Belfast Police Injured In 'Sustained Attack'

Several officers have been injured in east Belfast after a crowd of up to 300 people hurled fireworks, bricks and petrol bombs during "a sustained attack", the Police Service of Northern Ireland has said.

A PSNI spokesman said several arrests were made after the public disorder in the Castlereagh Street and Templemore Avenue areas overnight.

It comes after 10 police officers were injured on Thursday during a demonstration against the decision to reduce the number of days the Union flag is flown from City Hall.

Sky's Ireland Correspondent Vicki Hawthorne said: "The latest disorder has been relatively minor compared to other nights.

"There had been an earlier peaceful flag protest which initially dispersed without incident.

"People in the area have said the police have been too heavy handed in how they have dealt with protesters, and that, they say, has sparked trouble."

Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson described the violence against the police as "a disgrace".

He said: "Those responsible are doing a grave disservice to the cause they claim to espouse and are playing into the hands of those dissident groups who would seek to exploit every opportunity to further their terror aims."

He added: "All right-thinking unionists will want to channel their energies into political activity and to support the cause of finding political solutions to the problems that we face.

"In Northern Ireland the ballot box has primacy and is the only vehicle for choosing the people's representatives."

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India Gang Rape Victim's Friend Speaks Of Attack

The male friend of the Indian gang rape victim has spoken for the first time of how he tried to save her and "begged" her attackers to stop the "cruelty" that "should never be seen".

The 28-year-old software firm employee said getting on to a private bus that night because they could not find a rickshaw to take them home was "the biggest mistake I made".

Speaking in public for the first time, he hit out at the hospital treatment his 23-year-old friend received, the police and at passers-by for failing to help after they were thrown naked from the bus following the two-and-a-half-hour ordeal.

He said that the woman was left naked and bleeding in the street for nearly an hour before a police van arrived to help.

A hearse carrying the body of the 23-year-old rape victim

He said: "What can I say? The cruelty I saw should not be seen ever. I tried to fight against the men but later I begged them again and again to leave her."

The man, who suffered a fractured leg and other injuries in the attack, recounted the savagery of the night of December 16 after he and his friend, who died from her injuries on December 29, had been to see a film in New Delhi.

He told the Hindi-language cable channel Zee News: "I was not very confident about getting into the bus but my friend was running late, so we got into it.

"This was the biggest mistake I made and after that everything went out of control."

He said: "The occupants of the bus, which had tinted windows and curtains, had laid a trap for us. They were probably involved in crimes before also. They beat us up, hit us with an iron rod, snatched our clothes and belongings and threw us off the bus on a deserted stretch.

The medical student's attack has sparked massive protests

"The bus occupants had everything planned. Apart from the driver and the helper, others behaved like they were passengers. We even paid 20 (rupees) as fare. They then started teasing my friend and it led to a brawl. I beat three of them up but then the rest of them brought an iron rod and hit me. Before I fell unconscious, they took my friend away."

"From where we boarded the bus, they moved around for nearly two and a half hours. We were shouting, trying to make people hear us. But they switched off the lights of the bus. We tried to resist them. Even my friend fought with them, she tried to save me. She tried to dial the police control room number 100, but the accused snatched her mobile away," he said.

After that the "driver and the other men raped my friend and hit her in the worst possible ways in the most private parts of her body."

"I cannot tell you what I feel when I think of it. I shiver in pain," he said.

The attackers also violated her with an iron bar, causing the immense internal damage that lead to her death, before throwing them from the bus.

The friend said: "There were a few people who had gathered round but nobody helped. Before the police came I screamed for help but the auto rickshaws, cars and others passing by did not stop."

Police have used water cannons and tear gas to dispel protesters

He said when police arrived: "We kept shouting at the police, 'please give us some clothes' but they were busy deciding which police station our case should be registered at."

"It took an hour and a half for us to be taken to hospital," he added.

The police have arrested six suspects - five men and a juvenile believed to be aged 17 - who were formally charged with murder, rape and kidnapping on Thursday.

The case has sparked massive protests across India, where statistics show a woman is raped every 20 minutes.

Protesters have called for all rape suspects to be hanged and want a better deal for women so the streets are safer and men who rape women are put on trial.

National crime records show that 228,650 of the total 256,329 violent crimes recorded in India last year were against women and rape cases more than doubled between 1990 and 2008.

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Rail Fares Must Not Be 'Ramped Up', MPs Warn

A rise in peak-time fares for rail passengers would just be a tax on commuters and should not be considered by the Government, a report by MPs has said.

Reducing the cost of the railways to taxpayers must not be achieved by "ramping up fares", the chairman of the House of Commons Transport Committee Louise Ellman said.

Following Sir Roy McNulty's report into rail costs, the Government is looking at a variety of measures, including managing peak-time demand by increasing fares for those travelling at the height of rush-hour.

The committee's report said: "We recommend that the Government rule out forms of demand management which would lead to even higher fares for commuters on peak-time trains."

The MPs said many lower-paid workers had no choice but to travel at peak times.

The report went on: "Higher prices at peak times might make a difference to demand at the margin but would for the most part be a tax on commuters who have no effective choice over how or when they travel."

The report also recommended that the Government should set out long-term policy on annual season ticket fare increases.

Thousands in the South East pay more than £5,000 for annual season ticket

The committee's comments come two days after inflation-busting average rises of 4.2% for regulated fares, which include season tickets, took effect for passengers.

Thousands of passengers in the South East now pay more than £5,000 for an annual season ticket.

This year's regulated fare rise would have been even higher had the Government not pulled back from the original plan of a greater increase.

The committee also said it was "very concerned" about the safety implications of proposals to reduce staffing at stations and on trains.

Launching the report today, Mrs Ellman, a Labour MP, said: "The number of rail passengers has increased but train companies' unit costs have not come down."

Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT transport union, said: "While this report reinforces once again that our railways are nothing more than a multi-billion pound rip-off lining the pockets of a bunch of spivs and speculators, it ducks the real issue and that's the cast-iron case for public ownership."

Manuel Cortes, leader of the TSSA transport union, said: "This is the clearest warning to ministers against going down the route of rationing rail travel by pricing passengers off trains through super peak-fare tickets."

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Hand Transplant Completed In UK For First Time

History Of Successful Transplants

Updated: 12:21am UK, Friday 04 January 2013

As a 51-year-old man becomes the first person in the UK to have a hand transplant, here is a look at how organ transplants have evolved.

The team at Leeds General Infirmary that performed the UK's first hand transplant worked closely with colleagues in Lyon, France, where hand transplants were pioneered in 1998. The first-ever recipient in France was New Zealander Clint Hallam, who later had his new hand removed.

Doctors in the United States, Austria and France have carried out a number of successful hand transplants, giving encouragement to other transplant operations of areas such as the face, abdominal wall or larynx.

The first major organ to be transplanted successfully was a cornea, by Eduard Zirm in Olmutz, Moravia (now the Czech Republic) in 1905. In 1918, blood transfusion became established, and the first successful kidney transplant was in 1954, by doctors in Boston.

The first successful heart transplant was by Dr Christiaan Barnard in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1967, and the first heart then liver transplants in the UK took place the next year.

The kidney donor card was introduced in the UK in 1971. Ten years later, this changed to a multi-organ card including kidneys, corneas, heart, liver, and pancreas.

The first combined heart and lung transplant in the UK took place in 1983.

In 1994, the NHS Organ Donor Register was set up.

In 2005, the first partial face transplant was carried out, in Amiens, France. Isabelle Dinoire, a 38-year-old woman who had been mauled by her dog, was given a new nose, chin and lips.

In 2010, the first full face transplant was carried out, in Barcelona, Spain, on a farmer known only as Oscar who had been injured in a shooting accident. He received the entire facial skin and muscles - including cheekbones, nose, lips and teeth - of a donor.

In March, 2012, US doctors carried out what is said to be the most extensive face transplant ever performed.

The operation at the University of Maryland gave Richard Norris a new face, including jaw, teeth and tongue.

The 37-year-old has lived as a recluse for 15 years after being severely injured in a gun accident.

In October 2006, surgeon Peter Butler at London's Royal Free Hospital was given permission by the NHS ethics board to carry out a face transplant. His team will select four adult patients for operations.

Figures from NHS Blood and Transplant show that in the financial year to March 31 2012, there was an 8% increase in the number of deceased donors, to 1,088, the largest number ever in the UK.

The number of donors after brain death increased by 2% to 652, while the number of donors after circulatory death increased by 17% to 436.

The number of living donors increased by 1% to 1,055; living donors account for half the total number of organ donors.

The number of patients whose lives were saved or improved by an organ transplant increased by 6% to 3,960.

Some 3,521 patients had their sight restored through a cornea transplant, representing a decrease of 1%.

The total number of patients registered for a transplant has fallen slightly, so that there were 7,636 patients waiting for a transplant at the end of March 2012, with a further 2,880 temporarily suspended from transplant lists.

Some 508 patients died while on the active waiting list for their transplant and a further 819 were removed from the transplant list.

The removals were mostly as a result of deteriorating health and ineligibility for transplant and many of these patients would have died shortly afterwards.

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Jim Davidson Denies Sex Claims After Arrest

Jim Davidson, who was arrested by police investigating the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal, "vigorously denies" the claims against him, the comedian's solicitor has said.

Allegations dating back 25 years have been made by two women, according to lawyer Henri Brandman.

Davidson, 59, was one of two men arrested on suspicion of sexual offences as part of Operation Yewtree.

Both individuals fall under the strand of the investigation termed 'others' and the Metropolitan Police said the allegations are not linked to Savile.

Officers said a 53-year-old was held in Hampshire at around 8am and a 59-year-old in west London at around midday.

Both men were later released on bail until March pending further inquiries.

Davidson had reportedly been detained at Heathrow Airport as he returned to the UK to be a contestant on Channel 5's Celebrity Big Brother.

Six men and a woman were seen leaving Davidson's house in Stockbridge, Hampshire, carrying boxes.

In a statement, Mr Brandman said: "Two women have made allegations in respect of Jim that date back approximately 25 years.

"The complainants were then in their mid 20s. Jim vigorously denies the allegations.

"He answered police questions as fully as he was able after this passage of time.

"He has not been charged with any offence. Neither he nor I will be making any further comment."

Scotland Yard is leading a national investigation into allegations against disgraced television presenter Savile and a number of other high-profile figures.

They have separated the inquiry into three strands: claims against Savile, those involving Savile and others, and those involving others.

Officers have questioned a number of people including former pop star Gary Glitter, comedian Freddie Starr and PR guru Max Clifford.

Last month, police said a total of 31 allegations of rape had been made against former Top Of The Pops presenter Savile.

Some 589 people have come forward with information relating to the scandal, with a total of 450 complaints against the BBC presenter and DJ, mainly alleging sexual abuse.

Detectives have recorded 199 crimes in 17 force areas in which Savile is a suspect.

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Falklands Row Reopened By President's Letter

The president of Argentina has written an open letter to David Cameron calling once again for him to relinquish British control of the Falkland Islands.

The letter by Cristina Kirchner has been published as an advert in the Guardian newspaper and says Argentina was forcibly stripped of Las Malvinas, the Argentinian name for the islands, in a "blatant exercise of 19th-century colonialism".

The 59-year-old president urged the Prime Minister to abide by United Nations resolutions she says back the Argentinian cause.

Ms Kirchner first made calls for the return of the islands during last year's 30th anniversary of the two countries going to war.

"One hundred and eighty years ago on the same date, January 3rd, in a blatant exercise of 19th-century colonialism, Argentina was forcibly stripped of the Malvinas Islands, which are situated 14,000km (8700 miles) away from London," she said in the letter, copied to United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon.

"The Argentines on the Islands were expelled by the Royal Navy and the United Kingdom subsequently began a population implantation process similar to that applied to other territories under colonial rule.

"Since then, Britain, the colonial power, has refused to return the territories to the Argentine Republic, thus preventing it from restoring its territorial integrity.

"The Question of the Malvinas Islands is also a cause embraced by Latin America and by a vast majority of peoples and governments around the world that reject colonialism."

Mr Cameron and Ms Kirchner clashed over the Falklands when the pair came face-to-face at the G20 summit in Mexico last June.

Mr Cameron and Ms Kirchner clashed at the G20 summit

He rejected her demand for negotiations over the sovereignty of the islands and told her that she should respect the result of a referendum due to be held in March, when the Falklanders will vote on whether they wish to retain their ties with Britain.

The Argentine president had earlier taken her demands to the United Nations, appearing at the annual meeting of the little-known UN Decolonisation Committee on the 30th anniversary of Britain's ousting of an Argentinian invasion force from the Falklands.

She used the occasion to reiterate Argentina's opposition to any more wars and to criticise the Prime Minister's decision to mark the day by flying the Falklands flag over Number 10.

In December Argentina protested at Britain's decision to name a vast swathe of Antarctica Queen Elizabeth Land, with its foreign ministry handed a formal protest note to British ambassador John Freeman in Buenos Aires.

The area, which makes up around a third of the British Antarctic Territory, is also claimed by the South American country.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said that the Falkland Islanders "are British and have chosen to be so".

"They remain free to choose their own futures, both politically and economically, and have a right to self-determination as enshrined in the UN Charter," she added.

"This is a fundamental human right for all peoples.

"There are three parties to this debate, not just two as Argentina likes to pretend.

"The islanders can't just be written out of history.

"As such, there can be no negotiations on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands unless and until such time as the islanders so wish."

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Thailand Killing: Brit Shot Dancing On Beach

A British tourist has been shot dead while dancing on a beach in Thailand after being caught up in a fight between two local gangs.

Stephen Ashton, 22, was at a New Year's Eve party at a bar on the island of Koh Phangan when he was hit by a stray bullet.

"He was shot in the side while he was dancing on the beach," said policeman Lieutenant Colonel Somsak Noorod.

Mr Ashton was reportedly killed when a man opened fire at a bar on Haad Rin Beach in the early hours of the morning.

Friends have paid tribute to Mr Ashton (Photo: Facebook)

Confirming the identity of the victim, a Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of the death of a British national in Thailand on New Year's Eve.

"We are providing consular assistance to the family."

Mr Ashton was apparently with a group of friends and 300 other tourists at the 2013 countdown party at a pub and restaurant called the Zoom Bar when he was shot by a home-made gun shortly after 4am.

Reports suggest the suspected gunman has been arrested by police and is expected to appear in court on Wednesday after a police news conference.

The man has apparently denied being the killer, while admitting being involved in the fight.

Tributes have been paid to Mr Ashton on social networking sites as friends expressed their shock at his death.

Robbie-Cameron Gray wrote on Facebook: "Don't want to believe it. Still got photos of us on my (Facebook) wall from football and school. Will miss you mate."

Aaron Kelly wrote: "Horrible news. Be good up there mate."

Jaydon Gibbs said on Twitter: "My heart is with his family. The nicest guy RIP Stephen Ashton xx"

Koh Phangan is in the south of Thailand

Another Twitter user, Dean DeRosa, said: "Worst news for the start of 2013 ! R.I.P Stephen Ashton ! Was a good lad !!"

Sophie Harwin, a graphics editor from Surrey, spent New Year's Eve nearby but had left the area by the time the shooting occurred.

She said: "I just met someone who said loads of people were trying to save him. Very sad."

She added: "I didn't go near Zoom Bar. Not sure where it is on the beach. The place was packed."

Mr Ashton's mother, Diane, is flying back to the UK from a skiing trip following news of her son's death, neighbour Dawn Mason said.

The victim's family said they were too distraught to speak at their home in Purley, south London.

Ms Mason described Mr Ashton as a "very normal, likeable young man" and said his family were in "complete shock".

The tropical island of Koh Phangan, situated north of tourist haven Ko Samui, is a popular destination for backpackers and students on gap years.

One of the attractions of the island is its monthly full moon party at Haad Rin Beach.

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US Fiscal Cliff Averted As Bill Approved

A "fiscal cliff" of massive tax hikes and drastic spending cuts in the US has been avoided at the eleventh hour.

The House of Representatives voted to approve a bill which averts tax increases for the middle classes - and the possibility of sending the country into recession.

The bill - which also stops massive spending cuts - was approved by 257 votes to 167 after being supported earlier by the Senate.

President Barack Obama welcomed the deal and said it was just one step in a broader effort to strengthen the economy.

The vote came just hours before financial markets reopen following the New Year's holiday.

Some House Republicans had wanted to amend the bill to incorporate more spending cuts, but they dropped the idea.

In the end, 172 Democrats and 85 Republicans voted in favour of the bill.

It marks a political triumph for President Obama, less than two months after he secured re-election while campaigning for higher taxes on the wealthy.

The legislation cleared the Senate hours after Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, veteran negotiators, sealed a deal.

The spending cuts and drastic tax increases which made up the so-called  "fiscal cliff" came into effect at midnight on Monday when George W Bush-era tax cuts expired.

The deadline triggered tax increases of $536bn (£328bn) and spending cuts of $109bn (£67bn) from domestic and military programmes.

The compromise Senate deal extends the tax cuts for Americans earning under $400,000 (£246,000) - up from the $250,000 (£153,000) level Democrats had originally sought.

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New Year Celebrations: UK Welcomes In 2013

Large crowds lined the banks of the River Thames in London and the streets of Edinburgh as the UK saw in the start of the New Year.

Along the Thames, up to 250,000 people were expected to watch a major fireworks display as the night sky was set to be illuminated with pyrotechnics to round-off a momentous year.

Revellers were able to watch clips from the 2012 Olympic Games during an 11-minute firework display set around the London Eye.

Millions more were expected to watch it all on television.

In Edinburgh, tens of thousands of people descended on the streets of Scotland's capital for the world-famous Hogmanay celebrations.

Around 75,000 partygoers counted down the last 10 seconds of 2012 before joining in a mass rendition of Auld Lang Syne after the clock struck midnight.

Scottish rockers Simple Minds headlined the Hogmanay concert and street party.

Fireworks explode around the London Eye

The View, Bwani Junction, Reverend and the Makers and The OK Social Club were also due to play to an anticipated crowd of 80,000, and fireworks were set off to mark the start of 2013.

Pete Irvine, artistic director of the Hogmanay celebrations, said: "I think it's going really well this year.

"It's really, really busy here tonight - probably busier than we've seen it in some time because the weather is so good.

"There's a moon in the sky, it's actually not cold and it's not raining.

"We've been very lucky with the weather and I think we are going to be very lucky with the crowd and all the performances tonight on many stages."

Following their hard work during the London 2012 Games, more than 150 of the mayor's 'Team London Ambassadors' volunteered at the Thames event to help ensure it was a success.

They gave out maps, helped direct people to the viewing areas, and provided guidance and advice on getting home safely.

Kisses exchanged during Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who organised the event, said: "Our New Year's Eve fireworks will cap a triumphant year for London."

He added: "As we welcomed the world to the magnificent celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the glorious success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, London was at its very best.

"From the thrilling sporting action to the breathtaking cultural celebrations, it has been an unforgettable year and I am immensely proud of the contribution that our Ambassadors made to that success.

"As we go into 2013 with a spectacular fireworks display I hope we can build on that energy and enthusiasm to make ours the best big city in the world."

Early celebrations got under way in Edinburgh on Sunday night with a torchlight parade.

A record crowd estimated at 35,000, including 7,000 torch carriers, were led by the massed pipes and drums and the Up Helly Aa' Vikings from Shetland.

The procession made its way through the city streets to the burning of the effigy of a Viking boat and a spectacular Son et Lumiere display on Calton Hill.

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New Year Knees Up Around The World

Major cities, including Sydney, Shanghai, Dubai and Berlin have marked the start of 2013 with large fireworks displays.

Among the most spectacular celebrations were ones in Sydney, which centred on the harbour bridge, and Dubai, where the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, formed the centrepiece.

Some 1.5 million people are estimated to have turned out to watch the event in the Australian city with more than 100,000 firework patterns, costing £4.2m.

One of the country's most famous singers, Kylie Minogue, was creative ambassador and she picked the colours and the music.

The pop star pressed the button that set off seven tons of fireworks.

Shanghai ushers in the New Year

The Dubai show had three elements - light, water and fire - and projections on a 210-metre long screen.

Moscow had the Kremlin as its backdrop, while Jakarta marked 2013 with a massive four-mile street party.

Sixteen large stages were built along the normally busy, eight-lane motorway which runs through the heart of the Indonesian capital.

There was a fireworks display at the Kremlin in Moscow

Couples kissed in New York's Times Square as ticker tape and fireworks welcomed in 2013 in style.

Thousands packed the iconic square in Manhattan as singers belted out the Frank Sinatra classic New York, New York.

The countdown was the first in decades without television host Dick Clark, who died in April.

North Korea put on a pyrotechnic display in Pyongyang

There were also celebrations on a grand scale in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

This year's fireworks display, which cost about £1m, was said to be the biggest ever in the southern Chinese city.

Meanwhile, North Korea welcomed 2013 with reportedly the first ever New Year's fireworks display the country has held as Tokyo reverberated to the sound of the city's Watch-Night Bell.

The bells were struck 108 times at temples all over Japan to symbolise the beginning of a prosperous New Year.

Auckland began the countdown to 2013

Burma rang in the New Year with its first public countdown and a fireworks display, a celebration unprecedented in the former military-ruled country.

Around 90,000 people gathered at the countdown venue - a large field in Rangoon - for a chance to do what much of the world does every year at this time.

"This is very exciting and also our first experience in celebrating the New Year at a big countdown gathering. We feel like we are in a different world," said Yu Thawda, a university student who joined the party.

The atmosphere of celebration was muted in some places.

British troops at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan see in the New Year

Many European nations planned scaled-back festivities and street parties for 2013 which is projected to be a sixth straight year of recession amid Greece's worst economic crisis.

Hotels, clubs and other venues in New Delhi cancelled festivities after the death of a gang rape victim which has led to days of protests and mourning.

The first major city to see in 2013 was Auckland, New Zealand, which had a spectacular fireworks display.

Crowds packed the city centre to watch the annual event at the city's Sky Tower, which stands more than 1,000ft tall.

The central Pacific Ocean island of Kiritimati (Christmas Island) and the eastern-most island in the island nation of Kiribati were the first to usher in the new year at 1000 GMT.

American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the US in the southern Pacific Ocean, will be the last place on Earth to herald in the new year on Tuesday at 1100 GMT.

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