Russia summons UK envoy over row

Two British Council offices defied a Russian closure order by re-opening

The Russian foreign ministry has summoned the UK ambassador amid an escalating row over the reopening of two British Council offices.

The Council's branches reopened on Monday despite a government ban.

Russia called the move a "provocation" and said it would not issue new visas to British Council staff.

The offices were ordered to shut last month in the latest clash over the fatal poisoning of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko in London.

The branches which reopened are in St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. The ban does not apply to the British Council's Moscow office.

'Inflaming tensions'

A statement on the Russian foreign ministry's website said: "Russia views such actions as an intentional provocation aimed at inflaming tensions in Russian-British relations.

UK-RUSSIA ROW Nov 2006: Alexander Litvinenko dies in London May 2007: UK accuses ex-KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi of murder July: Russia refuses UK request to extradite Mr Lugovoi July: UK expels four Russian diplomats July: Russia expels four British embassy staff December: Russia tells British Council to shut two offices Jan 2008: British Council re-opens both offices

"The Russian side will not issue visas to new employees sent to work in the (British) consular offices of St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg to carry out British Council work."

The UK embassy in the Russian capital declined to comment on the schedule of the ambassador, Sir Tony Brenton.

But BBC Moscow correspondent Richard Galpin says the envoy will appear at the Russian foreign ministry on Monday afternoon.

He says the escalating diplomatic crisis between the two countries is now coming to a head and it is not clear if either side is willing to back down.

The British Council, which aims to promote cultural and educational ties, was accused of violating Russian tax rules.

A spokesman for the Council insisted on Monday that its activities were "fully compliant with Russian and international law".

"We believe we're caught up in a political matter," the spokesman told the BBC News website.

'Valuable work'

The British Council's chief executive, Martin Davidson, said they would continue talking to the Russians in the hope of continuing their work.

He told the BBC: "We have to understand the issues, the problems they have with our work, but we believe [our work] is enormously valuable.

Russia has linked its action to wider British-Russian tensions

"We know ordinary Russian people believe it is of real value to them, as well of course to us here in the UK, to have that relationship with Russia."

The offices in Yekaterinburg are on the premises of the UK consulate-general.

The row came on top of continuing tensions over the death of former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko in London in November 2006. He had been given a fatal dose of radioactive polonium 210.

The UK wants Russia to hand over businessman Andrei Lugovoi, whom UK investigators suspect of murdering Mr Litvinenko.

When Russia refused to extradite Mr Lugovoi, Britain expelled four Russian diplomats and Moscow followed suit.

Russian officials have described the action against the British Council as a retaliatory measure.

Berbatov could leave, says agent

Berbatov joined Tottenham in summer 2006

Dimitar Berbatov's agent Emil Dantchev has told BBC Sport the striker is happy at Tottenham but would be interested in a move to "a big club".

The 26-year-old has been a huge hit since joining Spurs in 2006, but Dantchev said he had spoken to chairman Daniel Levy about his future.

"Dimitar wants to fulfil his potential and win trophies now," said Dantchev.

But Levy has repeatedly insisted he is building for the long term, rather than being interested in selling players.

Fans must understand Dimitar is 27 next month and time is running out for him to play for a club that can match his ambition Berbatov's agent Emil Dantchev

The Bulgarian has regularly been linked with Manchester United and his agent's comments came just before the mid-season transfer window opens.

He scored 22 goals in his first season at White Hart Lane, and so far this campaign he has netted another 11, including four in the 6-4 win over Reading.

"His performances for the club are a testament to his commitment to the fans and his team-mates," Dantchev told The Sun newspaper.

"Fans must understand Dimitar is 27 next month and time is running out for him to play for a club that can match his ambition.

"I would like to stress this is not about money. This is about sporting ambition.

"But after Tottenham's bad start to the season, it is unlikely they will have the chance to do something big this season."

Colombian hostage release halted

The negotiations have been punctuated by diplomatic spats

A Venezuelan-led mission to free three hostages held by Colombian left-wing Farc rebels has been suspended.

The rebels said the planned release was not possible because of government military operations, according to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

But the Colombian president Alvaro Uribe said no new operations were under way and that the rebels may not be in possession of one of the hostages.

The Farc had promised Mr Chavez that they would release two women and a boy.

Venezuelan military helicopters that were to have collected the hostages are now on their way back home.

Two of those slated to be freed were Clara Rojas, an aide to ex-presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, with whom she was kidnapped in 2002, and Ms Rojas's son, Emmanuel, said to have been fathered by one of her captors.

The third was former congresswoman Consuelo Gonzalez de Perdomo, who was kidnapped in 2001.

Child 'in Bogota'

On Monday, the Venezuelan leader read out what he said was a letter from the Farc on television.

Several hundred hostages overall are being held by the Farc

Military operations "impede us for now from turning over" the three hostages, the Farc were quoted as saying.

But President Uribe accused the rebels of lying, and said the boy may actually be in a children's home in the Colombian capital, Bogota.

"The Farc can't keep the promise to free the hostages because they no longer have the child, Emmanuel, in their power," he said.

President Uribe has asked relatives of Ms Rojas for DNA samples to prove that a three-year-old boy in the Colombian capital is really the missing Emmanuel.

The planned handover operation had to be postponed on Sunday when Venezuelan officials said the Farc had not provided the co-ordinates for the handover and that there was not enough time to complete the mission.

Fifteen members of the hostages' families, who have not seen their loved ones for more than five years, have been waiting in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Mr Chavez has been trying to negotiate an exchange of other hostages for guerrillas imprisoned in Colombian jails but he has been accused by the Colombian authorities of overstepping his mandate as a mediator.

In response, he has threatened to freeze ties with the neighbouring state, which is a close trading partner.

It is believed that the Colombian government wants to regain the initiative with respect to the prisoner exchange and does not want Mr Chavez, perceived as being too friendly with the Farc, to hijack negotiations.

US baseball 'rife' with drug use

George Mitchell is a director of the Boston Red Sox baseball team

Dozens of players have been linked to taking performance-enhancing substances in a report on Major League Baseball that alleges a serious drug culture.

Former Senator George Mitchell, who led the investigation, said several All-Stars were suspected of using steroids and human growth hormones.

He also called for MLB to outsource drug-testing and form an investigative arm to pursue allegations of drug use.

In response, MLB head Bud Selig said he embraced all the recommendations made.

Speaking at a news conference, he said that baseball fans "deserve a game that is played on a level playing field, where all who compete do so fairly".

Among those named in the report is Barry Bonds, who was charged last week with lying to a jury about steroid use.

Prosecutors allege that the San Francisco Giants outfielder, who became the sport's record home-run hitter in September, lied under oath when he said in 2003 that he had never knowingly used performance-enhancing substances.

Mr Bonds denied accusations on Friday that he had used a previously untraceable steroid from a San Francisco-based company called Balco.

Batboy allegations

The inquiry was instigated by Mr Selig, the MLB Commissioner, in March 2006, following the publication of a book that alleged the use of performance-enhancing substances by Mr Bonds.

Mr Mitchell's report concluded that there was evidence that all 30 Major League clubs were affected by use of banned substances.

"For more than a decade there has been widespread illegal use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances by players in Major League Baseball in violation of federal law and baseball policy," Mr Mitchell said at a news conference.

"The response by baseball was slow to develop and was initially ineffective, but it gained momentum after the adoption of a mandatory random drug-testing culture in 2002."

The inquiry began after allegations about Barry Bonds surfaced

Those linked to suspected drugs use in the report include some of the sport's biggest stars: Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield, Eric Gagne, Miguel Tejada, David Justice, Chuck Knoblauch and Andy Pettitte.

All the players were invited to respond to the allegations in the report. Whether they will face disciplinary action is unclear, especially as many no longer play in Major League teams.

Any penalties for active players are unlikely to be as severe as the 50-game suspensions given to those who have recently tested positive for steroids.

Mr Mitchell, a former Senate Majority Leader, urged baseball's authorities to look to the future rather than penalising players for past offences, many of which occurred when different policies were in place.

He also called on the public and media not to focus solely on who was named in the report - and for baseball to be allowed "a fresh start".

Internet pharmacies

Several media reports have said that had it not been for a former New York Mets bat boy, Mr Mitchell's report would have been far less revealing, as the players and their union were uncooperative and his inquiry did not have the power of subpoena.

Kirk Radomski was convicted of distributing steroids in April

Kirk Radomski, who pleaded guilty to distributing steroids in April, testified that he provided banned steroids, human growth hormones and stimulants to dozens of players by mail order between 1995 and 2005.

Although none of the allegations are based on positive drug tests, the report cited cancelled cheques, shipping slips and phone records as evidence of the players' involvement.

Mr Mitchell also met district attorneys in Albany, New York, who have been leading an investigation into claims of drugs distributed illegally by internet pharmacies.

Media reports about doping in baseball began in the late 1980s, but the sport did not start testing and punishing players until more than a decade later.

MLB and its players agreed in September 2002 to test for steroids, although penalties were not introduced for positive tests until 2004.

A ban on human growth hormones was agreed in 2005, although there is no reliable test to detect the substances.

Drug-testing criticised

The report also criticised MLB officials and the players' union, and called for major changes in the league's drug-testing programme:

• Appointing an independent administrator or hiring an outside agency to run the sport's drug-testing programme. It is currently run by the MLB in conjunction with the players' union
• Ensuring "state-of-the-art" testing, including introducing additional year-round tests
• Allowing the testing administrator to actively investigate "non-analytical positives" - information which shows a player broke rules in the absence of a positive drug test
• Improving player education about performance-enhancing drugs

Mr Mitchell said one of the most serious consequences was that "hundreds of thousands" of high school-aged athletes had also been encouraged to use banned substances.

Some observers questioned in advance whether Mr Mitchell might suffer a conflict of interest, saying they were troubled by his friendship with Mr Selig and his close affiliation with the Boston Red Sox, of which he is a director.

Mr Mitchell also used to be chairman of the Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN, the US TV sports network that has paid $2.4bn to televise MLB games until 2013.

Nine Iraqi civilians killed in Baghdad bombings

BAGHDAD: At least nine Iraqi civilians were killed in bombings across Baghdad early Sunday, according to police.

About 7 a.m., three people were killed and four others were wounded when a roadside bomb targeting police patrols exploded near a minibus, according to a police official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The incident took place in the neighborhood of Baladiyat in eastern Baghdad.

A half-hour later, in the neighborhood of Dora in southern Baghdad, a second roadside bomb targeting a U.S. patrol missed its target and killed three Iraqi civilians and wounded three others, police said.

And in the downtown commercial neighborhood of Salihiyah, a bomb planted in the back of the car parked near the Iranian embassy exploded about 8:30 a.m., killing three Iraqi civilians and wounding three others, according to police.

Nawaz calls on king, meets Fazl

JEDDAH, Sept 16: Since landing here on September 10 after his deportation from Islamabad, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has been striving over the past week to get over an apparent ban on his political activities. During these days, he has remained almost incommunicado, confined to his ‘Sharif Palace’ in the posh Al-Hamra district of this Red Sea City and attempts to contact him have been futile.

However, the PML-N leader who had been desperately trying to get in touch with the Saudi leadership, succeeded on Saturday evening when he was allowed to call on King Abdullah at the Royal Palace.

A brief statement on the meeting by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said that the king had met Mr Sharif in Jeddah. No details of the meeting were given, except that they exchanged ‘cordial talks’.

The Saudi Press Agency also circulated a photograph of the meeting and some Saudi newspapers carried it in their Sunday edition.Analysts here are of the opinion that during the meeting, the king must have stressed the need for Mian Nawaz Sharif to honour commitments and let the temperature cool down in Pakistan.Some of them also say that the anti-Saudi statements expressed by the Nawaz League and other opposition parties might also have come under discussion.

The monarch, they said, might have conveyed his displeasure at the statements being issued by opposition leaders.Meanwhile, attempts by Mian Sahib to get some of the restrictions relaxed appeared to have succeeded to some extent on Sunday and Maulana Fazal was allowed to call on him and he was invited for iftar at the Sharif PalaceTalking to Dawn after the meeting, Maulana Fazl said Mr Sharif was in good mood and good health.

During their talks, they agreed on the need to strengthen the All Pakistan Democratic Movement (APDM).

The Maulana was of the opinion that in the current circumstances, and if there was no change in status quo, Mr Sharif might have to spend the next three years in the kingdom.On Mr Sharif’s meeting with King Abdullah, Maulana Fazl said it was meeting between a host and a guest.

On APDM’s decision to resign from the assemblies, he said he would look into it after returning to Pakistan.It may be mentioned that the Maulana had been trying unsuccessfully to meet Mr Sharif since arriving here a few days ago.

On one occasion, he was reported to have been stopped by security personnel posted outside the Sharif Palace.According to some analysts, despite the meetings between King Abdullah and Mr Sharif, the overall condition under which the former prime minister has been living here may not change at least in the short term, until at least the elections – both presidential and general – are over.