Bobby Frank Cherry is accused of planting dynamite outside the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, in one of the deadliest racial attacks of the civil rights era. 

It's been a long time, it's time this chapter comes to a close

Doug Jones, prosecutor

Mr Cherry, 72, was initially ruled mentally unfit to face trial, but a judge reversed the decision earlier this year after examiners said Mr Cherry was faking his condition. 

If convicted, the former Klansman faces life imprisonment. 

Witnesses

Prosecutor Doug Jones said the wait for justice was almost over. 

"It's been a long time. It's time this chapter comes to a close," he said. 

Mr Cherry feigned mental illness

Among those expected to testify are Mr Cherry's granddaughter, Teresa Stacy, and his ex-wife, Willadean Towns. 

Both have said Mr Cherry admitted his involvement in the attack. 

Mr Cherry's lawyer is expected to call other relatives who will say they have never heard the former Klansman confess any connection to the bombing. 

Mr Cherry was one of four men identified as suspects in the case by the FBI. 

Fellow Klansman Thomas Blanton, was convicted on 2 May, 2001, for his role in the attack and sentenced to life imprisonment. 

A third man, Robert Chambliss, was convicted of murder in 1977 and died in prison, while a fourth suspect died without being charged.

More than 100,000 workers from 85 firms were on Monday taking part in the pay dispute that started off in the industrial heartland of south west Germany. 

But a glimmer of hope was kindled on Monday evening, as negotiators from the giant IG Metall union and the engineering employers emerged from a meeting to say talks would resume on Wednesday. 

Devil in the detail

The talks will involve only the southwestern region of Baden-Wurttemberg, where the strike was started. 

"The goal ... is to come to an acceptable deal and end strikes," said regional employers' negotiator Otmar Zwiebelhofer in a statement. 

"It is understood that neither side will enter the talks with preconditions." 

Earlier, Martin Kannegiesser, head of the engineering employers' federation, displayed cautious optimism. 

"The devil would be at work if we couldn't find a model that is just about acceptable to both sides," he said. 

Even so, the employers are still insisting that they cannot increase their pay offer of 3.3%. 

And the union continues to back its contention that it wil not accept a deal below 4%. 

In the meantime, the federal elections due in September make the dispute a sticky one for Chancellor Gerhard Schroder. 

He risks seeing his modest record of economic reform - including a promise to reduce unemployment to 3.5 million has been quietly shelved as the jobless total has continued to rise - overshadowed by an old-style industrial dispute. 

It is Germany's biggest strike action in seven years, and the first major strike in Berlin since the Second World War. 

Redundancy warning

The IG Metall union, which represents 2.8 million engineering and electrical workers, is demanding a minimum pay rise of 4%. 

But employers warn of heavy job losses, especially in the economically depressed east of the country. 

Leading German economists have urged employers not to give in, saying that the country's industrial culture needs modernising. 

Carmakers DaimlerChrysler and Audi are among a wide range of companies being hit by a second week of action. 

Political implications

The strike is a bitter blow for Mr Schroeder ahead of national elections in September. 

The latest opinion polls show Mr Schroeder trailing behind his centre right rival, Edmund Stoiber. 

The German economy has suffered a sharp decline this year. 

At the weekend, Mr Schroeder promised to create a new super ministry of economics and labour if he was re-elected. 

Are you affected by the strikes? Are you taking part or in favour or do you oppose them? Use the form below to tell us your views and experiences

I lived in Germany until 1975, and in Berlin from 1970 until 1975. For most of the time I worked for companies whose workforce was represented by IG Metall. If I was still over there I would go on strike. There haven't been any decent pay rises for a long time. People who earn more also spent more. This could help with the recession. The fact that the companies in the East have problems isn't much of an argument. They have problems anyway - and had them for the past 10 years. More targeted government help and incentives are required. 
Dagmar Koeneking, England 

I lived in Munich for 5 and a half years and then supervised a German subsidiary near Stuttgart for a UK holding company. The problem with Germany is their extremely restrictive labour laws and their high social costs. The result of this is an increased unemployment rate and a decreasing available income after taxes. The headline grabbing tax rate reductions are not going to deliver anything as the tables have been adjusted to compensate! So the answer is back to the German government to take some tough decisions to prevent this cycle eventually leading to a deflationary spiral as seen in Japan. 
Alex McClarty, UK 

The unions should think themselves lucky to have jobs at all. Many of the car factories are already shifting production to the old East Germany where labour costs are lower. Have they learnt nothing from the UK car workers experience? How many of them are left? Stuttgart is the home of Porsche and Mercedes. I have noticed the traffic is a lot lighter than usual! 
Dave Farrell, Stuttgart, Germany 

What people don't understand about labour unions is that when they force their employers to pay them above market equilibrium wage, they are forced to make labour or other costly reductions in order to pay for them. Demand for higher wages is a really bad idea, especially when Germany is trying to get out of a recession and actually reduce unemployment. 
Alan Comer, USA 

It is believed to be the first time magistrates have passed such a sentence on a parent whose children are missing school. 

The woman was sentenced to three months imprisonment in Banbury, Oxfordshire, for not ensuring her two daughters regularly attended school. 

We had been working with the family for two years before we handed the case to the court

Oxfordshire education service

The two girls are being cared for by an older sister. 

It is understood the mother had previously broken two parenting orders imposed by the courts in an attempt to make her get her daughters to attend school regularly. 

The local council - Oxfordshire - said - it had been working with the family on truancy for two years and had no control over the sentence passed down by the court. 

Magistrates gained powers to pass such a sentence in November 2000, when the maximum penalty in cases like this was raised from £1,000 to £2,500. 

The government has recently made tackling truancy a high priority. 

Prime Minister Tony Blair has suggested the parents of children who repeatedly miss school could lose child benefit payments. 

Education Secretary Estelle Morris has called for police to be stationed in comprehensive schools in a bid to improve attendance and behaviour in England's worst street crime and truancy "hot spots". 

'Last resort'

Ministers have also urged local education authorities to make more use of their legal powers to cut truancy and indiscipline. 

In a statement, Oxfordshire's educational social work service said although parents had a legal responsibility to ensure their children attended school, they were prosecuted only as a last resort. 

"And this is only when all other measures - to encourage and support families have failed," the statement said. 

"In this case we had been working with the family for two years before we handed the case to the court." 

The statement added the service had no influence on the sentence handed down. 

By Alex Kirby  BBC News Online environment correspondent

Military orchid: Wild plants thrive on the unaltered meadows  (Image by The Wildlife Trusts)

They want changes in government policy to ensure more money goes to environmental protection. And they say farmers' own knowledge could help to save the land at risk. 

The groups are Plantlife, a charity which works to conserve plants in their natural habitats, and the Wildlife Trusts, the national body which co-ordinates the work of the 46 separate county trusts. 

They have produced a report, England's Green Unpleasant Land?, based on data compiled by the Trusts. These show that what are called "unimproved grasslands" - the unaltered meadows where wild plants thrive - "are disappearing rapidly from the English landscape". 

Could do better

The report says: "In many areas these losses have actually accelerated in recent years." 

One of the worst-affected counties is Worcestershire, where 75% of unimproved meadowland was lost or damaged between 1975 and 2000. 

Meadow clary (Salvia pratensis) has declined as a result of grassland losses (Image by Plantlife/Joe Sutton)

Species dependent on the grasslands, the report says, include marsh fritillary and chalkhill blue butterflies, and wild flowers like the meadow clary and the Deptford pink. 

All these, it says, are also declining. It praises government schemes designed to protect lowland grassland, especially the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and the Environmentally Sensitive Areas programme. 

But it says their "great potential" must be strengthened by further reform designed to prevent any more losses. 

Switching subsidies

The report says more farmers should be encouraged to join the schemes, and their skills and knowledge should be put to better use. 

This could be done, it says, by devising more imaginative agreements with individual farmers "rather than setting fixed prescriptions as the basis for agreements". 

It wants more money to be switched by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) from food production to environmental stewardship, in line with the recommendations of Sir Donald Curry's recent Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food. 

The report echoes the commission's call for 20% of production subsidies to be transferred to environmental and rural development measures. 

By Alfred Hermida  BBC News Online technology staff

The US$40m project is providing distance learning over the television and internet so that anyone can take part in the classes, regardless of where they live in Pakistan. 

The aim is to create a generation of software programmers and computer engineers who can rival the best in countries like the US. 

Pakistan is eager to develop an information technology industry, much like India has done. Experts estimate the country needs at least 60,000 computer science graduates to achieve this aim. 

"India is a very inspiring case. They got their act together very early," said Salman Ansari, adviser to Pakistan's Ministry of Science and Technology. 

"We are leveraging technology to get to the level that we need to get to," he told the BBC programme Go Digital. 

Exciting education

The Virtual University combines television, video-conferencing and the internet to provide lessons, tutorials and guidance to students all over Pakistan. 

Students are realising that they are having a better educational experience than most of our conventional institutions

Naveed Malik, Virtual University rector

Students can log on to the university over the internet and discuss the subject with a lecturer. 

"The students feel empowered by sitting in front of a PC and being able to shoot off questions or put their comments on a discussion board," said Naveed Malik, the rector of the Virtual University. 

"It's a very exciting experience. Students are realising that they are having a better educational experience than most of our conventional institutions." 

Cheap and friendly

Currently around 500 people are taking part in a pilot project. The organisers hope to have 5,000 students by September, rising to 25,000 by the end of 2003. 

Ansari: Provide low cost net access

"We have opened up access to the Virtual University to all segments of the population by keeping the prices extremely low," said Mr Malik. 

To this end, educational centres are being set up where students can view the courses and access the internet. 

The plan is to set up a high-speed computer network linking 60 universities and 2,500 schools and colleges. A further 10,000 schools will be able to access the lessons through the internet. 

"We realised that we had to build up the internet in Pakistan very rapidly," said Mr Ansari. 

"So two years ago we had about 29 cities on the internet; today we have 580 online and it will be 1,000 by the end of the year." 

The government has also worked to ensure that the cost of going online is within reach of most. 

"I could be sitting in the middle of nowhere, hundreds of miles from anywhere, but when I log in, the cost would be six rupees (10 cents) an hour," he said. 

At time the vigilantes outnumbered the voters

The BBC's Joan Baxter

It pitted Amadou Toumani Toure against the candidate fielded by the governing Adema party, Soumaila Cisse. 

Mr Toure - widely tipped as the favourite to win - is the former military leader of Mali and has returned to politics after an absence of 10 years. 

Fraud allegations

The BBC's Joan Baxter in Bamako say it looks as though any election fever there may have been in the first round in April has turned into election fatigue in the run-off. 

"At some of the polling stations I visited... both sides had vigilante teams and at time the vigilantes outnumbered the voters," our correspondent says. 

Toure is favourite to win

Mr Toure gained most votes in the first round but many of the losing candidates complained that the ballot had been marred by widespread electoral fraud and incompetence. 

The bulk of the complaints centred on complaints that the interior ministry, which runs the election, had favoured Mr Cisse. 

An opposition coalition led by former Prime Minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has thrown their weight behind Mr Toure. 

In the run-up to the second round, Mr Toure's campaign manager alleged that Mr Cisse had mounted a "battery" of fraud. 

He said that Mr Cisse's camp has been buying up voters' cards from supporters of General Toure, and then destroying them, which would make it impossible for those people to vote. 

Structural problems

Mr Cisse, for his part, has complained of being betrayed by former allies and has argued that the election campaign for the second round was far too short. 

The final results were only made public on Thursday. 

While Mr Cisse has not named names, our correspondent says he is believed to be strongly distrustful of outgoing President, Alpha Oumar Konare, who is widely believed to have given his support to Mr Toure, despite being in the same political party as Mr Cisse. 

A record 24 candidates took part in the first round

He was much applauded at the time for his vision and his lack of personal ambition. 

Despite its overwhelming poverty and lack of economic development, Mali has often been presented as an African success story, mainly because of its recent record of political stability. 

But correspondents say any incoming government is likely to find itself confronting serious structural problems to which there will be no short-term solutions. 

Beijing's crackdown is completely unreasonable

Falun Gong member Lam Chau-ping

Supporters of the group abroad said events were planned in Tokyo, Sydney and other cities. 

Protesters in Hong Kong marched and meditated, lining up to form the Chinese characters for "Falun Gong is good." 

Falun Gong, which China says is trying to overthrow the Communist Party, was banned on mainland China three years ago, although it is tolerated in Hong Kong. 

The movement itself says it is simply a spiritual group that teaches exercise and meditation. 

It was first introduced to China and the world on 13 May 1992 by Li Hongzhi, a former grain clerk and trumpeter who now lives in the US. 

The date is also marked by Falun Gong supporters as Mr Li's birthday, though China's government says he was actually born on July 7 and changed the date to coincide with the birthday of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, to pretend he is a reincarnation of Sakyamuni. 

'Unreasonable'

"We cause no harm," said Lam Chau-ping, a 35-year-old housewife who joined 200 Falun Gong members in a demonstration near Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour. 

"Beijing's crackdown is completely unreasonable." 

Li Hongzhi now lives in the US

The Chinese authorities have been wary of potential protests by Falun Gong ever since it was surprised by a demonstration in April 1999, when 10,000 followers of the group massed near the Chinese leadership compound of Zhongnanhai. That protest led to China's ban on the movement. 

Falun Gong accuses Beijing of detaining thousands of its followers, and supporters abroad say at least 400 people have died in the hands of the authorities. 

China, for its part, says the movement is responsible for 1,600 deaths, saying its teachings have inspired members to commit murder or suicide. The media has waged a long-term campaign against the group. 

'Possessed by demon'

On Monday, China's official media gave widespread coverage to the case of a Falun Gong follower in north-east China who throttled her nine-year-old daughter to death on 22 April, believing that she was possessed by a demon. 

"It was Falun Gong that has killed my daughter," China's Xinhua news agency quoted the woman's husband as saying. 

The media did not say why it had waited three weeks to report the girl's death. 

Falun Gong remains legal in Hong Kong, and the territory has tolerated most Falun Gong activities, although it recently arrested 16 people, including four Swiss members, for alleged obstruction when they protested outside a government office in March. 

They are commonly in their late 40s and early 50s and share a sense of vision about where they want their pupils, schools or communities to go. 

They are happy to take risks and to make themselves unpopular in a bid to reach their goals. 

And although they may not slavishly chase exam results, they score well in this area too. 

Driven 

These are the findings of a survey of a group of heads in schools in England who have been described as top notch by inspectors. 

The study was carried out by the Hay Group. Report author Russell Hobby says: "These heads are driven by their vision of their children's future. 

"They have a ruthless streak and do not mind breaking rules or going against the establishment to achieve their goals." 

Mr Russell says such heads are maverick rather than eccentric. 

"They are people who like to do things their way and they get exam results, although these are almost a by-product. 

"Their aims might be about increasing self-esteem or aspirations, or about changing year groups or communities and this drives them." 

Futuristic school 

Preet Sahota, the headteacher of West Heath Junior school in Birmingham, was one of the top heads questioned for the study. 

He admits to being a maverick and a risk-taker and says it is all part of an ethos aimed at bringing out the best in both pupils and staff. 

In the four and a half years he has been at the school, there have been many changes in the way things are done and in the way the school looks. 

There is an "independent learning room", with a cafe, where the older children can study. 

The school walls have pictures of film stars and other celebrities, who are quoted on education themes. 

"They are taught in a futuristic environment, said Mr Sahota. 

"It's about giving the children self-respect, treating them like whole people," said Mr Sahota. 

"I'm proud this is a place where anyone can succeed."

By Damian Grammaticas  BBC correspondent in Hong Kong

A delegation from Taiwan is in Geneva to press the island's case to be allowed to join the World Health Organisation (WHO). 

The annual assembly that brings together WHO members is meeting from Monday in Switzerland. 

For Taiwan, joining organisations like the WHO is an important foreign policy goal.

Japan's Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Chinese guards seized the five from inside Japan's consulate in the north-eastern Chinese city of Shenyang last Wednesday without permission, thereby breaking diplomatic conventions. 

When the Chinese police entered the consulate, it's not true that the Japanese side gave consent

Yoriko Kawaguchi

Japan's angry reaction has added to China's difficulties over the issue because its officials are also locked in negotiations over five other North Koreans, three of which are in the US consulate in Shenyang and two of which are in Canada's embassy in Beijing. 

North Koreans have defected to South Korea via China for many years, but recent, high-profile escape bids have shed light on what was previously a murky subject. 

Ms Kawaguchi was speaking after a team of Japanese diplomats, dispatched to Shenyang to investigate the incident, completed its investigation. 

"When the Chinese police entered the consulate, it's not true that the Japanese side gave consent," she said. 

Despite tightened security, asylum seekers are still getting through

Asked whether the five seized North Koreans might be sent to a third country, Ms Kawaguchi repeated Tokyo's demand that they be handed back to Japanese custody. 

"Needless to say, what is most important is that their human rights be respected," she said. 

The incident triggered widespread concern in Japan after television pictures showed the five asylum seekers, including a screaming toddler, attempting to reach sanctuary in the consulate before being dragged from the compound by Chinese police. 

Ms Kawaguchi denied that Japan was compliant in the operation: 

"It is not the case that the Japanese side gave consent nor did we express any gratitude," she said. 

South Korea has said it is willing to take the five as refugees. 

Canada and US

Canadian and Chinese officials are expected to resume talks over the fate of two other North Korean asylum seekers - a man and woman - who succeeded in entering the Canadian embassy in Beijing on Saturday. 

Talks are also continuing between the US and China over three North Korean asylum seekers who last week made it inside the American consulate-general in Shenyang. 

China has become increasingly worried about North Koreans seeking asylum through foreign offices in China. 

In 2001 a North Korean family walked into the UN refugee agency in Beijing demanding asylum, and in March 2002, 25 North Koreans successfully entered the Spanish embassy in Beijing demanding political asylum in South Korea. 

The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes says that over the past two weeks the Chinese Government has gone to enormous lengths to try to prevent more North Korean asylum seekers from getting into foreign embassies. 

Embassy compounds have been ringed with barbed-wire and surrounded by armed guards, some even wielding baseball bats. 

Beijing regards the tens of thousands of impoverished North Koreans living in China as economic migrants who must be sent home. 

But in recent cases, the asylum seekers were allowed to go to South Korea, perhaps prompting other groups to try similar tactics.

The ceremonial carriage, which was built in 1762 for George III, has been moved to Windsor to play a leading part in the Royal Windsor Horse Show. 

The 24-foot long gold-plated carriage was transported by lorry to Windsor - the coach itself can only travel at walking speed. 

The coach, which was last used in 1977, will be the centrepiece of a event celebrating the Queen's 50 years on the throne. 

The carriage cost £1,673.75 when it was built

Although only the most lavish materials were used in the carriage's construction it was not popular among some monarchs. 

William IV said it left him feeling seasick and Queen Victoria refused to use it for most of her long reign. 

The coach has since been completely overhauled with improved suspension and more comfortable interior. 

The work was carried out by coach maker Samuel Butler who was paid £1,673 15s (£1,673.75) when it was built 240 years ago. 

The coach will be the focal point of a pageant of the Queen's life called All The Queen's Horses at the weekend. 

An employee raised his concerns in a letter to bosses three weeks before the fatal accident, said Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union. 

And an anxious commuter wrote a letter to Railtrack and the Health and Safety Executive in March, raising similar fears. 

Railtrack has admitted carrying out repairs to faulty track at Potters Bar last year, but insists it could not have caused last Friday's crash. 

I don't think this is a one-off and I think the entire industry needs to be looked at regarding sub-contraction

Bob Crowe, RMT Union

The RMT also wants an end to Railtrack's policy of employing sub-contractors to carry out maintenance work. 

Transport Secretary Stephen Byers is to make a statement about the Potters Bar crash to the House of Commons on Monday. 

Meanwhile, engineers are making the final preparations to remove the carriage wedged under the platform canopies. 

Once the carriage has been dragged clear by crane, Health and Safety inspectors will begin a thorough search. 

'White knuckle' ride

Mr Crow said an RMT member had written a letter to managers saying that the track was not in a fit state. 

The rear carriage flipped across two platforms
	Potters Bar crash Seven people died  Two are still critically injured  Investigation teams are combing the scene  More images

Commuter Kevin O'Neill, who travels daily from Peterborough to London, complained his daily journey had become a "white knuckle" ride and "a derailment waiting to happen". 

He said: "There are several places along the line where the train bucks and sways and makes it almost impossible sometimes to read your paper. 

"I have done it myself and seen other passengers blanche sometimes at the jolting and careering around this set up." 

The HSE told BBC News Online that Mr O'Neill's comments had been due to be raised at a routine meeting with Railtrack in June. 

Lack of inspectors

Mr Crow said it was "scandalous" to call the Potters Bar crash an isolated incident. 

Speaking on BBC One's Breakfast News, he said: "I don't think this is a one-off and I think the entire industry needs to be looked at regarding sub-contraction. 

The inquiry is focused on a set of points

He added there were not enough track inspectors employed to cover such vast areas of the network. 

His comments came as it was revealed recommendations made by Paddington crash inquiry chairman Lord Cullen about the need for tighter controls on contractors, have still not been implemented. 

An interim report into Friday's accident, in which seven people died and more than 70 were injured, is expected to be published later this week. 

Investigators are continuing the painstaking operation - including forensic tests - to find out exactly what caused the accident. 

Experts believe the most likely cause is the failure of a set of points. 

Bolts

The dislodging of vital bolts is being blamed, possibly caused by one or more holding nuts coming loose due to vandalism, sabotage or poor maintenance. 

The derailment happened as the train passed over the points mechanism. 

Railtrack said cracks were found in the rails near Potters Bar, which were repaired last autumn and the track was given a clean bill of health in March. 

Jarvis, the company responsible for inspecting the track, insists the points were checked the day before the crash. 

Railtrack has also confirmed two other assessments were carried out within the past month. 

Mr Byers said it was too early to call a public inquiry into the crash. 

Nationwide checks

Railtrack has confirmed the crash prompted a nationwide points system check. 

Mr Armitt said 400 sets of points had been inspected across the whole network but nothing similar to the problem discovered at Potters Bar had been found. 

He said the points passed a safety inspection only the day before and that there had been a thorough investigation at the beginning of May and a further inspection a few weeks prior to this. 

Emergency information phone number: 0845 944 1551. For national rail Enquiries call 08457 48 49 50.

A total of eight people are thought to have died in the accident at the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sunday. 

There are fears the walls may also collapse

Local emergency services are said to have been prevented from entering the building, which has been cordoned off, because it was unstable and there were fears the walls might collapse. 

Little hope

Sergei Gorbunov, spokesman for Rosaviakosmos, Russia's space agency, said it was unlikely that any of the missing workers had survived the fall. 

"In the course of searching the debris, it has been possible so far to discover the fragments of the bodies of three fitters," he said. 

Mr Gorbunov said the accident could have been prompted by something falling on a fuel tank kept inside the hangar, which would have produced a huge blast. 

Space officials have ruled out terrorism or poor building maintenance as causes. 

Shuttle damaged

Officials at Rosaviakosmos said three columns supporting the roof at building 112, a vast hangar used for Russia's "Buran" (Snowstorm) shuttle spacecraft, had given way. 

One Buran spacecraft - reportedly the only one of the three built to have flown in space - was inside the building. 

A 30-strong rescue team including seismologists, explosive experts and sniffer dogs has been sent to Baikonur from Moscow. 

Officials have ruled out terrorism or poor maintenance

The Russian Aviation and Space Agency has set up a special centre to investigate the causes of the incident. 

Financial difficulties

The Baikonur cosmodrome, Russia's main commercial launch site, was built in the 1950s and is the oldest working launch site in the world. 

The first man­made satellite to orbit the Earth was launched from there. 

Baikonur is the world's oldest launch site

More recently, Baikonur has been used to launch commercial satellites and rockets bound for the International Space Station. 

Kazakhstan took possession of the cosmodrome after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. 

But it lacked the funds and expertise to maintain the site, which was looted by local people who sold sophisticated equipment for scrap metal, our correspondent says. 

Russia has been leasing Baikonur from Kazakhstan since 1993, though the two former Soviet countries have on several occasions been at odds over rent payments and accidents during launches. 

Under a deal brokered last week, the group was flown out of the Middle East in return for Israel lifting the siege and withdrawing from the town. 

But their current location is temporary and no final destination has yet been agreed. 

The militants are expected to leave in the first half of the week, but ministers still have to agree where they should go. 

The BBC's Tim Franks in Brussels says the affair has been a huge diplomatic bungle - initially the plan was for Italy to take them all but no-one told the Italian Government. 

'Undertakings'

The militants, described by Israel as "senior terrorists", were confined to the Flamingo hotel in the Cypriot resort of Larnaca after the government agreed to give them temporary sanctuary. 

The militants are confined to the hotel

It seems Italy may still may take some of the men, along possibly with Spain, Greece, Luxembourg and Canada. 

Exiling all of them to the same destination is reported to have now been ruled out for security reasons. 

Wherever the deportees end up it will be odd territory, our correspondent says. 

As British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has said, these men have left the Middle East voluntarily and given "undertakings" about good behaviour. 

Another British diplomat told the BBC there was nothing to stop them spending a summer on the Italian Riviera and then getting the next flight back to the Middle East. 

No country can detain the men against their will unless they put them through some sort of judicial process. 

However, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said on Friday that Israel reserved the right to demand their extradition - one of the issues which ministers will discuss at the meeting. 

At a national memorial ceremony in the northern port city of Cherbourg, Mr Chirac said the perpetrators of the "monstrous" crime would be punished. 

France is in mourning, Cherbourg is grieving - I want to express the gratitude of the nation, which will never forget them

President Chirac

The bodies of the 11 victims, eight of whom came from Cherbourg, were flown back to France on Sunday. 

On Monday, the coffins, each draped in the French flag, were driven in a convoy of black limousines to a local park, where the sombre ceremony took place. 

Grief-stricken relatives attended the service

"France is in mourning, Cherbourg is grieving," he said. "I want to express the gratitude of the nation, which will never forget them." 

Businesses and schools remained shut until mid-day, while shops closed during the ceremony. 

Some hung black mourning drapes in their windows. 

The 11 men, aged between 27 and 52, died last Wednesday when the suicide bomber drove a car loaded with explosives into their bus. 

Many local shops and businesses closed for the memorial

Twelve other French workers were injured. They returned to the country last week, to be treated in hospitals in the Paris area. 

The men all worked for the French Navy's Cherbourg-based construction arm, Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN). 

'Determination'

The newly re-elected president told mourners in Cherbourg that France would not let up in its fight against terrorism. 

"My determination, like that of my government, is total," he said. 

The private funerals and burials of the eight men from the Cherbourg area were taking place immediately after the ceremony. 

Two Pakistanis also died in the attack, and a dozen others were injured. 

Investigators believe it may have been the work of the al-Qaeda terror network.

The alleged attack was foiled two weeks ago but details are only emerging now because of initial reporting restrictions imposed by an Israeli court. 

It's not a question of an isolated individual but of a true organisation

Gideon Ezar, deputy security chief

The main body representing Jewish settlers - the Yesha Council - has issued a statement condemning the alleged bomb attack. 

The men were detained on 29 April after police discovered a powerful bomb in the courtyard of the school, according to Israeli newspaper reports. 

It was set to go off at 0735 local time (0435 GMT) - the time that the 1,500 students at the school line up for morning assembly. 

Series of attacks

The device was discovered and defused after two of the men were stopped during a routine identity check near the school. 

Two others were later arrested for allegedly helping to prepare the bomb. 

More than 200,000 settlers live in the West Bank and Gaza

Police now say they are investigating whether the four men are linked to a series of terror attacks against Arab targets carried out over the past two years. 

"It's not a question of an isolated individual but of a true organisation, so the investigation is directed towards other suspects," Deputy Interior Security Minister Gideon Ezar told public radio. 

Previous attacks

The last attack against Arabs was on 2 April when a Palestinian was shot dead and another wounded in an attack police attributed to Jewish extremists. 

And six weeks ago, police discovered a bomb at a boys' school in East Jerusalem. It exploded after the boys had been evacuated. 

An unknown organisation called the Revenge for the Children said it was behind that attack. 

The Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem says that since the beginning of the Palestinian uprising in September 2000, 12 Palestinians have been killed and dozens injured in attacks by Israeli extremists. 

There have also been a number of fatal attacks by Palestinian militants against settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 

Although 69% of mothers initially breastfeed, 21% of these stop within the first fortnight and another 36% within the next six weeks. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends women to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months. 

Health experts blame a lack of support for women choosing to stop breastfeeding. 

A survey of infant feeding by the department of health showed that the numbers of women breastfeeding had only gone up by 3% since the last study in 1995 despite repeated warnings about the benefits. 

We need to make breastfeeding as unremarkable as reading a newspaper

Belinda Phipps, of the NCT

Benefits

The greatest increase was in the lowest socio-economic group, where the numbers of women breastfeeding rose from 50% to 59%. 

The figures also revealed that just over a third of mothers in the UK smoked in the year before their pregnancy and a fifth continued to smoke during it. 

The benefits of breastfeeding include: 

• Boosting immunity: The baby receives the mother's antibodies to help it fight infection 
• Less likelihood that the baby suffers constipation, diarrhoea and wind 
• More protection against gastroenteritis, childhood diabetes, allergies like eczema and chest and ear infections 
• Reduction in the risk of the mother contracting early breast or ovarian cancer and fracturing her hips The study showed clear cultural differences between the breastfeeding rates of mothers from different ethnic backgrounds. 

Only 67% of white mothers breastfeed initially, compared to 95% of black mothers and 87% of mothers from an Asian background. 

Solids

The study also revealed that mothers are now introducing solids later, which has been proved to have beneficial effects. 

In 2000 just 24% of mothers gave their babies solids before the age of three months, compared with 56% in 1995. 

A spokesperson for the Department of Health said it was committed to increasing support for breastfeeding women. 

"The Department aims to ensure women are able to make an informed choice about how they feed their baby and receive the support they need if they choose to breastfeed. 

To coincide with Breastfeeding Awareness Week the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) launched a poster campaign to try and encourage more women to breast feed. 

This poster is designed to boost breastfeeding

Belinda Phipps, chief executive of the NCT said she was "disappointed" with the latest trends and blamed a lack of professional support. 

"We know that many of these women give up breastfeeding before they want to. 

"Nine out of 10 women who gave up breastfeeding within 6 weeks of birth would have liked to have breastfed for longer. 

"It is clear that UK women are still not getting the information and support they need from healthcare professionals to breastfeed their babies. 

"We need to make breastfeeding as unremarkable as reading a newspaper, so that more women are able to follow their instincts and breastfeed wherever and whenever their baby needs to be fed." 

Poster campaign

The NCT has launched a campaign showing mother and model 22-year-old Shanelle Claridge breastfeeding her daughter in a London cafe. 

She said: "For me breastfeeding was the most natural and obvious choice to make. I am happy to breastfeed wherever I am, whether it's shopping or at a restaurant with my friends. 

"Breastfeeding is the best possible start I could give my baby, and I think it is important to encourage other new mums to give it a try." 

The NCT breastfeeding line has counsellors available each day between 8am-10pm on 0870 444 8708. 

The latest research follows recent studies that suggest the popular beverage can help to reduce the risk of cancer, heart attack and Parkinson's disease. 

A team from the National Cheng Kung University Hospital in Tainan, Taiwan, fould that habitual tea drinking over several years preserves bone density in both men and women. 

The researchers believe that the key could be the high fluoride content in tea, especially green tea. 

They believe that other ingredients such as flavonoids and phytoestrogen may also help preserve bone density. 

Other ingredients in tea may inhibit bone resorption and boost metabolic creation of bone. 

The researchers believe it is not the amount of tea a person drinks that counts, but how long they have been a regular drinker. 

The effect was most pronounced in the bones of people who had drank tea regularly for more than a decade. 

Contradictory findings

Previous studies have credited polyphenols found in tea with helping prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer. 

But other studies have produced contradictory findings on the relationship between tea drinking and bone formation and bone loss. 

Ingredients such as caffeine may have a detrimental effect on bones and overall health. 

Tea contains 4,000 chemical compounds that can have effects on health. 

The study surveyed 497 Chinese men and 540 Chinese women who were at least 30 years old about their tea drinking habits and other lifestyle factors such as exercise, alcohol consumption and smoking. 

The research was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal published by the American Medical Association.