The Royal Marines and sailors who were held captive in Iran have been banned from selling any more of their stories after Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, reversed the decision to allow them to profit from the ordeal.
After a day of sustained criticism Mr Browne imposed an immediate ban on any Armed Forces personnel accepting money for television or newspaper interviews, admitting that the outcome of the sailors’ interviews “was not satisfactory”.
The U-turn came after Leading Seaman Faye Turney sold her story to The Sun and ITV — apparently for a total of £80,000 — and the youngest captive, Arthur Batchelor, sold his account to the Daily Mirror. Anger mounted during the day from victims’ families, military figures, politicians of all parties, former defence secretaries and even a former tabloid editor.
The decision to allow the former captives to sell their stories was described as “appalling” and “outrageous”, with some critics saying the personnel were being used as pawns in a government-inspired propaganda campaign.
MoD brings back ban on selling stories reports the Telegraph
Following condemnation from MPs and the families of soldiers who have lost their lives in action, Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, admitted the entire episode had been unsatisfactory and must not be repeated.
He banned any military personnel from talking to the media "about their experiences in return for payment" while a review is conducted.
Minister 'guilty of a dereliction of duty' over hostages fiasco says the Mail
Defence Secretary Des Browne was accused of "dereliction of duty" over the Iran hostages fiasco.
As former Bosnia commander General Sir Michael Rose and Air Marshal Sir John Walker, the former chief of Defence Intelligence, joined a chorus of attacks on the minister, the Conservatives decided to force an emergency Commons statement.
They will ask Speaker Michael Martin to summon Mr Browne to answer their questions unless the minister first volunteers himself, according to reports.
Meanwhile the Sun continues day two of Faye Turney's story,under the headline Mummy Mummy,it reveals that
BRAVE Navy hostage Faye Turney told yesterday how she burst into tears and APOLOGISED to her family for being a captive in Iran.
Despite the mental agony of her 13-day ordeal, Faye, 25, was more concerned after her release about the worry caused to her husband Adam and her parents.
Speaking about the unforgettable moment when she was flown to a reunion with them and her three-year-old daughter Molly, she said: “I felt anxious and nervous about seeing my family again.
“The whole thing felt surreal, I just didn’t know what to expect. I hadn’t had a chance to speak to Adam, so I had no idea what he knew about what had happened.
“I hoped he had kept it all from Molly. My biggest concern was that she would see me paraded on TV blindfolded and would be scared.
The Independent leads with
Iran defies UN to join nuclear club
Iran announced yesterday that it has taken a step forward in its nuclear programme by moving to industrial scale enrichment, thereby defying three United Nations resolutions and setting itself on a collision course with the United States.
At an extraordinary ceremony to celebrate Iran's now-annual "nuclear technology day", President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said: "With great honour, I declare that as of today our dear country has joined the nuclear club of nations and can produce nuclear fuel on an industrial scale."
The ceremony, which was broadcast on national television, was attended by cabinet and security officials, who sat in front of a large dais at the end of the hall, where an orchestra played first the national anthem, and later a rousing "nuclear symphony". A poem was recited extolling the glories of God's creation - religious code for scientific progress.
Iran raises stakes with claim of nuclear leap says the Guardian
Iran claimed yesterday to have made a dramatic leap forward in its nuclear programme by enriching uranium "on an industrial scale", a move likely to accelerate a collision with the US and strengthen calls in Washington for military action.
In a gesture of defiance to President George Bush and the UN security council, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad trumpeted the claim, making the announcement with pomp and ceremony at the heart of Iran's nuclear programme, the uranium enrichment facility at Natanz
It leads though with the story that
MI5 and MoD battle to keep Ulster secrets
MI5 and the Ministry of Defence are among government agencies demanding the return of secret documents from the Stevens inquiry in advance of four key inquiries which are set to expose the full extent of security force collusion with loyalist paramilitary figures in Northern Ireland, the Guardian has learned.
In some cases the organisations asking for the paperwork have successfully appealed for the return of the documents only to shred them, raising fears that vital evidence of collusion could disappear.
As a result, officers involved in the Stevens inquiry have begun making copies of all important secret documents to avoid crucial evidence being lost.
TEEN'S WORDS TO KILLER is the front of the Mirror
TEENAGE rapper Paul Erhahon was knifed to death by jealous youngsters after two earlier attacks, it is claimed.
His grieving friend Joseph Mafolabomi said last night: "It wasn't bad luck - lots of boys envied him for his music. You can't cheat death three times."
Paul, 14, and Joseph's brother Steven, 15, are believed to have been stabbed by a boy of 13 as an older youth held them by the throat.
As he lay dying from stomach and chest wounds, Paul gasped to his killer: "How could you do this to me? I've known you for so long."
Last night Steven, who was knifed five times, was stable in hospital after being taken off the critical list.
STABBED BOY PLEADED WITH KILLER reports the Express
A TEENAGE murder victim recognised his attackers from school and pleaded with them as he was brutally stabbed to death, his devastated friend revealed last night.
Terrified Paul Erhahon, 14, begged his killer: “How could you do this to me? I have known you for so long,” as he was knifed several times in the stomach on Good Friday. Paul and his best friend, Stephen Mafolabomi, 15, had just broken a curfew imposed by their parents to walk a 12-year-old home safely, fearful of violent gangs roaming the area in Leytonstone, east London.
It leads with the story that
CRISIS AS 6,000 POLICE QUIT FORCE
MORE than 6,000 police officers have resigned in the last three years, it emerged last night.
The men and women in blue are walking off the beat in frustration at Government meddling in the way they fight crime.A damning survey revealed that officers are fed up with red tape, political correctness and endless targets dictated by Home Office bureaucrats.Last night, police leaders said that morale is falling “year on year” among rank-and-file officers who "cannot wait to get out". Alan Gordon, vice-chairman of the Police Federation, said: “Officers are very demoralised and disillusioned. It wasn’t what they expected it to be. The amount of paperwork and the way in which they have to perform their duties are not what they thought.
The Mail leads with the story that
Diets damage health, shows biggest ever study
The world's largest study of weight loss has shown that diets do not work for the vast majority of slimmers and may even put lives at risk.
More than two-thirds pile the pounds straight back on, raising the danger of heart attack, stroke and diabetes.
Indeed most dieters end up heavier than they did to start with, the researchers found.
They warn this type of yo-yo behaviour is linked to a host of health problems. And they say the strain that repeated weight loss and gain places on the body means most people would have been better off not dieting at all.
Discipline falls as schools grow reports the Sun
PUPIL discipline is getting WORSE as secondary schools get bigger, shock official figures reveal.
The number of kids expelled from giant comprehensives with more than 1,500 children soared from 570 in 1997 to 730 in 2005.
But they halved from 8,490 to 4,570 in schools of under 1,000 pupils.
The Education Department figures will come as a blow to Tony Blair who has pushed for bigger schools.
According to the Mirror
DISCIPLINE KIDS OUTSIDE SCHOOL
TEACHERS get legal rights for the first time today to act against rowdy pupils who abuse them OUTSIDE school.
Up to now, teachers' rights have been unclear, preventing them from intervening to control unruly youngsters who pride themselves on being "untouchables".
Education Secretary Alan Johnson will now announce staff have full authority to crack down on abuse both inside and outside the school gates.
Tough new rules will cover the use of "virtual intimidation", such as internet chatrooms and mobile phones.
One in five young people to rely on handouts says the Telegraph
A "lost generation" of unemployed young people is costing the economy billions of pounds a year in benefits, youth crime and educational under-achievement, a major report discloses today.
The first large-scale study of its kind also shows that the population of "Neets" - people not in education, employment or training - is more than double that of Germany and France and is still growing.
Meanwhile the Times reports that
Sarah’s Law’ scheme could backfire, say child workers
Probation officers and child protection experts voiced concerns last night after it emerged that a so-called Sarah’s Law would be piloted in three areas.
Parents and teachers will be able to access information about sex offenders in their neighbourhoods as part of a pilot scheme to be announced by John Reid, the Home Secretary, next month. Single mothers will be able to ask police about the risk posed by new partners, and headteachers will be told about dangerous offenders in their communities.
The Guardian reports that
Moqtada rallies Shia to demand withdrawal of foreign troops
Wrapped in the Iraqi flag and chanting anti-American slogans, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Shia snaked into the holy city of Najaf yesterday for a protest rally to mark the fourth anniversary of the toppling of Saddam Hussein and to demand the ejection from Iraq of US and British troops.
The huge procession of mainly men and young boys had braved the roads from Baghdad - and towns across southern Iraq - to march from the holy city of Kufa to Najaf, one of Shia Islam's most sacred sites. Flanked by hundreds of Iraqi police, they shouted "Yes! Yes! Iraq. No! No! America" amid a sea of banners and Iraqi flags. "We were liberated from Saddam. Now we need to be liberated again," read one placard. "Stop the suffering, Americans leave now," demanded another.
IRAQI PROTESTERS BURN US FLAG says the Express
TENS of thousands of people waving Iraqi flags staged a rally in the southern city of Najaf yesterday to demand the withdrawal of US forces, four years to the day after the fall of Baghdad.
The protesters, who burned an American flag, were responding to a call by anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr Demonstrators, flanked by police, called for the Americans to leave, shouting "Get out, get out occupier."
Finally the Telegraph reports on
The hole in the ground that could connect Africa with Europe
Laden with fishing gear Mohammed Ahrare strolled past a rusting scaffold frame rigged with weights and pulleys on a cliff-top outside Tangier and set up his rod at his favourite fishing spot.
The 16-year-old tilted his head at the insignificant looking structure and said with a certain amount of pride: "That is a very important spot. From there they will build the tunnel that will link Morocco to Spain."
He gazed wistfully across the choppy waters where the coast of Spain appears tantalizingly close. "I hope they build it soon," he said. "I can't wait to use it to travel to Spain
A consortium of engineering firms from Morocco, Spain, France and Switzerland has drawn up blueprints for a twin-track rail tunnel to ferry vehicles and foot passengers between the southern tip of Spain and the North African coast. Feasibility studies are due to be completed this year.
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