VW Diesel Scandal Cost Rises To £12.7bn

Volkswagen has revealed the deepening cost of the diesel emissions scandal as concerns over irregularities found in other global car makers widened.

VW has increased the sum it has put aside for the scandal to €16.2bn (£12.7bn) - up from €6.7bn (£5.2bn) - helping it slump to an annual net loss of €5.5bn (£4.3bn) for 2015.

Meanwhile, the German government said a probe sparked by the scandal had found anomalies in 16 global brands - though the "defeat device" technology used by VW was not found in other car makers.

Volkswagen's loss compared to a profit of €2.5bn (£1.9bn) in 2014.

It follows the damaging admission last autumn that it used software to cheat on emissions tests - affecting 11 million vehicles worldwide. 

Volkswagen boss Matthias Muller (centre) announcing annual results

VW said that thanks to the scandal, as well as tough global economic conditions, it expects sales for the group this year to be as much as 5% lower than 2015's €213.3bn (£166.8bn).

It also said it was holding back part of the bonuses for top executives.

The car maker admitted it was still not able put a total figure on the cost of cleaning up the scandal - a day after agreeing to a deal with US authorities to compensate car owners or buy back their vehicles.

The settlement is predicted to cost $10bn (£7bn).

The deal has prompted pressure for fair treatment for drivers in Europe, a market that is much bigger than the US for Volkswagen.

Downing Street said Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin had pressed VW  over the treatment of UK motorists.

In Germany, transport minister Alexander Dobrindt revealed irregularities found in 16 car brands after a government probe.

Five German brands have agreed to recall 630,000 diesel vehicles in Europe.

They include Volkswagen as well as its subsidiaries Audi and Porsche, plus Mercedes and Opel.

The recall aims to reset technology - which is legal - that turns off emission controls at certain temperatures.

Other brands named by Mr Dobrindt where irregularities were found were Renault, Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, Dacia, Fiat, Hyundai, Jaguar, Jeep, land Rover, Nissan and Suzuki.

In the US, Germany's Daimler - maker of Mercedes - and Mitsubishi  are facing investigations.

Daimler, said it had been contacted by the Justice Department last week over "possible indications of irregularities".

The company is conducting an internal investigation.

Mitsubishi faced calls from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for fuel economy data after it confirmed earlier this week that its staff rigged fuel economy tests.

Elsewhere, Peugeot Citroen offices in France were raided and items seized in relation to pollutants - with the company insisting it complied with all regulations.

Meanwhile in the UK, the Government has revealed that all diesel cars it tested in the wake of the VW scandal exceeded laboratory pollution limits when looked at in real-world conditions.

Five German brands have agreed to recall 630,000 diesel vehicles in Europe.

They include Volkswagen as well as its subsidiaries Audi and Porsche, plus Mercedes and Opel.

The recall aims to reset technology - which is legal - that turns off emission controls at certain temperatures.

Other brands named by Mr Dobrindt where irregularities were found were Renault, Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, Dacia, Fiat, Hyundai, Jaguar, Jeep, land Rover, Nissan and Suzuki.

In the US, Germany's Daimler - maker of Mercedes - and Mitsubishi  are facing investigations.

Daimler, said it had been contacted by the Justice Department last week over "possible indications of irregularities".

The company is conducting an internal investigation.

Mitsubishi faced calls from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for fuel economy data after it confirmed earlier this week that its staff rigged fuel economy tests.

Elsewhere, Peugeot Citroen offices in France were raided and items seized in relation to pollutants - with the company insisting it complied with all regulations.

Meanwhile in the UK, the Government has revealed that all diesel cars it tested in the wake of the VW scandal exceeded laboratory pollution limits when looked at in real-world conditions.

Pair Jailed Over Drive-By Terror Attacks Plot

Two Britons who planned Islamic State-inspired terror on the streets of London have been jailed for life.

Students Tarik Hassane and Suhaib Majeed, both 22, were sentenced at the Old Bailey.

They had plotted to kill soldiers, police officers and civilians in a series of drive-by shootings.

Acting on instructions from mastermind Hassane, physics student Majeed had got his hands on a gun and ammunition.

He was discussing buying an untraceable moped before police swooped to arrest him in September 2014.

The Parachute Regiment Territorial Army Barracks - one of the targets

His old school friend Hassane, nicknamed The Surgeon, was studying medicine in Sudan at the time.

But he rushed back to London to carry on as a "lone wolf terrorist" before he too was picked up.

He identified Shepherd's Bush police station and the Parachute Regiment Territorial Army Barracks at White City as possible targets on Google Street View.

Majeed, 22, was found guilty of conspiracy to murder and preparation of terrorist acts after Hassane, 22, admitted the charges midway through the Old Bailey trial.

Mr Justice Wilkie jailed Hassane for a minimum of 21 years and Majeed for a minimum of 20 years.

The court was told earlier that both men had now accepted their involvement in the plot to murder.

In his confession, Hassane had said he felt like he was in a "bubble" at the time, but added: "I really doubt I could have ever done this."

Passing sentence, the judge told the pair: "It is shocking, tragic and deplorable that you, two young British men, educated through the UK school system, undertaking university courses, should be so influenced by the bloodthirsty version of Islam presented by ISIS (another name for IS) and other similarly minded groups, that you decided to take up arms against your fellow British citizens and those charged with protecting them in the streets of your own city."

The judge said in a "frank" account, Hassane had admitted visiting Syria in 2013 where he learned how to handle guns and spent time with a fighter who was later killed.

On returning to the UK, having decided to become a fighter too, he raised thousands of pounds to support extremist violence in Syria, before becoming the "prime mover" in the plot.

Princess Alice House in west London - where Hassane was arrested

The court heard the pair, from west London, had links to the same mosque associated with Mohammed Emwazi, also known as Jihadi John, an executioner for IS who achieved notoriety before being killed.

Nyall Hamlett, 25, and Nathan Cuffy, 26, who were acquitted of being part of the plot, were sentenced for firearms offences. Hamlett was given six-and-a-half years in jail, while Cuffy was handed 11 years behind bars.

Cuffy supplied a self-loading Baikal pistol with silencer and bullets to fellow Muslim convert and former Catholic altar boy Hamlett, who admitted transferring it on to Majeed.

Hamlett said he only found out what he had been asked to deliver to Majeed at the last minute, while Cuffy said he also had no idea about the plot.

Iron Dome Missile Tested In US For First Time

A missile used in Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system has intercepted an aerial target on American soil for the first time.

It successfully destroyed an unmanned drone during a test carried out by Israeli and American defence contractors.

Tamir missiles, used in the Iron Dome system which protects Israel, were fired from the army's new Multi-Mission Launcher (MML) to bring down the drone at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

The US Army is considering purchasing the system, which has not yet been sold to any foreign militaries.

The Iron Dome was funded and developed by Israel and the US, and has taken down more than 1,500 rockets fired into Israeli territory.

It has a success rate of around 90% when stopping rockets aimed at population centres.

Despite being designed to take out missiles, it has also proved effective at tackling the growing use of enemy drones.

Israeli state-owned firm Rafael Advanced Defense Systems showed off the technology to US military top brass, who also saw demonstrations of missiles produced by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin.

The army's MML was created to fire numerous kinds of interceptor missiles depending on the nature of each situation.

School Evacuated Over Suspected WWII Bomb

A school has been evacuated after a suspected World War Two bomb was found on a building site.

Police were called just before 9.15am to Boone Street in Lewisham, southeast London, following reports of the discovery.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said it was believed to be a suspected bomb from the Second World War.

Police and specialist officers are currently at the scene, and shops as well as a school were evacuated. 

A 200-metre area around the site has been cordoned off.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "We are in contact with the other emergency services, and Lewisham Council.

"A number of road closures are currently in place, and this is causing significant disruption to the area.

"Motorists are advised to avoid the area if at possible."

A group which investigates and maps where Second World War bombs landed, Bomb Sight, has identified the area as one where a bomb did land. 

Prince Death: The Full 911 Call Transcript

A transcript of the emergency call from Prince's Minneapolis compound shows confusion as an unidentified caller struggles to give the dispatcher the proper address.

Here is the full transcript of the 911 call from Paisley Park at 9.43am to the Carver County, Minnesota, Sheriff's Office:

A rainbow appeared over Paisley Park after the death was confirmed

Dispatcher: 911, where is your emergency?

Unidentified Male: Hi there, um, what's the address, here? Yeah we need an ambulance right now.

OK.

UM: We have someone who is unconscious.

D: OK, what's the address?

UM: Um, we're at Prince's house.

D: OK, does anybody know the address? Is there any mail around that you could look at?

UM: Yeah, yeah, OK, hold on.

D: OK, your cellphone's not going to tell me where you're at, so I need you to find me an address.

UM: Yeah, we have um, yeah, we have um, so, yeah, um, the person is dead here.

D: OK, get me the address please.

UM: OK, OK, I'm working on it.

D: Concentrate on that.

UM: And the people are just distraught.

D: I understand they are distraught, but -

UM: I'm working on it, I'm working on it.

D: OK, do we know how the person died?

UM: I don't know, I don't know.

D: OK.

UM: Um, so we're, we're in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and we are at the home of Prince.

D: You're in Minneapolis?

UM: Yeah, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

D: You're sure you are in Minneapolis?

UM: That's correct.

D: OK, have you found an address yet?

UM: Yeah, um, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry I need, I need the address here?

Unidentified Female: 7801.

Unidentified Male: 7801.

D: 7801 what?

UM: Paisley Park, we are at Paisley Park.

D: You're at Paisley Park, OK, that's in Chanhassen. Are you with the person who's ...

UM: Yes, it's Prince.

D: OK.

UM: The person.

D: OK, stay on the line with me.

UM: OK

(phone ringing)

Ridgeview Ambulance dispatcher:Ambulance, Shirley.

D: Carver with the transfer for Paisley Park Studios, 78.

Ambulance dispatcher: Paisley Park Studios, OK.

D: 7801 Audubon Road.

Ambulance dispatcher: OK.

D: We have a person down, not breathing.

Ambulance dispatcher: Down, not breathing.

D: Yup.

UM: He's, he's -

D: We're going to get everybody, go ahead with the transmittal sir.

(Carver County Dispatcher 2 comes on line)

Ambulance dispatcher: Yea, Kayley, this is Shirley at Ridgeview. You can cancel anybody going to Aubudon, confirmed DOA.

Dispatcher 2: OK, thank you.

Ambulance dispatcher: All right, thanks, bye.

New Google Doodle Celebrates Earth Day 2016

Earth Day, observed annually on April 22 since it began in the late 1960s, is “the one day that transcends culture, language, and tradition,” Google says, explainingthe significance of its series of Google Doodles celebrating our planet.

In Friday’s Doodle, the ubiquitous Google logo morphs to depict, in turn, a polar bear in the tundra, a red fox in the forest, an elephant in the grasslands, a tortoise in the desert and an octopus in the ocean — with a different one appearing each time one visits the site’s homepage.

“The vastness of Earth’s diversity makes it an intimidating topic, but in the end I chose to highlight Earth’s five major biomes,” doodler Sophie Diao said in a blog post. “On a day like this, we remember and celebrate our home in this great and stunning ecosystem.”

Obama Lands In London And Sparks EU Row

Barack Obama has arrived in London and immediately triggered a furious political row by urging the UK to stay in the European Union.

In a move that will enrage Tory Eurosceptics but delight pro-EU MPs and campaigners, the President says the EU makes Britain even greater.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Obama said the sacrifice of his country's soldiers during the Second World War means America has a stake in the referendum debate.

His column read: "Our special relationship was forged as we spilled blood together on the battlefield. From the ashes of war, those who came before us had the foresight to create the international institutions and initiatives to sustain a prosperous peace: the United Nations and NATO; Bretton Woods, the Marshall Plan, and the European Union."

And making his controversial plea, the President said: "The European Union doesn't moderate British influence - it magnifies it. A strong Europe is not a threat to Britain's global leadership; it enhances Britain's global leadership.

"The United States sees how your powerful voice in Europe ensures that Europe takes a strong stance in the world, and keeps the EU open, outward looking, and closely linked to its allies on the other side of the Atlantic. So the US and the world need your outsized influence to continue - including within Europe."

But the President is already facing a furious backlash from senior Tory Eurosceptics.

Writing in the Sun, Boris Johnson said of his intervention: "It is incoherent. It is inconsistent, and yes it is downright hypocritical."

The President will have lunch at Windsor Castle to mark the Queen's 90th birthday and attend a dinner hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Mr Obama and David Cameron are also going to discuss bilateral efforts to "root out terrorism around the world".