Plea over rugby concussion awareness lessons in schools

By Steffan Powell

BBC News

The father of a schoolboy who died after suffering concussion during a rugby match has met Wales' Education Minister Huw Lewis to discuss safety.

Peter Robinson wants compulsory lessons in schools teaching children about the dangers of getting a bang to the head.

Mr Robinson's son Ben, 14, died after suffering multiple concussions during a cup match for his school team in Northern Ireland.

He previously met Scotland and Northern Ireland's education ministers.

Two years ago, Ben was knocked unconscious and suffered from concussion after several high-impact collisions during the game.

However, instead of being substituted, he was allowed to carry on playing. He collapsed just before the end of the game and later died in hospital.

Speaking to BBC Wales, Mr Robinson said had Ben and his teammates been aware of the dangers and the signs and symptoms, he would still be alive.

"At the start of the second half he was involved in a heavy tackle and he lay on the ground for a minute-and-a-half being treated," he said.

"And when he was assisted to his feet... he looked like an old man when he was walking around but he kept being involved in heavy tackles... and there was no chance of recuperating - he didn't get a chance to rest at all.

"He spoke to four people that day and none of them were overly concerned - because of a lack of awareness.

"I suppose the main thing is education at schools level. If you build it into the curriculum then no matter what sport you play, they're aware of the dangers of concussion.

"It's ironic to think if he'd have had a blood injury he'd have been taken off and he would be here today."

Mr Robinson met Mr Lewis at the Senedd on Thursday to discuss concussion awareness.

"The safety of young people when playing sport both within and outside school is paramount, especially when playing contact sports like rugby," said Mr Lewis.

"It is important that everyone involved at all levels of sport are aware of the symptoms and dangers of concussion."

The Welsh Rugby Union says it is committed to player welfare and is looking at devising a nationwide education programme for all levels of the game.

Mr Robinson's campaign for greater awareness and education in schools is being backed by one of the world's leading experts on brain and sport injuries, Dr Robert Cantu of Boston University School of Medicine.

"Everyone ought to understand what are the concussion symptoms, everyone ought to understand what is proper concussion management," Dr Cantu said.

"It can be very devastating in the sense that if you mismanage concussion you place especially youngsters at risk of second impact syndrome, which can be fatal.

Playing with fire

"You also place them at risk of receiving further brain trauma which, if it happens to an already injured brain, it's very likely that now you're going to have a very prolonged period of concussion symptoms."

Dr Cantu said there was some form of concussion legislation in 46 out of 50 states in the USA.

In October a former medical advisor to the International Rugby Board warned that rugby's governing bodies were playing with fire when dealing with the issue of concussion.

Dr Barry O'Driscoll told BBC Wales that he wanted mandatory concussion training for those involved with the game from grassroots level upwards.

Mr Robinson met ministers in Scotland and Northern Ireland in October to discuss making concussion awareness compulsory in schools there.

Northern Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride has already sent letters to schools to raise awareness.

Scottish ministers, as a first step, have agreed to prepare and distribute leaflets.

Derby man survives after heart stopped 17 times

BBC News

A man whose heart stopped 17 times within minutes is "incredibly unusual" to have recovered fully, doctors say.

John Gilmartin, 41, from Chaddesden, had his heart restarted 11 times on the way to hospital and six further times at Royal Derby Hospital.

Dr Gareth Hughes said in repeated-resuscitation cases the patient nearly always suffers neurological damage.

Mr Gilmartin, who is fit and had had no previous heart problems, said he was lucky to survive.

'Family terrified'

He said he felt unwell on the day, in September, and went for a lie down, before waking up in intensive care.

"I didn't have any heart problems, I've always been fit and well," he said.

"My family were terrified. The wife slipped me down on to the floor and performed CPR on me until paramedics came.

"There was a chance I'd have suffered brain damage without CPR."

Paramedics had to repeatedly administer electric shocks to keep his heart going on the way to the hospital's A&E department.

'Long and fruitful life'

He had a further six attacks during an operation to fit a small balloon pump inside his heart.

Dr Hughes, who was part of a team of 10 which saved Mr Gilmartin, said: "It's incredibly unusual to have such a successful outcome that not only did he survive but survived completely neurologically intact.

"The fact that he's quite young and probably has reasonable cardiac functions has helped him in this case in that we were able to recover it.

"There's no reason why he shouldn't go on to have a long and fruitful life, hopefully."

Brooklyn Nets coach Jason Kidd fined for deliberate drink spillage

BBC News

Brooklyn Nets coach Jason Kidd was fined $50,000 (£30,000) by the NBA for spilling drink on the court to delay the latter stages of a recent game.

Kidd's team were trailing the LA Lakers by five points with 8.3 seconds left when Kidd appeared to tell Nets reserve Tyshawn Taylor to bump into him.

The Nets had no timeouts left, but despite a brief delay they could not alter the 99-94 score to the Lakers.

"The cup slipped out of my hand while I was getting Ty," Kidd said.

Television footage appeared to show Kidd instructing Taylor to "hit me" as the player approached him, with ice and liquid spilling onto the floor from the coach's cup after the pair collided.

Kidd denied suggestions he had deliberately spilled the drink.

"Sweaty palms. I was never good with the ball," he said. "In the heat of the battle, you're trying to get guys in and out of the game, and the cup fell out of my hand."

The Nets have won four and lost 11 games  in the Atlantic Division of the NBA's Eastern Conference this season

Court battle over burial of Richard III adjourned

BBC News

The legal battle over where the remains of Richard III should be buried has been adjourned at the High Court.

A judicial review will decide whether the procedure that led to his bones being excavated in Leicester and the decision to reinter them at the city's cathedral, was conducted correctly.

The court agreed to allow Leicester City Council to make representations as a party to the judicial review.

The council said it was prepared to consult over the reburial.

York v Leicester

The court said this could affect the timetabling of the full judicial review hearing.

The Plantagenet Alliance wants him buried in York Minster claiming those were Richard's wishes.

It is challenging the Justice Secretary's decision not to consult further before granting a licence to the University of Leicester to excavate the remains.

When the bones, discovered under a car park in the city, were confirmed as Richard III's the decision was taken for him to be reinterred in Leicester.

A High Court judge gave the Alliance permission to bring judicial review proceedings against the Justice Secretary and the university.

But that process has now be adjourned so that the city council can play a role in the decision over what happens to the remains.

Lady Justice Hallett, sitting with Mr Justice Ouseley and Mr Justice Haddon-Cave, said: "We are satisfied there is clearly an issue to be determined as to whether or not Leicester City Council has a role to play as a decision maker."

Gerard Clarke, counsel for the Plantagenet Alliance, welcomed the council's offer of further out-of-court consultation, saying: "There may be the possibility still of resolving this case without the further intervention of the court. We do not know."

Lady Justice Hallett said the court would be "happy" if it was settled, but left open the possibility of a further hearing in the new year.

The skeletal remains found beneath a car park in Leicester were confirmed as the king's after DNA from the bones was found to match that of a distant relative.

Richard, who reigned from 1483, was killed in the final battle of the Wars of the Roses at Bosworth field in Leicestershire in 1485.

Professor Green arrested on suspicion of lying to police

BBC News

Professor Green has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The rapper, whose real name is Stephen Manderson, was held after police were sent to reports of a robbery in south-east London.

Officers had been called about a suspected mugging at about 2.40am on Sunday November 3.

When they arrived at the scene they found the 29-year-old's car had been in a crash with a van.

Previous arrest

Professor Green was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving at the time and released on bail.

He was then arrested again on Monday on suspicion of lying to the police.

A spokesman from London's Metropolitan Police said: "He has been bailed to a date in January pending further inquiries."

Professor Green recently married Millie Mackintosh, star of reality TV show Made in Chelsea.

Earlier this year he was involved in a car accident.

He said it left his health and album/touring schedule "in absolute jeopardy".

Syria conflict: Mortar near Umayyad Mosque kills three

BBC News

A mortar round has landed near Damascus' historic Umayyad Mosque, killing at least three people.

Several people were also reported injured in the incident at the heart of Damascus's Old City.

The mosque is one of the most renowned sites in the Islamic world, and was a Roman temple and then a church before becoming a mosque in the 7th Century.

Fighting between the army and rebels on the outskirts of Damascus has recently begun to impact on the city centre.

There have been many instances of shells striking the Old City and surrounding areas in recent weeks.

It is not clear who fired the mortar in the latest incident, or what the target was.

The mosque houses a shrine to John the Baptist, also revered as a prophet in Islam, and was the first mosque ever to be visited by a Pope when John Paul II went there in 2001.

The tomb of the legendary Muslim leader Saladin is in the garden next to the mosque.

The UN estimates that more than 100,000 people have been killed in the conflict so far, and that more than nine million have been forced from their homes.

There has also been growing concern at the impact the conflict may be having on Syria's outstanding cultural heritage.

In June, the UN's cultural organisation Unesco added six ancient sites in Syria to its list of endangered World Heritage sites because of the threat from the conflict.

One of the other sites on the list, the Old City of Aleppo, is already known to have suffered extensive damage.

The minaret of it's own Umayyad Mosque - the name refers to one of the early dynasties of Muslim history - was destroyed in April, adding to earlier fire damage to the mosque itself.

Large swathes of the rest of Aleppo's Old City, considered to have been perhaps the best preserved medieval settlement on earth, have also been destroyed.

Earlier this year footage emerged purporting to show tanks stationed in the Roman-era settlement of Palmyra in the Syrian desert, and damage to the ruins there.

The famous Crusader castles, Crac des Chevaliers and Qalat Salah El-Din (Fortress of Saladin), have "been exposed to clashing and gunfire", according to a report by the Syrian authorities given to Unesco earlier this year.

Nepal: Life after divinity for former living goddess

BBC News

A Nepali girl shut off from her family and peers during her decade as a living goddess says she's happy to have settled back into normal life, it's reported.

Preeti Shakya was three when she was separated from her parents to live a secluded life, revered as the Kumari by Hindus and Buddhists. Now 16, she has to study a lot but is "happy nowadays when I think that I can get out of my house anytime I want", China's Global Times newspaper reports.

When a living goddess, Preeti was apparently only allowed out of her palace about once a month, with weekly visits from her mother and older sister. When she finally left Kumari House after reaching puberty, she was afraid of cars and felt everyone was staring at her, she says.

She seems to be adjusting well in her new life, the Global Times suggests. But some human rights groups have called for the abolition of the centuries-old Kumari tradition due to the psychological impact on the chosen girls, the paper says.

Nepal: Life after divinity for former living goddess

BBC News

A Nepali girl shut off from her family and peers during her decade as a living goddess says she's happy to have settled back into normal life, it's reported.

Preeti Shakya was three when she was separated from her parents to live a secluded life, revered as the Kumari by Hindus and Buddhists. Now 16, she has to study a lot but is "happy nowadays when I think that I can get out of my house anytime I want", China's Global Times newspaper reports.

When a living goddess, Preeti was apparently only allowed out of her palace about once a month, with weekly visits from her mother and older sister. When she finally left Kumari House after reaching puberty, she was afraid of cars and felt everyone was staring at her, she says.

She seems to be adjusting well in her new life, the Global Times suggests. But some human rights groups have called for the abolition of the centuries-old Kumari tradition due to the psychological impact on the chosen girls, the paper says.

Trending: Brazil's controversial World Cup substitution

BBC Trending

By BBC Trending

The choice of who presents the World Cup draw in Brazil has proved highly controversial - with a heated discussion on social media over race.

Lazaro Ramos and Camila Pitanga are two well-known and well-loved Brazilian stars - they played the leading couple in the soap Lado a Lado (Side By Side). And they were expected to play a key role in the World Cup group stage draw on 6 December, in the state of Bahia - the historic heart of African-Brazilian culture. When news emerged that the draw would instead be led by the blond, white couple, Fernanda Lima and Rodrigo Hilbert, there was outrage on blogs, forums and social media in Brazil.

"Fifa, we want Lazaro Ramos and Camila Pitanga, ok? They are our face, our people, and we love them!" was one tweet. "As if we weren't already self-sufficient when it comes to racism, Fifa comes over to lend us a hand," was another. US film director Spike Lee even chimed in with criticism of Fifa's power over the game. Many demanded an explanation - and in the absence of one, were quick to come to their own conclusions.

"I was trying to tell people 'Hold your horses'‏, it could be racism, but we don't know," says Guilherme Pinheiro, a film and TV producer in Sao Paulo, who joined the Twitter discussion to call on people to cool down. There could be other explanations, he says - to do with sponsorship or standard of English, for example.

Fifa says the choice of who presents the World Cup draw is not theirs, but one made by the host nation - in this case by GEO and TV Globo who are producing the show. Fifa has announced a line-up of musicians for the World Cup draw which includes a significant number of Afro-Brazilian artists.

The story hit such a nerve, because many in Brazil are resentful of the money being spent on World Cup preparations, and feel Fifa is trying to dictate how Brazil comes across on the world stage, says Sergio Charlab, of the Twitter-based English-language news service Brazil Character Lab. There have been similar controversies before. When women in Bahia were told they could not sell acaraje - a traditional dish with African origins - at World Cup stadiums, there was outrage on social media.

ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier: Nepal defeats UAE by 5 wkts

KATHMANDU, NOV 30 - Nepal won the third place in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier defeating UAE by five wickets in the match played at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Chasing the target of 132 runs posted by UAE batsmen, Nepali batsmen overhauled the target in 19.2 overs with two back-to-back sixes in the last over by Sarad Veswakar. Nepali bowler Basanta Regmi who took four wickets was declared the man of the match.

Sarad Veswkar smashed 43 runs off 29 balls with three sixes and three fours, while SP Khakurel scored 38 runs off 46 balls with three fours.

Likewise, Sagar Pun took 19 runs off 18 balls and AK Mandal scored 13 runs off eight balls. 

Update

The UAE has posted a target of 132 runs against Nepal in the ongoing match for the third place being played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Earlier, Nepal have won the toss and elected to field first against UAE.

In the first innings, UAE players scored a challenging 131 runs with the loss of five wickets. Nepali bowler Basanta Regmi took five wickets while SP Gauchan took another one.

Nepal had lost their semi-final match against arch rivals Afghanistan by seven wickets in a game played on Friday.

Nepal will want to finish third and end the competition in a high by winning today's contest against UAE.

Nepal have already qualified for the Twenty20 World Cup to be played in Bangladesh next year.

Tim Yeo MP dropped by South Suffolk Tories

BBC News

The decision was made by the South Suffolk Conservative Association in a secret ballot on Friday evening.

In a statement, the association said Mr Yeo was "now considering his position and will advise the executive council of his intended course of action".

Last month, Mr Yeo, who has been MP for South Suffolk since 1983, was cleared by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards of breaking lobbying rules.

The Tory MP was secretly filmed by Sunday Times investigators posing as representatives of a fictional energy company seeking to hire his services.

The paper said he had admitted telling a business associate what to say in evidence to the committee he chaired.

But the watchdog said the newspaper had used "subterfuge, misrepresentation and selective quotation" in its report.

Mr Yeo, a former environment minister, had previously told the BBC that he intended to stand again in 2015.

If he does not accept the decision he can appeal or apply to be the new candidate when the selection process gets under way.

Mr Yeo is yet to comment.

Loyalist march breaches Parades Commission ruling

BBC News

Hundreds of people are taking part in a loyalist protest march which left from Belfast City Hall about 13:00 GMT.

The protesters have breached a determination by the Parades Commission that they leave the city hall by noon.

The march comes days ahead of the first anniversary of the council's decision to restrict the flying of the union flag to designated days.

The parade was organised by a group calling itself the Loyalist Peaceful Protestors.

Profile: Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins

BBC News

As the frontman of Welsh nu-metal band Lostprophets, Ian Watkins sold millions of albums and commanded arena crowds.

What his fans did not know was that he was, as a court has heard, "a determined and committed paedophile".

Det Ch Insp Peter Doyle from South Wales Police said: "There is no doubt in my mind that Ian Watkins exploited his celebrity status in order to abuse young children."

Ian Watkins was born in 1977 and grew up in Pontypridd, forming his first band, a thrash metal group called Aftermath, in his mid teens.

The rocker studied graphic design at university and started playing music as a drummer before taking the microphone when the singer of one of his bands quit.

Lozt Prophetz formed in 1997. Three years later, with the spelling of their name changed, they recorded their debut album, The Fake Sound of Progress, in a single week on a modest budget.

After the band were snapped up by Columbia Records and heavyweight manager Peter Mensch, whose company Q Prime looks after Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Muse, the album was re-recorded and re-released.

They soon started making waves in the US, where their second and third albums both reached the Top 40.

They reached their commercial peak in the UK when their third album, Liberation Transmission, went to number one in 2006.

They also had two Top 10 singles - Last Train Home in 2004, and Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast) two years later.

Lostprophets were named best British band at the Kerrang! awards for two years in a row in 2006 and '07, although most critics afforded them little credibility.

Watkins, heavily tattooed, with piercings and a goth-influenced dress sense, led the group as they sold out arena shows and attracted huge festival crowds.

Peddling angst and rebellion, sweetened by anthemic choruses and a punk-meets-skater boy image, Lostprophets attracted many disenfranchised young fans.

Their last album, Weapons, came out in April 2012, eight months before Watkins was arrested.

'Depraved' offences

We now know that while in the band, the disgraced star conspired with two female fans to abuse their babies as well as taking advantage of underage followers.

He has pleaded guilty to a series of "depraved" child sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.

In one case, he swapped messages with a woman in her 20s about her baby boy in which the frontman spoke of his desire to "make him mine" and to "cross the line".

Cardiff Crown Court was also given details of a 17-minute video in which the singer performed a sex act on the baby.

The video was filmed the day after the Weapons album was released and just hours after Watkins appeared on BBC Radio 1.

It emerged that he was a user of crack cocaine and crystal meth and he claimed to have no memory of the events in the video.

Prosecuting barrister Chris Clee said drugs played "a significant part in his offending against children". Watkins also planned to "teach" the babies how to take drugs, the hearing was told.

The singer used Skype to watch the other woman, aged 24, abuse her child. In the 45-minute video call, he talked to the mother about how they were going to use the baby for sex. Watkins referred to the woman and her baby as his "slave duo".

Police also found a box of camcorder tapes which showed Watkins in hotel rooms with young fans.

One 16-year-old girl from Boston, Massachusetts, contacted Watkins saying she was a fan and was a virgin and went on to meet him wearing a schoolgirl uniform in a New York hotel in October 2006.

Watkins was filmed taking part in sex acts and describing the girl as "my underage slut".

In October 2008, he filmed himself having sex with another 16-year-old Lostprophets fan.

Police are now appealing for other victims to come forward.

Watkins' ex-bandmates released a statement in October saying they had been "coming to terms with our heartache" since his arrest and that they would no longer make music as Lostprophets.

Watkins and the two mothers are due to be sentenced next month.

Profile: Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins

BBC News

As the frontman of Welsh nu-metal band Lostprophets, Ian Watkins sold millions of albums and commanded arena crowds.

What his fans did not know was that he was, as a court has heard, "a determined and committed paedophile".

Det Ch Insp Peter Doyle from South Wales Police said: "There is no doubt in my mind that Ian Watkins exploited his celebrity status in order to abuse young children."

Ian Watkins was born in 1977 and grew up in Pontypridd, forming his first band, a thrash metal group called Aftermath, in his mid teens.

The rocker studied graphic design at university and started playing music as a drummer before taking the microphone when the singer of one of his bands quit.

Lozt Prophetz formed in 1997. Three years later, with the spelling of their name changed, they recorded their debut album, The Fake Sound of Progress, in a single week on a modest budget.

After the band were snapped up by Columbia Records and heavyweight manager Peter Mensch, whose company Q Prime looks after Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Muse, the album was re-recorded and re-released.

They soon started making waves in the US, where their second and third albums both reached the Top 40.

They reached their commercial peak in the UK when their third album, Liberation Transmission, went to number one in 2006.

They also had two Top 10 singles - Last Train Home in 2004, and Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast) two years later.

Lostprophets were named best British band at the Kerrang! awards for two years in a row in 2006 and '07, although most critics afforded them little credibility.

Watkins, heavily tattooed, with piercings and a goth-influenced dress sense, led the group as they sold out arena shows and attracted huge festival crowds.

Peddling angst and rebellion, sweetened by anthemic choruses and a punk-meets-skater boy image, Lostprophets attracted many disenfranchised young fans.

Their last album, Weapons, came out in April 2012, eight months before Watkins was arrested.

'Depraved' offences

We now know that while in the band, the disgraced star conspired with two female fans to abuse their babies as well as taking advantage of underage followers.

He has pleaded guilty to a series of "depraved" child sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.

In one case, he swapped messages with a woman in her 20s about her baby boy in which the frontman spoke of his desire to "make him mine" and to "cross the line".

Cardiff Crown Court was also given details of a 17-minute video in which the singer performed a sex act on the baby.

The video was filmed the day after the Weapons album was released and just hours after Watkins appeared on BBC Radio 1.

It emerged that he was a user of crack cocaine and crystal meth and he claimed to have no memory of the events in the video.

Prosecuting barrister Chris Clee said drugs played "a significant part in his offending against children". Watkins also planned to "teach" the babies how to take drugs, the hearing was told.

The singer used Skype to watch the other woman, aged 24, abuse her child. In the 45-minute video call, he talked to the mother about how they were going to use the baby for sex. Watkins referred to the woman and her baby as his "slave duo".

Police also found a box of camcorder tapes which showed Watkins in hotel rooms with young fans.

One 16-year-old girl from Boston, Massachusetts, contacted Watkins saying she was a fan and was a virgin and went on to meet him wearing a schoolgirl uniform in a New York hotel in October 2006.

Watkins was filmed taking part in sex acts and describing the girl as "my underage slut".

In October 2008, he filmed himself having sex with another 16-year-old Lostprophets fan.

Police are now appealing for other victims to come forward.

Watkins' ex-bandmates released a statement in October saying they had been "coming to terms with our heartache" since his arrest and that they would no longer make music as Lostprophets.

Watkins and the two mothers are due to be sentenced next month.

BBC reveals festive TV highlights

BBC News

Seasonal specials of Strictly Come Dancing and The Great British Bake-Off are among the festive offerings from the BBC this Christmas.

One-off episodes of Mrs Brown's Boys, Call the Midwife and Bad Education will feature on the schedule as well.

The highly anticipated return of Sherlock will also air, along with a Doctor Who special and an adaptation of David Walliams' book Gangsta Granny.

EastEnders will see Danny Dyer make his debut as the Queen Vic's new landlord.

Films on offer include Toy Story 3, Cars 2, Gnomeo and Juliet and Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

David Jason returns as corner shop worker Granville in Still Open All Hours, while the semi-finalists of the Great British Sewing Bee will compete again in a one-off special.

The first series of family fantasy drama Atlantis will draw to a conclusion, while viewers will find out who wins the coveted glitter ball trophy on this year's Strictly Come Dancing series.

Nev Wilshire, the star of BBC Three's The Call Centre, returns in The Call Centre Christmas, while Gareth Malone explores the roots of choral singing in The Choir: Sing While You Work.

Viewers will also see James May taking on another challenge as part of his Toy Stories series as he aims to take a 37-mile ride around the Isle of Man in a motorbike and car made of Meccano.

His Top Gear colleague Jeremy Clarkson will tell the tale of the Arctic Convoys of World War Two, while festive panel shows include Mock the Week, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and QI.

Religious programming will include the First Eucharist of Christmas live from Westminster Abbey on Christmas Eve, along with Carols from King's on BBC Two.

Other offerings include Top of the Pops Christmas, The Sarah Millican Television Programme and Celebrity Mastermind.

"Brilliant Christmas telly across drama, factual, comedy, entertainment and religion is something licence-fee payers rightly expect from the BBC," said Danny Cohen, the corporation's director of television.

Final schedule details will be released on 4 December.

Guardian First Book Award won by Donal Ryan

BBC News

Irish author Donal Ryan has won the 2013 Guardian First Book Award for his debut novel The Spinning Heart.

Set in south-west Ireland, the book tells of the struggles of a rural village in the aftermath of the financial collapse.

The judges described the novel as "slim in size, ambitious in structure and devastating in its emotional force".

Accepting the £10,000 prize at a ceremony at Tate Modern in London, Ryan said he could not believe he had won.

"I can't believe it - I know everybody says it, but I really can't," he said.

He dedicated the award to all writers "working at their beginnings".

"Of the many obstacles that stand in the way of a first book as it makes its precarious way into the world and into its readers hands, fear is often the biggest and the most difficult to surmount. Fear of not being good enough, of not being able to say what we mean."

Told as a set of short stories from the point of view of 21 people, The Spinning Heart explores the struggle for work in austerity Ireland.

It was also longlisted for this year's Booker prize and was named book of the year at the 2012 Irish Book Awards.

"Donal Ryan gives voice to those who are more used to silence and to feelings that are often unexpressed," chair of the judges Lisa Allardice said.

"The 21 internal monologues come together as a great cry of pain from a community in crisis. It was a tough decision, as always, but here is a new novelist whom we all felt we would be hearing more from in the future."

Other novels shortlisted for the prize included We Need New Names by Booker nominee NoViolet Bulawayo, Burial Rights by Hannah Kent, Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach and Shereen El Feki's Sex and the Citadel.

Previous winners include Zadie Smith, Chris Ware, Yiyun Li and, last year, Kevin Powers.

Rosemary Lee wins £10,000 choreography award

BBC News

Choreographer Rosemary Lee, whose works often involve hundreds of dancers, has won the £10,000 Bonnie Bird award.

Her recent works include Melt Down, which saw 30 men dance to the sound of a tolling bell on the steps of Granary Square in King's Cross; and Without, involving 400 residents of Londonderry.

Given biennially, The Bonnie Bird Award supports the development of new work.

"Having been taught myself by Bonnie Bird I am thrilled and touched to have been chosen for this award," she said.

Lee added she intends to research complex, eight-person routines and the links between "experience and the written word".

"Having spent the last decade primarily working on large-scale participatory projects and film installations, this opportunity is timely, much needed and most welcome."

"I am longing to return to the studio," she added. "As an independent artist with a family it is not easy finding the time, resources, and opportunities to research and experiment with dancers."

Lee has been absorbed by dance from a very young age. "I am told I was in a carry-cot at my sister's ballet classes when I was 18 months and I started dancing there," she told London Dance.

Since graduating from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, she has specialised in large-scale, community-focussed works, alongside her own solo performances.

Her Weather Dances series involved big-screen outdoor projections in which a dancer reacted to changes in their immediate environmental conditions. The installations remained in place for up to a year, making the dancer part of the local environment.

2009's Common Dance brought together a cast of 52 mostly amateur dancers aged from eight to 82, with music by the Finchley Children's Music Group. Commissioned specially to make use of Greenwhich's historic Borough Hall, the production was called "revelatory" by the Guardian's dance critic Sanjoy Roy.

The £10,000 award, set up in memory of dancer and educator Bonnie Bird, is open to choreographers of all genres of dance who have been working professionally for more than five years.

Lee beat shortlisted choreographers Alexander Whitley, Simon Ellis, Jane Mason and Subathra Subramaniam to claim the £10,000 prize.

Peaches Geldof apologises for tweeting names in Ian Watkins case

BBC News

Peaches Geldof has apologised for tweeting the names of the two mothers whose babies were abused by rock star Ian Watkins.

The daughter of Band Aid founder Bob Geldof posted a series of tweets explaining she had assumed the names were already "public knowledge".

Lostprophets frontman Watkins admitted attempted rape of a baby on Tuesday.

South Wales Police said it was discussing the tweeting issue with the Crown Prosecution Service.

Peaches Geldof is understood to have tweeted the women's names to her 160,000 followers after reportedly reading them on a US-based website.

"I deleted my tweets, however, and apologise for any offence caused," she said.

Geldof said at the time of tweeting she had "assumed" the names she saw on tweets were also published on news websites.

She added: "Will check my facts before tweeting next time. Apologies and lesson learned."

Watkins, 36, from Pontypridd, is due to be sentenced next month after changing his plea shortly before the start of a trial at Cardiff Crown Court.

He was branded a "determined and committed paedophile" after he admitted a string of sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.

He plotted the abuse with the two mothers in a series of text and internet messages.

Meanwhile, HM Courts & Tribunals Service has apologised after the names of the defendants were mistakenly included on its court listing website.

"The names were quickly removed from the site and action has been taken to ensure this does not happen again," said a spokesman.

Watkins's former girlfriend Joanna Mjadzelics told ITV's This Morning that singer had said he was going to rape a baby and she had first reported him to the police in 2008, two years after they met.

Ms Mjadzelics said the singer had told her he wanted to sexually assault a baby of an "obsessed" fan and that his fans would "do anything for him".

"I couldn't believe it, I thought he was joking," she told Friday's programme.

Ms Mjadzelics said she felt police didn't believe her when she reported Watkins in 2008.

Two years later, she thought she "must have got it wrong" after no action was taken and she apologised to Watkins.

However, the second time she saw him in 2010, she said he played a "horrific video" on his laptop "and I kicked him out of my room".

Ms Mjadzelics said Watkins had changed in the time she had known him.

Promptly

"I was in love with that man until 2008 - he's not that man," she said.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating whether South Wales Police acted "expediently".

The force referred itself to the IPCC.

It has said the delay between Watkins' first and subsequent arrests is one of the things the IPCC will be investigating.

It had received information about Watkins from four other forces in the period before he was arrested, and this will form part of the IPCC's examination.

It is also investigating a detective sergeant from south Wales over alleged inaction regarding reports made to the police.

Chief Superintendent Tim Jones, head of South Wales Police's professional standards department, said: "South Wales Police will fully support the Independent Police Complaints Commission's independent investigation and are committed to responding promptly to its findings.

"In view of the ongoing proceedings it is inappropriate to comment further at this time."

Anyone who has been affected by this case or other cases of child abuse can contact South Wales Police on 029 20634184 or the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.

S&P upgrades Spain's economic outlook

BBC News

The economic outlook for Spain has improved, says ratings agency Standard and Poor's (S&P).

The debt-laden country, whose banks came under severe pressure during the financial crisis, has been struggling to improve its public finances.

S&P raised its assessment from negative to stable and re-affirmed its BBB- long-term sovereign credit rating.

However, S&P cut its credit rating for the Netherlands from the top-level AAA rating to AA+.

S&P citing the Netherland's worsening growth prospects as a reason for the cut.

This demotion leaves only Germany, Luxembourg and Finland as the remaining eurozone countries with the top rating of AAA, according to S&P.

But rival ratings agencies, Moody's and Fitch, have maintained their AAA rating for the Netherlands.

Austerity measures

Spain's economy grew 0.1% in the July-to-September period, after contracting for the previous nine quarters, officially lifting it out of recession.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government is hoping economic growth will help reduce Spain's spiralling public debt, currently 943bn euros (£792.5bn; $1.3 trillion), or more than 92% of the country's entire gross domestic product (GDP).

Austerity measures have led to riots, while unemployment has now reached 27%.

The country's banks, which received 41bn euros of EU bailout funding in 2012, have been gradually reducing their borrowings from the European Central Bank over the last year.

Russia: Why is Putin always late?

BBC News

Vladimir Putin's legendary lateness is back in the spotlight after he kept Pope Francis waiting during a recent visit to the Vatican. What lies behind his chronic tardiness?

The Russian president was 50 minutes late to meet the Pope on Monday. And papal courtiers were left "shivering" outside as they waited to welcome the Russian president, who was held up by women protesting outside his hotel in support of punk band Pussy Riot, says independent daily Moskovskiy Komsomolets.

The Pope and the Italian press appear to have taken it in their stride. Given his reputation, they probably expected nothing else.

Not so the South Korean media after he kept President Park Geun-hye waiting for 30 minutes during a visit to Seoul earlier in November - particularly as the already late Putin stopped en route to chat with martial arts enthusiasts.

"Mr Putin, be on time next time," fumed a Korea Times headline.

But the liberal Russian website Slon.ru points out the Koreans need not be upset. Being only half an hour late is a "mark of the deepest respect" from Putin.

For the Russian leader has a long catalogue of late arrivals to his name:

• 14 minutes overdue for Queen Elizabeth II in 2003
• 40 minutes late for German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2012
• three hours overdue for talks on Syria with US Secretary of State John Kerry
• and he kept parents of children killed in an air crash waiting for two hours at a Bashkortostan cemetery in 2002.

It's often a by-product of his meticulousness, an anonymous source close to Putin tells Moskovskiy Komsomolets's chief political columnist Mikhail Rostovskiy: "Before important meetings he often double-checks sources of information, delves into things, as a result he gets behind schedule."

Sometimes it bears the hallmarks of a calculated snub. In 2012, Putin was running late for gas talks with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in Crimea. But he stopped for a chat with a biker friend, and eventually arrived nearly four hours late.

Political commentator Dmitriy Abramov says Putin's "affected lateness" is "born of a desire to demonstrate that he occupies a 'tsar's place' in world politics, as in the heyday of the Russian empire".

His estranged wife Lyudmila says he regularly kept her waiting when they were dating. Putin recollects of his school days: "I did not have time to dress and flew like a bullet to school without my coat."

As Rostovskiy notes, lateness is now Putin's "calling card" and he's unlikely to change. "In all probability he will be late for his own funeral," says opposition blogger Andrey Malgin.

The month in tech: Nissan fixes eye on the future

By Chris Neiger

The Japanese automaker teased enthusiasts with a rather curious piece of wearable technology. A promotional video depicts a man wearing Google Glass-like specs called 3E, a new technology that officially debuted at the 2013 Tokyo motor show.

The concept glasses are intended to demonstrate how augmented reality might be used to display vehicle information to a driver. Some reporters at the motor show were permitted to try the 3E glasses, which relayed performance and technology statistics over live footage of Nissan vehicles in motion. It is not the company's first foray into wearable tech; Nissan showed a “smart watch” for drivers in September at the Frankfurt motor show.

US says it will regulate mobile devices in vehicles

The US’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it will reissue new voluntary mobile device guidelines for major automakers operating in the country. In a congressional hearing earlier this month, NHTSA director David Strickland said the agency had the authority to regulate mobile devices in vehicles under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

The new regulations, though technically still voluntary, could help automakers strike a balance between providing drivers with high-tech options, while maintaining safety standards and avoiding distraction-causing features.

A budding trust of autonomous cars?

A recent survey by online insurance retailer CarInsurance.com indicated  that one in five drivers would trust a fully autonomous vehicle for their driving needs. A full 90% of the 2,000 respondents would consider purchasing an autonomous vehicle if doing so would cause their insurance premiums to drop, the survey authors noted.

But it's not all good news for would-be autonomous vehicle makers. Around 64% of respondents said self-driving cars cannot make decisions as well as humans and 75% said they can drive better than a computer ever could. Speaking of…

Mazda automated test drive goes awry

A Mazda CX-5 SUV drove into a barrier during a test drive in the automaker’s native Japan while a customer was testing a semi-autonomous drive feature. According to Bloomberg News, the driver was using the car’s automated braking system – called Smart City Brake Support – when the vehicle crashed into a barrier, injuring both the customer and a salesman. Though drivers can disengage the automatic braking system, Mazda and local authorities have not said whether the system was turned off at the time of the crash.

At MIT, viruses build a better battery

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) added a genetically modified virus to a lithium-air battery to increase its charging and discharging cycles. The benign virus was used to increase the surface area of the battery's “nanowires”, which act as the unit’s electrodes. Lithium-air batteries have some advantages over the currently popular lithium-ion batteries because they can store two to three times more power per the same amount of weight – a potential breakthrough for battery-electric cars, which currently lug around weight-intensive lithium-ion or nickel metal hydride packs.

Blackheath V-2 rocket victims remembered

BBC News

The 19 civilians killed when a row of houses in south-east London was struck by a V-2 rocket during World War Two are to be commemorated in a ceremony.

On 8 September 1944 the Nazis began a sustained V-2 rocket attack which started in Chiswick, west London, killing three people.

Resident Toni Hale who has lived in Sunfields Place in Blackheath for 15 years has organised for 19 ribbons to be attached to a memorial tree.

The youngest who died was 13.

The V-2 rockets, which travelled at supersonic speed and gave no warning, terrorised the population and claimed at least 5,000 lives.

Sunfields Place was hit on 30 November.

Miss Hale said she had always wondered why her home and neighbouring houses were more modern than the surrounding Victorian properties.

She added: "I felt there was an unrest here, a sadness."

She began researching, found out about the deaths and was moved to create a memorial, starting with a tree being planted last year.

A service will be given using ribbons bearing the initials of those who died.

Glasgow helicopter crash: Response 'courage' praised

BBC News

Tributes have been paid to the response of "ordinary Glaswegians" after a police helicopter crashed into a busy city centre bar.

Local residents and people in the area rushed to help evacuate people from The Clutha in Stockwell Street after the crash at 22:25 on Friday.

They formed what eye witnesses described as a "human chain" to rescue the wounded.

Their efforts have been lauded by First Minister Alex Salmond.

"The response from our emergency services and citizens has been exemplary," he said.

"We've also heard of the instinctive courage of ordinary Glaswegians going to assist their fellow citizens in extremity.

"We can take great pride in how we've responded to this extraordinary tragedy."

Prime Minister David Cameron said: "This is a tragic event and our deepest sympathies are with the families and friends who lost a loved one last night.

"I want to thank the emergency services who worked tirelessly throughout the night and I also want pay tribute to the bravery of the ordinary Glaswegians who rushed to help."

Anas Sarwar, Labour MP for Glasgow Central, echoed those sentiments.

"Our thoughts and prayers go to those involved but a huge thanks to the passers-by and the emergency services," he said.

"It speaks to the human decency and human kindness that people didn't run away from the scene but to the scene to help their fellow Glaswegian."

Jim Murphy, the Labour MP for East Renfrewshire, was in the area at the time of the crash.

He told the BBC how people formed "a bit of human chain, side by side with each other, to help pull injured people out".

Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson also spoke of his pride in the response.

"I would like to pay tribute to the people of Glasgow, who instinctively went to help those who were in need," he said.

"People who were in the pub, the people who were in the streets and who just helped out their fellow human beings who were out having a good time.

"If people are in need the spontaneous response is to go to their help.

"I want to pay great tribute to that and I'm very proud as leader of the city that that was the reaction. It doesn't surprise me.

"That's Glaswegians at their best."

Lord Provost Sadie Docherty added: "It is shocking, but our Glaswegian resolve will get us though this together.

"The bravery and humanity of ordinary folk, witnessed last night, can give us all great comfort. My gratitude also goes to our emergency services for their sterling work at this difficult time."

Jean Kent: Suffolk Gainsborough melodramas actress dies

BBC News

Film and television actress Jean Kent, one of Britain's biggest stars in the 1940s and 1950s, has died.

She was injured in a fall at her home in Westhorpe, Suffolk, and died at the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds at 03:40 GMT.

Her death was announced by a close family friend, author and former film critic Michael Thornton.

Her last public appearance was in 2011 when she was honoured by the British Film Institute on her 90th birthday.

Mr Thornton said: "I knew Jean for more than 50 years. She was a feisty, funny, outspoken character who never took herself too seriously.

"She knew what it meant to be a star and regarded it as her job to live up to that position and never to disappoint the public."

Kent's career included regular appearances in Gainsborough melodramas, which were popular with large numbers of newly-independent women following the outbreak of the Second World War.

She made 45 films and during her career starred alongside Marilyn Monroe, Michael Redgrave and Laurence Olivier.

'Bodice-ripping melodramas'

Born in Brixton, south London on 29 June, 1921, she was the only child of variety performers Norman Field and Nina Norre. As a 13-year-old she performed at the Windmill Theatre in London's West End.

Kent met her husband Josef Ramart on the set of Caravan and they married four months later in 1946, with Stuart Granger as best man.

They bought a farm near Sudbury, Suffolk in the 1950s and stayed there for 20 years until they moved to Westhorpe. Her husband died in 1989.

Kent also had a television career, which started in the mid-1930s in a musical called The Ship In The Bay which was broadcast live.

Her post-war television appearances included roles in Up Pompeii!, Crossroads and Lovejoy.

Mr Thornton added: "Because she became one of the most famous stars of the Gainsborough era, with its bodice-ripping melodramas, she was underrated as an actress. But she was a great actress."

Speaking on her 90th birthday she told the BBC she was still available for work.

"Oh yes, I'd work like a shot, as long as I didn't have to walk," she said.

"A nice sitting-down part would be fine."

‘Slow progress’ on air safety front

KATHMAND, NOV 30 -

Nepal has made only slight progress in improving aviation safety as per an audit conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) said on Friday that Nepal’s non-compliance rate with ICAO standards declined 12 percent to 45 percent in 2013. 

In 2009, Nepal’s rate of non-compliance with the eight areas audited by ICAO was 57 percent compared to the world average of 41 percent. The global figure had dropped to 39 percent in 2013. Experts said that Nepal exhibited poor performance by bringing down the non-compliance rate a mere 12 percent in five years.

The eight critical elements which ICAO considers are essential for a country to have effective air safety are primary aviation legislation, organization, licensing, operations, airworthiness, accident investigation, air navigation services and aerodromes.

“The progress shows our commitment towards improvement, but we are not satisfied with it and are trying our best for full compliance with ICAO standards and bring down the rate of accidents and incidents,” said CAAN Director General Ratish Chandra Lal Suman. According to him, the areas where Nepal has scored poorly are accident investigation and primary legislation and working regulations. 

CAAN had invited ICAO’s Coordinated Validation Missions (ICVM) to Nepal in July to validate the corrective measures taken by Nepal to address and resolve the deficiencies pointed out by the United Nations aviation watchdog in 2009. The mission carried out an on-site audit from July 10-16. The draft report was sent to CAAN for its comments before being made public globally. 

CAAN’s Deputy Director General Sanjiv Gautam said that Nepal had made significant improvements in airworthiness and personal licensing among the eight critical elements. The ICAO audit has shown deficiencies in operations particularly with regard to revalidation of the air operators certificate (AOC). CAAN, which revalidates or renews the AOC of airlines, does not meet ICAO standards, according to experts. 

The revised Air Operator Certificate Regulation 2012 (AOCR 2012) that went into effect on Nov 2 says that airlines will not get their AOC before they acquire aircraft. However, CAAN has been reluctant to terminate the previously obtained AOCs of carriers who don’t have any aircraft, according to experts.   

“The operational side is very crucial, and to resolve this deficiency, CAAN has planned to hire an operational expert from Singapore soon,” said Gautam. The ICAO regional office in Bangkok has also pledged to support Nepal in this regard, he added. 

Other deficiencies pointed out by the ICAO audit are accident investigation and primary legislation. Due to the absence of Parliament, Nepal has not been able to fulfil a number of requirements related to legislation and laws. 

However, CAAN officials claimed that there had been significant improvements in accident investigation. As CAAN has been asked to provide its comments on the audit report by December, officials said that a report of the progress made in this field will be sent to ICAO headquarters before it makes its final assessment of the audit on Feb 1. 

Director General Suman said that Nepal’s non-compliance rate would be reduced to better than the world average after the passage of a number of bills that have remained pending as there was no Parliament. “We are also focusing on training technical personnel which will bring down the non-compliance rate further.”  

Gautam agreed that a lot of progress had been made in accident investigation.

ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier: UAE sets 132 target for Nepal

KATHMANDU, NOV 30 -

The UAE has posted a target of 132 runs against Nepal in the ongoing match for the third place being played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Earlier, Nepal have won the toss and elected to field first against UAE.

In the first innings, UAE players scored a challenging 131 runs with the loss of five wickets. Nepali bowler Basanta Regmi took five wickets while SP Gauchan took another one.

Nepal had lost their semi-final match against arch rivals Afghanistan by seven wickets in a game played on Friday.

Nepal will want to finish third and end the competition in a high by winning today's contest against UAE.

Nepal have already qualified for the Twenty20 World Cup to be played in Bangladesh next year.

Indian media: Live-in relations 'not a sin'

BBC News

Media are reporting prominently that the Supreme Court has called on parliament to adopt new legislation that would better protect women and children in live-in relationships.

The current law offers protection against domestic violence, as well as maintenance and other benefits to women in a live-in relationship that is "in the nature of marriage".

But according to the Supreme Court, this does not include those who are living with men already in wedlock, says the Hindustan Times.

The judges made the appeal to parliament after they rejected a claim from a woman against her live-in partner on the grounds that she was only a "mistress".

If the man was made to pay maintenance, that would be an injustice to his wife and children, they argued.

The Supreme Court ruled, however, that "live-in or marriage-like relationship is neither a crime nor a sin though socially unacceptable in this country".

Noting that "children born out of such relationships also suffer the most", the court called for "bringing in remedial measures by parliament through proper legislation".

Most of the papers point out that this is a "landmark judgement".

The Indian Express and The Asian Age highlight the fact that MPs have been urged to "make law to protect women and kids in live-in homes".

"Supreme Court for law on live-in relations," reads the headline in The Deccan Chronicle.

The Times of India, however, is not so sure. "If married man walks out of relation, live-in partner not entitled to relief," it says.

According to the daily, the message from the Supreme Court ruling was "Check the man's marital status before going in for a live-in partnership."

Relations with Pakistan

In international news, India has urged Pakistan to speed up the process of bringing to justice the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the Hindustan Times reports.

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said Delhi will not allow Islamabad to "wish away" its "deeply felt national sentiment" that those guilty of the crime should be punished.

He was commenting on remarks made by the lawyer of seven Pakistanis accused of involvement in the 26/11 assault on Mumbai who said the evidence provided by India was a "sham".

Nearly 200 people were killed and hundreds injured in the attacks which India blames on the Pakistan-based banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Meanwhile, the government of Andhra Pradesh has banned corporal punishment in all private and government schools in the southern Indian state, the Deccan Herald reports.

The decision comes in the wake of a "steep rise" in such incidents in schools, the paper explains.

It adds that police in the state capital Hyderabad have recorded 600 cases of corporal punishment in 2012 but the number had already surpassed 800 this year.

New innings

Legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who retired from cricket this month, will start a new innings as the UN children's agency Unicef's ambassador to promote hygiene and sanitation in South Asia, reports The Hindu.

Unicef's regional director for South Asia, Karin Hulshof, is quoted as saying that Tendulkar has the "unique power to reach all villages and communities" of Asia.

And finally, a male pilot's insistence on wearing earrings has delayed a flight from the southern city of Chennai to Colombo for over an hour, writes the Hindustan Times.

According to national carrier Air India's operational manual, male crew are not permitted to have long hair, long sideburns, an "intimidating" moustache, very long unkempt beards, ponytails or wear earrings and nose rings in uniform, the paper says.

It adds that the plane finally took off, but only after the pilot was allowed to keep his earrings on.

China media: Tensions over air zone

BBC News

International controversy over a newly-declared Air Defence Identification Zone continues to dominate the Chinese media following reports that Japan and South Korea flew planes over the area on Thursday without notifying China. Earlier this week, the US sent two B-52 bombers over the zone.

China also sent several combat aircraft to patrol the area on Thursday.

The Global Times plays down the entry of US B-52s into the zone and brushes off concerns raised by the governments of the US, South Korea and Australia about the zone.

Instead, China's air force should prepare for possible "friction or confrontation at close range" with Japanese military planes if they enter China's air zone without prior notification, it stresses.

The newspaper believes that such friction will spur Japan to negotiate a communication system with China on both countries' air zones and even for disputed islands known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan.

The islands are under Japan's control and Tokyo has rejected the existence of any sovereignty dispute with China.

Despite apparent support for the zone among the mainland public, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post says some internet users suspect that it may be aimed at "distracting attention from domestic problems". Some also believe that Beijing "reacted too softly" after the entry of US bombers into the zone.

In response, Zhu Feng, a professor of international relations at Peking University, stresses to the Global Times that Beijing's response is "not as weak as" internet users say.

He says netizens may look at the conflict "without thinking about the possible consequences if China acts more aggressively".

Hong Kong's Apple Daily mocks the Chinese military for making "no response at all" to the "show of force" by Japan and South Korea when their planes entered the new zone.

The newspaper's website features a video clip of Chinese President Xi Jinping with a paper tiger mask standing over a map of the air zone.

Xinjiang security

In other international news, both the domestic and overseas editions of the Communist Party's People's Daily say Beijing stands vindicated after a group called the "Turkestan Islamic Party" (or East Turkestan Islamic Movement) recently released a video claiming responsibility for a jeep explosion in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on 28 October that killed five people and injured dozens.

The group also threatened to carry out further attacks on landmarks such as the Great Hall of the People, where the Communist Party holds many of its high-level meetings, according to the Search for International Terrorist Entities Institute (SITE), a US website which monitors jihadist forums.

The newspapers accuse US broadcaster CNN and other Western media of "double standards" for posting analyses by experts that questioned Beijing's initial claims that the blast was a "terrorist" attack by extremist groups fighting for independence for Xinjiang, a remote western region that is home to an ethnic Uighur Muslim minority.

The commentaries also accuse the US government of sidestepping the issue of whether the incident was a terrorist attack after the State Department said it was "monitoring" the situation.

Meanwhile, local media in Xinjiang are continuing a propaganda offensive against unnamed "religious extremists" recruiting Muslims in the region to engage in "terrorism".

One local official warns in the Urumqi Evening News that such "extremists" are ordering Muslims to boycott sermons by pro-establishment clerics and to "disobey the government by not using marriage certificates or identity cards".

The Global Times says more and more Uighur women in Xinjiang are wearing the burqa or the chador, sparking a "Project Beauty" campaign by the government to stop women wearing veils.

Information from Xinjiang is tightly controlled and difficult to verify independently.

Uighur exiles dismiss claims of terrorism and separatism as an excuse by Beijing to justify religious and security restrictions.

Meanwhile, a public outcry has been triggered after a petitioner from central Henan stabbed to death a man allegedly hired by authorities to intercept him while he was on his way to Beijing to seek justice in a housing demolition dispute.

The Southern Weekend says Gong Jinjun, 57, stabbed one of eight "interceptors" who were forcibly taking him and other captured petitioners back to his hometown of Hebi. He also injured another interceptor with a knife.

The interceptor was reportedly a "grassroots youth earning a mere 200 yuan (£20; $32)" for each interception mission, a petitioner told the newspaper.

Ukraine pro-EU protesters regroup after dispersal

BBC News

Anti-government protesters have regrouped in the Ukrainian capital Kiev hours after being forcefully dispersed.

Around 1,000 have converged on St Michael's cathedral to continue opposing a government decision not to sign a deal with the European Union.

A former minister said the political opposition was setting up a national resistance headquarters and preparing to call a nationwide strike.

Ukraine refused to sign the EU deal after apparent pressure from Russia.

At the end of a summit in the Lithuanian capital on Friday, EU leaders warned they would not tolerate Russian interference in the bloc's relations with former Soviet republics.

The summit reached provisional accords with Georgia and Moldova.

Protest organiser Sergei Milnichenko said tear gas had been used as police moved in at about 04:30 (02:30 GMT) on Saturday to disperse protesters gathered in Independence Square.

A number of people had been hurt.

Police said they had decided to clear Independence Square after "a number of incidents", Interfax Ukraine news agency reported.

It was not clear what incidents they were referring to.

"It was horrible. We were holding a peaceful demonstration and they attacked us," said protester Lada Tromada.

"They threw us away like garbage."

One activist, opposition MP Andriy Shevchenko, tweeted that dozens of people had been hurt and at least 33 taken into police custody.

The US Ambassador to Kiev, Geoffrey Pyatt, said he was "still working to understand what happened".

He said he "obviously" condemned the violence against peaceful demonstrators, adding: "Will have more to say."

Police have now surrounded the square.

'Foreign pressure'

Last week, President Yanukovych said he was suspending preparations for signing an EU association agreement that would have opened borders to goods and set the stage for an easing of travel restrictions.

He said pressure from Russia had led him to make his decision. Mr Yanukovych argued that Ukraine could not afford to sacrifice trade with Russia, which opposed the deal.

EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy said the parties had been "really close" to signing the association agreement in Vilnius, but added: "We need to overcome pressure from abroad."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the door would always remain open for Ukraine.

Independence Square was the scene of the Orange Revolution in 2004, which saw Mr Yanukovych ousted and a Western-leaning government brought to power.

Mr Yanukovych was elected president five years later, narrowly defeating then-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a leading figure of the Orange Revolution.

In 2011 she was sentenced to seven years in jail for abuse of office - a case widely criticised in the West as political revenge.

Ms Tymoshenko has been on hunger strike since Monday over the failure to sign the EU agreement.