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	Monday, 21 July, 2008, 1:00 GMT 09:00 +08:00:Asia/Shanghai




TOP STORIES

	MPs criticise rail boss bonuses MPs criticise the huge bonuses to be given to rail bosses after "a catalogue of failings" on the network.

	Jobless to work 'clearing litter' Benefit claimants could be forced to pick up litter and clean graffiti under plans due to be unveiled by ministers.

	Arthritis drug access 'curbed' Treatments available for rheumatoid arthritis are set to be limited by a drugs watchdog's ruling, campaigners warn.

	Pope meets clergy abuse victims Pope Benedict XVI meets victims of child sex abuse by Catholic clergy at the end of his visit to Australia, the Vatican says.

	Church 'wounded' over gay boycott Bishops attending the Lambeth Conference hear how the row over gay clergy has left the Anglican church a 'wounded community'.




WORLD

	Betancourt in plea to Farc rebels Ingrid Betancourt urges Colombia's Farc rebels to free all hostages, as peace marches take place around the world.

	Burma to dominate Asean summit The annual summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations is to begin in Singapore, with Burma high on the agenda.

	Pope meets clergy abuse victims Pope Benedict XVI meets victims of child sex abuse by Catholic clergy at the end of his visit to Australia, the Vatican says.




AFRICA

	Zimbabwe talks 'to move ahead' Efforts to resolve the political crisis in Zimbabwe are close to making progress, Kenyan PM Raila Odinga tells the BBC.

	Sudan leader considers Arab plan President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan discusses an Arab League plan to defuse the row over accusations of war crimes.

	Guinea-Bissau drugs plane seized The head of air traffic control at Guinea-Bissau's main airport is arrested after police seize a plane loaded with cocaine.




AMERICAS

	Betancourt in plea to Farc rebels Ingrid Betancourt urges Colombia's Farc rebels to free all hostages, as peace marches take place around the world.

	Obama urges focus on Afghanistan US presidential hopeful Barack Obama says Afghanistan should be the focus of the "war on terror", on a visit to Kabul.

	UK 'must check' US torture denial The British government should no longer rely on US assurances it does not use torture, a parliamentary report says.




ASIA-PACIFIC

	Burma to dominate Asean summit The annual summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations is to begin in Singapore, with Burma high on the agenda.

	Pope meets clergy abuse victims Pope Benedict XVI meets victims of child sex abuse by Catholic clergy at the end of his visit to Australia, the Vatican says.

	Car restrictions begin in Beijing Tough new rules aimed at forcing more than one million cars from Beijing's roads during the Olympics come into force.




EUROPE

	German hostages freed in Turkey Three German climbers taken hostage by Kurdish armed rebel group the PKK have been freed, officials say.

	Bomb blasts hit Spanish resorts Five small bombs explode in northern parts of Spain, but there are no reports of casualties.

	Missing Semtex 'left unguarded' A lapse in security is blamed for the theft of 28kg (61lb) of plastic explosive and detonators from a site in France.




MIDDLE EAST

	Mid East deal possible, says PM Gordon Brown says he is optimistic Israel and the Palestinians can sign a peace deal, and promises British funds to help it work.

	Israel probes 'detainee shooting' Israel launches an inquiry after footage emerges appearing to show a soldier fire a rubber bullet at a Palestinian detainee.

	Nine face stoning death in Iran At least eight women and one man are sentenced to death by stoning in Iran for adultery and sex crimes, reports say.




SOUTH ASIA

	Coalition 'bombs Afghan police' At least 13 police and civilians are killed in two incidents involving international forces in Afghanistan, officials say.

	Al-Qaeda 'may be shifting focus' The top US commander in Iraq says al-Qaeda may be shifting its focus and sending fighters from Iraq to Afghanistan.

	Obama urges focus on Afghanistan US presidential hopeful Barack Obama says Afghanistan should be the focus of the "war on terror", on a visit to Kabul.




UK

	Jobless to work 'clearing litter' Benefit claimants could be forced to pick up litter and clean graffiti under plans due to be unveiled by ministers.

	PM calls for Iraq hostage release Gordon Brown calls for the release of five British hostages in Iraq after claims one of them has taken his own life.

	MPs criticise rail boss bonuses MPs criticise the huge bonuses to be given to rail bosses after "a catalogue of failings" on the network.




ENGLAND

	Man charged over road chase death A 23-year-old man is charged over the death of a driver during a police pursuit on a motorway in Durham.

	Service marks floods anniversary Hundreds of people attend a service at Tewkesbury Abbey to mark the first anniversary of devastating floods.

	Teenager falls 30ft from window A schoolgirl from south London is seriously injured in a 30ft fall from her hotel window in Venice, according to reports.




NORTHERN IRELAND

	Divers rescued off Antrim coast Two divers, who had been exploring shipwrecks, are rescued by helicopter off the Antrim coast.

	Fire at £22m city leisure centre Fire crews attend a small fire at a leisure centre, which opened less than two months ago, in north Belfast.

	Man's jaw broken in street attack A 19-year-old man suffers a broken jaw after being assaulted in Londonderry in the early hours of Sunday.




SCOTLAND

	Survey gives hope to Scots firms Scotland is weathering the current tough economic conditions, a business survey suggests.

	Wedding couples turn to humanism The number of humanist wedding ceremonies taking place in Scotland is on the rise, according to new figures.

	PM calls for Iraq hostage release Gordon Brown calls for the release of five British hostages in Iraq after claims one of them has taken his own life.




WALES

	Families sue over aircraft deaths The families of two backpackers, who were among 89 people killed in a plane crash in Thailand, plan to sue the airline.

	Police await tests on Pc's body South Yorkshire Police await the results of a post-mortem examination on one of their officers found in north Wales.

	Appeal made for crash witnesses Drivers who stopped at the scene of a fatal car crash between Bridgend and Cowbridge are asked to contact police.




POLITICS

	Jobless to work 'clearing litter' Benefit claimants could be forced to pick up litter and clean graffiti under plans due to be unveiled by ministers.

	Cameron not rejecting tax rises Tory leader David Cameron refuses to reveal whether he would raise taxes if he becomes prime minister.

	Mid East deal possible, says PM Gordon Brown says he is optimistic Israel and the Palestinians can sign a peace deal, and promises British funds to help it work.




BUSINESS

	'Gloomy' forecast for UK economy The economic outlook for next year is looking gloomier as business confidence sags, top forecasters suggest.

	HBOS to reveal share issue result Halifax Bank of Scotland will reveal on Monday the level of investor demand for new shares in its £4bn rights issue.

	Fresh push in global trade talks Trade negotiators from 30 countries meet in Geneva on Monday to make a fresh push towards a global trade deal.




ENTERTAINMENT

	Batman film takes a record $155m The new Batman film The Dark Knight sets a box office record after taking $155m on its opening weekend in the US.

	Ruling expected on climate film Media regulator Ofcom is due to announce whether a Channel 4 climate documentary broke rules on accuracy and fairness.

	Dizzee Rascal retains UK top spot Dizzee Rascal retains the number one slot in the UK singles chart and DJ Basshunter goes straight to the top of the album charts.




SCIENCE/NATURE

	Cern lab goes 'colder than space' A giant physics lab on the Swiss-French border is being cooled to a temperature lower than that of outer space.

	Human blood vessels grown in mice Scientists have used human cells to grow new blood vessels in a mouse for the first time, a US journal reports.

	Grunting fish yield vocal clues A grunting fish helps scientists to date the origins of vocal sounds to about 400 million years ago.




TECHNOLOGY

	Unsafe chargers 'flooding' the UK Trading Standards says hundreds of thousands of unsafe chargers for mobiles and games consoles could have come into the UK

	'No decision' on giant database No decision has been taken on whether to gather details of all phone calls, e-mails and internet use, a security minister says.

	Cern lab goes 'colder than space' A giant physics lab on the Swiss-French border is being cooled to a temperature lower than that of outer space.




HEALTH

	Arthritis drug access 'curbed' Treatments available for rheumatoid arthritis are set to be limited by a drugs watchdog's ruling, campaigners warn.

	Skin cancer fear 'may harm bones' Worries over skin cancer means that some people shun the sun altogether - which could increase their risk of brittle bone disease.

	Mental health poll reveals stigma Nine out of ten people with mental health problems say they frequently face stigma - most often from those closest to them, says a survey.




EDUCATION

	29% of teens' Sats marks delayed The latest figures on delayed Sats tests for 14-year-olds shows that at least 29% of pupils still do not have all their marks.

	'Farce' warning on degree levels A committee of MPs warns that the lack of certainty about what a degree is worth is "descending into farce".

	4,000 schools 'closed by strike' A strike by teaching assistants and support staff closes at least 4,000 schools, its organisers have claimed.

ON THIS DAY NEWS FROM THE BBC ARCHIVES

1969: Man takes first steps on the Moon
American Neil Armstrong becomes the first man to walk on the Moon.

2005: Tube chaos after more blasts
London's underground network is plunged into chaos after explosions on two trains and a bus - exactly a fortnight after four suicide bomb blasts in the capital.

1954: Peace deal ends Indo-China war
Eight years of war come to an end as the French cede control of northern Vietnam to the Communist Viet Minh after signing the Geneva Accord.




DON'T MISS

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