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Russian Woman's Boyfriend Charged With Murder

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 12 Januari 2013 | 16.12

The boyfriend of a 23-year-old Russian woman who was found dead in her flat has been charged with her murder, police have said.

Felipe Lopes, 27, was arrested on the street in the Farnborough area of Bromley on Wednesday morning after police discovered the body of Anastasia Voykina in a house in Streatham at around 2am on Monday.

A post-mortem examination found she died as a result of multiple fractures to the face, head and neck.

Lopes will appear at Bromley Magistrates' Court today, Scotland Yard said.

A missing person report for Ms Voykina was made on Sunday after friends became concerned.

Officers attended a maisonette in James Boswell Close, Streatham, where they found her body.

Formal identification has not yet taken place, but detectives are confident the deceased is the missing Russian. Next of kin has been informed.

Police said she made a phone call to her family on December 30, which was the last known contact with her.


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Northern Ireland Clashes: Four Officers Injured

Four police officers have been injured after more than 30 petrol bombs as well as other missiles were hurled at them in another night of Union flag demonstrations in Northern Ireland.

The most serious disorder was witnessed in Carrickfergus and the Rathcoole area of Newtownabbey, both on the northern outskirts of Belfast.

A bus was also set on fire during the disorder. Police deployed water cannon in an attempt to restore calm.

Two people were arrested, police said.

A small viable pipe bomb device was found on the Westlink dual carriageway in Belfast but it was unclear whether it was linked to the loyalist disorder.

There were widespread demonstrations across Northern Ireland on Friday night in co-ordinated action dubbed Operation Standstill by organisers. Police said most of the protests were peaceful.

Many roads were blocked off between 6pm and 8pm as loyalist protesters again took to the streets to voice their opposition to Belfast City Council's decision to limit the number of days the Union flag flies at City Hall.

Rugby fans travelling to Ravenhill in east Belfast for Ulster's crunch Heineken Cup game against Glasgow faced major disruption due to the pickets.

Union Flag protests Protesters carry the Union flag in Newtownabbey

But the city centre was not as empty as might have been expected after an online campaign urged people to defy the protests.

They were urged instead to stage an "Operation sit-in" in cafes, pubs and restaurants to give businesses hit by the six-week campaign of street action a much-needed boost to trade.

Restaurateur Michael Deane told Sky News that the crisis has cost his business dearly but refused to give up.

"I think Belfast is a fabulous city. I've invested everything I have in this city," he said.

"Whether I would come to visit Belfast, looking from outside what you see on the television, no I probably wouldn't but let's hope this all goes away very quickly and people can see the Belfast that we saw last year because it's a fabulous city."

And while loyalists called people onto the streets to protest, young church leaders called them to prayer instead.

Andrew Masters, from the Christian organisation called What Now? told Sky News: "We're asking people to pray at 11:11 every day and for two real simple prayers, that peace would come and hope would come and that things that have been lost - the finance, the business, the hope - would be returned."

Around 70 police officers have been injured and more than 100 people arrested in six weeks of trouble since Belfast City Council limited the number of days the Union flag flies over Belfast City Hall.

A burned out bus in the Cloughfern area of Newtownabbey, Belfast More than 100 people have been arrested during weeks of trouble

A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) spokesman said: "Police will continue to pursue a vigorous evidence gathering operation to bring those involved in the violence to justice."

The Democratic Unionist Party and Progressive Unionist Party have both submitted challenges in Belfast council over the decision to restrict the flying of the flag.

They claim the move contravened its equality policy.

A Belfast City Council spokeswoman said: "The decision to introduce the policy of flying the Union flag at City Hall was taken democratically by elected members at the monthly meeting of Belfast City Council on December 3.

"The council has taken legal advice throughout this process and the decision is in keeping with the outcome of the equality impact assessment that was undertaken in line with the advice of the Equality Commission.

"The designated days agreed are in keeping with those notified by the UK Government's Department of Culture, Media and Sport."


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Two Stabbed To Death In Birmingham City Centre

A man is being questioned on suspicion of stabbing two men to death in Birmingham city centre last night.

The men, who are believed to be in their 40s, were attacked just before 6pm.

One victim is thought to have been stabbed outside a Sainsbury's store in Martineau Place, while the other was found slumped near a Boots store in Union Street with fatal injuries.

Officers administered first aid on both men, but both were pronounced dead at the scene.

A man was arrested in New Street near the Odeon Cinema minutes after the stabbings.

Inspector David Keen said: "Two men have suffered fatal injuries - these have been inflicted in the heart of the city at a busy time when workers and shoppers would be heading home.

"There are potentially hundreds of witnesses, either people who saw the stabbings or the offender leaving the scene, and I'd urge people to get in touch immediately - they could have vital information.

"A large police presence was quickly on the scene and a man was arrested swiftly."

Forensics and search experts cordoned off several scenes in and around Union Street to preserve evidence.

A spokeswoman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: "Crews arrived to find two men who had been stabbed and were being given excellent first aid by police officers and passers-by.

"Both men went into cardiac arrest. Crews and the team of medics administered advanced life support to both men but sadly, despite the best efforts, nothing could be done to save them and they were confirmed dead on scene."

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101.


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Adoption: 'Hotspots' Map Released To Cut Waits

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 11 Januari 2013 | 16.12

A map showing the parts of England where most children are in need of adoptive parents has been published.

A map from the Department for Education shows the areas where most children are waiting to be adopted.

Education officials are concerned that prospective parents are often not being pointed to high-need areas if their own has few youngsters on its list.

The map is going online on the same day as a Government-funded hotline is launched offering advice from existing adopters on negotiating the process.

Children and families minister Edward Timpson said the initiatives should "arm would-be adopters with the information they need to approach any local area".

Rules allow people to apply to adopt from any part of the country.

Mr Timpson added: "We know many potential adopters out there can provide children with loving, stable homes but simply don't know where to start.

"These new tools will give many more people support in taking the first steps to adopting a child and giving them the chance to succeed in life."

But adoptive father Stevan Whitehead, from west London, told Sky News that the map is unlikely to have a big impact.

"It's not going to make any significant difference because it's not addressing the fundamental issues and problems in the overall adoption structure.

"We already know where all the children are. The problem is that local authorities are deterred from preparing sufficient adoptive parents," said Mr Whitehead, who is a trustee for the charity Adopt A Better Way.

The British Association of Social Workers branded the initiative a "gimmick aimed at 'exposing' an apparent world of local authority failure to find good homes for children".

"It is welcome to help signpost potential adopters to services that could help them to eventually take a child into their lives, but talk of 'hotspots', areas where children are spending the longest time 'waiting for new homes' is yet another example of this Government's simplistic approach to an incredibly complex subject," added BASW acting chief executive Bridget Robb.

The First4Adoption hotline can be accessed on 0300 222 0022 between 10am and 6pm Monday to Friday and the map can be accessed on the Department for Education website.


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Alan Greaves: Midnight Mass Murder Charges

Two men have been charged with murder over the death of pensioner Alan Greaves, who was attacked on his way to church in Sheffield.

Mr Greaves, an organist and lay preacher, was assaulted just a few hundred metres from his home as he walked to St Saviour's Church at High Green, for midnight mass on Christmas Eve.

The father-of-four died from the severe head injuries he suffered three days later.

Ashley Foster, 21, and Jonathan Bowling, 22, have both been accused of murder and are due in court later.

South Yorkshire Police have made four arrests in connection with the 68-year-old's death.

Two other men, one in his 20s and one in his 40s, were arrested last month and have been bailed pending further inquiries.

Mr Greaves' death shocked the community where he lived and more than 50 police officers were drafted in to help with the investigation.

An inquest into Mr Greaves's death has been opened and adjourned by Sheffield Coroner Chris Dorries.

His widow Maureen attended the short hearing.

At a service after her husband's death, Mrs Greaves said she had wept over the "evil that has been done".

She told the congregation of St Saviour's she had felt their love and support since her husband died.


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Honda To Cut 800 Jobs In Swindon By The Spring

Honda plans to cut 800 jobs at its Swindon plant, following "low demand" for its vehicles across Europe.

The carmaker's European vice president Ken Keir said the Japanese company remains "fully committed for the long-term" to its UK and European manufacturing operations.

"However, these conditions of sustained low industry demand require us to take difficult decisions," he said.

"We are setting the business constitution at the right level to ensure long term stability and security."

The surprise move comes after Honda hired 500 workers last year following investment worth £267m in its Swindon factory.

More follows...


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Moira 'Killer' Abused On 'Same Scale As Savile'

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 10 Januari 2013 | 16.12

By James Matthews, Scotland Correspondent

The daughter of a paedophile suspected of killing an 11-year-old more than 50 years ago has said she thinks her father abused children on the same scale as Jimmy Savile.

Sandra Brown told Sky News that she thought Moira Anderson was not the only girl to meet an unpleasant fate at the hands of her father, Alex Gartshore.

She said she suspected her father, who died in 2006, was part of a paedophile ring operating in the central belt of Scotland.

Forensic scientists are exhuming a grave at Old Monkland cemetery, in Lanarkshire, where they suspect Gartshore concealed the body of Moira in the open grave of someone he knew.

Missing schoolgirl Moira Anderson is seen in this undated school photograph taken around her 11th birthday in 1956, before her disappearance in 1957 from Coatbridge in Scotland Moira Anderson went missing 1957

Radar tests on the grave of Sinclair Upton in 2007 showed an anomaly which indicated the body of a child could also be buried there.

The family of Moira, who went missing in 1957, applied to have the grave exhumed.

Visiting the grave, Gartshore's daughter, told Sky News: "My father was every bit a paedophile as Jimmy Savile ever was and my sad conclusion is that Moira's not the only child in the central belt of Scotland who suffered this fate.

"I believe there really was an active paedophile ring that was operating in this part of the world.

Moira Anderson death Forensic scientists are exhuming the grave of Sinclair Upton

"Who knows if it's still the case that it is.

"But it's my belief that in the fifties, sixties and seventies certainly, there were other victims and they are very likely to have come from care homes and those would be kids who would be labelled, unfortunately, runaways, troubled teenagers.

"Sadly, they would possibly not even be reported in the media at the time."

She added: "Whether we find Moira or not, we know we've looked, I hope we see results in the next few days.

"My belief is that it's been a very difficult road but there are reasons why we are here, we've not just put a pin into a haystack, so I really hope we will have favourable outcomes.

"It's very much the end of the road if Moira's not here."


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Organist Murder Inquiry: Fourth Man Arrested

A fourth man has been arrested in connection with the killing of church organist Alan Greaves on Christmas Eve.

The lay preacher was making his way to Midnight Mass at St Saviour's Church, near his home in High Green, Sheffield, when he was attacked.

A 22-year-old man was arrested in Parson Cross, Sheffield, on suspicion of Mr Greaves' murder, South Yorkshire Police said.

It follows the arrest of a 21-year-old man from the High Green area of Sheffield on Tuesday night. He remains in custody.

Two other men, one in his 20s and one in his 40s, were arrested last month and have been bailed pending further inquiries.

Police said the arrest came thanks to the public response to an appeal on Monday, when they released CCTV footage of two men filmed just before Mr Greaves, a 68-year-old grandfather, was attacked as he went to the church a few hundred yards from his home.

The father-of-four died from severe head injuries three days later.

More than 50 police officers have been working on the case but detectives have been unable to establish a motive for the killing.

Independent charity Crimestoppers has put up a £10,000 reward to help find those responsible for his death.

At a memorial service after her husband's death, Mr Greaves' widow Maureen said she had wept over the "evil that has been done".


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MoD Overspends Equipment Budget By £6.5bn

By David Bowden, Defence Correspondent

The Ministry of Defence has overspent its equipment budget by £6.5bn and some of its major orders are likely to be delivered 39 years late.

The 16 most costly projects should have taken 159 years to deliver between them and cost a total of £56.5bn.

But the National Audit Office (NAO), in its latest report into the MoD's spending, reveals they are now set to take a total of 195 years and cost £61.1bn.

The report did find some improvement, with the overspend "only" £468m.

Most of that is due to the rising cost of fuel, although NAO report author Tim Banfield said the defence buyers could do better.

He said: "What we see is too much turbulence in the projects, there's too much change, so if you look at the 16 projects this year that we are covering, 14 of them have got some change in cost or timescales in the last year.

"If you are the MoD trying to budget well, getting that kind of uncertainty and movement makes it very difficult to plan in the long term."

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the huge "blackhole" is a legacy of the MoD ordering during the last Labour government.

He described a "conspiracy of optimism" between the MoD and contractors in the past and is adamant the current plans are "fully funded".

Mr Hammond likens balancing the defence budget to "turning round a supertanker".

"These are huge projects often delivered over periods of five, 10 even 15 years, often they've got legacies of poor management and financial control and getting this straight is a big task, but it's happening," he said.

The real big ticket items include £17bn for more Typhoon fighter jets, £12bn for transport aircraft, including refuelling tankers and £5.3bn for the two new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.

The NAO says that delivery delays in air refuelling aircraft means there are likely to be too few to go around in the next three years.

However, Mr Hammond has said he was already taking steps to prolong the life of the current air tankers by another six months to plug the gap.

The NAO has acknowledged that the lead time for some of these projects is so great and the costs difficult to accurately assess, but nevertheless thinks the MoD could get better at it.

It cites one smaller project for a communications system designed for troops in Afghanistan, which costs £32m but will not be ready until all UK forces are back home.


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Council Parking Charge Profits Attacked By IAM

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 09 Januari 2013 | 16.12

Councils are making huge profits from parking charges while cutting road safety spending, according to new figures.

Councils in England took more than £411m in parking charges in 2011/12 - an increase of almost 15% on 2010/11, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) said.

Yet at the same time, the amount spent by councils on road safety, education and safe routes to schools, decreased by 18% to £105m, the IAM said.

It added that overall revenue spending on highways and transport reduced by 6% between 2010/11 and 2011/12, while capital expenditure (on construction, tarmac etc) reduced by an estimated 13%.

Peter Box, a councillor and chairman of the Local Government Association's economy and transport board, said: "With the number of cars on our roads increasing, it's more crucial than ever that parking is properly managed.

"Councils spend billions of pounds a year on transport services and are currently facing general budget cuts of up to 33% and a £442m reduction in their highways maintenance budget.

"This means they have far less to spend on roads and transport initiatives."

Local Government Minister Brandon Lewis said: "The analysis by the Institute is wrong.

"Income from on-street and off-street parking only rose by 3.7% in the last year, which is lower than the prevailing rate of inflation.

"The Institute have failed to adjust for the fact that councils have cut costs through efficiency savings."

The IAM said the top council "earners" from parking in 2011/12, all in London, were:

:: Westminster - up 8.7% from 2010/11 to £38m

:: Kensington and Chelsea - up 31% to £27.5m

:: Camden - up 18% to £25m

Outside London the biggest earners were:

:: Brighton and Hove - up 18.9% to £13.7m

:: Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire - up 9.3% to £6.5m

:: Newcastle upon Tyne - up 51% to £6.2m


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Pensions 'Plunge Over £3,000 In Five Years'

People planning to retire this year expect to be living off the lowest average incomes recorded in six years, it is claimed.

This year's retirees expect to have a typical annual income of £15,300, making them around £3,400 a year worse off than workers who retired in 2008, according to the Prudential.

The gap becomes much worse when taking into account the effects of inflation's erosion of people's household budgets.

Someone who retired last year would have needed an annual income of £21,400 to have the same spending power as an average person who entered retirement in 2008 on a typical income of £18,700, the Prudential said.

However, the average amount private employees retired on last year was £15,500, leaving them £5,900 worse off in real terms than workers who retired in 2008.

Across Britain there is also a £5,700-a-year difference between the regions with the highest and the lowest anticipated incomes for people retiring this year.

Londoners expect to retire on an annual income of around £18,200 this year, while retirees in the West Midlands have the lowest anticipated incomes, at £12,500.

Post-financial crash, annuity rates have dropped 33% and wiped thousands of pounds off retirees' incomes in recent years, while pensioners have faced a perfect storm of high living costs and low returns on their savings.

A retiree Pensioners face high living costs and low returns on their savings

Experts also warned that possible changes to the way that Retail Price Index (RPI) is worked out could lead to more people being forced to put their retirement on hold due to the squeeze on their incomes.

Tom McPhail, head of pensions research at financial services company Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "For people approaching retirement, that is a huge blow to their expectations at a time when it is probably too late for them to do anything about it."

Hargreaves Lansdown said that a 65-year-old man with a £100,000 pension pot could have secured an annual income of £7,855 by buying an annuity in the summer of 2008 but if he was doing so in December 2012, that figure would have fallen to £5,338.

Quantitative easing (QE) has been blamed for pushing down annuity rates which set the size of someone's retirement income for life.

QE makes it cheaper for companies to borrow by pushing down the yield on government bonds, but annuity incomes are also based on these yields, meaning that new pensioners see their incomes reduced.

The Office for National Statistics has also been consulting on changes to the RPI and the recommendations from this will be announced on Thursday.

This trend downward is set to continue as baby boomers pass the age of 65, with 55% of 55 to 64-year-olds drawing a salary, compared with 41% in February 2010, Aviva has said.


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Belfast City Hall Raises Union Flag

By David Blevins, Ireland Correspondent

The Union Flag has been raised on Belfast City Hall to mark the birthday of the Duchess of Cambridge, but it is unclear whether it will it help or hinder efforts to resolve the crisis over the emblem in Northern Ireland.

Five weeks have passed since the city's council voted to restrict the flying of the Union Flag to 19 designated days, such as royal birthdays, but tension surrounding the issue has continued unabated.

The east of the city witnessed disturbances for a sixth consecutive night - albeit on a reduced scale - but there is no such thing as an acceptable level of violence as far as the First Minister is concerned.

Peter Robinson told Sky News: "Many people have already distanced themselves from the protests because of the violence.

"When I hear those who purport to lead the protest talk about the Police Service of Northern Ireland as 'terrorists' or 'Nazis', they are not using the language of unionism, they are using the language of republicanism."

Belfast Tensions over the flag have sparked a series of disturbances in Belfast

Loyalists will welcome the fact that the Duchess's birthday is being marked in the traditional fashion, but they recognise that the return of the flag is only temporary - so far short of what they demand.

On one hand, it is about the flag - a potent symbol of their Britishness - but it is also about demographics. Protestants no longer hold sway in Belfast and some working class unionists have lost faith in politics.

Peter Robinson and Mike Nesbitt, the leaders of the two largest unionist parties, invited disaffected Protestants to raise their concerns through a forum, but protesters have already dismissed the effort.

The First Minister added: "Here is a mechanism whereby you can channel your frustration, where you can indicate the kind of things you want in your area, and political leaders will be listening.

"Now, if you offer a political alternative and people don't take it, then very clearly those are people who are against the process and against democracy."

The crisis has caused enormous damage to the image of Northern Ireland, scheduled to host the G8 Summit of world leaders in June, and a temporary hoisting of the flag is not going to resolve it anytime soon.


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Moira Anderson Case Sees Grave Exhumed

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 08 Januari 2013 | 16.12

By James Matthews, Scotland Correspondent

A family grave in Scotland is to be exhumed as part of an attempt to solve a murder mystery dating back more than 50 years.

Police will dig up the grave at Old Monkland Cemetery in Lanarkshire as they try to find the remains of 11-year-old Moira Anderson, who disappeared in 1957.

She is thought to have been murdered, although her body has never been found.

Her family now believe her killer may have dumped her body in the grave of one of his friends, Sinclair Upton, who died around the time of Moira's disappearance.

They have sought permission through the courts to have the grave exhumed. Mr Upton's family has agreed to the request.

The prime suspect behind Moira's disappearance is convicted paedophile Alexander Gartshore, who died in 2006.

The girl disappeared after taking a trip on a bus that he drove.

The theory being pursued, 56 years on, is that he abducted and killed Moira before burying her body under a coffin in the Lanarkshire grave, which was open at the time.

Underground radar checks on the grave in 2007 indicated an anomaly consistent with the presence of the remains of a child.

The exhumation will begin later under the direction of forensic anthropologist Professor Sue Black.


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Online Sales Boost A 'Sluggish' December

By Ursula Errington, Business Reporter

Strong online sales in December have buoyed what has been described as an "underwhelming and sluggish" Christmas on the high street.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said retail sales for the month were up just 1.5% compared to the Christmas period in 2011.

However Internet sales rose by almost 18%.

If the online contribution to total year-on-year sales growth is stripped out, it shows that high street trading stagnated compared to last Christmas.

"Online retail still accounts for a relatively small part of total sales," said BRC director general, Helen Dickinson.

Christmas shopping on the high street The outlook for British retailers for 2013 year is 'subdued'

"But in December it played a disproportionately larger role in driving non-food sales.

"Shoppers took advantage of the investment many retailers have made in making their websites easier to use across multiple devices, in flexibility of delivery options as click-and-collect came of age, and in security - they now feel much more comfortable putting their credit card numbers into their mobile phones."     

Pimlico-based florist, Rosemary Watkins, knew it would be a tough December for the shop she has worked in for three years but it was worse than she imagined.

They closed early on December 24 and in the run-up to Christmas they hardly saw what could be termed as Christmas trade.

"We had the shop ready from the first week in December," she told Sky News. "But what we anticipated would happen, didn't happen.

"We were lucky to sell what we did. We had to stop buying stock as it's perishable; you can't hold onto it. If it's this bad here in SW1 I can't imagine what it's like in other parts of the country."   

Internet shopping is a major growth industry The survey reveals shoppers are increasingly confident buying good online

Footfall was down considerably on last year largely because of bad weather and consumers buying more in one go, thereby reducing the opportunity to browse and be tempted to buy.

But perhaps the most influential factor was the shift towards the internet. It appears fewer shoppers were searching in stores first, before going online.

Pharmacy owner Nishma Hirani is just a few doors down from Rosemary's florist. She has decided to focus on internet sales of perfume and her higher-end health and beauty products for Christmas 2013.

She also intends to modify how much stock she carries in the run up to next Christmas. The BRC survey showed that generally, retailers bought in less stock and held off offering heavy discounts in order to keep their margins up.

But optimistic Nishma did not do that. Buoyed by solid sales in last year's difficult climate, she bought a lot of stock and is now stuck with it.

Surrounded by perfumes bearing sale stickers she explained: "Last year people were buying four or five bottles of perfume at a time but this year they only bought one or two - not bulk buying.

"We kept our stock quite high but we just didn't find it was moving as quick as we would have liked it too."

Overall, the BRCs outlook for this year is subdued. They have said their members expect the hard times to continue but not worsen, with this "bumping along the bottom" effect to continue for perhaps years to come.

KPMG's head of retail, David McCorquodale, said: "While consumer confidence remains low, shoppers will tighten their belts and rein in their spending, making life difficult for the average UK retailer.

"There will be no boom and it's likely more than a few will go bust".


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David Bowie Returns With New Single And Album

David Bowie has released a new single and is also bringing out a new album - 10 years after his last LP.

The single, Where Are We Now?, is available now on iTunes, while The Next Day, his 30th studio recording, is available as a pre-order, with the album's release being scheduled for March.

The single was released on the musician's 66th birthday, which his official website noted was a "timely moment for such a treasure to appear as if out of nowhere".

Where Are We Now?, which was produced by long-term collaborator Tony Visconti, was written by Bowie and was recorded in New York.

David Bowie and his wife Iman Bowie with his wife Iman

The single is accompanied by a haunting video directed by Tony Oursler which harks back to Bowie's time in Berlin.

He lived in West Berlin between 1976 and 1979 due to his interest in the burgeoning German music scene. Bowie worked with Brian Eno while sharing an apartment in Schoneberg with Iggy Pop.

The new video shows Bowie watching footage of the car repair shop beneath the apartment he lived in along with stark images of the city at the time and a lyric constantly raising the question Where Are We Now?.

Following the release of his last album, Reality, in 2003, fans had been wondering what they would hear next from the British musician, actor, record producer and arranger.

His website said: "In recent years radio silence has been broken only by endless speculation, rumour and wishful thinking. A new record. Who would have ever thought it, who'd have ever dreamed it!

"After all David is the kind of artist who writes and performs what he wants when he wants, when he has something to say as opposed to something to sell.

"Today he definitely has something to say."


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Police Chief's Warning To Belfast Rioters

Written By Unknown on Senin, 07 Januari 2013 | 16.12

Northern Ireland's police chief has said loyalist violence over the flying of the Union flag in Belfast will be firmly dealt with for as long as necessary after a fourth night of rioting.

Matt Baggott's warning came just hours before fresh disturbances erupted in the east of the city, with police once again coming under attack.

A mob hurled steel barriers, bricks, fireworks and bottles at officers patrolling Castlereagh Street.

"I want to commend the tireless courage of my officers at this very difficult time," said Mr Baggott.

"Fifty two colleagues have now been injured while protecting the community during a series of violent incidents.

"You may be assured there will be sufficient resources in the event of more disorder for however long is necessary."

Mr Baggott said the Police Service of Northern Ireland would do "everything possible" to maintain law and order and deal firmly with the ugly scenes that had been witnessed over recent days.

Belfast map showing areas of disturbance The disturbances occurred after protesters headed home

He added: "As you have seen in the last few days we will continue to apprehend and put people before the courts."

A protest in the area earlier on Sunday had dispersed, before factions broke away and launched an onslaught on police lines.

Disorder was also reported on Mountpottinger Road and Beersbridge Road, where a car was set ablaze.

So far, 70 people have been arrested in connection with the sporadic rioting. Through special sittings of the city's magistrates court, 47 people have already being charged.

On Saturday, frontline officers reported coming under gunfire. A 38-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

More than 1,000 demonstrators had earlier marched on City Hall, but despite tense scenes and some scuffles the rally passed off without major incident.

As the flag-waving crowds broke up, violence again flared on the Newtownards Road and surrounding areas in the traditionally unionist east of the city.

Protests in Belfast Last night's disorder was on a smaller scale than previous evenings

Around 100 loyalists hurled petrol bombs, fireworks, smoke canisters, bricks and other masonry at officers, the PSNI said. Laser pens were also directed at officers' faces.

Police responded with water cannon and fired three plastic bullets. One officer was injured.

After a meeting of church leaders, politicians and community representatives on Sunday, Presbyterian minister Rev Mervyn Gibson said there were accusations that police used batons against people who were not involved in the rioting.

"There's a genuine feeling that there was a change in tactics, that the gloves were off," he said.

"In these instances, not everybody is a rioter."

He said unionist leaders would seek meetings with the Policing Board, the local police commander and the local policing partnership.

Billy Hutchinson - who leads the Progressive Unionist Party, the political wing of the paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force - welcomed attempts by church leaders to ease tensions and called for all protests to be peaceful.


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Waterfall Death: Brit Killed In Australia

A 20-year-old British tourist has died after falling from a waterfall in New South Wales, Australia.

The man was walking with friends in the Blue Mountains near Sydney when he slipped over the edge of Wentworth Falls, according to police.

Emergency services - including police, paramedics and rescue teams - were called and the man, who has not been named, was declared dead at the scene.

The accident happened at noon local time on Sunday (1am GMT).

The man's body has now been recovered after a search by rescue crews and a police helicopter.

A police spokeswoman said: "The location is extremely rugged and difficult to access, despite the rescue crew being very experienced."

Blue Mountains The accident happened at a waterfall in the Blue Mountains

The man was in a group of eight friends and had travelled from Sydney's Bondi area to the Blue Mountains for a picnic and a walk along a marked trail through the bush.

It is not believed the grouop was part of an organised tour.

One witness, who was at the bottom of the waterfalls, said he saw a group of French and English people "mucking around" on the rocks.

"It's very slippery, then they went down to the next one. I knew something was going to happen and then we just saw panic and a 20-year-old boy fell over 100 metres down the waterfall."

His family and the British Consulate in Australia have been notified of his death and a report will be prepared for the coroner, police said.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We are aware of the death of a British national in New South Wales, Australia, on January 6, 2013, and we are providing consular assistance to the family at this difficult time."

The Blue Mountains national park is about 37 miles west of Sydney and covers about a million hectares, according to the Destination New South Wales website.

A World Heritage site, the landscape of huge cliffs, deep rainforest gullies, sandstone canyons and waterfalls forms part of the traditional country of the Aboriginal people.

Wentworth Falls is a three-tiered waterfall near a town of the same name in the Blue Mountains. The overall height of the falls is 187 metres.


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Police Pursuit Crash Leaves Teenage Girl Dead

A 13-year-old girl has died in a crash involving a car which was being pursued by police in southeast London.

The teenager was travelling with her mother, father and brother in Ilderton Road, between New Cross and South Bermondsey, on Sunday when their Volkswagen Polo and a Peugeot 308 that was being chased by a marked police car collided.

The girl, who was in the rear of the car, died at the scene from her injuries, Scotland Yard said.

Scene of crash The site of the fatal crash on Ilderton Road

Her parents and brother were taken to hospital and their injuries were not thought to be serious.

The male driver of the Peugeot was arrested and taken into custody. A female passenger was taken to hospital suffering from minor injuries.

The incident happened just before 6.30pm and police, ambulance and fire crews attended.

The Metropolitan Police said the pursuing police car had its blue lights and sirens on when the collision happened.

Scene of the crash Police are investigating the scene

Commander Tony Eastaugh said: "An innocent family are now dealing with the tragic loss of a loved one.

"The Metropolitan Police has now begun a thorough investigation into the circumstances of this terrible incident. The thoughts of our staff and officers are with the family at this time."

Traffic police and officers from the Directorate of Professional Standards are now investigating, the force said.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has also been informed and an investigator was at the scene assessing the circumstances of the collision.


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Child Benefit Payment Cut-Off For Families

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 06 Januari 2013 | 16.12

By Emma Birchley, East of England Correspondent

Child benefit payments to more than a million people are due to be cut from Monday, as part of the Government's plan to reduce spending.

If either parent earns £50,000 then payments are to be reduced on a sliding scale, with those on a salary of £60,000 or more losing it altogether.

Treasury minister David Gauke said it was a decision that had to be made to save the taxpayer as much as £1.5bn a year.

"Everybody has got to make a contribution, we're reducing benefits and we've made some cuts in benefits," he said.

"But it's right that those who are earning more than average, those who are in fact in the top 10-15%  of earners, make that contribution."

As many as 300,000 of the 1.1 million who will see changes to their child benefit are yet to have received a letter from the Government informing them of the cuts.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has said it had been unable to contact everyone as it held incomplete data on some customers following changes to their income, relationship status, or address.

Child benefit is currently £20.30 a week for the first child and an additional £13.40 for each child after that.

For a family with two children and one parent earning more than £60,000 it means losing £1,752 per year.

But if both parents earn £49,000, the benefit will be unaffected.

Child benefit payments are due to be cut Mother Mel Smith will be among the parents to lose out

Those expecting to lose payment have until the end of today to opt out of receiving the money by filling in a form on the HMRC website.

Otherwise they will continue to receive the handout and have to complete self-assessment forms to repay it in tax.

Mel Smith has two young children and does not work, but her husband's salary level means they will lose all of their child benefit.

"It doesn't seem fair when we only have one income," she said.

But while taking with one hand the Government is considering ways to give with the other.

It is thought new proposals may include allowing families to offset some of their childcare costs against their tax, making it easier for mothers like Mel to return to work.

"I would seriously consider going back to work full time if that were introduced," she said.

"It would be better for me to do full time really than part time but again you have to weigh up whether it works out as a family."

It is estimated that around one million women are missing from the workforce because of the price of childcare, which amounts to almost 27% of the average family income.


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NI Clashes: 'Several Shots Fired' At Police

Frontline police officers in Belfast have reportedly come under gunfire as fresh violence erupts over the flying of the Union flag.

A 38-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after gunshots were reportedly fired during clashes between loyalist and nationalist protesters.

Sky sources revealed that pictures from a PSNI helicopter prompted the detention of the suspect.

The PSNI said last night around 100 loyalists pelted officers with rocks, fireworks and fire bombs in the Newtownards Road, Albertbridge Road and Castlereagh Street and Templemore Avenue areas of the city.

One officer was said to have been injured.

A PSNI spokesman said they were investigating reports from their own officers that a number of shots were fired at police lines.

Conall McDevitt, policing spokesman for the nationalist SDLP, said the firing of shots at police officers ended any claim to legitimacy by protest organisers.

Burning debris blocks the Newtownards Road in East Belfast Police used water cannon to extinguish the fires

"Whatever grievance some people may have had, it is totally lost when they allow people to use these protests as cover for attempted murder," said the South Belfast MLA.

"There is only one response possible - and that's a firm policing response against everyone involved in illegal protests and anyone seeking to organise or encourage illegal or violent demonstrations."

The violence followed a tense but peaceful march on Saturday by around 1,000 loyalists.

There was a heavy police presence, including officers in riot gear with dogs stationed within the historic civic building itself and on surrounding side streets.

But as the flag-waving crowds dispersed, ugly scenes flared again.

Loyalist violence on Friday night saw 18 people arrested and nine police officers injured.

More than 30 petrol bombs, along with fireworks, ball bearings and masonry were hurled at officers during a sustained attack in the east of the city. Up to 300 people were involved in the disturbances.

None of the police injuries are life threatening, however one female officer required medical treatment at the scene by an ambulance.

Belfast map showing areas of disturbance The disturbances occurred after protesters headed home

The PSNI said it would be seeking further arrests in the coming days in relation to the disorder and have appealed for witnesses.

On Thursday 10 police officers were injured during a demonstration in east Belfast.

Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson said violence against the police was a "disgrace" and those behind days of unrest were playing into the hands of dissident republicans.

Street protests have been going on for more than a month now against the decision to reduce the number of days the Union flag is flown from City Hall. There have also been death threats to politicians.

Mr Robinson said: "The violence and destruction visited on the PSNI is a disgrace, criminally wrong and cannot be justified.

"Those responsible are doing a grave disservice to the cause they claim to espouse and are playing into the hands of those dissident groups who would seek to exploit every opportunity to further their  terror aims."

Sky's Ireland Correspondent David Blevins said: "There is the potential for the violence to intensify, and the gunshots from with the loyalist area is a very worrying development.

"The clashes between police and loyalists came after the officers were accused of brutality after the march."


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Police Officer Dies Driving To 999 Call

A police officer has died in a road accident while answering an emergency call near Ripon in North Yorkshire.

The officer was killed when his patrol car hit a tree in the village of West Tanfield at 7pm on Saturday, police said.

He was the only person in the vehicle when it crashed and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Temporary Chief Constable Tim Madgwick said: "This is terrible and tragic news and the thoughts of everyone at North Yorkshire Police are with the officer's family at this sad and very difficult time.

"The officer's immediate family have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers.

"Everyone is shocked and saddened by the news of his death and I speak for every member of the force in extending our heartfelt sympathies to his family, friends and colleagues."

The road was closed for several hours as investigators examined the scene.

The Health and Safety Executive has also been informed and an investigation will be carried out into the cause of the crash, police said.

Anyone who was in the area at the time and saw the vehicle or witnessed the collision is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101.


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