That's so sad.
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That's so sad.
i think if you are going to smoke just dont smoke around the kids
There was more evidence of a "Brown Bounce" as another poll showed the Tory lead over Labour had narrowed significantly.
The Conservative advantage has plunged from 24 points to nine points over five months, with the Prime Minister seemingly prospering from his handling of the financial crisis.
The YouGov poll for the Daily Telegraph also indicates that David Cameron's party may have suffered from the "Yachtgate" storm which engulfed George Osborne.
The research is the latest to put the difference between the Tories and Labour in single figures - suggesting the next general election could be very tight.
It found Labour was more trusted to look after the interests of "ordinary people" during the economic crisis by a margin of 33% to 28%.
Gordon Brown was also ahead when people were asked which leader would navigate better through the problems - although only by a single point.
Overall the Tories were on 42%, down 3% since October 4, while Labour were up 2% on 33%. The Lib Dems were unchanged on 15%.
-Ananova
Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged High Street banks to take up the offer of £4 billion of EU money to make credit more easily available to small businesses.
Mr Brown and Chancellor Alistair Darling said the new money from the European Investment Bank (EIB) could make a significant difference if it is passed on as loans to struggling companies by the banks.
Business groups welcomed the announcement - Britain's estimated share of a £24 billion cross-Europe package - but called for assurances that the money will filter down to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which have complained of lenders stopping credit facilities and hiking up interest rates in recent months.
And EIB officials cautioned that the money available to British SMEs depends entirely on how much of the cash UK banks apply for. The £24 billion on offer over the next four years is available to banks from any EU state.
Welcoming the package, Mr Brown said: "We must continue to encourage banks to lend. Having recapitalised the banks, we must ensure that the money is used to sustain credit lines on normal terms to solvent businesses.
"I urge banks not to change the terms and charges for existing lending to small and medium-sized enterprises."
The PM was speaking after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Downing Street, where they agreed to co-operate in seeking international financial reform at key meetings of EU leaders in Brussels on November 7 and global leaders in Washington on November 15.
Meanwhile, hopes of further interest rate cuts were boosted as Mr Darling made clear the Bank of England was free to reduce the base rate below 4.5% at next week's Monetary Policy Committee meeting, following its half-point cut in October.
Mr Darling stopped short of advocating a cut, but said Governor Mervyn King was "acutely aware" of his responsibility to support the wider economy as well as to target inflation.
Details of the new loan package were unveiled by Mr Darling as he met banks in the City of London along with Business Secretary Lord Mandelson and EIB president Philippe Maystadt.
-Ananova
Commuters told how they thought armed policemen who boarded their Tube train were pranksters until they shot dead Jean Charles de Menezes.
A couple sat opposite the Brazilian in the carriage said the gun-wielding plain clothes officers fired on him without shouting a warning.
Rachel Wilson told the inquest into Mr de Menezes's death she thought the men were "playing a game" with a friend until she saw her hands were spattered with blood. Her boyfriend, Ralph Livock, said they had no idea whether the gunmen were police or terrorists.
Passengers on board the Northern Line train where Mr de Menezes, 27, was shot dead on July 22 2005 spoke about the shooting in public for the first time. Their accounts appear to contradict the assertions of firearms officers that they shouted "armed police" at the Brazilian before killing him.
Mr Livock and Ms Wilson recalled that the service stopped at Stockwell station in south London for longer than usual that morning. All of a sudden they heard somebody shouting "he's here" outside the train, then several casually-dressed men armed with guns boarded their carriage.
Mr Livock said: "One of my initial thoughts was it was all a game and they were a group of lads who were just having a laugh - a very bad taste laugh but just having a game on the Tube. Because they were just dressed in jeans and t-shirts but with firearms."
Nicholas Hilliard QC, counsel to the inquest, asked him: "Had you heard anything said about police?" Mr Livock replied: "No, certainly not.
"And I remember that specifically because one of the conversations that Rachel and I had afterwards was that we had no idea whether these were police, whether they were terrorists, whether they were somebody else. We just had no idea."
He added: "The thing that made me realise it wasn't a group of lads playing around or something else happening was when the first shot was fired."
His girlfriend told the inquest the officers said nothing to identify themselves. The Brazilian did not appear frightened but looked as if he was "waiting for somebody to tell him what was going on", the commuter said.
-Ananova
The Lockerbie bomber could be freed from jail on bail in a week, it emerged.
Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi has applied for interim liberation pending the outcome of an appeal.
Arguments over the application will be heard at court in Edinburgh next Thursday November 6.
It emerged last week that the former Libyan intelligence agent, 56, had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and the disease has spread to other parts of his body.
Al Megrahi is serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 27 years for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 in 1988 which led to the deaths of 270 people.
He was taken from his prison cell in HMP Greenock under tight security to undergo tests at Inverclyde Royal Hospital in Greenock last month.
Al Megrahi was convicted of the Lockerbie bombing in 2001. He lost an appeal in 2002, but was given a fresh chance to clear his name in June last year when the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) referred his case back to appeal judges for a second time.
His appeal is due to be heard next year.
The Crown Office would not comment on next week's hearing.
A spokeswoman said: "The Crown will have the opportunity to address the court during the hearing and it would not be appropriate for the Crown to make its position now outwith the court."
-Ananova
Jonathan Ross's £6 million-a-year job was saved by BBC bosses as Radio 2 controller Lesley Douglas took the blame for the Andrew Sachs controversy.
The BBC star was suspended without pay for 12 weeks and told he would not be able to bring the BBC into disrepute again. Ross will lose up to £1.5 million by being suspended.
BBC Director-General Mark Thompson said that "ultimate responsibility" for such incidents ultimately lies with "executive producers, producers and controllers".
Ross's contribution to the Russell Brand show was "utterly unacceptable" and there would be "tight discipline" in future, he said. Mr Thompson said it was a final warning for Ross, who will return to work in mid-January next year.
He said: "The ultimate editorial responsibility for BBC programmes lies with producers and editorial managers. The consequences of errors of judgment are therefore more serious for managers.
"Nonetheless, Jonathan Ross's contribution to this edition of the Russell Brand show was utterly unacceptable and cannot be allowed to go uncensured or without sanction.
"A 12-week suspension is an exceptional step, but I believe it is a proportionate response to Jonathan's role in this unhappy affair. Jonathan Ross has already made a comprehensive and unreserved personal apology to Andrew Sachs and his granddaughter.
"I believe that he fully understands the seriousness of what has happened. I have made very clear to him the central importance of the clause in his contract about not bringing the BBC into disrepute.
"We agree that nothing like this must ever happen again and that tight discipline will be required for the future."
Ms Douglas, who has revived Radio 2 by attracting a new audience of 30-somethings, said it was right that she took "responsibility" for the phone calls and the decision to resign was hers alone. She was a popular figure and her resignation will disappoint many people within the BBC.
-Ananova
Nearly half of Cambridge University students cheat, according to a survey.
The Varsity student newspaper said 49% of undergraduates claimed other people's work as their own while studying at the world famous institution.
The anonymous online poll of more than 1,000 students found those studying law were most likely to plagiarise, with 62% saying they had broken university rules.
Despite the high number of incidents, the survey showed 80% of students felt punishments meted out by the university were sufficient.
But just 5% said they had been caught plagiarising.
"It is a depressing set of statistics," Robert Foley, a Professor in Biological Anthropology at King's College, told Varsity.
According to the survey, 82% of essay plagiarists used internet site Wikipedia as their source.
One student, speaking anonymously to Varsity, said: "Sometimes, when I am really fed up, I Google the essay title, copy and throw everything on to a blank word document and jiggle the order a bit. They usually end up being the best essays."
The university was unavailable for comment. But a spokesman told Varsity it regarded plagiarism as a "serious and potentially disciplinary offence which can lead to failure to obtain, or withdrawal of a degree".
He said the university was planning to introduce detection software to crack down on the problem.
-Ananova
Houses have lost 14.6% of their value during the year to the end of October following 12 months in a row of plunging prices.
The Nationwide Building Society said prices fell by a further 1.4% in October, setting a new all-time low for its house price index.
The average price of a UK property now stands at £158,872, almost £30,000 less than a year ago.
The price data shows that while the annual decline has reached a new record, the monthly drop has continued to slow for the fourth consecutive month.
But Nationwide's chief economist Fionnuala Earley said it was a further sign that the UK was heading into recession, which would put further pressure on prices.
"There is little doubt that the economy is heading into recession," she said.
"As the economy weakens further there is likely to be more movement on asking prices as sellers adjust to the prevailing conditions and reassess their own needs.
"While there will always be a rump of sellers who will need to move in order to accommodate job or family changes there will be others who are affected by economic conditions more acutely. So we should expect a moderation of price expectations on the part of sellers in a weaker economic environment," she added.
The current price falls are being compounded by a reluctance among sellers to reduce their asking prices, according to the Nationwide.
It said sales were often only going through when sellers were willing to budge on price.
-Ananova
Universities and colleges will need a licence to enrol foreign students as part of plans to clamp down on illegal migration, the Home Office said.
Students from outside Europe will require sponsorship from licensed institutions before they can enter the country.
The measures will come in to effect in March with licences given out by the UK Border Agency. Ministers hope they will cut the number of bogus colleges set up to allow foreigners to live and work in the UK.
From March students will also have to prove they have the money and qualifications to take their course under the new points-based system.
Immigration minister Phil Woolas said: "International students contribute £2.5bn to the UK economy in tuition fees alone. The student tier of the points system means Britain can continue to recruit good students from outside Europe.
"Those who come to Britain must play by the rules and benefit the country. This new route for students will ensure we know exactly who is coming here to study and stamp out the bogus colleges which facilitate lawbreakers."
Universities warned the information was being released too late to be included in this year's prospectus. Diana Warwick, chief executive of Universities UK said she was "very concerned" about Home Office IT system that will run with the new system.
She said: "We remain very concerned about the IT system that will support the new arrangements. Sufficient time needs to be allowed to enable universities to provide input to the IT specification and for testing to take place, both in the UK and overseas.
"Students have a short period of time in which to make their visa applications and if the IT system does not work during this window, students will miss the start of their programmes and may decide not to come to the UK."
The Liberal Democrats said the system wouldn't work unless students were counted on their way out of the country. Home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said: "Without exit checks it is impossible to know who was here, who should be here or who actually is here. Unless they are reintroduced, any changes to the immigration system will be purely cosmetic."
-Ananova