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	Tuesday, 25 December, 2007, 1:00 GMT 09:00 +08:00:Asia/Shanghai

Robert Peston
The 12 days of Christmas, as adapted for modern business

Festive bytes
Why the bells - and the tills - are ringing for virtual shops




TOP STORIES

	Archbishop urges care for planet The Archbishop of Canterbury will use his Christmas sermon to call for more "reverence" for the planet.

	Millions celebrate Christmas Day Masses are held in Bethlehem and Rome as millions of Christians around the world mark the birth of Jesus Christ.

	Jazz legend Oscar Peterson dies Jazz pianist and composer Oscar Peterson, who was famous for his virtuoso style, has died in Toronto aged 82.

	Snow storms in US claim 14 lives Fierce snow storms reportedly claim at least 14 lives and leave tens of thousands with no power in the central US.

	Brown set to oppose MP pay rise Prime Minister Gordon Brown is to oppose a proposed pay rise of above inflation pay rise for MPs, sources say.




WORLD

	Iraq Kurds warn Turkey over raids The leader of Iraq's northern Kurdish region condemns Turkish air strikes, saying innocents have died.

	Millions celebrate Christmas Day Masses are held in Bethlehem and Rome as millions of Christians around the world mark the birth of Jesus Christ.

	Firm quits Sicily to spurn Mafia An Italian cement firm says it is pulling out of Sicily as a sign of its refusal to submit to Mafia extortion.




AFRICA

	Kenyan rivals rally their troops The top candidates in Kenya's presidential election hold final rallies in Nairobi before Thursday's vote.

	Ethiopia activists found guilty An Ethiopian court convicts two anti-poverty activists of inciting violence after disputed polls in 2005.

	Pfizer arrests sought in Nigeria A Nigerian state court orders the arrest of three Pfizer staff over a 1996 drug trial which allegedly killed 11 children.




AMERICAS

	Snow storms in US claim 14 lives Fierce snow storms reportedly claim at least 14 lives and leave tens of thousands with no power in the central US.

	Italy seeks Condor plot suspects Prosecutors in Italy issue 140 arrest warrants over the decades-old South American plot Operation Condor.

	Jazz legend Oscar Peterson dies Jazz pianist and composer Oscar Peterson, who was famous for his virtuoso style, has died in Toronto aged 82.




ASIA-PACIFIC

	Thaksin party 'can form alliance' The party allied to ousted Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra claims it has enough backing to form a coalition.

	Uzbek president wins third term Uzbekistan's president wins 88% of the vote in Sunday's election, which monitors have dismissed as a sham.

	Rare Siberian tigers found dead Two endangered Siberian tiger cubs are found dead at a Chinese zoo after an adult female is killed and beheaded.




EUROPE

	Thousands sought over child porn Germany pursues 12,000 suspects in what is said to be its biggest case of internet images of child abuse.

	Millions celebrate Christmas Day Masses are held in Bethlehem and Rome as millions of Christians around the world mark the birth of Jesus Christ.

	Tourists shot dead in Mauritania Four members of the same French family are shot dead while on holiday in Mauritania, police say.




MIDDLE EAST

	Israeli cluster bomb use 'legal' Israeli military prosecutors say the use of cluster bombs last year in Lebanon was legal under international law.

	Millions celebrate Christmas Day Masses are held in Bethlehem and Rome as millions of Christians around the world mark the birth of Jesus Christ.

	Block of flats collapses in Egypt A block of flats collapses in Egypt's second city Alexandria killing at least five people, the authorities say.




SOUTH ASIA

	Nepalese monarchy to be abolished Nepal's government agrees to abolish the monarchy in a bid to persuade Maoist ex-rebels to rejoin the administration.

	Police end Kashmir mosque siege Police kill three militants who took over a mosque in Kashmir, after their five hostages get out alive.

	Police hunt stolen Vishnu statues Police in Bangladesh search for two 1,500-year-old statues of Hindu god Vishnu which have been stolen.




UK

	Air passengers stranded after fog Up to 200 passengers face spending Christmas in hotels after fog causes major flight disruption at Heathrow.

	Archbishop urges care for planet The Archbishop of Canterbury will use his Christmas sermon to call for more "reverence" for the planet.

	Police investigate office blast Investigations are continuing into a fire in a taxi office which killed two women in Lincolnshire.




ENGLAND

	Air passengers stranded after fog Up to 200 passengers face spending Christmas in hotels after fog causes major flight disruption at Heathrow.

	Police investigate office blast Investigations are continuing into a fire in a taxi office which killed two women in Lincolnshire.

	Archbishop urges care for planet The Archbishop of Canterbury will use his Christmas sermon to call for more "reverence" for the planet.




NORTHERN IRELAND

	Irish Royal visit is 'inevitable' A visit to the Republic of Ireland by Queen Elizabeth II is inevitable, Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern has said.

	Justice transfer 'next big thing' Gerry Adams says the transfer of policing and justice powers must be a major priority in 2008.

	Charge over father-of-one's death A man has been charged with the manslaughter of a man who died in a Country Antrim village on Sunday.




SCOTLAND

	Couple lose everything in blaze A couple have lost "a whole lifetime" of family memories in a fire at a storage depot in Aberdeenshire.

	Man charged with woman's murder A 46-year-old man appears in court accused of the murder of a mother-of-two in Inverness.

	Rail passengers held up for hours Scores of passengers are on their way home by bus after a train to Inverness hit material at 80 mph.




WALES

	Brothers' deportation is halted The deportation of two brothers is stopped minutes before they were due to be sent back to Pakistan.

	Police reject Home Office message Three of Wales' police chiefs refuse to circulate the Home Secretary's Christmas letter after pay row.

	600 memorial plaques are stolen Police investigate after 600 memorial plaques worth £36,000 were stolen from a garden of rest.




POLITICS

	Brown set to oppose MP pay rise Prime Minister Gordon Brown is to oppose a proposed pay rise of above inflation pay rise for MPs, sources say.

	NHS 'can be trusted' over records The NHS can be trusted despite the loss of 168,000 patient records by nine trusts, health bosses say.

	Police reject Home Office message Three of Wales' police chiefs refuse to circulate the Home Secretary's Christmas letter after pay row.




BUSINESS

	Shoppers in late Christmas rush UK shoppers left their Christmas shopping late this year, but there was a seasonal rush in the last 10 days, retailers say.

	Online shopping complaints rise Complaints about late online shopping deliveries are up a third in the Christmas run-up, a consumer group says.

	Pound at record low against euro The pound falls to a record low against the euro, as dealers expect more interest rate cuts in Britain in 2008.




ENTERTAINMENT

	Jazz legend Oscar Peterson dies Jazz pianist and composer Oscar Peterson, who was famous for his virtuoso style, has died in Toronto aged 82.

	Treasure sequel tops box office National Treasure: Book of Secrets, starring Nicolas Cage, strikes gold at the US and Canada box office.

	Lost star begins prison sentence Former Lost actress Michelle Rodriguez has begun serving six months in jail for violating probation.




SCIENCE/NATURE

	Beavers could be released in 2009 Plans are in the pipeline for beavers to be released into the Scottish wild for the first time in 500 years.

	Bible put on a pinhead-size chip Researchers in Israel manage to write a full version of the Bible in Hebrew on a chip smaller than a pinhead.

	Rare Siberian tigers found dead Two endangered Siberian tiger cubs are found dead at a Chinese zoo after an adult female is killed and beheaded.




TECHNOLOGY

	Don't be lonely at Christmas time A guide to some of the alternative social networking sites available to meet and greet this Christmas.

	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.




HEALTH

	Clue to migraine headache cause Scientists may be a step closer to uncovering the cause of certain types of debilitating migraine headaches.

	NHS 'can be trusted' over records The NHS can be trusted despite the loss of 168,000 patient records by nine trusts, health bosses say.

	Asthma risk 'rises in menopause' Women going through the menopause have a higher risk of developing respiratory diseases, researchers say.




EDUCATION

	Variations in school cash queried England's school funding system should be investigated by the National Audit Office, the Lib Dems say.

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

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

ON THIS DAY NEWS FROM THE BBC ARCHIVES

1989: Romania's 'first couple' executed
Deposed Romanian president Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena are shot after being found guilty of crimes against the state.

1974: Cyclone Tracy leaves Darwin devastated
The Australian city of Darwin is wrecked by a powerful cyclone that leaves thousands of people homeless.

1991: Gorbachev resigns as Soviet Union breaks up
Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union for almost seven years, steps down from office.




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