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[JohnCenaFan28]

A woman sitting near Jean Charles de Menezes on a Tube train when he was shot dead has told how police were "out of control".

Commuter Anna Dunwoodie told the inquest into the Brazilian's death how she was "very, very clear" officers did not shout armed police before opening fire.

Ms Dunwoodie also said she thought firearms officers were a gang, as she described a "sense of panic" from officers as Mr de Menezes was shot seven times in the head.

Revealing how she felt under pressure during initial interviews with police after the incident, she described how the innocent 27-year-old appeared calm as a gun was held to his head.

Ms Dunwoodie was sat two or three seats to the left of Mr de Menezes when he boarded the train at Stockwell Tube station, south London.

She said she never heard officers shout anything at Mr de Menezes, adding: "I would like to say that on whether I heard anything from police officers, I am very, very clear.

"I had absolutely no idea who they were and had they shouted I would have latched on to that."

She described scenes of panic on the carriage.

Mr de Menezes was shot at point-blank range at Stockwell Tube station on July 22 2005 after being mistaken for failed bomber Hussain Osman.

Mr de Menezes had his eyes closed and looked "almost calm" as firearms officers pointed a weapon at his head, Ms Dunwoodie said.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The next US president must provide more leadership if the world is to bounce back from financial turmoil, Gordon Brown said.

The Prime Minister insisted that countries retreating to isolation and protectionism could wreck chances for a quick and sustainable recovery.

Delivering a keynote speech in Abu Dhabi on the eve of the US election, Mr Brown also highlighted the importance of the Middle East peace process to achieving co-operation.

"In these difficult times, the leadership America has shown has been vital to the co-ordinated interest rate cuts and the international co-operation we have seen which will lead to the meeting of international leaders on November 15," he said. "And I know that leadership will and must continue.

"The next stage of globalisations will require even more international co-operation with American leadership crucial to its success.

"In the coming weeks and months, the whole world will want to work closely with America on a shared common agenda to bring growth and jobs back to our economies; to give greater stability to our financial system; to defeat protectionism in favour of free trade; and of course to work for a more secure world - and in the Middle East, peace."

Mr Brown insisted all governments had a duty to work together to tackle the fallout from the credit crunch and soaring oil prices, and ensure international financial institutions were reformed.

"Because no country, no matter how big, can solve these challenges alone," he said. "And people in every country want to know that every possible course of action is being pursued to guide families and businesses through this difficult time."

The Prime Minister told an international oil conference that the Gulf states, with their massive oil resources and cash reserves, were crucial to stabilising the world economy.

He also gave his most explicit statement yet that they should get a "quid pro quo" of more influence over international financial bodies for agreeing to give the IMF some of their estimated one trillion dollar windfall from high oil prices."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

US tycoon Donald Trump has vowed to create the "greatest golf course in the world" after his plans for a £1 billion resort were given the go-ahead.

Scottish finance secretary John Swinney approved the proposals, saying there was "a significant economic and social benefit" in the project.

The proposals had been rejected in controversial circumstances by Aberdeenshire Council last year, before being called in by ministers.

Mr Trump welcomed the news and said the resort, proposed for the Menie Estate, near Balmedie, Aberdeenshire would be a "tremendous asset" for the area.

He said: "As I have often said, because of the quality of the land we are given to work with, we will build the greatest golf course in the world."

The plans include proposals for two golf courses, a 450-bedroom hotel and housing as well as holiday apartments and golf villas.

The scheme faced strong local opposition, including from environmental groups, but won widespread support in the business community.

First Minister Alex Salmond said: "The economic and social benefits for the North East of Scotland substantially outweigh any environmental impact."

Mr Salmond, also the local MSP for Gordon, said he had been "cup-tied" from commenting publicly on the issue because of his government position. He said: "It is great to be able to finally speak my mind. In tough economic times, substantial investment of this kind is at a premium."

The scheme received outline planning permission, but a string of conditions rule that the environmentally sensitive sand dunes on the site must remain protected. The conditions also stipulate that no more than 500 houses for private sale should be built.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Defence equipment minister Quentin Davies has apologised for any offence caused after he appeared to dismiss concerns raised by a resigning SAS officer.

Mr Davies told MPs he had said sorry to Des Feely, father of Corporal Sarah Bryant, who was the first female soldier to be killed in Afghanistan, after Mr Feely accused him of insulting the memory of those who have fallen in the conflict.

The minister had previously described Major Sebastian Morley's accusation that the MoD was guilty of "gross negligence" for failing to provide supply better kit as a "travesty". He also said casualties sometimes resulted after commanders chose the wrong kit for operations.

His comments were seized upon by angry Tory MPs at Commons question time, with shadow defence secretary Liam Fox labelling them a "disgrace" which amounted to an "arrogant dismissal of a loyal and committed officer".

Tory former Cabinet minister Douglas Hogg said the comments were "deeply offensive" and damaging to morale, while former Army officer Crispin Blunt argued it was "unsustainable" for a minister to make such remarks.

But after former SAS officer Andrew Robathan asked Defence Secretary John Hutton to apologise, Mr Davies rose to defend himself. Mr Davies said: "You obviously don't know that earlier outside the House I already expressed to the father of one of our gallant soldiers who has died and he said, not directly to me but to the media I understood, he had been upset by my remarks.

"I apologised unreservedly to him and expressed my great regret - obviously any offence was entirely inadvertent, I hope you recognise that. If I have some reason to suppose that operational commanders had been offended by the remarks I'd made then again I would apologise to them pretty directly."

Mr Davies - who defected from Tory to Labour last year and became a minister in the recent reshuffle - made the remarks after Maj Morley had hit out at the continued use of Snatch Land Rovers in Afghanistan.

Repeated warnings about their suitability were ignored by military commanders and Whitehall officials, Maj Morley claimed, leading to the needless deaths of four soldiers.

Cpl Bryant died alongside SAS servicemen Corporal Sean Reeve, Lance Corporal Richard Larkin and Paul Stout when their Snatch Land Rover was blown up in June.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The UK Independence Party (Ukip) claimed it had rejected the offer of an electoral pact from the far-right British National Party (BNP).

A spokesman for Ukip said that the approach had been made by Christopher "Buster" Mottram, the former tennis player, on behalf of BNP chairman Nick Griffin.

Mr Mottram had been a member of Ukip - which calls for British withdrawal from the European Union - but has now been expelled, the party spokesman added.

He had apparently suggested that the BNP would not stand against Ukip in the south in return for a "free run" in the north.

In a related development, three members of Ukip's national executive - one described by the party as "ex-officio" - were sacked.

Mr Mottram's offer, concerning elections to the European Parliament next June, came during a Ukip meeting in Westminster, which the party claimed the BNP had "gatecrashed".

Ukip leader Nigel Farage said: "There are no circumstances, no possible situations, in which we would even consider doing any type of deal with the BNP whatsoever. I'm simply amazed that the BNP thought we would even consider such a thing, given that we are a non-racist, non-sectarian party."

BNP spokesman Simon Darby confirmed that his party had made an approach to Ukip. "It was with a view to ending this ridiculous situation of splitting the anti-Euro federalist vote and it hasn't paid off, frankly," he said.

"We are aware there are people very highly placed in Ukip who are very sympathetic to the logic that the vote could be split - that was where we were coming from. Someone has to take a lead on this if we are not to continue to be propelled into this federalist monster."

London Labour Euro-MP Claude Moraes said the approach to Ukip suggested some "common extreme ground" between the two political parties, even if it was rebuffed. "It is of great concern that these talks could have taken place under any circumstances. They tend to reveal some common extreme ground, even though Ukip publicly distanced themselves from the BNP."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Lewis Hamilton is basking in the glory of becoming the youngest Formula One world champion.

The McLaren driver, 23, triumphed after a nail-biting Brazilian Grand Prix in which he wrested the title away from his nearest rival in the closing metres.

He was trailing in sixth after being overtaken by German driver Sebastian Vettel, but managed to clinch the fifth place needed to win the championship after sweeping past another German, Timo Glock, on the final bend.

Hamilton is the first Briton to win the Formula One crown since Damon Hill in 1996, and he is now on course to become one of the world's biggest sports stars alongside the likes of golfer Tiger Woods, tennis player Roger Federer and footballer David Beckham.

Former driving greats have predicted he will go on to win more championships, earning himself hundreds of millions of pounds in wages and sponsorship deals in the process.

Hamilton said: "It was just one of the toughest races of my life. The last corner I managed to get past Glock - and I can only thank God." He said he still did not know if he had won the title when he passed the finish line at Sao Paolo's Interlagos circuit.

Hamilton - who was watched trackside in Brazil by his family and pop star girlfriend, Pussycat Dolls' singer Nicole Scherzinger - went into the race with a seven point lead over his nearest rival, Ferrari's Felipe Massa. The Brazilian driver had the support of his home crowd and Hamilton was booed when he pushed Massa into second place by only one point.

Hamilton's father Anthony described the crowd's reaction as "a shame" and said they should have been "fair sportsmen".

Last year it was Hamilton who lost by one point, to Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen.

Hamilton joins an illustrious list of racing greats, including British drivers Nigel Mansell, James Hunt, Sir Jackie Stewart, Graham and Damon Hill, Jim Clark, John Surtees and Mike Hawthorn.

-Nova

[John]

BAGHDAD – A series of bomb blasts across Baghdad killed six people and injured more than 20 others Thursday, police said, in the fourth consecutive day of heightened violence in the Iraqi capital.

Meanwhile, Iraqi officials said the U.S. has officially responded to Iraqi proposals for changes in a draft security pact that would keep American troops in the country three more years — but did not say what was in the response.

U.S. officials say attacks in Baghdad are averaging about four a day — down nearly 90 percent from levels in late 2006, when Shiite-Sunni fighting was at its high point and just before the U.S. troop surge that helped bring down violence in the capital.

But there has been a marked uptick this week, with a string of daily bombings in the capital that has killed more than 30 people and wounded around 80 others since Monday. The violence shows that insurgents remain a threat, even in the heavily secured Iraqi capital.

The deadliest attack Thursday came near a checkpoint in central Baghdad when two bombs exploded during the morning rush hour, police said. Four people were killed and seven wounded in the blasts.

Another bomb targeting a government convoy injured six people, police and hospital officials said. Police said the convoy was carrying city workers. The police spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not supposed to release information.

The twin blasts in the capital's Sunni enclave of Sheik Omar happened at a checkpoint manned by members of an Awakening Council, the mostly Sunni groups that have joined forces with the Americans against al-Qaida in Iraq.

Another two Awakening Council members was killed in a bombing just before noon in southeastern Baghdad. The councils come under frequent attacks by insurgents because they have sided with U.S. forces.

Roadside bombs targeting two separate convoys carrying Baghdad city officials injured eight people, the mayor's office said in a statement. The municipal officials were not hurt in the attacks.

Nine other people were wounded in a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad's sprawling Shiite slum of Sadr City, police said.

Violence has dropped sharply in Baghdad since the Sunni revolt — led by Awakening Councils — against al-Qaida and the routing of Shiite militias in Baghdad and southern Iraq last spring.

The Iraqi Cabinet asked on Oct. 21 for changes to the draft security pact being negotiated with Washington, including a demand for expanded Iraqi legal authority over U.S. soldiers, which the U.S. has described as a "red line."

Other changes would rule out the use of Iraqi territory to launch attacks against neighboring countries, effectively rule out any extension of the U.S. military presence beyond the end of 2011 and allow Iraqis to inspect U.S. military shipments in and out of Iraq.

Iraqi lawmakers have said the changes are essential if parliament is to approve the agreement by a year's end deadline.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told The Associated Press on Thursday that the U.S. has responded to the proposed changes. He gave no further details and declined to characterize the U.S. reply.

U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Susan Ziadeh confirmed the report but did not give details.

But another top Iraqi official said the U.S. accepted some proposals and rejected others, presumably an Iraqi demand for expanded legal control over U.S. soldiers. The official would not elaborate and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not supposed to discuss the issue publicly.

Another official said the written response was sent to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki who was studying it. The official spoke on condition of anonymity for the same reason.

Iraq officials have said U.S. diplomats appeared willing to make the changes except for expanded jurisdiction. The Iraqis had urged the U.S. to show flexibility on that issue, which would open the door to limited prosecution by Iraqi courts of major crimes committed by soldiers off post and off duty.

Without an agreement or a new mandate, the U.S. would have to suspend all military operations in Iraq.

Also Thursday, Romania announced it plans to withdraw the country's 500 peacekeeping troops from Iraq by the end of the year. Some Romanian military personnel will remain to work as counselors.

Yahoo.

[John]

TEHRAN,Iran – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has congratulated Barack Obama on his election win — the first time an Iranian leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Ahmadinejad sent a message to Obama in which he congratulated the Democrat on "attracting the majority of voters in the election."

The text of the note was carried by the official IRNA news agency on Thursday.

In the message, Ahmadinejad also says he hopes Obama will "use the opportunity to serve the (American) people and leave a good name" during his term in office.

Iran and U.S. have no formal diplomatic relations since 1979 and the hostage drama when militant Iranian students held 52 Americans captive 444 days.

Yahoo.

[John]

BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Two thieves were caught in southern Hungary with 12 pigs stuffed in their small van during a routine traffic check, Hungarian police said on Thursday.

Police stopped two men in a Renault Kangoo near the town of Szigetvar, about 220 km (137 miles) south of Budapest, as they attempted to drive off.

"The pigs weighed about 25-30 kg (55-66 lb) each -- they were really squashed into the car very tightly," a spokesman said.

Police said the pigs came from a nearby farm, where 35 pigs have gone missing in recent days.

Yahoo.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for this.