Boy, 17, shot in back in Poplar, east London

 teenager has been shot in the back in east London. The 17-year-old boy was wounded in East India Dock Road, Poplar, in the early hours of the morning. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "A 17-year-old male had a gunshot wound to the back and is in hospital in a serious condition." The attack happened just before 01:00 GMT, police said. Any witnesses to the shooting should call the Metropolitan Poli...

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Armed guards are to be deployed on British civilian ships for the first time to protect them from pirates,

Armed guards are to be deployed on British civilian ships for the first time to protect them from pirates, David Cameron announced today.A legal ban on weapon-toting protection staff will be relaxed so that firms can apply for a licence to have them on board in danger zones.The Prime Minister said radical action was required because the increasing ability of sea-borne Somali criminals to hijack and ransom ships had become 'a complete stain on our world'.He unveiled the measure after talks at a Commonwealth summit in Australia with leaders of countries in the Horn of Africa over the escalating problem faced in waters off their shores.Under the...

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Brussels is stifling City of London, Cameron claims

 David Cameron signalled new European battles ahead as he pledged to resist alleged attempts by Brussels to shackle the City of London in red tape. The Prime Minister echoed claims that the emergence of a two-tier Europe following the financial crisis could result in a wave of EU directives that would harm the Square Mile. The Government has said it is determined to prevent the 17 members of the eurozone acting as a bloc to thwart the interests of the 10 EU states, including Britain, that have retained their own currenci...

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Qantas grounds all flights

 Australia’s Qantas Airways grounded its entire fleet on Saturday over a bitter labour dispute in an unprecedented move that prompted the government to warn it feared for the airline’s future and would seek action to end the dispute. EDITOR’S CHOICE Strikes cost A$15m-a week in lost sales - Oct-28 US airlines earnings hit by fuel costs - Oct-27 Lufthansa scales back passenger forecasts - Oct-27 Virgin eyes tie-up with Etihad on BMI - Oct-14 Qantas overhauls lossmaking international operations - Aug-16 Qantas said it would lock out all employees from Monday night in a dispute affecting 70,000 passengers and 600 flights on one of the country’s biggest travel weekends. The grounding does not affect Qantas’ budget airline Jetstar or code-share flights on other airlines. Passengers...

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Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit has been moved from the Gaza Strip to Egyp

 Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit has been moved from the Gaza Strip to Egypt, Palestinian officials in Gaza said. The move begins an elaborate prisoner swap deal in which hundreds of Palestinian inmates are to be freed in return for the captured tank crewman. The officials said buses of Palestinian prisoners are now moving from Israel into Egypt en route to Gaza. Israel's Army Radio station, citing anonymous Israeli officials, confirmed the report. In all, Israel is slated to release 1,027 prisoners for Schalit, now 25, who had been held in Gaza since he was captured more than five years ago by Palestinian militants in a cross-border raid. Before dawn, convoys of white vans and trucks transported hundreds of Palestinian prisoners to the locations in the West Bank and on the Israel-Egypt...

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MS-13, shorthand for "Mara Salvatrucha," is one of the world's most lethal gangs, with a power and reach that exceeds that of some national governments

MS-13, shorthand for "Mara Salvatrucha," is one of the world's most lethal gangs, with a power and reach that exceeds that of some national governments. It has ravaged the tiny Central American country of El Salvador, and its influence extends into neighboring Honduras and elsewhere.But MS-13 isn't a homegrown Salvadoran phenomenon. It's an export from Los Angeles, where many gang members were initiated as adolescents and young adults, before being deported back to El Salvador and taking their violent methods with them. Today, as depicted in the new documentary "Gang Warfare USA," airing at 8 Monday night on the National Geographic...

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FSA broke its own rules in Keydata probe, judge rules

 High Court judge found that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) had wrongfully used privileged emails to bring its case against Keydata. A further "relief hearing" will now determine the impact of the ruling, which could de-rail the case altogether. It is the latest in a line of setbacks for the regulator, which has been investigating regulatory breaches at Keydata and millions of pounds of missing retail funds for two years. Keydata invested in "life settlement funds", which buy and sell US life insurance and generate high returns. In June 2009 the FSA applied for Keydata's closure "to protect investors", saying it was concerned about "potentially missing assets". The business was fast-tracked into administration and referred to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). It emerged that £103m...

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US to pressure Iran over 'plot to kill Saudi envoy'

 US Attorney General Eric Holder says the alleged conspiracy was "conceived, sponsored and directed from Iran" Continue reading the main story Related Stories Clinton hails break-up of 'plot' Middle East rivalries play out in US The US secretary of state has called for a "very strong message" to be sent to Iran, after allegations of a plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the US. Hillary Clinton said Washington was preparing new penalties against Iran, which is already subject to a variety of international sanctions. Two Iranians were charged over the plot which US officials said implicated Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. Meanwhile the US issued a worldwide alert about possible anti-US actions. "The US government assesses that this Iranian-backed plan to assassinate the Saudi ambassador...

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US issues travel alert linked to Iran plot

 The US State Department late on Tuesday issued a worldwide travel alert for US citizens, warning of the potential for anti-US action after the United States accused Iran of backing a plot to kill Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington.   Murder Plot Iranians charged over assassination plot / Reuters American authorities uncover plot to bomb Israeli, Saudi embassies in Washington, assassinate Saudi ambassador Full story "The US government assesses that this Iranian-backed plan to assassinate the Saudi ambassador may indicate a more aggressive focus by the Iranian government on terrorist activity against diplomats from certain countries, to include possible attacks in the United States," it said in a statement on its website.   The alert expires January 11, 2012, it sa...

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