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COLLINSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- When her son was shot and killed in 2002, Sarah Dillon got a button that read "Billy Gene Dillon is a very important person" and vowed to wear it until a suspect was found. That button was still clasped above her heart Friday after Dillon learned that Washington-area sniper Lee Boyd Malvo reportedly told authorities that he and his one-time mentor were responsible for her son's death and three other unsolved shootings. "It's never really going to be  ...

Labour Party chairman Hazel Blears says the British National Party made gains in May's local elections because voters felt ignored by mainstream politicians She said the BNP's success had been a "major concern" for Labour. Ms Blears was speaking to the party's ethnic minority taskforce in Leicester on Saturday. Ms Blears said: "Extremist politics flourishes where mainstream politics leaves a vacuum. All parties must take the responsibility for this." She also urged the party to forge new lin ...

By Peter Apps COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's government and Tamil Tiger rebels each claimed victory in a naval clash off the island's northwest coast on Saturday, and the Tigers threatened retaliation if the government resumed air strikes against them. Sri Lankan jets pounded rebel targets on Thursday and Friday night in retaliation for an attack on a civilian bus that killed 64 civilians in the worst violence since a 2002 cease-fire. There was no new bombing on Saturday, but government offi ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Thousands of tourists and Londoners waited in soaring temperatures on Saturday to watch the Queen as she attended the annual Trooping of the Colour ceremony this year to mark her 80th birthday. Among those taking an active part was the Queen's grandson Prince Harry who is an officer in the Blues and Royals regiment. The Queen, wearing a purple outfit, and the Duke of Edinburgh ...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- At least 23 people were killed Saturday in Baghdad in a string of attacks around the capital, police say. Four of the attacks occurred between 10 and 11 a.m. (0600 and 0700 GMT) while another took place in the early afternoon amid a major security crackdown in the city implemented by the government against insurgents. The deadliest attack was the suicide car bomb, which targeted an Iraqi army-police patrol in central Baghdad around 11 a.m. Eleven people, including one ...

By Peter Apps COLOMBO (Reuters) - Around 30 people were killed in heavy fighting between Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers and government forces on Saturday, officials said, and three suspected rebel frogmen were seized on a beach near the capital's airport. Sri Lankan government jets hit targets near the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) stronghold Kilinochchi for a second night, retaliating for an attack on a bus earlier in the week that killed 64. The Tigers deny the bus attack. Police in the ...

LONDON (Reuters) - A junior minister has criticised a judge for giving paedophile Craig Sweeney a lenient sentence this week, contradicting her boss, the Lord Chancellor, and adding to a furore over the jail term. Vera Baird, a minister in the Department for Constitutional Affairs said the judge had got it wrong when he jailed Sweeney, to life, but told the 24-year-old he could be considered elig ...

An agreement to bring Nepal's Maoist rebels into government and bring permanent peace is being widely hailed as historic in the country. On Friday, the Nepalese government said it would dissolve parliament and set up an interim government that would also include the Maoists. It followed landmark talks between the rebel's reclusive leader, Prachanda, and Prime Minister GP Koirala. Nepal's 10-year Maoist insurgency has left around 13,000 people dead.  ...

John Terry insists England are prepared to play a waiting game to see off their World Cup rivals after ensuring their progression to the last 16 in Germany. England were forced to leave it late to beat group rivals Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 on Thursday. But Terry says that win shows the team are learning: "A couple of years ago we would have gone for it too much. "But we are more experienced now to deal with such situations and we know it's all about keeping patient." England struggled to brea ...

Police investigating the murder of a man in County Down have released the victim's name. The body of 59-year-old Edward Kelly was found in a house in Central Avenue in Bangor on Thursday. Three more people, two men aged 40 and 50 and an 18-year-old woman, have been arrested in connection with his death. Another man arrested on Friday is still in custody. Police said a post mortem examination carried out on Friday showed Mr Kelly died of head injuries. Neighbours said he had been lodging wi ...