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	Sunday, 23 December, 2007, 1:00 GMT 09:00 +08:00:Asia/Shanghai

Bethlehem boom
Birthplace of Jesus in the West Bank enjoys surge of visitors

Holiday heartbreak
Travelscope's collapse has ruined Christmas for some




TOP STORIES

	Tony Blair joins Catholic Church Ex-PM Tony Blair leaves the Anglican Church to become a Catholic, after much speculation he would do so.

	Turkey in fresh Iraq air strikes Turkey launches fresh air strikes against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, the Turkish military says.

	Dixon wins Strictly Come Dancing Singer Alesha Dixon beats EastEnders' Matt di Angelo to win the final of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.

	Scotland top of house price chart Scotland and south-east England have seen the biggest house price rises during 2007, Halifax Estate Agents say.

	Probation officers strike threat Court and prison staff are threatening to walk out in the New Year over a pay dispute




WORLD

	Turkey in fresh Iraq air strikes Turkey launches fresh air strikes against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, the Turkish military says.

	Thailand ready for key election Thais are set to head to the polls in the first general election since the overthrow of PM Thaksin Shinawatra.

	Aid plan for India's 33m widows India outlines an ambitious programme aiming to help women overcome the stigma of losing their husband.




AFRICA

	Ivory Coast's disarmament begins Ivory Coast rebels and government troops start a process of disarmament, five years after violence began.

	Chad kidnap accused 'were duped' One of French aid workers in Chad who denies abducting children tells a court they were misled by intermediaries.

	Otti 'executed by Uganda rebels' The second-in-command of the Ugandan rebel LRA was killed by fellow fighters, a diplomatic briefing claims.




AMERICAS

	CIA 'kept' tapes from 9/11 probe The 9/11 Commission's former head says he asked the CIA for information on the interrogation of al-Qaeda suspects.

	Warning over Pentagon war funding US Defence Secretary Robert Gates warns the Pentagon could be running out of money for Iraq and Afghanistan.

	Stricken US ship pilot 'novice' The navigator of a ship that ran aground off Alaska was only 22 and had no knowledge of the area, a report says.




ASIA-PACIFIC

	Australia vows Afghan commitment Australia's new PM Kevin Rudd visits Kabul to pledge support, hours after French leader Nicolas Sarkozy also visits.

	Thailand ready for key election Thais are set to head to the polls in the first general election since the overthrow of PM Thaksin Shinawatra.

	Uzbeks set to re-elect president Voters in Uzbekistan take part in a presidential election widely expected to be won by incumbent Islam Karimov.




EUROPE

	Turkey in fresh Iraq air strikes Turkey launches fresh air strikes against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, the Turkish military says.

	Chad kidnap accused 'were duped' One of French aid workers in Chad who denies abducting children tells a court they were misled by intermediaries.

	Pope welcomes Blair Church switch Ex-PM Tony Blair's decision to leave the Anglican Church to become a Catholic has been welcomed by the Vatican.




MIDDLE EAST

	Turkey in fresh Iraq air strikes Turkey launches fresh air strikes against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, the Turkish military says.

	Iraq warning over Sunni patrols US-backed mainly Sunni patrols must be integrated into the security forces, Iraq's defence minister warns.

	Sixteen die in Nile ferry sinking At least 16 people die when a minibus falls off a ferry crossing the River Nile, Egyptian police say.




SOUTH ASIA

	Australia vows Afghan commitment Australia's new PM Kevin Rudd visits Kabul to pledge support, hours after French leader Nicolas Sarkozy also visits.

	Aid plan for India's 33m widows India outlines an ambitious programme aiming to help women overcome the stigma of losing their husband.

	England draw Test but lose series England draw the final Test against Sri Lanka in Galle but lose the series 1-0.




UK

	Tony Blair joins Catholic Church Ex-PM Tony Blair leaves the Anglican Church to become a Catholic, after much speculation he would do so.

	Holiday firm collapse hits 40,000 Bosses of a holiday firm which has collapsed say 40,000 of their customers will be affected.

	Dixon wins Strictly Come Dancing Singer Alesha Dixon beats EastEnders' Matt di Angelo to win the final of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.




ENGLAND

	Holiday firm collapse hits 40,000 Bosses of a holiday firm which has collapsed say 40,000 of their customers will be affected.

	Last Bradford rioter is sentenced The 200th and last rioter to be sentenced after the 2001 violence in Bradford is jailed for two and a half years.

	Mother to join son on battlefield A Hampshire hospital nurse who is also a major in the Territorial Army becomes the first mother to join her son in a battle area.




NORTHERN IRELAND

	Six-year-old boy dies after crash A six-year-old boy dies in hospital after being injured in a crash in County Armagh earlier this week.

	Brothers charged over man's death Two brothers charged in connection with the death of a north Belfast man are remanded in custody.

	Man hurt as shots fired at house Shots are fired in an early morning attack at a house in west Belfast, injuring a man who was inside.




SCOTLAND

	Second tug boat body is recovered Underwater search teams find the body of tug boat crewman Eric Blackley inside the sunken vessel on the River Clyde.

	Major blaze breaks out at depot Firefighters have been tackling a major blaze at a removal firm's storage depot near Aberdeen.

	Youth hit in the face with bottle A 15-year-old boy is attacked with a bottle by a group of up to six youths, police confirm.




WALES

	'Atheistic fundamentalism' fears The Archbishop of Wales uses his Christmas message to warn of dangers posed by "atheistic fundamentalism".

	Sons worry for deportation family A family wins a deportation reprieve only to find two others sons could now be sent back to Pakistan.

	Appeal helps fire girls' family Neighbours start an appeal for a family who "lost everything" in a fire which left four schoolgirls critically injured.




POLITICS

	Tony Blair joins Catholic Church Ex-PM Tony Blair leaves the Anglican Church to become a Catholic, after much speculation he would do so.

	Inquiry call over Blair arms role Tony Blair raised concerns about a probe into a Saudi arms deal days before it was dropped, a letter has shown.

	Clegg to focus party on education New Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg says education is his "biggest enthusiasm" in politics.




BUSINESS

	First-time buyers 'at fresh low' The number of first-time home buyers in the UK has sunk to its lowest point since 1980, mortgage lender Halifax says.

	Holiday firm collapse hits 40,000 Bosses of a holiday firm which has collapsed say 40,000 of their customers will be affected.

	Staff 'not getting minimum wage' Thousands of workers are not being paid the national minimum wage, a survey by the TUC has found.




ENTERTAINMENT

	Dixon wins Strictly Come Dancing Singer Alesha Dixon beats EastEnders' Matt di Angelo to win the final of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.

	Winehouse album is UK top-seller Amy Winehouse's second album, Back to Black, is set to be the biggest-selling album of the year.

	BBC search to find Oliver! boys A new TV talent search to find the next stars of the musical Oliver! will begin in the new year.




SCIENCE/NATURE

	Not one but 'six giraffe species' The world's tallest animal, the giraffe, may actually be several species, a new genetics study suggests.

	Beetles and dinos living together Today's beetles evolved during the Jurassic Period and have persisted ever since, say scientists.

	Ariane rocket ends 2007 on high Europe's Ariane 5 rocket lofts two satellites from the Kourou spaceport in its last mission of the year.




TECHNOLOGY

	Manhunt 2 to face court challenge British censors win the right to fight the release of video game Manhunt 2 in the High Court.

	Apple shuts down rumours website A legal row over leaked details of Apple products ends with the rumours site being shut down.

	UK gamers spend £1.5bn on titles Sales of video games in the UK are at an all-time high, with more than 78 million titles sold in 2007.




HEALTH

	Sea cucumber 'new malaria weapon' Sea cucumbers may provide a potential new way to block transmission of the malaria parasite, a study says.

	Single brain cell's power shown There could be enough computing ability in just one brain cell to allow humans and animals to feel, a study suggests.

	300 children saved by new vaccine Over 300 children have avoided serious illness since the introduction of the pneumococcal vaccine in England 12 months ago, estimates show.




EDUCATION

	General GCSE Diploma idea dropped The government has quietly scrapped its plan for a General Diploma recognising GCSE achievement.

	Sensitivity concern over RS exam Exams watchdog scraps religious studies coursework over concern about "sensitive" topics.

	Outspoken school adviser ousted The controversial education adviser Sir Cyril Taylor is replaced after 10 years spearheading school reforms.

ON THIS DAY NEWS FROM THE BBC ARCHIVES

1972: Earthquake wreaks devastation in Nicaragua
Ten thousand people are feared dead after a two-hour earthquake rips through the Nicaraguan capital, Managua.

1956: Jubilation as allied troops leave Suez
The United Nations Emergency Force takes over in Egypt after British and French forces withdraw from Port Said and Port Fuad ending the Suez Crisis.

1992: Queen's Christmas speech leaked
The BBC investigates a leak which led to the Queen's Christmas speech being published in a national newspaper.




SPECIAL COVERAGE

Pulling together
What lies ahead for new Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg?

Queens compared
Elizabeth's now older than Victoria - how do they measure up?

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