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[John]

World's oldest person dies at 115

Maria de Jesus became the world's oldest person after an American woman, Edna Parker, died in November at the age of 115 years and 220 days, according to the Gerontology Research Group.

A family member said Maria de Jesus died in an ambulance on her way to hospital.

She was born on September 10, 1893 and reached 115 years and 114 days old.

-Yahoo.

[John]

Public Warned Over Toxic Cloud

A West Midlands Fire and Rescue spokesman advised members of the public to stay indoors and keep windows and doors shut.

The thick phospohorous hanging cloud, estimated to measure 50ft by 400ft, was hovering above Oldbury, West Midlands, and appeared to be heading south towards the M5 motorway.

The cloud emerged this afternoon amid a large fire at Rhodia Consumer Specialties Ltd in Trinity Street, Langley.

Fire services have said the blaze is now out and the site is under control. No one has been injured.

Phosphorous causes irritation to eyes, sneezing, soreness, throat soreness and shortness of breath.

If affected, the public are advised to seek medical help.

A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "Police are urging members of the public - especially those in high rise buildings - to keep windows and doors closed, and stay indoors.

"Motorists are urged to keep moving and keep windows closed and air vents off.

"Phosphorus reacts badly if it comes into contact with water, therefore residents who come into contact with the chemical are urged to avoid having baths or showers until the cloud has dispersed.

"Police advise people living in the area to stay calm and remain indoors, closing all windows and doors. People should avoid going to the area."

-Yahoo.

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A Briton injured in the New Year's Eve nightclub fire in Thailand said he had been rescued by the "hand of an angel".

Alex Wargacki, 29, from London, was speaking as he recovered from the fire in Bangkok which claimed the lives of at least 61 partygoers and injured 200 more.

He is among the four Britons receiving treatment in hospital after the stampede to flee the blaze which broke out at the Santika Club. Mr Wargacki is in intensive care at Bangkok's private Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital.

The foreign exchange trader, who suffered burns and smoke inhalation during the panicked evacuation of the building, said he was lucky to be alive. He was pulled from the burning club by an unknown rescuer after collapsing as he tried to escape. He is now on a respirator to help him breathe.

Mr Wargacki, who has lived in Bangkok for four years, told reporters: "I felt myself going unconscious. I knew something was happening to my lungs. I could not breathe. I blacked out and fell to the floor. I woke up and heard this voice saying. 'Come on. Come on this way'. Then I felt myself being dragged towards an exit. A crowd of people parted in front of me and then I was out in the open air.

"Had it not been for this voice with the hand of an angel I would not be alive today. The voice sounded as if he was Thai. Maybe he was one of the people at the New Year's party."

Speaking to the Press Association today, Mr Wargacki said he felt his condition had improved, but he was having trouble with his voice because of smoke inhalation.

He said another Briton, Oliver Smart, was being treated in the bed next to him in the intensive care unit. "He is in a bad condition. He can't breathe and is on a ventilator. He can't speak either because of the smoke inhalation."

Another injured Briton, Steven Hall, 35, from Cardiff, South Wales, described the dramatic scenes as the fire suddenly spread from the stage to take hold of the club. Some revellers appeared to think the flames were part of the show and hesitated to escape, he said.

One report suggested that a 34-year-old British woman may have died in the tragedy, but the Foreign and Commonwealth Office could not confirm this.

-Nova

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Detailed plans of the Queen's official residence in Scotland discovered near a footpath did not originate from the royal household, it has been revealed.

The drawings of the Palace of Holyroodhouse show details of the royal mews in front of the palace.

Royal security chiefs have launched an investigation into the discovery in Edinburgh. But it later emerged that the plans appear to be part of correspondence between a firm of architects and a lawyer about a licensing application for the palace's cafe.

A spokeswoman for the palace said the discovery was a security breach which was being taken "very seriously".

The areas in the plans, which include the cafe, are open to the public and are not secure parts of the building where the Royal Family would stay.

The architect's drawings were discovered under a bush on a path leading to the Water of Leith, in Roseburn, Edinburgh.

The drawings, with an accompanying letter, were found by the Daily Record newspaper's agony aunt, Joan Burnie, as she was walking her dog.

She told the paper: "Polly saw them underneath a bush on the path and came out with the plans in her mouth. I took them from her to see what they were and that's when I saw the letter. I was shocked to see the plans were for Holyroodhouse."

The paper reported the plans showed power ducts, cables and a transformer, as well as the sizes of the gardens and locations for boiler rooms, gas meters, store cupboards, kitchens, toilets and wash areas. Three public entrances are highlighted and the dimensions of the stable yards and seated terrace areas are given, it was reported.

The plans have been handed over to security staff by the Daily Record.

-Nova

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Bid to remove plane crash wreckage

At least two people were killed when the plane ploughed into power lines above the West Coast Main Line on Friday and inquiries are ongoing to establish whether a third victim also died.

Chief Inspector Paul Richards, of British Transport Police, confirmed that the remains of the aircraft would be removed from the scene.

Speaking at a cordon set up less than 50 yards from the crash site, the officer said: "A comprehensive search of the site is under way and arrangements will then be made to remove the wreckage."

Mr Richards said experts from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch were examining the site and had "primacy" in the inquiry.

Meanwhile, British Transport Police is continuing to liaise with Staffordshire Police to confirm the identities of those killed.

The pilot of the plane has been named by relatives as 59-year-old Alan Matthews, from Walsall, West Midlands.

Mr Matthews' wife, Jenny, said he had 19 years of flying experience and it was thought he had arranged to go flying with a work colleague and possibly another person.

Police confirmed two deaths, but a spokeswoman said they believed a third person had also died and a pathologist is expected to confirm this.

On Friday night all rail services on the West Coast Mainline between Rugby and Stafford remained suspended and British Transport Police warned the line was unlikely to be fully repaired this weekend.

-Yahoo.

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Plane Crash: Rail Chaos Feared

Police have confirmed two deaths, including that of 59-year-old pilot Alan Matthews, and are expected to announce a third today.

The Piper Cherokee aircraft crashed in Little Haywood in Staffordshire just before midday on Friday, hitting overhead power lines.

The West Coast Mainline remains severely restricted as all rail services between Rugby and Stafford are suspended.

Police said the railway is unlikely to be fully repaired this weekend, as commuters fear that Monday rush hour may be affected.

Residents in Little Haywood described seeing the small white plane plough into the ground at a fork between two major railway lines.

Local resident Derek Higgott, 49, who lives in nearby Back Lane, said it plummeted to the ground "like a stunt plane".

He said: "I was working in my garden. We've got a raised gazebo so I was up on the steps.

"I heard the plane, I looked up, and suddenly it just turned and went straight down like a stunt plane.

"There was a huge thud and black smoke. You could feel the vibration from it and a huge flock of birds all took off."

Police, firefighters and paramedics were called to the scene but there were unable to help the victims.

-Yahoo.

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[John]

Murder probe after two die in fire

Two other occupants of the terraced house in Albert Road, Sheffield, are in a serious condition following the fire which was discovered at about 8pm on Friday.

A South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said one person was arrested and was assisting with inquiries.

She said when fire crews arrived, the mid-terraced home was well ablaze.

Two people were confirmed dead at the scene and the two others were taken to hospital.

She said: "Details of the people involved will not be released until the next of kin have been advised."

Albert Road was closed to allow investigations to be carried out and drivers were warned of "substantial" delays as a result.

-Yahoo.

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'Live longer' campaign launched

The new Change4Life initiative - involving companies such as Coca-Cola, Mars and Nestle - starts with television adverts appearing on the nation's screens.

The idea is to "kickstart a lifestyle revolution for every family" by promoting healthy eating and exercise, according to the Department of Health.

Writing for the Sun, Mr Johnson said: "In these tough economic times, families are being confronted every week with lots of difficult challenges.

"For many, eating healthily might rank fairly low on the list of priorities right now. But one of the biggest problems we face as a society - and one with the potential to cause enormous long-term harm - is obesity."

He warns that if the problem is not tackled now then by 2050 two-thirds of men and half of all women in Britain could be clinically obese, at a cost to the NHS of £50 billion.

He continued: "Our aim with this campaign could not be more ambitious - it's to make sure our children live longer, healthier lives. Let's not leave the next generation with a reduced life expectancy, along with a massive health bill that will only get bigger if we do nothing."

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 can call a dedicated helpline and speak to specially-trained advisers 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.

-Yahoo.

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Indian PM asks Pakistan to hand over terror suspects

War is no solution to solve the problems and we want better sense to prevail on Pakistan," Singh told reporters in the northeastern town of Shillong.

Pakistan should hand over "criminals" responsible for the deadly assault in which 172 people, including nine gunmen, were killed in November.

"The (Indian) government will go to any extent to root out terrorism from the country," Singh said.

The premier also called upon the new government in neighbouring Bangladesh to cooperate in cracking down on anti-India militants based on its soil.

Former Bangladeshi premier Sheikh Hasina Wajed, who won the country's new election last week in a landslide, has already said she will not allow her country to be used as a base for militants.

"I hope the new prime minister-elect Sheikh Hasina would take appropriate measures not to allow their territory to be used by militants," Singh said.

"The porous border that India shares with Bangladesh is a matter of concern for us as infiltration and cross-border terrorism does take place."

India says militants in its restive northeastern states are supported by militants from Bangladesh.

This week, six people were killed and another 50 injured in three bomb explosions in northeastern Assam state.

-Yahoo.

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Record US deaths in Afghanistan in 2008, lowest in Iraq

According to a tally by the independent website icasualties.org, 314 US troops died in Iraq in 2008, down by nearly two thirds from the 904 US military deaths the previous year, the deadliest since the US-led invasion in 2003.

Some 4,221 American soldiers have died in the war that has cost the US hundreds of billions of dollars.

But in Afghanistan, trends reversed, with 155 US troops killed there in 2008, up from 117 US soldier deaths in 2007. The war launched by the US in 2001 to root out the Taliban has made 630 US troop deaths.

With Washington poised to nearly double its presence in the impoverished country by sending up to 30,000 troop reinforcements, US soldier deaths could continue to trend upward there, top US military officials tacitly acknowledged.

Some 70,000 foreign troops are already deployed in Afghanistan under US or NATO auspices. Non-US troop deaths were at 138 in 2008, up from 115 the previous year. A few more of the nearly 40 nations with troops in the country are also expected to increase their deployments.

The pledges of fresh deployments come after a difficult year which has seen the deadliest bomb attacks to hit Afghanistan since the start of the war.

The number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) doubled in 2008 to roughly 2,000, the US embassy in Kabul indicated. The roadside bombs are the number one killer of US troops in Afghanistan, the US military has said.

Troop increases in Afghanistan are made possible by troops standing down in Iraq, which has seen an improved security situation.

Iraqi deaths also plunged, with some 6,772 Iraqis killed in 2008, down from 17,430 in 2007, according to a tally compiled by AFP. Best estimates for total Iraqi deaths since the war began hover around a low of 90,000.

Iraq's drop in violence comes after the US troop "surge" in 2007 that saw thousands of troops deployed as the country teetered on the edge of civil war.

Much of Iraq's security developments have been credited to the recruitment of Sunni tribesmen and former rebels by the US military to fight against al-Qaeda. The Mahdi Army, the powerful Shiite militia of Moqtada al-Sadr, also agreed to a ceasefire, helping to reduce violence by Shiite extremists.

Iraq began 2009 with an end to the UN mandate on foreign troop presence, gaining formal control of Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone -- where most US and Iraqi officials live and work -- and of the southern Basra airport. US troops will continue to play an advisory role to the Iraqi military.

The United States is to pull its forces out of Iraqi cities by June 2009 and end its military presence by the end of 2011 under a deal between Baghdad and Washington that grants Iraqi authorities more control over security operations.

The US military has also handed back to the Iraqis control of part of its airspace and Baghdad airport. The US must now obtain Iraqi permission for all military operations and hand over the files of all detainees in US custody to the Iraqi justice system.

But as part of political bargaining leading up to the vote, the Baghdad government agreed to demands by Sunni parties to hold a referendum on the accord no later than July 30. Should the Iraqi government decide to cancel the accord after the referendum it would have to give Washington one year's notice to leave the country.

The move injects a fresh element of uncertainty on the future of US troops in Iraq just as president-elect Barack Obama prepares to take office in less than three weeks on January 20.

-Yahoo.