World News joined 0010

[JohnCenaFan28]

London's leading share index tumbled to a fresh five-year low as recession fears continued to shake volatile global markets.

The FTSE 100 Index shed more than 5% - wiping a further £52 billion from blue-chip stocks - to finish down 218.2 at 3861.4, its lowest close since April 2003.

The sell-off combined with Wednesday's 7% slide to erase Monday and Tuesday's rallies and send the Footsie below its finishing mark last Friday - after its worst week since the crash of 1987.

CMC Markets dealer James Hughes said: "Just when we thought the dust was beginning to settle we see another day of huge falls across the world."

The FTSE 100 Index initially opened more than 5% down following heavy falls for Asian markets overnight, but losses were clawed back through the morning amid hopes of a recovery in the US.

But Wall Street's Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 3% early on as gloomy economic data showed the biggest monthly fall in US industrial production since 1974 - adding to recession fears.

Across Europe France's CAC 40 and Germany's Dax fell almost 5% and 6% respectively. Switzerland's central bank also announced the latest multi-billion bail-out - this time of banking giant UBS.

But Mr Hughes added: "The difference from past moves is the fact that the main worry is not the bank bail-out plan but the fears of global recession."

Oil prices fell below 70 dollars a barrel at one point today on concerns over weakening demand. Oil cartel OPEC said it would bring forward a meeting scheduled for November to the end of next week.

Among the biggest blue chip victims were heavyweight mining and oil stocks - as well as those firms exposed to the ailing housing market after building supplies firm Travis Perkins warned on profits.

-Ananova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Europe's diplomatic shuttle moves to Washington this weekend in a bid to calm financial world markets.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso have been invited to Camp David by US President George Bush to talk about plans for an international financial crisis conference expected to take place in New York next month.

The Camp David visit was announced during a Brussels EU summit which committed the 27 leaders to tighten European banking supervision, and crack down on executive pay packages which reward failure as well as success.

The final summit declaration said the EU had to work with its international partners on "genuine, all-encompassing" reform of the global financial system.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, hailed as a hero for setting the benchmark for credible government bail-out schemes across Europe, emerged from the talks saying the next stage was sweeping long-term financial reforms based on five principles: transparency, sound banking, responsibility, integrity, and global governance.

Mr Brown said the forthcoming talks, built around the G8 group of most industrialised countries, would have to create an "early warning system" to anticipate future financial downturns, coupled with comprehensive financial supervision and monitoring systems designed for a global economy.

Mr Brown said it would be a "Bretton Woods"-style gathering - a reference to the 1944 meeting which set a post-war financial order, including setting up the International Monetary Fund.

Europe's crisis response began with emergency talks in Paris between the four EU countries who are part of the G8 - France, the UK, Germany and Italy. Then the EU's 27 finance ministers met in Luxembourg to produce a declaration designed to calm markets.

Next came last Sunday's meeting in Paris of the leaders of the 15 EU single currency countries - plus Mr Brown, whose template for bailing out struggling UK banks was seized upon as the best available plan.

At the EU summit in Brussels, the Prime Minister shrugged off the praise and insisted no one leader could resolve the current crisis and Europe had to pull together.

-Ananova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Cheaper gas and electricity bills look some way off despite the falling price of oil.

Oil has slumped to less than half the highs seen in July, helping wholesale gas prices fall around 20% since the record 100p a therm levels in the summer.

But gas bought by Britain's main energy suppliers like British Gas remains well above previous year's prices.

Gas for delivery during the first quarter of next year - one of the benchmark industrial prices - was trading at 80p a therm. This is up two-thirds from the 48p figure seen last year.

Millions of UK households have been hit with two massive bill hikes this year thanks to soaring wholesale prices.

Dual fuel customers of British Gas, owned by Centrica, now pay an average of £1,317 a year - £404 more than at the beginning of the year.

British Gas owner Centrica said there was little prospect of costs coming down while gas remained so much higher than previous levels.

A spokesman for the group said: "The falls from the absolute highs are welcome, but they are still running two-thirds higher than they were last winter which is the issue we are all facing."

Oil prices were trading at 71 dollars a barrel, more than 50% down from the 147 dollar high seen in July.

According to industry experts, oil prices take around six months to filter through to domestic supplies.

-Ananova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Britain's Olympic heroes were treated to a royal reception to mark the end of a day of celebrations.

At Buckingham Palace, the Queen was introduced to an array of gold medallists who, despite their sporting success, still displayed a touch of the jitters at meeting the monarch.

Rebecca Adlington, double Olympic swimming champion, said she was "too nervous to speak", while 400m runner Christine Ohuruogu said her heart was beating fast because she was so excited.

In all, some 69 medallists numbered among the 550 guests at the celebratory reception. They were greeted by the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Princess Royal, who is President of the British Olympic Association.

The Duchess of Cornwall, patron of the British Equestrian Federation, was also in attendance, along with the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra.

They met members of Team GB, British Olympic Association staff and Lord Coe, chairman of the London 2012 Olympic organising committee.

London Mayor Boris Johnson also attended but was left red-faced after arriving late on his pushbike. "My bicycle is being looked after in fine style somewhere in the grand entrance," he said on arrival.

Asked if he thought he could benefit from some tips from Olympic cycling champ Chris Hoy, Mr Johnson replied: "Yes, that is exactly it."

Hoy, a three-time Beijing gold medallist, was one of the first members of Team GB to be introduced to the Queen. The 32-year-old Scot described the experience as "fantastic".

The reception followed a day in which the cream of the Olympic team were treated to a ride through London on floats. The parade was described as a fantastic experience by many of the athletes and as a day they would remember for the rest of their lives.

-Ananova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Britain became the first country in the world to make a legally-binding commitment to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by the middle of the century, in a dramatic effort to counter global warming.

The pledge came as the European Union reaffirmed its target of slashing carbon dioxide emissions by 20% by 2020, despite complaints from Italy and Poland that the tough standards will be unaffordable during the current economic downturn.

New Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband told MPs an amendment to the Government's Climate Change Bill will increase the UK's target for emissions cuts in all greenhouse gases by 2050 from 60% to 80%, compared to 1990 levels.

"In tough economic times, some people ask whether we should retreat from our climate change objectives," he said.

"In our view it would be quite wrong to row back and those who say we should, misunderstand the relationship between the economic and environmental tasks we face."

The announcement was hailed as a "great step forward" by environmental campaigners, who believe that industrialised countries must lead the way in reducing global emissions by at least 60% to stave off potentially catastrophic changes in weather patterns.

But there were warnings that the impact of the pledge will be blunted because there is no immediate provision to include the UK's share of emissions from international aviation and shipping.

And campaigners cautioned that Britain must hit its new target by changes in behaviour at home - such as scrapping plans for coal-fired power stations - and not by emissions trading with less developed states.

In his first statement to the House of Commons in his newly-created role, Mr Miliband also pledged to introduce feed-in tariffs to allow small-scale energy producers - such as homes with wind turbines or solar panels - to sell electricity at a guaranteed price.

And he issued a warning to energy companies to come up with plans to reduce charges for customers with pre-payment meters within a month or face legislation to force them to do so.

-Ananova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The trial of five youths and a teenage girl accused of killing 16-year-old Shakilus Townsend will be held in the Spring, a judge has ruled.

The eight-week trial at the Old Bailey was fixed for April 15 next year.

The six accused of the murder appeared at the court and were remanded in custody.

Shakilus was beaten with a baseball bat and stabbed in an attack in Thornton Heath, south London, in July, and died the next day.

The accused are Tyrell Ellis, 18, of Springfield Road, Thornton Heath, three youths aged 17 and one aged 16.

They and the 16-year-old girl charged with them cannot be named because of their ages.

No pleas were entered during the brief hearing.

-Ananova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Seven adults and a baby escaped from a block of flats in a seaside town after it was targeted in a suspected arson attack, fire officials said.

The crew on board the first fire engine to arrive in St Botolphs Road, Worthing, West Sussex, were faced with people on balconies waiting for help, with one person threatening to jump.

Firefighters shouted to residents to stay in their flats with their doors closed, and reassured them they would be safe until the fire crews brought them outside.

The alarm was raised at 6.40pm on Wednesday by a resident trapped in his second-floor flat who reported to West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service that there was a fire in the communal hallway.

The communal entrance is based to the rear of the flats, but the hall was full of thick, acrid smoke and a fire was developing under the stairs, a fire service spokesman said.

Visibility in the hallway was near zero and the search crew found two elderly women on the first-floor landing who are believed to have come out of their flats and become disorientated.

As they were being overcome by smoke inhalation, they were taken downstairs and given oxygen before being handed over to paramedics and taken by ambulance to hospital.

The fire service spokesman said: "The hallway was the only way in and out for nine flats, and a further five adults and a baby were brought out. One of them, a man believed to be in his 30s, was also given oxygen. It is believed two of the residents escaped by climbing through a ground floor window.

"The hallway was badly damaged by heavy smoke logging, but the fire protection given by the doors to individual flats stopped the fire from spreading further before the firefighters arrived."

The residents were given temporary shelter and help by volunteers from the Red Cross, and some have now been allowed to return to their flats. A total of four fire engines attended from Worthing and Findon, along with an aerial ladder platform because of reports of people threatening to jump.

-Ananova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Children as young as 11 are carrying knives because they fear being attacked, according to a report.

Youngsters told researchers they turned to gangs for protection because their parents and teachers did not defend them. And they said tougher prison sentences would not deter them from carrying a blade.

But they revealed that the impression among teenagers who carry knives is that, if caught, they are more likely to be given an electronic tag than jailed.

One boy told researchers: "He wouldn't be thinking about six years (in prison). He's probably thinking he's going to be six foot (sic) deep if he don't carry one."

The report included interviews with a group of under-18s jailed at Feltham Young Offenders' Institution or expelled from school.

The author of Why Carry A Weapon, Nicola Marfleet, a governor at Pentonville Prison, said harsher penalties for knife carriers would have a "limited" impact.

She said: "The young people I interviewed spoke about their 'enemies' who all carried knives and about how they were always anticipating attack, living under a constant fear of reprisal from other gangs who were armed and therefore they also needed to be.

"Several young people spoke honestly about their desire to live in a world where they didn't need to carry a knife, but most felt that it had 'gone too far now' and that there was nothing really that could be done to turn back the tide of knife crime."

Knife crime has blighted the capital, with 27 teenagers killed in London this year alone.

The Howard League for Penal Reform, which was publishing the report, called for "lasting solutions" to knife crime problems.Director Frances Crook called for targeted health, education and youth community projects.

-Ananova

[Black Widow]

A GAY cannibal chef was found guilty today of murdering a boyfriend, carving flesh from his thigh and seasoning it with herbs before frying and eating it.

Former Mr Gay UK Anthony Morley, 36, of Leeds, slashed Damian Oldfield’s throat before stabbing him multiple times and cutting sections of flesh from his body.

Mr Oldfield, 33, had been in bed with Morley at the time of the murder.

Rape

Morley later walked into a nearby kebab shop wearing a bloodstained dressing gown and flipflops and told staff he had killed someone because he tried to rape him.

A jury at Leeds Crown Court took just two hours and 20 minutes to find him guilty of murder.

Members of the packed public gallery cheered and applauded as the verdict was read out.

Morley clasped his hands and bowed his head and several jury members left the court in tears.

During the two-week trial, the court heard how Morley carved sections of flesh from Mr Oldfield’s thigh and chest, including the nipple.

He left a Lloyds TSB bank card over the wound on his victim’s chest.

Police searching the house later found a chopping board with six pieces of human flesh, cooked so they were raw in the middle and browned on the edes.

A bundle of fresh herbs, a knife used to chop them, some olive oil and a dish of seeds were found on the work surface near the cooker and a frying pan was on the hob with the remnants of fried herbs and oil in it.

The murder was described to the jury as “terrible, horrific and bizarre”.

The court heard that Morley and Mr Oldfield, who sold advertising space, had previously had a relationship of some kind but that Morley was confused about his sexuality.

Morley was the first winner of the Mr Gay UK title in 1993 but he had a girlfriend at the time.

On the day of the murder, the two men met in Leeds before later going back to Morley’s house, where he cooked openly gay Mr Oldfield a meal.

The pair, who had both been drinking, kissed and cuddled and went upstairs to his bedroom to watch a DVD of the film Brokeback Mountain in bed.

The court heard that sexual activity took place between the two men before Morley launched his attack.

He claimed he could not remember killing Mr Oldfield or his following actions and denied murder on the grounds of provocation or diminished responsibility.


The Sun

[John]

This is what's wrong with the world!