MPs Vote To Recognise Palestinian State

MPs have voted overwhelmingly to recognise a Palestinian state.

The vote - which ended 274 to 12 in favour - is not binding on the government but has been described as symbolically important.

The UK does not currently recognise Palestine - though is committed to doing so eventually as part of a two-state solution.

Labour MP Grahame Morris tabled a motion for immediate recognition, prompting the first full debate on the issue since 2012.

MPs eventually voted in favour of an amendment tabled by grandees from the three major parties to recognise a Palestinian state as a "contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution".

Video: MPs Urged To Recognise Palestine

However, David Cameron's spokesman indicted before the vote that the UK's policy would not change - meaning there would be no immediate recognition.

Even so, Mr Morris told the Commons a vote in favour would be a "small but symbolically important" step.

He argued that Britain's failure to recognise Palestine would contribute to Israel's "crusade" to a one-state solution.

"I contend, and many informed commentators would agree with me, that any hope of a two-state solution - the only viable solution - will have disappeared altogether (if Palestine isn't recognised)," he told MPs.

"Instead, Israel will continue its crusade towards the morally repugnant and politically untenable one-state solution and in truth that could only be maintained through even greater brutality and effectively through apartheid rule - a fate so bleak any true friend of Israel would oppose it."

Video: Middle East: Israel And Gaza

The motion attracted support from across the political divide.

The Labour shadow cabinet is thought to have backed it - though ministers from the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats abstained.

Tory Matthew Offord explained why he was voting against: "The proposal for this House to recognise Palestinian statehood is not only premature but it is also misguided.

"An affirmative vote tonight will be nothing more than a propaganda victory for those who wish to bypass the mediation peace process in favour of international institutions by the United Nations where the Palestinian Authority enjoys a majority."

The 12 MPs who voted against were made up of six Tories (Mr Offord, Bob Blackman, Jonathan Djanogly, Mike Freer, Nigel Mills and Robert Syms), five Democratic Unionists (Nigel Dodds, William McCrea, Ian Paisley, Jim Shannon and David Simpson) and a Liberal Democrat (Sir Alan Beith).

Video: West Bank's Family Football Team

Among EU countries, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have already recognised Palestine as a state - while Sweden recently provoked an angry response from Israel by saying it would follow suit.

In 2012, 138 countries voted to give the Palestinians "non-observer" member status at the UN General Assembly, which is seen as de facto recognition of a sovereign state.

Britain was among 40 countries to abstain on the 2012 vote, which was opposed by Israel, the US, Canada, Czech Republic, Panama, Palau, Nauru, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia.

A summer conflict in Gaza claimed the lives of more than 2,100 Palestinians - mostly civilians. Israel suffered 70 fatalities - all but six soldiers.

12.26 | 0 komentar | Read More

House Of Commons To Debate Scotland's Future

By Niall Paterson, News Correspondent

The House of Commons will today debate what should happen in the aftermath of Scotland voting No to independence.

MPs are expected to explore which further powers should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament.

But they will also tackle the "West Lothian question" - the issue of whether Scottish MPs should be allowed to vote on matters which do not affect Scotland.

The day after the independence referendum, David Cameron promised "English votes for English Laws", and a broader constitutional settlement for the UK as a whole, linked to any changes for Scotland.

It proved a controversial announcement, with some Scots questioning whether Mr Cameron had reneged on the vow he, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg made, that if Scotland voted No, additional powers would follow as soon as practicable.

Video: Scotland Set For Devolution Battle

On Monday, the Scottish secretary Alistair Carmichael published a document setting out the three parties' proposals for additional Scottish devolution.

"The referendum result made clear the majority of people in Scotland want to see a strong devolved parliament as part of the UK," he told the House.

"We pledged further devolution and we will deliver on that promise."

Video: Gordon Brown On Devolution

But as yet, the three parties have three separate sets of proposals, and have not reached agreement beyond a timetable for implementation.

And their progress thus far, such as it has been, was given short shrift by Scotland's first minister.

The SNP want complete control over taxation and fiscal policy; little wonder, given they came so close to achieving independence.

Video: Sturgeon Bids For Leadership

A commission chaired by Lord Smith of Kelvin will now work with all political parties concerned, in the hope that a blueprint for additional powers for Scotland can be agreed by the end of November.

It will then be down to Westminster to ensure that they deliver on another promise - having legislation drafted and ready to be passed by the time of the general election.

Video: Salmond: Scot Voters Were 'Tricked'

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Ex-Convict Donates Kidney To 'Make New Start'

By Adele Robinson, Midlands Correspondent

A woman has received a kidney transplant from a former convict after a desperate appeal in a local newspaper.

Sally-Ann Grainger, 34, featured in an article asking for a donor to come forward in January.

She went into renal failure after taking medication following a double lung transplant in 2009.

Ms Grainger had to have dialysis treatment three times a week and described herself as "barely existing".

Even though she was a complete stranger, 33-year-old Wesley Joyce, who spent time in jail for assault, donated his kidney in order to "make a new start".

He was one of 10 people to come forward, but the only one who was a tissue and blood match.

"This was the perfect opportunity for me to give something back, as long as I matched," Mr Joyce told Sky News.

"It wasn't good enough that I said I'd do it, I needed to actually do this.

Wesley Joyce responded to a local newspaper plea by Sally-Ann Grainger

"I said to Sally's daughter that I thank her mum for giving me the opportunity to do this."

Ms Grainger said her donor had become a close friend after giving her a future and the opportunity to see her two daughters grow up.

"I put an appeal out because I wanted to be able to spend as much time as possible with my girls while I'm healthy, and live longer than six years, hopefully," she said.

"I felt sick, overjoyed, overwhelmed - I can't pick out one word that describes my gratitude and thanks for what he's done for me. It's just amazing."

The kidney transplant took place on Friday at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

The operation appears to have been a success and both patients are now trying to encourage more people to sign up to the organ donor register.

12.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Murder Hunt As Teen Dies After Street Attack

A teenager who died after being assaulted outside a grocer's store in Manchester has been described by his mother as a "loveable rogue" who was "always polite".

Jordan Brennan, 17, was found unresponsive in bed at his home in the Gorton area of the city on Saturday morning.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency services and a post-mortem examination later found he had died from a head injury.

Police say he was assaulted by a man outside a grocer's shop in the area the evening before he died.

CCTV of the pair, described as of Chinese appearance

Police have launched a murder inquiry and have released CCTV images of a man and a woman they want to speak to about the incident at the shop.

They say that around 7.30pm on Friday, Jordan was with two friends when they went into the store on Hyde Road.

As Jordan was leaving he was assaulted outside the shop by a man who had also been in the shop at the same time as Jordan and his two friends.

Jordan went home and went to bed and at 9am on Saturday and was found unresponsive by his mother.

The man was wearing a white shirt, black jacket and trousers

Detective Inspector Theresa Carter said: "Jordan was very well known and liked and both his family and the wider community are deeply shocked and saddened by what happened.

"At this stage we know that Jordan was assaulted outside the grocer's store, but we don't know exactly what led up to the assault.

"I would also ask that the man involved contacts the police so that we can fully understand what happened inside and outside the shop. We would also like to speak to the woman who he was with."

The woman is thought to be around 25 to 30 years old

Both the man and woman police wish to speak to are of Chinese appearance and about 25 to 30 years old.

The man had a stocky or chubby build and black hair and was wearing a white shirt and a black suit jacket and trousers. The woman was slim and had long black straight hair.

In a statement, Jordan's mother, Kim, said: "Our son Jordan Brennan was 17 years old and was a well liked young man.

"He was a loveable rogue and was always polite and keen to help anyone who needed his help, be that physical help or just to listen to a friend. He would cheer them up with his usual larking about or joking around.

"He was a pleasure to have as a son and his loss is devastating. He was greatly loved by all that knew him."

:: Anyone with information is urged to call the police on 0161 856 68797 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Google Bombarded With Requests To Delete Info

Google says it has received 18,304 requests from Britons asking it to remove information about their past under the EU's 'right to be forgotten' legislation.

The submissions came from more than 6,000 people who asked the search engine to erase links to more than 60,000 websites.

Altogether just over 145,000 requests have been made to Google by people across Europe wanting to improve their reputations.

That is an average of 1,000 a day since last May when the process began.

The controversial 'right to be forgotten' law covers the 28 countries in the EU, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Video: Assange: Google Is Like The NSA

According to Google, the highest number of requests have come from France (29,010), followed by Germany (25,078) and then Britain.

Altogether the submissions covered more than 497,000 web links, of which 42% - more than 200,000 - have been jettisoned.

Among all websites, Facebook's social network has had the most links erased so far - 3,332 - while Google's own YouTube video site has had nearly 2,400 removed.

Video: Google Desert Street View Launched

Even when blocked from Google's search results in Europe, however, content can still appear in listings posted in other parts of the world, including the US.

Under the new law EU citizens can request that links to "inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant" information be removed from Google search results.

In short, Google must remove articles if the impact on the individual's privacy is greater than the public's right to find it, the European Union Court of Justice found.

Video: Google Launches Delivery Drone

The legislation has been widely criticised for allowing murderers, rapists and paedophiles to bury information about their past and for undermining freedom of speech.

It followed a landmark case brought by a Spanish man who complained that an auction notice of his repossessed home on Google's search results infringed his privacy.

Google has given examples of links which have been deleted including one to old article about the murder of a woman's husband in Italy. This was removed because the story mentioned the wife.

Video: Jimmy Wales: 'Don't Use Google'

The company says it has turned down requests from financial professionals seeking to remove links to material describing arrests or convictions for past misconduct.

It also rejected a demand from a "media professional" in the UK to erase four links to embarrassing content.

There are fears the whitewashing of search results could extend beyond the EU after a Japanese judge ruled Google should remove information that suggested a man once had ties to a criminal organisation.

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British Troops Back In Iraq To Help Beat IS

The Ministry of Defence has said a "small specialist team" of UK soldiers are in Iraq and working near the front line of the fight between the Islamic State (IS) and Kurdish fighters.

Based near the Kurdish capital of Irbil in the north, they are training peshmerga forces in the use of heavy machine guns the UK supplied to them in September.

The Sunday Times reported that the soldiers were from the 2nd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment, which is based in Cyprus.

An MoD spokeswoman said: "The Government has previously made clear its intention to provide training to the peshmerga as part of the continued effort to assist in the fight against Isil (IS).

UK troops are training Kurdish peshmerga forces in the use of UK arms

"The Defence Secretary has approved the deployment of a small specialist team of non-combat Army trainers which is now in the Irbil area providing instruction on operating, employing and maintaining the heavy machine guns that were gifted by the UK last month."

British troops invaded Iraq in March 2003 to overthrow Saddam Hussein.

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1. Gallery: The Moment RAF Jet Attacks IS Truck

   The RAF carried out its first airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq on 1 October, 2014 (All pictures: MoD)

2. Tornados destroyed a heavy weapon position, which was attacking Kurdish forces, and an armed pick-up truck (pictured). The red circle shows the path of the missile fired at the vehicle

3. The strikes were the first since MPs voted to support aerial raids in Iraq last Friday

4. The targets were in the northwest of Iraq

5. The moment the truck, which had a mounted machine gun, was destroyed by a Brimstone missile

6. A plume of smoke rose above the area

7. The strike was successful, according to an initial assessment, said Defence Secretary Michael Fallon

8. The Tornados safely returned to their base at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus after the sortie

9. Six of the GR4 fighter jets are based on the island in the Mediterranean

10. The aircraft began their combat missions on Saturday

The last British combat troops from the war left in April 2009, with a small number staying on to train Iraqi forces until 2011.

RAF Tornado fighter jets have been involved in US-led bombing raids on IS fighters for the past two weeks.

But there is strong resistance among British politicians to any ground troop involvement in fighting against the Islamist group, which controls vast areas of Iraq and Syria.

Video: RAF Jets Attack Targets In Iraq

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Exercise To Test Britain's Readiness For Ebola

The Department of Health has said it will provide further details about ebola screenings at Heathrow and Gatwick airports and Eurostar terminals next week.

The announcement came ahead of a national exercise today to test Britain's readiness for an ebola outbreak.

Government ministers will join dozens of medical professionals for the eight-hour drill in locations across the country.

Actors will simulate symptoms of the deadly virus to test the response of emergency services, while some medical staff will wear personal protective equipment.

A simulated meeting of the Government's COBRA emergency committee will also be held, chaired by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

The exercise was ordered by David Cameron as part of the UK's contingency plan against ebola, which has killed more than 4,000 people in West Africa.

Video: Hospital Staff Throw Gloves At PM

It comes after the Prime Minister was forced to defend the decision to introduce enhanced screening for the virus at major points of entry, saying it had been taken on "medical advice".

Questions have been raised about the checks, with a spokesman for Gatwick saying that the airport had not been given any instructions about how the screening should be carried out.

The move was also criticised by health experts, with one describing it as a "complete waste of time", while Labour MP Keith Vaz said the lack of precise information was "shambolic".

Video: Ebola Screening Coming To The UK

Mr Cameron said: "What we do is listen to the medical advice and we act on that advice, and that's why we are introducing the screening processes at the appropriate ports and airports.

"What we are focusing on as a country is taking action right across the board to deal with this problem at source."

The Department of Health has not revealed the locations of the national exercise, although a spokeswoman said it has been planning its response to an ebola case in the UK "for many months now".

Video: Ebola Crisis: On The Front Line

"It is vital that we test these plans in as realistic a situation as possible - with real people," she said.

As well as ministers these will include hospital staff, the ambulance service and Public Health England.

The spokeswoman added: "It is important to remember that the overall risk to the public in the UK continues to be very low.

Video: How Doctors Should Deal With Ebola

"The UK has some of the best public health protection systems in the world with well-developed and well-tested systems for managing infectious disease."

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Johnson Warns Of 'Thousands Of Terror Suspects'

London Mayor Boris Johnson has revealed that thousands of terror suspects are being spied on every day by UK security services.

He said the number of suspects in London is said to be in the "low thousands", suggesting the threat from home-grown terrorism may be far more widespread than that from Syria or Iraq.

Mr Johnson told the Daily Telegraph: "In London we're very very vigilant and very very concerned. Every day - as you saw recently, we had to raise the threat level - every day the security services are involved in thousands of operations.

"There are probably in the low thousands of people that we are monitoring in London."

Until now the main threat was thought to come from about 500 suspected jihadists who went to Syria or Iraq from the UK to join Islamic State militants.

Video: Arrests May Have Foiled Terror Plot

Speaking about IS, Mr Johnson said: "London has a particular concern, because probably of the five or six hundred that are out there, we think a third, maybe more - maybe half - come from the London area.

"If and when they come back, we have a real job to deal with them."

It comes as police chiefs also issued a warning to officers to increase vigilance in the face of a heightened terror threat for officers and five men were being held by Scotland Yard suspected of plotting a potentially "significant" attack on the UK.

Video: Nick Clegg On Terror Threat

Meanwhile, in an interview with the same newspaper, Iain Lobban, director of intelligence agency GCHQ, hinted it now took three times longer to trace terrorists online in the wake of disclosures made by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

And he said sharing intelligence with a greater number of nations was necessary.

"It's nonsense not to share with the French. This is not Blitz Britain. We sure as hell can't lick terrorism on our own," he said.

Video: Debate: Terror And The Mid-Terms?

Video: British Girl Heads To Islamic State

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Alice Gross: Inquest To Open Into Girl's Death

An inquest into the death of Alice Gross, who was found dead in a west London river, will open later.

The teenager's body was discovered hidden under logs and foliage after a month-long police investigation and a manhunt for prime suspect Arnis Zalkalns.

Proceedings will be officially opened at West London Coroner's Court but are expected to be then be adjourned until evidence can be heard in full at a later date.

Prime suspect Arnis Zalkalns was found hanged

Alice went missing after going for a walk along the River Brent near her home in Hanwell.

She was last seen by CCTV cameras on 28 August on her way back to her house.

Video: 'You Have To Be Incredibly Careful'

Zalkalns also appeared in the video riding his bike along a canal towpath within minutes of Alice. He was reported missing a few days later and his badly decomposed body was found hanged at nearby Boston Manor Park on 4 October.

During the hunt for Alice, it emerged that Zalkalns had served jail time in his home country Latvia for murdering his wife.

Police came under massive criticism for not having this information at the start of the probe and for taking so long to find Alice's body.

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1. Gallery: Parents 'Devastated' At Alice Death

   A post-mortem into the death of Alice Gross has proved inconclusive

2. The schoolgirl's body was found in a river in west London on October 1

3. A cordon had been put in place after the discovery of human remains in the River Brent

4. Forensic officers at the scene

5. Alice's father has changed his Facebook profile picture from a campaign poster to a field of wild flowers

6. Alice's family had made a heartfelt plea for the safe return of the missing teenager

7. Scotland Yard released new images of Alice as police staged a reconstruction of her last-known movements

8. The teenager disappeared on 28 August

9. Police received more than 1,000 calls from the public in response to appeals

10. Alice pictured with sister Nina

11. The 14-year-old had been missing for five weeks

12. Police had carried out a fingertip search around Alice's home in Hanwell, west London. This image shows officers searching the area on September 22

13. The hunt for the 14-year-old had been the biggest search operation since the 7/7 bombings in 2005

14. A dinghy was brought in to help in the search

15. Here, on September 18, forensics officers are seen in the garden of builder Arnis Zalkalns

16. Zalkalns, a Latvian national, was named as the main suspect by police after he, too, went missing from his home in Boston Manor Road, which runs between Hanwell and Brentford

17. September 8: a police diver enters the Grand Union Canal to search for the missing schoolgirl

18. September 7: Police search the River Brent, near Hanwell

19. A missing persons flyer is attached to a lamppost in central London

22. Alice was seen on CCTV at Brentford Lock

23. Arnis Zalkalns was seen on CCTV in the same area

Yesterday, Scotland Yard Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey said the investigation into Alice's murder is still "live" with at least two weeks to go before searches are complete.

It is the largest police operation carried out by British police since the aftermath of the July 7 bombings on London's transport system.

A post-mortem examination on Alice's body has not revealed what killed her and further tests are being carried out.

Video: Alice's Movements Reconstructed

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Thai Murders: 'Vibrant' Hannah Laid To Rest

The funeral of Hannah Witheridge, who was murdered on Koh Tao island, will take place today - after the two men accused of killing her reportedly retracted their confessions.

Police in Thailand say Burmese migrants Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun admitted murdering Miss Witheridge and another Briton David Miller, citing jealousy.

But a Burmese embassy official has been quoted in the Bangkok Post as saying the confessions had been "beaten out of them".

Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun during a re-enactment at the scene

"They're pleading with the Burmese government to look into the case and find out the truth," the official told the paper.

The two men are charged with murder, rape and robbery.

Video: Suspects In Murder Reconstruction

Hundreds of mourners are expected to pay their respects as Miss Witherdige is laid to rest in Hemsby, Norfolk.

Her family issued a statement earlier this week describing the 23-year-old as a fun, vibrant, beautiful young woman who will be "sorely missed by all who knew her".

They added: "She was dedicated, ambitious and would have made an amazing difference to the lives of many families through her chosen career as a speech and language therapist.

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1. Gallery: Thai Murders Accused At Crime Scene

   Two workers from Burma (wearing helmets and handcuffs), suspected of killing two British tourists on the island of Koh Tao last month, stand near Thai police officers where the bodies of the tourists were found

2. The pair have admitted to killing David Miller and Hannah Witheridge on the island in southern Thailand

3. Actors were used in the staging of the reconstruction

4. One of the suspects wields a mock weapon

5. The case has threatened to further damage the country's already bruised tourism sector

6. The victims' bodies were discovered on a beach on the island of Koh Tao, or Turtle Island, on 15 September, close to where they were staying. Continue through for more pictures

"As a family we hope that the right people are found and brought to justice."

Miss Witheridge's body was found near that of Mr Miller's on a beach on Koh Tao on September 15. They had both been violently beaten and Miss Witheridge had been raped.

A garden hoe was used to strike the pair, and Mr Miller, 24, from Jersey, is also thought to have drowned after being left on the water line.

Video: Charges Over Thailand Beach Murders

The Burmese men who stand accused of the murders were paraded in front of reporters last week in a re-enactment of the assault.

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