UK & USA Today Editoweb 6 July 2010

Police close in on Raoul Moat
The "net is closing in" on gunman Raoul Moat after police detained two men they had feared he was holding hostage. The men, found walking in a village in Newcastle, were actually arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. Detectives had feared Moat kidnapped two men after shooting his ex-partner and killing his new lover. But, Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Adamson, who is leading the manhunt, said: "I can confirm that both men are the people that we believe were the hostages. Both have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. Both are currently in Police custody."(itn)

Outcry over civil redundancies cap
The Government is facing a growing outcry after announcing that legislation is to be introduced as soon as possible to cap redundancy payments to civil servants. Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said the decision to legislate had been taken "with reluctance", but it had become necessary because of the economic climate. He also blamed legal action against the previous Labour government by the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS), which won a High Court ruling that changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme were unlawful. A Bill will be introduced to limit the cost of future payments by capping all compulsory redundancy pay-offs at 12 months' pay and limiting amounts for voluntary severance to 15 months' salary. Unions attacked the move as "unlawful and undeserved" and raised the threat of legal and industrial action which could herald a summer of discontent. PCS leader Mark Serwotka said: "If this so-called fair and progressive coalition Government get away with this, it would lay waste to communities across the UK where people rely on the services that our members and other public servants provide.(press association)

Teenager raped me, says girl, four
A four-year-old girl has told a jury she was raped by a 16-year-old boy as she played in a park. The little girl, who gave evidence via a video link at Huntingdon Crown Court, said the youth assaulted her close to swings in a park near Olney, Buckinghamshire, last August. Jurors were told that the girl spotted the boy near a shop 12 days after the alleged attack and pointed him out to her mother. The boy, who turns 17 later this month, denies rape and sexual activity with a child. Neither the girl nor the teenager can be identified for legal reasons. A jury of six men and six women watched a recording of a police interview with the girl conducted the day after the alleged attack. The girl, wearing a white T-shirt and a pink and blue skirt, wriggled in a chair as she told a detective that the boy had taken her into bushes. "He took me and I got stung by stinging nettles," she said. "I had to have a dock leaf." She said the boy raped her twice before she heard her mother calling.(press association)

European shares hit one-week closing high
European shares bounced back on Tuesday hitting their highest close in a week as traders pointed to short covering, with banks and miners leading the rally, though analysts suggested the rebound may not be sustainable. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares provisionally closed up 2.3 percent at 988.42 points, after losing 9 percent in two weeks. "It is just a bear squeeze, short positions are being covered," said Jeremy Batstone-Carr, head of research at Charles Stanley. "The U.S. ISM came into the weak side of expectations. I don't think investors should be getting carried away." Analysts said charts suggested European shares may not revisit the year's high anytime soon.(reuters)

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