30/01/2009

Other News In Brief

Man Dies In Motorway Crash

A man has died and several people have been injured following a major crash on the A12 in Essex. Two are in hospital after the 12-car collision on the northbound carriageway at Ardleigh, near Colchester, at 6.30am. A man has suffered serious head injuries and is being treated at Queens Hospital in Romford. Meanwhile a woman is being treated in Colchester General Hospital for head and hand cuts. Five people were also treated at the scene. Ambulance manager Trevor Redburn said: "One patient suffered very serious injuries and could not be saved. Sadly, this person was confirmed deceased at the scene. Our thoughts are with the family of the deceased patient at this very sad time."

UK Doubles Humanitarian Aid For Sri Lanka

Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for International Development, today doubled the UK's emergency humanitarian aid to the civilian population in Sri Lanka as the conflict between the Government and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) escalates. The Department for International Development will send a team of experts to Sri Lanka in the coming days to assess the needs of civilians in the Vanni and to identify the priorities for UK funding. The UK will continue to work through those international relief agencies that are operational in Sri Lanka.

Robbery At Kilt Shop

Thousands of pounds worth of merchandise has been stolen from a kilt shop in the centre of Edinburgh. The Cashmere and Kilt Centre on Princes Street was broken into some time between 6.30pm on Wednesday and 9.30am on Thursday. It is understood tens of thousands of pounds worth of clothes was taken. A Lothian and Borders Police spokesman said: "We are now appealing for anyone who may have information that can help locate the suspects to come forward."

Darwin Home UK Nomination For World Heritage Site

Charles Darwin's home and workplace, Darwin's Landscape Laboratory, has been chosen as the UK's 2009 nomination to become a World Heritage Site, Culture Secretary Andy Burnham announced today. 2009 is the bicentenary of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his seminal work, 'On the Origin of Species'. Darwin's Landscape Laboratory, situated in the London Borough of Bromley, comprises Charles Darwin's house, experimental garden and the seven kilometres of countryside immediately around his property. It was used for Darwin's important scientific investigations for forty years after his round-the-world voyage on HMS Beagle in the 1830s. It was here that Darwin developed and demonstrated his theory of evolution by natural selection through the study of plants and animals in natural settings and under human management.

(JM/BMcc)

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