Brown maintaining security in South Iraq by Zuzana Moravcova

As the British government outlined the first steps in a rethink of the war on terrorism in November, they decided to begin withdrawing their troops from Iraq. Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown made an unannounced visit to Basra in Iraq to mobilise troops and confirmed that Iraqi forces will take command of the last region under British control within two weeks. It was in accordance to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who recommends responsibility for security in southern Iraq to be handed over to local police and soldiers. Brown said they were able to move to provincial Iraqi control thanks to everything the soldiers had achieved. Britain believes there is going to be transition from a military mission in Iraq to one with a stronger economic component, aimed at bracing a country divided by war and years of neglect under Saddam Hussein. Earlier the Chancellor said it was crucial for Iraq to be seen to be 'running its own affairs' and offering £100m for economic reconstruction. Unemployment is supposed to be a factor in helping to recruit insurgents. In October, Tony Blair suggested that British forces could be home from Iraq within the next 12 to 18 months. "We have got to help the Iraqi economy get back on its feet so we can see Iraq running its own affairs, and we could see a reduction in troops over the next few months." A total of 173 members of British troops have died in Iraq since the invasion in March 2003. Due to the $12 billion annual price tag of operations in Iraq, Britain's participation in the invasion of Iraq led by U. S. and the ongoing presence of their troops is becoming strongly unpopular in Britain.

by Zuzana Moravcova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

"Canoe man" under suspicion of fraud by Zuzana Moravcova

John Darwin (57) who was believed to be dead for five years suddenly walked in the police station on Saturday . He is currently being questioned by Cleveland police. Wife of the reappered, Anne Darwin (55), who claimed she had not seen her husband since his disappearance in 2002, when his kanoe was found on the coast of north Yorkshire, admitted she had been in touch with him. As she was shown a photograph of her posing with her husband in Panama last year, she broke down in tears saying "My sons are never going to forgive me ". "How could our mum continue to let us believe our dad had died when he was very much alive? We have not spoken to either of our parents since our dad's arrest and at this present time we want no further contact with them," said sons of the couple, Marc (31) and Anthony (29), to the Cleveland police. The reappeared, former prison officer and teacher, is said to have started new life in Panama. Following Daily mail report, during last five years, while he was thought to be missing, his wife collected life insurance payouts on her husband and sold the couple's family properties for 400,000 pounds. The sons said they have been the victims of a large scam carried out by their own parents. The police are currently trying to contact Mrs. Darwin who is said to have left Panama.

by Zuzana Moravcova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.