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[JohnCenaFan28]

Britain is to boost troop levels in Afghanistan by 300, Gordon Brown has confirmed.

The Prime Minister said he was following the advice of commanders on the ground by authorising the increase until August.

The move will lift the total UK presence in the country from just over 8,000 to 8,300, Mr Brown told MPs.

But he insisted other countries also needed to play their part in the Nato-led campaign.

"Forty-one countries are involved in the Nato mission but the burden is not always shared equally," he said.

"It is vital that all members of the coalition contribute fairly."

Mr Brown's statement to the Commons came after he visited Afghanistan over the weekend, holding talks with president Hamid Karzai and meeting British troops.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

An Irish Government minister feared he would be shot when confronted by an armed gang who robbed a smart hotel and golf resort.

Minister for European Affairs Dick Roche was leaving the five-star Marriott Druids Glen complex near Greystones, Co Wicklow, near Dublin, after a morning swim when three men in balaclavas held a gun at his back and frog-marched him back inside.

Mr Roche was taken hostage with his driver and several members of staff before being bundled into a basement room during the hold-up.

"The man with the gun was using me as a shield to go into the hotel," said Mr Roche after the incident. "He had it in my back. I was worried going down the corridor and the stairs of the hotel that it could be discharged."

No shots were fired and nobody was injured during the hold-up.

The hostages were initially forced into the manager's office, where a sum of money was stolen, before being ordered at gunpoint down two flights of stairs and into a strong room used for storing large amounts of money and valuables.

It is believed the gang got away with up to 20,000 euro (£17,800).

Mr Roche said the gang did not recognise him as a member of the Government. He urged the robbers to stay calm as they shouted a series of orders at the hotel staff.

Gardai said the raiders fled in a dark-coloured car, possibly a Volvo, just after 9.30am.

Mr Roche, who swims at the Druids Glen complex every morning, cancelled his engagements for the rest of the day after the ordeal.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The father of the 11-year-old schoolboy murdered when he got caught in the cross-fire of a warring gang said: "Finally justice has been done for Rhys."

Following the conviction of gang member Sean Mercer for the killing, Stephen Jones said his family can now begin rebuilding their lives.

Mr Jones, accompanied by his wife Melanie, read a statement outside court expressing thanks for all the messages of support they have received.

He said: "From the day Rhys died, the kindness shown to us by the people of Liverpool has been immeasurable. For this, we will always thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

"Over the months we have found strength in the messages of support from the many thousands of strangers around the world. For the family today this is not the final chapter in this tragedy but now at least we can begin the challenge of rebuilding our lives."

Mr Jones also thanked Merseyside Police officers involved in the case, including Detective Superintendent Dave Kelly, who ran the investigation, and family liaison officers, as well as the Crown Prosecution Service.

He said: "Finally justice has been done for Rhys."

Mr and Mrs Jones maintained a quiet dignity throughout the search for their son's killer and subsequent trial.

The day after 11-year-old Rhys was killed, the couple faced the media and made a heartbreaking appeal for information to catch those responsible. Rhys was cradled in his mother's arms in the car park of the Fir Tree pub, around 350 yards from their home in Croxteth Park, after he was shot by gang member Sean Mercer.

Three days later, the couple, and Rhys's older brother Owen, 18, stood on Everton Football Club's pitch at Goodison Park alongside team manager David Moyes as applause reverberated through the crowd in memory of Rhys.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

An NHS doctor faces life in prison after being found guilty of plotting to murder hundreds of people with car bomb attacks on London and Glasgow.

Bilal Abdulla, 29, was found guilty of conspiracy to murder and to cause explosions by a jury at the end of a nine-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court.

The Iraqi junior doctor drove one of two home-made Mercedes car bombs, each packed with gas cylinders, petrol and nails, into London's West End last summer.

When they failed to explode, he joined a desperate suicide attack on Glasgow Airport's main terminal building with Indian PhD student Kafeel Ahmed.

Abdulla's close friend Jordanian neurologist Mohammed Asha, 28, was acquitted of the same charges and is now expected to fight to continue his high-flying career in Britain.

The doctor will be transferred from Belmarsh Prison to an immigration detention centre where he will begin the process of attempting to obtain a fresh working visa. A source close to Dr Asha said he is "in limbo" but "extremely happy, emotional and already thinking of getting back in to practising medicine".

Deputy Assistant Commissioner John McDowall, head of Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command, said the West End bombs were to be the first in a series of attacks.

He said many people could have been killed in the London attack and it was "more by luck than judgment" that repeated attempts to detonate the devices by mobile phone failed.

Mr McDowall said: "Bilal Abdulla planned to murder many innocent people when he set out to attack central London. He and Kafeel Ahmed, who died in the attack on Glasgow Airport, wanted to capture public attention, both in the UK and abroad. They would certainly have done this had their murderous plans come to fruition."

Abdulla, who held dual Iraqi and British nationality, wanted revenge for the wars in his homeland and what he saw as Western oppression of Muslims worldwide.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Teenage gunman Sean Mercer has been jailed for at least 22 years for the murder of innocent schoolboy Rhys Jones.

Mercer, 18, blasted three bullets across a busy pub car park in Croxteth, Liverpool, targeting rivals who had strayed onto his turf.

But Rhys, 11, was shot in the neck when he wandered into the line of fire as he made his way home from football training. He died in his mother's arms a short time later.

Mercer, 18, was convicted of murder on Monday but the verdict could not be reported until a day later.

Following the convictions of his fellow gang members for helping him, Rhys's father said: "Finally justice has been done for Rhys."

After almost four days of deliberations, the jury of seven women and five men convicted Mercer of murder unanimously.

What the jurors did not know was that just two months before he shot Rhys, Mercer was involved in a chilling rehearsal of the killing. Waving a gun, he rode a motorcycle past members of the public on rival gang territory. The incident was not reported to police at the time. The jurors were also unaware that just weeks after shooting Rhys, Mercer was given a three-year Asbo for terrorising security guards at a sports centre.

Six other gang members were found guilty of helping Mercer evade police for months after the killing of Rhys, which shocked the nation.

They were Gary Kays, 26, and Melvin Coy, 25, both West Derby, Liverpool, James Yates, 20, and Nathan Quinn, 18, of Croxteth, Dean Kelly, 17, also of Croxteth, who was referred to as Boy K during the trial, and Boy M, 16, who cannot be named for legal reasons. Quinn is already serving five years for gun-related offences.

Kays and Coy were both jailed for seven years. The rest of the gang will be sentenced at a later date. Sentencing Mercer, the judge Mr Justice Irwin said: "Rhys died at your hands, his death was a tragedy for him, a tragedy for his family and a waste of a young life."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Inflation is on course to plunge below 1% next year as the UK economy slides into recession, Bank of England Governor Mervyn King has signalled.

In a letter to the Chancellor to explain why inflation had risen so far above its 2% target, Mr King also revealed that there could be more help to get banks lending again to households and businesses.

The latest dialogue with the Treasury was penned after official figures revealed the annual rate of UK inflation stood at 4.1% in November, down from 4.5% in October, but still above the 3.1% level that triggers a quarterly letter of explanation from the Governor.

Mr King first wrote to Alistair Darling in June to explain why inflation was more than 1% above the Government's 2% target.

But while inflation remains more than double the target, CPI has been falling fast since October as a looming recession has brought oil prices tumbling down and reined in firms' pricing power.

Mr King said it was "quite possible" that his next letter to the Chancellor would be to explain why inflation had fallen more than 1% below the Bank's 2% goal.

The Governor's hints of measures to free-up the UK lending drought will spark speculation over a potential package of so-called "quantitative easing" - pumping more money into the economy in a bid to spur on lending.

The Treasury on Monday night announced it would lower the cost of fees for banks using its £250 billion credit guarantee scheme under plans to jump start the lending market.

It is thought that as well as quantitative easing, the Government may be looking at introducing guarantees for interbank lending to kick-start wholesale money markets.

Mr Darling said in a reply to Mr King's letter on Monday that he would keep measures to support lending "under review".

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The arrest of Conservative immigration spokesman Damian Green and the searching of his House of Commons office during the Whitehall leaks probe was lawful, according to the final report into the Metropolitan Police Service's actions.

Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick welcomed the report which was written by British Transport Police Chief Constable Ian Johnston.

Mr Quick said: "He recognises that there are arguments, either way, regarding proportionality over the manner of arrest of a Member of Parliament but questions the method taken in this case.

"He also raises concerns as to whether elements of the investigative approach meet current policy and best practice. These issues will be carefully considered."

Mr Quick said he was grateful for Mr Johnston's insight and the speed with which he carried out his review.

He said: "Ian Johnston notes that police investigations can be especially challenging when faced with Parliamentary rights and freedoms and suggests the Met should work with the relevant authorities to develop guidance to inform future decisions and actions in such circumstances.

"We have worked closely with the CPS throughout this case and accept Ian Johnston's recommendation that we seek their early advice on the investigation to date and the way forward. It remains our intention to deal with this case as expeditiously as possible.

"As is normal with such reviews, it cannot be published at this time as it relates to an ongoing criminal investigation which is "active" as defined in the contempt of Court Act 1981 because persons have been arrested."

The Tory frontbencher was arrested and his parliamentary office raided on November 27 in connection with the probe into Home Office leaks.

That internal investigation came after a series of embarrassing stories appeared in the press over the past year. They are understood to have included the revelation that 5,000 illegal immigrants were working as security guards and bouncers; news that an illegal immigrant was employed as a cleaner in the House of Commons; a whip's list of potential Labour rebels against 42-day detention for terror suspects; and a letter from Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to Mr Brown warning the recession will spark a rise in crime.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Schools Secretary Ed Balls has said sorry to teachers and pupils affected by the Sats marking "shambles".

He apologised for the "inconvenience, stress and frustration" caused by the delay in marking the tests for 11 and 14-year-olds.

A damning report into the fiasco found failures at "almost every stage" of the process, Mr Balls told the Commons.

As a result of the report by Lord Sutherland, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) announced it was abolishing the National Assessments Agency (NAA), its division responsible for delivering the national curriculum tests.

David Gee, the NAA's managing director, has been suspended with immediate effect, the QCA board said.

The board added it was also suspending QCA chief executive Dr Ken Boston, who offered his resignation at the weekend, until it had time to fully consider the report's findings.

Mr Balls told MPs Lord Sutherland's recommendations would be implemented in full.

Shadow schools secretary Michael Gove said: "The Sutherland report is an epic catalogue of incompetence, inefficiency and blinkered inactivity in the delivery of a vital public service.

"It paints an unremittingly depressing picture of the fiasco which was this year's national curriculum test process."

Mr Balls told the Commons: "The delivery of this summer's National Curriculum tests for 11 and 14-year-olds was a shambles. I want to say to all the teachers, pupils, parents and markers, all of whom have been affected, I want to say how sorry I am for all their inconvenience, stress and frustration. Because what happened this year was completely unacceptable."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The Government was embroiled in a blame game over pensions blunders that meant thousands of retired public sector workers were overpaid by up to £140 million.

One of the firms responsible for administering the payments reacted angrily after Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell hinted that its contract could be in jeopardy.

Asked on the BBC what would happen to Xafinity Paymaster after errors led to more than 100,000 ex-state workers - including military personnel, NHS staff, police and firemen - being overpaid, Mr Purnell replied: "Clearly that is something the Government will be looking at."

However, the company hit back by laying the blame squarely at the door of the Government. A statement insisted it was "not at fault" and "not responsible" for the overpayments, which arose because a pension element known as the Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP) was not properly recorded.

"A number of public sector pension scheme administrators, including Xafinity Paymaster, were not notified of the correct GMP data," the firm said. "The result is that some public sector pensions have been overpaid."

Opposition politicians accused ministers of condemning the public sector workers to a Christmas of "uncertainty and fear" after the scale of the problems emerged. In a statement to MPs, Cabinet Secretary Liam Byrne insisted that the Government would not seek to recoup the cash - but individuals do face having their pensions slashed in April.

"Correct pension payments will be ordered immediately from April 2009," he said. "This means that some pensioners will have their payments reduced and others will see increases in their payments in 2009 which are less than the annual inflation uprating."

Shadow treasury secretary Philip Hammond said it was unacceptable that most of the individuals - some 5% of the total UK public sector pensioners - would not known what their new income would be until next year.

"It is completely unacceptable for the Government just to tell pensioners they have been affected but refuse to give them the full facts until January," he said. "(They) now face a Christmas of uncertainty and fear, wondering what is going to happen to their pensions."

There are fears that many of the pensioners could be left struggling to make ends meet, with sharp cuts in interest rates and share values having already reduced their income from savings.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The Government has opened the door to foreign investment in the Royal Mail after signalling support for a partner through a minority stake to bring fresh investment to the postal business.

Dutch postal giant TNT immediately expressed an interest in exploring a "strategic partnership" with Royal Mail, a move warmly welcomed by the Government.

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said he would also welcome other expressions of interest from other "credible partners", should they come forward.

The announcement followed publication of a long-awaited report by Richard Hopper, a former deputy chairman of media watchdog Ofcom, which called for a major overhaul of Royal Mail to secure its future and tackle its multi-billion-pound pension deficit.

The new partnership will not involve the network of local post offices, which Lord Mandelson said combined a "unique" set of commercial, public and social roles.

"But a healthier Royal Mail letters business will be good for the Post Office. Today's announcement will help underpin our existing commitment to the Post Office network.

"We are providing £1.7 billion to 2011 to support a network of around 11,500 branches. We will continue to support the non-commercial network beyond that time," the Business Secretary told the Lords.

"I believe that Royal Mail and the postal market can thrive in the future - provided that decisive action is taken now. Without far-reaching change, the opportunities brought by technology will become overwhelming threats.

"This need not be the case. I believe that there are benefits for everybody in the package of measures that we intend to take forward."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Energy regulator Ofgem called for speedier action from suppliers to slash unfair pricing from energy bills.

The regulator said firms were on track to slash more than £500 million from bills, but it is not happy with the pace of progress.

Ofgem wants faster action from companies to end the premiums paid by poorer households using pre-payment meters for their energy needs.

The regulator said that since its probe began, premiums paid by customers including pre-payment meter users had fallen by more than £300 million.

At the beginning of the year, pre-payment meter customers were paying an average of £125 more than direct debit customers. Suppliers have also signalled at least a further £200 million in reductions for more than four million households who are not connected to mains gas and unable to gain the best deals.

But the regulator threatened firms with a full referral to the Competition Commission unless they moved more quickly to combat unfair pricing.

Ofgem published the initial findings of its energy market probe in October. Chief executive Alistair Buchanan said: "We've seen encouraging signs since the end of our initial investigation but we demand more and quicker action for those customers currently losing out.

"And we are about to consult on new rules to end unfair pricing in future. If we are not satisfied with the suppliers' responses we can, should we choose, go to the Competition Commission."

In January the regulator will launch a six-week consultation on its proposals to change the suppliers' licences to ban unfair prices and ensure consumer interests are more fully protected. "If sufficient progress is not made following consultation, the authority will consider further action," Ofgem added.

Members of the "big six" UK energy firms have made announcements over lower tariffs in recent weeks such as E.ON, which cut bills for customers in the East Midlands, East of England and North West without access to the mains supply.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A group demanding that France withdraw its troops from Afghanistan has claimed it planted dynamite found at a major Paris department store, officials said.

French interior minister Michele Alliot-Marie said sticks of "relatively old" dynamite tied together but without a detonator were found in the Printemps department store on Boulevard Haussmann.

Police said the explosives were found in the third floor restroom of the menswear department. Five sticks of explosives were reportedly found together.

French news agency Agence France-Presse said it received a letter from a group calling itself the Afghan Revolutionary Front saying that several bombs had been planted in the store.

Alliot-Marie said the group was "totally unknown" to police but that the claim was being studied.

In the letter, the group demanded the withdrawal of French troops from Afghanistan before the end of February, and threatened attacks if France refuses, a judicial official said.

Officers cordoned off streets around the building. Anti-crime brigades and bomb squads were called in. http://departmentstoreparis.printemps.com/(Printemps)

-Nova

[OMEN]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45304000/jpg/_45304734_brown_baghdad_pa226.jpg
Mr Brown is paying his fourth visit to Iraq as PM
Gordon Brown and Iraqi prime minister Nouri Maliki say UK forces will have "completed their tasks" and leave the country by the end of July next year.

The two leaders' joint statement came as they held talks in Baghdad.

They also said the partnership between the two countries would continue. It is Mr Brown's fourth trip to Iraq as PM.

The visit by Mr Brown, who is travelling with Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall Sir Jock Stirrup, was not announced in advance.

'New era'

At a press conference, Mr Brown said: "We have agreed today that the mission will end no later than the 31 May next year.

"Our troops will be coming home within the next two months (after that)."

He went on: "The biggest reduction will be at the end part of the period we are talking about."

Mr Maliki confirmed that the agreement included a provision for the Iraqi government to request an extension of the British military presence.

However, both leaders indicated that it was not expected to be used.

There are currently about 4,100 UK troops serving in Basra, southern Iraq.

In their joint statement, Mr Brown and Mr Maliki said: "The role played by the UK combat forces is drawing to a close.

"These forces will have completed their tasks in the first half of 2009 and will then leave Iraq."

They added: "The partnership between the two countries will continue to take on new dimensions and will be strengthened through cooperation in all areas due to the prominent position of the UK within the EU and the United Nations Security Council.

"This relationship of cooperation and friendship between Iraq and the UK is entering a new era and will yield continuing cooperation that will last for many years to come."

BBC defence correspondent Paul Adams said the withdrawal of UK troops was expected to start in the spring and that 200 to 300 military advisers were likely to remain in place to help the Iraqi government.

BBC

[Black Widow]

‘My babies kept me going’ says mom who was expecting when chute failed
By Michael Inbar
TODAYShow.com contributor
updated 10:33 a.m. ET Dec. 16, 2008

Three years after she cheated death in a skydiving adventure gone terribly wrong, Shayna West and her toddler Tanner share a mother-son bond like no other. Unbeknownst to Shayna at the time, Tanner was in her womb when she survived hitting pavement at 50 mph while attempting her first solo parachute jump.

Now a mother of two, West returned to TODAY Tuesday to talk about her amazing story of survival and the long medical journey she has undergone to reconstruct her face after it shattered like an eggshell upon impact.

“I’ve had my share of hard times and bad luck, but in the mix I’ve also had some wonderful things come out of it,” West told Meredith Vieira via satellite. “The last three years, my babies are what kept me going. But I’ve also met so many wonderful people, and just have been blessed with everything that has come along my path.”

One-in-a-million mishap
West’s fateful journey began Oct. 9, 2005, as she leaped from a plane over Siloam Springs, Ark., in her sixth skydiving jump, her first unaccompanied. As a video camera in the plane captured in dramatic detail, West’s main parachute failed to open properly, sending her spiraling out of control. And as terra firma loomed ever closer, her emergency chute failed to open — a one-in-a-million malfunction.

It was only when West was rushed to a hospital emergency room that a blood test revealed that she was two weeks pregnant. Naturally, West was shocked; she said she never would have jumped if she’d known she was pregnant.

But she also had massive injuries to contend with. West had broken nearly every bone in her face, lost most of her teeth, and also suffered a broken leg and pelvis.

Luckily, her fetus was so small it survived impact. But as West told KSPR/ABC television in Springfield, Mo., “The next concern was all the medications and surgeries I went through.”

Thankfully, those worries dissipated as doctors monitored her unborn and found he was progressing normally. West showed her pluck by appearing with Ann Curry on TODAY shortly after her accident and announcing she was planning another sky-to-ground trip after she delivered her baby.

Just six weeks after Tanner was born healthy and normal, West indeed made another jump.

“I don’t like to have things in my life that scare me and intimidate me or can overpower me,” West told Vieira Tuesday. “I just didn’t want this to be an exception, so I felt it was important for me to get up there and do it again.”

Sixth surgery
Still, West has been coping with the consequences of her brush with death ever since the accident. Last week, she underwent her sixth facial surgery at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. Donating their services, doctors put in cheek implants — and, most importantly, fixed her lower eyelids.

“Until this last surgery, my lower eyelids were so pulled down that I couldn’t close them completely,” she told Vieira. “For a shower or a bath or to go swimming [or] sleeping, my eyes would be partially open.”

But even enduring multiple surgeries, West says her life has been charmed. She gave birth to a second child, daughter Bridget, eight months ago. Tanner — unaware he was a daredevil while still in the womb — had made room for a little sister, and suffers no ill effects from his mother’s horrific accident.

“Tanner is the smartest 2-year-old you’ll ever meet, and Bridget is just the same,” West said. “I have two beautiful babies.”

Reveling in the joy of raising two healthy children has been enough to keep West planted on terra firma — at least for now. Having conquered any lingering fear of skydiving with one postpartum jump, West told Vieira she isn’t definitively planning another.

“I have two much more important things to take care of on the ground,” the young mom said. “They give me all the rush I need right now. But maybe someday. I’m not going to rule it out.”


MSNBC

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the read.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for posting.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Gordon Brown on Wednesday hailed the British military's involvement in Iraq a "success story".

Speaking to troops during a surprise visit to the country, the Prime Minister revealed for the first time the official schedule for withdrawing the final 4,100 UK forces from Iraq.

He said military operations would be finished no later than May 31.

Looking back over nearly six years since the US-led invasion in 2003, Mr Brown urged: "I hope that you can see the difference that you have made over that period of time, this is a success story thanks to you. You are making a difference in the great spirit of our British armed forces."

The announcement came on a whistlestop visit by Mr Brown, which comes as the Iraqis deliberate over a timescale for the drawdown of virtually all British forces by the end of July.

Further details of withdrawals will be spelt out to the House of Commons when the premier makes a statement to MPs on Thursday, their last day before the Christmas recess.

But, after talks with Iraqi prime minister Nouri Maliki, Mr Brown suggested the biggest reductions would take place nearer to summer next year.

Before leaving the country, just over 10 hours after arriving in secrecy, he gave a pre-Christmas thank you message to the troops at their Basra airport base.

Praising their courage and patriotism, he said: "We set ourselves tasks, and thanks to you we have achieved them. So I was able to say to prime minister Maliki that we will be able to complete our mission before the end of May next year."

Earlier, Mr Brown laid a wreath at a memorial for UK service personnel killed in Iraq - now 178 in total. "They will not be forgotten," he said. "I am grateful to all those who have served."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

An NHS doctor has been jailed for at least 32 years for plotting to murder hundreds of people in terrorist car bomb attacks on London and Glasgow.

Bilal Abdulla, 29, was unmasked as a terrorist who wanted to murder innocent civilians in revenge for fighting in his native Iraq.

A jury at Woolwich Crown Court found him guilty of conspiracy to murder and to cause explosions on Tuesday at the end of a nine-week trial.

Mr Justice Mackay told him he was "religious extremist and a bigot" who held the most extreme form of Islamist views.

The judge said: "Many people felt and still feel strong opposition to the invasion of Iraq. You do, you are sincere in that and you have strong reasons for holding that view.

"But you were born with intelligence and you were born into a privileged and well-to-do position in Iraq and you are a trained doctor."

The judge said Abdulla's radical religious and political beliefs meant he continued to be a danger to the British public.

Jordanian Dr Mohammed Asha, 28, was acquitted of any involvement in the terrorist conspiracy on Tuesday. But he has not been released from custody and faces deportation after being told his presence "is not conducive to the public good".

In a statement read by his solicitor Tayab Ali, Dr Asha said his arrest and subsequent trial "obliterated" his life. He said: "Finally, justice has been done - a jury has cleared me of any involvement in these allegations. The jury had no doubts whatsoever that I am an innocent man.

"Even though I was acquitted, justice has not been done and is not being done. I am still in HMP Belmarsh."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A father has been found guilty of causing the deaths of four of his children when his Land Rover plunged into a river.

Nigel Gresham was behind the wheel when he crashed into the River Witham, Lincolnshire, in September last year.

Willow, two, Angel, four, Thor, six, and eight-year-old Keavy were passengers in the four-wheel-drive car and died after the crash at Tattershall Bridge.

Gresham, 37, formerly of Chapel Hill, Lincs, was convicted of causing their deaths by dangerous driving following a trial at Lincoln Crown Court. The court was told he was driving too fast and his vehicle was not roadworthy.

Gresham stood with head bowed and a number of people wept in the public gallery as the jury delivered unanimous guilty verdicts on all four counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

Judge Michael Heath told the defendant he would adjourn the case until January 23 at 10am so a pre-sentence report could be prepared by the probation service.

He said: "You can have bail on the same terms. Of course, the fact that I grant you bail does not mean you will not go to prison. One of the reasons I grant you bail is so you can make the appropriate preparations.

"In any event, I am going to have to disqualify you from driving. You are now prohibited from driving any motor vehicle on a road from this moment."

Speaking outside court after the trial, Sara Bolland, the mother of the dead children, said: "I don't think it matters what happened in the trial, I will never get to see or feel my sweet babies again. Nothing now will ever bring them back.

"It doesn't matter how angry I am, it won't bring my babies back. Now all I ask is that we be left in peace to try to rebuild our lives to the best of our ability."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Unemployment looks certain to top two million in the New Year after a black day on the jobs front, with a series of grim figures and fresh redundancies condemning thousands to the dole.

The Government conceded that unemployment will get worse in the coming months, pledging to spend millions of pounds retraining redundant workers to help them find other jobs.

Unemployment increased by 137,000 in the quarter to October to 1.86 million, the highest figure for more than a decade, the number of jobseeker's allowance claimants went above a million for the first time in eight years, and there was a big fall in job vacancies, down by 49,000 in the last three months to 562,000, the joint lowest on record.

Gloom over jobs deepened when it was announced that all 807 Woolworths stores will shut by January 5, affecting 22,000 permanent staff and 5,000 temporary workers. Union officials said they were "devastated" by the news, believed to herald the biggest loss of jobs by a single company in such a short period of time in living memory.

Train and bus operator National Express announced plans to cut up to 750 jobs in a bid to save £15 million a year.

Long term unemployment, covering those out of work for over a year, increased by 7,000 to 438,000 in the latest quarter, while unemployment among 18-24 year olds rose by 55,000 to 597,000, the highest figure since 1995.

Manufacturing jobs continued to be lost, down by 73,000 in the three months to October compared to a year ago to 2.83 million, the lowest figure since comparable records began in 1978.

Wednesday's data from the Office for National Statistics also showed a fall in the number of people in work, down by 115,000 in the quarter to October to 29.38 million. The claimant count has now increased for 10 months in a row, the worst sequence since a run of 16 monthly rises from March 2005.

Employment Minister Tony McNulty admitted that unemployment will get worse next year but he pledged a "robust" response, including extra support such as personal jobs advisers.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, on a visit to Iraq, said the rise was "disappointing", adding that the Government was addressing how to get more people into jobs. "We are not standing by, doing nothing. Unemployment is high this month and was high last month but we are trying to do everything we can to help people get the skills and the help to get back into work," he said.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A children's watchdog has promised to overhaul its inspection methods after it revealed a sharp rise in "inadequate" children's services across England.

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) on Wednesday published its annual performance assessments (APAs) for 147 local authorities.

The APAs revealed eight councils as "inadequate" for keeping children safe - compared to four last year. Four councils were also judged as "inadequate" overall for children's services - compared to none in 2007.

The number of councils judged to be "good" or "outstanding" in the contribution they make to improving services overall for children and young people decreased from 78% to 73%.

Ofsted said it found the results a "cause for concern".

Commenting on the APAs, Chief Inspector Christine Gilbert said: "I am concerned some services provided for the most vulnerable children and young people remain inadequate. Where this has been found in the APA, we have clearly identified where improvements are needed.

"We would expect those working in children's services to address these issues as an urgent priority with support from their local government office. We will be inspecting next year to ensure they make good progress."

Ofsted recently came under fire when it emerged that last year its APA rated children's services at Haringey Council in north London, the authority at the centre of the Baby P scandal, as "good".

But this year, the now-notorious council was graded as "inadequate", both overall for children's services and for keeping children safe.

The three other local authorities graded as inadequate overall for children's services are Doncaster, Milton Keynes and Surrey.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The death knell for historic retailer Woolworths was sounded as administrators confirmed all its stores would close by January 5, at the likely cost of 27,000 jobs.

Woolworths, which has been a feature of Britain's high streets for almost a century, will begin shutting its doors on December 27, when the first 206 of its 807 stores will close.

Administrators Deloitte said this would be followed by another batch of 200 on December 30, 200 on January 2 and the final closures by January 5.

The corporate recovery firm, which confirmed the closures after failing to find a buyer for the business, said the moves would effect 22,000 permanent staff and 5,000 temporary workers, although some would be kept on for a short period.

Stores are set to be flooded with 50 million extra items over the next week in the run-up to Christmas. Discounts already running at up to 60% will be even heavier as Deloitte looks to clear stock.

Signs in stores will also show a countdown to their final closure dates to encourage shoppers as Woolies' staff brace themselves for redundancies.

Joint administrator Neville Khan said: "It is a very difficult situation for a lot of people, particularly the staff, and we are trying to deal with it in as sensitive a way as possible."

But shopworkers' union Usdaw said it was "appalled" at the news, adding it had been told every store would be given just 10 days' notice before they closed and staff would be asked to work up to three days afterwards to clear up.

National officer John Gorle said: "Redundancy is devastating at any time of the year, but particularly so at Christmas. We are currently talking with the administrators to secure the best possible terms for our members with regards to pensions, holiday pay and the speed of receipt of redundancy pay."

Mr Khan said a dedicated team of the government Redundancy Payments Service had been set up in Edinburgh to fast track Woolworths workers' claims. Raising hopes that some jobs could be saved, he also said Deloitte had received offers for 300 Woolworths stores from other retailers.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

BAA will almost certainly be forced to sell three of its UK airports following a provisional report by the Competition Commission (CC).

The commission confirmed that, subject to final consultation, it would require the Spanish-owned airport operator to sell Gatwick in West Sussex and Stansted in Essex, as well as Edinburgh Airport.

The watchdog, which will publish a final report in the next few weeks, said it also proposed to introduce measures to ensure investment and services levels at Heathrow improved for airlines and passengers.

BAA, which has been under fire for many months for poor performance, runs seven UK airports, including Heathrow.

Christopher Clarke, who is chairing the commission's inquiry into BAA airports, said separate ownership of the three main London airports and the two main Scottish ones was the most effective way to introduce competition in south-east England and lowland Scotland.

Mr Clarke went on: "Under the common ownership of BAA, there is no competition. Under separate ownership, the airport operators, including BAA, will have a much greater incentive to be far more responsive to their customers, both airlines and passengers."

BAA also runs Southampton, Glasgow and Aberdeen Airports. At Aberdeen, the CC said that it was proposing measures to promote investment linked to rebates on charges.

The CC will now consider responses to its provisional decision document published on Tuesday. It expects to publish its final report on BAA's seven UK airports, and the appropriate remedies, in late February or early March 2009.

BAA chief executive Colin Matthews said: "As we said when the Competition Commission published its provisional findings in August, we do not believe that it has set out compelling evidence to support its view that selling Stansted as well as Gatwick will increase competition and we remain concerned that its proposed remedies may actually delay the introduction of new runway capacity.

"In Scotland, the commission has not provided any substantial evidence to support its view that Edinburgh and Glasgow would compete under separate ownership, and we believe there is no justification for specifying which of these airports should be sold. We will continue to make our case to the CC."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The pound moved ever closer to parity with the euro on Wednesday amid growing expectations of more deep cuts in UK interest rates.

Minutes of the Bank of England's latest meeting revealed rate-setters considered even larger cuts than the 1% move two weeks ago, bringing rates to 2% and equalling the all-time low.

This left the pound falling to yet another record low below 1.08 euros - piling on the misery for holidaymakers planning festive trips to Europe as traders were given a fresh reason to dump sterling.

Pressure on the pound was increased by more economic woes as claimant count unemployment topped one million for the first time in eight years - jumping at its fastest monthly rate since 1991. Many tourists are already facing a one-to-one rate after high street charges and commission are taken into account.

Currency markets were panicked after the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) said a deeper rate cut could be justified by the scale of the recession danger facing the UK.

"Financial markets had priced in a cut of 100 basis points and there was a risk that going further could cause an excessive fall in the exchange rate," the minutes said.

Wednesday's comments make further UK reductions virtually certain. Borrowing costs in the Eurozone stand higher at 2.5%, boosting the euro against the pound.

Mark O'Sullivan, dealing director at Currencies Direct, said: "This is likely to get worse as more investors lose confidence in the pound amid fears about the UK economy."

Sterling enjoyed better fortunes against the dollar in the wake of Tuesday night's historic interest rate cut from the US Federal Reserve. The pound rose as high as 1.57 against the greenback as the Fed slashed rates to between 0% and 0.25% to stave off a prolonged US slump.

The currency later eased back but still stands above the six-and-a-half-year low below 1.45 seen earlier this month when the Bank last cut rates.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Calls have been made for jailed Liverpool fan Michael Shields "to be set free by Christmas" after he won a dramatic landmark High Court victory.

Shields, now 22, is serving 10 years for the attempted murder of a barman at the Big Ben diner in Varna, Bulgaria, in 2005.

The barman was attacked a few nights after Liverpool's European Cup Final victory in Istanbul, Turkey.

The original 15-year sentence was reduced on appeal in Bulgaria, and Shields was transferred to the UK in 2006 to complete serving it.

MPs, clergymen, Liverpool FC players and many others have backed the call to free him on the basis that he is innocent. Aged 18 at the time of the offence, he has now been imprisoned for over three-and-a-half years.

Another fan, Graham Sankey, signed a confession - later retracted - that he was the man responsible, but the Bulgarian Supreme Judicial Council said the new evidence did not prove anything and merely introduced doubt.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw was urged to exercise the royal prerogative to grant Shields a free pardon, but Mr Straw argued he lacked the power because Shields had been sentenced abroad.

On Wednesday the Shields family was overjoyed as Lord Justice May and Mr Justice Maddison, sitting at the High Court in London, declared: "It is, in our judgment, open to the Secretary of State to entertain a request to exercise the royal prerogative. It is not for this court to say whether or how it might be exercised."

The judges ruled Mr Straw had power under Article 12 of the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons 1983 "to consider at least granting pardon to Michael Shields on the facts presented to this court".

Michael's father immediately called for Mr Straw to release his son "as soon as possible" to realise the family dream of him coming home.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A coroner has returned an open verdict on a severely disabled man whose body was found in a suitcase.

The decomposed remains of 21-year-old James Hughes were discovered in April in Redditch, Worcestershire, less than 48 hours after his mother, Heather Wardle, was found hanged nearby.

The inquest in Stourport-on-Severn was told that social services were alerted to concerns about Mr Hughes's health four months before he was discovered dead in the garden of his home.

He was judged to have experienced "significant" weight loss while in respite care in November last year, the court was told.

It also emerged that Mr Hughes's natural father, Paul Hughes, was fobbed off with "excuses" by Ms Wardle as to why he could not see his son from last December until April this year.

Ms Wardle's 18-year-old son, Daniel Kirby, told the hearing that he had not seen his half-brother since the latter part of last year and had believed his mother's claims that he was being given respite care.

Worcestershire deputy coroner Margaret Barnard expressed regret that questions surrounding Mr Hughes's death remained unknown.

Giving her verdict, the coroner said: "There is in my view a paucity of conclusive evidence. The evidence does not fully or further disclose the means whereby the death arose."

In her verdict, the coroner concluded that James died between February 15 and April 23 at an unknown place.

After outlining social services' involvement in the care of James, including two visits made to his home after concerns were expressed about his weight, Mrs Barnard added: "I can't help but conclude that there was a lost opportunity."

-Nova

[DUKE NUKEM]

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[OMEN]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45307000/jpg/_45307742_006623265-1.jpg
Mr Madoff did not respond to reporters' questions
Bernard Madoff, the hedge fund boss accused of a $50bn (£32bn) fraud, has put up $10m bail and in effect been placed under house arrest.

Mr Madoff turned up at New York's federal court to sign some papers but did not answer reporters' questions.

He signed over his New York flat and his homes in Long Island and Palm Beach, Florida to make up the bail.

He will also be fitted with an electronic tag and will have to seek permission to leave his flat.

In addition to surrendering his own passport, Mr Madoff has also agreed to hand in that of his wife Ruth.

The bail conditions were tightened after Mr Madoff failed to find the required four people to co-sign his bail agreement.

If the correct documents are supplied, Mr Madoff will not have to make another court appearance until 12 January.

Attorney withdraws

Also on Wednesday, US Attorney General Michael Mukasey removed himself from the investigation.

It was announced by the Justice Department, which declined to discuss the reasons for the decision.

Mr Mukasey's son, Marc, has said that he represents a senior official at Mr Madoff's firm, Frank DiPascali.

"I represent Mr DiPascali, for the record, we are trying to sift through the facts like everybody else," he said.

The head of the Securities and Exchange Commission - the top US financial regulator - has said there was no evidence that the staff had acted wrongly in failing to pursue suggestions that Mr Madoff was engaged in fraudulent activity.

"I want to emphasize that there is no evidence that anyone is aware of at this point that any personnel did anything wrong," Christopher Cox said.

'Veil of secrecy'

Meanwhile, Harvey Pitt, a former SEC chairman said it would not be enough to impose greater regulation on hedge funds for its own sake.

"What is really critical is that the veil of secrecy that covers a lot of these hedge funds be removed," he told the BBC's World Tonight programme.

He added that there has to be, "an effort to understand what effect they are having in the marketplace, what their conduct and activities are like, and whether they raise significant issues for the regulators".

In response to questions about how regulators should realise when fraud is happening, he said it is not always as obvious as it seems with hindsight.

"People intent on defrauding others have a very high likelihood that they won't get caught for a fairly long period of time," Mr Pitt said.


BBC

[OMEN]

The cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe continues to spread and has now claimed 1,111 lives among 20,581 cases since August, says the UN.

The figures included a new outbreak west of the capital in Chegutu, Mashonaland West, where more than 378 cases and 121 deaths are recorded.

Figures are up from nearly 1,000 deaths and 18,000 cases earlier this week.

The disease has spread because of the collapse of health services and water sanitation in Zimbabwe.

"The devastating cholera epidemic continues to spread, with a new outbreak in Chegutu Urban," said a statement from the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha).

Aid agencies have warned that cases are likely to surge with heavy rains.

The UN World Health Organization has said the total number of cases could reach 60,000 unless the epidemic is stopped.

BBC

[OMEN]

Iraq has arrested about 50 interior ministry officials for plotting a coup against the Shia-led government.

The 50 civil servants have been arrested over the past three days. Among those seized was General Ahmad Abul Rif, the ministry's security chief.

A senior official said the group has been linked to the al-Awda (The Return), a clandestine group working to bring the Baath Party back into power.
The New York Times reported that a top interior ministry official said those arrested with al-Awda links had paid bribes to be recruited.

But Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's critics have accused the prime minister of arresting political enemies to consolidate his power ahead of next month's provincial elections, the newspaper said.

Prime Minister Maliki himself was persecuted by Saddam Hussein's Sunni-led regime, but five years after the US-led invasion hundreds of members of the executed dictator's former Baath party have returned to public life in Iraq.

Earlier this year Iraq's presidential council approved a bill allowing former Baath Party members to return to government jobs as part of the current Shia-led administration.

The initiative was seen as a way to unite Iraqi factions, and a means to reverse what is widely seen as one of the huge blunders committed by US post-Saddam.

RTE

[JohnCenaFan28]

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[JohnCenaFan28]

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[JohnCenaFan28]

The Government has told firms struggling with the economic downturn that it does not have an "open chequebook" to help them, as new figures showed car production slumped by a third last month.

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson conceded car firms had seen a sharp drop in demand, which was creating "a lot of difficulties", especially for Jaguar Land Rover.

He confirmed talks had been held with the Indian-owned car firm over the possibility of state assistance, adding he was "taking stock" of all the issues before making any decisions.

Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed the number of cars built in factories in the UK last month was 97,604, down by 33% on November last year, while commercial vehicle production slumped by 50%. Almost 1.4 million cars have been built so far this year, a 2.7% fall on the same period last year, the figures showed.

The SMMT said the rapid slowdown in output was caused by falls in domestic and export demand for vehicles, prompting officials to step up calls for "urgent support" to restore demand and loosen credit restrictions.

Paul Everitt, chief executive of the SMMT, said: "The UK motor industry is facing unprecedented challenges and urgent action is now required.

"Without swift action and the ability to access credit and finance, significant damage will be done to the nation's industrial capability, leaving the UK poorly equipped to take advantage of any global growth when it returns."

Jaguar Land Rover chief executive David Smith said it had received "no confirmation" from Government of any financial assistance. "We have, however, made it clear that we fully support the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders' (SMMT) call for a range of support measures for the car industry - suppliers, manufacturers and dealers - as has been forthcoming in other countries," he said.

In an interview with BBC News, Lord Mandelson said: "I and the Government as a whole, do not have an open chequebook for companies coming along and needing help. If there's appropriate assistance we can offer, then we will consider it.

"But people should not assume that we are, as a Government, in the business of bailing out every company that has a problem during this coming very tough period. The Government will apply some very tough tests to anyone in the private sector coming along and asking for particular assistance. I'm not closing the door in anyone's faces, but nor am I inviting people to form a queue outside that door, as if they can just come along and expect help from the Government."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Retail sales rose by a shock 0.3% last month in the first positive growth for Britain's battered high street since August, official figures revealed.

The unexpected rise between October and November came as online shopping boomed and food and household sales soared amid a retailer price war.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) sales volumes data continued to confound experts as it once more defied gloomier polls from the sector.

Experts had been forecasting a seasonally-adjusted fall of at least 0.4% from retailers in a month that saw well-known names MFI and Woolworths collapse into administration.

The ONS data have consistently surprised on the upside, while other research has suggested a far worse picture in the retail sector. Figures on Wednesday indicated high street sales had fallen to their weakest for 25 years, according to the latest CBI poll.

But Thursday's ONS data showed the steepest fall in three-month sales within department stores since records began 22 years ago in a sign that all is not rosy among retailers even in the more upbeat official statistics.

Sales of general stores, including department stores, dropped 3.8% in the three months to the end of November compared with a year ago.

A further indication of retail pain came as the ONS said that sales rose 1.5% year-on-year in November - the lowest annual rate since February 2006.

The ONS also revised sales volume figures downwards for the previous two months, with a fall of 0.3% in October against the 0.1% previous estimation and a drop of 0.6% in September compared with its initial 0.5% fall.

David Page, economist at Investec Securities, said high street activity was "bleak". He added: "December's ever more aggressive discounting and the cut in the main rate of VAT may boost December's sales. But this could be at the cost of the usual period of discounting post-Christmas. We fear for the retail outlook across the first quarter of 2009."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Rachel Nickell's killer has been finally brought to justice 16 years after she was brutally stabbed and assaulted in front of her young son.

Convicted sex killer Robert Napper admitted carrying out the attack on Wimbledon Common which shocked the nation and triggered one of the biggest manhunts in recent police history.

Broadmoor patient Napper, 42, pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the Old Bailey on Thursday and his plea was accepted on the grounds of his diminished responsibility.

Telling him he would be held in Broadmoor top security hospital indefinitely, Mr Justice Griffiths Williams said: "You are on any view a very dangerous man."

Speaking on the steps of the Old Bailey, Miss Nickell's father Andrew said: "We sincerely hope that, whatever the court says, that he will spend the rest of his life in a totally secure environment to protect all other people."

Napper's plea means one of the most high-profile crimes ever dealt with by Scotland Yard has finally been solved. But it is unlikely to bring an end to controversy surrounding the case with questions marks still hanging over the original investigation.

A senior officer admitted on Thursday that Napper could have been arrested before the Wimbledon Common murder after his mother reported an earlier rape.

Miss Nickell, 23, was stabbed 49 times at the south London beauty spot in a ferocious attack witnessed by her two-year-old son Alex. Police became convinced local loner Colin Stagg was the killer and relied too heavily on a profiler during the inquiry.

Original suspect Mr Stagg was freed by an Old Bailey judge in September 1994 who criticised police for using a "honey-trap" undercover policewoman to try to make him confess.

Mr Stagg, 45, spent 13 months in custody and endured more than a decade of speculation that he was the killer of Miss Nickell. This year, he was awarded £706,000 compensation from the Home Office and the Met Police have apologised to him.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Babysitter Suzanne Holdsworth has been cleared of murdering toddler Kyle Fisher, marking the end of a long campaign to clear her name.

A jury at Teesside Crown Court acquitted Ms Holdsworth, 38, of Boggart Seacroft, Leeds, of murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter following a re-trial.

The mother-of-two was originally convicted of the two-year-old's murder in March 2005 and jailed for life but the Court of Appeal overturned her conviction after doubts were raised about medical evidence presented in the first trial.

During the re-trial the jury was given the stark choice of deciding whether Ms Holdsworth or Kyle's mother, Clare Fisher, 24, caused the severe head injuries.

During Ms Holdsworth's original trial she was accused of repeatedly banging Kyle's head against a wooden bannister with as much force as a 60mph crash, after losing her temper.

However, doubts were first raised about her conviction by journalist John Sweeney in a report for BBC Newsnight. The programme interviewed leading neuro-pathologist Dr Wainey Squier who later gave evidence for the defence in the re-trial. She said it was "unlikely" Kyle had suffered a massive blow to the head.

In May the Court of Appeal overturned Ms Holdsworth's conviction after ruling it "unsafe" and ordered a re-trial. The jury heard that the doctors who gave evidence at trial "got it wrong" and "collectively failed to diagnose" that Kyle had a "highly unusual brain", with abnormalities which predisposed him to epilepsy.

Speaking outside court, Keith Simpson, of the Crown Prosecution Service in Cleveland, said: "I am entirely satisfied that the Crown Prosecution Service and the police were wholly right in bringing this case to court for a second time."

After the case, Cleveland Police said they would not be reopening the investigation into Kyle's death.

Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Braithwaite said: "The jury have properly done their job and have acquitted Suzanne Holdsworth. It is not our intention to reopen investigations into Kyle's tragic death."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The Prime Minister and the Archbishop of Canterbury were engaged in an extraordinary battle for the moral high ground on Thursday over how to get Britain out of the recession.

Rowan Williams landed the first blow, likening Gordon Brown's fiscal stimulus package to an "addict returning to the drug" and suggesting the credit crunch was a welcome "reality check".

But the PM hit back, reminding the head of the Church of England in a pointed public rebuke of the biblical stricture not to "walk by on the other side" when people were suffering.

The high-profile spat took place against the backdrop of a slew of gloomy economic news including record borrowing figures, soaring repossession projections and a further plummeting pound.

Dr Williams, who admitted he was "suicidally silly" to engage in economic debate but felt a moral need, used an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme to launch his outspoken assault.

He expressed concerns over the Prime Minister's strategy, which included cutting VAT to get the public spending again, saying: "It seems a little bit like the addict returning to the drug.

"When the bible uses the word 'repentance', it doesn't just mean beating your breast, it means getting a new perspective, and that is perhaps what we are shrinking away from," he said.

The PM's spokesman tried to play down the comments, saying simply that the cleric "chooses his own words".

But confronted with the comments at a Downing Street press conference, Mr Brown did not hold back in his response. As the son of a church minister, he said, he always listened "very carefully to what the Archbishop of Canterbury and other members of the clergy say".

"I support what he says about a strong civil society and the need for responsibility and the need to act against irresponsible behaviour when it appears in the banking and financial systems as it has in recent times," he said. "But I think the Archbishop would also agree with me that every time someone becomes unemployed or loses their home or a small business fails it is our duty to act and we should not walk by on the other side when people are facing problems."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The "rapid withdrawal" of British troops from Iraq will begin by May 31 next year at the latest, the Prime Minister has confirmed.

In a Commons statement following his visit to Iraq on Wednesday, Mr Brown said the number of troops will be cut from just under 4,100 to less than 400 by July 31.

The majority of those remaining will be dedicated to naval training after the completion of key tasks set by ministers.

Conservative leader David Cameron said the move would be welcomed by everyone, not least those with family members still serving in Iraq.

Both leaders praised the courage and professionalism of British troops serving in Iraq over the last five years.

Mr Brown told MPs: "In the last five and half years Iraq has faced great challenges and endured dark days. But it has also made very significant progress."

He said Iraq had many challenges to confront in the days to come and added the British campaign had endured "great hardship and sacrifice".

A memorial wall outside the British headquarters in Basra, commemorating the 178 servicemen and women who had died there, would be brought back to a "fitting resting place" in Britain, he announced.

Mr Brown also batted away demands for an early inquiry into the Iraq war - insisting it would not be "right" until troops arrive home.

Challenged to announce an independent inquiry by Tory leader David Cameron, Mr Brown responded: "I have always said this is a matter we will consider once our troops have come home. We are not at that stage."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Around 75,000 people will have their homes repossessed during 2009 and the number of people unable to keep up with their mortgage repayments will more than double, the Council of Mortgage Lenders predicted.

The group expects a 67% surge in the number of people who lose their home during the year, up from an estimated 45,000 for this year.

It also expects around 500,000 people to fall at least three months behind with their mortgage repayments, compared with 210,000 in 2008.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) warned that despite the work the Government and industry were doing, 2009 was going to be a "very tough year" for the UK mortgage market.

It expects net lending to turn negative for the first year since records began in 1964, meaning that consumers will repay more on their mortgages than they borrow.

Net lending, which strips out repayments and remortgaging, is expected to dive to minus £25 billion, as new lending fails to keep up with repayments.

The figure is well down on net lending of £40 billion for 2008 and £108 billion in 2007, a level that the Government has urged the industry to replicate next year.

Total advances are also expected to be considerably lower at £145 billion in 2009, down from around £258 billion this year and less than half the £363 billion advanced in 2007.

The group said a significant number of the properties that were repossessed were likely to be cases where the home had been abandoned by its owners or the property had been used in a fraud. A sizeable proportion of the cases are also expected to be buy-to-let properties.

But it added that even though lenders had committed to working with homeowners to help them avoid losing their homes, the worsening economic backdrop pointed to an "inevitable increase" in the number of cases where a sustainable alternative solution could not be found.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Scotland Yard has offered a full apology to the man wrongly accused of murdering Rachel Nickell for the first time.

Assistant Commissioner John Yates said "mistakes were made" as Colin Stagg was targeted by detectives pursuing her killer.

He said: "In August 1993 he was wrongly accused of Miss Nickell's murder. It is clear he is completely innocent of any involvement in this case and I apologise to him for the mistakes that were made in the early 1990s.

"We also recognise the huge and lasting impact this had on his life and, on behalf of the Metropolitan Police, I have today sent him a full written apology."

Stagg was the target of a discredited police honey trap operation using an undercover woman police officer who tried to get him to confess.

But the case against the loner, who lives in Roehampton, south west London, was thrown out by an Old Bailey judge.

Stagg was awarded a record £706,000 compensation from the Home Office earlier this year, which he described as "like winning the lottery".

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Two British Muslims have been convicted of being members of al Qaida.

Taxi driver Habib Ahmed, 29, was caught in possession of two diaries which had details of top al Qaida operatives written in invisible ink - described at Manchester Crown Court as a terrorist's contact book.

The diaries were given to him by co-defendant Rangzieb Ahmed, 33, who was part of a three-man active service cell on an unknown foreign mission.

Rangzieb Ahmed, no relation to Habib, was also found guilty of directing terrorism - the first person to be convicted of the offence in the UK.

Among the names and phone numbers in the diaries were al Qaida's suspected former no 3, Hamza Rabia, the court heard.

Habib Ahmed's wife, Mehreen Haji, 28, was cleared of two counts of arranging funding for the purposes of terrorism.

Her husband, from Cheetham Hill, north Manchester, was also found not guilty of attending a terrorist training camp in Pakistan in 2006.

The jury of seven women and five men found Habib guilty of al Qaida membership on an 11-1 majority verdict.

He was also convicted of one count of professing to belong to al Qaida when he gave an interview to the Sunday Times newspaper in 2002.

Rangzieb, of Fallowfield, south Manchester, was cleared of possessing a rucksack containing traces of explosives for the use of terrorism. Both men, who showed no emotion as the verdicts were read, will be sentenced on Friday.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A 24-hour strike planned by postal workers in five mail centres, which would have threatened disruption to Christmas deliveries, has been called off, it was announced.

Members of the Communication Workers Union in Crewe, Coventry, Bolton, Stockport and Oxford had planned to walk out in a row over office closures.

The union had originally threatened strikes in seven offices, but workers in Oldham and Liverpool called off their action earlier.

Dave Ward, deputy general secretary of the CWU, said: "For the last five years we have been fighting attempts by Royal Mail management to chip away at the foundations of a universal postal service.

"We are calling off the strikes as some progress has been made, justifying the continuation of more meaningful discussions."

Mr Ward said the Government's plans to partially privatise the Royal Mail meant the stakes were "even higher", adding: "This is no longer a local or regional dispute. What we face is the prospect of losing a much loved British institution. We want the public to join with us in a nationwide campaign to defend a vital public service."

A ministerial aide quit on Wednesday in protest at the Government's plans for the Royal Mail and a number of backbench Labour MPs warned they would fight to keep the organisation wholly publicly owned.

Jim McGovern, who resigned from his position as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Business Minister Pat McFadden, said: "I believe a PPS has to be fully supportive of proposals of the department which they serve. In this case, I do not support what looks to me like partial privatisation of the Royal Mail.

"In his statement Pat McFadden said he welcomed an expression of interest from the Dutch postal company TNT. For me, it simply beggars belief that we would employ the services of a company from abroad to tell the Royal Mail in this country where they are going wrong."

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We are very pleased that all our people will be focused on delivering the Christmas mail for our customers."

-Nova

[DUKE NUKEM]

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[OMEN]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45311000/jpg/_45311785_001284093-1.jpg
Mark Felt admitted he was Deep Throat in 2005
Mark Felt, the former FBI official who revealed himself to be Deep Throat, the source that exposed the Nixon-era Watergate scandal, has died.

His family say he died at a hospice near his home in California, aged 95.

Deep Throat helped reporters from the Washington Post newspaper uncover abuses of presidential powers in the Nixon White House.

The scandal ultimately led President Richard Nixon to resign in disgrace in August 1974.
Mr Felt's daughter Joan told the Washington Post that her father "slipped away" in his sleep.

According to the newspaper, he had suffered two strokes in recent years, and his memory of the Watergate era had almost completely vanished because of Alzheimer's disease.

Political cover-ups

Mystery surrounded the identity of Deep Throat - named after a popular pornographic movie of the time - for decades, until Mark Felt admitted being the source in 2005.

"I'm the guy they used to call Deep Throat," he told the US magazine Vanity Fair in an article that revealed his secret.
Until then, the Washington Post had refused to confirm his identity.

Reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein had said they would only break their silence after his death.

He secretly guided the journalists as they investigated a burglary at the Democratic National Committee HQ in Washington's Watergate complex in June 1972.

The break-in was traced to members of a Nixon-support group, the Committee to Re-elect the President.

Further inquiries unearthed a web of political spying, sabotage and bribery that led all the way to the White House and, eventually, President Nixon's resignation.

It is not known exactly why Mr Felt decided to leak damaging secrets but the Washington Post said he detested the Nixon administration's attempts to subvert the FBI's investigations into the crimes and cover ups.

According to the Post, Mr Felt had insisted on remaining completely anonymous, or on "deep background". He was dubbed Deep Throat by a newspaper editor.

Mr Felt is said to have struggled for many years with the consequences of his actions, fearing he betrayed his FBI badge by disclosing government secrets.

Critics called him a traitor for betraying the Commander-in-Chief. His supporters insist Felt was a hero for blowing the whistle on a corrupt administration.

BBC

[OMEN]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45311000/jpg/_45311698_hamasrally_afp226.jpg
Hamas celebrated its 21st anniversary with a mass rally last weekend
The Islamist militant group Hamas says it has ended its six-month ceasefire with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

As the ceasefire expired at 0400 GMT, Hamas issued a statement blaming Israel which had not "respected" the truce.

Israel's foreign ministry spokesman said the militants, who control Gaza, "had chosen violence over truth".

The Egyptian-brokered deal began on 19 June but has been tested regularly by Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel and Israeli operations in Gaza.

"The ceasefire is over and there won't be a renewal because the Zionist enemy has not respected its conditions," Hamas said in a statement carried on its website.

Hamas said Israel had failed to ease its blockade of Gaza.
Israeli officials insist that there was no commitment to ease the siege, under which Israel has allowed little more than basic humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Israel says the blockade - in place since Hamas took control of Gaza in June 2007 - is needed to isolate Hamas and stop it and other militants from firing rockets across the border at Israeli towns.

The UN's relief agency says the situation has created a "profound human dignity crisis".

Retaliation threat

In reality, the truce collapsed long before it expired, amid mutual recriminations over who was to blame.

There has been an upsurge in violence in recent weeks, with Israel trading air strikes and small-scale incursions into Gaza, with rocket fire from Palestinian militants aimed at southern Israel.
As the expiry of the ceasefire neared, both sides said they would respond to any attack from the other party but would not take the offensive.

"All attacks against the Gaza Strip or any new crime will trigger a large-scale confrontation and we will retaliate very fiercely," Hamas said in a statement.

Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said Hamas had chosen "violence over truth and rocket-shooting over ceasefire".

He said it showed that Hamas "does not have the best interest of Palestinians in mind".

"We have said publicly on many occasions that we think the continuation of the ceasefire is in the best interests both of Israelis and of Palestinians," he said.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, the head of Fatah which controls parts of the West Bank, is in Washington to discuss the situation with US President George W Bush.

Power and revenge

The BBC's Arab affairs analyst Magdi Abdelhadi says the end of the ceasefire comes at a critical moment for the Israelis and the Palestinians.

The Israelis are in the middle of an election campaign, and political turmoil on the Palestinian side is set to worsen amid intensified rivalry between Hamas and Fatah.

Hamas, which controls Gaza, is religiously conservative and more hardline in its view of the conflict with Israel, feeling peace talks have achieved little.

Fatah, which controls part of the West Bank, is a secular party, which favours dialogue with Israel, but was voted out of government in 2006 in favour of Hamas.

Our correspondent says the failure to extend the truce is hardly surprising, given the fact that the deal has largely failed to achieve what each side originally wanted from it.

Israel thought that it could lead to the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit, captured by militant groups over two years ago.

Hamas hoped it would give it breathing space to consolidate its grip on the Gaza Strip and end the joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade.

The Egyptians hoped it could help to end the deepening rift between Hamas and Fatah.

However, analysts say that many Palestinians feel the fight between the two factions has become less about ideology, but more about power, control and, ultimately, revenge.

BBC

[JohnCenaFan28]

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[JohnCenaFan28]

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[JohnCenaFan28]

Britain must start building now for the economic recovery, Gordon Brown said on Friday as he promised to make the country a "beacon of hope" amid the global turmoil.

In his final Downing Street news conference of the year, the Prime Minister delivered a remarkably upbeat message insisting that the economy would pick up again and that the UK needed to be ready when it did.

"These are uncertain and difficult times but Britain can and must be a beacon of hope and opportunity for the future," he said.

"The scale of the challenges that we face is matched by the strength of my optimism that Britain can rise to meet these challenges.

"With our fighting spirit and our can-do attitude, I am confident that we can meet all the challenges ahead."

He said the Government would be bringing forward fresh measures in the new year for "smart investment" in "green" jobs, the digital economy, and the transport infrastructure - including a decision on a third runway at Heathrow.

With economists predicting further sharp increases in unemployment, Mr Brown refused to be drawn on how high he expected the jobless total to rise.

However, he promised that the Government would do more to re-train people to find new work as well as taking further action to restore the flow of banking lending to business.

His comments were dismissed by the Tories who said that Britain was now paying the price for the failure of his economic policies.

"Gordon Brown claims that we are all victims. The truth is that we are all victims of the economic catastrophe he has visited on this country," said shadow chancellor George Osborne. He added: "His failure to prepare for the downturn is driving Britain towards bankruptcy - leaving us and our children to pick up the bill for his soaring national debt for decades to come. In 2008 we have discovered, once again, that Labour governments always run out of money."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

An NHS doctor who said her family held her captive for four months and forced her to marry in Bangladesh has won a court ruling preventing her from being removed from the UK against her will.

Humayra Abedin, 32, from east London, was granted injunctions by a judge who warned that the British courts would act "swiftly and decisively" in cases where there had been a "gross abuse of an individual's human rights".

Mr Justice Coleridge, sitting in the High Court's Family Division in London, said the orders were to protect Dr Abedin "and prevent her being removed from this country again without her consent".

For "anyone of any age" to go through a marriage without their consent was "a complete aberration of the whole concept of marriage in a civilised society", he declared.

Dr Abedin, who has lived in the UK since 2002 and is training to be a GP, returned to Britain on Tuesday.

She was freed by a Bangladeshi court on Sunday after London's High Court ordered her release under the new Forced Marriage Act, which prohibits an individual from being married against their will.

On her return Dr Abedin said that on November 14 she had been forced to marry a man of her parents' choice and went through a wedding ceremony "under duress".

She was in court as her counsel, Hassan Khan, told the judge that she had travelled to Bangladesh on August 2 on a return ticket to see her mother after being informed that she was ill.

But when she went to the family home in Dhaka on August 5 she was "manhandled" into the property by a number of people and immediately locked in a room. She was monitored by guards and had her passport taken from her.

In a statement after the hearing Dr Abedin was described as being "deeply upset by what has occurred and the treatment she has suffered". It said: "She does not wish for her parents to suffer any punishment for what has been done by them to her. She is their only child."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The Government has come under renewed pressure to offer financial aid to the motor industry "within days" in the wake of the US administration's decision to provide billions of dollars in loans to the country's troubled carmakers.

President George Bush said allowing firms such as Ford, Chrysler and General Motors to fail would not be "a responsible course of action".

US car firms will get 13.4 billion US dollars in short-term financing from a 700 US dollar billion Wall Street bail-out, followed by another four billion US dollars later.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown told his final news conference of 2008 that no decision had been made on what form of support could be offered to firms including car maker Jaguar Land Rover, which is owned by Indian firm Tata.

He said: "To be fair to Tata, they have taken over one of the best research and development facilities in our country.

"The Jaguar research and development facility is the best in the car industry and one of the greatest facilities in Europe. And they have been investing in new research and development for the future. Different industries will have different problems at this time. There is a problem about consumer demand in the car industry.

"We of course talk to the larger companies in our country regularly. But I've got no announcement or decision to make about what we can do. These are issues that will be debated over the next period of time, but there is no promise that we've made of any support."

Derek Simpson, joint leader of the Unite union said it was "disappointing" that no agreement on a rescue package had yet been reached. He urged the Treasury not to delay any longer in providing short-term financial assistance to the UK's ailing car industry.

"Government must establish a strategic funding mechanism for the car industry within days, not weeks. It was disappointing to hear the Prime Minister say earlier today that no agreement on a package has yet been reached.

"The urgency of the situation dictates that the Government must, however, do as it did with the banks and lose no time in intervening with vital assistance. It is simply no good bailing out the banks if the banks won't then bail out business."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Two Iraqis accused of killing British soldiers in cold blood can be lawfully handed over to the authorities in Baghdad for trial for war crimes - despite "a real risk" they could face the death penalty, the High Court ruled.

Faisal Al-Saadoon, 56, and Khalaf Mufdhi, 58, detained by British forces in Basra, were given until 4pm on Monday next week to challenge the unprecedented ruling in the Court of Appeal.

Lord Justice Richards and Mr Justice Silber, sitting in London, ordered the Government not to remove them "outside British custody" before that deadline.

Lord Justice Richards said the court had found the men could be transferred to the custody of the Iraqi court "notwithstanding that on our view they could face the real risk of the death sentence if convicted.

"We are seriously troubled by that conclusion. We regard the issues in the case as difficult and important."

Both men are accused of murdering Staff Sergeant Simon Cullingworth and Sapper Luke Allsopp during the Iraq war in 2003.

Phil Shiner, the solicitor representing Al-Saadoon and Mufdhi, said: "We are disappointed by the final decision that it would be lawful for our clients to be transferred to the Iraqi Higher Tribunal in Baghdad, despite the fact that our clients face a real risk of the death penalty if convicted by the Iraqi Higher Tribunal.

"We will, however, be challenging today's decision to the Court of Appeal and note that in today's judgment the judges have indicated that they are minded to grant our clients permission to appeal, in view of the obvious difficulty and importance of the issues raised by this case in respect of our clients' exposure to the death penalty."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The first person to be convicted in the UK of directing terrorism has been jailed for life.

Rangzieb Ahmed, 33, headed a three-man al Qaida service cell which was preparing to commit mass murder, Manchester Crown Court heard.

The Rochdale-born Muslim, who was told he must serve a minimum of 10 years, was also found guilty of al Qaida membership, along with his associate, Manchester taxi driver Habib Ahmed.

Habib Ahmed, 29, was sentenced to a total of 10 years in prison - nine for being a member of the terror group and an additional one year for possessing a document for terror-related purposes.

Handing Rangzieb Ahmed a life sentence, Mr Justice Saunders said: "The prosecution case accepted by the jury was you were not one of the leaders but a recruiter and organiser of smaller terrorist cells throughout the world to work for al Qaida.

"You were a not insignificant member of al Qaida - a terror group that is prepared to kill and maim innocent people indiscriminately to achieve their aims.

"I am satisfied you are dedicated to the cause of Islamic terrorism. You are an intelligent, capable and superficially reasonable man who is involved in terrorism. That makes you an extremely dangerous man."

He ruled that he should serve a minimum of 10 years before he is considered for parole and that would only be when he is no longer considered a danger to the public and has forsaken his radical views.

Counter-terrorism chiefs in Greater Manchester were not sure where Rangzieb Ahmed was planning to strike, but they were convinced an attack was imminent.

His scheme was uncovered when he passed three diaries to Habib Ahmed, no relation, to bring into the UK from Dubai. The diaries appeared largely blank but actually contained details of key al Qaida operatives written in invisible ink - contact books for a terrorist.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A fishing deal for the UK has averted the closure of vital west of Scotland prawn fishing grounds, and landed increased catch quotas for North Sea cod, mackerel and plaice.

The result of negotiations in Brussels on next year's EU catch quotas was hailed by UK Fisheries Minister Huw Irranca-Davies as a balanced deal which kept the industry afloat while stepping up conservation efforts and cutting waste.

The talks began on Thursday with a European Commission threat to close prawn-fishing grounds which are the lifeblood of many west of Scotland and Northern Ireland fishing communities.

The Commission said action had to be taken to give whitefish stocks a "breathing space".

The only possible alternative - switching to high-tech fishing gear which nets sustainable prawn and anglerfish while releasing other depleted species back into the sea - was reached during intense talks overnight and on Friday.

The deal saves the west of Scotland prawn fleet, but it faces a cutback in overall permitted prawn catches in 2009.

However the reduction is less than the 15% the Commission had demanded.

And, in exchange for firm pledges on improved conservation and an end where possible to the wasteful dumping of quota-busting fish back in the sea, the deal also boosts the overall UK share of main species.

In addition to a 30% increase in North Sea cod quotas - secured before the talks began - the deal offers the UK fleet 32% more mackerel, 13% more North Sea plaice and 8% more monkfish off the Scottish west coast.

Mr Irranca-Davies said: "This is a fair deal overall for the UK, balancing the needs of our fishermen to make a living with the need to protect fish stocks for the future and prevent huge amounts of what they catch having to be thrown back dead into the sea."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A girl due to be born next week will be the first British baby genetically selected to be free of a breast cancer gene.

She grew from an embryo screened to ensure it did not contain the faulty BRCA 1 gene, which passes the risk of breast cancer down generations.

Any daughter born with the gene has a 50% to 85% of developing breast cancer.

In June the 27-year-old mother now waiting to give birth told how she decided to undergo the screening process after seeing all her husband's female relatives suffer the disease.

The woman, who wants to remain anonymous, said: "We felt that, if there was a possibility of eliminating this for our children, then that was a route we had to go down."

The technique, known as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) has already been used in the UK to free babies of inherited disorders such as cystic fibrosis and Huntington's disease.

But breast cancer is different because it does not inevitably affect a child from birth and may or may not develop later in life. There is also a chance it can be cured, if caught early enough.

Permission to carry out PGD for breast cancer had to be obtained from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority by the London clinic which performed the procedure.

The body, which licenses IVF clinics and embryo research, gave the go ahead after holding a public consultation.

Fertility expert Paul Serhal, who led the PGD team, said: "We have now entered a new era of being able to help people who have cancer genes. Not only can we liberate people from the guilt of passing a cancer gene onto their child, we can cut off transmission of the gene once and for all. These are families who have been plagued by this genetic curse for generations. With a wave of a magic wand the job is done, and this is fantastic."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Oil producers rounded on Gordon Brown on Friday for complaining about prices while raking in huge fuel taxes.

A senior Opec figure branded the Prime Minister "confused" for demanding the cartel maintained output levels to control prices rather than reducing domestic duty.

The spat threatened to overshadow a major oil summit organised by Mr Brown in London, where he urged closer co-operation between producers and consumers.

Kicking off the event, Mr Brown warned that volatility in prices could cost the global economy trillions of dollars over the coming decades.

Although a barrel of oil had now dropped below 40 US dollars, there was still a danger that the recent "spike" - where the price reached about 150 US dollars - would be repeated.

Those levels hit the economies of consumers, and in turn sent demand for oil tumbling, meaning producers did not have stable revenues to invest in infrastructure, he said.

"It is clear that our most pressing challenge is price volatility. Wild fluctuations in market prices harm nations all round the world. They damage consumers and producers alike," Mr Brown said.

The "visionary internationalism" that had been displayed in connection with the global banking crisis must be applied to energy challenges, he added.

However, within hours of Mr Brown's plea oil producers were criticising his approach. Opec secretary-general Abdullah al-Badri told BBC Radio 4's World at One: "I think Mr Brown is very confused, because if he is looking for the interests of his people he should look at the taxes."

Ali Al-Naimi, oil minister of the country with the world's largest reserves, Saudi Arabia, also cautioned against excessive taxation. "The consumer's price is very high in many developed economies, where it is in excess of 80 dollars per barrel above market prices because of taxes," he told the representatives from 38 nations at the summit.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Customers of failed furniture chain MFI who were left without the goods they ordered when the firm collapsed will have their money refunded in full, administrators confirmed.

MFI said at the time of its collapse into administration late last month that all customer orders would either be fulfilled or refunded.

Around 30,000 customers have been left with outstanding MFI orders and between 40% and 50% - up to 15,000 - paid by debit card, cash or cheque, which meant that they had to rely on the administrators to refund them along with other creditors.

But attempts to sell the company's order book to other firms - in order to fulfil the outstanding orders - have failed, Menzies Corporate Restructuring (MCR) said.

A statement on the MFI website said that £30 million held by MFI's merchant services provider - which processed the firm's credit card transactions - would be used to give refunds to all customers awaiting stock.

Customers who ordered custom-made Kuchen Lab kitchens will be the only ones to receive the orders because they are individually designed to the buyer's requirements.

People who paid by credit card or Visa debit card and have not received a delivery or have received some, but not all, of their order should contact their card company for a refund for the undelivered goods.

MCR said they will speak to credit card companies to ensure that the refunds are confirmed and completed as quickly as possible.

Those who paid by cash, cheque or non-Visa debit card and have not received a delivery are expected to be refunded in full from the funds held by the merchant service provider. But MCR have said that they do not yet know when these refunds will be made.

All MFI stores were closed last weekend, with around 1,350 MFI staff made redundant. MFI collapsed after being hit by falling demand for "big ticket" goods in a slumping housing market.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A 28-year-old man has denied the murders of two sisters who were found stabbed to death at a city centre flat.

Mohammed Ali, of Old Snow Hill, Birmingham, spoke only to confirm his name and enter his pleas of not guilty during a 10-minute hearing at the city's Crown Court.

The defendant is formally accused of murdering Yasmine and Sabrina Larbi-Cherif on a day between September 12 and September 15.

The Algerian-born sisters were found dead on the evening of September 15 at the Jupiter Apartments complex, near Birmingham's Broad Street entertainment district.

Yasmine, 22, and 19-year-old Sabrina, who had family links with the Wembley area of north London, both lived at the flat where their bodies were found.

Judge Melbourne Inman QC remanded Ali in custody and ordered a further directions hearing to take place in March.

The judge also set a trial date for May 6.

-Nova

[DUKE NUKEM]

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[OMEN]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45314000/jpg/_45314882_uschinooktroopsafp226b.jpg
US commanders have long requested additional forces to fight insurgents
The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff says up to 30,000 extra troops could be sent to Afghanistan in 2009, almost doubling the US presence.

"Some 20 to 30,000 is the window of overall increase from where we are right now," Adm Mike Mullen said.

The timeframe of deployment has also been shortened, with reinforcements set to arrive by summer at the latest.

On Friday, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates ordered the deployment of a combat aviation brigade by spring.

There are currently 31,000 US troops in the country, 14,000 of whom are part of the 51,000-strong Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf).

Fresh impetus

Speaking to reporters after a visit to the Afghan capital, Adm Mullen revealed that the US military planned to as much as double its presence by the middle of next year in order to fight the growing Taleban insurgency.
"Some 20 to 30,000 is the window of overall increase from where we are right now. I don't have an exact number," he said.

"We've agreed on the requirement and so it's really clear to me we're going to fill that requirement so it's not a matter of if, but when."

"We're looking to get them here in the spring, but certainly by the beginning of summer at the latest," he added.

Earlier statements from the US government and military had suggested about 20,000 troops would be sent, a number which was in line with the minimum requested by the top US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, Gen David McKiernan.

And on Wednesday, Mr Gates said that the US "should think long and hard" before sending significantly more than 20,000 additional troops so they do not become to be seen as an occupying force by Afghans.
Adm Mullen said most of the reinforcements were likely to be sent to southern Afghanistan to bolster British, Canadian and Dutch troops.

"That's where the toughest fight is," he said. "When we get additional troops here, I think the violence level is going to go up. The fight will be tougher."

The deployment of additional troops was "directly tied" to the gradual withdrawal from Iraq over the course of the next year, he added.

The BBC's defence and security correspondent, Rob Watson, says that the next 12 months are likely to see an increasing focus by the international community on improving governance and development, particularly at a local level, to take advantage off any improved security provided by the extra troops.

Advisers to US President-elect Barack Obama are also stressing the need to look at a regional solution to Afghanistan's problems in the months ahead.

Our correspondent says that although Adm Mullen's announcement hardly comes as a surprise, it is nonetheless a highly significant increase in the US commitment to Afghanistan.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45316000/jpg/_45316529_afghanistansuicideconap226b.jpg
The number of insurgent attacks is increasing and the fighting is spreading
To some extent, the reinforcements represent an acknowledgement by Washington of the country's increasingly fragile security situation in the face of a growing insurgency, he adds.

Already, an additional 3,000 US troops are expected to arrive in January and reports suggest they will be stationed in Wardak and Logar provinces, which have seen fierce fighting in recent months.

The 2,800-strong combat aviation brigade ordered to deploy by Mr Gates earlier this week, which includes Apache attack helicopters as well as Black Hawk and Chinook support aircraft, is expected to move from the US in early spring, officials say.

BBC

[OMEN]

Some of the world's biggest underwater internet cables have been slashed wreaking havoc on global network connections.
http://news.sky.com/sky-news/content/StaticFile/jpg/2008/Dec/Week3/15188385.jpg
Internet users will be affected after major cables were cut near Egypt
The cables, off the coast of Egypt, are a major link for internet and phone traffic between Europe and the Middle East and Asia.

The damage means that web users trying to connect with sites abroad will be at best slowed down and at worst unable to connect at all, experts said.

It also means that people trying to phone friends or family in the Middle East or Asia may experience problems.
Finance companies reliant on the cables for speedy trading decisions will also suffer, said Jonathan Wright, a director at communications company Interoute.

Wright said the damage to up to three cables was caused by either a ship dropping anchor or possibly a small underwater earthquake this morning.

It could take days to repair while cable ships access the site near the Egyptian port of Alexandria.

Two of the cables are run by a consortium of network companies while the third is operated by Reliance Globalcom.

When similar cables were damaged in January there was widespread disruption affecting thousands of businesses across the world.

Wright, head of Wholesale Products, told Sky News: "The potential impact of an outage of this size cannot be underestimated - it is like severing a major artery.


It's like having a major accident on the M6. It has a major impact where it actually happens but the routes around it also get clogged up.

Internet Services Providers' Assocation spokesman James Blessing
"In a global economy with financial centres based around the world, and an increasing use of outsourced call centres and IT departments, it is essential that companies are confident in their communications networks."

James Blessing, spokesman for the Internet Services Providers' Association, told Sky that web-users may notice slower access to sites while some overseas companies could lose all data.

He said that traffic would be rerouted around the world, meaning slower times.

Reliance Globalcom confirmed that damage had occurred.

BT said they were unaware of any problems.

Sky

[DUKE NUKEM]

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[JohnCenaFan28]

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[JohnCenaFan28]

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