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[JohnCenaFan28]

NHS hospitals are paying agency staff up to £200 an hour to cover shifts, the Tories claimed.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed some staff were paid hourly rates equivalent to salaries worth hundreds of thousands of pounds a year. The data also showed some agencies were taking large "cuts" in return for supplying workers to the NHS.

The Tories said NHS organisations across England were paying agency staff "hugely inflated" hourly rates to cover gaps in normal cover. The Party asked all NHS trusts to provide details of the highest amount they paid to an agency worker between May and October 2008 and received a response rate of more than 70%.

Whipps Cross University Hospitals NHS Trust said it paid £188 an hour for an anaesthetics medical consultant - equivalent to an annual salary of £366,000. Meanwhile, Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust paid £167 for an A&E doctor, equivalent to an annual salary of £326,000, and Dorset Primary Care Trust paid £158 an hour for a prison GP, equivalent to an annual salary of £307,000.

The data also showed that NHS Wakefield District Primary Care Trust paid £135 an hour for a prison GP, equivalent to an annual salary of £263,000, while Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust paid £131 for a doctor, equivalent to an annual salary of £255,000.

Trusts also paid high sums for non-clinical staff, the figures showed. Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust paid £157 an hour for a senior manager, equivalent to an annual salary of £306,000, while Wandsworth Primary Care Trust paid £147 an hour for a strategic commissioning manager.

The resulting data did not show whether the workers came from privately-run agencies or from NHS Professionals, a non-profit agency set up by the Government to provide flexible staff. However, they are most likely to be fees paid to private firms because NHS Professionals fees are standardised and comparatively low. Most organisations were unable to say how the hourly rate was split between the worker and the agency, the Tories said. But of those that did supply the information, some agencies were found to be taking large cuts.

For example, Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust paid £116 per hour for a nurse but the agency took £50 (43%), and Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust paid £94 per hour for a nurse but the agency took £40 (43%). Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust paid £105 per hour for a doctor but the agency took £45 (33%). Almost £800 million was spent on agency staff in 2006/07, although the Department of Health insists this figure is falling.

Shadow health secretary, Andrew Lansley, said: "Labour's dithering and chaotic, short-term planning has let down NHS staff. Some stability for them is the least we would have expected from the billions that the Government has poured into the NHS. It's incredible that agency staff can be paid such high hourly rates when jobs are being cut at the same time. This is typical of the waste that's occurred under this Labour Government".

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said: "Temporary staff have, and continue to have, a key role in helping the NHS to respond to fluctuations in demand for services and in staff availability. Increasing the quality of, and achieving best value for money from temporary staffing is an important aspect of workforce planning in the NHS. We are spending less on agency staff year on year. The total pay bill spent on agency staff has reduced from 5.5% in 2003-04, to 4.2% in 2004-05 to 3.5% in 2005-06, 2.7% in 2006-07 and 3.2% in 2007-08."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Trained negotiators are continuing to talk to a man who is thought to be armed.

Police received reports that the man was refusing to leave the property in Wigan, at 12.40pm on Friday.

A second man is also in the house in Hereford Road, Hindley, and officers are also negotiating his release.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said it was understood the man may have access to firearms but denied a suggestion that the address had been doused in petrol.

The spokesman added: "Trained police negotiators are currently at the scene and are in discussion with the man, in order to ensure the incident is resolved safely and without injury to anyone involved.

"A cordon has been put in place while the incident is dealt with and a number of roads have also been closed."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A British journalist kidnapped by Somalian gunmen has been released after 40 days in captivity, the Foreign Office said.

Colin Freeman, 39, the Sunday Telegraph's chief foreign correspondent, was snatched by bodyguards escorting him to Boosaaso airport in Somalia. Mr Freeman had just finished investigating a spate of piracy attacks on shipping in the Gulf of Aden for the paper when the kidnap happened.

Spanish freelance photographer Jose Cendon, also working for the Sunday Telegraph, was taken in the same kidnapping and remained with him throughout.

Mr Freeman told the Telegraph that he was "absolutely fine and delighted to be out" and "had absolutely no problems at all either physically or mentally".

Mr Freeman claimed his captors had treated them both well and that they were hidden in caves in the mountains close to the city of Boosaaso. He said: "We survived on rice, goat meat and Rothmans. I gave up smoking in 1992 and somehow decided now would be a good time to start up again."

A Telegraph Media Group spokesman said: "We are grateful to all those who have helped secure the safe release of Colin Freeman and Jose Cendon.

"This is wonderful news and we are delighted that the two journalists will soon be reunited with their families, friends and colleagues. On behalf of their families, the Telegraph would like to thank all those involved in assisting in the release, including the authorities in Puntland."

The Foreign Office said it would be offering consular assistance to Mr Freeman but dismissed claims a ransom had been paid for his safe return. A spokeswoman said: "The government's policy on ransom is we don't pay."

Mr Freeman is not expected to return to Britain until Tuesday at the earliest, but left Somalia on a flight to Kenya on Sunday.

The Telegraph said that it first received contact from Mr Freeman five days after he was kidnapped when he called the news desk. The newspaper later set up a crisis management team to support his release.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The organs of 50 British NHS donors were transplanted into foreign patients over the past two years, it has emerged.

The bulk of the operations, which all involved liver transplants, took place at King's College Hospital and the Royal Free in London.

Of the patients, 40 were Greeks or Cypriots, who are entitled as EU citizens to NHS services, including transplants. The remainder included patients from non-EU countries such as China, Libya and the United Arab Emirates, seven of whom were classed as deserving equal access to services.

The Department of Health said that these patients, although not from the EU, must have met criteria allowing them NHS treatment.

Three people from non-EU countries were treated as lower-priority patients.

Although implanting organs from British donors in foreign patients is legal, some hospitals prioritise UK patients because of the shortage of organs.

There are currently more people needing transplants in the UK than there are donor organs available, with 325 people waiting for a new liver.

Dr Mervyn Davies, a consultant hepatologist at St James's University hospital in Leeds, told The Sunday Times: "There is a shortage of donors and we cannot cater for the whole of the EU. It is tragic for these patients but the system that we have cannot cope with the UK demand as it is."

A spokesman for King's confirmed that the hospital carries out liver transplants on a "small number of patients" referred to them by EU countries, with the costs of the operations met through a block contract with the Department of Health. Some EU countries, including the Republic of Ireland, Greece and Cyprus, do not have large enough liver transplant programmes of their own to support patient need," he said. "This is why a higher proportion of non-UK EU patients treated at King's come from these countries than from others."

He added that the Greek and Cypriot governments choose to pay for their nationals' treatment outside of the contract with the Department of Health, meaning they are effectively treated as private patients with payments made directly to the hospital.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Four members of one family are in hospital after being hit by a car as they walked along a footpath.

Police said the driver of a Ford Mondeo lost control of his vehicle, which then mounted a footpath in Prior Road, Camberley, Surrey.

The four family members were taken to Frimley Park Hospital where they are being treated for multiple injuries.

Police said a 44-year-old woman suffered a broken pelvis, a 48-year-old man has a possible broken leg and finger, a nine-year-old boy suffered abdominal and head injuries and concussion, and a seven-year-old boy has a broken leg and pelvic fractures.

Police are questioning the driver, who was not hurt in the incident.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Two men were arrested when police officers forced their way into a house which was under siege for more than 36 hours.

Marksmen had surrounded the terraced property in Wigan, Greater Manchester, since Friday lunchtime following reports that a man, possibly armed, was holding another hostage.

Trained negotiators talked to the man via a loudspeaker and neighbours in Hereford Road, Hindley, were not allowed back to their homes as the area was cordoned off.

Police entered the house at 1.20am on Sunday and fired a Taser at one of the men. Both men were taken to hospital and received treatment for minor injuries.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: "At 1.20am police went into the house in Hereford Road, Hindley, and discovered two men in the loft space. One man was subdued with a Taser to allow officers to detain him in a safe and controlled manner. They were taken to hospital for treatment to minor injuries.

"Two men have been arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm and remain in police custody."

Neighbours said a woman managed to escape from the house before the stand-off started.

Reports that one of the men had doused himself and the house in petrol were denied by police.

Police said a 31-year-old man was later released without charge as detectives continue to question a 34-year-old man.

Superintendent Peter Matthews said: "Thankfully incidents such as these are extremely rare. However, Greater Manchester Police has a full team of experts trained to deal with situations like this."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Services on a busy rail line which was closed after a fatal plane crash will be back to normal by Monday morning, Network Rail announced.

The West Coast Mainline was shut after the light aircraft ploughed into its lines at Little Haywood, near Stafford, on Friday.

The crash claimed the lives of pilot Alan Matthews, 59, from Walsall Wood, West Midlands, and married couple Nick and Emma O'Brien, 35 and 29, from Shirley, Solihull.

The tragedy left thousands of rail passengers stranded on Friday as services were brought to a halt.

British Transport Police (BTP) said they had handed the line back to Network Rail after an examination by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).

A Network Rail spokeswoman said they expected services would return to normal by first thing on Monday morning. She said diversionary timetables had been set up and some work and tests would need to be completed, and advised any passengers to check with rail operators before travelling.

On Saturday, British Transport Police named the crash victims as Mr and Mrs O'Brien, who had two sons aged 18 months and 10. It is understood that pilot Mr Matthews knew Mr O'Brien through his work with a Birmingham-based demolition firm.

Mr Matthews, a member of a flying club based near Lichfield, Staffordshire, was said by friends to be a well-liked and proficient pilot who had almost two decades of flying experience. His wife, Jenny, issued a short statement paying tribute to her husband as a "loving, caring" man who would help anybody and loved flying.

The aircraft is believed to have been a Piper Cherokee based at the Sittles Flying Club, which operates from an airfield near the village of Fradley. Members of the club paid tribute to Mr Matthews as a "nice chap" with many years' experience as a pilot.

A statement issued on the club's website said: "We will miss him deeply. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and family at this terrible time."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Interest rates are set to hit a record low this week as the Bank of England grapples with a deepening recession.

The Bank's official rate has never fallen below the current 2% in its 315-year history, but experts predict a cut of as much as 1% on Thursday as the UK faces up to its worst year since the early 1990s.

Rate-setters on the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will ponder the latest gloomy data including a new low for mortgage lending in November and a record 16.2% fall in house prices during 2008.

And despite Government attempts to kick-start lending, banks and building societies anticipate a further tightening in credit to individuals and firms in the first three months of this year, according to the Bank's latest credit conditions survey.

IHS Global Insight economist Howard Archer said: "We are forecasting a 0.75% cut from 2% to 1.25%, but it is very possible that the MPC could produce a third successive reduction of 1% or more.

"With the recession deepening, credit conditions remaining worryingly tight and inflationary pressures retreating sharply, there is intense pressure on the MPC to bring interest rates down sharply further."

But how much homeowners and borrowers will gain from any rate cut remains to be seen after building society Nationwide said it would invoke a "collar" clause enabling it to stop reducing rates on most of its tracker mortgages.

The collar was supposed to kick in when rates fell below 2.75%, but the group decided to waive the clause last month, passing on December's 1% reduction in full.

But it said on Friday that it would invoke the clause to protect its savers from further aggressive rate cuts - sparking fears that other lenders may follow suit and stop passing on future rate reductions to tracker customers.

Minutes of the MPC's December meeting showed policymakers discussed cutting rates by more than the 1% agreed on but they held back for fear of an "excessive" knock to the pound and confidence in the economy. This could limit the size of this week's reduction as the pound plunges towards parity with the euro, other economists suggested.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Details have emerged of a massive operation by British, Afghan and coalition forces in Afghanistan in which troops fought at close quarters, in knee-deep mud and in fierce trench battles reminiscent of the First World War.

The offensive in central Helmand province involved more than 1,500 troops and was one of the largest operations mounted by the Royal Marines since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

It was fought over 18 days around the town of Nad-e-Ali to capture four key Taliban strongholds.

Some of the Royal Marines taking part trudged more than 60km through mud with packs on their backs while also fighting insurgents at close quarters, the MoD revealed.

A Lance Corporal, signaller with the 77th Armoured Engineer Squadron, said: "I was in Nad-e-Ali for just over two weeks ... Some of the places we stayed in were a nightmare - sleeping in the mud was the worst.

"(At times) we were exposed and moving ahead of our infantry protection. It felt like we were being watched and it was difficult to tell who the enemy was - it was pretty scary."

The operation, which culminated in a battle on Christmas Day, claimed the lives of five British servicemen and wounded scores of others. About 100 Taliban fighters were killed, including a senior commander.

Operation Sond Chara - Pashto for Red Dagger - was named after 3 Commando Brigade's shoulder badge.

Describing Sond Chara, Captain Dave Glendenning, commander of the marines' artillery support team, said: "Almost every day we were involved in intense fire-fights ranging from rocket-propelled grenades and small arms 'shoot-and-scoots' to four-hour battles with the enemy forces as close as 30 metres."

The operation aimed to provide better security in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah following Taliban attacks in October, and to pave the way for a voter registration programme due to start early this year.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Gordon Brown said that it was too early to judge the success of his £37 billion bank bail-out - and insisted he had "no plans" to call a General Election this year.

The Government is preparing a fresh bid to push the banks into resuming lending amid figures showing mortgage lending slumping to a new low. Mr Brown played down suggestions that it could include another injection of public cash into financial institutions and urged voters to judge his policies by long-term effects.

Speaking on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show, he said: "I do not think you can judge the success of recapitalisation by what happened in one month; you have got to judge it as a necessary means by which, by saving the banks - and saving is the right word - we restore the ability to fund businesses and mortgages. If we had not acted that weekend and then the rest of the world acted, you would have had a banking collapse, you would have lost major institutions."

He went on: "From January 1 we have the small business scheme, we have the export credit scheme, we've got the ability of companies to defer their payments to the Inland Revenue. We've got other means by which we will try to get liquidity, cash into the system."

Asked if that could include more public cash for the banks, he said: "I do not think that's the first thing anyone would think about at the moment. The first thing we are thinking about is how we can help the flow of money to businesses; how we can get the banks doing what they said they would do after the recapitalisation - that is, maintaining the level of funding for small businesses and mortgages that happened in 2007."

The Prime Minister, who said that up to 100,000 jobs could be created through Government projects being brought forward, also pointed out that only a small fraction of an £18 billion boost for the economy had yet been spent. "If we have spent £1 billion of a total of £18 billion to be spent, some on public works, some on keeping people in their jobs, some on environmental and green projects, some on helping more people go to university and college... we have just started. You can't judge a success or a failure by the first few weeks, you've got to judge it over the next few months."

Asked to rule out a 2009 General Election, the PM said it was "the last thing on my mind" - adding, when pressed: "I've got no plans for that."

Mr Brown hailed the jobs initiative as he sought to counter fears that unemployment could soar beyond three million this year as the recession bites. He believes speeding up school, transport, technology and environmental projects will help offset the effects - and is discussing other job protection measures with industry.

The PM, who will spend much of this week touring the country in advance of a Downing Street "jobs summit" next Monday, also defended his handling of the economic crisis. "I want to show how we will be able to, through public investments and public works, create probably 100,000 additional jobs over the next period of time in our capital investment programme - schools, hospitals, environmental work and infrastructure, transport," Mr Brown told The Observer.

But the Tories accused the Prime Minister of producing headline-grabbing figures out of the air with little evidence to back them - and questioned why other major projects were being slowed down. Shadow work and pensions secretary Chris Grayling said: "Frankly, I'm extremely sceptical. Only last month he delayed his biggest public project - the new aircraft carriers - because the Government has run out of money. This is a Government that has got Britain into a major debt crisis and its solutions to the problems just aren't working."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The Chancellor's prediction on when the UK economy could start to recover may be "optimistic", a director of the International Monetary Fund has said.

In his Pre-Budget Report in November, Alistair Darling said output in Britain would continue to fall for the first two quarters of 2009. But he said after that he expected it to start to recover.

However, Barry Potter, a director of the International Monetary Fund, cast doubt on that. Speaking about the Chancellor's forecast on BBC Radio Scotland's The Business programme, Mr Potter said: "That would be towards the more optimistic end of the projections."

He added: "It's difficult to know exactly how long this will take, and it will depend on how effective the various policy measures that the UK has already taken will turn out to be."

And Mr Potter said the economic slowdown would be "a particularly sharp problem for the UK Government to handle in the next year or so".

But, speaking on the same programme, Mr Darling said the prediction that the economy would start to recover in the third quarter was based on the "best evidence" the Treasury had. And he said: "If you look at what I forecast at the end of November, it was broadly in line with what the Bank of England was also forecasting."

Mr Darling accepted that 2009 would be "difficult", adding: "I'm pretty clear that we will move into recession."

But he said: "The question is what do you then do about it? That's why it's so important that not just ourselves but governments across the world act together."

He continued: "This year will be difficult but I am confident that, if we and other countries act together, and if we can deal with the problems in relation with the banks, there is every reason to believe we can be confident about coming through this.

"The thing that will influence what happens this year is firstly what do countries acting together do to boost their economies. The other key thing so far as the UK is concerned is what can we do to ensure banks start lending not just to each other but to businesses and people."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Gordon Brown has called for an immediate ceasefire to halt the violence in Gaza.

The Prime Minister said the ongoing hostilities were a matter of "grave concern" and insisted that international pressure was being placed on both Israel and Hamas.

On Saturday night thousands of Israeli troops poured over the border into Gaza, beginning a long-awaited ground offensive after a week of intense aerial bombardment.

Palls of thick black smoke billowed over Gaza City at first light on Sunday as the streets echoed to the rattling sound of machine gun fire.

Mr Brown said it was vital that the international community including the Arab League worked together to find a workable solution to the problem.

He said: "This is a very dangerous moment, I think everybody around the world is expressing grave concern. What we've got to do almost immediately is to work harder than we've done for an immediate ceasefire."

More than 400 Gazans have been killed and some 1,700 have been wounded since Israel began its aerial campaign, Gaza health officials said. The UN said the death toll in Gaza included more than 60 civilians, 34 of them children.

Three Israeli civilians and one soldier have also died in rocket attacks which have reached deeper into Israel than ever before, bringing one eighth of Israel's population within rocket range. The offensive was launched after more than a week of Palestinian rocket fire that followed a six-month truce.

The Prime Minister said assurances needed to be given to both the Israelis and Hamas.

He explained: "I can see the Gaza issues for the Palestinians - that they need humanitarian aid - but the Israelis must have some assurance that there are no rocket attacks coming into Israel. So first we need an immediate ceasefire, and that includes a stopping of the rockets into Israel. Secondly, we need some resolution of the problem over arms trafficking into Gaza and, thirdly, we need the borders and the crossings open and that will need some international solution."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A 12-year-old boy has been found guilty in the United States of murdering his mother following a row over his household chores.

A judge in Arizona ruled prosecutors had proved the boy acted intentionally when he shot his mother, Sara Madrid, eight times last year.

The boy, from the city of Douglas in Cochise County, was found guilty of premeditated murder.

He has not been identified because he was charged as a juvenile.

He is due to be sentenced on 23 January.

The hearing took place in Cochise County Superior Court in the southern Arizona town of Bisbee.

According to prosecutors, the shooting happened after the boy had argued with his mother over chores.

He got a pistol from a bedroom cupboard and shot Sara Madrid repeatedly.

Abuse claims

Her live-in boyfriend of 10 years, Alfonso Munoz, saw what happened and he says the boy gave him the empty gun afterwards.

Mr Munoz, who helped raise the boy, said he had taught him how to use the weapon for emergencies and self-defence.

The boy's lawyer argued the child did not intend to kill his mother, but only wanted to get back at her for abusing him.

Police said the boy told them his mother yelled at him and slapped him.

Prosecutors wanted the child tried as an adult, but the judge ruled the case should remain in juvenile court after a psychologist and psychiatrist testified that he suffered physical and verbal abuse from his mother and could be rehabilitated in the juvenile justice system.

Under Arizona law, the boy can be held only until he turns 18 years of age.

-BBC News

[JohnCenaFan28]

The collapse of historic crystal and china maker Waterford Wedgwood has placed 2,700 jobs at risk in the UK and Ireland on another day of gloom for retailers across the high street.

The latest failure came as the axe fell on 850 staff at failed childrenswear chain Adams after administrators announced the closure of 111 stores.

Manchester-based retailer Passion for Perfume also joined the list of high street casualties in administration after cutting nearly 200 jobs.

And former high street giant Woolworths will shut its doors for the final time on Tuesday with the closure of its remaining 200 stores in a collapse which is set to leave 27,000 staff out of work.

Administrators Deloitte are hunting for a buyer for Waterford Wedgwood, best known for Wedgwood pottery, Royal Doulton and Waterford crystal.

Waterford - which collapsed after talks over a possible sale to a US private equity firm failed and lenders withdrew support - will continue to trade as a going concern.

Chief executive David Sculley said he is "optimistic" a buyer can be found but question marks now hang over the future of its 1,900 UK retailing and manufacturing staff, including 600 at its manufacturing base in Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent. The Irish arm has around 800 staff based in Waterford.

Adams administrator PricewaterhouseCoopers - appointed on New Year's Eve - said the 194 job losses were "inevitable" as stores were closed at locations including Glasgow, Leeds, Blackpool, Coventry, Bolton and Wigan.

The remaining 160 Adams stores will stay open while efforts are made to secure a sale. Adams continues to employ 2,350 staff, and PwC said it was "hopeful" of being able to sell some parts of the business.

Deloitte said Passion for Perfume made 185 store staff and nine at the Manchester head office redundant on New Year's Eve. The firm traded online and from 45 stores across the UK at locations including Aberdeen, Plymouth, Blackpool and Wigan.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Israel has ignored ceasefire calls from world leaders including Gordon Brown and continued its military offensive in Gaza amid fears of a humanitarian disaster in the Hamas-run territory.

At least 10 Palestinian children were killed in the 10th day of action by Israel designed to end Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks from sites in Gaza.

And the Islamic militant group continued to attack southern Israel with more than two dozen rockets - and vowed to wait for Israeli soldiers "in every street and every alleyway".

There appeared little prospect of either side heeding the Prime Minister's call to agree an "immediate truce" in talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has arrived in the region.

Mr Brown said the international community, including the Arab League, must worked together to find a workable solution.

He warned: "This is a very dangerous moment, I think everybody around the world is expressing grave concern. What we've got to do almost immediately is to work harder than we've done for an immediate ceasefire."

Fears of a humanitarian disaster are growing and aid agencies warned that people in the region are facing "grave" shortages of food and water.

A spokesman for Save The Children said basic humanitarian supplies are running out and much of Gaza city has been left without electricity and water.

The agency called for aid to be allowed in to the stricken area and said that 50,000 children were already suffering from chronic malnutrition.

More than 2,000 families were displaced prior to the launch of the ground offensive on Saturday with charities expecting the number to increase significantly as fighting escalates.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A woman driver has been killed after desperately trying to reverse her car out of the path of a train, police said.

The 30-year-old was driving across an icy level-crossing in South Drove, near Spalding, Lincolnshire, when her car clipped a Ford Transit van heading in the opposite direction.

Lincolnshire Police said the crash left the woman, who is from Spalding, stranded on the remote level-crossing as the barriers came down.

Moments later, the 8.33am Peterborough to Lincoln service struck the grey Rover 216, with the unnamed woman still at the wheel, desperately trying to drive her car to safety.

Sergeant Dave Kay said at the scene: "She was making frantic attempts to get off the level-crossing but witnesses said it was very, very quick from when the barriers came down to the collision.

"She was trying to get her car off the level-crossing but because of the arctic conditions it was like a skating rink and she couldn't get very far."

Police said the accident involved a train operated by East Midlands Trains.

The van's driver managed to steer his vehicle off the crossing at West Road following the initial accident. He, along with one of his passengers, then tried to reach the woman before she was killed.

A spokeswoman for East Midlands Trains said none of the train's 18 passengers were hurt but that it was 11am before an engineer allowed the train to make the short journey to Spalding station.

From Spalding, passengers were taken to Lincoln by bus. Network Rail said the train was not derailed and was only slightly damaged. It added that trains were terminating at Sleaford in Lincolnshire while the incident was being investigated.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

People in Gaza are rapidly running out of food, fuel and medicine because of the Israeli military's restrictions on emergency supplies, aid agencies have warned.

Save the Children called the situation a "catastrophe" as world leaders made fresh efforts to end the violence that is reported to have claimed the lives of around 200 Palestinian civilians.

The Israeli military said on Monday it would allow 80 lorries of humanitarian aid and vital fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip - but Oxfam warned this was "not enough at all".

Medical aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres said surgical services in Gaza were "overwhelmed" by the number of people wounded in the attacks.

It is now nine days since Israel launched a military blitz on Hamas, the Islamic group that controls Gaza, but the chances of an immediate ceasefire look remote.

After a week of air strikes, Israel launched a ground offensive on Saturday, sending hundreds of troops over the border and cutting Gaza in half.

Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak said today that the offensive would continue until the Jewish state achieved its objectives, principally an end to Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel.

Save the Children staff in Gaza braved the fighting to to deliver emergency aid packages to 6,000 people on Sunday.

But the charity said its stocks were now all but gone and the Israeli military was not allowing it to send in more supplies.

Speaking from Jerusalem, Save the Children spokesman Dominic Nutt said: "We now have no supplies or very few supplies left. We can't replenish our stocks - the pipeline has been cut. You're looking at a catastrophe. It is hard to know how you would define a humanitarian disaster if this is not considered to be one."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

David Cameron has stepped up the political battle over the economy by offering tax breaks worth a total of £5 billion in the next financial year to millions of pensioners and savers.

The Conservative leader said basic rate taxpayers could benefit by as much as £7,200 from his party's plans to end income tax on their savings, while pensioners would gain up to £400 from a £2,000 increase in their allowances.

But Labour said Mr Cameron's plan, funded by restricting the growth of public spending, was "economic madness" and would not benefit the vast majority of ordinary people who can already save up to £3,600 a year in tax-free ISAs.

And TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said the Tory proposals would mostly benefit "big banks, the super-rich and tax avoiders" and "add to the dole queues as a result of proposed cuts in public spending".

Mr Cameron said the Government could introduce the changes in its spring Budget, covering the estimated £5 billion cost by cutting back on state spending in 2009/10. The Tory leader said the proposals formed part of the vision for a "good future" for Britain which his party will put forward at the next general election.

Mr Cameron also launched Conservative reports on measures to build the UK's 5% share in the growing market for environmentally-friendly technology, which he said provided "a road map of how Britain can be the world leader in green goods, services and companies".

He said that a Conservative government would do everything possible to ensure that the majority of the population has access to high-speed broadband links within five years, with universal access in a decade.

In a speech on the economy in London, Mr Cameron denounced the Government's response to the downturn as "economically stupid and morally indefensible" because it encouraged debt and undermined saving.

He claimed the measures to encourage saving could be achieved without affecting spending plans for the NHS, schools, defence or international development by restricting other Whitehall departments to a 1% real-terms increase.

They would encourage the "really big change" required to transform Britain "from a spend, spend, spend society into a save, save, save society", he said.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A "shocking new trend" in sex bullying has been revealed as figures showed more than 3,000 children were suspended from school for sexual misconduct.

Around 3,500 pupils in England were given fixed-term exclusions from school for sexual misconduct in the academic year 2006/07 - including 260 in primary schools, statistics from the Department for Children, Schools and Families have shown.

The figures are featured in a BBC1 Panorama programme which also quotes the findings of a survey of 11 to 19-year-olds by the charity Young Voice, showing one in 10 had been forced against their will to take part in sex acts.

Sexual misconduct can cover a range of behaviours from a one-off incident of daubing sexually-explicit graffiti on a wall to name-calling, inappropriate touching and serious sexual attacks.

Groping and the use of sexually-abusive nicknames have become almost part of daily life for some pupils, according to the Panorama programme.

Writing in the Daily Mail, presenter Jeremy Vine said he gathered a group of a dozen mothers and fathers in a bar to talk about sexual bullying.

Richard Piggin, from the charity Beatbullying, said sexual bullying was "relatively common" and a serious problem.

"We are looking at sexual misconduct, name-calling and also inappropriate touching, and young people being forced into sexual activity that they are not really comfortable with," he told BBC Breakfast. There is a significant number of young people that we have worked with who have told us that they have either experienced it, or have witnessed it in their schools or in their community."

The Panorama programme comes after Children's Secretary Ed Balls asked the Anti Bullying Alliance to draw up guidance for teachers on tackling sexual bullying.

The guidance will tackle inappropriate language, advise teachers on how to manage cases of harassment, and encourage healthy friendships between teenage boys and girls amid concerns of misogynistic attitudes linked to gang culture.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Detectives have launched a murder inquiry after a 60-year-old woman was found stabbed to death in her home.

Officers discovered the pensioner's body after they were called to a flat in Camberwell, south east London.

They believe the victim, who has not been formally identified, knew her attacker.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said no arrests have been made.

He said: "Detectives are investigating the murder of a 60-year-old woman found stabbed at her south London home.

"Police were called at around 6.30pm on Sunday to attend a flat in Kenbury Gardens, Camberwell, where they discovered the woman's body.

"She was pronounced dead at the scene. A post-mortem is due to be held at Greenwich Mortuary.

"The woman has not been formally identified and officers are in the process of ensuring all next of kin are aware."

Detective Chief Inspector Will O'Reilly, of Homicide and Serious Crime Command, is leading the investigation.

Anyone with information about the death can call the incident room on 020 8721 4905 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Professor Sir Alan Walters, the former economics adviser to ex-PM Margaret Thatcher whose controversial role led to the resignation of chancellor Nigel Lawson, has died at the age of 82.

Sir Alan was described as "the finest of friends" by Baroness Thatcher, who paid tribute to him as "radical, fearless, consistent and creative".

He had reportedly been suffering from Parkinson's Disease and his health had deteriorated before Christmas. He and his wife Paddie celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary on December 27.

In a statement, Baroness Thatcher said: "Alan Walters was the best economic adviser any Prime Minister ever had - radical, fearless, consistent and creative.

"He was a great public servant and, to me personally, he was the finest of friends."

Sir Alan was first appointed as an economic advisor at Number 10 in 1981. He later returned in 1989, when he repeatedly clashed with Nigel Lawson, then Chancellor.

Walters argued for Britain keeping to strict monetary targets to curb inflation - a view shared by Mrs Thatcher and popular with the Tory Right.

The economist was particularly scornful of Lawson's persistent desire to get Britain to join the European Monetary Union, which he labelled "half-baked".

The row between the two men led to Mrs Thatcher, when pressed in the Commons by Labour Leader Neil Kinnock whether she would sack Walters, memorably saying that "advisers advise and ministers decide".

But Lawson's resignation in October 1989 - followed almost immediately afterwards by Sir Alan's own departure - effectively marked the beginning of the end of Thatcher's premiership and she was ousted from power little more than a year later.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The former partner of Karen Matthews has abandoned his appeal against conviction for downloading indecent images of children.

Craig Meehan, 23, was due to appeal at Leeds Crown Court against his conviction for possessing child pornography over 49 indecent images which were found on his computer.

Judge Geoffrey Marson QC allowed the appeal against two of the images and Meehan abandoned the appeal against the remaining charges.

Bespectacled Meehan appeared in the dock wearing a light-blue hooded top and dark jacket. After a brief hearing, Judge Marson told him he was free to go.

David Orbaum, representing Meehan, said the prosecution was offering no evidence on the two images due to an agreed basis of facts.

Mr Orbaum said: "The appellant accepts that he searched the internet for - and then downloaded - adult pornography on to his computer. As a consequence of these searches, indecent images of children were downloaded, all of which were deleted."

In September last year, Meehan was found guilty at Dewsbury Magistrates' Court of 11 counts of possessing indecent images of children. Meehan was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison but was immediately released from custody after having spent 166 days on remand.

The former fishmonger was charged after the abuse images were found on his personal computer by officers searching for nine-year-old Shannon Matthews.

Shannon, now 10, went missing on February 19 last year as she walked home from school.

Her mother, Karen Matthews, 33, and Meehan's uncle, Michael Donovan, 40, were convicted at Leeds Crown Court of the kidnap and false imprisonment of Shannon and perverting the course of justice.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Britain's big freeze has intensified as forecasters warned temperatures would continue to plunge.

Tens of thousands of motorists were left stranded in a record day for car breakdowns amid chaotic scenes on the roads as temperatures in parts of the country dropped to as low as minus 11C (12.2F).

In central London, shivering tourists witnessed the unusual sight of the fountains in Trafalgar Square frozen.

With areas of southern England and Wales set to get colder overnight, heating bill payouts to pensioners and the vulnerable topped £100 million as the Government stepped in to help.

Many schools failed to reopen after the Christmas break and the cold snap also caused havoc for homes and businesses which suffered frozen pipes. Water company Severn Trent warned its eight million customers across the Midlands and Wales to protect their water systems after reports pipes were freezing even with heating on full.

The AA and RAC said the situation was worse than it had been since 2004, with an estimated 50,000 call-outs over the previous two days. In perilous conditions on the roads, there were a string of road accidents.

Among the victims of perilous driving conditions was a woman cyclist who sustained serious injuries when she was run over by a Land Rover which skidded on ice in Clevedon, Somerset.

In Dorset, a man escaped injury after his BMW 325 convertible spun off the road and hit a telegraph pole near Bournemouth International Airport.

Daniel Adamson, a forecaster for MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said Wales and southern England - including London and the South Coast - could yet face its coldest period.

He said: "It is unusual that the far south could be facing temperatures as low as minus 10C."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Gordon Brown has warned that the Middle East is facing its "darkest moment yet" amid more bloodshed in Gaza - but expressed hope that a deal could be struck for an immediate ceasefire.

Speaking after Israeli airstrikes near UN schools in the territory reportedly killed scores of people, the Prime Minister said the situation was a "humanitarian crisis".

"This is the darkest moment yet for the Middle East and it affects the whole of the world," he said.

"It's because of that that we must get humanitarian aid that we are promising in."

Mr Brown said he had been discussing the situation with fellow world leaders, including from Egypt and Turkey, and has put forward proposals for making progress.

"I am hopeful that the basis on which an immediate ceasefire can take place can be found," he told reporters in Downing Street.

He said any deal would have to solve issues of weapons being smuggled into the Gaza Strip through tunnels, as well as ensuring security for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Mr Brown added: "It's also because of the violence of war that we must work as hard as possible over the next few hours, and days if necessary, so that there is an immediate ceasefire.

"I believe that the proposals that would achieve that are first of all an immediate ceasefire, which means of course no rocket attacks into Gaza as well as no Israeli troops in Gaza. It also means an end to the tunnels and the arms trafficking. And it also means something else that is necessary to complete that: the opening up of the borders under international supervision."

Asked what form the international supervision should take, the Prime Minister replied: "We will need international engagement. It is not possible to see a solution to this without some kind of international engagement that will protect the security of the Israeli people and will create the viability for open borders to be given to the Palestinian area in Gaza."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Tribute has been paid to Woolworths workers who face redundancy for "seeing the job through" to the company's very last day of trading.

John Gorle, national officer for shop workers' union Usdaw, said it was a "a testament" to the "professionalism" of the firm's 27,000 workforce.

The last 200 Woolworths stores closed their doors for the final time after a massive clearance sale during which even the stores' fixtures and fittings were sold off at bargain prices. The firm's 807 stores were closed in stages from the final weeks of December.

Mr Gorle said it was "not uncommon" for a Woolworths employee to have a record of 15 to 20 years of service - a rarity among the usually transient retail workforce.

"It wasn't just a job, for many it has been a way of life," he said.

"I would be hard pushed to find another group of workers that would have shown the professionalism of the Woolworths workers. Many others would have walked off the job and frankly, I couldn't have blamed them.

"I think this is a testament to them, their self respect and pride meant that they wanted to see the job done properly right up until the last day."

The union will now seek assurances from the firms buying the former Woolworths stores that they would give priority to the company's former workers when looking for their own staff.

Iceland has agreed to work with Usdaw officials to ensure former Woolworths employees are considered for new positions.

Mr Gorle said: "It has been an approach that has worked with Iceland and we are hopeful it will help with other buyers."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

One baby has died and six others are being treated in an isolation ward after a bug hit a hospital's neo-natal unit.

The baby, who was born prematurely at Birmingham's Heartlands Hospital almost two weeks ago, was one of two to become infected with Serratia bacteria.

Staff at the Bordesley Green hospital are hopeful the second baby infected with the bug will go home in the next few weeks, a spokeswoman said.

Five other babies, who tested positive for Serratia on their skin, are in a six-cot isolation unit as a "precaution" she added.

Hospital director Lisa Dunn said: "Two extremely pre-term babies were infected with the bacteria: very sadly one baby died. The second baby is doing very well and should be going home in a few weeks' time.

"Serratia is an organism which has appeared in neonatal units across the NHS from time to time.

"It can be controlled by putting in place special arrangements to prevent spread of infection.

"Serratia was discovered on some babies on our unit recently and such measures were immediately implemented and remain in place.

"This has included closing our intensive care room to new admissions.

"These measures have been very successful in preventing the bacteria spreading and the intensive care facility is expected to reopen to new admissions this week."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Britain's biggest building society has said house prices fell by a record 15.9% during 2008 as it warned the property market was in for another turbulent year.

Nationwide said prices were likely to have further to fall before significant numbers of buyers returned to the market, although it stopped short of making a specific forecast for price drops in 2009.

The group said the average cost of a UK home fell by a further 2.5% in December, dashing hopes that November's 0.4% slide marked a stabilisation in the rate at which prices were dropping.

The fall during 2008, which is the biggest since the group began collecting data in this format in 1991, left the average house price at £153,048 - wiping out all gains seen since the spring of 2005 and leaving homes costing £20,000 less than in December last year.

Nationwide's figures are in line with statistics reported by Britain's biggest mortgage lender, Halifax, at the end of last week, which showed that house prices had fallen by 16.2% during the final quarter of 2008 compared with the same period of 2007, after losing 2.2% of their value in December.

Fionnuala Earley, Nationwide's chief economist, said: "2008 has been a year of turmoil in the UK housing market. The disruption in the financial markets worsened throughout 2008 and had larger implications for the real economy than we anticipated a year ago. Conditions remain highly volatile going into 2009, making it more difficult than usual to arrive at a specific forecast for house prices."

The housing market is being strangled by the credit crunch, with the mortgage drought exacerbating already stretched affordability.

One in four mortgages now requires a deposit of at least 40%, while 60% of mortgages are only available to people looking to borrow 75% of their home's value or less.

The high deposits being demanded by lenders are making it difficult for people to buy their first home or trade up the ladder, while the higher rates charged to borrowers who do not have a sizeable deposit are off-setting the improvements in affordability caused by house price falls.

The number of mortgages approved for house purchase sunk to a new record low of just 27,000 during November, according to figures from the Bank of England, while housing transactions are running at less than half the levels seen during 2007.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Union leaders are seeking urgent talks with high street giant Marks & Spencer as workers braced themselves for huge job losses in the wake of the economic slowdown.

The company was accused of starting to tell staff they are to be made redundant amid reports that more than 1,000 job cuts are set to be announced.

The company declined to comment on a report it was poised to axe staff in its stores and head office when it unveils a Christmas trading update on Wednesday.

An employee at the firm's store in Aberdeen claimed she and two of her colleagues have already been told they are to lose their jobs, while a part-time employee in London said she had been told her job was finishing on Friday.

The GMB union said the developments provided evidence that M&S was planning to axe jobs, and warned the company it could face a series of employment tribunal cases if it announces a huge number of redundancies.

Officials had earlier voiced fears that M&S was gearing up to make big job cuts following the case of a worker who was sacked for leaking details to the media of planned changes to redundancy payments.

Legal officer Maria Ludkin said of the claims from the Aberdeen workers: "This proves that M&S has already started to identify who is going to go.

"If today's reports are correct, M&S have to give 90 days' notice for consultation.

"If M&S tries to take a short cut and treat each shop as a separate workplace, and thereby give only 30 days' notice, GMB will not hesitate to take employment tribunal cases for a 90-day protective award."

The Usdaw union said it was "shocked" at news of job losses so early in the New Year, complaining that staff were finding out from the media that their employment may be under threat.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Britain will be immune from any gas shortages caused by the row between Russia and Ukraine, the Government has said.

UK dependence on Russia for gas is so small that any shortfall could be made up from other sources, said the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

The reassurance came amid growing concern about major disruption in some EU countries following Moscow's decision to turn off the gas tap to Ukraine in a dispute over high prices and unpaid bills.

The EU depends on Russia for about 25% of its gas supplies and the bulk of Russia's gas exports arrive via Ukraine.

But according to the Government, while some central European countries are already hit by the crisis, Britain is shielded by its variety of gas sources.

"We do not expect this dispute to impact UK supplies because the UK has diverse sources of gas supply which means we are not reliant on any single supplier," said a Department of Energy and Climate Change spokesman.

"We import less than 2% of our gas from Russia and can replace this from other sources if we need to."

The spokesman echoed an EU demand that Moscow kept full supplies moving.

He added: "We back the EU's call for gas supplies to be restored immediately and that both parties (Russia and Ukraine) restart negotiations with a view to a speedy resolution of this commercial dispute."

Earlier Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Greece reported the virtual closures of supplies, despite assurances from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that gas would still flow to Europe despite reductions to Ukraine. That prompted the European Commission and the Czech government, now holding the EU Presidency, to issue a joint statement describing the situation as "completely unacceptable".

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Road safety campaigners have condemned a judge after a Premier League footballer caught doing 106mph in his Porsche was spared a driving ban.

Newcastle United striker Obafemi Martins was clocked breaking the 70mph speed limit while on the way to the city's airport.

Newcastle Magistrates' Court was told the former Inter Milan star put his foot down because he was concerned he was going to miss a flight to see his sick son in Italy last May.

He was fined £550, ordered to pay £400 costs and had six points put on his licence.

The 24-year-old Nigerian international was given credit for his unblemished driving record and his guilty plea by District Judge Stephen Earl.

The court heard the footballer left training late in his Porsche Cayenne four-wheel drive and was clocked by a Northumbria Police traffic officer in a patrol car on the A696 Woolsington bypass.

Cathy Keeler, deputy chief executive of the road safety charity Brake, said drivers exceeding 100mph should be automatically banned.

She said: "Going so much over the speed limit is taking a blatant risk with lives on the road. A fine of a few hundred pounds for someone who earns thousands a week is not really a deterrent.

"We would like to see anyone going so significantly over the speed limit to be treated as committing a much more serious offence and prosecuted for careless or dangerous driving, rather than speeding, and face an automatic ban."

Andrew Howard, head of road safety for the AA, said: "Driving at over 100mph does not mean an automatic ban, but the guidelines suggest that it should. The only guideline laid down for the courts for speeding offences is a maximum fine."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A woman driver killed after her car was hit by a train on a level-crossing may have died trying to save rail passengers from derailment, it has emerged.

Thirty-year-old Moira Koune was left stranded on the icy crossing in South Drove, near Spalding, Lincolnshire, when her car clipped a Ford Transit van heading in the opposite direction.

She was struck moments later by the 8.33am Peterborough to Lincoln service as she desperately tried to reverse her car to safety.

Sergeant Dave Kay from Lincolnshire Police told the Daily Mirror: "I don't know what was going through her head and why she didn't get out of the car.

"But she may have been thinking of the passengers on the train and selflessly tried to save them."

He added at the scene: "She was making frantic attempts to get off the level-crossing but witnesses said it was very, very quick from when the barriers came down to the collision."

The accident happened shortly before 9am and involved a train operated by East Midlands Trains.

The van's driver managed to steer his vehicle off the crossing at West Road following the initial accident. He, along with one of his passengers, then tried to reach the woman before she was killed.

A spokeswoman for East Midlands Trains said none of the train's 18 passengers were hurt but that it was 11am before an engineer allowed the train to make the short journey to Spalding station.

From Spalding, passengers were taken to Lincoln by bus. Network Rail said the train was not derailed and was only slightly damaged.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The statistics watchdog has reignited the row over Government knife crime figures with a detailed critique of a controversial Home Office press statement.

The UK Statistics Authority said last month's release made "unsubstantiated" claims and "selective" comparisons, drew "inappropriate" conclusions and failed to provide contextual information.

The analysis details 10 separate ways in which the press release, which trumpeted the Home Office's knife crime crackdown, failed to comply with the Code of Practice for official statistics.

The head of the authority, Sir Michael Scholar, last month criticised the release of the figures as "premature, irregular, and selective", prompting a House of Commons apology from Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

The paper, prepared by the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) Monitoring and Assessment Team, states the Home Office documents appeared to be "inconsistent" with the provisions of the code, which was designed to protect the integrity of national statistics.

The watchdog highlights a string of apparent breaches including failing to follow a published timetable; releasing statistics alongside commentary; not protecting statistical reports from political pressure; not ensuring the statistics were produced according to scientific principles; and failing to identify potential sources of bias in the figures.

The press release and statistics sheet were also likely to undermine confidence in the independence of Government statistics, the report states.

In a detailed annex, the UKSA highlights missing information, confused or undefined terms, and weaknesses in the figures.

Statistics which compared results from June and October last year could be affected by "seasonal factors" and, because they are monthly figures, are "inherently volatile".

The report states: "Youth violence is reported as being 30% lower in Halloween week than in the previous year. 'Halloween week' is not a recognised period for statistical comparisons and no evidence is given about the reasons for this change - it could be because of the weather or other external factors."

-Nova

[OMEN]

Gardaí in Co Dublin have seized more than 300kg of cannabis worth an estimated €2m in the first major drugs seizure of the year.

The drugs were found during a search of a transport company in Balbriggan.

A man was arrested at the scene and is being questioned at the Garda station in the town.
Officers from the Garda National Drugs Unit and the drugs squad in Balbriggan raided the company at around 9am this morning.

They discovered the cannabis resin in bags in a warehouse.

The man arrested, who is suspected of providing the storage facility, was held at the scene.

He has been taken to Balbriggan Garda station. He can be questioned for up to a week.

Gardaí are still trying to establish the source and the distribution destination for the drugs but they are believed to belong to a Dublin criminal gang.

RTE

[JohnCenaFan28]

Marks & Spencer unveiled a swathe of store closures and more than 1,200 job cuts in the wake of its worst trading for almost a decade.

Its decision to shut 25 underperforming Simply Food outlets and two main stores delivers the latest blow to a high street struggling in a deepening recession.

The company's UK like-for-like sales slid 7.1% in the 13 weeks to December 27 - its biggest collapse since July-September 1999 - despite heavy discounts in the run-up to Christmas.

M&S employs around 70,000 staff in the UK, but the closures will cost 780 jobs and up to 450 more will go from a cull of head office staff.

The group currently has 355 Simply Food stores in a total of 685 wholly-owned or franchised outlets in the UK.

Executive chairman Sir Stuart Rose said the closures and changes to its final salary pension scheme would keep the group "lean and mean" by slashing up to £200 million from running costs.

Union leaders were stunned at the scale of the job cuts and called for urgent talks.

John Gorle, national officer of Usdaw, said: "We want to talk to the company to get an understanding of the business case that has underpinned this decision. We are shocked at the severity of the cuts and we were not anticipating store closures. Our members will now be extremely worried."

Sir Stuart said the decision would be "difficult" for those staff affected, but added: "Given that we expect challenging economic conditions to continue for at least the next 12 months, we believe we are taking the right action to maintain the strength of our business."

The job cuts come just four months after M&S watered down its redundancy terms for staff - a move leaked by a disgruntled employee who was subsequently sacked. Sir Stuart denied the two decisions were linked.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the read.

[JohnCenaFan28]

High-profile British Jews have been warned to review their security measures amid fears of reprisal attacks as bloody violence continues in Gaza.

Celebrities, politicians and wealthy business people were among prominent names highlighted on a series of controversial web forums.

Among those singled out are The Apprentice boss Sir Alan Sugar, pop producer Mark Ronson, Labour peer Lord Levy and Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

Mr Miliband is currently in New York, where he is attending emergency talks on the Gaza crisis at the United Nations.

He insisted he will continue to state the Government's position on Gaza "without fear or favour" despite threats from Islamic militants who believe the UK is too supportive of Israel.

Two popular Islamic websites hosted forums with calls for a list to be drawn up with the names of British people who support Israel.

One user wrote: "It would be beneficial to start compiling a list so that we can write polite letters reminding them of the injustices of Israel."

Terror expert Mark Gardner, of The Community Security Trust (CST), said prominent Jewish individuals had been warned to take potential threats very seriously.

He said: "We sent out a security advisory note when the violence began and updated it today. It is a notice reminding people to ensure security routines are properly implemented, that CCTV cameras are clean and working.

"We were aware of these chatroom postings and of course we have spoken to people, I cannot say everyone that is mentioned, but we have discussed it with some of them."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Banking giant Barclays is to axe 400 jobs in its IT departments after a review of its operations, it was announced.

The bank said it would try to mitigate compulsory redundancies by releasing contractors, closing vacancies and offering workers the chance to apply for other jobs.

The Unite union said the job cuts were a "bitter blow", especially in the current economic uncertainty.

Barclays said in a statement: "Barclays continually reviews its operations and resources so that it functions as efficiently as possible as business needs and customer requirements evolve.

"As part of this process, we have identified some aspects of our technology operations where the organisational structure impedes performance, and roles and responsibilities for colleagues are unclear. In some cases, roles are obsolete or being duplicated elsewhere within the bank.

"This will affect around 400 positions - 158 permanent staff and 250 contractors. All of the roles affected are UK-based, principally in Cheshire and London. None of the roles are being offshored."

Derek Simpson, joint leader of Unite, said 410 jobs will be lost, describing the announcement as a bitter blow to the IT workforce across Barclays.

"At this time of economic uncertainty, staff across the industry are working under immense pressure and there is a great deal of nervousness regarding their job security.

"This loss of jobs, all of which are highly-skilled roles, is a serious loss to the UK's skill base.

"Unite will be working with Barclays in order to avoid compulsory job losses and looking to explore all the opportunities for redeployment. Over the next few days Unite officials will be meeting with our members at all the sites impacted."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A woman was jailed for seven years for crushing a 15-month-old toddler under the wheels of her car.

Katie Gutierrez-Perez, 40, was drunk as she ploughed her speeding 4x4 off Cavendish Road in Chingford, east London, killing Finlay Woods as he waited in his pushchair at a school's gates.

Snaresbrook Crown Court in London heard that the mother-of-two was driving to hospital after a failed suicide attempt.

Moments before the crash in September last year, a car tax inspector had tried to stop her driving the powerful vehicle.

Jailing the former restaurateur, Judge Timothy King told Gutierrez-Perez she had devastated the boy's family, including his mother, 31-year-old Tina Woods.

The judge said: "Clearly, the offence is manifestly so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified.

"As far as the family are concerned, no sentence I impose today could be too long, and I have to balance the feelings of the family, the crime and my duty to the public in administrating justice. You were aware of the school, you were aware of the presence of any children, and if you were not aware, then you most certainly should have been.

"I have a statement from Tina Woods, the boy's mother, and it's a moving document.

"It's a testament to the devastation that your behaviour has visited on this family, and I quote Mrs Woods' statement: 'I have constant reminders of Finlay's short life - his toys, clothes and cot, which is still made up from the morning on 18th September.

"'It is difficult to come to terms with the loss of such a young life.'"

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Women's clothing firm Viyella, which dates back to 1784, has become the latest well-established retail firm to call in administrators.

There has been speculation for days that the future of the company, one of the UK's longest established clothing manufacturers, was uncertain.

The design and retail chain, which has 120 stores and concessions in the UK as well as an online sales operation, employs hundreds of staff.

It is owned by Birmingham-based investment group Harris Watson, which said in a statement: "Following an assessment of the current economic situation and the prospects for the future, the directors have reluctantly decided that they have no alternative but to place the business into administration.

"We believe there will be a strong interest in the Viyella brand and hope the joint administrators will be able to conclude an early sale which protects the brand name and many of the jobs within the business.

"We should like to express our thanks to all the Viyella team for the hard work they have put into the business. Unfortunately the current economic downturn has undone all the efforts of the last five years."

Unions said they hoped there would be a strong interest in buying the chain.

Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB union, said: "City fat cats and their hangers-on who brought us the credit crunch have now brought down another iconic brand.

"The clothing jobs that were once a mainstream of manufacturing first migrated to China, while those within retail have gone as well now."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

Passengers have suffered a sixth successive day of travel chaos on a main London to Scotland railway line on which a £9 billion upgrade has just been completed.

Overhead cable problems - the latest setback to hit the West Coast Main Line - meant neither Virgin Trains nor London Midland could run any services in or out of Euston station in London during the morning rush-hour.

In freezing conditions, passengers had to be taken by bus to London from the Midlands, with journeys taking up to 90 minutes longer than normal.

London Overground, which operates suburban services out of Euston, was able to run trains in the morning rush-hour but many passengers travelling further afield arrived at Euston to be greeted by empty departure boards.

Virgin and London Midland did manage to begin Euston services around mid-morning but both companies were running a reduced number of trains.

Virgin called on Network Rail to check whether there was "an underlying issue" with the power supply, while the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) estimated that the disruption on the line had cost business around £38 million over the last three days.

The BCC also said it thought the recent disruptions had occurred because the West Coast upgrade had been "rushed" so it could be completed by the end of 2008.

Network Rail said West Coast services from Euston were finishing early on Wednesday evening to allow engineers time to complete overnight repairs to the damaged overhead power lines at Kenton, near Wembley in north-west London.

This incident followed overhead cable problems at Bletchley in Buckinghamshire and at Rugby in Warwickshire which had hit services on Tuesday.

Before that, West Coast services on Sunday and Monday had been affected by overhead cable problems at Watford in Hertfordshire and the line had been shut for a period after a light plane had crashed close to the tracks near Stafford on Friday in an accident which claimed three lives.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

TV actor Martin Shaw said justice had been done after his "stalker" was found guilty of a five-year campaign of harassment.

Sandra Price sent a series of "offensive" and "intrusive" letters to Shaw - the star of Judge John Deed and The Professionals.

The 66-year-old, of Hingham, Norfolk, could face jail after being found guilty of harassing Shaw, 63, and his partner, Karen da Silva, between January 2003 and July 2008.

King's Lynn Magistrates Court heard Price regularly sat in her car parked outside Shaw's 17th century home in Hingham and often walked past. And in July last year, Price poured petrol through the letterbox of Ms da Silva's home in Hingham.

District Judge Tim Daber ruled this was part of a prolonged campaign of harassment against Shaw and Ms da Silva. "I'm quite satisfied that this was a part of a sustained course of conduct and not part of an isolated incident," said Judge Daber.

After the two-day hearing, Shaw spoke of his relief at the outcome. He said: "I am happy it's over. I thought it was conducted fairly and diligently on both sides. I think justice was done. I hope that this ends now and Mrs Price finds some peace."

The court heard Price sent a series of letters to Shaw following the break-up of his marriage offering to "heal" him. She also delivered a 45-minute audio tape to the actor's home and left a 120-page dossier detailing his career and her views about him on his doorstep.

Judge Daber said: "Mr Shaw describes the letters he received as offensive and intrusive and describes his feeling of insecurity as a result of the totality of Mrs Price's conduct."

Price admitted criminal damage following the incident in which Ms da Silva woke to find petrol in her hallway. She told the court she took the action after becoming angry that Ms da Silva had described her as Shaw's "stalker".

Judge Daber warned Price, who will be sentenced later this month, that she may go to prison. "At this stage I cannot rule out any sentencing option," he said.

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The sea froze as Britain's shivering start to the year got even colder.

Southern England, normally immune to the worst of the weather, was gripped by conditions colder than parts of Iceland and Greenland as temperatures fell close to minus 12C (10.4F).

In Dorset, the sub-zero temperatures froze a half-mile stretch along the shoreline of Sandbanks, home to Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp.

Local people said it was the first time in decades the sea had partially frozen since 1991.

Across the country families ignored safety warnings and took to frozen flooded fields and lakes on ice skates.

Police in Ebbw Vale, south Wales, warned teenagers they are risking their lives by cycling across the frozen Festival Park lake, which is more than 20ft deep in some parts.

Residents in the nearby Rhondda Fach area were without normal water supplies for a second day because the cold snap has affected water pipes supplying Maerdy Water Treatment Works.

Welsh Water has apologised to customers and sent water bowsers to the area. It is also distributing water bottles to customers with special needs and parents with young babies.

Gareth Harvey, a forecaster for MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said a combination of a front of freezing fog and black ice would make conditions for drivers even more perilous.

He said: "Southern England will still be coldest tonight but temperatures are unlikely to fall lower than minus 5C (23F). Fog patches will be freezing and there will still be a lot of ice. This is a dangerous combination."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

A couple whose three-year-old daughter was murdered in an horrific arson attack have made a tearful plea for help to catch her killer.

Francesca Bimpson was treated in hospital for three weeks after being pulled from flames engulfing the bedroom of her Liverpool home.

But she died from extensive burns two days before Christmas. Her father Kieron Bimpson and mother Eleanor Skelhorne spoke of their devastation.

At a Merseyside Police press conference, Ms Skelhorne sobbed: "The safest place she should have been was her bed.

"The place where she should have felt most safe was her bed but she is not here.

"She has been burnt alive."

-Nova

[JohnCenaFan28]

The case against glamour model Katie Price for an alleged speeding offence has been dropped in her absence due to a legal technicality.

The 30-year-old, best known as Jordan, was charged with breaking a 30mph speed limit in Brighton, East Sussex, on March 5.

The model, who was living in Ockley, Dorking, Surrey at the time, was also charged with failing to supply information about the driver before the cut-off date of April 9.

A trial was due to go ahead at Brighton Magistrates' Court after her barrister Katherine Hodson formally entered not guilty pleas on her behalf.

But David Packer, prosecuting, asked for an adjournment to allow the Crown extra time to prepare an audit trail of the main witness's evidence.

During the hearing, Ms Hodson said it would be unfair to her client to allow the prosecution further time to prepare their case when they had overlooked a point of law.

She told magistrates: "To adjourn the case is, in my submission, not in the interests of justice."

Chair of the bench Lady Anne Mogg formally dismissed the charges against Ms Price.

-Nova