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 16 26.04.09

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

President Ahmadinejad of Iran has caused a stir at the UN Racism summit in Geneva. He took to the stage declaring about the state of Israel that "They sent migrants from Europe, the United States... in order to establish a racist government in occupied Palestine." At this point, UN delegates from many Western countries including Britain, walked out of the conference in protest. The conference had been already boycotted by the United States, Israel, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. High on the agenda was the relationship with the Islamic world and in an era where Nazi ideas and Apartheid have died out, Israeli-Palestinian issues are still an area where racial ideas divide.

A Devon farmer has introduced a breed of cattle to the UK that hasn’t been seen on these shores for 4000 years. The Heck cow was during the Second World War, part of Nazi plans to rule the world. The cow was seen as symbolic of Teutonic ambition and satisfied the genetic aspirations of Himmler and Hitler’s obsession with idyllic rural agriculture. The aim was that these Iron Age cattle would fill a primeval Aryan wilderness in conquered Nazi Europe. Hitler may never have arrived here but in the Twenty-First century it seems that we are inheriting part of his Nazi legacy.

The Sunday Times Rich List has been published, revealing that the top 1000 earners in the UK have lost a fortune in the economic downturn. The total value of their assets is £258 billion compared with last year’s record £413 billion. The number of billionaires has fallen from 75 to 43. Heading the
list are Indian Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, Russian Roman Abramovich and the Duke of Westminster. Never in the 21 year history of the rich list has the affluence of the richest people fallen so much.

The Home Office has issued new rules about the right of Gurkha soldiers to resettle in the UK. Gurkha veterans and their supporters are up in arms about the decision which doesn’t give them automatic rights to resettlement but means that they have to satisfy certain criteria such as, for example, serving twenty years as a soldier when the maximum amount of time a Gurkha rifleman can serve is only fifteen years. Gurkhas who signed up after 1997 when the Gurkha base was moved from Hong Kong to the UK are guaranteed automatic rights. Joanna Lumley is a long time supporter of this 200 year old British regiment and she has led the way in condemning the government for not recognising the bravery and commitment to British Empire that the Nepalese division has achieved.

A Somali teenager has appeared in a US federal court after being captured during a US Navy raid on pirates in the Indian Ocean. Abde Wale Abdul Kadhir Muse’s mother initially claimed that he was a juvenile but a US judge decided that he could stand trial as an adult. The youth is the first person in over a century to be tried for piracy and at court he was crying. He had been captured during the rescue raid of the Maersk Alabama container ship captain where three of his pirate colleagues died. He had apparently been on board a US warship demanding a ransom.

The ruling ANC party have been victorious in the South African elections, falling just short of a two thirds majority. It showed a 4% decline in its share of votes compared with the previous elections. In a sign of things to come opposition parties were pleased with their results. In five years time, the next general election will include for the first time voters who were born since the end of apartheid and who have no direct experience of the fight against it. ANC leader Jacob Zuma is likely to be the next South African President.

Chancellor Allister Darling revealed his new budget this week. In it he introduced a 50% tax rate for earners above a £150 000 threshold. People in this bracket such as Michael Caine have claimed that it forces them out of the country. The economy is forecast to shrink by 3.5% in 2009. Public borrowing is to increase to £175 billion. A series of schemes and investment for the unemployed is to be introduced. There were also increases to duty on fuel, alcohol and cigarettes. The budget has been condemned by some as an act of class war and city analysts have criticised the chancellor’s figures claiming that he has made gross miscalculations.

Barack Obama has turned his attention towards some of the controversial torture techniques introduced to the CIA by the former Bush administration. He has published some of the legal guidelines of his predecessors but has drawn the line at prosecuting some of those involved. It was revealed that as early as 2002 Condoleezza Rice authorised the CIA to use waterboarding techniques on suspected Al Qaeda prisoners. This drowning form of torture was used 266 times on Abu Zubaydah and Khalid Sheikh Mohammad though it is claimed that the excesses revealed useful information. Other interrogation methods mentioned in released memos include week-long sleep deprivation, forced nudity and the use of painful positions.

The final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war which has raged since 1983 are apparent. The Sri Lankan government forces have the remaining Tamil Tiger insurgents trapped in a 5 square mile area in the northeast of the Indian Ocean island. The Tamils have declared a ceasefire as they struggle to survive but the government have denounced this saying that they will only accept surrender. The last gasps of civil strife have resulted in a mass exodus of civilians in the area, many tens of thousands evacuating their homes and traversing swamps and lagoons to get to safety. About 15000 civilians are still trapped in the final resistance pocket. The Tamils have been fighting for an independent state though their cause looks likely to imminently fail thus bringing an end to one of the bloodiest and prolonged conflicts of modern times.

And this week's top story...

An epidemic of swine flu has broken out in Mexico leading to the deaths of over 80 people. Many public offices have closed in Mexico City and people are being urged not to shake hands or kiss for fear of spreading the disease. Tourists from Mexico have returned home carrying the disease and there have been cases identified in the USA, New Zealand, France, Spain and Israel. The disease is similar to seasonal human flu but contains genetic material which is usually found in flu outbreaks in birds and pigs. It is particularly resistant to conventional flu treatment and most of the dead have been young adults. Mexico's President Felipe Calderon has announced emergency measures to deal with the situation and the World Health Organisation is doing as much as it can to control the disease.

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