Apocalypse? Not Now, As World Survives

An ancient prediction that the world would end this morning has failed to come true.

As the clock counted down to - and then passed - 11.11am, people around the world used the moment as an excuse for a party.

December 21 marks the end of the 5,125-year Mayan calendar, which some said represents the end of the world.

But the claim was dismissed by everyone from Nasa and the US government to the Vatican.

The tiny French village of Bugarach drew global attention

People who paid just under £1,000 to take refuge in the underground bunker of former Soviet dictator Josef Stalin now stand to qualify for a 50% refund.

In the tiny French village of Bugarach in the Pyrenees, UFO watchers were left disappointed when aliens said to inhabit a jagged mountain failed to board a spacecraft and flee the Earth.

In Serbia, the place to be was Mount Rtanj, a pyramid-shaped peak, where local legend has it that the mountain once swallowed an evil sorcerer who will be released on doomsday in a ball of fire.

The end is nigh! How some were counting down the seconds

Old coal mineshafts were opened up as safe rooms for the dozens who arrived early.

Sirince, a small Turkish village known for its wines, was also being touted as a safe haven, thought to be because it is close to an area where the Virgin Mary is believed to have lived her final days.

In China, the authorities have been detaining more than 500 members of a fringe Christian group, Almighty God, who got into trouble after spreading rumours about the world's impending end, with leaflets, CDs, books and other material all seized.

A man in China made tsunami-proof survival pods

Closer to home, hundreds of people converged on Stonehenge for an End of the World party that coincided with the winter solstice.

In London, themed events included a Last Supper club.

Many scientists and historians argue that the Mayans had a cyclical sense of time, so that the end of a calendar simply signifies the end of one period and the beginning of another.

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Ex-Army Doctor Struck Off Over Iraqi's Death

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

Former Army doctor Derek Keilloh has been found guilty of misconduct over the death of an Iraqi detainee in British military custody.

The verdict on Dr Derek Keilloh, 38, came after a 47-day hearing by the Medical Practioners Tribunal Service, described as a watershed case in military history.

Dr Keilloh, now a family doctor in North Yorkshire, was a captain and regimental medical officer with the British army, 1st Battalion, Queen's Lancashire Regiment, in war-torn Basra in 2003.

He had claimed that after being called in to examine Baha Mousa he had noticed only dried blood around the arrested man's nose.

Mr Mousa had 93 separate injuries

Mr Mousa had been hooded, handcuffed and beaten by soldiers. He had suffered 93 separate injuries, including a broken nose, broken ribs and severe bruising to his face and neck.

In subsequent inquiries, Dr Keilloh stuck by his story under oath. But the 'fitness to practise' hearing found his conduct dishonest and misleading.

Mr Mousa was an innocent hotel receptionist and a father of two who had been arrested as a suspected insurgent. His wife had died of cancer some months earlier and his death left the couple's children orphaned.

The medical panel said that Dr Keilloh had been "a relatively inexperienced doctor unexpectedly thrust into a war zone at very short notice to supply the highest levels of clinical care with little support or supervision".

They said that his handover on arrival had been "ineffective and contained no written brief of procedures".

But it added: "Given the national and international importance of these investigations and the need to uncover the truth...your repeated dishonesty was wholly unacceptable."

It concluded that "given the gravity and nature of the extent and context of your dishonesty, it considers that your (Dr Keilloh's) misconduct is fundamentally incompatible" with continuing to practise as a doctor.

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Arthur Scargill Loses High Court Flat Fight

Former miners' leader Arthur Scargill has lost his High Court fight to have the National Union of Mineworkers continue to meet the costs of his London flat for his lifetime.

The NUM had called on Mr Justice Underhill to declare that it has no such continuing obligation to 74-year-old Mr Scargill, its President for 20 years until July 2002.

The union also successfully disputed Mr Scargill's fuel allowance at his Barnsley home and payment for the preparation of his annual tax return - but not the cost of his security system in Yorkshire.

Mr Scargill has occupied the Barbican apartment - rented from the Corporation of London - since June 1982.

The rent and associated expenses were paid by the union until 2011, except for a period between 1985 and 1991 when he met them.

The NUM's counsel, Nicholas Davidson QC, had argued the case was not about whether anyone thought any particular obligation ought to exist - but whether it did exist, based on documents dating back 30 years and the identification of what terms were agreed between duly authorised representatives of the NUM and Mr Scargill.

Mr Scargill's counsel, Timothy Pitt-Payne QC, argued his client was entitled to the retirement benefits under the terms of his successive contracts of employment with the NUM.

Mr Scargill had drawn the court's attention to the NUM's practice of providing accommodation in retirement for former full-time national officials.

That practice had been applied to his predecessor Joe Gormley - later Lord Gormley - and it was determined in 1982 that he was to enjoy the same allowances and facilities.

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Cancer Ruling: Neon's Mum Loses Legal Fight

A High Court judge has ruled a seven-year-old boy should have radiotherapy treatment for cancer against his mother's wishes.

Sally Roberts, 37, has argued radiotherapy will cause her son Neon long-term harm, and she has been locked in a court battle for alternative treatment.

Doctors have said Neon could die within months if he does not get the radiotherapy.

Mr Justice Bodey, who has heard arguments about the pros and cons of radiotherapy at the High Court in London, said radiotherapy treatment could start.

"The mother has been through a terrible time. This sort of thing is every parent's nightmare," said the judge.

"But I am worried that her judgement has gone awry on the question of the seriousness of the threat which Neon faces."

Ms Roberts,  a New Zealander who lives in Brighton, East Sussex, had told the court she was not a "bonkers mother" and insisted on alternative treatment.

She said she feared radiotherapy would reduce Neon's IQ, shorten his life, put him at risk of having strokes and make him infertile.

Neon's father Ben, who lives in London and is separated from Ms Roberts, had agreed to radiotherapy but was "apprehensive", the court heard.

The judge praised the dedication of the paediatric oncologist who has been following Neon, and who has only been identified as Dr A for legal reasons, and said he fully accepted the evidence provided by the doctor.

"The alternative treatment sought by the mother would at least have to meet the 85% success rate of the existing radio/chemotherapy treatment," the judge said.

He also said Neon was to reside with his father for the duration of the cancer treatment.

The boy has undergone two operations on his brain, including a seven-hour procedure on Wednesday to remove a "residual tumour".

The court was told that operation had gone well.

Ms Roberts has declined to comment.

Mr Roberts' solicitor, Gwen Williams, said her client was "relieved" that the judge had made a ruling on Neon's treatment.

"He now hopes that Neon can be allowed to recover from his latest operation and start the radiotherapy and chemotherapy that the doctors have outlined without any further delay," said Ms Williams.

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BAE Systems Strikes £2.5bn Deal With Oman

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

A deal worth £2.5bn has been completed between British defence manufacturer BAE Systems and Oman.

It will see BAE provide the Gulf state with 12 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft and eight Hawk training jets.

As well as supplying aircraft, BAE Systems will provide in-service support to the Royal Air Force of Oman's (RAFO) operational tasks.

Work to start building the aircraft will begin in 2014, with the first jets due for delivery in 2017.

But the markets did not seem too enthusiastic about the announcement, as the BAE share price was down 2% during the early hours of trading.

More importantly for the company's future financial health is the Salam deal for 72 Typhoon jets with Saudi Arabia, worth £4.5bn.

Earlier this week, BAE warned that its 2012 earnings would suffer if no agreement was reached on this deal by February 21.

Last month, Prime Minister David Cameron visited Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on a trade mission to promote BAE and persuade the states to buy British-made defence equipment.

PM David Cameron visited Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE last month

It is unusual for a British prime minister to promote defence companies so openly but the Government is seeking to build closer ties with friendly Middle Eastern states in the face of what it sees as a growing threat in the region from countries like Iran.

The move also demonstrates an attempt to forge links outside of the traditional Nato countries.

The deal is not only important for BAE Systems but also for the companies that form the supply chain, many of which are based in the UK.

The deal will support BAE's assertion that it still has a strong business with a positive future after the proposed merger with EADS collapsed in October.

Cuts to defence budgets globally have resulted in a tougher and more competitive market, and BAE had hoped a merger with a company that specialises in civil aviation would lessen any effect of budget cuts.

Guy Griffiths, group managing director for BAE Systems' International business, said: "Receiving this contract is an honour and is excellent news for both BAE Systems and the Eurofighter Typhoon consortium.

"We look forward to working in partnership with Oman's Ministry of Defence, and the Royal Air Force of Oman, to ensure this is a highly successful programme that maximises the potential of both Hawk and Typhoon."

Oman becomes the seventh country in the world, and the second in the Middle East, to operate the Typhoon, joining the air forces of the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Saudi Arabia.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "This is obviously a very good day for BAE Systems, its suppliers and the broader Eurofighter supply chain.

"We, and our partners in the Eurofighter consortium are pursuing a number of opportunities at present and I hope that the decision by Oman to join the Typhoon family is followed by more of its friends and neighbours."

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School Shootings: Protests As NRA Speaks Out

The National Rifle Association has reacted to last week's deadly school shooting, blaming media and video games for creating a violent culture and calling for armed guards in America's schools.

NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre called on the US Congress to immediately pass legislation to place guards with guns in schools by the time classes resume from winter breaks in January.

With this proposal the NRA said it aims stop the next killer "waiting in the wings", with Mr LaPierre claiming that "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

Banks, sports stadiums, airports and court houses already have such protections, he said.

"If we truly cherish our kids more than our money, more than our celebrities... we must give them the greatest level of protection available," Mr LaPierre said.

Mr LaPierre advocated for a "model school shield" program consisting of volunteer patrols to be implemented at every school nationwide, at any cost. 

The NRA's comments came exactly a week after a gunman killed 26 people at a Connecticut school, including 20 young children.

Former Republican Congressman Asa Hutchinson, also speaking at the news conference, said armed, trained guards would be part of the program but not all of it.

Protesters were quickly removed

He said local school boards could decide on a case-by-case basis if schools should not have guards.

Mr Hutchinson called the NRA a natural choice to head up the "potentially life-saving effort" because of its gun safety, marksmanship and hunter education programmes. 

Two protesters from the social justice group Code Pink interrupted the news conference, holding banners in front of Mr LaPierre and shouting that the NRA "is killing our kids".

They were quickly removed from the room.

In terms of addressing mental health issues, Mr LaPierre suggested creating a national database of the mentally ill.

And he blasted the media and video game industries as "a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells and stows violence against its own people".

The NRA's propositions come as President Barack Obama vowed to address gun control, and appointed Vice President Joseph Biden to lead a working group of administration officials and outside advisers to offer recommendations by January.

On Friday morning people in Newtown and across the nation observed a moment of silence to honour the shooting victims.

Gunman Adam Lanza, 20, also killed his mother one week ago before later taking his own life at Sandy Hook Elementary school.

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Steve Jobs' £80m Super Yacht Impounded

A super yacht built for Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs has been impounded in Amsterdam because of a dispute over an unpaid bill to designer Philippe Starck, a lawyer has said.

Mr Jobs, who died last year, never got to use the vessel, called Venus.

But he had commissioned the French designer to work on the yacht, which cost more than 100m euros (£81.3m).

A lawyer representing Mr Starck's company Ubik told reporters his client had received 6m euros out of a 9m euro commission for his work on the minimalist vessel and was now seeking to recover the rest of what he was owed.

Steve Jobs died in October 2011 after making his name and fortune at Apple

The yacht was impounded on Wednesday evening, the lawyer said, and will remain in Amsterdam port pending payment by lawyers representing Mr Jobs' estate.

"The project has been going since 2007 and there had been a lot of detailed talk between Jobs and Starck," said the lawyer, Roelant Klaassen.

"These guys trusted each other, so there wasn't a very detailed contract."

The lawyer representing Mr Jobs' estate could not immediately be reached for comment.

The yacht is named after the Roman goddess of love

The 256ft (78-metre) vessel, built by shipbuilders Feadship, took to the water at the firm's yard in Aalsmeer, just south of Amsterdam, in October, a year after Mr Jobs' death.

According to Mr Jobs' biographer Walter Isaacson, the vessel, which is made of exceptionally long aluminium panels, was just as Mr Jobs had imagined it.

The late Apple chief is believed to have given his input in a day-long discussion with Mr Starck.

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X Factor Hopeful Who Glassed Man Avoids Jail

An X Factor hopeful who was axed from the show after she glassed her boyfriend has avoided jail.

Lucie Slater, 21, was sentenced to 51 weeks in prison suspended for two years, a two-year supervision order and 120 hours of community service.

Slater, from Ryton, Gateshead, had pleaded guilty to unlawfully wounding DJ William Aitken in June.

Lucie Slater was part of a girl band called Quantro

The couple were drinking wine together at his house when she came across a message on Facebook that she did not like, the court heard.

"We were cuddling," Mr Aitken recalled. "Next thing I knew she swung round and hit me with a glass and my face began to pour with blood."

The woman also threw a laptop across the room.

Slater then drove him to hospital, where she first claimed he had fallen down the stairs but later admitted what happened, the court was told.

Slater, a bar promotion worker, was part of girl band Quantro but they were thrown off the ITV talent show when the attack came to light.

'I still love her and I want to know why she did it,' says Mr Aitken

Judge Toby Hedworth said: "Drink played a greater role than is now suggested.

"I also take into account the effect of your actions on Mr Aitken. All that he has ever sought in these proceedings was an acknowledgement of what happened."

Mr Aitken called the assault 'life changing'

Due to his injuries and the time he spent in hospital, Mr Aitken lost his business and modelling career, the court heard.

Mr Aitken said the experience was "life changing" and called the assault "an act of stupidness" that caused a lot of damage.

"I really did not think she was capable of something like that. We are not speaking to each other now," he said.

"I still love her and I want to know why she did it. It's a really sad love story. We did not plan our future like this. Instead of us breaking up, we have been ripped apart."

Slater was initially charged with the more serious offence of wounding with intent but her plea to the lesser charge was accepted by the prosecution.

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Obama To Pick John Kerry As Secretary Of State

President Barack Obama will nominate Massachusetts Senator John Kerry to succeed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, a senior administration official has said.

Mr Kerry's nomination marks Mr Obama's first move in a sweeping overhaul of his national security team heading into his second term as President.

The Democratic senator is expected to be easily approved for the cabinet post by his longtime congressional colleagues.

Mr Kerry leapt to the front of Mr Obama's list for the State Department job after UN Ambassador Susan Rice withdrew her name from consideration last week.

She faced harsh criticism from congressional Republicans for her initial accounting of the deadly September attack on Americans in Benghazi, Libya.

Mr Obama vigorously defended Ms Rice, a close friend and longtime adviser, but Republican senators dug in, threatening to hold up her nomination if the President tapped her for the post.

The official who disclosed Mr Kerry's nomination requested anonymity because the President has not announced it yet.

Mr Kerry came to prominence during his failed presidential campaign against George W Bush in 2004.

John Kerry would take over from Hillary Clinton

He now serves as the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

But the 69-year-old has long sought the nation's top diplomatic post.

Mr Obama considered him for the job after the 2008 election, before later picking Hillary Clinton in a surprise move.

Since then, Mr Obama has dispatched Mr Kerry around the world to tamp down diplomatic disputes in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

He was also part of the President's debate preparations team during the 2012 election, playing the role of Republican challenger Mitt Romney in mock debates.

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South Sudan: UN Helicopter Shot Down

The UN says one of its helicopters has been shot down in South Sudan, killing all four crew members.

UN deputy spokesman Eduardo del Buey said the South Sudanese armed forces informed the country's UN peacekeeping mission "that it has shot down the helicopter in the Likuangole area in Jonglei state".

Del Buey said the MI-8 helicopter was on a reconnaissance flight to the troubled area and initial reports indicate that it had crashed and burst into flames.

No reasons for the incident have been given.

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