Newslip Episode 29 26.07.09

Welcome to Newslip. Today is Sunday, 26th July 2009. I'm Wesley Gerrard and here are the stories making this week's news.

David Beckham got involved in an ugly confrontation with fans at his first home game for the Los Angeles Galaxy after returning from Italy. The former England captain attempted to jump over a barrier as he left the field at half-time into a section of the crowd that had been jeering him. He was held back by security staff, members of whom were also needed to restrain an angry fan who left his seat and rushed towards the footballer. The 34-year-old explained afterwards in comments broadcast on Sky Sports News: "I tried to shake one of the guy's hands but he didn't want any of it. That's the way it is." Beckham received a less than friendly welcome at his first home game after returning from a five-month loan spell at AC Milan - the team the Galaxy faced. Earlier this year, Beckham indicated he wanted to stay in Milan rather than return to America, stating that the standard of play was far higher in Italy.

36 children and four adults have been rescued from the sea at Tenby in Pembrokeshire. Lifeguards who rescued them after a sandbank they were on collapsed into the sea say the group could have drowned. All of the youngsters, from Brynaman, Carmarthenshire, are safe and well, but they said it had been "very scary". Two of the group who were on an activity holiday at a nearby caravan park were taken to hospital at Haverfordwest after the dramatic rescue. Jon Johnstone, lifeguard, said: "It was at low tide. The tide was turning, which is the strongest current on the beach. It's only soft sand around here, so basically the sand beneath them all just shifted with the tide which caused a rip current which was dragging them back out to sea.” The lifeguards were straight out to rescue the stranded fully-clothed swimmers and cleverly relayed them all to shore safely, providing immediate first aid prior to the arrival of ambulance teams.

A Russian warship preparing for a holiday celebration accidentally fired a dummy artillery shell into the courtyard of an apartment building in Vladivostok, a port city on Russia's Pacific Ocean coast close to China and Japan on Friday. Nobody was hurt but the shell's impact broke windows and left a small crater outside the nine-storey apartment building. "There were no explosives in the dummy shell," said Roman Martov, a spokesman for Russia's Vladivostok-based Pacific Fleet. He added, “"The reasons why the rocket-assisted projectile flew a greater distance than it had been assigned are unknown," The warship that fired the shell was taking part in rehearsals for Sunday's planned celebrations of the annual Navy Day holiday, which traditionally include a ceremonial procession of warships and mock naval battles.

The United States has urged Syria to co-operate with a peace plan for the Middle East. Speaking after talks in Damascus, Barack Obama's envoy George Mitchell said discussions with Syria's president had been "candid and positive". Mr Mitchell said he had told Syrian President Bashar Assad that Barack Obama was "determined to facilitate a truly comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace". Damascus is a major player in the region, because of its support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas, its backing for Hezbollah in Lebanon, and its close links with Iran. The move brings an end to Syria’s pariah status as it was under the Bush administration. Presently, US-Israeli relations are unusually strained and the diplomat flew on to Israel to try to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks.

England cricket team are 1-0 up in the Ashes series against Australia after chalking up their first win at Lords over their fiercest rivals, for 75 years. They wrapped up the second test before lunch on the final day, to win by 115 runs. Andrew Flintoff was the hero of the hour. Battling against injury he took 3 wickets out of an innings total of five, just the target required to take England into a series lead. The news wasn’t all good for England this week as Kevin Pietersen was ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes after having surgery on an ongoing Achilles’ heel injury. The Third Test begins on Thursday and Australia will be battling against the odds if they do not wish to return home in disgrace, without the hallowed Ashes trophy.

The BBC’s Newsnight program made a freedom of information request to local authorities across the UK about the CCTV cameras they operate. One of the most dramatic revelations is that both the Shetland Islands Council and Corby Borough Council - among the smallest local authorities in the UK - have more CCTV cameras than the San Francisco Police Department. The borough of Wandsworth has the highest number of CCTV cameras in London, with just under four cameras per 1,000 people. Its total number of cameras - 1,113 - is more than the police departments of Boston [USA], Johannesburg and Dublin City Council combined. Although experts estimate the total number of cameras in the country at about 3.5 million which is about a million fewer than previously believed, The statistics confirm the British as the most watched nation on earth. There are that many cameras in this country that it is actually impossible to count them all.

German tourists can now reserve their poolside recliners before they have even left home. The German arm of Thomas Cook, Europe's second largest travel company, has been deluged with inquiries since announcing that holidaymakers at nine hotels in Turkey, Egypt and the Canary Islands can book recliners in advance for a fee. Germans are famous around Europe for rising early to reserve recliners near the pool with their towels, and then going back to bed or eating a lengthy breakfast. The offer is only applicable to applicants booking from within Germany.

Thousands of Chinese steel workers rioted at news of a takeover deal, beating one manager to death, a Hong Kong human rights group has said. About 100 people were hurt in violence in the north-eastern city of Tonghua after workers heard that Jianlong Steel would buy a majority share. They were reportedly frustrated at financial problems during Jianlong Steel's temporary control last year. Jianlong general manager Chen Guojun was beaten to death, the group said. The Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said 30,000 steel workers clashed with riot police on Friday in the north-east province of Jilin. The South China Morning Post quoted a police officer as saying the workers would not allow emergency medical staff to enter the building to help Mr Chen.

Firefighters in several parts of the Mediterranean are still fighting wildfires which began days ago and have left eight dead. Thousands of acres of woodland in Spain, France, Greece and Sardinia were destroyed by fires fuelled by high temperatures and strong winds. In Spain, where six firefighters died, two major fires were still burning, but seven were under control, reports said. Arsonists are suspected to be behind many of the blazes and there have been widespread arrests. Temperatures in southern Europe are expected to remain very high and firefighters are watching for new outbreaks.

And this week’s top story…

Liverpool captain and England midfielder, Steven Gerrard, has been cleared of charges of affray after a lengthy court case at Liverpool Crown Court. Liverpool crown court heard that Marcus McGee, 34, was punched in the face by the footballer in a brawl at a bar in Southport last December. Gerrard admitted hitting McGee three times but denied affray, saying he had been acting in self-defence as he thought the other man was about to strike him. During the court case, CCTV evidence from the bar was used to show the incident. Gerrard welled up with tears whilst hearing Liverpool legend, Kenny Dalgleish’s character reference. He described him as "quiet" and "very private". Despite his wealth, Dalgleish said, Gerrard had "never forgotten his roots"."He is a very respectful man who has always behaved to senior players in a respectful way," Dalgleish said. "He is a very humble man." Gerrard left the court to cries of ‘Rocky’ and told reporters how he was glad it was all over and how he wanted to focus on the forthcoming football season.

That's all for Newslip. Thanks for tuning in. See you again soon. Goodbye.

Newslip Episode 28 19.07.09

Welcome to Newslip. Today's date is Sunday, 19th July 2009. I'm Wesley Gerrard and here are the stories making this week's news.

British backpacker Jamie Neale who was travelling around Australia on a gap year, got lost in the Australian Bush and had a twelve day ordeal in which his survival skills were tested to the limit. He had to strip bark from trees to use as a makeshift mattress to protect against the night-time cold. He dried his damp clothes in the fierce daytime sun and kept close to creeks to be near a fresh water supply. Luckily, though he believed rescue teams had given up their search, Mr Neale was eventually recovered. Mr Neale told police it was "vastly different hiking in the UK than it is bush walking in the Australian bush." Doctors ruled he was healthy enough to be discharged and he walked out of the Blue Mountains Hospital accompanied by his father and newly hired agent. He then threw a party for his rescuers with some of the earnings, reputed to be between £50,000 and £100,000, which he made by selling his story to the Australian media.

First World War veteran Henry Allingham – who last month officially became the world's oldest man – has died at the age of 113. Mr Allingham died in his sleep at 3.10am on Saturday at his care home near Brighton. He had lived a full life, experiencing the rule of six monarchs and saw three different centuries. He was the last surviving founder member of the RAF and had volunteered for service in the first world war. There are two remaining British servicemen who saw action in that war. When receiving official recognition as the world’s oldest man by the Guiness Book of Records, Mr Allingham jokingly attributed his longevity to "cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women". Right up until the end of his life he had been active and was well known in local schools where he gave many speeches about World War I. A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said: "The Queen was saddened to hear of the death of Henry Allingham.

The United States and Colombia are poised to sign an agreement to transfer anti-drug flight operations from Ecuador to at least three Colombian air bases, a move that has drawn criticism in Bogota that it will leave the country even more dependent on Washington. Colombia annually receives more than $500 million in mostly military aid under Plan Colombia, the U.S. program to combat terrorism and drugs. Since 1999, the U.S. aircraft based in Manta, Ecuador, have flown an average 800 missions a year and assisted in nearly two-thirds of all cocaine seizures in the Pacific. The Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa declined to extend the U.S. lease at Manta beyond this year. Colombia is by far the strongest ally of the USA in the region with most other governments leaning too much to the left. There is fear in Washington that in setting up the main base of operations in wartorn Colombia, they may become easy targets for the FARC, who are opposed to imperialism in Colombia.

A 16-year-old girl from Wales who made history when she had a donor heart grafted onto her own as a baby has made a full recovery. Doctors say Hannah Clark's own heart is now in perfect working order three-and-a-half years after her "piggy-back" donor heart was removed. The donor heart had taken over the bulk of blood pumping duties in her body but due to the massive amount of immunosuppressant drugs she was taking to prevent rejection of the donor organ, it was decided that it was time to remove the donor heart. Hannah, from Mountain Ash in Rhondda Cynon Taf, has recovered well say her surgeons Sir Magdi and Mr Victor Tsang. Hannah said she felt lucky to be alive. "I would not have been here today if it wasn't for the donor and the surgeons who did my operation. I'm really grateful.”

Riot police raided a 30th birthday barbecue in a Devon because they thought the organiser, who had invited his friends via Facebook, was staging a rave. Coach driver, Andrew Poole, had invited 17 guests to an 'event' on his social networking page by private invitation and was about to light the barbecue when the gazebo suddenly started flapping wildly and the sound of chopper blades filled the air. A police helicopter circled the field several times before four police cars and a riot van stormed into the field in a small village near Sowton, Devon. Eight officers wearing camouflage trousers and body armour then jumped out and ordered the party to be shut down or everyone would be arrested. Andrew said 'I told them it was my 30th birthday. I said "this is a once in a lifetime event for me, please don't ruin it". But they kept on insisting I had been advertising it as an all-night rave on the internet. Apparently illegal raves had been causing disturbances in the area. It is nice to know that police resources are being spent appropriately and that they are monitoring potentially disruptive social gatherings on social networks.

An Iranian passenger aircraft flying from Tehran to Yerevan in Armenia crashed with the loss of all 168 passengers and crew on board. Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation said it was looking into the causes of the incident without giving any indication of possible mechanical problems. There were no reports of sabotage. The aircraft was a Russian-built Tupolev, which belonged to the semi-private Caspian Airlines. It took off at 11.33am local time on Wednesday from Imam Khomeini airport and crashed 16 minutes later. Iran's national youth judo team, which had been set to take part in the World Cup next month in Hungary, was on board along with tens of Iranian Armenians, the religious minority. Ilna, a semi-official news agency, quoted witnesses as saying that the tail of the aircraft was on fire before the crash happened, indicating that technical reasons could have caused the disaster.

The interim government in Honduras has reimposed a night-time curfew after accusing opponents of seeking to provoke disturbances. Supporters of the ousted President, Manuel Zelaya, had earlier said they would call strikes and block roads. Mr Zelaya, who is recognised internationally, says his backers have "the right to insurrection". Roberto Micheletti took over at the head of a military-backed interim Honduran government after Mr Zelaya was bundled out of the country on 28 June. Micheletti said he was willing to step down, but only if Mr Zelaya did not return. Costa Rican President Oscar Arias is the chief mediator between the rival factions and is a Nobel Prize laureate.

Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian militant group inspired by Al-Qaeda, stands accused of suicide bombings in the Indonesian capital where it has mounted a string of attacks in recent years. JI's ultimate goal is to unite Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and the southern Philippines into a fundamentalist Islamic state, using terrorist attacks to destabilise governments across Southeast Asia. In its latest handiwork, two suicide bombers posed as guests before detonating powerful devices in crowded public areas at the JW Marriott and the Ritz-Carlton hotels in an upmarket business district of Jakarta. The blasts killed at least eight people and wounded more than 50 — and broke a four-year lull in terrorism in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

A man found naked at a casino claimed he was a Terminator sent from the future. 19-year-old Sean Stanley Smith was arrested on the Nevada border after he was spotted by a motorist wandering around the highway nude. He was ordered by police to stop but proceeded into a nearby casino - where he was then tasered in front of a group of children. Smith claims he was a Terminator sent back in time from the future - a reference to the film character made popular by Arnold Schwarznegger in the sci-fi franchise. The films usually start with a naked man being transported to the past. However, it turned out that Smith was not a time-travelling Terminator but was in fact suffering from the effects of LSD and marijuana. He was charged with indecent exposure and resisting a police officer.

And this week's top story...

Dozens of British schoolchildren and teachers were in quarantine in a hotel in Beijing on Saturday night after four of their group were struck down with swine flu. Three of the infected four, who are aged 14 to 15, were found to have high temperatures when they arrived in the Chinese capital earlier in the week. They were taken direct from the airport to the Ditan Infectious Diseases Hospital where it was confirmed they had swine flu. A fourth classmate fell ill later in the week. The four remain at the hospital, where they have been described as "comfortable and making a speedy recovery". On Wednesday, following the diagnosis, 52 other members of their group who had been in contact with the children were told to gather at the four star Yanxiang Hotel, where they were placed in quarantine. The party is mostly made up of 14-year-olds from schools across England on a visit organised by the Confucius Institute, which promotes Chinese language and culture.

That's all for Newslip. Thanks for tuning in. See you again next week. Goodbye.

Newslip Episode 27 12.07.09

Welcome to Newslip. Today is Sunday, 12th July 2009. I'm Wesley Gerrard and here are the stories making this week's news...

The News of the World paper has apparently been employing private detectives to hack into and monitor the mobile phones of many celebrities. Among the targeted were John Prescott, Max Clifford, Tessa Jowell and Gordon Taylor, Chief Executive of the PFA. It is believed that in order not to expose the methods used, the parent company of the newspaper, News Group Newspapers, has made three bumper out of court settlement payments exceeding £1 million. Apparently the police were well aware of who was being monitored by the newspaper yet failed to inform the victims of the breach of their privacy or prosecuting anyone, leading John Prescott to question the police’s actions. The story was revealed in the Guardian newspaper based on information from police sources.

President Obama returned to the continent of his ancestors for a presidential visit Saturday, praising Africa's democratic successes but also challenging leaders to fight corruption and violence. In Accra, addressing the Ghanaian Parliament he said that history would favour leaders who "respect the will of their own people, like those who have opposed violence in Kenya and promoted free elections in Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Rather than visiting his father's home of Kenya, which saw intense postelection violence, Obama decided to visit Ghana -- saying he wanted to draw attention to the country's history of free elections and peaceful transfer of power between opposition parties. After a sombre tour of a former slave market, Obama concluded a weeklong foreign trip with a promise that he will make Africa a central part of his approach to foreign policy.

A science teacher at All Saints’ Roman Catholic School in Mansfield has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to murder a pupil in front of a packed class. Peter Harvey - affectionately dubbed "The Nutty Professor" - allegedly used a heavy metal weight to attack 14-year-old Jack Waterhouse, leaving him fighting for life. Apparently Mr Harvey lost his cool after a girl swore at him. When Jack tried intervening in the dispute the violent incident erupted. As Jack lay with blood pouring from his wounds, a boy and girl - both also 14 - reportedly dragged Harvey from his victim and restrained him. The teacher was apparently off work with stress earlier this year and although known as an eccentric, has no history of violence. Internet sites were set up in support of both pupil and teacher.

Michael Jackson's family have held a private funeral ceremony for the deceased pop singer in Los Angeles. Nearby, thousands of fans gathered to say their goodbyes to the pop star at a star-studded memorial service held at the Staples Center. It is uncertain what will happen to the body… A hearse removed the gold coffin containing the star but didn’t go to the cemetery… It is thought that the family are trying to arrange for Michael to be buried at Neverland. Jackson’s sister La Toya has been busy talking up her theories to the press. She says that Michael was murdered for his money. His father has been busy using the event’s publicity to promote his own music company. Sales of Michael Jackson albums are doublie the normal weekly amounts. Compilation Number Ones was the best-selling album followed by 1982 album Thriller.

A man has been jailed for life for murdering a father-of-two and trying to kill his 14-year-old son who were going to watch an Everton football match. Former Army corporal Graham McKenna, 45, was stabbed to death near his home in Wirral, Merseyside. His son Michael was stabbed but survived. At Liverpool Crown Court Gary Finlay, 46, pleaded guilty to the murder and attempted murder in January. He was sentenced this week to a minimum of twenty-five years in jail. Finlay was angry after his marriage to Mr McKenna’s wife sister broke down and after losing access to his children in a custody battle in which his inlaws gave evidence, he had vowed revenge. After the incident he went on the run and police launched a massive manhunt which lasted six weeks.

The fourth anniversary of the July 7th London bombings passed with a memorial service held in Hyde Park to commemorate the 52 victims of the suicide bombers who attacked the London Underground and a bus. Prince Charles paid tribute to the families who had lost loved ones saying that their bravery "offered us hope for the future". The victims' relatives at the unveiling said the permanent memorial, between the park's Lover's Walk and Park Lane, was a "fitting tribute". The launch of this memorial was attended by many major politicians and also members of the emergency services who were forced to deal with the crisis on that terrible day. The lives of London commuters has forever been scarred by the incident.

The number of British dead in Afghanistan has exceeded the amount killed during the second Gulf War after a particularly brutal period for the armed forces in which, during ten days, fifteen soldiers were killed. UK troops have spent recent weeks on an offensive - codenamed Panther's Claw – in order to ensure security ahead of the forthcoming Afghanistan elections. The extra deaths have been blamed on the use of improvised roadside bombs which are responsible for most of the casualties. Commanders spend a lot of time asking for more troops and better supplies and their voices are often overlooked by politicians. Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth rejected claims UK troops in Afghanistan are ill-equipped, saying more helicopters could not remove risk. Prime Minister Gordon Brown insists the mission is showing "signs of success".

Daniel Jimeno Romero, a 27-year-old from Madrid, was gored to death during the annual running of the bulls in Pamplona and nine others were injured in what became the bloodiest run in decades. Mr Romero died after a bull's horn pierced his neck and lungs during the half mile sprint through the cobbled streets of the northern Spanish town. He is the first man to be gored to death during the run for 14 years. Each morning at 8 o'clock during the eight-day fiesta six fighting bulls are released to stampede through the winding streets to the bullring. Fuelled by alcohol during what has become one of Europe's biggest street parties, participants test their bravado and sprint alongside the bulls while attempting to dodge their horns. Friday's run, the fourth of this year's San Fermin festival was described as the bloodiest in decades and raised the death toll to 15 since record-keeping began in 1911.

World leaders gathered together in Italy for the G8 summit at the earthquake city of L'Aquila. Top of the agenda was climate change and the economic crisis. Gordon Brown was suave at the meeting and sat perched next to Obama throughout, looking good for the media back home. It was agreed to cut emissions by 80% by 2050. This was criticised by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who said that not enough was being done by the world’s eight most industrious nations. The leaders went on to discuss how to deal with the possibility that a fragile global economy could suffer a double-dip recession. Also, there was talk on the prevention of nuclear weapons getting into the hands of North Korea and Iran.

And this week's top story...

Groups of ethnic Han Chinese have marched through the city of Urumqi carrying clubs and machetes, as tension grows between ethnic groups and police. Security forces imposed a curfew and fired tear gas to disperse the crowds, who said they were angry at violence carried out by ethnic Muslim Uighurs. The Uighurs are Muslims who are predominantly based in north-western China's Xinjiang region. Officials say 156 people - mostly ethnic Han Chinese - died in the violence. One official described Sunday's unrest as the "deadliest riot since New China was founded in 1949". President Obama joined other world leaders in urging the Chinese governement to exercise restraint when dealing with the incident.

That's all for Newslip. Thanks for tuning in. See you again soon. Goodbye.

Newslip Episode 26 05.07.09

Welcome to Newslip. Today’s date is Sunday, 5th July 2009. I’m Wesley Gerrard. Here are the stories making this week’s news.

At least 13 people died in a horrible accident in Northern Italy when a train carrying liquid petroleum gas derailed and exploded. At least 36 people were injured, 15 of those are in a critical condition. Most of those affected lived in local houses. The accident happened near the train station in the Tuscan seaside town of Viareggio, about 350 kilometres north of Rome. Eyewitness Gianfranco Bini said, "We saw a ball of fire rising up to the sky. We heard three big rumbles, like bombs. It looked like war had broken out." Firefighters battled overnight to contain blazes started by at least three explosions. Over a thousand people were evacuated from their homes.

Former England soccer star, Michael Owen, has committed one of football’s cardinal sins. The former Liverpool schoolboy who went on to carve worldwide fame for himself while at Liverpool, caused massive upset when he left the Merseysiders for Real Madrid. After a relatively unsuccessful period at the Bernabeu, Owen returned to England, to Newcastle United. Newcastle have just been relegated and out of contract Owen signed for Manchester United. The rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester means that there is very little movement of players between the clubs. Owen, a former winner of the Ballon D’Or, and once regarded as one of the best strikers on the planet, has in recent years had a loss of form, with many nasty injuries and has also lost his place in the national team. Maybe the new European Champions believe that they can reignite this once great player’s career?

Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs, 79 and in poor health, was denied parole after Justice Secretary Jack Straw vetoed the decision which was supposed to have released him. In 1963 Biggs was part of a gang which robbed a Glasgow to London mail train and escaped with £2.6m in used bank notes, the biggest haul of an era when many criminals became celebrities. In 1964 Biggs escaped from Wandsworth prison and began a life on the run which ended in 2001 when he left his refuge in Brazil and returned to Britain where he began a jail sentence. Throughout his years on the run, Biggs regularly courted the media and even appeared as a guest vocalist on a Sex Pistols song. In recent years his health has declined and he is currently being treated at a Norwich hospital. He son spoke of the heartlessness of the Justice Secretary, not to release a man on compassionate grounds. It is Biggs’ dream to die a free Englishman in his own country and he has appointed lawyers who are questioning the legality of Jack Straw’s decision.

Two German Shepherd police dogs have died after being left in a hot car by their handler. The dogs were found dead in a police car parked outside Nottinghamshire's force headquarters in Arnold at 2.15pm on Wednesday. The Independent Police Complaints Commission is deciding on whether or not to allow the RSPCA to investigate the matter. The maximum sentence for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal is six months in prison and a £20,000 fine. Nottinghamshire Police said the handler has not been suspended. It can take just 20 minutes for a dog to die and temperatures reach over 40 degrees in some vehicles. On the day of the incident temperatures hit 29.4 degrees centigrade in Nottingham. It is believed the dogs' handler was not on duty at the time and had called in to the force's headquarters at Sherwood Lodge, leaving the dogs to over-heat in the parked car.

The National Express franchise of the East Coast mainline announced that it had run out of money for the year and the government stepped in and nationalised the stricken rail service. The rail economy, although private, is heavily dependent on the state of the economy as user figures are very closely correlated with it. The economic conditions of three years ago when National Express made a successful bid were soon to change and what was considered a medium risk venture has now collapsed. The Transport Secretary threatened to also immediately take two other National Express franchises into state ownership. Lord Adonis went on to say, “It is simply unacceptable to reap the benefits of contracts when times are good, only to walk away from them when times become more challenging.” There were reports that National Express offered the government £100 million in cash in order to end the contract. National Express are better known for their ventures in national coach travel.

Mourning for the dead pop singer Michael Jackson continued. The family announced that there would be no public showing of the body. There was a scramble for lottery won tickets to the Michael Jackson memorial with 8500 lucky ‘winners’ instantly putting their tickets up for auction. Jackson’s will made preparations for the care of his children. He stated that if his mother were unable to look after the three kids then they should be handed over to Diana Ross’ care. It is believed that his ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, intends to fight a custody battle. Recent video footage of the star’s gruelling preparations for his forthcoming tour were released. Fellow superstar Madonna gave a special tribute to Michael Jackson, fittingly at the O2 Arena in London where Jackson had intended to begin his final farewell concerts…

British police have called off their 45-year search for the last missing Moors murder victim Keith Bennett. Bennett was just 12 when he became the third victim of notorious killers Myra Hindley and Ian Brady in June 1964. Hindley and Brady killed a total of five youngsters between 1963 and 1965 before burying them on Saddleworth Moor, Greater Manchester. Bennett was the only victim whose remains were never found. Bennett's mother Winnie Johnson, 75, was devastated by the police decision to end the search for her son. Brady, 71, remains in Ashworth high security hospital in Liverpool. Hindley died aged 60 of a heart attack while in jail in 2002.

The sole survivor of Yemenia Flight 626 could barely swim and didn't have a life jacket. When Bahia Bakari's airplane crashed into the stormy Indian Ocean this week, killing 152 other passengers and crew, the 12-year-old girl suddenly found herself in the watery darkness. She could hear the voices of other passengers, but couldn't see anyone, including her mother who perished. For 13 hours, Bahia clung to debris until she was rescued. Back now in France with her father Kassim, he commented, "I would never have thought she would have survived like this. I can't say that it's a miracle, I can say that it is God's will." Research has been produced that apparently sitting towards the rear of an aircraft encourages your chances of surviving a crash so the advantages of flying first class and business class do have certain drawbacks…

A tower block fire in South London left six people dead including a three week old baby and two children. About 30 people were rescued from the fire at the 12-storey Lakanal House on the Sceaux Gardens Estate, Camberwell. The blaze started on the ninth floor, at 1620 BST on Friday. Of the 30 people rescued, 15 were taken to hospital for treatment, including three who died. Fire bosses believe it will take "weeks if not months" to establish how the blaze, in south-east London, happened and the whole area was being treated as a crime scene so many people weren’t allowed to return to their homes. Harriet Harman MP, whose constituency includes the tower block, said it was "clearly a very tragic situation".

And this week’s top story…

The lawn tennis championships at Wimbledon have concluded for yet another year. The weather throughout the tournament was surprisingly good with Britain experiencing an early summer heatwave. Serena Williams upstaged her big sister, Venus, in a closely fought Ladies Singles final. Serena turned on the heat in the final set, winning four games in a row to finish with a score of 7-6, 6-2. Her victory makes a mockery of the world rankings system which states that Dinara Safina is the best player in the world despite having not won a grand slam. In the men’s tennis, Britain’s great hope did as well as Tim Henman had done previously, by making it to a semifinal. But unfortunately for the excited strawberry eating, cream-slurping fans, Murray got knocked out by Andy Roddick. Federer went on to win the final after a prolonged battle with Roddick which never seemed to want to end. 5-7 7-6 7-6 3-6 16-14 were the final scores. The victory was the Fed Express’ 15th Grand Slam title, helping him take an onlooking Pete Sampras’ record. The win means that Roger Federer reclaims the No1 world ranking spot ahead of injured Rafael Nadal.

That’s all for Newslip. Thanks for tuning in. See you again next week. Goodbye.

Newslip Episode 25 28.06.09

Welcome to Newslip. Today is Sunday, 28th June 2009. I’m Wesley Gerrard and here are the stories making this week’s news…

The world of football had one of its biggest ever shocks this week when underdogs, USA, beat tournament favourites, Spain, in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup in South Africa. Spain had a world record of 15 consecutive wins and had been unbeaten in 35 matches. The USA had been comprehensively beaten by Italy and Brazil earlier in the tournament. Goalkeeper Tim Howard kept them in the game. Goals came from Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey. The winning scoreline was 2-0. Their win makes it the first time that they will appear in the final of a major international tournament. The USA face Brazil in the final who promise that their own weak semifinal performance against South Africa will be bettered.

Nine people were killed and about 70 injured in a subway train crash in Washington DC. Carriages of one of the trains came to rest on top of the other after a moving train hit a stationary vehicle above ground near a station. The crash which was the worst in the 33 years of the Metro system, happened above ground between Fort Totten and Takoma at 1700 local time on Monday. Two men and seven women died, including Jeanice McMillan, 42, who was the driver of the moving train. The train that crashed was part of a fleet of older carriages and the ongoing investigation into the crash is gathering details from the black box recorders to try to find out what caused it.

Australian wallabies are eating opium poppies and creating crop circles as they hop around "as high as a kite". The kangaroo-like marsupials have been getting into poppy fields grown for medicine in Tasmania. Australia supplies about 50% of the world's legally-grown opium used to make morphine and other painkillers. Apparently the effect of stoned animals grazing on opium and then walking around in circles till they fall over in a heap was first noticed in sheep. The circle hopping wallabies are the latest revelation in the global crop circle mystery which often blames aliens for the strange designs in fields. The evidence on the phenomenon was presented to the Australian government as part of a report on the security for poppy crops.

The row over MPs expenses has spilled over to other areas of the public sector. The BBC’s director general Mark Thompson has said £350,000 in expenses claims paid out to the corporation's top executives was "reasonable and justified". He defended his decision to publish the salaries of executives but not of BBC talent. Claims included luxury hotels, vintage champagne, parties and a private aeroplane. There was public demand to discover what amounts were being paid to the BBC’s so-called ‘stars’ but Thompson said that in such a competitive industry as that of entertainment, where there was no history of such disclosure, in publishing salary information the BBC could potentially face a talent drain.

A bomb killed at least 72 people on Wednesday at a busy market in eastern Baghdad's Sadr City slum. About 127 people were wounded by the blast in the poor, mostly Shi'ite Muslim area. A witness said the explosion tore through a part of the Mraidi Market where birds are sold, setting stalls ablaze. Bloodshed has dropped sharply across Iraq in the past year, but militants including Sunni Islamist al Qaeda continue to launch car and suicide bombings aimed at undermining the government and reigniting sectarian conflict. Wednesday's market bombing came four days after the U.S. military formally handed control to local forces in Sadr City, where U.S. and Iraqi forces fought fierce battles against Shi'ite militiamen in the spring of 2008.

The Swine Flu endemic continues to engulf the globe. Statistics show that there are now more than 1 million cases in the US. In Britain. There are 3600 confirmed cases with only one death so far. The worst hit areas in the UK are the West Midlands, London and Glasgow. The West Midlands has about twice as many cases (more than a thousand) than each of the other two areas. Two university students and a ten year old have showed signs of the disease at the Glastonbury music festival. Due to the rapid spread of the disease, UK officials have dismissed the possibility of containment exercises by closing schools . 29 schools where cases of the disease have been found are indeed staying open. Officials have remarked how surprised they are at the unexpected low death levels that the pandemic has induced so far across the world.

Popular BBC television series Top Gear has pulled a remarkable publicity coup. The hit series for car lovers, presented by Jeremy Clarkson, has a cult driver, The Stig, whose white suit and crash helmet keep his identity disguised as he performs driving feats. He has a massive following and to mark the start of a new series, presenter Clarkson promised a moment in television history to ‘rival the moon landings and JR’s shooting.’ The Stig was unveiled, to everyone’s surprise, as former German formula 1 world champion, Michael Schumacher. Doubters of the veracity of this mystery solution were immediate and the internet was full of conspiracy theories. At the end of the show doubt was cast on Michael Schumacher’s Stig as he made a terrible mess of a test drive. Publicity stunt or not, does the Stig’s identity remain a mystery? It is certainly no mystery that viewing figures rose substantially.

A gunman opened fire in a packed restaurant in West London on Friday night. A man and a fifteen year old boy are suffering from non life threatening bullet wounds. The incident occurred at Harry Morgan's restaurant in St John's Wood High Street, a relatively affluent area of the capital. Pop star Rachel Stevens was dining at the venue at the time. A spokeswoman for the former S Club 7 member said: "Rachel and her family were in a restaurant where there was gunfire. It was very frightening for everyone there but none of the diners were hurt." A man in a motorbike helmet brandishing two automatic pistols chased the two victims into the restaurant and opened fire, sending diners scurrying to the floor to hide beneath their tables. Harry Morgan's was established in 1948 by a London butcher and has been shortlisted in the Evening Standard Restaurant Awards. Fortunately none of the diners were hurt.

Britain has expelled two Iranian diplomats from the country in a clear sign of ever-worsening relations with the Middle Eastern country. The decision was made by the Prime Minister as a tit-for-tat response after two British diplomats were expelled from Tehran. As the post-election crisis continues further foreign influence carries on. President Obama said Mir Hossein Mousavi, the head of the opposition, had captured the imagination of groups in Iran that were interested in opening up to the world. Dr Arash Hejazi, who is studying at a university in the south of England, has spoken of the moments when he tended to the shot female protestor, Neda Agha-Soltan, who bled to death. President Ahmadinejad accuses foreign governments of stirring up the current troubles and his paranoia is not without reason as the history of Iran is full of foreign intelligence inspired coups, in particular coups provoked by the CIA and SIS or British MI6.

And this week’s top story…

‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson has died suddenly after suffering a cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home. After collapsing, his personal physician failed to revive him and ambulance crews rushed the singer to the UCLA medical centre where he was pronounced dead. The star was fifty years old and was in preparations for a heavily scheduled farewell world tour, commencing with a series of gigs at London’s O2 Arena. Fans immediately began congregating outside the hospital and rumours flew across the media. It was the biggest ever single news event on twitter and all major web services reported carrying capacity problems, including Google who thought that they were under attack by spammers. Michael Jackson was one of the most famous people on the planet and not since the death of Elvis Presley has such a death devastated the entertainment world. His album, Thriller is the biggest selling album of all time. Jackson’s life was surrounded by a media circus and his death appears no different. He is often mocked for his extensive plastic surgery and the controversial child abuse court case severely affected his reputation in recent years. However, I am sure that the annals of history will remember this star, who has died before his time, for his remarkable catalogue of hit pop music. Rest in Peace, Michael Jackson.

That’s all for Newslip. Thanks for tuning in. See you again soon. Goodbye.

Welcome to Newslip. Today is Sunday, 28th June 2009. I’m Wesley Gerrard and here are the stories making this week’s news…

The world of football had one of its biggest ever shocks this week when underdogs, USA, beat tournament favourites, Spain, in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup in South Africa. Spain had a world record of 15 consecutive wins and had been unbeaten in 35 matches. The USA had been comprehensively beaten by Italy and Brazil earlier in the tournament. Goalkeeper Tim Howard kept them in the game. Goals came from Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey. The winning scoreline was 2-0. Their win makes it the first time that they will appear in the final of a major international tournament. The USA face Brazil in the final who promise that their own weak semifinal performance against South Africa will be bettered.

Nine people were killed and about 70 injured in a subway train crash in Washington DC. Carriages of one of the trains came to rest on top of the other after a moving train hit a stationary vehicle above ground near a station. The crash which was the worst in the 33 years of the Metro system, happened above ground between Fort Totten and Takoma at 1700 local time on Monday. Two men and seven women died, including Jeanice McMillan, 42, who was the driver of the moving train. The train that crashed was part of a fleet of older carriages and the ongoing investigation into the crash is gathering details from the black box recorders to try to find out what caused it.

Australian wallabies are eating opium poppies and creating crop circles as they hop around "as high as a kite". The kangaroo-like marsupials have been getting into poppy fields grown for medicine in Tasmania. Australia supplies about 50% of the world's legally-grown opium used to make morphine and other painkillers. Apparently the effect of stoned animals grazing on opium and then walking around in circles till they fall over in a heap was first noticed in sheep. The circle hopping wallabies are the latest revelation in the global crop circle mystery which often blames aliens for the strange designs in fields. The evidence on the phenomenon was presented to the Australian government as part of a report on the security for poppy crops.

The row over MPs expenses has spilled over to other areas of the public sector. The BBC’s director general Mark Thompson has said £350,000 in expenses claims paid out to the corporation's top executives was "reasonable and justified". He defended his decision to publish the salaries of executives but not of BBC talent. Claims included luxury hotels, vintage champagne, parties and a private aeroplane. There was public demand to discover what amounts were being paid to the BBC’s so-called ‘stars’ but Thompson said that in such a competitive industry as that of entertainment, where there was no history of such disclosure, in publishing salary information the BBC could potentially face a talent drain.

A bomb killed at least 72 people on Wednesday at a busy market in eastern Baghdad's Sadr City slum. About 127 people were wounded by the blast in the poor, mostly Shi'ite Muslim area. A witness said the explosion tore through a part of the Mraidi Market where birds are sold, setting stalls ablaze. Bloodshed has dropped sharply across Iraq in the past year, but militants including Sunni Islamist al Qaeda continue to launch car and suicide bombings aimed at undermining the government and reigniting sectarian conflict. Wednesday's market bombing came four days after the U.S. military formally handed control to local forces in Sadr City, where U.S. and Iraqi forces fought fierce battles against Shi'ite militiamen in the spring of 2008.

The Swine Flu endemic continues to engulf the globe. Statistics show that there are now more than 1 million cases in the US. In Britain. There are 3600 confirmed cases with only one death so far. The worst hit areas in the UK are the West Midlands, London and Glasgow. The West Midlands has about twice as many cases (more than a thousand) than each of the other two areas. Two university students and a ten year old have showed signs of the disease at the Glastonbury music festival. Due to the rapid spread of the disease, UK officials have dismissed the possibility of containment exercises by closing schools . 29 schools where cases of the disease have been found are indeed staying open. Officials have remarked how surprised they are at the unexpected low death levels that the pandemic has induced so far across the world.

Popular BBC television series Top Gear has pulled a remarkable publicity coup. The hit series for car lovers, presented by Jeremy Clarkson, has a cult driver, The Stig, whose white suit and crash helmet keep his identity disguised as he performs driving feats. He has a massive following and to mark the start of a new series, presenter Clarkson promised a moment in television history to ‘rival the moon landings and JR’s shooting.’ The Stig was unveiled, to everyone’s surprise, as former German formula 1 world champion, Michael Schumacher. Doubters of the veracity of this mystery solution were immediate and the internet was full of conspiracy theories. At the end of the show doubt was cast on Michael Schumacher’s Stig as he made a terrible mess of a test drive. Publicity stunt or not, does the Stig’s identity remain a mystery? It is certainly no mystery that viewing figures rose substantially.

A gunman opened fire in a packed restaurant in West London on Friday night. A man and a fifteen year old boy are suffering from non life threatening bullet wounds. The incident occurred at Harry Morgan's restaurant in St John's Wood High Street, a relatively affluent area of the capital. Pop star Rachel Stevens was dining at the venue at the time. A spokeswoman for the former S Club 7 member said: "Rachel and her family were in a restaurant where there was gunfire. It was very frightening for everyone there but none of the diners were hurt." A man in a motorbike helmet brandishing two automatic pistols chased the two victims into the restaurant and opened fire, sending diners scurrying to the floor to hide beneath their tables. Harry Morgan's was established in 1948 by a London butcher and has been shortlisted in the Evening Standard Restaurant Awards. Fortunately none of the diners were hurt.

Britain has expelled two Iranian diplomats from the country in a clear sign of ever-worsening relations with the Middle Eastern country. The decision was made by the Prime Minister as a tit-for-tat response after two British diplomats were expelled from Tehran. As the post-election crisis continues further foreign influence carries on. President Obama said Mir Hossein Mousavi, the head of the opposition, had captured the imagination of groups in Iran that were interested in opening up to the world. Dr Arash Hejazi, who is studying at a university in the south of England, has spoken of the moments when he tended to the shot female protestor, Neda Agha-Soltan, who bled to death. President Ahmadinejad accuses foreign governments of stirring up the current troubles and his paranoia is not without reason as the history of Iran is full of foreign intelligence inspired coups, in particular coups provoked by the CIA and SIS or British MI6.

And this week’s top story…

‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson has died suddenly after suffering a cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home. After collapsing, his personal physician failed to revive him and ambulance crews rushed the singer to the UCLA medical centre where he was pronounced dead. The star was fifty years old and was in preparations for a heavily scheduled farewell world tour, commencing with a series of gigs at London’s O2 Arena. Fans immediately began congregating outside the hospital and rumours flew across the media. It was the biggest ever single news event on twitter and all major web services reported carrying capacity problems, including Google who thought that they were under attack by spammers. Michael Jackson was one of the most famous people on the planet and not since the death of Elvis Presley has such a death devastated the entertainment world. His album, Thriller is the biggest selling album of all time. Jackson’s life was surrounded by a media circus and his death appears no different. He is often mocked for his extensive plastic surgery and the controversial child abuse court case severely affected his reputation in recent years. However, I am sure that the annals of history will remember this star, who has died before his time, for his remarkable catalogue of hit pop music. Rest in Peace, Michael Jackson.

That’s all for Newslip. Thanks for tuning in. See you again soon. Goodbye.

Newslip Episode 24 21.06.09

Welcome to Newslip. I'm Wesley Gerrard. Today is the summer solstice, 21st June 2009. here are the stories making the news this week.

647 workers at the Lindsey oil refinery in Lincolnshire were sacked after they called wildcat strikes. Their unsympathetic employers, French oil giant Total, had been in a bitter dispute with the union who claimed that promises not to make further job cuts had been broken. The refinery had been subject to strikes against the use of foreign labour back in January. The latest row began after Total sacked 51 employees working on a construction project at the plant. Workers who joined the wildcat action included those at the Staythorpe power station in Nottinghamshire, Ferrybridge power station in Yorkshire and around 1,100 construction workers building a bio-fuel plant on Teesside. Total apparently didn't turn up to a meeting with the union and the leader of the GMB Union, Paul Kenny, said: "Total has not even had the decency or courtesy to turn up at the meeting that they themselves arranged... Bullying and intimidation is not the way to bring about peace."

A truck bomb killed 64 people near the northern Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk on Saturday, the country's bloodiest attack in 15 months. The attack, which also wounded 202 people, struck near a mosque in Taza Kharmatu, a predominantly Turkmen Shiite town south of Kirkuk, at around 1:00 pm on Saturday and claimed women and children among its victims, officials said. More than one ton of explosives was used in the bombing. Kirkuk, north of Baghdad, is plagued with intercommunal tensions among its Kurdish, Turkmen and Arab communities.

Scotland Yard has decided to launch an investigation into MPs' misuse of expenses. Its economic and specialist crime command will investigate several MPs, Labour's Elliot Morley and David Chaytor have admitted that they are among those under scrutiny. Both apparently claimed interest payments on mortgages they had already paid off. They have been barred by Labour in standing at the next election. Scotland Yard have previously made parliamentary investigations which have ended in no criminal prosecutions. In addition to this new leaf in the ongoing saga, it has been revealed that over 50 MPs had been guilty of overclaiming their council tax expenses. After checking data with local town halls it was discovered that these MPs had falsely inflated the amount that they were actually being charged.

The British and Irish Lions played the first test in their tour of South Africa and were unfortunate to lose. A disappointing first half left them trailing to the hosts by about twenty points. The Lions forwards were letting them down with Phil Vickery performing badly in the scrummage and the Lions lacking the Southern Hemisphere ferocity at the breakdown. Changes were made and the Lions started a comeback which left South Africa shellshocked but it was too little too late and the match was abruptly ended by an under-the-cosh South Africa with them pipping the legendary tourists to a 26-21 defeat and condemning the Lions to the necessity of another comeback if they wish to gain victory in the overall series.

A record crowd has gathered at Stonehenge to witness the summer solstice. 36,500 people gathered at the prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain to watch the sun rise, putting massive pressure on local transport infrastructure. By 3AM revellers were struggling to lift their beer cans to their mouths. Sensibly, the druids held their ceremony beside the heel stone, a leaning monolithic a few dozen yards from the main stone circle. They were joined by a group of Papuans who made the pilgrimage in an effort to draw attention to their struggle with the Indonesian authorities in their homeland. The record crowds were lucky enough in that the sun was shining. The high numbers are due to the solstice falling on a weekend this year.

A row has erupted in Formula 1, threatening to end the sport as we know it. The eight Fota teams - McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, Brawn, Toro Rosso, Renault and Toyota - released a statement declaring their intention to quit Formula 1 and set up a breakaway group. Their move is as a protest to the planned budget caps which would limit the amount of money each team could spend. Also they are discontented with FIA President Max Mosley who they see as having an autocratic grip on the sport. He allowed the Concorde agreement to lapse which gave the teams rights in determining the rules and regulations of the sport. Mosley described the breakaway threat as "posing and posturing", adding: "Always with these things in the end there's a compromise."

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Spacecraft are on their way to the moon atop the same Atlas V rocket. LRO will go into orbit around the moon, turning its suite of instruments towards the moon for thorough studies. The spacecraft also will be looking for potential landing sites for astronauts. NASA plan on landing humans on the moon again some time before 2020. In addition to the probing, the current mission, which is due to reach lunar orbit on Thursday, will be seeking to find sources of water on the Moon.

Pressure on the Labour government continued with Hazel Blears, the former communities secretary, narrowly escaping deselection in her Salford constituency. Her decision to quit the cabinet prior to the European elections was said to have been within a hair's breadth of bringing down Gordon Brown. The Prime Minister, this week, spoke of not enjoying the pressures of office and how he could quite easily walk away from his position. The trappings of power continue to haunt him at cabinet level as he faced a hostile pack regarding his plans for taking on the Tories at the next election.

The Islamic Shiite Resistance in Iraq have handed over two dead bodies to British government officials in Iraq. The dead men have been identified as security guards, Jason Swindlehurst, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, and Jason Creswell, from Glasgow. They were part of the hostage party seized by militants in 2007. They had been guarding computer expert Peter Moores, who remains hostage with two other guards. It is believed that the release of the bodies was a goodwill gesture after Laith al-Khazali was released by the Americans last week. The British government has a policy of not paying extortionate ransoms for kidnapped Brits, which has been criticised and also praised.

And this week's top story...

The aftermath of the controversial Iranian election has been the principal headline of the week. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke out against foreign nations and claimed that the UK was the most evil of all these governments. the Iranians have criticised international media bias in its reporting and believes that the current unrest is a result of foreign stirrings. Riots between police and opposition protestors has left at least ten people dead. Authorities are firing into crowds of demonstrators with live ammo. The BBC, whose Persian language channel is very popular in Iran, has evacuated its main Tehran correspondent. There has been a general media blackout in the Pariah state and people there have turned to social networks in their droves to push information out. President Obama has begun to criticise the events after initially maintaining silence.

That's all for Newslip this week. Thanks for tuning in. See you all again soon. Goodbye.

Newslip Episode 23 14.06.09

Welcome to Newslip. I'm Wesley Gerrard. Today's date is Sunday, 14th June 2009. Here are the stories making this week's news.

The fugitive Bosnian Serb army commander, Ratko Mladic, has caused controversy after a documentary was aired on Sarajevo television showing the perpetuator of genocide enjoying himself at a wedding, holidaying at a ski resort and openly cavorting with other renegade former army officers, who are also wanted for their crimes against humanity. Serbia, as one of its conditions for joining the EU, is under international pressure to capture Mladic and hand him over to international authorities. A former bodyguard revealed that until 2002 Mladic roamed freely in Belgrade. He is wanted primarily for causing the massacre of 8000 Bosnian Muslims at Srebenica. Last year the high profile Radovan Karadzic was extradicted to The Hague and it is hoped that Mladic will follow.

The close season in football has begun with a bang. Fresh from his double medal tally, Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo has shattered the world transfer record with a much anticipated move to Real Madrid. £80 million was the tag for the deal which apparently was agreed last summer, Real have been blowing a huge budget, reigniting the famed 'Galactico' era. In addition to the purchase of former world player of the year, Ronaldo, Los Blancos have spent £60 million on AC Milan's Kaka and another £100 million on five other players. They have not yet closed the chequebook either, as Florentino Perez, in his second time as president, is upping the chase for Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso. Ronaldo was his club's top scorer last season with 26 goals and his presence in the Premiership may well be sorely missed.

North Korea has done little to improve its international relations this week as it sentenced two American journalists to 12 years hard labour. The country has recently received widespread criticism for its militaristic shimmies to the outside world as it tests nuclear bombs and long range missiles, launches satellites and has a bellicose attitude to its regional neighbours. Laura Ling and Euna Lee were reporting at the Chinese-North Korea border, on the issue of illegal immigrants seeking refuge in China. South Korean news agencies claim that North Korean guards crossed into China to arrest the women but Pyongyang claims that they were caught illegally acting within the secretive state's territory. It is anticipated that the women will be used as bargaining chips in the high stakes diplomatic poker game so that North Korea can secure direct talks with US government officials. The USA has no diplomatic presence in North Korea and relies on representation by the Swedish embassy.

A man and two teenagers have been found guilty of murdering 16-year-old Ben Kinsella who was stabbed 11 times after a row in a north London bar. The brother of Eastenders star Brooke Kinsella was out celebrating the end of his GCSE exams when he apparently gave a look out of turn at the armed gang. There was a confrontation outside the pub and Michael Alleyne, 18, Juress Kika, 19 and Jade Braithwaite, 20, all from London, stabbed Kinsella eleven times in five seconds. The murderers were all given life sentences for their crime and their lawyers presented letters from prison authorities saying that all were at risk of retribution inside prison.

Hopes are rising for the release of five British hostages who have been held in Iraq since May 2007. The Americans this week released an Iraqi militiaman who had been held for the murder of US soldiers. This gesture of goodwill may pave the way for some concessions by the captors of the Britons who were snatched from the Finance Ministry. US and UK officials, however, claim that the release of Shia leader Laith al-Khazali was not done in anticipation of a hostage exchange program. Computer expert Peter Moore and his four bodyguards may have longer to wait till they achieve their freedom though now Britain has reduced its miltary efforts in Iraq, maybe the wait will not be too prolonged.

American Amanda Knox has spent two days in court, giving evidence at her trial for the murder of British housemate Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy. The trial has been underway since January. Knox is co-accused with her Italian boyfriend, Rafaelle Sollecito, of the murder of the Leeds University language exchange student. In her evidence Knox revealed that she had been heavily smoking cannabis on the day of the incident and that when she was arrested she spent her time at the police station throwing cartwheels to ease the tension. She did little to change her pleas of innocence. It is alleged that the attack had sexual motives. The worldwide media have been drawn to the case and the American is known by her nickname, 'Foxy Knoxy'.

Terrorist attacks still continue to disrupt Pakistan with several bomb attacks being launched this week. Four soldiers were killed and fifty injured at an army mosque in Nowshera. At least seven died at a market in Dera Ismail Khan and another fifty were injured. Another bombing also hit Peshawar, the eighth there in a month, following on from last week's hotel attack where two UN workers died. The internal struggle in Pakistan continues with Islamic militants trying to do all they can to counter the government offensive against the Taliban in the Swat Valley.

BNP leader, Nick Griffin, in jubilant mood after his victory in the European elections last week, went to Parliament where angry anti-fascist protestors demonstrated and attacked him with eggs. The BNP publicly complained that the Metropolitan Police had not done enough to stop protesters disrupting its Westminster news conference. Later in the week, Griffin mocked the incident as he convened on more familiar territory at the Ace of Diamonds pub in Manchester near the contituency in which he was elected. Extremist views are a challenge to Britain's democratic rights.

A Swedish art project using carrots as explosives has caused a scare after the imitation bombs were mistaken to be the real thing. Artist Conny Blom set up The Bunny Project: Bombs, at 15 locations near the southern Swedish city of Orebro. He taped bunches of carrots together with black tape and attached blue and red wires and a clock to them. The art was removed and Blom may face charges. He described his work as a harmless stunt.

And this week's top story...

The Iranian Presidential elections took place and President Ahmadinejad was successfully re-elected, contrary to many Western observers' hopes. The election had a very high turnout of more than 85%. After the results were announced, trouble flared up in Tehran. Defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi called for the results to be annulled. Rather than the standard 'Death to America' chants that normally emit from Iranians who gather en masse, the angry mobs shouted 'death to the dictator' and were beaten back by baton wielding police. Official results gave Mr Ahmadinejad a landslide victory. His final share of the vote was almost 63%. The result was quickly endorsed by Ayatollah Khamenei despite claims of massive electoral fraud.

That's all for Newslip. Thanks for tuning in. See you again next week. Goodbye.