News Headlines 9th August

Ban on livestock movements eased

A ban on livestock movements brought in following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth in Surrey has been eased. Following the midnight restriction changes, farmers outside the county's surveillance zone can take livestock to slaughter and dispose of dead animals.
Meanwhile, culling has been ordered on a third farm, next to the second farm already affected, on suspicion that the disease could be developing there.
A European Union export ban on British meat and livestock remains in place.

Two die in RAF helicopter crash

Two people have died and 10 others have been injured following an RAF helicopter crash in North Yorkshire. The helicopter came down some time before 2130 BST on Wednesday near the Hudswell Grange wooded area to the west of the Catterick Garrison army base.
A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman said some of casualties taken to hospitals in Middlesbrough and Newcastle were "walking wounded".
He said that a board of inquiry would investigate the cause of the crash.


Passenger 'hid monkey under hat'

A man has been questioned by police at LaGuardia airport in New York after smuggling a monkey onto a flight from Florida by hiding it under his hat.
Passengers spotted the animal when it climbed out and perched on the man's ponytail, Spirit Airlines spokeswoman Alison Russell told reporters.
Ms Russell said the monkey - a marmoset - spent the remainder of the flight in the man's seat and was well-behaved.

Endeavour shuttle heads to space

The space shuttle Endeavour has begun an 11 to 14 day assembly mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The shuttle blasted off as planned at 2336 BST (1836 EDT) on Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The mission is the second of four that Nasa plans this year to finish the $100bn (£49.1bn) space station before the shuttle fleet retires in 2010.
On board was Barbara Morgan, once the reserve behind Christa McAuliffe, who died in the Challenger shuttle in 1986.

Source: BBC news