LONDON, April 18 (Reuters) – The union representing British
fuel tanker drivers said on Wednesday its members had rejected
an offer to avert a strike over pay and conditions but had
agreed to hold further talks before taking action which could
seriously disrupt supplies.

The Unite union, which represents the 2,000 drivers who
backed a strike last month, said truckers’ representatives had
overwhelmingly voted against accepting new proposals put forward
by six haulage firms which supply Britain’s petrol stations.

LONDON (Reuters) – A Briton convicted of plotting with shoebomber Richard Reid to carry out a suicide bomb attack on an aircraft has had his jail term reduced after striking a deal to give evidence at the trial of a man accused of an al Qaeda bombing plot in New York.

Saajid Badat, 33, was convicted in Britain in 2005 of conspiring with Reid to blow up planes in simultaneous attacks and sentenced to 13 years in prison.

LONDON, April 12 (Reuters) – Senior London police staff
linked to the News Corp phone hacking scandal showed poor
judgment, took bad decisions and got too close to journalists
working for Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers, an independent watchdog
said on Thursday.

While the Independent Police Complaints Commission
(IPCC)rejected allegations of corruption involving two of the
top personnel at the Metropolitan Police (MPS), it was highly
critical of their and senior colleagues’ media relationships.

LONDON (Reuters) – British police said their communications remained secure on Thursday after hackers linked to the anti-establishment group Anonymous blocked an anti-terrorism hotline and illegally recorded a security unit’s officers discussing their actions.

An activist group called Team Poison jammed the hotline with repeated calls – so-called “phone bombing” – preventing those with genuine concerns from getting through in the latest attack on a high-profile institution.

LONDON, April 12 (Reuters) – Senior London police staff
linked to the News Corp phone hacking scandal showed poor
judgment, took bad decisions and got too close to journalists
working for Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers, an independent watchdog
said on Thursday.

While the Independent Police Complaints Commission
(IPCC)rejected allegations of corruption involving two of the
top personnel at the Metropolitan Police (MPS), it was highly
critical of their and senior colleagues’ media relationships.

LONDON (Reuters) – With a metal hook in place of his right hand and missing an eye, Abu Hamza al-Masri’s tabloid image as a James Bond villain belies a much more sinister influence.

From Zacarias Moussaoui, one of the September 11 conspirators, and convicted shoe bomber Richard Reid, to the men who plotted suicide bomb attacks on London in 2005, Hamza is accused of influencing some of the world’s most high-profile militants of recent times.

LONDON (Reuters) – A maverick leftist dealt a heavy blow to Labour Party in a by-election that reflected general disenchantment with the mainstream parties.

George Galloway, a former Labour Party member best known recently for his role in a reality television programme prancing in a leotard, won a clear majority on Thursday in a constituency held since 1974 by Labour. The bearded Scot has been a thorn in the side of Labour since leaving the party, campaigning against wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and for a return to socialist ideas.

LONDON (Reuters) – A committee of British lawmakers said Britain’s extradition treaty with the United States is unbalanced, one-sided and in need of major changes, echoing recent criticism from politicians, campaigners and the media.

The 2003 treaty was signed to speed up the transfer of suspects between the two nations at the height of concern about terrorism after the September 11 attacks.

LONDON, March 29 (Reuters) – The media chief for the
Metropolitan Police quit on Thursday over his role in the News
of the World phone-hacking scandal, the third top London police
figure forced to resign by controversy over links between senior
officers and the media.

Dick Fedorcio resigned a week after the London force
proposed starting disciplinary proceedings for gross misconduct
against him over the hacking affair, the police watchdog said.

LONDON (Reuters) – The British government urged the public to fill up with petrol on Wednesday ahead of an impending strike by tanker drivers that could see stocks run dry, but was branded irresponsible by petrol retailers who said the government was creating a crisis.

The government, which put the army on standby on Tuesday to help if truckers go ahead with action, told Britons to take “sensible steps”.