World News joined 0012

[JohnCenaFan28]

One of the 19 survivors of Wednesday's plane crash at the Barajas airport near Madrid has died, bringing the number of people killed in the crash to 154.



Maria Luisa Estevez Gonzalez died from her injuries in hospital in Madrid, according to the city's health service.

She had been badly burned when Spanair flight JK 5022, bound for the Canary Islands, crashed just after take-off.

Madrid's health service said that two other survivors remain in a very serious condition.

DNA techniques

The Spanish government has promised a full investigation into the crash, which is the country's worst air accident in 25 years.

Spain's Interior Minister, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, has said that 53 of the people killed in the crash had been identified using their fingerprints.

Most of the remaining victims will have to be identified using DNA techniques because they were so badly burned in the accident.

BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

A passenger plane has crashed shortly after take-off from Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek, killing a large number of those on board.



The head of Kyrgyzstan's civil aviation authority said that out of about 90 passengers and crew, only about 20 people have survived.

The Itek Air Boeing 737 took off bound for Mashhad, in north-eastern Iran, but turned round some 10 minutes later.

An airport spokeswoman said the crew had reported a technical problem.

The plane was returning to Bishkek airport but crashed before it could land, the spokeswoman said.

Officials from a nearby US base said they were trying to help with the rescue effort.

"At the moment rescue teams, fire brigades and medics are rushing to the crash site," a spokeswoman for the US air base located in Manas, 30km (20 miles) from Bishkek, told Russia's RIA news agency.

Uncertainty

There was confusion over the number of people on board - with reports ranging from 83 to 123.

They were understood to include a Kyrgyz school basketball team.

Prime Minister Igor Chudinov said 51 of the passengers were foreigners, including people from China, Turkey, Iran and Canada.

It was not clear what had caused the plane to crash.

The prime minister said the pilot had survived, but "it is difficult to talk to him right now".

Airport employees said the fuselage of the plane was destroyed by flames and only the tail remained intact.

Yelena Bayalinova, spokeswoman for the Kyrgyz health ministry, told the Interfax news agency that many victims of the crash had suffered burns, and that some were in critical condition.

The plane belonged to Itek Air, a Kyrgyz company, but was reportedly operated by Iran Aseman Airlines.

Itek Air is on a list of airlines banned from EU airspace because of fears over safety standards.

BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

Five US aid workers are among 10 people who died in a plane crash in Guatemala on Sunday, police in the Central American state say.



The Guatemalan pilot and co-pilot were also killed when the small aircraft crashed about 90km (55 miles) east of the capital, Guatemala City.

Four other Americans injured on the plane were airlifted to hospital.

Initial reports suggest engine failure was to blame for the crash of the single-engine Cessna Caravan 208.

Victims' bodies were reportedly badly burnt, making it difficult to identify them and establish their nationalities.

'The engine just stopped'

The pilot reported engine trouble about 45 minutes after take-off and tried to make an emergency landing, Civil Aviation director Jose Carlos said.

The plane, which had been en route to El Estor close to the Caribbean coast, came down in a field of crops.

The survivors were ferried to Guatemala City by helicopter.

US citizen Sarah Jensen, 19, said her father and brother had been killed and her mother badly burned on her arms and legs.

"Ten minutes before [the crash] the engine just stopped and then we coasted," she told Reuters news agency, as she limped across the tarmac.

"We tried to land in a field but we overshot. The people on the left side of the plane were okay because there was a big door."

Ms Jensen and her family had been on a mission to build houses in a village near El Estor.

BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

Rescue teams and France's interior minister say there is little hope of saving several climbers swept away by an avalanche in the Mont Blanc range.



At least eight people are thought to be trapped under the snow. They were among a party of climbers hit by a wall of snow 200m (600ft) long and 50m wide.

Eight survived the snowslide and were taken to a hospital in Chamonix.

The search for survivors, involving helicopters and rescuers with dogs, has been hindered by new avalanche threats.

Officials said the eight missing on the Mont-Blanc du Tacul mountain included five Austrians and two Swiss climbers.

Originally there were reported to be 10 people missing, but police later revised that figure to eight, the AFP news agency reported.

However France's Interior Minister, Michele Alliot-Marie, said it was impossible to know for certain how many were missing.

The minister, who flew into the area on Sunday evening, said that by then there was "no longer any chance of finding someone alive".

That echoed the opinion of a search official interviewed on LCI television, who said there was "no hope" of recovering anyone alive.

After a day in which 40 searchers, with specially trained dogs, and three helicopters failed to find any trace of the missing adventurers, the search was called off. Officials said conditions and the threat of fresh avalanches made it too dangerous to continue.

'Wall of ice'

The eight people brought to safety were reported to include five French climbers and three Italians, aged between 26 and 37 years.

One, Italian Marco Delfini, told LCI he saw "a wall of ice coming towards us and then we were carried 200 metres".

"I was not completely submerged... I managed to help the others," he said.

The avalanche is believed to have happened at about 0300 (0100 GMT), after a large block of glacier ice broke off higher up the mountain. Often climbers set out very early in the morning when attempting a major trek.

"It's probable, according to statements made to us, that the climbers roped together were on the path up the mountain, and in the place where the block of ice tumbled down," Eric Fournier, the mayor of nearby Chamonix, told AFP.

The BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris says it has been a lethal summer in the Alps with about 100 climbers killed since 1 June in France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland - about 20 of them have died on Mont Blanc.

BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

A suicide bomber has attacked a celebratory feast in Baghdad's western Abu Ghraib district, killing at least 25 people, according to police.



About 30 people are also reported to have been injured when the attacker detonated an explosive vest.

The explosion took place at the home of a tribal sheikh, attended by police and members of the Sunni "Awakening" group, which opposes al-Qaeda in Iraq.

The guests were celebrating the release of a local man from US detention.

The attack took place at around 2030 local time (1730 GMT), according to an interior ministry official.

Abu Ghraib is a mainly Sunni district between central Baghdad and Fallujah.

Al-Qaeda has warned that it will target members of Sunni Awakening groups, which have sprung up across Iraq and which are supported and financed by the US military.

Awakening groups first appeared in the western province of Anbar in 2006 when Sunni tribal leaders started to turn against Al-Qaeda.

BBC News

[Black Widow]

Row Over Hindley Image In Beijing


Downing Street and the London Mayor have condemned a video showing a Myra Hindley portrait after the footage was shown in Beijing.

The picture of the Moors murderer appeared in a Visit London promotional video shown at London House, where the Prime Minister, Mayor and British Olympic team celebrated the handover of the Games.

The three-minute film was supposed to highlight the capital's cultural heritage ahead of London 2012.

The notorious piece of art by Marcus Harvey was seen during a segment of the video filmed in a gallery where it was on display.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "The use of this image is in extremely poor
taste and it should not have been used to promote London."

And speaking from Beijing, Sky News' chief political correspondent Jon Craig said that a senior Government source told him: "It is a total disgrace.

"This proud night for Britain has been sullied by this grotesque representation of London.

"Clearly whoever was responsible must be found and fired immediately."

A spokesman for Boris Johnson said the Mayor was "deeply disturbed".

But Visit London described the reaction as "out of proportion".

In a statement it said: "The video is not for general public use and has been used many times over the last few years to show to the tourism trade.

"There has never been a complaint made about the video up until this point.

"However, if any offence has been caused, we will withdraw it from use with immediate effect."

The painting, made from children's handprints, was vandalised while on display in the Royal Academy in 1997.

Hindley was jailed for life along with her lover Ian Brady for the murders of four children between 1963 and 1964. She died in 2002.


sky news

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the news.

[John]

Warner Bros is suing an Indian film studio over their plans to release a film called Hari Puttar

The studio believes the film, which concerns a 10-year-old Indian boy who moves to the UK, infringes on the copyright of their Harry Potter franchise.

A Warner Bros spokesperson said: "We have recently commenced proceedings against parties involved in the production and distribution of a movie entitled Hari Puttar. Warner Bros values and protects intellectual property rights. However, it is our policy not to discuss publicly the details of any ongoing litigation."

The CEO of the Indian film company responsible for the film said: "Since the case is sub-judice, we can't comment as of now. However, we registered the Hari Puttar title in 2005, and it's unfortunate.
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Source-Yahoo.com

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the read.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has won a landslide victory in a by-election in Penang.



A high turnout saw his People's Justice Party winning 31,195 of 47,000 votes, the Election Commission said.

The result returns Mr Anwar to parliament after a decade's absence, and comes despite sodomy charges he says are politically motivated.

The 61-year-old has been trying to make his political comeback since a ban on seeking public office expired in April.

He had been expected to win but the level of support for him was substantial - gaining almost double the votes of his opponent, reports the BBC's Robin Brant from Penang.

'Critical point'

Mr Anwar told the BBC the overwhelming by-election victory was a "key point of departure" for his coalition in its campaign to bring down the government.

"It is an endorsement of our policies and a rejection of the obsolete policies, the corrupt policies of the government," he said.

He added that Malaysia's embattled Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi "must take heed of the sentiments and the call of Malaysians".

Mr Anwar defeated Arif Shah Omar of the ruling Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition.

Although only a single seat was at stake, the event transfixed Malaysians. While the result will not change the balance of power, it will strengthen Mr Anwar's hand in his campaign to become the next prime minister, our correspondent adds.

Thousands of rival supporters had flooded into the small area of Permatang Pauh to try to help or hinder Mr Anwar, and there was a heavy police presence in Penang as votes were cast.

"The Malaysians consider this a critical point in our history, whether we get the mandate to chart a new course for Malaysia or we should just be happy with the same corrupt establishment," Mr Anwar told reporters before the vote.

'Jihad'

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, who lead the ruling party's campaign, told the BBC the vote represented a "titanic struggle".

One senior government politician even described it as a "jihad".

Observers said government-controlled newspapers had led an assault on Mr Anwar, emphasising the sodomy allegations against him.

Voting irregularities were uncovered, and several Israeli flags were also put up - in an apparent attempt by government supporters to persuade the mainly Muslim voters that the opposition leader was sympathetic to the Jewish state.

Mr Anwar was sacked as deputy prime minister in 1998, and jailed for six years for sodomy and corruption - allegations he always denied.

BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

At least 25 people have been killed and more than 40 others injured in a suicide bomb attack in the Iraqi province of Diyala, police say.



The bomber attacked a queue of police recruits in the town of Jalawlah, just before midday local time (0900 GMT).

This is the latest in a series of attacks, launched mainly by Sunni Islamists in Diyala.

Last month, Iraqi forces detained hundreds of people in the province in operations against Sunni insurgents.

Stopped by police

The suicide bomber ran into a crowd of young Iraqis outside a police recruitment centre in the town of Jalawlah before detonating an explosive vest, according to local police.

The attacker is reported to have arrived at the recruitment centre by car, where his vehicle was stopped by police.

However, he is reported to have jumped out of the car and run into the crowd of recruits.

Diyala has emerged as one of Iraq's most dangerous regions.

Groups in the province linked to al-Qaeda regularly attack members of Sunni "Awakening" groups - former insurgents who have turned against al-Qaeda and which are supported and financed by the US military.

BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

The dollar has climbed back to a six-month high against the euro, as continuing fears about the European economy hit the single currency.



With a key German business sentiment survey posting its worst reading in three years, the euro fell as low as $1.4571 in Tuesday trading.

Data showing that the German economy contracted from April to June, also increased European recession fears.

Meanwhile, the pound fell to $1.8331, its lowest point since July 2006.

Deteriorating outlook

The US currency has benefited as the economic outlook has darkened in both mainland Europe and the UK.

Investment guru Warren Buffett said last week that he had no bets against the dollar - underscoring the currency's strength. The fall in the euro and sterling could help European exporters whose goods will now be cheaper overseas.

But it will hurt holidaymakers who have benefited from a strong pound when travelling to countries which use the dollar.

While the dollar resumed its rises on Tuesday, oil prices fell.

US light crude was down 67 cents to $114.44, while London's Brent fell 64 cents to $113.39.

BBC News

[John]

An investigation is under way into how a computer containing bank customers' personal data was sold on an internet auction site.

The computer, which was sold for £77 on eBay, had sensitive information on the hard drive.

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and its subsidiary, Natwest, have confirmed their customers' details were involved.

RBS said an archiving firm told it the computer had been "inappropriately sold on via a third party".

It said historical information relating to credit card applications for its bank and others had been on the machine.

Basic knowledge

The information is said to include account details and in some cases customers' signatures, mobile phone numbers and mothers' maiden names.



Andrew Champman on how he 'bought' bank customers' details
The problem came to light when IT manager Andrew Chapman, 56, from Oxford, bought the computer, noticed the data and raised the alarm.

He said: "I was appalled when I found the bank account information. That sort of thing shouldn't have been listed on there."

Mr Chapman said anyone with a basic knowledge of computer software would have been able to find the data fairly simply.

"The information was in back-up CDs and in ISO files so it would have been possibly quite easy to find if you know something about computers," he said.

Extremely regrettable
RBS and Natwest - two of the three businesses involved - said they were taking the issue very seriously and are working to resolve it "as a matter of urgency".

A spokeswoman for data processing company Mail Source, which is part of the archiving firm Graphic Data, said it was investigating how the computer equipment had been removed from a secure location.

"The IT equipment that appeared on eBay was neither planned nor instructed by the company to be disposed," she said.

The incident was extremely regrettable and the firm was "taking every possible step" to retrieve the data and ensure it was an isolated incident, she added
The Daily Mail said the computer contained one million bank customers' personal data.

A spokesman for eBay said they were currently looking into what had happened.

"Clearly such details should never have been included in the hard drive of the computer offered for sale on eBay," said the spokesman.

"We fully expect Mr Chapman to hand it back to Graphic Data as soon as possible. We will of course work with Graphic Data to establish how it came to be available for sale on our site."

A spokeswoman for the third company reported to be involved, American Express, said it took the security of its card members' data "extremely seriously".

"We are currently working as a matter of priority to establish exactly what data is impacted and identify the card members who may be affected," she said.

The Information Commissioner's Office said an investigation would be launched as soon as Mr Chapman had handed the computer in to them.

A spokeswoman said: "We are now investigating this potential data breach and will be seeking an urgent explanation from Graphic Data to establish what has gone wrong and the steps that are being taken to prevent a similar incident occurring."

Banks have an obligation under the Data Protection Act to keep all personal information secure.

Last year the Financial Services Authority fined the Nationwide Building Society £980,000 for a security breach, after a laptop containing customer data was stolen from an employee's home
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Source-Yahoo.com

[John]

Priest cancels nun beauty contest

An Italian priest who said he wanted to hold the world's first beauty contest for nuns has decided to cancel the project, saying he was misunderstood.

Antonio Rungi said he had never intended to put sisters on the catwalk, but had wanted to erase a stereotype of them as being old and dour.

He had wanted to hold the contest online on his internet blog.

Father Rungi said he changed his mind after the local religious authorities expressed their displeasure.

"My superiors were not happy. The local bishop was not happy, but they did not understand me either," Father Rungi told Reuters news agency from the town of Mondragone, near Naples.

"It was interpreted as more of a physical thing," he said. "Now, no one is saying that nuns can't be beautiful, but I was thinking about something more complete."

He said he had intended to showcase the good works that nuns do, especially in education and health care, so as to boost interest in religious vocations.

"We have to draw more attention to the world of nuns, who are often not sufficiently appreciated by society," he wrote in his blog.

"Nuns are - above all - women, and beauty is a gift from God," he told Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper before he cancelled the project.

He had wanted nuns to send their photos to him, so that internet users could then choose the winner.

Father Rungi said the idea of the contest had been put to him by nuns themselves.

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Provided by-bbc.com

[John]

Thanks for this! Its interesting who decided this and how this happens.

[John]

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - An elderly woman misunderstood instructions while checking in at Sweden's main airport and was whisked down a baggage shoot after she placed herself instead of her luggage on the belt, media reported Wednesday.

The 78-year-old woman, who was not named, was preparing to fly from Stockholm's Arlanda airport to Germany on Tuesday when she lay down on an unmanned baggage belt in the belief she was following check-in instructions, the Upsala Nya Tidning local daily reported on its website.

She was quickly swept off to the baggage handling centre, where staff members helped get her back on her feet.

The woman suffered no serious injury and caught her flight as planned.
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Source-Yahoo.com

[John]

A Thomas Cook Boeing 757 taking British holidaymakers to Spain's Canary Islands on Wednesday made an emergency landing in Faro, southern Portugal, airport sources said.

The sources described the landing as a part of "normal airport activity," saying it was usual for captains to land at the nearest airport when facing an "unforeseen situation."

The plane was carrying 210 passengers who had boarded it in London.

The emergency landing occurred one week after a Spanair plane en route to the Canaries crashed in the Spanish capital Madrid, killing 154 people
-topnews.in

[John]

Thanks for the read! Very interesting read!

[John]

Vienna - Former hurdler Elmar Lichtenegger was banned for life Wednesday by the Austrian athletics federation for a second positive doping test.

The ban will apply to all international and national sport, the federation ruled.

Lichtenegger, 34, retired from athletics in December last year a few days after testing positive for the banned substance Norandrosteron, a metabolite of the anabolic steroid Nandrolone.

He had been banned for 15 months in 2003/2004 for a similar doping offence. In both cases, Lichtenegger blamed tainted food supplements for the positive result.

Lichtenegger was a silver medallist in the 110-metre hurdles at the 2002 European indoor championships.
-Topnews.in

[JohnCenaFan28]

As many as 71 African migrants drowned after their boat sank in the Mediterranean Sea, eight of their companions have told Maltese police.



The survivors were rescued by a fishing vessel from a semi-submerged dinghy about 70km (40 miles) off Malta, then handed over to a Maltese military boat.

The ship and a military aircraft searched the area for other survivors but none were found, the police said.

Malta - the smallest EU member state - is a leading destination for migrants.

More than 1,000 have managed to reach the island so far this year, mainly from Libya and North Africa. On Sunday, more than 100 were brought ashore in two separate operations off the Maltese coast.

The last major loss of life off Malta's coast came in May 2007, when a small boat adrift went missing with at least 53 migrants on board.

"Notwithstanding that they know about [previous] tragedies, these desperate people still try and make the journey to Europe," Neil Falzon, a representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Malta, told the AFP news agency.

Mr Falzon said that if the number of fatalities was confirmed, it would serve to highlight "the need for assistance to these people".

In June, the European Parliament passed a controversial set of EU rules for dealing with illegal migrants, which allow those caught to be detained for up to 18 months and face a five-year re-entry ban.

Lawmakers backed the measures by a large majority despite opposition from many Socialist and Green parties, and condemnation from human rights groups.

BBC News