Stones triumph in Glastonbury debut

29 June 2013 Last updated at 19:51 ET By Mark Savage BBC News entertainment reporter, at Glastonbury

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The BBC's Lizo Mzimba reports from Glastonbury on the Stones' historic set

The Rolling Stones' hit-packed Glastonbury debut has been hailed as "the high spot of 43 years" of the festival by organiser Michael Eavis.

The band opened with Jumpin' Jack Flash, with Mick Jagger prowling the stage in a green sequinned jacket.

He repeatedly thanked the crowd and, after It's Only Rock 'N' Roll (But I Like It), joked organisers had "finally got round to asking us" to play.

Tens of thousands of fans cheered on the two-hour set featuring 20 songs.

'Come again'

Speaking immediately after the band came off stage, festival boss Eavis called it "the high spot of 43 years of Glastonbury".

"They finally did it, and it was fantastic. My God, did they deliver."

Eavis also said he had bumped into Prince Harry at the festival during the day, "and I recommended he stay the night".

The Stones had arrived on stage after an intro tape featuring the sounds of Worthy Farm's usual residents, 350 dairy cows.

Eavis was heard saying "we waited a long time" as the unmistakable rhythm track of Sympathy For The Devil played and the crowd spontaneously broke into the familiar "whoo whoo" backing vocals.

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At the scene

For two hours and 20 songs The Rolling Stones were a crossfire hurricane sweeping across the fields of Glastonbury.

Mick Jagger was in particularly fine form, his hands flailing and hips jutting like a Thunderbirds puppet trying to belly dance.

But it was the musicality of the night - a long, intricate solo on Midnight Rambler, or the extended coda of Satisfaction - that really hit home.

The band's power is to be simultaneously the biggest rock group in the world and four old mates playing the blues in their shed.

This was live music, raw and unpolished. From the comfort of your settee, it's easy to criticise Jagger's hammy stage moves and frequently out-of-breath vocals but that's what it takes to connect to an audience of this size.

Mumford and Sons, who headline on Sunday, must be quaking in their boots.

"It's great to be here doing this show, doing this festival," said Jagger after It's Only Rock 'N' Roll (But I Like It).

"After all these years they finally got round to asking us," he added. Drummer Charlie Watts gave the joke a desultory cymbal crash.

The band had modified the Pyramid stage with three catwalks, allowing Jagger to bridge the cavernous gap that separates most Glastonbury performers from the audience.

It was in almost constant use as the 69-year-old strutted back and forth, clapping his hands thrusting his thick-lipped pout into the air.

Five songs into the set, Jagger introduced a new song, written for a girl "in cut-off jeans" he claimed to have met at the festival on Friday night.

A swampy country-rock number, it featured the refrain "Waiting for my Glastonbury girl".

Keith Richards, his guitar slung low around his skinny jeans, was handed the microphone for a couple of songs, and former Stones' guitarist Mick Taylor joined the band to layer an intricate blues solo over 1969's Midnight Rambler.

He was the only surprise guest of the night, despite rumours that Adele or even Bruce Springsteen would make an appearance.

After 90 minutes, Sympathy For The Devil got a full airing, as flares turned the sky red and a mechanical phoenix rose from atop the Pyramid stage.

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Rolling Stones set list

• Jumpin' Jack Flash
• It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)
• Paint It Black
• Gimme Shelter
• Glastonbury Girl
• Wild Horses
• Doom and Gloom
• Can't You Hear Me Knocking
• Honky Tonk Women
• You Got the Silver
• Happy
• Miss You
• Midnight Rambler
• 2,000 Light Years from Home
• Sympathy for the Devil
• Start Me Up
• Tumbling Dice
• Brown Sugar

Encore

• You Can't Always Get What You Want
• (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

Jagger said: "We've been doing this for 50 years or something. And if this is the first time you've seen a band, please come again."

The encore was You Can't Always Get What You Want, and an extended, hyperactive take on (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.

"Thank you very much Glastonbury," sang Jagger as the song reached its climax.

Fireworks lit up the farm and the band took a series of bows, while the audience continued to chant the riff to Satisfaction.

Meanwhile, at the Acoustic tent, the Bootleg Beatles played a Stones riff and commented: "Sign of a good band - you've got to know when to split up."

'Mental battle'

Earlier on Saturday proceedings had started with Malian musician Rokia Traore, whose upbeat blend of African roots, blues and jazz gave early risers a chance to dance off the fug of a late night.

A headliner at this year's Womad festival, Traore was offered a Glastonbury slot as a gesture of solidarity with Mali, where Islamist militants all but banned music in some areas.

Billy Bragg got into the spirit of the day by playing classic Stones track Dead Flowers during his set, while soul singer Laura Mvula welcomed the sun by breaking into a sing-a-long rendition of Bob Marley's One Love.

Speaking to the BBC afterwards, she said the cover had been suggested by her musical director, Troy Miller "whose last appearance here was with Amy Winehouse, so he knows what he's talking about".

Mvula, who only released her debut album Sing To The Moon, in March, said stepping out on the festival's main stage was overwhelming.

"Let me tell you something, there's nothing like it. A sort of nervousness I've never experienced before.

"It was like a mental battle - the goal was to get through it and enjoy as many moments as possible."

Other acts on Saturday's line-up included Elvis Costello, rap pioneers Public Enemy and psychedelic rockers Primal Scream.

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EU alarm over US bugging claim

29 June 2013 Last updated at 23:36 ET

The head of the European Parliament has demanded "full clarification" from the US over a report that key EU premises in America have been bugged.

Martin Schulz said that if this was true, it would have a "severe impact" on ties between the EU and the US.

The report, carried by Germany's Der Spiegel magazine, cites a secret 2010 document alleging that the US spied on EU offices in New York and Washington.

Fugitive ex-CIA analyst Edward Snowden leaked the paper, Der Spiegel says.

Mr Snowden - a former contractor for the CIA and also the National Security Agency (NSA) - has since requested asylum in Ecuador.

According to the document - which Der Spiegel says comes from the NSA - the agency spied on EU internal computer networks in Washington and at the 27-member bloc's UN office in New York.

The document also allegedly referring to the EU as a "target".

It is not known what information US spies might have got, but details of European positions on to trade and military matters would have been useful to those involved in negotiations between Washington and European governments, the BBC's Stephen Evans says.

'Polite request'

In a statement on Saturday, Mr Schulz said: "On behalf of the European Parliament, I demand full clarification and require further information speedily from the US authorities with regard to these allegations."

Der Spiegel also quotes Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn as saying: "If these reports are true, it's disgusting. The United States would be better off monitoring its secret services rather than its allies."

The US government has so far made no public comments on the Spiegel's report.

Mr Snowden is believed to be currently staying at Moscow's airport. He arrived there last weekend from Hong Kong, where he had been staying since he revealed details of top secret US surveillance programmes.

The US has charged him with theft of government property, unauthorised communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence.

Each charge carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.

On Saturday, US Vice-President Joe Biden and Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa held a telephone conversation about Mr Snowden's asylum request.

According to Mr Correa, Mr Biden had "passed on a polite request from the United States to reject the request".

The left-wing Ecuadorian leader said his answer was: "Mr vice-president, thanks for calling. We hold the United States in high regard. We did not seek to be in this situation."

If Mr Snowden ever came to "Ecuadoran soil" with his request, he added, "the first people whose opinion we will seek is that of the United States".

Quito earlier said it was willing to consider Mr Snowden's request but only when he was physically in the Latin American country.

Meanwhile, White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said only that Mr Biden and Mr Correa had held a wide-ranging conversation.

CLICKABLE

Hawaii

20 May: Snowden flies from Hawaii to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong

5 June: From Hong Kong, Snowden discloses details of what he describes as a vast US phone and internet surveillance programme to the UK's Guardian newspaper.

Moscow

23 June: Snowden leaves Hong Kong on a flight to Moscow. He is currently thought to remain airside at Sheremetyevo airport.

Cuba

From Moscow, Snowden could fly to Cuba, en route to Ecuador, which has said it is "analysing" whether to grant him asylum.

Venezuela

Venezuela had also been considered a possible destination for Snowden, however it is thought he would only pass through on his way to Ecuador.

Ecuador

Snowden is reported to have requested asylum in Ecuador, which previously granted haven to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in its London embassy.

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Obama to visit Robben Island jail

30 June 2013 Last updated at 04:56 ET

US President Barack Obama is due to tour Robben Island - the jail in which Nelson Mandela was kept for 18 years.

The trip comes a day after Mr Obama visited members of the family of the 94-year-old former president, who remains critically ill in hospital.

Mr Obama paid tribute to the impact of the anti-apartheid leader in building a free South Africa, describing him as "an inspiration to the world".

Later, riot police clashed with anti-Obama protesters in Soweto.

Security is likely to be strengthened during this final Cape Town leg of his time in South Africa, says the BBC's Karen Allen who is there.

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Obama: "Madiba's moral courage... has been a personal inspiration to me"

The US leader did not visit Mr Mandela, but met the Mandela family in private and spoke by telephone to his wife, Graca Machel.

Mr Mandela remains in critical condition. On Sunday South Africa's last apartheid president and the man jointly awarded the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize with Mr Mandela, FW de Klerk, will return to South Africa after cutting short a visit to Europe due to Mr Mandela's poor health.

Power pledge

The visit by Mr Obama and the first family to Robben Island is likely to be the most poignant moment of the president's Africa tour, our correspondent says.

Mr Mandela was held there for 18 years and his long history of lung problems can be traced to the tuberculosis he contracted there - which he attributed to the dampness of his cell.

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• 1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
• 1944 Joins African National Congress
• 1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped
• 1962 Arrested, convicted of sabotage, sentenced to five years in prison
• 1964 Charged again, sentenced to life
• 1990 Freed from prison
• 1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
• 1994 Elected first black president
• 1999 Steps down as leader

Mr Obama will also visit a community project before delivering a keynote address at the University of Cape Town.

It is the same venue where 47 years ago, US Senator Robert Kennedy gave his famed "ripple of hope" speech, which gave inspiration to those fighting the racially divisive policies of apartheid rule and linked their struggle with that of the US civil rights movement.

Mr Obama is expected to pay tribute to South Africa's achievements over the past two decades but is expected to stress that more needs to be done to tackle poverty and disease, and strengthen democracy across the continent.

He is also due to announce a $7bn (£4.6bn) five-year initiative to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa, in partnership with African countries and the private sector.

Beacon

Mr Obama has been faulted for lacking a grand programme and many Africans have been disappointed at what they see as his lack of engagement with the continent, despite his African ancestry.In Pretoria on Saturday, Mr Obama said Mr Mandela's example of "the power of principle, of people standing up for what's right continues to shine as a beacon".

Later, riot police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades at scores of protesters in Soweto, once a flashpoint in the anti-apartheid struggle.

At least one person was injured and one arrested.

"People died in Libya, people are still dying in Syria... in Afghanistan, in Pakistan, drones are still killing people. So that's why we are calling him a Hitler. He's a killer,'' Ramasimong Tsokolibane, 54, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.

Mr Obama arrived in South Africa from Senegal on Friday evening. On Monday, he will continue his African tour in Tanzania.

Continue reading the main story Family row

Mr Mandela's family heir, Mandla, has said he will oppose a court action brought by the rest of the family, seeking to exhume the bodies of his father, Makgatho, two of Nelson Mandela's daughters and two other relatives.

The rest of the family want the remains to be reburied in Qunu, where the former South African president wants to be laid to rest, while Mandla, an ANC MP, wants them to stay in the nearby village of Mvezo, Nelson Mandela's birthplace, where he is building a museum dedicated to his grandfather.

This is an extremely important matter for the Mandela family, especially while he remains critically ill in hos[ital - it is one of the reasons why they held a family meeting last week.

South Africa's Sunday Times newspaper quotes local chiefs in the area as saying that Madiba, as Nelson Mandela is known in the country, will not be at peace until this issue is resolved.

On Friday, a court granted an interim action saying the bodies could be exhumed and reburied but Mandla Mandela says he was not aware of the case until it was reported in the media and he is now opposing it.

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UK and Pakistan to 'stand together'

30 June 2013 Last updated at 07:32 ET

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David Cameron described the battle against terrorism as one "we must fight together"

David Cameron has promised to "stand together" with Pakistan in the fight against terrorism.

The British prime minister was speaking after talks in Pakistan with the newly elected prime minister, Nawaz Sharif.

Mr Cameron said the battle against terrorism required an "uncompromising" response, alongside investment in measures to counter extremism.

During the talks Mr Cameron also urged Pakistan to help to create a "stable" and "democratic" Afghanistan.

The British prime minister is on a two-day official visit to Pakistan, where Mr Sharif was recently re-elected for an unprecedented third time.

It follows his talks with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday.

'Both battling terrorism'

Speaking at the Pakistani Prime Minister's official residence, Mr Cameron said both countries had a shared interest in the "battle against terrorism".

"This is a battle that requires a tough and uncompromising security response," he said.

"But it is also a battle that has to go so much wider.

"Countering extremism and radicalisation, investing in education, tackling poverty, dealing in all the issues that can fuel extremism and radicalisation."

He added: "We will stand together and conduct this fight against extremism and terrorism."

The election of Mr Sharif in May was Pakistan's first democratic transition from one civilian government to another.

Mr Cameron was the first head of government to visit Mr Sharif since he won the election.

He said: "I profoundly believe that a stable, prosperous, peaceful and democratic Afghanistan is in Pakistan's interest, just as a stable, prosperous, peaceful and democratic Pakistan is in Afghanistan's interest."

Mr Cameron told Mr Sharif he knew he and Afghan President Hamid Karzai "will work together towards those ends."

Mr Sharif said he had assured the British prime minister "of our shared resolve to seek a peaceful and stable Afghanistan".

He added: "The Afghanistan peace process should be inclusive, Afghan-owned and Afghan-led".

The two leaders also pledged to increase bilateral trade from £2.5bn to £3bn by 2015.

And Mr Cameron announced plans for the British Council to open a library in Lahore and an office in Karachi to help strengthen cultural ties.

A joint statement said the UK would provide more equipment to tackle improvised explosive devices and "support Pakistan in improving the security of its infrastructure, including sharing the UK's expertise in safeguarding sporting events".

Just after the leaders had finished their joint press conference, a bomb attack in Peshawar, north-west Pakistan, killed at least 14 people.

It was the latest in a spate of attacks which have killed 60 people in the past two weeks.

On Saturday Mr Cameron visited Afghanistan, where he met troops at Camp Bastion and held talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

In Pakistan, he visited the national monument where he met people taking part in the British Council's Active Citizens programme.

Mr Sharif served previous terms as Pakistan prime minister in 1990 to 1993, and 1997 to 1999.

He was deposed by General Musharraf and given a jail term, and later went into exile in Saudi Arabia before returning in 2007.

He won a surprise landslide victory in Pakistan's general elections in May.

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North-west Pakistan bomb 'kills 17'

30 June 2013 Last updated at 07:48 ET

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The BBC's Orla Guerin in Islamabad: "The target was a convoy of vehicles of the security forces"

At least 17 people have been killed and more than 40 injured in a bomb attack targeting the security forces in north-west Pakistan.

Hospital officials have told the BBC four children were amongst those killed in the attack near Peshawar.

The bomb was placed inside a car parked on the side of the road in a busy market area just south of the city.

The attack came during a visit to Pakistan by the British Prime Minister David Cameron.

The target was a convoy of troops, but all those reported to have been killed were civilians.

The explosion was followed by an exchange of fire between Frontier Corps - paramilitary soldiers - and the armed assailants, reported Pakistani newspaper the Express Tribune.

The BBC's Richard Galpin, in Pakistan's capital Islamabad, says this was just the latest in a spate of attacks which has left 60 people dead in the past two weeks.

He add that it is unclear who carried out the bombing, but the Pakistan Taliban has often targeted the security forces in the past.

Tackling extremist violence was high on the agenda during Mr Cameron's talks with the Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad.

Peshawar is on the edge of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal region - the main militant haven from which attacks are often launched.

It has been hit by dozens of bombings and killings over recent years.

Last Monday, a senior police and his driver were shot dead in the city. Three days earlier, a suicide bomb attack on a neighbourhood populated by some of the city's minority Shia Muslims killed 15.

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Thousands stage Egypt protests

30 June 2013 Last updated at 07:55 ET

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The BBC's Aleem Maqbool reports from inside Tahrir Square

Protests calling for the resignation of Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi and early presidential elections have kicked off in the capital, Cairo, and around the country.

His opponents say he has failed to tackle economic and security problems.

Thousands spent the night in Cairo's Tahrir Square, focus of protests which brought down ex-leader Hosni Mubarak.

The protests come on the first anniversary of Mr Morsi's election as the country's first Islamist president.

Morsi critics also say he has put the Islamist agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood party ahead of the country's wider interests.

In Cairo, the anti-Morsi supporters are chanting: "Irhal! Irhal!" ("Leave! Leave!"), reports the BBC's Aleem Maqbool.

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Mohammed Morsi's first year

• June 2012 - Narrowly wins presidential election. Orders parliament to meet in defiance of a military decree dissolving it
• July 2012 - Submits to a Supreme Court ruling that the parliamentary elections were invalid
• August 2012 - Dismisses Defence Minister Hussein Tantawi and Chief of Staff Sami Annan, and strips military of say in legislation and drafting the new constitution
• November 2012 - Rescinds a decree stripping the judiciary of the right to challenge his decisions, after popular protests
• December 2012 - Public vote approves draft constitution boosting the role of Islam and restricting freedom of speech and assembly
• March 2013 - Court halts his plans to bring parliamentary elections forward to April, citing failure to refer the electoral law to the Constitutional Court
• June 2013 - Puts Islamists in charge of 13 of Egypt's 27 governorships - controversially he appoints a member of the former armed group Gamaa Islamiya to be governor of Luxor

In Alexandria, Egypt's second biggest city, hundreds of protesters are gathering now in one of the main squares in the city, al-Qaid Ibrahim, BBC Arabic's Rami Gabr reports.

The rallies from the square and elsewhere in Alexandria are expected to move later in the day to the central Sidi Gaber area.

The Suez Canal city of Port Said, in north-east Egypt, is expected to see similar rallies on Sunday afternoon.

A big stage is being erected in the city's main square, and protesters are checking the identities of those going in and out of the square, BBC Arabic's Attia Nabil reports.

There are similar rallies in Suez, Monofia and Sharqiya - the birthplace of President Morsi.

Supporters of the president are also holding their own rallies.

Society split

Egyptians have been talking about this day for many weeks - the opposition vowing not to leave until Mr Morsi steps down and calls early presidential elections, our correspondent in Cairo says.

But his supporters point out that Mr Morsi was elected and say he should see out his full term in office, so there is a real split in Egyptian society at the moment, he adds.

Opposition activists say more than 22 million people have signed a petition seeking a snap election. They have urged the signatories to come out on Tahrir Square.

The grassroots movement Tamarod (Rebellion) is behind the petition, which has united liberal and secular opposition groups, including the National Salvation Front.

However, many ordinary Egyptians - angered by Mr Morsi's political and economic policies - are also taking part in the rally.

Flags and tents form a base camp on the square from where protesters plan to march on the presidential palace.

Hanan Bakr travelled specially from Dubai where she lives to join Sunday's protest.

"I'm hoping to stay on the streets until the whole regime of the Brotherhood is brought down," she told the BBC.

"We are seeking the support of the country to stand behind the second Egyptian revolution. If Egypt falls under Islamist extremism, this will affect the whole region... Egypt is for all religions - I am a Muslim who attended an Armenian Catholic school."

Speaking in South Africa, US President Barack Obama urged "all parties to make sure they are not engaging in violence and that police and military are showing appropriate restraint".

Continue reading the main story Bloodshed

At least three people, including a US citizen, died in unrest on Friday.

Washington has warned Americans not to travel to Egypt.

The UK urged its citizens to "avoid all demonstrations and large gatherings" while France said citizens should "limit movements to those strictly necessary".

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

Morsi has accomplished nothing, and things are only going from bad to worse"

End Quote Maha Said Housewife

"We would like to see the opposition and President Morsi engage in a more constructive conversation about [how] to move their country forward," he said.

On Friday, US national Andrew Pochter and another man were killed in the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria as protesters stormed an office of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Mr Pochter, who was in the country to teach English to children and improve his own Arabic, was killed apparently while using a mobile phone to take pictures.

His family said in a statement that he had been stabbed by a protester while observing demonstrations.

The other fatality in Alexandria on Friday was an Egyptian man who was shot dead, according to medical sources.

Another man, said to be a journalist, was killed by an explosion in Port Said and five other people were injured.

President Morsi earlier this week offered a dialogue - a move rejected by his opponents.

Mr Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood, became Egypt's first Islamist president on 30 June 2012, after winning an election considered free and fair.

His first year as president has been marred by constant political unrest and a sinking economy.

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Mid-East talks 'within reach' - US

30 June 2013 Last updated at 08:09 ET

The US secretary of state has said final-status Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations could be "within reach... with a little more work".

John Kerry extended his peace mission on Saturday, cancelling a scheduled trip to Abu Dhabi.

For three days he has shuttled between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

But Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said there had been no breakthrough.

He said the latest meeting had been "positive and profound", but "there is still a gap between the Palestinian and Israeli positions".

'No impediments'

"I'm pleased to tell you that we have made real progress on this trip," Mr Kerry told reporters in Tel Aviv, before leaving the region.

"And I believe that with a little more work, the start of final-status negotiations could be within reach. We started out with very wide gaps, and we have narrowed those considerably."

"We made progress in every sector," he went on to say.

He said he was reluctant to leave and was "leaving people behind" to continue to try to secure the basis for discussions, and that both sides had asked him to return to the region soon.

The main stumbling block to talks has been Israel's refusal to cease settlement-building as a precondition, but speaking at the start of Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting, Mr Netanyahu insisted that Israel was not blocking a return to negotiations.

"We are not putting up any impediments on the resumption of the permanent talks for a peace agreement between us and the Palestinians," he said in remarks quoted by AFP news agency.

"There are things that we will strongly insist on in the talks themselves, especially security... there will be no agreement that will endanger Israelis' security."

Among other issues, Mr Abbas is said to be pushing Israel to release the longest-serving Palestinian prisoners.

Two decades of on-off negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) have failed to produce a permanent settlement, with the latest round of direct negotiations breaking down in 2010.

Mr Kerry is on his fifth visit to the region since taking office in February.

He is offering the Palestinians the incentive of a major investment plan, but it is dependent on progress towards a peace deal.

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Arctic Monkeys headline Glastonbury

28 June 2013 Last updated at 19:46 ET By Mark Savage BBC News entertainment reporter, at Glastonbury

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Lizo Mzimba looks at the highlights from day one, and ahead to day two

The Arctic Monkeys have closed the Glastonbury Festival's first night, playing to more than 90,000 fans.

Opening with a brand new song, Do I Wanna Know, they also rattled through crowd-pleasing hits like I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor.

Frontman Alex Turner also led the crowd in a chorus of Happy Birthday to his mum, Penny, who was at the festival.

They were joined on the bill by Jake Bugg, Rita Ora and Dizzee Rascal, as the weather largely stayed dry.

LA trio Haim also played the main stage, but bassist Este Haim was taken ill during their set.

The 24-year-old had to sit on a stool after nearly collapsing on stage.

"I'm not going to let this get the better of me, especially when there are so many beautiful people here," she told the audience.

"If I pass out, will someone give me mouth to mouth."

Later, she told the NME she had "nearly died" and blamed the incident on diabetes.

"I didn't eat before my set like a smart, good diabetic does and I remember not being able to feel my arms," she said.

Slow-burning groove

The Arctic Monkeys made a low-key entrance on the Pyramid Stage - with none of the pyrotechnics or showbiz affectations of the festival's last headliner, Beyonce, two years ago.

In keeping with the slow-burning groove of their new single, the band set opened with subdued lighting and darkened video screens, before crashing straight into the heavier, faster Brianstorm, a single from 2007.

More confident as a frontman than the last time the band headlined Glastonbury in 2007, Alex Turner squared up to the mic and adopted an exaggerated Elvis swagger when addressing the crowd.

"We're gonna play all night long," he informed them. "Does that sound good to you?"

Songs from their first two albums - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, Fluorescent Adolescent, Sun Goes Down - received the warmest response, while new material was tolerated with good humour.

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Liam Gallagher helped open the festival with a surprise early morning appearance

A string quartet, arranged by Elbow's Guy Garvey, joined the band for the encore, playing Mardy Bum and Cornerstone.

The set ended with early track 505 and a wall of feedback.

Earlier, Liam Gallagher's band Beady Eye kicked off the action with an unscheduled appearance on The Other Stage at 11:00 BST.

The early morning set was something of a turnaround for the singer, who previously headlined the event with Oasis in 1995 and 2004.

The latter appearance was particularly flat, and Gallagher claimed the festival was "full of idiots".

But after Friday's show, the singer told the BBC: "Glastonbury's back in the good books. I just had a bad experience but now it's cool again.

"It's always been cool, it's just me. I'm full of it."

He added that playing before lunchtime had been something of a risk.

"I thought 11 o'clock could be really ropey but I thought we done well, man."

Musical legends could be found dotted around the site on Friday, with Sinead O'Connor headlining the acoustic stage and Nile Rodgers of disco pioneers Chic on the West Holts Stage.

The musician, whose hits include Chic's Le Freak, Diana Ross's Upside Down and Madonna's Like A Virgin, was playing his first ever Glastonbury.

"I think it's sort of mythical," he told the BBC.

"I come from America, right, so in our heads it all started with Woodstock and Monterey Pop - and Glastonbury has kept that tradition alive.

"Now I'm actually here I can come home and either dispel the myth or say 'wow, it's everything I thought'."

Mercury Prize-winners Alt-J also drew a large audience to The Other Stage, and surprised them all by ditching their smart, intricate rock songs for a cover of Kylie Minogue's Slow.

Jake Bugg pulled off an early "Glastonbury moment" with an energetic set that climaxed with his hit Lightning Bolt; while Dizzee Rascal provided a canny mix of crowd-pleasing hits and new material, including his Robbie Williams-featuring single Going Crazy.

With an audience of 180,000 music fans, many artists look forward to Glastonbury as the pinnacle of the festival season - and anticipation was particularly high after the event took a year off in 2012.

"I'm never going to forget this," declared pop star Rita Ora as she left the stage. "You have changed my life."

Rapper Professor Green, who followed her on the Pyramid Stage, said he was similarly amazed to be part of the line-up.

Describing himself as "some little toerag from Hackney who samples INXS", he described his booking as "mental".

The 29-year-old, whose hits include Read All About It and the INXS-based I Need You Tonight was also aware of the opportunity the stage - and the accompanying TV coverage - presented.

Continue reading the main story

I think the only pressure we feel is that it is the first time we've done an outdoor show for yonks and English weather"

End Quote Keith Richards, Rolling Stones

"I think a lot of people that are here won't know my music, bar the singles, so this is a good opportunity to show the musicality of what we do when we play live," he said.

With more than 2,000 performers over the weekend, rumours of "secret appearances" are always rife at Glastonbury, and this year's crop range from the likely (Fatboy Slim and Radiohead's Thom Yorke) to the fanciful (Daft Punk and David Bowie).

Definitely confirmed for the weekend are co-headliners Mumford and Sons and The Rolling Stones.

Speaking to Radio 1's Newsbeat, Stones guitarist Keith Richards said the band had a few reservations about their set.

"I think the only pressure we feel is that it is the first time we've done an outdoor show for yonks and English weather," he said.

"Throwing in those two equations, yeah there is maybe a little apprehension."

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Heart risk warning over painkiller

29 June 2013 Last updated at 00:08 ET

People with heart problems have been advised to stop using one of the most commonly prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs in the UK.

The medicines regulator said painkiller diclofenac could significantly increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke for some patients.

The advice has been updated after a European review of the risks.

Millions of people take diclofenac for a range of conditions including headaches, back pain and arthritis.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the drug should not be used by people with serious underlying heart conditions.

People who have suffered heart failure, heart disease or a stroke should stop using it completely.

Smokers and people with high blood pressure, raised cholesterol and diabetes have been advised to use the drug only after consulting their GP or pharmacist.

The MHRA said diclofenac would continue to provide safe and effective pain relief, apart from patients in certain "at risk" groups.

Dr Sarah Branch, deputy director of the MHRA's vigilance and risk management of medicines division, said: "Whilst this is a known risk and warnings have been included in patient and healthcare information for some time, this advice is now being updated."

Six million prescriptions were written for diclofenac last year and the drug is also available over the counter.

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US travel warning over Egypt clashes

29 June 2013 Last updated at 07:11 ET

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Footage from Alexandria shows protesters storming the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood

The US has warned Americans not to travel to Egypt and has told non-emergency diplomatic staff to leave, as clashes continue in the country.

The state department also urged US nationals in Egypt "to remain alert".

The warning came as at least three people - including a US citizen - died in clashes between supporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi.

Tensions have been rising ahead of a mass rally planned by the opposition on Sunday to demand Mr Morsi steps down.

His supporters are stressing what they see as Mr Morsi's "legitimacy", rejecting the opposition's demand.

Sunday is the first anniversary of the president's inauguration.

Speaking during an official visit to South Africa, US President Barack Obama said the US was "looking with concern" at the situation in Egypt.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

Morsi has accomplished nothing, and things are only going from bad to worse"

End Quote Maha Said Housewife

He said the US's "immediate concern" was with securing its embassies and consulates, and their staff.

"We support peaceful protests and peaceful methods of bringing about change in Egypt," Mr Obama said, but he added that every party had to "denounce violence".

Earlier, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Egyptians to respect "universal principles of peaceful dialogue" amid growing concern over the tension between Mr Morsi's supporters and his opponents.

'Unprecedented exodus'

In a warning on Friday, the US state department said it had "authorised the departure of a limited number of non-emergency employees and family members" from Egypt.

It asked Americans "to defer non-essential travel to Egypt at this time due to the continuing possibility of political and social unrest".

Cairo's main airport was packed with departing passengers, and all flights leaving for Europe, the US and the Gulf were fully booked, officials were quoted as saying.

The officials - who spoke on condition of anonymity - described the exodus as unprecedented, the Associated Press reports.

On Friday, two people died in the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria as protesters stormed an office of the Muslim Brotherhood - the political movement supporting President Morsi. It was one of eight of its offices around the country the Brotherhood said came under attack.

The US national who was killed was apparently using a mobile phone to take pictures at the time.

There are conflicting reports about the way he died. Egyptian officials say the victim was stabbed in the chest, but other reports say he was hit by gun pellets.

A statement posted on the website of Kenyon College, Ohio, identified the victim as 21-year-old student Andrew Pochter, an intern at Amideast, an American non-profit organisation working in international education and training in the Middle East and North Africa.

Continue reading the main story

Mohammed Morsi's first year

• June 2012 - Narrowly wins presidential election. Orders parliament to meet in defiance of a military decree dissolving it
• July 2012 - Submits to a Supreme Court ruling that the parliamentary elections were invalid
• August 2012 - Dismisses Defence Minister Hussein Tantawi and Chief of Staff Sami Annan, and strips military of say in legislation and drafting the new constitution
• November 2012 - Rescinds a decree stripping the judiciary of the right to challenge his decisions, after popular protests
• December 2012 - Public vote approves draft constitution boosting the role of Islam and restricting freedom of speech and assembly
• March 2013 - Court halts his plans to bring parliamentary elections forward to April, citing failure to refer the electoral law to the Constitutional Court
• June 2013 - Puts Islamists in charge of 13 of Egypt's 27 governorships - controversially he appoints a member of the former armed group Gamaa Islamiya to be governor of Luxor

The state department confirmed the death, saying it was "providing appropriate consular assistance from our embassy in Cairo and our Bureau of Consular Affairs at the state department".

The other fatality in Alexandria on Friday was an Egyptian man who was shot dead, according to medical sources.

Dozens more people were injured.

'Legitimate order'

The office of the Muslim Brotherhood in the city was set on fire, and the authorities are reported to have called in riot police and army helicopters to try to quell the violence.

Some marchers said they feared the Brotherhood was using the revolution to entrench its power and Islamic law, but others had economic grievances.

"I've nothing to do with politics, but with the state we're in now, even a stone would cry out," 42-year-old accountant Mohamed Abdel Latif told Reuters news agency.

"There are no services, we can't find diesel or gasoline. We elected Morsi, but this is enough. Let him make way for someone else who can fix it."

In Port Said, also in the north, an explosion left one person dead - a journalist, according to one report - and five injured, officials said.

Meanwhile, in Cairo thousands of Morsi supporters rallied outside the main mosque.

"I came to support the legitimate order," said Ahmed al-Maghrabi, 37, a shopkeeper from the Nile Delta city of Mansoura.

"I am with the elected president. He needs to see out his term," he told Reuters.

President Morsi earlier this week warned that divisions threatened to "paralyse" Egypt.

He offered a dialogue with the opposition - a move rejected by his opponents.

Mr Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood, became Egypt's first Islamist president on 30 June 2012, after winning an election considered free and fair.

His first year as president has been marred by constant political unrest and a sinking economy.

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Obama praises Mandela 'inspiration'

29 June 2013 Last updated at 07:31 ET

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Obama: "Madiba's moral courage... has been a personal inspiration to me"

US President Barack Obama has praised Nelson Mandela as "an inspiration to the world", during his visit to South Africa.

He was speaking in the executive capital, Pretoria, after talks with President Jacob Zuma.

Mr Mandela, South Africa's first black president, has been critically ill for nearly a week.

Earlier, Mr Obama said he would not visit the 94-year-old in hospital, but would meet his family in private.

The White House said the decision had been made "out of deference to Nelson Mandela's peace and comfort and the family's wishes", but that Mr Obama and his wife would offer the Mandela family "their thoughts and prayers at this difficult time".

Mr Zuma said the former leader remained "stable but critical", but said he had "every hope that he will be out of hospital soon".

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Joseph Winter BBC News, Johannesburg

---

Nelson Mandela's ill health has overshadowed Barack Obama's first trip to South Africa as US president. Both Mr Obama and South African President Jacob Zuma began their remarks to the media by mentioning the hero of the fight against white minority rule.

But the trip was planned long before Mr Mandela was taken to hospital and was intended to focus on increasing trade, for mutual benefit. President Zuma noted that Mr Obama had been involved in the campaign to impose economic sanctions on apartheid South Africa in the 1980s, but said now was the time to shift from "disinvestment to reinvestment".

While South Africa has been criticised for having slow economic growth at a time when other African countries are booming, Mr Zuma rebuffed this by saying: "We are pursuing the dreams and policies of Nelson Mandela." He even said the former president had recently told him: "When I go to sleep, I will be happy as I know I will leave South Africa moving forward."

'Outpouring of love'

In Pretoria, Mr Obama said Mr Mandela's example of "the power of principle, of people standing up for what's right continues to shine as a beacon".

"The outpouring of love that we've seen in recent days shows that the triumph of Nelson Mandela and his nation speaks to something very deep in the human spirit; the yearning for justice and dignity that transcends boundaries of race and class and faith and country," he said.

Mr Zuma said that as the first black leaders of their respective countries, Mr Obama and Mr Mandela were "bound by history" and so "carry the dreams of millions of people in Africa and in the diaspora who were previously oppressed".

The two leaders addressed a wide range of issues in their conversations, including trade and industry, conflicts in the region, efforts to tackle HIV/Aids and foreign affairs.

Mr Zuma said Mr Obama's visit was "well timed" to take advantage of a growing market in South Africa, and called for greater US investment.

He also said he believed the Africa National Congress (ANC), which he leads and which was founded by Mr Mandela, was still "moving in the footsteps" of the former leader.

"I have no doubt that what we have been doing is part of what Mandela would be doing if he was here," he said.

When asked whether the US felt threatened by the increasing influence of other countries, particularly China, in Africa, Mr Obama said he believed it was a good thing for the development of the continent, but cautioned South Africa to ensure that foreign companies were employing local workers and investing back into the country.

Continue reading the main story

Nelson Mandela: Key dates

• 1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
• 1944 Joins African National Congress
• 1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped
• 1962 Arrested, convicted of sabotage, sentenced to five years in prison
• 1964 Charged again, sentenced to life
• 1990 Freed from prison
• 1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
• 1994 Elected first black president
• 1999 Steps down as leader

Mr Obama, who is travelling with his family, arrived in South Africa from Senegal on Friday evening.

During his weekend trip, the US president will visit Robben Island off Cape Town, where Mr Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. On Monday, he will continue his African tour in Tanzania.

Lung damage

Mr Mandela is revered for leading the fight against white minority rule in South Africa and then preaching reconciliation despite being imprisoned for 27 years.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was elected president the following year. He left office in 1999 after a single term.

Mr Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has rarely been seen at official events since.

He has a long history of lung problems, and was diagnosed with tuberculosis in the 1980s while he was a prisoner on Robben Island.

After his release, Mr Mandela said that the tuberculosis was probably caused by dampness in his prison cell.

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Cameron pledges Afghanistan memorial

29 June 2013 Last updated at 07:33 ET

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Footage shows David Cameron meeting troops, as the BBC's Carole Walker reports from Helmand

A permanent memorial to British service personnel who died in Afghanistan is to be built at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

Prime Minister David Cameron made the announcement as he visited UK troops in Camp Bastion on Armed Forces Day.

The memorial will be paid for from fines imposed on banks that rigged inter-bank interest rates, he said.

Hundreds of celebrations are planned across the UK to celebrate the fifth national Armed Forces Day.

The day started with a volley of gun blasts at Nottingham Castle.

Armed Forces Day recognises the contribution made by service personnel past and present. Members of all three services take part.

Speaking from Britain's main base in Afghanistan, Mr Cameron said: "I think Armed Forces Day is an opportunity for the whole nation to say a very big thank you, but also to say how proud we are of our armed forces and everything they do for us.

Memorial transported

"I can announce today we will be taking more money off the Libor fines and putting it into the military charities - including building a permanent memorial at the Staffordshire arboretum, so that we can always remember, and future generations can remember, those that fell and died here in Afghanistan."

The number of UK service personnel to have died since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001 is 444.

The existing memorial in Camp Bastion, which Mr Cameron visited during his time at the base, will be dismantled as troops leave next year and as much of it as possible will be used in the arboretum.

The memorial, which will receive funding of £300,000, will be built over the next 18 months and dedicated once combat operations in Afghanistan have ended.

The National Memorial Arboretum, near Lichfield, hosts more than 250 different memorials, including a number to the armed forces.

Mr Cameron also announced how an additional £2.5m from fines levied on banks for attempting to manipulate the Libor interest rate would be spent on helping the armed forces community.

The Warrior Programme for Veterans and Families will receive just over £930,000 to further their efforts to support veterans moving into civilian life. The Veterans Council Headquarters will get £500,000 to create a one-stop shop for the military community to access mental health, health and social care services. Veterans Aid has been awarded £160,000 to expand its substance abuse and mental health treatment programmes.

During his visit Mr Cameron ate a cooked breakfast with British troops and was briefed about recent operations in Helmand, using a tactical map laid out in a sandpit.

He also took the controls of a bomb disposal robot, steering a Wheelbarrow robot using a remote control, and mimicked the action of launching a Desert Hawk 3 drone as he held the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Asked about efforts by the US to start talking to the Taliban, the prime minister said it was important to pursue a political solution - as well as a security solution - in Afghanistan.

In the UK, this year's main Armed Forces Day event kicked off with a tri-service parade from Nottingham's castle to the Old Market Square, where a drumhead service will be attended by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

Parachute display

The Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, will fly over and, at the service's conclusion, current and historic craft from the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force will also fly past - including the RAF's latest multi-role fast jet, the Typhoon.

There will be Royal Navy and Royal Marines displays on the River Trent, and members of the RAF Falcons Parachute Display Team will land on Victoria Embankment.

The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery will close the day in Nottingham.

Further support has come from Defence Minister Mark Francois who launched the Corporate Covenant, giving businesses and charities the opportunity to sign an official commitment to help improve the lives of the Armed Forces, their families and veterans.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Ed Miliband said the party would give military veterans guaranteed "special provision" in the health service and change the NHS constitution to enshrine those rights.

He tweeted: "Armed Forces Day is a day when we rightly commemorate the sacrifices, past & present, that our servicemen & women make to protect us."

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West 'should have talked to Taliban'

29 June 2013 Last updated at 07:42 ET

The West should have tried talking to the Taliban a decade ago, the UK's top general in Afghanistan has said.

Gen Nick Carter told the Guardian it would have been easier to find a political solution when they were on the run in 2002.

Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged that the original settlement for Afghanistan "could have been better arranged".

His comments come days after planned negotiations with the Taliban stalled.

Gen Carter also warned Afghan forces would need military and financial support after troops leave in 2014.

The Kabul government would have only shaky control over some areas, he said.

Negotiation attempts

A major conference on the future of Afghanistan held in Bonn, Germany, over a decade ago did not include the defeated Taliban former government of Afghanistan.

Gen Carter, deputy commander of the Nato-led coalition, acknowledged it was easy to be wise with the benefit of hindsight but added: "Back in 2002, the Taliban were on the run.

"I think that at that stage, if we had been very prescient, we might have spotted that a final political solution to what started in 2001, from our perspective, would have involved getting all Afghans to sit at the table and talk about their future.

"The problems that we have been encountering over the period since then are essentially political problems, and political problems are only ever solved by people talking to each other."

Speaking as he visited UK troops in Camp Bastion on Armed Forces Day, The prime minister said he was encouraged that the Taliban no longer wanted Afghanistan to be "a haven for terror".

He said: "You can argue that the settlement we put in place in 2001 could have been better arranged.

He added: "You have to remember why we came here and that was because the Taliban regime allowed Al Qaeda to have a base in Afghanistan, so that's why that regime was removed, why an Afghan democracy has been created and why we have now built up an Afghan National Army and police force which are capable of securing this country.

"But do we want people to give up weapons to give up an armed struggle and join a political process so that everyone in Afghanistan can be part of that political future, yes."

Doha talks row

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said it would have been "very difficult" to negotiate with the Taliban a decade ago.

He said: "I suspect ten years ago it would have been very difficult.

"We've reset the parameters of the debate by building the Afghan security forces, by supporting the Afghan government to reach out across the country, delivering services to the people in a way that has given it legitimacy, and I think the time is right now for that negotiation to take place."

Last week, US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed caution over whether peace talks on Afghanistan with the Taliban could take place.

A row over the status of a Taliban office in Qatar's capital Doha has overshadowed efforts to start peace negotiations there.

BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said the row had simply underlined the diplomatic and practical difficulties that remained for anyone wishing to talk to the Taliban.

Gen Carter said he was confident that Nato's handover of security to Afghan forces would eventually bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.

Gradual withdrawal

He said that overall the police and army had been shaped into sustainable institutions strong enough to protect a critical presidential election next year and guarantee stability for the majority of the country after Western forces withdrew.

However, he added that the Afghan army and police would still need help in the years to come because they had been built up very quickly.

However, he expressed optimism about Afghanistan's future as long as the US and its allies came through on promises of financial and military support.

Some 8,000 British troops are still serving in Afghanistan, around half of them at Camp Bastion in Helmand province, ­many of them still mentoring or advising Afghan forces.

Until last year, the UK had 137 bases in Helmand but the gradual withdrawal ahead of the end of combat operations by 2015 means the mission is gradually changing with just 13 bases still operating.

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Australia 16-15 Lions

The British and Irish Lions face a final-Test decider in Sydney next Saturday after Australia hit back to win a desperately fraught second Test in Melbourne.

For the second week in a row the outcome hinged on the final kick, with Lions full-back Leigh Halfpenny falling short with a penalty from halfway.

The Welshman's five penalties had seen the Lions lead 15-9 until five minutes from time.

But Wallabies centre Adam Ashley-Cooper crashed over for the only try, and Christian Leali'ifano held his nerve to land the conversion.

• Sat 1 June: Won 59-8 v Barbarians, Hong Kong
• Wed 5 June: Won 69-17 v Western Force, Perth
• Sat 8 June: Won 22-12 v Queensland Reds, Brisbane
• Tue 11 June: Won 64-0 v Combined New South Wales-Queensland Country, Newcastle
• Sat 15 June: Won 47-17 v New South Wales Waratahs, Sydney
• Tue 18 June: Lost 14-12 v ACT Brumbies, Canberra
• Sat 22 June: Won 23-21 v Australia, First Test, Brisbane
• Tue 25 June: Won 35-0 v Melbourne Rebels, Melbourne
• Sat 29 June: Lost 16-15 v Australia, Second Test, Melbourne
• Sat 6 July: Australia, Third Test, Sydney

It was another riveting conclusion to a tourniquet-tight contest, but the Lions' hopes of a first series win in 16 years now hang in the balance.

Australia showed tremendous courage to pull the game out of the fire, and it is they rather than the Lions, who will now head to Sydney with momentum.

The Lions, who saw captain Sam Warburton hobble off with 13 minutes left, defended heroically at times, but must now regroup for a final throw of the dice in Sydney.

Four first-half penalties from Halfpenny, to three from Christian Leali'ifano, nudged the Lions into a 12-9 interval lead in front of a record Etihad Stadium crowd of 56,771.

Brian O'Driscoll's tackle on Ashley-Cooper in midfield forced the Wallabies to concede the first of eight first-half penalties.

Halfpenny's 48-metre kick missed by the narrowest of margins, coming back off the cross-bar, but thereafter the Welshman was in his usual immaculate mood.

Penalties in the ninth, 27th, 33rd and 40th minutes saw the Lions edge a cagey first half in which neither side were able to exercise authority for any extended period.

The Lions appeared to have the edge at the breakdown, Australia conceding four penalties inside the opening eight minutes to earn an early warning from referee Craig Joubert.

Halfpenny landed his first kick after the Lions drove a line-out and the Wallabies took down the maul.

But after a composed start, errors starting to creep into the tourists' game, with the scrum a cause for concern.

Joubert awarded a free-kick against scrum-half Ben Youngs for not getting the ball in quickly enough, before loose-head Mako Vunipola was twice penalised for collapsing.

Leali'ifano, knocked out in the first minute in Brisbane but fit to take over the kicking duties this week, landed both shots at goal to edge the hosts in front.

A knock-on as he over-stretched for a pass completed a miserable 10 minutes for Vunipola, but he responded well. First opposite number Ben Alexander was penalised for incorrect binding, and the Lions drove the Wallabies backwards at the next scrum to earn another.

Halfpenny landed two confident blows with the boot to nudge the Lions back in front.

Leali'ifano levelled matters again when Dan Lydiate fell offside trying to stem a dangerous Wallabies counter-attack.

But the Lions twice benefited from hoisting up high kicks as the interval approached, the second falling to George North and Jonny Sexton maintaining the momentum with a half-break.

When Ben Mowen was penalised at the ensuing breakdown, Halfpenny's fourth penalty gave the Lions a slender half-time lead.

Australia threw everything at the Lions in a tense and scoreless third quarter, but their defence - led by the obdurate Lydiate - initially held firm.

There were nervous moments aplenty and further frustrations at the scrum. The Lions lost one against the head after Youngs delayed the put-in, while O'Driscoll's pass straight to Folau allowed Australia to counter dangerously, before the Irish centre was penalised for hands in a ruck.

The Lions sent on Conor Murray for Youngs at scrum-half, and the Irishman immediately helped win a relieving penalty over the ball as Australia built up a head of steam.

George North had precious few opportunities with ball in hand, but he caught a pass and proceeded to pick up Folau and drive him backwards to galvanise his side.

When they sent the Wallabies back-pedalling again at the next scrum, Halfpenny's fifth penalty in the 63rd minute stretched the lead to six points for the first time.

The strains of "Swing Low, Swing Chariot" - a demonstration of four-nation unity among the legions of red - echoed around the cavernous arena, but Australia weren't done yet.

The dangerous Folau, stepping off his wing, was twice denied before the pressure finally told with five minutes left, O'Connor sending Ashley-Cooper crashing over.

Leali'ifano nailed the conversion, but the Lions still had a line-out to save themselves with two minutes left, but replacement hooker Richard Hibbard could not find his target.

With time up on the stadium clock, the Lions ran a penalty from their own half and got to halfway, where Australia conceded a penalty. But Halfpenny's kick fell agonisingly short.

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'Far more' UK shale gas resources

27 June 2013 Last updated at 07:08 ET

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Osborne: "Local communities should get, for example, at least £100,000 for every fracking well that is created"

UK shale gas resources may be far greater than previously thought, a report for the government says.

The British Geological Survey was asked to estimate how much gas is trapped in rocks beneath Lancashire and Yorkshire.

It said there could be 1,300 trillion cubic feet at one site alone, but it is unclear how much could be extracted.

Ministers are set to announce financial benefits for communities where fracking - the controversial extraction technique - takes place.

BBC industry correspondent John Moylan says the government is also likely to announce plans for tax incentives to encourage investment in shale gas, and a streamlining of the process to award drilling permits.

He describes the BGS survey as potentially a "landmark" moment.

The exploitation of shale gas and oil revolutionised the energy industry in the US, although there are questions over whether the same thing can be repeated in the UK.

Analysts say the shale geology of the UK is complex and the costs of drilling are likely to be much higher than in North America.

It is still not clear how much of the gas will be recoverable, but drilling firms suggest they will be able to extract around 10% of it.

If the estimates are proved correct, that would still suggest recoverable reserves of shale gas far in excess of the three trillion cubic feet of gas currently consumed in the UK each year.

'Exploit gas'

Critics also argue that the process of fracking can cause earth tremors and pollute water supplies, and that shale gas wells could blight the countryside and affect house prices.

Continue reading the main story

The truly massive shale gas resource of the north of England may bring tax revenues and possibly - not definitely - lead to lower bills, but it won't help the environment.

This week the government's climate change advisers warned that the UK was failing to keep pace with legally binding cuts in the CO2 emissions that are disrupting the climate.

The Environment Agency warns that if we want to keep burning gas we will have to rely on unproven technology to capture the carbon emissions in order to meet climate change targets.

It also warns that gas escaping from fractured wells may increase climatic disruption.

Meanwhile the International Energy Agency warns that the world can only burn a third of its existing fossil fuel reserves without a serious risk of de-stabilising the climate.

Shale gas plans will meet local environmental opposition too.

They want investment in green energy.

The report for the government comes as energy regulator Ofgem warned that the risks of power blackouts has increased because excess capacity in the power industry has fallen in the UK.

In his Spending Review on Wednesday, Chancellor George Osborne said the government would "make the tax and planning changes which will put Britain at the forefront of exploiting shale gas".

The BBC understands that communities that host fracking sites, which involve pumping water, chemicals and sand at high pressure into rock to release shale gas, will receive 1% of any revenues generated by the well over its lifetime.

The package is expected to be set out by the Department of Energy and Climate Change later.

Our correspondent says gas flow rates from "fracked" wells tend to deteriorate significantly over their lifetime, so it is likely that much of the cash communities would receive would be in the early years of the well's operation.

The communities would decide how any cash was spent.

Price worries

Meanwhile, in an updated assessment of the UK's electricity market, Ofgem has issued another warning about possible power blackouts in 2015.

The watchdog has twice warned in recent months that the amount of spare power is shrinking, partly due to some gas generators being taken out of service.

Centrica has already withdrawn two of its gas plants from operation. In April, SSE confirmed that it too would mothball gas plants and put off investments in new ones.

Adam Scorer, of the lobby group Consumer Futures, said: "Projections of ever-tighter capacity margins understandably raise fears of higher electricity prices.

"Government and regulator need to agree on the most realistic capacity scenarios, the least-cost ways of reducing demand and, where necessary, of incentivising new generation capacity."

Announcing further details of the government's spending review to parliament, Treasury Secretary Danny Alexander said the government had agreed "strike prices" in an effort to boost investment in renewable forms of energy.

The prices mean the government will guarantee to pay a certain price for energy generated through on-shore and off-shore wind, tidal, wave, bio-mass and solar power.

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May: 'All options open' on Lawrence

27 June 2013 Last updated at 07:21 ET

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Doreen Lawrence: "I felt quite sick to the stomach... I thought we'd heard everything"

The mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence - who is calling for a public inquiry into claims of a police smear campaign - says the home secretary has told her "all options are open".

Doreen Lawrence, speaking after meeting Theresa May, said: "I want answers."

The Home Office said Mrs May would "reflect" on how to "get to the heart of all outstanding questions".

Ex-officer Peter Francis says he posed as an anti-racism campaigner after the murder to find "dirt" on the family.

'Very promising'

Stephen, who was black, was 18 when he was stabbed to death by a gang of white youths in an unprovoked attack as he waited at a bus stop in south-east London in April 1993.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

Unless we have a public inquiry that goes through the whole thing, we will never get to the bottom of it"

End Quote Doreen Lawrence

A number of suspects were identified but it took more than 18 years to bring his killers to justice. An inquiry accused the police of institutional racism and found failings in how they had investigated the crime.

Mrs Lawrence, standing outside the Home Office after the "very promising" meeting, said that, "for the past 20 years", the family had been "talking about corruption and we have undercover officers trying to smear our family".

"I want answers," she added

"I want to know who was the senior officer who signed that off."

Mrs Lawrence, who was accompanied in the meeting by her lawyers and Stephen's brother, Stuart, said this week's revelations had made her "feel quite sick to the stomach because I think it's the last thing I expected".

Any review "should be open and not behind closed doors so that we can hear once and for all exactly what was going on after Stephen was murdered," she said.

"I think unless we have a public inquiry that goes through the whole thing, we will never get to the bottom of it."

She had "made my point quite clear and so did our legal representatives," she added.

Mrs Lawrence said the home secretary had told her "all options are open".

Her lawyer, Imran Khan, said the home secretary had "gone away to consider" the points made "and what the family hope is that she'll be agreeable to holding a public inquiry in due course".

Another meeting between Mrs May and Mrs Lawrence and her lawyers is planned although a date has not yet been set.

The Home Office said in a statement that Mrs May was "grateful to Doreen and Stuart Lawrence and their representatives for coming to the meeting today".

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

The home secretary understands that these fresh allegations have only added to the suffering of the Lawrence family"

End Quote Home Office

"The home secretary understands that these fresh allegations have only added to the suffering of the Lawrence family.

"She will now reflect on the best and quickest way to get to the heart of all outstanding questions and will speak to the Lawrence family very soon."

Meanwhile, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has said he will be meeting Mrs Lawrence and Mr Khan at New Scotland Yard on Friday.

He revealed, while being questioned by the London Assembly's police and crime committee, that Mr Khan had written to him asking "12 or 13 questions", adding that he would "answer them as far as possible".

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Hogan-Howe: "We are now in a different context... I don't believe it is happening at the moment"

'Outrageous' document

Former undercover officer Mr Francis has told the Guardian and Channel 4's Dispatches programme that, working as part of the Metropolitan Police's Special Demonstration Squad (SDS), he was pressured to find "any intelligence that could have smeared the campaign".

That included whether any of the family were political activists, involved in demonstrations or drug dealers, he said.

Mrs May announced on Monday that the claims would be investigated by two existing inquiries, those of:

• Barrister Mark Ellison QC, who is examining police corruption during the original investigation into the killing
• Operation Herne, an investigation into undercover policing at the Met, led by the chief constable of Derbyshire Police, Mick Creedon, and partly overseen by the police watchdog

Mr Hogan-Howe told the London Assembly committee he had asked Mr Creedon to "prioritise" the Lawrence allegations and thought the two inquiries would get to the bottom of them.

He said he was "shocked" by the latest smear claim and said, if it turned out to be true, "then it will be a disgrace".

"I don't think it's for me to call for a public inquiry," he added.

"I'm confident what's set up will work so therefore I can hardly call for a public inquiry to substitute for it."

Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has said it is looking into claims its Special Branch sent a request in August 1998 to all divisions asking for information about "groups or individuals" expected to attend the Macpherson Inquiry into the handling of Stephen's murder.

National Black Police Association president Charles Crichlow told the Daily Mirror the "outrageous" document "sent a chill through me" when he saw it at the time.

GMP Deputy Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said officers were trying to find the memo, but said it was likely to be a "routine" document making reference to the policing of the inquiry, which was held in Manchester.

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Ofgem warns of power shortage risk

27 June 2013 Last updated at 07:24 ET

The danger of power shortages in the UK by the middle of the decade has risen, according to industry regulator Ofgem.

Spare power production capacity could fall as low as 2% in two years' time, increasing the risk of blackouts.

More investment in power generation and other action is needed to protect consumers, Ofgem said.

"Ofgem's analysis indicates a faster than anticipated tightening of electricity margins toward the middle of this decade," it said in a report.

Andrew Wright, the regulator's chief executive, said: "Britain's energy industry is facing an unprecedented challenge to secure supplies."

The global financial crisis, tough emissions targets, the UK's increasing dependency on gas imports, and the closure of ageing power stations were all contributing to the heightened risk of shortages, Ofgem said.

It suggests that - should power shortages become critical - National Grid could be given powers to negotiate with major users about coming offline "during times of stress".

"Preventive action taken now will help protect consumer supplies," the report said.

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Energy and roads get share of £100bn

27 June 2013 Last updated at 07:52 ET

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Danny Alexander: "We are putting long-term priorities before short-term political pressures"

Plans for a £100bn modernisation of the UK's infrastructure, including new homes, road repairs and improved flood protection, have been announced.

The package, of which £50bn will come in 2015-16, is also aimed at boosting new sources of energy like shale gas.

Treasury Minister Danny Alexander said the plans put "long-term priorities before short-term political pressures".

But Labour said projects must start now and capital investment in the engine of the economy was actually falling.

The announcement of the government's infrastructure plans came a day after Wednesday's Spending Review, in which £11.5bn of cuts to Whitehall departments were spelt out.

While the first £50bn is committed to infrastructure projects starting in 2015-16, the rest is for the period from 2016 to 2020.

The main funding commitments include:

• £3bn to build 165,000 new affordable homes
• £28bn for road improvements, including £10bn for essential maintenance
• £10bn to clear a "backlog" of school building repairs
• 850 miles of railway to be electrified as part of £30bn rail investment
• £250m for extended super-fast broadband to rural areas
• £370m for flood defences
• Agreement with industry to provide affordable insurance for flood-hit homes
• £800m extra funding for Green Investment Bank
• £150m for health research including into dementia
• £100m for a new prison in Wales

"This is an ambitious plan to build an infrastructure that Britain can be proud of," Mr Alexander told MPs.

The road building programme was the largest for 40 years and the support for new homes the most substantial for more than two decades, he said.

As part of efforts to boost home building, government-owned land will be sold to the private sector and together with sales of other government assets, including the Student Loans book, would raise £15bn.

There will be new support to help the building of new nuclear plants, including Hinkley Point in Somerset, a guaranteed price for offshore wind energy and tax incentives brought in for shale gas projects.

His speech came as a report was being published showing that the UK's shale gas reserves were greater than previously thought.

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The transport plans focused mainly on roads and railways.

Mr Alexander said £10bn would be spent on dealing with the UK's "decaying" road network, with 21,000 miles of roads to be resurfaced and new lanes to be added to the busiest stretches of motorways.

Among the most significant projects, the £1.5bn upgrading of the A14 between Huntingdon and Cambridge will be brought forward by two years to 2016.

Mr Alexander said the spending on roads was equivalent to the cost of filling 19m potholes.

On rail, he restated plans to electrify large parts of the network and increased the budget for the proposed HS2 line connecting London and seven of the largest ten UK cities, to more than £42bn.

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Osborne: "We've got a long-term plan now as a country to up our national game"

He also confirmed that £2m feasibility funding would be provided for London's proposed Crossrail 2 project, but said Mayor Boris Johnson's challenge was to work out how the private sector could meet at least half the cost of the scheme.

He also said the basis of an agreement had been reached with the insurance industry for it to pay for a new scheme to help 500,000 homeowners in areas prone to serious flooding to get cover at reasonable prices.

Earlier, Mr Osborne told BBC Breakfast that "you cannot just build a road in a week" but new homes, schools and roads were already finished and the coalition had a "long-term plan" rather than the "stop-start" approach of previous governments.

"We have got a long-term plan as a country to up our national game and make sure Britain is competing with the likes of China and India," he said. "We are doing all the things a country needs to do if it serious in winning the global race."

On energy, he said shale gas was "environmentally safe" and could provide "cheap energy" for many years to come - but that projects - criticised by environmental campaigners - would need to get the appropriate planning approvals.

Real-terms fall

But shadow chancellor Ed Balls said the "problem" was that "none of it starts for four years".

"They should do an immediate boost for housing and transport this year and next," he told ITV's Daybreak.

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Ed Balls: "The international monetary fund says a £10bn boost is needed now"

"George Osborne talks about capital spending but he's not actually acting.

"I don't think the public buy into this at all - I think people see their living standards falling, tax cuts for millionaires, the economy flatlining, unemployment high. The plan has completely failed."

The £50bn for 2015-16 represents a real-terms fall of 1.7% from the infrastructure budget for 2014-15.

But the coalition says the figure is still higher than the one Labour was planning when it was ousted from power in 2010.

In Wednesday's Spending Review, the chancellor said the economy was "out of intensive care" and announced several measures aimed at saving money, including:

• Millions of public sector workers learning they face losing automatic annual pay increases
• British pensioners living in six warmer EU countries will no longer get a winter fuel allowance
• A cap on total welfare spending and axing winter fuel payments for expatriate pensioners in hot countries
• Most unemployed having to visit a JobCentre every week instead of fortnightly
• Total annual spending on welfare, including housing benefit, disability benefit, tax credits and pensioner benefits - but excluding the state pension - will be capped for the first time, from April 2015
• Local government will take the biggest hit, with cuts at the Department for Communities and Local Government of 10%
• The Home Office must save 6% from its budget, but the police budget will be cut by a lower 4.9% and counter-terror policing will be spared
• The culture department escapes the worst of the cuts with expected savings of 7%
• Science and research funding will remain flat
• The NHS, schools in England and foreign aid will continue to be protected from budget cuts
• The security services were the biggest winners, with a 3.4% boost to funding and Mr Osborne praising their "heroic" efforts to "protect us and our way of life"

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Nelson Mandela 'critical but stable'

27 June 2013 Last updated at 07:55 ET

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Ndileka Mandela: "A lot of comfort" in messages of support

Former South African leader Nelson Mandela is in a stable condition, his granddaughter says, though he remains critical.

Ndileka Mandela said the 94-year-old's family were taking comfort from messages of support from the public.

Meanwhile his daughter Makaziwe said he was "still there" and responding to touch.

South Africa's first black president has been in hospital in Pretoria since 8 June with a lung infection.

His health has worsened in recent days, prompting current President Jacob Zuma to cancel a foreign visit. He has now arrived back at the hospital.

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At the scene

The gate outside the hospital is festooned with flowers, cards and placards. "Get well soon, Tata Madiba" many of them say, as they gather to pay tribute to a man who changed the face of a nation.

A group of children from a nearby township squealed with delight, as they released dozens of balloons into the air. Members of the ANC Youth League arrived singing songs, dressed in yellow T-shirts emblazoned with the words: "There is no born-free without a liberator."

Members of Nelson Mandela's family continue to visit his bedside, as they have done for the past 20 days. A granddaughter emerged from the hospital to thank well-wishers for their messages of support.

"They have given us strength to carry on," she said, "and to give him positive energy." But as she gathered a bunch of flowers from the pavement, she spoke of her anxiety at her grandfather's critical condition.

Emotional crowds have gathered outside, adding messages of support for Mr Mandela, known by his clan name Madiba.

Children released 94 balloons into the air in his honour.

Correspondents say South Africans now seem resigned to the prospect of his death.

"We don't like seeing Mandela going through so much pain, he has had a tough time in his life and he's gone through a lot of struggle. I think this struggle should get over sooner," Khulile Mlondleni told Reuters news agency.

"We are all going to feel bad when he passes [away], but at the same time we will be celebrating his life. He has done so many great things for this country," said 25-year-old John Ndlovu, quoted by the agency.

US President Barack Obama, who is in Senegal, described Mr Mandela as "a hero for the world".

"His legacy will linger on through the ages," he said.

Speculation warning

After visiting her grandfather in hospital, Mdileka Mandela said it was an anxious time for the family.

"He's stable and we'd like to say that we thank everybody for giving their support and praying with us... we are anxious as you know that he is critical but he's in a stable condition right now," she said.

"It's been hard, especially because of all of this - that we have to do everything in the public eye."

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Nelson Mandela: Key dates

• 1918 Born in the Eastern Cape
• 1944 Joins African National Congress
• 1956 Charged with high treason, but charges dropped
• 1962 Arrested, convicted of sabotage, sentenced to five years in prison
• 1964 Charged again, sentenced to life
• 1990 Freed from prison
• 1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize
• 1994 Elected first black president
• 1999 Steps down as leader

Later Mr Mandela's daughter Makaziwe said that while the situation was serious he was still responsive.

"He doesn't look good, I'm not going to lie. But as I say, if we speak to him, he responds and tries to open his eyes. He's still there. He might be waning off, but he's still there," she told public broadcaster SABC.

She was also highly critical of the behaviour of the international media.

"There is a racist element with many of the international media where they cross boundaries - truly vultures waiting for when the lion has devoured the buffalo, it has gone overboard," Ms Mandela said.

Mr Zuma's spokesman Mac Maharaj said on Wednesday evening that Mr Mandela's condition had deteriorated over the weekend.

After consultations with doctors, Mr Zuma said he was cancelling his trip to a regional summit in the Mozambican capital Maputo.

The statement from his office said he "reiterated his gratitude on behalf of government, to all South Africans who continue to support the Madiba family".

The decision will only reinforce the impression that Mr Mandela's life is slipping away, the BBC's Mike Wooldridge reports from Johannesburg.

But later Mr Zuma's office warned against speculation about Mr Mandela's health, saying that announcements about his condition would come from the president himself or Mr Maharaj.

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The BBC's Karen Allen says there is a "mixture of emotions" outside the hospital

Mr Maharaj criticised some media outlets for broadcasting unverified information, as rumours spread on social media sites.

Meanwhile media reports say the bodies of three of Mr Mandela's children are to be moved from his birthplace to his home in Qunu, where he himself has said he wants to be buried.

They include his son Makgatho, who died of an Aids-related illness in 2005.

Mr Mandela is revered for leading the fight against white minority rule in South Africa and then preaching reconciliation despite being imprisoned for 27 years.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was elected president the following year. He left office in 1999 after a single term.

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Mr Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has rarely been seen at official events since.

He has a long history of lung problems, and was diagnosed with tuberculosis in the 1980s while he was a prisoner on Robben Island, off Cape Town.

After his release, Mr Mandela said that the tuberculosis was probably caused by dampness in his prison cell.

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Spending Review explanation 'woeful'

27 June 2013 Last updated at 08:03 ET

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has criticised the documentation and explanation of Wednesday's Spending Review as "woeful".

"Publishing such a small amount of information with so little explanation is not an exercise in open government," said IFS director Paul Johnson.

He also expressed surprise that there had been no outcry at news that 144,000 public sector jobs will go in a year.

"We seem to have got used to this level of austerity," he said.

The IFS gave as an example of the lack of information the fact that the Budget had said that Home Office expenditure limits for day-to-day spending would be £7.4bn while the Spending Review said it would be £10.4bn, without any explanation.

It turned out that it was a result of the police grant moving to the Home Office budget from the Local Government budget, but that information was hard to come by.

'Looks tough'

The influential think tank pointed out that the cuts announced in the Spending Review would take the split between spending cuts and tax increases away from the 80% cuts, 20% taxes originally planned, to an 85%,15% split.

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Getting back to the 80%, 20% balance would require a £6bn tax increase after the next election, which the IFS pointed out would be close to the average tax rise seen in post-election budgets in recent decades.

It suggested that the £25bn of additional cuts pencilled in for the two years after 2015-16 "looks tough indeed".

One of the debates since the chancellor's speech on Wednesday has been whether investment in infrastructure is going to rise.

The IFS said that public sector net investment would be "broadly flat" over the next four years.

Paul Johnson criticised the decision to freeze council tax again, saying: "However much council tax payers may welcome it this is not a sensible reform."

He pointed out that council tax was the only tax on property and that the longer it was frozen the harder it would be to unfreeze it.

He suggested that the marginalisation of council tax was being introduced without proper announcement or debate.

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