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Authorities have cracked down on a human trafficking gang in what is thought to be the largest operation of its kind ever in the UK.

More than 200 staff from nine different organisations took part in the crackdown on the organised crime group believed to be trafficking people into the UK for cheap labour.

Three men were arrested at a field near Holbeach, South Lincolnshire, on suspicion of human trafficking for the purposes of labour exploitation.

Northamptonshire Police said more than 60 men and women from Eastern European countries including Poland and Lithuania had been taken to Kettering, Northants, where they are now being treated as potential witnesses and victims.

Officers also searched 21 houses in Kettering and across the Midlands as well as a business premises in Market Harborough, Leics.

A spokeswoman said four men and a woman had also been arrested on suspicion of people trafficking and money laundering.

The huge crackdown, codenamed Operation Ruby, involved the East Midlands Foreign National Crime Team, Northamptonshire Police, the UK Human Trafficking Centre, the UK Borders Agency, the Migrant Helpline, Serious Organised Crime Agency and the Gangmasters Licensing Authority.

It centres on allegations people were recruited through advertisements and agencies in Eastern Europe to travel to the UK on the promise of work.

When they arrived, it is thought their documents were taken from them and a proportion of their wages was withheld to pay for housing and transport costs.

Det Supt Glyn Timmins, director of Investigations at Northamptonshire Police, co-ordinated the operation.

-Nova

Barclays has said that executive directors will not receive any annual bonus this year as the bank seeks to pacify investors over its £7 billion fundraising.

The bank also announced that all members of its board, including chief executive John Varley and investment banking boss Bob Diamond, are to be put up for re-election at its AGM next April.

It follows criticism of Barclays' plan to raise money from Middle East investors, which is seen as more costly than accepting Government cash.

Barclays announced the scheme to raise funds through Middle East investors at the end of last month as it sought to avoid part-nationalisation under the Government's scheme.

It is bringing on board Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan - a member of Abu Dhabi's royal family - and gaining additional support from the Qatari Investment Authority and Challenger, which represents Qatar's royal family.

The Association of British Insurers - which represents around a fifth of UK shareholders - has slapped a provisional "amber" top warning on the deal.

And institutional investors, such as Legal & General, are said to have been putting pressure on Barclays to change the terms of its deal after being left angry at the cost involved and lack of greater opportunity to participate.

But in a further concession to shareholders, Barclays said that its Middle Eastern investors would allow ordinary shareholders to buy as much as £250 million of the preferred stock they have agreed to purchase from Barclays.

The proposals will be put before shareholders on November 24.

-Nova

Negotiations are under way to free two Britons and 23 other crew members on a huge oil tanker hijacked by Somali pirates.

The hijackers have made contact with the owners of the Saudi-owned Sirius Star, which is thought to be heading to the Somali coast.

The two Britons and their crewmates are all believed to be safe, ship owners Vela International Marine Ltd said.

The tanker was fully laden when it was seized by a group of armed men on Sunday, a company spokesman said.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office confirmed that two of those on board are British but could not give any details of their role on the ship.

He said: "We are seeking more information on the incident."

A spokesman for the Royal Navy said he could not say if British servicemen were involved in any attempts to rescue the vessel. It is our policy not to discuss operational matters," he said.

Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth, who is in Kenya, said the hijacking of the Sirius Star underlined the scale of the challenge presented by piracy.

"The taking of such a large vessel so far out to sea represents a step change in capability for the pirates," he said.

"Alongside our international partners, Her Majesty's Government is deeply concerned, not least because two of the crew are British. Our thoughts are with the men and their families at this difficult time. We call on those holding the men to release them and the rest of the crew immediately."

-Nova

WASHINGTON: President-elect Barack Obama has reportedly picked a former high-

ranking Clinton administration aide to serve as the next
attorney general, the country's
top law enforcement official.

Eric Holder, a former US attorney who served as the No. 2 official in the Justice Department under President Bill Clinton, would be the nation's first black attorney general. An Obama official and two Democrats in touch with the transition team confirmed Tuesday that Holder was Obama's top choice, but the Obama official said the decision was not final. Holder did not return messages seeking comment Tuesday.

Word of Holder's likely appointment surfaced while Washington was abuzz with reports that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former president's wife, was at the top of Obama's list to be the next secretary of state, the top US diplomat.

Obama and Hillary Clinton met at the president-elect's transition headquarters in Chicago last week. Earlier, the former first lady had been widely mentioned as a possible vice-presidential choice after Obama vanquished her in the lengthy and often bitter Democratic presidential primary.

Obama, who ran for president on a platform of change, was raising eyebrows with his heavy focus on officials from the former Clinton administration in his transition team and his consideration of them for his Cabinet. He has already named Rahm Emanuel, a key Democrat in Congress and a top White House official under Clinton, to serve as his chief of staff.

The expected appointment of Holder, who served on the search committee that settled on Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as Obama's vice-presidential running mate, emerged after the president-elect's aides began canvassing senators about Holder's chances for confirmation. The Senate must confirm cabinet secreteries by a simple majority vote.

In particular, the Obama aides questioned whether Holder's confirmation would be delayed because of his involvement in President Clinton's end-of-term 2001 pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich.

One person involved in the talks said the Obama team has received some assurances that, while the Rich pardon would come up during Senate hearings, the nomination likely would not be held up. All those who spoke about Holder did so on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.

On the last day of Clinton's term, Holder was asked whether the president should pardon Rich, a wealthy commodities dealer who had spent years on the run. The financier was convicted in 1983 of doing illegal oil deals with Iran while U.S. hostages were held there, as well as tax evasion and tax fraud. Holder said he was ``neutral, leaning towards favorable'' on the pardon. Clinton later cited that as among the factors that persuaded him to issue the pardon.

Holder has publicly apologized for what he said was a snap decision that he should have paid more attention to. Had he taken more time to review the case, he would have advised against a pardon, he said.

Holder, 57, also a former judge and U.S. attorney in Washington, is widely respected in legal circles and among Justice Department career lawyers. He has been on Obama's short list to be attorney general since before the election, and already has had private conversations about how he would run the department.

One of his top priorities, according to a person familiar with his thinking, is to rebuild the department's reputation after its fiercely independent image was tarnished by charges of political meddling by the White House during the Bush administration.

For that reason, Holder has been reluctant to lobby for the attorney general's post for fear the Rich pardon would invite an explosive nomination process and further strain the department's credibility, this person said.

Also Tuesday, the Obama daughters got a tour of their new White House residence from Jenna and Barbara Bush.

President George W. Bush's twin daughters showed their rooms to Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10, as they toured the residential areas of the White House with their mother, Michelle, at the invitation of first lady Laura Bush. The Obamas spent about an hour at the mansion, said Sally McDonough, a spokeswoman for Laura Bush.

Mrs. Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, was also with the group. "The first lady graciously invited Mrs. Obama, her mother and the girls to visit what will be their new home," said Michelle Obama's spokeswoman, Katie McCormick Lelyveld. "Of course, Mrs. Obama greatly appreciated this invitation to provide an opportunity for the girls to feel at home and become comfortable in this transition process."

The visit was private, with no media coverage or photos. Earlier in the day, the Obama family visited top choices for schools "to make sure we find the right fit," Lelyveld said. She would not name the schools.

A small motorcade was parked outside the Sidwell Friends, a Quaker school attended by Chelsea Clinton, on Tuesday for about 40 minutes, and a similar motorcade was at the back entrance of Georgetown Day School on Monday. The Georgetown Day motorcade left after a group of people emerged, but Michelle Obama was not seen among them. Both Georgetown Day and Sidwell Friends are private institutions.

The president-elect's family also has discussed public school options for the two girls, Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty and Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee said last week.

Barack Obama, meanwhile, called five foreign leaders Tuesday, continuing to respond to the congratulatory calls that poured in after his election two weeks ago from dignitaries around the globe.

The Obama transition office said Obama expressed his appreciation for their congratulations. The calls included: Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Obama also spoke by video to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's international climate change summit on Tuesday in Beverly Hills, California.

"Once I take office, you can be sure that the United States will ... help lead the world toward a new era of global cooperation on climate change,'' Obama said.

timesofindia.com

Thanks for this.

An "expensive" Government health reform has so far failed to deliver real benefits for patients, experts have said.

Progress in implementing the policy has been "painfully slow" and, in some areas, has stalled completely, they said.

Practice-based commissioning, introduced in 2005, has also delivered little in terms of financial savings for the NHS, according to the new report from the King's Fund think tank.

The policy was introduced as a way of allowing GPs to run local budgets and "buy-in" services such as hospital and community care.

It was seen as a necessary step to providing more patient care in the community, thereby cutting costs and the number of referrals to hospitals.

The Government intended GPs to provide a range of services using practice-based commissioning, including diabetic care, diagnostic testing (such as X-rays) and dermatology.

But the report, which is the culmination of two years' work, found that very few GPs were using the scheme to commission new services.

This is despite the fact they have been paid almost £100 million in incentive payments, it said.

The report also said the Government had failed to learn lessons from the Conservative Party's similar experiments in the 1990s with GP fundholding.

And it called for a major shake-up of the reform, although it did not say it should be abandoned altogether.

-Nova

A serving police officer facing investigation after being included in a list of British National Party members has been named by Merseyside Police.

Steve Bettley was included in a list of thousands of BNP supporters which was leaked on an internet blog. His name was part of the main entry of a family member.

Merseyside police confirmed it is investigating whether serving officer Pc Bettley has links with the party.

A spokesman said: "We understand that the British National Party names a Steve Bettley for an alleged association with the party. Whether Merseyside Pc Steve Bettley was, or is, a member of BNP is subject to an ongoing inquiry.

"Chief Constable Bernard Hogan-Howe has reiterated our position that membership of the British National Party is totally incompatible with the duties and values of Merseyside Police. We will not accept a police officer or police staff being a member of BNP."

Officers are banned from joining or promoting the BNP because it would damage race relations, according to the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Merseyside Black Police Association (MBPA) said: "Due process must be allowed to take place and we appeal for calm in that respect. MBPA also supports Merseyside Police to ensure the safety and security of those who it feels may be at risk as a result of being associated with the BNP as a result of the publication of personal details on to the internet. We condemn any and all unlawful acts and will assist Merseyside Police to hold those to account who perpetrate such behaviour."

Leader Nick Griffin pledged to take court action against those behind the leak.

He said: "It was entirely wrongly used without authority by a very small group of previous party members who were expelled late last year who then passed it on, to who we simply don't know. All we can say is that if we find out who it was and they are one of those covered by the High Court injunction, then they are going to prison."

Mr Griffin claimed that members had received threatening calls as a result of the list's publication - calls he said were part of an "established dirty tricks campaign" from the Labour Party.

-Nova

The families of two British crewmen being held hostage by pirates on a hijacked oil tanker said that they hope the pair "will be home safely very soon".

Peter French, from County Durham, and James Grady, from Strathclyde, are on the Sirius Star, which is currently anchored off the coast of Somalia.

A statement said the families of the two men "greatly appreciate the concern that has been expressed by people throughout the UK and beyond, about Peter and James. They hope that Peter and James will be home safely to their families very soon."

The men are the tanker's chief engineer and its Second Officer, although the Foreign Office could not confirm which man held which role.

The Sirius Star was attacked at the weekend and the pirates who have taken control of the vessel have taken it to a stronghold near the town of Eyl.

The Saudi-owned ship was fully laden with two million barrels of oil when pirates boarded it and is the largest vessel ever to be hijacked in a region which has become notorious for piracy.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband has called for the immediate release of the crew.

He said the problem of piracy was "a grave danger to the stability in the region".

Speaking to the BBC as he arrived in Beirut for talks with the Lebanese government, Mr Miliband said: "The United Kingdom is very worried about the piracy in the Gulf of Aden and in Somalia. We call on those holding the (Britons) to release them and the rest of the crew immediately."

He said the Royal Navy was involved in efforts to resolve the situation.

-Nova

Government claims to prioritise victims of crime were questioned as a committee of MPs delivered a damning report into compensation for people injured in violent attacks.

Less than 5% of those eligible for payouts of up to half a million pounds from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority were even applying, the Public Accounts Committee found.

Two-thirds of victims were unaware of the scheme and those who did apply were hampered by a complex application form and suffered delays in receiving their money because of bureaucracy, they said.

Many victims also spent money on expensive lawyers because they did not know free legal help was on offer, the MPs found.

Their report, Compensating Victims of Violent Crime, criticises the Ministry of Justice for affording the agency a "low priority" despite its claims to put victims at the "heart" of the criminal justice system.

Ministers failed to set the body rigorous targets, they said, as costs and bureaucracy increased and standards slipped. Despite applications falling 23%, the time taken to resolve the average complaint has risen from one year to 17 months.

The costs of administering the scheme rose by £6 million between 2000 and 2006, while staff productivity fell. Committee chairman Edward Leigh said it was "absurd" that so few people were applying for money they were due.

He said: "The Ministry of Justice's declared objective is to place victims at the heart of the criminal justice system. If the scheme for compensating victims of violent crime is anything to go by, that objective is a long way from fulfilment.

"A large proportion of citizens who are injured by violent criminals are left in ignorance of the compensation scheme, leading to the absurd situation that only 5% apply for compensation."

-Nova

An impromptu shrine to Baby P grew rapidly as the Chief Inspector of Schools warned she could not ensure a similar tragedy would never happen again.

The north London cemetery where the little boy's ashes were scattered has become the focus for public outrage over the 17-month-old child's death.

But despite calls for action to ensure the tragedy is never repeated, the Chief Inspector of Schools warned that she could not ensure this.

Christine Gilbert said: "I really wish I could guarantee that something so tragic would never happen again. I can't guarantee it. I do feel that every one of us involved in child protection in any way has to take stock, has to look at what they are doing and has to look at what has gone on in the particular case."

Meanwhile, the doctor accused of failing to spot Baby P's broken back shortly before his death said she had been "deeply affected" by the "shocking and tragic" events.

The little boy died in a blood-splattered cot in August last year after suffering more than 50 injuries at the hands of his abusive mother, her boyfriend and a lodger.

Haringey Council in north London - the same local authority criticised over eight-year-old Victoria Climbie's murder in 2000 - is under fire for failing to prevent his death.

Dr Sabah Al-Zayyat examined Baby P at a child development clinic at St Ann's Hospital in north London shortly before his death. The doctor, who qualified in Pakistan and worked in Saudi Arabia before coming to Britain in 2004, noticed bruises to his body.

But she decided she could not carry out a full systemic examination as the boy was "miserable and cranky".

A post-mortem examination later revealed injuries including a broken back and ribs, believed to have been obtained prior to the examination. Dr Al-Zayyat has since had her contract with Great Ormond Street Hospital, which is responsible for child services in Haringey, terminated and has been banned from working unsupervised until the end of an inquiry.

-Nova