UK & USA Today Editoweb 7 July 2010

European shares turn positive as banks gain
European shares turned positive on Wednesday afternoon in a choppy session, with banks paring losses on optimism that results from impending stress tests may not be as bad as feared. At 1:57 p.m., the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was up 0.1 percent at 992.25 points, having been as low as 976.63 earlier in the session. The STOXX Europe 600 banking index was up 0.4 percent, reversing earlier sharp losses. Banks in positive territory included Banco Santander , BBVA and Societe Generale , up between 2.3 and 4.1 percent.(reuters)

British troops to be withdrawn from violent Afghan district
Britain is to withdraw its 1,000 troops from the Sangin region of Afghanistan where they have suffered heavy losses and allow U.S. forces to take charge there, Defence Secretary Liam Fox said on Wednesday. Prime Minister David Cameron, who has made Afghanistan his top foreign priority, also confirmed that he wanted to bring British combat troops home within five years. Sangin, a valley in the north of Helmand province, has been one of the deadliest areas for British forces, accounting for about a third of the 312 British dead in the nine-year-old war. The British military describes Sangin as an area with deep Taliban affiliation, riven by tribal conflict and a major centre for opium production.(reuters)

'Climategate' Scientists Cleared Of Bias
Scientists at the heart of the "climategate" affair consistently failed to ensure their work was open and transparent, according to an independent report. Climate change experts at the University of East Anglia found themselves under intense scrutiny in November 2009 when over 1,000 emails were obtained and uploaded elsewhere by web hackers. Some climate change sceptics used the leaked documents to accuse the scientists of manipulating data to suppress evidence.(skynews)

Two arrested over girl's gate death
Two men have been arrested in relation to the death of a little girl who was crushed by an electronic gate. Six-year-old Semelia Campbell died on June 28 when the motorised gate closed on her as she played near her home on Carnival Place, Moss Side, Manchester. The two men, both aged 38, were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence, Greater Manchester Police said.(press association)

Teachers to be given tougher powers
Teachers will be handed tough powers to search pupils for alcohol, drugs and mobile phones in a Government crackdown on bad behaviour. Rules allowing schools to use physical force to remove unruly students from the classroom are also set to be simplified, while teachers facing accusations from pupils will be granted anonymity to prevent careers being ruined by "malicious" claims. The raft of measures, which have won support from the teaching profession, were unveiled by Schools Minister Nick Gibb on Wednesday in an effort to restore discipline to the classroom.(itn)

Troops to leave deadly Sangin this year
British troops will be withdrawn from the Sangin area of Afghanistan  later this year, Defence Secretary Liam Fox has told MPs. He said the UK had agreed to a redeployment which will see US Marines assume responsibility for the area. The UK will concentrate its effort on the central part of Helmand province instead, in what he said would provide "more manpower and greater focus" on that area.(itn)

Shrek storms to top of box office
"Shrek Forever After" recorded one of the year's highest opening takes over the weekend as it raced to the top of the British box office, according to Screen International on Wednesday. The fourth in the Shrek series, with the green ogre looking back wistfully to the days when he was still scary, took 8.95 million pounds. "Get him to the Greek," starring Jonah Hill and Russell Brand in a tale of sex and stardom, was in second spot, just above thriller comedy "Killers" at three with Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl.(reuters)

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