Cyclists 'urged to get insurance'

25 November 2011 Last updated at 20:03 ETBy Maleen Saeed Business reporter, BBC NewsMany cyclists take to the road without considering insuranceNot having a comprehensive insurance policy could prove costly, cyclists have been warned by the Association of British Insurers (ABI).It says those hurt in an accident, or found responsible for...

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UN rejects US cluster bombs bid

25 November 2011 Last updated at 20:00 ETCluster bombs release smaller "bomblets" over a wide areaUN member states have rejected a US-backed plan to introduce new regulations on cluster bombs - munitions which break up into hundreds of smaller bomblets.The plan would have eliminated all cluster munitions made before 1980.But human rights...

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UK women are 'fattest in Europe'

25 November 2011 Last updated at 21:57 ETStatisticians looked at the 19 European states data was available forThe UK has more obese women than any other country in Europe, according to European Union figures.Data agency Eurostat, which looked at 19 countries, found nearly a quarter of UK women - 23.9% - were recorded as being obese in the...

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Free schools set for extra £600m

25 November 2011 Last updated at 20:12 ETThe government sees maths as a "fundamental strategic priority" in educationThe government is to spend an extra £600m on building 100 new free schools in England over the next three years.The BBC's Ben Wright said the money will not come from the existing education budget, although the Treasury will...

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Nato 'strike on Pakistan troops'

26 November 2011 Last updated at 02:22 ETPakistani officials have accused Nato helicopters of firing on a military checkpoint near Pakistan's Afghan border, killing at least 14 soldiers.The attack took place in the Pakistani tribal region of Mohmand after Nato helicopters flew over the border from Afghanistan, they said.Nato said it was...

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Pension deal 'could be withdrawn'

26 November 2011 Last updated at 00:49 ETMembers of many trade unions are set to take industrial action on WednesdayThe government has warned unions that an improved offer on public sector pensions could be withdrawn if an agreement is not reached.Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander, in the Guardian, also urged union leaders...

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Widdecombe renews Lords complaint

25 November 2011 Last updated at 19:42 ETThe former MP also talked about the coalition, saying the PM had been "misguided"Ex-MP Ann Widdecombe has renewed her complaint that she was "deliberately" snubbed by David Cameron for a peerage.Ms Widdecombe told the BBC that as she was an "obvious candidate" for a seat in the House of Lords, it...

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Lawrence jury hear new forensics

25 November 2011 Last updated at 15:01 ETA Level student Stephen Lawrence, 18, died in in Eltham in April 1993A forensic scientist has told the Stephen Lawrence murder trial fibres were missed in 1995 because it was like "looking for a needle in a haystack".Dr Angela Gallop, who supervised the original investigation and a new one in 2007,...

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Belgium credit rating downgraded

25 November 2011 Last updated at 16:08 ETS&P says it considers Belgian government debt to be at "high levels"Belgium has had its credit rating downgraded by ratings agency Standard & Poor's.The country's downgrade could make it more expensive for Belgium to borrow in future.Belgium's rating was cut by one notch, to AA from AA+, with...

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Remains confirmed as missing wife

25 November 2011 Last updated at 13:43 ETThe remains have been formally identified as Mrs ProutHuman remains found in the search for Kate Prout have been formally identified as the murdered woman.Husband Adrian Prout, who had denied killing her, was jailed for life in February 2010 for the 2007 murder.He recently confessed and took police...

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Syria defies Arab League deadline

25 November 2011 Last updated at 13:27 ETPlease turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. The BBC's Paul Wood was smuggled into Homs were he met military defectorsAn Arab League deadline for Syria to allow an observer mission or face sanctions has passed with no response from Damascus to the ultimatum.The deadline was set for...

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Foreigners kidnapped in Mali

25 November 2011 Last updated at 15:48 ETTourists are advised to avoid travelling to the ancient city of TimbuktuAn armed gang of kidnappers has abducted three tourists and killed a fourth in the city of Timbuktu in northern Mali, security sources said.Two of the hostages are Dutch and the third a South African who may have lived in the...

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Sick George Michael shelves tour

25 November 2011 Last updated at 12:18 ETIn October Michael pulled out of a gig at the Royal Albert Hall because of a viral infectionSinger George Michael has cancelled the remaining dates of his tour because of ill health, his publicist has confirmed.The 48-year-old was admitted to hospital in Vienna on Monday and is being treated for "severe"...

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Thomas Cook agrees new bank deal

25 November 2011 Last updated at 17:16 ETContinue reading the main story Thomas Cook GroupLast Updated at 25 Nov 2011, 11:30 ET *Chart shows local time pricechange%18.02 p++1.67++10.21Travel firm Thomas Cook has reached agreement with its bankers to provide it with new access to funding.Its bankers, including Barclays, HSBC, RBS and UniCredit,...

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Strike means delayed operations

25 November 2011 Last updated at 13:42 ETBy Jane Hughes Health correspondent, BBC NewsOperations are set to be delayed across the UKHospital managers are planning to postpone thousands of non-emergency operations next Wednesday, because of the public sector strike over pension changes.Patients across the UK have been sent letters warning...

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Egypt's new PM appeals to nation

25 November 2011 Last updated at 17:38 ETPlease turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. The BBC's Lyse Doucet in Tahrir Square: "You could be forgiven for thinking there is something of a carnival atmosphere"Prime Minister-designate Kamal Ganzouri has asked Egyptians to "give me a chance" as tens of thousands rally in Cairo...

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Michele Bachmann’s Pakistan nuclear intelligence source revealed

Did Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) divulge classified information in discussing the vulnerability of Pakistani nuclear sites to jihadists at Tuesday's GOP presidential debate?Asked by CNN debate moderator Wolf Blitzer if the United States should continue providing foreign aid to Pakistan, Bachmann--a member of the House Intelligence panel--showed she knows her Pakistan brief."Pakistan has been the epicenter of dealing...

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Six believed dead in Arizona small plane crash

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson asks if mac 'n' cheese is "a black thing": http://t.co/P0u3v...

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Jimmy Fallon apologizes to Michele Bachmann for offensive song

Bachmann and Fallon (via NBC)Late night host Jimmy Fallon apologized to Michele Bachmann Tuesday after his house band played an offensive song as she walked on stage during an appearance on his show Monday.Fallon's house band, The Roots, played "Lyin' Ass Bitch" by Fishbone to welcome her to the late night show—a song most people, including...

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New find sheds light on ancient site in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM (AP) — Newly found coins underneath Jerusalem's Western Wall could change the accepted belief about the construction of one of the world's most sacred sites two millennia ago, Israeli archaeologists said Wednesday.The man usually credited with building the compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary is Herod, a Jewish ruler who died in 4 B.C. Herod's monumental compound replaced...

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Megyn Kelly’s pepper spray comments spark backlash

Pepper spray, its effects, and its appropriateness continue to be top of mind in the media.Following the protests at UC Davis, during which Occupy protesters were sprayed with pepper spray by a campus police officer, Fox News commentator Megyn Kelly went on the Bill O'Reilly show.Kelly appeared to downplay the physical effects of pepper spray. Kelly said pepper spray is "like a derivative of real pepper. It's a food product essentially."Maybe...

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Heartbroken Dog Refuses to Leave Owner’s Grave, and Facebook Rewrites Six Degrees of Separation

To get my updates all day, follow me on Twitter @Knowlesitall and "like" me on Facebook!A video of a dog in a small village in China has the web buzzing about his devotion.  When 68-year-old Lao Pan died earlier this month, the only surviving member of his family was a small yellow dog that he left behind.  His little companion has refused to leave his burial site since his owner's death.  When villagers...

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Medvedev: Russia may target missile defense sites

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia will deploy new missiles aimed at U.S. missile defense sites in Europe if Washington goes ahead with the planned shield despite Russia's concerns, President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday.Russia will station missiles in its westernmost Kaliningrad region and other areas if Russia and NATO fail to reach a deal on the U.S.-led missile defense plans, he said in a tough statement that seemed to be aimed at rallying...

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Sticky goo on Pa. turnpike disables over 100 cars

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A flood of gooey muck dropped from a tanker truck disabled more than 100 cars and damaged an unknown number of other vehicles along a nearly 40-mile stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, officials said.A leaking valve on a tanker spread driveway sealant over the eastbound lanes of a long stretch of the Turnpike between New Castle and the Oakmont Service Plaza on Tuesday night, Turnpike spokesman Bill Capone...

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Video: Octopus crawls out of water and walks on dry land

Check out this video of an octopus literally crawling out of the water and dragging itself across dry land in pursuit of a meal. A family with a camera was lucky enough to be on the scene and captured the whole thing on video:If you're curious to learn more about the sea creature's possible motivation, there has been some great research on the understanding of octopus intelligence recently, including this surprisingly moving...

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Controversial “anti-Semitic” vodka billboard taken down in NYC

Image credit: Gawker.comA billboard for Wodka vodka in NYC has been taken down and destroyed after complaints that the advertisement's message is anti-Semitic. The New York Times reported that the billboard featured a long-haired dog wearing a yarmulke and another dog wearing a Santa hat with the words, "Christmas quality, Hanukkah pricing,"...

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Ill George Michael cancels shows

23 November 2011 Last updated at 18:27 ETAustria's state broadcaster says George Michael is being treated in Vienna's AKH hospitalGeorge Michael has postponed a series of concerts, including two this weekend in Cardiff, after being taken to hospital for treatment for pneumonia.The singer, 48, had been due to appear in Vienna as part of his...

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