London

British police were keeping tight-lipped on Wednesday over an alleged plot by fathers’ rights extremists to kidnap Prime Minister Tony Blair’s five-year-old son, Leo. The plan, apparently in its early stages, was revealed by The Sun newspaper and confirmed by police sources to the BBC.

The United States believes al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden is alive and hiding around the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region. ”We have no intelligence or evidence that indicates that he [Bin Laden] is dead or incapacitated, so our working assumption is that he is still alive,” said State Department spokesperson Henry Crumpton.

A talkative parrot is being blamed for the break-up of a couple’s relationship after squawking the name of the woman’s secret lover, British newspapers reported on Tuesday. The bird prompted a confession from call-centre worker Suzy Collins that she was having a fling with a former colleague when the pet blurted out: ”Gary, I love you.”

In a clear sign of China’s growing economic and political clout, a British school has become the first in the country to make Mandarin Chinese a compulsory subject for all pupils. Richard Cairns, headmaster of Brighton College, announced on Monday that the subject would become part of the private, fee-paying school’s core curriculum from September.

A faulty digital television receiver sparked a helicopter rescue mission after sending out a rogue distress signal, Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) said on Sunday. The "freeview" box normally allows television viewers access to dozens of digital TV and radio channels via a standard, rooftop aerial.

The number of people killed in air crashes around the world more than doubled in 2005, with 1 050 victims in 34 fatal accidents, according to statistics from trade magazine Flight International. The number of fatalities in both passenger and freight plane crashes is the highest since 2000 and compares with 466 in 28 accidents in 2004, the figures showed.

An African pastor was arrested in Britain on Thursday about allegations that he identified children as witches and encouraged their parents to beat them. The unnamed churchman was detained at an address in south London on Thursday morning, hours after the allegations were made on BBC radio’s flagship Today programme.

A British prisoner who transferred from a men’s jail to a women’s facility after changing sex has opted to swap gender — and prisons –again, a report said on Thursday. John Pilley was granted permission in 1999 to have a sex change. The procedure took place two years later after which he was moved to a women’s prison.

A rule obliging British parents to undertake the near-impossible task of making their babies adopt a "neutral" expression on passport photographs has been dropped after thousands of pictures were rejected. In less than three months last year, more than 15 000 applications for children’s passports were turned down because the applicants’ expressions were deemed irregular,

England cricket captain Michael Vaughan is confident that Australian plans to limit the number of away fans at the next Ashes series in Australia will prove futile. England’s Barmy Army has been hit by the news that Cricket Australia will try to limit the number of tickets available to English support.

A high-tech scanner that digitally ”strips” travellers on their way to their plane or train will go on trial for four weeks from Thursday at a major London rail station, officials said. Passengers at Paddington Station in West London will be invited to pass through the scanner before they board the Heathrow Express non-stop train service to the British capital’s main airport.

Young, wealthy singletons are colonising Britain’s once-deserted city centres before moving out to settle down, a study released on Wednesday revealed. The ”conveyor-belt” effect of a rapid turnover of inhabitants is leaving many city centres without the established communities common in continental Europe, the study said.

Internet downloading and MP3 players are creating a generation of people who do not seriously appreciate songs or musical performances, British researchers said on Tuesday. ”The accessibility of music has meant that it is taken for granted and does not require a deep emotional commitment once associated with music appreciation,” said music psychologist Adrian North.

The youthful new leader of Britain’s main opposition Conservatives embraced the world of podcasting on Tuesday in his quest to become the next prime minister. David Cameron’s seven-minute MP3 download was posted on the website of the Daily Telegraph newspaper as the Tories enjoy a fillip in the opinion polls.

United Nations nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei said on Monday both he and the international community are ”losing patience” with Iran’s lack of transparency about its controversial nuclear programme. Tehran announced on Monday it is on the verge of resuming nuclear fuel research.

A 50-year-old man appeared in court on Monday in connection with hoax letters and tapes sent more than 25 years ago to detectives hunting one of Britain’s most notorious serial killers. John Humble is accused of sending three letters and an audio tape to detectives investigating the ”Yorkshire Ripper” murders in and around the northern English city of Leeds in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Non-league Burton Albion held mighty Manchester United to an FA Cup third-round 0-0 draw on Sunday while struggling Championship side Leicester sent seven-time champions Tottenham crashing out. Fulham became the first shock casualties of the third round as they crashed 2-1 to League Two side Leyton Orient at Craven Cottage.

Arsene Wenger has declared that Thierry Henry’s decision to commit his future to Arsenal could prove a turning point in the club’s fortunes as he vowed to build a team around his captain. The Gunners manager was speaking ahead of the north London outfit’s League Cup semifinal first leg away to Wigan on Tuesday night.

Non-league minnows Nuneaton Borough earned a dramatic draw at home to English Premiership team Middlesbrough in the biggest shock of the FA Cup third round on Saturday. Fellow non-leaguers Tamworth will also find their name in the hat for the FA Cup fourth-round draw after they earned a draw at Championship side Stoke.

British energy giant BP has entered into negotiations with Libya over a multibillion-dollar natural gas exploration and development agreement in the North African former pariah state. Discussions, which are at an early stage, involve a liquefied natural gas project that could supply the North American or European markets, industry insiders reportedly told the <i>Financial Times</i>.