Kylie And Jason Reunited At Last On Stage

Former soap couple Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovon were reunited on stage for the first time in 23 years on Friday night.

The Australian pair duetted on their 1988 smash hit Especially For You to a rapturous reception from the audience at London's O2 arena.

Donovan swept the diminutive pop star - dressed in a short black dress trimmed with green leather - off her feet in a heartfelt embrace.

Globally loved for their roles as Scott and Charlene in the soap Neighbours, the single sold more than a million copies in the UK alone.

Before singing the closing notes, Minogue asked the audience: "How long have you waited for this for?"

The stars were joined by 80s and 90s pop stars Rick Astley, Bananarama and Steps among others for the Hit Factory Live - Christmas Cracker concert.

Donovan also serenaded the crowd with hits including Nothing Can Divide Us and When You Come Back To Me.

All the acts took to the stage to close the show with Slade's Merry Xmas Everybody.

Part of the proceeds from ticket sales for the event will be donated to Cancer Research UK.

The show had been due to take place in Hyde Park in the summer but was axed because of bad weather.

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Baroness Thatcher In Hospital After Surgery

Baroness Thatcher is recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery to remove a growth on her bladder.

The former Prime Minister is "absolutely fine" after the minor operation, a spokeswoman said.

The 87-year-old was admitted to hospital on Wednesday after complaining of pains. She is expected to remain there while she recovers.

Former Thatcher adviser Lord Bell said: "Following an examination in hospital on Wednesday Mrs Thatcher had a minimal invasive operation to remove a growth in her bladder.

"The operation was completely satisfactory.

"She will stay in hospital to recuperate for a few days and then she will return home. Her daughter Carol was with her in hospital.

"We will make no further comment."

Baroness Thatcher has suffered a number of health scares in recent years, including a series of minor strokes.

She was not well enough to join the Queen for a lunch with former and serving prime ministers as part of the Diamond Jubilee this summer.

And two years ago she missed an 85th birthday party thrown for her by David Cameron at 10 Downing Street.

In October she was sufficiently well, however, to mark her 87th birthday with lunch at a restaurant in London's exclusive St James's district with her son Mark and his wife.

Her health was thrust into the global spotlight this year when Meryl Streep starred in a controversial Hollywood film about her.

The Iron Lady drew criticism from Mr Cameron and others for concentrating on the dementia she has suffered after a series of small strokes. Streep won an Oscar for the role.

Baroness Thatcher was the first female prime minister - between 1979 and 1990 - and first female leader of the Conservative Party.

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India: Tear Gas Fired At Gang Rape Protesters

Indian police fired tear gas and water cannon at protesters who were demanding justice and safety for women following the brutal gang rape of a student on a bus.

Thousands of demonstrators in New Delhi surged towards the president's palace chanting "we want justice" and carrying banners reading "hang them now".

Clashes between the protesters and riot police erupted when a group tried to break through barricades and some started throwing stones.

The police responded by opening fire on the crowds with gas and water, and using batons to try to control the masses.

It is the sixth day of protests in the wake of the attack on the 23-year-old physiotherapy student and her 28-year-old male companion by six drunk men on a bus.

They took it in turns to rape her and attack her with an iron rod, causing serious intestinal injuries, before throwing her off the bus.

The men claimed it was her punishment for being out in the evening with a man.

The woman is still battling for her life in a New Delhi hospital but her story has sparked massive demonstrations in a country where rape is the fastest rising crime.

There have been six days of protests since the brutal rape of a student

The number of rape cases in New Delhi alone has risen 17% from 2011 to 661 this year, according to government figures.

Ravi Shankar Prasad, spokesman for the main national opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, said New Delhi "is becoming the rape capital" of India.

He urged the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, "to please respond to the deep sense of pain, agony and concern of the young people".

Experts say a combination of abusive sexual behaviour and a scant fear of the law because of the woefully low conviction rate, encourage such attacks in the city, which has a population of 19 million.

The government has appealed for calm and has said it will press for life sentences for the woman's six attackers, pay her medical bills and improve policing.

Junior home minister R.P.N. Singh told India's CNN-IBN television network: "The government is trying to do whatever it can to take measures and make sure that women are safe in the country."

Doctors at the hospital where the woman is being treated said in a statement she is in a critical but stable condition and had been removed from a ventilator.

Five suspects were arrested soon after the attack, which happened on Sunday, and a sixth was taken into custody on Friday.

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Gavin Mooney: British Economist Beaten To Death

An eminent British economist and his wife have been murdered at their home in Australia.

Professor Gavin Mooney, 69, and Dr Delys Weston, 62, were found at the property in Tasmania on Wednesday and are thought to have been bludgeoned to death.

The retired Briton was previously the director of the Social and Public Health Economics Research Group in Australia and held a number of senior positions at universities in the country.

He was born in Glasgow in 1943 and graduated from the University of Edinburgh before embarking on a career that saw him hold academic positions in the UK, Denmark and Australia.

He moved to Australia permanently in 1993.

Australian health minister Tanya Plibersek said the deaths were a "tragic loss for the health community, both in Australia and internationally".

She said: "Professor Mooney was a fearless advocate for social justice, and in particular the role of citizen juries, leading debates on the importance of consumers in determining how their health resources are allocated.

"Described as 'one of the founding fathers of health economics', his research was driven by real world challenge and geared towards identifying practical solutions.

"He was an inspiring teacher and supervisor, which when coupled with his extensive publication record, will ensure his legacy persists."

Australian media reports claimed Dr Weston's son has been charged in connection with the deaths and is expected to appear in court in the New Year.

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Royal Prank Call: CPS To Consider Charges

Lawyers are now deciding whether to bring charges over the prank call to the hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was treated.

A nurse working at the King Edward VII Hospital, where the Duchess was suffering from severe morning sickness, killed herself after being duped by the hoax by two Australian radio presenters.

Jacintha Saldanha, 46, transferred the call from the DJs pretending to be the Queen and Prince Charles to the ward where the Duchess was being treated. Another nurse gave them details of her condition.

Ms Saldanha, a mother-of-two, was found dead in nurses accommodation just three days later on December 7. She had hanged herself.

Jacintha Saldanha and her husband Ben Barboza

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will now consider whether any potential criminal offences may have been committed, Scotland Yard said.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Following the death of Jacintha Saldanha, officers have liaised with the CPS as to whether any criminal offences had been committed in relation to the hoax call made to King Edward VII Hospital in the early hours of Tuesday December 4.

"On Wednesday December 19, officers submitted a file to the CPS for them to consider whether any potential offences may have been committed by making the hoax call."

About 2,000 people turned out for the funeral of Ms Saldanha earlier this week in the small Indian town of Shirva, near Mangalore, where her husband Ben Barboza was born.

Mr Barboza and the couple's two children, Lisha, 14, and Junal, 16, have said that her death has left them "shattered" and her loss has left an "unfillable void".

Ms Saldanha left three notes, the opening of an inquest into her death has heard. It has been reported that one was critical of the hospital and its treatment of her.

The Australian DJs Michael Christian and Mel Greig have had death threats

However, officials at the hospital have insisted that they offered her a great deal of support during the fall-out from the hoax and did not criticise her or discipline her.

In a letter to the MP Keith Vaz, who has been supporting the family, John Lofthouse, the Chief Executive of King Edward VII Hospital, said: "Jacintha was reassured on a number of occasions by senior management that no blame was attached to her actions and that there were no disciplinary issues involved, because she had been the victim of a cruel trick."

Following the death of Ms Saldanha, the two DJ's Mel Greig and Michael Christian and other staff at the radio station 2DayFM received death threats.

As many as a dozen staff were moved to safe houses while executives at the broadcaster were given bodyguards.

Miss Greig and Mr Christian gave a television interview apologising to Ms Saldanha's family and saying they too were shattered.

They said their prank had prompted "a tragic turn of events no-one could have predicted or expected".

Southern Cross Austereo (SCA), the parent company of 2Day FM, has ended the DJs' Hot 30 show and suspended prank calls across the company in the wake of Ms Saldanha's death.

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Vatican Leaks: Pope Pardons Jailed Butler

Pope Benedict XVI has granted a Christmas pardon to his former butler, who was convicted and jailed in the VatiLeaks scandal.

The Pope visited Paolo Gabriele in the Vatican police barracks to tell him personally of the pardon, the Vatican said.

Gabriele, a 46-year-old father of three, was subsequently freed and has returned to his family.

The Holy See said it "intends to offer him the possibility to serenely restart his life together with his family", but added the man would no longer live or work at the Vatican.

The Vatican spokesman described the Pontiff's meeting with his former butler as "intense" and "personal".

Gabriele was at the centre of one of the gravest Vatican security breaches in recent times.

The scandal bore all the hallmarks of a Dan Brown novel, exposing intrigue, power struggle and allegations of corruption inside the frescoed Vatican walls.

Gabriele was at the Pope's service for years

Gabriele was arrested on May 23 after Vatican police found heaps of papal documents in his Vatican City apartment.

On October 6 he was convicted by a Vatican tribunal of stealing the Pope's private papers and leaking sensitive documents that alleged corruption in the Holy See.

He had been serving his 18-month sentence in the Vatican police barracks.

Gabriele told investigators he had given the documents to a journalist because he thought that exposing the "evil and corruption" in the Vatican would put the Roman Catholic Church back on the right track.

The start of the trial in a Vatican courtroom in September

The scandal turned into a major embarrassment for Benedict's pontificate and came to be known in the media as "VatiLeaks".

The Pope also pardoned a second Vatican employee, Claudio Sciarpelletti, who was convicted of aiding Gabriele.

The papal pardon had been expected.

In 1981, the late Pope John Paul II famously pardoned Turkish hitman Ali Agca, who tried to kill him in St Peter's Square. The Pope later met Agca in prison.

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Asteroid Fears Over: Space Rock To Miss Earth

An asteroid feared to be on a collision course with Earth no longer poses a significant risk to the planet.

Experts previously said there was up to a one in 500 chance of the space rock, which is as wide as two football pitches, crashing into Earth in February 2040.

However, when astronomers made further observations to better predict the asteroid's course, they found it would pass no closer than 550,000 miles to the planet - a distance equivalent to more than two trips to the moon.

The updated trajectory was drawn up by NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office, based at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

They relied on data from a team at the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy, who used the eight-metre Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, to find the faint asteroid, known as 2011 AG5.

Their research greatly reduced uncertainties about the object's orbit and eliminated fears it would cross Earth's path.

Asteroid 2011 AG5 has a diameter of 140 metres and is one of more than 8,700 near-Earth objects known to scientists.

It was found by astronomers at the top of Mount Lemmon in the Catalina Mountains, near Tuscon, Arizona, in January 2011.

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Egypt: Vice President Quits As Country Votes

Egypt's Vice President has resigned as Egyptians go to the polls to vote on the country's new constitution.

Mahmoud Mekki announced his departure with just five hours of voting to go in the second phase of the referendum on the new charter.

The new constitution eliminates the post of the vice president, however, in a statement, Mr Mekki hinted his resignation was linked to the policies of the President, Mohammed Morsi.

Mr Morsi sparked widespread unrest when he assumed sweeping new powers last month in a move that put him at odds with the judiciary and much of the public.

His opponents said he was acting like the "new pharaoh" and protests soon escalated to violent clashes between Mr Morsi's supporters and his detractors.

Mahmoud Mekki shakes hands with President Mohammed Morsi on his appointment

He eventually backed down and gave up the powers but instead has persisted with his attempt to push through a hastily drawn up constitution that the opposition claims does not represent all Egyptians.

Critics say the document is divisive as it favours Mr Morsi's Islamist allies and ignores the rights of Christians and women.

In his resignation statement on state television, Mr Mekki said: "I have realised a while ago that the nature of politics don't suit my professional genesis as a judge."

Mr Mekki, 58, was a respected judge before being elevated to the post of vice president by Mr Morsi in August. He led the judicial opposition to the ousted president Hosni Mubarak but resisted calls to run for power himself.

Egypt has been in turmoil for more than four weeks and the latest violent clashes took place on Friday, when supporters and opponents of the president clashed in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria. Dozens were hurt.

The vote on the new constitution is taking place in 17 of Egypt's 27 provinces with about 25 million eligible voters.

The first phase on December 15 produced a "yes" majority of about 56% with a turnout of some 32%, according to unofficial results.

Cars and buses were set ablaze in the clashes in Alexandria

The opposition has alleged abuses, and called for a re-vote of the first stage.

But the committee overseeing the referendum said their investigation had turned up no major irregularities.

Unofficial tallies are likely to emerge within hours of the close, but the referendum committee may not declare an official result for the two rounds until Monday, after hearing appeals.

If the constitution is adopted, a parliamentary election will be held in about two months.

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Weather: Floods Bring Christmas Misery

Families preparing for Christmas have been hit by floods and travel chaos as heavy rain batters Britain.

The southwest of England has been particularly badly affected by the downpours. Three severe flood warnings - which means there is a danger to life - were issued in Devon and Cornwall.

Conditions are so bad that rail passengers have been told to avoid parts of southwest England and South Wales.

And motorists and shoppers faced difficult conditions on one of the busiest weekends of the year for travel and shopping.

Floods in Helston, Cornwall, led to homes being evacuated

The town of Braunton in north Devon has been effectively cut off, with homes and shops under water, after the River Caen burst its banks.

Liz Spear, chairwoman of Braunton Parish Council, said a river was running through the centre of the town.

"It's really bad. We had flooding seven years ago but it was nothing like this," she said.

Some residents in Helston, Cornwall, were evacuated overnight after river levels rose.

In Lostwithiel around 195 people were advised to leave their homes, and a rest area was set up in the Community Centre.

Cornwall Council spokeswoman Trisha Hewitt, said:  "As this is falling on saturated ground, this could cause further flooding."

The Environment Agency has issued 126 flood warnings - where flooding is expected - across the whole of England and Wales, and 338 flood alerts, where flooding is possible.

There was a landslide in the Cornish town of Looe

There was a heightened flood risk across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Bristol, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, West and East Sussex, North Yorkshire, South Wales, Ceredigion and Gwynedd.

In Scotland, 17 flood warnings - mostly in Tayside - and 15 flood alerts were issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

The Met Office released amber weather warnings, which mean "be prepared", for heavy rain and strong winds across southwest England, Yorkshire and Humber, Wales, central Scotland and the Grampians until Sunday morning.

Sky News weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said heavy rain was forecast to continue across much of the country.

"We're going to continue with bits and pieces of rain over south-western parts of England for the rest of today," she said.

"That main rain from Saturday morning is moving north and eastwards - so there will be some heavy downpours in Scotland and northern England."

A man wading through Braunton, Devon

The water has already led to major issues on road and train networks, spelling trouble for Britons travelling this weekend.

The First Great Western train company advised passengers whose travel was not essential to avoid any journeys west of Taunton in Somerset because of flooding and landslips.

Arriva Trains Wales told passengers to avoid any rail travel in South Wales. Both operators were using road vehicles to transport passengers, but efforts were hampered by a lack of vehicles and flooded roads.

Meanwhile, staff shortages and signalling problems caused disruption on London Midland services. Buses replaced trains on some routes, while passengers were warned of possible cancellations at short notice.

Mark Ridge, landlord of The London Inn, Braunton, only moved into the pub seven months ago with his family and had spent £90,000 on renovation work.

"We were hoping this weekend would be our bumper weekend, to carry us through January and February trade wise, but it's just killed it now," he said.

Annette Essex, who owns a pet shop in Braunton, said: "Suddenly at 6am the banks of one of the rivers broke and the water came flooding down Caen Street and into the high street and we were under about 3ft of water in our store area.

"It was like a torrent of water. It was quite scary because you could hear the swish of the water and the whole road just turned into a river in the space of about 30-40 minutes."

In the Midlands the number of flood alerts has increased steadily throughout the day and now stands at 65 in total.

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British Boy Dies Hiking In Australian Bush

A 14-year-old Scottish boy has died from heat exhaustion after collapsing during a hike with his father in Western Australia, police said.

Police said the two were hiking in the Cape Range National Park, south of Exmouth, on Friday when the boy collapsed to the ground.

Police say the father and son were not carrying a great deal of water.

Temperatures in the region were well above 40C (104 degrees F) at the time, police said, urging tourists to carry plenty of water when hiking in such conditions.

The boy's father called emergency services, and police located the pair around 700m down a gully and not far from a car park.

The boy was treated on the track before being transferred to Exmouth Hospital, where he later died.

The boy's father is a 49-year-old man from Geraldton, in Western Australia's mid-west.

A police spokeswoman told The West Australian: "It is a known path and bush track.

"They were not lost. It is not suspicious. It is just a tragic accident."

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