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Tuesday 16 December 2014

Oil prices slump

Oil prices continue to slide. The benchmark Brent crude price has fallen as low as $58.56 a barrel, before bouncing back to trade at almost $59 a barrel, but still down 3.6% for the session.

http://www.bbc.com/news/live/business-30433949

Llewelyn-Bowen attraction closed

The Wonderland Walk at The Magical Journey Christmas

A Christmas attraction designed by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has been shut down after after a financial back pulled out. The Magical Journey attraction posted an apology on its website as well as details of how to get a refund for those who have already bought tickets. The attraction got off to a bit of bad start and had to be closed after just one day due to complaints from parents.

http://www.bbc.com/news/live/business-30433949

English MPs could veto English laws under home rule plan for 'fairness' after Scotland was handed extra powers

Reform plans unveiled today to give English MPs a greater say

Pledged after Scotland won new powers in 11th-hour bid to stop UK split

They include full ban on Scottish MPs voting on English-only legislation

English MPs will also have new powers of veto for English-only laws

English MPs could have the power to veto new laws affecting England under plans to ensure 'fairness' for everyone in the UK.

William Hague announced the idea is one of three being considered to tackle the issue of English votes for English laws.

It follows concern that Scottish MPs could have the deciding vote on legislation which only applies south of the border.

Home rule: The proposals by William Hague (left) could stop Alex Salmond voting on English-only issues if he is elected as a Westminster MP. Mr Salmond (right, campaigning yesterday) will stand for a seat in May

Mr Hague today published the proposals aimed at delivering 'English votes for English laws'.

Under the most radical option, English MPs would have a separate vote in which they could veto an legislation - forcing the Government either to abandon the proposals or make changes to secure majority support.

Another option would mean English-only bills would go to an English-only grand committee at second reading and the remaining stages would be governed by a convention that means MPs from other nations would not vote.

A final option sets out plans that would allow only English MPs to consider the amending stages of legislation that relates only to England but the final vote would be open to all MPs.

All three proposals would involve Welsh MPs where legislation also relates to Wales.

EXCLUSIVE: John Travolta comforts heartbroken Kirstie Alley as her daughter Lillie, 20, mourns for Scientologist fiance killed in horrific motorcycle crash

Nick Trela, 23, who was engaged to Kirstie Alley's daughter, died instantly after his motorcycle was sideswiped in Los Angeles

Lillie, 20, a Scientologist like her mother, has spent the last weeks in seclusion at Alley's Clearwater compound

Both John Travolta and Kelly Preston attended the memorial service for Nick at the Hollywood Scientology Center

Nick worked at the Scientology-owned Delphian School in rural Oregon and was best friends with Lillie's 22-year-old brother True.

The siblings were adopted by Alley and actor Parker Stevenson as babies

Kirstie Alley's daughter Lillie is in mourning over the death of her fiancé Nick Trela.

Lillie, 20, is so distraught that she has refused to leave her home except to attend a memorial service for 23-year-old Nick Trela at the Hollywood Scientology Center.

Fellow Scientologist Trela was killed in a motorcycle accident in Los Angeles last month. He died instantly after being sideswiped by a car.

He and Lillie, who he dated for four years, had been planning their wedding.

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All in the family: Nick Trela (left) was engaged to Kirstie Alley's daughter Lillie (to his right). They are here with mom Kirstie Alley, close friend Kelly Preston, John Travolta's wife, and True Parker, Kirstie's son.

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Soul mates: 'Nick was her first love,' says a friend of the family. 'They have been dating since she was 16, even living under the same roof. She worries that she will never fall in love again, get married or have children.'

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Support system: John Travolta and Kelly Preston were there for Kirstie at the heartbreaking outdoor ceremony for Nick just before Thanksgiving

Instead Dancing with the Stars contender Alley led mourners, including Hollywood and Scientology John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston, in a heartbreaking outdoor ceremony just before Thanksgiving.

Both are close friends of Alley and have been there for her during this troubling time, say friends.

Scientology leaders even made a rare exception by allowing Lillie's actor father Parker Stevenson to attend the memorial.

He left the church after divorcing Alley. Their 15-year marriage ended in 1997.

Trela grew up near the Church of Scientology's headquarters in Clearwater, Florida.

He worked at the Scientology-owned Delphian School in rural Oregon and was best friends with Lillie's 22-year-old brother True.

The siblings, who were adopted by Alley and Stevenson as babies, are devastated over Trela's death.

Friends fear Lillie will never return to Los Angeles because she is haunted by the tragedy.

She has spent the last weeks in seclusion at Alley's Clearwater compound.

'Everyone is very concerned about Lillie,' a friend of the family tells MailOnline.

'Nick was her first love. They have been dating since she was 16, even living under the same roof.

'She worries that she will never fall in love again, get married or have children.'

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Kirstie was married to actor Parker Stevenson, who starred in The Hardy Boys, from 1983 to 1997

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Young love: Lillie was 16 when she met Nick. They were planning their wedding before his death

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Scientology leaders made a rare exception by allowing Lillie's father Parker Stevenson to attend the memorial. He left the church after divorcing Alley.

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Cheers actress Kirstie kids around with her children, 12-year-old son True and 10-year-old daughter Lillie, in 2005. The children were adopted by Alley and Parker Stevenson when they were babies

Trela's friends are also devastated by the tragedy. And one, Kylor Melton, posted a five-minute video online to celebrate his life.

Featuring film and photographs of Trela with Lillie, Alley and countless friends, the tribute depicts a handsome young man snorkeling, swimming, messing around in the snow and riding his beloved motorbike.

There are also childhood pictures, shots of his college graduation and vacations around the world.

'Children were forced to watch as their teacher was burned alive': Survivors reveal horror inside Pakistan school as nine Taliban gunmen bomb and shoot to death 132 children

Gunmen in Peshawar entered school and started shooting at random
One terrorist blew himself up in a classroom containing 60 children
Teacher set on fire in front of pupils, with the children forced to watch
Army commandos quickly arrived at the scene and exchanged fire
School was stormed by nine gunmen in military fatigues, it was reported
After hours of fighting the terrorists were killed by special forces soldiers
MailOnline heard harrowing eyewitness accounts of the massacre
Taliban accepted responsibility for the attack, claiming it 'was just a trailer'
David Cameron described the attack on the school as 'deeply shocking'
The massacre is the worst ever in the deeply troubled region

By TED THORNHILL FOR MAILONLINE and IMTIAZ HUSSAIN IN PESHAWAR FOR MAILONLINE and AAMIR IQBAL and IAN BIRRELL and AOUN SAHI

A teacher was burned alive while her pupils were forced to watch during the massacre at the Peshawar school that saw 132 children killed, it has been reported.

Nine Taliban gunmen stormed a military school in the north-western Pakistani city today, in the worst ever militant attack to hit the troubled region.

A source told NBC: 'They burnt a teacher in front of the students in a classroom. They literally set the teacher on fire with gasoline and made the kids watch.'

Two bodies burned beyond recognition were taken to the Combined Military Hospital in Peshawar, MailOnline has been told. The victims may have been burned as a result of the suicide blast.

One suicide bomber is believed to have blown himself up in a room full of 60 children while there were reports that some of the victims arriving at a hospital in Peshawar had been beheaded, though Pakistani authorities have yet to confirm this.

The corridors of the city's Combined Military Hospital were lined with dead students, their green-and-yellow school uniform ties peeping out of white body bags.

One distraught family member was given the wrong body because the faces of many children were badly burned as a result of the suicide bomb explosions.

By nightfall, the death toll had reached 141, with the Pakistani military confirming that 132 of those were children, with another 113 people injured.

As the city began the devastating task of treating the horrifically wounded and identifying the dead, one grieving father told MailOnline: 'This is a terrible injustice. We are innocent people, my boys are innocents who do not carry guns and bombs.'

Meanwhile, terrifying accounts of the children's ordeal began to emerge.

A 10-year-old boy caught up in the massacre has spoken of his dramatic escape from Taliban gunmen as bullets whizzed past his head - having seen two of his classmates shot dead in front of him.

Scroll down for videos

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The uncle and cousin of injured student Mohammad Baqair, center, comfort him as he mourns the death of his mother, who was a teacher at the school which was attacked by Taliban

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Pakistani snipers take position near the school attacked by Taliban gunmen

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Special forces soldiers surrounded the school after it was attacked by nine gunmen

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A man comforts his son, who was injured during the attack

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Pakistani schoolgirls pray for the victims of the attack, which ended after a nine-hour gun battle

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Some of the bodies that have arrived at a hospital in Peshawar have been headless, though Pakistani authorities have yet to confirm this

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The attack started with the gunmen entering the 500-pupil school - which has students aged 10 to 18

ISIS using bombs containing live SCORPIONS in effort to spread panic, in tactic used 2,000 years ago against Romans

Canisters packed with the creatures are being blasted into Iraqi towns

They do not cause mass causalities but have serious psychological impact

The tactic was first used by Iraqis in the desert city of Hatra in 198-199AD

They would pack clay pots full of scorpions and hurl them at Roman armies

Canisters packed with poisonous varieties of scorpion are being blasted into towns and villages - scattering the creatures and inciting panic

Militants fighting for the Islamic State in Iraq have unveiled their latest terror tactic - bombs containing hundreds of live scorpions designed to spread fear among their enemies.

Canisters packed with poisonous varieties of scorpion are being blasted into towns and villages, which explode on impact - scattering the scorpions and causing panic among the innocent local population.

Although scorpion bombs sound like something out of a modern horror movie, the tactic is actually thousands of years old and was first used by Iraqis fighting against the Roman Empire.

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, ex-head of chemical and biological weapons for the Army and Nato, told The Mirror that ISIS had improvised devices to launch the poisonous creatures in 2ft bombs.

He said: 'Scorpions are robust – even if they are launched a couple of miles, when the canister breaks thousands are flung out and start crawling all around.

'Some scorpions are very poisonous but the main thing is creating fear.'

Mr de Bretton-Gordon, who returned from Baghdad last week where he was advising security forces, said that the bombs are not causing casualties but had a profound 'psychological impact'.

Misery for thousands of drivers as they face FIVE-HOUR delays on M1 after carriageway is closed by fatal lorry crash

A man died when his car collided with a lorry at about 4.15am

Northbound was shut between junctions 16 and 17 in Northamptonshire

Drivers are still experiencing huge delays as a result of seven hour closure

Drivers are facing a five hour delay on the M1 after a fatal crash in the early hours of this morning.

A man died when his car collided with a lorry at about 4.15am on the northbound carriageway between junctions 16 and 17 in Northamptonshire.

The stretch of motorway was closed until just after 11am but drivers are still experiencing huge delays as a result of the seven hour closure.

Drivers are facing a five hour delay on the M1 after a fatal crash in the early hours of this morning

A man died when his car collided with a lorry at about 4.15am on the northbound carriageway between junctions 16 and 17 in Northamptonshire

Traffic officers arrived on scene to help clear traffic trapped between junction 16 and the incident scene

Emergency services arrived on the scene just after 4.15am and Northamptonshire Police ordered for the road to be closed from junction 16 at Northampton/Daventry to junction 18 at Crick to allow the vehicles involved to be recovered from the scene.

Traffic officers arrived on scene to help clear traffic trapped between junction 16 and the incident scene.

Surrounding routes are also experiencing heavy delays after diversions were put in place.

Surrounding routes are also experiencing heavy delays after diversions were put in place

A spokesman from the Highways Agency said the area where the incident occurred was already undergoing roadworks to turn it into a 'smart motorway'.

Some traffic was trapped for many hours and the stretch is still experiencing 'residual delays' as it heads to peak time, he added.

Northamptonshire Police said anyone with information or who witnessed the crash is asked to call the drivewatch hotline on 0800 174615.

Tuesday 16 December 2014

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