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Key talks on Iran’s disputed nuclear programme end in Geneva, with Iranian sources saying a new round has been agreed for January.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Iran says it is considering a request to temporarily release two German journalists detained in connection with a controversial stoning case.
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The IMF’s Dominique Strauss-Kahn with the ECB’s Jean-Claude Trichet at the Eurogroup meeting The eurozone’s financial safety net is large enough for now, a meeting of the group’s finance ministers has said.
After the meeting, the chairman of the Eurogroup countries, Jean-Claude Juncker, said the 750bn euro (£635bn, $1tn) backstop was the right size.
He told reporters: “For the time being, there is no need to increase.”
He also said that the issue of a eurozone-wide bond, as proposed by certain member states but opposed by Germany, was not discussed.
Fears have been growing that other countries will soon follow Greece and the Irish Republic and need financial backing, which could test the existing bail-out fund to its limits.
One suggestion was to increase the size of the fund itself, or to issue new bonds that would be issued jointly by governments and guaranteed by them all.
IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn backed the suggestion that the 16-nation eurozone should boost the rescue fund.
But Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, dismissed both proposals on Monday.
Some countries have seen investors drive their borrowing costs so high that it has become very difficult to access much-needed funds on the open markets.
The Irish Republic will take further steps to address its economic problems with the announcement of new budget plans later on Tuesday.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Monday night’s dramatic events in Coronation Street attracted an average of 13m viewers, according to overnight figures.
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Heavy snow has been causing hazardous driving conditions across Northern Ireland More than 500 schools across Northern Ireland will be closed on Tuesday due to hazardous weather conditions.
Heavy snow and ice continues to cause significant traffic problems across Northern Ireland.
On Monday, both Belfast International Airport and City of Derry Airport closed for a time due to snow on the runway.
George Best Belfast City Airport remained open but several flights were delayed.
Roads Service has said they are working to hard to keep the main routes open.
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said that in the interests of patient safety it had cancelled “most outpatient transport” for the rest of Monday and Tuesday morning.
It said the exceptions to this decision were cancer and renal patients “for whom every effort will be made to provide transport”
The PSNI has warned motorists to be especially vigilant on the roads.
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Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier admits he is worried with the state of his side after their lifeless 3-0 defeat at his former club Liverpool.
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Jennifer Smith was volunteering in Nepal A young woman from Greater Manchester has died after falling from a hotel window in Nepal.
Jennifer Smith, from Stretford, plunged four floors at the hotel in Kathmandu on 4 December.
The 22-year-old, who had been on a volunteer programme called Platform2, had been with fellow volunteers on a weekend off when the incident happened.
A spokeswoman for the programme said police had investigated and classed it as an accidental death.
Ms Smith had been on a 10-week trip to the Himalayan country to help build schools.
In a statement, the spokeswoman said: “Platform2 can confirm that a tragic accident on Saturday 4 December led to the death of a volunteer in Kathmandu, Nepal.
“The volunteer fell from a hotel window resulting in fatal injuries. The accident occurred while away from the Platform2 project on a weekend off.
“The next of kin have been informed, and we would like to offer the family our deepest sympathy.”
Ms Smith had been based in the village of Lamatar, about eight miles (13km) from the capital city.
She was expected to fly home on 23 December.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We can confirm the death of a British national on December 4 in Kathmandu, Nepal.
“Next of kin have been informed and we are providing consular assistance.”
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Julian Assange denies sexually assaulting the two women The founder of the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks, Julian Assange, has been arrested by the Metropolitan Police.
The 39-year-old Australian denies allegations he sexually assaulted two women in Sweden.
Scotland Yard said Mr Assange was arrested on a European arrest warrant by appointment at a London police station at 0930 GMT.
He is due to appear at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court later.
Mr Assange is accused by the Swedish authorities of one count of rape, one of unlawful coercion and two counts of sexual molestation, alleged to have been committed in August 2010.
Police contacted his lawyer, Mark Stephens, on Monday night after receiving an European arrest warrant from the Swedish authorities.
“It’s about time we got to the end of the day and we got some truth, justice and rule of law”
Mark Stephens Julian Assange’s lawyer
An earlier warrant, issued last month, had not been filled in correctly.
Mr Stephens said his client was keen to learn more about the allegations and anxious to clear his name.
He said: “It’s about time we got to the end of the day and we got some truth, justice and rule of law.
“Julian Assange has been the one in hot pursuit to vindicate himself to clear his good name.”
Mr Stephens said Mr Assange had been trying to meet the Swedish prosecutor in various ways to find out the details about the allegations he faces.
Mr Assange has come in for criticism in the last week for the revelations made on Wikileaks.
On Monday, Foreign Secretary William Hague criticised the website for publishing details of sensitive sites, including some in the UK, saying they could be targeted by terrorists.
Former US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has described Mr Assange is “an anti-American operative with blood on his hands”.
Wikileaks was forced to switch to a Swiss host server after several US internet service providers refused to handle it.
It has also come under cyber attack.
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Maria Stubbings was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, who had a history of domestic violence The police watchdog has criticised Essex Police for its handling of the case of a woman murdered by her ex-boyfriend.
Maria Stubbings, 50, died in 2008 after being strangled in her Chelmsford home by convicted killer Marc Chivers.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said serious police failures meant Ms Stubbings was not afforded the protection she deserved.
It also called for a change in the law relating to people convicted abroad.
The IPCC report said that in July 2008, Chivers assaulted Ms Stubbings and a risk assessment was carried out by Essex Police and Chivers was considered a “very high risk perpetrator”.
In October 2008 he was convicted of assaulting Miss Stubbings and received a four-month jail sentence but as he had already served time on remand he was released immediately.
Chivers had previously been convicted of the murder of a girlfriend in Germany in 1993 and had served 15 years in jail before being deported back to the UK.
Police knew of the conviction and the fact Chivers had been convicted for an assault of Ms Stubbings, but did not have the legal powers to impose the normal restrictions on someone convicted of a murder because it was committed abroad.
Had Chivers committed the first murder in the UK he would have been on life licence following his release, and on his conviction for assault in July 2008 he could have been recalled to prison.
On 11 December 2008 Ms Stubbings called police to report a burglary at her house which she suspected had been carried out by Chivers.
The next day police found Ms Stubbings’ 15-year-old son in a car with Chivers and took him home.
Police officers witnessed her shock and saw her say to her son “you know what he’s done”.
The following day she informed police that she did not want to pursue the burglary report but the allegation later came to the attention of a detective inspector who was concerned.
The IPCC found that when Ms Stubbings reported that Chivers had been in her house, the initial call taker failed to record the correct address which meant that any alerts attached to her address were not accessed.
Marc Chivers served 15 years in Germany for murder before being deported back to the UK No further checks were undertaken and the call was wrongly treated as a report of a burglary rather than a domestic violence matter.
The IPCC said the call handler should face action for poor performance.
It also recommended that Essex Police examine and review their policies and procedures with regard to call handling, call grading and call taker identification of domestic violence incidents.
At some point between 16 and 19 December 2008, Chivers murdered Ms Stubbings.
A planned police visit to Ms Stubbings’ home on 17 December did not take place because the female officer said she could not find anyone to accompany her.
On 18 December two police officers went to the house where Chivers said Ms Stubbings was staying with friends and he was looking after the home, despite her car being on the drive.
Ms Stubbings’ daughter Celia Peachy said of the police: “They didn’t do their job.
“If they had, after that first assault, directed her to a refuge, her life would have been saved. We will fight for justice.”
IPCC Commissioner Rachel Cerfontyne added: “I am unable to make sense of the ease with which two officers were fobbed off by Marc Chivers.
“They were far too easily persuaded by the account of a man they knew to be a convicted murderer…”
Ms Stubbings’ body was found the next day and a post-mortem examination found she had been strangled.
Her brother Manuel Fernandez said: “Clearly there were a series of events that were ignored.
“Two years to investigate this incident is just woeful for this family.
“Police had countless opportunities to intervene. We are going to pursue justice through a number of means including possibly civil.”
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
David Cameron says it is possible that British troops could start coming home from Afghanistan next year.
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The Cataclysm expansion sees many familiar areas in World of Warcraft ripped up and re-made. World of Warcraft (WoW) is about to undergo one of the biggest changes in its six-year history.
The third expansion for the game, called Cataclysm, will be available from 7 December.
As its name implies the expansion re-makes the world in which the game is set and rips up the geography of many familiar places.
It also introduces two new races to the game, increases the level cap and makes many other changes.
Shops around the world were planning to stay open at midnight on 6 December to let eager players get their hands on Cataclysm. Blizzard had also set up a system that allowed people to pre-load the expansion pack by downloading it so they can play it as soon as possible on 7 December.
The Cataclysm expansion revolves around the emergence into Azeroth, the world in which WoW is set, of Deathwing the dragon. The seismic activity accompanying his emergence causes changes to almost every part of the game world.
Many of the geographical changes to Azeroth have already been applied to the game via a patch applied in late November. Prior to the application of this patch, in-game events involved players in quests to thwart cults predicting the end of the world or battling elementals released by Deathwing’s struggle to get free.
The Cataclysm expansion will mean that subscribers can run worgen (wolfmen) and goblin characters in the game. The level cap for players is also increased to 85 from 80.
Alongside the geographic changes go many alterations to the quests players must do to progress to higher levels. Many are themed around helping regions recover from the devastation wrought by Deathwing.
Game industry watchers said Cataclysm was a way for WoW creator Blizzard to remake the world that does not annoy existing players but that could also tempt lapsed or new players into giving it a try.
In the UK Cataclysm is expected to go on sale for £24.99 (30 euros).
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Heavy snow caused severe disruption on the M8 which links Glasgow and Edinburgh Hundreds of drivers were stranded overnight after more snow and ice brought further chaos to the UK.
Scotland saw the worst of the havoc, with scores of cars stuck in deep snow across the country’s central belt.
About 150 pupils, parents and staff spent the night in a South Lanarkshire school after the terrible weather conditions stopped them getting home.
The Met Office has heavy snow warnings for Orkney and Shetland, the Highlands, Grampian and North West England.
There are warnings of widespread icy roads for the rest of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and London and South East England.
Many motorists have been stuck overnight on the M8 after after heavy snow caused severe disruption to the route which links Glasgow with Edinburgh.
Traffic was also brought to a standstill on the M80 which runs through central Scotland.
Drivers were advised to stay with their vehicles. Some said they were frustrated by a lack of information.
One told the BBC: “I’d really like it if someone told us if we were moving or not. If we were told we’re not moving, we could actually get some sleep.
“People are saying ‘should we stay in our cars or shouldn’t we? Should we keep the engine running? What if we run out of petrol?'”
Another said: “I actually found out the road was closed when I was on the road. You know, it wasn’t a great help. I knew it wouldn’t be easy but I never thought it would be this bad.”
WEATHER AND TRAVEL INFO
Get the latest on travel problems via your local website Check if snow is forecast in your area at BBC Weather Details of motorway and local road closures and public transport disruption are available at BBC Travel News For advice on handling difficult driving conditions, see the Highways Agency website For information about severe weather warnings, see the Met Office website For information about staying healthy in the cold weather, see the NHS Winter Health website
However, Scottish transport minister Stewart Stevenson described his government’s handling of the major travel disruption as a “first class response”.
Mr Stevenson blamed inaccurate weather forecasts for the problems.
“The police, the hospital services, our road operating companies, have all been pulling together to make sure that we get equipment to the right place,” he said.
“We’ve brought snow ploughs and gritters down from further north in Scotland to supplement the usual equipment in the central belt.
“So a great deal has been done in the face of really atrocious weather conditions.”
The heavy snow across Scotland and Northern Ireland has cleared southwards and there are Met Office severe weather warnings for snow across parts of north-west England into Tuesday morning.
BBC weather forecaster Matt Taylor said ice would be a more widespread problem across the UK.
Temperatures will struggle to get above freezing in parts of Scotland, northern England and Wales.
Glasgow and Edinburgh airports will be open but passengers are advised to check with their airline.
Belfast International and London City airports have warned of delays and cancellations in fog and freezing weather.
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Ireland’s deal to secure bail-out aid brought thousands of protesters onto the streets of Dublin The Republic of Ireland is set to unveil more details of its controversial budget cuts.
The ruling Fianna Fail party is due on Tuesday to present what will be the toughest budget in Dublin’s history.
Finance Minister Brian Lenihan is planning an initial 6bn euros (£5bn) of cuts in welfare spending and job losses.
It is part of a deal to secure an 85bn-euro bail-out, but Fianna Fail’s slim majority means the vote could be close.
Once the budget is cleared by parliament it will trigger the first tranche of bail-out funds from the European Union and International Monetary Fund.
The government previously announced cuts under a four-year National Recovery Plan unveiled two weeks ago.
Dublin is looking to save about 15bn euros over the period as it struggles to balance the books after its banking and property.
But on Tuesday prime minister Brian Cowen’s government is to announce its spending programme for this financial year, having already warned that 2010/11 was likely to see the biggest cuts of the four-year plan.
The Irish Republic’s generous welfare budget is a prime target for the axe.
Child benefit is being slashed, and social welfare spending – state pensions excluded – is being cut by 5%.
Thousands of public sector jobs will go. Civil service pay freezes will be imposed, and reform of the tax system will bring thousands of Irish people into the tax net. The minimum wage will be lowered.
Dublin is a very cold place these days and the mood of the people matches the weather.
Politicians from the ruling Fianna Fail coalition usually enjoy a friendly and gregarious relationship with voters on all sides but that is no longer the case.
Voters are champing at the bit to get to the ballot box and punish this government.
That urge will intensify today when even further swingeing cuts are announced in the budget for 2011 including a de facto rise in income tax by dramatically widening the tax net as well significant cuts on social welfare.
Usually budgets contain some sweeteners for political reasons. One suspects that no amount of Canderel or Hermacetas would be able to sugar coat this most bitter of fiscal pills.
That the populace must endure this hardship so that failed Irish banks can be propped up is likely to live long in memories.
Mr Cowen says the cuts are necessary because Ireland was living way beyond its means.
Surging bond yields – the interest rates Dublin pays to borrow money – forced the government to ask for a bail-out on 28 November, as the Republic could no longer afford to raise money in the financial markets.
Mr Cowen, with his poll rating at a record low, needs to push the budget through to avoid having to call a snap election.
Failure to do so could plunge the Republic into a deeper crisis, one that could help spread contagion throughout the heavily-indebted eurozone.
Mr Cowen’s government only has a majority the Dail, or lower house of parliament, thanks the support of two independent MPs.
One of these MPs, Michael Lowry, pledged his support for the budget on Monday evening.
“The consequences of not passing a budget would be disastrous for Ireland and its people,” he said in a statement.
“Despite some adverse reaction in my constituency to this decision I feel duty bound to put the country’s interests first.”
The other independent MP, Jackie Healy-Rae, had yet to comment on whether he will vote for the budget.
And it is not clear if all opposition MPs will oppose the budget. There has been talk of some MPs abstaining from the vote, strengthening Mr Cowen’s hand.
But it is not essential that all parts of the budget are cleared on Tuesday.
The vote will be conducted via four separate ballots, and the budget must be passed within four months of Mr Lenihan presenting it to parliament.
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Nineteen countries will not attend Liu Xiaobo’s Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, as China brands the Nobel Committee “interfering clowns”.
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There are shortages of meat and fish in Ivory Coast, a study shows, as the deadlock after the disputed election continues.
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