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[JohnCenaFan28]

Shareholders in Royal Bank of Scotland approved a £20 billion bail-out plan which could put nearly 60% of the company in public hands.

At a general meeting of the RBS Group in Edinburgh, shareholders voted 99.28% in favour of the proposal, which will see the bank offer £15 billion in new ordinary shares, with the Government promising to buy up any remaining.

The Government has also committed to buying £5 billion in preference shares which RBS will buy back in time. Royal Bank of Scotland - one of the worst hit by the banking turmoil - is bolstering its finances by offering the shares.

The company's outgoing chairman Sir Tom McKillop and chief executive Sir Fred Goodwin, who is stepping down, both apologised to shareholders for the situation the company had found itself in. Sir Tom said: "A new chapter in the RBS story must now begin."

A full strategic review of the company under the helm of new chief executive Stephen Hester is to be started. He conceded that job losses were expected, but pledged to bring a "sense of optimism" to the company.

Existing shareholders have until Tuesday to take up the offer, but because shares are trading well below the 65.5p offer price investors are likely to snub them. This leaves the taxpayer - currently sitting on a paper loss of around £5 billion on the new shares - with a potential 58% stake.

The meeting took place at the Assembly Hall on The Mound in the Scottish capital. Addressing shareholders, Sir Tom said they faced "unprecedented" challenges as an institution, a country and part of the world financial system.

"I, as chairman of RBS group, both personally and in the office I hold, am profoundly sorry about the position we have reached," he said. "I feel this sincerely, on a number of levels and for a variety of reasons, but I want to highlight just a few.

"I am sorry about the very real financial and therefore human cost that those who have invested in us now feel and recognise how seriously this has impacted shareholder confidence in our RBS. And I am also sorry if any of our customers have suffered anxiety as a result of the situation."

Sir Tom, who retires as chairman next year, added: "The buck stops with me as chairman and with the leadership of the group. Accountability has been allocated and fully accepted."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The Saudi owners of the Sirius Star are reportedly negotiating with pirate hijackers despite pleas from British and Saudi governments not to pay the ransom.

Chief engineer Peter French, from County Durham, and second officer James Grady, from Strathclyde are among 25 people being held on the ship.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband said payments were, "only an encouragement to further hostage-taking". His Saudi counterpart Prince Saud Al-Faisal said owners Vela International are in talks with the pirates.

"We do not like to negotiate with either terrorists or hijackers," but, he added: "The owners of the tanker are the final arbiters of what happens there."

A foreign news agency reported that the pirates have demanded 25 million dollars (£16.6 million) for the hostages' safe release. But Vela would not confirm this figure and maritime security experts said the true ransom is expected to be much higher.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said British policy was not to negotiate with hijackers but conceded the Sirius Star, "is not a British ship".

"I cannot say if we have been contacted (by the pirates) or not. That is not something we can get into discussing," he said.

The UN approved a British proposal to impose new sanctions against Somalia in a bid to cut off the pirate gangs. It also called on the security council to recommend the freezing of assets of individuals and organisations.

The Sirius Star was attacked at the weekend 420 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia and the pirates who have taken control of the vessel have taken it to a stronghold near the town of Eyl. The 1,080ft (330m) long ship was fully laden with two million barrels of oil when pirates boarded it and is the largest vessel ever to be hijacked in a region which has become notorious for piracy.

Mr Miliband said he was "extremely concerned" about the situation and called on the international community to "stand firm" against hostage-taking in all its forms.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Mortgage lending rose by nearly 7% during October but it remained well down on 12 months ago, figures show.

A total of £18.7 billion was advanced during the month, compared with just £17.5 billion during a "weak" September, the Council of Mortgage Lenders said.

But the figure was still 44% lower than the £33.38 billion lent in October 2007, and it was also down on August's advances of £19.66 billion.

Despite the increase in lending during October, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) warned that demand was likely to remain subdued due to falling house prices and the deteriorating economy.

Michael Coogan, director general of the CML, said: "While lending in October ticked up from a low figure in the preceding month, the outlook is one of continuing weakness for housing and mortgage markets in the coming months, despite the Bank rate cuts in October and November.

"Consumer confidence is now being affected by the worsening economic outlook. However, any recovery in lending is also being held back by the continuing shortage of mortgage funding. The Government should therefore publish the delayed Crosby Review as part of the forthcoming Pre-Budget Report and announce concrete steps that will enable and encourage firms to increase mortgage loans."

Mortgage lending is continuing to be constrained by the problems in the wholesale money markets, leaving banks struggling to raise the funds they need to lend to consumers.

The Government is due to respond to a review on mortgage finance, carried out by former head of Halifax Bank of Scotland Sir James Crosby, in the Pre-Budget Report on Monday.

The report's recommendations, which have not yet been made public, may include some form of Government support to get the mortgage-backed securities market working again.

But in his interim report published in July, Sir James said the Government and the Bank of England should steer clear of propping up the mortgage market, and any intervention he suggests is likely to be only on a temporary basis.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Government claims to prioritise victims of crime were questioned as a committee of MPs delivered a damning report into compensation for people injured in violent attacks.

Less than 5% of those eligible for payouts of up to half a million pounds from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority were even applying, the Public Accounts Committee found.

Two-thirds of victims were unaware of the scheme and those who did apply were hampered by a complex application form and suffered delays in receiving their money because of bureaucracy, they said.

Many victims also spent money on expensive lawyers because they did not know free legal help was on offer, the MPs found.

Their report, Compensating Victims of Violent Crime, criticises the Ministry of Justice for affording the agency a "low priority" despite its claims to put victims at the "heart" of the criminal justice system.

Ministers failed to set the body rigorous targets, they said, as costs and bureaucracy increased and standards slipped. Despite applications falling 23%, the time taken to resolve the average complaint has risen from one year to 17 months.

The costs of administering the scheme rose by £6 million between 2000 and 2006, while staff productivity fell. Committee chairman Edward Leigh said it was "absurd" that so few people were applying for money they were due.

He said: "The Ministry of Justice's declared objective is to place victims at the heart of the criminal justice system. If the scheme for compensating victims of violent crime is anything to go by, that objective is a long way from fulfilment.

"A large proportion of citizens who are injured by violent criminals are left in ignorance of the compensation scheme, leading to the absurd situation that only 5% apply for compensation."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

There were calls for the Government to halt its JobCentre closure programme, after a minister said he was reviewing it in the light of the economic crisis.

Employment minister Tony McNulty told Westminster reporters it was a "no-brainer" to look again at the scaling back of the network of JobCentre Plus offices at a time of rising unemployment.

Unemployment figures for September, released last week, showed that 1.82 million were out of work - the highest since 1997. Economists are predicting the total will soon pass two million and may even hit three million as the downturn continues.

Asked what action the Department for Work and Pensions was taking to help the country prepare for rising joblessness, Mr McNulty said: "The closure plan for JobCentre Plus offices is a no-brainer, we should revisit it."

Shadow work and pensions secretary Chris Grayling later said: "It feels like the Government is making policy on the hoof. Many of the JobCentres under threat have already been closed and can't just be reopened.

"All of this underlines the fact that the Government has no real strategy for dealing with unemployment even though there have been warnings for months now that it was going to rise."

Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokeswoman Jenny Willott said: "The Government is finally accepting that it is crazy to carry on closing JobCentres when 1,500 people are losing their job every day.

"More than 40 JobCentres were closed last year, while the backlog in outstanding Jobseekers Allowance applications has more than doubled.

"The Government must do more than review the JobCentre closure programme.

"They must stop it altogether and recruit more staff so newly unemployed people get the support they need, when they need it."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The man accused of kidnapping Shannon Matthews told police he took the schoolgirl on trips to the park, a court heard.

Michael Donovan told police officers he drove the nine-year-old girl to the supermarket and took her to local parks. He described how she would sit in the back of his car with her pink coat on and hood up, Leeds Crown Court was told. Donovan also took her for a drive in his car "to give her some fresh air", the jury heard.

The court heard the youngster was unaware of the huge police search and media interest as she would watch cartoons on the television. Donovan and Shannon's mother, Karen Matthews, 33, deny kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice.

Donovan, 40, told police: "During the time Shannon was with me we stayed mostly in the house, although sometimes I would go out and buy clothes, food, toys, games and DVDs. She said I was kind and generous, not like her parents.

"On about three times I took her to parks in Batley and Birstall and once in the evening again I took her for a ride in the car to give her a break from the house and get some fresh air."

She was also supplied with clothes and toys during her 24-day in Donovan's flat. Donovan made the disclosures in police interviews after Shannon was found by officers in the bottom of a divan bed at his flat in Lidgate Gardens, Batley Carr, West Yorkshire.

Donovan told officers he was threatened by Matthews who said she would set three "lads" onto him if he did not agree to take Shannon to his flat.

The court heard how Donovan told officers Matthews made the threat when the pair met at a cafe in Dewsbury town centre before Shannon vanished.

During the interviews, he told the officers: "When I saw the news I wanted to take her back home but I was still frightened of Karen's threats to set men on me if I did."

The trial was adjourned until Monday.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Water companies must help customers save 40% more water from 2010 following a "lacklustre" performance by some suppliers, Ofwat has announced.

The regulator is demanding that companies help customers use water more wisely with target savings of at least 23 million litres a day, or an average of one litre per property each day.

Companies will have to give household and business customers better information on how to use water sensibly and promote devices like water-efficient toilets and showers.

Ofwat promised it would not allow companies to increase customer bills to meet the targets, which will be introduced on a trial basis from April 2009 and come into full effect in 2010.

The targets would see suppliers helping customers to save an estimated 40% more water compared with the past three years - enough to fill more than 3,300 Olympic swimming pools every year.

The reduction is expected to be on top of savings from targets on leakage from pipes and increasing water metering.

The Government's long-term ambition is to reduce individual water usage to 130 litres per person per day from its current level of around 150 litres.

Ofwat chief executive Regina Finn said: "Water is an increasingly valuable resource and we all have a responsibility to conserve it. Successes in Europe show that helping households to use water wisely can save significant amounts of water, reducing the need for expensive new sources.

"Some companies need to do more to help customers cut waste and use water efficiently. This is good customer service and helps customers on meters control their bills. Companies will be stretched by these targets but this is about customers getting a fair deal and using water sustainably."

England and Wales lags significantly behind many European countries including Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium in terms of the amount of water used by households.

-Nova

[Black Widow]

http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00657/SNN2108MM-682_657531a.jpg


THE vile mum of Baby P partied at the infamous Monsters’ Ball in jail – while her tragic tot was given a pauper’s funeral.

The cold-hearted 27-year-old joined some of Britain’s most evil murderesses at the fancy-dress bash.

Fury erupted two months ago when The Sun published a photo from the 2007 Halloween knees-up at London’s Holloway prison – showing lifers in ghoulish costumes and dripping in fake blood.

Hated

Taxpayers footed the £500 bill for the jolly – blasted as an “insult” to victims. Baby P’s mum – convicted with the tot’s stepdad, 32, and a lodger of appalling cruelty after her 17-month-old son was tortured to death – was on remand at the time. She was also pregnant with a child she gave birth to in jail.

Last night a prison source said: “This woman is the most hated prisoner at Holloway. No one can believe how evil she is.

“Seeing her feasting on cake while Michael Jackson’s Thriller played in the background turned everyone’s stomachs.

“The fact she was pregnant was even more sickening.” Days after The Sun lifted the lid on the chilling party, Justice Secretary Jack Straw outlawed any more amid outrage.

The mum cannot be named for legal reasons. She admitted causing the death of her tiny son – found in his blood-spattered cot. The stepdad, who also cannot be named, and lodger Jason Owen, 36, were convicted of the same charge. All await sentence. Despite being on an “at risk“ register at Haringey council in North London, Baby P had been horrifically tortured for eight months.

Among killers at the party on the lifers’ wing was Jayne Richards, 35, who butchered her lover in a row over Christmas decorations, and Rochelle Etherington, 21, who gouged out her dying victim’s eye with a screwdriver.

Baby P’s mum, sent to the women’s jail weeks earlier, was not among those who dressed as devils and witches – and was not in the shocking picture.

The jail source said: “She wore her own clothes. She was on the lifers’ wing because she was at that time charged with murder.”


the sun

[Black Widow]

The inquest into the death of 14-year old Brian Rossiter has heard he told a friend, the night before he was found unconscious in a garda station cell, that he had been beaten by gardaí.

The inquest has also been told that the 14-year-old was out of control and striking out trying to free himself when he arrived at Clonmel Garda Station after his arrest.

Brian Rossiter and Anthony O'Sullivan had been hanging around together for some time and were both aged 14 when Brian died, the inquest heard.

Anthony O'Sullivan said that he and Brian drank cider and smoked some hash in a friend's flat on the evening of their arrest on 10 September 2002. He denied that they had taken the drug ecstasy.

Later, he said, they shouted abuse at gardaí after another friend was arrested following a disturbance on the street.

They ran away and got separated but both were arrested a short time later.

Anthony O'Sullivan told the inquest that Brian was put in the cell next to him at Clonmel Garda Station. He said Brian shouted to him that gardaí 'were after beating him and killing him'.

Garda Anne-Marie Coogan told the inquest Brian Rossiter was intoxicated when he arrived at the station after his arrest.

She said he was shouting and roaring. He was very aggressive and was striking out trying to free himself.

The hearing continues.


RTE

[John]

Thanks for the news!

[JohnCenaFan28]

... I don't know what to say about this.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the news.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Women who change their names after marriage could face fines of up to £1,000 if they fail to tell the Government, it was revealed.

Anyone holding a biometric passport or ID card will be required to notify the National Identity Register of changes to the personal data it holds.

Draft legislation sets out the fines payable by anyone who fails to comply.

The Home Office also revealed the £30 fixed fee for the cost of the card is set only until 2010. Most people are likely to pay more when large scale issuing of cards begins in 2011 or 2012, it emerged.

The personal details which must be kept up to date include name, address, nationality and even gender.

Special provisions have been made for people undergoing sex changes.

Transgendered people will have two cards at the same time, one for their old identity and a new one for when they have completed their sex change.

Fines will also apply if cardholders fail to report their cards lost or stolen, and will be enforceable by the civil courts.

The consultation document states fines are "not intended to be punitive or revenue raising". Officials stress card holders will usually have the fines waived if they agree to have their data updated when the errors emerge.

They say the penalties are necessary to ensure the information on the database remains current.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A wealthy businessman who cut pages from rare and priceless books at two historic libraries to boost his own collection must wait to learn if he will be jailed for his crimes.

Iranian Farhad Hakimzadeh defaced works at the British and Bodleian libraries to improve his copies of the same books. He replaced pages that were missing or damaged with leaves cut from library copies, many of which were publicly owned.

The 60-year-old was due to be sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court after pleading guilty to 14 counts of theft in May. But sentencing on Hakimzadeh, who is a director of the Iranian Heritage Foundation and a published author, was put off until January 16.

Head of collections at the British Library Dr Kristian Jensen believes he smuggled in a scalpel and positioned himself out of the view of CCTV cameras while stealing the pages.

Dr Jensen said: "He has a profound knowledge of the field. So in a sense from my point of view that makes it worse because he actually knew the importance of what he was damaging.

"Obviously I'm angry because this is somebody extremely rich who has damaged something which belongs to everybody, completely selfishly destroyed something for his own personal benefit which this nation has invested in over generations, so this is something that people have paid for for a very long time. Some of the objects which we believe are damaged have been cared for by the nation for centuries."

The 10 British Library works which he admitted damaging were worth £71,000 alone.

He initially told police he had bought the suspect books, found in the large library in his Knightsbridge home, second hand.

British Library staff said around 150 books were defaced in total, and many of the stolen pages will never be recovered.

The works dated from as early as the 16th century and all concerned European interaction with the Middle East. A map worth £30,000 was cut out of one of the books.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Dozens of members of the Congolese community in Britain marched on Downing Street calling for Prime Minister Gordon Brown to "act boldly and act decisively" to protect people at risk from escalating violence in the country.

Around 100 people gathered in London dressed in black to symbolise mourning for the 5.4 million people estimated to have died as a result of conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 1998.

The protestors, who met on social networking site Facebook, were led by an 11-year-old Congolese girl - born in the UK - carrying a wreath of funeral flowers.

They marched from Marylebone to the Rwandan embassy where they laid the wreath before continuing on to present a petition.

The protest was organised by student group Save The Congo. Chairman Vava Tampa said: "The petition calls upon the prime minister to take certain steps in order to restore peace, security, justice and human dignity in Congo."

The petition, which was signed by more than 3,000 people, calls for "Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his government not to turn a blind eye to the ongoing military escalation in eastern Congo, mass displacement, humanitarian crisis, famine and the use of gang rape and other forms of sexual violence against women and young girls because of their ethnicity, political allegiance or simply to gain control of rich mining areas."

Mr Tampa added: "We cannot wait for another month or two months until the UN deploys the 3,000 peacekeeping force which they approved yesterday.

"The Prime Minister needs to take serious actions. He needs to act now, act boldly and act decisively.

"We need to start naming and shaming those responsible."

He added: "The UN and Congolese forces are unable to protect civilians so if the Prime Minister doesn't show leadership on this issue, then the Congo soon will witness the same violence and evil that swamped Rwanda."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A high-flying NHS doctor denied conspiring to kill hundreds of people in a terrorist car bombing campaign.

Mohammed Asha, 28, said he loved England, the health service and was totally committed to his medical training.

Speaking in his defence for the first time at Woolwich Crown Court, Asha said nothing would make him jeopardise his wife and young son. The court heard the neurologist describe his background in Jordan, family life, his love of poetry and his top flight education.

As he took the witness stand, Asha's barrister Stephen Kamlish QC asked him: "Are you one of the conspirators in this plot?" Asha, who has sat in the dock throughout the six week trial silently taking notes, replied loudly: "No."

Later, Mr Kamlish added: "The Crown would have us believe you are a terrorist who would throw it all away."

Asha replied: "I would never jeopardise my family or my wife for anything in the world."

Before he spoke out, Mr Kamlish warned the jury his client would "fight for his life" in the witness box.

He said: "This is the man you are trying, he is a pacifist, he is a decent man and he is a man dedicated in an extreme way. There is the irony, Bilal Abdulla, an extremist, describes Mohammed Asha's dedication to medicine as extreme, and that is why he is not guilty."

Asha and Abdulla are on trial accused of conspiracy to murder and to cause explosions. They deny the offences.

The men were behind car bomb attacks on London's West End and a suicide attack on Glasgow Airport, the court has heard.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Boris Johnson's advisers are to study the potential benefits of an amnesty for illegal immigrants, the Mayor of London has revealed.

He moved to reopen the debate over how to deal with hundreds of thousands of people working illegally in the UK, insisting that simply deporting them was "just not going to happen".

Mr Johnson's comments risk opening a rift between himself and Tory leader David Cameron, with whom he openly clashed on the issue of an amnesty earlier this year.

Speaking to Channel 4 News, the Conservative mayor said that allowing long-term illegal immigrants to earn the right to stay in Britain would see "hugely increased" tax revenues.

Of the 700,000 thought to be working illegally in the UK, about 400,000 are in London.

"What I want to do is to commission a study by my own economics team here at the Greater London Authority into the possibility," he said.

"We want to look in detail at what the economic impact of such an earned amnesty system would be."

He acknowledged that illegal immigrants had broken the law and should "in principle" be deported. But he added: "Unfortunately it is just not going to happen."

Mr Johnson insisted that he did not want to incentivise illegal immigration but said there were significant legal and financial obstacles to mass deportations.

He suggested that those allowed to stay would have to be at least five years resident and able to demonstrate their commitment "to this society and to this economy."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The number of landlords falling behind on their mortgage repayments has soared by 50% as the buy-to-let boom turns to bust.

According to Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) data, the arrears rate in the buy-to-let sector was 1.58%, exceeding the whole market rate for the first time since CML records began in 1998.

The CML figures also showed home repossessions in the third quarter were up 12% compared to the previous three months, to 11,300, and the number of borrowers who were more than three months in arrears also rose, by 8% to 168,000.

The number of buy-to-let borrowers falling into arrears was up to 18,000 in the three months to the end of September, from 12,000 in the previous quarter.

Landlords were finding it increasingly difficult to pay their loans because of falling rents and over-supply in some areas, according to the CML.

The CML said the traditional "exit strategy" of selling up if they get into difficulties has been curtailed as buyers dry up.

CML figures showed 900 properties owned by buy-to-let investors were repossessed in the third quarter, the same as in the first and second quarters of the year. But this resilience was "unlikely to be maintained" in the future, the CML said.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said the increased rate of buy-to-let borrowers going into arrears on their mortgages was "ominous".

Simon Rubinsohn, RICS chief economist, said: "The latest RICS survey of the residential lettings market shows rents are now declining which, if persistent, could exacerbate the pain in this sector."

As unemployment rises and low-interest rates come to an end, more people have struggled to meet their mortgage repayments. The rise in the number of households falling behind on their mortgages was larger-than-expected, prompting the CML to warn that "in a worsening economy, the number of households in arrears by the end of the year is likely to exceed the previous forecast of 170,000".

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Prime Minister Gordon Brown tried to put a lid on speculation about a spring general election, insisting that reports he was considering going to the polls in June could be discounted.

Without actually ruling out any particular date for a poll, Mr Brown insisted that his full attention was focused on guiding the country through economic turmoil and said he was "not thinking about anything else".

Mr Brown was widely criticised last year for allowing rumours about a snap election to build up unchecked, and many at Westminster blamed Labour's subsequent slump in the polls on the PM's "dithering" over whether to go to the country.

In an apparent attempt to avoid a repeat of last summer's frenzied speculation, Mr Brown was firm in rejecting reports that he was considering an election on June 4 next year to capitalise on public approval for his handling of the financial crisis.

Following a set of increasingly strong showings in the opinion polls - most recently cutting the Conservative lead to three points - Labour MPs have openly urged the PM to call a snap election before the economy gets worse.

The Evening Standard quoted unnamed "insiders" as saying that Mr Brown was "seriously considering" a June 4 poll to coincide with the local and European elections.

But challenged on the report by Jeremy Vine in an interview on BBC Radio 2 today, the Prime Minister said: "My undivided attention is on the economy. I am not thinking about anything else.

"It is 100% of my attention, and you can just discount all of these stories."

Labour's election supremo Douglas Alexander said on Sunday that he had not held any discussions with the Prime Minister about the poll date, telling the BBC: "As election co-ordinator, I have not spoken to Gordon Brown about the possibility of an election. We are getting on with the job."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Ministers have agreed to release a detailed report into the mistakes made by authorities in the Baby P case to a select group of MPs.

Children's Secretary Ed Balls told the Commons on Thursday that Government lawyers had advised him not to make the full serious case review available. He cited a 2006 ruling by the Information Commissioner in a separate case and voiced concerns that identifying the professionals involved in the case could jeopardise future investigations.

But the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) said five MPs would be allowed to study the full report.

Baby P died in a blood-splattered cot in Haringey, north London, in August last year. He had suffered more than 50 injuries at the hands of his abusive mother, her boyfriend and a lodger despite repeated visits by the authorities.

A 15-page summary of the serious case review was published at the end of an Old Bailey trial last week.

Now the full report will be made available to Conservative and Lib-Dem children's spokesmen Michael Gove and David Laws, Children, Schools and Families select committee chairman Barry Sheerman and local MPs Lynne Featherstone and David Lammy.

The MPs will be allowed to read the document on "privy council terms", meaning they must keep its contents secret.

A DCSF spokeswoman said: "As Ed Balls said in the House of Commons yesterday and in his letter to the opposition children, schools and families spokesmen, he has been keen to find a way to enable them to study the serious case review report but remaining consistent with the principle that these documents remain unpublished and confidential."

She added: "In order to ensure that future serious case reviews are not undermined and achieve their purpose, it remains vital to keep the serious case review confidential.

"As we have already said, we will publish the full report from the joint inspectors' review into Haringey together with the Government's response. Ed Balls has already confirmed that opposition spokesmen and local MPs will be invited in for a briefing before it is published."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Jonathan Ross is set to keep his job as a BBC presenter, despite the Andrew Sachs obscene phone calls scandal, after the corporation's governing body agreed the "right action" had been taken against him.

The BBC Trust, which has published its report on the controversy, said the calls were "grossly offensive" and there was no justification for broadcasting them.

It said the material broadcast on Russell Brand's Radio 2 show last month was a "deplorable intrusion" into the private lives of Sachs and his granddaughter, Georgina Baillie.

But Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons said the BBC's director general had taken the right action with regard to Ross, who was suspended without pay for three months.

He said: "We have underlined very clearly that it is not the job of the Trust to make decisions about the terms and conditions of performers or the sanctions that are applied to them when they are found to be wanting.

"We are very clear that the director general has taken the right action with respect to Jonathan Ross."

Ross, who was involved in the broadcast, is due to return to his £6 million-a-year job when his current period of suspension without pay ends in January.

The Trust said there was no "editorial justification" and no "informed consent obtained" for airing the messages, which were left on the answering machine of the Fawlty Towers actor.

BBC trustee Richard Tait said there were three failures: to exercise editorial control, to follow established compliance systems and a failure of judgment in taking editorial decisions.

But he said the Trust considered the BBC's response to the controversy to be appropriate.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Every household in the country has been promised immediate support to get through the economic downturn amid growing expectations of a cut in Value Added Tax (VAT).

Officials were quoted by both the Sunday Telegraph and Sunday Mirror suggesting that VAT could be slashed from 17.5% to 15% for at least a year.

The £12.5 billion move was emerging as a possible centrepiece of Monday's Pre-Budget Report (PBR) as Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling signalled they were "ready to help".

The Government is expected to pump between £15 and £20 billion into the economy in a Keynesian-style bid to spend Britain out of the downturn.

"Every household will get support now - to help them through the difficult period ahead," Mr Darling wrote in the Sunday Mirror. "Worried mortgage holders will get help and I shall do what I can to help those who lose their jobs. And I will state exactly how we intend to pay for the help we are providing now."

The PBR comes amid growing concerns about Britain's ballooning debt and the tax rises and spending cuts that may be necessary later.

Tory leader David Cameron has come out against the Government's proposed "fiscal stimulus" - higher spending funded by borrowing to spur the economy back to strength.

But the Prime Minister attacked the Conservative "do nothing" approach, warning that failure to intervene only prolongs the pain of recession.

"If we do not act now, the downturn will be longer and more severe," he wrote in the News of the World. "A prolonged recession means people out of work for longer, more repossessions, and businesses taking longer to start growing again.

"We all remember what happened in the 1980s and 1990s when the Conservative Government sat on its hands and just let people fend for themselves. It took us years to recover and much of the damage could have been avoided had the Government stepped in to help people out. We will not repeat those mistakes. I want every household facing difficulty at this time to know we are ready to help and on their side."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Large parts of the UK are braced for blizzard-like conditions as forecasters warned of more heavy snowfall.

MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said the east was set to be worst hit as an Arctic front swept across the country in the first prolonged cold snap of the winter.

Motorists were warned to be prepared for hazardous driving conditions with up to 10cm (4in) of snow predicted in some places.

"There is likely to be a couple of hours of snowfall," said Rob Hutchinson, a forecaster for MeteoGroup UK. "Wales, the south west and Northern Ireland will probably escape but central and eastern England and Scotland will be affected. There could also be a couple of centimetres in London but the east is likely to be the worst hit with between 5 and 10cm."

The Met Office issued severe weather warnings along the east coast, from North Yorkshire to Suffolk.

Although much of the UK is set to wake up to a blanket of snow, much of it is likely to be washed away by rain as the day progresses, with milder air coming from the south west, MeteoGroup UK said.

The AA advised motorists to limit their speed to the conditions and to be aware of the greater stopping distances required in ice and snow. It said it was deploying snow-busting patrol vehicles to help rescue drivers stranded in ice and snow.

Meanwhile, councils across the country were getting gritters ready to clear roads of any snow and ice.

The charity Age Concern has warned older people to take extra care to stay warm in the freezing weather.

The cold front has prompted bookmakers William Hill to slash the odds of a white Christmas in London from 8/1 to 6/1.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The British National Party will capture senior roles on police authorities if plans to introduce direct elections go ahead, ministers have been warned.

Senior Labour figures in local government are convinced that the far-right party will gain a foothold on police authorities if the changes are brought in.

Their fears emerged as Communities Secretary Hazel Blears called for a new drive against the BNP in the week that a list of 12,000 names and addresses of the party's membership was posted on the internet, casting a new light on the make-up of BNP supporters.

Sir Jeremy Beecham, Labour group leader at the Local Government Association, said that police authority elections would play into the hands of the nationalist party.

"Hazel is absolutely right that mainstream parties must redouble their efforts on grassroots action to block the rise of the BNP," he said. "However, by pushing ahead with direct elections for policing, an area extremists would love to gain control of, the government is leaving the door wide open to the BNP."

Sir Jeremy, also a member of Labour's ruling National Executive Committee, added that the proposals risked handing the BNP the opportunity to "govern the entire police system".

"The ongoing failure of the Home Office to consider the consequences of this policy will, I have no doubt, result in crime-fighting activity reducing in many areas, and in some places, we will see the BNP and other extreme voices taking control of the police," he said.

Writing in The Guardian, Ms Blears said: "We must recognise that where the BNP wins votes, it is often a result of local political failure. Estates that have been ignored for decades; voters taken for granted; local services that have failed; white working-class voters who feel politicians live on a different planet.

"In such a political vacuum, the BNP steps in with offers of grass-cutting, a listening ear and easy answers to complex problems."

Attacking BNP leader Nick Griffin's "cunning strategy", Ms Blears accused the party of playing on people's "apprehensions" and peddling "pernicious but plausible lies".

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A British man suspected of involvement in an alleged plot to blow up transatlantic jets is believed to have been killed by a US missile strike, officials in Pakistan said.

Relatives of Rashid Rauf, who escaped from custody in Pakistan last year, were said to be distraught at reports that he was among five people killed by the attack in the tribal North Waziristan region.

The British Foreign Office said it was still investigating the reports and could not confirm whether Rauf, who is originally from Birmingham, had been killed.

But Pakistan's government confirmed that Rashid Rauf and a Saudi militant called Abu Zubair al-Masri were the apparent targets of the pre-dawn strike near the border with Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, it emerged that members of Rauf's family were "in the dark" about his fate and were making desperate attempts to establish whether he was still alive.

Rauf's family had little comment to make at their terraced home opposite a children's play area in the Ward End area of Birmingham.

"I am angry," a man who emerged from the property said as he ordered the media to leave. "For your own safety, all I can say to you is goodbye."

Rauf was suspected of having links to an alleged plot in 2006 to bring down up to 10 transatlantic passenger jets. He was arrested in Pakistan in 2006 following an apparent tip-off from British anti-terrorism officers, days before a series of raids in the UK which were followed by the tightening of hand baggage restrictions on flights.

Reports in Pakistan suggest that Rauf - who escaped from custody outside an Islamabad court last December - was killed by an attack involving a pilot-less drone aircraft on the village of Ali Khel.

Thought to be aged in his mid-20s, Rauf is believed to hold both British and Pakistani citizenship and was wanted by West Midlands Police in connection with the death of his uncle in 2002.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Charles Clarke has moved to bury the hatchet with Gordon Brown, acknowledging the Prime Minister had done "really well" over the past two months.

The Blairite former home secretary voiced concern in the summer that Labour was "destined to disaster" under Mr Brown, then under attack from a section of ministers and backbenchers.

But Mr Clarke has now said that the premier had demonstrated "genuine economic and political leadership at a time when it was both desperately needed and difficult to do".

Speaking to the Independent on Sunday and Observer newspapers, he said Labour could now win the next general election.

"I'm not well known for being one of Gordon's biggest fans, but I do think that since the Labour Party conference he's done really well in meeting the challenges of the world financial and economic crisis," he said.

His comments pave the way for a second major rapprochement for Mr Brown after his old foe Peter (now Lord) Mandelson joined the Cabinet as Business Secretary last month.

They suggest the Prime Minister could finally be moving Labour on from the divisions between Blairites and Brownites which have dogged the party for more than a decade.

Mr Clarke said there remained a "political debate about the past", but added: "In the present Gordon has earned the right to support from across the political and business spectrum."

He went on: "It's been a real surprise to me but, to be fair, Gordon's economic self-confidence has made him more decisive on the political front.

"Winning the general election, particularly in the marginal seats in the South East, remains a really tough call but Labour's obviously back in the race and can do it."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

MPs have expressed concern at suggestions the mother of Baby P could be granted a new identity - costing taxpayers millions of pounds.

Amid claims that the 27-year-old's lawyers are preparing to invoke human rights legislation to assure her anonymity for life, there were immediate complaints at the potential bill to the public of such a move.

Tory MP Andrew Rosindell insisted on Saturday there should be no consideration of the matter until she had spent many years behind bars.

A judge has warned that the three people convicted of involvement in the killing of Baby P in August last year were facing "substantial" terms in prison. As well as the toddler's mother, her 32-year-old boyfriend and their lodger, Jason Owen, 36, will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on December 15 for causing or allowing his death.

Baby P died in a blood-splattered cot in Haringey, north London, in August last year. He had suffered more than 50 injuries despite repeated visits by the authorities.

The Daily Mail reported on Saturday that the mother's lawyers were set to argue that her life would be at risk if identified after her release.

As well as a new identity, she could receive 24-hour police protection.

Mr Rosindell said: "There is likely to be permanent hatred towards those people who are guilty and for that reason I would imagine, based on past precedent, that the authorities would consider some sort of protection or fresh identity for that person.

"One of the reasons [Moors Murderer] Myra Hindley was never released was because her safety outside jail could not be assured. It's a big problem, but from the public's point of view, they are not going to be very happy about a person given special treatment and lots of money spent on them when they have committed such an evil crime."

The Ministry of Justice said any suggestion of anonymity for the mother was "pure speculation". The matter would be decided by the courts at a later time. A spokesman said: "She's not even been sentenced yet and something like this usually comes towards the end of a person's sentence. It's not something that is imminent."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Ministers are set to ban happy hours in pubs and clubs as part of a crack down on binge-drinking, it has been claimed.

A new Code of Conduct will outlaw promotions that encourage drinking at speed and in large quantities, it was reported.

The Daily Telegraph said the measures, designed to reduce drink-fuelled violence and injuries, would be announced by the Government a week on Monday.

It follows long-term concern about the costs of alcohol misuse, estimated to run to up to £25 billion a year.

Critics of liberalised licensing laws claim the move three years ago to 24-hour pub opening has exacerbated the problem.

A Department for Health spokeswoman said research on the issue had been commissioned but was unable to comment on any planned announcements.

The Telegraph reported that the code of conduct, binding on pubs and clubs, would ban "time-limited" cut-price drink offers, or happy hours.

Other areas to be curbed include offers of free drinks for women, while alcoholic containers could feature similar health warnings to those on cigarette packets.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The Russian man accused of fatally poisoning Alexander Litvinenko would consider coming to Britain to be questioned by Scotland Yard, it has been reported.

Former KGB agent Mr Litvinenko died of radioactive polonium poisoning in a London hospital two years ago. He had fallen ill shortly after drinking tea during a meeting at a West End hotel with former KGB contacts Andrei Lugovoy and Dmitri Kovtun.

Mr Lugovoy, 42, was named by British prosecutors as the main suspect in the murder of the Russian dissident.

But in a meeting over tea in Moscow, he told a reporter from The Times that he would like Mr Kovtun - his childhood friend and the main witness in the case - to travel to London to clear their names.

"We have an idea for Dmitri to travel to London to talk to representatives of the prosecutors. We are looking for a way to achieve this if we could get guarantees from the Government of Great Britain," Mr Lugovoy told the paper.

He also did not rule out travelling to London later himself if Mr Kovtun was not handed over to Germany, where he remains under investigation by police after apparently leaving behind traces of radiation during a visit to Hamburg before the London meeting with Mr Litvinenko.

Mr Lugovoy would also want guarantees against his own arrest before making such a trip.

Mr Litvinenko's deathbed statement accused Mr Putin, then the Russian President, of ordering his assassination.

His murder led to angry exchanges after the Russian Government refused to extradite Mr Lugovoy, who denies any involvement in his death and has asserted that he was framed by MI6. "What was beneficial for Russia out of this situation? Russia didn't gain anything from it," he said.

A spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said she could not comment on the case.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A 21-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the manslaughter of an Arab student.

George Austin, of no fixed address from Bermondsey, south London was charged on Friday evening with the manslaughter of Mohammed al-Majed.

Mohammed, 16, from Qatar, died two days after suffering a serious head injury when he hit the pavement during a confrontation in Hastings, East Sussex, on August 22.

Austin, who stood in the dock wearing a grey striped jumper flanked by two officers, was remanded in custody following a brief hearing at Hastings Magistrates' Court.

Kenneth Melsom, chairman of the Magistrates' bench ordered Austin to appear at Lewes Crown Court for a preliminary hearing on December 5.

A further plea and case management hearing will take place at the same court on February 13 next year.

Officers arrested the 21-year-old on an aircraft which had arrived in the UK from Cyprus on Thursday night.

Mohammed was studying English at EF International Language Schools in White Rock, Hastings, and had been in the town for about five weeks.

His body was flown back to Qatar after he died at King's College Hospital, London.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Police said they are keeping an open mind about the motives behind the murder of a man gunned down in an alleyway.

The 24-year-old victim died at the scene of the shooting in west Ealing, west London.

The Metropolitan Police have launched a murder investigation but no arrests have yet been made.

A member of the public alerted the emergency services, who found the body in an alley off Cavendish Avenue, west Ealing.

A spokeswoman for the London Ambulance Service said: "We were called at 8.48pm to reports of an assault in Cavendish Avenue. We sent along a fast response car, an ambulance crew and duty manager. An adult male was dead at the scene."

The path was used as a shortcut to a nearby housing estate.

Police said they were keeping an open mind regarding a possible motive for the killing.

They said they believe they know who the dead man is but will not release his name until he is formally identified and his next of kin have been informed.

Detective Chief Inspector Fiona Mallon from Operation Trident, which investigates black-on-black killings, said: "I urge anyone who witnessed the shooting or anyone who was in the area shortly before or after the shooting to please come forward to police with information.

"Did you see anyone acting suspiciously in the Cavendish Avenue area at about 2050 last night? Did you see anyone run or drive off at speed from that area shortly before 2100?"

-Nova

[John]

Thankyou for posting EeL!

[Black Widow]

TUKWILA, Wash. - Shots erupted in a packed Seattle-area shopping mall Saturday after an apparent argument between a gunman and two other young men, killing one of the men, creating panic among shoppers and sending police on a store-to-store search for the shooter, authorities said.

The Southcenter Mall in Tukwila was locked down for six hours as police tried in vain to find the gunman. Officer Mike Murphy, a police spokesman, told The Associated Press there were "thousands" of shoppers at the mall when the shooting took place just before 3:45 p.m. He said the gunfire may have been gang-related.

"It's a possibility," Murphy said.

The two injured men were taken to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, where one of them died. A hospital spokesman said Saturday night the second victim was in critical condition.

The gunman used a pistol and fired multiple shots, Murphy said. He said at least four or five people were detained for questioning, but none of them was the shooter and some had been released. He said some of those detained were witnesses.

Gunman 'got out'
As police searched for the gunman, they allowed store employees and customers remaining in the mall to exit in groups, Murphy said. After the search was completed, Murphy said the assailant "must have got out with the crowd," but police anticipated identifying the shooter "soon" and making an arrest.

The gunman and the two victims were all in their late teens or early 20s. No one else was injured, Murphy said.

SWAT teams from all over the area converged on the mall to help search for the suspect, who is believed to have gotten into an altercation with the two victims. But it was unknown what led to the shooting or the relationship between the shooter and the victims or even between the victims themselves.

Chauncey Williams, a soldier from Fort Lewis, said he witnessed the shooting. He was exiting a store when he saw two men arguing and one start firing a gun, he said.

"It's like I'm back in Iraq or something," Williams told The Seattle Times.

Shopper Mark Nickels, 51, described the chaos after the shooting.

"Everybody just stopped," he said. "Everybody thought something fell. Then a second or two later, there was a second shot and then everybody scattered. People were running to the (exits) or running to the stores to hide."


MSNBC

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the news.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Twelve men linked to the British National Party were released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of distributing racist material in a city centre, police said.

The men were arrested after handing out leaflets on behalf of the BNP at around 12.50pm on Saturday in Whitechapel, Liverpool city centre.

The organiser of the Blackpool and Oldham branches of the far-right party, Roy Goodwin, confirmed 12 members of the party were arrested.

He said: "There was nothing unlawful in the leaflets - all the contents of the leaflets had been carefully vetted, or they would not have gone out."

Merseyside Police said those arrested were: a 29-year-old and a 51-year-old from the Liverpool South area; a 64-year-old from the Wirral area; a 19-year-old; a 46-year-old and a 41-year-old from Liverpool North; a 61-year-old and a 42-year-old from Knowsley; a 70-year-old; a 44-year-old; and a 29-year-old and a 48-year-old from St Helens.

The men were bailed to appear at a police station early in the New Year.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Northern Ireland Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde led tributes to four policemen killed in a horrific early morning road accident.

It was confirmed the officers' 4x4 vehicle hit a wall and burst into flames on a stretch of coast road in south County Down as they responded to a call for help shortly before 4am on Sunday.

There was no evidence of a terrorist link to the crash which happened on the main Warrenpoint to Kilkeel road and there were no other vehicles involved.

Police said a senior officer will investigate the fatal crash which represents the largest loss of life for the force since the paramilitary ceasefires were called more than a decade ago.

The two full-time and two part-time officers have yet to be named but it is understood they are from the south Down area.

Sir Hugh said: "This is an extremely sad day for the family, friends and colleagues who served with the police officers who lost their lives in this tragic incident in the early hours of this morning.

"The police family have lost four fine police officers in what are deeply tragic circumstances and our heartfelt condolences go out to their families.

"Our thoughts are with them as they struggle to come to terms with their loss."

Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Judith Gillespie, who is responsible for the Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) rural region, said the men were on their way to help a fellow officer.

Ms Gillespie said messages of condolence had been sent from across the UK and Ireland north and south and she joined Sir Hugh in praising the work of emergency services at the scene.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Police are to be armed with 10,000 Taser stun guns as part of a drive to tackle violent crime, it was reported.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is expected to announce plans to train front-line response officers in all 43 police forces in England and Wales to fire Tasers at violent suspects.

Currently, the stun guns are used by small units of firearms officers.

But Ms Smith told The Sunday Times that £8 million will be made available to equip up to 30,000 police response officers across the country with the new 50,000-volt electric guns.

She said: "I am proud that we have one of the few police services around the world that do not regularly carry firearms and I want to keep it that way.

"But every day the police put themselves in danger to protect us, the public. They deserve our support, so I want to give the police the tools they tell me they need to confront dangerous people. That is why I am giving the police 10,000 Tasers to ensure that officers across the country benefit from this form of defence."

The move was welcomed by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), which said trials showed in the majority of cases Tasers helped police resolve incidents without resorting to a weapon.

Derek Talbot, ACPO spokesman on Tasers and assistant chief constable of Northamptonshire Police, told the paper: "This reinforces the value of Taser as a useful tool to make the public and officers safer and to resolve potentially violent situations effectively and rapidly.

"The conclusions of this trial provide further evidence that Taser is a proportionate, low risk means of resolving incidents where the public or officers face severe violence or the threat of such violence which cannot safely be dealt with by other means," he said.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Charles Clarke moved to bury the hatchet with Gordon Brown, acknowledging the Prime Minister had done "really well" over the past two months.

The Blairite former home secretary voiced concern in the summer that Labour was "destined to disaster" under Mr Brown, then under attack from a section of ministers and backbenchers.

But Mr Clarke said that the premier had demonstrated "genuine economic and political leadership at a time when it was both desperately needed and difficult to do".

Speaking to the Independent on Sunday and Observer newspapers, he said Labour could now win the next general election.

"I'm not well known for being one of Gordon's biggest fans, but I do think that since the Labour Party conference he's done really well in meeting the challenges of the world financial and economic crisis," he said.

His comments pave the way for a second major rapprochement for Mr Brown after his old foe Peter (now Lord) Mandelson joined the Cabinet as Business Secretary last month.

They suggest the Prime Minister could finally be moving Labour on from the divisions between Blairites and Brownites which have dogged the party for more than a decade.

Mr Clarke said there remained a "political debate about the past", but added: "In the present Gordon has earned the right to support from across the political and business spectrum."

He went on: "It's been a real surprise to me but, to be fair, Gordon's economic self-confidence has made him more decisive on the political front.

"Winning the general election, particularly in the marginal seats in the South East, remains a really tough call but Labour's obviously back in the race and can do it."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The incoming head of the British Army warned of widespread fraud by officers and soldiers in the economic downturn, in a letter leaked to a newspaper.

Lieutenant-General Sir David Richards, who takes over as chief of the general staff in August, expressed his concern that servicemen were pilfering and abusing the Army's joint personnel administration (JPA).

Introduced last year, the JPA system allows expenses to be claimed by soldiers via computer, which are checked randomly.

In a document published on The Sunday Times website - which the Ministry of Defence confirmed was genuine - Sir David wrote: "I am becoming concerned over the prevalence of fraudulent behaviour as well as what I can at best describe as 'sharp practice' and at worst dishonesty."

He added: "There are soldiers and even some officers who view JPA as a 'cash machine' and are processing fraudulent claims in the belief that if caught they will claim ignorance and hope to refund the monies with no further action.

"While this may be an acceptable excuse for a small number of our young soldiers as they develop competence on JPA, it is inexcusable for our commissioned, warrant and non commissioned officers."

He likened the experience to that of insurance companies seeing more fraudulent claims in a "challenging financial climate".

Sir David, currently the commander-in-chief land forces, also said "petty pilfering" of stationery and other commodities was "an unnecessary drain on resources, resources that could be better spent looking after our soldiers". And he said the abuse of allowances, while not always in clear breach of the rules, "are certainly in breach of the spirit or the underlying intent".

He urged commanders at all levels to enforce appropriate supervision and management checks, to "protect the less virtuous from themselves".

An MoD spokesman said: "The JPA system has allowed individuals greater autonomy and it is good governance that they are periodically reminded of their responsibilities. This is what this letter sets out to do. Auditing and scrutiny of the system is carried out by random sampling of claims and any fraudulent claims are dealt with robustly."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Prime Minister Gordon Brown denied that the massive package of tax cuts expected in the Pre-Budget Report would be a "gamble", insisting action was "necessary and responsible".

Chancellor Alistair Darling will deliver the Government's crucial financial statement in the Commons and is set to deliver a "fiscal stimulus" package in an effort to kick-start the economy, with a cut in VAT likely to form the centrepiece of his plans.

Mr Brown said the measures announced would need to be "substantial" to have an impact on the downturn affecting the UK. He told BBC1's The Politics Show world leaders agreed the need for an injection of cash into the economy.

"Everybody generally agrees that the fiscal stimulus - and what we mean by fiscal stimulus is real help for businesses and families now - has got to be substantial to have an impact."

The Government is expected to pump between £15 and £20 billion into the economy in a Keynesian-style bid to spend Britain out of the downturn.

As well as the VAT change from 17.5% to 15%, which would cost £12.5 billion, moves are thought to include further tax cuts targeted at the least well off. Other options include postponing the introduction of increased vehicle excise duty for older vehicles and taxpayer-funded guarantees on loans to small businesses.

There are also suggestions of a new three month grace period for mortgage holders struggling to keep up with their repayments before repossession proceedings kick in. Further efficiency savings in the public sector will be announced, allowing some expenditure to be used more constructively to fight the recession.

But debt is predicted to soar to more than £120 billion, fuelling concerns about the tax rises and spending cuts that may be necessary later. Mr Brown said: "I don't see this as a gamble. I see this as necessary, responsible action that any sensible government would want to take."

The Government's plan to increase borrowing to finance its package has been heavily criticised by Tory leader David Cameron, who claims it will lead to a "tax bombshell" in the long-term as money is clawed back to repay the debt.

But Mr Brown said: "Those people who say do nothing now would leave people, as in the 80s and the 90s, without hope that their mortgage problems could be sorted out, or their jobs problems could be sorted out. It would be lacking in compassion as well as irresponsible, in my view."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A teenage girl who witnessed the suffering of Baby P told of her guilt after failing to save him, it has been reported.

In an interview, the 16-year-old - named Mary in the report because she cannot be identified for legal reasons - described the abuse that was inflicted on the toddler by his 27-year-old mother and her 32-year-old boyfriend.

Baby P died in a blood-splattered cot in Haringey, north London, in August last year. He had suffered more than 50 injuries despite repeated visits by the authorities.

The toddler's mother, her boyfriend and their lodger, Jason Owen, 36, will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on December 15 for causing or allowing his death.

Mary moved into the house aged 15 when she ran away from home to be with her lover Owen, 20 years her senior, in June 2007. They lived there with Owen's three children - the eldest just a year younger than Mary - and Baby P's mother, her boyfriend and four children.

She said the mother's boyfriend, whom she described as a "brute", would enjoy tormenting the toddler by hurting him and training him to perform Nazi salutes.

"I was really scared because of what I'd seen. I thought he'd do that to me. His eyes were evil. When he was hurting Baby P he'd look at me and grin. He was evil all the time," she said.

When one of the other youngsters started screaming that Baby P was dead, Mary said the child's mother did her hair and got dressed before the ambulance was called. She said Owen tried to resuscitate the child but the mother's boyfriend "didn't care".

Mary, who gave evidence via videolink in the recent court case, said Haringey social services had "blood on their hands" for missing clues about what happened in the house.

She told the paper she had flashbacks to the "beautiful" toddler every day, saying: "I just wish I hadn't been too scared to stand up to his stepdad. Now I deserve to suffer."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A seven-year-old autistic boy and his grandmother killed by a train at a railway crossing was "an accident waiting to happen", a councillor said.

Jean Hoggart, 56, died alongside Mikey Dawson after they were struck by a train as they crossed the Robin Hood line in Bestwood Village, Nottinghamshire, at 6.45pm on Saturday.

Mikey's mum Karen Dawson was too devastated to speak after losing her mother and son.

A local politician said the crossing was "an accident waiting to happen".

Councillor Chris Baron, from Nottinghamshire County Council, said he wanted gates that lock themselves when a train approaches to be installed.

The 53-year-old, who represents the area, said: "It's a mixture of East Midlands Trains and Railtrack and I believe they have a responsibility and duty to ensure pedestrians have a safe route across the tracks.

"If you look at it with the lack of lighting, together with the dog-legged crossing, this was an accident waiting to happen. There will be discussions between public bodies about who should be supplying the street lights and who has to pay for the work, but all we are bothered about is that people can get across safely."

Labour's Paddy Tipping, MP for Sherwood, said there had also been a long-running campaign to improve lighting at the pedestrian-only crossing.

It is understood that Mrs Hoggart, a dinner-lady from nearby Hucknall, was visiting her sister Julia Hackett with her grandson in Bestwood Village.

They were making their way over the crossing, which also covers a tramline, when they were hit by the Worksop to Nottingham service.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Two senior MPs have called for the Government to reveal whether it knew in advance about a US missile strike in Pakistan that reportedly killed a British terror suspect, it was reported.

Rashid Rauf, who escaped from custody in Pakistan last year, was suspected of involvement in an alleged plot to blow up transatlantic jets.

His relatives were said to be distraught at reports that he was among five people killed by the attack in the tribal North Waziristan region.

The British Foreign Office said it was still investigating the reports and could not confirm whether Rauf, who is originally from Birmingham, had been killed.

But Pakistan's government confirmed that Rashid Rauf and a Saudi militant called Abu Zubair al-Masri were the apparent targets of the pre-dawn strike near the border with Afghanistan.

Andrew Dismore, the Labour chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, told The Sunday Times he would ask the committee to investigate whether British intelligence services had been consulted about the attack.

"This is a very serious matter, particularly if the attack was based on intelligence provided by the British security agencies. We can investigate whether British security services had involvement in providing intelligence concerning British nationals in Pakistan. I anticipate this is a matter the committee might like to follow up," he said.

"If there is any suggestion of complicity of the UK security services in this particular incident then that is certainly something we would want to take into account in our work on this subject."

Speaking to the paper, Patrick Mercer, the Tory MP for Newark and former shadow security minister, said: "This raises the question of how much co-operation the British intelligence agencies provided in what is ultimately the execution of a British subject. The government must explain its involvement and its future policy in this area."

Meanwhile, it emerged that members of Rauf's family were "in the dark" about his fate and were making desperate attempts to establish whether he was still alive.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Government departments have "wasted" more than £200 million on IT projects that were later abandoned, research by the Conservatives has found.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) alone has spent £156m on aborted programmes, official figures show.

That included £143m invested in a benefits processing project that was scrapped, although ministers insist £73m of that has still been of value to the DWP.

The figures, from the past five years, were obtained by shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Philip Hammond via a series of Parliamentary questions.

He said they were proof of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's "casual" use of public money.

"Families struggling to make ends meet and facing the uncertainties of recession will be outraged to learn that millions of pounds of their money have been wasted on these botched IT programmes. This is yet more evidence of Gordon Brown's casual attitude to taxpayers' money."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has got rid of three major IT programmes before they were completed, costing a total of £26m.

They included the £12.6m pilot of a data and records management system, which was subsequently ditched, a £9.7m customer information programme and a £4m project for handling licences for protected species.

The Department for Transport has spent £9m on cancelled programmes, comprising mainly a £7.9m DVLA vehicle-tracking system.

In addition, £5m has been spent by the Cabinet Office, £4m by the Ministry of Justice and £1m by the Department for Communities and Local Government on abandoned IT programmes.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Measures aimed at stimulating the mortgage market and helping hard-pressed homeowners have failed to convince housing experts.

Chancellor Alistair Darling said the Government would work on plans to underwrite mortgage financing in a bid to stimulate the sector, while also announcing measures to protect families at risk of repossession.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) described the package as "helpful, if modest" while Ray Boulger, senior technical manager at broker John Charcol, described it as "a bit of a damp squib".

In his Pre-Budget Report, Mr Darling welcomed recommendations made by former HBOS chief Sir James Crosby in his report on mortgage finance. In it, he called for temporary Government support for the mortgage-backed securities market.

Banks traditionally sell on bundles of their mortgages to investors, in a process known as securitisation, to raise the money they need to lend to consumers. But the securitisation market has dried up in the wake of the problems in the US sub-prime mortgage sector, leaving banks increasingly reliant on using money from depositors to fund their mortgage lending.

In the Commons, Mr Darling said: "To implement Sir James's recommendation, the Government would need to obtain State Aid approval from the European Commission and resolve some technical and practical considerations. But we will proceed to work up a detailed scheme based on his recommendations and seek State Aid approval to proceed."

Meanwhile, measures to help struggling homeowners were also announced by the Chancellor. If someone is having difficulty paying their mortgage, lenders will wait at least three months before initiating repossession proceedings. In addition a scheme that covers mortgage interest payments for those who lose their jobs will be extended to cover mortgages up to £200,000. "This will help ease worries for homeowners who have lost their jobs as they look for new employment," the Chancellor said.

The Government also announced £15 million of new funding for debt advice in the Pre-Budget Report.

Housing minister Margaret Beckett said: "It is our priority to make sure that hard-working homeowners who suffer a loss of income through no fault of their own have the option to stay in their homes. The new measures ... will expand the support available to those who need it most. Everyone needs to do their bit to help families avoid the traumatic impact of repossession, and we expect lenders to do more to build on work already under way to help their customers."

Michael Coogan, director general of the CML, said: "Everything announced (in the Pre-Budget Report) is helpful, if modest".

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

High earners are to be hit with a new income tax rate of 45% as part of the announced package of measures.

In what was described by the Chancellor as "the fairest approach" to help families through the recession, the new upper rate will help fund a series of cuts and credit increases for those less well off.

Alistair Darling said his proposals would help "prevent the recession deepening" but tax experts warned of the impact on the UK's "wealth creators", potentially driving them offshore.

In his Pre-Budget Report, Mr Darling confirmed that people with incomes of more than £150,000 will face a new tax rate of 45%. He also announced that personal allowances would be amended to end a anomaly of the system which sees high-earners gain more benefit than those on basic incomes.

As such it will be reduced for those earning between £100,000 and £140,000 and abolished for those on even higher incomes.

In a bid to further help low earners hit by the abolition of the 10p income tax rate, the Chancellor announced that temporary increase in their personal allowance would be made permanent. Furthermore it would be increased, making them £145 a year better off from April. This would help 22 million basic rate tax payers, according to the Government.

Some tax experts expressed concern over the new top rate of income tax. Stephen Quest, partner at Grant Thornton said it could harm wealth creators. He said: "The people really hit are the high earners. There will not be a lot of sympathy but will it mean the talent goes offshore?"

Employers and workers on medium and high incomes will also be hit by a rise in National insurance Contributions from 2011. But those earning less than £20,000 will be exempt from the rise.

Other moves to help hard-pushed households includes a rise in the Child Tax Credit in April above that originally announced. Pensioners will also see their credits rise from £124 to £130 a week for individuals and £189 to £198 for couples.

Increases in Child Benefit will be introduced in January - three months early. Meanwhile every pensioner will receive a one-off payment of £60 in the new year.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Christmas shopping will be cheaper this year thanks to a temporary 2.5% cut in VAT announced in the Pre-Budget Report, but purchasers of alcohol, cigarettes and fuel will not share in the savings.

A 13-month reduction in VAT from 17.5% to 15% announced by Chancellor Alistair Darling will come into effect on December 1 and cost the Treasury an estimated £12.5 billion.

But the Chancellor introduced separate increases in duties on drink, cigarettes, petrol and diesel which will offset the reduction, so they end up costing about the same. And the Treasury revealed that these duty hikes will remain in place after VAT returns to 17.5% at the beginning of 2010 - leaving drinkers and smokers paying 2.5% more in the long run.

The cut in VAT - which brings in £83bn to the Treasury in a normal year - forms part of a "fiscal stimulus" package designed to inject new vigour into Britain's economy. Mr Darling hopes that by putting more money into consumers' pockets, he can encourage them to spend more and keep British shops and manufacturers in business.

But there are concerns over the cost to business of changing price tags and accountancy systems to take account of the change. A Treasury document estimates the total compliance cost over two years at £300 million.

Shadow chancellor George Osborne said that many retailers were questioning the cost of implementing the VAT reduction and the impact it will have on the High Street when many shops are already offering 20% or 30% price reductions to lure in shoppers.

Tax expert Andrew Smith, chief economist at KPMG, said it was "unclear whether it will tempt cash-strapped consumers back into the shops".

And David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, said businesses were "disappointed" that a VAT cut was the main feature of the fiscal stimulus package. "The direct benefits of a VAT cut are very uncertain," said Mr Kern. "There could be significant leakages into savings and imports.

"Any boost to personal consumption resulting from lower VAT will be helpful. However, a VAT cut only provides a remote boost to business cashflow and profits. It does not provide sufficient encouragement for business to limit unemployment increases and to continue investing."

The Chancellor told the House of Commons the VAT reduction would "make goods and services cheaper and, by encouraging spending, will help stimulate growth".

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Two members of a biker gang have been found guilty of murdering a Hell's Angel who was shot dead on the M40.

Simon Turner, 41, from Nuneaton, and Dane Garside, a 42-year-old from Coventry, were also convicted by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

The jury is still considering its verdicts on four other men who deny murdering Gerry Tobin, who was shot in the head near Warwick Services in August last year.

Turner, who told the court that he was at a workshop in Coventry at the time of the killing, was also unanimously convicted of possessing two shotguns which were found in the city following the murder.

Garside admitted during the eight-week trial that he was the driver of the Rover car from which Mr Tobin was shot, but denied playing any role in the killing.

Mr Tobin, a mechanic from Mottingham, south east London, was returning from the Bulldog Bash bikers' festival when he was shot as he travelled along the M40 at around 90mph on August 12 last year.

The trial has been told he was targeted simply because he was a "fully patched" Hell's Angel by members of the rival Outlaws motorcycle gang.

Following the verdicts, Mr Justice Treacy sent the jury back out to continue its deliberations, which have so far taken more than 21 hours. The judge also gave a majority direction to the jury, allowing the panel to return verdicts on which at least 10 of its members are agreed.

A seventh defendant, 44-year-old Sean Creighton, pleaded guilty to murder before the trial began. The jury has been told that Creighton, from Coventry, also admitted two firearms charges.

The jury is still considering a charge of murder against Malcolm Bull, 53, from Milton Keynes, and three other men from Coventry - Karl Garside, 45, Dean Taylor, 47, and 46-year-old Ian Cameron. It has also to decide whether the four men - along with Dane Garside - are guilty of a further count of possessing a firearm.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Police officers will be given 10,000 Taser stun guns under new plans.

Specially trained officers will be able to use the 50,000-volt weapons when faced with the threat of serious violence, the Home Office said.

But critics warned the weapons were "potentially lethal" and called for a review of the decision.

Oliver Sprague, Amnesty International's UK's arms programme director, said the use of the guns should be restricted to "life threatening" or "very dangerous" situations.

The group said 300 people have died after being shot with Tasers in the US and Canada, where their use is more widespread.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she wanted to give police officers the tools to confront dangerous people. She said: "I am proud that we have one of the few police services around the world that do not regularly carry firearms and I want to keep it that way.

"But every day the police put themselves in danger to protect us, the public. They deserve our support, so I want to give the police the tools they tell me they need to confront dangerous people.

Tasers deliver powerful electric shocks up to 10 metres away, leaving targets incapacitated and easier to arrest. Last year non-firearms officers were given the weapons for the first time. The Home Office trial with 10 forces found the threat of being Tasered was often enough to stop a violent incident.

Tasers were deployed on more than 600 occasions in the past year but only used 93 times, ministers said. The new weapons will be given to all 43 forces in England and Wales.

The move was welcomed by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), which said trials showed in the majority of cases Tasers helped police resolve incidents without resorting to other weapons.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A mother has told an inquest hearing how she accidentally flushed her baby down a toilet before hiding his body in her car boot.

Claire Jones became pregnant after an affair with work colleague Marcus Bezerra, Cardiff Coroner's Court heard.

She hid her condition from friends and family, including partner of 11 years David Stoneman, by claiming a wheat allergy caused a hard mass to form in her stomach.

When she experienced pains in the early hours of December 28 last year, a week after her due date, she put it down to the diarrhoea from which she was suffering. Ms Jones said she did not realise she had given birth to son Daniel until she flushed the toilet at her partner's parents' home in Penarth, South Wales, where she had been celebrating Christmas.

Ms Jones, of Pontnewydd, Cwmbran, South Wales, told the inquest: "While I was still on the toilet, I flushed it, and I felt something pull. I stood up slightly, and I could see a foot in the bowl of the toilet."

Sobbing, Ms Jones said: "I could see the baby's foot, so I pulled the baby out. I sat by the toilet. I put him on my lap. He wasn't crying. I was trying to feel for a pulse and there was nothing."

Ms Jones, who had her mobile phone with her, said she did not call for help because she panicked and tried to revive him on her own. She said: "I just kept trying and trying, and it wasn't working. He was blue. I wrapped him in a towel. I don't remember how, but I must have put him in the boot of the car."

Daniel's body was found in his mother's Vauxhall Astra at the home she shared with Mr Stoneman in St Mellons, Cardiff, after she was arrested 10 days later. A post-mortem examination could not confirm if Daniel, who weighed seven-and-a-half pounds, died before or after birth. Pathologist Andrew Davison said if Daniel did survive birth, it was likely he drowned.

Cardiff Coroner Mary Hassell recorded a narrative verdict describing the circumstances of Daniel's death, saying Ms Jones built up a "web of deception" to conceal the pregnancy and subsequent birth.

The coroner said she did not know if Daniel had been stillborn or not, but dismissed his mother's account that she did not realise she had given birth.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Barclays has received a broadside from the City after shareholders voted to approve a controversial £7 billion fund-raising that will put almost a third of the bank into Middle East ownership.

The four key votes at the company's extraordinary meeting in London showed that shareholders representing more than one in five of the votes cast either opposed or abstained on the plans.

The bank shunned the Government's bail-out cash to welcome Abu Dhabi royalty and Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan as an investor, and gain extra funds from the Qatari Investment Authority and Challenger, which represents Qatar's royal family.

The fundraising has drawn fire as institutional investors were initially excluded from plans to raise £3 billion through the issue of reserve capital instruments (RCIs) to the Middle East trio.

Barclays needed 50% of the votes cast to support it for three of the four resolutions. In the fourth vote, the bank was required to have 75% support from the votes that were cast. For all four polls, abstentions - which were not counted in the calculation of the proportion of votes for and against the move - made up around 10% of all votes cast. Of the votes that were counted, around 80% were in favour.

Earlier, chairman Marcus Agius faced heckling from investors who had gathered in London to vote on the deal. Some were angry not to have had the opportunity to question management, and security guards were called to pacify one shareholder as he approached the panel. And during the question and answer session, the chairman was asked several times if he would resign.

Barclays will pay 14% a year on the RCIs in return for the capital - more expensive than the 12% coupon on the Government's preference shares.

The higher cost and breach of pre-emption rights - the principle that existing investors should be given the first chance to participate in fundraising - has angered shareholders.

Mr Agius defended the move saying that "in ordinary circumstances" Barclays would have asked for funds in a rights issue - but the turmoil of early October was such that the company needed to act more quickly. "We felt that a rights issue launched in very difficult market conditions - even if it could have been achieved - would have subjected our shareholders to an excessive period of uncertainty," he said.

Private shareholders said they felt they had been treated as a third class of investor because they were unable to participate in the fundraising. Speaking on behalf of the UK Shareholders' Association, Roger Lawson said: "I deplore the lack of participation of all shareholders in this fundraising."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A British soldier was killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said.

The serviceman was a Royal Marine with 45 Commando, according to the MoD. Next of kin have been informed.

The marine's death took the number of British service personnel killed in Afghanistan since the start of operations in October 2001 to 126.

The MoD said: "It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that a Royal Marine from 45 Commando Royal Marines was killed as a result of an explosion in the Kajaki area of Helmand Province.

"He was taking part in a patrol at the time. He received medical treatment at the scene; however, he unfortunately died of his wounds while being taken to the military hospital at Camp Bastion."

Commander Paula Rowe, from Task Force Helmand, said: "The tragic death of this Royal Marine has left everyone in Task Force Helmand immensely saddened. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this dreadful time."

Next of kin have been informed and have asked for a 24-hour period of grace before further details are released.

ISA spokesman Brigadier General Richard Blanchette said: "Our sincere condolences and sympathies are with the family and friends of the brave serviceman who died.

"This man died serving his country and the people of Afghanistan; he died a hero."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A mother who went missing with her five daughters six months ago when she learned they were to be taken into care was found in Germany, police said.

Natalie Bracht, 35, left her Sunderland home in May and was next spotted disguised in robes in London.

A national search was launched and the German-born mother, who Northumbria Police said had a personality disorder, was found safe and well with the girls aged five to 13 in Munich.

The children were safely in the care of the German authorities, police said.

The family group moved from London to the West Country and were traced to a commune in June, but disappeared again before the authorities moved in.

It was believed people were helping Miss Bracht after she told them her life was in danger and her father was a Libyan spy.

But her British-born father John Brown denied the claim, and last week urged her to give herself up.

Northumbria Police asked the High Court to allow them to identify the missing children a week ago, after they had been on the run for six months.

During the investigation, the force liaised with detectives across Europe. A Northumbria Police spokesman said: "We are working with their German counterparts and will be speaking with Natalie in due course."

Detective Chief Inspector Ian Bentham said: "I am happy that the girls have been found safe and well and I would like to thank the public and the media for their help and assistance in this matter."

-Nova

[Black Widow]

A RAPIST fathered seven children by his two daughters during a campaign of abuse spanning more than 25 years, a court heard today.

The sick 56-year-old “took pleasure” in knowing the harm he was doing to his two daughters and threatened them with a “real hiding” if they refused to have sex with him, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

The vile father was jailed for life tonight and told he will serve a minimum term of 19-and-a-half years.

The shocking trial has similarities to the case of Josef Fritzl – who is accused of raping his daughter and keeping her captive for 24 years in Austria.

The defendant, who called himself the “gaffer”, made his elder daughter pregnant seven times, fathering two children by her.

She bore two other babies but they died the day they were born.

He made his younger daughter pregnant 12 times. She has five surviving children, the court heard.

The defendant, from Sheffield, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted 25 rapes and four indecent assaults last month.

Judge Goldsack said: “The phrase ’it is difficult to imagine a worse case’ is much overused and rarely, if ever, true. I am not going to say no case of rape within a family situation will ever come to light.

“But I can say that in nearly 40 years of dealing with criminal cases and 14 as a family judge the combination of aggravating circumstances here is the worst I have come across.”

He added: “I have little doubt that many members of the public hearing the facts of this case will consider either you should never be released from prison or only when you are old and infirm. I agree with that view.

“A criminal justice system which does not reflect the views of the silent majority of the public does not deserve to have its confidence.

“For centuries the maximum sentence available for rape has been life imprisonment. That is the sentence I pass, concurrent on each count of rape, with no separate penalty for the indecent assaults.”

The court heard that the defendant also had a son, who lived with them until his teenage years.

Nicholas Campbell QC said: “All the defendant’s children spoke of his domination over their family life.

Burnt

“He was tall and strongly built.

“I quote him: He was ’the main gaffer’, he called himself the gaffer and he liked to think that he was a hard man.

“All the family were frightened of him. When they heard his car pulling up outside the house, the children and their mother ran to their respective rooms.

“His son described him as having a Jekyll and Hyde personality and that his dad had a one-second fuse and that he could flip and turn just with the click of his fingers.”

The court heard that the sexual abuse started when the two sisters reached the age of eight but that they only realised the other was being abused when they became pregnant some years later.

Mr Campbell said: “His younger daughter told of the frightening habit her father had of putting her head next to the flames of their gas fire and that when she struggled to get away on certain occasions she burnt her eyes.


“The sisters recall that they were kept from school when they bore physical injuries. The defendant also ensured that his family were kept isolated and that there were very few visitors to the home.

“Rather than having babysitters, the children recall being locked in their rooms when their mother and father went out.

“They moved from South Yorkshire to Lincolnshire and lived in small, isolated villages.

“Even then there was speculation and talk from the neighbours about the growing family but the lack of any other men apart from the man who called himself the grandfather.”

Fritzl, 73, imprisoned his daughter Elisabeth, now 42, in a cellar for 24 years, using her as a sex slave and fathering her seven children.

He faces charges of murder, rape, slavery, incest and mental torture.

The murder charge relates to one of the seven incest kids — a tot who died after being born underground.

Three of the children were taken out of the cellar and raised above ground at the family home in Amstetten, Austria.


The Sun

[Black Widow]

A SEX beast has been sentenced to life in jail today for killing brilliant A-level student Hannah Foster.

Maninder Pal Singh Kohli was convicted at Winchester Crown Court of Hannah's murder, rape, false imprisonment and kidnap in March 2003.

The fiend was told he must serve a minimum sentence of 24 years.

Evil Kohli snatched the 17-year-old from a street just yards from her home in Southampton after she spent a night out with friends.

Hannah had been celebrating getting four predicted A grades in her exams.

The terrified teenager – who wanted to be a doctor – called 999 hoping an operator would hear what was happening but the call was terminated when she did not speak.

Sixteen-stone Kohli took her to a secluded spot where he repeatedly raped slightly-built Hannah in his sandwich delivery van.

Kohli then strangling her when he feared she might identify him.

Hannah's body was dumped beside a road in West End, Hampshire, before her attacker went back home to his wife and two sons.

Four days later, he fled to India as the police net closed in on him.

After years of campaigning by Hannah’s parents Hilary and Trevor Foster, Kohli was finally extradited back to Britain last year to stand trial.

Kohli shook his head only slightly but showed no other emotion as the four unanimous verdicts were delivered.

Hearing the guilty verdict on the first count of murder, Hannah’s sister Sarah and her mother sobbed and hugged each other while Hannah’s father helped comfort them.

Speaking outside the court, Mr and Mrs Foster paid tribute to their murdered daughter describing their “overwhelming sense of relief” at today’s verdict and saying they had “waited six years for this moment”.

Mr Foster said Kohli had shown “not one iota of remorse for his actions”, adding: “Today finally justice has caught up with him."

He thanked the police for their hard work throughout the investigation and the jury for their verdict.

"We have done everything we can in pursuit of justice for Hannah," he said.

Mr Foster added: “The guilty verdict is the culmination of a long but emotional journey, not just for Hilary, Sarah and myself, and not just for our immediate family, close friends and all the people who knew and loved Hannah.

"But also for everyone in the local community who has supported us in so many ways and shown us such kindness through the long ordeal.”

The jury took five-and-a-half hours to reach its decision and the judge, Mr Justice Keith, adjourned the case for ten minutes so everyone in court could regain their composure.

Kohli, dressed in a grey suit and blue shirt and flanked by three security guards, was taken from the court. When he returned he was told he would serve a minimum of 24 years.

In a victim impact statement read to the court by Hannah’s aunt Gill Lewis, Hannah’s mother Hilary said she would feel guilt for the rest of her life that she was not there to protect her daughter when she was murdered.

She said of her daughter’s murderer: “Kohli ripped out my heart and stamped on it.”

Mrs Foster also described the moment she saw Hannah’s body in the mortuary.

She said: “When Trevor and I saw Hannah in the mortuary, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, there must be some mistake.

“The cold, battered and bruised body certainly looked like her, but where was the sparkle in her eyes?”

Mrs Foster also wrote in the statement: “Our lives have revolved around our two girls, their wellbeing, personal interests and hopes for the future.

“On March 14 2003, our lives changed forever.”

Detective Sergeant Alan Betts, who led the operation to hunt down Kohli, later said the six year wait for justice had been a "frustrating process".

He also paid tribute to Hannah's family, the Indian authorities and the work of Hampshire Constabulary for their cooperation and determination in making it happen.


The Sun

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the news.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the news.

[JohnCenaFan28]

A jealous father who murdered his two children, their mother and uncle will serve a minimum of 35 years behind bars after he was jailed for life.

Neil Crampton, 36, was convicted of four counts of murder at Newcastle Crown Court after a jury rejected his defence of diminished responsibility.

He hacked to death his 12-year-old daughter Abigail Crampton, her five-year-old brother Steven, their mother Olufunke Sobo, 36, and her brother Yemi, 41, in a rage after learning his on-off relationship with Ms Sobo was finally over.

Crampton was jealous and possessive of Ms Sobo, also known as Funke or Liz, and could not come to terms with the fact that their on-off relationship was coming to an end.

He struck on the night before her mother Omotunde Sobo, known as Tunde, was returning from a holiday in her native Nigeria, which may have been a trigger as he realised a reconciliation was even less likely when she came home.

Ms Sobo and the children shared Mrs Sobo's semi-detached home in Hawthorn Gardens, and she turned up in a taxi to find her street cordoned off. Police had been alerted by a 999 call made by Crampton, in which he confessed: "I've murdered my entire family."

He fled afterwards, and was arrested hours later outside his parents' house where he was living. Officers were concerned he might even have killed them too, judging from the desperate call he made to police. But Bill and Ann Crampton were safe and well, buying Christmas presents for their grandchildren.

On November 13 he went to Ms Sobo's house and, shortly before midnight, neighbours heard screaming. He said he attacked his ex-partner with a knife and then fought her brother as he came to her aid. Mr Sobo, a 41-year-old sickle cell anaemia sufferer, was staying with his mother while his flat in Gosforth was being refurbished.

After stabbing them, Crampton said he went upstairs and knifed his daughter, who tried to defend herself, then killed Steven who was asleep. After that, he tried several times to kill himself, before he was finally arrested by armed police.

During the trial, it was claimed he wrote 666 on his arm the day before the attacks. He never gave police a satisfactory explanation why he did not spare his children after slaughtering the adults.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

An independent review has been launched into the case of a rapist who fathered seven children with his two daughters.

The 56-year-old, who was sentenced to 25 life sentences, repeatedly raped his daughters, who between them went through 19 pregnancies, over a period spanning more than quarter of a century.

Judge Alan Goldsack QC ordered the Sheffield man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to serve 25 life sentences that will run concurrently. He said the minimum term the rapist should serve in jail should be 19-and-a-half years.

Sheffield City Council's Children and Young People's Specialist Services confirmed a Serious Case Review had been launched.

After the sentencing at Sheffield Crown Court, Chief Superintendent Simon Torr read a statement from the two victims. The statement said: "... this offender has been sentenced to life imprisonment. His detention in prison brings us only the knowledge that he cannot physically touch us again. The suffering he has caused will continue for many years and we must now concentrate our thoughts on finding the strength to rebuild our lives. We do not wish to comment further on the factors of the abuse we suffered and hope that answers will be found during the Serious Case Review."

In court, Judge Goldsack said: "The phrase 'it is difficult to imagine a worse case' is much overused and rarely, if ever, true. I am not going to say no case of rape within a family situation will ever come to light. But I can say that in nearly 40 years of dealing with criminal cases and 14 as a family judge the combination of aggravating circumstances here is the worst I have come across."

The defendant refused to attend the sentencing hearing, during which the court heard he had fathered five children by his youngest daughter and two by his eldest.

Two of the eldest daughter's babies died the day they were born, the court heard. Between them his daughters suffered five miscarriages and five terminations and doctors advised them not to have any more children by the man they did not know then to be their father.

The Court heard how the father's campaign started when the women were aged between eight and 10. The judge was told that both daughters were raped repeatedly during their ordeal which started in 1981. At the start they were attacked every day, whilst for long periods they would be raped two or three times a week. If they refused their father's request they would be punched, kicked and sometimes held to the flames of a gas fire, burning their eyes and arms.

James Baird, representing the defendant, launched a stinging attack on social services in both Sheffield and Lincolnshire, which was where the defendant fled with his family in the 1990s to avoid detection. Judge Goldsack also supported this view when he sentenced the defendant, adding: "As a result of this case questions will inevitably be asked about what professionals, social and medical workers, have been doing for the last 20 years."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The 60-year-long tradition of a doctor writing sick notes is to be replaced with "fit notes", detailing duties which workers can carry out, in a bid to cut down the £100 billion cost to the economy of ill-health, the Government has announced.

Business groups welcomed the attempt to reduce the 172 million working days lost to sickness absence, but unions warned that handing someone a list of tasks they could perform while ill would not help them get back to full fitness.

The sick note system has not changed since the NHS was created in 1948, but ministers maintained that the new fit notes, which could be issued electronically, would help sick people return to work quicker. The changes are expected to be made by 2010.

Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell, said the earlier intervention was made, the more help could be given to someone who was ill. "Everyone has the right to work and we want to design a fair system which supports people so they can work when they are able."

Health Secretary Alan Johnson said: "Helping people stay in work does not just have an economic imperative, it has a moral and social one too."

Ministers said the package, which will cost £45 million over three years, would support disabled people, or those who became ill, to return to or stay in work by helping them manage their condition and get help to keep their jobs.

A national centre for health and well-being will be created, a health helpline will be launched for small firms, and employment advisers will be attached to GP surgeries.

Mr Purnell said the idea was to encourage a "fundamental culture change", adding that in the current economic downturn it was more important than ever to help people stay in work.

No specific targets for reducing sickness absence will be set, although the Government has an aim of cutting the number of incapacity benefit claimants by a million by 2015. Mr Johnson pointed out that half the 600,000 people who move on to incapacity benefits every year had previously been in work, a figure he hoped would be reduced.

The current sick note asks GPs to make a decision about whether their patient should work or not and how long they should be off sick. The revised fit note will allow them to indicate that an individual may be "fit for some work" and will allow doctors to provide advice about the impact of an individual's health condition.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A third member of a motorcycle gang has been found guilty of the murder of a Hell's Angel.

Malcolm Bull, 53, from Milton Keynes, was convicted by an 11-1 majority verdict of killing Gerry Tobin, who was shot dead on the M40 in Warwickshire in August last year.

A jury at Birmingham Crown Court, which is still considering the case against three other men accused of murder, also found Bull guilty of possessing a shotgun.

Jurors convicted two other members of the Outlaws biker gang of the murder of Mr Tobin on Monday. Simon Turner, 41, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, and Dane Garside, a 42-year-old from Coventry, were also found guilty by the jury of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Garside, a father of seven, was also convicted by a 10-2 majority verdict of possessing a shotgun.

The jury is still considering its verdicts on three other men who deny murdering Mr Tobin, a 35-year-old from Mottingham, south east London.

The remaining defendants, who all deny murder and possessing a shotgun, are Karl Garside, 45, Dean Taylor, 47, and 46-year-old Ian Cameron, all from Coventry.

Mr Tobin, a mechanic, died almost instantly when he was shot as he rode along the M40 at about 90mph on August 12 last year.

The trial has been told he was targeted simply because he was a "fully-patched" Hell's Angel by members of the Outlaws' South Warwickshire chapter.

A seventh defendant, 44-year-old Coventry man Sean Creighton, pleaded guilty to murder and firearms charges before the trial began.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Britain's most senior Asian police officer has agreed an out-of-court settlement in his race claim against Scotland Yard.

Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur will receive a pay-off of about £300,000 and his full pension after 34 years in policing, it is understood.

A secret deal was finally signed off after weeks of acrimonious behind-the-scenes legal wrangling between Mr Ghaffur and representatives of Britain's largest force.

Mr Ghaffur has withdrawn claims that Commissioner Sir Ian Blair and a second senior officer acted in a racist or discriminatory way towards him, a Metropolitan Police Authority spokesman said.

A statement was issued on behalf of Mr Ghaffur, Sir Ian and Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Bryan, the Met and Police Authority.

It said: "The parties to the litigation between Mr Ghaffur, Sir Ian and Mr Bryan wish to state that terms have been agreed bringing this litigation to an end.

"The Metropolitan Police Authority has paid a sum of money in settlement of Mr Ghaffur's claims, including contractual obligations, and a contribution to his legal costs.

"Mr Ghaffur has withdrawn the proceedings and his claims that Sir Ian and Mr Bryan acted in a racist or other discriminatory way towards him.

"The Metropolitan Police Authority and the Commissioner wish to acknowledge the important service of Mr Ghaffur in the Metropolitan Police and his significant contribution to operational policing nationally during his 34-year career.

"They recognise the hurt which he has felt over the past 18 months. Mr Ghaffur will retire from the Metropolitan Police on November 27, 2008."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A British woman who avoided a jail term after being convicted of having sex on a Dubai beach said the ruling "proves our innocence".

Michelle Palmer, 36, of Oakham, Rutland, was speaking after a judge quashed their three-month sentences. Along with Vince Acors, 34, of Bromley, south east London, she successfully appealed against the conviction at a Dubai court.

Speaking afterwards on her mobile telephone, she said: "I'm not saying anything. It just proves our innocence after all the bad stuff that was written. That's it."

The pair will now be deported and ordered to pay a fine of £170, Acors' solicitor in London said.

Palmer and Acors, who were on bail, were handed the jail sentences last month after being convicted of public indecency and having unmarried sex. A police officer told the trial that he saw them having sex on Jumeirah Beach.

Hassan Matter, who represented the couple in court, said: "The judge has cancelled the jail. He refused the prosecution appeal (for the sentences to be increased). "They are free. It's wonderful. The judge gave us a good hearing because he has a good heart and a good brain. He understood everything."

Andrew Crossley, who is representing Acors, said it was not clear whether the judge had overturned their convictions. "They don't announce the reasons for their decision," he said.

Mr Crossley said Acors and Palmer were "chuffed" at the decision. "Vince says it hasn't sunk in yet," said Mr Crossley, of London-based ACS Law. "They are both chuffed. Vince can't believe it." He said the couple had been ordered to pay a fine of about £170 and would now be deported.

Last month, they were ordered to pay a £155 fine after admitting being drunk in a public place. They were arrested in the early hours of July 5 after meeting at a champagne brunch at a five-star hotel on the emirate.

Mr Crossley later said it was likely the pair would return to the UK shortly. "It may take a couple of days to get their passports and their visas sorted but they should be back by the weekend," he said.

-Nova

[flamesoffury]

Wow, this guy is fucked up. It's horrible to rape anyone but your own daughters? That's just disgusting.

[Black Widow]

THE Sun’s petition demanding justice for Baby P was delivered to Downing Street today and our message could not be clearer.

A truck carrying weighty mailbags left The Sun's Wapping HQ earlier and travelled to Number 10.

Political Editor George Pascoe-Watson handed over the bags which were bulging with signatures calling for those who failed the tortured tot to be fired.

Last night the number of responses rocketed past ONE MILLION.

A record 1,250,000 from across the world back our crusade for those who share our outrage.

It is now officially the biggest newspaper campaign ever.

Reader Tina Streeter, 36 — whose 17-month son is the same age as Baby P — declared: “The Government must take notice.”

As our staff yesterday filled more than 100 mailbags to bursting with signatures, one tearful mum urged us: “Keep going — please don’t give up.

“This must not be laid to rest. Justice must be done.”

Fiona Collins, 29, was taking her children to Baby P’s shrine when she vented her outrage at those ducking blame for allowing the toddler to be tortured to death. They include a woman paediatrician who we are demanding be struck off.

Click on the images above right to read more about the bunglers who failed to save Baby P.

At 17 months old, Fiona’s youngest Jesse is the same age as Baby P when he died in unimaginable agony in his blood-spattered cot. As Fiona’s older child Jude, three, helped lay a blue teddy at Baby P’s final resting place, the mum said: “That doctor and those social workers must be punished for what happened.

Faith

“They MUST lose their jobs. How can anyone have faith in them after this?”

Mum Sarah Heasman, 28, was also among the hundreds grieving at the shrine yesterday — after taking her two toddlers to the North London cemetery for a second time. Sarah, from Hounslow, West London, said as her two-year-old Chloe left a pink mug: “When I told her we were going to see Baby P she thought we were going to play with him.

“I had to tell her he was asleep — it was the only way I could think of to describe it.”

Hugh Crane, 38, who travelled 150 miles from Grantham, Lincs, said: “I just hope that with The Sun’s brilliant campaign something will be done to stop this happening again.”

The huge pile of flowers and toys at the shrine was last night mirrored by a mountain of 1,146,000 signatures in The Sun’s post room.

They included printouts of the names of 570,538 who signed our petition online. We had to draft in extra staff to bag them all up.

Even more flooded in this morning.

Signatures have poured in from as far away as Dubai, Cancun in Mexico, Johannesburg and Sydney — setting a record for the largest newspaper campaign EVER.

Doctor Kerry Staines, 25, from Barnet, North London, told how she was stunned at the bungling paediatrician who, two days before Baby P died, failed to spot he was paralysed from the waist down by a snapped spine.

She said: “How she missed a baby’s broken back I have no idea. She should be struck off — and those social workers are a disgrace for listening to the lies his mum told.”

Battered Baby P was on an “at risk” register but North London’s Haringey Council has refused to condemn health or social workers who saw him 60 times — and let him stay with his twisted mum.

The same authority was blasted over its failings in the Victoria Climbie scandal — which saw the eight-year-old also tortured to death.

Baby P’s evil mum and his sadistic stepdad, 32 — who pulled out his fingernails — cannot be named. They and lodger Jason Owen, 36 — also convicted two weeks ago of appalling cruelty — await sentence.

Tear

Prison officers at London’s Holloway jail are being paid overtime to guard Baby P’s hated mum from fellow inmates, The Sun can reveal.

She is in a segregation unit but six have to run a gauntlet with her when she needs to see her lawyers. A “freeze” is imposed on the movements of all other prisoners, according to a leaked document. Meanwhile the Legal Visits Room has to be cleared for two hours at a time. Prison governors have already received a direct threat to maim her, sources said.

They fear one of the 500 female cons will be tempted to go further.

A jail insider said: “Some of the women here are serving 20 years, so they don’t mind a few extra months for bashing her in.

“They are mothers and can’t believe how she could hurt her own kid. I don’t think we should be paid to stop it happening — because she deserves everything coming to her.

“Not since Maxine Carr have we had someone here so hated equally by staff and inmates.

“She just shrugs her shoulders when asked about what happened. I’ve never seen her shed a tear for Baby P. She’s a cold-hearted bitch.”

Last night the Prison Service said: “We don’t comment on individual prisoners.”


The Sun

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the news.

[JohnCenaFan28]

High street store Woolworths' retail division is poised to go into administration, a company source said.

The ailing firm's distribution arm Entertainment UK will also go into administration under the plans due to be discussed by Woolworths' board.

Woolworths group will not go into administration, however, as its Bertram Books and 2 Entertain - a publishing joint venture with BBC Worldwide - are self-funding.

A source close to the negotiations said: "The board of Woolworths retail and Entertainment UK have resolved to take the necessary steps to enter into administration late (on Wednesday) evening."

He said it was not known when a formal announcement would be made.

Ardeshir Naghshineh, who owns 10% of Woolworths shares, said he was "deeply disappointed" by the news. "I am also deeply disappointed that the Woolworths board was not prepared to enter meaningful discussions with us despite intensive attempts by us to obtain information from them," he said.

"We are still interested in pursuing a future for the businesses which are in administration and will be seeking discussions with the administrators."

John Gorle, national officer of the shopworkers' union Usdaw said the news was "devastating" for the staff, adding: "We were hopeful that a last minute deal would be done. We will want to meet with the administrators as soon as possible."

Shares in the troubled retailer were earlier suspended as talks continued over plans to rescue the company.

Woolworths, which has been in business for almost a century and has 800 outlets, employs 30,000 staff. But Woolworths saw its shares crash 90% over the past year as fears over the business grew.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The Foreign Office has launched an urgent investigation into reports that a British journalist was kidnapped while investigating piracy in Somalia.

African police said a Briton - along with a Lebanese journalist - was captured in the strife-torn nation.

Abshir Abdi Jama, a police spokesman in the northern region of Puntland, was unable to confirm the pair's identity, but said they were working on a story about piracy.

The alleged kidnap comes after one of the British sailors held captive on a hijacked oil tanker made light of his ordeal, saying the hostages' families "don't have too much to worry about".

Citing intelligence, Mr Jama said he was unable to elaborate on the latest kidnap.

He added: "They were kidnapped, they are not missing."

Somalia, an impoverished nation caught up in Islamic insurgency, has not had a functioning government since 1991.

The situation has gained international attention since pirates attacked the Sirius Star on November 15, 420 nautical miles off the coast.

Chief engineer Peter French, from County Durham, is among 25 people being held on the Saudi-owned ship.

He told ITV News the pirates had not mistreated the captives, and said he hoped to speak to his family again soon. Mr French, the ship's chief engineer, was seized along with James Grady, from Renfrewshire.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Dozens of people are feared dead after gunmen attacked at least seven luxury hotels in Mumbai, India's financial capital.

Gangs, described as "terrorists" by police, opened fire in the lobbies of the Taj Mahal and the Oberoi hotels in Mumbai.

British MEP Sajjad Karim was among one group of guests who barricaded themselves in a basement room after fleeing from machine-gun fire in the Taj Mahal hotel.

He said: "I was in the lobby of the hotel when gunmen came in and people started running. There were about 25 or 30 of us.

"Some of us split one way and some another. A gunman just stood there spraying bullets around, right next to me. I managed to turn away and I ran into the hotel kitchen and then we were shunted into a restaurant in the basement.

"We are now in the dark in this room and we've barricaded all the doors. It's really bad."

The gunmen also attacked the crowded Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus station in southern Mumbai and Leopold's restaurant. There were unconfirmed reports of an explosion near the city's domestic airport.

A senior police officer said several people were wounded, and police were fighting the gunmen.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband condemned the attacks, saying: "(The) attacks in Mumbai which have claimed many innocent victims, remind us, yet again, of the threat we face from violent extremists.

"I condemn these attacks unreservedly. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those killed and injured. The UK and India will continue their joint efforts to counter the actions of terrorists."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Hundreds of stranded British tourists have been taken by coach to out-of-town hotels after anti-government protests closed Bangkok airport.

While the UK Government expressed "deep concern at the worsening unrest" in Thailand, UK holidaymakers spoke of the earlier "chaos and confusion" at Bangkok airport.

There was more anxiety for the stranded Britons even when they were able to board coaches to get them away from the airport, which was still occupied by supporters of the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy.

The Britons - among 3,000 tourists stranded in the city - said they had little idea of where their coaches were going, with some ending up at the resort of Pattaya - 120 miles from the capital.

With all flights in and out Bangkok cancelled and the demonstrators refusing to back down, the Britons faced a wait before they could return home.

The Britons at the airport had to contend with anti-government protesters - some masked and armed with metal rods - swarming into the airport overnight, forcing authorities to cancel all 292 flights on Wednesday.

The protest is being organised by the People's Alliance for Democracy, which wants to topple prime minister Somchai Wongsawat. They have said the airport would be shut down until he left office.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A National Express coach driver who caused a terrifying crash which left three passengers dead while giving a safety announcement as he sped around a bend has been jailed for five years.

Philip Rooney, 49, was speaking over the vehicle's public address system while trying to negotiate a 40mph bend at 55mph when he lost control.

Father-of-three Rooney, of Larkshill Drive, Carluke, Scotland, was also banned from driving for three years at Oxford Crown Court after pleading guilty to three counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

The court heard the double-decker coach carrying 69 passengers overturned and skidded along on its side on the M4/M25 slip road near Heathrow Airport.

Many of those on the overnight London to Aberdeen service had to be cut from the wreckage on January 3 last year.

Christina Toner, 76, from Dundee, and 30-year-old Yi Di Lin, a Chinese national, died following the crash.

John Carruthers, 78, of Chertsey, Surrey, died six months later in hospital.

Another 65 people were injured, including four who had to have amputations and 19 who suffered fractures.

Mohammed Khamisa QC, defending Rooney, said his client had offered his "heartfelt apologies" to those who lost loved ones or who were injured.

He added: "He has been very traumatised by the enormity of the incident. The events have crushed him and continue to haunt him."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Tory leader David Cameron claims the Government is planning a VAT "bombshell" that would hit every family in the country.

At Commons question time, Mr Cameron said the country was "going bankrupt," the Prime Minister had been "found out" and new Labour was "dead".

But Mr Brown said ministers had rejected the option of raising VAT above 17.5% because hard-pressed families had been hit by such a move in earlier decades.

In their final Commons clash before next week's Queen's Speech, he accused the Tories of having abandoned "compassion" by offering no help to families hit by the recession.

"You are the do nothing leader of a do nothing party," Mr Brown told the Opposition leader during rowdy exchanges.

Chancellor Alistair Darling's Pre-Budget Report on Monday sparked stormy scenes on Wednesday ahead of an emergency debate on the rescue package granted to the Tories.

Launching his attack, Mr Cameron demanded: "If the Government doesn't have a secret plan to increase VAT, why did the Treasury minister put his signature to it?"

Mr Brown said: "We looked at every option over the last few weeks, including options taken up by the last Conservative Government. And we rejected the proposal to raise VAT in favour of a proposal to lower VAT.

"We looked at the 1980-83 recession and when the Conservatives raised VAT from 8% to 15% hard working families were hurt. We looked at the 1990s and when the Conservatives raised VAT from 15% to 17.5% hard pressed families were hurt. And when you were adviser to the Treasury they tried to raise VAT on fuel to 17.5%

"We looked at all options. We rejected the option of raising VAT. We decided we would lower it and we hope the Conservative Party will support us."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

More than 1,000 jobs are under threat after furniture chain MFI confirmed it had called in administrators.

The company said the accelerated downturn in the property market and "severe cash flow pressure" had led to the administration.

It said all customer orders would either be fulfilled or refunded and would be dealt with through its call centres - and not through any of its more than 100 UK stores.

Administrator MCR said a decision had not been made "as to an appropriate exit route and the future of the company" but moved to reassure that employee salaries would be paid.

Joint administrator Philip Duffy of MCR said: "In the meantime, all outstanding employee wages have been paid up to date and ongoing wages for retained staff will continue to be paid as an expense of the administration."

He added MCR would be "reviewing the possibility of sale of some or all of the company's stores".

MFI said it had taken the "reluctant decision" to close 26 stores at the request of its landlord and previous owner, Galiform. "This is despite the previous agreement that the majority of landlords would support the company with a rent waiver and agreement to assignment of the leases," MFI said.

MFI, which employs 1,450 people, has been hit by falling demand for "big ticket" goods in a slumping housing market.

Unions said they were not surprised by the news. GMB Regional Secretary in Yorkshire, Tim Roache, said the company "has been badly managed for some years". "It is however disappointing that the landlords of the shops pulled the plug and did not give the management time to turn it around," he said.

In a statement, MFI said: "The administration follows the continuing pressure on the home market which has accelerated in recent weeks with sales levels falling further behind prior year levels. The company has suffered from severe cash flow pressure as a result of credit insurance being withdrawn across the sector and the general market deterioration, which has led to the failure of certain key suppliers."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The man accused of kidnapping Shannon Matthews has denied being "the one in control" of a plan to abduct the youngster and claim £50,000 reward money.

Michael Donovan, 40, was accused at Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday of being involved with other members of his family in a plan to abduct the schoolgirl.

Donovan and Shannon's mother Karen Matthews, 33, both deny kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice in connection with the girl's disappearance.

It was put to him by Matthews' barrister, Frances Oldham QC, that his sister Alice Meehan, niece Amanda Hyett, and Matthews' partner Craig Meehan were involved in the plan to abduct the youngster.

Mrs Oldham said to Donovan: "This plan involving Shannon, involved you, Craig, the Hyetts, and Alice, didn't it?"

Donovan said: "Not to what I know about Amanda and Alice." Mrs Oldham said: "But Craig?" Donovan replied: "I'm not sure about Craig."

Mrs Oldham continued: "You, Mr Donovan, and members of your family made this plan?" Donovan said: "No."

Mrs Oldham said Donovan was the person controlling the plan. She said: "Mr Donovan, you knew exactly what you were doing, didn't you? You were the one in control, you were in control of Shannon?" Donovan denied the suggestions.

The court has heard how Shannon, who was nine at the time, was found in Donovan's flat 24 days after she went missing from her home in Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire, in February.

The prosecution allege Donovan kept her drugged and imprisoned in his flat as part of a plan he and Matthews had to claim £50,000 in reward money.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The Ministry of Defence has been ordered to pay nearly £190,000 to a lesbian soldier who was sexually harassed by a male sergeant.

Lance Bombardier Kerry Fletcher, 32, will receive a total of £186,895.52 after she won her claims against the MoD for sex discrimination, victimisation and sexual harassment at an employment tribunal in Leeds.

Miss Fletcher's career collapsed as a result of the unnamed sergeant's actions while she worked at an Army stables in North Yorkshire.

The tribunal, in November last year, heard how the sergeant pestered openly gay Miss Fletcher for sex and sent her explicit text messages.

The soldier, who lives in Birmingham but is originally from Sheffield, said the sergeant and other male colleagues tried to destroy her career because she spurned his advances.

Miss Fletcher handed in her notice in February this year after serving in the Army for 10 years.

Her solicitor, John Mackenzie, told a remedy hearing, which was held in Leeds in September, that his client's position within the Royal Artillery became "untenable" after she won her case against the MoD.

He said: "The claimant felt unable to continue to serve within the Royal Artillery because she felt she would continue to be victimised and discriminated against."

Mr Mackenzie continued: "The immediate consequence of the act of discrimination is that the claimant's career in the Royal Artillery has collapsed and it's the respondent's conduct that has caused this collapse."

Earlier this year, the MoD offered Miss Fletcher an apology for the conduct of the male sergeant.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A fourth member of a motorcycle gang has been found guilty of murdering a Hells Angel.

Dean Taylor, 47, from Coventry, was found guilty by a unanimous verdict of killing biker Gerry Tobin, who was shot dead on the M40 motorway in Warwickshire in August last year.

The jury at Birmingham Crown Court, which is still considering the case against two other men accused of murder, also found Taylor guilty of possessing a shotgun.

Jurors, who have been deliberating for seven days, have already convicted three other members of the Outlaws biker gang of murdering mechanic Mr Tobin.

Simon Turner, 41, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, and Dane Garside, a 42-year-old from Coventry, were found guilty of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life on Monday.

Malcolm Bull, a 53-year-old road sweeper from Milton Keynes, was found guilty on Tuesday of murder and possessing a shotgun.

The jury is still considering its verdicts on two other men accused of killing Mr Tobin, 35, from Mottingham, south east London.

The remaining defendants, who each deny murder and possessing a shotgun, are Karl Garside, 45, and Ian Cameron, 46, both from Coventry.

A seventh defendant, 44-year-old Coventry man Sean Creighton, pleaded guilty to murder and firearms charges before the trial began.

Mr Tobin died almost instantly when he was shot as he rode along the M40 at about 90mph on August 12 last year. The trial has been told that he was targeted simply because he was a "fully-patched" Hells Angel by members of the Outlaws' South Warwickshire chapter.

-Nova

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

Mumbai: Indian commandos fought gun battles on Thursday with terrorists who continued to hold scores of hostages after sneaking into Mumbai from the sea and attacking landmark targets in the country’s most brazen terror strike that has killed at least 101 people.

About 30-40 Indians and Westerners were in the custody of gunmen at the Oberoi Trident, one of the two five-star hotels the terrorists barged into on Wednesday night soon after landing on the city’s coast near the Gateway of India monument with arms and ammunition, officials said.

Hostages were also believed to be holed up at the Nariman House, just behind Oberoi Trident hotel. But more than 15 hours after the mayhem began around 9.20 p.m. Wednesday in India’s financial and movie capital, police said there were no more hostages at the 565-room Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel and commandos were searching every room for hidden militants and possible booby traps.

The other key targets the terrorists, some of them masked, attacked included the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station, which during the day is packed with thousands of people, the Cama Charitable hospital, the hugely popular Leopold Cafe at Colaba, the Metro junction and Vile Parle. The gunmen struck at ten places in all.

‘It’s a motivated, well planned terrorist attack and they are out to cause damage,’ said Major General R K Hooda of the Indian Army.

Gunshots and minor explosions continued to be heard from the now damaged Taj hotel. A similar blast also took place at the Oberoi Trident hotel.

The well-planned terrorist onslaught, which caught the authorities unawares although Home Minister Shivraj Patil had warned of a possible sea strike two years ago, also left some 250 Indians and foreigners injured.

Among the dead were 14 men of the Mumbai Police who were the first to react. They included Hemant Karkare, head of Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad probing the bomb attacks in the state blamed on Hindu radicals. Outwitted, the police hurriedly sought help from the Indian Army.

A stunned international community condemned the wanton killings. US president-elect Barack Obama asked Washington to work with India to root out and destroy terrorist networks worldwide. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: ‘Such violence is totally unacceptable.’ The European Union also denounced the terrorirsts.

Maharashtra Director General of Police A N Roy said the security forces would kill or catch the terrorists, who some speculated might be linked to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and could have sailed from Karachi.

But in Chandigarh, Pakistan Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi denounced the killings as ‘barbaric’. He said Islamabad had faced similar situations and it would be immature to link the attack to his country.

Witnesses said the gunmen were young, mostly in their 20s and wore jeans and dark colour T-shirts. One of them, calling himself Shahadullah, telephoned India TV channel to say he was from Hyderabad and belonged to a previously unheard of group called the Deccan Mujahideen.

Speaking in Hindustani with an accent, the man said the attack had been carried out to avenge the 1992 destruction of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya and the ‘repression’ of Muslims in India. He said the hostages would be freed only in exchange for the ‘mujahideen’ in Indian prisons.

With naval commandos joining the anti-terrorist operation, Vice Admiral J.S. Bedi said in Mumbai: ‘There are four to five terrorists in the Oberoi hotel area and 40-50 hostages. However, we can’t confirm that the hostages are all guests at the hotel.’

The comments came as the security forces managed to nab one of the terrorists and the Coast Guard chased a mysterious vessel in the sea near Mumbai.

A British national who escaped from the terrorists at the Taj Hotel said the hostage takers were 20-25 years of age. ‘They were dressed casually in jeans and T-shirts but were very aggressive in their demeanour. They kept screaming they wanted (people) with British or American passports.’

Another Briton, Alex Chamberlain, said the terrorists let him leave the Kandahar restaurant at the Oberoi along with other diners after he did not reveal his nationality. He told Sky TV that the terrorists shot a waitress in the arm before allowing diners to take the stairs down to the lobby.

The bloody drama began Wednesday night when the gunmen landed on Mumbai’s coast and simply walked into the city after crossing the road. In no time, they commandeered vehicles and sped to different targets, including hotels where they opened fire and hurled grenades at unsuspecting guests.

Indian Communist MP N.N. Krishnadas said after being rescued by commandos Thursday: ‘I was having dinner with some colleagues when two masked militants barged into the restaurant. They fired indiscriminately. I saw three people being shot. The terrorists left the room soon after.’

Most of the dead were Indians, police and hospital sources said.

The authorities ordered a holiday in Mumbai, but the otherwise bustling city remained on the edge. The Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange were also closed.

‘This is a most audacious attack. It is a very serious situation,’ Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said.

Television footage showed some terrorists holding automatic rifles, near some of the buildings under attack. One looked grotesque, blood oozing from near his nose.

Mumbai Police Commissioner Hasan Ghafoor said AK-47 and AK-56 and semi-automatic rifles besides grenades were used in the ‘coordinated terrorist acts.’ On Thursday, a five-kilometre radius in south Mumbai, including the business districts of Cuff Parade and Nariman Point, was cordoned off.

Train services resumed in Mumbai Thursday but there were few passengers. There were few vehicles on the roads.

Google

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

Israel's acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday faced pressure from his own government to step down following a decision to indict him in one of several graft cases over which police questioned him.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was among the officials who urged Olmert to quit the government.

"The prime minister has to take a leave of absence, there's no other choice," said Livni, who hopes to become prime minister after February 10 elections.

"Israel cannot tolerate a situation where he is acting as prime minister after a decision to indict him. This is a moral test, this is a question of values and a practical test," Livni said at a meeting of the governing Kadima party in Petah Tikva near Tel Aviv.

Should Olmert declare himself incapacitated, Livni who heads the centrist party, would take over as head of the caretaker government until a new government is formed after the elections.

Several other officials urged Olmert to quit the caretaker government.

Olmert presented his resignation in September but remains acting prime minister.

Attorney General Menachem Mazuz had notified Olmert on Wednesday that he "envisages pressing criminal charges over suspicions of wrongdoing."

The charges relate to allegations of multiple-billing of foreign trips at the time when Olmert was mayor of Jerusalem and then trade and industry minister before he took office as prime minister in 2006.

Olmert is alleged to have used the ill-gotten gains to pay for private trips.

"It is a tragic day for the state of Israel," said Labour MP Ophir Pines Paz. "It is not acceptable that a person accused of a crime against the state should continue to hold the post of prime minister," he told journalists.

Olmert's office made it clear he did not intend to leave his position at the head of the caretaker government, stressing he already quit as prime minister.

"In these circumstances, there is no legal reason to announce a further resignation," his office said in a statement.

Mazuz's announcement came just two months before the snap elections that were called after Livni failed to garner enough support to form a government following Olmert's resignation.

Olmert's camp was furious over the timing of the announcement, which came just as the caretaker premier was getting off his plane following a farewell visit to US President George W. Bush in Washington.

"This is a planned ambush under the auspices of the law enforcement authorities," said Olmert's spokesman Amir Dan.

Olmert's lawyers described the prospect of charges in the case as "strange and even unreasonable."

Olmert could face charges of fraud, abuse of confidence, falsification of documents and making ill-gotten gains but no date has yet been set for him to be charged, the attorney general's office said.

He has faced police questioning 10 times since May over a number of different allegations.

In September, police recommended that Olmert face charges in the multiple billing case as well as in another case in which he allegedly accepted tens of thousands of dollars of illegal funds from US businessman Morris Talansky.

The prime minister is also suspected of steering tens of millions of dollars worth of state funds towards a company owned by his former law partner, Uri Messer, while he was trade minister.

The allegations, all of which Olmert denies, only surfaced earlier this year even though they concern events that took place in the 13 years before he took office in 2006.

The political turmoil that followed Olmert's resignation in September and Livni's inability to form a new governing coalition has dealt a major blow to the already slow-moving Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that were relaunched one year ago.

Google

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

101 dead n 200 injured :no:

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has vowed to take "whatever measures are necessary" to track down those responsible for the Mumbai attacks.

He said the perpetrators were based "outside the country" and India would not tolerate "neighbours" who provide a haven to militants targeting it.

Gunmen targeted at least seven sites across Mumbai late on Wednesday, killing 101 people and injuring 300.

Some 200 people are still reportedly trapped inside one hotel, the Oberoi.

Police earlier said hostages had been freed from another luxury hotel, the Taj Mahal Palace, but explosions and gunfire are still being heard by witnesses outside.

See detailed map of the area (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7752237.stm#infographic)

Meanwhile, a stand-off between Indian troops and gunmen continues at a Jewish centre in the city, where an Israeli rabbi and his family were reportedly taken hostage.

'Create havoc'

In a televised address, Mr Singh said the government "will take whatever measures are necessary to ensure the safety and security of our citizens."

He described the attacks as "well-planned and well-orchestrated... intended to create a sense of panic by choosing high profile targets and indiscriminately killing foreigners."

The perpetrators were "based outside the country", he said, adding that they "had come with single-minded determination to create havoc in the commercial capital of the country".

India has complained in the past that attacks on its soil have been carried out by groups based in Pakistan, although relations between the two countries have improved in recent years and Pakistani leaders were swift to condemn the latest attacks.

Claim of responsibility

Gunmen, using grenades and automatic weapons, targeted at least seven sites including the city's main commuter train station, a hospital and a restaurant popular with tourists late on Wednesday night.

Police say 14 police officers, 81 Indian nationals and six foreigners have been killed. A Japanese businessman and an Italian national were confirmed to be among the dead.

Four suspected terrorists have also been killed and nine arrested, they add.

State police chief AN Roy earlier told local television that hostages held by the gunmen at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel - one of Mumbai's most famous hotels - had been freed.
I can see more people leaving the hotel. They are running out with their luggage

Eyewitness outside Taj Mahal hotel
'They killed so many people'


Witnesses said civilians could be seen running from the hotel, some with suitcases. Ambulances were also reported to be arriving.

But the BBC's Mark Dummett, outside the Taj Mahal, says the situation has since become very confused, with the sounds of explosions and gunfire being heard from within the hotel, suggesting the siege is not yet over.

Earlier in the day, Indian commandos had been seen entering the hotels but there was little detail on the operation.

Meanwhile, the bosses of the Oberoi hotel across town say some 200 guests are still trapped in their rooms.

Earlier eyewitness reports from the hotels suggested the attackers were singling out British and American passport holders.

If the reports are true, our security correspondent Frank Gardner says it implies an Islamist motive - attacks inspired or co-ordinated by al-Qaeda.

A claim of responsibility has been made by a previously unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen. Our correspondent says it could be a hoax or assumed name for another group.

BBC

[John]

Ty for the news!

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the news.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the news.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for posting this.

[JohnCenaFan28]

The fiancee of a murdered biker has paid tribute to her "true angel" as his seven killers await sentencing.

Gerry Tobin, 35, from Mottingham, south east London, died almost instantly when he was shot as he rode along the M40 on August 12 2007.

A jury at Birmingham Crown Court returned the last two of seven guilty murder verdicts.

After eight days of deliberations, jurors convicted Karl Garside, 45, and Ian Cameron, 46, both from Coventry, of murdering the Hells Angel. Both were cleared of possessing a shotgun.

Four other members of the Outlaws biker gang were found guilty of murdering the mechanic earlier this week.

Simon Turner, 41, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, and Dane Garside, Karl Garside's 42-year-old brother from Coventry, were found guilty on Monday of killing Mr Tobin and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Malcolm Bull, a 53-year-old road sweeper from Milton Keynes, and Dean Taylor, 47, from Coventry, were found guilty of murder and possessing a shotgun on Tuesday and Wednesday. A seventh defendant, 44-year-old Coventry man Sean Creighton, pleaded guilty to murder and firearms charges before the trial began.

Gerry Tobin's mother Maria Hutton, 54, who had flown over from the family's native Canada for the trial, paid an emotionally charged tribute to her son.

Fighting back tears, she said: "Gerard Michael's life was heinously taken and the reasons why are embedded in our minds and etched in our hearts. For what? A patch of clothing. I'm going to say it again, for what? For a patch of clothing this beautiful man's life was taken."

All seven men will be sentenced on Friday at Birmingham Crown Court.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A wealthy British businessman was among those killed in the terror attacks on Mumbai.

Andreas Liveras, the 73-year-old founder of a luxury yacht business, was pronounced dead on arrival at St George's Hospital in the city at 9.30pm local time on Wednesday, said a spokesman for the hospital.

A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out on Mr Liveras at Mumbai's JJ Hospital.

Before his death, Mr Liveras - who emigrated to London in 1963 - had described the chaos in a telephone interview recorded as he and hundreds of others were still inside one of the buildings targeted by the terrorists.

"All we know is the bombs are next door and the hotel is shaking every time a bomb goes off. Everybody is just living on their nerves," he said.

A British woman who was shot during the attacks has told how she held her husband as he slipped out of consciousness.

Retired teacher Diane Murphy, 58, from near Hexham in Northumberland, was shot in the foot and her husband Michael, 59, took a bullet in the ribs when the terrorists stormed the packed Leopold Cafe.

Mr Murphy needed to have his spleen removed and remains in intensive care.

His wife, who is still in hospital, said: "All of a sudden there was automatic gunfire. My husband and I were hit, as were lots of people. Everybody was down on the ground. The gunfire stopped for a few seconds then started again.

"We had to wait - it seemed like an age - for the police to arrive. I stayed with my husband because I could tell he was seriously injured. He was losing consciousness."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A member of David Cameron's Tory frontbench team has been arrested, the party has disclosed.

Conservative immigration spokesman Damian Green, MP for Ashford in Kent, was arrested on Thursday afternoon at his home and taken for questioning at a central London police station.

It is understood the allegations centre on four stories which have caused considerable embarrassment to the Government including the fact that an illegal immigrant had been employed as a cleaner in the House of Commons, which emerged in February this year.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: "A 52-year-old man was arrested in Kent. He has been taken to a central London police station where he will be interviewed by detectives.

"The man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office and aiding and abetting, counselling or procuring misconduct in a public office."

Search warrants were issued for four addresses in Kent and London.

Mr Cameron was said to be supportive of his MP and angry at the way in which the case has been handled.

In a statement, the Conservative Party said: "As shadow immigration minister, Mr Green has, on a number of occasions, legitimately revealed information which the Home Office chose not to make public.

"Disclosure of this information was manifestly in the public interest.

"Mr Green denies any wrongdoing and stands by his actions."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Foreign Secretary David Miliband has expressed sympathy with the family of Andreas Liveras, the one Briton confirmed dead after terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

Mr Miliband said: "This is a callous, inhuman and indiscriminate attack on people of all races and all religions.

"This attack in Mumbai is an attack on all of us because democracy in India is vibrant and because Mumbai is one of the world's most diverse cities.

"The most terrible thing is that we do have one confirmed British fatality. Obviously our hearts go out to the family of the victim and we are determined to do all we can to support those who are currently in hospital."

He indicated they numbered more than the seven previously reported. "The number of injured has risen from that of this morning. It is not running away from that of this number, but it is higher than that," he said.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the terrorist attacks were met by "shock and outrage" around the world and pledged all possible UK support for the Indian authorities in dealing with it.

Mr Brown spoke after visiting staff at a Foreign Office emergency response centre, which he said had already taken more than 800 calls.

"We will do whatever is necessary to protect British citizens and ensure the world is a safer place," he said.

"This is a horrific incident which has shocked and outraged people around the world; this is the loss of innocent lives, people just going about their daily business. We've got to do everything we can now to help the Indian authorities.

"There are obviously British casualties and the High Commissioner is visiting those people who are injured in the hospitals of Mumbai. It is clear that a lot of people are also caught up in the hotel and we must make sure that they are safe."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Public confidence in Gordon Brown as the best leader to deal with the economic crisis has fallen sharply, according to a poll conducted after this week's crucial Pre-Budget Report.

The Populus survey for The Times found Mr Brown was rated best to lead Britain through the recession by 42% of those questioned, compared to 52% in a similar survey a fortnight ago.

Just over one-third of those quizzed thought the Government's measures to boost the economy - such as the 2.5% VAT cut in Monday's Pre-Budget Report - will make things better in either the short or long term.

Around the same proportion thought the package unveiled by Chancellor Alistair Darling will make no real difference to the economy, while about one-fifth said it would make things worse in the coming months and a quarter believed it would make things worse over the next few years.

Mr Brown remained ahead of David Cameron as the best person to deal with the crisis, with the Conservative leader on 36%, up four points from the previous poll taken between November 7 and November 9.

Mr Cameron led Mr Brown as the preferred Prime Minister after the next general election by a margin of 41% to 33%.

More than half of respondents (54%) said they would save any money gained from the PBR measures, while 28% said they would use it to pay bills and 18% would buy things they might otherwise not have bought.

Populus interviewed 1,010 adults by telephone on November 25 and 26.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A doctor who failed to spot Baby P's broken ribs and back during an examination has been suspended, the General Medical Council (GMC) said.

Dr Sabah Al-Zayyat missed the injuries days before the 17-month-old boy died in a blood-splattered cot following abuse from his mother, her boyfriend and a lodger.

In a statement, the GMC said its Interim Orders Panel had decided to suspend Dr Al-Zayyat's registration. It added: "Investigations are ongoing and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."

Baby P died in August last year after suffering more than 50 injuries. Two days before his death, Dr Al-Zayyat examined the toddler at a child development clinic at St Ann's Hospital in north London.

The doctor, who qualified in Pakistan and worked in Saudi Arabia before coming to Britain in 2004, noticed bruises to his body.

But she decided she could not carry out a full systemic examination as the boy was "miserable and cranky".

A post-mortem examination later revealed injuries including a broken back and ribs, believed to have been obtained prior to the examination.

After the case came to light, Dr Al-Zayyat had her contract with Great Ormond Street Hospital - responsible for child services in Haringey - terminated and was banned from working unsupervised. Last Friday, the GMC's interim panel decided to upgrade this to a full suspension.

Last week, Dr Al-Zayyat broke her silence over the case of Baby P. In a statement made through the Medical Protection Society, which gives professional indemnity to healthcare professionals, she said: "Like everyone involved in this case, I have been deeply affected by the shocking and tragic circumstances of this young child's death.

"My professional career has been devoted to the care of children. I will cooperate with any investigation to identify whether lessons can be learnt from this case - but I feel it would be inappropriate to provide any further comment to the press at this time."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The mother of Shannon Matthews burst into tears within minutes of starting to give evidence at her trial.

Karen Matthews began sobbing in the witness box as she was asked questions by her barrister Frances Oldham QC at Leeds Crown Court about whether she had anything to do with Shannon's disappearance.

Matthews and Michael Donovan, 40, are accused of kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice in connection with Shannon's disappearance in February. Both deny the charges.

Matthews told the jury: "I'm just disgusted because I haven't had nothing to do with it."

Matthews, 33, of Moorside Road, Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire, stood in the witness box wearing a stone-coloured jacket.

The court has heard how Shannon, who was nine at the time, was found in Donovan's flat 24 days after she went missing from her home.

The prosecution alleges Donovan kept her drugged and imprisoned in his flat as part of a plan he and Matthews had to claim £50,000 in reward money.

Mrs Oldham asked Matthews if she had planned the kidnap of her daughter.

"I did not," she told the jury.

She also denied she threatened to have Donovan killed or have his car burnt out.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Two Royal Marines have been killed by insurgents in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said.

The servicemen, from 42 Commando Royal Marines, were taking part in a foot patrol north-west of the town of Lashkar Gah in the southern area of the Helmand province when they came under sustained enemy fire.

Next of kin have been informed and have asked for a period of grace before more details are released.

Commander Paula Rowe, spokeswoman for Task Force Helmand, said: "The loss of these two Royal Marines has come as a bitter and tragic blow to everyone in Task Force Helmand.

"While words cannot ease their devastation, our heartfelt condolences go out to their families, friends and comrades at this most painful time."

The incident comes just three days after another Marine, Alexander Lucas, 24, from Arbroath-based 45 Commando, was killed by a roadside bomb in the Kajaki area of Helmand.

On November 12 two other Marines, Robert McKibben and Neil Dunstan, died during a patrol in Garmsir district of Southern Helmand.

Their vehicle was hit by an explosive device as they patrolled with Afghan security forces.

Thursday's attack brings the total number of British service personnel killed in Afghanistan since the start of operations in 2001 to 128.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The rate at which UK house prices are falling eased during November, but economists have warned it is too early to talk about a recovery in the market.

Nationwide Building Society said house prices dropped by just 0.4% during the month, a considerable improvement on October's 1.3% slide.

The annual rate of price falls also eased to 13.9%, compared with a year-on-year drop of 14.6% a month earlier.

It is the first improvement in annual house price inflation since October last year, when the year-on-year growth rate first began to decline.

The figures provided some rare good news for homeowners, who have now seen an average of £25,000 wiped off the value of their home since prices first began to fall, leaving the average property in the UK costing £158,442.

The data also helped lift share prices for beleaguered housebuilders, who have been hit hard by the current downturn.

But economists were less upbeat, with most warning that too much should not be read into one month's figures.

Howard Archer, chief UK and European Economist at IHS Global Insight, said: "We doubt very much that the markedly reduced monthly drop in house prices in November marks the start of an improving trend for house prices as the fundamentals remain largely unfavourable."

He added that ongoing tight credit conditions, combined with rising unemployment and the recession, would continue to weigh down on the housing market.

Figures released earlier this week by the British Bankers' Association showed that the number of new mortgages approved for house purchase during October remained close to record lows. But November's surprise 1.5% interest rate cut is likely to provide some boost to the market.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair delivered a stinging parting shot to the man who provoked his resignation from office.

The Scotland Yard head told London mayor Boris Johnson he had never been distracted by any of the controversies surrounding him.

And he said the Metropolitan Police Authority chairman must give unequivocal support to whoever takes over as the head of Britain's largest police force.

Sir Ian said he will be "fully exonerated" by an investigation into how contracts worth several million pounds were handed to a close friend.

And the senior officer said he never doubted Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur would withdraw his race claim and a boycott of ethnic minority recruitment would come to nothing.

Speaking after members of the police authority paid tribute to him at a meeting, Sir Ian's voice broke with emotion as he said goodbye to close colleagues.

Turning directly to Mr Johnson, sitting close beside him, he said: "One of your close colleagues apparently said that you wanted a boring commissioner next.

"I'm going to tell you, were that to be the case, you will be disappointed because no one can reach this position by being boring and no one can occupy it without attracting controversy.

"Whoever comes next will need you to understand that they need your support, not uncritical but unequivocal, as is the case at every other police authority between the chief and the chair."

-Nova

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

At least 148 hostages, many of them foreigners, rescued from Oberoi hotel. The group, some of whom were carrying luggage with Canadian flags on, were taken away in cars without speaking to reporters.

The group included one man dressed in Chef's uniform and a small baby.

The release on Friday came as NSG commandos were assaulting a nearby Jewish center and another hotel, searching for terrorists still holed up more than a day after a chain of attacks across India's financial center by the militants left at least 130 people dead.

Earlier, Mumbai Police Commissioner Hassan Gafoor said all hostages inside the Taj hotel have been evacuated but refused to comment on whether the terrorists inside the hotel have been killed.

Regarding terrorists holed up in the Oberoi hotel and Nariman House, Gafoor said NSG commandos are leading the operation and the situation will be brought under control soon.

Gafoor said least 12 terrorists had come to Mumbai from Gujarat.

One NSG commando seriously injured in Taj Hotel, says Mumbai Police Commissioner Hassan Gafoor.

At Oberoi, no gun shots or explosions were heard since late last night as the security forces launched room-to-room searches.

One NSG commando was seriously injured in Taj's eighth floor during the operations, Commissioner of Police Hassan Gafoor told PTI.

"The operations at Taj and Oberoi are in the final stages," he said.

Three terrorists, including a Pakistani national, were arrested by the security forces from the Taj hotel last night. The Pakistani national was identified as Ajmal Amir Kamal, a resident of Faridkot in Multan, officials said.

The suspected militants belong to Lashkar-e-Taiba, they said.

Gafoor said that all hostages inside the Taj hotel have been evacuated and search operations were continuing to flush out the remaining terrorists.

Dutt said two terrorists were holed up in the 8th floor of the Oberoi hotel while in the Trident section the combing operation has been completed.

"As far as Trident is concerned, we have been able to completely clean up and we do not have any report of any terrorist being holed up over there.

"As far as Oberoi is concerned, yes, we have engaged two terrorists on the 8th floor," he said.

Late in the night, there was a major fire in Trident where about 200 people have been trapped and terrorists exploded grenades that set the roof ablaze amid exchange of gunfire.

There were reports that about 30 to 35 hotel guests were safely evacuated.

Among the dead were six foreigners, 14 police personnel, a home guard jawan and 104 members of the public including several staff of the two hotels. Of the 327 injured, police personnel accounted for 26 and foreigners seven.

timesofindia

If u want pics I can post some of em but they are gory

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

Click Here (http://in.indiatimes.com/tributes.cms)

Over 100 people died and 300 injured in the Mumbai Terrorist Attack including Anti-Terror Chief Hemant Karkare n Encounter Specialist Vijay Salaskar.Click the link above to pay your tributes :bow:

[Black Widow]

TWO sisters who had nine children by their rapist father have told The Sun how they even pretended to their MOTHER that other men were to blame for their pregnancies.

The tragic pair endured 28 years of hell during which they were raped more than 1,000 times by their dad — dubbed the British Josef Fritzl after the Austrian who fathered seven children by his own daughter.

Last night the sisters told how they had begged their father to stop the torture.

One said she even began PAYING the benefits-obsessed 56-year-old not to abuse her.

Speaking to The Sun, the elder sister said: “No one was there for us and we were too terrified of him to tell anyone what was happening. I pleaded for him to stop but he wouldn’t. I was too scared to tell anyone.

“When my mum asked me who the father of my first child was I told her it was a local boy — but I knew the real father was my dad.

“I lost count of how many times he raped me. As I got older he said if I told anyone, my children would be taken away from me.

“He started touching me when I was about five. It was going on for years but I didn’t know my younger sister was also being abused until much later.

“At one stage a few years ago I even paid him a few times from my benefits just to stop him. There was no way out.

“It took us years to build up the courage to report him. We were just under his control.

“Over the years I pleaded with him to stop but he didn’t. There was no reaction or heart in him. He’d just tell us to go to the bedroom.

“Now we want to get on with our lives. We don’t want anyone to know who we are.”

The two women are now receiving counselling for their trauma and yesterday were in hiding as it emerged police and social workers may have missed around 150 chances to save them.

The younger sister spoke to The Sun just days before her dad — who forced them to have children to rake in benefits — was charged with a catalogue of rape and abuse.

She broke down in tears, sobbing: “We love our kids more than anything in the world. Although they were born out of hate, we love them and always will.

“I don’t know how I will be able to tell them who their father is. It is going to be very difficult.”

On Tuesday the girls’ father was given 25 life sentences at Sheffield Crown Court in a case which shocked the nation.

A full-scale independent inquiry has now been launched to discover how social services, police and doctors failed to spot that a man was fathering so many children by his two daughters. He made them pregnant a total of 19 times.

Seven of the children survived, two died the day they were born and the other pregnancies ended by miscarriage or abortion.

During the court hearing it was claimed the one person who could have saved the girls from decades of abuse was their mother — but she turned a blind eye.

Nicholas Campbell, QC, prosecuting, said it was thought she knew her girls were being abused by their father but did nothing to help.

‘ I was too scared to tell anyone. When my mum asked me who the father of my first child was I told her it was a local boy ... but I knew the real father was my dad ’

As part of the police probe into her husband’s abuse, she was arrested on suspicion of child cruelty although never charged.

The mother left the family home when her daughters were still teenagers, leaving them at the mercy of their father.

Mr Campbell said that when she was interviewed by police over the summer, the mother “denied any wrongdoing and spoke of her husband’s domination of family life and his violence”.

Sentencing the rapist, Recorder Alan Goldsack told him: “Your wife clearly became aware of what was going on but did nothing to assist her daughters. She could have alerted the authorities — but did not.”

Last night relatives of the daughters slammed social services, claiming the father had been reported again and again.

The rapist’s cousin said: “They should have done something. Family members were reporting him but it never went anywhere. This could all have been stopped nearly two decades ago.”

And his wife told how 20 years ago she had contacted social services after arriving at the man’s home and hearing him order his daughter, who was getting dressed, to “come back to bed”.

She said: “I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. There was no one else in the house. I rang social services and they took details but said they would need corroboration.

“I then rang them regularly several times a week for the next six months. I was always being put through to someone different and it never went anywhere.”

She said a year later she watched horrified as it was revealed that the man’s mother-in-law — now dead — had reported him to police after catching him in bed with his daughter.

She said: “He stormed in and said to his wife that she had to sort it because her mum had gone to the police.”

The following year, after they discovered one of the girls had had a miscarriage, the family say they rang social services again but were told: “We are aware of the family — but do you have an address?”

The 44-year-old mum said: “We moved away and lost touch. We were aware the girls had had children but not how many, nor who the father was.

“As soon as we saw the stories on the news we knew who it would be. My blood ran cold.

“He is evil but the social services are a disgrace. They should have done something.”

Her 53-year-old husband — the rapist’s cousin — said: “In 1982 I was worried after discovering he was beating the girls with a belt buckle.

“I went to the NSPCC in Sheffield but nothing came of it. I felt as though they dismissed it.

“Then in 1988 I mentioned to a police sergeant that I believed something horrible was happening and it might be incestuous.

“The officer was very good and appeared to make inquiries with the social services but they didn’t act. I know my uncle’s brother also said he’d contacted the authorities.

“Some years later I spoke to the same police officer. I think he did all he could but social services didn’t seem to take any action.

“The girls’ father is just plain evil. On one occasion after his daughter had a miscarriage he was at our house within hours, wanting to sell us baby stuff because my wife was pregnant. He should now just rot in prison. He should never be released.”

He added: “I believe he was just using his daughters as a way of getting cash out of the system. Every time he got one of them pregnant he saw it as the chance to claim more benefit.

“I don’t remember him ever working. He obviously loved the control he had over the sisters. He put them through an horrific nightmare lasting nearly three decades.”

Last night Children’s Minister Ed Balls said: “I was horrified to see the details of this. It beggars belief that it should happen for so many years in such a terrible way. It’s just plain evil and hard to believe that in our kind of country people could do this.”

He said the investigation announced by Sheffield social services would find out if signs of abuse should have been spotted earlier by schools, social services and the health system.

He added: “In the end we’ve got to learn the lesson, get it right, but the reason it happened is because a man did terrible, terrible things to his children with lasting consequences for the rest of their lives, and there’s nothing we can do to turn that round, and we all feel wretched about that.”

However he insisted: “We have the right system of child protection, we have got the social workers in place, the GPs, the schools working together, but it doesn’t always work properly.

“We need to do better, of course we do, because every child has got the right to be protected.

“It’s not that the system is wrong, but we have got to make it better.”


The Sun

[Glorious Maxxwell]

Britain's going to hell in a handbasket, from the looks of it

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the news.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the news.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the read.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Gordon Brown insisted ministers were not told in advance by police that they were going to arrest Tory frontbencher Damian Green over leaked information from the Home Office.

Conservative leader David Cameron said ministers and police had serious questions to answer over the treatment of the shadow immigration minister who was held for nine hours after being arrested at his Kent home.

However the Prime Minister said it was purely a police matter and that ministers had not been involved.

"I had no prior knowledge, the Home Secretary had no prior knowledge, I know of no other minister who had any prior knowledge," he told Sky News. "I knew about it only after it had happened when I was told by the Permanent Secretary to the Civil Service that this had happened.

"As I said to him, this is a matter for the police, they are carrying out an investigation. It is not a matter for Government ministers. The independence of the police is what should be upheld. I hope that everybody can feel able to uphold both the independence of the police and the statement that no minister was involved."

Mr Cameron raised concerns that at least nine counter-terrorism officers had been deployed to detain Mr Green and search his house and Commons office.

"The police have to answer questions," he said. "Frankly, Government ministers have got questions to answer as well."

Mr Green, 52, MP for Ashford, expressed fury after he was questioned in connection with a series of confidential Home Office papers which have found their way into the public domain recently.

He was released on unconditional bail shortly before midnight without charge, but must return to face further questioning in February.

Speaking to reporters outside the House of Commons, he said: "I was astonished to have spent more than nine hours under arrest for doing my job. I emphatically deny I have done anything wrong."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Indian troops were clearing the last terrorists from buildings across Mumbai.

Heavy gunfire was heard as commandos were dropped by helicopter on to the roof of a Jewish centre where at least 10 hostages are believed to be held.

Troops are also still sweeping two luxury hotels room by room looking for hostages and gunmen. Seven more foreign captives were freed from the Oberoi Hotel and more than 400 people were brought out of the Taj Mahal on Thursday.

British citizen Nicole Griffen said she was rescued by Indian special forces from the Taj Mahal.

She told Radio 5 Live: "They entered and looked through our passports and scouted around to see if there were [anyone] harbouring terrorists or attackers and then we were promptly told where to go by the central stairway and again we were asked to wait with other guests while they checked other floors and checked other rooms and we all congregated into one space where they could protect us centrally."

One Briton is confirmed to be among the 143 people killed when gunmen launched co-ordinated attacks on targets in central Mumbai, including the two hotels and the city's packed railway station on Wednesday.

Andreas Liveras, the founder of a luxury yacht business who was in his 70s, was pronounced dead on arrival at St George's Hospital in the city. More than seven other Britons were among the 300 injured in the attacks.

Scotland Yard officers travelled to Mumbai to help Indian authorities as they struggled to restore order in the city. A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed officers were on their way to Mumbai but he said he could not give any details about what they would do there.

A group calling itself Deccan Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the attacks. But experts said they had never heard of the organisation and suggested that the radical Students Islamic Movement of India (Simi) might have been behind the massacre.

The England cricket team postponed its final one-day matches against India amid fears for players' safety. They will fly back to Britain on Friday but intend to return to India in time to start a Test series on December 11.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said it was too early to tell whether Britons were involved in the terror attacks on Mumbai.

Mr Brown said he would discuss the attacks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, amid claims by the Indian government that the attackers came from outside the country.

As Indian troops cleared the last terrorists from buildings across Mumbai, UK authorities were following up reports on local news channel NDTV that the terrorists included "British citizens of Pakistani origin".

When asked about the reports, Mr Brown told Sky News: "I would not want to be drawn into early conclusions about this. There is so much information still to be discovered and made available. I have heard what Prime Minister Singh has said and I'll talk to him about it this morning.

"But obviously when you have terrorists operating in one country they may be getting support from another country or coming from another country and it is very important that we strengthen the co-operation between India and Britain in dealing with these instances of terrorist attacks."

At the Oberoi Hotel, at least 25 captives - including two Britons and another clutching a baby - were rushed out and loaded into waiting cars, buses and ambulances. Commandos were continuing their search for attackers.

A senior police official said 24 more bodies were found, taking the death toll to 143.

Even after claims by Indian authorities that the situation was under control, explosions were still being heard in central Mumbai.

Mr Brown said that as far as the Government was aware, there were no British hostages still being held in the Indian financial capital. And he said ministers were determined to do what they could to help the Indian authorities dealing with the attacks.

The Queen has been "shocked" by the terrorist attacks, Buckingham Place said. The Monarch made the admission in a statement and also sympathised with families who have lost loved ones or had relatives injured in the shootings in India.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Seven members of the Outlaws motorcycle gang have been jailed for life for murdering a Hell's Angel.

The entire South Warwickshire chapter of the Outlaws was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court after being convicted of shooting Gerry Tobin as he rode along the M40 on August 12 last year.

Two shots were fired at the 35-year-old biker from two different handguns as he returned to his London home from the Hell's Angel Bulldog Bash festival in Warwickshire. One of the bullets skimmed the base of Mr Tobin's helmet, lodging in his skull and killing him instantly.

During the seven weeks of evidence, the jury was told that the mechanic was targeted by the rival gang simply because he was a "fully-patched" Hell's Angel. Rivalry between the gangs originated in the late 1960s when a series of brutal murders took place in north America.

Simon Turner, 41, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, was given a minimum term of 30 years for murder and two firearms offences. Coventry man Dane Garside, 42, received a minimum 27 years for the same charges.

Sean Creighton, 44, from Coventry, will spend a minimum of 28 years and six months in prison after pleading guilty to murder and two firearms charges. Malcolm Bull, 53, from Milton Keynes, was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison for murder and possessing a shotgun.

Dean Taylor, 47, from Coventry, will spend at least 30 years in prison for the same charges.

Karl Garside, 45, from Coventry, was given at least 26 years and Ian Cameron, 46, also from Coventry, received at least 25 years for murder.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Politicians must give senior officers "breathing room" to run their forces, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner said.

Sir Ian Blair said frontline policing was a high-risk business and Scotland Yard must "move on" from its "occasional disasters".

Speaking on his last day in office, he said running the £3.5 billion organisation of some 50,000 employees has been "99% enjoyable".

But he admitted many will focus on the other 1%, including the death of Jean Charles de Menezes, the Forest Gate raids and a string of apparent gaffes.

Sir Ian said crime had fallen by almost a fifth during his 46 months in charge, with significant reductions in violent crime and murders as public confidence in police soars. He said the Met's response to the July 2005 attacks was one of his proudest moments and he considers Mr de Menezes the 53rd victim of the terrorists.

But he warned his successor will not only have to battle the threat of terrorism and spiralling teenage murders, but the increasing politicisation of policing. Sir Ian said two decades ago high-profile police incidents were once treated as a matter for senior officers alone.

He said: "That is not where we are now. That has changed out of all recognition because crime is so significant. I think what we need is both of the major parties to give the police a bit more breathing room and recognise how extraordinary the achievements are."

Sir Ian's comments came after he blasted Tory London Mayor Boris Johnson for forcing him to resign after taking charge of the Metropolitan Police Authority. He said standing down was the "only honourable course", despite retaining the support of Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, when Mr Johnson said he did not support him.

The officer admitted the upper reaches of Britain's largest force have "got a bit like politics" with one side briefing against the other.

The Commissioner said any successor must be careful to tell Mr Johnson how they expected to run the force and the relationship they will have. Sir Ian said candidates should be clear where they stand and tell the Mayor "if you don't want that, don't choose me".

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A university student from London admitted trying to get to Afghanistan to join mujahideen terrorists fighting coalition forces.

Mohammed Abushamma, 20, from Islington, north London, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to preparing acts of terrorism between March 17 and April 18, this year.

He was remanded on conditional bail and will be sentenced on a date to be fixed.

Abushamma and co-accused Qasim Abukar, 20, from Tufnell Park, north London, were arrested at Heathrow airport in April as they arrived back in England.

They had taken a plane to Turkey but had voluntarily left after being spoken to by officials from the British and Turkish authorities in Ankara.

They are believed to have applied for visas to go to Afghanistan.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Taxpayers will take a 57.9% stake in Royal Bank of Scotland after investors snubbed its £15 billion share offer, the bank said.

The bank's existing shareholders refused to buy the new stock because RBS's shares were trading below the 65.5p offer price announced in October.

The Government will step in to buy up the unwanted shares and shore up the bank's ailing finances - leaving taxpayers with a paper loss of almost £2.5 billion.

RBS said just 0.24% of the new shares had been taken up by investors - leaving the public to foot the bill for the remainder.

Alongside this £15 billion outlay, the Treasury is pumping in £5 billion in return for preference shares, which come with special conditions such as a ban on dividends.

RBS chief executive Stephen Hester said the bank was "grateful" to the Government for its support. "We regret that existing shareholders did not take up their pre-emptive rights but understand that market sentiment toward the banking sector made this uneconomic in the short term," he added.

Mr Hester said his focus would be on rebuilding the business after a tumultuous period in which the bank was brought to its knees by the credit crunch.

In August the company unveiled its first loss in 40 years as a public company after suffering writedowns of £5.9 billion as it reported statutory pre-tax losses of £692 million for the first half of 2008.

"We must put the past behind us and move forward with a clear focus on what we need to do next. We will focus on rebuilding RBS on its powerful customer franchises globally and, in time, deliver the economic returns that all our shareholders expect and deserve," Mr Hester said.

RBS is receiving the biggest injection of public funds under the Government's £37 billion bail-out package announced in October. The Treasury is also pumping a total of £17 billion into merging banks Halifax Bank of Scotland and Lloyds TSB, which could leave it with a stake of more than 40% in the combined entity.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The mother of Shannon Matthews denied telling "blatant lies" to a jury as she resumed giving evidence at her trial.

Karen Matthews stepped into the witness box at Leeds Crown Court for a second day.

She began sobbing almost immediately as she was cross-examined by Alan Conrad QC, who is representing her co-accused Michael Donovan.

Mr Conrad said to her: "You're telling blatant lies to this jury, aren't you?" She replied: "No".

Matthews wiped away more tears as Mr Conrad went in detail through interviews she gave the police after she was arrested over the disappearance of her daughter in February.

Matthews, 33, and Donovan, 40, are accused of kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice. Both deny the charges.

The court has heard how Shannon, who was nine at the time, was found in Donovan's flat 24 days after she went missing from her home in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. The prosecution allege Donovan kept her drugged and imprisoned in his flat as part of a plan he and Matthews had to claim £50,000 in reward money.

Mr Conrad asked Matthews why she told police in her interviews that she had asked Donovan to pick Shannon up from school. Matthews said: "I didn't ask him to pick her up from school. I was confused what I was saying."

Matthews also told the court her partner Craig Meehan had told her to say this to the police. Mr Conrad asked the defendant: "Why didn't you say to police 'Craig's put pressure on me to say these things'?" Matthews replied: "Because I was scared of Craig."

She continued: "If he had found me he would have got me."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Somali pirates hijacked a chemical tanker with dozens of Indian crew members on board, and three British security guards were rescued by helicopter after jumping into the sea, officials said.

A warship on patrol nearby had sent helicopters to intervene in the attack, but they arrived after pirates had taken control of the Liberian-flagged ship, diplomatic officials said.

Still on board were 25 Indian and two Bangladeshi crew members, after the British security guards escaped by jumping into the water, the diplomats said.

It was the 97th vessel to be attacked this year off Somalia, where an Islamic insurgency and lack of effective government have helped facilitate an increase in pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden.

The ship was being operated out of Singapore, according to Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting centre in Malaysia.

The ship master had sent a distress call to the centre, which relayed the alert to international forces that have been policing Somali waters this year, Choong said. There were no immediate details about how the pirates attacked or the condition of the crew.

Pirates have become increasingly brazen in the Gulf, a major international shipping lane through which some 20 tankers sail daily.

So far this year, 97 ships have been attacked and 40 hijacked, including the seizure of a Saudi supertanker loaded with 100 million dollars worth of crude oil earlier this month.

Pirates demanding multimillion-dollar ransoms are currently holding 15 ships, with nearly 300 crew, Choong said.

Warships from Denmark, India, Malaysia, Russia, the US and Nato have started patrolling the vast maritime corridor, escorting some merchant ships and responding to distress calls.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Britain will look hard at requests from US president-elect Barack Obama for more UK troops to be sent to Afghanistan, Foreign Secretary David Miliband had said.

Mr Miliband said the Government was waiting to see what the new US administration's strategy would be.

He told the Daily Telegraph "If there are requests for help - economic, social or military - we'll look at them hard.

"We've never been in blanket refusal... But the British people don't want to feel it's always us who gets the nod; they want to know that others will do it."

He was speaking after it was announced that two Royal Marines were killed in action during an attack by insurgents to the north-west of Lashkar Gah in southern Helmand.

Asked if he understood public concerns that the troops were fighting a hopeless war, he said: "The test is whether Britain would be safer if we pulled out now. If the international coalition did that, Afghanistan would fall to the Taliban, and the country that incubated terrorism would become the incubator again."

He added that troops serving in the country must have "the best possible equipment".

-Nova

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

MUMBAI: Security forces freed the landmark Taj hotel here after an intense night-long firing amid a series of explosions, with three terrorists gunned down by the commandos, authorities said this morning.

"Three terrorists have been killed but we are still continuing our operations," Director General of NSG, J K Dutt, told reporters outside the hotel.

The operation to flush out terrorists from Taj Hotel is over, signalling an end to the 62-hour siege by terrorists three of whom were killed this morning in an assault by the elite commandos of National Security Guards (NSG).

However, the NSG is still sanitising the hotel to check if any remaining terrorist or explosive is still in the 400-room hotel, NSG Director General J K Dutt told reporters.

An AK-47 rifle was also recovered from them. "There was lot of shooting. Grenades were lobbed and explosives were used by the terrorists," he said.

On whether all the terrorists have been killed and hotel is now free, he said that it could be ascertained after the combing operation is over.

During the night, terrorists holed out in the hotel engaged in a fierce gun battle with security forces as some places in the first and the ground floors of the 565-room building set afire by terrorists amid explosions in the over 100-year-old heritage complex in the Colaba area.

timesofindia

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[Kenpachi Zaraki]

They were Pakis based in Britain

[JohnCenaFan28]

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[JohnCenaFan28]

Hundreds of people are reported to have been killed during religious clashes in the central Nigerian town of Jos.

A Muslim charity says it collected more than 300 bodies, and fatalities are also expected from other ethnic groups, mainly Christians.

There is no official confirmation yet, and figures are notoriously unreliable in Nigeria, says the BBC's Alex Last.

Clashes broke out after a disputed local election on Friday which has divided the town on social fault lines.

Police have imposed a 24-hour curfew and the army is patrolling the streets of the town of Jos, capital of Plateau State.

They have been given orders to shoot on sight in an effort to quell the bloodshed, some of the most serious in Nigeria in recent years.

The Nigerian Red Cross says at least 10,000 people have fled their homes.

Contested election

The mostly Christian-backed governing party in Plateau state, the People's Democratic Party, was declared to have won the state elections.

The result was contested by the opposition All Nigeria People's Party, which has support from Muslims.

Violence started on Thursday night with singing and burning of tyres on the roads by groups of youths over reports of election rigging.

Bodies from the Muslim Hausa community were brought into the mosque compound from the streets where they had been killed.

The local imam told our correspondent that their number is "in the hundreds".

The Christian casualties are usually taken to the hospital morgues, but no clear figure has emerged for the number of their fatalities.

Despite the overnight curfew, groups in some areas took to the streets again, as soon as patrols had passed by.

Troubled past

In 2001, more than 1,000 people died in religious clashes in the city.

And in 2004, a state of emergency was declared in Plateau State after more than 200 Muslims were killed in the town of Yelwa in attacks by Christian militia.

Correspondents say communal violence in Nigeria is complex, but it often boils down to competition for resources such as land between those that see themselves as indigenous versus the more recent settlers.

In Plateau State, Christians are regarded as being indigenous and Hausa-speaking Muslims the settlers.

-BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

Two foreign contractors working for the UN have been killed and 15 wounded in a rocket attack on Baghdad's high-security Green Zone, the UN says.

The Green Zone houses government offices and many foreign embassies.

It is not known who carried out the attack, which comes just days after the Iraqi parliament approved a new security pact with the United States.

The victims worked for a catering company contracted by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, officials say.

There have been many such attacks in the past, but they stopped after a ceasefire earlier this year between the Iraqi government and supporters of the anti-American Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr, says the BBC's Humphrey Hawksley in Baghdad.

On Thursday, the Iraqi parliament voted in favour of a new security pact with the United States, under which American troops are to leave Iraq by the end of 2011.

Moqtada Sadr condemned the agreement and called for three days of protests against the plan, but he specified they should be peaceful.

Levels of violence in Iraq have fallen to a four-year low, but bombings continue on an almost daily basis.

The UN's presence in Iraq has been limited since a suicide bombing of its Baghdad headquarters in 2003 killed 22 people, including its top envoy, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

-BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

An explosion has injured at least 11 people inside the opposition-occupied government house in the Thai capital Bangkok.

The blast came as the authorities were trying to end a blockade of Bangkok's two main airports by protesters who are demanding the prime minister's sacking.

A grenade was reportedly thrown at the protesters at government house.

A grenade attack there last Saturday injured eight of the protesters from People's Alliance for Democracy group.

-BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

Mediators are returning to their base after the Ugandan rebel leader, Joseph Kony failed to sign a peace deal.

The mediation team is expected to return to the remote area near the Congolese border on Sunday to try once more to have the deal signed.

During the tortuous two-year negotiations, Mr Kony has failed to appear on several previous occasions.

The mediation effort is being led by former Mozambiquan President Joachim Chissano and Sudan's Riek Machar.

They are returning to the Southern Sudanese capital, Juba, leaving some of their team on the ground, hoping that the process can be brought to a successful conclusion on Sunday.

Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army rebel leader Joseph Kony has not showed up to previous signing ceremonies on several occasions during two years of protracted negotiations.

Mr Kony has in the past blamed the Ugandan government for jeopardising the talks, by moving troops into the area, in an attempt to assassinate him.

Earlier, Uganda's government said it would ask for arrest warrants for Mr Kony to be lifted if he signed.

But Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa made it clear that Mr Kony must sign the deal first before the issue of the International Criminal Court (ICC) was addressed.

"We were only prepared to talk to the ICC about an alternative method of resolving that dispute, and also of justice in the country, only if peace is going to come to the people of northern Uganda," he told the BBC's World Today programme.

He added that as far as the government was concerned Mr Kony was the only serious obstacle to a final peace agreement being signed by the two sides.

"Our people are ready to sign any time, but Kony is the one who has been eluding us," he said.

Before today's setback Mr Chissano told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that he understood Mr Kony was heading to the signing ceremony in Ri Kwangba in South Sudan from his jungle hideout in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Optimistic

The UN special envoy said he could not guarantee that Mr Kony would sign this time, but he was optimistic.

"I don't have reasons to doubt that he'll not show up, because all the indications which he gave coming up to now are encouraging so I'm more confident than a few weeks ago," he said.

A one-year suspension by UN Security Council of the arrest warrants would give the government time to prove that it was able to deal with the matter, Mr Chissano said.

"I think that the UN Security Council would facilitate because the alternative is to have Kony forever in the jungles of Congo."

The LRA has led a rebellion for more than 20 years which has displaced some two million people in northern Uganda.

-BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

Four people have been charged with the murder last year of Brahim Deby, the son of Chadian President Idriss Deby, a French prosecutor says.

The four were arrested in the Paris suburb of Nanterre and have been remanded in custody.

A fifth suspect was arrested in Romania and should soon be extradited to France, the Nanterre prosecutor said.

Brahim Deby was found dead in the underground car park of his apartment building in Paris in July last year.

The 27-year-old had apparently choked to death from chemicals in a fire extinguisher.

Nanterre Prosecutor Philippe Courroye said the Paris suspects had been charged with gang murder and armed robbery.

French police say they do not believe there was a political motive for the killing.

Brahim Deby was sacked as a presidential adviser in 2006 after a conviction for drugs and weapons possession in France.

-BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

Opec energy ministers have decided to leave oil production quotas unchanged after talks in the Egyptian capital following falls in the price of oil.

Opec President Chakib Khelil said any such decision would be made at a meeting in Algeria next month.

The price of a barrel of oil has tumbled to below $55 after peaking at a record $147 dollars in mid-July.

Opec members have lost billions of dollars as demand has dropped in the face of the global economic downturn.

Opec member Venezuela favours a cut in output of a million barrels a day to try to boost prices.

But several Opec ministers had already dampened expectations that a cut in production would be announced this weekend.

Balancing demand

After Saturday's meeting, Opec President Chakib Khelil said ministers had agreed "to take any additional action on 17 December to balance oil supply and demand".

Falls in demand in the US, the world's top energy consumer, and other industrialised countries, have helped drive prices down from a record peak of more than $147 a barrel.

Opec, which accounts for 40% of global oil production, cut output by 1.5 million barrels a day last month, but the move failed to stop prices from declining.

While cartel members have not ruled out making another output cut, some say the impact of the existing cuts still have to be felt.

"Combined with weakening non-Opec supplies, the projected...output curtailment suggests that the oil market could actually tighten moving into 2009," Barclays Capital said in a research note.

-BBC News

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[DUKE NUKEM]

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[DUKE NUKEM]

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