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[JohnCenaFan28]

Premiership footballer Steven Gerrard has been publicly backed by his club after being charged over a nightclub brawl.

Liverpool Football Club issued a statement offering him "all the support he needs" in the wake of charges of affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The club said: "Steven has been an outstanding servant to Liverpool for the last 10 years and the club will give him all the support he needs at this time."

The England midfielder was charged by Merseyside Police in the early hours of Tuesday.

The criminal charges stem from a fight in the Lounge Inn, Southport, Merseyside, where the Liverpool captain was toasting his club's 5-1 demolition of Newcastle United.

Two other men, John Doran, 29, and Ian Gerard Smith, 19, both of Huyton where Gerrard grew up, were also charged with assaulting part-time DJ and businessman Marcus McGee, 34.

Mr McGee allegedly lost a tooth in the nightclub fight and needed several stitches to a face wound.

Gerrard and his wife Alex Curran left their home in a black Range Rover shortly after 1.15pm on Tuesday.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A couple who took their baby son with them on a seven-hour drinking session have narrowly escaped a jail sentence.

Alcoholics Mark and Petra Tyler, who were arrested in September after being refused entry to a pub, were each given a two-year probation order by magistrates in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.

The defendants, both of Reindeer Street, Mansfield, were also ordered to pay £60 costs after pleading guilty at a previous hearing to being drunk in charge of a child.

The Tylers, who both left court without comment, were detained after a publican called CCTV operators to check on their four-month-old son, Callum.

Mr Tyler, 47, and his 24-year-old wife planned to have a couple of drinks, but "one thing led to another" and they ended up drinking for seven hours, the court heard.

Sentencing the defendants, chairman of the bench Paul Richardson appeared to suggest that the couple may have been imprisoned if the maximum sentence for being drunk in charge of a child was longer than 30 days.

The magistrate said: "In this case we would have sent both of you to prison for what we feel is an extremely serious offence, where a young child was placed in danger.

"We accept, however, that the effect of that sentence would be to punish you for a very short time that would have no long-term benefit in terms of stopping your offending."

Imposing a 24-month community order with requirements for supervision and alcohol treatment on both parents, Mr Richardson warned them that they could "realistically expect" a custodial sentence if they breached it or committed further offences.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The struggling housing market has been dealt another blow as figures revealed the annual rate at which house prices in England and Wales are falling continued to accelerate in November to hit a fresh record of 12.2%.

The average home lost 1.9% of its value during the month to stand at £161,883, according to the Land Registry.

It is the 15th consecutive month that the annual rate has declined and the average house price is now similar to February 2006 levels.

The number of homes changing hands also continued to slide, with an average of just 48,599 property sales each month between June and September, less than half the average 115,697 transactions a month in the same period in 2007.

In September, the last month for which figures are available, sales totalled 38,508, down 61% from the same month in 2007.

The year-on-year drop in sales stabilised slightly from the previous month's 63% fall, although the number of properties sold was down on August's 46,534 figure.

Only 354 homes were sold for over £1 million in September, less than half the 762 properties which changed hands for over seven figures in that month in 2007.

Every region in England showed an annual and monthly decrease in property values.

The South East saw the most significant monthly fall in prices at 3.2%. Homes in the region losing 13.7% of their value year-on-year and the average property now stands at £197,760.

Annual price falls in the East and East Midlands were the most dramatic, as homes lost 14.1% and 14.2% of their value respectively.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Two British missionaries have been sentenced to one year in prison with hard labour after pleading guilty to sedition charges in a Gambian court, a Foreign Office spokesman said.

David and Fiona Fulton were arrested last month in the West African country after allegedly sending a letter to individuals and groups criticising Gambia's government.

The pair pleaded guilty on Wednesday and were sentenced and also fined £6,250 each.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "We are seeking clarity as to what hard labour means in this context. It is a decision for the Fultons with their legal representative as to whether they appeal this judgment or not.

"Mr and Mrs Fulton have not raised any concerns over their welfare with us. Consular staff in the Gambia will continue to visit Mr and Mrs Fulton whilst they are being detained.

"If Mr or Mrs Fulton raise concerns over their treatment, we can take these up with the relevant authorities."

Mr Fulton, 60, a former British Army major originally from Troon, Scotland, and Mrs Fulton, 46, originally from Torquay, Devon, were arrested on November 29. The pair were held separately following their arrests and were not granted bail.

Mr Fulton was detained at high-security Mile Two prison outside the capital Banjul. It is described as a "tough" former colonial jail built during the days of the British Empire.

Mrs Fulton was held with their two-year-old adopted daughter Elizabeth at a police station in the capital.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said consular staff in Gambia checked the welfare of the Fultons' daughter. He said: "At no point was she under arrest. She was being kept with Mrs Fulton at Mrs Fulton's request. Mrs Fulton made alternative arrangements for her and she is being cared for by a family friend in the family home."

-Nova

[John]

:laugh: What a Story.

[JohnCenaFan28]

David Cameron has called for 2009 to be "the year when change comes to Britain", arguing that the economic crisis will get worse the longer the Labour Government remains in power.

In a New Year message urging his party to offer hope to hard-pressed voters, the Conservative leader blasted Prime Minister Gordon Brown for calling on the British people to show the spirit of the Blitz and "rise to the challenge" of the downturn.

And he echoed the recent criticisms of a group of Church of England bishops by questioning the morality of the Government's decision to increase borrowing in the hope of stimulating the economy.

Ministers' "arrogance" has blinded them to the mistakes they have made and left them incapable of solving problems of "Labour's Debt Crisis", he said.

The coming year will offer voters with a "choice between the future and the past", as Labour returns to the "big government knows best" ideas of the 1970s, while Tories offer a "modern" vision based on a strong society led by a responsible government.

Accusing Mr Brown of presiding over an "age of irresponsibility", Mr Cameron said: "It has to end - and the sooner the better. The longer Labour are in, the worse it gets.

"So let's make sure we're ready for an election at any time, and let's do all we can to make sure that 2009 is the year when change comes to Britain too."

Mr Cameron said it was clear that Labour had been "in power too long" and had been "corrupted by power".

Borrowing one of Mr Brown's favourite phrases, he accused the Government of losing its "moral compass" in its decision to use borrowing to stimulate the economy.

Mr Cameron accused Labour of making the debt crisis worse by borrowing more money and wasting billions on "useless" schemes like Chancellor Alistair Darling's temporary cut in VAT.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The price of petrol has reached a three-year low, the AA has announced.

The average cost of petrol at the beginning of this week was 87.79p a litre compared with 88.27p at the end of December 2005. Diesel is now averaging 99.72p a litre - the lowest price since November 2007.

With petrol hitting a record high of 119.7p a litre in July this year, a UK driver is on average now paying nearly £16 less to fill up a typical 50-litre tank than during this last summer. A family with two petrol cars is now spending £68.39 less a month on fuel.

The AA said new retail fuel sales figures released by the Government showed that petrol sales in July-September 2008 - the period of peak prices - fell by 8.2% cent compared to the same time last year.

Retail sales of diesel rose 1.8% in the same period, reflecting the desperate attempts of hard-pressed UK drivers to switch to more fuel-efficient vehicles and reduce their costs.

The AA added that the figures appeared to show that many drivers drifted away from supermarkets to buy their petrol elsewhere during the period of peak fuel prices this summer. Localised price-matching strategies produced uniform pump prices across many towns, reducing the incentive for drivers to go to traditionally cheaper supermarkets.

AA public affairs head Paul Watters said: "Families are making substantial savings from the fall in pump prices in recent months, although AA/Populus research shows that many are still cutting back - some even more deeply through fear or the impact of the economic slowdown.

"Next year could see some intriguing changes to fuel-buying habits as more small independent petrol stations match or undercut supermarket prices to draw customers to more profitable small shop sales.

"Retail sales figures during the late summer seem to indicate that drivers will desert supermarket filling stations in significant numbers if there is no price difference to lure them in."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Fitting speed-limiting devices in cars could prevent up to 29% of injury accidents on the roads, a report by a Government advisory body has said.

The Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT) said there would be real benefits in the voluntary introduction of intelligent speed adaptation (ISA).

This is a driver-assistance system that brings local speed-limit information into the vehicle.

The report was also prepared by the Motorists' Forum, a sub-group of CfIT which ensures motoring interests and car users' views are fully reflected in road policy.

The report has also looked at the impacts on fuel consumption, emissions, noise and road network efficiency. It concluded that on 70mph roads, adherence to the speed limit could lead to savings of up to 6% in CO2 emissions.

Neither CfIT nor the Motorists' Forum is recommending the compulsory fitting or usage of ISA.

Instead, both organisations are calling for the Department for Transport to work with the relevant authorities, organisations and vehicle manufacturers to consider what steps should be taken to support and encourage the future availability of the technology and to promote its take-up.

CfIT vice-chairman David Leeder said on Tuesday: "This important report shows the very real benefits to motorists from the introduction and use of an ISA system - not just in road safety but also in terms of fuel and money saved."

Sir Trevor Chinn, chairman of the Motorists' Forum, said: "The UK has an enviable record on road safety but we still kill nearly 3,000 people on our roads each year.

"This report shows the potential substantial savings in injury accidents that could be achieved through the introduction of ISA. The fact that the report is backed by our members, who represent interests across the motoring spectrum, is testimony to the desire of the motoring world to work with government to make our roads even safer."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Israel has warned it would step up its assault on Gaza until it had smashed the militants of Hamas.

The security Cabinet is due to meet to consider various plans for a ground invasion, a defence official said.

And there were reports Israel was considering a temporary "humanitarian" truce to allow vital aid supplies into the area.

But Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the current, aerial phase of the operation was just "the first of several" that have been approved.

Palestinian militants, meanwhile, kept up their rocket assaults on Israeli border communities, despite a fourth day of Israeli air attacks and a refusal by Egypt to bail them out.

Israeli warplanes smashed a Hamas government complex, the largest one hit so far, dumping the biggest single load of bombs on the buildings, which had been evacuated since the bombardment began on Saturday. Israel also hit security installations and the home of a top militant commander.

More than 370 Palestinians have now been killed since Saturday. Most were members of Hamas security forces, and at least 64 civilians also died. Among them were two sisters, aged four and 11, killed in an airstrike on a rocket squad in northern Gaza on Tuesday.

During brief lulls between airstrikes, Gazans ventured into the streets to buy goods and collect belongings from homes they had abandoned after the attacks started.

The campaign has brought a new reality to southern Israel, too. Militants, battered but unbowed, pressed on with their rocket and mortar assaults, killing three Israeli civilians and a soldier and bringing a widening circle of targets into their sights with an arsenal of mightier weapons.

The military estimated that one-tenth of Israel's population of seven million people are now within rocket range, with the battles shifting closer to Israel's heartland. Of the four Israelis killed since the operation began on Saturday, all but one were in areas that had not suffered fatalities before.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The family of a 14-year-old Afghan rape victim face prosecution after her foetus was removed without anaesthetic.

The mother and brother of the girl are accused of cutting her open with a razor blade to perform an abortion.

Doctors say the girl is in a critical condition. A man accused of raping her is under arrest, officials say.

Rape victims and their families in Afghanistan often feel ashamed to report what has happened because people may think the victim consented to sex.

Sex outside marriage is illegal in Afghanistan.

'Dog bite'

The governor of Bamiyan Province, Habiba Sarabi, says that action is being taken.

When the girl was five months pregnant it is alleged her mother and brother took her to a stables and cut her open with a razor blade.

They removed the foetus, which they buried, before stitching up her wound, Governor Sarabi said.

The father eventually took the girl to get medical treatment.

Dr Ghulam Mohammad Nader, head of Bamiyan hospital, said the girl is in a critical condition, but that she had been able to explain what had happened to her.

"The girl stayed at home for three or four days in her condition until her father took her to hospital," Dr Nader said.

"He said a dog had bitten her so that people in the area wouldn't know what had really happened."

The provincial governor says the man accused of raping the girl has been arrested and that police are trying to arrest her mother and brother.

The victims of rape and their families in Afghanistan are often afraid to admit what has happened to them because of the stigma and shame attached to the issue.

Sometimes the victims are murdered by their own families.

Critics accuse the authorities of not taking accusations of rape seriously, especially those made by children.

But President Karzai recently called for rapists to be brought to justice and the Afghan Supreme Court suspended three judges who acquitted people accused of rape.

-BBC News