World News joined 0011

[John]

Thank You For The News Eel!

[JohnCenaFan28]

At least 25 people have been killed in a suicide car bombing in a town north of Baghdad, police say.



The blast targeted a police station in the commercial district of the mainly Shia town of Dujail.

At least 40 others were injured in the explosion, which happened around 1800 (1500 GMT), police said.

The attack comes a day after the outgoing US troop commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, said recent security gains were "not irreversible".

Violence in Iraq has declined steadily in recent months and is currently at a four-year low. But attacks attributed to Sunni militants have continued in some areas north of Baghdad.

Three weeks ago, 25 people were killed in Jalawla when a suicide bomber targeted a police recruiting centre.

Saddam attack

According to police, the blast in Dujail took place just before dusk, when many people were on the streets.

A suicide bomber drove a vehicle filled with explosives at a police station, security officials said. A nearby medical clinic was also reportedly damaged.

The casualties included both civilians and police, reports said.

Dujail, some 40 km (25 miles) north of the Iraqi capital, was the site of an assassination attempt against former leader Saddam Hussein in 1982.

He was executed in December 2006 after a court found him guilty of ordering the deaths of more than 140 Shias in response to the attack.

BBC News

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Executives at Lehman Brothers are racing to meet a deadline of Sunday night to find a new owner for the troubled bank, the BBC has learned.



The BBC's business editor Robert Peston says that Bank of America is the main candidate to buy Lehman but Barclays may also play a role in the rescue.

Bankers close to Lehman warned that failure to conclude a deal by then would be devastating for firm.

Investors sent Lehman shares tumbling again in New York trading.

"If a solution isn't found by the time Asia opens for business on Monday, well the consequences would be disastrous," a senior banker told the BBC.

Our correspondent says that the US Treasury is working assiduously behind the scenes to facilitate a takeover of the bank.

He says that Barclays is taking part in the negotiations to buy all or part of Lehman but a US solution, led by Bank of America, is still the most likely outcome.

Lehman's fund management business, which is in relatively good shape, may be sold separately, he adds.

Losses mount

Lehman announced the biggest loss in its history on Wednesday and investors remain unconvinced by the bank's plans to strengthen its finances.

Lehman shares fell 12% to $3.71 in trade in New York after falling around 40% on Thursday.

The company has lost 80% of its market value since Monday. Six months ago the stock was trading at $48.65.

The Financial Times reported that Bank of America is considering a joint bid for Lehman with with private equity firm JC Flowers and China Investment Co, the Chinese sovereign wealth fund.

Concerns over the fate of Lehman follow the bail-out on Sunday of mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The lenders were thrown into financial difficulty after the collapse of the US sub-prime mortgage market.

Our correspondent says that Wall Street has lost confidence in Lehman's capacity to survive as an independent entity.

But he questions whether any company would take the plunge and take over Lehman without some government support.

"The US Treasury may... have to provide some backstop underwriting for Lehman, so that an orderly resolution of Lehman's woes can be achieved," our correspondent says.

"When confidence in a bank erodes, it ebbs at first and then is gone in a great whoosh. Lehman will be lucky to end the day as independent bank."

White House spokesman Tony Fratto said the US Treasury "is closely monitoring the markets and they stay in contact with market participants"

BBC News

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A body found in a Tel Aviv river is that of missing four-year-old Rose Pizem, Israeli police have confirmed.



Flowers, candles and messages have already been placed on the site near where the tiny body was discovered in a suitcase by police on Thursday.

The hunt for Rose has been widely publicised across Israel.

Her grandfather, Ronny Ron, initially confessed that he had killed her, but later withdrew the statement, saying he had been coerced into making it.

Two divers retrieved a red suitcase that fitted the description given by the French-born girl's Israeli grandfather from the Yarkon river on Thursday.

Inside, police found human remains.

The remains were sent for identification, and on Friday police confirmed that they were those of the missing girl.

"Final confirmation of the DNA tests show that the body is that of Rose," said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.

"Samples were taken from both the mother and the father," he said.

Touching tributes

Near the scene of the discovery on Friday, touching tributes were being left to Rose.

One message, in what appeared to be a child's handwriting, said in French: "Rose, I love you, I miss you. God Bless you".

Nearby, flowers, chocolates and small dolls were laid out in memory of the girl.

Rose had been missing since May.

Ronny Ron, a 45-year-old taxi driver, lived near Tel Aviv with Rose's French-born mother Marie-Charlotte Renaud, 23.

Ms Renaud had previously been married to Mr Ron's son Benjamin Pizem, who is Rose's father.

Ms Renaud and her husband had travelled to Israel when Rose was very young in search of the father Mr Pizem had never met.

However, Ms Renaud and Mr Ron became lovers and she decided to stay in Israel with Mr Ron. Mr Pizem took Rose back to France.

A long custody battle ended with Rose moving to live with her mother and grandfather in Israel in 2007.

On Tuesday, a Tel Aviv court remanded Mr Ron and Ms Renaud in custody for 10 days.

Israeli media has published an emotional message, written by Ms Renaud and delivered by her lawyer, to be placed on her daughter's grave.

"I'm sorry, so sorry I couldn't understand you, understand your suffering. Sorry I couldn't hug you and tell you how much I love you," the message said.

"I'm sorry I couldn't show you the past few months how much I love you. You went away from me, you're my daughter, my child. You must know now how sorry I am and how much I love you."

Rose's maternal grandmother, Betty Sghaier, says she wants the little girl's remains to be flown to France.

"I want her body to be repatriated - she has no reason to be out there," she told AFP news agency.

BBC News

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Thailand's ruling party has abandoned its attempt to get embattled leader Samak Sundaravej reappointed as prime minister.



The People Power Party (PPP) had initially backed Mr Samak, who was stripped of office earlier this week.

But it became clear that coalition partners and some PPP lawmakers opposed the decision, and a planned vote to re-elect him could not go ahead.

The move could pave the way for an end to Thailand's political crisis.

Protesters have been demanding Mr Samak step down for weeks. They say he is a puppet for Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister who the military accused of corruption and ousted in 2006.

Mr Samak had vowed not to bow to the protesters' demands, but was eventually forced out earlier this week over an appearance in a TV cookery show that a court said breached the constitution.

'Done his best'

The PPP initially said it would renominate him as prime minister, but early on Friday the vote to re-elect him had to be abandoned because too few MPs turned up.

It became apparent that partners in the ruling coalition and some members of his own party opposed his nomination.

A spokesman later confirmed that Mr Samak was no longer trying to win back his job.

"Prime Minister Samak asked me to deliver the message that he has done his best as the party leader to preserve democracy," his personal secretary Theeraphol Noprampha told journalists.

"Now his role has come to an end, and everything is now up to the party," he said.

Parliament is now scheduled to vote on a new prime minister on Wednesday.

So far no clear front-runner has emerged and the protesters, who are occupying government buildings in Bangkok, say they will not accept another leader perceived as close to Mr Thaksin.

But the choice of a compromise candidate could persuade the demonstrators to abandon the protests that have paralysed the government and driven tourists away, analysts say.

The PPP is expected to hold talks with the five other parties that make up the ruling coalition in the next few days.

The BBC's Jonathan Head, in Bangkok, says that whoever gets the job will face the unenviable task of calming the fevered political temperature and helping the governing party overcome some formidable challenges.

Over the next few months it must face the possibility of being dissolved by the increasingly assertive courts over allegations of vote-buying in the last election.

BBC News

[John]

Thanks for the news!

[John]

Thank you for the news Eel!

[John]

KATE McCann has revealed entries from her diary today written as she and her husband Gerry struggled to cope with the disappearance of their daughter.
The moving extracts released in the News of the World expose a smear campaign against the McCann's by Portuguese cops to make them out cold and unmoved by Maddy's disappearance.
According to Kate carefully selected extracts of her diary were leaked to Portuguese press by the police to paint them in a bad light.
Dark thoughts, frustration at the police and the daily struggle of life in the spotlight and having to protect the rest of her family are all revealed in the heartfelt extracts written between April and July 2007.
The diary shows the depth of the heartache felt by Kate and Gerry as they searched for their daughter.

Normal

The notes start on the day of Maddy's disappearance and document a chillingly normal family evening.
Kate reveals how she gave her kids milk and biscuits before reading them a bedtime story on the night of her abduction.
She then goes on to say: "Kisses goodnight for M (Madeleine). Pulled the door to as far as possible without shutting it. Silence. Dry hair. Put make-up on. Glass of wine. Restaurant."
Hours later Maddie had been snatched and a frantic search was started.
The next day's entry is painful to read: "No sleep, Gerry and I started looking through the streets around 06.00 as it was starting to get light. Nobody around. Why not? Desperate.
"Nobody from the police introduced themselves. Nobody offered us a drink or food. All the police dressed informally and smoking. No sympathy was shown and far from inspiring.
"We left the police station around 7.30pm to 8pm.
"After 15 minutes we received a call from the PJ saying we had to go back but they didn’t tell us why.
We arrived—they showed us a photo of a girl they’d forgotten to show us from the close circuit TV footage. Not M. Devastating."
In the following days Kate talks about her desperation and fight to remain strong for her two other children, twins Sean and Amelie.
In the diary Kate also tells who phoned her to offer encouragement: "Cherie Blair (then the Premier’s wife) phoned to find out how we were.
"We talked about everything in general, including about them leaving Number 10.
She agreed as well to make a 20-second video clip for our broadcast on YouTube about Madeleine and children who have disappeared.
"I also had the chance to speak to Tony (then Prime Minister) who told me that we weren’t to hesitate to ask him if there was something he could do to help."
In her last entry on July 31 before her diary was taken by cops she said: 'My sweetheart, my darling, my love, my companion. I love you more than anything. I'm going to dream that I'm lying by your side - moments I'll always cherish and I long to have again.

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Source-Sun.com

Why cant the police just stop following them around? Its not them!

[John]

Two teenagers will be quizzed by police today about their role in the murder of a football-mad "gentle giant".

Oliver Kingonzila was the 26th teenager to be killed in London this year after he was stabbed to death in Croydon early Saturday.

The 19-year-old, known as Ollie to his friends and family, was knifed following a "fracas" outside E Bar in south London.

He was taken to a local hospital but was pronounced dead in the early hours of the morning.

Two 18-year-olds have been arrested in connection with his killing.

Family friend Dorothy Wadley described Oliver as "a gentle giant, a really lovely boy".

She said: "He had a huge grin on his face most of the time, it's just so sad this has happened.

"His family are devastated obviously. He'd only just celebrated his 19th birthday."

Mr Kingonzila's best friend was in the club with him on Friday evening.

The teenager, who didn't want to be named, said: "There was no reason for what happened last night.

"He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was unprovoked."

Det Chief Insp Damian Allain, leading the investigation, said: "We now know there was a fracas outside the E Bar involving three people one of whom is the deceased and we need to hear from anyone that saw that incident.

"It may be that one of them could also have been injured and may need hospital treatment.

"Either way they hold vital information to our ongoing investigation."

The two youths are being kept at separate police stations in south London, a Met spokesman said.

Source-Yahoo.com

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the news.