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In a reprise of the dour Presbyterian Minister character the Reverend I.M. Jolly, created by the late comedian Rikki Fulton, Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, took part in the BBC's annual charity appeal for Children in Need. Last year the BBC's appeal raised approximately £37 million, and by 11pm last night the total raised had exceeded £10 million. The BBC hopes to break last year's telethon total and final figures will not be available for some time. The three minute skit was part of BBC Scotland's presentation of the charity appeal

Scotland has refused bail to the Libyan man convicted of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 despite his terminal cancer, as he can receive treatment in prison. Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi was jailed in 2001 for the 1988 bombing of the transatlantic airliner, killing 270 people, but is seeking to have his conviction overturned. Minutes after Edinburgh's Appeals Court rejected bail on compassionate grounds Jim Swire, spokesman for the victim's families who lost his daughter in the disaster, complained about the ruling. "It has never been a go

India's first lunar mission, the Chandrayaan-1 (meaning 'moon craft' in Sanskrit), reached its destined lunar orbit on Wednesday. The satellite's on-board engine was fired for 58 seconds. It is now in a circular orbit 102 kilometres from the Moon. It will stay in this orbit for two years and conduct various experiments to gain a better understanding of the Moon. According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) officials, the Moon Impact Probe (MIP), with an Indian flag painted on it, will be dropped late tonight. The MIP has a mass of

Raouf Amin el-Araby, a 52-year-old Egyptian doctor who has been serving the Saudi Royal family for 20 years, was convicted of malpractice. Egyptian newspapers reported that he was accused of driving a Saudi princess "to addiction", reportedly after treating a Saudi princess with painkillers. Initially sentenced to 7 years and 700 lashes, he has been sentenced to 15 years and 1500 lashes, 70 a week, after making an appeal. Family members, friends and colleagues gathered in outrage and grief outside the headquarters of Egypt's doctors union, c

The Eurozone is now officially in a recession, due to the recently released figures showing that, in the third quarter of 2008, the economy shrunk by 0.2%. For a recession to be official, the economy must have shrunk for at least two consecutive quarters. This is the case as the Eurozone's economy, which also shrunk by 0.2% in the second quarter of this year. Howard Archer, the chief European economist for Global Insight commented on these results. "Not only did the third quarter contraction in GDP confirm that the Eurozone is now in recessio

Mobile telephone company Nokia, the world's largest manufacturer of mobile telephones, based in Finland, has today lowered its forecasts for the number of mobile handsets to be sold in 2008 by 1.5%, due to the current economic crisis. It lowered its forecast for the total number of mobile phones to be sold in 2008 to 1.24 billion, down from 1.26 billion. Nokia also stated that it's "preliminary estimate is that the industry mobile device volumes will be down in 2009 compared to 2008, impacted by the continuing overall economic slowdown." "In

More than 1,000 protesters showed up to demonstrate in front of the Los Angeles temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Friday, November 7, to protest the church's involvement with the passing of Proposition 8. The proposition passed with 52% support, and would amend the California constitution to ban gay marriage, which was recently made legal by court order. The temple is located in Los Angeles, California. According to a member of the Los Angeles Police Department, the Temple grounds were vandalized by protesters, and

A United Kingdom radio presenter with the BBC was fired on Saturday, and replaced, after an allegedly racist off-air phone call. Sam Mason of BBC Radio Bristol had earlier called up a taxi firm to arrange a booking for her 14-year-old daughter. Mason asked the operator not to send an Asian cab driver. She said, "A guy with a turban on is going to freak her out." After the operator refused Mason snapped back claiming, "You’ve managed it before." The original female operator had passed the call over to another operator. Mason then accused the f

Less than one week after the College La Promesse Evangelique in Pétionville, Haiti collapsed, a second school in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, has partially collapsed injuring nine people. The Grace Divine school partially collapsed while school was in session, but no one was trapped or killed. At least two people were transported to an area hospital with serious injuries. Reports state that most of the children attending the school, were outside playing in the playground when the collapse occurred. An investigation is being conducted,

On Monday, the Pakistan branch of the Taliban captured a supply convoy of thirteen trucks and two armored Humvees bound for NATO troops, without incurring a single fatality. They made off with millions of dollars worth of sophisticated military equipment, according to The Washington Post. Approximately 60 masked militants belonging to Tehrik-i-Taliban blocked off part of a roadway in the Khyber Pass. The Taliban forces overran the Pakistani security forces, who were moving the shipment to an American military base, and briefly took the truck d

In what could be a major medical breakthrough, or a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, a 42-year-old American man was cured of AIDS after receiving a bone marrow transplant in Berlin, Germany two years ago. The transplant was performed as part of a treatment for his leukemia. The unnamed man received the marrow from a donor who had a very rare genetic mutation which doctors say leaves a person almost 100% immune to AIDS and the virus that causes it. After radiation treatment for his cancer, and treatments involving several types of AIDS medicati

Iranian diplomat Heshmatollah Atharzadeh has been kidnapped by armed men in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Thursday morning, police have said. The diplomat's car was ambushed in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan. Atharzadeh was heading from home to office with his guard when the car was ambushed in Hayatabad, a neighbourhood near the Khyber Agency region bordering Afghanistan. The guard was killed in the attack. The Iranian consulate in Peshawar confirmed that the commercial attaché had been kidnapped. Iran's ambassador