Unwell peer accused

Unwell peer accused of child sex abuse ordered to appear in court – judge

An ageing member of the House of Lords was ordered on Friday to appear in court to face charges of serious child sex crimes, despite defence lawyers arguing he was too unwell to attend.

Lord Greville Janner, 87, a former Labour MP and ex-president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, is accused of 22 offences in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. He denies the charges.

"Lord Janner is fit to attend," Judge Howard Riddle told Westminster Magistrates Court, saying his presence was necessary in the interests of justice. 

Riddle said that the peer, who has been suspended by the Labour party, would only be needed for as little as a minute in a brief hearing.

In April, prosecutors said Janner, who has Alzheimer's, was too ill to face charges but were forced to reverse their decision a few months later following anger from his alleged victims.

Riddle ended up adjourning the hearing for seven days for arrangements to be made so Janner could appear at the hearing after defence lawyers said the former lawmaker would not be able to attend on Friday, despite the judge's ruling.

origina post found herhttp://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/08/07/uk-britain-abuse-janner-idUKKCN0QC16M20150807

MH370

MH370: France to launch air and sea searches around Reunion

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France is to conduct air, land and sea searches in and around the island of Reunion in the hope of finding more debris which could be linked to MH370.

Malaysia said on Thursday that a wing section found on the French Indian Ocean island definitely came from the doomed Malaysia Airline flight.

But investigators in France are yet to confirm the link, causing frustration among the families of victims.

France has also dismissed Malaysian claims that more debris has been found.

The Boeing 777 was travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on 8 March 2014 when it vanished from radar. It had 239 people on board, most of them Chinese.

origina post found herhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-33815009

Defiant Trump

Defiant Donald Trump dominates US Republican TV debate

Donald Trump continued to dominate the Republican race for US president by causing further controversies in the first debate.

The tycoon's refusal to rule out a third-party run drew boos from the audience on Thursday night.

And he stood by offensive comments he has made in the past about women.

The 10 candidates in Cleveland, selected by Fox News on the basis of recent national polls, provided a frank and bruising exchange of views.

When the debate ended, commentators immediately praised the performances of Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Governor John Kasich.

But former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker - with Mr Trump among the frontrunners - failed to provide their supporters with any stand-out moments.

origina post found herhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-33814280