Gunman was stressed barrister
Mark Saunders, the gunman killed by police after firing from his Chelsea flat, was a barrister and Territorial Army reservist, licensed to keep guns. It seems to be a case of professional stress. A former colleague said: “Working with very wealthy clients in big money divorce cases is incredibly stressful”.
Lax security at UK airports
Airports routinely employ foreigners, even in high security areas, without making full criminal record checks on them, it was revealed yesterday. Although the government has warned of terrorists' desire to recruit airport workers, the vetting process only covers criminal records obtained in Britian. David Davis, the shadow home secretary, called... [continued]
100,000 Burmese feared dead
The US embassy in Rangoon has estimated that the death toll following Cyclone Nargis will rise above 100,000. Disease is now spreading through the delta area, and the arrival of emergency aid remains slow.
Junta compound the horror of the cyclone 
The Burma File: the latest from the country
In pictures: Burma devastated
McGovern drops Clinton
George McGovern, a longstanding Hillary Clinton supporter, has switched his allegiance to Barack Obama. The former Democratic presidential candidate said that it was time for the party to unite. If a
few more superdeleagtes make the same decision, the race will effectively be over, despite Clinton’s vow to fight until... [continued]
US Election 2008 latest
Alexander Cockburn: It's all but over for Hillary
Brown embarrassed by Alexander
Gordon Brown was forced into a highly unsubtle piece of question-dodging in the Commons yesterday, when asked whether he supported Wendy Alexander’s call for a Scottish referendum. Brown seems to be protecting the leader of the Labour Party in Scotland, though she has openly defied his authority.
The Mole on a PM under siege
Smith targets unruly youths
The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, will today announce plans for tougher policing of young troublemakers. She will praise a controversial scheme in Essex, in which police have checked on local offenders, even following them around and filming them. The idea, says Smith, is “to give them a taste of their... [continued]
Church attendance falling
New research shows that church attendance in Britain is falling faster than previously thought. By 2050 there will be more Muslims attending mosques than Christians attending churches, and there will be almost as many observant Hindus as Christians. Smaller denominations such as Methodists will be close to extinction.
Expansion for Carphone Warehouse
The Carphone Warehouse retail group is announcing a £1bn investment from US company Best Buy, making it one of Europe’s leading retailers, with the power to buy up rivals. The move will make the company’s founder, Charles Dunstone, one of Britain’s highest-profile entrepreneurs.
Bank fees to rise
Banks are planning to raise fees for current account customers, despite an ongoing investigation by the Office of Fair Trading that customers have been overcharged. Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds TSB are taregeting those who have signed up to packaged current accounts, which include extras such as travel and... [continued]
