Life Sentence For Sisters' Killer

A man who stabbed his former girlfriend and her sister to death in a "brutal and depraved" attack was jailed for life today. Mohammed Ali, 29, killed Yasmine and Sabrina Larbi-Cherif whose partially-clothed bodies were found at their flat in Ladywood, Birmingham last September. He was told he would spend a minimum of 34 years in jail when he was sentenced at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Ali, of Old Snow Hill, Birmingham, was not in court but the mother and three brothers of the murdered sisters sat in the public gallery as the judge passed sentence. Yasmine, 22, and Sabrina, 19, moved to the UK from Algeria with their parents and three brothers in 1998. Ali was captured on CCTV leaving the sisters flat in Ryland Street with a plastic bag thought to contain his bloodstained clothes. He was arrested two days later at a ferry terminal in Dover, Kent, attempting to flee the country for France. A jury took just three hours and 20 minutes to convict Ali of both murders.

Man And Woman Death 'Murder And Suicide'

Police are treating the death of a man and woman, who were found at a Sussex flat, as murder and suicide. Officers discovered the bodies with multiple stab wounds at a property in Somerhill Avenue, Hove, at about 5pm on Tuesday. Sussex Police said they believed one person murdered the other before they took their own life. Det Ch Insp Trevor Bowles: "We are in the early stages of establishing the events that led to these tragic deaths." He said they were not currently looking for anyone else in connection with their deaths. It is not yet clear whether the man and woman were in a relationship.

£100m Upgrade For Blackpool To Fleetwood Tramway

The Blackpool to Fleetwood Tramway is to get a £100 million upgrade, Transport Minister Sadiq Khan announced today. The scheme, which has now been granted full Government approval, will include new trams, replacement track, extra stops and a new tram depot. This will improve journey times and the accessibility of the tramway for all passengers. This investment - £68.3m from the Department for Transport and £33.4m from Blackpool Council and Lancashire County Council - will build on the current regeneration of the town whilst improving access to the Fylde Coast.

Construction Workers' Pedal Power Sets Pace For Spectators

Ten per cent of construction workers working on the Olympic Park are walking or cycling to work, as the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) continues to work towards getting five per cent of spectators walking or cycling to events for London 2012. To encourage construction workers to continue to cycle to the Olympic Park, on Tuesday morning (9 June) 'Dr Bike' provided cyclists with a free bike check and maintenance advice. Police officers from the Olympic Site Support Unit also provided advice to cyclists including effective bike security measures to prevent theft, how to register their bikes' details online and what to do if bikes are stolen. ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said: "Our aim is to get 100 per cent of spectators to the Games using public transport, walking or cycling to events in 2012. It's great that 10 per cent of construction workers are already walking and cycling to the Olympic Park, with thousands more taking public transport to and from the site."

(JM/NS)