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[JohnCenaFan28]

A British baby is thought to be the world's youngest patient to undergo a surgical procedure for treating brain tumours.

Madison Quartarone was just one week old when she was taken to Great Ormond Street Hospital, in London, with a large benign tumour.

The infant, now eight weeks, then underwent three embilisation procedures - a treatment in which arteries are injected with glue to cut off blood supply - to starve the growth of blood.

Scans after the operations showed the tumour had shrunk and doctors allowed the youngster home to Bedford with mother, Charlene Smith, in time for Christmas.

Grandfather Ian Chandler said: "What we are hoping for now is that the tumour continues to shrink. I think we would know by now if the tumour was still growing."

The baby's head swelled while the tumour was getting bigger because of the collection of fluid.

Mr Chandler added: "Madison has amazed absolutely everybody. She underwent seven operations in the first seven weeks of her life but now she is putting weight on and suffering all the problems that other babies have, like trapped wind and colic."

Madison will return to the hospital in the New Year for more scans to check on the tumour. Neuro-surgeon Dominic Thompson, who is part of the team looking after her, said Madison would have died within weeks without the operation.

He told Bedfordshire on Sunday: "Certainly, in my experience, I am not aware of anyone as young as Madison having this treatment and if successful it could be groundbreaking.

"To be born with such a large tumour is very unusual as only a small percentage of tumours present themselves in the first month of life. Madison is not out of the woods yet but she does look remarkably well - it has been a very hard time for the family."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A protest outside the Israeli Embassy in London descended into chaos as demonstrators clashed with police.

Dozens of campaigners were seen being handcuffed and dragged away by officers as events appear to boil out of control.

High Street Kensington was closed off with police vans blocking the street as the number of demonstrators swelled throughout the afternoon to about 2,000.

Several hours after the protest began violence flared as police attempted to physically remove people so they could reopen the road.

Protesters threw placards and screamed abuse as officers scrummaged to push campaigners back.

Some demonstrators were seen attempting to climb the gate towards the Embassy and also throwing red liquid - to symbolise blood - towards the gate.

One campaigner was seen throwing a bag and what appeared to be a book towards the building. Several protesters left the scene with bloodied faces.

Late in the afternoon police said there had been half a dozen arrests for a range of public order offences and 700 protesters remained at the scene.

Earlier in the day, confrontations began when a small group of protesters stormed a barrier which was penning them in.

Riot police were brought in to control the crowds.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A teenager has been charged with the murder of a mother of three who died when a glass bottle was thrown into a crowded pub.

Neil McNulty, 19, is accused of killing Emma O'Kane, 27, who died while celebrating the birthday of her partner, Michael Shepherd, who she planned to marry.

McNulty is suspected of hurling the glass bottle into the pub after being refused entry to the Queen Anne Hotel in Heywood, Greater Manchester, shortly before 2am on Saturday.

The bottle shattered against a pillar and a shard of glass stuck in Ms O'Kane's neck, cutting her throat, according to a witness. She had been enjoying a night out with her sister and friends at the bar of the pub where she sometimes worked as a barmaid.

Ms O'Kane lived with Mr Shepherd and her three children - Reece, six, Jack, two, and one-year-old Ellie-Mai - in Heywood.

She collapsed in a pool of blood and was pronounced dead at Fairfield Hospital in Bury, shortly after.

A post-mortem examination concluded Ms O'Kane died as a result of a wound to the neck.

Mr Shepherd, 38, said: "Emma was really popular - everyone said she was the best barmaid and she was a brilliant mother to three gorgeous kids. She was the love of my life and kind-hearted.

"She really was an angel and now my soulmate's been taken away I wonder what we're all going to do without her."

McNulty, of Peel Lane, Heywood, is due to appear before Rochdale Magistrates' Court on Monday morning.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A 35-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the abduction of nurse Magdeline Makola, who was missing for more than a week, police said.

Nurse Makola, 38, of Livingston in West Lothian, is recovering in hospital after being found in the boot of her car, dehydrated and suffering from hypothermia.

A Lothian and Borders Police spokesman said: "A 35-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the abduction of Magdeline Makola."

The man is due to appear at Linlithgow Sheriff Court on Monday.

Ms Makola had not been seen since she left work at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on December 15.

Concerns were initially raised when the South African-born nurse failed to turn up for her shift on December 18 and she was reported missing.

An investigation was launched and Ms Makola was discovered by police in the red Vauxhall Astra in the town of Airdrie, Lanarkshire, on Boxing Day.

Police said Ms Makola had been left "severely traumatised". She is being treated at Monklands Hospital in Lanarkshire, where she is said to be in a stable condition.

Officers had issued a description of a man they wished to trace in relation to their investigation.

Lothian and Borders Police said it was not looking for anyone else in connection with the inquiry.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Britain called for an "immediate halt to all violence" in Gaza as Israel's devastating airstrikes continued.

As fears of a ground offensive grew, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said an "urgent ceasefire" was needed to stop "massive loss of life" in the territory.

He insisted that Tel Aviv must abide by its "humanitarian obligations", and Prime Minister Gordon Brown shared his "grave concern" over the situation.

At least 280 people have now been killed since F-16 bombers started carrying out strikes on the highly populated Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to Palestinian emergency services. Hundreds more have been wounded.

Israel said key security sites operated by Hamas militants were being targeted in a bid to stop rockets attacks - which have escalated sharply since a six-month ceasefire agreement expired last week. However, many civilians and children have been caught up in the carnage.

Mr Miliband said: "The Prime Minister and I are following developments in Gaza with grave concern. The rise in rocket attacks on Israel since December 19, and yesterday's (Saturday) massive loss of life, make this a dangerous moment which should be of concern to the whole of the international community.

"The UK supports an urgent ceasefire and immediate halt to all violence."

After four hours of emergency talks, the UN Security Council upped the pressure on Tel Aviv on Sunday morning by delivering a plea for the bloodshed to stop.

A statement made no direct reference to actions by either side, but said: "The members of the Security Council expressed serious concern at the escalation of the situation in Gaza and called for an immediate halt to all violence. The members called on the parties to stop immediately all military activities."

However US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad stressed that Hamas held the key to restoring calm. "We believe the way forward from here is for rocket attacks against Israel to stop, for all violence to end," he said.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A second teenager has been arrested over the murder of a man who was shot after a Christmas Eve shopping trip, police said.

Craig Brown, 20, was shot at 4.50pm on Loftus Road, Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith, west London, and pronounced dead at the scene by the ambulance service.

Scotland Yard arrested two more suspects - a 15-year-old boy and a 24-year-old man - on Saturday night.

A 16-year-old boy who was arrested earlier on Saturday remains in police custody.

All three are being questioned at police stations in west London.

A post-mortem examination at Fulham Mortuary confirmed the victim died of gunshot wounds.

Mr Brown had returned from a shopping trip and had parked his car in Loftus Road, police said.

He was approached by two men as he unloaded goods from the car.

He was shot before the men made off on foot towards Queens Park Rangers' football ground.

The shooting is being investigated by Operation Trident. Anyone with information should contact police on 020 8733 4704 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The Government was embroiled in another row with the Church of England after bishops condemned its policies as "morally corrupt".

Five senior Church figures delivered a scathing assessment of Labour's record in power, warning that the country was suffering from family breakdown, an addiction to debt and a growing gap between rich and poor.

The bishops of Durham, Winchester, Manchester, Carlisle and Hulme accused ministers of squandering their opportunity to transform society.

The interventions, in separate interviews with the Sunday Telegraph, came after the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams described Gordon Brown's plans to tackle recession by spending more as like an "addict returning to the drug".

The Rt Rev Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham, berated ministers for not doing enough to help the poor since 1997.

"Labour made a lot of promises, but a lot of them have vanished into thin air," he said.

"We have not seen a raising of aspirations in the last 13 years, but instead there is a sense of hopelessness. While the rich have got richer, the poor have got poorer. When a big bank or car company goes bankrupt, it gets bailed out, but no one seems to be bailing out the ordinary people who are losing their jobs and seeing their savings diminished."

However the comments drew a furious response from senior Labour figures. The Chairman of the Commons Treasury Committee, John McFall, suggested the bishops may have had "too much mulled wine" over the festive season.

Cabinet Office minister Liam Byrne echoed the Prime Minister's response to Dr Williams, citing the Biblical exhortation not to "walk on by" when someone needed aid.

"We are determined not to walk on by. We want to put real help on the table for families and businesses now," he told the BBC. "We want to invest in our economy for the future because that is how we will get a fairer and richer country in the years to come."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The Tories are set to scrap at least one of Labour's tax rises if they win the next general election, according to George Osborne.

The shadow chancellor has signalled that reversing a hike in National Insurance planned for 2011 will be a "priority".

The Conservatives are also said to be looking at tax breaks for pensioners and savers hit by the downturn as they bid to shake off Gordon Brown's tag as the "do nothing" party.

In an interview for the Sunday Times, Mr Osborne insisted Labour's reckless spending was turning Britain into the "sick man of Europe". He promised that unlike the Government's fiscal stimulus, any Tory tax cuts would be funded through curbs on public spending or increases in other taxes.

"My priority is to try to reverse the increase in National insurance because it is a tax that affects the vast majority of people in Britain," Mr Osborne said. "It is a tax on jobs at a time of high unemployment. It is a tax on incomes at a time when people will be under severe strain."

Last month Chancellor Alistair Darling set out plans to increase NI payments by workers and employees by 0.5% from 2011, raising up to £5 billion to help pay down Government debt. However, the latest date for a general election is May 2010.

Tory insiders told the Sunday Times that another measure being considered was the abolition of income tax on savings, at an annual cost to the Treasury of around £2.4 billion. Savers have been hit hard as interest rates have been slashed to try and revive the economy. The threshold at which pensioners start paying tax could also be lifted.

Treasury Financial Secretary Angela Eagle accused Mr Osborne of making "empty promises".

"George Osborne is happy to try to grab headlines with vague talk about tax cuts, but as usual he can't say anything about how he would pay for them," she said. "The truth is these are just empty promises from the Tories.

"All that Osborne has confirmed is that the Conservatives still intend to do nothing to give real help now to families. It says something about their inability to move on from their 1980s ideology that they regard real help now - such as the £60 for pensioners, and the child benefit and child tax credit increases brought forward to January 1st - as state intervention to be opposed."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Power stations generating a tenth of the UK's electricity capacity could be forced to close more than two years earlier than expected - stoking fears of blackouts, it was reported.

Some coal power plants have been running at historically high rates that would put them out of action by 2013, provoking concern over an energy "generation gap", according to the Sunday Times.

Under EU rules companies operating old coal and oil-fired plants were given the option to upgrade them to comply with stringent emission limits.

Those plants for which it was uneconomic to upgrade were permitted to continue operating until 2016 and given 20,000 hours to run.

But the report, based on research from energy consultants Utilyx, said of the nine plants that opted out, five could be decommissioned by spring 2013 if they continue running at current rates.

Chris Bowden, chief executive of Utilyx, said when the plants made the decision not to upgrade they anticipated being "peaking plants", used only at a time of maximum consumption and power prices.

"Now they are running as base-load providers," he told the Sunday Times.

"The technology of some of these power stations would make them like classic cars, but now they are ready for the scrapheap."

The affected coal-fired plants are Kingsnorth in Kent, owned by Eon, Scottish Power's Cockenzie plant, Npower's stations at Tilbury and Didcot, and Scottish & Southern's Ferrybridge plant. It is understood the stations generate some 7.6 gigawatts of electricity - 10% of the UK's total capacity.

According to the Sunday Times, the plant at Cockenzie, which generates enough power for 1 million homes, will close as early as September 2010 based on current rates.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The retail crisis looked set to claim another victim after it was confirmed childrenswear chain Adams had applied to appoint administrators.

The 75-year-old company - which makes clothes for Boots and has its own brand Adams kids stores - filed a notice of its intention to appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers as administrators on Christmas Eve.

Adams' woes come hard on the heels of the collapse of tea and coffee merchant, Whittard of Chelsea, music chain Zavvi and menswear retailer The Officers Club, which all fell into administration in the days before Christmas. Both The Officers Club and Whittard were subsequently sold.

Adams has around 260 stores among its 500 distribution outlets in the UK and is understood to employ around 2,000 people. It also has more than 100 international outlets in the Middle East and Europe.

Adams produces the Mini Mode range for Boots, which is sold in store as well as through its own website. The company is owned by Northern Ireland businessman John Shannon, who bought it out of administration in February last year, closing 42 of its shops.

Mr Shannon - a former chairman of footwear firm Stead & Simpson and clothing chain Country Casuals - has driven the company towards affordable kids fashion and launched its "kids love fashion" branding.

Adams - which sells babywear, school uniforms and clothes for children from two to 10 years - had appeared to be beginning to show signs of improvement under Mr Shannon. The company posted a 25% increase in like-for-like sales in both boys and girls fashion ranges in spring this year. But a sharp deterioration in trading, combined with competition from supermarket chains have reportedly hit its ability to service its debts.

According to the Sunday Times, pressure from creditors in recent weeks pushed the company over the edge. Adams is reported to owe £10 million to Burdale, an arm of the Bank of Ireland, and just over £20 million to Mr Shannon.

A spokeswoman for PWC said it was not certain when the firm would be formally appointed as administrators for the business. "They put the thing into court on Christmas Eve but I cannot really say much more than that," she said.

Chains across the high street slashed prices in the Christmas season in a bid to tempt shoppers squeezed by the credit crunch, but analysts believe it is unlikely this will be enough to salvage the beleaguered sector. Insolvency experts Begbies Traynor have predicted that as many as 15 national retail chains could go bust by mid-January.

-Nova