"BBC apology to Abu Hamza over Queen disclosure"

From the BBC:

The BBC has apologised for revealing that Abu Hamza raised concerns with his henchmen about why Queen Elizabeth II had not been blown up yet.

The apology comes after security correspondent Frank Gardner told BBC Radio 4 of a private conversation he had with a senior al-Muhajiroun member some years ago. The BBC said it and Gardner were sorry for the "breach of confidence", which both "deeply regret".

On Monday, Abu Hamza lost his latest appeal against extradition to the US. The European Court of Human Rights ruled the extradition could go ahead. The Home Office hopes this can be achieved within three weeks.

Anu Hamza's lawyers have now submitted a further appeal, pointing out that this new disclosure was likely to harm his defence strategy, which was to protest his innocence.

The development was being discussed on Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday morning when Gardner revealed details of his conversation with a known terrorist on the matter. He said the Islamist had told him, in a private meeting, how Abu Hmza had been upset that the Queen was still alive.

Fun Online Polls: Deportation, extradition & Haye v Chisora

The results of last week's Trial By Internet are as follows, with 129 people voting:

Whom would you (have) deport(ed) or extradite(d)?

Abu Hamza - 116 votes
Abu Qatada - 107 votes

The NatWest Three - 25 votes
Gary McKinnon - 21 votes
Christopher Tappin - 17 votes
Richard O'Dwyer - 12 votes

So on a simple majority basis, it's "on your bike" to the two Mad Mullahs and the others can heave a sigh of relief. All charges dropped, convictions expunged, all forgiven and forgotten, but let that be a warning and please don't do it again (whatever it was you did).
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I don't know much about the scoring system in boxing matches, so I'm not sure who won the splendid impromptu punch-up between David Haye and Dereck Chisora, starting at about 2 minutes in: So I shall throw it open to the floor for this week's Fun Online Poll.

Please award your points using the widget in the sidebar.

Fun Online Polls: Chris Huhne, deportation, extradition

With a high turnout, the results to last week's Fun Online Poll were as follows:

One a scale of 1 to 10, how chucklesome did you find Chris Huhne's resignation?

11/10 - 78%
10/10 - 8%
9/10 - 5%
Other, please specify - 10%.

I thought the whole thing was splendid, it cheered me up no end, largely because the whole thing was so pathetic. Thank you to everybody who took part.
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There is of course a subtle difference between deporting somebody and extraditing somebody. You deport a foreign national back to his own country if you don't like him (whether he has committed a crime, here or aborad, or not). You extradite somebody (usually but not necessarily one of your own citizens) to another country if they have committed a crime in that other country.

But let's gloss over that. To the person concerned it doesn't make much difference what you call it. I see that the Yanks are taking the piss yet again, so this week's Fun Online Poll is a "court of public opinion" and you are judge, jury and executioner.

Vote here or use the widget in the side bar; it's multiple choice so you can send off as few or as many of them as you'd like.

Islamist clerics behind bars: Abu Hamza