Tag Archives: December 2002

London Markets: Whitechapel

Whitechapel is considered by some to be the heart of the East End of London and over the centuries has hosted Jewish settlers, Irish dock workers and Bangladeshi workers in the 'rag trade'. It’s a street market right opposite the Royal London Hospital, and you’ll come on to it from Whitechapel underground station as you exit from it. The road is so-named because it led to the white chapel of St Mary Matfelon, made from white stone around 1250. In the 19th century, Whitechapel Road was the most important market in the area.

So what can you buy there? It is run predominantly by Asian traders and this is sometimes reflected in some of the goods on sale e.g. sari material and herbs and spices. You can find bedding, jewellery, clothing, tools, fresh fruit and veg, electrical goods – all sorts, open six days a week from Monday to Saturday from 8.00 until 18.00.


Fly Me To The Moon!

A space team in Canada is looking for three people to help pilot a rocket into space. This is part of a competition modeled on the 1927 contest to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, won by Charles Lindbergh. Canadian Arrow is one of two Canadian teams participating in the contest. Another 20 international teams are also racing to send the first manned commercial rocket into orbit. The first to get their three-person vessel 100 kilometres into space and back wins the title. The winner will have to repeat the flight again within two weeks to win a $10-million US prize. Geoffrey Sheerin, the leader of the London, Ont.-based Canadian Arrow project, said he is looking for smarts, a sense of adventure, and bravery.

“It's open to absolutely anyone. The possibility for anyone to fly is there,” Sheerin said. “We would like you to have some aeronautical experience, understand of aviation, and also hopefully to have some knowledge of rocketry.”


Space Tourism Lifts Off

Recent press reports state that a Houston store for space buffs is helping the Russian Space Agency find potential space tourists who have $20 million to spare. This seems to be the going rate for space tourists, paid by the two last space tourists, American Dennis Tito and South African Mark Shuttleworth. The Russian space industry appear to have decided that offering space trips to incredibly wealthy people is a good way to continue to finance its participation in building the space station. Vladimir Fishel, vice president of Russian programs for Spacehab, a US spacecraft and living space manufacturer and parent company of The Space Store, acknowledged the few wealthy people enough to pay the tab likely would approach Russian space officials themselves. But marketing efforts could add that extra bit of encouragement. “Russians are in dire need of cash,” he said. “This helps not only them, but everybody.”



Return To Firenze by Matthew

Wandering amongst Pisa’s famed sights, I found myself eased culturally back into Italy and following the big, rounded taste of the evenings Rosso Di Montepulciano I felt readied (or should be that steadied?) for the imminent return. The year that had passed seemed all too long to be away from such a good friend as Firenze…

No alarm call was needed to wake me from the darkened Sunday slumber of Pensione Rinascente – the bright, cool morning had already been disturbed by medieval equivalents! Whilst masses filed through splendid church facades, my own calling came from Pisa Centrale and as I found myself being drawn across the Arno a thought occurred – would the famed Italian trains be on time? My answer was forthcoming as the 9.18 was only a couple of minutes late and was already busy transporting people going about their Sunday lives. Moving away from the platform a certain sensation I had felt when travelling on warm, early morning trains across India flitted through my consciousness once again – a good omen for the journey I smiled!

Stops such as Pontedera disappeared behind the train as a hazy sun opened up a landscape of smallholdings, allotments and vine trails. Surrounded by the languid Italian chatter of our fellow passengers, I felt suitably drawn away from everything of the previous working week – a fleeting travel moment to be cherished. Further along the journey, the archetypal Italian station of Empoli and the ever changing faces of fellow passengers also reminded me of previous travels – this time of Inter-rail journeys. Playing that old game of guessing people’s destinations, I wondered whether the young Scandinavians were heading south or and whether the Africans were heading business like to northern destinations. Our route to Firenze narrowed through a rising valley as it progressed and as in many photos and films, I glimpsed some of the traditional Tuscan imagery – hill top villages connected by winding roads that twisted through lush green countryside and trees stretching skywards. Almost as the quickly as the track had risen did we descend down through the last few suburban stops and onto the final destination…Firenze!

I hadn’t thought what I’d wanted to see of my old friend again, but first thoughts were drawn along a slow loop through the heart of the city, across the Arno and up to the panorama of Piazzale Michelangelo. Familiar sites greeted me as Kate and I sped across the expanse of the rather unvisited Piazza Dell’ Unita Italia– the still petitioning HIV charity, the market where I purchased a most expensive wallet and then onto a renewing glimpse of the Duomo’s bell tower and Battistero. What struck me this time about the magnificent cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (to give the Duomo its consecrated name) was not the beautiful façade but how the turret like bastions sat atop, allowing all comers to be seen. Being a Sunday we couldn’t undertake the winding climb to dome’s top (thankfully appreciated by my apprehension of heights) and the slower start to the day allowed us more space and time to enjoy the walk across Piazza del Duomo and onwards.

For those that cherish Firenze, Via De’ Calzaiuoli’s opening up on to

Piazza della Signora grandly displays much of what should be seen – the splendid Palazzo Vecchio with its dominating tower, the near perfectly copied statues of David or the beheading of Medusa by Perseus and the Uffizi’s columned walk ways sheltering its snaking queues! Though much of this grandeur owes its origins to the power of the Medici and their egos, its subsequent evolution into a marvel of civic planning underscores what the renaissance is depicted as representing. Even the mounted police seemed proud to be part of this elegant cityscape. We had little desire to enjoy the Uffizi’s always crowded galleries and somewhat cramped displays and instead Kate diverted us off to the quiet of Santa Croce. Previously I had strolled around this intriguing church with its incomplete facade and had found that many of two hundred plus monuments commemorated famous past lives – Michelangelo, Galileo and Dante I believe are of the many. The adjoining convent turned museum and its cloisters echo this silence and is a relatively unknown yet worthy destination for its visitors.

As the climb upwards began, I noticed another of those travelling oddities that catch my imagination – certain cities feature a building or place that my wandering always seems to take me through or past! In London it is the Embankment underground station, with Dublin it is O’Connell Bridge and with Firenze it is the Biblioteca Nazionale! Whatever view or late night revelry I have been party to, these buildings always seem found themselves within view and I have no idea why! As we swiftly crossed the modern Ponte Santa Niccolo we again had to pass this squared jawed building before moving over to the quieter side of the Arno.

The steep route up through the steps and gardens of Guiseppe Poggi lifts the walker onto a supreme vantage point! This perspective offers an unbeatable right to left panorama – the view sweeps back across the trail I’ve just described, over the Arno hunched Ponte Vecchio and through to the old Forte Di Belvedere. From here I could imagine no better way to present the city to visitors. Like many I sat awhile, allowing the warm breezes to brush across my face and savour my return to this wonderful city. Somewhat later our thirsts were indulgently quenched before moving on by visiting one of the hilltop gelateria and selecting a double-portioned cone. Here less cream and more ice is definitely better, with my favourite being strawberry overlain with pistachio! Whether any sports dietician would approve of such recharging remains to be seen but we were certainly ready to move on…

If you’d like to contact Matthew about his time in Firenze or any of his other travels, please e-mail him on: matthewdoughty@totalise.co.uk


Accessing Office Mail When Away

source: Woody’s Travellers Watch

Travel@woodyswatch.com

It's great to see more and more business travellers using 'Outlook Web Access' (OWA) on the road. This is a webmail way to access corporate mail systems using Microsoft Exchange Server.

When you open OWA in a browser it looks much like normal Outlook. You can read, delete, reply and forward email plus manage your contacts, calendar, notes, tasks and public folders. There are some limitations (you can't move a message from one folder to another) but it works pretty well.

If your company uses Exchange Server but you don't have Outlook Web Access, ask your network administrator. OWA is installed by default on Exchange Server so it's probably ready for you even if the network gods haven't told you. If you're sneaky you can try finding it from a browser linked to your intranet by trying urls that have a company server name plus '/exchange' (the default folder) such as http:///exchange (e.g. http://mailmachine/exchange).

Outlook Web Access can be used inside a company network too. If you're away from your work desk or computer has broken you can access your mail from any browser. But OWA is mostly used by staff accessing mail from outside company premises. Provided your mail server is accessible from the Internet you can use OWA from any net terminal anywhere in the world.

The link to access OWA will probably be different away from the intranet, something like http://mail.dagg.com/exchange but your network gurus will give you the exact link.

However you access OWA you'll be prompted for your login name, password and possibly domain. This not only gives you access to the company mail server but also tells Exchange Server which mail account to display.

Security Tip: when you're using OWA from any computer not yours make sure you DON'T check the 'Remember this password' box. If you do so anyone could access you email from that public terminal after you walk away. When using someone else's computer on your intranet the same thing applies, you don't want someone else looking at your email.

With OWA available from anywhere, you might not have to lug your laptop! If you don't have much email or it's just a short trip then many business people have decided to leave their laptop computer at home and just check their email at public Internet terminals (cafe's, hotel business centres and some airline lounges).


Did You Know&.London England, London Ontario

London, England, United Kingdom and London, Ontario, Canada, as the crow flies: 3662 miles (5893 km) or 3182 nautical miles

Expedia.com’s lowest return fare flying from London, England to London Ontario, on 1st December costs US $875.28, which is equivalent to around 24c a mile.

Founded in 1828, and incorporated as a town in 1840, London now has a little over 250,000 people. Several suburbs, bridges and places around London, Ontario were patriotically named after the UK in the 18th and 19th centuries: suburbs such as Ealing and Chelsea, there is a Blackfriars bridge and a Covent Garden market.

What to see and do in London, Ontario? There is The Grand Theatre, Orchestra London, the London Regional Art and Historic Museums plus a whole host of special events focused on the visual and performing arts. There are beautiful parks and pathways and good sporting facilities in the Forest City. Family entertainment takes many forms from the lively new Covent Garden Market in the heart of the downtown to the ever-popular Storybook Gardens in Springbank Park.



Kruger National Park by Geoff

Everyone has heard of the Kruger National Park. It's the biggest game reserve in South Africa. Its border stretches from the Limpopo River in the north to the Crocodile river in the south. The whole eastern boundary of the park borders onto Mozambique.

The park was established in 1926 and is over 2 million hectares in size. Its size can be likened to that of Wales or the American state of Massachusetts. There are a large variety of animals in the park, ranging from 122 different species of mammal, 109 different types of reptile, 55 species of fish and 422 species of birds.

The park is also home to 7000+ Elephants, 30000 Buffalo, 120000 Impala Buck and 22000 Kwaggas (Zebras). To add to this list you will also find giraffe, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hunting dog, hyenas, rhino and hippos.

A visit to this park is a must and if you are not an animal mad person, after your first visit here you will find that you have become one.

Most visitors to South Africa do not have enough time so a quick visit is what they opt for. To get to the park they either travel by tourist bus or fly in and land at Skukuza, the largest rest camp in the park. There are many others to stay at as well.

At Skukuza you can hire a car and drive yourself, or elect to go by coach on a guided tour through the park. There are a couple of rules one has to follow in the park.

  • Do not leave your car under any circumstances except in designated rest areas.
  • Keep to the speed limits.

There is a good reason for the rules. There are wild animals out in the bush. You might get out of your car and walk slap bang into a lion lying in thick grass right next to the road.

Guess who is going to win that argument! The lion initially, but once it has killed someone it will kill again and become a threat, thus necessitating its own demise.

The rest camp gates open at six in the morning and you are able to venture out onto the roads. Suddenly 10 metres in front of you there is a movement in the bush. You stop your car and one impala crosses the road. Sit still, don't move, suddenly there are hundreds of them in the road. In about 10 minutes they have all crossed and the road is clear. Moving on you come across a clump of rocks with some thorn bushes.

At the base of the thorn bush the grass is moving.

Taking a closer look you can see a largish animal lying on its side. You've found a lion lying twitching its tail. It does this to rid itself of the flies. Lions love to sleep in the shade in the heat of the day and if you keep your eyes open you are likely to see more of them.

Leopards are very difficult to spot. Where there are largish trees, check the higher branches and with a bit of luck you may spot one relaxing on a branch.

At sundown its time to get to that water hole. Find a good spot where you can see clearly, keep quiet and watch. The animals come from all directions to drink. Impalas, kudus, warthogs and giraffe to name but a few. They are very wary as they approach the waters edge. Have you noticed the log floating close to the water's edge? It's a crocodile lying patiently in the water with only its eyes sticking out waiting for its supper. If an animal gets too close the crocodile will launch itself and grab its prey, and drag it into the water where it will drown it.

The elephant in all its splendour arrives waving its trunk as it savours the breeze. It's long white tusks glint in the evening sunlight as it makes its way down to the river’s edge. Close behind come the rest of the herd. Soon there is no place for the other animals, they must wait their turn as the elephants suck up trunkfulls of water to drink and spray over themselves.

It gets dark quickly so you need to get back to camp.

Along the way keep your eyes open for the nocturnal animals that should be out and about. You would be amazed at what's out there.

When you get back to camp, have a meal, and hop into bed.

Before dropping off listen to the sounds of the bush. You'll hear lions roaring and in the morning might even find their footprints around your bungalow.

Love an experience like this?

Visit the Kruger National Park in South Africa.

Geoff Fairman is the editor and publisher of Banker's Oldboys Ezine, a free electronic publication. Subscribe to Bankers Oldboys Ezine for more articles about Cape Town and South Africa by sending a blank e-mail to BrerRabbit-subscribe@topica.com


Being Careful – Advice

France: thieves may target cars with foreign number plates. Conceal bags and purses when driving and never leave valuables in a vehicle, even for a short time or when you are nearby. The last two digits on a French car's number plate indicate the département in which the car is registered. Many hire cars are registered in Marne département (51) and cars with registration numbers ending in 51 attract the attention of thieves.

Venice: The heightened tension in the Middle East has led the Italian authorities to increase security around the Jewish quarter in Venice. Extra police have been drafted in to guard the area. Security in the Jewish quarter in Rome has also been increased.

Greek Islands: Personal attacks, including sexual assaults and rape, are infrequent. However there have been incidents of sexual assault and rape on some Greek Islands. Visitors are therefore advised to maintain at least the same level of personal security awareness as in the UK. We strongly advise lone visitors, especially, never to accept lifts from strangers or passing acquaintances at any time.

Portugal: Crime remains comparatively low in Portugal but pickpocketing, handbag snatching and theft from cars are increasingly common in major tourist area. Passport, credit cards, travel tickets and money should not be carried together in handbags or pockets. Leave spare cash, passports and valuables in a safe place. Portuguese police recommend that car windows and doors are closed and locked while driving at night in urban centres. Pedestrians are advised not to wear valuable jewellery or watches in public areas.

Source: the Foreign & Commonwealth office



Airline News

Brussels-based low fare carrier Virgin Express has over the last six months, carried more passengers than any other airline at Brussels Airport, making it the first main airport in Europe where a low fare carrier is the market leader.

Delta Air Lines has announced that it will launch its own budget subsidiary next year. The as yet unnamed carrier will fly, initially, on routes between the US Northeast and Florida. Delta said it later intends to expand the operation across its US network. Fares are expected to come in between USD$79 and USD$299.

Bulgaria intends to launch a new national airline, Balkan Air Tour in December after the final collapse of its troubled flag carrier Balkan Bulgarian.

It is scheduled to start operations on December 1 and will operate services to seven destinations – Berlin and Frankfurt, London, Milan, Moscow, Paris and Tel Aviv.

Air Canada has reached a three-year deal with the Quebec government to provide low cost fares throughout the province using the airline's Jazz budget operation. In return the province, which is a heavy user of Air Canada services, has agreed to buy around CAD$2.5 million (USD$1.6 million) additional tickets every year for the government and its agencies.

The agreement will also ensure that travellers in Quebec will get cut price Internet fares for travel between remote regional communities and both Quebec City and Montreal. The airline says that fares will be cut by as much as 70 percent compared with regular ticket prices and the flexible low cost deals will be extended to all Air Canada Jazz routes in the province.

Oh dear, arisen from the ashes of Belgium’s now defunct Sabena, Delsey Airlines, has filed for bankruptcy. It was flying transatlantic services from Brussels to New York, Boston and Los Angeles. The airline, originally called VG Airlines, was created by the entrepreneur Freddy Van Gaever who was the founder and first CEO of the successful regional airline, VLM, and Antwerp financier Tony Gram, managing director of the travel goods manufacturer, Delsey. The airline had been in talks this week with a possible last-minute investor, but had to concede defeat when the investor pulled out.


Cardiff by Olwen

Cardiff, home of the Millennium Stadium, city of so much more.

Sight seeing buses leave from outside the castle regularly throughout the summer. However a tour of the Stadium costs £5 and can be pre-booked and is a must. The highlight is a trip up the tunnel to the pitch with the sound of the crowd roaring in your ears. I defy anyone to take these steps without a silly grin!!

The shopping in the city provides all those shops you expect in a large town, although there are a surprising number of music shops. However, the old arcades off St Mary’s Street offer some interesting alternatives to the large chain stores. I always show friends the “Kinky” boot shop for a laugh, which can be a stunned silence!

On a hot summer’s day, the place to chill is Butte Park with some of the best municipal planting I know. Or there’s the Mill Lane quarter, for people watching while you chill.

There are a range of restaurants, wine bars, pubs and clubs to suit everyone. And if you like a busy town, go on an International weekend, but be prepared to sing!


Free London Museums: Theatre Museum

Located, appropriately enough, in the heart of Theatreland, the Theatre Museum is dedicated to promoting the performing arts. In addition to housing the National Video Archive of Stage Performance, the museum boasts a staggering collection of over one million programmes and playbills, puppets, photographs and props relating to theatre, ballet, dance and music. Visitors can participate in workshops, makeovers, tours and try their hand at animation and puppetry. There is lots of memorabilia from old theatres and stage sets, which creates a very special theatrical ambience. The Theatre Museum opens 10:00-18:00 Tues-Sun. Closed 24-26 Dec. Tube: Covent Garden Enquiries: 020 7943 4700 Entrance: FREE admission for individuals



Currency Conversion

A recent UK survey for the Department for Education found that of over 1,000 adults, 30% felt unable to compare rates in exchange bureaux. A similar proportion said they were not comfortable converting foreign currency into sterling. Over a fifth of those surveyed admitted they had wrongly calculated how much they spent on holiday, with 12% saying they had run out of money.

The Globetrotters Club has just teamed up with Oanda.com to provide people with information about currency conversions and cheat sheets. To translate currency or make a cheat sheet, visit:

The Globetrotters Currency Converter — get the exchange rates for 164 currencies
The Globetrotters Currency Cheat Sheet — create and print a currency converter table for your next trip.



Weekend Away:Lille, France

The place: Lille is small enough to wander around, in a weekend. There are two parts to Lille: the old town, which has narrow cobbled streets, and lots of interesting small shops, and the new town where the large shops, such as Printemps and the usual chain stores can be found. For those who want to explore, there’s a castle and some museums, but wandering around the Old Town is a must.

Why go to Lille? It’s a pretty town, close to London, good for shopping, eating and relaxing. There is a good supermarket, Carrefour, very close to the Lille Europe and SNCF railways stations, where you can stock up on cheese, wine, chocolate – whatever takes your fancy! The food is always good, so it is a part shopping, part relaxing and part gastronomic destination! Most of the hotels are within walking distance from the Lille Eurostar station.

Hotels: the poshest is the Carlton, in the Old Town, which does not ever seem to offer discount rates, but there are lots of hotels to chose from. Hotels seem to be either close to the train stations, close to the main square or in the Old Town. If you can, go for the latter. The Hotel Continental is a budget place often used by British tour operators, it’s ok, between the main square and the railway stations, but on a busy main road. Hotel Bellevue says it is a 3 star, it’s a little quirky, but the rooms are usually large and it’s behind the main square. Hotel Art Deco Romain says it is 500m from the Lille Europe station, it may be, but you need to get a tram to get there, and whilst it’s only 2 stops, it is not easy to walk to, plus the rooms are cupboard sized. La Treille in the old Town is highly recommended.

Prices: fantastic, especially for eating out and drinking. Most of the restaurants offer at least one prix fixe menus i.e. you get to chose a starter, main course and often a desert. Some include wine or a glass of champagne to start. These range from 15 Euros to 50 Euros, and you can usually be guaranteed excellent food, whatever the price. The Beetle’s favourite restaurant is called L’Alcide, which is close to the main square and can be pricey a la carte, but do good prix fixe menus, there’s also La Renaissance which does very cheap but good prix fixe menus (a recent 3 course dinner for 2 plus beer cost £15 a head). The Carrefour at the Lille Centre Commercial close to the train stations is a huge supermarket, and the prices there are far better than those in the UK for almost everything. One tip, though: if you spend more than 100 Euros, you will be asked for photo id, so take your passport or new style driving licence.

Things to do and see: in winter, there is a Christmas market around the corner from Printemps, where you can browse around the stalls, drink cups of mulled wine, eat crepes or waffles. Year round, there is a huge Sunday market in Wazemmes, a short metro ride from the centre and there is also a smaller Sunday market that sells fruit, veg, flowers and handicrafts in the old town. If shopping is not your thing, you should visit the citadel, which is quite impressive, and the town square with its old buildings. If you are a museum buff, then you should visit the Palais des Beaux arts, the natural history museum, the house where General de Gaulle was born, and the Musee de l’Hospice de Comtesse.

Getting Around: really easy. A one way trip by metro or tram costs just 1.15 Euros, or an all day card costs 3.55 Euros You must validate day tickets just the once in yellow machines that say “composter” and single journey tickets in the same way when you set off. But if you stick to the Old Town and the area close to the new town, you probably won’t need to take public transport, although it’s good to know that it’s there and regular.

How to get there: by Eurostar, a little over 2 hours from London Waterloo.


Ciudad Juarez Women Murdered

More than 300 young girls and women have been killed in Ciudad Juarez since 1993 on the other side of the US border, across from El Paso, Texas. Late November, over 1,000 women dressed in black and holding candles marched through Mexico City to demand that those responsible for killing hundreds of women in the border town of Ciudad Juarez be brought to justice. Despite several federal and state investigations, the authorities have been unable to identify the killers or establish a motive behind the murders. Several people have been arrested or detained, but still the killings continue. Various motives have been offered: satanic black magic rituals, drug related and sex slavery.



Racial Profiling at US Airports

Celebrated Canadian author, Rohinton Mistry, has cancelled the second half of his US book tour because of racial profiling at US airports. Mr Mistry – the Indian-born author short-listed for the Booker Prize this year – was “extremely unhappy” about the treatment he received, Canada's Globe and Mail reported.

“As a person of colour he was stopped repeatedly and rudely at each airport along the way – to the point where the humiliation of both he and his wife has become unbearable,” a memo from the writer's US publisher Aflred A Knopf said. “I find it outrageous,” Betsy Burton of The King's English bookstore in Salt Lake City said. “It makes me feel ashamed of my country.”

The US introduced extra security measures – including fingerprinting – for people born in 20 predominantly Arab and Muslim countries following the 11 September attacks.

Last week Canada urged its citizens born in Middle Eastern and Muslim countries to think carefully before going to the US because of the new checks.



Mac.s Jottings

Signs and thoughts that Mac has seen or experienced on his travels around the world, and noted down in his travel diary.

l. Hong Kong. Budget Garden Hostel. Sign. “No smelly shoes allowed in dormitory.

2. Simla India. Sign read “Spitting on the road is an offence punishable up to 50 rps under HPMC.” (An Indian was urinating next to the sign).

3. Coffee house in India. Sign saying: “If convenient please speak slowly” (we have the same sign in our snake pit.)

4. Puri, India. Sign “Gods Blessings Of Lord Jagahnath with hearty offerings. All offerings to Lord are free income tax.

5. In Albert & Victorian museum in London cafeteria they had a sign “Pickpockets operate here” I gave the little old lady behind me a dirty look in case she planned to pick my pocket.

Would you like to tell us about your travels? Contact the Beetle


New Diver Record

A South African scuba diver set a new world record after living underwater in a steel tank for 10 days and surviving by eating through a tube. Tim Yarrow was (30) cheered by hundreds of onlookers shortly after 12:30pm on Saturday when he climbed out of the 3 by 2,3m tank, his home in a Johannesburg shopping mall since November 6. Yarrow spent 240 hours underwater with scuba apparatus in a controlled environment without surfacing. The initial record was just under nine days and Tim managed 10 days, Greg Wharram, team co-ordinator, said they had contacted Guinness World Records before the attempt began and now must file papers to make the record official.

Source: Reuters


The Spratly Islands

The Spratly Islands are 100 tiny formerly uninhabited islets and reefs making up 5 km of actual land spread over 410,000 sq km of sea. They are believed to have oil and gas reserves in addition to good fish stocks.

The problem is that both China and Taiwan lay claim to all of them and Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and the Philippines to part of them.

South East Asian states have just reached a draft agreement aimed at avoiding conflicts over the disputed Spratly Islands. All 10 member-states of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) approved a code of conduct for the islands in the South China Sea, which will in turn be presented to China, which is not a member.

Friction over the islands, in the South China Sea, most recently erupted in August when Vietnamese troops based on one islet fired warning shots at Philippine military planes.



Woolly Mammoth Find

The remains of four woolly rhinos have been unearthed in an English quarry.

Scientists describe the group find at Whitemoor Haye in Staffordshire as “extraordinary” and one of the best Ice Age discoveries of its type in Northern Europe in recent years.

In addition to the great beasts, researchers have also dug out a remarkable range of superbly preserved plants and insects. One of the rhinos even has plant material still stuck to its teeth, giving possible clues to its last meal.

Taken together, the specimens should enable archaeologists to build up a detailed picture of what life was like in this particular corner of the UK 30-50,000 years ago.

“We'll be able to piece together the whole Ice Age environment in that area by the banks of the River Trent,” said Simon Buteux, director of the field archaeology unit at the University of Birmingham.

He told BBC News Online: “The plants in particular are beautifully preserved – they look as if they were buried last week quite frankly. And in amongst them are remains of beetles which are very sensitive to the climate, so this will give us good clues to what the local environment was back then.”

The initial woolly rhino (Coelodonta antiquus) discovery was made by quarryman Ray Davies, who pulled up a massive skull in the bucket of his digger.

Gary Coates, a University of Birmingham archaeologist, said: “I've been working at Whitemoor Haye Quarry for five years and have excavated everything from prehistoric burial grounds to Roman farmsteads, but this find was totally unexpected.

“It's the biggest find – in all senses of the word – I've ever been involved with.”


Execution denounced in world protest

A coalition of international human rights organisations is calling on countries around the world to abolish capital punishment in the first World Day Against the Death Penalty. Sixty cities around the world marked the occasion by illuminating significant landmarks: Barcelona lit up the Gaudi cathedral, Santiago illuminated its central park, and Belgium lit up its Atomium structure, with a dove of peace on the top. According to Amnesty International, at least 3,000 people were executed in 31 countries across the world last year.

The event was inspired by the city of Rome, which lights up the Colosseum when an execution order is overturned or a country abolishes capital punishment. The coalition wants to bring pressure on nations such as China and the United States, where the death penalty is still widely used.

According to human rights group Amnesty International, China executed more people in the first three months of the campaign that began in May 2002, than did the rest of the world over the past three years. At least 2,600 people were put to death in China last year alone, according to Amnesty. Next to China, Iran had the second-highest tally of executions in 2001, putting to death at least 139 people, Amnesty said. Saudi Arabia was third with 79 executions, and the United States followed, having put 66 people to death, the organisation said.