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	Sunday, 30 December, 2007, 1:00 GMT 09:00 +08:00:Asia/Shanghai

Silk and steel
BBC's Lyse Doucet's personal memories of Benazir Bhutto

National treasure
The versatile career of Julie Walters, who has been appointed a CBE




TOP STORIES

	Drug firms probed over Iraq cash GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca are co-operating with a probe into breaches of Iraq's oil-for-food programme.

	Brown promises 'serious changes' Prime Minister Gordon Brown uses his New Year message to say there will be "real and serious changes" in 2008.

	Man shot dead by police marksmen An inquiry is under way after a man was shot dead by firearms officers in Kent, police confirm.

	Family dog kills one-year-old boy A baby dies after a rottweiler snatches him from the arms of his seven-year-old aunt at his grandparents' home.

	Musharraf cracks down on rioters Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf orders firm action to crack down on unrest after Benazir Bhutto's death.




WORLD

	Musharraf cracks down on rioters Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf orders firm action to crack down on unrest after Benazir Bhutto's death.

	Colombia hostage mission delayed A Venezuelan operation to collect three hostages due to be freed in Colombia by Farc rebels is delayed.

	Senegal brotherhood leader dies The leader of Senegal's richest and most powerful Islamic brotherhood dies in the city of Toube, aged 92.




AFRICA

	Kenyan count halted amid unrest Kenya's vote count is halted amid chaotic scenes at the electoral offices, as unrest is reported across the nation.

	South Africa robbers attack envoy Robbers in South Africa beat the Tanzanian high commissioner unconscious at his farewell dinner.

	Senegal brotherhood leader dies The leader of Senegal's richest and most powerful Islamic brotherhood dies in the city of Toube, aged 92.




AMERICAS

	Colombia hostage mission delayed A Venezuelan operation to collect three hostages due to be freed in Colombia by Farc rebels is delayed.

	Castro again hints at retirement Cuban President Fidel Castro for the second time this month alludes publicly to the possibility of leaving office.

	Police disarmed in Mexican town Mexican troops confiscate guns from a border town police force, on suspicion of collusion with drugs gangs.




ASIA-PACIFIC

	Hong Kong to elect leader by 2017 Hong Kong's chief executive says Beijing will allow the region's people to directly elect their leader by 2017.

	Ball game at China-Japan summit China and Japan's prime ministers play catch after talks to improve relations between their countries.

	Australian Guantanamo man freed Former Guantanamo detainee David Hicks is released from prison in Australia after completing his sentence.




EUROPE

	Croatia minister goes in hunt row Croatia's interior minister resigns after being pictured on a hunting trip with war crimes suspect Mladen Markac.

	Carrefour apologises over deaths French supermarket chain Carrefour apologises over a deadly stampede in one of its Chinese stores in November.

	French aid workers home from Chad Six French aid workers sentenced in Chad for child trafficking return to France to serve their eight-year terms.




MIDDLE EAST

	Al-Qaeda in Iraq 'reduced by 75%' Three-quarters of al-Qaeda in Iraq has been destroyed over 2007, the Interior Ministry in Baghdad says.

	Gaza pilgrims stranded in Red Sea A political dispute leaves 2,000 Palestinians returning from the Hajj stuck in boats off the Egyptian coast.

	Mourning begins for Yemen speaker Three days of mourning begin for the speaker of Yemen's parliament, Abdullah al-Ahmar, after he dies of cancer.




SOUTH ASIA

	Musharraf cracks down on rioters Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf orders firm action to crack down on unrest after Benazir Bhutto's death.

	Taleban sack military commander Afghan Taleban leader Mullah Omar sacks one of his top military commanders, Mansoor Dadullah.

	Vote to abolish Nepal's monarchy Parliament in Nepal endorses an agreement to abolish the monarchy, allowing Maoists to re-join the government.




UK

	Drug firms probed over Iraq cash GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca are co-operating with a probe into breaches of Iraq's oil-for-food programme.

	Brown promises 'serious changes' Prime Minister Gordon Brown uses his New Year message to say there will be "real and serious changes" in 2008.

	Man shot dead by police marksmen An inquiry is under way after a man was shot dead by firearms officers in Kent, police confirm.




ENGLAND

	Family dog kills one-year-old boy A baby dies after a rottweiler snatches him from the arms of his seven-year-old aunt at his grandparents' home.

	Man shot dead by police marksmen An inquiry is under way after a man was shot dead by firearms officers in Kent, police confirm.

	Tornado wreaks havoc in village A tornado rips off tiles, knocks over trees and spreads debris through a village in Cambridgeshire.




NORTHERN IRELAND

	O'Loan made dame in honours list Former Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan is made a Dame of the British Empire in the New Year Honours.

	Singer gave cash secretly to poor More than 2,000 people gather in Mullingar for the funeral of the singer and entertainer Joe Dolan.

	Justice devolution 'crucial step' Devolving policing and justice powers will be a crucial step in 2008, NI Secretary Shaun Woodward says.




SCOTLAND

	Motherwell captain O'Donnell dies Motherwell midfielder Phil O'Donnell has died after collapsing during the Scottish Premier League game against Dundee United.

	One dead in major motorway crash A van driver dies and four people are injured in a three-vehicle crash which closes part of the M8.

	Bluetongue farmer speaks of shock The farmer at the centre of Scotland's first case of bluetongue disease speaks of his shock at the discovery.




WALES

	Motorist dies in crash with coach A man is killed when his car is involved in a crash with a coach in Denbighshire.

	Lifeboat helps van stuck in gale An angler and two teenagers are helped by a lifeboat as their van is caught in a gale on a sea wall road.

	Swansea 3-2 Leeds Ten-man Swansea hold on to defeat Leeds in a breathless top-of-the-table clash at a packed Liberty Stadium.




POLITICS

	Brown promises 'serious changes' Prime Minister Gordon Brown uses his New Year message to say there will be "real and serious changes" in 2008.

	Brown to 'step up' terror fight Gordon Brown vows to "step up" efforts to defeat terrorism in Pakistan after Benazir Bhutto's assassination.

	Jail threat proposed over visas Relatives of foreigners who outstay their visas could face imprisonment, under plans put to the Tories.




BUSINESS

	Drug firms probed over Iraq cash GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca are co-operating with a probe into breaches of Iraq's oil-for-food programme.

	Marks and Spencer's Rose honoured Some of the UK's top retail executives, including Marks and Spencer boss Stuart Rose, are recognised.

	Home prices fall for second month UK property prices fell for a second month in a row in December, the Nationwide building society says.




ENTERTAINMENT

	Minogue tops showbiz honours list Pop star Kylie Minogue and TV host Michael Parkinson are among showbiz stars in the New Year Honours list.

	Sean Penn's wife seeks a divorce Actor Sean Penn's wife Robin Wright Penn files for divorce, according to media reports in the US.

	Library admits it damaged diary The British Library says a diary was damaged while in its care, but refuses to confirm reports it had been left in a car.




SCIENCE/NATURE

	Uncertainty over shuttle launch Nasa says it is unsure when the Atlantis orbiter will lift off as it grapples with a sensor problem on the shuttle.

	Home computing pioneer honoured One of the designers of the classic BBC Micro computer is recognised in the New Year Honours list.

	UK species 'must move to survive' Climate change will force some UK species of wildlife to find new habitats, the Wildlife Trusts warn.




TECHNOLOGY

	Home computing pioneer honoured One of the designers of the classic BBC Micro computer is recognised in the New Year Honours list.

	i-Snake 'will transform surgery' Experts are developing a flexible surgical robot - the i-Snake - which they say could revolutionise keyhole surgery.

	Web icon set to be discontinued The Netscape Navigator browser will cease development because of a lack of users, its owners say.




HEALTH

	Dolly the sheep pioneer knighted Professor Ian Wilmut, the man who led the team which created the clone known as Dolly the sheep, is knighted.

	Pregnancy targets 'to be missed' Efforts are to be "redoubled" to tackle teenage pregnancy rates after it was revealed targets are to be missed.

	i-Snake 'will transform surgery' Experts are developing a flexible surgical robot - the i-Snake - which they say could revolutionise keyhole surgery.




EDUCATION

	Knighted Sir wins top recognition A head teacher and a university vice chancellor are knighted in the New Year's Honours.

	Toy weapons 'help boys to learn' Ministers say young boys should be allowed to play with toy weapons, but teachers condemn the advice.

	Keep Christmas gadgets 'at home' Parents are urged to ensure their children keep their Christmas gadgets out of class.

ON THIS DAY NEWS FROM THE BBC ARCHIVES

1994: Gunman kills two women at abortion clinic
Two women are shot dead and at least five others injured after a gunman opens fire at two neighbouring abortion clinics.

1958: Castro's rebels edge closer to capital
Thousands die in the bloodiest fighting in Cuba's history as rebels threaten to overthrow the military regime of President Batista.

2002: Diana Ross arrested for drink-driving
Singer Diana Ross is stopped by the police for drinking and driving after her car is seen swerving across a road.




SPECIAL COVERAGE

Wooing Iowa
Why US presidential candidates have to get up close and personal

Lasting impact
Some of the key entertainment figures who died in 2007

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