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[Black Widow]

A crocodile that is believed to have eaten a British holidaymaker is to be put out to stud on a farm for the rest of its life.

Human remains thought to be those of 62-year-old Arthur Booker were discovered in its belly when the 15ft-long beast was captured in north Queensland.

Mr Booker disappeared on September 30 after he went to check crab pots in a river near Cooktown, in the so-called "Cape Crocodile" region of the state.

Mr Booker's wife raised the alarm when he failed to return from the trip.

Police found some of his belongings on the river bank, close to crocodile marks.

The line securing the crab pots was frayed, rather than cut clean with a knife.

An X-ray of the captured animal revealed a wedding ring in its stomach, according to local media.

The news triggered calls for a cull of saltwater crocodiles.

But a spokesman for the state's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that because of the man-eating reptile's size, it was a protected animal that could not be killed.

However, it could not be released either, and under Queensland state law prevented it from being displayed in a zoo or wildlife facility with any sign indicating it had eaten a human being.

That left a breeding programme as the only alternative - so the animal will be put out to stud on a farm for the rest of its life.

"Any crocodile four metres or over is... an iconic crocodile, so it needs to go into a facility where it can be used in a way that benefits crocodile conservation," the EPA spokesman said.


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[Black Widow]

Police have been urged to study 'specialist' sex websites to find out what is going in their local parks and public toilets.

The call came as new guidelines recommended that police turn a blind eye to couples having sex in public.

The police chief in charge of lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender issues said the force's attitudes towards cottaging and dogging alienated the gay community.

Deputy Chief Constable Michael Cunningham, of Lancashire Police, said police should not become a "moral arbiter" by arresting those with a penchant for outdoor sex.

He said police needed to have a better understanding of the issues and should surf the web to get an insight.

"In any event it is not for the police to take the role of moral arbiter, the police role is to ensure that any complaints are dealt with fairly and professionally and that where individuals are engaged in lawful activity they may do so safely," he said.

His comments were contained in a 21-page report, titled "Guidance on Policing Public Sex Environments", leaked to Police Review.

It focuses on dogging, where previously unknown partners meet in public for sex, as well as cruising and cottaging, when gay men meet in parks and toilets.

Mr Cunningham said it is not illegal to visit a dogging or cottaging site, but people's behaviour may be criminal.

The guidance will now go forward to be agreed by a committee of senior police officers before it is put in place across England and Wales.

He said officers should respond to complaints of sexual activity in public spaces in context and avoid a "knee jerk" reaction.

He suggested police forces consider other measures, such as closing the area, putting up lighting or CCTV, or regular uniformed patrols, before making arrests.


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[Black Widow]

Hannah Foster may have struggled and scratched at the hands of her killer as she was strangled to death, a court has heard.

The 17-year-old's body was found in a bramble-filled ditch in Southampton, on March 16, 2003 - two days after she disappeared near her home

Pathologist Dr Hugh White told the court she had suffered scratches, probably caused by brambles to the front and back of her body, her hands and top of her legs.

Some of the "bramble-type" scratches appeared to have been caused while she was alive while others were caused after death, the jury heard.

Dr White said Hannah suffered "pin-point haemorrhages" to her face and eyes which he explained were "classic symptoms of a neck being compressed".

He said that she also suffered bruising to the neck and to her windpipe and there was a 6cm scratch to her neck caused by a fingernail.

"I suspect the process took longer than 15 to 30 seconds because she has a significant number of injuries to her neck.

"The fingernail scratch could have been the assailant or Hannah herself scratching the hands of her assailant."

There was no evidence of drugs or alcohol in her system, he said, and the cause of death was "manual strangulation".

Maninder Pal Singh Kohli, 40, a sandwich delivery van driver, is accused of her murder, rape, kidnap and false imprisonment, but denies all charges.

The trial continues.


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[JohnCenaFan28]

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[JohnCenaFan28]

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[JohnCenaFan28]

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[JohnCenaFan28]

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[JohnCenaFan28]

London's leading share index tumbled to a fresh five-year low as recession fears continued to shake volatile global markets.

The FTSE 100 Index shed more than 5% - wiping a further £52 billion from blue-chip stocks - to finish down 218.2 at 3861.4, its lowest close since April 2003.

The sell-off combined with Wednesday's 7% slide to erase Monday and Tuesday's rallies and send the Footsie below its finishing mark last Friday - after its worst week since the crash of 1987.

CMC Markets dealer James Hughes said: "Just when we thought the dust was beginning to settle we see another day of huge falls across the world."

The FTSE 100 Index initially opened more than 5% down following heavy falls for Asian markets overnight, but losses were clawed back through the morning amid hopes of a recovery in the US.

But Wall Street's Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 3% early on as gloomy economic data showed the biggest monthly fall in US industrial production since 1974 - adding to recession fears.

Across Europe France's CAC 40 and Germany's Dax fell almost 5% and 6% respectively. Switzerland's central bank also announced the latest multi-billion bail-out - this time of banking giant UBS.

But Mr Hughes added: "The difference from past moves is the fact that the main worry is not the bank bail-out plan but the fears of global recession."

Oil prices fell below 70 dollars a barrel at one point today on concerns over weakening demand. Oil cartel OPEC said it would bring forward a meeting scheduled for November to the end of next week.

Among the biggest blue chip victims were heavyweight mining and oil stocks - as well as those firms exposed to the ailing housing market after building supplies firm Travis Perkins warned on profits.

-Ananova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Europe's diplomatic shuttle moves to Washington this weekend in a bid to calm financial world markets.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso have been invited to Camp David by US President George Bush to talk about plans for an international financial crisis conference expected to take place in New York next month.

The Camp David visit was announced during a Brussels EU summit which committed the 27 leaders to tighten European banking supervision, and crack down on executive pay packages which reward failure as well as success.

The final summit declaration said the EU had to work with its international partners on "genuine, all-encompassing" reform of the global financial system.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, hailed as a hero for setting the benchmark for credible government bail-out schemes across Europe, emerged from the talks saying the next stage was sweeping long-term financial reforms based on five principles: transparency, sound banking, responsibility, integrity, and global governance.

Mr Brown said the forthcoming talks, built around the G8 group of most industrialised countries, would have to create an "early warning system" to anticipate future financial downturns, coupled with comprehensive financial supervision and monitoring systems designed for a global economy.

Mr Brown said it would be a "Bretton Woods"-style gathering - a reference to the 1944 meeting which set a post-war financial order, including setting up the International Monetary Fund.

Europe's crisis response began with emergency talks in Paris between the four EU countries who are part of the G8 - France, the UK, Germany and Italy. Then the EU's 27 finance ministers met in Luxembourg to produce a declaration designed to calm markets.

Next came last Sunday's meeting in Paris of the leaders of the 15 EU single currency countries - plus Mr Brown, whose template for bailing out struggling UK banks was seized upon as the best available plan.

At the EU summit in Brussels, the Prime Minister shrugged off the praise and insisted no one leader could resolve the current crisis and Europe had to pull together.

-Ananova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Cheaper gas and electricity bills look some way off despite the falling price of oil.

Oil has slumped to less than half the highs seen in July, helping wholesale gas prices fall around 20% since the record 100p a therm levels in the summer.

But gas bought by Britain's main energy suppliers like British Gas remains well above previous year's prices.

Gas for delivery during the first quarter of next year - one of the benchmark industrial prices - was trading at 80p a therm. This is up two-thirds from the 48p figure seen last year.

Millions of UK households have been hit with two massive bill hikes this year thanks to soaring wholesale prices.

Dual fuel customers of British Gas, owned by Centrica, now pay an average of £1,317 a year - £404 more than at the beginning of the year.

British Gas owner Centrica said there was little prospect of costs coming down while gas remained so much higher than previous levels.

A spokesman for the group said: "The falls from the absolute highs are welcome, but they are still running two-thirds higher than they were last winter which is the issue we are all facing."

Oil prices were trading at 71 dollars a barrel, more than 50% down from the 147 dollar high seen in July.

According to industry experts, oil prices take around six months to filter through to domestic supplies.

-Ananova