World News joined 0008

[JohnCenaFan28]

A shop worker has died after being knocked to the ground by bargain-hunters who stormed into a superstore in New York's suburbs as it opened.

The 34-year-old man, along with several other workers and shoppers, was trampled in the rush at the Wal-Mart store in Valley Stream, Long Island.

US stores opened early and offered steep discounts on Friday.

The day after the Thanksgiving holiday is seen as the start of the Christmas shopping season.

It is regarded as an important test of how willing consumers are to spend.

Crowds of shoppers turned up at dawn at stores across the US to snare the best deals.

Wal-Mart, along with electronics retailer Best Buy and department stores Kohl's and Macy's, opened their doors at dawn.

Toys R Us offered up to 60% discounts from 0500 to 1000.

Several major retailers indicated that crowds were at least as large as last year's, but deep discounts are likely to hurt retailers' profit margins.

Many retailers have suffered as the US economy nosedives although value chains like Wal-Mart have fared better.

US retail sales recorded the biggest monthly decline since 1992 in October as consumers cut back on spending.

-BBC News

[DUKE NUKEM]

yeah that almost happen to a friend of mine at a best buy store with price cuts people act like animals

[JohnCenaFan28]

Tension is growing in the Thai capital Bangkok as thousands of anti-government protesters occupied the city's two main airports for a sixth day.

Police said they were negotiating with the group, as experts warned of soaring economic losses from the blockade.

Some 100,000 passengers remain stranded in the Thai capital. Some countries are putting on flights to bring them home.

Demonstrators want the government to step down, accusing it of being corrupt and hostile to the monarchy.

Fears of clashes between pro- and anti-government groups are growing, after a grenade attack in Bangkok.

Saturday's late-night attack on protesters occupying a government compound injured about 50 people, three of them seriously.

It is widely presumed to be retaliation for the airport occupation, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok.

And for the first time since the seizure, thousands of the government's own supporters have taken to the streets of Bangkok for a rally.

The red-shirted pro-government groups condemned the airport blockade and accused the protesters of economic sabotage.

So far the two sides have not encountered each other but there are fears of serious violence if they do, our correspondent adds.

'Avoid confrontation'

Demonstrators from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) - a loose alliance of royalists, businessmen and the urban middle class - have been been occupying Bangkok's international and domestic airports for almost a week.

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has authorised police to remove them, but police say that they will not use force.

"We are in a negotiation process. We want to avoid any violent confrontation. We will not use weapons," police spokesman Pongsapat Pongcharoen said.

On Sunday, police at the domestic airport, Don Mueang, issued a fresh order to protesters to leave the terminal.

Similar orders have already been issued and ignored at both occupied airports and, say correspondents, few believe that police have the will to enforce them.

An estimated 100,000 passengers have been stranded by the seizures. Some travellers have been trying to get to smaller airports around the country, but these are being overwhelmed.

Spain's government says it will send three planes later on Sunday to evacuate its citizens. Australian airline Qantas is also putting on a special flight from the resort island of Phuket, ABC news reports.

The closures have hit Thailand's tourist industry hard, with the loss of millions of dollars of revenue. The Federation of Thai Industries estimates that the blockade is costing the country up to $85m (£55.4m) per day.

It is also expected to have a knock-on effect. Deputy Prime Minister Olarn Chaipravat said the number of foreign tourists arriving next year was expected to drop by half, threatening one million jobs.

More than 450 Muslim pilgrims stranded at the international airport were taken by bus on Sunday to a military base where they were to board a plane for the annual Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

Our correspondent says there is an increasing risk of the civil conflict escalating in Thailand.

There is growing anger among pro-government supporters over the failure of the police and army to back the elected prime minister.

Mr Somchai, seen by the protesters as an ally of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has refused to resign in the face of the protests.

-BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

Swiss voters have backed a change in health policy that would provide prescription heroin to addicts.

Final results from the national referendum showed 68% of voters supported the plan.

The scheme, where addicts inject the drug under medical supervision at a clinic, began in Zurich 14 years ago before spreading across the country.

But in another referendum, the Swiss appear to have rejected the decriminalisation of cannabis.

The heroin vote was one of a series of referendums held to decide policy on illegal drugs.

Radical Swiss plan

The policy is described as one of last resort - prescribing addicts with the very drug that caused their problems in the first place - but supporters say it works, and Swiss voters appear to have agreed, the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Berne says.

Switzerland would be the first country to include it in government policy.

Supporters say it has had positive results - getting long-term addicts out of Switzerland's once notorious "needle parks" and reducing drug-related crime.

Opponents say heroin prescription sends the wrong message to young people and harms the addicts themselves.

Cannabis questions

Under the scheme, addicts visit clinics up to twice a day, where they inject the drug under medical supervision. They can also be treated for other medical issues or mental health problems, out correspondent says.

On cannabis things were less clear - Swiss police regularly turn a blind eye to moderate cannabis use.

But recent studies suggesting that long-term use of the drug may be more harmful than previously thought looked likely to encourage a "No" to decriminalisation.

Early results showed only 36.8% of those voting supported decriminalising cannabis, the Associated Press (AP) news agency said.

-BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

Sporadic gunfire has been heard in the central Nigerian city of Jos, where hundreds are feared dead following two days of religious and ethnic clashes.

An eyewitness told the BBC that 10 more killings had taken place but a Red Cross spokesman said the situation was much calmer as troops kept order.

Muslims have begun burying their dead while the Christian community is still counting its casualties.

The violence was sparked by accusations that an election had been rigged.

Nigerian police and soldiers were patrolling the streets on Sunday with orders to shoot on sight any troublemakers.

Jos has seen repeated bouts of inter-communal violence, with more than 1,000 killed during riots in 2001.

At the Vatican, Roman Catholic Church leader Pope Benedict included Nigerian victims in his prayers on Sunday and urged the world to express "horror and disapproval" at the senseless violence.

Machete attacks

"The situation this morning is gradually returning to normal," army spokesman Brig Emeka Onwamaegbu told AFP news agency on Sunday.

"There's not been any cases this morning of any destruction or violence."

Violence flared up on Friday after the mostly Christian-backed governing party, the People's Democratic Party, was declared to have won the state elections in Plateau state, of which Jos is the capital city.

The result was contested by the opposition All Nigeria People's Party, which is perceived in the state as a predominantly Muslim party.

Groups of men from both the Muslim Hausa community and the other, mainly Christian ethnic groups took to the streets armed with machetes during the riots.

Houses, mosques and churches were burned and the Muslim dead were brought into the central mosque from the streets where they were killed.

The local imam said the number of dead was in the hundreds.

It is still not clear how many died among the other ethnic groups involved in the fighting whose dead were taken to the city's morgues.

While ethnic and religious violence has claimed thousands of lives in Nigeria in recent years, the real trigger for the violence is usually competition for resources, the BBC's Alex Last reports from Lagos.

And in Nigeria political office is perhaps the most powerful resource of all as it gives the holder access to some of country's huge oil revenues, our correspondent adds.

-BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

Somali pirates holding a ship full of military hardware have reached a deal with its Ukrainian owners to release it, reports say.

Gunmen seized the Kenya-bound MV Faina, carrying 33 tanks, grenade launchers and ammunition, on 24 September.

A pirate spokesman said releasing the ship was "a matter of time", but gave no details of a ransom payment.

Attacks by Somali pirates have escalated sharply in recent months, causing international concern.

Last month they seized a Saudi oil tanker, the Sirius Star, carrying oil worth more than $100m (£65m). Negotiations are currently under way for the release of the vessel and its 25-man crew.

'Technicalities'

The MV Faina, currently anchored off the pirate hub of Harardhere, has a mostly Ukrainian crew of 21. Pirates had initially demanded a ransom of $20m.

"It is just a matter of time and a few technicalities before the ship recovers its freedom," French news agency AFP quoted Sugule Ali speaking on behalf of the pirates.

"I can't tell you what the ransom is but what can I say is that an agreement has finally been reached," he added.

A Kenyan maritime official confirmed the deal and said the two sides were now "discussing the modalities of releasing the ship, crew and cargo".

Kenya says the arms are destined for its military, rejecting reports they were bound for the government of semi-autonomous southern Sudan.

Somalia has not had an effective national government for 17 years, leading to a collapse of law and order both on land and at sea.

Pirates there are currently holding more than a dozen hijacked ships.

-BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

China's President Hu Jintao has warned that the global financial crisis could weaken his country's competitiveness.

Mr Hu gave his warning at a meeting of the Politburo and his words have been made public by the state media.

As growth slows, Mr Hu said that in the coming period China would starkly confront the effects of the international financial crisis.

And he warned that the economic situation was a test of the Communist Party's ability to govern.

"External demand has obviously weakened and China's traditional competitive advantage is being gradually weakened," Mr Hu said, according to the official People's Daily newspaper.

"Whether the pressures can be turned into a driving force and the challenges turned to opportunities ... is a test of our ability to control a complex situation, and also a test of our party's governing ability," he added.

Action

Recent figures show that the government has cause to be worried.

Growth has slowed to 9% - and predictions say that it may drop to 7% or 8% next year.

These are dazzling figures for some economies, but there's a widespread belief - even a superstition - in China that growth needs to stay above 7% in order for social stability to be maintained.

China has already taken action.

This past week the central bank carried out the biggest cut in interest rates in more than a decade.

And earlier this month, the government announced a stimulus package of $586bn (£380bn).

This is enough, the Communist Party will hope, to get this country through the next year or two.

-BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

About 150 whales have died after being stranded in a remote coastal area of the Australian island of Tasmania.

Many of the long-finned pilot whales, which were discovered on Saturday, had been badly injured by jagged rocks.

Rescuers did manage to shepherd about 30 whales trapped in shallow reefs to safety using a small boat, an official said.

Whales pass Tasmania as they migrate to and from Antarctic waters and stranding is not uncommon.

Last week 11 whales were rescued after more than 60 became stranded off another part of the island.

Local residents and experts had worked to help this group of whales, stranded near Sandy Cape in north-west Tasmania, but most had been injured by rocks and reefs.

Officials moved one stranded whale that was calling to a group offshore, in a bid to prevent further deaths.

"Unfortunately, that whale died but what happened then was those 30 whales milling around seemed more willing to move on and with a boat in the water we managed to shepherd them out of the bay," Warwick Brennan, a spokesman for the department of primary industries and water, told AAP news agency.

Pilot whales are among the smaller whales, growing to about 5m (16ft) in length.

Scientists are not sure what causes whales to beach.

-BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

A man has been detained in China for throwing his mother's body into a river because he could not afford a funeral, state media said.

According to the Beijing News, the two were living together when the elderly woman died in early November.

Her son, a 28-year-old migrant worker, put her body in a bag and, with the help of a friend, threw it in a river.

He felt "like a bad son", he told the daily, because he had not been able to give her a good life or a good funeral.

The bag containing his mother's body was found two weeks later and the body traced back to him.

China's cities house millions of migrant workers, who fill the low-paid, sometimes dangerous jobs that city dwellers do not want.

-BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

Romanians are voting in the country's first parliamentary elections since joining the European Union in 2007.

Six main parties or alliances are competing for seats in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

The global economic crisis is likely to be the biggest issue for the 18 million Romanians eligible to vote.

PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu's centre-right Liberal Party has lagged in the polls with left-wing Social Democrats expected to do well, analysts say.

Polls opened at 0700 (0600 GMT) and close at 2100 (2000 GMT).

For the first time, Romanians are choosing from among individual candidates instead of party lists as they fill seats in the 452-member parliament.

But BBC Eastern Europe correspondent Nick Thorpe says the complex voting system has led some observers to express concerns about the possibility of fraud.

In the 19 years since the Romanian revolution, the left have traditionally shown more discipline, while centre-right alliances have achieved dramatic election victories, but broken up under the strains of governing, our correspondent says.

Romania's president has the power to nominate the prime minister - which can have a significant impact on the shape of the government, if the result is close.

-BBC News

[DUKE NUKEM]

thats just sad thanks for posting Eel

[DUKE NUKEM]

i dont like that idea at all thanks for posting Eel

[DUKE NUKEM]

things are hard all over thanks for posting Eel

[scorpionf]

And then people wonder why I avoid stores when they have massive sales like this....

Discounts like that bring out the worst in people... It's like waving a red flag at a group of thousands of bulls.

[scorpionf]

That was so sad when I read that today... poor whales :(

[JohnCenaFan28]

Another 2,000 jobs have been cut or threatened with the axe as two leading banks, a luxury car firm and a car accessory retailer shed labour in response to the economic downturn.

Union officials expressed anger and dismay that Credit Suisse, Aston Martin, HSBC and Halfords were announcing job cuts so close to Christmas.

Credit Suisse said it is cutting around 650 UK jobs, representing about 10% of the company's UK workforce.

Aston Martin said it was planning to axe up to 600 full-time and temporary jobs because of the downturn in the world economy, hitting the company's factory at Gaydon in Warwickshire.

The announcement, following a dip in sales, was described by the Unite union as "devastating news" for workers.

HSBC said it will reduce its UK workforce by around 500 following a review of the business and "current economic conditions."

Managing director Paul Thurston said: "We deeply regret taking this step, but we consider it essential to ensure our business is operating as efficiently as possible and that we are best placed to deal with the economic downturn and maintain our levels of customer service."

Unite's joint leader Derek Simpson said: "Unite is appalled that this news has been delivered so close to Christmas. As far as we can see, HSBC is simply using the economic downturn as an excuse to make job losses."

Car accessory retailer Halfords has announced plans to shed around 250 jobs due to the impact of the economic downturn.

The specialist chain said approximately 200 posts would be cut across its network of more than 450 stores, along with 50 more at its head office in Redditch, Worcestershire.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Three senior figures from Haringey Council have lost their jobs over the Baby P tragedy.

Children's Secretary Ed Balls said an independent report had painted a "devastating and damning" picture of failings in the north London local authority's systems.

He confirmed that council leader George Meehan and Cabinet member for children and young people Liz Santry had quit, while the head of children's services, Sharon Shoesmith, has been removed from her post.

Mr Balls said he had ordered a new serious case review into the death of Baby P, with an executive summary to be published by the end of March.

Mr Balls described the conclusions of the inspectors' report as "devastating" and said all of their recommendations must be accepted by Haringey.

He announced that he has directed the council to remove Ms Shoesmith and install Hampshire County Council's director of children's services, John Coughlan, in her place.

Mr Coughlan was seconded to Haringey last month to oversee children's services in the wake of the Baby P trial.

Mr Balls said: "Overall, the inspectors' findings are, I have to say, devastating. Their report sets out detailed recommendations, all of which must now be accepted in full.

"Having studied their report I've decided to take immediate action. My first priority is to put in place a new leadership and management team in Haringey children's services to ensure that vulnerable children in the borough are properly protected."

Mr Balls told a press conference the public had been "shocked" by the Baby P case. He said social workers, police and other officials who dealt with children's safety often worked in "challenging circumstances". But he added: "They must also be accountable for the decisions and when things go badly wrong people want to know why and what can be done about it."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Royal Bank of Scotland has announced that it will give struggling homeowners at least six months before launching repossession action.

The NatWest parent said it was doubling the three-month breathing space currently offered to borrowers who fall behind with mortgage repayments.

News of the move comes days after the Government bought 58% of the bank's shares for £15 billion - effectively bringing it under state control.

Stephen Hester, chief executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland, wrote in the Financial Times that the bank was "conscious that many people face anxiety" about repayments in the tough economic climate.

He said: "In our UK residential mortgage lending, and as a banker to small businesses, we are determined to serve customers well in the difficult times ahead and have commitments to Government that we intend to meet in letter and spirit."

It is expected that other banks may also follow suit as the Government calls for greater help from banks for cash-strapped borrowers and businesses.

MPs are also reportedly working on plans for statutory codes of practice in the banking industry, which could replace the current voluntary system.

The move by RBS comes amid pressure from Chancellor Alistair Darling to ensure banks do more to help households in the current economic downturn.

RBS has already announced that it will guarantee overdraft rates and contracts for its business customers for at least a year. It will also return to "normal" lending levels, as part of the Government's recapitalisation package for the banking sector.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The UK must cut its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 34% by 2020, the committee set up to advise the Government on climate change has recommended.

The Committee on Climate Change, chaired by Adair Turner, also said emissions should be cut by even more if an international deal on reducing greenhouse gases is agreed.

If the current UN negotiations lead to a new deal on climate change in Copenhagen next December, the UK's greenhouse gases should be cut by 42% on 1990 levels by the end of the next decade.

The significant reductions can be achieved at a cost of less than 1% of GDP in 2020, and using existing green technologies, a report from the committee said.

But stronger Government policies will be needed to move the UK to a low-carbon economy.

The cuts can be achieved by cleaner power generation from sources such as wind, which could make up 30% of the UK's electricity by 2020, and measures including energy-efficiency improvements in homes and offices and developing more efficient, electric and hydrogen-powered cars.

The report said nuclear power could play a role in low-carbon electricity generation, and did not rule out new conventional coal-fired power stations in the next decade.

It recommended the Government should make clear that fossil-fuelled power plants which do not have technology to trap and permanently store carbon emissions should not be allowed to generate electricity beyond the early 2020s.

New coal-fired power stations should only be built with the "clear expectation and certainty" that they should be retrofitted with carbon capture and storage (CCS) by the early 2020s, Lord Turner said.

The climate change committee, set up under the Climate Change Act, has already recommended a cut of 80% on 1990 levels by 2050 - advice which has been accepted by the Government.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Five companies are to face prosecution in connection with the explosion at Buncefield oil storage depot three years ago, the Environment Agency said.

The agency and the Health and Safety Executive are bringing the prosecution following the blasts at the site in Hemel Hempstead, Herts, in December 2005 in which 40 people were injured.

Criminal proceedings have commenced against Total UK, Hertfordshire Oil Storage, British Pipeline Agency, TAV Engineering and Motherwell Control Systems 2003, the Environment Agency said.

The prosecutions follow a "thorough and complex" criminal investigation conducted by the two agencies, which are jointly responsible for regulating non-nuclear hazardous industrial sites in the UK.

Total UK is facing three charges, of failing to ensure the safety of its employees, of failing to ensure the safety of people it did not employ, and of polluting ground water with fuel and firewater chemicals.

Hertfordshire Oil Storage and British Pipeline Agency are both charged with failing to take all the measures necessary to prevent a major accident and with polluting groundwater with fuel and firewater chemicals.

TAV Engineering is facing one charge of failing to ensure its employees were not exposed to health and safety risks, while Motherwell Control Systems faces one charge of failing to ensure people it did not employ were not put at risk.

The initial court date for the case has been fixed for January 23 and the HSE and Environment Agency said they could not comment further on the decision to prosecute.

A fire began at the Buncefield depot close to the M1 and some 25 miles north west of London at 6am on Sunday December 11 2005 after a series of explosions at the site.

Local residents were evacuated, the M1 was closed twice and nearby offices and warehouses were badly damaged in the incident. The blaze was eventually extinguished on December 15.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Justice Secretary Jack Straw has appeared to indicate ministers had been "surprised" by the nature of the raids on Tory frontbencher Damian Green's homes and offices.

He said: "Everybody who has been made aware of these unfolding events of course is surprised by the nature of the raid, and I certainly understand the concern of my parliamentary colleagues."

Mr Straw, a former Home Secretary and former leader of the House of Commons, indicated that any future review into the raid on Mr Green's parliamentary office was a matter for the House of Commons, but added: "I am pretty certain...that it will be because of the extent of the concern."

Commons Speaker Michael Martin is under mounting pressure from MPs to explain why police were allowed to raid the Parliamentary office of Mr Green.

Amid speculation that anger could erupt into protest, the Speaker's office announced Mr Martin would make a statement on Wednesday when the House returned for the State Opening of the new session.

Politicians from all sides have condemned the police action - former Labour minister Denis MacShane dubbed it "a mammoth breach in the core democratic doctrine of parliamentary privilege".

A civil servant arrested over the alleged Home Office leaks passed information Mr Green in the belief it would be used "in a responsible manner in the public interest", his lawyer said.

Christopher Galley's solicitor Neil O'May was speaking at a press conference in London following Mr Green's arrest last week.

Mr O'May said his client was unable to speak as he is still under active police investigation and due to return to police in January.

But he added: "If ever there was a case of 'don't shoot the messenger', this is surely it."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Muslim peer Lord Ahmed has admitted sending and receiving text messages while driving on a motorway just before he was involved in a crash in which a man died.

The 51-year-old appeared at Sheffield Magistrates' Court where he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving on the M1 near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on Christmas Day last year.

Slovakian Martyn Gombar, 28, who was living at the time in Leigh, Lancashire, died when Lord Ahmed's Jaguar was in collision with an Audi car, which had stopped in the fast lane of the motorway.

The peer suffered injuries to his face and shock in the incident on December 25.

Lord Ahmed admitted a charge of dangerous driving on the southbound carriageway of the M1, between junctions 40 and 35.

The court heard how he sent and received a series of five text messages while driving in the dark at speeds of, and above, 60mph along a 17-mile stretch of the motorway.

He was handed an interim driving ban until his sentencing on December 22.

Speaking outside the court, Lord Ahmed's solicitor Steve Smith said his client was not to blame for Mr Gombar's death.

"It clearly shows now that he was not responsible for the death of that unfortunate man," Mr Smith said.

"Whilst it is not his responsibility, it is not his fault, he still bears the death of this man at the forefront of his mind."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Mortgage lending collapsed during October, diving by nearly 70% to reach the second lowest figure on record, the Bank of England said.

Just £459 million was advanced during the month, well down on September's £1.49 billion and only 6% of the level for October 2007.

The steep fall was driven by the ongoing shortage of capital that banks have to lend.

It may also reflect a renewed tightening in their lending criteria in the wake of the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September, which triggered a new round of volatility in the financial markets.

The figure was the second lowest recorded by the Bank since it began collecting data in this format in 1993.

The low was reached in August this year when net lending slumped to just £176 million as potential buyers delayed purchases while they waited for the Government to announce its intentions on stamp duty.

Total mortgage advances were also subdued during October, with £16.99 billion advanced, just over half the sum lent in October 2007, and the lowest figure recorded since June 2002.

But, on a brighter note, the number of mortgages approved for house purchase has remained stable for the past four months.

Around 32,000 new loans were approved for people buying a property, only slightly down on September's figure of 33,000, suggesting the market may have bottomed out at a very low level.

Net lending by building societies reached £413 million during October, a slight improvement on September's £314 million, but 45% below the figure for October last year.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Mark Leckey has been named as the winner of this year's £25,000 Turner Prize for an exhibition that included cartoon characters such as Homer Simpson.

Felix the Cat, Garfield, and the Titanic movie also appeared in a film by Leckey, where the artist was seen lecturing on his love of animation.

The 44-year-old, who emerged as the bookies' favourite, was born in Birkenhead and graduated from Newcastle Polytechnic, later moving to London.

He was named as the winner at a ceremony at London's Tate Britain hosted by Nick Cave.

The Turner Prize is awarded for a body of work - not just that showing in the exhibition.

Leckey was shortlisted for his solo exhibitions Industrial Light & Magic at Le Consortium, Dijon, and Resident at Kolnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, combining sculpture, film, sound and performance.

The jury commended the intelligent, energetic and seductive nature of his work.

They said in a statement: "With wit and originality, Leckey has found a variety of forms to communicate his fascination with visual culture."

Leckey was appointed Professor of Film Studies at Stadelschule, Frankfurt am Main and became a founding member of "musical collectives" Donateller and Jack too Jack.

Speaking about his work before the announcement, the artist, who is fascinated by how flat images can become 3D, said: "I want to transform my world and make it more so. Make it more of what it is."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Workers at a rubber factory hit by an explosion had a lucky escape as they were at a meeting in another part of the building.

One person suffered minor injuries in the blast which tore off huge metal panels and shattered the windows of nearby offices.

But there could have been many more casualties if staff had been at the factory end of the building when the explosion took place.

Emergency crews were called to the Slough Industrial Estate in Berkshire, made famous as the set of the Ricky Gervais TV comedy series The Office.

The "significant blast" at the Duco International Ltd building was heard miles away, including at the local fire station.

Workers at the building managed to escape while six fire crews raced to the scene to deal with the resulting blaze.

Nearby roads were closed off and staff from neighbouring offices were evacuated.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said one person suffered minor injuries, believed to have been caused by flying glass or debris.

A joint investigation into the cause of the blast is being carried by the fire service and police but there not thought to be any suspicious circumstances.

The Health and Safety Executive will also be investigating.

-Nova

[John]

An immigration tribunal is due to rule on the fate of radical preacher Abu Qatada.
The firebrand cleric is accused of breaching his bail conditions by plotting to flee the country.

A three-member panel at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) could return him to prison or send him back home on a 22-hour a day curfew.

Qatada, who was once described by a judge as "Osama Bin Laden's right hand man in Europe", was arrested last month and appeared before a two-day hearing at the SIAC court in central London.

In a written statement delivered to the commission, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said British security services fear Qatada wants to use his network of terror contacts to "disappear".

She said: "Should Abu Qatada abscond, his supporters would base a significant propaganda campaign on this, further boosting Abu Qatada's already substantial extremist profile and influence which would damage UK national security," she said.

The Jordanian national is on bail pending the conclusion of lengthy attempts by the British Government to extradite him back to the Middle East.

The Court of Appeal blocked Qatada's deportation in May after ruling his conviction for terrorist acts in Jordan was based on evidence extracted through torture.

Ministers had hoped a "no torture" guarantee from the Jordanian Government would suffice. They are now appealing to the House of Lords.

Under his current bail conditions, Qatada must remain in his West London home and is barred from using the internet and telephone or meeting with named terrorists, including Osama bin Laden.

-Yahoo.

[John]

A Moroccan subsidiary of the fast food restaurant chain McDonald's apologised for cutting Western Sahara off a map of the country included on its "Happy Meal" children's toys, MAP agency reported Monday. Skip related content
"The toys included a small map on which the borders were incorrectly drawn. We profoundly regret making this mistake and we apologise to our loyal customers and our fellow citizens," said McDonald's Morocco in a statement.

MAP said bosses from the local food chain, who apologised after a joint Moroccan-Sahara association complained to the company about the error, plan to replace the offending toys that come free with a children's "Happy Meal."

Western Sahara was annexed by Morocco in 1975 following the withdrawal of former colonial power Spain, sparking a war with separatists from the Polisario Front before both sides agreed to a UN-brokered ceasefire in 1991.

Rabat has offered a form of autonomy for the territory under Moroccan sovereignty, while the Polisario Front want a referendum on self-determination.

-Yahoo.

[John]

The ruling party in Thailand has been ordered to disband after it was found guilty of electoral fraud.
Leaders of the People Power Party (PPP), including Prime Minister Somechai Wongsawat, were also barred from politics for five years.

Former minister Jakrapob Penkair said: "The verdict comes as no surprise to all of us. But our members are determined to move on and we will form a government again out of the majority that we believe we still have."

The outcome of the case has raised the risk of clashes between PPP supporters and anti-government protesters, who have been demonstrating at Bangkok's two airports for a week, leaving thousands of British tourists stranded.

A grenade was fired from a flyover near the domestic airport hours before the court hearing, killing one anti-government protester and wounding 22 people.

Hundreds of government supporters gathered inside the court compound and riot police were guarding the courtroom where the judges were reading verdicts from the case, which stemmed from the 2007 general elections.

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) demonstrators at the airports have been seeking to topple Somchai, whom they accuse of being a Thaksin pawn.

Thaksin, Somchai's brother-in-law, was ousted in a 2006 coup and is now in exile.

-Yahoo.

[John]

India was warned by the US in October that the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel was a hot target for a potential terrorist strike, according to reports.
America's ABC News claims a US intelligence official revealed that Indian security agencies were told nearly two months ago that militants might come from the sea to attack hotels and businesses.

It adds that a second source confirmed that specific locations - including the Taj - were given in the warning.

India's Intelligence sources told the national NDTV news channel they had issued a series of warnings of a possible attack on Mumbai by sea in the months leading up to last week's devastating onslaught.

However, many Indians have expressed anger at apparent intelligence lapses, including what a senior coast guard official said was a warning militants would attack Mumbai from the sea days before it happened, and a slow reaction by security forces to the rampage.

Ratan Tata, the head of the Taj Group of hotels which owns the Taj Mahal hotel, earlier told CNN that they had received a warning that an attack might take place.

He said: "We did have some measures too, you know, where people couldn't park their cars in the portico where you had to go through a metal detector.

"But if I look at what we had, which all of us complained about, it could not have stopped what took place.

"They didn't come through that entrance. They came from somewhere in the back."

Indian officials have said they believe that Pakistan-based Islamic militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba is responsible for the attack.

They claim all the gunmen involved in the 60-hour assault were Pakistanis and that "elements" in Pakistan were to blame for the attacks.

However, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has urged India to provide evidence that Pakistanis were involved in the attacks - and promised to cooperated if proof was given.

"They have given us some of the organisations ... but that is not evidence. If they will give us evidence we are commmitted that we will extend full cooperation," Mr Gilani said in an interview with CNN.

-Sky News.

[John]

Barack Obama has named former rival Hillary Clinton as his Secretary of State.
The President said Robert Gates would stay on as Defence Secretary as part of a national security team charged with recasting America's leadership of world affairs.

Mrs Clinton and Mr Gates, who have been at odds with Mr Obama in the past over foreign policy and defence issues, will implement his vision of rebuilding the US image abroad and oversee two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr Obama said: "I assembled this team because I am a strong believer in strong personalities and strong opinions. I think that's how the best decisions are made."

In a swipe at George W Bush's unilateral approach to foreign policy, Senator Clinton said: "While we are determined to defend our freedoms and liberties at all costs, we also reach out to the world again, seeking common cause and higher ground."

Mr Obama also named retired Marine General James Jones as national security adviser and Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as head of homeland security.

Former Justice Department official Eric Holder will be the new attorney general and Susan Rice, an Obama foreign policy adviser, the US ambassador to the UN.

Mr Gates has been praised by Democrats and Republicans since taking over the Pentagon from Donald Rumsfeld in 2006 and will provide continuity while the US fights wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr Obama wants to withdraw US troops from Iraq within 16 months of taking office, but Mr Gates has argued against setting timetables and a quick pullout, saying it could jeopardise security gains made over the past year.

Mrs Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, has agreed to make public the names of more than 200,000 donors to his foundation as part of a deal to clear the way for his wife to become secretary of state.

He decided to publish his contributor lists to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest with his wife's duties as secretary of state.

-Yahoo.

[John]

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama on Monday gave a sense of his foreign policy priorities by saying he sees much work to do on reining in Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs and promoting Middle East peace.
"There is much to do, from preventing the spread of nuclear weapons to Iran and North Korea, to seeking a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians, to strengthening international institutions," Obama said as he announced his choice of Sen. Hillary Clinton to be his secretary of state.

-Yahoo.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the news.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the read.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the news.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the read.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the news.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the read.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Investment bank Credit Suisse has announced plans to shed around 650 jobs in the UK.

The cut represents about 10% of the company's UK workforce and comes as a further blow to the financial services sector.

A spokesman for Credit Suisse said: "Due to market conditions and projected staffing levels required to meet client needs, we are reducing headcount by approximately 650 in the United Kingdom."

Founded in 1856, Credit Suisse is Switzerland's second-largest bank and employs more than 48,500 people in over 50 countries.

It has offices in London, Birmingham and Manchester.

On Monday HSBC said it planned to reduce its UK workforce by around 500 following a review of the business and "current economic conditions".

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Unemployed people should do a 9 to 5 day looking for work or undertake community service style duties such as digging gardens under moves to tackle the hardcore of joblessness, the author of a Government-commissioned report said.

Professor Paul Gregg said there should be a completely new approach towards people such as parents of young children and those on incapacity benefit.

Virtually everyone on benefits should be required to take steps towards finding a job and should face having their benefits stopped for up to four weeks if they repeatedly refuse to co-operate with attempts to find them work, it was suggested.

Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell said he "strongly welcomed" the report, adding: "The direction of travel is the right way."

A welfare reform bill will be included in the Queen's Speech on Wednesday, and the report is part of the Government's drive to get more people into work and cut down the numbers on benefit.

Mr Purnell said: "The approach that virtually everyone should be doing something in return for benefits is the right one.

Professor Gregg, of Bristol University, recommended that sanctions should be quicker, clear and more effective, with a simple system of fixed penalties and an escalating series of sanctions for repeat offenders.

Prof Gregg said it was important not to let people drift away from the labour market, especially as a result of the current economic downturn.

The report recommends a swift escalation of sanctions for jobseekers who fail to turn up to meetings and interviews.

After a written warning for a first transgression, they would thereafter lose a week's Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) each time they did not comply with conditions. After a fourth offence, they would be required to undertake community service. If they refused, they would lose four weeks' JSA.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A senior police officer has been appointed by Acting Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson to review the handling of the police inquiry into Home Office leaks.

Sir Paul has asked British Transport Police Chief Constable Ian Johnston to report to him within seven days.

In the meantime, the investigation team - who last week arrested Conservative immigration spokesman Damian Green - will consult with the Crown Prosecution Service about further steps in the inquiry.

Mr Johnston, who is chairman of the Association of Chief Police Officers crime committee, has been asked to look into the Metropolitan Police's "decisions, actions and handling of the investigation", said Sir Paul.

The decision to call him in reflects concern at Scotland Yard over the political furore which has blown up over Mr Green's arrest on suspicion of conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office. The Ashford MP denies all wrongdoing and has been released on bail until February.

His arrest provoked a furious response from London Mayor Boris Johnson, the chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority and other senior politicians, including Conservative leader David Cameron, who described it as "heavy-handed".

MPs have questioned the decision to conduct a police search of Mr Green's House of Commons offices, which some regard as a breach of parliamentary privilege.

In a statement released by Scotland Yard, Sir Paul said: "I am properly concerned about the issues being raised within the continuing debate surrounding the ongoing investigation into the leaking of Government information.

"I have therefore appointed Ian Johnston, chairman of the Acpo crime committee and the Chief Constable of British Transport Police, to conduct an urgent review of our decisions, actions and handling of the investigation to date and to provide me with an interim report within seven days and a further report within two weeks.

"In the meantime, the investigation team will be meeting the CPS to review progress and consider next steps."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith has called for an end to a "benefits culture" on council estates as he unveiled proposals to give tenants who pay rent and make a positive contribution help in buying a stake in their homes.

Mr Duncan Smith said he wanted to see a major overhaul in housing policy to reward social housing tenants who make a positive contribution and look for work.

Speaking on GMTV, Mr Duncan Smith said the report aimed to change the aspirations of people living on estates.

He said social housing should be seen as part of a "back-to-work process".

"We shouldn't lock people into this for life because that takes away all incentive for people to seek work and change their lives," he said.

He said all governments over the past 30 years were to blame for a "benefits culture" in which children growing up on estates were less likely to see adults in work.

His remarks were made as his think-tank, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), set out a stark assessment of the decline of working class areas over the past half-century.

It calls for an overhaul of housing policy to put an end to the "cycle of destructive behaviour" of poverty, family breakdown and crime on council estates which have deteriorated into "ghettos".

Its proposals include new incentives to discourage social tenants getting into a downward spiral of benefits dependency. Jobless social housing tenants who try to find work could be given an equity stake in their homes under the proposals in the report.

The CSJ also calls on a future Conservative government to consider rewarding people who demonstrate a desire to get back on the path to self-sufficiency with stakes in their own homes. That could include people who pay their own rent, rather than relying on the state, and make contributions to the local community.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Tougher inspection regimes for child protection services across the country have been introduced to avoid a repeat of failings exposed by the Baby P tragedy.

Children's Secretary Ed Balls has ordered every local authority in England to review its arrangements for safeguarding children in the light of a damning report about Haringey Council.

He also announced that Ofsted would now carry out an unannounced inspection of child protection practice in every area of the country each year.

Ofsted warned that many councils were failing to learn lessons from the most serious incidents of child abuse because their internal investigations were inadequate.

Inspectors were sent into Haringey in north London last month after the trial of those responsible for 17-month-old Baby P's brutal death.

Their report led to two senior councillors resigning, three managers being suspended and three social workers being taken off child protection duties.

There was anger that Haringey's director of children's services, Sharon Shoesmith, remained on full pay despite being removed from her post by the Government.

Mr Balls said he would be "astonished" if Ms Shoesmith received any pay-off or compensation for losing her job, but stressed that this was a decision for the council to make.

The council's chief executive, Dr Ita O'Donovan, said Ms Shoesmith would not receive a compensation package or return to her post.

"We have to follow the employment law of this country," Dr O'Donovan said.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Supermarket giant Tesco has reported a halving in UK sales growth in the third quarter after it said like-for-like sales rose by 2%.

The 2% figure for the 13 weeks to November 22, excluding fuel, was down from the 4% reported in the previous three months.

Tesco said inflation had fallen "substantially" in the three months to the end of September, with prices in its stores falling even faster, according to the retailer.

It said the recent launch of cut-price ranges - such as its new 'Discounter' lines - was helping lower prices for cash-strapped shoppers, but had deflated its sales by "between two and three percentage points".

However, Tesco said the move was seeing it attract 300,000 more customers each week.

"We are also beginning to see strongly improving sales volumes - this is an important change, as inflation begins to subside across the industry," said Tesco.

Its upbeat outlook on customer numbers and sales volumes comes despite recent reports that it is seeing swathes of shoppers defect to rivals Asda and Morrisons.

Switching data from industry researchers TNS Worldpanel showed that in the 12 weeks to November 2, around £22 million of spending shifted from Tesco direct to Asda, according to The Times.

Tesco said its UK business had made "solid progress", but admitted it was not immune to the wider economic troubles.

Total group sales rose by 11.7% in the three-month period, with total UK sales growth of 5.9%.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A coroner leading the inquest into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes is due to begin summing up evidence for the jury.

Former High Court judge Sir Michael Wright is tasked with bringing together the final account of how the innocent Brazilian met his death on a south London Tube train.

It is the last stage before the 11-person jury, which has sat since September 22, is sent out to consider its verdicts.

Jurors heard from 100 witnesses, including the two men who shot dead the innocent Brazilian at point-blank range on a carriage at Stockwell station on July 22 2005.

For the first time, the public was given a full account of the incident from key witnesses on board the Underground carriage where the shooting took place.

Key controversies involving surveillance outside his Tulse Hill home, incidents in the control room at New Scotland Yard and Mr de Menezes's journey towards Stockwell were also examined at length.

C2 and C12, the two firearms officers who shot the electrician, both choked back tears as they appeared in the unlikely surroundings of Surrey County Cricket Club's home ground, in south London.

The shooting came two weeks after London was rocked by the July 7 bombings that left 52 victims dead.

On July 21 a second gang of Islamist extremists attempted to murder dozens more with home-made rucksack bombs. As counter terrorist police scoured the capital for the escaped would-be suicide bombers, Mr de Menezes was mistaken for one of them and shot dead.

Sir Michael is expected to use two days taking the jury back through the key evidence heard at the Oval cricket ground, south London.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Firebrand cleric Abu Qatada has been returned to jail after an immigration court ruled he breached the terms of his bail.

A panel of judges at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) was told the radical preacher plotted to leave Britain.

Qatada, 47, who was described by a judge as "Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe", was under 22-hour curfew until his arrest last month.

Mr Justice Mitting told a short hearing in central London that Qatada, whose real name is Omar Mahmoud Mohammed Othman, would be detained under immigration laws.

He said: "For the reasons outlined in the judgment, the Commission revokes bail and directs that Othman be detained under immigration powers..."

Neither Qatada nor his legal team were in court to hear the judgment.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she was pleased with the verdict.

She said: "I'm pleased the court has agreed that Qatada should have his bail revoked.

"He poses a significant threat to our national security and I am pleased that he will be detained pending his deportation, which I'm working hard to secure."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thousands of British tourists stranded in Thailand are facing chaos and confusion as a court banned the country's ruling party.

The father of a British tourist stuck in the resort of Phuket said his daughter had told him how fights had broken out among thousands of tourists besieging a military airfield.

Some Britons were escaping from the strife-torn country on relief flights which were taking them to London via Hong Kong, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.

But many faced a battle to get away, with the UK not actually laying on any extra flights but merely liaising with foreign airlines to get as many Britons away as possible.

Anti-government protesters have sparked the travel chaos in Thailand by occupying and forcing the closure of the main Bangkok international airport.

It was not immediately clear what would be the effect of the ruling by Thailand's Constitutional Court that the main ruling party be dissolved and the prime minister and 36 party executives be banned from politics for five years.

Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell said major airlines including Qantas and Emirates were laying on extra flights with UK Government support to help people stranded in Thailand get home.

An Emirates flight leaving Chiang Mai airport on Monday night was expected to carry well over 100 British nationals.

In a statement released by the Foreign Office, Mr Rammell said: "We are continuing to work with our international partners to support efforts to defuse the unrest in Thailand. Several thousand British travellers remain stranded in Bangkok. Our priorities are to ensure their immediate welfare and to find ways of ending their uncertainty and helping them get home."

Gulf Air, Malaysian Airways, Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific and Silk Airways are also expected to provide additional flights, mainly out of Phuket.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The Tories' lead over Labour has been slashed to just one point in the latest poll.

The ComRes survey for The Independent put the Conservatives down two since last month on 37% and Labour up five on 36%, suggesting the "Brown bounce" is still on track. The Liberal Democrats were up one on 17%.

If repeated in a general election, the findings would apparently give Labour a small majority because of imbalances in the UK's first-past-the-post electoral system.

The poll will encourage renewed talk of a 2009 election, coming after indications since last week's Pre-Budget Report (PBR) that the Tories had put an end to a recent Labour surge.

They are the best findings for Labour since January, when an Ipsos Mori poll put the party one point ahead of the Tories.

The ComRes survey suggests working class voters have responded well to the PBR, which heralded a new 45p top rate of income tax for those earning more than £150,000 a year.

Labour support among the bottom social group DE has risen to 51% from 35% last month, it found.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

An Iraqi court has sentenced to death Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as Chemical Ali, for his role in crushing a Shia uprising in 1991.

It is the second death sentence passed on Majid, a cousin of Saddam Hussein.

The court also condemned a senior Baath Party official, Abdulghani Abdul Ghafour, to hang for the same crime.

In February, Majid was condemned to hang for genocide over the killing of 100,000 people during the 1988 Anfal campaign against Iraq's Kurds.

The latest verdicts were issued after a trial which heard harrowing testimony of how the Iraqi army crushed the rebellion by Iraq's Shia community.

The uprising followed Saddam Hussein's defeat by US-led forces in the first Gulf War in 1991.

Witnesses told of mass executions and family members being thrown from helicopters.

The judge said the court had decided to execute Majid "by hanging for committing wilful killings and crimes against humanity".

Ten other defendants received sentences ranging from 15 years to life in prison.

The court, the Iraqi High Tribunal, was set up to try former members of Saddam's government and was the same one that sentenced the former dictator to death.

'Right-hand man'

It is estimated that as many as 100,000 people were killed as troops carried out massacres around the Shia holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, and shelled towns and villages across southern Iraq in the campaign.

Many Shia who participated in the uprising say they had expected US forces to back them, but former US President George Bush instead ordered his forces to halt at the Iraqi border, leaving the rebels at the mercy of Saddam's troops.

Often considered to be Saddam Hussein's right-hand man, Majid served as Iraq's defence minister.

And as a member of the decision-making Revolutionary Command Council, he was regularly called upon to crush regional uprisings.

He was given the nickname "Chemical Ali" for orchestrating the Anfal campaign and ordering poisonous gas attacks in a brutal scorched-earth campaign of bombings on Kurdish towns and villages in northern Iraq in 1988.

He has also been accused of ordering the gassing of 5,000 Kurds in the Kurdish village of Halabja, also in 1988.

Majid, 68 was arrested in August 2003 following the US invasion of Iraq.

He was first sentenced to hang in June 2007 for his role in the Anfal killings but his execution was held up by legal wrangling. He remains in American military custody.

-BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

Jewish settlers in the West Bank city of Hebron have rioted for several hours. Reports say several Palestinians were injured.

Violence broke out as rumours spread that Israeli forces were about to evict the settlers from a disputed building in the mainly Palestinian city.

Settlers and their supporters threw stones at Palestinians and Israeli police, damaging homes and cars.

Similar incidents were reported in several other parts of the West Bank.

The eviction was ordered by the Israeli supreme court in November.

The settlers have been involved in several clashes since the eviction order was issued, and have desecrated a mosque and a Muslim cemetery.

In the northern West Bank, near Nablus, dozens of settlers clashed with Palestinians and border police, and blocked roads in a show of support for the settlers in the centre of Hebron. There were several arrests.

Several hundred hard-line religious settlers live in the centre of Hebron under heavy military guard amid some 150,000 Palestinians.

Hebron is holy to both Jews and Muslims as the site of the cave that Abraham bought as a burial site for his wife Sarah.

The settlers say that they bought the house in a legal transaction from its Palestinian owner for nearly US $1m. He says he pulled out of the deal.

The Israeli high court is yet to rule on who owns the disputed building, but says it must be vacated while the decision is made.

All settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are considered illegal under international law though Israel disputes this.

-BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

Babies born by Caesarean section are more prone to developing asthma, say Dutch researchers.

In a study of almost 3,000 children, birth by Caesarean was associated with a 80% increased risk of asthma by age eight compared with vaginal birth.

The association was even stronger in children whose parents had allergies, suggesting a genetic predisposition to the disease, it is reported in Thorax.

Previous research has linked Caesareans with the development of allergies.

In total, the team looked at 2,917 children, 247 of whom were born by caesarean.

Around 12% of the children were diagnosed with asthma for which they were treated with inhaled steroids by the time they were eight years old.

The researchers found that the 9% of children who had two allergic parents were almost three times more likely to be asthmatic by the time they were eight compared with children whose parents were not allergic.

Immunity

Study leader, Dr Caroline Roduit, now based at the Children's Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland, said rates of asthma had soared in industrialised countries in parallel with a rise in Caesarean section births, which have increased from 5% in the 1970s to more than 30% in 2000.

She suggested that one reason for the association between Caesareans and asthma could be the priming of the immune system after birth.

Other research has shown babies born by Caesarean are not exposed to microbes as soon as babies born by vaginal delivery.

Previous studies in this area have produced conflicting results but the authors said the size of the study, the long monitoring period and and the definition of asthma to include inhaled steroids, strengthened the findings.

"The increased rate of Caesarean section is partly due to maternal demand without medical reason," said Dr Roduit.

"In this situation the mother should be informed of the risk of asthma for her child, especially when the parents have a history of allergy or asthma."

Dr Mike Thomas, chief medical adviser to the charity Asthma UK, said previous studies had also suggested that Caesarean section might increase the risk of asthma.

He said: "Sometimes a Caesarean section is needed for medical reasons, but where possible a natural birth is better."

-BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

Foreign ministers from Nato countries are meeting in Brussels to discuss resuming co-operation with Russia.

Relations between the alliance and Moscow were frozen after Russia's brief war with Georgia in August.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she broadly backed efforts to improve relations but that some areas remained "problematic".

Ministers are also likely to disappoint Ukraine and Georgia, which had been hoping for a roadmap to membership.

Moscow strongly opposes their ambitions to join the alliance, and some countries, like Germany, France and Italy, fear offering them a so-called membership action plan (MAP) would provoke Russia, correspondents say.

Instead, ministers are expected to encourage Tbilisi and Kiev to pursue reforms needed to join the alliance, but will stop short of offering MAPs, the BBC's Caroline Wyatt in Brussels says.

'Problematic'

Nato ministers are not expected to revive the Nato-Russian Council, say analysts, but could approve a resumption of lower-level dialogue with Moscow.

Nato bid has a long way to go

Ms Rice said she was not opposed "in principle" to improving the council's activities, but warned against military co-operation.

"We should be very attentive to what the Russians are doing and are they living up to their obligations," she said.

"There are certain types of activities, like military-to-military contacts, that seem to me to be problematic, when the Russian ministry is sitting in Georgian territory, in the separatist regions."

Thousands of Russian troops are still stationed in Georgia's rebel regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

On Tuesday, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili warned the West of "grave risks of returning to business as usual" with Russia without holding it to account for its actions in Georgia.

"If the international response is not firm, Moscow will make other moves to redraw the region's map by intimidation or force," Mr Saakashvili wrote in an article in the Wall Street Journal.

In a separate development, the EU launched its mission to investigate the causes of the Georgian-Russian conflict, a spokesman for the EU's French presidency was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

'No shortcuts'

Nato is deeply divided on how to proceed, following the conflict over South Ossetia in the summer, correspondents say.

While the US and newer Nato members, from the former Warsaw Pact, are keen to draw Georgia and Ukraine closer, others like Germany and France are wary of antagonising Russia, a key energy supplier.

The war also raised doubts among many members over whether Georgia, with its disputed territories, was ready to join the bloc or remained too volatile.

Ukraine has been beset by political turbulence, with the country split on Nato membership.

Ms Rice said she believed in Nato's "open door policy" but that there should be "no short cuts to membership of Nato", and that both Ukraine and Georgia must first meet the organisation's admission standards.

"No one wants to see a circumstance in which Ukraine and Georgia are shut out," she said.

Nato does not want Russia to think it has a veto over who joins the alliance, our correspondent says.

So the ministers are expected to discuss a compromise formula of seeking to further Ukrainian and Georgian entry ambitions, but bypassing the MAPs.

Instead, other less formal measures preparing the way, such as raising the standards of the countries' equipment, will be pursued.

-BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

Convicted sex killer Peter Tobin has been found guilty of murdering schoolgirl Vicky Hamilton 17 years ago and sentenced to life in prison.

Tobin, 62, abducted, sexually assaulted and then killed the 15-year-old, before cutting up her body and burying it in his garden.

A jury found him guilty of murdering the schoolgirl, from Redding near Falkirk, after a month-long trial at the High Court in Dundee.

Tobin is already serving a life sentence for raping and murdering Polish student Angelika Kluk and hiding her body in a Glasgow church in 2005.

During the trial, prosecutor Frank Mulholland QC, Scotland's solicitor-general, described Vicky's murder as a crime of "almost unspeakable horror".

Branding the killing "a barbaric act" and an "atrocity", he told the jury: "I have searched long and hard in my lexicon to find words which can properly describe what happened to this poor girl. The best I can do is describe it as 'evil'."

The jury took less than two-and-a-half hours to find Tobin guilty. As the verdict was delivered, there were cries of "Yes" from members of Vicky's family and friends.

Her father Michael smiled broadly as Tobin was found guilty.

Tobin was today given a life sentence and ordered to serve a minimum term of 30 years.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A senior police officer has been appointed by Acting Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson to review the handling of the police inquiry into Home Office leaks.

Sir Paul has asked British Transport Police Chief Constable Ian Johnston to report to him within seven days.

In the meantime, the investigation team - who last week arrested Conservative immigration spokesman Damian Green - will consult with the Crown Prosecution Service about further steps in the inquiry.

Mr Johnston, who is chairman of the Association of Chief Police Officers crime committee, has been asked to look into the Metropolitan Police's "decisions, actions and handling of the investigation", said Sir Paul.

The decision to call him in reflects concern at Scotland Yard over the political furore which has blown up over Mr Green's arrest on suspicion of conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office. The Ashford MP denies all wrongdoing and has been released on bail until February.

His arrest provoked a furious response from London Mayor Boris Johnson, the chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority and other senior politicians, including Conservative leader David Cameron, who described it as "heavy-handed".

MPs have questioned the decision to conduct a police search of Mr Green's House of Commons offices, which some regard as a breach of parliamentary privilege.

In a statement released by Scotland Yard, Sir Paul said: "I am properly concerned about the issues being raised within the continuing debate surrounding the ongoing investigation into the leaking of Government information.

"I have therefore appointed Ian Johnston, chairman of the Acpo crime committee and the Chief Constable of British Transport Police, to conduct an urgent review of our decisions, actions and handling of the investigation to date and to provide me with an interim report within seven days and a further report within two weeks.

"In the meantime, the investigation team will be meeting the CPS to review progress and consider next steps."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Britain's retail sector has been dealt a major blow as another high street company went into administration with the loss of more than 800 jobs.

Glasgow-based Bowie Castlebank Group is to shed 817 jobs across its businesses, which include photo-processing chains Klick Photopoint and Max Spielman and dry cleaner William Munro.

The company employed 1,664 people at 314 shops across the UK.

Blair Nimmo, joint administrator and head of restructuring for KPMG in Scotland, said: "It is with regret that we have had to make substantial redundancies across Bowie Castlebank's operations and we are currently working with government agencies to ensure the employees' issues are dealt with as quickly as possible."

The latest jobs blow comes the week after famous high street names Woolworths and MFI both went into administration.

In a statement, KPMG said the group's photo-processing business had been hit by the advance of digital photography.

And the reduced number of clothes needing dry-cleaning had led to the contraction of the cleaning business, the administrators added.

The company's turnover last year was £59.5 million. The firm explored several options to restructure or refinance but these were not successful, the administrators said.

Despite the heavy job losses, KPMG said there were currently no plans to close any of the outlets.

Mr Nimmo said: "We are marketing the business in an attempt to secure a sale of some of the group's stores or operations as a going concern."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The coroner at the inquest of Jean Charles de Menezes has ruled out a verdict of unlawful killing.

Former High Court judge, Sir Michael Wright, began summing up seven weeks of evidence by telling jurors they will only be allowed to return a verdict of lawful killing or an open verdict.

Having considered all the evidence, a verdict of unlawful killing was "not justified", he said.

The coroner told jurors to cast aside "any emotion" over the innocent Brazilian's shooting.

He also warned the 11 jurors they must not attach any criminal or civil fault to individuals.

He told them verdicts cannot be inconsistent with the outcome of the Metropolitan Police's health and safety trial, which spared Deputy Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick of personal blame.

The coroner began bringing together the final account of how the innocent Brazilian met his death on a south London Tube train.

It is the last stage before the 11-person jury, which has sat since September 22, is sent out to consider its verdicts.

Jurors heard from 100 witnesses, including the two men who shot dead the innocent Brazilian at point-blank range on a carriage at Stockwell station on July 22, 2005.

For the first time, the public was given a full account of the incident from key witnesses on board the Underground carriage where the shooting took place. Key controversies involving surveillance outside his Tulse Hill home, incidents in the control room at New Scotland Yard, and Mr de Menezes' journey towards Stockwell were also examined at length.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Department store Debenhams is to hold a second price cutting campaign this week amid speculation of a fresh round of sales on the high street.

Debenhams, the UK's second-biggest department store chain with 147 shops, announced it will offer up to 20% off items for three days.

It follows a similar three day sale two weeks ago which it extended for a further two days.

The announcement follows speculation that Marks & Spencer is to repeat its 20%-off sale of November 20 - the retailer's biggest one-day promotion for four years.

An M&S spokeswoman declined to comment on reports that a second sale would go ahead on Thursday.

Widespread price-cutting on the high street in recent weeks comes as retailers voice concerns that trading this Christmas could be the worst for many years.

Debenhams said its earlier sales days led to customer numbers increasing by about two thirds.

Michael Sharp, Debenhams deputy chief executive, said: "We're back by popular demand - it's as simple as that."

Online retailer Littlewoods Direct also announced a sale including 60% off 5,000 lines and 3-for-2 on toys and gifts until December 23.

The retailer's chief executive, Mark Newton-Jones, said: "As retailers, if we are serious in our claims to be putting our customers first, we have to make bold decisions on our prices and discounts."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

British Airways has revealed it is in talks over a potential merger with Australian rival Qantas.

Shares in BA jumped 14% after the Heathrow-based operator said it was looking to achieve a tie-up through a dual-listed company structure.

BA confirmed that separate merger talks with Spain's Iberia were continuing.

BA said in a statement: "In response to recent media speculation, British Airways confirms that it is exploring a potential merger with Qantas Airways via a dual-listed company structure.

"The discussions between British Airways and Iberia are continuing.

"There is no guarantee that any transaction will be forthcoming and a further announcement will be made in due course, if appropriate."

Speculation over a possible tie-up with Qantas has surfaced following indications that the Australian government is prepared to review ownership restrictions relating to the Australian flag carrier.

BA sold its 18% stake in Qantas in 2004, having secured a 25% holding in 1993.

There is currently a 25% individual foreign ownership limit, but Qantas could gain more flexibility to pursue a tie-up with a foreign carrier if it only needed to meet the requirement that it is 51% Australian owned.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

India was warned of a terrorist attack by US intelligence officials before the Mumbai massacre, it has emerged.

A senior official in the Bush administration said they passed on information that terrorists appeared to be plotting a mostly water-borne attack on India's financial capital.

The news comes with the Indian government already facing widespread accusations of security and intelligence failures after the three-day attack which killed 172 people and wounded 239.

One Indian official admitted it picked up intelligence in recent months that Pakistan-based terrorists were plotting attacks against Mumbai targets.

The information was then relayed to domestic security authorities, said the official. But it is unclear if the government acted on the intelligence.

The famous Taj Mahal hotel, scene of much of the bloodshed, had tightened security with metal detectors and other measures in the weeks before the attacks, after being warned of a possible threat.

Indian officials have continued to interrogate the only surviving attacker, who reportedly told police that he and the other nine gunmen had trained for months in camps in Pakistan operated by the banned Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Meanwhile its government demanded Islamabad hand over suspected terrorists believed living in Pakistan.

A list of about 20 people -- including India's most-wanted man -- was submitted to Pakistan's high commissioner to India, said India's foreign minister, Pranab Mukherjee.

India has already demanded Pakistan take "strong action" against those responsible for the attacks, and the US has pressured Islamabad to cooperate in the investigation.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A long running pay dispute between the Government and civil servants, which threatened to spark a winter of discontent, has been resolved.

The Public and Commercial Services union said there had been a breakthrough in the row following weeks of intensive talks.

Money from efficiency savings will now be released for pay bargaining in individual departments and related public bodies, said the union.

Officials added the government had also pledged there was no 2% cap on pay increases.

Mark Serwotka, the union's general secretary, said: "This agreement is an important breakthrough and forms a positive basis on which we can take the union's pay campaign forward.

"Over the coming weeks and months we will be ensuring that this agreement produces better pay for the low paid civil and public servants who deliver the everyday things we take for granted. We will also be seeking to address our remaining concerns over pay though further talks."

Civil servants ranging from jobcentre and benefits staff to coastguard workers, have taken industrial action in recent months and were threatening a national walkout.

-Nova

[Black Widow]

Official: Boat carrying 1,000 passengers 'very fortunate' to escape hijack bid

NAIROBI, Kenya - Pirates chased and shot at a U.S. cruise ship with more than 1,000 people on board but failed to hijack the vessel as it sailed along a corridor patrolled by international warships, officials said Tuesday.

The captain of the M/S Nautica ordered passengers inside and gunned the engine, allowing the ship to outrun the pirates' speedboats in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday, a company spokesman said.

"It is very fortunate that the liner managed to escape," said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Malaysia. He urged ships to remain vigilant in the area.

In a statement on its Web site, Oceania Cruises, Inc. said pirates fired eight rifle shots at the liner, but that the ship's captain increased speed and managed to outrun the skiffs.

"When the pirates were sighted, the captain went on the public address system and asked passengers to remain in the interior spaces of the ship and wait until he gave further instructions," said Tim Rubacky, spokesman for Oceania. "Within five minutes, it was over," he said.

All passengers and crew are safe and there was no damage to the vessel, the company statement said. Rubacky said the ship planned to return through the Gulf of Aden.

Choong said the ship was carrying 656 international passengers and 399 crew members.

The International Maritime Bureau, which fights maritime crime, did not know how many cruise liners use the waters, where hijacking of freighters and tankers has become a constant threat in spite of patrols by an international flotilla.

The U.N. Security Council extended for another year its authorization for countries to enter Somalia's territorial waters with advance notice and use "all necessary means" to stop piracy and armed robbery at sea. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said the pirates' goals are "ever-expanding."

The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain, said it was aware of the failed hijacking of the cruise ship — a sign of the pirates' growing ambition — but had no further details.

The Nautica was on a 32-day cruise from Rome to Singapore, with stops at ports in Italy, Egypt, Oman, Dubai, India, Malaysia and Thailand, the Web site said. Based on that schedule, the liner was headed from Egypt to Oman when it was attacked.

The liner arrived in the southern Oman port city of Salalah on Monday morning, and the passengers toured the city before leaving for the capital, Muscat, Monday evening, an official of the Oman Tourism Ministry said Tuesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

It is not the first time a cruise liner has been attacked. In 2005, pirates opened fire on the Seabourn Spirit about 100 miles (160 kilometers) off the Somali coast. The faster cruise ship managed to escape, and used a long-range acoustic device — which blasts a painful wave of sound — to distract the pirates.

The International Maritime Bureau, in London, cited only the 2005 liner attack and a raid on the luxury yacht Le Ponant earlier this year as attacks on passenger vessels off Somalia.

Tough to stop

International warships patrol the area and have created a security corridor in the region under a U.S.-led initiative, but attacks on shipping have not abated.

In about 100 attacks on ships off the Somali coast this year, 40 vessels have been hijacked, Choong said. Fourteen remain in the hands of pirates along with more than 250 crew members.

In two if the most daring attacks, pirates seized a Ukrainian freighter loaded with 33 battle tanks in September, and on Nov. 15, a Saudi oil tanker carrying $100 million worth of crude oil.

On Tuesday, a Somali pirate spokesman said his group will release the Ukrainian ship within the next two days.

Sugule Ali told The Associated Press by satellite phone on Tuesday a ransom agreement had been reached, but would not say how much. The pirates had originally asked for $20 million when they hijacked the MV Faina.

"Once we receive this payment, we will also make sure that all our colleagues on ship reach land safely, then the release will take place," Ali said. He was not afraid of warships intervening, he said.

"We know that the quantity of the equipment on the ship and the valuable lives we held hostage will help us remain onboard and get ransom."

NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Tuesday focused almost immediately on demands for NATO to act amid growing alarm over the attacks on shipping. The attacks have continued unabated despite a NATO naval mission over the past six weeks.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, and pirates have taken advantage of the country's lawlessness to launch attacks on foreign shipping from the Somali coast.


MSNBC

[John]

Thankyou For Posting :)

[OMEN]

http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/ap/16c419ad-7aab-4560-8a2c-9844efc20476.hmedium.jpg
Ollie Pile, an operations manager with de-mining charity The Halo Trust, left, and one of his local deminers, David Japaridze, excavate an unexploded ordinance, which was used in August during fighting between Russia and Georgia, in the Georgian village of Akhaldaba, on Oct. 31
OSLO, Norway - Nations began signing a treaty banning cluster bombs Wednesday in a move that supporters hope will shame the U.S., Russia and China and other non-signers into abandoning weapons blamed for maiming and killing civilians.

Norway, which began the drive to ban cluster bombs 18 months ago, was to be first to sign, followed by Laos and Lebanon, both hard-hit by the weapons.

Organizers said 88 countries were expected to sign on Wednesday and around 100 out of the world's 192 U.N. member nations will have signed by Thursday.
Cluster bomblets are packed by the hundreds into artillery shells, bombs or missiles that scatter them over vast areas. Some fail to explode immediately. The unexploded bomblets can then lie dormant for years until they are disturbed, often by children attracted by their small size and bright colors.

"Banning cluster bombs took too long. Too many people lost arms and legs," Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said as he opened the conference.

U.S., Russia claim legitimate uses
Washington, Moscow and other non-signers say cluster bombs have legitimate military uses such as repelling advancing troop columns. But according to the group Handicap International, 98 percent of cluster-bomb victims are civilians, and 27 percent are children.

The Bush administration has said that a comprehensive ban would hurt world security and endanger U.S. military cooperation on humanitarian work with countries that sign the accord.

Activists said ahead of the signing that they hope the treaty will nonetheless shame non-signers into shelving the weapons, as many did with land mines after a 1997 treaty banning them.

"Once you get half the world on board, its hard to ignore a ban," said Australian anti-cluster bomb campaigner Daniel Barty. "One of the things that really worked well with the land-mine treaty was stigmatization. No one really uses land mines," he said.

Children, elderly 'victimized'
The anti-cluster bomb campaign gathered momentum after Israel's month-long war against Hezbollah in 2006, when it scattered up to 4 million bomblets across Lebanon, according to U.N. figures.

"In southern Lebanon, for more than two years, children and the elderly have been victimized (by cluster munitions)," Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Saloukh said.

Norway called a conference to ban cluster bombs in February 2007. In May, more than 100 countries agreed to ban cluster bombs within eight years.

The treaty must be ratified by 30 countries before it takes effect.

"I think it's awesome that 100 countries are coming to Oslo to sign (the new cluster bomb treaty)," said American Jody Williams, who won the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to ban land mines.

Associated Press

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the news.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for posting this news.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Gordon Brown has presented a slimmed-down legislative programme for the coming year in a Queen's Speech focusing tightly on measures to help Britain through the economic downturn.

The programme for the Prime Minister's last full year before a general election includes 13 new Bills, along with a Constitutional Renewal Bill which will be introduced "when time allows".

The package's centrepiece is a Banking Bill designed to enhance financial stability through measures to reduce the likelihood of banks getting into difficulty, improve the tools available to the authorities when they do and strengthen protection for depositors if they fail.

In an address prepared for her by the Government, the Queen told MPs and peers that ministers' "overriding priority" in the new parliamentary session will be "to ensure the stability of the British economy through the global economic downturn". And she added: "My Government is committed to helping families and businesses through difficult times."

The programme represents a scaling back of the draft legislative programme set out by the Prime Minister in May, with less urgent bills dropped or merged to allow ministers more time to address the UK's economic difficulties.

Most notable absence from the May list is a Communications Data Bill which would have paved the way for a national database of phone calls and emails, but has been postponed by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

The programme includes measures to give local councils greater decision-making power and new means to promote the economy of their area, as well as a legal duty for them to respond to petitions from the public.

The construction sector, which has been one of the main victims of the recession, is to be helped with new measures to provide a "fairer" system of commercial contracts and more cash flow.

A Welfare Reform Bill will introduce new requirements for disabled people and single parents to seek work, with the aim to cut Incapacity Benefit claimants by one million, help 300,000 lone parents and one million older people into work and achieve an all-time high employment rate of 80%.

The Bill will also abolish Income Support in favour of a new streamlined system of out-of-work benefits. A Borders, Immigration and Citizenship Bill will place new responsibilities on migrants wishing to settle in the UK, slowing down the path to citizenship if they commit crimes or fail to integrate. It will also bring Customs functions under the UK Borders Agency, providing an "integrated approach to border control".

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Gordon Brown has moved to stem growing repossessions with a £1 billion package to allow struggling homeowners to defer mortgage payments for up to two years.

Eight major lenders, accounting for about 70% of the UK mortgage market, have signed up to the plan to help those hit by a sudden drop in the family finances.

Targeted at middle earners as part of wider Government efforts to shore up confidence in the economy, it will be available on mortgages worth up to about £400,000.

The move was announced to the Commons by the Prime Minister in addition to an economy-focused legislative programme set out in the Queen's Speech.

The mortgage plan will be available from early next year to those hit by a significant and temporary decline in their finances, through redundancy or a shortage of overtime, for example.

Customers of HBOS, Abbey, Nationwide, Lloyds TSB, Northern Rock, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC will be able to negotiate deferrals of their loan interest payments.

The Government hopes more banks will in time join the scheme, under which the Treasury will guarantee all the payments that are deferred.

Officials expect liabilities to reach about £1 billion and losses - through borrowers' ultimate failure to pay - to be about £100 million.

The move is particularly aimed at middle income families. Single earner households with mortgages worth up to £200,000 who lose income already get payments covered.

Mr Brown also announced Government-owned lenders Northern Rock and Bradford and Bingley would not begin repossession proceedings until households were six months in arrears.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

House of Commons Speaker Michael Martin has revealed police did not have a warrant to search Tory immigration spokesman Damian Green's parliamentary office.

Mr Martin told a crowded Commons he "regretted" a "consent form" was signed by Serjeant at Arms Jill Pay for the search. "I did not personally authorise the search," he said.

A warrant will always be required in future for police to search MPs' offices, he added.

However, Mr Martin said there was "no special restriction" on the police searching the Parliamentary precincts and added a joint committee on Parliamentary privilege had said in 1999 that the precincts of the House should not be a haven from the law.

The seizure of material belonging to Mr Green will be referred to a committee of seven senior MPs.

Mr Martin's statement came after a furious political row blew up over the arrest of Mr Green and the searching of his offices in relation to a series of Home Office leaks.

Mr Green said after the statement: "Can I make it absolutely clear that I believe Members of Parliament are not above the law? An MP endangering national security would be a disgrace. An MP exposing embarrassing facts about Home Office policy which ministers are hiding is doing a job in the public interest."

A constitutional law expert, Geoffrey Robertson QC, said the search of Mr Green's Parliamentary office was unlawful and added Scotland Yard could now be sued for substantial damages.

Scotland Yard's acting chief Sir Paul Stephenson has defended his officers' actions, saying detectives in any inquiry, no matter how sensitive, must follow the evidence "without fear or favour".

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is expected to make a statement to the Commons tomorrow regarding Mr Green's arrest.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Hundreds of businessmen and women have stood in silent solidarity at a candlelit vigil in London to honour those who died in the Mumbai terrorist attacks one week ago.

The one-hour ceremony took place at Canary Wharf as commuters left work, and was intended to show support for India's financial centre in the wake of the massacre.

Among the many people paying tribute to the dead was London-based business man Hiro Harjani whose nephew was in Mumbai visiting relatives at the time of the attacks.

Tragically, Mohit Harjani, 32, who ran a business in Dubai, and his wife Lavina, 28, were having dinner at the ground floor restaurant at the Oberoi Hotel when gunmen burst in and both were killed.

"We need solidarity," said Mr Harjani, 47, who learnt of his family's loss on Friday morning in a phone call from his father.

"We need to get together like this. I'm going to support every event. We need answers. We need the global community to be aware and to take more action. This is not just an India and Pakistan problem, it's a world problem.

"It could spark a third world war." He added: "We have to keep making noises until everyone wakes up."

Also at the vigil, organised by Indian charity SewaVolunteers, was Anwar Hasan, the group representative for Tata Group, which runs the Taj Hotel targeted during the violence.

"In the 60 hours that the terrorist attacks lasted in India, I watched each and every minute of it on television.

"Not being in India, I felt I had to be part of something happening collectively. I thought 'I couldn't sleep if I wasn't part of this candlelit vigil'."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Up to six inches of snow is expected to fall in parts of Britain and motorists have been warned to expect hazardous driving conditions.

Snow showers are set to hit the Midlands, northern England and Scotland over the next 24 hours.

Northern Ireland and parts of Wales will also be affected, according to MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association.

A weather system sweeping in from the west will bring up to six inches of snow on higher ground, and between one and two inches in lowland areas.

Widespread frost and below-freezing temperatures will be seen across the country, reaching a low of minus 10C in parts of Scotland.

MeteoGroup forecaster Paul Mott said: "In Scotland and the far north of England the snow will be very slow to melt, lying there for a couple of days at least.

"Driving conditions will be fairly hazardous. There will be a strong to gale-force south-easterly wind, creating the risk of drifts."

Most of southern England will escape the worst of the weather. Some sleet and light snow is possible on higher ground, but is not likely to settle.

It will be a wet start for London and the south of England, with moderate rain and the occasional heavy shower clearing up over the course of the day.

After a chilly start, milder air will come in from the west, lifting temperatures to 3-4C in Scotland and 10C across southern England.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Loyalist and republican paramilitaries in Northern Ireland are to get one last chance to hand over their weapons under a Government amnesty.

They will have until St Valentine's Day in February 2010 to decommission without running the risk of being charged.

Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward is seeking parliamentary approval to extend legislation introduced before the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement in a bid to persuade all the terrorist organisations to hand over guns and explosives.

The IRA agreed to decommission in September 2005 but all other groups, including the loyalist Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), have held on to their weaponry.

Under the terms of the 1997 Northern Ireland Decommission Act, guns handed over to General John de Chastelain, the head of the international decommissioning body, would not be subject to forensic testing or criminal proceedings.

But just hours after loyalists were linked to the the discovery of four blast bombs abandoned at a children's play park in south Belfast, the Government signalled its intention to set a date to end the amnesty.

Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward said: "We have hit the end of the track for those who still hold illegal weapons. The recent political progress towards devolution of justice and policing is a further clear demonstration that society in Northern Ireland has moved on.

"It is time that those holding illegal weapons moved on as well. They have tested the patience of the community for long enough.

"This is their final opportunity to join the rest of society in building a shared future for Northern Ireland or else face the consequences."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A week-old conjoined twin died and her sister has a 50-50 chance of survival after they were separated by emergency surgery, a hospital said.

Hope Williams died on Tuesday night after medical staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital, in central London, carried out "one of the most complex and challenging" operations they have ever faced.

Professor Agostino Pierro, head of the surgical team, said Hope's lungs proved too small to support her breathing.

He said twin Faith was in a "stable" condition and "gradually improving".

The twins, who were joined from the breastbone to the top of the navel and had separate hearts, were delivered by Caesarean section at London's University College last Wednesday and taken to Great Ormond Street.

Their mother, 18-year-old Laura Williams, from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, was Britain's youngest mother to give birth to conjoined twins.

Medical staff warned the babies might not survive after a 12-week scan revealed the problem, but Mrs Williams and her husband Aled, 28, refused to consider a termination. The couple have another daughter, 18-month-old Carly.

Prof Pierro said his team had to start operating because of a "sudden deterioration" in the children's health.

More than 20 hospital staff were involved in the procedure and the twins were moved into different theatres after they were separated.

The procedure lasted for about 11 hours in total.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A total of £100 million a month is currently being spent on building work for the London 2012 Games, Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell said.

Noting the scale of the £9.3 billion Olympic budget, she said: "The Delivery Authority (in charge of Olympic build and infrastructure) is now spending at the rate of £100 million a month - 23% of the construction having been committed and only 9% of the contingency to this date."

She told local authority officials at a London conference there would be "no more public money" for the £9.325 billion budget which is treble original estimates.

She said: "The Exchequer is contributing 64% of that cost, the Lottery is contributing 23%, broadly in line with Lottery contribution to the Millennium and London taxpayers are contributing somewhere around 11% of the total.

"The budget is identified and remains the same now as it did when I made the revised budget which I said we would always have to do. There is no more money and as I have said before we are on time and on budget."

Meanwhile, sports chiefs have taken a hard-line approach to the chase for medals at the London 2012 Olympics by allocating the bulk of the £292 million funding announced to sports which can win.

Despite a £50 million shortfall in its budget for elite athletes, UK Sport is still targeting a top four place in the medals table at the 2012 Olympics and second place at the 2012 Paralympics.

They also declared their intention to win more medals across more sports than ever before in the hope of producing the best performance by British teams for 100 years.

Funding was confirmed for 19 Olympic and 14 Paralympic sports for the 2009 to 2013 period. Another £12 million is to be announced for another eight Olympic and four Paralympic sports.

UK Sport's chair Sue Campbell said the funding agency is taking a "brutal no compromise approach" based on past performance and future potential.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A mother is fighting for her life in hospital following a car-jacking in which she was dragged up to 60 feet underneath the vehicle, police said.

Caroline Johnson was scraping ice off her windscreen before taking her son to school when a man jumped into her car and drove off, leaving her lying in the road in Langley, Berkshire.

Detective Inspector Steve Armstead said it was likely Mrs Johnson, 46, had been dragged behind the car when it ran her over.

Speaking at a press conference he said: "We think she was dragged along the road a considerable distance, it is believed she was dragged 10 to 20 metres and passed under the vehicle."

Mrs Johnson's young son did not witness the incident in which his mother suffered serious internal injuries and injuries to her arms and legs.

Mrs Johnson, who works as a receptionist at a local veterinary surgery, is now in a critical but stable condition in Wexham Park Hospital.

Her husband, Mark Collins, said: "This whole incident has left us devastated and will continue to do so for months to come.

"What happened was completely unnecessary, and I urge anyone who can help the police catch whoever did this to my wife to come forward."

Pc Clive Benson said: "Over 14 years of road traffic collisions, I have never seen anyone with as many injuries as this woman has sustained.

"The family are struggling to deal with what has happened and they are naturally devastated. It's an incident no one expected to happen."

-Nova

[John]

Guns On Prescription For Elderly

A small arms manufacturer in the US is taking deposits for a gun specially designed for elderly and disabled people, who may be able to get it on prescription.
The Palm Pistol is the world's first ergonomic firearm, according to Constitution Arms.

The single-shot 9mm weapon is grasped in the palm of the hand, with the barrel pointing out between the fingers.

Instead of pulling a trigger to fire the gun, users press their thumb on a button at the top.

"Point and shoot couldn't be easier," the New Jersey-based company claims on its website.

And it goes on to say: "It is ideal for seniors, disabled or others who may have dexterity limitations or difficulty sighting and controlling a traditional revolver or semi-automatic pistol."

The Palm Pistol has been certified as a Class I Medical Device by the US Food and Drug Administration, Constitution Arms said.

That means doctors could prescribe it to certain people, such as those who have had fingers amputated.

And patients could be able to claim back the cost on their medical insurance, if the manufacturer is successful in an attempt to have the gun defined as "durable medical equipment".

The Palm Pistol will cost around $300 when it goes on sale.

Constitution Arms has not confirmed when that will be, but is taking deposits of $25 for anyone interested in buying one.

-Yahoo.

[John]

Blast kills at least six in Pakistan
A bomb blast in the Pakistani city of Peshawar has killed at least six people and wounded 75.
North West Frontier province information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said: "It was a bomb. The number of casualties is very high. People are still trapped under the rubble."

The blast occurred near a Shia assembly hall in a busy part of the city.

One building collapsed in flames, while half a dozen others were badly damaged and on fire.

A witness said he saw three bodies being pulled out of the rubble.

Sunni Muslim militant groups have launched several gun and bomb attacks on the minority Shia sect in recent weeks.

-Yahoo.

[John]

MoD names soldier killed in Iraq
A soldier who died from a single gunshot wound while serving in Iraq has been named.
The body of Lance Corporal David Wilson, who was serving with 9 Regiment, Army Air Corps, was found at Basra's Contingency Operating Base. He was declared dead at the scene.

The incident is subject to a full investigation. The Ministry of Defence said: "No enemy forces were involved and there is no evidence at this stage to suggest that anyone else was involved."

The 27-year-old leaves behind his fiancee, his 11-week-old daughter Poppy, his parents, brother, family and friends.

Lance Corporal Wilson's family said: "David was a loving and devoted family man who was the light of Michelle's life. The recent gift of their beautiful baby daughter had made his world complete.

"David wore his uniform with pride and was fulfilling his lifelong ambition to be a soldier. The family are extremely proud of him and our world will be a much sadder place without him. Words cannot express how much he was dearly loved."

The Commanding Officer of Joint Helicopter Force (Iraq), Lieutenant Colonel Richard Green, said: "Lance Corporal Wilson embodied exactly what is best about soldiers in the British Army; he was a jolly, friendly and selfless character who was wholly respected by his peers and friends alike.

"He was a committed family man and recently became a proud father. He leaves behind his fiancee Michelle, daughter Poppy, parents and a brother

"Lance Corporal Wilson was an excellent soldier who will be deeply missed. We have all had the privilege to serve with him and will fondly remember him as a chatty, affable individual who was always at the front of the queue to help others. A dearly loved father, our thoughts now sit firmly with Michelle and his family."

-Yahoo.

[John]

Lawmaker red-faced after hanging up twice on Obama
A top Republican lawmaker was left red-faced after twice hanging up the phone on president-elect Barack Obama -- fearing he was a prank caller trying to catch her out on a radio show. Skip related content
"Unfortunately, yes, I did hang up on president-elect Obama twice," Florida congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs committee told ABC television.

"This was pretty embarrassing -- it took two hangups on my part. Whoops. Sorry about that."

Ros-Lehtinen twice put the phone down on Obama, then also snubbed the president-elect's incoming White House chief of staff and former House of Representatives colleague Rahm Emanuel.

Obama finally got through to congratulate Ros-Lehtinen on her reelection after a fellow congressman was asked to phone her and alert her to her mistake, she said.

The congresswoman said that she had been mindful of what happened to Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who was deceived by a famed radio trickster in Quebec claiming to be French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

She said she told Obama when he finally got through that South Florida radio stations were famous for such pranks.

-Yahoo.

[John]

World Deal To Beat Climate Change
The sticky issue of how to cut the world's carbon emissions is top of the agenda at the UN's Climate Conference in Poland.
While nothing specific will be signed in Poznan, everyone agrees that the conference is still an important milestone.

It is working towards the global emissions reduction deal which is needed to keep rising temperatures to two degrees Celsius or less, avoiding the worst effects of climate change.

The post-Kyoto deal is due to be agreed in Copenhagen this time next year. Of course, finalising that deal will be far from easy.

This time last year, the world waited with baited breath as certain delegates from the 180 participating nations dithered over signing up to what became known as the Bali roadmap.

Eventually, in Bali, the delegates agreed on the foundations for a new agreement - but not until the very last minute. Biggest ditherers: the United States.

The Bush administration's delegation - led by Paula Dobriansky and Jim Connaughton resisted any emissions reduction percentages being inserted into the roadmap.

They threatened to derail the whole agreement, unless developing countries - like India and China - signed up to compulsory emissions reductions.

It took Kevin Conrad from Papua New Guinea to sound the wake up call that saved the negotiations.

Finally, after some tears from the UNFCCC's spokesman and a ticking off from the UN Secretary General himself, Ban Ki Moon, the US said yes to the Bali roadmap and set in stone the path towards Copenhagen.

Now of course, the US has a new President, but does that mean America will be more involved this year? After all, they are still the only developing nation not to have signed up to the Kyoto Protocol.

Barack Obama has reassured his country - and the rest of the world - that he does intend to prioritise climate change and put in place tough emissions reduction targets.

However, until his inauguration, he has also made clear that his hands are tied.

America or no America, there are four key areas the delegates in Poznan will be working on:

1: Perhaps most crucial is adaptation; they are calling for hundreds of billions of pounds extra to be spent on helping the poorest to cope with climate change.

2: Mitigation is also important, though for some it is already too late to prevent the early effects of rising temperatures.

3: Finance is always a sticky issue - particularly in this current financial crisis - in other words, how much the developed world is prepared to give poorer countries, to combat climate problems like deforestation.

4: And technology transfer is going to be a HUGE issue, if developing nations like India and China are to leapfrog the carbon-based industrial revolution we went through and move straight to clean, green technology instead.

-SkyNews.

[DUKE NUKEM]

interesting thanks for the read John

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the read.

[JohnCenaFan28]

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Thanks for the news.

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Thanks for the read.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the news.

[JohnCenaFan28]

The Government is set to launch a root-and-branch overhaul of social service departments across England in the wake of the death of Baby P after months of horrific abuse.

The Sunday Telegraph reported that Children's Secretary Ed Balls and Health Secretary Alan Johnson will this week announce the formation of a new task force to look at every aspect of social work, including leadership,

In an interview with the paper, Mr Balls acknowledged that the changes would be "controversial" but said that he was determined to ensure that the professionals entrusted with child safety carried out their task properly.

Writing separately in the News of the World, the Children's Secretary said that he wanted to transform the standing of social workers in order to attract "the brightest and the best" into the profession.

Officials have confirmed that ministers wanted to see future chiefs of local authority children's services gain experience in both schools and social work before they are appointed.

Training schemes will be changed, with more emphasis on "on-the-job" learning and the introduction of a new "qualifying year" in which new staff will get hands-on experience before they qualify fully.

The Sunday Telegraph said that better-performing social workers would also be paid more to work in "tough frontline areas". "This is not going to be straightforward. It's going to be controversial. It will mean a change in the way we teach social work and train social workers," Mr Balls told the paper.

It comes after Haringey social services in north London were severely criticised in a damning report into the death of the 17-month-old Baby P after suffering appalling abuse at the hands of his mother, her boyfriend and her lodger.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) confirmed that the new Government taskforce would be headed by Moira Gibb, the chief executive of Camden Council and a former social worker, and would report to ministers by next summer.

A DCSF spokeswoman said that it would be a "nuts and bolts review" of social work practice. "We know that we have not done enough to support excellence in social work," she said. "We have been working for a while on a workforce strategy."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thousands of environmental campaigners marched to Westminster to demand the Government take more action against climate change.

The colourful procession was part of a global day of action which saw protests in many other countries across the world.

Protesters gathered in Grosvenor Square and marched to Parliament Square where they were addressed by speakers including Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg and Green MEP Caroline Lucas.

Kate Tansley, spokeswoman for Campaign for Climate Change, which organised the march, said the protest was to highlight four main issues.

"There are four 'no' issues and one 'yes' one," she said. "These are no to a third runway at Heathrow and the general expansion of aviation, no to coal, and no to agro-fuels.

"It's good to have a more positive message though, and that is yes to investment in renewable energy and all the green jobs that it would bring."

Protesters both on foot and on bicycles carried banners and placards, with many dressed up in colourful and elaborate costumes. Many turned out to represent different environmental organisations and charities from around the country.

Organisers said 10,000 people took part in the event. Police said there were 5,000 people involved.

Phil Thornhill of Campaign against Climate Change said: "Changes need to be made urgently before a lot of people suffer, especially the most poor and vulnerable countries. They are already suffering because of the lifestyles of people in the richer countries, but we will all end up suffering eventually.

"This is a global disaster waiting to happen. The scale of what will happen unless something is done is unimaginable. The Government needs to listen up."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A Christmas winter wonderland was cancelled before it even opened after council officials said they had "serious concerns" about the event.

The website of Lapland West Midlands promised baby huskies, reindeer and an ice-rink with skating cartoon characters.

But Councillor Carol Dean from Staffordshire County Council said: "It looks like a field with some tents in it at the moment. It doesn't look much like a winter wonderland."

Lapland West Midlands had been due to open next to the village of Essington, near Wolverhampton, at noon, but organisers called off the event with just hours to go. They blamed the closure on the bad publicity that followed the earlier opening of a similar attraction at Matchams Leisure Park, near Ringwood, on the Dorset-Hampshire border.

West Midlands Police said they attended Lapland West Midlands to offer visitors "reassurance" after reports from Dorset that Santa was punched in the face and his elves pushed by angry visitors.

Trading standards officials in Dorset received more than 2,000 complaints but the company behind Lapland West Midlands denied it had any link.

Staffordshire County Council said it would pass its intelligence to officials on the south coast after it emerged that a postal address for customers wanting a refund following the closure is about a mile from the Dorset venue.

A spokesman for the council said: "We cannot prove it but we are not daft either and it's a big coincidence. Our jurisdiction only extends to Staffordshire but trading standards authorities, like police forces, share intelligence."

Organiser Steven Jennings said his company spent £40,000 on the event and employed 25 contracted staff.

Mr Jennings said a full refund would be offered to all those who paid for tickets before the event was cancelled. He said: "We are very, very sorry because it would have been a lovely weekend but it's down to the bad publicity we have had and the council not granting us a licence."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Gordon Brown has sought to ratchet up the pressure on Robert Mugabe - calling on the international community to tell the Zimbabwean president that "enough is enough".

With the beleaguered African state now in the grip of a cholera epidemic which has claimed hundreds of lives, the Prime Minister said the situation had deteriorated to the point where it demanded an international response.

"This is now an international rather than a national emergency," he said in a statement. "International because disease crosses borders. International because the systems of government in Zimbabwe are now broken. There is no state capable or willing of protecting its people.

"International because - not least in the week of the 60th anniversary of the universal declaration of human rights - we must stand together to defend human rights and democracy, to say firmly to Mugabe that enough is enough."

His comments echoed US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who said on Friday that it was "well past time" for the president to leave office and suggested the international community should "push Mr Mugabe out".

South African Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu also said, in an interview with Dutch TV, that Mr Mugabe must stand down or be removed "by force".

But while Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has said it was time for African governments to "take decisive action to push him out of power", there has been little sign that Zimbabwe's immediate neighbours are prepared to move against him.

Mr Brown said he had been in close contact with African leaders to press for stronger action "to give the Zimbabwean people the government they deserve".

He said he now wanted to see an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York to consider the worsening crisis.

The Prime Minister called for the establishment of a "command and control structure" in the capital, Harare, to co-ordinate the work of donors and NGOs to ensure that international aid reached the people who needed it most.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Politicians backing a legal bid to halt the merger of HBOS and Lloyds TSB have accused Business Secretary Lord Mandelson of trying to force the challenge to be dropped.

The MSPs accused Lord Mandelson of "undemocratic bully-boy tactics", saying his lawyers had threatened to sue the Merger Action Group (MAG) for legal costs if they did not halt their court action.

But the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Berr) insisted an offer extended to the group to withdraw their challenge was "neither an ultimatum nor a threat".

The offer was aimed at saving the group costs, a spokeswoman said.

MAG has formed to mount a last-ditch legal challenge to the deal.

It has taken its case to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) - a specialist legal body whose function is to decide appeals on competition issues.

MAG claims that Lord Mandelson's decision to allow the merger to go ahead without referring it to the Competition Commission was unlawful. The appeal hearing is set to be begin on Monday. The politicians backing the bid accused Lord Mandelson of issuing an "extraordinary ultimatum" to MAG on Friday afternoon, demanding they withdraw their appeal that day.

"Lawyers acting for Lord Mandelson have threatened to sue MAG's six core members individually for legal costs unless they halt their court action," MSPs Margo MacDonald and Alex Neil, who have backed the action, said in a statement.

Independent MSP Ms MacDonald, one of the group, said: "I find it breath-taking that a group of responsible people whose only motive in taking this legal action is what best serves the public interest can be subjected to such threats and intimidation by a member of the UK Government."

She added: "I would be very surprised if the pursuit of the MAG members for legal costs is a matter for Peter Mandelson. I would have thought that it is for the tribunal to decide on costs."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A teenager has appeared in court charged with the murder of a man gunned down in an alleyway.

Jason Johnson, 24 and of Acton, west London, died of a gunshot wound to the chest after he was shot in a passageway off Cavendish Avenue, West Ealing, west London on November 21.

A 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faced West London Magistrates Court on a murder charge.

The case was committed to the Old Bailey and the youth remanded in custody. A date for the next hearing has yet to be set.

The teenager is the second person to be charged with Mr Johnson's murder.

Dale Ebanks, 19, from Gurnell Grove, Hanwell, west London, appeared at the City of Westminster Magistrates Court last month where he was remanded in custody.

Police also arrested two teenage males aged 17 and 18 on suspicion of murdering Mr Johnson.

The 17-year-old was released on bail, the 18-year-old is in custody at a west London police station.

Two teenage males, both aged 17 and a man aged 21 have previously been arrested and released on bail in connection with the case.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Conservative leader David Cameron got a rapturous reception at the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) conference after promising to bring Northern Ireland into the heart of UK politics.

He was keynote speaker at the event in Belfast to mark the decision of the two parties to form a new political alliance which will see candidates fielded in Northern Ireland on a joint ticket.

Mr Cameron said he wanted to move away from orange and green politics, but he sparked loud applause when he overturned Conservative rhetoric from the peace process to declare he had a `selfish and strategic interest' in Northern Ireland.

"Northern Ireland has made great strides forward over the past fifteen years," he said. "The paramilitary campaigns have ended. New investment has come in. Devolution has been restored. For the first time in over a generation we can all look forward to a shared future underpinned by democracy and the rule of law."

Mr Cameron said he would fulfil obligations under the Good Friday agreement to work with the Irish Republic, but he told the 700-800 delegates: "But I will never be neutral when it comes to expressing my support for the Union. So, today, let us pledge ourselves to come together as Conservatives and Unionists in a new and dynamic political force in Northern Ireland. For the good of our parties. But, above all, for the good of the people and our United Kingdom."

The Tory leader cited the impact of republican violence, including the murders of MPs Ian Gow and Airey Neave, while also recalling the children Tim Parry and Johnathan Ball killed in the IRA bombing of Warrington.

He said Northern Ireland bore the brunt of the Troubles, but he added: "We were all in it together. And we came through it together. So for me coming here and joining our parties is not a matter of political calculation. It's about strengthening those unbreakable bonds that bind our union."

In 1990 the then Conservative Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Brooke helped launch the peace process by insisting the British government had "no selfish strategic interest" in remaining in Northern Ireland if the people opted for Irish unity.

Today Mr Cameron used the phrase to insist he wanted to see people from Northern Ireland to be at the centre of the UK's political future.

"It's in my own selfish and strategic interests, too," he said. "I want the most talented people to form my government and that will mean people from all corners of the UK. It's time for Northern Ireland to be brought back into the mainstream of British politics."

-Nova

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The position of Commons Speaker Michael Martin was further eroded after a Labour MP called for him to quit over the police raid on the offices of Tory frontbencher, Damian Green.

Bob Marshall-Andrews said that Mr Martin had lost the confidence of the House after he allowed police to enter the Commons without a search warrant and should now go.

The veteran leftwinger is the first Labour MP to call publicly for the Speaker to stand down. Two Tory MPs have already said that he should resign.

Mr Marshall-Andrews said that Mr Martin's handling of the affair represented a "deplorable breach of his duties" to the House of Commons.

"That is very serious and, frankly, I do not think he can continue," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

He was particularly scathing about Mr Martin's attempt to pass responsibility for what happened to the Serjeant at Arms, Jill Pay, who signed the consent form allowing police to enter the House and search Mr Green's office.

"She told the Speaker throughout. It is the Speaker's responsibility," Mr Marshall-Andrews said.

"One of the worst things about this was the nature of the statement that he made which was a straightforward passing of his responsibilities to the Serjeant at Arms. He knew what was happening and he should have taken action to stop it.

"In those circumstances, the confidence of the House goes and without the confidence of the House he cannot do his job."

However former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell said that Mr Martin was unlikely to be forced out. He said that the Government would be determined to avoid a by-election in Mr Martin's Glasgow North East constituency after Labour's loss of Glasgow East earlier this year.

-Nova