Court gives verdicts in Portugal child abuse trial (AP)

AP – A judge started reading a Portuguese court’s verdicts Friday on more than 800 alleged crimes in a major child sex abuse trial that has lasted nearly six years.

BP says cost of Gulf of Mexico spill hits $8B (AP)

AP – BP says it has so far spent $8 billion responding to the disastrous oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico.

Police: Attacks on Pakistani minorities kill 10 (AP)

AP – Explosions killed at least 10 members of Pakistan’s minority religious communities on Friday, driving up the toll of sectarian assaults in a country already battered by massive flooding.

Farah out of Commonwealth Games

Double European champion Mo Farah announces his withdrawal from the Commonwealth Games because of fatigue.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

BBC defends Thompson No 10 visit

Mark Thompson visited Downing Street and met officials to discuss coverage of the spending review

The BBC has denied the director general compromised its independence by visiting Downing Street to discuss coverage of spending cuts.

A spokesman said Mark Thompson had discussed the possible participation of ministers in programmes about the spending review.

He also said the BBC would discuss this issue with all main political parties.

Ed Miliband, one of the Labour leadership candidates, told the Daily Mail the meeting was “deeply worrying”.

Mr Thompson had made it repeatedly clear that the impartiality and independence of the BBC were paramount, the corporation’s spokesman added.

Mr Thompson has been pictured walking into Downing Street holding a memo from the BBC’s head of news, describing its new season of programmes about the government’s spending review.

Mr Miliband said that Mr Thompson had “a list of programme ideas which appeared to showcase Tory economic policies of savage, indiscriminate cuts”.

Labour MP Michael Dugher, once a senior aide to former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, told the Daily Telegraph: “The BBC should be standing up for its independence and should not be bullied by Cameron’s aides with the threat of cutbacks.”

Deputy director general Mark Byford, who is responsible for all the corporation’s journalism, wrote in a blog on 2 September about the planned coverage that the BBC “has an important role to play to clarify the issues for our audiences – to help them make sense of different ideas and points of view”.

“Our aim is to provide insightful, objective programmes and expert analysis to help people understand the context and the potential options,” Mr Byford added.

BBC media correspondent Torin Douglas said the director general was quoted on Thursday as saying that 30 years ago, in much of BBC current affairs, there was a “massive bias to the left” in terms of people’s personal politics.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Miami airport evacuated when suspicious item found (AP)

AP – A passenger was detained and four of Miami International Airport’s six concourses along with an onsite hotel were evacuated after a screener spotted something suspicious in a checked bag, authorities said.

‘Big drop’ in alcohol consumption

Beer accounts for 60% of alcoholic drinks sold in pubs, hotels and restaurants

Alcohol consumption in 2009 saw the sharpest year-on-year decline since 1948, figures from the British Beer and Pub Association suggest.

The BBPA said the data showed a 6% decline in 2009, the fourth annual decline in five years.

The association said UK drinkers were now consuming 13% less alcohol than in 2004, below the EU average.

It used HM Revenue and Customs data about the amount of alcohol sold by producers and importers into the UK.

It is thought the decline may be due to the effect of the recession on spending, but could also be a sign that messages about responsible drinking have affected drinking habits.

The organisation said UK taxes on beer remain the second highest duty rate in EU – 10 times higher than in Germany and seven times higher than in France.

Some £5.5bn is paid in duty and VAT, with alcohol contributing £14.6bn in total to UK tax revenues.

Other figures published in the BBPA Statistical Handbook 2010 show beer is the most popular drink sold, accounting for 60% of all alcohol sales in pubs, hotels, and restaurants. Wine is in second place at 17%.

In 2009, the UK ale market increased its market share of all beers for the first time since the 1960s. The number of UK brewers is now at its highest since 1940.

‘Vital role’

The total spending on beer is £17bn a year, or 41% of all spending on alcohol. The average price of a pint of bitter is £2.58, with lager £2.95.

London is the most expensive region to buy a pint, with prices 35% higher than in the North East of England.

BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds said the figures would confound many people as they confirmed Britain was not drinking more.

“Those who suggest otherwise need to focus on the hard facts,” she said.

“This handbook also reminds us of just how vital a role beer and pubs play in the UK economy in terms of turnover, jobs, and tax revenues.

“The new numbers show just how closely linked beer is to Britain’s struggling pubs, with beer accounting for around 60% of on-trade sales. Policymakers should take note.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Crowds attack home of Iranian opposition leader (AP)

AP – Pro-government militiamen attacked the home of an Iranian opposition leader with homemade bombs and beat one of his bodyguards unconscious, an opposition website reported, in an apparent attempt to keep him from attending a key rally on Friday.

Sharapova has matchup with another young American (AP)

AP – They all want to be like Maria. They all want to beat Maria, too.