Neil Lewington denies a total of eight charges

A racist arrested by chance at a railway station was “on the cusp” of waging a terror campaign using tennis balls and weedkiller, a court heard.

Neil Lewington, 43, had developed a bomb factory at his parents’ home in Reading, Berkshire, targeting those he thought “non-British”, jurors heard.

The Old Bailey heard he was carrying bomb parts when arrested at Lowestoft, Suffolk, after abusing a conductor.

He denies eight charges related to terrorism or explosives.

Brian Altman QC, prosecuting, said Mr Lewington was found to be carrying the component parts of two “viable improvised incendiary devices”.

His hold-all had been searched after his arrest for drinking and smoking on the train and urinating in public.

This man who had strong if not fanatical right-wing leanings and opinions was on the cusp of embarking on a campaign of terrorism Brian Altman QC

Later searches of Mr Lewington’s home revealed a notebook entitled “Waffen SS UK members’ handbook” which contained drawings of electronics and chemical mixtures, jurors were told.

“In addition to all of that the police discovered evidence that the defendant sympathised with and quite clearly adhered to white supremacist and racist views,” said Mr Altman

Mr Lewington had an “unhealthy interest” in the London nail bomber David Copeland, America’s Unabomber and Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, the court heard.

Mr Altman said: “The effect of these finds is to prove that this man who had strong if not fanatical right-wing leanings and opinions was on the cusp of embarking on a campaign of terrorism against those he considered non-British.”

He said Mr Lewington had two video compilations of news and documentary footage about bombers and bombings both in Britain and the US.

This “unhealthy interest” had gone “far beyond the mere intellectual or academic levels”, Mr Altman said.

“In the privacy of his own bedroom and far from the gaze of his parents with whom he lived, this defendant had amassed the component parts of and had begun the manufacture of improvised explosive or incendiary devices,” he said.

‘No qualifications’

Mr Altman said Mr Lewington left school at 16 without qualifications but had worked in a number of electronics jobs.

He had been unemployed for 10 years after being sacked from his last job for being drunk and, though he lived with his parents, had not spoken to his father for 10 years.

His mother said he had placed Plasticine in the keyhole of his bedroom door so no-one could see inside, the court heard.

It was alleged that Mr Lewington, described as “a loner” had met a number of girlfriends through mobile phone chatlines.

One said she was put off when he made racist remarks, while another - an army cadet sergeant - said he asked if she had dealings with the Nazi group Combat 18, the court heard.

Mr Lewington had taken some weedkiller from her and later told her he had bought a child’s chemistry set to use for making explosives, Mr Altman said.

Mr Lewington is accused of preparing for terrorism by having the bomb parts in a public place.

He also faces two charges of having articles for terrorism - including the weedkiller, firelighters and three tennis balls - two of having documents for terrorism and another of collecting information for terrorism.

Two further counts allege he possessed an explosive device “with intent to endanger life” and that he had explosives, namely weedkiller.

The trial continues.

Almost 90% of UK homes have turned to digital TV

Almost 90% of British homes are using digital TV, reveal figures from Ofcom.

The latest statistics on take-up of digital TV in the UK suggest that 18 million households, 89.2%, have a DTV receiver.

Digital video recorders, that can store, pause, or rewind live TV, are also proving popular.

Ofcom reports that about one million were sold in the first three months of 2009, taking the total in UK homes to 8.9 million.

Switch over

The figures, gathered by Ofcom, suggest that five million of those recorders are Sky+ boxes, a further 2.6 million are Freeview recorders, and the remaining 1.2 million is split between Virgin Media’s V+, BT Vision and Top Up TV.

The Ofcom report noted a drop of 28% in the sales of Freeview set-top boxes, as TVs with a digital tuner built-in start to take over from the stand-alone devices. Sales of TVs with an integrated tuner have now hit 20 million.

The figures also give insights into how Britain is switching to digital TV in advance of the analogue switch-off, due to be completed by 2012.

Analogue signals have already been turned off in a few areas in the UK including the West Country, Scottish borders, and the Isle of Man.

With almost 90% of TVs converted to digital, many homes were starting to update older sets.

Ofcom estimates that by the end of March 2009, 61% of secondary TV sets were capable of showing digital TV. They also think that about 27% of the TV sets in use in the UK are still only capable of receiving analogue signals.

Nestor Kircher lost in what was a Peronist heartland

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez is on course for a stinging defeat in mid-term legislative elections, with her party losing control of Congress.

With more than two-thirds of votes counted, results suggest the governing Peronist party has lost its majority in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

Ms Fernandez’ husband, former president Nestor Kirchner, also lost his high-profile race for a congressional seat.

Sunday’s elections were seen as a test of the couple’s popularity.

Cristina Fernandez succeeded her husband as president in 2007, but has seen her approval ratings decline in the face of growing economic problems and rising crime rates.

Power struggle?

With most of the votes counted in the populous province of Buenos Aires, Mr Kirchner conceded defeat to a dissident Peronist, wealthy businessman Francisco de Narvaez.

“We have lost by one-and-a-half or two points and we have no problem recognising it,” he said.

The loss of the province, which has always been a Peronist heartland, signals a huge political defeat for the Kirchners, the BBC’s Candace Piette in Buenos Aires says.

The likely scenario now is a power struggle within the Peronist party in the run-up to the 2011 presidential elections, our correspondent adds.

President Fernandez’s term runs until 2011

President Fernandez had brought forward the date of the election, arguing that this would allow Argentines to unite to face the global economic crisis.

But critics say it was a ploy to squeeze in an election victory before the economic recession set in, our correspondent reports.

The elections took place against a backdrop of deep economic problems, and amid complaints of government incompetence.

Consumer spending has slumped, and crime and poverty are more visible.

Many Argentines have been shifting their savings into dollars and sending it offshore, uncertain of the government’s ability to deal with their economic woes, our correspondent says.

A damaging row between the Kirchners and the country’s powerful agricultural sector over taxation has added to people’s concerns.

Mr Kirchner was president between 2003 and 2007 as Argentines enjoyed an economic rebound and a surge in employment. He is widely considered to be the main power-broker behind his wife’s administration.

Ovarian tumours - as seen here in green - can be hard to diagnose

There is “widespread confusion” among doctors and women about ovarian cancer, a charity has said.

Target Ovarian Cancer surveyed 400 GPs and found 80% wrongly thought women with early stage disease had no signs.

And of 1,000 women polled, only 4% said they could “confidently identify” symptoms of the disease.

A spokesman for the Royal College of GPs said it was “extraordinarily difficult” to diagnose ovarian cancer at an early stage.

Symptoms include persistent pelvic or abdominal pain, increased abdominal size and persistent bloating and difficulty eating or feeling full quickly.

Around 6,800 women are diagnosed with the cancer each year.

Only 30% are alive five years after diagnosis, a statistic the charity says has not improved in 30 years.

It says breast cancer survival has increased from 50% to 80% in the same period.

But it said that if women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer when it was at an early stage, 90% could survive.

Currently, three-quarters of women are diagnosed when the cancer has already spread.

On average, it takes a year from the first symptoms appearing until a woman is diagnosed.

Lack of awareness

The survey of GPs also found almost three-quarters of GPs were unaware of Department of Health guidelines published in February which outlined the symptoms doctors should watch for.

When the charity asked them to pick out potential symptoms, 51% correctly identified “increased abdominal size” as the most important symptom, but less than 2% picked out “difficulty eating” or “feeling full”.

And almost two-thirds were unaware that a strong history of ovarian cancer on her father’s side of the family could increase a woman’s risk of the disease.

The early signs of ovarian cancer can be confused with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Women can often be sent for gastric tests and by the time it is realised this is not the cause, the cancer is often very advanced.

But the poll found 69% of GPs did not know ovarian cancer was more likely to cause frequent, sudden and persistent symptoms than IBS.

GPs are aware there are problems in identifying ovarian cancer, and 93% of those questioned acknowledged that women often experienced a delay in getting a diagnosis.

‘Change overdue’

Of the 1,000 women surveyed, two-thirds thought ovarian cancer was unrelated to age when older women are actually more likely to have ovarian cancer, while 80% did not know childless women were more at risk.

The charity also spoke to 132 women with the disease. Almost two-thirds felt their doctor did not take their concerns and symptoms very seriously.

And 44% waited more than six months for a correct diagnosis.

A third said they had to visit their GP three to five times before being referred to an appropriate specialist.

Annwen Jones, chief executive of Target Ovarian Cancer, said: “Change is long overdue and ovarian cancer needs to become a priority. ”

Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: “It’s extraordinarily difficult to diagnose this silent killer early.

“GPs are aware that persistent abdominal pain and increased abdominal circumference (bloating) can be symptoms.

“But the more we can do to raise awareness of ovarian cancer - and remind patients and doctors that it can creep up on people - the better.”

Complications are common in the first months of pregnancy

Expectant mothers who have complications early on should be supervised more closely in current and future pregnancies, a study suggests.

Problems in the first three months increase the risk of premature birth and other difficulties - in that pregnancy and subsequent ones.

The data from 75 studies also showed a history of miscarriages was linked to future premature births.

Experts said the research would help identify those at high risk.

The analysis presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) annual meeting looked at several common complications of the first three months of pregnancy.

It notches up our level of awareness that if someone has problems in early pregnancy, especially repeated problems, maybe we should be watching these women a bit more closely Patrick O’Brien, obstetrician

Vaginal bleeding in the early weeks was associated with an increased risk of pre-eclampsia, premature delivery and more than double the risk of having a low birth weight or very low birth weight baby.

An accumulation of blood in the womb - intrauterine haematoma - increased these risks further.

Extreme early morning sickness was associated with a three times higher risk of premature delivery and a nearly three-fold risk of low birth weight.

Women who had been pregnant with twins but miscarried one baby very early in pregnancy also had increased risks of later problems.

A history of one or more miscarriages nearly doubled the risk in an ongoing pregnancy of preterm premature rupture of the membrane that surrounds the baby in the womb, and increased the risk of a premature birth.

If a previous pregnancy had to be terminated for any reason, premature birth was a risk in subsequent pregnancies.

Although the study did not address causes of risks in future pregnancies it could be related to underlying health problems or lifestyle factors, experts said.

Monitoring

Study leader Dr Robbert van Oppenraaij, from Erasmus MC University Medical Centre, in the Netherlands, said the extent of future complications was related to the severity or recurrence of the early problems.

“Events and complications in early pregnancy are amongst the most common complications in women during their pregnancy and can be extremely distressing for them.

“For the clinician it is important to interpret the symptoms and to understand not only the short-term consequences, but also the long-term consequences of these early pregnancy complications.”

Tony Rutherford, chair of the British Fertility Society, said the results suggested that some patients would benefit from closer monitoring.

“It is a message that these patients need to have supervision.

“The main concern is with early birth and if we can try and identify these patients we can improve the outcome.”

Patrick O’Brien, spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said the underlying reasons for some of the associations would include lifestyle factors such as smoking, nutrition and also conditions such as hypertension and diabetes.

“It notches up our level of awareness that if someone has problems in early pregnancy, especially repeated problems, maybe we should be watching these women a bit more closely.”

Friction in the saddle may be a factor

Professional cyclists should consider freezing their sperm before embarking on their careers, say researchers.

They found sperm quality drops dramatically with rigorous training.

The Spanish study of top triathletes found those who cover more than 186 miles (300km) a week on their bikes have less than 4% normal looking sperm.

At such levels, men would have “significant fertility problems”, the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard.

Men training for triathlons are spending much more time in the saddle than the average social cycler or someone who might cycle to and from work Dr Allan Pacey University of Sheffield

However, a UK expert said the average man cycling to work would be unlikely to suffer fertility problems because of their time in the saddle.

Study leader Professor Diana Vaamonde, from University of Cordoba Medical School in Spain said other studies had shown very high levels of exercise affected fertility in both men and women.

In the latest study, 15 triathletes with an average age of 33, were asked not to have sex for three days before giving a sperm sample.

When the results were compared with their training routines, only cycling - not swimming or running - was linked with sperm quality.

All of the men - who had been training for an average of nine times a week for eight years - had less than 10% of normal looking sperm, compared with the 15-20% seen in the most fertile men.

In those who managed more than 186 miles a week on their bikes, the proportion of sperm that was the correct size and shape had fallen to 4%, the point at which men may struggle to conceive without fertility treatment.

Abnormalities

Heat from wearing tight clothing, friction of the testes against the saddle and stresses on the body from the sheer amounts of energy needed to do such rigorous exercise, could all contribute to poor sperm quality, said Professor Vaamonde.

The team are doing further research work in how cycling may effect metabolic processes in the body which lead to the development of abnormal sperm.

She added it was unclear whether sperm quality would improve if men retired from the sport but that after years of wear and tear this was unlikely.

“Something which could be done would be to have their sperm frozen but when they start training they do not realise what damage can be done to their sperm.”

Ways of protecting cyclists against fertility problems should also be researched she said.

“Depending on the mechanism leading to creation of abnormal sperm, these could include giving antioxidants and modifying training regimes to all for recovery.”

Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield, said there had been a lot of interest in cycling and male fertility but results had been mixed.

“It is important to stress that even if the association between cycling and poor sperm morphology is correct, men training for triathlons are spending much more time in the saddle than the average social cycler or someone who might cycle to and from work.”

He added that 40 years ago cycling was much more common but there is no evidence men then were less fertile.

Jai Ho won the Best Song award at this year’s Oscars

No Oscar will be awarded for best song at next year’s ceremony if none of the tunes are deemed to be good enough, organisers have announced.

New rules mean that every song entered must get a minimum score of 8.25 on a scale of six to 10 when voted for by Academy music members.

“We’re trying to improve the quality,” said composer Bruce Broughton, head of the Academy’s music branch.

He added the move would make entries “as good as possible”.

Honorary Oscar

“There’s been a lot of talk about the songs in films, the lack of memorability compared to songs in the past, the almost forgettability of some of them” said Mr Broughton.

The music branch of the Academy has about 230 members, who rate each song entry.

In another move, the Academy is moving its honorary Oscars out of the main ceremony and will instead present them at a separate event.

Academy president, Sid Ganis, said creating a separate ceremony will ensure “that each honouree will be given his or full due”.

The first honorary Oscars event will take place in November.

The change will also mean the main awards ceremony next year will be shorter.

The show has often attracted criticism for its long running time

Stars have been celebrating the life of Michael Jackson in Los Angeles.

Jackson’s father Joe joined celebrities at the annual Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards show, which was hastily changed to honour the singer.

It is the first big tribute to Jackson, who collapsed and died last week in the city at the age of 50.

His family insisted a second autopsy be carried out on his body because of what they said were “unanswered questions” over how he died.

Speaking on the red carpet, Joe Jackson said he had “a lot of concerns” over events surrounding his son’s death.

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office has ruled out foul play but deferred giving a cause of death until the results of toxicology tests come back.

Unconfirmed reports suggest the singer had been taking a daily dose of Demerol, a painkiller also widely known as pethidine.

On Saturday police carried out what they said was an extensive interview with Jackson’s personal doctor, Conrad Murray, who was with the singer when he died.

A spokeswoman for Dr Murray said he was not a suspect in the case. He had “helped identify the circumstances around the death of the pop icon and clarified some inconsistencies”, she said.

‘Celebrate this man’

The BET awards show was turned into a tribute to Jackson, with major stars re-working their performances in honour of the singer.

MICHAEL JACKSON 1958-2009 Full name: Michael Joseph Jackson Born: August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana, US Also known as: The King of Pop, Wacko Jacko Biggest hits: I Want You Back, Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Bad, Black or White, Earth Song Sold:750 million albums Earned:$700 million (estimated) Obituary: Remarkable talent Twelve facts about Michael Jackson LA fans commemorate ‘hero’ Send us your comments

A Jackson 5 medley was performed and host Jamie Foxx attempted the Moonwalk.

“No need to be sad. We want to celebrate this black man … We gonna go through all of Michael Jackson,” he said.

Winners praised Jackson as they received their awards.

“We all know none of us in this in this room wouldn’t be here for Michael Jackson,” said Lil Wayne, named best male hip-hop star.

Late in the show Jackson’s sister Janet took the stage to thank fans for their support.

“My entire family wanted to be here tonight, but it was just too painful, so they elected me to be here,” she said.

Demand for Jackson’s music has surged since his death on Thursday, with the star dominating sales at music retailers and download sites across the world.

On Sunday his songs topped Apple’s iTunes download charts in every country except Japan.

In the UK Jackson scored a posthumous number one album with greatest hits compilation Number Ones, with four other albums reappearing in the top 20.

In the singles chart, 43 out of the top 200 singles featured the singer, with Jackson hits accounting for all but one of the new entries in the top 40.

A takeover would give Vodafone a 40% share of the UK market

Mobile phone operator Vodafone has declined to comment on a report that it is considering buying T-Mobile UK.

The Financial Times reported that the company was interested in acquiring T-Mobile’s UK operations, even though a deal may be blocked by regulators.

Any such move would make Vodafone the biggest mobile operator in the UK, with a 40% market share.

Vodafone has a 25% share of the UK market, behind O2. T-Mobile, owned by Deutsche Telekom, has a 15% share.

Deutsche Telekom has appointed JP Morgan to advise on “strategic options”, the newspaper said. Deutsche Telekom said it did not comment on market rumours.

Shares in Vodafone were up 0.6% by mid-afternoon.

Falling sales

UK MOBILE PHONE MARKET SHARE O2: 27% Vodafone: 25% Orange: 22% T-Mobile: 15% 3: 8% Source: Ofcom

T-Mobile UK reported a 21% fall in sales in the first three months of the year. According to the FT, it has an estimated enterprise value of between 3bn euros and 4bn euros ($4.2bn-$5.6bn; £2.5bn-$3.4bn).

A combined Vodafone/T-Mobile operation with a 40% UK market share in the UK would leapfrog the current UK market leader O2, which has a market share of about 27%.

Although the creation of one company with 40% of the UK market would almost certainly lead to competition questions, such large operators already exist in France, Italy and Spain.

Earlier this year, Vodafone chief executive Vittorio Colao said that his company was willing to play an active role in consolidation between operators.

In February, Vodafone and Hutchison Whampoa, which owns mobile operator 3 in the UK, announced plans to merge their Australian mobile phone businesses.

From Vodafone’s perspective, why lay out a significant sum at a particularly bad time? You’ll buy the extra customers but you’ll get the operational costs as well Steven Harley, Ovum analyst

In May, Vodafone said it was accelerating the pace of its £1bn cost-cutting programme because of the impact of the economic downturn on sales.

The company was forced to write off £5.9bn in the 12 months to the end of March - mostly related to its Spanish business - as its pre-tax profits fell 53.5% to £4.2bn from £9bn a year earlier.

Bad timing

One analyst questioned why either side would be interested in a deal.

Steven Harley, senior analyst with the mobile team at Ovum, said the timing seemed wrong.

“From T-Mobile’s perspective, why sell at the bottom of the market? You’re not going to get top dollar,” he said.

“From Vodafone’s perspective, why lay out a significant sum at a particularly bad time? Yes you’ll buy the extra customers but you’ll get the operational costs as well.”

Mr Harley also pointed out that T-Mobile has a network-sharing deal with 3, while Vodafone has a similar deal with O2.

“How would 3 get compensated for this?” he asked.

“If you’ve got three operators running off the same network the costs for them will be a lot lower than for a single operator running off one network.”