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JohnCenaFan28
12-30-2008, 06:46 PM
Government departments have spent more than £320,000 of taxpayers' money on electronic equipment such as stereos, DVD players and flat-screen televisions over the past three years, according to official figures.
Biggest spender was Lord Mandelson's Business Department, which spent £87,000, followed by the Treasury, which spent £76,600.
Eleven Government departments which responded to parliamentary questions from the Conservatives listed spending totalling £170,030 on flat-screen TVs, £31,860 on DVD players and £35,151 on stereo equipment.
But the total figure is certain to be higher, as some departments - including the Prime Minister's Office - did not reply.
Conservative Treasury spokesman Philip Hammond said: "The news that taxpayers' money is being used to buy tens of thousands of pounds worth of hi-tech TVs will come as a shock to families struggling to make ends meet this Christmas.
"It's yet more evidence of Gordon Brown's casual attitude to taxpayers' money - and it gives people a pretty good idea of where this Government's priorities really lie."
-Nova
JohnCenaFan28
12-30-2008, 06:46 PM
Two teenagers have appeared in court charged with gunning down a man as he returned from a Christmas shopping trip.
The 15-year-old and 16-year-old boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are accused of murdering Craig Brown in Hammersmith, West London.
Mr Brown, 20, of Shepherds Bush, was shot shortly after parking his car in Loftus Road, close to the Queens Park Rangers football ground, on Christmas Eve.
No applications for bail were made during the hearing at West London Youth Court and the pair will next appear in court on January 27.
-Nova
A new NASA report says that the seat restraints, suits and helmets of the doomed crew of the space shuttle Columbia didn't work well, leading to "lethal trauma" as the out-of-control ship broke apart, killing all seven astronauts.
In a graphic 400-page report, NASA further studied the Feb. 1, 2003, shuttle tragedy to help them design their new shuttle replacement capsule more likely to survive an accident.
The report said it wasn't clear if the astronauts were already dead or just unconscious from the lethal lack of cabin pressure before the blunt force of the spinning out-of-control shuttle would have killed them. The report detailed five "events" that were potentially lethal to the crew.
Columbia disintegrated as it returned to Earth at the end of its space mission. The accident was caused by a hole in the shuttle's left wing that occurred at launched. Killed in the disaster were commander Rick Husband, pilot William McCool, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, and Ilan Ramon of Israel.
-Yahoo.
Embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich is expected to name former Illinois attorney general Roland Burris to President-elect Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat.
State Senate President Emil Jones said Tuesday that Burris told him about the appointment. Burris did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Blagojevich was arrested earlier this month on federal charges that he tried to sell or trade the seat to the highest bidder. U.S. Senate leaders have said they won't seat anyone appointed by Blagojevich.
The Democratic governor has scheduled a news conference for Tuesday afternoon. His aides wouldn't say what it's about.
Burris became the first black politician to win statewide office when he was elected comptroller in 1978 — the first of three terms. He served one term as the state's attorney general, but he failed in three attempts at the Democratic nomination for governor, losing to Blagojevich in 2002.
The governor has denied wrongdoing and has vowed to remain in office.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
CHICAGO (AP) — Embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has scheduled an afternoon news conference amid reports that he plans to name someone to Barack Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat.
Blagojevich was arrested earlier this month on charges that he tried to sell or trade the seat to the highest bidder.
Citing unnamed sources, the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday that Blagojevich plans to appoint 71-year-old former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris. Senate leaders have said they will not seat anyone Blagojevich names.
Blagojevich has scheduled a 3 p.m. EST news conference. His spokesman Lucio Guerrero declined to say what the Democratic governor plans to discuss.
The governor has denied wrongdoing and has vowed to remain in office.
-Yahoo.
The father of an 11-year-old girl who died, likely of hypothermia, after trying to walk 10 miles in the snow on Christmas Day has been charged with second-degree murder and felony injury to a child.
Robert Aragon, 55, of Jerome, made an initial appearance Monday in 5th District Court, where Judge Mark Ingram appointed a public defender for him. The judge denied Aragon's request to lower his $500,000 bond. He was being held in the Blaine County Jail.
Aragon was emotional during the short hearing. He banged his head on the defendant's table as Ingram read the charges against him, The Times-News reported. After Ingram noted that second-degree murder carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, Aragon said "Oh my God" as he banged his head on the table one final time.
Sage Aragon and her 12-year-old brother, Bear, were with their father on Thursday when his truck got stuck in a snow drift near state Highway 75, north of Shoshone in southcentral Idaho, according to the Lincoln County sheriff's office.
The children live with Aragon in Jerome and he was taking them to visit their mother, JoLeta Jenks, in West Magic.
After the truck got caught in the snow, authorities allege Aragon let the children out to walk to their mother's house while he and another adult stayed behind to free the vehicle.
Jenks said she called Aragon because she was concerned after no one arrived at her home on Thursday. Aragon had driven back to Jerome after letting the kids out to walk to her house, Jenks said.
"They didn't even call me, telling me they were walking," she told the Times-News.
Jenks called the police and a Blaine County search and rescue team found the boy at a rest area near the highway shortly before 10 p.m. on Thursday night.
Adults in the search effort described the snow as knee-deep for them.
The boy was found wearing only long underwear, Blaine County Sheriff Walt Femling said in a news release. Apparently delusional from hypothermia, the child had discarded his jacket, pants and shoes, the sheriff's office said. He was treated and released at a nearby hospital.
The rest area was about 4.5 miles from where the children started walking.
At some point the children separated and their mother said her son told her they disagreed about whether to keep going or turn back.
"(Bear) kept on telling her: 'Let's go, Sage, let's go, Sage,'" Jenks said, recalling what her son told her. "She said, 'No, I'm going back.'"
The little girl was found about 2.7 miles from where the two set out, barely visible under windblown, drifting snow when search dogs located her along a local road about 2 a.m. Friday. She was wearing a brown down coat, black shirt, pink pajama pants and tan snowboots, the sheriff's office statement said.
"I thought she was alive because they said they found her," Jenks said. "I was excited."
The girl was pronounced dead at a Ketchum hospital; preliminary autopsy results indicate she died of hypothermia.
Officials say temperatures in the area at the time the girl was missing ranged from 27 degrees above zero to minus 5.
Jenks and Aragon are not married. While she said she doesn't understand the decision Aragon is accused of making in letting the children walk to her house, Jenks added, "I don't need to sit and yell. I know he's going through hell right now."
-Yahoo.
Spokane residents were trying to dig out Tuesday after a month of record-breaking snow collapsed roofs and clogged streets.
The center of a snow-laden supermarket roof in north Spokane collapsed Monday evening, prompting the evacuation of that store and adjacent businesses. A fire official said only one minor injury was reported.
The roof collapse came as Spokane set a monthly record for snowfall, at 59.7 inches, after 8.3 inches were recorded in the 24-hour period ending at 4 p.m. Monday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Ellie Kelch. That's more snow than the area receives in a typical winter.
The previous record of 56.9 inches was set in January 1950. Snowfall records in the area have been kept since 1893, Kelch said.
Roads were so clogged in Spokane that police asked tractor-trailer rig drivers to use chains, after several big trucks became stuck in giant snowbanks. Black ice was also causing numerous accidents on Interstate 90, officials said.
All 90 of Spokane's plows, sanders and deicers were working to clear arterial streets, leaving residential streets that were still clogged with snow, officials said. Private contractors have also been hired.
The Washington State Patrol responded to about 50 collisions Monday, Trooper Joe Leibrecht said, but no serious injuries were reported.
Natural gas leaks occurred where snow or ice fell and sheared off gas meters. Southwest Airlines canceled some flights at the Spokane airport, and other airlines reported delays.
In Michigan, meanwhile, flood warnings remained in effect Tuesday for areas along most of the Lower Peninsula's major rivers and streams as crews worked to restore electrical service to thousands left without power since the weekend.
About 20,000 of 183,000 CMS Energy Corp. customers who lost electrical service during Sunday's storms remained without service Tuesday morning. About 45,000 of 230,000 DTE Energy Co. customers were waiting for their power to be restored.
Both utilities brought in workers from Indiana, Ohio and other states to help restore electricity, Jackson-based CMS and Detroit-based DTE said. The power companies said they expected service to be fully restored by Wednesday.
In southeastern Wisconsin, the National Weather Service predicted the Fox River would crest about a foot over flood stage Tuesday in the town of Wheatland. In northwest Missouri, the Grand River reached nearly 9 feet above flood stage in places over the weekend.
-Yahoo.
A couple who took their baby son with them on a seven-hour drinking session have escaped jail.
Mum Petra Tyler, 24, was stopped by police after she was spotted pushing the baby's pram carelessly, tipping it from side to side.
When police investigated they found baby Callum with a dirty face, soiled nappy and a bottle of stale milk in the bottom of his pram.
Tyler and her husband Mark, 47, from Mansfield, pleading guilty at a previous hearing to being drunk in charge of a child.
They were put on probation for two years and ordered to pay £60 costs.
The court was told a pub landlord called CCTV operators after he refused the couple entry to his pub.
The Tylers left their son unattended for around two or three minutes as they attempted to gain access to a pub in Mansfield in September.
Prosecutors said the couple planned to have a couple of drinks but "one thing led to another" and they ended up drinking for seven hours.
Chairman of the bench Paul Richardson said: "In this case we would have sent both of you to prison for what we feel is an extremely serious offence, where a young child was placed in danger.
"We accept, however, that the effect of that sentence would be to punish you for a very short time that would have no long-term benefit in terms of stopping your offending."
-Yahoo.
A report by the Rail Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) claims the firms are using extra revenues from fare hikes to reward shareholders.
It says they have been receiving dividend increases of between 10% and 33% in what amounts to a "legalised scam".
The union names Arriva, First Group, Go-Ahead, National Express Group and Stagecoach as the 'guilty' companies.
Its findings come just days before another round of rail price rises across the UK.
RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "Passengers are being told to fork out huge increases in fares and season tickets for overcrowded services.
"(They) have every reason to ask how the operators can rake off such huge amounts of their money as profits."
He added: "It seems that the rail privateers want everyone else to tighten their belts so that their shareholders can keep their snouts in the trough."
This was happening while "rail users are facing another massive fares hike and rail workers are threatened with redundancy".
Mr Crow said privatising the railways was a huge mistake and MPs had recently stated there were "fundamental flaws" in the franchising system.
"The time has come to bring them all back into the public sector where they belong," he said.
-Yahoo.
In an interview with the head of the Catholic Church in England, Mr Brown apparently made it clear that he is against assisted suicide.
He told Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor he will not bring forward any legislation to change current rules.
Mr Brown said the importance of human life had to be recognised and maintained.
He also said he feared some elderly people might find themselves under pressure to agree to suicide rather than become a burden on their families.
The comments follow recent cases of Britons travelling to Switzerland to end their lives.
In October, multiple-sclerosis sufferer Debbie Purdy lost a High Court bid to clarify UK law on assisted suicide.
The 45-year-old from Bradford, West Yorkshire, said in the future she may want to travel to the controversial Dignitas clinic to die.
But she said she would want her husband by her side and sought clarification on whether he will be prosecuted back in the UK.
Two judges said the current guidelines were adequate and did not require clarification.
It is illegal to aid and abet a suicide and anyone convicted faces up to 14 years in prison.
-Yahoo.
Britain hunting lovelorn beaver
And his owner reckons there's only one thing that can lure the lovelorn rodent back into captivity: the scent of female beaver.
The six-stone (84-pound, 38-kilogramme) animal escaped from the Upcott Grange Farm in the county of Devon back in October, along with two females who were recovered soon after from a nearby lake.
But the one beaver still on the run is thought to be the culprit felling trees some 20 miles (32 kilometres) down the River Tamar at Gunnislake.
Conservationist Derek Gow, who owns 24 of the animals under licence, reckons the runaway is hunting for female beaver. He is planning to catch the escapee using honey traps: boxes that smell of females.
"I know where he is, but he's occupying a territory of probably a kilometre in length," Gow said.
"We've got traps being made up at the moment.
"Using the scent from one of the female beavers, we'll be able to catch the male beaver fairly quickly."
The furry escapee and his trail of destruction were widely covered in Wednesday's national newspapers.
Gow suspects the electric fence surrounding his beaver pen failed during a flood.
"We've checked the fence, we can't find any holes at all. We can't think of any other way they might have got out."
Beavers were hunted to extinction in Britain in the 16th century.
However, in a controversial project, four families of beavers have been shipped in from Norway and will be released in western Scotland early next year.
-Yahoo.
Olympians lead the field in Honours List
Britain's Olympic heroes lead the field in the New Year Honours List with triple gold medal-winning cyclist Chris Hoy receiving a knighthood.
Hoy said it was an "amazing honour" but insisted he was just as pleased about his mother getting an MBE.
The flying Scotsman headed a long line of British sporting heroes receiving awards in the New Year Honours List, including racing driver Lewis Hamilton, 14-year-old Paralympic swimmer Eleanor Simmonds and double gold winning swimmer Rebecca Adlington.
Adlington, 19, captured the hearts of the British public after winning two golds in the 400m freestyle and 800m freestyle events - and now gets an OBE.
She said: "It is fantastic to be recognised in the New Year Honours List. There are so many amazing names on the list, it's something I'll treasure for the rest of my life."
Hamilton, who is given an MBE after becoming the youngest Formula One champion in 2008, said the awards were a tribute to "an outstanding year for British sport".
The 23-year-old dramatically won the Formula One world championship in November, becoming the first Briton to take the title since Damon Hill in 1996.
He said: "It is a massive honour and incredible privilege for me to receive an MBE from Her Majesty the Queen.
"It is the most amazing culmination to what has been quite a year for me."
This year's list is dominated by the men and women whose sporting triumphs in Beijing catapulted Team GB to fourth place in the Olympic medal table and second place in the Paralympics.
Hoy's knighthood caps an extraordinary year for the 32-year-old cyclist.
He said: "To become a knight from riding your bike, it's mad. But it is, genuinely, just an amazing honour."
Born in Edinburgh, Hoy became the first British athlete for 100 years to clinch three gold medals at the same Olympic Games, winning the team sprint, Keirin and match sprint.
Hoy, who now lives in Salford, Greater Manchester, was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year this month.
The cyclist's mother, Carol, 61, a retired nurse, was awarded an MBE for her work on sleep-related illnesses at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh.
Hoy said: "I was as delighted with my mum getting her MBE as I was with my knighthood."
His fellow Team GB cyclists are also recognised for their dominance at the 2008 Olympics, where seven out of the 10 track events were won by British riders.
CBEs go to Bradley Wiggins, 28, who took home two golds from Beijing, and British Cycling performance director David Brailsford.
There are MBEs for gold medal-winning cyclists Ed Clancy, 23, Geraint Thomas, 22, Jason Kenny, 20, Jamie Staff, 35, and Paul Manning, 34.
Britain's three female Olympic champion cyclists Nicole Cooke, 25, Victoria Pendleton, 28, and Rebecca Romero, 28, also get MBEs.
Athlete Christine Ohuruogu, 24, who came back from a one-year ban for missing drug tests to become the Olympic women's 400m champion in August, also gets an MBE.
Accolades have also gone to comic fantasy novelist Terry Pratchett, who received a knighthood, Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant, who is made a CBE, and child protection campaigner Sara Payne - whose eight-year-old daughter Sarah was murdered in 2000 - who becomes an MBE.
-Yahoo.
Dying man probe: Ambulance men held
Two ambulance workers were arrested on suspicion of neglecting a dying man after detectives were passed a tape recording of them in which they were allegedly heard discussing whether they should bother to revive him, it has been reported.
The two men, who are both employees of South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust, were sent to Barry Baker's home in Brighton, East Sussex, on November 29, after he called 999 saying he thought he was having a heart attack.
It is understood the 59-year-old, who lived alone, collapsed while on the phone to ambulance controllers.
However, the line to the control centre was still open when the crew arrived at the scene and operators allegedly heard the ambulance men make derogatory comments about the state of Mr Baker's house, The Daily Telegraph reported.
A police source told the newspaper the men were then overheard discussing Mr Baker and allegedly saying "words to the effect that he was not worth saving".
The pair, aged 35 and 44, were arrested on December 5 on suspicion of neglecting to perform a duty in a public office contrary to common law.
Both men have been suspended from their jobs and bailed until next month while a police investigation is carried out. No charges have yet been made.
A Sussex Police spokesman said: "Police investigating the circumstances surrounding the sudden death of a man at his home in Braybon Avenue in Brighton during the early hours of Saturday November 29 arrested two men on December 5.
"The men, aged 35 and 44 from the Brighton area, have been questioned concerning public office duty of care matters and bailed to a later date in January 2009. No charges have been brought.
"On Wednesday December 17 an inquest into the death of the man named as Barry Baker was opened by Her Majesty's Coroner for the City of Brighton and Hove and adjourned while police and coroner's investigations are pursued."
-Yahoo.
Newborn twin babies defy odds again
A mixed-race couple who had one black and one white twin daughter seven years ago have defied the odds and done it again, it has been reported.
Dean Durrant, 33, and Alison Spooner, 27, of Fleet, Hampshire, have had another set of twin girls with different coloured skin - Miya has her father's black skin and Leah is white like her mother, The Sun reported.
The couple's first set of twins arrived in 2001, with blue-eyed, red-haired Lauren taking after her mother while Hayleigh has black skin and hair like her father.
Mr Durrant said: "We didn't think it was even possible when we had Lauren and Hayleigh -- and it didn't cross our minds that it could happen again. But we are just delighted that it has."
Ms Spooner added: "I was shocked when I first found out I was pregnant with twins again -- but I never thought for one second they would turn out the same as last time."
Miya and Leah were delivered by Caesarean section at Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey, at just 37 weeks of pregnancy after scans revealed both babies were breach.
Ms Spooner said: "After the babies were born they weren't breathing properly, so they were taken to a special care unit.
"It wasn't until about five days after they were born that we saw them side by side for the first time.
"And when they were together it was clear that one was darker than the other. It was unbelievable."
"Now the girls are back home with us and are very healthy. Lauren and Hayleigh think the new arrivals are fantastic."
-Yahoo.
Examiners voice new Sats test fears
Examiners have warned the Schools Secretary Ed Balls that there is "no guarantee" pupils will not see a repeat of delays for Sats test results again next year. Skip related content
Some pupils were left waiting months for their marks from the exams sat by 11- to 14-year-olds after a series of blunders, including a failure to train markers in time.
The company running the tests, ETS Europe, was sacked from its five-year contract in August after an inquiry blamed it and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) for the hold ups.
The QCA has now warned Mr Balls that the rush to appoint a new company to run tests for 11-year-olds in 2009 has meant there is no time to test the marking systems to ensure they do not collapse again.
Edexcel has been given the contract and has agreed to deliver 99.9% of test results to candidates by July 7 2009.
But QCA chief executive Ken Boston has written to the minister warning "that while the supplier is committed to achieving it (the deadline), there is currently no guarantee that events will not cause them to miss it".
He states that the speed with which Edexcel had to be appointed has meant that the fine details of the contract will have to be worked out after it is agreed.
The risk of missing the deadline will, he said, "be at its greatest in the crucial and short period between the beginning of marking and the completion of results data".
In a reply Mr Balls agreed that the contract with Edexcel should go ahead but urged the QCA to arrange for "effective contingencies" to be put in place, "thereby reducing the likelihood and impact of serious risks to delivery".
But Mr Boston's reply warns the minister that the steps the QCA can take to prevent delays are limited.
-Yahoo.
Private firm may run 'spy' database
A proposed communications database containing details of everybody's telephone calls, emails and internet use could be run by a private firm, it has been claimed.
The option to tender out the management of the controversial database will be included in a consultation paper to be published next month, according to the Guardian.
The facility is designed to help police and the Security Service by ensuring they have access to vital communications data which may not be saved by telephone or internet providers.
The plans have already come under fire from civil liberties campaigners.
But Sir Ken McDonald stepped up his attack in light of the Guardian's report, dismissing the notion that additional legal assurances would ensure the information is not misused.
He told the paper: "All history tells us that reassurances like these are worthless in the long run. In the first security crisis the locks would loosen."
The database, which critics claim would cost up to £12 billion, is not intended to feature the content of communications, but only the details of internet sites visited and what emails and telephone calls have been made, to whom and at what times.
Currently the information has to be requested from communications companies, but it is not always readily available.
A Home Office spokesman said: "The communications revolution has been rapid in this country and the way in which we collect communications data needs to change so that law enforcement agencies can maintain their ability to tackle serious crime and terrorism.
"To ensure that we keep up with technological advances we intend to consult widely on proposals in the new year."
-Yahoo.
Early Earth 'was covered in water'
A new model of the early Earth suggests that until around 2.5 billion years ago oceans covered almost the whole of the planet. Just 2% to 3% of the Earth's surface would have been dry land, compared with 28% today.
The Earth at that time may have resembled the way it looked in Waterworld, the 1995 post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie starring Kevin Costner. In the film, humanity struggles to survive after the ice caps melt and inundate the planet with water.
However, unlike in the movie, the oceans 2.5 billion years ago would have been devoid of fish, which had not yet evolved. Back then life consisted of nothing more complex than algae and bacteria.
The Australian scientists who produced the new computer simulation believe that billions of years ago the Earth's deep mantle was 200C hotter than it is today. A hotter mantle would have thickened and buoyed up the Earth's crust beneath the oceans, creating shallower basins and leading to the flooding of what is now land. The continental crust would also have spread, making it lower and flatter and more vulnerable to floods.
New Scientist magazine reported: "As the mantle cooled, land would have gradually appeared as the oceans became deeper and regions of high relief on the continental crust formed."
The transition may help explain why oxygen levels in the atmosphere rose at this time in the Earth's history, say the researchers led by Dr Nicolas Flament from the University of Sydney.
During the waterworld era, any oxygen produced by photosynthesising bacteria would have been quickly used up through reactions with decaying organic matter in the oceans.
When the newly emerged land eroded, it produced sediment that washed into the oceans and buried the organic matter, preventing further reactions with oxygen, the scientists believe. As a result oxygen was allowed to build up in the atmosphere and enable oxygen-breathing life to evolve and flourish.
The eroded sediment would also have fertilised the oceans with phosphorous, an important nutrient for living things.
-Yahoo.
Israel has described a 48-hour humantarian truce proposed by France as 'not realistic'.
It calls for a halt to hostilities with Hamas Islamists for 48 hours so that more humanitarian aid could reach Gaza.
Yesterday a ship delivering supplies from Cyprus, which included Mayo electrician Derek Graham, was blocked by an Israel naval vessel
Responding to the French truce proposal today, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said: 'That proposal contained no guarantees of any kind that Hamas will stop the rockets and smuggling.'
'It is not realistic to expect Israel to cease fire unilaterally with no mechanism to enforce the cessation of shooting and terror from Hamas.'
But Mr Palmor said Israel had not rejected the proposal, one of several under consideration, outright.
Another Israeli official said France might propose amendments to its plan.
The Israeli cabinet is meeting to discuss proposals.
The French proposal arose from a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Paris yesterday, which was attended by Micheál Martin.
On RTÉ Radio One's Morning Ireland, Mr Martin said the Israeli offensive was likely to harden Palestinian attitudes
Deep Targets for Hamas Rockets
Hamas militants have fired two rockets deep into Israel, both hitting near the desert city of Beersheva some 40km from the border of Gaza.
The Grad-type rockets caused no injuries or damage, the Israeli media said.
In Gaza City, the armed wing of Hamas claimed responsibility for the attacks, which mark the farthest yet that the militants' rockets have reached.
Another rocket fell near the town of Netivot, about 10km from Gaza but caused no injuries, said the Maguen David Adom, the Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross.
A rocket fired from Gaza late last night slammed into an empty field in Beersheva, again without causing damage or casualties.
Gaza militants have been firing deeper into Israel in recent days and a spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas vowed yesterday rockets would be fired even further if Israel does not halt its bombardment of the Palestinian territory.
The militants have recently acquired military-grade projectiles with a longer range than the so-called Qassam rockets they manufacture themselves.
Israel has conducted a massive bombing campaign of Hamas targets in its Gaza Strip stronghold since Saturday in an onslaught which has so far killed at least 374 Palestinians.
The offensive has failed to stop the group from firing projectiles into Israel, where three civilians and one soldier have been killed and several dozen people have been injured in rocket fire since Saturday, according to medics.
RTE
French women's clothing store chain Morgan has gone into administration, the latest retailer to be hit by the sharp fall in consumer spending.
The company, which expects to report a 9% decline in 2008 sales, said it still hoped to be able to sell the business.
UK private equity group Apax Partners owns 40% of Morgan, while the firm's founding families - Bismuth and Barouch - own another 40% between them.
Morgan has 575 stores in 57 countries and directly employs 1,000 staff.
It has 33 shops across the UK and Republic of Ireland.
Morgan was established in 1968.
It had been looking for a buyer since the start of 2008.
Sector-wide woes
Morgan's move into administration comes after the same happened to UK retailers Woolworths, Zavvi, Whittard and The Officer's Club.
The final Woolworths stores are now due to close on 5 January after administrator Deloitte failed to find a buyer for the whole company.
Music and games retailer Zavvi went into administration on Christmas Eve.
Tea and coffee specialist Whittard went into administration before Christmas due to "trading difficulties", but it was quickly bought for an undisclosed sum by Epic private equity partners.
BBC
The US space agency (Nasa) has released a detailed report into the deaths of the crew of space shuttle Columbia.
It comes almost six years after the orbiter disintegrated when re-entering the Earth's atmosphere.
The report includes grim details of the crew's final moments as the shuttle broke up over the state of Texas.
It concludes that the accident was not survivable but makes the point that astronaut seat restraints, suits and helmets did not work well.
The failure of these safety features by themselves would have resulted in "lethal trauma", says the Columbia Crew Survival Investigation Report.
It recommends the lessons be taken up in future spacecraft designs.
"This report confirms that although the valiant Columbia crew tried every possible way to maintain control of their vehicle, the accident was not ultimately survivable," said Nasa deputy associate administrator Wayne Hale.
The accident happened on 1 February 2003.
Forty-one seconds
When the space shuttle Columbia blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the orbiter's left wing was damaged by a piece of insulating foam falling off the orbiter's external fuel tank.
That proved fatal for the seven astronauts when they re-entered the Earth's atmosphere days later.
The world watched as the shuttle disintegrated as hot atmospheric gases blasted inside the breach, melting the ship's structure.
Nasa's extensive 400-page report into their last moments found that the crew knew for as long as 41 seconds that they did not have control of the orbiter, and records that they went into problem-solving mode as they attempted to regain stability.
As a consequence, when the cabin structure failed, resulting in rapid depressurisation and loss of consciousness, some of the astronauts were not wearing their bulky protective gloves and still had their helmet visors open. Some were not fully strapped in.
Had the astronauts had time to get their gear on and prepare their suits properly, they might have survived a little longer and been able to take more actions. But, the report notes, they still would have died because of the extreme forces and conditions to which they were exposed.
Nonetheless, the report lists individual failures in training and equipment which should be addressed. The recommendations call for better seat harnesses, improved helmets and pressurised suits, and more automated systems that can trigger actions if astronauts become incapacitated.
The report says future spacecraft should be designed so that, when they do begin to break up in an accident, they experience the "most graceful degradation of vehicle systems and structure to enhance chances for crew survival".
Mr Hale, who oversaw the shuttle programme during its return to flight after the accident, urged spacecraft designers in the US and overseas to read the report and apply the "hard lessons which have been paid for so dearly".
BBC
Speaking about the "policing pledge" scheme, Ms Smith said the new initiative would give the public a "clear deal" on what to expect from police.
All 43 police forces in England and Wales have promised that by January 1 they would meet the pledge, which includes a police commitment to setting priorities with local communities and updating them on progress at least once a month.
It also requires officers to respond to calls concerning agreed priorities within an hour and neighbourhood policing teams to spend at least 80% of their time "visibly" working for the community.
West Mercia Constabulary, which covers Ms Smith's constituency of Redditch, today became the final force to unveil its pledge, during a visit by the Home Secretary.
Ms Smith said: "Local people are our best weapon in fighting crime and anti-social behaviour.
"People need to know what they can expect from the police and the police service.
"That is all spelt out in the national policing pledge that all police forces have signed up to by the end of this year - that's what I'm celebrating today on the last day of 2008.
"It means then as we go forward we can see people, as I've seen here this morning, more confident about reporting their concerns to the police, more able to get information about how to keep themselves and their communities safe and what's actually happening when they report that information."
-Yahoo.
Forecasters have warned temperatures will fall below zero in many places across the UK as revellers welcome the new year.
The 100,000 party-goers in Edinburgh will need more than good cheer to keep warm with lows of minus 5C expected.
In London 400,000 people are expected to attend a fireworks display, while Elton John is playing at the 02 Arena.
A range of New Year events have been planned for Cardiff, Manchester and Birmingham among others.
Sub-zero temperatures are also forecast for northern England and Wales, while many other areas could also see the mercury plunge.
But revellers going to fireworks displays might not get a clear view, with mist and freezing fog forecast in some areas.
Claire Austin, forecaster with MeteoGroup UK, said: "It is going to be quite cold in most places but the good news is that it is staying dry and winds are going to be generally light."
But there is unlikely to be any let up in the cold weather for the first day of 2009.
Ms Austin added: "There will be some mist and cloud around in the morning.
"Central and eastern areas will see lots of cloud but western regions, such as Western Scotland and Wales will see the best of the bright sunny weather.
"It will be a little bit milder in the east but still temperatures are unlikely to get above 4-5C anywhere.
"It is still looking like it is going to stay pretty cold over the next couple of days with weekend temperatures of around 2-3C and minus figures overnight."
The party in Edinburgh - the self-styled Hogmanay capital - has been under way for a number of days already to build up to the bringing in of the new year.
Extreme lows have been forecast for the Scottish Highlands, with parts estimated to plummet to as cold as -15C.
In Cardiff revellers will be able to sleep off their partying in an inflatable tent staffed by medics at the Millennium Stadium.
The sleepover centre has been converted from an emergency chemical decontamination tent.
And in London police are gearing up for one of the busiest nights of the year.
The Met's Supt Brian Pearce urged people to plan their night in advance and to take extra care after consuming alcohol.
He added: "Hundreds of thousands of people used to travel to central London when there was nothing for them to see or do.
"Now with such a world-class fireworks display being staged the centre of town is more popular than ever before.
"Sadly, not everyone sets out just for a fun night out.
"There are those criminals who will use the cover of crowds to commit crime, so help yourself by keeping a close eye on all your belongings."
Tube services will be running all night, but the authorities have warned people may need to queue to get into stations because the demand will be high.
And on Thursday more than 400,000 people are expected to head into London for the New Year's Day Parade.
Organisers said the traditional spectacle aimed to breathe fresh air into London by helping visitors beat the credit crunch and start the year healthily.
BBC
lɐuǝɯo⊥ǝɥԀ
12-31-2008, 05:24 PM
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JohnCenaFan28
12-31-2008, 11:50 PM
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12-31-2008, 11:50 PM
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12-31-2008, 11:50 PM
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12-31-2008, 11:50 PM
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12-31-2008, 11:51 PM
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12-31-2008, 11:51 PM
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12-31-2008, 11:51 PM
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12-31-2008, 11:51 PM
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12-31-2008, 11:51 PM
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12-31-2008, 11:51 PM
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12-31-2008, 11:52 PM
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JohnCenaFan28
12-31-2008, 11:52 PM
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JohnCenaFan28
12-31-2008, 11:52 PM
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12-31-2008, 11:52 PM
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12-31-2008, 11:52 PM
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12-31-2008, 11:53 PM
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12-31-2008, 11:53 PM
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12-31-2008, 11:53 PM
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JohnCenaFan28
12-31-2008, 11:54 PM
The Archbishop of Canterbury has warned against focusing solely on economic woes as he described children and the most vulnerable as the "real treasure" and wealth of society.
Dr Rowan Williams acknowledged anxiety and insecurity prompted by fears about job losses, disappearing savings and house repossessions in the face of the economic downturn. But in his pre-recorded New Year Message, to be broadcast on Thursday, he said that "our hearts would be in a very bad way" if we concentrated on the state of our finances to the exclusion of the welfare of fellow human beings.
He spoke of the plight of child soldiers in Africa and street children in Latin America as well as UK children who are damaged by poverty, family instability and abuse.
Children need to be taken seriously as "fellow inhabitants of the globe", he said, and as growing human beings whom we approach with "respect and patience" and from whom we ought to learn.
One of the most damning criticisms of any society would be that it was failing its children, he added.
He said: "So what about a New Year in which we try and ask consistently about our own personal decisions and about public policies, national and international, 'Does this feel like something that looks after our real treasure, something that keeps our real wealth safe - the lives and welfare of the youngest and most vulnerable?'
"Jesus said where our treasure is, that's where our hearts will be. Our hearts will be in a very bad way if they're focused only on the state of our finances. They'll be healthy if they are capable of turning outwards, looking at the real treasure that is our fellow human beings."
Dr Williams' message comes as the Children's Society prepares to publish The Good Childhood Inquiry report early next month, an independent inquiry into the state of childhood.
Dr Williams is a president of the charity and patron of the inquiry. The Archbishop's Message is delivered on BBC One at 1.30pm and again on BBC Two at 6.55pm on New Year's Day.
-Nova
JohnCenaFan28
12-31-2008, 11:55 PM
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for an urgent ceasefire amid the "humanitarian crisis" in Gaza.
He said aid was now getting through to the Palestinian territory, which has been pounded by five days of Israeli air strikes.
Mr Brown said: "It is vital that moderation must now prevail - there's a humanitarian crisis."
The Prime Minister's comments were made as international pressure grew for a ceasefire in Gaza, where hundreds of people have been killed.
Mr Brown said: "I have talked to the prime minister of Israel and had assurances from him that there will be access for humanitarian reasons to get stocks in, to get supplies to people in Gaza and to help with the casualties.
"We have now set aside 10 million dollars of aid so that will happen. I have some indication that aid is now getting through.
"Of course, the second thing we've got to do is secure an immediate and urgent ceasefire."
The Prime Minister said he had talked to leaders on both sides about a set of proposals put forward for the Palestinian territory.
Mr Brown continued: "The Arab League ministers are discussing them now. I believe that this is the best opportunity for a ceasefire and for peace. I believe that the various forces involved should seize this opportunity now."
The Prime Minister added: "I believe this offers the best way forward, including the guarantee of humanitarian aid. I urge all the sides involved to seize these opportunities now."
-Nova
JohnCenaFan28
12-31-2008, 11:55 PM
A human head has been found in a bag by a woman while she was out walking.
The discovery was made in the Newhaven area of Edinburgh. Lothian and Borders Police have launched an investigation.
It is thought the head may be several years old and it is not known how long it has been there. Police said the remains appeared to be mummified.
A police spokesman said: "Obviously we are at the very early stages of this investigation, and at the moment we are trying to establish the identity of the deceased.
"At this stage it would appear that the remains are a number of years old, although it can't be said for certain how old they are until the necessary tests are carried out.
"At this stage (the) cause of death is unknown, and we will continue our inquiries in order to establish how the remains have came to be on the footpath."
The head was found on a public footpath at Hawthornvale and the woman who found it called the police.
Officers are currently carrying out forensic examinations at the scene, and the area has been cordoned off while investigations take place.
They appealed for anyone with information that can help them establish the identity of the deceased or how the remains came to be there to contact them on 0131 3113131 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
-Nova
JohnCenaFan28
12-31-2008, 11:56 PM
A man was murdered before his body was dumped at the side of a motorway and set on fire.
Warwickshire Police said the victim, aged between 45 and 75, died after suffering substantial head injuries.
His body was then left on an embankment on the eastbound M45 near Dunchurch, Rugby, Warwickshire, and set alight.
The victim was found after a driver travelling on the westbound carriageway reported seeing a fire at about 1.15pm on Tuesday.
Detectives launched a murder investigation as a team of 15 police officers conducted a search of a remote six-mile stretch of the motorway.
The body was so badly burned that the man's identity and ethnicity remains unknown.
Detective Superintendent Adrian McGee, who is leading the investigation, said officers were examining CCTV footage.
A post-mortem examination carried out at University Hospital in Coventry revealed that the man had suffered substantial head injuries and was dead prior to his body being dumped and set alight.
The M45 was closed for 24 hours in both directions between its junction with the A45, near Rugby, and its link to junction 17 of the M1.
Officers are appealing to anyone who saw anything suspicious, such as a vehicle parked at the side of the road on Tuesday afternoon, to contact them.
-Nova
JohnCenaFan28
12-31-2008, 11:56 PM
Two Iraqis accused of murdering two British soldiers have been handed over to the Baghdad government by UK forces in defiance of the European Court of Human Rights.
Defence Secretary John Hutton said Faisal Al-Saadoon, 56, and Khalaf Mufdhi, 58, were transferred by British forces who had been holding them in Basra after a Court of Appeal ruling on Tuesday.
The transfer went ahead despite a last minute bid by the Human Rights Court in Strasbourg to block it with an injunction effectively suspending the Court of Appeal's decision.
The men, who now face trial in an Iraqi court, are suspected of involvement in the murder of Staff Sergeant Simon Cullingworth and Sapper Luke Allsopp.
Mr Hutton said: "After December 31, 2008, the UK had no legal power to detain any individuals in Iraq and continued detention would be a breach of the UK's international law obligations.
"The European Court of Human Rights at Strasbourg has asked the UK to retain custody in Iraq of Mr Al Saadoon and Mr Mufdhi when we have no legal power to do so. Compliance with Strasbourg requests would normally be a matter of course but these are exceptional circumstances," Mr Hutton added.
The men had argued that the transfer would violate their human rights because of the risk of torture while in Iraqi custody, the risk of an unfair trial and the risk of the death penalty - all outlawed by the Human Rights Convention, to which the UK is a signatory.
Sgt Cullingworth, 36, and Sapper Allsopp, 24, were caught in an ambush on the outskirts of the town of Al Zubayr during the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
They were dragged from their Land Rover to a local Baath Party HQ and then to an Iraqi intelligence base where they were shot.
Sapper Allsopp, from north London, and Sgt Cullingworth, from Essex, were both in the 33 Engineer Regiment - a specialist bomb disposal unit of the Royal Engineers.
-Nova
A security official told AFP that an unmanned CIA aircraft had fired three missiles in the Karikot area of South Waziristan.
One of the missiles hit a vehicle, killing all three people inside, a local government official said.
The other two missiles hit a house in the area, but details about casualties were not immediately available.
"We rushed out of our homes," resident Zar Wali told AFP, saying locals had been panicked by the powerful explosions.
Smoke was still billowing from the targeted house, he said.
-Yahoo.
UK may take Guantanamo camp inmates
Britain could take in foreign terror suspects from Guantanamo Bay in order to allow incoming US President Barack Obama to shut the prison camp down, it has been reported.
The issue is the subject of ongoing negotiations within Whitehall, with the Foreign Office pushing for a deal and a final decision expected to be made by the Cabinet, The Times said.
Mr Obama has promised to close the prison camp on Cuba, which holds detainees from the war on terror, but he is facing difficulties in resettling about 60 inmates who have been cleared for release but cannot be returned to their home countries.
Portugal has offered to take some of the detainees and is calling on other EU states to do the same.
The Times quoted an unnamed Whitehall source as saying: "Of course the Foreign Office wants to do it, they want to get off to a good start with Obama. This is the sort of thing that will require a Cabinet-level decision."
The Foreign Office said it recognised the US authorities would need "assistance from allies and partners" to close down Guantanamo - something for which the UK has long pressed.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We recognise the US will require assistance from allies and partners to shut the camp. We have long pressed the US for release of British nationals and residents. To date, we have got all British nationals back, as well as four former residents.
"We continue to press for release of the two remaining former British residents, Binyam Mohamed and Shaker Aamer. Our priority has been to get Binyam Mohamed back to the UK and our offer for receiving Shaker Aamer remains open."
While UK nationals and residents have been received back from Guantanamo without significant controversy, there may be greater concern about Britain housing former terror suspects with no personal links to the country.
Ministers and officials would have to resolve thorny issues relating to their immigration status and entitlement to assistance and benefits.
-Yahoo.
Lib Dems in 'hung Parliament' talks
It is being seen as an indication that the possibility of a hung Parliament is being taken seriously in Whitehall.
Convention requires that the Prime Minister authorise senior civil servants to speak to the opposition in advance of a poll, to ensure a smooth transition if they win power at the election.
But in recent elections this opportunity has been taken up only by the Conservatives, with Liberal Democrat leaders declining the offer.
A spokeswoman for Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg confirmed that he has authorised his frontbench spokesman to discuss the policies in the party's manifesto with the permanent secretaries of Whitehall departments.
No date has been set for the meetings, which will start with a meeting between Mr Clegg himself and Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell.
Mr Clegg's spokeswoman said that it was "a sign of Nick's confidence in Liberal Democrat policies" that he was ready to have them scrutinised by experts at the highest levels of the administration.
She added: "We are taking up the same offer as the Tories to speak to senior members of the civil service about our policies and Gordon Brown has agreed to this.
"We believe it is important that Liberal Democrat policies are subject to the scrutiny of the most expert Whitehall staff and we believe it is an important step in the run-up to the General Election for us."
With opinion polls suggesting that a hung Parliament - with Lib Dems holding the balance of power - is more likely than at any time for a generation, The Guardian reported that Sir Gus, Number 10 permanent secretary Jeremy Heywood and the Queen's private secretary Christopher Geidt are expected to examine the precedents from the last inconclusive poll in 1974.
-Yahoo.
Rail Fare Hikes Above Inflation
Regulated fares, which include annual season tickets, will be going up by an average of 6% - well above the current level of inflation.
And unregulated fares, which include off-peak tickets, will be rising even more - by an average of 7%.
Passengers have been particularly hard hit this year, as the new year price rise is based on whatever the retail price index (RPI) inflation is in the previous July.
The July 2008 RPI was as high as 5%, which meant that regulated fares (subject to annual rises of RPI plus 1%) now have to rise by 6%.
Since July, the rate of inflation has fallen fast, with the latest RPI being only 3%.
Commuters getting the shortest straw are those on Southeastern services, which run into London from Kent and Sussex.
To pay for high-speed trains which will run through Kent this year, Southeastern regulated fares are going up by an average of 8% - which is 2% more than the national average.
Anthony Smith, of rail customer watchdog Passenger Focus, said: "Many passengers will shudder and shiver when they find out the scale of some New Year fare rises.
"Average rises for regulated fares are 6%, unregulated 7% but inflation is currently well below this.
"Fare rises that hark back to a time of high inflation and spiralling energy costs look very out of kilter.
Passenger Focus called on the Government and train companies to help passengers by halting any further excessive fare rises and immediately limiting the range within which regulated fares are allowed to rise.
-Yahoo.
London Eye a ring of fire as Britain welcomes in 2009
An estimated 400,000 people were expected to have lined the embankments to catch the 10-minute salvo, which lit up the misty night sky over the British capital.
Meanwhile at Edinburgh's traditional Hogmanay street party, around 100,000 people packed out the city centre as fireworks exploded above the castle.
Following on from the stunning firework shows at the Beijing Olympics earlier this year, London is keen to prove in 2009 that it too can put on spectacular displays at public events as it gears up to host the 2012 Games.
In a New Year message beamed onto the Shell building by the London Eye, the city's Mayor Boris Johnson said the global financial crisis was not the end of the world, quoting the iconic movie "Apocalypse Now" to make his point.
Johnson, who took office in May, insisted that the British capital would recover and reassert itself as the "greatest city on earth."
"There are those who say we should look ahead to 2009 with foreboding," he said, in a pre-recorded message.
"I want to quote Colonel Kilgore in 'Apocalypse Now' when he says 'Someday captain, this war is going to end', and someday, this recession is going to end."
In other messages projected onto the building, actress Helen Mirren said she was on the other side of the world but her heart was "with you insane Londoners.
"And you've got to be insane, because I bet it's bloody freezing."
Veteran actor Michael Caine added: "This year I think what we really need is luck, so good luck everybody."
The famous chimes of London's Big Ben not only ushered in the New Year but also its own 150th anniversary.
Big Ben -- the bell inside the clock tower at the Houses of Parliament -- sounded for the first time on July 11, 1859.
To take into account the extra second added on to the end of 2008 to put the atomic clocks in line with the astronomical day, BBC radio sounded an extra seventh pip leading up to the hour mark.
"It's been a long, hard year for everyone, what with the credit crunch," said Kinga Cieslak, 25, from Poland, who watched the fireworks from the Embankment.
"I think with the New Year, people have the chance to forget about it for a while and have some fun.
"It's good to see so many people out enjoying themselves. Roll on 2009!"
Zsolt Balla, 36, a service engineer from Hungary, said: "It's always good fun to see the London fireworks.
"They were great but I came here three years ago and they were better then -- much bigger. But it was great fun to watch the fireworks with friends."
London police made 42 arrests by the early hours of Thursday.
Meanwhile in Edinburgh, tens of thousands of people joined in a mass rendition of "Auld Lang Syne", the traditional song welcoming in the New Year.
Temperatures at minus three degrees Celsius (27 F) in the Scottish capital, did not put off people attending one of the world's most famous parties.
The knees-up opened a year-long "Homecoming" festival aimed at bringing the country's diaspora back to Scotland.
The crowds were entertained by Scottish singer Paulo Nutini, Groove Armada and rockers Glasvegas.
"We've tried a big thing with 'Auld Lang Syne' and put on a great show tonight," said Pete Irvine, the creative director of Edinburgh's Hogmanay.
"Here in Edinburgh we have the arena and the backdrop of this beautiful castle with 100,000 people are together for one reason -- to have a good time and to celebrate the New Year."
Revellers in the Welsh capital Cardiff could sleep off their hangovers in a special first aid tent set up at the Millennium Stadium.
-Yahoo.
The blaze broke out after a pyrotechnic display at the Santika club in the Thai capital's Ekkamai district, a thronging entertainment area frequented by locals and tourists. Police said a Singaporean national was among the dead.
Relatives and friends gathered at Bangkok hospitals and outside the night spot desperately trying to find out news of lost and injured loved ones, as forensic police pored over the gutted two-storey building for clues.
"It appears that the fire started from the area of the stage where a band was playing. There were some pyrotechnics and it appears that they started the blaze," Police Lieutenant Colonel Prawit Kantwol told AFP.
"Most of the victims died from suffocation, but some were also killed in a stampede when people were trying to get out," he said.
An AFP correspondent said about 100 people gathered outside the cordoned-off nightclub while inside, abandoned shoes and broken bottles littered the floor, testament to the panic inside hours earlier.
"I heard that the electricity went out, so they couldn't find the exit signs to get out," said Ash Sutton from Australia, who was awaiting news of a friend who was in the club when the fire broke out.
"It's horrible, horrible ... I couldn't understand why so many people were killed. They must have been trapped upstairs."
Police Colonel Sutin Sapmuang of the local police station said 58 people were so far confirmed killed in the blaze, which he said was still under investigation.
A Bangkok emergency services headquarters official said 207 people had been hurt, adding: "There are some foreigners injured from the blaze."
The wounded were rushed to 14 hospitals around the capital suffering burns and smoke inhalation.
Japan's Kyodo news agency, citing the Japanese embassy, said four Japanese nationals were injured, one seriously.
Almost all the dead were on the ground floor, where the stage was located. About 30 charred bodies were still inside the blackened and partially collapsed structure hours after the inferno.
The club, popular with Bangkok's elite, has a capacity of 1,000 people but it was not clear how many were in there at the time of the blaze.
Fire brigade officials said the death toll was high because there were few exits from the building and because windows on the upper floors had iron bars across them.
"There was only one main way to get out from the front. People who worked there were able to escape from the back because they knew the exits, but the others had no chance," senior fireman Wacharatpong Sri-Saard said.
Some victims were trapped in the basement of the club, which was accessible via a narrow stairwell, he said. The roof of the building had also collapsed during the blaze.
Police said the fire broke out between midnight and 1:00am, shortly after revellers had celebrated the coming of the New Year.
A billboard advertising the club's New Year party, with the logo "Goodbye Santika" and the names of DJs playing at the event, was still on show on the street outside hours after the blaze.
The fire was the latest in a series of deadly blazes at nightclubs around the world in recent years.
In 2003 a pyrotechnics display during a concert at the Station nightclub in Rhode Island in the United States set off a blaze that killed 100 people.
-Yahoo.
Three teenage boys aged 14, 16, and 17 have been killed in a car crash near Nenagh in Co Tipperary.
Two other teenagers, a young man and woman, were seriously injured.
The five teenagers were travelling in a car at around 7.30pm last night at Kilboy near Nenagh.
Gardaí say the crash happened when the car left the road, mounted a ditch and hit a tree.
Two young men died at the scene, while a third was brought to hospital where he later died.
The three teenage boys were aged 14, 16 and 17.
Two other teenagers are being treated for serious injuries at the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick.
The road where the crash happened has been closed and a Garda forensic team is due to carry out an investigation at the scene.
Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to the collision to come forward.
Deaths a terrible tragedy - Dempsey
Transport Minister Noel Dempsey described the deaths as a terrible tragedy.
He pointed out that the number of people killed on the country's roads last year was the lowest since records began.
He said this was down to a change in driver behaviour, as well as improved enforcement.
But Mr Dempsey appealed for all road users to continue the effort to reduce road deaths.
RTE
Pope Benedict has ushered in the New Year by appealing for solidarity worldwide to fight global poverty made worse by the financial crisis.
The Pontiff delivered a traditional New Year prayer for peace during Mass at St Peter's Basilica this morning.
He said the economic crisis should be regarded as an opportunity to question the dominant development model and amend it to narrow the gap between the haves and the have nots.
'The current global economic crisis must also be viewed as a test: are we ready to look at it, in all its complexity, as a challenge for the future and not just as an emergency that needs short-lived responses?' the Pope said.
'Are we prepared for a deep revision of the dominant development model to correct it in a concerted and far-sighted fashion?
'The state of the planet's environment and above all the cultural and moral crisis...are demanding this, even more than the immediate financial problems,' the Pope said.
Benedict added that poverty threatened peace the world over, calling for a new virtuous cycle of solidarity and sobriety.
He reiterated his appeal for an end to the conflict in Gaza, saying that violence was also a form of poverty and that a large majority of Israelis and Palestinians wanted peace.
RTE
Russia has stopped all gas supplies to Ukraine after negotiations to end a dispute over unpaid bills and prices collapsed.
Russia's gas giant Gazprom said it turned off the taps this morning when its contract to supply Ukraine ended.
There have been fears that the row could lead to energy shortages in Europe, as pipes across Ukraine carry about a fifth of the EU's gas needs.
RTE
Israeli planes have attacked government buildings in Gaza after Israel and Hamas both spurned ceasefire calls in a conflict that has killed about 400 Palestinians.
Israeli tanks and troops were massed near the border of the densely populated coastal enclave this morning.
The Haaretz newspaper has reported that the Israeli army has recommended a major but short-term ground offensive.
Hamas rockets fired from Gaza hit an Israeli city yesterday, scaring residents and hardening Israel's resolve to stamp out a threat that has killed three Israeli civilians and a soldier since renewed hostilities broke out on 27 December.
Foreign pressure grew on both sides to end hostilities but Israel brushed aside as unrealistic a French proposal for a 48-hour truce that would allow in more humanitarian aid for Gaza's 1.5m residents.
In New York, the UN Security Council held an emergency session last night but adjourned without a vote after Arab countries pushed for a demand for an immediate ceasefire.
Western delegates described the Arab-drafted resolution as unbalanced and said negotiations would continue to reach an agreed text.
Sixth day of violence
France said it would host Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni today and an Israeli official said French President Nicolas Sarkozy planned to visit Jerusalem on Monday.
But in Gaza and Israel, the violence continued for a sixth day as Israeli planes struck, after having carried out 10 raids yesterday. Gunmen in Gaza retaliated, firing a long-range rocket at the southern Israeli city of Beersheba.
Hamas security officials said buildings housing the education and transportation ministries had been virtually destroyed. The Palestinian parliament building was also hit, they said.
Israel Radio said Israeli forces massed at the Gaza border were readying for a possible ground offensive.
'This is only the beginning,' Israeli Deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilnai said on Israel's Army Radio.
'We are operating now, for exactly what we have said from the start, and nothing has changed, to deal Hamas a heavy blow. It has already been wounded.' He said Israel would insist on an end to all rocket fire from Gaza.
A poll in Haaretz showed a majority of Israelis, 52%, favoured pursuing the attacks in Gaza, with just 20% backing calls for a ceasefire, and 19% favouring the launch of a ground offensive into Gaza.
396 deaths in renewed conflict
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said Israeli attacks must stop before any truce proposals could be considered. Israel must also lift its economic blockade of Gaza and open border crossings.
'After that it will be possible to talk on all issues without any exception,' Mr Haniyeh said in a televised speech.
US President George W Bush spoke by phone to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the White House said. Mr Bush put the onus on Hamas to stop firing rockets as a first step to a truce.
Mr Olmert told his security cabinet that if a diplomatic solution could be found that ensured better security for southern Israel, the government would consider it.
'But at the moment, it's not there,' an aide quoted Mr Olmert as saying. 'We didn't start this operation just to end it with rocket fire continuing as it did before it began.'
Israeli ministers approved the mobilisation of 2,500 army reservists, expanding on an earlier call-up of 6,500 soldiers for the force on the Gaza border.
At least eight Hamas rockets hit the Israeli city of Beersheba, 40km from Gaza yesterday and another today. One long-range Grad rocket struck a school but it was empty because classes were cancelled.
Mayor Rubie Danilovitch told Beersheba residents to cancel New Year's parties and stay at home.
Other long-range rockets hit the southern coastal city of Ashkelon and dozens of short-range rockets pelted border towns.
Diplomats said the deadliest conflict in Gaza in four decades could get even bloodier after days of air strikes that have killed at least 396 Palestinians, about a quarter of whom, UN figures showed, were civilians.
Along the fortified border fence, Israeli tank crews prepared for battle while militants, hiding as little as a few hundred metres away, laid land mines and other booby traps should a ground war break out.
Inside Gaza, residents stepped outside their homes to stock up on supplies yesterday, taking advantage of a reduced number of Israeli air strikes.
'What we need most is sugar, rice and flour and there is nothing of that in the stores,' said Abu Hani, trying to buy food for his family of five.
Food supplies in Gaza were running low and there were power cuts. Hospitals struggled to cope with the high number of casualties from the offensive.
Israel said it would continue to let humanitarian supplies into Gaza and that nearly 100 truckloads with food and medicine would be permitted into the territory.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is based in the West Bank, called for the fighting to stop immediately and without any conditions and said Israel was fully responsible.
Arab foreign ministers met in Cairo to seek a common position in response to the Israeli attacks but the Arab world is deeply divided in its attitude towards Hamas, which took over Gaza last year after fighting a brief war with the secular Fatah faction loyal to Western-backed Mr Abbas.
Mr Olmert's centrist government launched the operation six weeks before a 10 February election that opinion polls predict the opposition right-wing Likud party will win.
The current violence broke out after a six-month ceasefire brokered by Egypt expired on 19 December and Hamas intensified rocket attacks from blockaded Gaza.
RTE
Twenty Afghan police have been killed in a Taleban attack on the home of a local politician in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, officials say.
The mother of a policeman who arrived at the scene to plead for her son's life was also killed in Wednesday's attack, a provincial official said.
The men had been protecting Mullah Salaam, the district chief of Musa Qala, who was elsewhere at the time.
Two Taleban militants were also killed, a Taleban spokesman said.
Local forces
The fighting in the Kajaki district lasted several hours, the BBC's Martin Patience said from the Afghan capital, Kabul.
He said many of the police were from the local area.
Wednesday's attack took place in a region where insurgents operate freely, the Afghan security forces having little reach outside of the main town centres.
The attack came the same day as two Nato soldiers were killed on operations in Afghanistan.
Taleban militants have also carried out a number of recent strikes against government forces.
Policing in Afghanistan is a notoriously dangerous job - more than 1,000 police were killed in 2008, most of them killed in militant attacks.
BBC
They indeed do, Strike Again. Shame really how this is always the case. This isn't helping World Peace... Or The World.
A senior Hamas leader has been killed by an Israeli air strike on his home in the Gaza Strip, Hamas officials say.
Nizar Rayyan, the most senior Hamas figure to be killed since 2004, had urged suicide attacks against Israel.
News of the strike came on the sixth day of Israeli strikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian medical sources say 402 people have been killed. Israel says it is trying to prevent militants from firing rockets into southern Israel.
Mr Rayyan is the most senior Hamas leader to be killed since the death of Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi in April 2004.
Long reach of Israel
Since its bombing campaign began last Saturday, Israel has attacked Hamas fighters and commanders.
Sites linked to Hamas have also been hit, including smuggling tunnels under the border to Egypt, government buildings and security compounds.
Hamas considered Mr Rayyan to be a political leader, but he often wore a military uniform and was close to the group's armed wing.
Until now, political leaders have not been killed.
The BBC's Mike Sergeant, in Jerusalem, says this may further strengthen the determination of Hamas to resist the Israeli air assault.
But it will also be seen as an indication that the Israeli military can target key members of the Hamas leadership - the people Israel says are responsible for the rockets being fired towards Israeli towns, our correspondent adds.
Four Israelis have been killed by Palestinian rockets fired into Israel since Saturday.
Humanitarian warning
On Wednesday, Mr Rayyan had promised that Hamas would hit Israel "even deeper" than it has so far.
On the Hamas-run al-Aqsa television channel, he said Hamas militants were preparing for any Israeli ground incursion, saying "we will kill the enemy and take hostages".
At least nine other people, some said to be members of Mr Rayyan's family, were also killed in the air raid on his home in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the north of the Gaza Strip.
The deaths come as the main UN agency operating in Gaza, Unwra, has resumed food deliveries, but warned of a dire humanitarian situation in the territory.
The UN says 25% of the 402 Palestinians killed were civilians; Palestinian medical officials say more than 2,000 people have been injured.
Israel is refusing entry to Gaza for international journalists and has declared the area around it a "closed military zone", leading to speculation a ground offensive into the tiny coastal strip could be imminent.
Israeli President Shimon Peres said it was not his country's aim to return to the Gaza Strip but did not rule out a ground attack.
"The aim is to stop terror. Our aim, if you ask me, is a positive one - to make peace," he told the BBC.
He said the Israeli operation would continue until Palestinian militants stopped firing rockets into Israel.
"It depends upon them," he said. "If they really care about their people, stop it."
Ceasefire calls ignored
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Israel wanted to weaken Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
"At the end of the day, Hamas is a problem not only for Israel but to the entire Palestinian people... They are the problem to all the Arab states that understand - that have their own radical elements back home," she said after talks in Paris with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Mr Sarkozy is travelling to the Middle East next week in an attempt to bring an end to the crisis.
Both Israel and Hamas have ignored international calls for a ceasefire.
A draft UN resolution put forward by Egypt and Libya failed after the US and UK complained that it called on Israel to ends its air assaults but made no mention of Hamas rocket attacks against Israel, which they say started the latest hostilities.
For the current violence to end, Israel needs to show that it has stopped the rocket fire, says the BBC's Middle East Editor, Jeremy Bowen.
But if Hamas can still resist, its leaders will feel they can claim victory. Hamas believes that its fighters who are launching rockets into Israel are taking part in legitimate resistance against an occupier, he adds.
BBC
Helen Suzman, a celebrated South African MP and anti-apartheid campaigner, has died at the age of 91.
Mrs Suzman, a member of parliament first for the opposition United Party and later the Progressive Party, was an outspoken critic of apartheid.
For 13 years, Mrs Suzman, the daughter of Jewish Lithuanian immigrants, was the only MP to openly condemn South Africa's whites-only apartheid regime.
She was made an honorary dame by the Queen in 1989.
She was also twice-nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The family plans to follow a private funeral this weekend with a public memorial in February, the SAPA news agency reported.
Mandela supporter
The former MP, who had been in a frail condition recently, died at her home in Johannesburg early on Thursday.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu said his country owed her an enormous debt in the struggle against apartheid.
"She really was indomitable," he said.
Nelson Mandela Foundation chief executive Achmat Dangor told the Associated Press news agency that she was a "great patriot and a fearless fighter against apartheid".
Mrs Suzman, who first entered the South African parliament in 1953, was a thorn in the side of the apartheid regime, says the BBC's Peter Biles, in Johannesburg.
She was a frequent visitor of jailed African National Congress (ANC) leader Nelson Mandela when he was held on Robben Island prison for 18 years.
Mr Mandela wrote of her in his biography: "It was an odd and wonderful sight to see this courageous woman peering into our cells and strolling around our courtyard. She was the first and only woman ever to grace our cells."
Former President PW Botha once referred to her as a "vicious little cat". For her part, she said that if he were a woman, "he would arrive in parliament on a broomstick".
Despite her frailty in recent years, Mrs Suzman, who stepped down from parliament in 1989, continued to speak out against what she saw as the failings of South Africa's post-apartheid ANC administration.
Mrs Suzman was born in Germiston, Gauteng, on 7 November 1917 to Jewish Lithuanian immigrants.
In 1937, at the age of 19, she married doctor Moses Meyer Suzman. The couple later had two daughters.
Mrs Suzman received honorary doctorates from leading universities across the globe, including Oxford, Cambridge, Columbia (New York), Harvard, Witwatersrand and Cape Town.
She was also awarded an honorary Fellowship of the London School of Economics (LSE).
BBC
Schools urged to include absent fathers
Ministers want fathers who are not living in the family home to be kept informed of their child's progress at school, believing it can improve pupils' well-being and academic performance, particularly among boys.
Studies show a father's involvement is vital to encouraging boys, in particular, to do better in school.
Children's Minister Beverley Hughes said: "We're all familiar with the contribution mothers make towards their children's education.
"Research has shown that a father's involvement and interest in a child's development does make a significant difference to a child's behaviour, development and academic attainment. Fathers want to be more involved in their children's development."
Under the plans, schools will be told to keep "everybody with parental responsibility" aware of pupils' progress at school.
In practice, this means non-resident fathers would be sent copies of their child's end-of-term or end-of-year reports and exam results.
-Yahoo.
lɐuǝɯo⊥ǝɥԀ
01-02-2009, 12:51 PM
Tbh I wouldnt want my dad to know how well I was doing, He leaves the family, Then something that the Child should know doesnt become his business.
Thanks For This
Sri Lanka's military has seized control of the Tamil Tiger rebels' de facto capital of Kilinochchi, President Mahinda Rajapakse has announced.
He described the taking of the northern town as an "unparalleled victory" for government forces.
A pro-Tamil website confirmed the news, but said government troops had entered a "virtual ghost town" as rebel headquarters had been moved north-east.
Correspondents say the town's loss will be a heavy blow to the rebel group.
The town is of huge symbolic importance to the Tigers, who had assembled there the trappings of a separate state they want for the ethnic Tamil minority.
Shortly after President Rajapakse's announcement, a powerful blast was heard near the headquarters of the Sri Lankan airforce in the capital, Colombo. No further details were immediately available.
The Sri Lankan army has for months been advancing towards Kilinochchi, which has been in the hands of rebels for the last decade.
Both sides have recently claimed to have inflicted heavy casualties on each other in the north of the island.
But there have been no independent reports from the frontline and it is impossible to verify either account of casualties.
Bitter fighting
"We should pay the gratitude of the whole nation to those heroic soldiers who achieved that victory," Mr Rajapaksa said in a nationally televised address.
He urged the rebel fighters to lay down their arms.
The pro-Tamil website TamilNet reported the occupation of Kilinochchi, saying troops had entered a "virtual ghost town" as the civilian population and rebels had shifted further north-east.
It said most of the buildings in the town had been destroyed by continuous military strikes, and added that rebel casualties had been kept low despite the fighting.
Earlier on Friday, government officials said troops had entered Kilinochchi from three directions and predicted the town would fall within a few hours.
Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said troops had to overcome "enemy pockets" of rebel fighters.
On Thursday, the military said it had seized the strategically important junction of Paranthan, a crossroads north of Kilinochchi, in a bitter fight that lasted for hours.
It said the success at Paranthan had effectively cut the main supply line to several Tiger strongholds in the north of Sri Lanka.
Although the loss of Kilinochchi will be a blow to the Tigers, the head of its political wing, B Nadesan, told the BBC recently they would be able to continue fighting even if they lost the town.
The rebels would remain in possession of some territory to the east of the town down to Mullaitivu on the coast, although that too is under threat from government forces.
Correspondents say that while the government seems able to maintain the upper hand, heavy battles are likely still to lie ahead and there is concern about the fate of the large number of civilians in the Tiger-controlled north.
The rebels deny using them as human shields and reject allegations they are forcing people into their ranks to fight.
BBC
Israel is tightening security ahead of demonstrations called by Palestinian militant group Hamas in protest at Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas leaders have urged Palestinians to observe a "day of wrath", after seven days of violence in Gaza.
Early on Friday, Israel bombed more targets in Gaza, including a mosque, a day after a senior Hamas leader and his family were killed in an air strike.
Palestinian militants have also fired more rockets into Israel, Israel says.
More than 400 people have died in the Israeli bombardment since it began last Saturday. The UN says at least 100 of them were civilians.
Four Israelis have been killed by rockets fired into Israel from Gaza, which have hit towns up to 25 miles (40km) from the narrow coastal strip.
Both sides have ignored international calls for a ceasefire.
Israel says its air campaign, launched in a bid to prevent militant rocket attacks from Hamas-controlled Gaza, has been going according to plan.
However, BBC Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen says a week of bombardment has not been able stop the rocket fire, and Israel now has to decide whether to send in ground troops.
Air raids have so far struck sites linked to Hamas, including smuggling tunnels under the border to Egypt, government buildings, security compounds, and homes of members of the organisation.
Israel said it attacked some 20 targets in Gaza overnight and in the early hours of Friday. It described the mosque it bombed in Jabaliya as a "terror hub" and said it was used to store weapons.
BBC staff in Gaza say at least 10 houses belonging to Hamas members were also hit, as well as a poultry farm and industrial workshop. Medical sources say two people were killed in Jabaliya.
Restricted movement
In response to Hamas' call for protests, Israeli police have been stationed throughout East Jerusalem.
Movement for Palestinians in the West Bank has been severely restricted.
Protests have been held across the world. More than 2,000 Australian Muslims gathered in a Sydney park for Friday prayers using a symbolic coffin. Up to five 5,000 gathered in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
Israel says it has completed preparations for a possible ground offensive, and large numbers of troops and tanks are massed on the Gaza border.
Many Palestinian families have moved away from the border area, and on Friday the Israeli army began allowing foreigners living in Gaza to leave.
Israel is refusing entry to Gaza for international journalists and has declared the area around it a "closed military zone".
The main UN agency operating in Gaza, Unwra, resumed food deliveries to Gaza on Thursday, but warned of a dire humanitarian situation in the territory.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Thursday there was no need for a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds as more lorries containing aid were entering Gaza.
Speaking in Paris after talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, she said Hamas had used the previous six-month truce, which ended in mid-December, to re-arm.
Hamas has said Israel must stop bombarding Gaza and lift its blockade of the territory before it will consider a ceasefire.
A draft UN resolution put forward by Egypt and Libya failed after the US and UK complained that it made no mention of Hamas rocket attacks against Israel.
BBC
The chairman of the Commission for Energy Regulation, Michael Tutty, has said there the price of both gas and electricity should remain at current levels up to 1 October 2009.
And he said he was hopeful that there may be a price reduction for gas after that.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio's Morning Ireland, Mr Tutty said Bord Gáis and the ESB had already bought most of the gas needed for energy up to that period.
RTE
Australia has said that it is considering a US request to take in prisoners from the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay.
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Australia would apply strict security screening before accepting anyone from Guantanamo.
Britain has joined Portugal in pressing other European countries to take in prisoners from the detention facility.
While Britain has not directly offered asylum, it said it accepted the US would need help closing the facility in Cuba.
RTE
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:17 PM
Thanks for posting.
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:17 PM
That's awful for Australia.
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:17 PM
Thanks for this.
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:18 PM
Thanks for this.
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:18 PM
Thanks for posting.
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:19 PM
Thanks for this.
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:19 PM
Thanks for this.
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:19 PM
Thanks for this.
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:19 PM
Thanks for posting.
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:19 PM
Thanks for posting.
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:19 PM
Thanks for posting.
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:20 PM
Thanks for posting.
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:21 PM
Thanks for this.
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:21 PM
Thanks for posting.
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:21 PM
Thanks for posting.
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:22 PM
Thanks for posting.
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:22 PM
Thanks for posting.
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:22 PM
Thanks for posting.
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:36 PM
House prices plunged by 16.2% during 2008 in the biggest drop for a calendar year on record, Halifax said.
Last year's price plummet, which came after the average value of a property in the UK fell 2.2% in December, was the biggest year-on-year fall since the Halifax began recording data in 1983.
Britain's biggest mortgage lender said the typical price of a property now stands at £159,896 - back to August 2004 levels.
The drop in annual house price inflation measures prices in the previous three months compared with the same period a year ago.
But if house prices in December are compared with prices in December 2007, the fall is even more dramatic at 18.9%.
And Halifax warned that the property market will come under further pressure in 2009 as the financial crisis continues to restrict lending in the UK.
Meanwhile, the number of mortgages approved for house purchase slumped to a new record low during November, figures showed.
Just 27,000 loans were arranged for people buying a new property during the month, only a third of the number arranged in November 2007, according to the Bank of England.
The figure was also 13% lower than in October, ending a four-month period during which mortgage approvals for house purchase had remained broadly stable at around 32,000.
The number of new loans approved was below economists' expectations, and suggested that November's surprise 1.5% reduction in interest rates had failed to have an immediate impact on housing market activity.
- Nova
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:37 PM
Police suspect two people were killed when a light aircraft crashed into a major railway line.
Officers believe two people were aboard a single engine propellor aircraft that came down in Staffordshire.
The aircraft hit power lines above the West Coast Mainline between Rugeley and Stafford shortly before midday on Friday.
The accident caused severe disruption on the major rail route between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly.
A Staffordshire Police spokeswoman said: "There are potentially two fatalities from the aircraft, but until further investigations have been carried out and families informed, we cannot give any more information."
West Midlands Ambulance Service said paramedics were at the scene within three minutes but there was nothing they could do to help the occupants.
He said: "Crews found the wreckage of a plane between two railway tracks. It had struck the power lines for the railway. Sadly there was nothing that could be done and no-one was taken to hospital. It is not known how many people were aboard the single engine aircraft."
Emergency services were deluged with 999 calls after the crash, in a field off Meadow Lane, on the edge of the village of Little Haywood.
A Network Rail spokesman said all services through the heart of England between Rugby and Stafford were suspended until Saturday at the earliest as emergency services faced a "race against time".
Virgin Trains services between Euston and north-west England or Glasgow were also severely delayed. A spokesman for the operator said there were now two trains running to Manchester and one each to Birmingham, Glasgow and Liverpool.
-Nova
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:39 PM
Singer Annie Lennox and former model Bianca Jagger joined human rights campaigners to call on American president elect Barack Obama to speak up against the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
Former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and the comedian Alexei Sayle also added their support to the campaign to end the violence.
Speaking at a press conference in central London, Ms Jagger said: "I would like to make an appeal to president elect Obama to speak up."
She added: "People throughout the world were hopeful when he was elected and we must appeal to him to ask for the immediate cessation of the bombardment of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip."
The press conference was called ahead of a demonstration on Saturday that is expected to see thousands of people rally along the Embankment in London before marching to Trafalgar Square to demand an immediate end to the Israeli attacks.
Annie Lennox spoke of her shock at watching scenes of the bombing on television.
She said: "A few days after Christmas I came downstairs, put the television on, and saw smoke pyres coming from buildings and I was shocked to the core because I was thinking as a mother and as a human being. How was this going to be the solution to peace?"
Comedian Alexei Sayle said he was speaking out because it was important for Jewish voices to be heard.
He said: "I want to feel proud of Israel, I want to be proud of my people but I am ashamed."
Also present at the press conference were the writer Tariq Ali, Lib Dem MP Sarah Teather, Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn and Respect MP George Galloway.
-Nova
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:40 PM
A fresh row over rail fares flared as train companies were accused of "ripping off" passengers with rises well above the rate of inflation.
Travellers faced new charges, with some tickets going up by more than 11%, adding hundreds of pounds to some annual season tickets.
The Transport Salaried Staffs Association, which represents thousands of rail workers, said the Government should scrap the formula allowing rail companies to increase fares above the cost of living.
General secretary Gerry Doherty said: "This latest increase makes a mockery of the Government's claims to help hard working families through the recession.
"As every other business in the land frantically cuts prices to win customers, we see rail companies cheerfully ripping off passengers by increasing their fares as inflation falls towards zero in 2009.
"Why should they be allowed to defy the laws of economic gravity which means prices should come down in a recession? This is totally unfair and totally unjustified. It is time for ministers to cancel this gravy train which sees passengers being taken for a ride every year."
Customer watchdog body Passenger Focus said rail travellers would "shudder and shiver" when they saw the new fares. But the Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc) said some fares were staying the same or going down and commuting by rail was "considerably less expensive than commuting by car".
Regulated fares, which include annual season tickets, will be going up by an average of 6% and unregulated fares, which include off-peak tickets, will be rising even more - by an average of 7%.
Some passengers will face double-digit percentage increases. For example the annual season ticket on Southeastern for the Gillingham-London route will go up 10.2% to £3,020. Also, there will be 10% rises on unregulated day return fares on London-Weymouth, Woking-London and Farnborough-London routes on South West Trains.
The Kings Lynn-London unregulated day return fare on First Capital Connect (FCC) goes up 11.5%, while FCC's unregulated St Neots-London day return fare rises 11.1%.
- Nova
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:46 PM
A new healthy living campaign aimed at tackling Britain's soaring obesity rates is being officially launched by the Government.
Adverts highlighting the new Change4Life initiative - involving companies like Coca-Cola, Mars and Nestle - will begin appearing from Saturday.
The idea is to "kickstart a lifestyle revolution for every family" by promoting healthy eating and exercise, according to the Department of Health.
Firms including Cadbury, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Kellogg's, Kraft, Mars, Nestle and PepsiCo are all taking part alongside major supermarkets Asda, Tesco and The Co-operative Group.
People will be able to call a dedicated helpline and speak to specially-trained advisors for advice on exercise, nutrition and support services. A website has also been set up to bring together more than 45,000 groups and projects aimed at promoting healthy living.
The 'cartoon' TV adverts for the campaign depict scenes from a bygone era, when people took more exercise. They contrast with modern scenes of families eating pizza and children playing video games.
Health Minister Ben Bradshaw said the Government was prepared to legislate if the food companies did not produce healthier products.
"The research that we have done shows that we have got more of a chance of achieving what we want to, given the reach that they have with their customers, if we work with them," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
"But we have also always said that if this three-year campaign doesn't succeed, we don't rule out regulating in the future."
Data suggests that 90% of today's children will be overweight or obese by 2050 unless action is taken now, putting them at risk of heart disease, cancer and Type 2 diabetes. Obesity will also cost the nation £50 billion by 2050 if the trend continues - half the entire current NHS budget for a year.
-Nova
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:47 PM
A British soldier was killed by an explosion on New Year's Day in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said.
The soldier from the 6th Battalion The Rifles was on a routine patrol in the Garmsir district, in Helmand province, when he died on Thursday afternoon.
Next of kin have been informed.
Commander Paula Rowe, spokeswoman for Task Force Helmand, said: "It is deeply saddening to confirm the loss of a British soldier who died whilst helping to provide security in Southern Helmand.
"His family, friends and all those who knew and worked with him will mourn his loss - our heartfelt sympathies go to them all at this terrible time."
His death is the first British loss in Afghanistan in 2009.
He is also the 138th British serviceman to die since the start of operations in October 2001.
The latest death follows that of Royal Marine Corporal Liam Elms who was killed in Afghanistan on New Year's Eve.
The 26-year-old from Wigan was described as a "true man's man" in a family statement released through the Ministry of Defence.
Cpl Elms, who was engaged to be married, died in an explosion in Southern Helmand on operations with Zulu Company, 45 Commando Royal Marines.
-Nova
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:47 PM
A cash-strapped waitress, who told her family not to expect any Christmas presents, has described how she scooped £1 million on Christmas Eve in a last-minute festive flutter.
Maria Murray, 41, said she spent the last £5 in her purse on the Merry Millions scratchcard.
She said she had just bought the food for her Christmas dinner when she decided on the last-minute gamble at tea time on Christmas Eve. And, even when she revealed the £1 million win on the card outside the shop near her home in Avonmouth, Bristol, she said she initially thought she had just won £1.
But her former partner, Tim Hunt, who was with her at the time, assured her she had scooped the jackpot and shop staff confirmed the huge win.
Ms Murray insisted she will continue working at Jenny's Cafe in Avonmouth where she supports her family on the minimum wage as a part-time waitress who sometimes helps with the cooking. She said she even went to work on Boxing Day.
She said she wanted to make sure her children - Terri, 21, Toni, 20, Ricki, 19, and Todd, 17 - understood the importance of a work ethic. But she joked she also wanted to make sure they each kept paying her their £150-a-month board. "I want to keep myself within the community," she said.
Ms Murray described how money had always been tight in her family and she had planned a frugal Christmas with a big dinner but only cards for the children.
She said she bought the scratchcard so late on Christmas Eve there was no time for a last minute present buying frenzy.
The mother-of-four said she still has not had time to let everything sink in.
Ms Murray said her only firm plan was to buy her three-bedroom council house where she has lived for 18 years and realise her ambition of owning a Mini Cooper. "Not a new one, I'll get a second-hand one, that'll do me," she said.
-Nova
JohnCenaFan28
01-02-2009, 06:48 PM
A toxic chemical cloud that threatened motorists on one of Britain's busiest motorways has dispersed, police said.
Officers warned motorists on the M5 to avoid a low-hanging white phosphorous cloud drifting south from a West Midlands factory fire. Travellers were told to keep their windows shut and turn off ventilation systems after the blaze in Langley, Oldbury.
But police said the cloud, which measured 50ft by 400ft and could cause skin irritation and breathing difficulties, has broken up.
A West Midlands Police spokeswoman said: "Three hours after the 12.30pm fire, emergency services advised that the cloud had been dispersed by the wind and any risk to health was greatly diminished.
"Police were visiting homes in the immediate area to reassure families and stressed that anyone experiencing any of the above symptoms should seek medical advice."
Officers continue to investigate the cause of the fire at Rhodia Consumer Specialities in Trinity Street, Langley.
Anyone who was exposed to the gas and is suffering any symptoms was urged to seek medical help.
-Nova
JohnCenaFan28
01-03-2009, 07:02 PM
Thousands of protesters have voiced their anger at the bombing of Gaza in a series of rallies across the UK.
The protesters - including the singer Annie Lennox and Respect MP George Galloway - marched along the Embankment in London to Trafalgar Square to call for an immediate end to the Israeli attacks.
The demonstration in the capital was the biggest of at least 18 organised across the country.
Other rallies were taking place at Blytheswood Square, Glasgow; Bedford Square, Exeter; Princes Street, Edinburgh; Bristol city centre; Bold Street, Liverpool; Norwich Forum; Portsmouth's Guildhall Square; Queen Victoria Square, Hull; Tunbridge Wells town centre; Leeds Art Gallery; All Saints Park, Manchester; Grey's Monument, Newcastle; Castle Square, Swansea; St Sampson's Square, York; Morrisons, Caernarfon; Bradford city centre; and Sheffield town hall.
Former model Bianca Jagger and singer Lennox have backed the protests, calling on American president-elect Barack Obama to speak up against the bombardment.
Speaking at a press conference in central London, Ms Jagger said: "I would like to make an appeal to president-elect Obama to speak up.
"People throughout the world were hopeful when he was elected and we must appeal to him to ask for the immediate cessation of the bombardment of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip."
Lennox spoke of her shock at watching scenes of the bombing on television.
Former mayor of London Ken Livingstone and comedian Alexei Sayle also added their support on Friday to the campaign to end the violence. Comedian Sayle said he was speaking out because it was important for Jewish voices to be heard.
Also present at the press conference were the writer Tariq Ali, Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather, Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn and Mr Galloway.
-Nova
JohnCenaFan28
01-03-2009, 07:04 PM
Woolworths staff in Jersey have launched a petition calling for compensation after being told they will not receive redundancy pay.
More than 2,500 people have signed the petition in support of the 120 employees after they were told UK statutory redundancy payouts do not apply on the Channel Islands.
The States of Jersey Social Security Minister Deputy Ian Gorst said he was "sympathetic" to the problems faced by workers and said his department was working behind the scenes to help.
He said: "Social security staff have been providing information on income support and explaining how the department's employment services can help them find alternative employment.
"I would like to thank other businesses which have made contact with staff at Woolworths highlighting employment opportunities in their organisations."
Jersey politician Deputy Geoff Southern warned the government must step in as some staff would be "lucky to survive more than a week" after their final wages without financial help.
He told BBC Radio Jersey around £140,000 should be set aside as an equivalent to redundancy pay.
-Nova
JohnCenaFan28
01-03-2009, 07:04 PM
A second person has been arrested as part of a double murder investigation following a house fire which killed two people, police said.
Two survivors were critically ill in hospital following the blaze at around 8pm on Friday in Albert Road, Sheffield.
Forensics experts were at the scene throughout the day while fire brigade specialists and detectives worked to establish the cause of the fire which started in the downstairs of the mid-terraced house.
It was believed two people jumped through windows to escape the smoke and fire, while firefighters in breathing apparatus pulled two from inside the property. Two of the occupants died at the scene, while the other two were taken to hospital.
South Yorkshire Police were trying to trace relatives of the dead and injured, and were not ready to identify the people involved. Earlier, the force announced one person was helping police with inquiries, and the spokeswoman later said a second person was in custody.
The road in the Heeley area was closed throughout the night and on Saturday while police recovered an "amount of evidence", the spokeswoman said.
The force hoped to be ready to release the cause of the fire later. Five fire crews were called to the house and by the time they arrived it was well ablaze, police said.
Some officers who dealt with the fire returned to the scene to assist the police investigation.
Fire Service watch manager Steve Womack, of Central Fire Station, said neighbours were evacuated.
He told the Sheffield Star newspaper: "It is one of the most serious fires I have dealt with in a long time. It started in the downstairs front room and spread to the whole of the house."
-Nova
JohnCenaFan28
01-03-2009, 07:05 PM
Israeli warplanes, gunboats and artillery units blasted more than 40 Hamas targets on Saturday, including weapons storage facilities, training centres and leaders' homes as Israel's offensive against Gaza's militant rulers entered a second week.
Israeli airstrikes that had waned during the day gathered pace after dark.
One raid hit a mosque in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, killing 10 people and wounding 33, seven critically, according to a Palestinian health official.
In a sign that the offensive was entering a new phase, Israeli artillery units attacked Gaza for the first time, military officials said.
The shelling was seen as a possible signal that a ground invasion could be nearing.
"We will do all that is necessary to provide a different reality for southern Israel, which has been under constant attacks for the past eight years," Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told Channel 2 TV.
Israeli defence officials said some 10,000 troops, including tank, artillery and special operations units, were massed on the Gaza border and prepared to invade.
They added that senior commanders are split over whether to send in ground forces, in part because such an operation could lead to heavy casualties but also because they believe Hamas already has been dealt a heavy blow.
Meanwhile, thousands of protesters across Europe staged marches demanding an end to Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip, which have killed more than 430 people and left 1,700 injured.
In London, several thousand people, many carrying Palestinian flags, marched past Downing Street, while more than 4,000 people demonstrated in Duesseldorf, and some 5,000 in Frankfurt, Germany.
-Nova
JohnCenaFan28
01-03-2009, 07:06 PM
A British soldier killed by an explosion on New Year's Day in southern Afghanistan was due to get married on his return home.
Sergeant Christopher John Reed, a Territorial Army soldier with the 6th Battalion The Rifles, was on a routine patrol in Garmsir district, Helmand province, when he died on Thursday.
The 25-year-old's vehicle was involved in an explosion. He died at the scene.
It emerged that he had got engaged on the day he left for Afghanistan.
An MoD spokesman said he and his fiancee Heather planned to have their wedding when he returned.
The spokesman added: "The number of Blueys (airmail letters) passing through the postbag between Reedy and Heather was a constant source of wonder to his fellow Riflemen."
His commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Tom Mereweather, paid tribute to a "talented, committed non-commissioned officer" and said the death was a "hammer blow" to the battalion.
Speaking from the unit's headquarters at Wyvern Barracks in Exeter, Devon, he said: "He was undoubtedly one of my very best section commanders.
"Calm, modest, easy-going but with a sense of purpose and obvious steel, he will be greatly missed."
Sgt Reed, from Plymouth, worked for Babcock Marine at Devonport Dockyard where he built luxury yachts. In a statement, his family - parents Brian and Joy Reed and brother Andrew - said he had believed he was making a difference.
-Nova
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