WHAT HAPPENED ON 29th May 2006?

28th May 2006

Reid attacked in new releases row

The home secretary is under fire amid claims that many foreign offenders have been freed from secure hospitals without deportation being considered. The Sun says police are seeking up to 500 former mental patients including murderers rapists & paedophiles. John Reid has already ordered officials to find out how many foreigners have been kept in UK secure hospitals. Marjorie Wallace chief executive of mental health charity Sane said she was extremely concerned by the report.

29th May 2006

Four Britons die in Iraq attacks

Two Britons working for a US TV network have been killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq hours after two British soldiers died in a similar attack. Paul Douglas 48 and James Brolan 42 died in Baghdad when the US military unit they were based with was attacked. On Sunday two members of the Queen's Dragoon Guards were killed in Basra and two others were injured also by a roadside bomb. Nine UK service personnel have now been killed in Iraq this month.

29th May 2006

US crash sparks Afghanistan riot

At least seven people have been killed in the Afghan capital Kabul after a traffic accident involving a US military convoy sparked mass rioting. Hundreds of anti-US protesters clashed with Afghan security forces for two hours in one of the worst riots since the fall of the Taleban in late 2001. The protesters moved on to attack buildings in the diplomatic quarter. There are conflicting reports over whether the US troops in the military convoy fired into the crowd.

28th May 2006

MP attacks Labour's Blair critics

Labour MP Ann Clwyd has attacked fellow party members who "continually snipe" at its leadership. Speaking from Baghdad Tony Blair's special envoy to Iraq added speculation about his departure from Downing Street had given people abroad the wrong idea. "A small number of individuals are giving the idea there is a big rift in the Labour party " she told BBC News. If members wanted Labour's "very strong programme" to succeed they should unite to give it every support she added.

29th May 2006

Four Britons die in Iraq attacks

Two Britons working for a US TV network have been killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq hours after two British soldiers died in a similar attack. Paul Douglas 48 and James Brolan 42 died in Baghdad when the US military unit they were based with was attacked. On Sunday two members of the Queen's Dragoon Guards were killed in Basra and two others were injured also by a roadside bomb. Nine UK service personnel have now been killed in Iraq this month.

29th May 2006

Nine dead in Iraqi bus explosion

At least nine people have been killed in an explosion on or near a bus north- east of the Iraqi capital Baghdad police say. There were conflicting reports as to where the explosion which police said was caused by a bomb took place. News agencies quoted police as saying the blast happened in the region of Baquba & Khalis. Iraqi insurgents have carried out almost daily attacks for months aimed at civilians & security forces.

28th May 2006

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29th May 2006

Four Britons die in Iraq attacks

Two Britons working for a US TV network have been killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq hours after two British soldiers died in a similar attack. Paul Douglas 48 and James Brolan 42 died in Baghdad when the US military unit they were based with was attacked. On Sunday two members of the Queen's Dragoon Guards were killed in Basra and two others were injured also by a roadside bomb. Nine UK service personnel have now been killed in Iraq this month.

29th May 2006

Nine dead in Iraqi bus explosion

At least nine people have been killed in an explosion on or near a bus north- east of the Iraqi capital Baghdad police say. There were conflicting reports as to where the explosion which police said was caused by a bomb took place. News agencies quoted police as saying the blast happened in the region of Baquba & Khalis. Iraqi insurgents have carried out almost daily attacks for months aimed at civilians & security forces.

28th May 2006

At least 1 000 UK soldiers desert

More than 1 000 members of the British military have deserted the armed forces since the start of the 2003 Iraq war the BBC has discovered. It comes as Parliament debates a law that will forbid military personnel from refusing to participate in the occupation of a foreign country. Some 900 have evaded capture since the Iraq war started official figures say. But the Ministry of Defence says the numbers going missing from the army have stayed constant in recent years.

29th May 2006

Four Britons die in Iraq attacks

Two Britons working for a US TV network have been killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq hours after two British soldiers died in a similar attack. Paul Douglas 48 and James Brolan 42 died in Baghdad when the US military unit they were based with was attacked. On Sunday two members of the Queen's Dragoon Guards were killed in Basra and two others were injured also by a roadside bomb. Nine UK service personnel have now been killed in Iraq this month.

29th May 2006

Home abortions 'hit record high'

A record 10 000 women had an abortion at home last year the British Pregnancy Advisory Service has said. It said nearly one-third of the 32 000 terminations it provided in the first nine weeks of pregnancy had been "medical" - involving abortion drugs. The BPAS described the trend as a "success" for sexual health but campaign groups have been critical. Comment on Reproductive Ethics (CORE) accused the BPAS of "deeply insensitive self-promotion" of abortions.

28th May 2006

MP attacks Labour's Blair critics

Labour MP Ann Clwyd has attacked fellow party members who "continually snipe" at its leadership. Speaking from Baghdad Tony Blair's special envoy to Iraq added speculation about his departure from Downing Street had given people abroad the wrong idea. "A small number of individuals are giving the idea there is a big rift in the Labour party " she told BBC News. If members wanted Labour's "very strong programme" to succeed they should unite to give it every support she added.

29th May 2006

Four Britons die in Iraq attacks

Two Britons working for a US TV network have been killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq hours after two British soldiers died in a similar attack. Paul Douglas 48 and James Brolan 42 died in Baghdad when the US military unit they were based with was attacked. On Sunday two members of the Queen's Dragoon Guards were killed in Basra and two others were injured also by a roadside bomb. Nine UK service personnel have now been killed in Iraq this month.

29th May 2006

Iraq victims 'were war veterans'

The two British journalists who were killed in Iraq at the weekend had extensive experience in war zones including Afghanistan & Bosnia. Soundman James Brolan 42 and camera operator Paul Douglas 48 died when a car of explosives detonated as US troops examined a roadblock in Baghdad. They were working for US news network CBS. Correspondent Kimberly Dozier was seriously injured. CBS News said they were brave "veterans of war coverage".

28th May 2006

New Mogadishu clashes 'kill 13'

Clashes between militias in the Somali capital Mogadishu have left 13 people dead days after some of the heaviest fighting seen in the city for years. The latest violence has been centred in the Daynile & Galgalato districts. Gun battles on Thursday killed at least 60 people left scores injured & forced hundreds out of their homes. Some 200 people have died in clashes this year between militias loyal to Mogadishu's Islamic courts & an alliance of warlords.

29th May 2006

Four Britons die in Iraq attacks

Two Britons working for a US TV network have been killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq hours after two British soldiers died in a similar attack. Paul Douglas 48 and James Brolan 42 died in Baghdad when the US military unit they were based with was attacked. On Sunday two members of the Queen's Dragoon Guards were killed in Basra and two others were injured also by a roadside bomb. Nine UK service personnel have now been killed in Iraq this month.

29th May 2006

Race against time in Java quake

The task of helping survivors of Saturday's earthquake on the Indonesian island of Java is "a race against the clock" the United Nations has warned. Emergency workers & supplies are arriving but the UN's top relief co- ordinator Jan Egeland told the BBC the task was "enormous". Driving rain is hampering relief work after the disaster which killed at least 4 295 people & injured 20 000. And activity at nearby erupting volcano Mount Merapi is said to have increased.

28th May 2006

US helicopter comes down in Iraq

A US helicopter with two crew on board has crashed in western Iraq but it does not appear to have been brought down by insurgents the US military says. The US Marine Corps AH-1 Cobra was undergoing a maintenance test flight when it came down in restive Anbar province the statement said. A search & rescue operation is under way for the missing crew members. "The incident does not appear to be the result of enemy action " the military statement said.

29th May 2006

Four Britons die in Iraq attacks

Two Britons working for a US TV network have been killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq hours after two British soldiers died in a similar attack. Paul Douglas 48 and James Brolan 42 died in Baghdad when the US military unit they were based with was attacked. On Sunday two members of the Queen's Dragoon Guards were killed in Basra and two others were injured also by a roadside bomb. Nine UK service personnel have now been killed in Iraq this month.

29th May 2006

US crash sparks Afghanistan riot

At least seven people have been killed in the Afghan capital Kabul after a traffic accident involving a US military convoy sparked mass rioting. Hundreds of anti-US protesters clashed with Afghan security forces for two hours in one of the worst riots since the fall of the Taleban in late 2001. The protesters moved on to attack buildings in the diplomatic quarter. There are conflicting reports over whether the US troops in the military convoy fired into the crowd.

28th May 2006

Winner shuns 'toilet-cleaner OBE'

Film director Michael Winner has said he turned down an OBE in the Queen's 80th birthday honours' list. He told the Sunday Times newspaper for which he is a columnist: "An OBE is what you get if you clean the toilets well at King's Cross station." Mr Winner was offered the honour because of his campaign for a permanent memorial to police officers killed in the line of duty the paper says. But he told the Sunday Times: "I really don't care if I get anything or not."

29th May 2006

Four Britons die in Iraq attacks

Two Britons working for a US TV network have been killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq hours after two British soldiers died in a similar attack. Paul Douglas 48 and James Brolan 42 died in Baghdad when the US military unit they were based with was attacked. On Sunday two members of the Queen's Dragoon Guards were killed in Basra and two others were injured also by a roadside bomb. Nine UK service personnel have now been killed in Iraq this month.

29th May 2006

MoD names troops killed in Iraq

Two UK soldiers who were killed in a bombing in Iraq on Sunday have been named by the Ministry of Defence. L/Cpl Paul Farrelly 27 from Runcorn in Cheshire and Lt Tom Mildinhall 26 from the Queen's Dragoon Guards (Welsh Cavalry) died on patrol in Basra. The parents of Lt Mildinhall from Battersea south London have paid tribute to their "beautiful talented and loving son". Two British TV journalists were killed by a car bomb in Baghdad on Monday.

28th May 2006

Reid attacked in new releases row

The home secretary is under fire amid claims that many foreign offenders have been freed from secure hospitals without deportation being considered. The Sun says police are seeking up to 500 former mental patients including murderers rapists & paedophiles. John Reid has already ordered officials to find out how many foreigners have been kept in UK secure hospitals. Marjorie Wallace chief executive of mental health charity Sane said she was extremely concerned by the report.

29th May 2006

Four Britons die in Iraq attacks

Two Britons working for a US TV network have been killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq hours after two British soldiers died in a similar attack. Paul Douglas 48 and James Brolan 42 died in Baghdad when the US military unit they were based with was attacked. On Sunday two members of the Queen's Dragoon Guards were killed in Basra and two others were injured also by a roadside bomb. Nine UK service personnel have now been killed in Iraq this month.

29th May 2006

MoD names troops killed in Iraq

Two UK soldiers who were killed in a bombing in Iraq on Sunday have been named by the Ministry of Defence. L/Cpl Paul Farrelly 27 from Runcorn in Cheshire and Lt Tom Mildinhall 26 from the Queen's Dragoon Guards (Welsh Cavalry) died on patrol in Basra. The parents of Lt Mildinhall from Battersea south London have paid tribute to their "beautiful talented and loving son". Two British TV journalists were killed by a car bomb in Baghdad on Monday.