UK News: Unions blast latest MoD job cut proposal

Union leaders have attacked plans by the Ministry of Defence to cut a further 7000 civilian posts.

The Public and Commercial Services union said it was "totally unreasonable" for the MoD to be cutting so many posts when efforts were still being made to reduce a previous cull of 25,000 jobs.

Public's 37m African aid

The British public has donated 37 million to help drought victims in East Africa.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) said the generosity of UK donors was "making a big difference" to those affected by the region's worst drought for 60 years. The DEC East Africa Appeal was set up earlier this month.

Met launches inquiry into computer hacking

Scotland Yard is setting up a team of officers to investigate computer hacking.

The Metropolitan Police said it was considering a number of breach of privacy allegations received since January.

The new team will investigate matters not covered by the force's phone hacking probe.

A spokeswoman said: "Operation Tuleta is currently considering a number of allegations regarding breach of privacy."

Potter actor's sex charge

An actor who appeared as a goblin in a Harry Potter film has been given a 20-week suspended sentence for indecently exposing himself on a train.

Nicholas Read, 40, of Stoke-on-Trent, was found guilty of performing a sex act under a juggler's hat in October 2010.

Read had previous convictions for making explicit phone calls to "random" women from a hotel room.

Man admits Murdoch attack

PROTESTER Jonathan May-Bowles has admitted throwing a foam pie at Rupert Murdoch as he gave evidence to a committee of MPs.

May-Bowles, 26, admitted assault and causing harassment, alarm or distress, when he appeared before City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.

Manchester: Two men were seriously injured when their light aircraft crashed into two houses in Salford at about 12.20pm yesterday. The men were airlifted to hospital with serious burns. A man inside one of the houses was unharmed.

Bristol: An internet blogger has been jailed for 12 years after admitting soliciting the murder of MPs who had voted in favour of the Iraq War. Bilal Zaheer Ahmad, 23, from Wolverhampton, was also sentenced for other terrorism offences. Prosecutors said Ahmad had used a website to encourage others to attack MPs.