PPI compensation ruling awaited

The High Court judgement will affect millions of bank customers

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Nearly three million people are awaiting a court ruling which could have a major impact on compensation for past loan insurance sales.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has been challenged by UK banks over retrospective compensation for the mis-selling of Payment Protection Insurance (PPI).

A judicial review was heard earlier in the year.

The High Court is expected to give its ruling on Wednesday.

PPI policies are supposed to repay people's loans if their income drops because they fall ill or lose their jobs.

The banking industry has been accused of mis-selling them on a huge scale, generating many millions of pounds in profits by selling insurance that people were unaware they were paying for or did not need, or on which they could not claim.

The judicial review, which started at the end of January, refers to new FSA rules that require firms to review past sales, which could lead to compensation worth £2.7bn being paid to 2.75 million people.

The rules said that banks would have to review past PPI sales, even where customers had so far not complained, potentially landing the banking industry with the huge bill.

Customers would have to be repaid their PPI premiums, plus interest, if the bank or other firm concluded that the customer would not have bought the policy in the first place.

A similar reimbursement could be due to those customers that paid for a policy in full up front.

The UK's banks, represented by the British Bankers' Association (BBA), have challenged the FSA's new requirements.

They argued that the FSA was effectively applying new rules to previous sales - even when those sales were regulated by other FSA rules.

One side effect of this dispute is that thousands of fresh complaints have been put on hold since last October, when the BBA first announced it would launch its legal action.

More than half of the 97,237 new complaints made to the Financial Ombudsman Service in the second half of 2010 were about PPI.

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/business-13128692

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Dr Who star Elisabeth Sladen dies

 

Elisabeth Sladen originally starred in Doctor Who for three years in the 1970s

Doctor Who star Elisabeth Sladen, who was also in spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures, has died aged 63.

Sladen appeared as Doctor Who assistant Sarah Jane Smith in the BBC television sci-fi series between 1973 and 1976 opposite Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker.

In more recent times the Liverpool-born actress had appeared in four series of The Sarah Jane Adventures on children's channel CBBC.

Sladen, who had a daughter, had been battling cancer for some time.

Sladen first appeared as Sarah Jane alongside the third Doctor, Jon Pertwee, and stayed for three-and-a-half seasons, also working with the fourth Doctor, Tom Baker.

Her character, a journalist, was renowned for being inquisitive and stronger than some of the Doctor's other assistants.

After her time in the Tardis, Sladen returned to her native Liverpool where she worked in theatre.

She returned to the role on several occasions over the years and was given her own spin-off series on CBBC in 2007, in which she appeared with the most recent two Doctors, David Tennant and Matt Smith.

A BBC spokesman said: "It is with much sadness that we can announce Elisabeth Sladen, the much-loved actress best known for her role as Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who and CBBC's The Sarah Jane Adventures, passed away this morning. She was 63."

CBBC controller Damian Kavanagh said he was "deeply saddened and shocked by the news of Lis's untimely death".

"Lis brought joy, excitement and a sense of wonder to her many fans in her role as Sarah Jane Smith. She was adored by our young audience and I know all of them will miss her as much as I will," he said.

Russell T Davies, the creator of The Sarah Jane Adventures, said: "I absolutely loved Lis. She was funny and cheeky and clever and just simply wonderful. The universe was lucky to have Sarah Jane Smith, the world was lucky to have Lis."

Sladen leaves actor husband Brian Miller and daughter Sadie.

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/entertainment-arts-13137674

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Bomb 'attempt to murder officers'

M1 blaze 'started deliberately'

Two lanes are now running on both carriageways along the stretch of the M1

A fire which caused a section of the M1 to be closed for several days appears to have been started deliberately, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) has said.

Friday's blaze near a scrapyard under an elevated section of the motorway in Mill Hill, North London, saw lanes closed between junctions 1 and 4.

The fire caused widespread disruption over the weekend, with a seven-mile stretch of the M1 affected.

Engineers say the motorway will not be fully open to traffic until next week.

A London Fire Brigade spokeswoman said: "We believe that the fire was started deliberately and the incident has now been handed over to the Metropolitan Police for investigation."

A spokeswoman for the Met said they were investigating the incident and had previously said officers were treating the fire as suspicious.

The problems caused by the blaze has led the government to carry out an audit of roads and railways at possible risk from industrial accidents.

Announcing the review, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said: "It is crucial that we learn the lessons from this hugely disruptive event and ensure that we minimise the risk of something similar happening again."

The audit could affect many businesses operating close to motorways and stretches of railway.

Steel pillars have been put up beneath the bridge which was badly damaged by the fire, causing the concrete to explode and original steel beams to expand.

Engineers said it was a "miracle" the bridge had not collapsed because of the extent of the fire damage.

Currently two of the three lanes on both carriageways of the M1 are open.

Highways Agency hopes a contra flow to get three narrow lanes running in each direction will be in place in time for Easter.

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-england-london-13129347

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Marathon great Grete Waitz dies

Norwegian marathon runner Grete Waitz has died at the age of 57 following a six-year battle with cancer.

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/sport1/hi/athletics/13127429.stm

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Yemeni police fire on protesters

Several demonstrators have been arrested, organisers of the protests in Taiz say

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Yemeni security forces have opened fire on anti-government protesters in the capital, Sanaa, and the southern city of Taiz, witnesses and medics say.

At least two protesters were killed in Sanaa, while another died in Taiz. Dozens were wounded in the crackdown. Many suffered the effects of tear gas.

The UN Security Council is due to discuss the crisis later.

More than 120 people have been killed in two months of protests demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh step down.

The Yemeni leader, who has been in power for more than three decades, has said he is willing to hand over power, but only to "safe hands".

The first clashes on Monday occurred in Taiz, Yemen's second largest city, when thousands of protesters took part in a march demanding the president's immediate resignation.

Security forces fired live rounds and tear gas "indiscriminately" at the crowd, witnesses said. The protesters set up barricades of burning tires.

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in Sanaa

The director of a field hospital, Dr Sadeq al-Shuja, told the Associated Press that at least one person was killed. Several others were wounded.

Later, tens of thousands took to the streets in Sanaa.

Riot police again opened fire on the protesters. A medic told the Reuters news agency that two people were killed and 100 wounded.

“It is high time that all parties, especially President Saleh, take up this initiative and strive for a peaceful transition”

Peter Wittig Germany's permanent representative to the UN

Protesters threw stones and set fire to one security vehicle in retaliation, witnesses said.

A Yemeni government delegation was due to meet foreign ministers from the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to discuss an initiative to end the crisis.

The meeting comes two days after an opposition delegation, led by former Foreign Minister Mohammed Basindwa, met Gulf Arab mediators in Saudi Arabia.

President Saleh, who initially offered not to seek re-election when his current term ended in 2013, subsequently said he would step down after holding elections.

He warned of possible civil war if he was forced out.

Mr Saleh's weak central government already has little control beyond the capital. In recent years, it has struggled to confront an armed rebellion in the north and a secessionist movement in the south.

The UN Security Council is to discuss the unrest in Yemen for the first time on Tuesday, highlighting the growing worldwide concern.

Unicef said the past two months had exacted a terrible toll on children in Yemen

"The fact that the council meets today on Yemen sends an important signal by the international community - the negotiations should not stall and further bloodshed has to be avoided," said Germany's permanent representative to the UN, Peter Wittig.

"It is high time that all parties, especially President Saleh, take up this initiative and strive for a peaceful transition," he added.

Earlier, the UN children's fund (Unicef) has said at least 26 children were killed in the violent protests in the last two months.

The majority died of wounds from live ammunition fired during clashes between security forces and demonstrators, Unicef spokesperson Marixie Mercado said.

"We have absolutely no indication that the children were targeted and we don't know who shot them." Ms Mercado added.

"Yemen was already the least developed country in the region and the unrest in the past months is exacting a terrible toll on children."

At least 83 more children have been wounded in the clashes, 36 of them by live ammunition, Unicef said.

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This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-13130330

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'Arson attack' on Sagrada Familia

There was only minor damage to furnishings in the cathedral

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One of Spain's most famous landmarks, the Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona, has had to be evacuated after a suspected arson attack.

About 1,500 tourists were ordered to leave the building reportedly after a man started a fire in the sacristy, where priests don their robes.

Firefighters managed to put out the fire, and nobody was hurt, although some furnishings were damaged.

A man, who was described as "disturbed", was detained by police.

The Sagrada Familia is considered a masterpiece by the architect Antoni Gaudi.

It is still unfinished nearly 130 years after work began, but was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI in November last year, allowing masses to be held in the main part of the cathedral.

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-europe-13131352

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