Indian farmers battle against nuclear plant

Campaigners say that the nuclear plant would destroy the picturesque coastal area A robust people's movement against a major nuclear power project has built up in a cluster of small villages on India's picturesque Konkan coast. The BBC's Zubair Ahmed reports: Some 350km (220 miles) from India's commercial capital, Mumbai, lies the village of Madban overlooking the vast expanse of the Arabian Sea. It is in this village that a 10,000 megawatt nuclear power plant is proposed - and farmers and fishermen, backed by campaigners, are hardening their stance against it. People from Madban believe the project will cause havoc to the environment and to their livelihoods. Stunning beauty Pravin Gavhankar, a local farmer who is leading the campaign against the plant, expresses his resolve in no uncertain terms: "We have been living here for centuries; we will die but not abandon our ancestral homes and farms." The nuclear plant will amount to raping the gift of nature that we have here Pravin Gavhankar The nuclear power plant's director CB Jain is seemingly unperturbed by the villagers' opposition. He says: "We are very much excited that we are going to implement this particular plan of the government of India very soon." Plans for the government's ambitious nuclear power plant came after the September 2008 Indo-French agreement. This was implemented soon after the global body, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, lifted international restrictions and permitted other countries to collaborate with India on civil nuclear deals. The French nuclear company Areva is set to install six nuclear reactors, each able to produce 1,650 megawatts of power, in this part of the coastline of western Maharashtra state. The long coastal stretch between Mumbai and Goa is stunning in its beauty and dotted with horticultural activity. The only big industrial activity here is the Dabhol power plant. The villagers are not just opposed to the nuclear plant in their backyard but also to nine other power projects in the region which are in various stages of being commissioned. Mr Gavhankar believes they will destroy the region's ecology. "The nuclear plant will amount to raping the gift of nature that we have here," he says. Real concern But Mr Jain disagrees. "The site is most suited to the plant. It's totally barren, 80 percent of it surrounded by sea, water is available in abundance." He says that despite the protests, the first phase of the project, that of land acquisition, is over. Mr Jain says that the next phase - procuring environmental clearances - will be over soon. His optimism is a cause for real concern among villagers. In Madban and other villages on the proposed site of the plant, local people refuse to believe that land officially acquired last month has suddenly ceased to be theirs. Milind Desai, a local medical practitioner, says: "There is not even a hypothetical possibility of us leaving the village. We know the plant is not coming here." Campaigner Mr Gavhankar owned 150 acres of land until last month. The government acquired his land - along with land belonging to 2,400 other farmers - in four villages. On it, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India is to start work on the project next year - along with Areva. The aim is to fuel energy-starved India's continued economic growth. Over the next decade alone, the contribution of nuclear energy is expected to rise from just 3% to 6% of India's total needs. But Mr Gavhankar argues that the government would do well to look at other alternatives to produce electricity. "We are not against progress. Nature has given us air, water and sunlight. You can make solar energy from sunlight, wind energy from air and the water in this long coast of the Arabian sea produces enough waves to generate thousands of megawatts of power. Why are they not using these natural resources?" he asks. Campaigners from around India have now joined the resistance movement set up by farmers and fishermen. They have all decided to stage a protest march in Ratnagiri on 17 March to highlight what they say are safety issues overlooked by the plans, as well as compensation schemes in case of accidents. Collision course Adwait Pednekar, a security expert in the energy sector, is opposing the nuclear plant because of the dangers he says that it poses. There is no disguising the strength of local feeling against nuclear power "First is the impact on the environment and the long term impact because of radioactivity on human beings and biodiversity, including sea life," he says. "The entire area taken by the government is quite productive in terms of horticulture and all that will be lost." Environmental groups like Greenpeace support the campaign, arguing that the area is environmentally and ecologically sensitive. But the government insists that the proposed nuclear plant will not harm the flora and fauna of the region and that eventually opposition to it will fade away. "It'll die down because it's not our project. It's their project. It's for them," said plant director CB Jain. It seems that for the time being at least the two sides remain on a collision course.

Georgians question un-reality TV

The broadcast sparked protests outside the Imedi station in Tbilisi Georgia is still reeling from the shock of seeing reports of a Russian invasion on their TV sets on Saturday evening. Many people believed the "simulation" that was broadcast. Mobile phone networks became inundated with panic calls and went dead. Some people even started packing their bags, fearing a repeat of the August 2008 Georgia-Russia war. The shock turned to anger against Imedi TV, the private, pro-government channel responsible for the broadcast. Now anger has turned to inquisition. 'Worst-case scenario' The first point many still find hard to understand is: Why air it in the first place? Advertisement Watch the fake report on Imedi TV Giorgi Arveladze, a former government minister and now the director of Imedi Media Holding, which oversees the TV station, has apologised for the broadcast, but still defends its purpose. He told the BBC that "the idea was to show the worst-case scenario, what could happen if things go wrong. We wanted to show something that we never want to happen". However, the plan backfired. He admits that he did not expect it to provoke such panic. It's a view shared by Georgian analysts. "The channel wanted to show that there was a genuine danger of a Russian invasion, but it did not achieve its goal. It was counter productive," argues Alex Rondeli, president of the Georgian Foundation For Strategic and International Studies in Tbilisi. Dr Rondeli said it had been a mistake and had turned the public against the channel. Russian politicians seized on the broadcast as an opportunity to characterise it as "reckless behaviour". They made us experience all those bad emotions that we experienced in 2008. I don't trust the TV host anymore. They aired it as if it was reality. I don't call that journalism Nana Naskidashvili, Tbilisi resident "This was a grandiose provocation... It will leave its trace in Georgia's public opinion," said Russia's envoy to Nato, Dmitry Rogozin, on the Russia Today TV channel. Many Georgians identified the stunt as an attempt to discredit two opposition politicians who have ties with Russia. Russia is still seen as an aggressor in Georgia - its troops are stationed in two breakaway regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The territories are seen by Georgia as part of its sovereign state. In recent months, Nino Burjanadze, who leads a non-parliamentary opposition party, went to Moscow to meet Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. It was a move that made the government and its supporters identify her as a traitor. Yet she and the Russian authorities agree that President Mikhail Saakashvili's government had a hand in the broadcast. "I can't imagine any normal country where things like that could be possible, where somebody could call you a traitor or an agent of another country," she told journalists during a demonstration outside Imedi TV headquarters after Saturday night's broadcast. "I am more than sure that Georgian people will make a choice for stability, for unity of the country, for democracy. And for that we need to change this criminal, irresponsible government," she said. Saakashvili response In a statement, the Russian foreign ministry spokesman, Andrei Nesterenko, said: "The Georgian president has not hidden his approval of the scandalous programme, whose scenario he dubbed as close to reality as possible." Mikhail Saakashvili said the broadcast was "close to what can happen" The Georgian government, for its part, has denied that it played a role, but on Sunday Mr Saakashvili appeared to defend it, saying the televised scenario was "extremely close to what can happen and to what Georgia's enemy has conceived". So, what conclusions can be drawn from the broadcast and reaction to it? It appears to have opened the Georgian government to Russian criticism. It has angered and upset members of its own population - those like Nana Naskidashvili, a resident of Tbilisi who saw the broadcast. "They made us experience all those bad emotions that we experienced in 2008. I don't trust the TV host anymore. They aired it as if it was reality. I don't call that journalism," she said. And it has made many people question the nature or existence of government support in Imedi TV. The channel was once owned by Badri Patarkatsishvili, a wealthy critic of the Georgian president. Police stormed its studios in 2007 at the height of opposition protests, sparking criticism about media freedoms since President Saakashvili's rise to power in 2003. Uncertainty now surrounds the ownership of Imedi TV, which is at the heart of a wider debate about freedom of speech in Georgia. Mr Patarkatsishvili's family say the TV company should be returned to them. Mr Arveladze says Imedi is owned by two holding companies. Either way, with so many seemingly unintended consequences, the debate about Saturday's bogus report is not going to go away quickly. The US ambassador in Georgia, John Bass, said the situation between Georgia and Russia was "serious enough without this sort of sensational quasi-news activity". As for the goal of the hoax broadcast, which was surely an attempt to make Georgians understand what could happen were they to support Russian-backed opposition politicians, only time will tell whether it has succeeded or failed.

Zambia opens dam to alleviate flooding

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Zambia has opened the Kariba dam to alleviate flooding that has killed eight people and left many more displaced.

But there are fears the drastic move could lead to flooding in nearby Mozambique.

Heavy rainfall in Zambia has swept away roads, bridges and government buildings, prompting the government to mobilize the army to assist aid agencies address the crisis.

Chile fundraiser plunged into darkness by power cut

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Chile was plunged into darkness overnight by a massive power cut affecting most of the country.

In Santiago a fundraising concert "Rock for Chile", was in full swing when the power outage occurred and traffic police had to control the roads as street lights failed.

Officials say the problem was caused when a key transformer failed, not directly as a result of the earthquake which devastated much of the infrastructure on 27 February.

Beckham's World Cup dream over after Achilles tear

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David Beckham's dream of playing in a fourth World Cup looks to be over after he tore his left Achilles tendon in AC Milan's 1-0 win over Chievo on Sunday.

He left his hotel in Milan on crutches on Monday morning and is scheduled to arrive in Finland in the afternoon to undergo surgery at the Turku clinic of specialist surgeon Dr Sakari Orava.

'Diamond' dog's lavish taste

 

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A dog in the US caused his owners a panic after swallowing a diamond worth $20,000 in a jewellery shop.

A diamond dealer had brought the precious stone to the store but dropped it and Soli the golden retriever wolfed it down.

Owners George Kaufmann and Robert Rosin had to wait for nature to take its course before returning the diamond to the dealer.

Jenny Wivell reports.

The world's shortest man, He Pingping, dies aged 21

 

Advertisement The world's shortest man has died in Rome The world's shortest man, He Pingping, who was just 74.6cm (2ft 5in) tall, has died in Rome. He was born in 1988 in Wulanchabu, China, with a form of primordial dwarfism, and was officially recognised as the world's shortest man in 2008. He was admitted to hospital two weeks ago after suffering a chest complaint and died on Saturday, but his death has only just been announced. Guinness World Records said he had made a "huge impact around the world". "From the moment I laid on eyes on him I knew he was someone special - he had such a cheeky smile and mischievous personality, you couldn't help but be charmed by him," said Craig Glenday, Guinness World Records editor-in-chief. Pingping officially became the world's shortest man in 2008 "For such a small man, he made a huge impact around the world," he added. Mr Pingping was in the Italian capital to take part in the filming of a television programme called The Record Show. According to the TV production company Europroduzione, he had already filmed two episodes of the programme when he complained of feeling unwell. "He started to feel slightly ill and we decided to take him to hospital. He entered hospital two weeks ago and had all kinds of tests, being a very special person he had to go though all sorts of tests. He went into intensive care three days after he was admitted," said Marco Fernandez de Araoz, communications director for Europroduzione. He said that Mr Pingping died on Saturday afternoon and, at the request of his family, his body would be returned to China to be buried.

Vietnam releases dissident priest Nguyen Van Ly

Father Ly has spent more than 15 years in prison since 1977 One of Vietnam's high-profile human rights activists has been released from prison, five years before the end of his sentence. Nguyen Van Ly, 63, suffered two strokes in 2009 that left him partly paralysed, and Western governments had demanded repeatedly that he be freed. His nephew told the BBC he was now back at home in the central city of Hue. Father Ly was sentenced to eight years of prison in 2007 for disseminating anti-government propaganda. His trial made news headlines as he tried to read out a poem criticising Vietnam's communist authorities and was muzzled by police. He has spent more than 15 years in prison since 1977. In 2009 a group of 37 US senators wrote to Vietnam's President Nguyen Minh Triet, calling for his release. The Roman Catholic Father Ly was a founding member of Bloc 8406, a pro-democracy movement launched in 2006. It is unclear if his release is final or merely for medical treatment. US embassy officials said they had seen reports indicating Father Ly was released in order to seek medical treatment. It comes just a few days after the freeing of another key activist in Bloc 84-06, the lawyer Le Thi Cong Nhan, and has been welcomed by democracy campaigners. Vietnam has jailed 16 democracy activists in recent months .

US sends FBI agents to investigate Mexico killings

The three victims died in drive-by shootings in two separate attacks American FBI agents have been sent to the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez to investigate the deaths of three US citizens. Three people connected to the consulate were killed in drive-by shootings on Saturday in two separate incidents. The US state department said the killings underscored the "severe and significant danger" Mexico represents to the United States. Mexico has blamed the killings on a gang linked to a drugs cartel. But investigators have said it is too early to tell if those killed were deliberately targeted. "It could be a mistaken identity, it could be that they were targeted; we don't know at this point," special agent Andrea Simmons, a spokesman for the FBI's El Paso, Texas, office told Agence France-Presse. Some eight FBI agents will be working alongside Mexican authorities in the investigation, she added. Flashpoint city On Saturday, Lesley Enrique - a US citizen working at the Juarez consulate - her American husband, Arthur Redelf, and Jorge Alberto Sarcido - the Mexican husband of another consular employee - were shot dead in two separate incidents. Both couples had just left a social event in the city when they were killed. Enriquez, 35, and her 34-year-old husband were killed in a hail of bullets as they drove their car towards the US side of the border. Their one-year-old baby was found unharmed in the back seat. In the second attack, gunmen opened fire on the car belonging to Jorge Alberto Sarcido, killing him and wounding his two children. The state department said the killings were a "tragedy". "We all share the determination that, ultimately, through a variety of means, we will take back these streets one community at a time," state spokesman PJ Crowley told a news briefing. His comments come a day ahead of a visit to the city by Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who will make his third tour this year of the country's most violent city to discuss the government's efforts to tackle organised crime. Mexico is battling a drug war that has killed some 18,000 people since 2006. Ciudad Juarez is a major flashpoint in the battle between Mexican drug gangs over trafficking routes to the US. More than 2,600 people were murdered there in drug-related violence last year alone.

Budget 2010: EU calls for faster UK deficit cuts

The government's plans for reducing the budget deficit are not ambitious enough - according to a European Commission report to be published on Wednesday. The report warns that the UK is not on course to cut its deficit in line with EU rules by a deadline of 2015. Those rules say deficits must be below 3% of GDP, but the UK's is expected to hit £178bn - 12.6% of GDP - this year. Ministers insist their plans to halve the deficit in four years are less likely to halt the economic recovery. Those plans, announced in the pre-Budget report, would see the UK's deficit reduced to 4.7% by 2015 - missing the EU target outlined by finance ministers last year. Fragile recovery Shadow chancellor George Osborne called the report "a heavy blow for Gordon Brown's credibility". But in the run-up to next week's Budget, Chancellor Alistair Darling, defended the government's approach to the deficit, arguing that cutting it too quickly by reducing government spending would risk harming the UK's emergence from recession. "The chancellor's judgement on the pace of this adjustment takes into account the need to support the economy through the early stages of the recovery," a Treasury spokesman said. "To withdraw support earlier and at the wrong pace risks wrecking the recovery - a judgement supported by the Commission." The Treasury said the government's plan was the sharpest and fastest deficit reduction proposal in the G7 leading industrial nations. But the Liberal Democrats said that to be credible, parties needed to show what they would cut. A draft of the Commission's report suggests that "additional fiscal tightening measures" beyond those already planned are needed if the health of public finances is to be restored "within a credible timeframe". The report also calls into question the Treasury's forecasts for the UK's economic growth. Its forecast of 2% growth in 2010-11, and then 3.3% growth for the next four years could prove optimistic, the Commission argues, should the global economy fail to recover as strongly as expected. "The message from the Commission will be that the UK needs to get its house in order," an EU spokesman said. Mr Osborne said a change of government was needed to restore confidence in the UK economy. He added: "The Conservatives have been arguing that we need to reduce our record budget deficit more quickly in order to support the recovery." BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said the European Commission had walked "slap bang into the middle of an enormous political row". He said the issue of whether to cut "sooner or deeper" would play "at the heart" of the forthcoming election as each parties' plans were scrutinised. "All the competing parties say they've got the answer and their opponents are misreading the situation," he said. The timing meant the topic had far greater impact than it would otherwise, he added.

PGA chief still in dark on Tiger Woods return date

US PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem has said he does not know when Tiger Woods will return to golf, despite hinting otherwise. On Sunday Finchem said he expected Woods to announce his comeback date "pretty soon" but he revealed nothing new in a news conference on Monday. "Tiger's indicated to us he will give us notice because we know we've got some preparation to do," said Finchem. "But I don't have a specific date when he's going to come back." The world number one is taking an extended break from the game after admitting cheating on his wife, Elin. But speculation has been mounting that Woods, who has been pictured practising, could return to action at the Tavistock Cup next Monday, the Arnold Palmer Invitational later the same week or The Masters starting on 8 April. And on Sunday, a day before the news conference, Finchem said: "I'm as excited as everybody else to see him back I hope this spring, but my sense is we'll know pretty soon." But while golf fans and media were hoping for more information on the 14-time major winner, the conference was just a routine procedure announcing a new tournament sponsorship deal. Woods is yet to give any indication when he will return to competitive golf and in an apology for his conduct which was televised worldwide last month, Woods said he did not know how long he would be away from the sport. Woods has been seen working with his coach Hank Haney, further fuelling expectations of a return before or for the Masters. "If he wasn't going to play for six months, why would Hank be there?" said Australian pro Robert Allenby, a Florida neighbour of Woods. "I look at that as maybe he's getting ready." The Bay Hill tournament is run by Woods' management company, International Management Group, but tournament director Scott Wellington said he has not heard from the player's agent, Mark Steinberg. "At this point, we still don't know," he said. "Tiger has until next Friday to commit." Woods has won at Bay Hill six times, from 2000 to 2003 and again in 2008 and 2009, and it is the only PGA Tour event he has never missed since turning professional. Meanwhile, Augusta National, the home of the Masters, the first major of the year, is famed for its watertight security, which means it would be next to impossible for the paparazzi to gain access to the course. Speculation has also centred on the Tavistock Cup, a made-for-TV exhibition team event between PGA talent from rival Florida clubs Isleworth and Lake Nona. Golfer Mark O'Meara, a friend and neighbour of Woods, said last week that he "wouldn't be surprised" to see Woods play the 22-23 March competition.

Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson predicts tightest finish

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is predicting the tightest finish in Premier League history. He saw Wayne Rooney score twice as his side defeated Fulham 3-0 on Sunday to move two points clear of Chelsea and Arsenal at the top of the table. "At the moment it is looking like the tightest Premier League we have had," said Ferguson. "It is very tight. "We only have eight games left. Chelsea have nine. We are all involved in Europe. Chelsea also have the FA Cup." The Premier League title has been decided by a one-point margin on three occasions, with Blackburn pipping United in 1994/95, Arsenal edging out the Red Devils in 1997/98 and United gaining revenge on their London rivals the following season. Ferguson's side, whose next two Premier League home games are against Liverpool and Chelsea, have a superior goal difference over the Blues and the Gunners, although Chelsea have a game in hand on their rivals. "You have to think about goal difference," added Ferguson. "We are only four goals ahead of Chelsea, I wish it was 14 to be honest, but at least it is in our advantage. "I suppose the simple way for us and Chelsea to look at it is just to win all our games but life is never that simple." United striker Dimitar Berbatov was excellent against Fulham and is confident his club will seal their fourth straight Premier League title. "There can only be one winner and I think it is going to be us," stated the Bulgaria international. "Arsenal and Chelsea are great teams and we have difficult games ahead of us but the good thing is we play at home at Old Trafford against Chelsea and that will be an advantage for us. "I am optimistic that in the end we will be champions." Fulham managed to reach the interval on level terms but Rooney scored the first of his brace 30 seconds after the restart, while Berbatov found the net with a late header. Ferguson felt his team's increased tempo after the break, combined with a goal in the first minute of the second half, was crucial. "I think Fulham, with their possession, made us work hard and chase around a bit," said Ferguson. matthew "It was hard to get the ball off them. They have experienced players who are comfortable on the ball. "We had to try to increase the pace of the game and hurry them up a bit but the most important thing about that start with Rooney's first goal was it put their team on the back foot and gave us momentum." Fulham were hoping to do the league double over United for the first time following their 3-0 victory at Craven Cottage in December. However, manager Roy Hodgson had no complaints with the result - although he felt the 3-0 margin of victory flattered the home team. "I cannot complain that we lost but the two late goals that aggravated the scoreline were perhaps the biggest disappointment for me," commented Hodgson. "Over 90 minutes, United were the best team but we made a good fist of playing against them. "Wayne Rooney was outstanding, as was strike partner Dimitar Berbatov - their work was very good." Modest Rooney happy with second half Rooney's goal took his tally for the season to 32, with 24 of them in the Premier League. The 24-year-old is now 10 behind the total set by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2007/2008. But Rooney explained: "If I am being honest, getting to 42 goals wouldn't mean a lot to me. "It is not something I have looked at. Obviously, it is nice to score goals. I want to score goals in every game and what Cristiano Ronaldo achieved was unbelievable. "But I am a different player and a different person. I am not comparing myself to Cristiano." Fulham play the second leg of their Europa Leg tie against Juventus on Thursday and take on Tottenham in an FA Cup quarter-final replay on 24 March. "We must pick ourselves up and try to prepare for these very important games that we have coming up," added Hodgson.

BA to fly 60% of its flights during planned strike

Tony Woodley, joint leader of Unite: "Put the offer back on the table and we'll look sensibly at suspending the strikes" British Airways has announced contingency plans that will allow it to fly 60% of its customers during the first planned strike by cabin crew. The airline said it aimed to fly about 45,000 passengers a day during the first three-day strike, due to begin on 20 March. Thousands more affected passengers will be offered alternative BA flights or seats on other airlines. Plans for the second strike period from 27 March have not been finalised. A total of 1,100 flights out of the 1,950 scheduled to operate during the first three strike dates will be cancelled. But all long-haul flights and more than half of short-haul flights from Gatwick are expected to operate as normal. Flights to go ahead At Heathrow, more than 60% of long-haul flights will run, though only 30% of short-haul flights are expected to operate with the help of aircraft leased from eight rival airlines. Passengers on cancelled BA flights will be able to rebook on other airlines free of charge, BA said. Flights in and out of London City airport are unaffected by the strike action. BA's chief executive Willie Walsh apologised to customers for the disruption, calling the planned strikes a "cynical attack" by Unite, the union representing cabin crew. "We will continue to try to prevent this strike taking place, but we have reached a point when we must now offer some clarity to our customers who have waited with great patience since Friday when the strike dates were first announced," he said. But he added that the disruption would be less than originally feared, due to the number of cabin crew who had "called in to offer their services over the weekend". Plans for the second strike - due to run between 27 March and 30 March - are still being worked on. Unite called the strikes last week following the breakdown of talks between the union and BA over planned cost-cutting measures. A new deal proposed by BA to end the dispute was to be put to Unite cabin crew members, but was withdrawn following the announcement of strike dates. Unite's joint general secretary Tony Woodley said the move had revealed BA's true motives. "At the moment they don't want to consult, they want war," he told the BBC. Earlier the strike action drew the condemnation of both the Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Transport Secretary Lord Adonis. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Brown called the strike action "unjustified and deplorable". "It's not in the company's interests, it's not in the workers' interests and its certainly not in the national interest," he said. Meanwhile Lord Adonis called on Unite to lift the threat of strikes and "get back to the negotiating table". BA is under pressure to drastically cut its costs as it continues to make huge losses. It announced losses of £50m for the last three months of 2009, and is expected to announce the biggest annual loss in its history later this year. BBC business editor Robert Peston said that although any strike action would be a significant cost for BA, these were nothing compared to the greater challenges faced by the airline. "It's got an enormous multi-billion hole in its pension fund, and it is just coming through the worst recession that the airline has experienced," our correspondent said.

'Runaway Prius' claim dismissed by Toyota

 

Mike Michels cites 'significant inconsistencies' in Mr Sikes's account Toyota Motor Corp says it has found no evidence to support a driver's account of a widely-publicised "runaway" Prius incident in California last week. James Sikes said his Prius sped out of control, but Toyota said its own tests could not replicate the event. Millions of Toyota models have been recalled after several complaints about the braking and accelerator systems. Toyota insists that it has found no problems with its electronics, and that its mechanical fixes are sufficient. Last week's incident raised new questions over Toyota's flagship model, the hybrid Prius. Differing accounts Mr Sikes, 61, claimed his car suddenly accelerated on a San Diego freeway and that he could not stop it for some 20 minutes until a highway patrol officer helped him slow the vehicle down. At a news conference in California, a company spokesman said the technical findings differed significantly from the account given by the driver. We may never know exactly what happened with this car National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Toyota said its an examination of Mr Sikes's Prius showed that he repeatedly applied the brakes some 250 times, but only lightly. That account appears to contradict Mr Sikes' statement - backed by the California Highway Patrol - that he was frantically slamming on the brakes. "While our analysis is not finalized, Toyota believes there are significant inconsistencies between the account of the event of 8 March and the findings of this investigation," Mike Michels told reporters. "We're not calling him a liar and we're not judging what he did or did not do," Mr Michels was quoted as saying by AFP news agency. Earlier in the day, federal safety regulators said their analysis of the vehicle had failed to find "anything to explain the incident that Mr Sikes reported". "We would caution people that our work continues and that we may never know exactly what happened with this car," the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) added in the statement. Toyota already faces dozens of lawsuits that could cost it billions of dollars. Federal authorities are examining if there are grounds for criminal charges.

Kraft to face MPs over Keynsham Cadbury closure

 

The Somerdale plant in Keynsham is set to close by 2011 The vice-president of Kraft Foods will be questioned by MPs over his company's takeover of Cadbury later. Marc Firestone is due to appear in front of the House of Commons' Business Committee on Tuesday. He is expected to face tough questions about Kraft's decision to continue with the closure of Cadbury's Keynsham factory after pledging to keep it open. Unions and local politicians have complained that Kraft misled employees over the issue. Official complaints have already been lodged with the City's takeover panel - the body responsible for regulating takeovers and mergers. Polish move The chairman of the Business and Enterprise Committee, Peter Luff, said MPs also wanted to know why Kraft went back on its pledge, and wanted it to clarify its position. The committee will also hear from unions representing Cadbury workers, as well as current Cadbury managers. The Keynsham plant was already due to close before the Kraft takeover, with production due to move to a plant in Poland. But in the battle to take control of Cadbury, Kraft told the BBC it believed it would be in a position to keep the plant open. Following the takeover, however, the company said plans for the move to Poland were too advanced to reverse.