Deadly Crash Driver 'Thought Cyclist Was Badger'

A drunk driver who killed a cyclist and drove off, thinking she had only hit a badger, has been jailed for seven years.

Alison Bowen, who was more than twice the drink-drive limit, hit Paul Novak with such force that her windscreen caved in.

But despite extensive damage to her car, she drove on for more than five miles, leaving Mr Novak's body lying in a road in Robertsbridge, East Sussex.

Police said 61-year-old Bowen, whose knuckles were cut by the shattered windscreen of her Fiat Punto, was so drunk "she did not even know what she had done".

She only stopped after crashing for a second time in nearby Battle.

When officers asked what had caused the damage to her car, she replied she had heard "a bonk" and thought she had run over a badger.

Mr Novak, who was cycling towards his home in St Leonards when he was knocked down last November, died at the scene.

His mother, Ann Novak, said: "My only son had his life snuffed out in seconds through no fault of his own.

"No sentence will ever be enough to take away the pain I feel that I will not get the chance to spend the rest of my life with him.

"I still cannot come to terms with the fact Paul is no longer with us.

"I've been given great support by my family, friends and the police but nothing can prepare you for the death of your child and nothing takes away the sorrow.

"Paul was more relaxed and happy than he had been for years when he was taken from us.

"I feel robbed that I won't get to enjoy this phase of his life with him."

Bowen, of Battle, pleaded guilty at Lewes Crown Court to causing death by driving without due care and attention while over the prescribed limit.

As well as a prison sentence, she was banned from driving for two years and will have to pass an extended test before she can get back behind the wheel.

Sergeant Dan Pitcher, of Sussex Police, said: "Mr Novak was the innocent victim of a woman who selfishly decided to drink and then drive home.

"After the collision, Bowen must have been able to see next to nothing out of her windscreen as the front of her car was smashed to pieces, yet she continued on the roads and could have easily caused more serious or even fatal accidents.

"This horrific case shows exactly why we cannot and will not tolerate any drink or drug driving in Sussex."

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Cable Plots Tougher Foreign Takeover Rules

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

Vince Cable is to set out new proposals to force buyers of key British companies to make watertight commitments aimed at protecting jobs and research budgets.

The Business Secretary is expected to detail plans that would oblige foreign bidders for UK businesses to offer binding guarantees to the City's takeover watchdog in order to prevent the erosion of Britain's knowledge base.

His pledge will come less than two months after the American pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer's interest in a £69bn takeover of AstraZeneca ignited a political storm in Westminster about a perceived threat to scientific research and development in Britain.

Mr Cable is understood to want to strengthen the powers of the Takeover Panel, which oversees mergers and takeovers involving British companies, but his plans will nevertheless fall short of the more stringent regulatory framework for which Labour has been calling.

The Business Secretary's proposals are expected to be set out later this weekend.

It was unclear on Saturday whether Mr Cable would require legislative change to push through his proposals or whether there would be a formal threshold above which acquirers of UK companies would be forced to adhere to any new rules.

Currently, the formal public interest test which gives politicians power to intervene in corporate deals is restricted to areas such as media plurality and financial stability.

The Takeover Panel, which regulates mergers and acquisitions, can force foreign bidders for UK companies in any sector to make or clarify public statements about their intentions.

However, it is not deemed by ministers to have sufficiently robust powers to compel companies to make legally-binding commitments on issues such as jobs and R&D.

That became a politically sensitive issue under the last Labour Government, when Kraft Foods of the US reneged on a pledge to retain a Cadbury manufacturing facility in the UK.

Speaking before a House of Lords select committee earlier this week, Mr Cable said he was not interested in introducing rules purely designed to protect the Union flag, pointing out that Britain's biggest manufacturer is Tata, the Indian conglomerate which owns Jaguar Land Rover.

"A crude nationality test has no merit," he said.

Hinting at a possible strengthening of the Takeover Panel's powers, he also said that an extension of the national interest test could risk breaching European Union law.

Ian Read, Pfizer's chief executive, said in May he regarded commitments to UK jobs made during the recent bid situation as legally enforceable.

When Pfizer abandoned its offer two months ago, Chuka Umunna, the Shadow Business Secretary, reaffirmed his commitment to subjecting the deal to a public interest test if a fresh approach was made under a Labour administration.

"While Labour was standing up for British jobs and British science throughout this takeover bid, David Cameron and his ministers were cheerleading for it when one of the primary motivations behind the deal was financial engineering - cited by the AstraZeneca board as one of the execution risks justifying rejection of the bid," he said at the time.

Pfizer was forced to walk away from its bid after a string of rejections by the AstraZeneca board, despite a desire from some of the UK company's shareholders for it to engage with its suitor.

AstraZeneca could invite Pfizer to enter fresh talks towards the end of August, although it would be late November before the US company could make a new unsolicited approach under Takeover Panel rules.

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Archbishops Split Over Right-To-Die Debate

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has made an extraordinary U-turn by announcing he is backing laws to legalise assisted dying.

His support for Labour peer Lord Falconer's Bill, which will be debated in the House of Lords next week, goes against the Church of England's official line that the law on assisted suicide should not change.

Lord Carey said it would not be "anti-Christian" to legalise assisted suicide and that by opposing reform the Church risked "promoting anguish and pain".

He said the case of Tony Nicklinson - the locked-in syndrome sufferer who died after being refused the legal right to die - had the "deepest influence" on his change of heart.

"Here was a dignified man making a simple appeal for mercy, begging that the law allow him to die in peace, supported by his family," he wrote in the Daily Mail.

Most Reverend Justin Welby (top) and former Archbishop Lord Carey

"His distress made me question my motives in previous debates. Had I been putting doctrine before compassion, dogma before human dignity?"

Mr Nicklinson's widow Jane said she was "amazed and thrilled" at Lord Carey's U-turn.

His comments come as a surprise because he was part of a coalition that helped stop Lord Joffe's Assisting Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill in 2006 in the House of Lords.

But while the former Archbishop has come out in favour of a change in the law, the current Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, has condemned the Bill as "mistaken and dangerous".

Tony Nicklinson died two years ago

Writing in the Times, Archbishop Welby warned the "deep personal demands" of individuals should not blind people to the pressures others could be put under should the practice become legal.

"It would be very naive to think that many of the elderly people who are abused and neglected each year, as well as many severely disabled individuals, would not be put under pressure to end their lives if assisted suicide were permitted by law," he wrote.

Archbishop Welby said a law that permitted assisted suicide would be "bound" to lead to some people feeling they ought to stop "being a burden to others".

Assisted suicide is already legal at clinics like this in Switzerland

The Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Rev James Newcome, said the Church of England was "surprised" by the content and timing of Lord Carey's shock intervention.

"I think we were surprised by both the content and the timing of the article but recognise that, actually, quite a lot of good things have come out of it, including that it has brought some of the issues to the forefront of public discussion and highlighted just what an important issue this is," Bishop Newcome said.

"Certainly our hope ... is that the Falconer Bill will be withdrawn and that, because this is such an important issue, it can be discussed at length by a Royal Commission."

Under the 1961 Suicide Act, it remains a criminal offence carrying up to 14 years in jail to help take someone's life.

If successful, Lord Falconer's Bill would allow mentally capable adults in England and Wales to ask for help to die if they were suffering from a terminal illness and had less than six months to live.

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Croc On A Plane: Reptile 'May Have Caused Crash'

An escaped crocodile may have caused a plane crash which killed a British pilot and 18 others, an inquest has heard.

Chris Wilson died when the jet he was co-piloting plunged to the ground during a routine flight across the Congo in August 2010.

No cause for the crash has ever been established but an inquest was told a crocodile may have sparked a stampede by roaming around the aisles moments before the aircraft came down.

It is thought the plane, which was travelling from Kinshasa to Bandundu, may have nosedived as passengers and crew members ran from the reptile.

Assistant Coroner David Dooley said it was "apparently quite normal" for animals to be carried on the plane, adding: "It was used like a taxi in this regard."

"There is apparently a video of the crocodile being taken out of the plane," he told the hearing at Gloucester Coroner's Court.

"(Investigators) think it may have frightened the cabin crew member and she ran forward, with the other passengers following.

"The weight shift caused by the panic may have affected the plane, causing it to nosedive or stall."

Mr Wilson moved to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2010 after giving up his job as a cabin crew member to follow his dream of becoming a commercial pilot.

The 39-year-old worked for local company Filair but is said to have become increasingly concerned about the flying ability of co-pilot Danny Philemotte, who owned the firm.

In a statement read to the court, his brother, Martin, said:  "Every time he flew with Mr Philemotte, there was always one incident or another.

"He said he didn't want to fly with him anymore.

"He said if it wasn't for the fact they could see where they were going, they wouldn't ever get anywhere because Mr Philemotte couldn't read the instruments.

"He said he didn't know how Mr Philemotte was still alive (because) his flying was so bad."

Timothy Atkinson, an air accident investigator, said he had reviewed evidence from the Congolese authorities but was unable to draw any definitive conclusions because they were not given the plane's black box data recorder.

"There is no evidence suggesting an engine failure or a nose dive, although I cannot be sure without looking at the plane," he told the court.

"The accident appears to have the hallmarks of a stall and spin, which may have been from a variety of causes.

"Essentially, it fell out of the sky."

Mr Dooley recorded an open conclusion, saying a lack of witnesses and data from the black box "have only resulted in vague guesses as to what happened".

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China's 'Star' Anchorman Disappears Before Show

A popular Chinese television news presenter has disappeared from his nightly show, just weeks after his boss was detained on suspicion of taking bribes.

Rui Chenggang, a business journalist who works for the state-run broadcaster CCTV, was taken from his workplace by prosecutors, according to financial news magazine Caixin.

He was missing from the newscast he co-anchors, although producers kept two microphones wired up for the show.

It comes two months after CCTV's financial news director Guo Zhenxi was detained as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption.

Mr Guo once praised Mr Rui as the station's "star anchor", telling the New York Times his reporter was, for the first time, "examining the health of the nation" through a television programme.

Mr Rui, who is known for his nationalistic streak, has interviewed numerous political and business leaders during his career, amassing more than 10 million followers on his social networking account.

He once formed a campaign group to remove a Starbucks coffee shop from Beijing's Forbidden City and raised eyebrows when he claimed he could represent all of Asia at one of US President Barack Obama's news conferences in 2009.

As well as his prime-time role at CCTV, Mr Rui is a columnist for Beijing Youth Daily and sits on the board of the China National Symphony Orchestra.

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Schumacher's Wife: F1 Champ Getting Better

Michael Schumacher's wife has spoken publicly for the first time about his skiing accident, saying he is "getting better" after coming out of a coma last month.

Corinna Schumacher, 45, told Neue Post, a German women's weekly magazine, she was encouraged by the former Formula One driver's recovery.

"It's getting better, slowly certainly, but in any case it's improving," she said.

Her husband, 45, suffered serious brain injuries when his head hit a rock while he was on a skiing holiday in the French Alps in December.

The seven-times F1 champion was reportedly travelling at speeds of up to 60mph when the accident happened.

Schumacher was placed in a medically-induced coma after the accident

It is thought he was saved by his skiing helmet, which split on impact.

Last month, he was transferred from Grenoble university hospital to Lausanne University Hospital, close to his family's home in Switzerland.

Speaking at the time, his manager, Sabine Kehm, said Schumacher was no longer in a coma but gave no further details of his condition or medical outlook, saying only he would "continue his long phase of rehabilitation".

It was also reported in the German media he was responding to his wife's voice.

His medical records were reportedly stolen last month and were being touted for sale to the media.

Ms Kehm warned potential buyers that purchase or publication of the documents was a criminal matter.

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Tommy Ramone Dies After Battle With Cancer

Tommy Ramone, the last original member of US punk band the Ramones, has died.

The 62-year-old passed away in hospice care in New York on Friday after battling cancer.

His death was announced on the band's official Facebook page.

Tributes to the band poured in from the likes of former My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way, comedian Noel Fielding and ex-Guns N'Roses drummer Matt Sorum, who tweeted: "Another legend gone today Tommy Ramone the original Ramones drummer . A reunion in the sky is in order. . RIP Punk Rocker".

Tommy Ramone co-produced the band's first three albums

Bill Bragg also paid his respects. "1-2-3-4! Last surviving member of the original Ramones, Tommy, has left the building," he wrote.

Born in Hungary in 1952, the drummer co-founded the group at a New York school in 1974 along with singer Joey Ramone, bassist DeeDee Ramone and guitarist Johnny Ramone.

The band members were not related but decided to change their last names to Ramone.

Tommy Ramone was the group's drummer from 1974 to 1978 and he co-produced their first three albums. 

Though they never scored a number one hit single, the Ramones were known for popular songs such as Blitzkrieg Bop and I Wanna Be Sedated.

They were also credited with inventing punk rock.

The Ramones released 14 studio albums before they disbanded in 1996.

The band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 2002 despite the loss of Joey Ramone to cancer in 2001.

Dee Dee Ramone died of a drug overdose just months after the ceremony.

In 2004, Johnny Ramone also lost his battle with cancer.

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Russian Tourist 'Raped In Sharm El-Sheikh'

Police have arrested a minibus driver for allegedly raping a Russian tourist in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.

The suspect was driving the woman and her husband back to their hotel after a night-out when he pretended the vehicle had broken down, officers said.

He then tricked the Russian man into getting out of the minibus before speeding off with his wife.

The 23-year-old suspect attacked the woman, 36, and left her on the side of the road, according to Egyptian news website Ahram Online.

In March, a British businesswoman was allegedly raped in a five-star hotel in the same resort.

The woman, aged in her 40s, said she was sexually assaulted by a security guard who escorted her to her room.

The Egyptian government recently passed a law imposing harsher penalties for sex attacks.

President Abdel Fattah al Sisi vowed to crack down on such crimes, after footage appeared in the world's media of men sexually assaulting a woman during a rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

Thirteen men are to stand trial over the attack.

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Northern Ireland Parade Day: Three Men Stabbed

Tens of thousands of members of the Orange Order have been parading across Northern Ireland.

Around 3,500 police officers are on duty after the discovery of a letter bomb at the country's main sorting office overnight.

A 28-year-old man was stabbed during fighting between republican and loyalist factions at Ormeau Bridge, a normally peaceful spot where predominantly nationalist and unionist communities meet in south Belfast.

Tensions are high as marchers take to the streets

Two other men, aged 19 and 21, were taken to hospital after they were stabbed in separate attacks in the early hours of the morning.

Eight people were arrested overnight for public order offences in north and west Belfast, while an attack on an Orange Hall in Ballycastle, County Antrim, was declared a hate crime by police.

July 12 is the date when the Orange Order mark Protestant King William's ancient victory over Catholic King James, and is the biggest day in the marching season.

Bonfires marked the start of the July 12 parades

A third of the officers are based at Ardoyne in north Belfast, where the Parades Commission has imposed restrictions on a march.

A parade on Saturday morning passed peacefully but Orangemen are prohibited from returning this evening past the homes of Catholic residents who oppose the march.

It came after police confirmed a suspicious package discovered at the sorting office on Mallusk Road in Newtownabbey, on the outskirts of Belfast was a "viable" letter bomb.

A spokeswoman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said experts from the army were sent to the scene of the bomb find.

Loyalists signalled the arrival of July 12 by lighting bonfires at midnight but were criticised for burning election posters of nationalist and republican politicians.

A map showing the location of the sorting office

Six hundred parades were expected to take place around the country as a whole.

Organisers have called on marchers to make sure all the parades pass off peacefully.

Grand Lodge of Ireland Grand Secretary Drew Nelson said: "I would have a message for young protestants or any protestant or unionist who feels strongly about what's happening now.

"If you lift a stone or a bottle on the Twelfth day you are falling into a republican trap," he said.

Police said on Saturday afternoon that they were pleased with the level of violence.

PSNI assistant chief constable Will Kerr said: "I am pleased that last night was one of the most peaceful in recent years and am encouraged by the responsible behaviour of the vast majority of people involved."

With the bill for policing parades and flag disputes reaching £55m in the last 20 months, the authorities hope that violence will be kept to a minimum.

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Gaza Conflict: 'Eight Dead' In Latest Raids

A Complex Web Of Friends And Enemies

Updated: 5:06pm UK, Friday 11 July 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel at dawn. The opening of a new front for Israel already engaged in an escalating air campaign in the Gaza Strip? No.

Neither the Israelis nor Hezbollah, which has an arsenal of 100,000 rockets and controls southern Lebanon, are that stupid.

The missile attack on Israel's north was an attempt by Sunni militants to spark a confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel that both know would be a zero sum.

Why would Sunnis, in all probability descendants of Palestinian refugees from what is now Israel, want to do that?

It's Hezbollah, a Shia movement, after all, that has been a major conduit of experts, funding and modern rockets to Hamas, a Sunni organisation, in Gaza. Hamas and Hezbollah are allies.

But only when it comes to fighting Israel.

In Syria, Hamas has condemned the Assad regime, which like Hezbollah is backed by Iran.

Sunnis of Palestinian descent are among volunteers who have joined rebel groups fighting Damascus, while Hezbollah has sent thousands of its best fighters to the frontlines to defend the regime of Bashar al Assad.

There is a logic at work here.

If Sunni groups in south Lebanon can sucker the Israelis into a war with Hezbollah they could enjoy the double whammy of reduced pressure on Gaza, and the use of Israel's devastating air power against Hezbollah, the Sunni's enemies in Syria.

No better example of an attempt to kill two birds with one stone.

It won't happen because both Hezbollah and Israel, foes who have the greatest respect for one another, saw through the plot some time back. It's not the first time it has been tried.

But it does signal just how the Middle East's tectonic plates of conflict have shifted and can overlap.

The explosion of sectarian Muslim war between Sunni and Shia in Syria, which has spread into Iraq and has destabilised Lebanon, has become the defining clash in a new age of chaos.

Rival regional powers Saudi Arabia and Iran use proxies to vie for influence and control.

The Saudis have become increasingly nervous of the spread of a Shia crescent from Tehran through Baghdad to Damascus and south Lebanon.

But Tehran has also used enemy forces to bolster the positions of its allies.

According to intelligence sources Muhsin al Fadhli, once a senior al Qaeda figure based in Iraq has taken up an operational roles inside Syria - at the instigation of the Iranian government.

Why would Tehran release someone to fight a key client an ally in Damascus?

Because radical groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have fought harder against fellow rebel groups than they have against the Assad regime.

Tehran has split the rebels.

But now ISIS threatens Iran's client government in Baghdad showing that an enemy's enemy may be a friend from time to time, but will remain an enemy.

This may be complicated but there is no excuse for stupidity in the Middle East. Failure to comprehend this can be fatal.

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