Editoweb: UK today, 12 dec 2007

Police to explore strike options in pay dispute
Thousands of police officers will now be balloted over whether they should take industrial action, their union said Wednesday as it called for Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to resign.
More than 140,000 police officers from England and Wales will be asked whether they should pursue strike action rights as relations with the government plumbed new depths.

Stepmother says Diana was "madly in love"
Princess Diana's stepmother told an inquest on Wednesday she thought Diana and Dodi al-Fayed were "madly in love" and planning to wed before their deaths in a 1997 Paris road crash.
Countess Spencer, daughter of romantic novelist Barbara Cartland, ended an hour of testimony to the High Court by pleading with the judge, jury and lawyers to do their utmost to solve any mystery over the deaths.

Cameron: Brown is utterly dysfunctional
Gordon Brown today rejected claims his government is "utterly dysfunctional" after a series of failings and criticism.
The prime minister attempted to turn his weekly cross-Commons session with David Cameron to his advantage by accusing the Tory leader of lacking in substance.
After a series of successful rounds for Mr Cameron in prime minister's questions, Mr Brown said his opponent ducked the opportunity to ask questions about policy, favouring gossip over governance.

Russia to close offices of British Council
Russia's foreign ministry said Wednesday it would temporarily close regional offices of the British Council cultural organization, marking a further deterioration in bilateral relations.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown led a chorus of criticism of the move, saying the body was "fully entitled" to continue its work promoting the English language and wider British culture in Russia.
A spokeswoman for the British Council insisted both of the organization's regional offices would continue working beyond a January 1 deadline.

Thieves cook Prince Charles's goose
Around 250 geese due to be sold in Britain over the Christmas period by Prince Charles's Duchy Originals food brand have been stolen from the firm's supplier, its spokesman said Wednesday.
Thieves reportedly set fire to a barn which housed around 800 ducklings after breaking into the farm near Okehampton, in Devon, south-west England, on November 30.
It is now "unlikely" that Duchy Originals will be able to supply any organic geese to customers over the Christian holiday season, a spokesman for the firm said, describing it as a "heartbreaking incident".

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