Your daily e-mail from the BBC

	Friday, 25 December, 2009, 20:00 GMT 01:00 +05:00:Asia/Calcutta

TOP STORIES
	US condemns Taliban soldier video The US military says a video of a captive soldier in Afghanistan, released by the Taliban, is an affront to his family.
	Central US under blizzard alerts Several states declare emergencies as at least 19 people die amid huge winter snowstorms buffeting central US.
	Queen's tribute to British troops The Queen uses her Christmas speech to express sadness at the death toll among British troops in Afghanistan.
	Pope gives address after assault Pope Benedict XVI delivers his Christmas message in the Vatican, hours after a woman knocked him to the floor.
	Eurostar 'ignored safety rules' Eurotunnel accuses Eurostar of ignoring safety rules when evacuating passengers from trains last weekend.

WORLD
	Pope gives address after assault Pope Benedict XVI delivers his Christmas message in the Vatican, hours after a woman knocked him to the floor.
	US condemns Taliban soldier video The US military says a video of a captive soldier in Afghanistan, released by the Taliban, is an affront to his family.
	Christmas celebrated in Bethlehem Thousands of Christian worshippers take part in celebrations marking Christmas Day in Bethlehem.

AFRICA
	UN action shameful, says Eritrea Eritrea says sanctions imposed by the UN are shameful and dismisses claims it backs militants in Somalia.
	Niger vows to arrest dissidents Niger says it will arrest three exiled opposition leaders - jeopardising talks aimed at breaking the country's political deadlock.
	Archbishop attacks anti-gay bill The Archbishop of York condemns proposals in Uganda to put to death gay people who have sex with a minor.

AMERICAS
	Central US under blizzard alerts Several states declare emergencies as at least 19 people die amid huge winter snowstorms buffeting central US.
	US condemns Taliban soldier video The US military says a video of a captive soldier in Afghanistan, released by the Taliban, is an affront to his family.
	Peru passengers die in bus crash At least 40 passengers were killed when a bus crashed down a mountainside in the Andes of southern Peru.

ASIA-PACIFIC
	Anger over jailed China dissident The jailing for 11 years by China of one of its leading dissidents, Liu Xiaobo, is met with international condemnation.
	Fears grow for Hmong in Thailand Concern grows among diplomats and aid groups about thousands of Lao Hmong people whom Thailand plans to deport.
	Death row clemency plea to China The brother of a British man due to be executed in China for drug smuggling makes a desperate plea for mercy.

EUROPE
	Pope gives address after assault Pope Benedict XVI delivers his Christmas message in the Vatican, hours after a woman knocked him to the floor.
	Two more Catholic bishops resign Two more Catholic bishops have resigned in response to a report which criticised how they handled allegations of clerical abuse.
	Italian PM vows to defeat mafia Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has vowed to defeat the organised crime in the country by 2013.

MIDDLE EAST
	Dozens killed in Yemen air strike At least 30 suspected al-Qaeda militants, possibly including two commanders, are killed in an air strike in Yemen, officials say.
	Bin Laden's daughter 'is in Iran' Iran's foreign minister says he has been told that Osama Bin Laden's daughter Iman is staying at the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran.
	Christmas celebrated in Bethlehem Thousands of Christian worshippers take part in celebrations marking Christmas Day in Bethlehem.

SOUTH ASIA
	US condemns Taliban soldier video The US military says a video of a captive soldier in Afghanistan, released by the Taliban, is an affront to his family.
	Afghan suicide bomb kills eight A suicide bomber kills eight Afghan civilians in Kandahar when his bomb explodes near a hotel, police say.
	New state strike begins in India The start of a two-day strike by supporters of a planned new Indian state, Telangana, brings violence to the region.

UK
	Queen's tribute to British troops The Queen uses her Christmas speech to express sadness at the death toll among British troops in Afghanistan.
	Eurostar 'ignored safety rules' Eurotunnel accuses Eurostar of ignoring safety rules when evacuating passengers from trains last weekend.
	Absconding double rapist detained A convicted double rapist who absconded from the Pakistan High Commission in London in October is arrested.

ENGLAND
	Absconding double rapist detained A convicted double rapist who absconded from the Pakistan High Commission in London in October is arrested.
	M1 reopens after eight-car crash An eight-car pile-up closed the M1 for more than three hours and left one person seriously injured, police say.
	White Christmas for parts of UK Snow falls in Glasgow and Nottinghamshire to give the UK its first white Christmas for five years, the Met Office confirms.

NORTHERN IRELAND
	Severe weather warning for NI The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning because of heavy snow moving into the west of Northern Ireland on Christmas Day.
	Two more Catholic bishops resign Two more Catholic bishops have resigned in response to a report which criticised how they handled allegations of clerical abuse.
	Church heads' message of hope The leaders of the four main Christian denominations in Ireland have delivered their Christmas messages.

SCOTLAND
	Snow gives Scots white Christmas Flakes of snow fall on Glasgow on Christmas morning, giving the city its first white Christmas since 2004.
	Health chiefs in booze price plea All 17 of Scotland's public health chiefs sign a letter calling on politicians to back a minimum price for alcohol.
	Woman charged after man's death A 20-year-old woman is arrested and charged following the death of a 62-year-old man in Edinburgh.

WALES
	Man charged in snowball stabbing Police charge a 19-year-old man with murder after a man was stabbed to death following a snowball fight in Denbighshire.
	New year strikes for rail workers Railway signalling workers in south Wales and the Marches are expected to walk out again in January over new rosters.
	Archbishop hails 'caring' country The Archbishop of Wales in his Christmas message praises the compassion still shown by people during the economic downturn.

POLITICS
	Audio slideshow: Political decade John Prescott's punch, the Hutton inquiry, Charles Kennedy's resignation... relive the political highlights of the past decade.
	Queen to pay tribute to services The Queen is expected to focus on Britain's armed forces and the environment in her annual Christmas Day broadcast.
	US Senate passes key health bill The US Senate passes the final version of a historic healthcare reform bill, in a boost to President Barack Obama.

BUSINESS
	Eurostar 'ignored safety rules' Eurotunnel accuses Eurostar of ignoring safety rules when evacuating passengers from trains last weekend.
	'Millions' spent on Eve shopping Shoppers will have spent £951,000 per minute on Christmas Eve on last-minute shopping, research suggests.
	Bargains 'less likely this year' Shoppers searching for bargains in the seasonal sales may find they are a year too late for the best deals, according to experts.

ENTERTAINMENT
	Sarandon-Robbins split confirmed Hollywood couple Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins have ended their 23-year relationship, the actress's publicist confirms.
	'Grisly' Murphy artwork withdrawn Artwork for a DVD release showing late actress Brittany Murphy lifeless in a bathtub is withdrawn by a US rental chain.
	Strictly star on driving charge Strictly Come Dancing finalist Ricky Whittle is charged with dangerous driving after an incident involving a photographer.

SCIENCE/NATURE
	'Switch' could block Huntington's A "molecular switch" that can prevent Huntington's disease developing is found in mice.
	Esa satellite senses Earth's pull Europe's Goce satellite is returning remarkable new data on the way the pull of gravity varies across the Earth.
	Chimps use cleavers to chop food For the first time, chimps are seen using tools to chop up and reduce food into smaller bite-sized portions.

TECHNOLOGY
	HP camera 'can't see' black faces An online video comparing a webcam's facial recognition response to a white woman and a black man is a big hit on YouTube.
	Military tracks Santa's journey A 50-year old tradition has gone hi-tech as children track Santa via Google Maps, Facebook and Twitter.
	Google's Admob plans scrutinised Google's plans to buy mobile phone marketing company Admob are looked at by the Federal Trade Commission.

HEALTH
	'Switch' could block Huntington's A "molecular switch" that can prevent Huntington's disease developing is found in mice.
	Alzheimer's may 'ward off cancer' Alzheimer's disease is associated with a reduced risk of cancer and vice versa, a US study suggests.
	US Senate passes key health bill The US Senate passes the final version of a historic healthcare reform bill, in a boost to President Barack Obama.

EDUCATION
	Concern over university cash cuts University organisations voice fears about the scale of spending cuts being imposed on universities by the government.
	Pair quit amid student loans row Two directors at the Student Loans Company have resigned in the wake of a damning report on payment delays.
	Legal warning halts outdoors trip A council says a school trip for 70 pupils cannot go ahead to avoid discriminating against one of the group who is disabled.

ON THIS DAY NEWS FROM THE BBC ARCHIVES
	1989: Romania's 'first couple' executed Deposed Romanian president Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena are shot after being found guilty of crimes against the state.
	1974: Cyclone Tracy leaves Darwin devastated The Australian city of Darwin is wrecked by a powerful cyclone that leaves thousands of people homeless.
	1991: Gorbachev resigns as Soviet Union breaks up Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union for almost seven years, steps down from office.

DON'T MISS

Money Box Christmas quiz Pit your wits against Paul Lewis and team and tackle their twenty ticklish teasers ONLINE now

	OPTIONS AND HELP
		You are subscribed from the e-mail address: ashrafp21.vt45@blogger.com Change To change your e-mail address, the content or format of your daily e-mail, visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/email Unsubscribe To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/email Other e-mails To see the full range of e-mails available visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/email
		Help If you are having problems with story links or for general help visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/email/help Feedback Please send feedback to: mailto:dailyemail@bbc.co.uk
		Copyright BBC 2005