Champion of UK burka ban declares war on veil-wearing constituents

A Conservative MP says he will refuse to hold meetings with Muslim women wearing full Islamic dress at his constituency surgery unless they lift their face veil.

Last night Muslim groups condemned Philip Hollobone and accused him of failing in his duty as an MP.

In an interview with The Independent, the Kettering MP said: "I would ask her to remove her veil. If she said: 'No', I would take the view that she could see my face, I could not see hers, I am not able to satisfy myself she is who she says she is. I would invite her to communicate with me in a different way, probably in the form of a letter".

He said the vast majority of Muslim women wore dress allowing people to see their face and claimed no Islamic scholars or clerics said wearing the burka or niqab was a religious requirement. "It is not a necessity," he said.

"I just take what I regard as a common sense view. If you want to engage in normal, daily, interactive dialogue with your fellow human beings, you can only really do this properly by seeing each other's face.

Crime school: Mugging, shoplifting, drugs and drinking in class all posted on the internet

Swigging from bottles of vodka and whisky, the rowdy pupils pose for a mocking video - filmed inside their own school.

One clip shows them going on the rampage in the sixth-form common room, brandishing a bottle of champagne while brazenly recording themselves for Facebook.

A second video clip - now in the hands of police - appears to show drunken pupils shoplifting and mugging a pizza delivery man for his phone or MP3 player.

Cheers as Gulf oil spill is capped at last

Celebration in the control room but BP warns that effort to seal off well for good is 'far from the finish line'

After 87 days, numerous false starts and broken promises, and more than 4m barrels of oil spewed into the ecologically rich waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the moment was almost too sweet to take in: BP's underwater cameras, dubbed "spillcams", finally broadcast a picture that was clean, calm and absolutely devoid of any billowing oil.

Clapping, handshakes and backslaps erupted in the control room in Houston where BP and US government scientists have mingled, fretted and plotted since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on 20 April. At 2.25pm on Thursday, the last of three valves in the new sealing cap placed over the Macondo well was at last closed, and the dirty cloud of oil and gas that has become a symbol of nature's ability to bite back against man's insatiable demand for energy thinned and was no more.

Verbally, the reaction of key players was muted. After a textbook example of how not to conduct public relations in a crisis, they have learned to avoid giving any impression of euphoria.

Russian FM to talk security at OSCE meeting in Kazakhstan

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will on Saturday attend an informal OSCE foreign ministerial meeting in Kazakhstan.

The informal summit will discuss global security, the situations in Kyrgyzstan after violent ethnic clashes and in Afghanistan, as well as Russia's European security treaty initiative.

Violent clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in southern Kyrgyzstan broke out in the city of Osh on June 11 and then spread to the neighboring Jalalabad region. Unofficial estimates put the death toll at about 2,000 people, while half a million may have been made homeless by the violent pogroms, which saw thousands of homes burned.

Hillary Clinton raises Lockerbie bomber concerns

The US has raised concerns about the release of the Lockerbie bomber, after the foreign secretary said the decision to free him was "a mistake".

William Hague spoke to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said Britain may wish to explain the circumstances behind Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's release.

Four US senators believe oil giant BP lobbied for the move to secure a deal with Libya.

The Scottish government said Megrahi was freed on compassionate grounds.

It has denied having any contact with BP before its decision last year to release the Libyan intelligence officer convicted of the 1988 bombing which killed 270 people, most of them Americans.

Conson downgraded to tropical storm, heads toward Vietnam

Hong Kong, China (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Conson was downgraded from a typhoon early Saturday, a day after the deadly storm roared into China, along the southern tip of the island of Hainan.

Conson is forecast to move through the Gulf of Tonkin on Saturday, making a final landfall in northern Vietnam, near Hanoi, in the afternoon, according to CNN World Weather.

The storm, which killed at least 39 people during its westward march across the Philippines this week, had maximum sustained winds of 112 kph (70 mph) Saturday, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. At one point Friday morning, the storm's winds reached 139 kph (86 mph), making it the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane when it reached China.

Dumping the dollar: Why it's time to diversify

FORTUNE -- Imagine a world without the almighty greenback as the main reserve currency.

It's not an easy thought. The U.S. dollar has long been the global currency of choice. As much as 64% of the world's currency reserves are held in greenbacks, according to the International Monetary Fund.

But given the manic ups and downs of the dollar in recent years, it may finally be time to diversify the world's reserves. And that's exactly what some central bankers around the globe are now doing.

This comes as a growing number of economists and policymakers are calling to move away from the greenback as the world's dominant currency. A recent United Nations report says the dollar's movements have been too erratic to hold value and the U.N. urges central banks to replace it with anything but a single currency or even multiple-national currencies.

One potential replacement is special drawing rights (SDRs), the international reserve created by the IMF in 1969. SDRs aren't something you can carry in your pocket like cash. They represent potential claims on currencies of IMF members. Because the value of SDRs is based on a basket of the world's major currencies (U.S. dollars, yen, euros and pounds), its value typically isn't as volatile as a single currency. Central bankers in Russia and China have supported the idea of SDRs.

London vs. Facebook in killer page row

LONDON, July 16 (UPI) -- British Premier David Cameron's battle with social networking site Facebook over a page that glorified a dead killer has prompted a debate on free speech on the Internet.

"R.I.P. Raoul Moat You Legend" -- that was the title of a now taken-down page on Facebook that had attracted nearly 40,000 fans. Moat, a former bouncer addicted to steroids and apparently madly in love, last week shot his ex-girlfriend, killer her new lover and seriously injured a police officer. After having vowed to fight authorities until the end, Moat killed himself after British police had staged one of the largest manhunts in recent history.

Cameron, who after his election chatted with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, turned against the social networking site when it refused to shut down the Moat support page.

Ex-star of sumo seen with mobster

MATSUYAMA, Ehime Pref. (Kyodo) Sumo stablemaster and former grand champion Takanohana met with a yakuza member in Ehime Prefecture in early June, prefectural police sources said Friday, revealing what could be another example of ties between the mob and the ancient sport.

The sources said Takanohana, also a member of the Japan Sumo Association board, at the time was on a visit to the prefecture to recruit new apprentices.

Takanohana, who ranks fifth on the all-time list with 22 tournament victories, had dinner with around 15 people, mostly parents of local junior high school students, during his trip. The police sources said a member of an underworld group was among those who watched practice sumo sessions or among the people who had dinner with Takanohana.

Government investment will create almost 2,500 jobs

A €360m research investment unveiled by the government today will create almost 2,500 jobs and help drive Ireland's economic recovery, the Taoiseach pledged.

The initiative is one of the biggest financial boosts to the sector in the history of the state.

It will see a range of projects undertaken at universities and colleges across the country through the ongoing Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI).

The construction of many new infrastructure developments such as laboratories and research facilities will also be funded.

The announcement comes hot on the heels of the launch in New York earlier this week of the Government's €500m Innovation Fund Ireland, which aims to foster a new culture of entrepreneurialism in the country.

Istanbul commuters skeptical of transit change

The key-sized electronic passes carried faithfully by Istanbul public-transit patrons are being phased out in favor of a scannable card, leaving many riders wondering why the change is being made and where the extra money is going.

“This is only being done to let some people earn money out of nothing. Nothing has changed for us,” one rider said Tuesday while waiting at a bus stop in the city’s Eminönü district, a busy transit hub. The 68-year-old retiree, who declined to give his name, said he had paid 10 Turkish Liras to get one of the new transit cards across the Golden Horn in Karaköy.

“If I give my Akbil back, I will get six liras in return, but they will be earning four liras from each of us. And for what service?” the man told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

Lithuania, Poland celebrate Grunwald victory

GRUNWALD - Thousands of tourists and history buffs have joined Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and her Polish counterpart to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the victory of Polish-Lithuanian forces over the Teutonic knights in one of the middle-ages' most important battles.

"Today is a very special day. Today, on this historic battlefield, we celebrate one of the greatest victories in our history - a victory that ended more than one hundred year long aggression against the region," Grybauskaite said.

It reminds us all how much we can achieve when we are together. I am speaking not only about Lithuanians and Poles. I have in mind here all of us who 600 years ago participated in the Battle of Grunwald and made victory possible," she said.

Forty years of rock on the rye

Ruisrock, one of Europe's longest-standing rock fests, celebrated 40 years of success in 2010 – and in 2011 its home city, Turku, is European Capital of Culture. The spirit of the sunny festival weekend shines through in our slideshow.

What a scene! Just outside of Turku, southwestern Finland, surrounded by lush forests and fields on the island of Ruissalo (Rye Woodland), bungee jumpers dangle and scream. Their cries are lost, however, in the rock music issuing from a stage about 100 metres away.

Between the bungee and the band, the audience sits, stands, dances, claps, shouts and – swims. This is the Beach Stage, one of five at the Ruisrock Festival, and true to its name, it’s located on a large beach – a definite plus when you want to cool off in the hot weather without disrupting your concert experience.

Abkhazian, S.Ossetian leaders to visit Nicaragua, Venezuela

MOSCOW/SUKHUMI/MANAGUA, July 17 (RIA Novosti) - The presidents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia will on Saturday start official visits to Nicaragua and Venezuela - two of the four countries that have recognized the former Georgian republics' independence.

Sergei Bagapsh and Eduard Kokoity plan to conclude friendship and cooperation agreements with the countries. Bagapsh will head to Nicaragua this night from the southern Russian resort of Sochi, and Kokoity in the morning from Moscow.

Abkhazian Prime Minister Sergei Shamba told RIA Novosti that the two presidents have different agendas despite the fact that they fly to the same places.

Libyan oil official: Lockerbie wasn't part of BP talks

(CNN) -- A top Libyan oil official on Friday denied allegations of an agreement to free the Lockerbie bomber in exchange for bolstered BP commercial interests in the country.

Britain and Libya had sparred over whether Abdelbeset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi should be included in a prisoner transfer agreement the two nations were negotiating. Under the agreement, Libyan prisoners in Britain would be transferred to Libya to serve out their sentences.

British officials and BP said the oil company's interests -- mainly, seeking a huge deal to drill for oil in Libya -- were a consideration in those talks.

Licence fee for 'wasteful' BBC will be cut

Television viewers can soon expect to pay less for their BBC licence fee as part of the austerity drive in public spending, Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, will signal on Saturday

The broadcaster has been responsible for “extraordinary and outrageous” waste in recent years and needs to recognise the “very constrained financial situation” the country is now in, Mr Hunt says.

In an interview in today’s Daily Telegraph, Mr Hunt says the broadcaster needs to change “huge numbers” of things that it does, warning the management that they should not interpret his silence on the issue of the licence fee since the election as a sign that he is happy with it.

In his most explicit statement yet on the future of the £145.50 a year levy, the Culture Secretary says that he can “absolutely” see viewers paying less following next year’s negotiations between the government and the BBC.

Responding to a question over whether the fee could fall at the next settlement, he says: “Yes I could. Absolutely. I think that’s the discussion that we need to have.

Blair in secret talks with Gaddafi: Lockerbie families' fury as ex-Premier is treated like a 'brother' by dictator just days after denying links with Libya

Tony Blair was flown to Libya for secret talks with Colonel Gaddafi just days after denying he was an adviser to the dictator.

Mr Blair was 'entertained as a brother', a senior Libyan government source has revealed.

He told the Daily Mail that the former prime minister had offered Gaddafi, with whom he is on first-name terms, 'a great deal of invaluable advice'.

Scientists create 'malaria-proof' mosquito

TUCSON, July 16 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've genetically engineered a "malaria-proof" mosquito that would not spread the deadly disease.

Researchers at the University of Arizona introduced a gene into mosquitoes affecting the insects' gut, where malarial parasites that can infect humans develop, BBC news reported Friday.

They said the altered gene affects a "signaling molecule" affecting the mosquitoes' cells, preventing the parasite from developing, the BBC said.

Inception is an achingly intelligent blockbuster

Film review: Leonardo DiCaprio teams up with The Dark Knight's Christopher Nolan to produce the sure-fire smash hit of the summer, Inception

‘From the director of The Dark Knight’ trumpet the adverts – and it’s truly writer/director Christopher Nolan’s vision, rather than Leonardo DiCaprio, that is the star of this action sci-fi. Cobb (DiCaprio, pictured) is an expert in ‘extraction’, breaking and entering into other people’s dreams and stealing their secrets. It’s a gift that’s cost him his family and made him a fugitive.

Then he’s offered one last shot at redemption by pulling off an ‘inception’ – planting an idea into someone’s unconscious – aided by his pals Ellen ‘Juno’ Page, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and, of course, Sir Michael Caine. ‘Spectacular’ and ‘wow’ are the words that repeatedly spring to mind as you attempt to navigate the Memento-like maze of Nolan’s latest achingly intelligent blockbuster.

Poorest pay heavy price in Lottery shake-up

Hundreds of community groups and after-schools clubs in Scotland could face closure in a major shake-up of National Lottery funding.

Under UK Government plans, the Big Lottery Fund (Big) – which has a remit to help communities and people most in need – will lose funding worth up to £15 million a year.

It will also be barred from funding projects linked to the public sector.

This will leave hundreds of clubs, sports coaching and other programmes linked to primary and secondary schools without funding, as well as threaten many grassroots programmes.

Under the changes, ministers propose to cut Big’s proportion of lottery cash from 50% to 40%, and increase the share allocated to sports, heritage and the arts from 16% to 20% each.

Legal errors cited as surgeon Jayant Patel seeks freedom

DISGRACED surgeon Jayant Patel has blamed his manslaughter convictions on a string of judicial errors.

He claims the jury was allowed to hear days of testimony that should have been ruled inadmissible.

Bundaberg Base Hospital's former director of surgery was last month convicted of the manslaughter of three patients and causing the grievous bodily harm of another.

But in a notice filed in Queensland's Court of Appeal on Thursday, Patel claims the jury's verdicts "were unreasonable and not open to the evidence".

In early June -- months into the trial and following days of legal argument -- prosecutors were forced to change the legal and evidentiary premise of their case. Rather than proving Patel operated in an incompetent manner, prosecutors were to focus on the surgeon's pre- and post-operative decisions.

Cong leaders meet top-brass in Delhi

The state Congress is impressing upon the Centre on the need for a CBI probe into illegal mining, citing violations under FERA and other related provisions, which can be done when a state government declines to do so on its own. 

A delegation of Congressmen led by assembly opposition leader Siddaramaiah and KPCC president R V Deshpande will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and AICC president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday. 

The Congress has declined Yeddyurappa's offer to accompany him to meet the PM and others on the same issue. He is meeting the leaders seeking a ban on iron-ore export. 

A Treasure Trove in the Baltic Sea

While environmentalists are sharply opposed to the construction of the new Baltic Sea pipeline, archaeologists are delighted. The massive Nord Stream project to bring natural gas from Russia to Germany has uncovered dozens of shipwrecks and other historic artifacts.

In the early 1940s, engineers of the Third Reich conducted a series of tests that involving firing Henschel HS 293 glider bombs into the Baltic Sea. They were disheartened when the tests failed, because the steering systems of the massive projectile didn't work properly.

Now, almost 70 years later, one of the bombs -- weighing in at about 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lbs) -- has been found in the path of the 1,220-kilometer (763-mile) pipeline that will link Germany to Russia's natural gas network. Early last week, specialists used a crane to hoist the obstacle out of the Baltic Sea near Lubmin, a coastal town in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

FDA warns of stolen inhalers' safety

WASHINGTON, July 16 (UPI) -- Federal officials warned the U.S. public against using certain stolen Advair Diskus inhalers, saying their safety and effectiveness can't be assured.

Advair Diskus is an inhaler used to treat patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

About 25,600 inhalers were stolen in August 2009 from a GlaxoSmithKline warehouse near Richmond, Va., the Federal Drug Administration said Friday in a release. Devices found recently were the first from the stolen lots to surface, but federal officials said more stolen inhalers may be on the market.

Russian deputy PM Zhukov to visit Armenia

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov will visit Armenia Saturday, the Armenian government reported.

During the visit, Zhukov is to meet with Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.

The sides will sign bilateral documents, in particular, agreements between the two countries' national Olympic committees.

Miami issues dengue fever advisory

MIAMI, July 16 (UPI) -- Florida health officials have issued health advisories after a Miami man was diagnosed with a suspected case of dengue fever, authorities said.

The advisory by the Miami-Dade Health Department follows a reported outbreak of the mosquito-borne viral disease in Key West, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Thursday.

"We're concerned that if dengue gains a foothold in Key West, it will travel to other southern cities where the mosquito that transmits dengue is present, like Miami," Harold Margolis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

UN General Assembly pays tribute at inaugural Nelson Mandela International Day

The U.N. General Assembly on Friday celebrated the inaugural "Nelson Mandela International Day" with tributes to the South African anti-apartheid leader's moral leadership and lifelong commitment to fighting racial oppression and promoting peace.

The 192-member world body, in a rare action, approved a resolution last November authorizing the commemoration of Mandela's birthday — July 18 — every year to recognize the Nobel Peace Prize laureate's contribution to resolving conflicts and promoting race relations, human rights and reconciliation.

At Friday's U.N. commemoration — held two days early because Mandela's birthday this year falls on Sunday — General Assembly President Ali Abdessalam Treki called Mandela "an icon" and "one of the greatest moral and political leaders of our time." He called in a statement for the international community to mark the day by stepping up the fight "for social equality and justice and the pursuit of peace through dialogue".

Vietnam Agent Orange victim wants 'human response' to ongoing tragedy

WASHINGTON — At 23, Tran Thi Hoan dreams the dreams of a typical young woman: find a good job, start a family and, as a native of a country long ravaged by war, live in peace.

But Hoan is a victim of Agent Orange, the herbicide laced with dioxin-tainted defoliant that was sprayed across huge swaths of Vietnam between in the 1960s and early 1970s, and she fears that she could pass on the poison that saw her born without legs and with a withered hand to her children.

So she's let go of part of her dream.

"Maybe my children will be disabled like me. So I don't believe I can get married," Hoan told AFP after she became the first Vietnamese victim of Agent Orange to testify before the US Congress.

"I'm worried," she added quietly.

Teoh Beng Hock death anniversary: questions remain

SHAH ALAM (July 16, 2010): About 100 people gathered at the Plaza Masalam here today to mark the one-year anniversary for the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock, who fell from the Selangor headquarters of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) at Plaza Masalam here.

The crowd, including members of DAP, Parti Keadilan Rakyat and PAS, had gathered outside the lobby of the building at 10am, holding chrysanthemums in their hands.

After a prayer session by the Teoh family on the fifth floor where Teoh had fallen from following an interrogation session conducted by the MACC, Beng Hock's younger sister Lee Lan said her family is anxious to know why the truth has yet to be uncovered although her brother has died a year now.

Museum offers $10,000 to stay 30 days

CHICAGO, July 16 (UPI) -- Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry is accepting applications from people willing to spend a month living at the facility for a $10,000 paycheck.

The Museum of Science and Industry said it is accepting applications on the Web site monthatthemuseum.org from people interested in spending 30 full days and nights at the facility and posting about the experience on YouTube, Twitter and a blog, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.

Ethiopians, Eritreans Face Double Suspicion in Post-Bomb Uganda

The bodies of seven Ethiopian and Eritrean victims of the Uganda bomb attacks have been sent home to their native countries for burial.  Members of the Ethiopian and Eritrean expatriate communities face suspicion from all sides, in a city shaken by the realization that it is the latest front in Somalia's war.

A crowd of about 100 mourners gathered at Kampala's tiny Ethiopian Orthodox church Friday to remember 32-year-old Getayewakal Tessema, the only Ethiopian killed in the Kampala terror blasts. 

Eritreans in the Ugandan capital held a similar service for six members of their community who also died in the attack on an Ethiopian restaurant, where fans were watching the World Cup soccer final.

Shots fired during attempted robbery

A number of shots were fired during an attempted robbery of a cash-in-transit vehicle at a shopping centre in Co Meath this morning.

The incident occurred at the Beechmount Centre on the Trim Road in Navan at about 11.30am.

Security staff delivering cash to the centre were targetted by two men who demanded they be given money. One of the men was armed with a handgun.

Ethiopian Graduates 19 Pilots

The Ethiopian Aviation Academy of the Ethiopian Airlines graduated 19 pilots Thursday after completing a two year commercial pilot course in instrument and Multi Engine Ratings.

Some eight of the graduates are from Chad, Congo Brazzaville, DR Congo Kinshasa, Kenya and Italy.  On the occasion, School Manager Capt. Lemma Tekalign said the trainees have received class instruction and practical flight training both on single and Multi–Engine trainer aircrafts and in the flight training devices.

He said they have also attended International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) English proficiency requirement.

Ethiopian Chief Executive Officer, Girma Wake handed over diplomas to the graduates and prizes to outstanding trainees.

Established in 1964 G.C. the school has so far graduated 900 pilots including the present batch.