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China has developed its own technologies that will enable it to reprocess spent nuclear fuel, state television reports.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
A South African man who owns a bar where 10 people were killed in a stampede on New Year’s Day appears in court on manslaughter charges.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
East Londonderry MLA David McClarty has confirmed he has resigned from the Ulster Unionist Party.
He said he made the decision after being deselected by his constituency association.
He says it was a “very difficult decision” to leave the party, and stressed that he “does not have an issue with the party generally”.
He said two or three individuals from the constituency association wanted rid of him.
Mr McClarty was elected to Coleraine Council in 1989 and the Assembly in 1998.
He will remain in Stormont until the elections in May and will retain his council seat as an independent.
When asked if he would consider joining another party or standing in the Assembly elections as an independent – he said he would consider things over the next few weeks and at the moment “nothing has been ruled in and nothing has been ruled out”.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Germany is helping to drive the economic recovery in Europe The eurozone’s manufacturing sector ended 2010 enjoying strong growth, a survey has indicated.
The Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) recorded a level of 57.1 for December, up from an earlier estimate of 56.8 and above November’s 55.3.
A reading above 50 indicates growth, and eurozone PMI has now stayed above this level for 15 months in a row.
The strongest growth was recorded in Germany, but Greece’s manufacturing sector continued to shrink.
“Manufacturing output growth gathered pace again in December, putting the sector on a strong footing to start the New Year,” said Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit.
“Germany remained the star performer, seeing near record growth,” he added.
“However, welcome signs of recoveries were also evident in the periphery, where export sales helped boost output growth in all cases except Greece.”
In Germany, the PMI index rose to 60.7 in December, and the employment index rose to a record level of 57.1.
The survey results echo other recent surveys that have shown the German economy growing strongly on the back of rising exports.
Markit said the PMI manufacturing figures showed that France and Austria had enjoyed “robust” expansion in December, while Italy saw a “marked improvement” in its rate of increase.
However, in Greece – where the economy has been hit by austerity measures and falling consumer confidence – the PMI manufacturing measure fell to 43.1 from 43.9 in November.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Seven wards are closed to new patients at Morriston Hospital due to norovirus Morriston Hospital in Swansea is closed to visitors and seven wards are shut to new patients because of a norovirus outbreak.
A spokesperson said visitors would only be accepted for children and in exceptional circumstances.
A ward was closed last month and managers warned the hospital would shut to visitors if more wards were affected.
There are about 750 beds at the hospital.
A spokesperson for Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board said seven wards were shut due to norovirus so it decided to close the hospital to visitors.
“The only exception is on the children’s wards because that would be too distressing for the children not to have visitors,” she said.
“There are also exceptional circumstances where a patient is at the end of their life. In that instance, we’re asking people to ring us beforehand to arrange visiting.”
“There’s a lot of norovirus circulating in the community and people bring it into the hospital”
Hospital spokesperson
The hospital said the no-visiting decision applied not only to the seven wards, but all wards.
However, this does not affect the accident and emergency department.
The spokeswoman added: “There’s a lot of norovirus circulating in the community and people bring it into the hospital.
“Visitors can also end up taking it out again. To try to break that cycle, we think it’s better to close the hospital to visitors.”
Ward C, a surgical ward at Morriston, was closed last month to prevent the spread of the bug after six patients had norovirus symptoms.
Hospital managers said at the time the spread of the virus could be controlled even more by stopping general visiting.
It was suggested the whole hospital could be shut to visitors if a “significant number” of wards were closed through norovirus.
Norovirus is a common viral infection which causes diarrhoea and vomiting, and is easily passed from person to person.
The incubation period is anything from four hours to three days, and symptoms usually last 12 to 60 hours.
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Private Vatubua’s death was the first among UK service personnel in 2011 Tributes have been paid to a “hugely loved” soldier killed in an explosion in Afghanistan on New Year’s Day.
Private Joseva Vatubua, 24, from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, died on operations in Helmand’s Nahr-e Saraj district, the Ministry of Defence said.
The Fiji-born soldier had been serving with 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, targeting enemy positions north of Saidabad Kalay.
He was killed when a bomb hidden in a compound wall detonated.
Having grown up in Fiji, Pte Vatubua joined the British army in 2007 and went on to represent the force at rugby sevens.
A Ministry of Defence (MoD) statement said he had a bright future, with hopes of becoming a non-commissioned officer, and had already caught the eye as “a young man who would rise through the ranks”.
He is survived by his wife, Claudette.
His family spoke in a statement of his pride at representing the army at rugby and singing with his battalion’s Fijian choir.
“Joseva is a hugely loved man who we will always miss but never forget,” the statement added.
His commanding officer Lt Col Adam Griffiths also paid tribute to a “loyal, well-loved and respected” soldier, nick-named “Big Joe”.
“[He] approached everything he did with an infectious sense of humour and a commitment that much of society would do well to emulate,” he said.
“However, his outwardly shy persona belied a real presence both at work and play, and particularly on the rugby field.
“He was at his best on operations, demonstrating a real awareness and understanding of what he was being asked to do.
“It was always a wonderful sight to see this mountain of a man surrounded by children when on patrol.”
Pte Vatubua’s death brought to 349 the total number of British service personnel killed in operations in Afghanistan since 2001.
He was the first to be killed in 2011.
His comrades spoke of a “gentle giant” who always had a smile on his face.
Pte Veniona Jegesa first met him at the Fiji Under-21 rugby trial and they went on to train together at Catterick.
“He was the first of our group to move onto the married patch and he would always look after us by inviting us to his house,” said Pte Jegesa.
“We instantly became good friends. We used to call each other not by our real names, but by the name Tacina which means ‘brother’ in Fijian.
“He was planning on renewing his marriage vows in the Fijian way after the tour and had asked me to get him some traditional Fijian clothes. He had also asked me to be his best man.”
Defence Secretary Liam Fox said: “My thoughts are with his family and the close Fijian community as they come to terms with his loss.”
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Casino revenue in Macau soared 57% in 2010, cementing its position as the world’s most lucrative gambling market.
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Mark Pritchard said his comments were not a criticism of David Cameron A senior Conservative MP has urged David Cameron to show more “clarity” over future plans for the party’s alliance with the Liberal Democrats.
Mark Pritchard said there was “confusion” over whether there would be a pact at the next election to maximise the number of seats for each party.
Several leading Tory figures, including former Prime Minister Sir John Major, have backed the idea.
But Mr Pritchard said such a move could “impact on party morale”.
His comments come amid concern among some Tory and Lib Dem MPs over the future direction of the coalition.
In November, Sir John said he hoped the “temporary alliance will turn into a mini-realignment of politics”, echoing the sentiment of influential backbench Conservative MP Nick Boles, who has written a book on Liberal Conservatism.
Other senior Conservatives have been quoted as saying they would be “relaxed” about the idea of an electoral pact, with former Social Security Secretary Peter Lilley telling the BBC he could “conceive that we might fight as a coalition”.
An electoral pact might see the Lib Dems not standing in constituencies where the Tory candidate has a better chance of winning, and vice versa – or even candidates standing on a joint coalition ticket.
But it would be fiercely resisted by the Tory right and Lib Dem left, who both fear a dilution of their parties’ identity and further compromises on policy.
The Conservative and Lib Dem leaders have been careful to stress that they plan to fight the next election as separate parties – but have not closed the door entirely on the idea of a pact.
“Most feel that the Conservative Party should stand on its own clear Conservative manifesto at the next elections”
Geoffrey Van Orden Conservative MEP
At a press conference last month, Mr Cameron said fighting separately remained the “likelihood” but refused to rule out a deal in which the parties would help each other win seats. He also said he hoped future general election campaigns would be more “polite”.
“We will be defending a shared record and talking about some of the things we have achieved together,” he told reporters.
His comments come amid claims – denied by Tory leaders – that the party is not fighting as hard as they normally would in the forthcoming Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election in an effort to help the Lib Dems defeat Labour.
Mr Pritchard, MP for the Wrekin and a senior member of the Conservatives’ backbench 1922 Committee, said activists were becoming concerned about such tactics in the run-up to May’s elections for the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and English councils.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “These people need encouragement and clarity and at the moment we have confusion, and I think that could impact on party morale more widely.
“It is not a criticism of the prime minister; it is an encouragement that the party leadership must understand the mandate for a coalition agreement is a temporary one – it is not a permanent one.”
Mr Pritchard said he wanted a manifesto with a “cutting-edge and hard-headed” approach to issues like Europe, immigration and welfare reform at the next general election. This would be possible only if the Conservatives stood as a distinct party, he added.
Another right-wing Tory MP, the former cabinet minister John Redwood, has accused Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg of taking too much credit for popular coalition policies – such as the pupil premium, scrapping ID cards, restoring the pensions earnings link and scrapping the third runway at Heathrow – which were also Tory policy.
Meanwhile, Geoffrey Van Orden, a Conservative Euro MP for the East of England, has said 94% of party members he had polled insisted there should not be a joint manifesto with the Lib Dems at the next general election.
“Most people understand the appalling economic legacy and recognize the need for broad-based support to overcome the deficit and get Britain back into growth and competitiveness,” he writes on the Conservative Home blog.
“But there is concern that this need to maintain the coalition means that policies in other areas such as Europe and immigration are less robust than they might be.
“I am sure that is why most feel that the Conservative Party should stand on its own clear Conservative manifesto at the next elections.”
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Trees and power lines were brought down last week by freezing rain Wintry weather in Russia has caused more power blackouts in the Moscow region, threatening further disruption to its busiest airport, Domodedovo.
The airport suffered serious disruption last week, with hundreds of flights cancelled and 8,000 people stranded.
Although power was restored on Saturday, heavy snow and gales have brought power cuts to dozens of nearby villages, according to Ria news agency.
A special emergency unit has been sent to the airport in case the power fails.
On Sunday Domodedovo was briefly forced to rely on a backup electricity substation, but the airport authorities say they do not expect a repeat of the problems of recent days.
“The airport has and is continuing to operate according to schedule,” a spokeswoman told Interfax news agency on Monday.
More than 5,000 people are reported to be without power in the Tver region north-west of Moscow because of heavy snow.
Hundreds of flights were cancelled last week at Moscow’s two international airports, Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo, when freezing rain showers brought down trees and power lines.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was shown on television castigating government officials, ordering cabinet ministers and regional governors to put the New Year holiday on hold until the problems were addressed.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Pogo the cat faces a series of dog encounters every day to decide if the dogs are suitable for life in homes with felines.
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Singapore’s economy expanded at a record rate in 2010, driven by a surge in manufacturing activity as the global economy recovered.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The waters are still rising in the city of Rockhampton
A severe thunderstorm threatening flash floods has been forecast for the already badly inundated Australian state of Queensland.
More than 20 towns have already been cut off or flooded across an area larger than France and Germany, with more than 200,000 people affected.
Meanwhile, a woman swept from the road in her car has become the first victim of the widespread flooding.
At least two other people have been reported missing.
In some areas waters are receding, but in Rockhampton – a city of 77,000 – they have yet to reach their peak.
Floodwaters could reach nine metres (30 feet) on Monday and peak at 9.4 metres on Wednesday, it says.
Even in a land as vast as Australia, the scale of the flooding is hard to comprehend. In central Queensland, murky brown floodwaters cover an area the size of France and Germany combined, and the crisis is far from over.
The city of Rockhampton, the home to over 70,000 people, is the latest to be bracing itself for nearly 30 feet floodwaters.
The airport has been closed, its runway already inundated. A main highway has been shut, and the local mayor has warned that over 40% of the city could be flooded.
Authorities say water from the swollen Fitzroy River is swamping parts of the city faster than originally forecast, and they are considering forced evacuations.
The Bureau of Meteorology says a severe thunderstorm late on Sunday night will bring “damaging winds, very heavy rainfall, flash flooding and large hailstones” to areas including Charleville, Emerald and Blackwater.
This includes areas in the central Highlands which have been hit badly by the floods in recent weeks.
The 41-year-old woman who was killed had been trying to cross the Leichhardt River on a causeway with one other car when both vehicles were swept away.
Police rescued eight people from the cars, but were unable to reach the woman. Her body was recovered later.
Rescue workers have also been searching for a man whose small fishing boat was swamped by flood waters in the mouth of the Boyne River, and for a swimmer who disappeared in the Fitzroy river, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
There are fears that damage from the floods could cost billions of Australian dollars to repair.
Officials have warned that the mining, farming and tourism industries will all suffer.
Recovery efforts are beginning in some areas where flooding has subsided, including the severely affected towns of Emerald and Bundaberg.
Residents are preparing to return home, though the towns of Theodore and Condamine, which were completely evacuated, remain empty.
In some areas, helicopters have been used to deliver supplies and food to cut-off householders.
Residents in Rockhampton have been leaving their homes for days as water levels continue to rise.
The mayor there, Brad Carter, has warned that about 40% of the city could be affected.
The airport has been closed to commercial flights, and roads into the city from the south and the west have been cut off.
One Rockhampton resident told the BBC there had been panic buying in the city.
“Lots of people have been stocking up on fuel. I also heard about one woman who brought 20 loaves of bread from a supermarket,” Petros Khalesirad said.
And he also claimed the floods had swept snakes downstream.
“Snakes have been swimming at people’s feet as they make their way through the waters,” he said. “I know one guy who killed four snakes this morning, one of which was a taipan – the more it bites, the more it injects venom that could easily kill.”
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Water supply is again disrupted to thousands of homes in Northern Ireland overnight, but 40,000 will be taken off rotated supply later.
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Birmingham singer-songwriter Clare Maguire is at number five on the BBC Sound of 2011 list
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Two people have been killed in the devastating floods that have hit Australia’s coastal north east.
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