Gerrard Pleads Not Guilty To Bar Charge

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has pleaded not guilty to affray, relating to a Merseyside nightclub brawl. The 28-year-old England star was accused of being part of a group that injured businessman Marcus McGee, 34, at the Lounge Inn in Southport, in the early hours of 29 December 2008. Mr Gerrard appeared alongside six other men accused of the same charge, they include Accrington Stanley goalkeeper Ian Dunbavin, 28, of Guildford Road, Southport, and midfielder Robert Grant, 18, of Enstone Avenue, Litherland. John McGrattan, 33, of Rimmer Avenue; Paul McGrattan, 31, of Linden Drive; John Doran, 29, of Woodlands Road, and Ian Smith, 19, of Hilary Avenue, all Huyton were also in the dock. The alleged incident happened on the night Mr Gerrard was out celebrating the club's 5-1 score over Newcastle United.

Journalists Call Off Strike

BBC journalists have called off a 24-hour strike due to take place today. The action, planned by members of the National Union of Journalists, had been due to begin at midnight. A second planned strike, which was due to take place on April 9, has also been cancelled. The strikes were organised in protest over compulsory redundancies at the BBC World Service in South Asia. However, progress has made in talks between union officials and BBC management. The BBC said, in an agreed statement: "We can confirm that in this instance we expect that we can deal with the individuals involved through a combination of voluntary severance and redeployment such that there would not be a need for compulsory redundancies.

"However, the BBC has reiterated its position that it cannot guarantee that there will be no compulsory redundancies in the future. The BBC will continue to make every effort to find solutions through voluntary redundancy and redeployment."

Man In Court Over Stabbing

A 38-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after a teenage boy was stabbed in south Manchester. The 16-year-old was found at a house in Copthorne Crescent, Longsight, after police were called to reports of fighting on Wednesday afternoon. He was treated in hospital for several life-threatening injuries and is now in a stable condition. A man from Longsight is due to appear before Manchester Magistrates' Court on Friday. A woman was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and has been released on bail pending inquiries.

Appeal For Missing Mother And Son

Police are urgently trying to find an "extremely vulnerable" woman and her 11-year-old son. Julie Selby, 38, was last seen at 1830 BST on Thursday in the western area of Cardiff. She is driving a Renault Scenic car, registration FA02HFX and used it to pick up her son Nicolas Devine from his father's address in Grangetown. She is described as white, with blonde shoulder length hair and tattoos on her left arm. Anyone with information as to their whereabouts is asked to contact South Wales Police control room on 01656 655 555 so calls can be handled by dedicated staff.

New Permanent Secretary Appointed To Department For Business

The Prime Minister has approved the appointment of Simon Fraser, currently Director General for Europe and Globalisation in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as Permanent Secretary in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. His appointment follows the retirement of Sir Brian Bender. Simon Fraser has spent his career in the Foreign Office and the European Commission and has specialised in European, trade and international economic policy. Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, said: "The appointment of Simon Fraser is exceptionally good news for the Department. With his European and international experience he is perfectly qualified to lead the Department. He is the leader the Department needs as it plays its part in helping Britain through the recession."

(JM/BMcC)