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A suicide attacker using a bomb-laden lorry has killed eight people at an Iraqi army checkpoint in the northern city of Tal Afar, police say. Four soldiers and four civilians died in the blast in the city which US President George W Bush held up as a model in a speech in March. The renewed violence comes as it appears the US may be considering a major change in policy on Iraq. Reports of a change came after a visit to Iraq by a senior Republican senator. Earlier this year, Mr Bush spoke at ...

Detectives trying to catch the killers of murdered schoolboy Jessie James have posted an appeal on the video-sharing website, YouTube. Jessie, 15, was shot near Broadfield Park in Moss Side, Manchester, on Saturday, 9 September. The internet site, which is popular with teenagers, is carrying a message from Jessie's mother Barbara Reid and sister Rosemary. Earlier this week rappers Public Enemy visited the site of Jessie's shooting. 'God fearing' In an online tribute, Barbara Reid said her  ...

A man has died in an accident on the site of a new pumping station in Portrush, County Antrim. The 47-year-old fell into a concrete holding tank at the Dhu Varren pumping station on the Portstewart Road. A police diving team went to the scene and the tank was pumped out. A body was recovered after a three-hour search. The dead man, whose name has not yet been released, was a contractor working for a company which is involved in building the new facility. The accident happened at about 1700 ...

A campaign against the closure of a south Wales Burberry factory is heading to London with protesters handing out leaflets at its stores. Burberry is consulting the 300 workers at its designer clothing plant in Treorchy, Rhondda, which is set to close by the end of the year. Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans is to join a protest at the firm's Bond Street store calling for the factory to remain open. Burberry, which is to move the plant's production abroad, declined to comment. Scores of Burberry st ...

Younis Khan has been dramatically re-instated as Pakistan's cricket captain just two days after asking not to be considered for the role. The news comes some 15 hours after the resignation of Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan. He was replaced as chairman by Nasim Ashraf, who met with the team members in Lahore before appointing Younis. Ashraf then told reporters that Mohammad Yousuf, Pakistan's captain for two days, would now be vice-captain. The team fly to India later on Satur ...

Nobel peace prize winner Desmond Tutu has warned that South African poverty could lead to social unrest. In a BBC interview to mark his 75th birthday, the former Archbishop of Cape Town said those who had not benefited from the end of apartheid would demand their share of the "freedom dividend". Archbishop Tutu played a prominent role in the campaign to end apartheid. In the past several weeks he has given a series of warnings about the dangers South Africa faces. Violent robbery In an inte ...

A man has been charged with the murder of Polish student Angelika Kluk, whose body was found in a Glasgow church. Strathclyde Police confirmed that 60-year-old Peter Tobin was being held in connection with the death of the 23-year-old. Ms Kluk's body was discovered in St Patrick's Church in William Street in the city on Friday, 29 September. A spokesman for the force said a report on the case would be prepared for the procurator fiscal. Peter Tobin, of no fixed abode, will appear at Glasgow  ...

In a few weeks time Microsoft is expected to launch Vista, its new operating system, and in January we will all get to play with the finished version. But how safe will this brave new world be? Given the number of attacks Windows usually attracts it is not surprising that Microsoft has been speaking to anyone they think can help. A team from Microsoft headquarters went to Malaysia for Asia's biggest gathering of hackers - not to confront the enemy - but to throw the hackers a party. But behi ...

Canada is to make a formal protest to the United States over the case of a Canadian man deported to Syria in 2002 over suspected al-Qaeda links. Maher Arar claims that he was tortured in Damascus after being detained by US officials while changing planes in the US on a flight from Tunisia to Ottawa. A Canadian government inquiry cleared him of any involvement in terrorism. Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper said the US should "come clean" about its "inappropriate conduct". Mr Arar was det ...

Ferrari's Felipe Massa took a surprise pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix to steal the spotlight from the battle for the world championship. The Brazilian set a lap of one minute 29.599 seconds to beat team-mate Michael Schumacher by 0.112secs. Schumacher's title rival Fernando Alonso of Renault was only fifth fastest behind the two Toyotas of Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli. Jenson Button's Honda was seventh behind Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella. Alonso was just under 0.8secs slower ...