penyokong-kuli

Students as old as me ...

2011-09-15T01:29:00.000-07:00

Students as old as me ... come on, why she is so hurry to get on the car? where to go ? go to school ? what subject at her university ? hehehehehe

Gadis 15 trauma dicabuli Bosnya

2011-09-15T01:28:00.000-07:00

JAKARTA - A worker (15) was traumatized after being the victims of rape by the boss place to work in a restaurant in Tigaraksa, Kabupaten Tangerang, on Monday (12/09/2011) afternoon. Sacrifice could try suicide.

Tangerang regency Reskrim invisible Polrestro Shinto Silitonga commissioner said that because trauma victims feel has been tainted by S (40), perpetrators of rape is the owner of a restaurant place to work. Sacrifice 15-year-old was depressed due to forced sexual body.

"He was traumatized because no element of coercion there," said Shinto when contacted by reporters, Tuesday (09/13/2011).

Revalina tak Mau Buru-buru Cari Ganti

2011-09-15T01:27:00.000-07:00

JAKARTA - Pesinetron Revalina S temat (25) who broke up with Agus Ringgo, do not want to hurry looking for a new boyfriend.

Because, Garlic Onion reality, this did not want to fail again in matters of romance.
"It is not dikasih, I enggak maksain, quickly looking gitu direct, but ultimately not appropriate," said Revalina S temat syuting location Ummi Amminah film, the number Jatiwaringin.

According Revalina, his family did not compel him to quickly reach Pelaminan. Although the age of distinction Revalina have matured, but do not want to target your own Revalina find a new partner.

"If it was me who had, for example if I still want to undergo this done for ya, if ya had so tired already. I felt," says ex-girlfriend from the Ringgo Agus.

128 Anak Dilacurkan di Pontianak

2011-09-15T01:26:00.000-07:00

Tangerang regency Reskrim invisible Polrestro Shinto Silitonga commissioner said that because trauma victims feel has been tainted by S (40), perpetrators of rape is the owner of a restaurant place to work. Sacrifice 15-year-old was depressed due to forced sexual body.

"He was traumatized because no element of coercion there," said Shinto when contacted by reporters, Tuesday (09/13/2011).

Shinto says, the policy is currently searching for victims of close relationship with the perpetrator. However, Shinto is narrated that the sacrifice of the new officers belonging to RM Bambu Kuning S. "He had been in the date 3 September yesterday. So this incident makes clear shock," said Shinto.

Panas Jugak..! Ada Lagi Artis Dah Bertaubat Digunakan Oleh PAS Untuk H

2011-09-12T08:57:00.000-07:00

Take another example of a famous female artist is quite wild during adolescence. Now, since becoming a TV host and familiarized herself with the party, the Islamic talk not cracked in the mouth. He is great, the best example of his son, that is.

When the show hosting plans children on TV, air "make up" thick eyebrows but also shaved. Is this true believer features ala PAS? He did not know the ruling on shaving the eyebrows on the side of Islam illegal?

Can not any of our artists even if we want to repent, take Yussuf Islam such as a user? He was once a athies called Cat Steven, is not extreme when the depth, reach and expand Islam.

In fact he was preaching in his own right is preaching through nasyidnya music that praises God, Islam and Prophet Muhammad PBUH. For me, I am more interested in preaching this same pattern.

In our case, I blame 100% to Azmil Mustapha would be so too. The mosque committee members who wise to go pick one person who is not qualified to tell them. Tens or hundreds of other educated Muslim religious scholars in and outside the state, school and graduated from Al Azhar's hut, which can give talks and tazkirah at the mosque and the mosque.

What can we do, this is the characteristics of Malaysian-style Islamic state. Those non-Muslims in the Mosque out preach mock verses the Qur'an, Muslims too busy to break the fast in the church while the verses of the Koran prohibited heard publicly in the mosque by the State Fatwa Council pulak tu, allegedly want to please pagan harbi. Allahhuakbar.

Happy New Year !

2011-08-07T10:33:00.002-07:00

Let's start 2011 with some Calvin Klein !

Hot Young Asian Hunks

2011-08-07T10:33:00.000-07:00

Yuu Shirota

2011-08-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

Coronation Street star gets anti-gay abuse on Twitter

2011-08-03T09:52:00.001-07:00

Coronation Street star Antony Cotton threatened to call people after being on the receiving end of anti-gay abuse on Twitter.

The actor, who plays Sean Tully in the soap, was told by user ‘kittykatlovex’: “I hope you get AIDS and die you freak.”

He responded: “I think we should report this one to the police.”

Later, Cotton wrote: “Don’t worry tweeps – I’m not upset! She looks like Worzel Gummidge!”

He added: “It is important to stand up, speak out and stamp out homophobia.

“And for that reason it’s important that I stand up for myself and make a point at least.

“Homophobia has no place in our society.

“What anyone thinks of me, the actor off the telly, is none of my business.

“But as a gay man, I am proud of who I am and the community I am part of. Some people are gay, get over it.”

The ‘kittykatlovez’ account has now been suspended.

Coronation Street star gets anti-gay abuse on Twitter

2011-08-03T09:51:00.007-07:00

Coronation Street star gets anti-gay abuse on Twitter

2011-08-03T09:51:00.005-07:00

Coronation Street star gets anti-gay abuse on Twitter

2011-08-03T09:51:00.003-07:00

Sexy Malaysian girl Xie Wanyu

2011-08-02T07:58:00.002-07:00

Sexy Malaysian girl Xie Wanyu

Look in the good way, please

2011-08-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

Look in the good way. well, let see one more picture from Jomsompit, I collected. do hope you all like this it may a bit impolite but it is just a simple picture

Malaysia school uniforms

2011-08-02T07:57:00.001-07:00

This is from across the straits in Malaysia:
Malaysia’s Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein has insisted that blaming students or their uniforms for sexual crimes is unfair as there is nothing sexy about school uniforms now worn by girls in government schools.

The Minister’s comments come after the little known National Islamic Students Association of Malaysia created a furor in the ultra conservative republic by suggesting that “the blouse encouraged rape and premarital sex”. (Or a bit like saying that a jewelers deserves to be robbed for having jewels on display, or that drivers of Mercs are simply asking for their cars to be nicked when they park ‘em in public).

So well done to the minister for speaking up in support of the students. But as for there being nothing sexy about Malaysian school uniforms, well….

oh !!!!!!!!!! any one posted this from forum

2011-08-02T07:55:00.001-07:00

oh !!!!!!!!!! any one posted this from forum

sexy muslim

2011-08-02T07:54:00.001-07:00

sexy muslim?

Kemosabi

2011-07-31T09:48:00.000-07:00

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2011-07-31T09:47:00.001-07:00

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2011-07-31T09:46:00.002-07:00

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2011-07-31T09:46:00.000-07:00

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Washboard Abs

2011-07-31T09:45:00.001-07:00

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Jeff Tomsik

2011-07-31T09:44:00.001-07:00

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Window Seat

2011-07-31T09:43:00.001-07:00

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2011-07-31T09:42:00.001-07:00

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Understanding Love - Chemical Romance Or Poetry in Motion?

2011-07-31T03:00:00.002-07:00

Who's arrogant enough to assume they can cover the philosophy of love in approximately 300 words? Not this website. That's like trying to explain why the sky is blue to a five-year old who's already moved on to the question of where babies come from before you've begun answering the first question. Hopefully this section will at least start to help you gain an understanding of what it is deep inside of you that feels the need for love - if you need it at all.

Because it's so obvious, it may in fact not be obvious at all. But when considering what it is that constitutes the perfect wife for you, you should first consider how much you desire to love and be loved...if at all. Sometimes marriages fail simply because the partners don't have a great need for love, and were truly just searching for a comprehensive friendship, taking care of their fundamental needs for companionship. Think hard, are you searching for the perfect wife just because you get lonely? If this is you, then you could be a brave pioneer in a whole new lifestyle of straight partnerships. Imagine that, two straight dudes living together as partners for no other reasons than to have fun doing activities together and to avoid eternal loneliness, vowing to be there for each other beyond the regular roommate relationship. Perhaps a bit odd, but the point is to give due diligence in evaluating your motivation.

The Purpose of Love

Then, there is the highest calling of love, to multiply your happiness and the happiness of others by sharing your life with the perfect match. Achieving a sense of completion and indemnification are often among the rewards of a relationship most frequently reported. Those are definitely positive feelings - if the individual feels some degree of wholeness before hand, and feels comfortable with themselves, by themselves. A spouse should never be gotten simply to fill a void, but rather because you know that person could complement your attributes and you could both grow to be better people and spread joy through the combination of your matrimonial magic. Mutual desire is key here.

Biology of Love

In certain biological respects, we may not have a choice but to love others. The emotional sections of the mammalian brain have evolved to protect young offspring, ensuring that the parent stays near the offspring during its vulnerable period. This may shed a little light, but only a narrow beam of illumination when we're trying to figure out the love between people in at least their twenties.

Understanding Your Inner Self

Let's consider the need to feel safe. No matter how manly you may perceive yourself, and even if you were raised by wolves, your inner self surely seeks some degree of security and protection. Loud social norms and mass media may make it hard for a guy to readily admit that a woman could provide these things, so perhaps it would help to think about women as steel flowers - delicate and beautiful, and yet solid and capable of amazing support and reinforcement. A woman's just got that amazing ability to make life's stressors melt away as if they never existed.

And then there's the chemical romance - the crack cocaine of the love world. Often classified as the butterflies, the initial phase of meeting your significant other is usually catalyzed by physical attraction, and then the molecular tornado tears through. Subconsciously, we actually test each other out on a molecular level to establish biological feasibility - pheromones and hormones. After approximately a few months to a year, this initial subconscious K9-like sniffing and familiarization starts to decline and the brain shifts its functioning to produce bonding chemicals. Through continuous, repeated physical proximity, we exchange vasopressin and oxytocin (bonding chemicals), maintaining a desire to be with each other.

Biology then may explain why countless couples experience a dip in excitement after the first year or from physical separation. The molecules have settled and it's now time to put real effort into the relationship. It's vital to keep this in mind when searching for your perfect wife. Otherwise, you may become a romance junkie, in search of the eternal high.

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The Writer's Rep is dedicated to taking on the finest writers from a number of different industries. This enables entrepreneurs and freelance writers to find lucrative writing projects and businesses to find world-class copywriters to represent their businesses in the best voice possible.

Never Give Up When You Are Committed

2011-07-31T03:00:00.000-07:00

Commitments done must be fulfilled if we are committed with someone in any relation then we should complete the relation especially when you are in love with someone. The person whom with you are committed trust you so much that she is ready to sacrifice any relation for you.

When we are in a relation and committed one should also take care about are actions because our any wrong action can hurt the feelings of other person in the relation moreover one should try to give the best care and all the love one can give to the person whom with we are committed.

Commitment is the never ending relation it lasts forever if it is fulfilled and he most beautiful commitment is when you are in love with someone, when you care for someone, when someone is sacred to you more than anything else... these all feelings become more lively when actually in front of the whole world we accept the person whom we love so this the most special thing in any commitment.

When we like someone we readily express our feelings and when those feelings get mature we realize that we love the person and when we commit that we should marry and spend our lives together that is the most important commitment and this commitment should be fulfilled because the other person in the relation is dependent upon you and if someone is unable to complete the commitment done to spend the lives together it really hurts and shatter the feelings of other person and sometimes the broken heart even start believing that the commitment is nothing and love was just to play with my feelings... so commitment done must be fulfilled in all the aspects.

Great Ways to Build Trust in a Relationship

2011-07-31T02:59:00.002-07:00

One thing vital to any successful relationship, is trust. If you can to improve trust you will be a happy couple. The funny thing is that the things we often consider will work end up having the opposite effect. So, what can you do? Use any of these six tips to help you build trust in a relationship.

a) "Spice things up?" That's what your friends will tell you do at the first sign of trouble. While this may work in sometimes, it may not be the best course of action if you are trying to gain more trust from your partner. What often works is being predictable. That's because it goes hand in hand with prior expectations. It's easier to trust somebody if you have some idea of what they will do in certain situations. That's what we're talking about here. You don't have to be a boring, mindless machine, but do try to have some level of predictability.

b) Congruity just a fancy way of saying that you should say what you mean and mean what you say. No matter how good you think you are at relaying something, if you don't really feel that way your body language will not match. Criminologists who specialize in lie detection are trained to spot these incongruities. If they can do it, how much better will your partner be at it? After all, they know you much better. Nobody likes a phony. So be sure your body language matches your words if you want to build trust in a relationship.

c) Try to give to get. Ever wish your partner could trust you more? There's one sure way to make that happen, and it is by trusting them first. It does not matter if you think you're more trustworthy or not. It is incredibly difficult to trust somebody who doesn't trust you. Believe in your partner. Try to catch your significant other telling the truth, and also operate from the expectation that they are telling the truth in the first place.

d) Make yourself an open book. Keeping secrets is a form of dishonesty and will be counterproductive to building trust. If it helps, assume your partner will find out eventually anyway; so they may as well learn the truth from you. Simple.

e) Work out what you need? Your partner is not a mind reader. You have to be clear as to what your needs are, what you want, and so on. It's also important to assert yourself when you need to. Again, don't leave it to your partner to guess.

f) Grow as a couple. A relationship needs the right kind of care and cultivation for it to survive. Go through new experiences, good or bad and be there for each other. By doing this you will deepen the level of trust in your relationship. Decide that it is indeed important to build trust in a relationship and work as a couple to ensure this happens. This will make you both stronger and much happier.

Getting the Girl You Want is Easy

2011-07-31T02:59:00.000-07:00

What is the best advice on getting the girl you want? This can vary slightly from person to person. But for the most part there is a set method to getting girls. This is a method that has been working since the beginning of time. For some men they just can't understand why it is they can not even get a girls number. But I'm here to tell you that even you can get a girl.

You have to figure out what kinds of things she is interested in. Things like music, movies or even foods. Once you have figured out what it is she likes, it will be much easier to get her to like you. Now that you have this information you can approach her and say something along the lines of "have you heard that new song by John Doe?" You could also ask her out to dinner, to a restaurant that serves her favorite food. The most important part about getting the girl you want is to be charming and funny. What you don't want to do is be shy or cheesy. It is very important that you remember to be confident but not overconfident. If you think about it as you are just trying to get a friend, chances are you'll end up with a girlfriend.

When it comes to getting the girl you want, some men have no luck. I was once shy and had no confidence. I got turned down by every girl I tried to get. I just couldn't figure out what it was I was doing wrong.

Malaysian Models - Sufiah Yusof

2011-07-31T02:37:00.001-07:00

Sufiah Yusof first made headlines in 1997 when she gained entry into St. Hilda's College, Oxford University to study mathematics at the age of 13.

In 2001, she ran away from her student flat in Oxford, after taking her final examination paper for the academic year. She was found working as a waitress in a Bournemouth Internet cafe two weeks later, but refused to return home, alleging that her parents made life difficult for her at home. She stayed with a foster family instead

ARTIS : Tarian bogel dan aksi lucah di parti Hari Jadi Erma Fatima

2011-07-31T02:36:00.001-07:00

PARTI hari jadi Erma Fatima yang diselitkan tarian separuh bogel dan aksi lucah mengejutkan banyak pihak. Ia mengejutkan selepas rakan Siti memetik paparan beberapa laman sosial mereka yang berbangga hadir ke parti itu.

Setelah diselidik, parti itu benar-benar wujud dan tarian separuh bogel itu juga benar.

Bagi Siti, parti itu wujud kerana ada kalangan artis tidak peka hal-hal di luar selimut mereka. Misalnya mereka tak ambil peduli sensitiviti orang sekeliling yang berbilang budaya dan agama. Parti hari jadi bukan isu. Siti pun bukanlah kolot sangat nak jadikan isu orang buat parti hari jadi. Cuma Siti terkejut beruk bila tengok aksi penari.

Aide to former Colombian president faces arrest

2011-07-30T22:52:00.001-07:00

A senior aide of former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is facing criminal prosecution.

A judge has ordered the arrest of Mr Uribe's former chief of staff, Bernardo Moreno, for allegedly spying on judges, journalists and politicians.

It is the second such order this week. Andres Felipe Arias, a former agriculture minister, has been charged with corruption. He denies the allegations.

Alvaro Uribe left office last year.

Mr Moreno served as Mr Uribe's chief of staff for both of his presidential terms, from 2002-2010.

He now faces trial for criminal conspiracy, abuse of public office and other charges.

Mr Moreno would be jailed for at least three years, if convicted. He denies all the charges.

Mr Arias, 38, is suspected of diverting farm subsidies intended for peasant farmers to rich landowners.

He will be held at a jail in the capital Bogota while his case proceeds.

The Colombian Attorney General's office has already disqualified him from public office for 16 years because of what it deemed were irregularities in the subsidy scheme.

Was Lumley campaign good for Gurkhas?

2011-07-30T22:51:00.001-07:00

Two years ago actress Joanna Lumley helped Gurkhas who retired before 1997 win the right to settle in the UK. Gurkha welfare groups and the Home office estimate that about 8,000 former soldiers and their families have since moved to Britain. But many have struggled in the UK, as the BBC's Alastair Lawson reports.

Nowhere can the influx of Gurkhas into Britain be more clearly seen than in the British military town of Aldershot.

The local authority estimates that one in 10 of the town's 90,000 residents comes from Nepal - many as a direct result of the campaign Ms Lumley helped lead.

If the British Gurkha Welfare Society (BGWS) is to be believed, Joanna Lumley's campaign has been a disaster, resulting in thousands of elderly and infirm Gurkha pensioners - most unable to speak English - living in poor accommodation and relying on state handouts to survive.

The actress herself has broken a strictly-observed silence over criticisms of her campaign to release a statement to the BBC."Our campaign had moral right on our side," the statement said, "and the vast majority of the British public wanted the government to amend the law to allow Gurkhas to settle in the UK.

"Debts of honour are not easy to translate or quantify into pounds and pence, and some MPs have criticised our campaign for not considering the potential financial impact on the exchequer. Yet the government did consider this at the time, and decided that our campaign arguments vanquished the issues of pure cost."

Ms Lumley's supporters insist that her campaign successfully reversed decades of discrimination against older Gurkhas who fought for the British army yet were denied the right to retire in the UK.

But the BGWS argues that it would be far more cost-effective if retired Gurkhas were paid better pensions and encouraged to stay in Nepal rather than pursue the more expensive option of emigrating to the UK to take advantage of state pensions, housing benefit and free health care.

The organisation says that from the outset its campaign has been different from that waged by Ms Lumley and her supporters - it argued that fair pensions and the right of former Gurkhas to retire in the UK were equally important, whereas the emphasis of her campaign was on resettlement rights.

About 25,000 Gurkhas who retired before 1997 still get only about a third of the amount of pension received by their British and Commonwealth former comrades, despite winning the right to live in Britain.

In 2007, the pension rules were changed to give Gurkha soldiers who retired after 1997 equal pension rights with other UK service personnel.

The Ministry of Defence has argued that pre-1997 pensions are tailored for Gurkhas retiring in Nepal, where it is cheaper to live and most people have no pension at all.
'Terrible quality of life'

In May 2009 the British government announced that all Gurkhas who retired before 1997 with four or more years service in the British army would be allowed to settle in the UK along with their wives and children.Joanna Lumley had argued that it was only fair to give them the same retirement rights as Gurkhas who retired after 1997 - who are automatically granted leave to remain in the UK.

BGWS General Secretary Chhatra Rai says that between 60% and 70% of those who have arrived in the UK as a result of her campaign are not eligible for a Gurkha military pension and will instead rely on UK state pensions and housing benefits to survive.

He argues that each entrant costs the state on average £600-700 ($980-$1,150) in benefits a month. Equalising pensions would cost a fraction of what it does to settle retired Gurkhas in the UK, the BGWS estimates.

"The quality of life for many of these people is terrible," Mr Rai said. "Many cannot speak English and because they are old and frail they often find it difficult to get out and mix with the community."

Much of Mr Rai's concern about the "massive influx" of Gurkha veterans and their families into the Aldershot area is echoed by Gerald Howarth, the MP who represents the local authority, Rushmoor, where many have settled.He argues that their arrival has resulted in a "very real additional financial burden" on Rushmoor and its services - including council housing, doctors' practices and schools.

"Action needs to be taken to limit any further numbers coming to Rushmoor," Mr Howarth told the BBC.

"Given the respect and affection in which Gurkhas are held across the UK, I have proposed to the prime minister that other local authorities should be encouraged to extend the offer of assistance to would-be migrants in their areas."

Mr Howarth - who in the past has been highly critical of Ms Lumley's campaign - said that it was important that those Gurkhas thinking of coming to retire in the UK "are painted a very clear picture" of what they can expect when they arrive.

"I think it extremely unfair on them if they are not given that clear picture, especially when it comes to the lack of social housing and the lack of jobs for those who do not speak English."
'Not an option'

But Gurkha Justice Campaign (GJC) joint leader Martin Howe says that Ms Lumley's campaign was and continues to be "a fantastic success story".The GJC was at the forefront of the campaign two years ago to allow all retired Gurkhas the right to live in the UK.

Spearheading that campaign was former Gurkha Ragprasad Purja, who celebrated victory with Ms Lumley in 2009.

"We died for this country and we are entitled to come and live here and claim benefits for the sacrifices we have made," he told the BBC.

"We will forever be grateful to Joanna Lumley for what she has done."

Mr Howe acknowledges that "there will always be some retired Gurkhas who have slipped through the net and found life in the UK to be a struggle".

"But it's very important that after serving this country they and their families now have the right to take advantage of its health care and education facilities," he said.

Mr Howe said that GJC figures showed that 3,000 retired Gurkhas and 5,000 of their dependants had come to the UK as a result of Ms Lumley's campaign.

He said that giving retired Gurkhas better pensions "was not an option" because the British defence ministry "had fought tooth and nail" not to allow this in several court cases over the past decade.

He also dismissed predictions that thousands more Gurkha pensioners would descend on the UK.

"Two years ago there were government predictions that as many as 150,000 could come to Britain - but then as now such estimates have proved to be inaccurate and blatant scaremongering."

Joanna Lumley's statement reinforces her belief that the campaign has been a success.

"It was a wonderful moment in our democratic history, where a public desire for justice turned into a massive campaign that changed government policy in the face of strong resistance from the Ministry of Defence."

Egypt changes Mubarak trial venue

2011-07-30T22:50:00.003-07:00

Egyptian authorities say the trial of deposed President Hosni Mubarak's trial will be moved from a Cairo convention centre, for security reasons.

The trial, due to open on Wednesday, will now be held at a police academy further from the city centre.

Mr Mubarak, 83, has been under arrest at a hospital in the coastal resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh since April.

He is charged with corruption and ordering the killing of protesters before he was toppled in February.

Appeals court president Abdel Aziz Omar said Mr Mubarak's trial was being moved "because it is difficult to guarantee the protection of the other place".

The police academy auditorium where the trial will now be held can hold 600 people, Assistant Justice Minister Mohammed Munie told Egypt's Mena news agency.

A cage for the defendants has already been prepared, he said.

Protesters still demonstrating in Egypt have made swift prosecution of officials from the former regime a key demand.
Family trial

Doctors have said Mr Mubarak's condition is poor, that he has lost weight from refusing food and is suffering from depression. But the government has said he is well enough to be moved to Cairo for trial.

Mr Mubarak is expected to be tried alongside his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, and former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, as well as six senior police officials.

Adly has already been sentenced to 12 years in jail for corruption.

The justice minister has said Mr Mubarak could face the death penalty if found guilty of murder.

Mr Mubarak was deposed on 11 February, after 18 days of mass demonstrations in which some 850 people were killed.

Knife duo kill six in China's Xinjiang region

2011-07-30T22:50:00.001-07:00

Two knife-wielding men have killed at least six people in an attack in China's western Xinjiang region, official media say.

The assailants reportedly stabbed a truck driver before attacking a crowd late on Saturday in Kashgar city.

It is the second attack of the month in Xinjiang, which is home to a Muslim Uighur minority and has seen episodes of ethnic tension.

A local official was quoted as saying that both attackers were Uighurs.

"The case is still under investigation so I don't have more information," Hou Hanmin told AFP news agency.

According to tianshannet.com, a Xinjiang government-run website, the assailants hijacked a truck waiting at traffic lights, stabbing the driver to death before ploughing the vehicle into bystanders.

They then got out of the vehicle and started attacking people at random, the report said.

It said the crowd then turned on the men, killing one of them. The second man was captured.

State-run news agency Xinhua said the attack had been preceded by two explosions.

Twenty-eight people were reported to have been taken to hospital.

On 18 July, several police officials and a number of civilians were killed in an attack on a police station in the city of Hotan.

Chinese officials blamed the attack on "terrorists" from the Uighur minority.

Uighur activists said the security forces had provoked clashes by opening fire on a peaceful demonstration.

The majority of Xinjiang's population is ethnically Uighur - who are Muslims with strong cultural ties to Central Asia.

They have complained that waves of Han Chinese migrants have left them marginalised.

In 2009, riots erupted in Xinjiang in which nearly 200 people died after tensions flared between the Uighurs and the Han Chinese.

Syria army tanks move into Hama

2011-07-30T22:49:00.001-07:00

The Syrian army has begun an operation in the city of Hama, one of the centres of anti-government demonstrations.

Troops started moving into the city from at least three directions at dawn and residents told the BBC there was intense gunfire.

At least three tanks were seen near a mosque and there were reports of some residents putting up street barricades.

Syria has seen several months of protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

A doctor in Hama told Reuters news agency that tanks were firing heavy machine-guns and overrunning the makeshift barricades.

He said the main hospital was short of blood.

Jordan jails mentor of al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Zarqawi

2011-07-30T04:54:00.001-07:00

The former mentor of Iraq's slain al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been sentenced to five years in prison in Jordan.

Abu Mohammed al-Maqdessi was convicted of recruiting people in Jordan to join the Taliban in Afghanistan.

He faced a military court with three fellow Palestinian-born Jordanians.

As the ruling was handed down, he shouted at the judges: "Even if you sentence us to death, we will continue to be fighters until the day we die."

Maqdessi - whose full name is Isam Mohammed Taher al-Barqawi - was often praised by al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in a US air strike north-east of Baghdad in 2006.

In 1995, the two men were jailed in Jordan for five years for membership of an outlawed Islamist organisation, but freed as part of a general amnesty in 1999.

They later fell out over "ideological differences", said aides quoted by the AFP news agency.

Three other men were tried alongside Maqdessi. The military court sentenced two of them to two-and-a-half years each, while a third was sentenced in absentia to five years in prison.

North Korea nuclear talks 'businesslike', says US

2011-07-30T04:53:00.001-07:00

The US says a first day of talks on North Korea's nuclear programme had been "serious and businesslike".

The talks between US North Korea envoy Stephen Bosworth and North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan are to continue on Friday in New York.

US officials stress that the talks are "exploratory", aimed at gauging whether North Korea is serious about resuming negotiations that ended in 2008.

North Korea conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.

"Today's discussions have been serious and businesslike," a US statement said after Thursday's talks. "We look forward to continuing our meetings tomorrow."

Mr Kim said: "The atmosphere was good, the meeting was constructive and interesting. We exchanged views on general issues."

The US wants North Korea to fulfil commitments it signed up to in a 2005 document, which provided for North Korea to end its nuclear programme in return for energy and economic aid.

"We're quite clear, broadly, on what we're looking for, which is for North Korea to live up to its commitments," said state department spokesman Mark Toner.

"It needs to take concrete steps toward denuclearisation."

Six party talks involving North and South Korea, the US, Russia, China and Japan were last held at the end of 2008.

In a surprise move, North Korean officials met their counterparts from the South last week on the sidelines of a security conference in Indonesia.

Tensions between the Koreas increased last year after two attacks that left 50 South Koreans dead.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn: Maid 'may file civil suit'

2011-07-30T04:52:00.001-07:00

The hotel maid who accuses ex-IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn of attempted rape may file a civil suit if prosecutors do not press criminal charges, her lawyer says.

The Manhattan district attorney's office has publicly announced they had doubts about the credibility of Nafissatou Diallo's allegations.

Making her first public appearance, Ms Diallo spoke of the pain the case had caused her and her family.

Mr Strauss-Kahn has denied the charges.

"What she wants is justice and if the prosecutors are not going to bring this case to trial then we have to look for justice and what I look forward to is putting this case before a jury," Ms Diallo's lawyer, Kenneth Thompson told a news conference.

When pressed by journalists when he might launch this case, he said: "Soon. Soon is soon."

On Wednesday, Ms Diallo and Mr Thompson met prosecutors for eight hours
It was their first meeting since the Manhattan district attorney's office said it had doubts about her credibility because of false statements on her asylum application and a taped recording of a telephone conversation between Ms Diallo and a friend in an Arizona jail.

Mr Thompson said a translated transcript revealed that the conversation, the day after the alleged attempted rape, focused on what had happened to Ms Diallo, and not on Mr Strauss-Kahn's wealth.

Ms Diallo was reported to have discussed with the man how to obtain money from the French politician.
'Stop crying'

Mr Thompson was speaking after Ms Diallo made a emotional public appeal for people to believe her allegations.

"A lot of things people say about me are not true," she continued.

Her daughter, she said, had told her: "You have to remember this guy is a powerful man - everybody knows that. But for you, only the people who work with you, your neighbours, the people back home, know you.

"But those people say good things about you because they know you. Please mum, stop crying, be strong for me."

She said she had promised her daughter she would be strong "for you and every other woman in the world".

"What happened to me I don't want to happen to any other woman," she said

House prices are stabilising, says Nationwide

2011-07-30T04:51:00.003-07:00

House prices are stabilising, according to the latest monthly report from the Nationwide building society.

Prices across the UK rose by 0.2% in July, to £168,731, leaving them just 0.4% lower than a year ago.

The society said demand for homes was still sluggish, with completed sales still running at roughly half the level recorded before the banking crisis.

On Thursday, the Land Registry for England and Wales said average prices were unchanged, at £161,479.

The Nationwide's chief economist Robert Gardner said this stability reflected the "uncertain" state of the economy.

"House prices remain relatively high compared to incomes and, together with more demanding deposit requirements, this is dissuading, or at least delaying, some first-time buyers from entering the market," he said.
Down and up

Although prices are almost the same as they were a year ago, since July 2010 they have fallen and then recovered, according to the Nationwide's measurement.

Since December 2010, the average house price, not seasonally adjusted, has now gone up by 4%.

Economists often argue that the best guide to short-term trends is to compare the average price over the last three months with that of the previous three.

The Nationwide says on that basis, prices have risen by just 0.3%.

Crowds expected to gather for Edinburgh royal wedding

2011-07-30T04:51:00.001-07:00

Scotland's first royal wedding in nearly 20 years is set to draw crowds in Edinburgh on Saturday.

Zara Phillips is to tie the knot with England rugby star Mike Tindall at the Canongate Kirk on the Royal Mile.

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh and other royals will join Zara's parents, Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, at the ceremony.

Princess Anne's second marriage to Timothy Laurence was the last Scottish royal wedding in 1992.

Also believed to be attending are Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Rothesay, the recently wed Earl and Countess of Strathearn, Prince Harry and the Earl of Inverness and his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

Lothian and Borders Police have been working with the palace and Edinburgh City Council to ensure the smooth running of the wedding.

Supt Ivor Marshall, who is the Silver Commander responsible for overseeing security arrangements, said the event was expected to attract significant public interest, despite being a private affair.

He said: "In some ways it is quite difficult to predict, however given the couple's status as well-known sports stars, the fact many of their guests are going to be well-known, and the fact Zara is a member of the Royal Family, that's going to draw people to the event and we are preparing for that."
'Enjoyable day'

Supt Marshall said the kirk's location, close to both the Scottish Parliament and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, yet set on the busy tourist hub of the Royal Mile, presented unique challenges.

While some road closures will be in place, local businesses will remain open and residents, who have been contacted by Edinburgh City Council, will be relatively unaffected.

He said: "The police planning unit is well versed in assisting in the organisation of high-profile and large-scale events in Edinburgh, including the recent Royal Week, the Papal visit last year and the festival."Therefore, we will be drawing on that experience to keep policing costs to a minimum and ensure it's an enjoyable day for the couple, their guests and the public."

Police began security preparations immediately following the announcement of Canongate Kirk as the venue.

However, few details of the wedding have been released by the palace.

The nuptials of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall are being billed as a low-key affair - in stark contrast to the recent wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

William and Kate's televised marriage was watched by a world-wide audience of hundreds of millions and attended by a host of celebrities and dignitaries.

The doors of the Canongate Kirk are to be closed to the press and public.

Tourism opportunity

But large crowds are still expected in Edinburgh's Old Town to watch the arrival of the royal family.

Mr Tindall is likely to have invited some of England's best-known rugby players who are colleagues and friends.

The wedding reception will be held in the Palace of Holyroodhouse - the official Scottish home of the Queen.

Tourist bosses said the nuptials are good news for the capital and the country.

Mike Cantlay, chairman of VisitScotland, said: "The wedding between Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall is wonderful news for Edinburgh and the whole of Scotland.

"It's a great opportunity for tourism in this country and we would urge businesses to take advantage of this great occasion.

"With the Palace of Holyrood, Edinburgh Castle and Royal Britannia, the city has a fantastic wealth of royal attractions for visitors, and I would like to congratulate Ms Phillips and Mr Tindall on choosing Edinburgh's Canongate Kirk as the venue for their wedding.

"Situated on the Royal Mile, there can be few more historic or romantic places in which to get married."

Ukraine mine blast leaves 16 dead

2011-07-30T04:50:00.003-07:00

An explosion at a mine in the Ukraine's eastern Lugansk region has left at least 16 people dead, the emergencies ministry says.

A further 10 people were unaccounted for, and two miners were being treated in hospital, reports said.

The explosion took place at 01:57 local time (22:57 GMT).

A lack of equipment and safety standards make Ukrainian coal mines among the most dangerous in the world, and accidents are common.

Norway extremist Breivik faces fresh interrogation

2011-07-30T04:50:00.001-07:00

Police say they will question Anders Behring Breivik again on Friday, to follow up new leads on the Norwegian massacre and bombing.

It will be the second interrogation for the extremist, who admits carrying out the attacks that killed 76 people.

Mr Breivik has been in solitary confinement since his court appearance on Monday.

One week after the killings, Norway's leaders will join bereaved relatives for a memorial service in Oslo.

The service has been organised by the youth movement of the Norwegian Labour party, which was the target of the shootings on Utoeya island.

The prime minister and most of his government will attend the event. The principle message will be that Norway's democracy will not be undermined by extremism.
Synne Roeyneland (18) from Oslo, who has been confirmed as one of those killed on 22 July 18-year-old Synne Roeyneland from Oslo is one of those newly confirmed as a victim of the 22 July massacre

As to the self-confessed gunman; in addition to answering police questions, he will also be assessed by psychiatrists.

His lawyer has claimed publicly that his client is insane.

The police called off their search of Utoeya island on Thursday afternoon, but continue to drag the surrounding lake for remains.

They also released the names of another 24 people killed. The process is taking days, because the authorities are scrupulously following a procedure of contacting relatives when they have positively identified victims.

Most were teenagers. The youngest of those named so far was Johannes Buoe, aged 14.

Two foreigners are now known to have died; one Georgian and one Danish citizen.

But the BBC's Jon Brain in Oslo says the police have admitted for the first time that they are not sure how many people are still missing.
Closed hearing

Mr Breivik has claimed he acted to stem what he called the Islamisation of western Europe, blaming the government for allowing it to happen.

His next interrogation will focus on whether there is "any more danger", according to police attorney Paal-Fredrik Hjort Kraby.

Detectives want to question Mr Breivik on "information received over the last few days - which is a lot," added Mr Kraby, though he did not elaborate.
Players from the Stromsgodset football team stand in silence before their Europa League match against Atletico Madrid in Madrid on 28 July Stromsgodset players hold a minute of silence before their Europa League match against Atletico Madrid on 28 July

After the custody hearing on Monday, which was closed to the public, the presiding judge said Mr Breivik claimed there were two other cells working with him.

His next court hearing will be closed as well, "just in case he's able to send messages by code" to associates, said Mr Kraby.

Despite the fears, Norwegian authorities have said they believe Mr Breivik acted alone.

Norwegian domestic intelligence chief Janne Kristiansen said no evidence had so far been found linking Anders Behring Breivik with far-right extremists in Norway or elsewhere.

Norway's chief prosecutor has said he expects the indictment will not be ready before the end of the year.

Tor Aksel Busch said he hoped the trial could be held next year.

Greece debt: Austerity-hit Spartans resent Athens

2011-07-30T04:49:00.001-07:00

The BBC's Paul Henley detects stirrings of dissent in Sparta as middle-class Greeks hit by the country's economic woes aim their ire at the Athens government.

Yiannis did not expect to be back in his sleepy home town of Sparta, in the Greek Peloponnese, at the age of 30.

He sees his return as a personal defeat.

Up until 18 months ago, the business graduate had a career in Athens for a finance company.

But his job was a casualty of a national economic collapse that dwarfs most others in Europe and, ever since, he has been unable to find work.

He ended up moving back in with his parents where he grew up.

Having made constant unsuccessful applications for work, he says the growing feeling of uselessness is reducing him as a person.

"Now," he says, "I can't dream as I did before, I can't be optimistic about life or have any real ambitions. Perhaps my only chance is to move abroad."
War against Athens

Yiannis is one of a group who call themselves the "Indignant Spartans" and who went on a 250km protest march to Athens.And although the calm, olive and palm tree-lined streets these Spartans inhabit, amid the constant hum of cicadas, seem a world away from the tear gas and the pitched battles outside parliament in Athens, the spirit of provincial rebellion seems to be growing fast.

Vasilis, who is 33, puts it like this: "Sometimes during the past two months I have started to understand how easy it would be to turn, in an instant, from being a good, law-abiding, tax-paying citizen - into a terrorist."

He is not the idle, state-reliant Greek familiar from mocking articles in the foreign press recently.
'Angry inside'

Vasilis is an entrepreneur who built up a highly successful business chain from scratch during a working life which began, he says, at the age of 12 and has regularly involved 18-hour days.

In the past year, he says he has lost €800,000 ($1,150,000; £700,000). A single cafe became a collection of restaurants and a mobile catering business with regular wedding and business contracts.

As customers began to trail off, Vasilis put his capital into a scheme to build a hotel on the coast.

But the scheme was reliant on government-approved loans and grants which disappeared in the crisis. The hotel was never finished and he is looking bankruptcy in the face.

"I feel very angry inside," he says.

"When you try to do the best for your country and your children and your neighbours, you still get treated like garbage by the authorities," he says.

"It is psychological violence. Maybe the terrorists we see on the television - this is the process they have gone through."

His words are greeted with nods around the table.
Personal revolution

Constantina says she has been independent since she was 17 and now, at the age of 43, finds herself borrowing money from her parents.

She set up a graphic design business eight years ago. Labels for agricultural products and flyers for local shops are her mainstay. All her clients are desperate to save money. She feels penalised by a tax system she predicts will be the final straw for her business within the next year.

"Maybe marching is the only way I can remain an active citizen of this country," she says.

George, who is 45, is a secondary school teacher and one of those supposed to feel thankful for the relative security of his job.

"I do not feel at all lucky," he says.

"Civil servants' salaries were a number one target in the cuts and that will continue."

He feels the faith he had in the future has gone. A house he was building for his family has been left a concrete shell.

"The next few years will be the hardest of our lives," he says. "The Ministry of Education has already begun closing schools."

"The situation makes me want to revolt," says Panagiotis, a pastry chef in his 40s.

The business he set up with his nephew is at risk from a dramatic loss of customers recently and a simultaneous hike in costs.

The macaroons, mini ice-creams and chocolate eclairs he makes are among the first to be crossed off people's shopping lists in difficult times.

The handful of people they employ have already taken pay cuts. Some could soon be made redundant.

"I worry for my family," he says.

"What will happen if I can not pay back the loans on the business? I want to go out into the streets and shout about it."

His words are a thinly-veiled warning to Athens: "I want people to understand that my personal revolution must become a national revolution."

Doctors begin major stem cell trial for MS patients

2011-07-30T04:48:00.001-07:00

A major clinical trial will investigate whether stem cells can be safely used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS).

It is hoped eventually to slow, stop or even reverse the damage MS causes to the brain and spinal cord.

The trial, involving up to 150 patients across Europe, is due to start later this year.

Dr Paolo Muraro from Imperial College London said: "There is very strong pre-clinical evidence that stem cells might be an effective treatment."

Researchers will collect stem cells from the bone marrow of patients, grow them in the laboratory and then re-inject them into their blood.

The stem cells will make their way to the brain where it is hoped that they will repair the damage caused by MS. The research has been part-funded by the UK's MS Society, which is concerned about the availability of unproven stem cell treatments.

In recent years many people living with MS have been attracted to overseas stem cell clinics which claim to cure long-term conditions in exchange for large amounts of money.

But there is no proven stem cell therapy available for MS anywhere in the world.

The MS Society hopes these new trials will eventually lead to a proven treatment - and a reduction in the draw of overseas treatments.

Common condition

MS is the most common neurological condition to affect young people in the UK.

Three million people are thought to be affected worldwide and up to 100,000 in the UK.

The condition is caused by the body's own immune system attacking and damaging a substance called myelin in the brain and nerve cells.

The myelin damage disrupts messages from the brain to the body which leads to a number of symptoms such as sight loss, bladder and bowel problems, muscle stiffness and eventually physical disability.Drugs are available to alleviate the symptoms - but they do not prevent the progression of the condition.

Experiments in test tubes and laboratory animals suggest stem cells extracted from bone marrow may be able to offer a more effective treatment.

Their role in the bone marrow is to protect the cells that make blood. But they also seem to protect myelin from attack by the immune system.

There is also some evidence that these cells might also be able to repair damaged tissue.

Hold potential

Dr Doug Brown, of the MS Society, said: "These experiments have confirmed that these stem cells hold that potential - but these need to be confirmed in large scale clinical trials."

There is some way to go, however, before laboratory promise can be translated into a treatment that can be offered to patients.

The international team will begin so-called phase two clinical trials in six months' time designed to determine whether the treatment is safe and effective.

It will take five years to carry out and assess the results of the trials after which large phase three trials may be required.

But Dr Muraro believes that the stem cell approach has real potential.

He said: "The great hope is the fact that we are exploiting a biological system that has evolved over millions of years and harnessing it for treatment that takes advantage of the stem cells' flexibility."Sir Richard Sykes, chair of the UK Stem Cell Foundation, said Dr Muraro's research was the first of its kind to take place in the UK.

"Given the high incidence of MS in the UK in comparison to other countries, I am delighted that we have at last progressed stem cell research to this stage, which will bring much-needed hope to so many people affected by this devastating condition."

The MS Society is also funding two other stem cell studies.

One, based at Queen Mary Hospital, London will examine how stem cells made from the brains of aborted foetuses can be used to repair nerve damage in people with MS.

The other, based at the University of Nottingham, will compare stem cells from people with a progressive form of MS to those without the condition to aid the discovery of effective treatments

Womb for rent: A tale of two mothers

2011-07-30T04:47:00.001-07:00

The high cost of surrogacy in Europe and the US means many Western women are outsourcing pregnancy abroad. Carolina, from Ireland, travelled to India to pay Sonal to carry her baby. The World Service's Your World followed the two women as they came to terms with the emotional costs of the surrogacy.

Sonal, 26, has just given birth to a child she will never see.

"They took away the baby as soon as she was born," she says.I was unconscious when she was born so I didn't even see her. When I woke up, I asked my mother what had happened, she told me it was a girl."

Sonal, from the western province of Gujarat, has spent the past few months in the Akshanka clinic in the small town of Anand, away from her husband and young son and daughter.

Her husband is a vegetable vendor, earning up to 1,500 rupees (£21; $34) a month and his meagre salary is not enough to pay for the education she wants to give her children.

This is her second surrogate pregnancy, for which she will earn 300,000 rupees ($6,800; £4,200).

"I will be happy soon. I will have a house and I will live comfortably with my children. I will educate them," she says.The biological parents live 7,000km away in Ireland. At the age of 21, Carolina was diagnosed with cervical cancer and had her cervix removed. Although she was told she could still get pregnant, it would prove very difficult for her to carry a baby to full term.

"Even before I had cancer I wanted to have a baby," she says. "Anyone who knows me said I'm just meant be a mother.

"Then when you have an illness and the chance is taken away from you, you spend the first few years thinking 'what am I going to do?' And before you know it, it's five years, it's 10 years, it's gone out of your life."
Social stigma

Surrogacy for material gain was legalised in India in 2002 but it is still a very controversial procedure.When Sonal first told her husband that she wanted to take part in the surrogacy programme, he said he did not want her to do it.

"He said such things are not acceptable in our society," Sonal explains. "Finally, I convinced him.

"When I had my first surrogate baby, I fed her for three days, it felt as if it were my baby. When they took her away I cried for three days. I missed her so much.

"This time when I give my child to Carolina I will feel like I am giving my child to someone else, but later I will convince myself that it was her baby and I am giving it back. Once she is gone I will have to forget her."

Although Sonal's mother was supportive, the couple avoided telling her in-laws as they knew they would disapprove - for some Indians, carrying someone else's child is akin to adultery.

IVF specialist Dr Nayna Patel, who runs the Akshanka clinic, is aware of the criticisms of her practice but is keen to dispel the idea that the surrogates are exploited.

"When you see a baby in the hands of a couple who are infertile and have gone through so many treatments and you see the surrogate who was in rags and now has a house and can boast of educating her children... no amount of criticism is going to hurt you," she says.
Different expectations

The two women had maintained a good relationship throughout the pregnancy, with Carolina agreeing to buy a mobile phone for Sonal as well as some other gifts.

Doctors at the clinic counsel all those involved not to get too close, but when the baby was born, it was clear that Carolina and Sonal's expectations were different.Due to complications, the newborn was immediately taken to a hospital ward across the street and Sonal was refused permission to breastfeed her.

Sonal was upset and confused. "I'm sad because I feel the efforts I have gone to for the past nine months have been a waste," she said.

"Carolina says that I cannot help her look after the baby, she will keep a nanny instead. I am really hurt."

When Carolina asked Sonal to send over breast milk for the baby, Sonal refused.

"I said if you can arrange someone to look after the child then you can arrange someone to feed the child as well. I asked her why should I send the milk from here. Why can't I live with my baby?"

For Carolina, the decision was wholly justified.

"Maybe in her culture that was the normal thing to do, to come and feed the baby and help me and be the nanny," she says. "But in my culture it would be different, I just felt that would be too close to home.

"I will always be eternally grateful to Sonal for what she has done, but I felt there has to be a cut off point."

Although Sonal was careful not to tell anyone where she had been, her in-laws found out about the surrogacy. She says that when she sees them, she will deny having been pregnant.

But as she comes to accept the loss of the baby she carried, she is defiant.

"I have no regrets, even if society casts me out or does not invite me in, I don't care. I am not doing a bad thing, I am doing this for my children," she says.

"I don't want anything else now, I just want my kids."

US debt: House vote on Republican spending cuts delayed

2011-07-30T04:46:00.003-07:00

A vote on a Republican bill to raise the US debt ceiling, cut spending and avert default has been delayed in the face of conservative resistance.

House Speaker John Boehner and Republican leaders were struggling on Thursday to convince rank and file lawmakers to vote for his bill.

The plan, however, is almost certain to fail in the Democratic-led Senate, and the White House has warned of a veto.

Congress must raise the US debt limit by a deadline of next Tuesday.

The US Treasury has warned the government will run out of money to pay all its bills unless a $14.3tn (£8.7tn) borrowing limit is increased by next Tuesday.
'Untenable situation'

A vote on Mr Boehner's bill was postponed for a few hours late on Thursday, as Mr Boehner and his lieutenants endeavoured to win support among rank and file conservative Republicans.

But eventually Republican Representative Kevin McCarthy announced that there would be no vote on Thursday evening.Some Republicans - including Tea Party supporters who won House seats in 2010 are opposed raising the debt limit under any circumstance - feel the bill did not cut enough from the US budget.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid predicted that even if the bill passes in the House, it fail to pass the Senate, where Democrats and independents voting together hold 53 of 100 votes.

Republicans hold 240 of the 433 votes to be cast in the House, and need 216 of their members - plus Speaker Boehner in the event of a tie - to back the bill to pass it.

Meanwhile, International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde warned that if the debt ceiling was not increased there could be an impact on the US dollar.

"One of the consequences could be a decline of the dollar as a reserve currency and a dent in people's confidence in the dollar," she said.

Mr Boehner's plan would trim $917bn from the US budget deficit over 10 years and raise the debt limit by up to $900bn.

President Barack Obama supports another plan by top Senate Democrat Harry Reid, which would cut $2.2tn from deficits, and raise the debt ceiling by $2.7tn.

But that is thought unlikely in its current form to pass the Republican-controlled House.

The Boehner and Reid plans overlap in key ways - trimming spending over 10 years, shunning President Obama's call for tax increases on the wealthy and creating special lawmaker committees to craft future cuts.

But Mr Boehner's approach would force another debt-limit showdown during next year's presidential campaign, something Mr Obama has fiercely opposed.
Graph showing balance of power in US Congress

Senate Majority Leader Reid's plan would see the ceiling lifted until after the November 2012 elections.

"No Democrat will vote for a short-term Band-Aid that would put our economy at risk and put the nation back in this untenable situation a few short months from now," Mr Reid said on Thursday.
Endgame?

Senior Republicans goaded Democrats, saying they would have to accept responsibility for the economic consequences of default if they did not pass the Republican plan.

Click to play

Nancy Pelosi: Republican vision is destructive

"It's inconceivable to me that the president would actually follow through on this [veto] threat," Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on Thursday. He accused Democrats of "playing with fire".

Analysts say success in the House for the Boehner plan would lend it legitimacy, but it would not be able to pass in the Senate.

The most probable scenario is thought to be a last-minute scramble for a compromise and razor-edge votes in both chambers, with the high-stakes game of legislative brinkmanship expected to continue all weekend.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus predicted an endgame that would see lawmakers modify Mr Reid's bill to make it more appealing to Republicans.

Speaking on Thursday, White House spokesman Jay Carney said a possible compromise would involve "significant deficit reduction, a mechanism by which Congress would take on the tough issues of tax reform and entitlement reform, and a lifting of the debt ceiling beyond - into 2013, so that we do not have the cloud of uncertainty that is hanging over our economy right now".

Washington hit its debt ceiling in May, but has used accounting adjustments, as well as higher-than-expected tax receipts, to continue operating.

In recent decades, the US Congress has increased the government's borrowing authority dozens of times as a matter of routine, but this year newly elected conservative Republicans have demanded steep cuts to the budget deficit as the price of an increase.

New Zealand: Emperor penguin 'recovered' after surgery

2011-07-30T04:46:00.001-07:00

A young emperor penguin found washed up on a New Zealand beach is recovering well and could swim home next month.

Staff at Wellington zoo said results of an X-ray and blood test showed "Happy Feet", as it has been named, is fine after endoscopic surgery.

The penguin was found on Peka Peka beach, about 60km (37 miles) north of Wellington - some 3,000km from its home in Antarctica.

Experts had been reluctant to intervene as the bird appeared to be healthy.

However, it later grew lethargic and was operated on to remove sand from its stomach.

A Zoo spokeswoman, Kate Baker, said the penguin has gained about 4 kg (9 lbs).

It was given a first swim at the zoo earlier this week, in waters which needed to be several degrees below freezing for the purpose.

Crowds have been flocking to the zoo to see the bird - the first such arrival of an Emperor penguin in New Zealand in at least 44 years.

The bird's plight has attracted worldwide attention.

Hundreds of people had gathered to watch a leading gastroenterologist from Wellington Hospital perform the endoscopy on the bird at the zoo in late June.

To help it feel more at home, the penguin is being kept in a room chilled to about 8C (46F). There is a bed of ice for it to sleep on.

Zoo staff said the bird would probably be released offshore from the south end of the country early next month.

Mumbai gunman Qasab appeals against death penalty

2011-07-30T04:45:00.003-07:00

The sole surviving gunman of the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks has appealed against his death penalty in India's Supreme Court, a prosecutor has said.

Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab filed his appeal through prison authorities, prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told the BBC.

More than 170 people died when Qasab and nine others attacked the city.

Qasab was found guilty of waging war against India, multiple murder and conspiracy. He was sentenced to death in May last year.

In February, the high court in Mumbai rejecting his appeal against the sentence.

It is not clear when the Supreme Court would provide Qasab with legal aid and take up the appeal.

Ten gunmen attacked Mumbai on 26 November 2008. All of them except Qasab were killed during the attacks.

The 60-hour siege targeted luxury hotels, the main railway station and a Jewish cultural centre.

Qasab and an accomplice carried out the assault on the railway station, killing 52 people.

The attacks soured ties between India and Pakistan, with India blaming Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba for attacks.

After initial denials, Pakistan acknowledged that the Mumbai attacks had been partially planned on its territory and that Qasab was a Pakistani citizen.

But despite charging seven people in connection with the attacks, the Pakistani authorities have yet to convict anyone.

Relations with India have been slowly improving and the two countries have resumed peace talks.

Phone hacking: Murdoch may be recalled by MPs

2011-07-30T04:45:00.001-07:00

A committee of MPs will be asked to recall News International chairman James Murdoch to give more evidence on phone hacking.

Labour MP Tom Watson said he would also call for ex-News of the World editor Colin Myler and the paper's ex-legal manager Tom Crone to answer questions.

Mr Murdoch told MPs he had not been "aware" of an email suggesting hacking went wider than a "rogue" NoW reporter.

Mr Myler and Mr Crone have both disputed this.

The News International chairman told the Commons culture, media and sport committee earlier this month that he was not aware of a key document - known as the "for Neville" email - when he approved an out-of-court settlement with Gordon Taylor, the Professional Footballers' Association chief executive.

But the two former NoW executives later released a statement saying they did inform him of the email.

Mr Murdoch later said he "stands by his testimony" to the committee.

Mr Watson told BBC Two's Newsnight programme he would make the recall requests to the committee on Friday "so that we can get to the bottom of this, find the facts and Parliament can then move on and let the police do their inquiry".

The committee is due to hold an internal meeting, which will be closed to the public, on Friday morning.

Regarding the emails, in April 2008, Mr Murdoch authorised the payment of an out-of-court settlement of more than £600,000 to Mr Taylor over the hacking of his phone.

Mr Murdoch has said that, at the time, he did not know the full extent of hacking that may have been going on at the NoW.

That paper's royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire were both jailed for hacking into phones of the royal household in 2007.But the email in question was marked "for Neville" and is said to have implied the NoW's chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck was also implicated in malpractices.

The latest development comes after the mother of murder victim Sarah Payne learned she may have been a phone hacking victim.

Police told Sara Payne her details were in notes compiled by Mulcaire, who was used by the NoW, which championed her Sarah's Law child protection campaign.

According to a report in the Guardian, the evidence uncovered by police in Mulcaire's notes is believed to relate to a phone given to Ms Payne by the NoW's then-editor Rebekah Brooks "as a gift to help her stay in touch with her supporters".

The BBC has not been able to confirm whether the evidence relates to this particular mobile.

But Mrs Brooks, who left her role as NI chief executive because of the hacking scandal but denies having had any knowledge of the practice while at the paper, says the phone "was not a personal gift".

She said the allegations were "abhorrent and particularly upsetting as Sara Payne is a dear friend".
'Absolutely devastated'

A source close to Mrs Brooks says she believes the voicemail system on the phone provided by the NoW was not activated until 18 months ago.

In such circumstances, it would be difficult for prosecutors to prove that any voicemail interception took place.

In a statement, Ms Payne's charity, Phoenix Chief Advocates charity, said she was "absolutely devastated" by the claims.

News International said it would co-operate fully with any potential criminal inquiries or civil proceedings which may arise.

The Metropolitan Police's Operation Weeting is investigating claims of phone hacking at the paper, which was shut down earlier this month after it emerged that the phone of murder victim Milly Dowler had been hacked.

Alejandro Sabella named as Argentina coach

2011-07-30T04:44:00.001-07:00

Sabella played in England between 1978 and 1981

Alejandro Sabella has been appointed Argentina coach following the removal of Sergio Batista.

Sabella, 56, won the Copa Libertadores as coach of Estudiantes two years ago after a playing career that included stints at Sheffield United and Leeds.

He had been set to take charge of Al-Jazira in the United Arab Emirates before Batista's exit last week.Argentina's quarter-final defeat by Uruguay when hosting the Copa America this month cost Batista his job.

The general secretary of the Argentine Football Association, Jose Luis Meiszner, told official news agency Telam: "The decision has been taken. Sabella is the choice."

Argentina have not won the Copa America or World Cup since lifting the Copa in 1993, although the country's Olympic team won gold at the 2004 and 2008 Games.

The last two World Cup tournaments have ended in quarter-final defeats by Germany.

Tiger Woods will make injury comeback in Ohio next week

2011-07-30T04:43:00.003-07:00

Former world number one Tiger Woods is to return to action at next week's Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio.

The 35-year-old American has not played competitively since pulling out of the Players Championship in May because of knee and Achilles injuries.

"I'm excited to get back out there," Woods said on his website.

The 14-time major winner - who has slipped to number 21 in the rankings - recently split with long-time caddie Steve Williams.

Woods is yet to announce a replacement.

Woods has not won a major since the 2008 US Open nor any tournament worldwide since 2009.

He pulled out of this year's US Open at Congressional and the Open at Royal St George's.

Poland finds Russia at fault for presidential jet crash

2011-07-30T04:43:00.001-07:00

Polish report has found that Russia was partly to blame for the air crash last year which killed then-President Lech Kaczynski.

It said that pilot error was the main reason for the crash, but that air controllers and poor lighting at Smolensk were also at fault.

The crash killed 96 people and has been a source of tension between the two countries.

A Russian report released in January laid full blame on Poland.

But Poland, while accepting some of the findings, said that Moscow's report was "incomplete".

All those on board the TU-154 Tupolev, who included officials spanning the country's military and political elite, were killed when their airliner crashed while trying to land in heavy fog.

They had been on their way to a memorial for the victims of Katyn, where 20,000 Polish officers were massacred by Soviet forces in 1940.
'Erroneous information'

The report by Warsaw said the pilot had lacked experience in landing aircraft in adverse weather conditions, and the crew was not adequately equipped.It also found that airport lighting was "defective and incomplete", while a landing zone official had given "erroneous information" to the crew as they prepared to land in poor weather at the Russian city of Smolensk.

Air traffic controllers misinformed the crew about their true altitude during the approach and gave a crucial warning too late, it said.

In its report earlier this year, Russia had said the crash was due to pilot error and said the crew had taken unjustified risks under pressure from their superiors.

However, the Polish report said there was no evidence that Lech Kaczynski or anyone else on board had put pressure on the pilots to act against their wishes.

Russia's handling of the disaster had originally been widely commended, but the issue later became a source of contention between the two nations.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the twin brother of the later president and opposition politician, has previously accused Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government of a cover-up with Moscow. Mr Tusk strongly denies the claims.

Poland's first couple - along with other leading political and military figures - had been on their way to a memorial ceremony for the World War II Katyn massacre when the crash took place on 10 April. There were no survivors.

Rupert Murdoch foam pie attack: Protester admits charge

2011-07-30T04:42:00.001-07:00

A protester has admitted throwing a shaving foam pie at Rupert Murdoch as he gave evidence to a committee of MPs.

The News Corporation chairman was targeted as he answered questions about the phone-hacking scandal last week.

His wife tackled Jonathan May-Bowles who rushed from the public gallery.

May-Bowles, 26, of Edinburgh Gardens, Windsor, Berkshire, admitted assault and causing harassment, alarm or distress, when he appeared before City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.

May-Bowles, who calls himself Jonnie Marbles, was charged under the Public Order Act.
Slap on head

Two hours into the hearing on 20 July, May-Bowles rushed forward from the public gallery and was tackled by a group of people.

Mr Murdoch's wife Wendi Deng, who sat behind him during the session, leapt up to defend her 80-year-old husband and appeared to slap May-Bowles on his head.

The shaving foam hit Mr Murdoch's suit jacket and he later resumed the session in his shirt and tie.

Seconds later, Conservative MP John Whittingdale, who chairs the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee and was overseeing proceedings, suspended the session.

Egypt uprising: Islamists lead Tahrir Square rally

2011-07-30T04:41:00.001-07:00

Tens of thousands of people have packed Cairo's Tahrir Square, after the first call by Islamist leaders for nationwide demonstrations since President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in February.

The demonstrators - dominated by Muslim Brotherhood supporters - are calling for an Islamic state and Sharia law.

Correspondents say the rallies will be a worrying development for secularists.

The Brotherhood is the most organised political force in Egypt, although it was not prominent in the revolution.

Tensions have been running high between Egypt's Islamist and secular groups, who are at odds over the transition to democracy in the Arab world's most populated country.
Turning point?

Liberal groups first want guarantees of a constitution that will protect religious freedom and personal rights, whereas Islamists want speedy elections and a recognition of Islam - in one form or another - in the new Egyptian state.

Now, the Islamists want their voice to be heard and are showing their muscle for the first time since Mr Mubarak stepped down on 11 February, says the BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo.

Although the Muslim Brotherhood - Egypt's oldest political party - can turn out huge crowds by rallying its supporters at mosques, it does not necessarily represent the majority of Egyptians and is predicted to win around 20% of the vote in an election, our correspondent says.

There was little sign of any secular groups at Friday's rally, he says, adding that it will be interesting to see how they re-group after today's events.

Since early July, the mainly secular protesters had camped out in Tahrir Square - the epicentre of protests that toppled Mr Mubarak - to denounce the ruling military council over the slow pace of reform.

Islamist groups had for the most part stayed away from the sit-in. Last week, they held their own demonstration and accused the Tahrir protesters of going against the country's "Islamic identity", the AFP news agency reports.

But with Islamists and the more conservative Salafist groups now filling Tahrir Square, it could mark a turning point in Egypt's post-revolution period, our correspondent says.