Germany: 'Spy Pair Got Secrets For Russia'

A married couple accused of spying for the Russian secret services for more than 20 years have gone on trial in Germany, in one of the biggest espionage court cases since the Cold War.

The pair, identified only by codenames Andreas and Heidrun Anschlag, were allegedly planted in West Germany from 1988 by the Soviet Union's KGB and later used by its SVR successor secret service.

The Russian defendants, whose alias surname means "attack" in German, declined to confirm any details about their identity or the charges as the trial got under way in Stuttgart.

Prosecutors said one of them arrived in the then-divided Germany in 1988 - a year before the Berlin Wall fell - and the other in 1990, posing as Austrian citizens who had been born and grew up in South America.

They had a mission from SVR to obtain Nato and EU political and military secrets, federal public prosecutor Wolfgang Siegmund said.

He added: "Particularly also geo-strategic findings on the relationship of Nato and the EU with the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia."

Prosecutors said the couple set up a "middle-class existence" to cover up their activity for the secret services. Andreas Anschlag studied engineering and worked in the auto industry while Heidrun was a housewife.

According to reports, even their own daughter had no idea about their double lives.

The trial has got under way in Stuttgart

The couple allegedly passed on documents they obtained from a Dutch official in the foreign ministry between 2008 and 2011.

The court heard the official, Raymond Valentino Poeteray, obtained several hundred pages of classified, partly secret documents from different Dutch embassies and received more than £60,000.

The accused left the documents in "dead-letter boxes", for example under certain trees, from where they were picked up by employees of the Russian consulate general in the western city of Bonn, according to the federal prosecutor.

Heidrun Anschlag was responsible for communicating with the SVR via short-wave radio, the court heard.

The pair, who allegedly were jointly paid around £83,000 a year, communicated with their Moscow masters using text messages via satellite phone or hidden messages in comments in YouTube videos under agreed names, it heard.

In mid-2011, Mr Siegmund said the pair had received orders to withdraw from Germany because of the risk of being exposed and were preparing to do so when they were arrested in October of that year.

Defence lawyer Horst-Dieter Poetschke, who said the defendants had Russian citizenship, claimed the documents in question were "of average quality" and "so, no so-called grave damage occurred" to Germany.

Germany's domestic intelligence services discovered the couple after receiving a tip from the FBI in the United States, which unmasked Russian spies, including Anna Chapman, on its own soil.

The Anschlags face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty and the trial is expected to last until the end of June.

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Britain Braced For More Snow Disruption

Driving Tips For Winter Weather

Updated: 11:51pm UK, Monday 14 January 2013

With many roads in the UK covered by snow and ice, motorists have being warned to take extra care.

Skidding on ice is the main concern for those driving in freezing conditions.

So what is the best advice when it comes to being safe on the roads?

The Institute of Advanced Motorists has issued some top tips for motorists:

Before setting off:

:: Plan your route according to the driving conditions.

:: Make sure your wipers are in good condition.

:: Clean your windows inside and out.

:: Top up the washer fluid with winter strength screen wash which has a freeze-resistant additive.

:: Check last year's scraper and de-icer are up to the job.

:: Check your tyres, especially the tread depth. For optimum safety opt for at least 3mm instead of the legal minimum of 1.6mm.

:: Check all lights.

:: Pack an emergency kit – high-viz jacket, food and water, boots, de-icer, scraper, torch, shovel and charged mobile phone with your breakdown emergency number.

:: If you are on regular medication, take enough with you in case you get delayed.

On the road:

:: Use the 'ice' setting if your car has one.

:: Slow down and accelerate smoothly and gradually.

:: Drive in the highest gear possible, starting off in second.

:: Make sure you can stop within the distance you can see to be clear.

:: Increase your following distance by ten times even if you have ABS.

:: Beware - light steering and reduced road noise could mean you are driving on ice.

:: Frost, ice and snow remain for longer under trees, on bridges, and in areas exposed to wind.

:: Make sure your wipers are in the off position when you stop – they can freeze to the window.

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Murderer Brian Grady On Run From Open Prison

A murderer has gone on the run from prison and could be a danger to the public, police have warned.

Brian Grady, also known as Brian Revill, walked out of HMP Prescoed in south Wales on Monday and failed to return, Gwent Police said.

The 26-year-old was jailed for at least 11 years in July 2003 at Bristol Crown Court after being convicted of murder and robbery.

Police believe he could be in the Bristol area where he has contacts.

A spokesman for Gwent Police said: "We have activated our operational plan with the aim of locating him and the prison is co-operating fully with us.

"It is believed there may be a potential risk to the public due to the fact that he is no longer in the custody of the prison service."

Grady is described as white, 5ft 11in, of average build, with short light brown hair and blue eyes.

He has a scar under his left eye and speaks with a Bristol accent.

He is not a registered sex offender, police said.

Members of the public are warned not to approach him but to call police on 101 or 01633 838111 if they have any information regarding his whereabouts.

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Facebook Tipped To Boost Search Functions

Facebook is holding a mystery "press event", triggering a guessing game about what it could unveil - with suggestions ranging from a smartphone to a search engine.

The company has not said what it plans to announce at the media briefing at its headquarters in Menlo Park in California.

Last week, it merely invited bloggers and journalists to "come see what we're building".

"There's a lot of speculation. Nothing to me seems to be that certain," said Jefferies & Co analyst Brian Pitz.

"If I were to bet, I'd think it was something that was ad-platform related. I'm not convinced on the phone."

Mr Pitz pointed out that Facebook officials, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, had previously said making a smartphone would be the "wrong strategy".

Since the company's current search functions are limited, users would most likely welcome a better way to search Facebook.

Mark and the mobile - Zuckerberg thinks phone users are the future

Yesterday, Facebook's stock opened above $32 (£19.90) for the first time since July as anticipation about its upcoming products and financial results underscored Wall Street's renewed confidence in the social network.

Its shares are up roughly 17% since the start of the year, and some analysts believe the recent gains may have more to do with the company's upcoming fourth-quarter financial results, which are due out on January 30.

"The stock is up because they have driven a dramatic increase in the ad load of their mobile app which is giving investors hope that they exceeded expectations," said BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield.

Facebook, the world's number one social network with one billion users, became the first US company to debut on the stock market with a value of more than $100bn (£62bn).

Its value subsequently plunged by more than 50% amid mounting concerns about slowing revenue growth and the challenges of making money as users shift from personal computers to mobile devices.

Facebook surprised Wall Street in the third quarter by announcing that mobile ads accounted for 14% of its total ad revenue.

Some analysts expect the company to report further growth in its mobile ad business for the fourth quarter.

Mr Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook while studying at Harvard, has said mobile is the "most misunderstood aspect" of Facebook.

But he has repeatedly poured cold water on rumours that Facebook would build its own smartphone to compete against Apple's iPhone and others based on Google's Android operating system.

However, at a conference in September, he said he believed search could be a ripe area of growth for his company.

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Cleaner Steals Train And Hits House In Sweden

A cleaner has been arrested after stealing a train before it crashed at high speed into a house, Swedish officials say.

Police officers at the scene of the crash

The woman was seriously injured when the train derailed at Saltsjobaden station, southeast of Stockholm, and collided with the building, police spokesman Lars Bystrom confirmed.

She was flown to hospital in the capital city and has been arrested on suspicion of endangering the public.

The woman driving the train was seriously injured

The cleaner stole the four-carriage train at a depot then drove it around a mile (1.6km) before it crashed, a spokesman for train operator Arriva said.

Witnesses said the train did not slow down when it reached the station before smashing through the stop barriers at the end of the track.

No-one in the house, which sits around 50 metres from the stop barriers, was injured and there were no passengers on board the train at the time.

The building hit by the train was evacuated following the crash

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BA Employee Nadia Eweida Wins Cross Case

A British Airways employee has won a landmark legal battle over her right to wear a cross at work.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Nadia Eweida, a Coptic Christian, had been discriminated against under freedom of religion laws.

But three other Christian claimants, who launched similar action, lost their cases.

Miss Eweida, 60, took her case against the UK government to the ECHR after she was sent home for wearing a small silver cross around her neck in 2006 in breach of BA uniform codes.

Registrar Lillian Ladele lost her case

She said she was "jumping for joy" at the ruling and was pleased it recognised the "anxiety, frustration and distress" she suffered.

"I'm very happy and very pleased that Christian rights have been vindicated in the UK and Europe," she added.

The British government was ordered to pay her £1,600 in damages and £25,000 to cover costs.

Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "Delighted that principle of wearing religious symbols at work has been upheld - ppl shouldn't suffer discrimination due to religious beliefs."

Counsellor Gary McFarlane refused sex therapy to homosexuals

An employment tribunal in Britain had ruled Miss Eweida, who lives in Twickenham, southwest London, but is originally from Egypt, did not suffer religious discrimination.

The decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court before Miss Eweida took her fight to the ECHR.

The European judges ruled there had been a violation of article nine (freedom of religion) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

They found a fair balance was not struck between Miss Eweida's desire to demonstrate her religious belief and BA's wish to "project a certain corporate image".

It said Miss Eweida's cross was discreet and cannot have detracted from her professional appearance.

Nurse Shirley Chaplin refused to remove a crucifix

"The court therefore concludes that, in these circumstances where there is no evidence of any real encroachment on the interests of others, the domestic authorities failed sufficiently to protect the first applicant's right to manifest her religion."

Miss Eweida returned to work in customer services at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 in February 2007, after BA changed its uniform policy on visible items of jewellery.

In a statement, the airline said it was not a party to this legal action, which was pursued against the UK government.

"Our own uniform policy was changed in 2007 to allow Miss Eweida and others to wear symbols of faith and she and other employees have been working under these arrangements for the last six years," the statement said.

Director of Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti, welcomed the judgement

"Miss Eweida has worked continuously for British Airways for 13 years."

Judges rejected the case of nurse Shirley Chaplin, 57, after they found she was asked to remove her cross for health and safety purposes.

The ruling also found against marriage counsellor Gary McFarlane, 51, who was sacked for saying he might object to offering sex therapy to homosexuals.

The judgement said Mr McFarlane took the role at counselling service Relate in the knowledge that clients could not be divided in up in accordance with their sexual orientation.

Registrar Lillian Ladele, who was disciplined when she refused to conduct same-sex civil partnership ceremonies, also lost her legal action.

Dr John Sentamu

The court decided Islington Council's action was "legitimate" given it was also obliged to consider the rights of same-sex couples.

All three plan to appeal the decision.

In reaction to the verdict, the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, said: "Christians and those of other faiths should be free to wear the symbols of their own religion without discrimination.

"Whether people can wear a cross or pray with someone should not be something about which courts and tribunals have to rule."

Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights group Liberty, said: "Today's judgement is an excellent result for equal treatment, religious freedom and common sense.

"Nadia Eweida wasn't hurting anyone and was perfectly capable of doing her job whilst wearing a small cross.

"British courts lost their way in her case and Strasbourg has actually acted more in keeping with our traditions of tolerance."

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HMV Collapse: Gift Cards And Vouchers Invalid

HMV has confirmed it will not be accepting gift cards or vouchers from customers as the retailer prepared to collapse into administration.

The company confirmed its intentions after a board meeting, as exclusively revealed by Sky's City Editor Mark Kleinman.

The chief executive of HMV - which employs 4,350 people - said it was "business as usual" at the chain's 238 stores, which will remain open while administrators Deloitte attempt to find a buyer.

Trevor Moore told Sky News he was "absolutely confident" about the future of the business, but added: "It does require a number of significant changes in the business, and those changes we're very clear about."

He said: "We would hope to find a prospective buyer that could work with us to enable me to deliver those changes and ensure that HMV – which is one of the consumer's 10 most favourite stores in the UK remains on the high streets that we operate in."

HMV was late to the online shopping revolution and suffered as a result

A company statement said it had ultimately failed to meet the conditions of its bank loans, and trading in HMV's ordinary shares had ceased.

It said the business "faced material uncertainties" and would probably "not comply with its banking covenants" at the end of January.

Confirming the appointment of administrators "with immediate effect", the statement added: "The board regrets to announce that it has been unable to reach a position where it feels able to continue to trade outside of insolvency protection."

Mr Moore urged staff at the chain to support each other despite being faced with an uncertain future.

"My message is that it's critically important – even more now than ever before – that we remain focussed on the job at hand," he said.

"That we engage with our customers, we look after each other, support each other, and engage ... to ensure the business continues to trade successfully."

He added: "As far as I'm concerned, right now it's business as usual - HMV's doors are wide open, we have stock to sell, we have teams to staff our stores and we have a business to run."

Celebrities have been among those sharing their memories of the iconic chain.

BBC 6Music DJ Lauren Laverne tweeted: "Long time since i was in #HMV, but I remember it well… RIP."

Also on Twitter, rapper Professor Green posted: "hmv bankrupt. we may as well just give up on any medium that involves hard copy and get on with it. #sadtimes."

And fellow artist Sway added: "Just a thought. If all of the artists and labels in the UK all made a small donation do you think it would be enough to save #HMV?"

Retail expert Mary Portas posted: "HMV was a brilliant business that was a great part of our Highstreets. So sad to see this one go."

The retailer, which has struggled for several years in the face of online competition, had announced last week an additional sale at its stores in a last ditch effort to raise cash but its £176.1m debt pile was too great for the move to have much impact.

Last year, the company sold off its most profitable arm, its live music business, as it attempted to slash what it owed.

In January 2011, suppliers including Universal Music came to HMV's rescue with a deal that helped the retailer shed some of its debt, but they are understood to have dismissed requests for more financial help earlier this month.

Analysts suggest the business model was already doomed - squeezed by internet retailers and supermarkets whose scale enables them to offer CDs and DVDs at cheaper prices.

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John Smith's Brewer Denies Tax Saving Claims

Drinkers of John Smith's Extra Smooth may soon find they have to pay more for a pint of the popular bitter - just as its alcohol strength is reduced.

From next month, Heineken - which owns the brand - plans to weaken the beer's alcohol content in a move that would save it millions of pounds in tax under the Government's beer duty escalator.

At the same time, the firm plans to raise the price of a pint to wholesalers by 2.5p to help offset rising energy, duty and ingredient costs.

Heineken insists the decision to reduce the drink's strength from 3.8% to 3.6% alcohol-by-volume (ABV) was aimed at bringing John Smith's Extra Smooth in line with the strength of rival smooth beer brands, including Tetley's, Worthingtons and Boddingtons which already sit at or below 3.6% ABV.

Its statement said: "We will pass on a proportion of the duty savings to our trade customers while re-investing some cost savings in the brewing and marketing of our leading ale brand.

John Smith's Extra Smooth is currently the UK's best-selling smooth brand

"Extensive research conducted with John Smith's retailers and consumers consistently confirmed that a 0.2% reduction in ABV does not compromise on the taste and quality that has made the brand the UK's most popular ale and we are confident that John Smith's Extra Smooth will continue to lead the ale category going forward."

According to the Financial Times, the annual duty saving would top £6.5m a year.

The beer duty escalator, which penalises drinks depending on alcohol strength, has been blamed for falling industry sales by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA).

It has added inflation plus 2% to duty bills since its introduction in 2008, meaning the figure has risen by almost 40%.

The BBPA has calculated that the Treasury now raises more than £9bn per year through beer and sale production - a figure it argues is killing off pubs as consumers opt to buy from cheaper supermarkets instead.

According to the lobby group Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), a third of the cost of a stronger pint is now pure tax.

Camra has begun a 'Save Your Pint' petition, while pub operators such as JD Wetherspoon have said they are limiting investment in the UK as a result of what they call the growing tax burden.

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Lance Armstrong Interview: Oprah 'Surprised'

Oprah Winfrey has said Lance Armstrong "did not come clean in the manner I expected" during a two-and-a-half hour interview with the disgraced cyclist.

The shamed sportsman reportedly admitted using performance-enhancing drugs to the US talk show host, ending a decade of denial.

And speaking to CBS after the interview, Winfrey said she was "satisfied" with the confessional.

"I would say he did not come clean in the manner that I expected," she said.

The interview will be aired on Oprah Winfrey's television network

"It was surprising to me. I would say for myself, my team ... we were mesmerised and riveted by some of his answers.

"I feel he answered the questions in a way that (suggested) he was ready. I can only say I was satisfied with the answers."

Asked if Armstrong was contrite during the interview, Winfrey said: "I choose not to characterise.

"I would rather people make their own decisions about whether he was contrite or not. I felt that he was thoughtful, I thought that he was serious, I thought that he certainly had prepared himself for this moment. I would say that he met the moment.

"At the end of it... we were both pretty exhausted."

She also dismissed fears expressed before the interview that she may give Armstrong an "easy ride" adding that the confessional would be screened over two shows, to avoid cutting it down too much.

Winfrey said she had not planned to comment on the interview before it was screened, but decided to do so after it was widely reported he had admitted drug use.

Meanwhile, cycling's governing body, the International Cycling Union (UCI) urged Armstrong to testify before its independent commission on doping.

"If these reports are true, we would strongly urge Lance Armstrong to testify to the Independent Commission established to investigate the allegations made against the UCI in the recent USADA reasoned decision on Lance Armstrong and the United States Postal Service (USPS) team," the federation said in a statement.

Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles last year after a US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) report said he was a ruthless competitor, willing to go to any lengths to win the prestigious race.

USADA chief executive Travis Tygart labelled the doping regime allegedly carried out by the US Postal Service team that Armstrong once led "the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen".

The interview with Winfrey is Armstrong's first public response to the report.

He is not expected to have provided a detailed account about his involvement, or addressed in depth many of the specific allegations made in the more than 1,000-page report.

A government source has told ABC News that Armstrong had also met authorities to discuss paying back some of his former team's sponsorship money from the US Postal Service.

The source also suggests Armstrong may give the names of others involved in illegal doping - leading to a possible reduction of his lifetime ban.

The American has apologised to staff at his Livestrong Foundation, saying he was sorry for the distress he had caused. He vowed he would repair the foundation's reputation.

Armstrong is said to be worth around $100m (£62m). However, most sponsors dropped him after USADA's scathing report - at the cost of tens of millions of dollars - and soon after, he left the board of Livestrong.

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M5 Pile-Up: Manslaughter Charges Dropped

Manslaughter charges have been dropped against Geoffrey Counsell after seven people died in a pile-up on the M5 during thick fog.

The 50-year-old was in charge of a firework display in a field close to the motorway, at Taunton Rugby Club, at the time of the crash on the night of November 4, 2011.

The incident, which involved 34 vehicles and left 51 people injured, was described as one of the worst British motorway crashes in memory.

Witnesses afterwards spoke of thick smoke causing visibility problems for motorists.

Anthony and Pamela Adams, Maggie and Michael Barton, Malcolm Beacham, Terry Brice and Kye Thomas all died.

Mr Counsell, who is from Somerset, was charged with seven counts of manslaughter on October 19 last year.

But when he appeared at Bristol Crown Court, he was told the manslaughter charges were being dropped and he would instead face a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act of failing to ensure the safety of others.

Peter Blair, prosecuting, said they had reviewed the decision following meetings with a range of experts in different disciplines.

"The outcome of the review that took place and developments, including the additional charge of failing to ensure the safety of others under the Health and Safety Act, was the decision that the prosecution will not be pursuing the manslaughter charges," he said.

Adrian Derbyshire, defending, told the court his client should "never have been charged with manslaughter".

But he added the prosecution told him it was the right decision at the time and new evidence had come forward that prompted the decision to review the case.

Senior investigation officer for the collision, Detective Superintendent Mike Courtiour, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: "Our investigation was meticulous and complex. We took hundreds of witness statements, examined 34 vehicles and consulted several experts, including meteorologists, pyrotechnic and forensic specialists.

"Based on this evidence the Crown Prosecution Service took a decision to charge. However, following further consideration in recent weeks they have decided to drop the manslaughter charges."

He added that while Health and Safety proceedings are continuing they are not able to comment any further.

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