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	Thursday, 24 January, 2008, 1:00 GMT 09:00 +08:00:Asia/Shanghai

Shock at verdicts
Father innocent of murder over balcony fall that killed son

Ledger acclaimed
Stars pay tribute to the late Brokeback Mountain star




TOP STORIES

	Police in protest rally over pay An estimated 22,500 police officers march in London in protest at the way their pay rise has been handled.

	Council tax 'set to rise by 4%' Council tax bills across England are expected to rise by an average of 4% this year, the BBC learns.

	Hotel leap man cleared of murder A man who leapt from a fourth-floor balcony of a hotel in Crete with his two children is cleared of murder.

	EBay chief executive has resigned Meg Whitman, the chief executive of online auction website eBay announces she will step down on 31 March.

	US shares make stunning recovery US shares rebound sharply on fresh government plans to steady the US economy, after UK shares fell earlier.




WORLD

	Egypt 'won't force Gazans back' Egypt says it will not use force to return Palestinians who crossed from Gaza after the border was breached.

	Kenya opposition calls off rally Kenya's opposition calls off a mass protest, as Kofi Annan is to meet President Mwai Kibaki to try to end the crisis.

	Deal made to save Anne Frank tree Dutch officials and conservationists reach a deal to save the tree that brought comfort to Anne Frank.




AFRICA

	Eastern Congo peace deal signed Armed militias and DR Congo's government sign a peace pact aimed at ending years of conflict in the east.

	Violence curtails Kenyan memorial A memorial service in Kenya's capital is tear gassed after skirmishes between police and youths.

	Zimbabwe protesters tear-gassed Zimbabwean police fire tear gas on hundreds of protesters in Harare after a court banned a protest march.




AMERICAS

	US shares make stunning recovery US shares rebound sharply on fresh government plans to steady the US economy, after UK shares fell earlier.

	Morales defends Bolivian reforms Bolivian President Evo Morales defends his first two years in office, saying his reforms are irreversible

	Heath Ledger autopsy inconclusive The cause of 28-year-old actor Heath Ledger's death will not be known for about 10 days, authorities say.




ASIA-PACIFIC

	China in power shortage warning China says it faces serious power shortages as severe winter weather causes unusually high demand.

	Credit crunch worries Japan's PM Japan's PM Yasuo Fukuda tells the BBC how problems in the world's financial markets are worrying him.

	Heath Ledger autopsy inconclusive The cause of 28-year-old actor Heath Ledger's death will not be known for about 10 days, authorities say.




EUROPE

	Embattled Italy PM backed by MPs Italian PM Romano Prodi wins a vote of confidence in parliament but his coalition looks set to fall in the Senate.

	EU reveals energy plan of action The European Commission sets out a plan of action which it says will meet the challenge of climate change.

	Greece calls for new Turkey start Greece's prime minister urges a new start with Turkey, on the first visit by a Greek leader in nearly 50 years.




MIDDLE EAST

	Egypt 'won't force Gazans back' Egypt says it will not use force to return Palestinians who crossed from Gaza after the border was breached.

	Russia plays down Iran sanctions Russia plays down reports a draft UN resolution on Iran's nuclear programme calls for new sanctions.

	Twelve killed in north Iraq blast At least 12 people are killed and 132 wounded by an explosion in the Iraqi city of Mosul, police say.




SOUTH ASIA

	W Bengal bird flu 'is spreading' Bird flu spreads in the Indian state of West Bengal, as authorities battle to cull birds and control the outbreak.

	S Waziristan clashes 'continue' Taleban militants and security forces in Pakistan's South Waziristan region continue to clash, officials say.

	Afghan 'blasphemy' death sentence A journalist in Afghanistan is sentenced to death for distributing blasphemous material.




UK

	Council tax 'set to rise by 4%' Council tax bills across England are expected to rise by an average of 4% this year, the BBC learns.

	Hotel leap man cleared of murder A man who leapt from a fourth-floor balcony of a hotel in Crete with his two children is cleared of murder.

	Police in protest rally over pay An estimated 22,500 police officers march in London in protest at the way their pay rise has been handled.




ENGLAND

	Hotel leap man cleared of murder A man who leapt from a fourth-floor balcony of a hotel in Crete with his two children is cleared of murder.

	Stabbed girl 'was unrecognisable' The grandfather of stabbed schoolgirl Jessica Knight says she was so hurt he could barely recognise her.

	Dog leash goths 'hounded off bus' A goth who leads his girlfriend around with a dog lead complains after being thrown off a bus.




NORTHERN IRELAND

	Flanagan apology to bomb families Northern Ireland's former police chief apologises to the families of the victims of the Omagh bomb.

	No appeal for 'abuse cash' priest A priest who financed the grooming of a child for sex loses his bid to appeal against his sentence.

	Two held in Vilnius terror sting Two people from County Louth are arrested in Lithuania on suspicion of trying to buy weapons.




SCOTLAND

	New waste approach to be outlined New solutions for dealing with Scotland's waste are to be set out by the Scottish Government.

	Da Vinci inquiry images released CCTV pictures show a man police want to trace in inquiries into the theft of a Leonardo masterpiece.

	City plays host to music festival The biggest music festival in Scotland for unsigned bands and musicians is to be held in Dundee in June.




WALES

	Web worries after suicide spate Fears are voiced that social networking sites risk "romanticising" suicide, after a spate of young deaths.

	Murdered OAP's son denies lying The son of a murdered woman admits his alibi amounted to "nonsense" but denied lying.

	Woman's two-hour well fall ordeal A grandmother describes how she was rescued from freezing water after falling into a deep well.




POLITICS

	Council tax 'set to rise by 4%' Council tax bills across England are expected to rise by an average of 4% this year, the BBC learns.

	WMD dossier 'should be published' The Foreign Office is ordered to release an early draft of the dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

	Police in protest rally over pay An estimated 22,500 police officers march in London in protest at the way their pay rise has been handled.




BUSINESS

	US shares make stunning recovery US shares rebound sharply on fresh government plans to steady the US economy, after UK shares fell earlier.

	No U-turn on capital gains reform The government will not back down on controversial changes to capital gains tax when it unveils its plans.

	EBay chief executive has resigned Meg Whitman, the chief executive of online auction website eBay announces she will step down on 31 March.




ENTERTAINMENT

	Heath Ledger autopsy inconclusive The cause of 28-year-old actor Heath Ledger's death will not be known for about 10 days, authorities say.

	Police to 'assess' Winehouse film Scotland Yard says it will "assess" footage of Amy Winehouse apparently smoking a crack pipe.

	Miss Marple actress to leave show Miss Marple actress Geraldine McEwan announces she is leaving the ITV crime drama after three years.




SCIENCE/NATURE

	EU reveals energy plan of action The European Commission sets out a plan of action which it says will meet the challenge of climate change.

	Virgin unveils spaceship designs Virgin Galactic shows off the final design of the launch system that will take fare- paying passengers into space.

	Robots to collect dangerous data Unmanned aircraft are to help scientists with research flights that are too dangerous or difficult for human pilots.




TECHNOLOGY

	UK homes to get super-fast fibre UK homes in certain towns will benefit from 100Mbps broadband, delivered via the sewers.

	Last.fm debuts free music service A free music service partly funded by adverts has been launched by social music site Last.fm

	Virgin unveils spaceship designs Virgin Galactic shows off the final design of the launch system that will take fare- paying passengers into space.




HEALTH

	Transplant goal 'one step closer' Scientists may be a step closer to transplanting a kidney without the need for long-term medication.

	Dementia 'must be key priority' Dementia must be viewed as a priority having been woefully neglected by the NHS, a panel of MPs declares.

	Vitamin E 'may ward off decline' Vitamin E may ward off physical decline in elderly people, research suggests.




EDUCATION

	Diploma warning from universities Almost four out of 10 universities might not take students applying with the new Diploma, a survey finds.

	Three Little Pigs 'too offensive' A fairy story about pigs is turned down for a government agency award because it might offend Muslims.

	Extended schools 'must reach out' Children's centres and extended schools should do more to help the most vulnerable, Ofsted says.

ON THIS DAY NEWS FROM THE BBC ARCHIVES

1966: 117 die in Air India tragedy
Over 100 passengers have been kiiled after an Air India Boeing-707 plane crashed into Mont Blanc.

1986: Leon Brittan quits over Westland
Trade and Industry Secretary Leon Brittan becomes the second cabinet minister to resign over the Westland affair.

1961: End of the road for Monroe and Miller
Hollywood screen star Marilyn Monroe divorces her husband of five years, playwright Arthur Miller.




SPECIAL COVERAGE

King of tides
Our science reporter watches the ocean wash through Tuvalu

Tinted windows
UK girls jailed for drug smuggling in Ghana keep a low profile

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