Other News In Brief

16-Year-Old Found Guilty In Afro Comb Murder Trial

A 16-year-old girl has been convicted of murdering a teenager who died five months after she was attacked with an Afro comb.

The girl, who was then 15, spiked 16-year-old Julie Sheriff's head with the comb's metal handle in a row in a south London street, the Old Bailey heard.

Ms Sheriff, originally from Sierra Leone, died on 21 September from the brain injury inflicted in Battersea last May.

The girl, 16, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was remanded in custody for sentencing on 28 August.

The court heard how the teenager had pulled the comb from her handbag and struck Julie, with the tip of the comb penetrating deep into her brain.

The victim, from Hackney, east London, lay in a coma for almost five months before she died.

4 More Confirmed Cases Of Legionnaires'

Four more Legionnaires' disease cases have been confirmed in Stoke-on-Trent, taking the total to 15.

The Health Protection Agency said a man in a critical condition had been sent to Glenfield Hospital in Leicester.

Another person in a critical condition was being treated at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire along with 13 other patients.

Professor Harsh Duggal, director of the Health Protection Agency's health protection unit in Stafford, said he was "not surprised" by the new cases.

"We have sampled and disinfected potential sources of exposure but people can develop symptoms up to two weeks after being exposed to legionella," he said.

Barclays In New FSA Investigation

Barclays has revealed that it is under investigation by the financial watchdog over the disclosure of fees payable under unspecified deals made in 2008.

The news came as the bank's adjusted pre-tax profit for the first six months of 2012 rose 13% to £4.2bn.

It also set aside £450m to cover potential compensation to small businesses sold inappropriate financial products, its results statement said.

It comes weeks after Barclays admitted involvement in a rate-rigging scandal.