Al Qaeda's YouTube Threat To Britain

Al Qaeda has posted a chilling video threat to Britain on YouTube - showing masked gunmen shooting the Union Flag.

Heavily-armed henchmen of Osama bin Laden are seen in a desert area, dressed from head to toe in black, using the flag as target practice.
The video also shows the Stars and Stripes and Israel's flag riddled with bullets as the men unload their rifles.
Two men released from America's Guantanamo Bay terror prison appear in the video, which has also been posted on jihadist websites.
Abu Hareth Muhammad al Oufi is seen venting his fury at the West while holding an automatic rifle and brandishing a grenade.
Former inmate Abu Sufyan al Azdi al Shahri is filmed sitting with two other men before a flag of the Islamic State of Iraq, the symbol for the al Qaeda terror network in Iraq.
See Al Qaeda Terror Threat Video
"By Allah, imprisonment only increased our persistence in our principles for which we went out, did jihad for, and were imprisoned for," he is quoted as saying.
Both fanatics have now been promoted to the senior ranks of al Qaeda, US counter-terrorism experts said.
The US Defence Department believes around 60 former Guantanamo inmates - more than 10% of the 520 so far released - have returned to the fight against the West.
Security analysts believe this latest video message means Britain is a revenge target for the three-week Israeli offensive in Gaza.
They said it clearly shows the UK ranks alongside America and Israel as top of al Qaeda's hate list.
US President Barack Obama has signed an executive order to close Guantanamo Bay, which holds about 245 prisoners at a US naval base in Cuba.
Human rights groups have long argued that the indefinite detention of terror suspects without charge is unjustifiable.

Keeper In Prison Football Row

Jailed goalkeeper Luke McCormick has caused a storm after being signed up to play for his prison football team.

The 25-year-old, who killed two young boys in a crash while drunk behind the wheel, may play his first game for Channings Wood Prison as early as this weekend.
It came after prison team officials sent a registration form to the South Devon League requesting McCormick be allowed to play for their Division Two side.
The league sought advice from the Football Association in London, who gave the green light.
But some SDL officials are unhappy at the decision, and say the former Plymouth Argyle star should be punished for his crimes rather than spend time kicking a football around.
League secretary Lisa Buley told Sky News Online: "I think it's poor taste him getting permission to play, but our hands have been tied by the FA.

"Personally, as a mother-of-two, I don't think he should be allowed to because those two little boys he killed will not play football again, but we can't bring our personal views into it."
The final say now rests with the prison's governor Jeannine Hendrick, who is understood to be backtracking on McCormick's league registration.
The prison refused to discuss the matter when contacted by Sky. A spokeswoman would only say: "We do not comment on individual prisoners."
Experts said McCormick was "at best semi-conscious" when his speeding Range Rover crashed into a people carrier on the M6, killing Arron Peak, 10, and his brother Ben, eight.
The boys' parents Phil and Amanda Peak - who have called for mandatory life sentences for drink-drive killers - have been unavailable for comment.
But they have expressed anger that McCormick will be eligible for parole after just three and a half years.

Ross Is Back - Twitter Ye Not

Jonathan Ross is confident his TV comeback will be a big success following his suspension over the lewd phone calls scandal.

The TV star has told of his plans for his Friday night chat show which returns later this month - and said "the first show is already looking great".
Ross, currently on a three-month suspension from his £6m-a-year BBC job, has lined up comedians Stephen Fry and Lee Evans, and Scottish band Franz Ferdinand for the show.
But he was quiet on the identity of the fourth guest, amid rumours it might be actor Andrew Sachs - the victim of Ross and Russell Brand's obscene phone call messages.
Meanwhile, Ross has seemingly become addicted to the social network website Twitter during his time off, and is even thinking of showcasing it on the programme.
"I'll see if Stephen wants to Twitter on the show," he told fans on his blog.
He also revealed he is still good friends with Brand, 33, who resigned over his part in the phone call debacle, and is trying to get him on to Twitter.
He said: "Just got text from Russell B: 'I don't even know what Twitter is - I presume it's internet-related and taught to you by your progeny'.
"Wish I could repeat the rest of Russell's text but I'd get banned from Twitter. Even I gasped. Bad Brand. But funny."
Ross has also been filling his days writing the script for a horror action film, and three comic books.
He joked about how he was thinking of transforming his looks for his big comeback.

"Am seriously considering cosmetic surgery. I'm tempted by a tail, or maybe horns," he added.
Ross has had pre-production talks with BBC chiefs about his return, which will be under a massive amount of scrutiny.
The 48-year-old managed to keep hold of his job despite being involved in two offensive broadcasts criticised by the state broadcaster's governing body.
As well as the Sachs incident, the BBC also condemned him for the offensive language he used towards actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

Presley's Fury Over Travolta Slurs

Lisa Marie Presley has spoken of her grief over the death of John Travolta's son - and slammed critics who used it to attack the Church of Scientology.

The singer said the Hollywood star and his wife Kelly Preston were going through "the worst possible tragedy a parent could be forced to endure".
And she attacked those who claimed their Scientology beliefs had stopped 16-year-old Jett getting the medical help he needed.
The youngster - who had Kawasaki Syndrome, a condition that can lead to heart disease - died from a seizure during a family holiday in the Bahamas.
In her MySpace blog, Presley, who is also a Scientologist, said: "I am writing this because I have noticed that for the most part, people and the media have been very sympathetic and respectful.
"But there are those certain ones that want to use this horrible tragedy as an opportunity to once again blame and/or attack Scientology."

Elvis Presley's daughter added: "Among most of the crazy, made-up garbage that goes around...it is not true that Scientologists don't believe in medical care...and that may have something to do with this terrible tragedy.
"I can tell you first hand that his parents were on a tireless, never-ending quest to get and provide him with the absolute best care anyone could ever ask for and need - medically, physically, emotionally, medicinally and spiritually.
"I am not writing this to preach my beliefs, I am here to protect my friends.
"Let's not use the tragic death of a child to facilitate your insatiable need to attack and destroy Scientology shall we?"
Presley, who was previously married to Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage, spoke out after cruel jokes and blogs were posted on the internet about Jett's death.
The religion was founded in 1954 by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard.

Ross: 'My BBC Suspension Fun'

Jonathan Ross has told of the "fun" he is having during his suspension from his £6m-a-year job at the BBC.
The TV star was given a "final warning" by the state broadcaster over the obscene phone calls scandal, which saw him lose £1.4m in pay when he was suspended for 12 weeks.
But the 48-year-old is clearly taking it all in his stride, revealing in his blog how he is filling his days by munching chips and pasta, watching films, and smoking expensive Cuban cigars.
Updating his fans on the website Twitter, he wrote: "Smoking a Cohiba and watching Sex And The City Season 6. Suspension is fun."
In another entry, he says: "I am going out with my wife for dinner and someone else is paying. I now wish I hadn't eaten so much earlier.
"Eating pasta while the dogs try to use their mind control on me. They want pasta bad."
On the blog, he describes himself as an "ageing roue and former chess champ" and says he is "currently resting".

Ross sparked outrage when he and comedian Russell Brand left lewd messages on Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs' answer phone.
The BBC received thousands of complaints over the matter, and bosses have ordered Ross to tone down his swearing when he returns in the New Year.
Ross, who has more than 1,000 people following him on his blog including celebrities John Cleese and Stephen Fry, also wrote about how he was planning his comeback.
"Wondering what record I should play on first radio show. Maybe - You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone by radio Birdman. Any thoughts?"

This week Ross had a "pre-production talk" with BBC chiefs about his return, which will no doubt be under a massive amount of scrutiny.
As well as the Sachs debacle, the BBC also condemned him for the offensive language he used towards actress Gwyneth Paltrow when he interviewed her last May.
Meanwhile, Brand, 33, who resigned over his involvement in the Sachs scandal, has landed on his feet by making his name in Hollywood, and winning a British Comedy Award.

What Badge Do You Get For That?

Three British scout leaders have told of their terror after they were attacked by a hippopotamus during a canoe trip in Africa.

Brian Sheen, 66, Geoff Ryder, 59, and Michael Billworth, 23, were four days into a trip down the Niger River in Guinea when the beast struck "like a submarine-launched missile".

They were forced to abandon their damaged canoe and trek through the jungle for five days to reach a small village where they received help.

Mr Sheen said he was amazed by the speed and ferocity of the attack.

He added: "The front went up and the middle went up. Then the back flew in the air and Geoff, who is 16 stone, was suddenly airborne and landed in the water beside the boat.

"It happened so quickly we didn't have time to be scared."

The three men, from Cornwall, had just started a 2,500-mile trip from Faranah along the Niger River to promote the scouting movement.

They managed to drag their sinking vessel on to a mud bank and salvaged what equipment they could carry before walking back to a village they had passed on the way.

The men, who have all returned to Cornwall, hope to revisit the area next year.

Jam, Jerusalem And Prostitutes

Tens of thousands of Women's Institute members are being urged by the Government to help crack down on sleazy sex adverts in local newspapers.

But campaigners have slammed the move and say it will only drive prostitutes on to the streets - making them ten times more likely to be attacked.

In a speech to the WI, Minister for Women Harriet Harman asked its 205,000 UK members to complain to editors if they see the adverts in local newspapers.

She said many of these sex workers are trafficked into this country and forced into prostitution.

However, representatives of the UK's estimated 80,000 prostitutes say Ms Harman is grossly exaggerating the problem in order to launch an anti-immigration message - and a moral crusade.
Niki Adams, of the English Collective Of Prostitutes, told Sky News Online: "It's appalling, it's absolutely terrible (what Harriet Harman is saying).

"It's ten times safer for women to work together in a house than on the street.

"And local newspapers are one of the few ways women have to advertise. This sort of thing will force them out on to the streets - is that what the WI wants?"

She added: "The Government has fabricated the trafficking figures to make it appear worse.

"They are putting together violence and prostitution. We know the difference between consensual sex and rape.

"We don't glamorise prostitution - it's not the job most of us wanted to get into - but it's better than some jobs."

She praised a recent report by Hampshire WI, which called for the decriminalisation of brothels in the wake of the Ipswich prostitute murders.

The group interviewed sex workers in New Zealand, America, and the Netherlands and passed a resolution "urging local authorities to provide safe working spaces for the operation of brothels".

But Pat Marshall, chairman of Hampshire WI, held back on criticising Ms Harman.

"We are waiting to see what Harriet Harman has to say and will think about that in the light of our resolution," she told Sky News Online.

But a spokeswoman for the national group said members would be encouraged to look out for adverts and write letters of complaint to editors if they found them.

The Government has unveiled a number of proposed new laws in its crackdown on the sex industry.

They include rape charges for men who pay for a prostitute who has been forcibly trafficked into the country, and the naming and shaming of kerb crawlers in local newspapers.