Man Sentenced For Offensive Facebook Message

A man has been sentenced after posting comments on Facebook following the deaths of six British soldiers.

20-year-old Azhar Ahmed of West Yorkshire was found guilty in September of sending a grossly offensive communication.

The message he posted read: "all soldiers should die and go to hell."

He was fined £300 at Huddersielf Magistrates’ Court and told he would have to do 240 hours of community service over two years.

The six soldiers in question were killed in Lashkar Gah on 6 March by an improvised explosive device.

Ahmed was charged when the mother of one of the soldiers read the comments and informed the police.

Police Blogger Awarded Damages

An anonymous police blogger has been awarded £42,500 in damages after his identity was revealed by The Times newspaper.

The paper, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News International, named detective Richard Horton in 2009 following a decision by the High Court not to grant him anonymity.

The police detective had been given a warning by Lancashire Constabulary, where he is employed, due to his detailing the realities of modern-day policing.

Mark Lewis, the lawyer representing Mr Horton, said "nothing can undo" the intrusion into his private life.

In a statement to the New Statesman magazine, Mr Horton said he was "happy to have settled" with the newspaper.

Cameron: Economy A 'Difficult Healing Process'

David Cameron has described the rebalancing of Britain’s economy as "slow and difficult healing process."

The comments came despite news from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that the UK economy is expected to contract by 0.4% this year.

The PM said his government was doing "everything it can" to encourage growth in the midst of the recession.

He said they had cut the budget deficit by a quarter in two years and spoke of "positive signs" for the future.

But the IMF have said the prospects for global economic recovery are less than strong, with government policies across the world failing to restore confidence.

The fund has downgraded its overall estimate for global growth and one of the biggest individual country downgrades has been applied to the UK.

Dog Attacked By Seal

A man has told how his dog was put down after being mauled by a seal.

Matthew Will, 21, said he was "horrified" as he watched a seal attack his dog Fly, after it had gone into the water.

The three-year-old black labrador was pulled from the water near Newburgh but had to be destroyed due to the extent of its injuries.

Mr Will said the seal was "enormous" and was "flinging Fly around" and pulling the dog under the waves. He said he experienced "anguish and horror" and wanted the incident to serve as a warning to other dog owners of the dangers.

There had previously been warning signs in the area which read: "Beware: seals may attack dogs in water", but they had been vandalised and removed.

(IT)