Briton arrested over school shooting threats on Facebook

A British man has been arrested on suspicion of making threats to kill 200 people which led to schools in America beefing up security.

The 24-year-old from South Shields in south Tyneside, was in custody after apparently posting a message on Facebook two days ago.

According to reports, the post was made anonymously on an online memorial page.

That led schools in Warren County, Tennessee, to tighten security, with limited access to premises. According to reports around 3,000 pupils were absent from school the next day.

A Northumbria police spokesman said: "At 2.12pm today police received notification that a man had posted threatening information on Facebook.

"A 24-year-old man from South Shields has been arrested on suspicion of threats to kill and is currently in custody. The message is believed to have been posted on Wednesday.

"There is nothing to suggest he posed any physical threats to any schools either here or in America. We are currently seeking advice as to who has jurisdiction in this incident."

According to Sky, the anonymous message said: "My father has three guns. I'm planning on killing him first and putting him in a dumpster. Then I'm taking the motor and going in fast. I'm gonna kill hopefully at least 200 before I kill myself."

Bobby Cox, director of Warren County schools, Tennessee, updated parents on Facebook, telling them: "We received notice of violent threats directed at Warren County high school late Wednesday evening.

"We put an action plan together with the local authorities to ensure the safety of our schools and our campuses across the system.

"We wanted to make sure that we had all the facts before we sent a mass message out via our calling system to you.

"Currently the sheriff's department is working with the TBI and Homeland Security to trace down the person who posted the message."

Security was being increased at schools and access was to be limited, Mr Cox said.

"In the world we live in we can never be too cautious and must take all threats seriously."

Horsemeat scandal: Owen Paterson calls food summit

The environment secretary is to meet representatives from the Food Standards Agency and meat retailers and suppliers to discuss the horsemeat scandal.

Owen Paterson said investigations into how beef products had been contaminated with horsemeat were ongoing but "the evidence so far suggests... it's either criminal activity or gross negligence".

Tesco, Aldi and Findus have all had to withdraw food products.

The Metropolitan Police says it is not investigating any alleged criminality.

A statement from New Scotland Yard said: "Although we have met with the FSA we have not started an investigation and will not do so unless it becomes clear there has been any criminality under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police service."

Food minister David Heath said frozen food should not be discarded, and advised consumers to carry on eating meat unless told otherwise.

The FSA has asked UK firms to test all processed beef foods, but said it did not "suspect there is any health issue with frozen food".

And Mr Heath said the government's advice was "exactly that" of the FSA.

But shadow environment secretary Mary Creagh has expressed fears that other contaminated foods may be found.

Mr Paterson said: "I completely understand why people are so concerned about this issue. It's totally unacceptable that people have been sold something that is not what they think it is.

"We believe that the two particular cases of the frozen burgers from Tesco and the lasagne from Findus are linked to suppliers in Ireland and France respectively.

"We and the Food Standards Agency are working closely with the authorities in these countries, as well as with Europol, to get to the root of the problem.

"The French authorities are saying they are viewing the issue as a case of fraud rather than food safety. Anyone who has these products in their freezer should return them to retailers as a precaution."

Supermarket chain Aldi said tests on its Today's Special Frozen Beef Lasagne and Today's Special Frozen Spaghetti Bolognese showed they contained between 30% and 100% horsemeat.

These had already been withdrawn after a warning from French supplier Comigel, which has told both Findus and Aldi that its products did not "conform to specification". Comigel also said it had withdrawn all products related to its own supplier.

Findus UK became caught up in the row this week after horsemeat was found in its lasagne.

The FSA said Findus had tested the meat in 18 of its beef lasagne products and found 11 meals in which it contained between 60% and 100% horsemeat. The meals have been withdrawn by Findus.

The FSA also said it was "highly likely" criminal activity was to blame for the contamination.

And lasagne, shepherd's pie and moussaka meals made by Findus have also been withdrawn from French supermarkets, while a spokesman for Findus in Sweden said such meals had been withdrawn there after tests showed they contained between 60% and 100% horsemeat.

In other related developments:

The body representing school caterers in the UK says it is "as certain as anyone could be" that that horsemeat products have not been used in schools
Prime Minister David Cameron describes the latest revelations as "very shocking" and "completely unacceptable"
Ms Creagh says she has contacted police to pass on information concerning UK companies who are potentially involved in the illegal horsemeat trade
The Ministry of Agriculture in France says it is investigating the possibility of criminal fraud in relation to horsemeat found in ready meals
Findus says it is "sorry that we have let people down", in a fresh statement
Retail analysts warn the latest disclosures could be "disastrous" for the meat processing industry
The FSA's website advises consumers: "There is no reason to suspect that there's any health issue with frozen food in general, and we wouldn't advise people to stop eating it."

Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers' Union, urged consumers to buy British meat to be sure of what they are eating.

The controversy surrounding contamination of meat products has also affected firms in the UK, Irish Republic, Poland and France.

Last month, Irish food inspectors announced they had found horsemeat in some burgers stocked by a number of UK supermarket chains, including Tesco, Iceland and Lidl.

China reports better than expected trade data

China has reported better-than-expected trade data, fuelling optimism that its economic growth may be rebounding from the recent slowdown.

Exports, a key growth driver, surged 25% in January from a year earlier. Most analysts had forecast a 17% jump.

Imports surged 28.8% indicating a robust pick up in domestic demand.

Separate figures showed that the inflation rate slowed to 2% in January but there was concern over a spike in food prices as vegetable costs soared.
Holiday season distortion?

China's growth rate slipped to 7.8% in 2012, the slowest annual pace since 1999, fuelling worries about the health of the world's second-largest economy.

"China's economic conditions are improving and the trade data confirms the continuation of a recovery trend," said Hirokazu Yuihama, senior strategist at Daiwa Securities.

"Not just the trade data but retail, production and investment flows clearly show that the economy bottomed out in the third quarter last year."
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

After controlling for the Chinese New Year, the numbers are still very strong and shows the economic recovery is on track”

Zhang Zhiwei Nomura

However, some analysts said that the figures for January were distorted by the change in the timing of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

The New Year celebrations see factories and businesses in China being shut for many days impacting production of goods.

Last year, the Lunar year was celebrated in January, while this year it is being observed in February.

Analysts said that this meant that factories operated for more days in January this year than in 2012.

"The timing of Chinese New Year played a very important role," said Tao Wang, an economist with UBS in Hong Kong.

"It's always difficult to predict the exact strength [of the trade numbers], given the number of working days."
Recovery

She added that the Lunar New Year also affected the import numbers as companies restock ahead of the celebrations.

However, other analysts said that while the change in timing of the New Year celebrations did have an impact on the numbers, the overall trend was that of a recovery in the Chinese economy.

"After controlling for the Chinese New Year, the numbers are still very strong and shows the economic recovery is on track," said Zhang Zhiwei, chief China economist at Nomura.

"Both imports and exports are about five to eight percentage points above market expectations, so it is a pretty strong showing."

Woman sexually assaulted by choirmaster killed herself after giving evidence against him

The body of violin teacher Frances Andrade, 48, was found at her home less than a week after she gave evidence against Michael Brewer, 68, at Manchester Crown Court.

Today Brewer was cleared of rape but convicted of five counts of indecently assaulting Mrs Andrade in his office when she was aged 14 and 15.

His former wife, Kay, 68, was cleared of aiding and abetting rape, but found guilty of indecent assault against Mrs Andrade at the family home when she was 18.

News of Mrs Andrade’s death was kept from the jury until the case ended this afternoon.

In a separate incident, Brewer resigned from Chetham's in 1994 after an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old girl.

She regularly visited his office and recalled he would persuade her to take off her top and bra and he would fondle her, the court heard.

Giving evidence, Brewer admitted the 1994 affair. The full extent of the relationship was covered up as he resigned.

Brewer went on to become the artistic director of the National Youth Choirs of Britain and has directed the World Youth Choir.

He also served as an adjudicator in international competitions and in 2008 led BBC workshops for the programme Last Choir Standing.

When interviewed by police, both defendants dismissed the charges against them as "completely untrue". Giving evidence, both Brewer, from Selly Oak, Birmingham, and Mrs Brewer, from Rossendale, Lancs, denied they had ever had any sexual contact with the complainant.

Mrs Andrade was visibly agitated on occasions as she gave her evidence over two days on January 16 and 17.

She chose to give evidence in the witness box in full view of everyone in the courtroom, including the two defendants in the dock.

While Mrs Andrade had never gone to the police, the jury heard that the police investigation was sparked in 2011 by National Youth Choir teacher Jenavora Williams after her friend, Mrs Andrade, told her about her time at Chetham's.

She then co-operated with the police and agreed to take part in the prosecution.

The mother-of-four, from Guildford, Surrey, who was married to acclaimed viola player Levine Andrade, was supported from the public gallery by one of her sons, but had a testing time in the witness box, being called a fantastist and liar by Kate Blackwell QC, Brewer’s barrister.

Judge Martin Rudland remarked that she was "clearly undergoing a cathartic experience, whatever the source" while giving evidence.

He said she was "combative" during cross-examination by Kate Blackwell QC, representing Brewer, and she had taken personal issue with some of the barrister's questions but the judge indicated that Miss Blackwell had acted professionally.

During the cross-examination, Mrs Andrade told Miss Blackwell: "You are hugely insulting, even though it's your job."

However, on January 24 it was revealed in court - while the jury was not there - that the complainant had died.

A day earlier, the jury - on the direction of the judge - recorded not guilty verdicts on five counts of indecent assault against Brewer due to insufficient evidence about how old the complainant was at the time of the allegations.

Brewer, who was awarded an OBE for services to music in 1995, resigned as music director at Chetham's at the end of 1994 after his affair with another pupil, then aged 17, was uncovered.

But the affair was hushed up, the court heard, and, after leaving Chetham's, Brewer went on to become the artistic director of the National Youth Choirs of Britain, to direct the World Youth Choir, serve as an adjudicator in international competitions and lead BBC workshops for the programme Last Choir Standing in 2008.

One of his ensembles at the National Youth Choir gave a private performance to the Queen at Balmoral in 2007.

After the verdicts were delivered, the judge said that all counsel involved in the case were "deeply shocked and moved" by the death of Mrs Andrade as they had to collect themselves to continue and finish the trial.

He also praised all counsel for the professional manner in they conducted the case, including Miss Blackwell QC, defending Brewer, who cross-examined Mrs Andrade.

He said there could be no criticism of Miss Blackwell. "You did your job, in that you put what had to be put to the witness," he told her.

Tunisia gripped by general strike as assassinated Chokri Belaïd is buried

As tens of thousands of mourners and protesters wrapped in national flags crammed on to the leafy hillside of Tunis's historic Jellaz cemetery, Yassim Boubakher, a lawyer in a peaked cap, began to cry.

"One thing you have to understand about Tunisians is that we hate blood," he sobbed. "We can't stand bloodshed. We lived under the dictatorship of Ben Ali for 23 years, but he finally fell when he turned guns against people and we rose up to say 'stop', we won't bear bloodshed."

As a military helicopter hovered overhead, the crowd thronged to greet the flag-draped coffin of Chokri Belaïd. A leftist opposition leader, trade unionist and lawyer, Belaïd had been one of the most outspoken critics of the post-revolution coalition government led by the moderate Islamist Ennahda party. He appeared on television only this week to criticise a rise in political violence.

On Wednesday he was shot dead in broad daylight after he had got into a car outside his Tunis home just before 8am. In the crowd were teachers, lawyers, shop-owners and the unemployed, women in headscarves and without, many trade unionists, leftist and secular politicians. They said his death was a watermark for post-revolutionary Tunisia, which lit the spark for the Arab spring when its popular uprising toppled the dictatorship in January 2011.

Belaïd's death was described in his cortege as a new type of political murder. Under Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali's brutal regime, political opponents and rights campaigners had been imprisoned, tortured, exiled, beaten and intimidated. "Yet not since colonial times in the early 1950s has Tunisia seen a clear political assassination in the street," said a barrister, Jmel Moez, in the crowd. "Blood is not in our mentality, we've never seen this before. Murder is a red line that we can't allow to be crossed."

"We're not like Algeria next door," said one mourner, in reference to Algeria's bloody civil war. "That's not us."

"He is one more martyr," said Hedi Hammami, an unemployed philosophy graduate at the cemetery.

Belaïd's murder has plunged the country into shock and soul searching. It has also highlighted the current political stalemate in Tunisia's post-revolutionary transition process, which had been so admired by neighbours such as Egypt and Libya, besieged by their own turmoil.

After Tunisia's first democratic elections in October 2011, Ennahda became the senior partner in a coalition government with two secular centre-left parties. The temporary national assembly was given a year to draw up a new constitution before setting a date for elections. But several months after the deadline, there is still no agreement on a constitution. Some secular MPs from the junior partners have begun to withdraw support, others are demanding Ennahda gives up key cabinet posts. The country's economic situation is worsening, with unemployment officially at 17% but far higher among the young. Lawyers and campaigners say torture continues in prisons, the justice system and administration remains corrupt.

"Of greatest concern is the drip-drip of violence, political violence on the street," said Fathi Abaza, a maths teacher and trade unionist. Small but active pockets of Salafists are accused of street violence. But a key complaint at Belaïd's funeral was against shadowy so-called neighbourhood protection groups known as the Leagues of the Protection of the Revolution, a small contingent of men who claim to be opposed to remnants of the old regime, but who are accused of using thugs to stir clashes at opposition rallies and trade union gatherings. Most notable was an attack on a Tataouine branch of a new, secular opposition party – Nida Tounes – in October last year in which a local activist was killed. Belaïd was an outspoken critic of these groups, whom he accused of being affiliated to Ennahda. Others on the left said Ennahda was too permissive of violence and had failed to root it out. Ennahda deny affiliation or control of such groups.

On Friday, as Belaïd's funeral took place, Tunisia was shut down in its first national general strike since 1978, called by the main trade union, the UGTT. A senior trade unionist and university maths lecturer, Anouar Ben Kaddour, said: "The strike has one objective: no more violence. Our transition to democracy has to happen peacefully."

At Ennahda's HQ in Tunis, the party was dealing with its response to the political crisis sparked by Belaïd's murder. On Wednesday Ennahda's prime minister Hamadi Jebali said he would dissolve his government and replace it with a non-partisan cabinet and elections would be held as soon as possible.

Other parties welcomed the news but officials within Ennahda said its executive had not approved the move, suggesting divisions in a party that features many who were imprisoned, tortured or exiled during Ben Ali's reign. Jebali insisted on Friday that he would replace certain ministers with technocrats.

Hichem Laareyedh, a senior party official, said: "Even if we didn't agree with Chokri Belaïd on his political position, he was an activist that we respect, an activist for democracy in Tunisia. We were shocked by his assassination. It's something very painful for all Tunisians and we see it as a big risk for democracy."

Asked about the Belaïd family's claims that Ennahda was complicit in his death, which the party has denied, Laareyedh said: "We understand what the family is suffering, we respect the family. But accusations have been very quick, with no evidence. The investigation must continue, justice must take its course."

Several Ennahda offices were vandalised or attacked after Belaïd's death.

In central Tunis, riot police and plain clothes officers saturated Bourguiba Avenue and the area outside the interior ministry where the revolution demonstrations took place in 2011. Police on motorbikes fired teargas to stop small peaceful crowds gathering to sing the national anthem. Outside the cemetery, where protesters chanted "Down with the regime", teargas was fired and cars were set alight.

Karima Doha, 30, who wore a headscarf and works for an oil company, was on strike and followed the cortege from the union HQ. "I've come out to show that we have to exist together, I don't want the return of any kind of fear." She said half of her graduate friends were unemployed.

Yusef, 25, who works in logistics, described himself as apolitical and took part in the revolution said: "I fear our revolution's not over yet. I know people abroad say we're supposed to the be the model of the Arab spring. But this isn't a competition. We just want things to be stable." "I had just written an article on the danger of the rise of political violence after beatings at demonstrations, opposition rallies, trade union gatherings, art exhibitions," said Mourad Sellami of Le Quotidien newspaper who lived in the same block as Belaïd, heard the shots and saw the murder driving off by motorbike. "But I never thought that 48 hours after publishing that piece, I would be witnessing an assassination."

Some lawyers in the funeral procession said they feared a list of others leftists, intellectuals, trade unionists or journalists might be under threat. A 37-year-old worker in a perfume shop said: "If people start talking about a climate of fear then it's clear our revolution has been stolen from us."

Bassem Trifi, a human rights lawyer, said: "With the revolution, the barrier of fear came down in Tunisia. Tunisians won't stand for fear any more."

François Hollande should enjoy his Malian fillip while it lasts

If not triumphalist, there has at least been something confidently matter-of-fact about France's intervention in Mali. Within a month of President François Hollande ordering his forces into the war-torn African state because of a terrorist threat, the endgame has already begun: plans are well underway for a gradual military withdrawal following the massacre of "many hundreds" of Islamist radicals, according to the foreign ministry in Paris, along with the destruction of their weapons and ammunition dumps.

The al-Qaida-backed enemy may have represented a small force – maybe 6,000 men across the whole of Mali – but its potential to overrun Malian forces was never in doubt. A short, sharp Gallic offensive has averted the danger, ensuring a genuine period of stability.

Hollande is facing serious economic problems at home as he tries to impose his socialist agenda on an increasingly hostile electorate, but achieving so much in Mali in such a short time will do his popularity no harm at all. It is a little-known fact that the now portly 58-year-old served with distinction as an army officer during a period of national service. Pictures of him posing with elite spearhead troops in Timbuktu last weekend as ordinary Malians chanted "Vive la France!" show that he retains a sense of martial pride. The modest head of state resolutely refused to exploit this – especially not in a former colony such as Mali – but he oozed the satisfaction of an efficient leader who was close to achieving a clearly explained objective with a minimum of fuss.

If you consider that France has deployed about 4,000 troops in Mali, you get an even better idea of how clinical their campaign has been. This is the same as the number of French men and women who served at the height of the war in Afghanistan, which has now been raging for more than 11 years. Beyond the single tragic death of a helicopter pilot in Mali, there have been no mutilations among the French, and nobody captured. As far as his foreign policy is concerned, Hollande has introduced the possibility of a roving world police officer role for his highly disciplined military, especially in former spheres of influence such as north and central Africa.

But the stability in Mali may well prove as short-lived as the time it took to win it. Hollande is as aware as any other astute tactician that modern terrorist threats are seldom, if ever, defeated by conventional means.

On the contrary: groups such as al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) – which made up about half of the very international terrorist force in Mali – were never likely to engage head on with opposing units such as the Foreign Legion. With French airforce Rafale fighters pouring ordnance on their positions day-in, day-out, the insurgents had little chance of anything except disorderly retreat. Yes, there were regular skirmishes, but the envisaged death toll says everything: the number of terrorists dead is, in contrast to the one French airman killed on the first day of combat in mid-January, estimated at well into three figures.

What comes next is a period of wait-and-see, potentially followed by far dirtier fights. The decimated enemy in Mali will fade into the shadows before prosecuting the kind of guerrilla campaign that has been used so successfully in Afghanistan by the Taliban, supported by their Al-Qaida allies. Improvised explosive devices, hostage-taking and a new bombing campaign in mainland Europe are the kind of tactics Hollande will fear most. The French withdrawal will leave the Malian and other African armies taking responsibility for the region's security. These often irregular troops have nothing like the equipment or airpower of Hollande's military machine, let alone the leadership. The French intervention has established African states such as Mali as arguably the most important new arena for the "war on terror", but as far as decisive battles are concerned, it is likely we have so far witnessed little more than an opening salvo.

Lewis Hamilton happy with Mercedes' 'starting place'

Lewis Hamilton has given a cautiously optimistic assessment of his new Mercedes after his first proper run in the car in pre-season testing.

Hamilton, who has joined Mercedes from McLaren, said: "We have some work to do but it doesn't feel like a disaster."

Mercedes ended last season struggling even to score points, while McLaren had Formula 1's fastest car.

"It seems we're not in a bad starting place so it must be a big improvement for [the team]," Hamilton said.

"I feel like it's a good platform, a good foundation to work on."
Analysis
Image of Gary Anderson Gary Anderson BBC F1 technical analyst

The first pre-season test of any year is about reliability and this week's running in Jerez started badly for Mercedes over the first two days.

Testing is about finding these problems but they impact on the number of laps team can do. McLaren and Ferrari also lost significant amounts of time at various points.

World champions Red Bull, by contrast, did not and they have done a lot of high-fuel running to learn about the new Pirelli tyres.

The Red Bull looks very good on the track. It's so stable and it just looks as if it has 10% more downforce than anyone else.

The Lotus has also looked impressive. Both Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean have done quick lap times, and the car does what the drivers want it to do. They look like they have made a step forward, which could cause some problems for the teams who were ahead of them last year.

Of the new drivers, Sauber's Esteban Gutierrez and Williams's Valtteri Bottas both looked like they will impress in 2013.

After a brief outing on Wednesday was curtailed by brake failure, Hamilton said he felt the car was lacking aerodynamic downforce, a point he made again on Friday.

"Definitely. [I'm] just going to keep on asking for downforce and hope the guys continue to do a great job back at the factory," he said.

Hamilton and team-mate Nico Rosberg were restricted to less than 30 laps between them over the first days because of reliability problems, but the German managed 148 laps on Thursday and the car ran reliably again for Hamilton on Friday as he completed 145 laps.

"It's been good to get some laps in," Hamilton said. "Obviously yesterday Nico got 148 laps in. I think that's the most I've ever seen. Today to get some running in, it's great to get a feeling for the car."

Team boss Ross Brawn said: "We had some problems the first two days which were disappointing, but since then it's been running well. We've been learning a lot about the car and about working with Lewis.

"It's still very early in terms of understanding what he wants from a car perspective, and of course we're at one circuit for one day.

"He's clearly a person who enjoys being involved at all levels and that's a great motivation for the team.

"He's been working hard with the engineers this test. He's been here on the days when Nico's been driving with a headset and listening to what's been going on, so [he has been] everything I hoped he would be."

Brawn said optimism in the team was "reasonably strong".

He added: "There is an awful lot to do but both drivers are putting a lot of energy into the team.

"We know what happened last year; we know what we need to do this year. We need to quietly get on with it, not panic and make sure we do things in the right way and we have two great drivers to help us do that."

The fastest driver on the day was Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen with a lap of one minute 18.148 seconds, which was 0.027secs quicker than Force India's Jules Bianchi.

"The car feels good," said the 2007 world champion. "We are pretty happy with how the handling is and how things are running.

"For sure there are things we have to improve but that is normal. It is only the first test.

"For us it is more important to have a good feeling and know what we have done and learn from those [than to set the fastest time].

"It's early days but it's a good car and I think we have a good baseline like last year to work on."

World champion Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull was third. Hamilton was sixth overall, 0.757secs behind Raikkonen.

Vettel said: "I'm quite pleased with the car but about the performance we can't really say anything because we don't know what fuel the others were running. At this stage it's all about ourselves and trying to understand the car."

Raikkonen's time was 0.269secs slower than the fastest time of the week, set by Ferrari's Felipe Massa on Thursday.

Ferrari's new development driver Pedro de la Rosa had his first run in the car on Friday, although he lost the morning's running while the team repaired a gearbox failure.

Testing was suspended for 50 minutes in the early afternoon after a pot hole developed at Spain's Jerez track between Turns 10 and 11, where drivers run wide over the kerb.

It was repaired with quick-drying concrete and the end of test was extended until 1630 GMT.
FIRST PRE-SEASON TEST, DAY FOUR, JEREZ, SPAIN, FASTEST TIMES

1. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Lotus-Renault 1:18.148

2. Jules Bianchi (Fra) Force India-Mercedes 1:18.175

3. Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault 1:18.565

4. Esteban Gutierrez (Mex) Sauber-Ferrari 1:18.669

5. Jean-Eric Vergne (Fra) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:18.760

6. Lewis Hamilton (GB) Mercedes 1:18.905

7. Sergio Perez (Mex) McLaren-Mercedes 1:18.944

8. Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Williams-Renault 1:19.851

8. Pedro de la Rosa (Spa) Ferrari 1:20.316

10 Charles Pic (Fra) Caterham-Renault 1:21.105

11 Luiz Razia (Brz) Marussia-Cosworth 1:21.226

12. Paul di Resta (GB) Force India-Mercedes 1:23.435

* = 2012 car