiring background checks and formal training of its leaders.

But Mr Mones said the organisation, founded as part of the international Scouting Movement in 1910, has not done enough.

The BSA have "made some improvements, but we think there's more still to be done," said the lawyer, noting that on average each abuser typically molested between five and 25 scouts.

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Nick Griffin: Gay Couple Tweets Investigated

BNP leader Nick Griffin has apparently threatened a gay couple who challenged their right to stay at a bed and breakfast.

In a series of tweets, he said: "If anyone can give us the address of the 2 bullying 'gay' activists who've won case v Christian B&B owners, we'll hold demo for rights of home owners, gays included, to rent or not rent rooms to whomsoever they wish."

After apparently being given the addresses, he continued: "A British justice team will come up ... to give you a bit of justice."

On Thursday, Michael Black, 64, and John Morgan, 59, a gay couple from Cambridgeshire, discovered they had won a civil case against a Christian bed and breakfast owner who refused to let them stay in a double room, due to her religious beliefs.

Critics have already called for Mr Griffin to be prosecuted for incitement to violence. Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron, said: "Nick Griffin's tweets are disgusting and he should hang his head in shame."

In response, Labour MP Chris Bryant called Mr Griffin "an odious hypocrite".

Mr Griffin, who is also a Member of the European Parliament, has previously stated his wish to scrap the Race Relations Act, legislation he believes "tinkers with social engineering".

The BNP leader believes employers should have the right to refuse jobs to black people, gays and the disabled.

Speaking in 2010 the BNP leader said: "I don't believe it's the job of the state to waste vast amounts of taxpayers money interfering with the liberties of ordinary citizens, it's wrong.

"Anyone who discriminates is probably going to suffer a backlash, but it's their right to discriminate if they wish."

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MP Expenses: Attempt To Block New Rent Details

The House of Commons Speaker John Bercow is trying to block the publication of details of MPs' expenses which could show if they are renting their taxpayer-funded homes to each other, it has been reported.

Mr Bercow has written to the regulator urging it not to release documents revealing the identities of MPs' landlords for security reasons, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The newspaper said disclosure would expose the extent to which MPs are taking advantage of a "loophole" which allows them to rent properties to each other.

It said the concession meant MPs could still build up property nest eggs at the taxpayer's expense, despite moves to stamp out the practice following the expenses scandal.

However Mr Bercow was said to have written to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) warning that its plan to reveal the identities of MPs' landlords had given rise to "grave concerns" about security.

The Telegraph quoted the letter as saying: "The processing of the data ...could involve causing unwarranted damage and distress. I should be grateful if you and your colleagues would reconsider such a plan."

Labour MP John Mann said the attempt to prevent the publication of the details appeared to be  a "return to the bad old days".

"If MPs are renting from past or current MPs it is right and proper the public is able to know that," he told the paper.

"There is nothing wrong with that, and there is nothing wrong in it being out there in the open. I have no problem in MPs renting it (a flat) out but the public is entitled to know that."

A spokesman for Ipsa told the Telegraph: "We are committed to transparency as is shown by our regular publication of all claims by all MPs. We have a duty to balance that against the risk of compromising security.

"We are currently going through the process of gathering all the relevant information to get that judgment right."

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New York Bank Bomb Plot Foiled In FBI Sting

FBI Terror Stings Key To Security

Updated: 3:24am UK, Thursday 18 October 2012

By Hannah Thomas-Peter, New York Correspondent

The FBI sting operation against Quazi Mohammad Nafis reads like something out of a James Bond plot, but it is not uncommon for the federal police to trap suspected terrorists in this way.

Just eight months ago a man of Moroccan descent was arrested on his way to the US Capitol in Washington DC.
He thought he was going on a suicide attack and the undercover FBI agents assisting him were al Qaeda associates.

In November 2011, the NYPD carried out a similar sting on 27-year-old Jose Pimentel.

The police said he was an al Qaeda sympathiser inspired by the radical and now dead US-born cleric Anwar al Awlaki.

Pimentel thought he was wrapped up in a secret plot to bomb police and post office targets.

And in December 2010, a man from Baltimore was trapped in another fake scheme - this time to detonate a car bomb at a US armed forces recruitment centre in Maryland.

The FBI is constantly monitoring people of interest and people they believe to pose a real threat to the US.

Sting operations are always very carefully controlled, and in New York, usually also involve NYPD counter-terror specialists.

One of the reasons for using stings is that large amounts of evidence can be collected by the agents involved, allowing for a higher chance of successful prosecution if the case gets to trial.

In this city such operations are almost always overseen by what is known as the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, or JTTF.

The NY JTTF is an FBI-led umbrella group encompassing more than 50 different agencies and 500 investigators.

It is a busy place to work.

Since 9/11 there have been 15 foiled plots against New York, including ones targeting the Brooklyn Bridge and the New York Stock Exchange.

To combat the ongoing threat of an attack, and in part to make the public feel safe as they move around Manhattan, over 1,000 NYPD officers are assigned specifically to counter-terror duties every day.

Following the Nafis operation, NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said: "Al Qaeda operatives and those they have inspired have tried time and again to make New York City their killing field.

"After 11 years without a successful attack, it's understandable if the public becomes complacent, but that's a luxury law enforcement can't afford."

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England v Poland Game Called Off Due To Rain

England's World Cup qualifying match against Poland has been called off after torrential rain left the pitch unplayable.

The rescheduled game in Warsaw will be played at 4pm on Wednesday.

Kick-off had been delayed by 45 minutes to allow for two pitch inspections, but referee Gianluca Rocchi finally decided to postpone the match as the playing surface remained badly waterlogged.

Officials said the retractable roof on the National Stadium - a key venue for Euro 2012 - could not be closed because the wind and rain was too intense.

England manager Roy Hodgson expressed some doubt as to whether the pitch would be ready in time for the game to be played on Wednesday.

"I'm rather hoping there'll get it (the roof) closed now as quickly as possible and start to do some work on the pitch because at moment the pitch is in very poor condition," he said.

"It's going to need a lot of attention if it's going to be playable tomorrow afternoon."

He added that he was happy with the rescheduled time. "I think it was the only decision that could be made," he said.

England fans take down flags after the match is called off

"There're no other possibilities. You can't find dates at international level. The dates that are available are all taken up so you can't just suddenly decide we'll play it another time.

"What you have to do is to try to organise to get the game played as quickly as possible. We'll have to go back to the hotel. We're disappointed."

It was the first time an England match had been called off due to the weather since 1979.

The decision was greeted with jeers by fans who had packed the stadium - including around 2,000 England supporters.

It seemed obvious from the initial inspection, as the ball repeatedly got bogged down in massive puddles, there was no way the match could go ahead.

It is believed the England players had changed out of their kit and were ready to leave as long as half an hour before the official decision was announced.

The only real action was a pitch invasion by two fans, who skidded across the penalty areas.

They were pursued by security staff, whose comical splashing made it obvious what was to happen.

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Presidential Race: Stakes High In Second Debate

President Obama is coming head-to-head with his Republican rival Mitt Romney in the second of three live television debates as the two men battle it out in the US presidential race.

There is pressure on Mr Obama to make up lost ground after a lacklustre performance in the first debate, which saw his ratings slip and Mr Romney lead the polls for the first time in over a year.

Even Democrats acknowledged the President's poor showing, with Mr Obama himself calling his stance "too polite".

The second head-to-head, staged at Hofstra University in New York, is a town hall style forum where questions are expected on both foreign and domestic policy.

Some 80 uncommitted voters will be in the audience posing questions to the candidates.

The debate, watched by millions of television viewers, is part of the crucial final phase of the race for the White House, just three weeks before election day on November 6.

The final faceoff will be held next Monday in Florida.

:: Follow live updates on the second presidential debate from Sky's US correspondents

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House Fire: 'Lovely' Mother And Children Dead

Police say a doctor who lost his wife and four children in a suspected arson attack on their home in Essex "fought hard" to save them.

Four of the victims - Sabah Usmani and her sons Sohaib, 13, and Rayyan, six, and 11-year-old daughter Hira - died in the blaze in Barn Mead, Harlow, in the early hours of Monday.

A third son, nine-year-old Muneeb, was rescued with his three-year-old sister Maheen. Both were taken to the town's Princess Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition but Muneeb died later.

Maheen remains critical and has been transferred to a specialist burns unit at the Broomfield hospital, Chelmsford.

The children's father, Dr Abdul Shakoor, works at the Princess Alexandra Hospital where he is being treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation. His condition is described as stable.

Dr Shakoor apparently escaped the fire by jumping from a first-floor window and is said by police to have "fought hard to save his family in appalling conditions". He is not being treated as a suspect.

Dr Shakour and his wife Sabah Usmani

Police are working to establish a possible motive for the attack. There had been no previous problems with racism in the area, although there have been other arson attacks on cars nearby, officers said.

One possible line of inquiry is that the family were not the intended target of the attackers.

Witness reports suggest between one and four people were in the area at the time. Such sightings will form a key part of the investigation, police said.

Assistant Chief Constable Gary Beautridge said: "In the history of Essex Police, seldom has there been an incident of this gravity, in which five people, four of them children, have lost their lives.

"I would like to stress that the father of these children was in the property at the time and fought hard to save his family in appalling conditions."

Mr Beautridge said Dr Shakoor was "in severe shock". He added: "Our work with (him) to establish some of the facts of this case will, inevitably, take time because of the emotional trauma he has suffered."

A torched car was found close to the burning house

One neighbour told Sky News the doctor was in his dressing gown, screaming "get my family out" and had to be physically restrained from going inside the house.

Emergency services were called to Barn Mead at 1.48am. They found a burning car and an end-of-terrace house "engulfed" with flames coming out of the front and back doors.

Firefighters wearing breathing equipment battled "punishing" conditions inside before pulling out six people, Chief Fire Officer David Johnson, from Essex Fire and Rescue, told Sky News.

It is believed the fire started downstairs.                

Mr Johnson said: "The first crews that arrived were actually confronted initially by a car that was alight so thought they were dealing with a car fire, but almost immediately became aware that there was a very developed house fire almost adjacent to where the car fire was.

"It was a very, very, hot, intense fire."

Because of its ferocity detectives are investigating whether it was started with some kind of fuel. The house has been sealed off for forensic examination.

Police have cordoned off the scene

Although the blazing Ford car found nearby was not connected with the family, it is also being treated as arson. Mr Johnson said it was highly likely the two fires were related.

Originally from Karachi, Pakistan, Dr Shakoor and his wife lived in Saudi Arabia, where their children were born, before moving to Manchester and then Harlow.

Mrs Usmani was also a doctor, although she stayed at home and cared for the children.

Parvez Hamid, 43, and Safia Anwar, 38, have known the couple since they moved to Harlow in 2011.

Their children attended the nearby Abbotsweld Primary School with some of the Shakoor children.

Mrs Anwar said: "They were a wonderful family. The children were best friends with our own.

"We would seem them at mosque and at the school gates. They were just such a lovely family.

Officers are asking for anyone with information to contact them

"I last saw Sabah on Friday. She seemed normal with no worries at all.

"I heard what happened from a friend who lived nearby. It has come as such a shock to us all and it is still sinking in. We are absolutely devastated."

Mr Hamid said: "Their children were so well behaved and I was always envious that mine weren't the same.

"They were hardworking parents who will be missed. The Asian community is very tight knit in this area and we are all in shock."

Workers at the Princess Alexandra Hospital have told Sky News Dr Shakoor was a highly respected member of staff.

Chief Executive Melanie Walker said: "The hospital is deeply saddened by the tragic circumstances which have occurred."

Detective Superintendent Rob Vinson, who is leading the inquiry, said it was likely the fire was started deliberately and asked anyone with information to contact police.

He said the local community and Islamic groups could hold the answer, adding: "I fully appreciate the community will be devastated. Nobody expects such a catastrophic incident in their own neighbourhood."

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Jimmy Savile: Labour Demands New Abuse Probe

Labour has called for the Government to set up an independent inquiry into the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal to "do right by the victims".

On Monday, Culture Secretary Maria Miller dismissed demands for an independent inquiry, saying she was "confident" BBC chiefs were taking the claims "very seriously".

But Labour leader Ed Miliband said the BBC's internal investigations were not enough.

Speaking to ITV1's The Agenda, he said: "These are horrific allegations. In order to do right by the victims I don't think the BBC can lead their own inquiry.

"We need a broad look at all the public institutions involved - the BBC, parts of the NHS and Broadmoor. This has got to be independent."

The abuse is thought to have spanned six decades

Labour wants an independent inquiry to have the power to demand documentation and witnesses. It should look into Savile's activities at the BBC, Stoke Mandeville hospital and Broadmoor, the party said.

"I think we now have enough set of allegations and further allegations to know this is not some isolated set of incidents," Mr Miliband said.

"This seems to be a pattern of activity which spanned a number of institutions. As I say, I just think about the victims in this. This is absolutely horrific and will scar people for life. And I think for them, the BBC - good institution though it is - I don't think they can lead their own inquiry."

Prior to Labour's demand, Ms Miller told the Commons that the allegations had "wide-ranging implications for a number of public institutions" but rejected calls for an outside inquiry to restore the public's faith, warning it could hamper police investigations.

"In terms of a wider inquiry, we have a police investigation on-going at the moment," she said. "Everybody would agree that it is really important that those individuals who have been victims know that that investigation can go on unfettered and that that should be our priority at this stage."

New BBC boss George Entwistle has announced three internal investigations

She cited the three seperate internal investigations already launched by the BBC into the affair.

Commons culture committee chairman John Whittingdale said BBC director-general George Entwistle had offered to appear before the committee next week and said he was "sure" MPs would take him up on the offer.

Leeds North East MP Fabian Hamilton said his constituents, who turned out in their thousands to pay tribute to the broadcaster when he died, felt "betrayed and angry".

Police believe the DJ and television presenter's alleged catalogue of child sex abuse could have spanned six decades and included around 60 victims.

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