London riots: More than 1,000 arrested over disorder

This footage shows a police raid that took place in London on Friday

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More than 1,000 arrests have been made and about 600 people charged over three days of rioting and looting in London.

Police said among those held was a man aged 19, in Haringey, east London, who posted a picture of himself on Twitter, posing with suspected stolen goods.

An increased police presence of 16,000 will remain on the streets throughout the weekend, the prime minister said.

The death toll from London's riots rose to two with the death of a 68-year-old man who was attacked in Ealing.

Richard Mannington Bowes, of Haven Green, Ealing, suffered head injuries and went into a coma when he was attacked on Monday night after remonstrating with some teenagers who were setting fire to two industrial bins on Spring Bridge Road.

Previously Trevor Ellis, 26, of Brixton Hill, was found shot in a car in Croydon. Police believe he was shot during a car chase on Monday night following an altercation with a group of people.

On Thursday, the Metropolitan Police said they had been granted about 100 warrants to search homes across London, and they will be executed over the coming days.
 
'Not enough police'
On Friday morning, a number of addresses were raided, while magistrates' courts sat through the night again to process those charged.

The Met said the 19-year-old man who posted a picture of himself with "a haul of suspected stolen goods" on the micro-blogging site Twitter was detained on suspicion of violent disorder and theft.

Among those charged was a 16-year-old girl accused of two counts of robbery, attempted robbery, possession of a knife, threatening violence and assault on police in Lewisham.

 

Several shops in Ealing which were attacked have opened for business

A 15-year-old girl was also charged with attempted robbery and threatening violence over the same incident. The girls were identified by officers, the Met said.

Five males, including two 17-year-olds and one 18-year-old, who were arrested on suspicion of an arson attack on the Sony distribution centre in Solar Way, Enfield, on Monday night, have been bailed until September.

The Met's Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Kavanagh has admitted there were not enough police to deal with the three days of rioting.

But Sir Hugh Orde, the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said the police's decision to change their tactics helped control the disorder.

On Friday, London Mayor Boris Johnson said the police were doing a "fantastic job" and praised them for the important arrests they have made over the past few days.

He also praised the "heroism" of firefighters who battled the fires across the capital and described the action of rioters who stopped London Fire Brigade crews from reaching the burning buildings as "demented".
 
'The best commanders'
Acting Met Police Commissioner Tim Godwin praised his officers saying he had some of the "best commanders in the world" who showed "great courage as well as restraint" during the disturbances.

Trouble first flared on Saturday in Tottenham, north London, after a peaceful protest over the fatal shooting of 29-year-old Mark Duggan in a police operation on 4 August.

By Monday night the situation had worsened with disorder spreading to Hackney, Croydon, Clapham, Camden, Lewisham, Peckham, Newham, East Ham, Enfield, Woolwich, Ealing and Colliers Wood.

Officials from the Independent Police Complaints Commission were in Tottenham on Thursday to gather more information about Mr Duggan's shooting, a week on from his death.

His family will hold a wake for him later.

Do you live in any of the areas where rioting and looting took place? How were you affected? How is the community coming together? What is the mood like where you are? Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International)

BBC News London 

Germany marks 50 years since Berlin Wall

Germany is marking 50 years since the building of the Berlin Wall when the communist East closed its border, dividing the city for 28 years.

Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit told a ceremony on Bernauer Street: "The Wall is history but we must not forget it."

President Christian Wulff said Germany had been securely established as a reunified country.
The city observed a minute's silence at noon (10:00 GMT) in memory of those who died trying to escape.

  

“Many still bear the psychological scars”

  -Stephen Evans BBC News, Berlin

• Wall sickness: Berlin's unique illness

Soldiers from the East began construction on the morning of 13 August 1961

• Initially a barbed wire fence, it became a wall which spread for nearly 160km (100 miles)

• More than 300 watchtowers were erected to spot escapees

• Minefields were laid in some sectors

The BBC's Stephen Evans in Berlin says the East German authorities portrayed the Wall as a barrier to keep the fascist West out - what came to be known as the Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart.

But he says the accepted view now is that it was to keep East German potential migrants in.
 
'Saddest day'

 

Germany's leaders attended the Berlin Wall commemoration

Addressing the ceremony on Bernauer, a street famously divided by the Wall and now site of a memorial, Mayor Wowereit said the capital was remembering the "saddest day in its recent history".

"It is our common responsibility to keep alive the memories and pass them on to the next generation, to maintain freedom and democracy and to do everything so that such injustices may never happen again," he said.

Earlier, Mr Wulff told Die Welt newspaper that the modern Germany could take pride in "East Germans' irrepressible desire for freedom and West Germans' solidarity with them".

Chancellor Angela Merkel, who also attended the event, was herself raised in the East.

The number of people who died trying to cross the Wall is disputed - at least 136 are known to have been killed but victims' groups say the true number is more than 700.

 

Find Out More

• BBC History explains why the Berlin Wall went up, and why it came down - in excerpts from BBC television documentaries

• The Berlin Wall

The first victim was thought to be Guenter Liftin on 24 August 1961 and the last Chris Gueffroy on 6 February 1989.

 A list of names of the victims was read out overnight.

Although the Wall came down in 1989, it remains for some a symbol of continuing economic division between the richer west and poorer east.
 

Invisible barrier
Brigitta Heinrich, a schoolteacher by profession, grew up in Klein-Glienicke, which was unusual in that it was an East German enclave on the territory of West Berlin.

 

“I cannot name a single West German with whom I socialise now - really, I can't” 

  -Brigitta Heinrich Fomer East German teacher

 

Speaking to Russian news agency Ria-Novosti, she said one of her own pupils had escaped across the Wall in the early days, using a ladder.

The schoolboy's parents were forced to move out of Klein-Glienicke as a result, and the mother was sacked from her job in a company, she said.

Recalling the hardships and broken illusions of the communist state, Ms Heinrich, who still lives in the East, also talked of the difficulty of readjusting to a unified country.

She said she had made friends with other Europeans such as Italians and Finns since the fall of the Wall but some West Germans, especially in regions further away from Berlin, seemed indifferent to people from the former East, as if an invisible barrier remained.

"I cannot name a single West German with whom I socialise now - really, I can't," she said.

Few parts of the Wall remain, though city authorities have laid down an 8km row of cobblestones to mark its path.

Tourists often struggle to find original sections.

BBC News Europe

Family: Winehouse's death leaves 'gaping hole': Singer's mother believes daughter's early death was 'only a matter of time'

Akira Suemori  /  AP

Amy Winehouse's family issued a statement saying they have been left bereft by her death.

 

 

One day after Amy Winehouse's tragic death, her family has issued a statement regarding the 27-year-old singer's untimely passing.VIDEO: Remembering Amy Winehouse (1983-2011)

"Our family has been left bereft by the loss of Amy, a wonderful daughter, sister, niece. She leaves a gaping hole in our lives," the Winehouse family tells Us Weekly in a statement. "We are coming together to remember her and we would appreciate some privacy and space at this terrible time."

PHOTOS: Amy and other stars who died at 27

The "You Know I'm No Good" singer is survived by her father, Mitch, her mother, Janis, and her older brother, Alex. Winehouse's father was in New York City when he learned of her death. "I'm getting on the next plane back. I'm coming home. I have to be with Amy," he reportedly said. "I can't crack up for her sake. My family needs me. I'm devastated; it's such a shock."

PHOTOS: Amy Winehouse's tumultuous life

Janis believed her daughter's death had been "only a matter of time" when they met just 24 hours earlier. "She seemed out of it," Janis said. "But her passing so suddenly still hasn't hit me."
 
Story: Singer Amy Winehouse found dead in London home

When their visit was over, Winehouse said: "I love you, mum."
 
Story: Celebrities express grief at Winehouse's death

"They are the words I will always treasure," Janis now says. "I'm glad I saw her when I did."

TODAY Music
Copyright 2011 Us Weekly

Amy Winehouse found dead, aged 27

 Singer Amy Winehouse, 27, has been found dead at her home, the Press Association has reported.

Last month, the north Londoner pulled out of her European tour after she was jeered at her comeback gig in Serbia for appearing too drunk to perform.

For 90 minutes, she mumbled through parts of songs and at times left the stage - leaving her band to fill in.
The troubled singer had a long battle with drink and drugs which overshadowed her musical career in recent years.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed that a 27-year-old woman had died in Camden and that the cause of death was as yet unexplained.

London Ambulance Service had been called to the flat at 1554 BST and sent two ambulances but the woman died, it said.

BBC News 

Toyota recalls 110,000 hybrid cars on safety concerns

The world's biggest carmaker Toyota is to recall more than 110,000 hybrid vehicles over concerns about a problem with the power supply circuit.

The Japanese carmaker said the recall involves the Highlander hybrid and Lexus RX400h models globally.
The vehicles could stop suddenly because of an electrical problem leading to a blown fuse, the company said in a statement.

Toyota has recalled almost 12 million vehicles in the past 18 months.

The latest recalls are taking place mainly in the US, Japan and Europe, with some in Canada, Australia and South Korea, Toyota said.

The company said it was "working on obtaining the necessary replacement parts" and would get in touch with customers to get their vehicles inspected soon.

"The recalls that we announced cover all known problems regarding the component concerned," Toyota spokesperson Paul Nolasco told the BBC.

"We apologise for the inconvenience caused to our customers and hope to be able [to fix the problem] as soon as possible," he added.

   

    - "There might have been seepages in terms of quality standards” - 

Vivek Vaidya Frost & Sullivan

While the recall is likely to raise further questions about Toyota's quality controls, analysts said the carmaker is trying to ensure that it nips the problem in the bud.

"The good news is, they are not allowing it to become a full-blown crisis," said Vivek Vaidya at research group Frost & Sullivan.

He said there had been instances in the past of Toyota saying there were no issues with its vehicles when customers and safety regulators were reporting faults.

He said Toyota was trying to avoid getting into a similar situation again.
 
Reliability vs. localisation:
The recall is the latest in a series of setbacks for Toyota, which has recalled more than 12 million vehicles in the past 18 months.

Analysts say the quest for rapid expansion had led to cracks appearing in the company's quality control system.

As Toyota grew from a Japanese brand to the biggest carmaker in the world, it needed to boost its production in order to meet the increased demand for its cars.

 

Toyota has recalled millions of vehicles globally in the past 18 months due to safety concerns

That resulted in the company setting up factories in various parts of the world to ramp up production - factories analysts say may not have been able to maintain Toyota's high standards.

"There might have been seepages in terms of quality standards," said Mr Vaidya.

As a result, its reputation for quality and reliability has taken a hit, especially in America where it was the only major carmaker to see sales fall in 2010.

"They have lost their reputation. There is no point hiding or denying it," Mr Vaidya added.
 
Losing steam:
The problems for Toyota have been compounded further by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Destruction caused by the twin disasters saw the carmaker suspend production, not only at its domestic plants but also at overseas factories.

As a result, earlier this month Toyota warned that its profits for the current financial year would fall by a third.
Analysts said the carmaker is now in danger of losing its position as the world's biggest carmaker.

"According to the various projections that we have, chances are very high that General Motors may regain its number one slot," Mr Vaidya said.

"They are on the up in the US and are doing very well in China and have revamped their line-up in other key markets like India.

"They are the only company that can challenge Toyota."
BBC News