Labels deny deals on file sharing

Qtrax said it would carry tracks from "all the major labels"

Three major record labels have denied signing deals allowing their music to feature on a new file-sharing service offering unlimited free downloads.

The service, Qtrax, boasted it would carry up to 30 million tracks from "all the major labels".

But Warner, EMI and Universal all say they have not licensed their music.

Qtrax said it expected an agreement to be reached with Warner and that terms had been agreed with the others even if deals had not been formally signed.

Discussions ongoing

Qtrax aims to allow users to download music from the major labels for free, with advertising revenue used to pay licensing fees.

But Warner says it "has not authorised the use of our content on Qtrax's recently-announced service".

And Universal and EMI said discussions with Qtrax were still ongoing but that licensing deals were not in place.

A spokesman for Sony BMG - the other "big four" record label - was not available for comment.

Amazon store

Qtrax president Allan Klepfisz said that, while a deal with Warner had not been signed, he expected terms to be agreed "shortly".

"With everyone else, we have agreed on all terms," he said.

In some cases, deals had not been formally signed, he added.

Online retailer Amazon, meanwhile, has announced the international rollout of its digital music store.

The store, which is already operating in the US, allows customers to download music without any digital copying protection.

Millions of songs will be sold without Digital Rights Management (DRM) software, allowing - for example - customers to burn their own CDs freely.

Amazon says it is the only retailer to offer DRM-free MP3s for the four major record labels as well as thousands of independent record labels.

Diana considered 'marrying Khan'

Paul Burrell worked for Princess Diana for more than 10 years

Princess Diana's former butler has told the inquest into her death she had considered a private marriage to heart surgeon Hasnat Khan.

Paul Burrell said he spoke to his parish priest about how a Christian woman and Muslim man might marry.

Mr Burrell worked for Diana for more than 10 years.

He also said that he "connected all the princess's friends and all her world" and was "at the hub of the wheel, everybody was at the spokes".

She asked me if it was possible to arrange a private marriage between her and Hasnat Khan Paul Burrell

Mr Burrell said Diana told him that she had been more in love with Mr Khan than "any other man".

The "extremely serious relationship" had lasted for two years, he said, and Dr Khan had been a regular visitor to Kensington Palace until the couple parted in July 1997.

When asked by Ian Burnett QC, representing the inquest, whether she "contemplated" marriage with Mr Khan, the former butler replied: "Yes, she did.

"She asked me if it was possible to arrange a private marriage between her and Hasnat Khan."

However, it is not known whether Mr Khan was aware of these discussions.

Mr Burrell also said he had not been given the impression that her boyfriend, Dodi Al Fayed, was "the one".

The next gift you are going to receive will be a ring and it could be misconstrued as an engagement ring Paul Burrell to Diana

He described Diana's relationship with Mr Al Fayed as "a very new friendship which developed into something more".

He told the High Court in London that he did not believe the couple's romance had begun during a holiday on Mr Al Fayed's yacht at the end of July 1997.

Instead he thought it was only after their return that the pair became romantically linked.

Diana had taken a holiday on Mohamed Al Fayed's yacht, the Jonikal, with her sons, Princes William and Harry.

When asked by Mr Burnett about the early nature of the relationship, Mr Burnell replied: "It was very fresh, new and exciting."

Mr Burnett also asked: "By that stage had you any sense from the Princess that... to use a hackneyed phrase that has appeared in so many media reports, Dodi was 'the one'?"

Mr Burrell replied: "No, I didn't have that impression.

Showered with gifts

"I certainly don't think the romance started on the first holiday. I think that would have been inappropriate with William and Harry being in attendance."

Mr Burrell also said a ring bought by Mr Fayed for the princess was "not an engagement ring, it was a friendship band".

He said that to make sure no-one, including Mr Al Fayed, would be misled into thinking it was anything else, Diana wore it on the fourth finger of her right hand instead of on her left.

Mr Burrell said this was his idea, made to the excited princess as she was being showered with gifts of "very expensive" Bulgari jewellery by her new beau that included a necklace, earrings, a bracelet and a watch.

Mr Burrell said he told Diana: "You know what is coming next. The next gift you are going to receive will be a ring and it could be misconstrued as an engagement ring.

'On the rebound'

"She said 'If he gave me a ring, what should I do with it?' and I said 'Put it on the fourth finger of your right hand and immediately he will see that it is a friendship ring, not an engagement ring' and that's when she said 'I need marriage like a rash'."

Mr Burrell said the couple were definitely not engaged and rubbished rumours that they planned to wed.

"This was only a 30-day relationship. The princess had just finished a long-term relationship with someone she had cared deeply about. I know that because I was there and saw it.

"And on the rebound from that relationship, (she) had met someone who was very kind, generous and spoiling. The princess enjoyed it."

He said that if Diana had got engaged she would have told close friend Lucia Flecha de Lima or "someone she trusted as much as me".

Unrivalled knowledge

Coroner Lord Justice Scott Baker has previously said the jury may think Mr Burrell had unrivalled knowledge of intimate aspects of Diana's life as he "plainly had a close professional relationship with Diana."

Diana died along with her lover Dodi Al Fayed and their driver Henri Paul in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

Mr Burrell is likely to be questioned about a note from the princess to him in which she said that her husband Prince Charles was "planning an accident in my car".

He may also be asked about a conversation he had with the Queen in which he claims she warned him: "There are powers at work in this country about which we have no knowledge."

In 2002 Mr Burrell, who worked for the Royal Family for more than 20 years, was cleared of stealing Diana's possessions after an Old Bailey trial collapsed.

EU rethinks biofuels guidelines

Palm plantations are replacing the original forest in some areas

Europe's environment chief has admitted that the EU did not foresee the problems raised by its policy to get 10% of Europe's road fuels from plants.

Recent reports have warned of rising food prices and rainforest destruction from increased biofuel production.

The EU has promised new guidelines to ensure that its target is not damaging.

EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said it would be better to miss the target than achieve it by harming the poor or damaging the environment.

Clampdown promised

A couple of years ago biofuels looked like the perfect get-out-of-jail free card for car manufacturers under pressure to cut carbon emissions.

Instead of just revolutionising car design they could reduce transport pollution overall if drivers used more fuel from plants which would have soaked up CO2 while they were growing.

Fuel made from plants like corn are driving up food prices

The EU leapt at the idea - and set its biofuels targets.

Since then reports have warned that some biofuels barely cut emissions at all - and others can lead to rainforest destruction, drive up food prices, or prompt rich firms to drive poor people off their land to convert it to fuel crops.

"We have seen that the environmental problems caused by biofuels and also the social problems are bigger than we thought they were. So we have to move very carefully," Mr Dimas told.

"We have to have criteria for sustainability, including social and environmental issues, because there are some benefits from biofuels."

He said the EU would introduce a certification scheme for biofuels and promised a clampdown on biodiesel from palm oil which is leading to forest destruction in Indonesia.

Some analysts doubt that "sustainable" palm oil exists because any palm oil used for fuel simply swells the demand for the product oil on the global market which is mainly governed by food firms.

US expansion

Mr Dimas said it was vital for the EU's rules to prevent the loss of biodiversity which he described as the other great problem for the planet, along with climate change.

On Monday, the Royal Society, the UK's academy of science, is publishing a major review of biofuels. It is expected to call on the EU to make sure its guidelines guarantee that all biofuels in Europe genuinely save carbon emissions.

In the US the government has just passed a new energy bill mandating a major increase in fuel from corn, which is deemed by some analysts to be useless in combating rising carbon dioxide emissions.

The bill also foresees a huge expansion in fuel from woody plants but the technology for this is not yet proven.

Russia summons UK envoy over row

Two British Council offices defied a Russian closure order by re-opening

The Russian foreign ministry has summoned the UK ambassador amid an escalating row over the reopening of two British Council offices.

The Council's branches reopened on Monday despite a government ban.

Russia called the move a "provocation" and said it would not issue new visas to British Council staff.

The offices were ordered to shut last month in the latest clash over the fatal poisoning of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko in London.

The branches which reopened are in St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. The ban does not apply to the British Council's Moscow office.

'Inflaming tensions'

A statement on the Russian foreign ministry's website said: "Russia views such actions as an intentional provocation aimed at inflaming tensions in Russian-British relations.

UK-RUSSIA ROW Nov 2006: Alexander Litvinenko dies in London May 2007: UK accuses ex-KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi of murder July: Russia refuses UK request to extradite Mr Lugovoi July: UK expels four Russian diplomats July: Russia expels four British embassy staff December: Russia tells British Council to shut two offices Jan 2008: British Council re-opens both offices

"The Russian side will not issue visas to new employees sent to work in the (British) consular offices of St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg to carry out British Council work."

The UK embassy in the Russian capital declined to comment on the schedule of the ambassador, Sir Tony Brenton.

But BBC Moscow correspondent Richard Galpin says the envoy will appear at the Russian foreign ministry on Monday afternoon.

He says the escalating diplomatic crisis between the two countries is now coming to a head and it is not clear if either side is willing to back down.

The British Council, which aims to promote cultural and educational ties, was accused of violating Russian tax rules.

A spokesman for the Council insisted on Monday that its activities were "fully compliant with Russian and international law".

"We believe we're caught up in a political matter," the spokesman told the BBC News website.

'Valuable work'

The British Council's chief executive, Martin Davidson, said they would continue talking to the Russians in the hope of continuing their work.

He told the BBC: "We have to understand the issues, the problems they have with our work, but we believe [our work] is enormously valuable.

Russia has linked its action to wider British-Russian tensions

"We know ordinary Russian people believe it is of real value to them, as well of course to us here in the UK, to have that relationship with Russia."

The offices in Yekaterinburg are on the premises of the UK consulate-general.

The row came on top of continuing tensions over the death of former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko in London in November 2006. He had been given a fatal dose of radioactive polonium 210.

The UK wants Russia to hand over businessman Andrei Lugovoi, whom UK investigators suspect of murdering Mr Litvinenko.

When Russia refused to extradite Mr Lugovoi, Britain expelled four Russian diplomats and Moscow followed suit.

Russian officials have described the action against the British Council as a retaliatory measure.

Plug is pulled on Blackstone deal

Conditions for private equity buyouts are becoming trickier

A company that private equity firm Blackstone was aiming to buy for $1.8bn (£908m) has ended the deal on the basis that its suitors could not raise funds.

Blackstone and industrial giant General Electric (GE) agreed in March last year to buy PHH, a US provider of mortgages and fleet management services.

But PHH said the sale had been terminated because it could not be completed by 31 December as agreed.

In the wake of the credit crisis, funding deals has become much harder.

In recent years, firms such as Blackstone have used cheap credit from banks to fund a takeover spree that has pushed up stock markets and thrust the private equity sector into the spotlight.

We regret that the banks are now unwilling to provide financing under the terms they originally agreed to Blackstone spokesman

But higher interest rates and record mortgage defaults in the US sub-prime sector means cheap credit is now harder to access.

PHH has requested a $50m termination fee from Blackstone, citing the terms of the arrangement.

Disappointment

A successful deal would have seen GE buying PHH, retaining its fleet management services business, and then selling its residential home loan unit to Blackstone.

Mr. AB Krongard, non-executive chairman of PHH, said he was "disappointed" that the transaction could not be completed.

Blackstone expressed similar sentiments, blaming the banks, which included JP Morgan and Lehman Brothers.

According to Blackstone, the lenders had previously agreed to provide loans to support the deal but reneged on the terms of the financing arrangement.

"Blackstone was prepared to close its end of the transaction using the financing that in March was originally committed to be made available," spokesman John Ford said in an email to Reuters.

"We regret that the banks are now unwilling to provide financing under the terms they originally agreed to."

NASA Releases Results of $11.3 Million Air Safety Study After Congressional Criticism

NASA begrudgingly released some results Monday from an $11.3 million federal air safety study it previously withheld from the public over concerns it would upset travelers and hurt airline profits.

It published the findings in a format that made it cumbersome for any thorough analysis by outsiders. Released on New Year's Eve, the unprecedented research conducted over nearly four years relates to safety problems identified by some 29,000 pilots interviewed by telephone.

Earlier characterizations from people who have seen the results said they would show that events like near collisions and runway interference occur far more frequently than previously recognized. Such information could not be gleaned from the 16,208 pages posted by NASA on its Web site, however, because of information that was edited out. The data was based on interviews with about 8,000 pilots per year from 2001 until the end of 2004.

The NASA Web site shows formatted, printed reports that the space agency scrubbed to ensure none of the pilots who were interviewed and promised anonymity could potentially be identified. The data was posted as NASA officials began a telephone news conference, allowing no time to look at the material and ask them questions about it.

NASA did not provide documentation on how to use its data, nor did it provide keys to unlock the cryptic codes used in the dataset.

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin told reporters the agency typically releases information in Adobe System's portable document format, known as pdf, which presents the information on formatted, printed pages. But there are dozens of reports available from NASA's Web site about other subjects in Microsoft's Excel data format, which would permit researchers to conduct a meaningful analysis more easily.

Griffin said NASA wanted to ensure that no one modified the survey results and circulated false data as NASA's research product. He said even inexpensive optical character recognition software could convert the formatted reports. Such software can risk introducing errors in the data as it performs these conversions.

"We've gone the extra mile with this data, and well beyond our original intentions," Griffin said.

He dismissed suggestions that NASA chose to release the data late on New Year's Eve, when the public is distracted by holidays and news organizations are thinly staffed.

"We didn't deliberately choose to release on the slowest news day of the year," Griffin said.

NASA drew harsh criticism from Congress and news organizations for keeping the information secret. Rejecting an Associated Press request under the Freedom of Information Act, NASA explained that it did not want to undermine public confidence in the airlines or hurt airline fortunes.

Griffin later overruled his staff and promised Congress that he would release at least some data by the end of the year.

NASA's survey, the National Aviation Operations Monitoring System, was launched to see if a massive pilot survey would help pinpoint problems and prevent accidents. Survey planners said it was unique because it was a random survey, with an 80 percent response rate, that did not rely on pilots to take the initiative to report problems but rather reached out and interviewed them.

Griffin said NASA never intended to analyze the data it collected, but rather they planned on passing on its methodology to the aviation community.

He said he had only looked at a few results, but that, "It's hard for me... to see any data here that the traveling public would care about or ought to care about." That would be up to others who chose to analyze the data, he said.

Pilots were asked how many times they encountered safety incidents in flight and on the ground, such as near-collisions, equipment failure, runway interference, trouble communicating with the tower and unruly passengers.

Griffin outraged some NASA employees by saying the project had been poorly managed and its methodology not properly vetted. Survey experts who worked on it, however, said they used state-of-the-art industry techniques and carefully validated the results.

NASA's handling of the matter prompted a congressional investigation and separate investigations by its inspector general and by a union representing NASA workers.

Jon Krosnick, a Stanford University professor who helped design the project for NASA, said the release of information was inadequate.

"The data they released are intentionally designed to prevent people from analyzing the rates properly and are designed to entrap analysts into computing rates that are much higher than the survey really shows," he said Monday.

Preity off to Phuket to bring in New Year

Preity off to Phuket to bring in New Year

She's taking a well-earned vacation. After playing, the derelict NRI wife in Deepa Mehra's Heaven On Earth Preity is off to Phuket with her friends to bring in new year. Last year at this time, Preity injured herself during a vacation.

"2007 has been a tough year for me. Not only did I suffer a serious injury it has also been a year of tough challenges for me as an actor. In 2007 I went into another kind of cinema altogether. From doing Yash Raj Films to playing a woman who finds herself at the receiving end of life in Heaven On Earth has been quite a creative and cultural shock for me," groans Preity.

Preity is however quick to point out the film is not only about a battered wife. "It's about all the people who leave India and hope to find paradise abroad, only to be stuck on wretched 16-hour jobs with no happiness or sunshine. I never knew how such marginalized women existed until I played one. Deepa Mehta and Heaven On Earth have proved eye-openers for me. But the film was tough on me emotionally. In the month that I was in Toronto, I went out just twice and that too only to maintain my sanity. I really need a break now."

Preity returns from her vacation in the second week of January with a clear date diary. "I haven't said yes to any of the scripts I've heard. I'll take a call when I return from my holiday. However, since 2007, has been my year of unconventional films. I hope 2008 will probably be a year of hardcore ‘masala’ movies."

Colombian hostage release halted

The negotiations have been punctuated by diplomatic spats

A Venezuelan-led mission to free three hostages held by Colombian left-wing Farc rebels has been suspended.

The rebels said the planned release was not possible because of government military operations, according to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

But the Colombian president Alvaro Uribe said no new operations were under way and that the rebels may not be in possession of one of the hostages.

The Farc had promised Mr Chavez that they would release two women and a boy.

Venezuelan military helicopters that were to have collected the hostages are now on their way back home.

Two of those slated to be freed were Clara Rojas, an aide to ex-presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, with whom she was kidnapped in 2002, and Ms Rojas's son, Emmanuel, said to have been fathered by one of her captors.

The third was former congresswoman Consuelo Gonzalez de Perdomo, who was kidnapped in 2001.

Child 'in Bogota'

On Monday, the Venezuelan leader read out what he said was a letter from the Farc on television.

Several hundred hostages overall are being held by the Farc

Military operations "impede us for now from turning over" the three hostages, the Farc were quoted as saying.

But President Uribe accused the rebels of lying, and said the boy may actually be in a children's home in the Colombian capital, Bogota.

"The Farc can't keep the promise to free the hostages because they no longer have the child, Emmanuel, in their power," he said.

President Uribe has asked relatives of Ms Rojas for DNA samples to prove that a three-year-old boy in the Colombian capital is really the missing Emmanuel.

The planned handover operation had to be postponed on Sunday when Venezuelan officials said the Farc had not provided the co-ordinates for the handover and that there was not enough time to complete the mission.

Fifteen members of the hostages' families, who have not seen their loved ones for more than five years, have been waiting in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Mr Chavez has been trying to negotiate an exchange of other hostages for guerrillas imprisoned in Colombian jails but he has been accused by the Colombian authorities of overstepping his mandate as a mediator.

In response, he has threatened to freeze ties with the neighbouring state, which is a close trading partner.

It is believed that the Colombian government wants to regain the initiative with respect to the prisoner exchange and does not want Mr Chavez, perceived as being too friendly with the Farc, to hijack negotiations.

Pakistan delays election decision

Elections were less than two weeks away when Bhutto was killed

Pakistan's election body has delayed a decision on whether to put back elections planned for 8 January in the wake of Benazir Bhutto's assassination.

A formal statement is now expected on Tuesday, although officials have told reporters that the vote will be delayed by several weeks.

Ms Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party does not want the poll to be postponed.

Meanwhile, the government says the country suffered colossal damage in the turmoil following Ms Bhutto's death.

A cabinet meeting was told that losses to the railway system alone amounted to about $200m (£100m), with carriages and locomotives destroyed and signals damaged.

Correspondents say that life has been returning to normal in much of Pakistan, with many shops and offices re-opening.

Stocks fell by 4.7% as trading was resumed after three days of mourning following Ms Bhutto's death.

Sympathy vote

The ruling PML-Q party has said the 8 January vote should be delayed for several weeks, on the grounds that the vote would "lose credibility" if held under current conditions.

But the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) - now led by Ms Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari and his son, Bilawal - says it wants the elections to go ahead as planned.

The BBC's Chris Morris in Islamabad says the PPP wants elections as soon as possible, in order to take advantage of what could be a big sympathy vote.

The other main opposition party, led by Nawaz Sharif, has said that it is also in favour of holding the elections on 8 January, after dropping plans for a boycott and calling for a national unity government.

"Nobody here wants the elections to go after January 8," Mr Sharif said in the eastern city of Lahore.

The electoral commission has asked each of Pakistan's four provincial governments to compile reports on their readiness for an election.

At least 10 local election offices have been burnt down in the rioting which followed Benazir Bhutto's death.

PPP TOP LEADERS Asif Ali Zardari Benazir's widower and former political ally, has faced corruption and other charges Bilawal Bhutto (pictured) Benazir's son, a 19-year-old Oxford University student, considered too young by some PPP members Makhdoom Amin Fahim Senior PPP figure and top aide to Benazir

Ballot boxes and voting screens have been destroyed and the printing of ballot papers - and their delivery around the country - has also been disrupted.

Too young

If the election does go ahead, it is not clear who the PPP would propose as prime minister.

At 19, Bilawal is legally too young to stand for parliament.

And his father has been repeatedly accused of corruption - though he denies the charges and has never been convicted in court.

Mr Zardari said PPP vice-chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim would probably be its candidate for prime minister.

Bilawal was chosen to take over the PPP leadership from his late mother at a meeting in the party stronghold of Naudero, near Larkana in the south of the country.

Bilawal, who will be a titular head while he finishes his studies at Oxford University, said: "My mother always said democracy is the best revenge."

Pakistani media picked out two suspected attackers, one of whom apparently raised a gun (bottom)

Mr Fahim said Mr Zardari had been named party chairman, but had turned down in favour of his son - a decision Mr Fahim said the party leadership had endorsed.

Mr Zardari also announced that the couple's children would now change their names and be called Bhutto Zardari.

Mr Zardari added that he had refused to allow a post mortem examination on Ms Bhutto's body.

"I've lived here long enough to know how and where an autopsy would have been conducted," he said.

Instead, he said the party was asking the United Nations and the British government to conduct an investigation similar to the one carried out after the killing of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

And he appealed for an end to the unrest in Pakistan, which has killed at least 38 people since Ms Bhutto's murder.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown also called for calm in the country and stressed the importance of holding free elections, in an article for Pakistan's Daily Jang newspaper.

Fears mount over Kenya violence

Some of the violence has taken on an ethnic dimension

Diplomatic pressure on Kenya's leaders is mounting as concerns rise over violence that has left at least 100 people dead after disputed polls.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has urged both sides to work for a solution after what his government called "horrific killings".

The US government said it had "serious concerns" about the vote count.

Mwai Kibaki was officially re-elected president while Raila Odinga says he was robbed of victory by voting fraud.

There were running battles in Nairobi slums on Monday, and violence broke out at protests in Mr Odinga's home town of Kisumu.

Some of the clashes took on an ethnic dimension with the Luo community seen as pro-Odinga and the Kikuyus viewed as Kibaki supporters.

If the two sides cannot be persuaded to start talking in the next few days, there is fear that the violence could spiral out of control and turn into full-scale tribal revenge killings, says BBC diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall.

Kenya's Red Cross said many of the dead were killed in ethnic clashes and that gangs were checking the tribal affiliations of Red Cross workers trying to help the injured, the Associated Press reported.

'Appalled'

Mr Brown telephoned Mr Kibaki and Mr Odinga amid diplomatic efforts to broker a compromise, urging both to work for "unity and reconciliation".

"We're appalled by and condemn the incidents of violence taking place in Kenya, including horrific killings in several Kenyan cities and towns," said UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

The US and the EU both expressed concern over the election.

"What's clear is that there are some real problems here and that those need to be resolved in accordance with their constitution and in accordance with their legal system," said Tom Casey, a US State Department spokesman.

"I am not offering congratulations to anybody because we have serious concerns about the vote count," he added.

Rally

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged security forces "to show utmost restraint" and appealed to Kenyans "for calm, patience and respect for law."

Mr Odinga has called for a million-strong rally by supporters in Nairobi on Thursday.

Demonstrators have been involved in running battles with police

Police banned his supporters from holding a mass alternative inauguration ceremony in the centre of the capital on Monday, a day after Mr Kibaki was sworn into office again.

In his New Year's message, the president urged reconciliation but warned that his government would "deal decisively with those who breach the peace".

Mr Odinga called on his supporters not to "ethnicise" the disputed poll. He compared Mr Kibaki to a military dictator who "seized power through the barrel of the gun."

International news agencies have counted at least 100 deaths across Kenya since Thursday's elections- with some death tolls as high as 135 - either in clashes between protesters and security forces, or in ethnic violence.

• A hospital in the north-western city of Eldoret told AFP news agency it had recorded 24 violent deaths since Saturday, with most victims either injured by gunfire or machetes
• An AFP count puts the death toll in Kisumu at 53 and that in Nairobi's slums at 48
• Seven people were killed in Nakuru, in the Rift Valley, and at least four people were killed in Mombasa
• In the coastal town of Mombasa, angry crowds on the streets set fire to cars and buildings.

Correspondents say violence was worst in the opposition stronghold of Kisumu, where a BBC reporter saw about 40 bodies with gunshot wounds at a mortuary. A witness said police had opened fire.

OFFICIAL RESULTS Mwai Kibaki (pictured): 4,584,721 votes Raila Odinga: 4,352,993 Kalonzo Musyoka: 879,903

Police fired indiscriminately, even after the protesters started running away in the Kisumu suburbs of Manyatta and Nyamasira, an eye-witness told the BBC's Noel Mwakugu.

European Union monitors have said they were barred from counting centres.

They reported seeing altered voting forms and said results declared in Nairobi for one constituency differed from those announced locally.

Mr Kibaki's national margin of victory was 230,000 votes.

Elections chief Samuel Kivuitu has admitted some problems, including a reported voter turnout of 115% in one constituency, the Associated Press reports.

Thai parties in coalition talks

Mr Samak said that Mr Thaksin had congratulated him

Rival political parties in Thailand have begun what could be protracted negotiations to form a coalition government after the general election.

The People Power Party (PPP), allied to ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, has won most seats but lacks an absolute majority.

The next three biggest parties have ruled out joining the PPP in a coalition for the time being.

Analysts say the result highlights a rejection by rural voters of the 2006 military coup which ousted Mr Thaksin.

Full official results from Sunday's poll are due later on Monday but indications are the PPP has won 228 seats in the 480-seat house.

Call for rethink in obesity fight

Obesity rates are set to double

Obesity cannot be tackled by just encouraging healthier eating and more exercise, health experts say.

The experts, led by a London-based academic, say governments should adopt more sophisticated approaches.

Work conditions, food subsidies, town planning and advert restrictions are all key, the experts wrote in the British Medical Journal.

The UK's Association of Directors of Public Health said change was happening but further improvements were needed.

Latest statistics show that a quarter of adults are obese in the UK, but the percentage is predicted to rise to over 50% if current trends continue.

There has been a lack of co-ordination over this and the response has therefore been slow Dr Tim Crayford, of the Association of Directors of Public Health

The findings mirror the conclusions of the recent government-backed Foresight report in the UK, which said societal issues were also to blame for rising obesity levels.

These experts, led by a University College London academic, agreed, saying tackling obesity was far more complex than just encouraging healthy eating and more exercise.

They said large supermarket chains had displaced small, family-run stores and encouraged bulk purchases, convenience foods and super-sized portions.

They also criticised the impact of food advertising which they said encouraged children in particular to desire foods "high in saturated fats, sugars and salt".

And they said urban planning and design could play a key role in encouraging people to walk around towns rather than rely on cars.

These factors were particularly important for people from deprived areas as they were often more constrained by such barriers, they said.

'Dynamic'

The authors pointed to the example set by Norway, which has used a combination of food subsidies, price manipulation and clear nutrition labelling to steer people away from unhealthy food.

UCL expert Sharon Friel said a "dynamic" response was needed that included joined-up action at global, national and local levels.

"Missing in most obesity prevention strategies is the recognition that obesity - and its unequal distribution - is the consequence of a complex system that is shaped by how society organises its affairs."

Dr Tim Crayford, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, said it was well-known that obesity was caused by multi-factoral problems.

"There has been a lack of co-ordination over this and the response has therefore been slow."

And he added: "There are signs that is now changing, but we are battling against the desire in western societies for more affluence which means more cars and richer food."

US baseball 'rife' with drug use

George Mitchell is a director of the Boston Red Sox baseball team

Dozens of players have been linked to taking performance-enhancing substances in a report on Major League Baseball that alleges a serious drug culture.

Former Senator George Mitchell, who led the investigation, said several All-Stars were suspected of using steroids and human growth hormones.

He also called for MLB to outsource drug-testing and form an investigative arm to pursue allegations of drug use.

In response, MLB head Bud Selig said he embraced all the recommendations made.

Speaking at a news conference, he said that baseball fans "deserve a game that is played on a level playing field, where all who compete do so fairly".

Among those named in the report is Barry Bonds, who was charged last week with lying to a jury about steroid use.

Prosecutors allege that the San Francisco Giants outfielder, who became the sport's record home-run hitter in September, lied under oath when he said in 2003 that he had never knowingly used performance-enhancing substances.

Mr Bonds denied accusations on Friday that he had used a previously untraceable steroid from a San Francisco-based company called Balco.

Batboy allegations

The inquiry was instigated by Mr Selig, the MLB Commissioner, in March 2006, following the publication of a book that alleged the use of performance-enhancing substances by Mr Bonds.

Mr Mitchell's report concluded that there was evidence that all 30 Major League clubs were affected by use of banned substances.

"For more than a decade there has been widespread illegal use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances by players in Major League Baseball in violation of federal law and baseball policy," Mr Mitchell said at a news conference.

"The response by baseball was slow to develop and was initially ineffective, but it gained momentum after the adoption of a mandatory random drug-testing culture in 2002."

The inquiry began after allegations about Barry Bonds surfaced

Those linked to suspected drugs use in the report include some of the sport's biggest stars: Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield, Eric Gagne, Miguel Tejada, David Justice, Chuck Knoblauch and Andy Pettitte.

All the players were invited to respond to the allegations in the report. Whether they will face disciplinary action is unclear, especially as many no longer play in Major League teams.

Any penalties for active players are unlikely to be as severe as the 50-game suspensions given to those who have recently tested positive for steroids.

Mr Mitchell, a former Senate Majority Leader, urged baseball's authorities to look to the future rather than penalising players for past offences, many of which occurred when different policies were in place.

He also called on the public and media not to focus solely on who was named in the report - and for baseball to be allowed "a fresh start".

Internet pharmacies

Several media reports have said that had it not been for a former New York Mets bat boy, Mr Mitchell's report would have been far less revealing, as the players and their union were uncooperative and his inquiry did not have the power of subpoena.

Kirk Radomski was convicted of distributing steroids in April

Kirk Radomski, who pleaded guilty to distributing steroids in April, testified that he provided banned steroids, human growth hormones and stimulants to dozens of players by mail order between 1995 and 2005.

Although none of the allegations are based on positive drug tests, the report cited cancelled cheques, shipping slips and phone records as evidence of the players' involvement.

Mr Mitchell also met district attorneys in Albany, New York, who have been leading an investigation into claims of drugs distributed illegally by internet pharmacies.

Media reports about doping in baseball began in the late 1980s, but the sport did not start testing and punishing players until more than a decade later.

MLB and its players agreed in September 2002 to test for steroids, although penalties were not introduced for positive tests until 2004.

A ban on human growth hormones was agreed in 2005, although there is no reliable test to detect the substances.

Drug-testing criticised

The report also criticised MLB officials and the players' union, and called for major changes in the league's drug-testing programme:

• Appointing an independent administrator or hiring an outside agency to run the sport's drug-testing programme. It is currently run by the MLB in conjunction with the players' union
• Ensuring "state-of-the-art" testing, including introducing additional year-round tests
• Allowing the testing administrator to actively investigate "non-analytical positives" - information which shows a player broke rules in the absence of a positive drug test
• Improving player education about performance-enhancing drugs

Mr Mitchell said one of the most serious consequences was that "hundreds of thousands" of high school-aged athletes had also been encouraged to use banned substances.

Some observers questioned in advance whether Mr Mitchell might suffer a conflict of interest, saying they were troubled by his friendship with Mr Selig and his close affiliation with the Boston Red Sox, of which he is a director.

Mr Mitchell also used to be chairman of the Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN, the US TV sports network that has paid $2.4bn to televise MLB games until 2013.

Climate talks near end amid row

If global temperatures rise, billions will face water shortages

World climate talks in Bali have gone into their scheduled last day amid fierce disagreement over targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

EU ministers have warned they will boycott a US-led climate summit next month unless the Bush administration backs firm targets for emissions cuts.

The US favours allowing governments to set voluntary targets.

Indonesia is reported to be trying to broker a compromise that would remove firm targets from the final text.

Former US vice-president Al Gore has criticised the US approach.

He won loud applause from delegates as he said: "My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress in Bali."

'Don't give up'

But the Nobel Peace Prize laureate also urged delegates not to give up.

"You can decide to move forward and do the difficult work that needs to be done," he said.

If they get this text through the conference then the next treaty won't be worth the paper it's written on John Sauven, Greenpeace

Officials say agreement has been reached on many issues. Disagreement centres on pollution by industrialised countries.

On one side are the European Union states and their allies.

They want industrialised countries to agree to cuts of 25%-40% in greenhouse gas emissions - which mainly come from burning fossil fuels - from 1990 levels by 2020. The target would not apply to developing countries.

"We continue to insist on including a reference to an indicative emissions reduction range for developed countries for 2020," the EU's Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said in a statement.

On the other side are the US, Canada and Japan. The US in particular, which has not ratified the Kyoto agreement, says any numerical agreement would prejudge the outcome of future talks.

The environmental group Greenpeace has accused the US of trying to kill off the international fight against climate change.

"If they get this text through the conference then the next treaty won't be worth the paper it's written on because it will give a free pass to any nation that wants to keep polluting," Greenpeace's UK executive director John Sauven told the BBC.

Meaningless talks

The US is the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, and most parties recognise that climate change talks without it would be meaningless.

In September the US hosted the inaugural summit of the "major economies" or "big emitters" group, which brings together 16 of the leading greenhouse gas producing countries.

The US is due to host a second summit next month in Honolulu.

The BBC's environment analyst Roger Harrabin, reporting from Bali, says the European threat to boycott the conference pushes President Bush into a corner.

Either he agrees to negotiate big cuts, or he has to explain to an increasingly concerned American public why Europe is boycotting a meeting which the president himself has invented and championed, our correspondent says.