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LONDON (Reuters) - Chancellor Gordon Brown said on Saturday he would not raise duties on vehicle fuel to help cut carbon emissions at a time of high oil prices. Petrol prices are expected to reach fresh highs next week after crude oil surged above $75 dollars (42 pounds) a barrel in New York trading on Friday. Brown told BBC radio that tackling climate change was an ethical as well as an economic issue but said a balance had to be found between the needs of the environment and the economy. He ...

A man has appeared in court charged over the discovery of component parts for a 250lb car bomb in County Armagh. Daire McKenna, 22, from Lurgan Tarry in Lurgan, made no reply when charged with possessing explosives with intent to endanger life on 19 April. The court was told the charge related to the discovery of an ammonium nitrate based fertiliser and sugar mix. Mr McKenna, who was flanked by police in riot gear, was remanded in custody to appear in court again next week. He did not reply  ...

The government should do more to help ensure Peugeot's threatened Ryton site has a future in providing employment for the region, it has been claimed. The plea comes from Warwickshire County Council leader Alan Farnell in the week that 2,300 job losses were announced. He said: "It is some reassurance to know redundancy packages from Peugeot are generous, but it is no substitute for the very real jobs we are losing." Unions are still considering industrial action over the proposed closure. 'W ...

KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- Heavy rain and a strong police presence doused a protest Saturday by about 200,000 marchers who headed toward the palace in another show of opposition to the absolute rule of Nepal's King Gyanendra, who vowed to return political power "to the people" the day before. The weather, which changed abruptly halfway through an eight-hour government curfew, which the protesters ignored to enter Kathmandu, where police used tear gas and barriers to prevent the crowd f ...

Ian Wright believes stepson Shaun Wright-Phillips should leave Chelsea next season if he does not get regular first-team football. Wright-Phillips, 24, has started just nine Premiership games since his £21m move from Manchester City last summer. Former Arsenal striker Wright told BBC Sport: "I know how much Shaun wants to play for Chelsea. "But if Shaun has another season like this I will be telling him it's time to move on." Wright said he shared Wright-Phillips' disappointment at cons ...

Housing minister Yvette Cooper has defended plans to make Home Information Packs compulsory as a campaign against them gathers steam. Ms Cooper said the criticism was coming from "vested interests" who stood to lose out when the system changes. Sellers will have to provide would-be buyers with a survey, land registry details and answers to standard questions from June next year. Critics say the packs are costly and will devastate the property market. The government says the packs will cost a ...

Claims that the decapitated body of murdered hostage Ken Bigley is buried near Falluja in Iraq are being followed up by the UK Foreign Office. Osman Karahan, lawyer for suspected al-Qaeda militant Louia Sakka, 33, made the claim during a news conference. Mr Sakka is accused over the 2003 Istanbul bombings which included the attack on the British consulate. The Tawhid and Jihad Iraqi militant group killed Mr Bigley, 62, of Walton, Liverpool, in Iraq on 8 October 2004. Mr Bigley had been wo ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Chancellor Gordon Brown said on Saturday he would not raise duties on vehicle fuel to help cut carbon emissions at a time of high oil prices. Petrol prices are expected to reach fresh highs next week after crude oil surged above $75 dollars a barrel in New York trading on Friday. Brown told BBC radio that tackling climate change was an ethical as well as an economic issue but said a balance had to be found between the needs of the environment and the economy. He said he was ...

Colombian rebels have ambushed a team of security force personnel, killing 17 soldiers and secret police officers in one of the deadliest attacks this year. Rebels opened fire and detonated roadside explosives as the troops drove through mountains near the Venezuelan border, an army statement said. The ambush is being blamed on two left-wing groups. Observers fear guerrillas are stepping up att ...

By Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepali police fired on protesters and used tear gas on Saturday to try to disperse tens of thousands of anti-monarchy protesters who defied a curfew and were marching towards the centre of the capital. At least eight people were injured, witnesses said. The 16th straight day of protest, with marchers waving branches and red communist flags and heading towards the palace, came as a seven-party alliance rejected overtures by the king to form a government.  ...