The petrol bomber and the grinning protesters: Police release new footage of student riots in bid to catch offenders

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 8:52 PM on 13th January 2011

Dramatic footage of a thug clutching a petrol bomb during the student fees protests was included in film footage released today in a bid to catch perpetrators of the violence.

Another rioter is shown attacking the Royal convoy, while others hurl a fence at riot police.

Others are shown grinning and dancing as they wreak havoc around the capital.

Hooded thug: A rioter runs across Parliament Square throwing a Molotov cocktail during the tuition fees protest on December 9

Whooping and dancing this image shows the crowd passing fence poles above their heads which were later used in the ensuing trouble

The footage, released by the Met Police, comes just 24 hours after sixth-former Edward Woollard was jailed for two years and eight months for hurling a fire extinguisher from the roof of Tory Party HQ during the first protest on November 10.

A grinning protester smiles for the cameras. She is one of many demonstrators being hunted by police

The thug who threw the Molotov cocktail on December 9 was today slammed for putting other people's lives 'in clear danger'.

It happened on the same night that the Royal convoy taking Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall through the West End was attacked, leaving the Royal couple visibly shaken.

It was the last of the four main protests held in the capital over plans to raise university tuition fees to £9,000 a year.

Detective Chief Superintendent Matthew Horne of the Metropolitan Police said: 'The right to peaceful protest is fundamental.

'The MPS polices thousands of public events each year and makes significant efforts to engage with organizers to ensure the safety of everyone.

'What we have released today is the unlawful side of protest.

'An individual throws what appears to be a petrol bomb, putting others in clear danger.

'Another young man is seen committing acts of suspected violent disorder in Parliament Square, attempting to cause damage to shops and attacking the Royal Convoy'.

The Royal convoy is attacked as it takes Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall through the West End

Shock: The Royal couple looked frightened when their Rolls Royce was attacked

Damage: A rioter kicks in the windows of Topshop in Oxford Street, central London

Suspect: Detectives are hunting the man in the tracksuit top following the public disorder in central London on December 9

Mugshots: The Met Police are appealing for information about the protesters shown here

Det Ch Supt Horne added: 'We saw, this week, a young man with no criminal history sentenced to a substantial term of imprisonment for throwing a fire extinguisher off the roof of Millbank Tower.

'This clearly could have resulted in catastrophic injury to those below him. His actions and their consequences have also had a massive impact on his family. I would urge those intent on committing violence and damage to reflect upon this.'

Nurse 'punched dying patient who walked with a Zimmer frame'

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 2:39 PM on 13th January 2011

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Emma Trubody was allegedly heard to have asked a patient with mental and physical disabilities why he kept urinating on the floor and then hit him later that day

A nurse punched a frail patient who walked with the aid of a Zimmer frame and was in the last stages of life, a hearing was told.

Emma Trubody, 36, is said to have thumped the 46-year-old man who began to cry before telling him his 'crocodile tears' would not help.

The patient, who has not been named, was suffering from kidney and liver failure. He died six weeks later.

Ms Trubody was working as a staff nurse at the Royal Blackburn Hospital in Lancashire when she hit the patient on the arm, the Nursing and Midwifery Council heard.

Patient A, who had a number of physical and mental difficulties, was being treated at the hospital when the incident occurred on September 6, 2008.

Earlier that day, Ms Trubody is alleged to have asked him: 'Why do you keep p***ing on the floor?'

Pauline Cullen, a matron at the hospital, told the hearing: 'The gentleman was dying.

'It was clear from his medical notes he was dying because of the liver and kidney failure he had.'

Mrs Cullen was the first senior manager to receive a complaint about Ms Trubody's behaviour.

'At the time of the incident patient A had quite a number of physical ailments,' she said.

'His blood results were causing confusion and psychosis. He was being seen by a general consultant and had been admitted by a nursing home following a relapse of his schizophrenia.'

Mrs Cullen said that the day after the incident she went into work so she could inform patient A's family of what had happened and to speak to the police.

An internal investigation was carried out and when Ms Trubody was interviewed she claimed she had merely been 'mirroring' the patient's actions when she hit him.

Mrs Cullen said the nurse should have used 'verbal de-escalation' techniques to defuse the situation.

She said: 'My response to that situation would have been: 'Come on Patient A, let's go and have a brew.

'He had never had to be restrained, so I believe he could have been verbally de-escalated.'

During the interview Ms Trubody told her bosses: 'On the way out of the room he said he was fed up of being picked on and I said that his crocodile tears wouldn't work with me. He went back to his room, swearing all the way.'

Ms Trubody also claimed she used the word 'peeing' instead of 'p***ing'.

The panel heard Patient A and his family decided not to press charges against Ms Trubody and opted to rely on the Trust's disciplinary procedures instead.

Patient A died six weeks after the incident. Ms Trubody, from Rossendale, Lancashire, could be banned from working as a nurse if the NMC decided her fitness to practise is impaired.

The hearing, which is expected to last until Friday, continues.

The patient, who has since died, was being treated at the Royal Blackburn Hospital when the alleged incident happened

Mrs Cullen told the panel the day after the incident, September 7, she went into work so she could inform patient A's family of what had happened and to speak to the police.

An internal investigation was carried out and when Ms Trubody was interviewed she claimed she had merely been 'mirroring' the patient's actions when she hit him.

Mrs Cullen said the nurse should have used 'verbal de-escalation' techniques to diffuse the situation.

She said: 'My response to that situation would have been: 'Come on Patient A, lets go and have a brew.

'He had never had to be restrained, so I believe he could have been verbally de-escalated.'

During the interview Ms Trubody told her bosses: 'On the way out of the room he said he was fed up of being picked on and I said that his crocodile tears wouldn't work with me. He went back to his room, swearing all the way.'

Ms Trubody also claimed she used the word 'peeing' instead of 'p***ing'.

The panel heard Patient A and his family decided not to press charges against Ms Trubody and opted to rely on the Trust's disciplinary procedures instead.

Patient A died six weeks after the incident. Ms Trubody, from Rossendale, Lancashire, could be banned from working as a nurse if the NMC decided her fitness to practise is impaired.

The hearing, which is expected to last

Heidi the cross-eyed opossum is a Facebook hit

Overweight animal at Leipzig zoo has inspired a YouTube song and has nearly 180,000 Facebook fans

• Emine Sinmaz
• guardian.co.uk, Thursday 13 January 2011 19.57 GMT
• Article history



Heidi the cross-eyed opossum at Leipzig zoo has become an unlikely internet sensation. Photograph: Sebastian Willnow/AP

Cross-eyed and overweight, Heidi the opossum is, perhaps, the unlikeliest of stars, but that is exactly what she has become – an internet sensation.

She shot to fame after a report was published on her home, Leipzig zoo in Germany. She has since inspired a YouTube song and attracted nearly 180,000 Facebook fans, making her more popular than the chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, who has a mere 65,000.

Heidi's poor vision – thanks to her bulging eyes – has struck a chord with the public, but zookeepers say it does not cause many problems. As opossums are nocturnal they rely heavily on their sense of smell to find their way around. She experiences no discomfort and has no problem interacting with other opossums.

Heidi is currently on a high-fibre, low-calorie diet, as her weight problem could be behind her condition.

Heidi and her sister Naira, who arrived at the zoo last May after being abandoned in North Carolina, are acclimatising before appearing in public in the zoo's tropical experience attraction in July.

Peter Walschburger, a biological psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, has analysed the unprecedented attention the opossum has attracted.

He said: "It triggers a reaction in our unconsciousness when we see these creatures that make us think of children."

Hotel worker 'has confessed' to Mauritius honeymoon murder

Avinash Treebhoowoon reported to have admitted that he killed Irish teacher Michaela McAreavey

• Henry McDonald, Ireland correspondent and Chris Martial in Port Louis
• guardian.co.uk, Thursday 13 January 2011 19.27 GMT
• Article history



Avinash Treebhoowoon is reported to have confessed to the murder of Michaela McAreavey in Mauritius. Photograph: Reuters

A hotel worker in Mauritius was tonight said by the country's police commissioner to have confessed to the murder of an Irish teacher while she was on honeymoon.

Avinash Treebhoowoon, 29, who appeared in court yesterday along with two others, is reported to have admitted that he killed Michaela McAreavey, the daughter of the All-Ireland Gaelic football winner Mickey Harte.

Earlier, a lawyer for Raj Theekoy, who is charged with conspiracy to murder, claimed his client had spoken to police and implicated the other two men.

Sandip Moneea, 41, also appeared in court yesterday accused of the murder.

All three were remanded in police custody for a week and will return to court next Wednesday, when they are expected either to be formally charged or released.

At the initial hearing in Mauritius, Treebhoowoon had explained to the court that he was taken by detectives on Tuesday evening for questioning. He alleged that he had been struck by police officers who were seeking to extract a confession from him.

Detectives on the island have said they are examining the DNA from skin tissue taken from the murdered woman's fingers.

Convicted murders in Mauritius can receive a prison sentence of up to 47 years.

McAreavey's new husband, John, found her body in the bath of the honeymoon suite at the luxury Legends hotel on Monday.

Today, two of the three accused were taken back to the hotel for a 30-minute reconstruction of the events surrounding the killing.

McAreavey's body is expected to arrive in Northern Ireland from Mauritius tomorrow.

Her husband, a Down Gaelic footballer, is on the flight taking her body back to Belfast via London. Members of his family and the Harte family are accompanying him.

In a statement last night, McAreavey said he had been left heartbroken and totally devastated.

"I love my wife, very, very much and my world revolved around her. I can't describe in words how lost I feel as Michaela is not just the light of my life — she is my life," he said.

It is understood her family hope to hold her funeral on Monday, in the same County Tyrone church where she was married on 30 December.

Michaela McAreavey daughter of Mickey Harte speaking on the Late Late show

2010 ties 2005 for warmest year on record

Earth in 2010 experienced temperatures higher than 20th century average for 34th year in a row.

Middle East Online

Global warming contributed to the devastating floods in Pakistan WASHINGTON - Last year tied with 2005 as the warmest year on record for global surface temperature, US government scientists said in a report on Wednesday that offered the latest data on climate change. The Earth in 2010 experienced temperatures higher than the 20th century average for the 34th year in a row, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. Overall, 2010 and 2005 were 1.12 degrees Fahrenheit (0.62 Celsius) above the 20th century average when taking a combination of land and water surface temperatures across the world, it said. Those two years were also the highest in temperature since record-keeping began in 1880. Last year was the wettest on record, NOAA said citing Global Historical Climatology Network which made the calculation based on global average precipitation, even though regional precipitation patterns varied widely. When it came to hurricanes and storms, the Pacific Ocean saw the fewest number of hurricanes and named storms, three and seven respectively, since the 1960s. But the Atlantic Ocean told a different story, with 12 hurricanes and 19 named storms, which include tropical storms and depressions, marking the second highest number of hurricanes on record and third highest for storms. The analysis also tracked weather changes that contributed to massive floods in Pakistan and a heat wave in Russia, saying an "unusually strong jet stream" from June to August was to blame. "The jet stream remained locked in place for weeks, bringing an unprecedented two-month heat wave to Russia and contributing to devastating floods in Pakistan at the end of July," it said. In the United States alone, 2010 marked the 14th year in a row with higher annual average temperatures when compared to the long term average since 1895. Record snowfalls at the start of the year in the northeast including Washington and Philadelphia were part of a winter pattern driven by El Nino and the Arctic Oscillation, NOAA said. A separate report by Canada's Environment Ministry said that last year was the warmest in Canada since it began keeping meteorological records 63 years ago. Canada's second warmest year was 1998, when temperatures were 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit (2.5 degrees Celsius) higher than normal, the ministry said, adding that its records went back to 1948. International studies published on Sunday warned that global warming could wipe out three-quarters of Europe's alpine glaciers by 2100 and hike sea levels by four meters (13 feet) by the year 3000 through melting the West Antarctic icesheet.

Lebanon faces protracted government crisis

Analysts: Lebanese cabinet collapse thrown Lebanon into its worst political turmoil since 2008.

Middle East Online

By Natacha Yazbeck - BEIRUT

Experts fail to see an exit from the crisis Lebanon faces yet another protracted crisis that could degenerate into civil unrest after the powerful Hezbollah forced the collapse of the government, analysts warn. "We've entered into a politically drawn-out period where ... it's probably going to take many months to form a new government," said Paul Salem, head of the Beirut-based Carnegie Middle East Centre. "I don't think we have the makings of deliberate Hezbollah military action in Beirut, but we might soon be running the risk of unpredictable events on the street ... which could get out of hand," Salem said. In a sweep led by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, 11 ministers withdrew from Prime Minister Saad Hariri's government Wednesday evening, providing the minimum number of resignations to automatically dissolve the 30-member cabinet. The move was linked to a long-running dispute over the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which is reportedly set to indict high-ranking Hezbollah operatives in the 2005 assassination of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, Saad's father. The Shiite militant group has warned any such accusation would have grave repercussions in Lebanon and has been pressing the Western-backed Hariri to disavow the tribunal, which it says is a US-Israeli ploy. Energy Minister Gebran Bassil, a Christian ally of Hezbollah who announced the resignations Wednesday, said the next government would be formed under "totally different circumstances," without elaborating. Analysts say Wednesday's move could signal the beginning of complete overhaul of who formally has the upper hand over Lebanon's frail state institutions. It could also be aimed at ensuring there is no government to make arrests when the STL issues its indictments, experts say. "When the indictment comes out, the opposition (Hezbollah and its allies) would have to be in control of state institutions to prevent any ... arrest of suspects," said Amal Saad-Ghorayeb, research advisor at the Doha Institute's Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies. "It has no choice but to be in control of government (or government vacuum), otherwise all hell would break loose," Saad-Ghorayeb, who authored a book on Hezbollah, said. "We'd be facing a scenario of civil war, as with what happened in May 2008. So the opposition has to guarantee that security remains in their hands specifically in order to avoid war." Wednesday's cabinet collapse has thrown Lebanon into its worst political turmoil since 2008, when an 18-month government crisis culminated in deadly street fighting and the closure of the Beirut airport. And while they continue to downplay the likelihood of violence in the immediate future, experts fail to see a viable exit from the growing crisis. "Given the current polarisations in the country, things could spiral out of control with no prior notice," said Sahar Atrache, a Middle East analyst with the International Crisis Group. "The problem in Lebanon, however, is that things go gradually from one escalation to another," Atrache said. "Right now we are facing political movement. What perhaps comes next is movement in the streets, and the possibility of violence is always there. "But I wouldn't go so far as to talk about civil war." President Michel Sleiman should now hold consultations with Lebanon's 128 MPs on naming a new prime minister, who must be a Sunni Muslim. While Hariri is the country's most popular Sunni leader, it remains to be seen whether he will be reappointed given the animosity between his camp and Hezbollah. Analysts said the appointment of a new premier hinges in part on the reshuffling of parliamentary alliances, with Druze leader Walid Jumblatt holding 11 crucial votes in parliament. Hariri's coalition holds 60 seats while the rival Hezbollah-led camp comes a close second with 57 seats. Once Hariri's staunchest anti-Syrian ally, Jumblatt in 2009 announced he had repositioned himself closer to Hezbollah. Today, his MPs could determine whether a future government secures parliament's vote of confidence. "If Hariri refuses Hezbollah's demands, he will definitely not be named prime minister," said Saad-Ghorayeb.