London, Nov 9 : Priests should be allowed to marry, according to a leading candidate to become the next head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

The Rt Rev Malcolm McMahon, Bishop of Nottingham, said that there is no doctrinal reason preventing them from getting married.

For centuries, Roman Catholic priests have been required to take a vow of celibacy, but Bishop McMahon argued that this now seemed unfair following the influx of married Anglican clergy. 

His comments are set to reignite the debate over whether the Church should put an end to the tradition in order to tackle the problem of shortage of priests. 

London, Nov 9 : Cheryl Cole may have never spoken about her older brother Andrew’s troubled life but now he has revealed how the caring ‘Girls Aloud’ singer has repeatedly tried to help him get his life on track.

Andrew, who grew up with Cheryl on a heroin-ravaged estate in Newcastle, is an alcoholic drug addict, who has spent a third of his life behind bars.

Andrew, who is now out of jail, has an appalling record of more than 50 court appearances, many for violence and thuggery.

Now, the 28-year-old has revealed how his ‘worried’ sister used to quietly visit him in jail as he served time for a brutal robbery.

London, Nov 9 : Princes William and Harry have managed to raise just 1,500 pounds each for their much- publicised motorbike charity ride across Africa.

However, 83 other people on the same ride raised an average of 3,500 pounds each.

A representative for William and Harry confirmed that the charity donation was just 1,500 pounds each, but insisted the princes had raised the profile of the charity ride.

“The princes both donated the minimum required to take part but their presence on the ride, as with their support of other charities, raised its profile and we expect more riders to be taking part next year, so it raises more money indirectly,” the Mirror quoted the spokesman, as saying.

Berlin - Germany marked Sunday the sudden end of the Berlin Wall 19 years ago, with the former mayor of West Berlin, Walter Momper, recalling it as a "wonderful gift to the Germans."

The commemoration coincided with more sombre ceremonies marking Kristallnacht, the 1938 orgy of Nazi violence against Jews.

Momper, who was Berlin mayor from 1989 to 1991 and is now speaker of the state of Berlin legislature, said the date wrapped together both the peaceful revolution against communism in 1989 and the pogrom of 1938.

After weeks of protests, East German authorities suddenly announced on November 9, 1989, that their citizens could pass through the wall and visit the West at will.

London - Ceremonies took place across Britain and Ireland on Sunday to remember the servicemen and women who lost their lives in armed conflict.

Queen Elizabeth II led Remembrance Sunday events by laying a traditional poppy wreath at the Cenotaph in London's Whitehall.

Remembrance services, which take place on the Sunday closest to November 11, the date of the end of World War I, this year fall two days before the 90th anniversary of the end of that conflict.

Military performances are due to take place in London's Trafalgar Square to commemorate the anniversary.

The war dead were also commemorated in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast, as well as in other cities and towns across Britain and Ireland.

Damascus - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday spoke out against the signing of the US-Iraqi security pact, saying the presence of US troops in Iraq posed a threat to stability in the region.

"The presence of occupation forces constitutes a permanent threat to Iraq's neighbours," al-Assad told Arab parliamentarians.

The security deal being negotiated between Baghdad and Washington outlines the future of US troops in Iraq after a United Nations mandate expires at the end of this year.

Under the deal, al-Bashar said, Iraq would become "a base for attacks on its neighbours."

Iran has also indicated its opposition to the deal, calling it an "assault on the sovereignty of Iraq."