Europe Intelligence Wire articles from December 2009

Europe Intelligence Wire archives from December 2009

Lens call for Pompey to go out of business.
December 31, 2009... (From The Portsmouth Evening News) Byline: Peter Allen And he is threatening to recall Aruna Dindane over the affair.The French club claim the Blues went back on a deal to buy AGBP4m-rated Dindane permanently once he played 11 games.In...

Drink-fuelled row turned into terror with meat cleaver.
December 31, 2009... (From The Portsmouth Evening News) Byline: Gareth Bethell Kenneth Brown had been drinking with his friend John Alden when the pair fell out. But what started as a small dispute quickly escalated, Portsmouth Crown Court was told. Brown went...

A3 milestone for tunnel project as new road opens.
December 31, 2009... (From The Portsmouth Evening News) Byline: Chris Owen They have finished and opened a large section of the new A3 between Portsmouth and Guildford as part of the AGBP371m Hindhead Tunnel project.It means that southbound motorists a" those...

Burglars jailed for breaking into home for elderly.
December 31, 2009... (From The Portsmouth Evening News) Scott Haynes and Joshua Stedman pulled up outside Crofton Court in Stubbington, on August 22 this year.A court was told that a 78-year-old resident at the home spotted them getting out of the car and...

Pompey fail to pay players again.
December 31, 2009... (From The Portsmouth Evening News) The club were supposed to pay all their players their wages today but the money has not arrived in their bank accounts.Pompey said in a statement that the club had been in contact with the Professional...

Nurse who shared child porn images is barred from job.
December 31, 2009... (From The Portsmouth Evening News) Six images of children being sexually abused were found by police when they seized computers from Kate Seekings' home.A disciplinary panel was told that the 35-year-old, from Havant, said she was 'turned on'...

Winding-up threat leaves Pompey in peril.
December 31, 2009... (From The Portsmouth Evening News) Byline: David Hurley The club have vowed to challenge a winding-up petition that threatens to cost them nine precious Premier League points and leave relegation all but certain.The legal bombshell has...

Finnan: Forget Gunners defeat.
December 31, 2009... (From The Portsmouth Evening News) Byline: Steve Wilson The Pompey defender suffered a sobering night at Fratton Park as the rampant Gunners tore the Blues to shreds with a terrific display of passing football that was light years ahead...

O'Hara not allowed to take on Sky Blues.
December 31, 2009... (From The Portsmouth Evening News) Byline: Neil Allen But Peter Storrie is confident of keeping the influential midfielder for the rest of the season.Spurs have instructed the Blues they do not want the on-loan O'Hara cup tied.It means he...

Grant: I feel for Pompey fans.
December 31, 2009... (From The Portsmouth Evening News) Byline: Neil Allen And the Blues boss has vowed he will do all he can to keep their team in the Premier League.Last night Fratton Park witnessed its most vocal protests for more than a decade directed at...

CD player thieves wanted by police.
December 31, 2009... (From Northampton Chronicle and Echo) Two men were captured on CCTV cameras removing them from the DJ booth in bar 2, on Wednesday, DEcember 30 between 2am and 2.12am. They are seen leaving with one of the CD players, and returning a few...

Iran's interference is nothing new.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) In an groundbreaking report , the Guardian has disclosed that Iran masterminded the capture of Peter Moore and his four fellow hostages. The report does so in a meticulous manner and, perhaps for the first time,...

iPhone apps about Dalai Lama blocked in China.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Chinese users of the iPhone are unable to download applications related to the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Buddhist Tibet, or Rebiya Kadeer, an exiled minority leader, after Apple apparently blocked them from...

Pair killed in Ben Nevis avalanche were expert mountaineers.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) The two climbers killed by a large avalanche on Britain's highest peak yesterday were school teachers and expert mountaineers. The pair, named as Rupert Rosedale from Marlborough in Wiltshire and William Wilkinson...

2009: A bad year for civil liberties.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) The brass neck quote of 2009 comes from Jack Straw, the justice minister and one of the architects of the new democratic authoritarianism in Britain. On the eve of the Convention on Modern Liberty last February, he...

Iceland passes bill to repay Icesave losses to Britain and Netherlands.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) The Icelandic parliament has narrowly approved a bill to repay around €3.8bn (GBP3.37bn) to Britain and the Netherlands, to cover the losses of depositors in Icesave, the online bank that went bust during...

Republicans attack Barack Obama's response to attempted flight bombing.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Republicans broke with the tradition of publicly backing a president during a national security crisis when they accused Barack Obama of endangering Americans and being soft on terror over al-Qaida's attempt to bomb...

Bayonetta.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) If you like your games to be completely bonkers, you're probably aware that nobody does unhinged better than Japanese developers. Of which Platinum Games, formed from ex-Capcom guys with the likes of Devil May Cry...

Stricken yacht pair plucked from sea off Kent coast.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Two men were plucked from the sea today in a dramatic rescue involving a Belgian helicopter team after their 40ft yacht capsized off the Kent coast. Coastguards responded to a mayday call from the yacht, named...

Vietnamese shouldn't thank Thatcher.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) In July 1979, Margaret Thatcher wrote a touching letter to a Vietnamese family. Addressed to the Nguyen family, she expressed sympathy to the person who wrote of their longing to see their family reunited after being...

Low inflation rate means small drop in many rail fares.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Most rail passengers can look forward to a small one-off drop in fares in 2010 because of the low inflation rate, a passenger watchdog group said today. Although some mainline passengers will face fare increases...

Republicans attack Barack Obama's response to attempted flight bombing.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Republicans broke with the tradition of publicly backing a president during a national security crisis when they accused Barack Obama of endangering Americans and being soft on terror over al-Qaida's attempt to bomb...

How to get ahead in social housing.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Paul France , director at specialist recruiter Hays Social Housing Housing associations and local authorities are an obvious start but have an open mind: The sector is so varied. Housing associations and local...

The 50 most intriguing games of 2010: part two.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Happy New Year! Feeling delicate? It's okay - just sit down with a glass of Irn-Bru and gently peruse this second selection of promising games grappled from the 2010 release schedule (you can see part one here )....

Ghosts of South African prison tell what apartheid really meant.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) "It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones -- and South Africa treated its imprisoned...

Dissident republican bomb plot foiled in Northern Ireland.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Components and material for a huge bomb have been found in Northern Ireland, police revealed today. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said a major dissident republican bomb plot had been foiled after a...

Year of industrial unrest looms as public sector braces for spending cuts.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Britain is ushering in the new year with the threat of widespread unrest as civil servants, tube drivers and rail workers are poised to ballot on strike action. After a year of factory occupations, indefinite...

Iran is crippled by conspiracy theories.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) This week the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, blamed America and Israel for the widespread anti-government protests around Sunday's holy mourning day of Ashura. He insisted that "Americans and Zionists are...

Firefighters save huge medieval stained glass window.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) More than 30 firefighters worked with specialist craftsmen to rescue one of England's stained glass treasures when a fire broke out at York Minster's restoration workshop and stoneyard. Two offices were badly...

Stephen Jones injury mars Scarlets' victory over Newport Gwent Dragons.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) An unexceptional game erupted into a frantic conclusion as the Dragons, who had spent most of the afternoon fumbling, held on to the ball for 35 phases in a six-and-a-half minute spell in stoppage time. But they were...

Stuart Broad denies Sunil Gavaskar claim of preferential treatment.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) The England all-rounder Stuart Broad has denied the former India captain Sunil Gavaskar's claim that he gets preferential treatment because his father, Chris, is an International Cricket Council match referee. "I get...

Manny Pacquiao to sue Mayweather camp over drug-test row.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Manny Pacquiao's fight of the era with Floyd Mayweather Jr, originally set for Las Vegas on 13 March and now on life support again, has moved from the ring to the courtroom in a saga as intriguing as it has been...

Heat on Jack Straw for saying some police pefer warm station to cold beat.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) A claim from the justice secretary, Jack Straw, today that some police officers preferred staying in the warmth of the police station than getting out on the beat last night sparked a furious reaction from police...

I've changed my mind about the Clintons.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) I remember the moment when the last vestiges of the admiration I had once felt for Bill and Hillary Clinton vanished. By May 2008, Barack Obama had opened up an all-but-insurmountable lead over Hillary in the...

Stuart Broad happy to carry on his feisty father's passion for the game.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) When Stuart Broad plays against South Africa here in Cape Town on Sunday he will win his 25th Test cap, drawing alongside his father, Chris. "Hopefully I'll get the bragging rights as soon as I go ahead of him," he...

John Bercow facing Tory backbench challenge.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Tory MPs are pushing for the removal of the Speaker of the Commons, John Bercow, should their party win the next general election, with the right of the Conservative party beginning to mobilise for the backbencher...

Rusal is first Russian copmpany to list on Hong King exchange.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Richard Wachman The aluminium company Rusal, controlled by the controversial billionaire investor Oleg Deripaska, is to become the first Russian company to list on the Hong Kong stock exchange, illustrating how...

Bank optimism rises as credit to business eases.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Britain's banks expect to make credit more easily available to households and businesses in the first quarter of 2010, a survey by the Bank of England showed today, suggesting the credit freeze is slowly thawing. ...

Taxpayers make GBP26bn loss on stakes in Lloyds Banking Group and RBS.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) The taxpayer begins 2010 with a loss of more than GBP26bn on its stakes in Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland, which were bailed out at the height of the banking crisis, illustrating the scale of the...

Going prorogue.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Here we are again. A year after Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper prorogued parliament in order to save his political skin from a potential minority coalition, he has chosen to suspend it again . Shortly after...

PFA chief to meet Portsmouth hierachy over non-payment of players' wages.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) The chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, Nick Cusack, will meet Portsmouth officials on Monday for talks about the state of the club's finances, after yesterday's disclosure that players'...

Portsmouth's slow payers risk row with players' union.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) "You can understand much better problems in the Football League and lower down players have shown a great deal of solidarity and sympathy and understanding and deferred wages. There can't be any good reason in the...

Roberto Mancini will pick strongest available team in FA Cup match.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Roberto Mancini has promised not to field a deliberately weakened side in Manchester City's FA Cup third round tie at Middlesbrough on Saturday as he looks ahead to next weeks League Cup semi-final against Manchester...

Rio Ferdinand is 'nowhere near' a comeback, says Sir Alex Ferguson.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Sir Alex Ferguson has described Rio Ferdinand as "nowhere near" returning to full training despite some encouraging steps in his rehabilitation from recurrent back trouble. United's medical staff believe Ferdinand...

Tottenham's Harry Redknapp fights shy of window shopping.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) As the transfer window opens, Harry Redknapp will be staring at his phone hoping it does not ring. With his Tottenham side seeing in the New Year in the fourth Champions League place, the renowned wheeler-dealer said...

Carlo Ancelotti dismisses Arsene Wenger's gloomy Chelsea prediction.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Carlo Ancelotti has responded to Arsene Wenger's claims that his Chelsea side would "implode over the remainder of the season" by branding Le Professeur "a good magician". Chelsea's lead at the top of the Premier...

The First Album award shortlist.
December 31, 2009... (From Guardian Unlimited) Here they are, then, the 10 albums that make up the shortlist for the 2009 Guardian First Album award. These, the Guardian's music writers felt, were the 10 best debuts released by UK acts in the past year (Electrik...

MOTORCYCLING: Hand injury a priority for Dunlop.
December 31, 2009... (From Belfast Newsletter) Dunlop a" who reignited his family's famous legacy at the Isle of Man TT in June when he won the second Supersport race a" broke the metatarsal bone in his left thumb in an October crash and the injury has been a...

RUGBY: Trimble up for Munster battle.
December 31, 2009... (From Belfast Newsletter) Paddy Wallace, Tom Court, Stephen Ferris and Andrew Trimble were not included in the 15-3 defeat to Leinster as they are part of the National World Cup Management Programme which limits Irish squad players' game...

Boost for campaign to adjust UK's clocks.
December 31, 2009... (From Belfast Newsletter) Currently, the clocks go back an hour in the winter and move forward an hour in the summer in the UK.This daylight-saving measure was first proposed in 1895 by George Vernon Hudson, a New Zealand entomologist. It was...

Minister denies meeting was linked to Robinson.
December 31, 2009... (From Belfast Newsletter) Byline: Sam McBride Mr Newton confirmed that he met independent Castlereagh councillor Charlie Tosh for coffee but denied the former DUP and TUV councillor's claim that he had been asked a" and refused a" to...

Best favourite for sports award.
December 31, 2009... (From Belfast Newsletter) The ex-Manchester United and Northern Ireland international, who was crowned European player of the year in 1968, is favourite to collect the honour run by Irish broadcaster RTA, later this evening.Best, who passed...

MLA's office flooded after pipes burst.
December 31, 2009... (From Belfast Newsletter) Burst water pipes resulted in flooding and a collapsed ceiling at the Enniskillen base of Ulster Unionist representative Tom Elliott.The UUP man and his staff have been involved in a clean-up operation since Mr...

Big freeze triggers cold weather cash.
December 31, 2009... (From Belfast Newsletter) The Department for Social Development is to make the AGBP25 payment to more than 160,000 households following a forecast for extremely low temperatures this week.Because of the cold snap, two payments will actually...

IKEA jobs fears after claims of sales slump.
December 31, 2009... (From Belfast Newsletter) The confirmation came in response to a claim that the firm is planning 40 redundancies early in the new year after sales at the firmas store at the Holywood Exchange outside Belfast allegedly fell by more than a...

Training scheme to help firms survive credit crunch.
December 31, 2009... (From Belfast Newsletter) Rapid Response Northern Ireland will provide access to more than 6,000 expert staff, training courses and equipment at college locations across the country. Staff facing redundancy will also be tutored in job search...

Funding boost will help 'people who need it most'.
December 31, 2009... (From Belfast Newsletter) Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie this week announced a further extension to the Small Pockets of Deprivation programme, which will be made available for 17 communities across Northern Ireland in the next...

Constituents sympathetic to MP's problems.
December 31, 2009... (From Belfast Newsletter) Architecture student Jenny Cromie met the DUP MLA while working at Easons newsagents in Ards.The 20-year-old recalled: "Mrs Robinson was signing copies of her biography and came across as a really nice lady."She took...

OBE is late gift for Black Santa.
December 31, 2009... (From Belfast Newsletter) Dean Houston McKelvey, also known as the senior clergyman at St Anne's Cathedral, is one of a host of unsung heroes across the Province bnamed in the New Year Honours List.A total of 60 honours are being given to...

Charity's plea to save Bristol counselling service for the blind.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) Closing a Bedminster counselling service for blind people would be like "closing the only window in an already darkened room" according to one of hundreds of people that would be affected. The Bristol office of...

Plans submitted for waste-burning power plant in Bristol.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) Lynne Hutchinsonl.hutchinson A recycling company has submitted its plans to build a waste-fired energy plant in Hallen. A rail siding and new roads would be included in the scheme by Sita UK. The firm has...

Are you susceptible to a heart attack? Bristol university paid GBP700k to find out.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) Ground-breaking research at the University of Bristol hopes to discover exactly what causes heart attacks. More than 300 people die of a heart attack every day in the UK, and the highest proportion fall victim...

Locals applaud community champion mavis flower.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) Hundreds of girls have been helped down the years by Clutton resident Mavis Flower whose 60-year dedication to Girl Guides has been recognised with a Community Champion award. Miss Flower was presented with a...

New year's march against power pylons in Somerset.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) Campaigners fighting plans to erect towering power pylons through the countryside of Nailsea are urging people to join them on a protest march. The Save Our Valley (SOV) group has organised a "winter walk" next...

New Bristol hospital gown design unveils a less revealing cut.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) Vicki Mathias and Katy Griffin v.mathias Drafty gowns that expose patients' backsides will become a thing of the past at Frenchay and Southmead hospitals with the introduction of new bedwear. Gowns that tie at...

Bristol heroes give the gift of life to heart attack victim.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) Emily Koche.koch These two Bristol men have been hailed as heroes by a delivery driver who had a heart attack in the city. Grandfather Brian McNamara, who lives in Stafford, was making a delivery to Travis...

First lady takes the helm at Bristol school.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) St Brendan's Sixth Form College in Brislington has its first woman principal. Ann Barrow takes over at the helm of the Catholic college - which provides post-16 education for about 1,600 youngsters - from Derek...

Campaigners save their bit of Bristol greenbelt from property developers.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) Campaigners fighting a controversial scheme to build 450 houses on green belt land in Oldland Common are celebrating after developers withdrew their planning appeal. A public inquiry was to have been held in...

I was forced to grit my own street, says Bristol disabled woman.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) Dan Evansd.evans A disabled woman says she has been forced to grit her own street after 10 months of the city council failing to fill up a grit bin. Sian Astridge says she foresaw problems in the Clifton Wood...

Bristol buses are going green thanks to GBP3million windfall.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) Bus company Wessex Connect is set to receive nearly GBP3 million to help buy new eco-friendly buses for the Greater Bristol area. The money will help put 23 new buses on the road within the next two years, using...

Bristol hospital's bumber fundraising spent on art and heart equipment.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) Supporters of the city's new heart hospital raised GBP860,000 through an appeal to improve the experience of patients who use the centre. Above and Beyond Charities, which supports the city centre hospitals,...

Apprenticeships on offer in Bristol.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) A scheme has been launched in Bristol to introduce apprenticeships into the Civil Service. Five employees have been selected to do the first course, in business administration, which is being piloted by City of...

Champion is moved to help key village project.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) A Project which aims to open a community shop in a Somerset village has received the backing of a high-flying business expert. The Kingsbury Community Shop Project aims to create a store, cafe, book exchange and...

Get in harmony for new year.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) A Harmony singing session is being held at the Speedwell Hall in Crewkerne on Friday, January 8. The event is open to anyone who enjoys singing and will feature musical styles from around the world. Organiser...

Second anniversary beckons for community centre.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) A Dilapidated old warehouse in Langport, which had stood derelict for more than a decade, is about to mark the second anniversary of its transformation into a community hub. The Great Bow Wharf opened at the end...

Sonar shows the way.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) A Sonar system manufactured in Templecombe has been fitted to one of the Royal Navy's most advanced frigates. The Type 23 HMS Sutherland has been re-entered into operational service after a serious of trials of...

Police officers get in festive spirit.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) Officers from the Port Talbot neighbourhood police team got into the festive spirit during their crime-busting patrols of the town centre. They were out and about providing a high-visibility presence during the...

Delight as revamp of streets set to begin.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) Paul Lewis RESIDENTS in part of Port Talbot will soon be streets ahead with the launch of a new improvement programme. Side streets off main roads in Taibach, Margam and Goytre are being overhauled as part of...

Fresh row over wind farm plans.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) Paul Lewis A NEW row has blown up over plans for a massive wind farm straddling the Afan and Neath valleys. Protesters are already mobilising in the Afan Valley over Nuon Renewables' proposed 84-turbine...

Concert held to help our heroes.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) A Charity concert in Neath co-organised by a former forces man has raised almost GBP1,500 for Help for Heroes. Peter Jones is assistant manager at Topps Tiles in Cadoxton, and the company has adopted Help for...

Party voices its criticism.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) Moves to redraw the map for thousands of voters have come under fire again. The Boundary Commission wants to merge wards in Neath, Port Talbot and the Swansea and Amman valleys - reducing the number of county...

Get ready for the big read.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) Valley residents can get lost in a good book after their town was chosen to represent South Wales in this year's Reading Community project. Neath Port Talbot Council's libraries service fought off strong...

Group has the boys strutting their stuff.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) Kate Clarke DANCE ace Craig Coombs makes no bones about it! Yes, he admits, getting boys to trip the light fantastic can be a bit of a struggle. But it is worth persevering. The dance instructor, who shook...

Group set to help mums.
December 31, 2009... (From Bristol Evening Post) Breast-feeding mums in Neath Port Talbot can now get a little extra support. Parents in Partnership, a voluntary organisation which has been in place since 2007, is in the process of setting up a breast-...