News archive for October 2011

Man pleads guilty to theft of Picasso sketch

A man who stole a Picasso sketch from a San Francisco art gallery has pleaded guilty to grand theft.

Liam Fox 'hopes for eventual return to frontbench role'

Liam Fox hopes to return to the front benches of parliament, but likes the freedom of being a backbencher.

Unmanned sunbeds condemned by top medic

Wales’ chief medical officer has slammed unmanned sunbeds, saying they have “no redeeming features”.

Portrait of suffragette to go on display

A portrait of leading Welsh suffragette, Margaret Haig Thomas, is to go on display to the public.

Screening system enables 10,000 border arrests

A 2005 screening system has meant that around 10,000 criminals have been held at the UK border, rather than being admitted into the country.

Ofgem fines Npower £2 million

Npower has been fined £2 million for failing to process complaints correctly.

EU leaders finally agree eurozone debt deal

The leaders of the EU have come to a “three-pronged” agreement in an attempt to solve the region’s huge debt issues.

Turkey earthquake death toll rises to 432

The death toll from the earthquake in eastern Turkey has risen to 432 as rescue teams strive to find survivors beneath the wreckage.

Inquest into Amy Winehouse’s death to commence

The inquest into the death of singer Amy Winehouse is due to start later today.

Bishop asks St Paul's protesters to leave

The Bishop of London has asked anti-capitalist protesters who have caused St Paul’s Cathedral to close to leave the area.

Vince Cable fined over tax bill

The Business Secretary, Vince Cable, has been fined for failing to pay up to £25,000 in VAT.

EU leaders to tackle debt crisis

European Union leaders are meeting for an emergency summit in Brussels to agree details of a plan to ease the eurozone debt crisis.

Boeing's Dreamliner has maiden flight

The Boeing Dreamliner has taken off on its maiden commercial voyage three years earlier than scheduled.

Spending on education lowest since 1950s

Figures show that public spending on education is falling at the fastest rate since the 1950s.

News Corp investors vote against Murdoch’s re-election

Newly released figures reveal that a third of News Corporation investors voted against James and Lachlan Murdoch being re-elected to the board.

Pop impresario Harold Davison dies at 89

Harold Davison, the man who brought the Rolling Stones to America, has died at the age of 89.

BP at 'turning point' after rise in third-quarter profits

BP has reported a “turning point” for its oil and gas production after attaining a rise in third-quarter profits.

Michael Gove: EU referendum vote not humiliating

Michael Gove has denied that the vote on the EU referendum was a humiliation for the Conservative Party.

Gaddafi 'to be buried in desert grave'

Unconfirmed reports state that Colonel Gaddafi’s body is being prepared to be buried in a secret desert location.

'Disabled Will Lose Out' Warns Scope

Disability charity Scope has today warned that changes to disability allowance will leave millions out of pocket

Libya to Host Secret Gadaffi Burial

Libya will hold a secret burial for the body of Colonel Muammar Gadaffi

Global Warming a Reality

A new US scientific study has ruled global warming is a reality, putting to bed scepticism that similar previous studies were skewed

Court rejects seven of ten riot sentence appeals

Seven out of ten riot sentence appeals by people jailed over August’s rioting have been rejected by the Court of Appeal.

Saline criminal 'may not be found'

Police who are investigating the deaths of three patients at Stepping Hill say it’s very difficult to charge anyone with their murder.

Royal funding changes to be legalised

Changes to the way the royal family is financed are due to be passed into law later today.

Official report: Fox broke ministerial code

An official report will state that the newly-resigned Defence Secretary, Liam Fox, broke the ministerial code with his involvement with Adam Werritty.

Body of policewoman found in West Sussex woods

A former detective has been arrested following the discovery of a policewoman’s body in woodland in West Sussex.

Britons held by anti-terror police in Kenya

Two Britons believed to be from Cardiff are being questioned by Kenyan anti-terrorism police.

State pension age rise delayed to help women

Plans to raise the state pension age to 66 in 2010 will be delayed by six months in order to address concerns that women will be disadvantaged.

Project to vaccinate badgers causes 'delight'

The charity that runs the UK’s first independent badger vaccination scheme says the project is “viable and affordable”.

Cheapest gas and electricity deals 'ignored'

A consumer group has claimed that energy companies do not always offer its customers cheaper deals who wish to switch suppliers.

Basic elderly care standards ‘alarming’

Inspectors have said that too many English hospitals fall short of the most basic care they give their elderly patients.

Eight dead in California shooting

Authorities in the Los Angeles area have reported that eight people have been shot dead at a hair salon.

Bomb explodes at City of Culture office in Derry

A bomb has exploded outside the City of Culture offices in Londonderry.

Jury to visit Jo Yeates's flat in Tabak trial

The jury in the trial of Vincent Tabak is expected to visit the flat in Clifton where Jo Yeates lived and was killed today.

Jackson autopsy: singer did not cause own death

The medic who carried out Michael Jackson’s autopsy has testified that he could not have given himself the powerful anaesthetic that caused his death.

Slovakia denies eurozone its bailout expansion plans

Slovakia’s parliament has voted against measures to increase the powers of the eurozone’s bailout fund, which is seen as crucial to combat debt troubles.

Captain of New Zealand oil spill ship charged

The captain of the Rena cargo ship that ran aground on a reef off of New Zealand’s North Island has been arrested and charged.

Minister dismisses 'wild gossip' about Liam Fox

Liam Fox has said he will continue in his post as a colleague dismissed “wild rumours” concerning the Defence Secretary.

US puts Iran under pressure over 'plot to kill Saudi envoy'

Hilary Clinton has called for a “very strong message” to be sent to Iran after allegations of a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the US.

Mary Portas wants to give ‘ugly cabinet' a makeover

Retail guru, Mary Portas, has described the women in David Cameron’s cabinet as a poorly-dressed “ugly bunch”.

NZ oil spill is country’s 'worst maritime disaster'

The New Zealand government has said that the oil leaking from a marooned cargo ship is the country’s worst environmental disaster ever.

Cambridgeshire couple win Euromillions £101m jackpot

The third largest lottery win in UK history has been claimed by a couple from Cambridgeshire

Adam Werritty to be questioned by civil servants

Adam Werritty is expected to be questioned by senior civil servants who are investigating the conduct of Defence Secretary, Dr Liam Fox.

Vitamins linked to higher death risk in older women

Researchers have reported that there is a link between excessive vitamin consumption and higher death rates among older women.

West Ham Olympic Stadium deal collapses

The arrangement to award West Ham the Olympic Stadium after the London 2012 games has fallen through.

Fukushima children receive thyroid tests

Japanese health workers have begun screening over 300,000 children living near Fukushima nuclear plant for thyroid abnormalities.

Activists report dozens killed in Syria

Activists have reported that at least 31 people have been killed across Syria in a series of shootings yesterday.

New Zealand oil leak reaches shore

Oil from a stranded ship on a New Zealand reef has begun to wash ashore as teams try to stabilise the vessel.

Tributes as Cancer victim, Harry Moseley, 11, dies

Tributes have flooded in to 11-year old Harry Moseley, who has died from a brain tumour after raising thousands of pounds for charity.

Review into forced marriage offence

The government is to look into making it a criminal offence in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to force a person to marry against their will.

Cameron to review Fox report

David Cameron will look into an interim report into the working relationship between the Defence Secretary, Liam Fox, and his fried, Adam Werrity.

East Surrey Hospital loses confidential patient records

Redhill hospital in Surrey has admitted losing a memory stick containing confidential medical details of 800 patients.

Thomson Airways’ cooking oil plane takes off

The first British flight powered by biofuel is scheduled to take off from Birmingham airport today.

National Trust membership rises to 4 million

The National Trust has announced that membership numbers have reached 4 million for the first time.

Sarah Palin will not run for 2012 presidency

The former Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, has announced she will not run for the White House next year.

Coronation Street's star in child sex arrest

Coronation Street actor, Michael Le Vell, has been arrested on suspicion of a sexual offence involving a young girl.

Apple 'visionary' Steve Jobs dies at 56

Steve Jobs, the co-founder and former chief executive of Apple, has died after a long battle with cancer.

Knox 'overwhelmed' at US return

Amanda Knox said she was “overwhelmed” at being back in the US after she was acquitted of the murder of Meredith Kercher in Italy in 2007.

Ralph Fiennes & David Cronenberg to receive BFI honour

Ralph Fiennes and director, David Cronenberg, are to receive BFI Fellowships at the 55th London Film Festival later this month.

War Horse sees National Theatre have record year

According to its annual report, The National Theatre has enjoyed a “record year” with an income of over £70 million.

Fire at abandoned Bradford mill

A derelict mill in Bradford city centre is believed to be on the edge of collapsing after it caught fire.

Research suggests drivers ‘cut petrol use by 15%’

Research has shown that drivers have cut their fuel consumption by over 15% since the credit crunch and recession.

Helicopter crashes into NYC East River

A woman has died and two other people have been critically injured after a helicopter crashed into a New York river.

Conservative conference: Foreign criminal rights could be axed

New proposals by the home secretary mean that migrant criminals might no longer be able to avoid being deported by claiming a right to family life.

Jo Yeates murder trial to begin

The trial of Dutchman, Vincent Tabak, accused of murdering landscape architect, Jo Yeates, is due to begin later today.

Amanda Knox acquitted of Kercher murder

Amanda Knox will fly back to the US after she and ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were cleared of the murder of Meredith Kercher.

Former schools inspector: children should leave at 14

Sir Chris Woodhead has told The Times that the school leaving age should be cut to 14 in England.

Songs Of Praise has 50th anniversary

Songs of Praise has celebrated its 50th anniversary, and is now one of the world’s longest-running religious television programmes.

Iraq police held hostage by gunmen

A government building in Western Iraq has been stormed by heavily-armed insurgents and police officers taken hostage.

Rafaelle Sollecito denies Kercher murder

Ex-boyfriend of Amanda Knox, Raffaele Sollecito, has made a courtroom appeal against his conviction for the murder of UK student, Meredith Kercher, in Italy.