Sri Lanka's wildlife veterinary surgeons have gone on strike in protest at what they say is the government's failure to manage a serious conflict between wild elephants and humans. Air Max 1 Mesh The wild elephant population has shrunk to about 4,000 as humans take over land used by the animals as corridors. About 50 people also died last year, as elephants turned violent. The vets' union said a major problem was that cattle were encroaching on elephants' food and water supplies. The country's 11 wildfire veterinary surgeons have gone on strike until Friday, the union said. Air Max 1 Premium Last year the conflict between humans and non-domesticated elephants saw the deaths of 50 people and 228 elephants. Two elderly people were killed by elephants only last Saturday. This is happening as people encroach on land traditionally used by elephants as corridors. When people put up improvised electric fences, the animals can go berserk. The secretary of the vets' union, Vijitha Perera, told the BBC that they were not satisfied with the government's attempts to address the issue. Air Max 180 He said cattle were encroaching on elephant ranges, eating their food sources and using their water. Non-native trees, useless for feeding the beasts, were being introduced and some of the animals were going deaf as people let off firecrackers to scare them. About four elephants were being killed every week, he said. The government has, however, taken some remedial measures - transferring orphaned elephants from sanctuaries to bigger parks and monitoring to see if they integrate with the wild herds. Air Max 180 Plus II The director-general of wildlife, Ananda Wijesooriya, said the wildlife vets had refused to hold discussions with him on the subject, saying they wanted to speak to the minister. The wildlife department now comes under a vast new ministry headed by a brother of the president. Air Max 2003 Air Max 2009 Air Max 2009 II Air Max 2009 III Air Max 2009 Leather

An Iraqi student who has been embroiled in a row with a Greater Manchester council over his age has gone missing, the Home Office has confirmed. Air Max 90Rabar Hamad arrived in Wigan in the wheel arch of a truck two years ago. Wigan Council paid for a place for him at a home in Oldham.He says he is 16 but social workers assessed him as being 20 and he was asked to leave the home.He faces being arrested immediately if he is found, the Home Office said.Air Max 90-360Wigan Council undertook two age assessments with Rabar, both of which said he was over 18.But an independent tribunal doctor found he was aged between 13 and 16.However, Rabar says his original documents have been lost and that the Home Office will not accept photocopies.Air Max 90 360'Safe place'Supporters fear he will be deported and have started the Rabar Hamad Must Stay Campaign, to try to stop him being sent back to Iraq which he has previously claimed would be dangerous.In a statement, a spokesman for the campaign said: "Rabar is staying in a place where he feels safe with people who are ensuring his basic day-to-day needs are being met."We continue to work towards maintaining the legal requirements set by the UK Border Agency."Air Max 90 Chi TownA spokesman for the Home Office said: "We can confirm Rabar Hamad has absconded."Immigration absconders are liable to be arrested on sight and anyone facilitating their continued presence runs the risk of prosecution, up to 14 years imprisonment and an unlimited fine."Air Max 90 CLAir Max 90 ClassicAir Max 90 Current FlywireAir Max 90 HighAir Max 90 Leather

The NHS in England faces a total bill of £65bn for new hospitals built under the private finance initiative (PFI), figures obtained by the BBC indicate. Air Max 90 PremiumThe so-called "NHS mortgage" means that for some trusts annual repayments take up more than 10% of their turnover.Experts said the fees, which are rising each year, mean less money for patient care and make it more difficult to achieve the savings being demanded.But the government said the 103 schemes were providing value for money.Under the schemes, private firms pay for and build new hospitals and mental health units, leaving the NHS to pay off what is effectively its mortgage over a period of 30 or so years.Air Max 90 ClassicThe data shows that the value of the projects when they were built was £11.3bn.However, over the lifetime of the deals, the NHS is due to pay back £65.1bn, once extra costs such as maintenance, cleaning and catering are taken into account.The figures also reveal the levels of repayments are rising. In total, the NHS currently pays back £1.25bn each year - a figure which rises year-on-year until 2030 when it will top £2.3bn. The final payment will not be made until 2048.Air Max 90 Current FlywireThe situation has prompted calls for the NHS to try to renegotiate the deals to help it cope during the squeeze on public spending and with the emphasis now on moving care out of hospitals and into the community.While the NHS budget is being protected, the health service has still been told to find up to £20bn of savings by 2014 to help it cope with pressures from the ageing population, the rising price of drugs and lifestyle changes such as obesity.Squeezed Air Max 90 HighProfessor John Appleby, chief economist at the King's Fund health think-tank, said: "It is a bit like taking out a pretty big mortgage in the expectation your income is going to rise, but the NHS is facing a period where that is not going to happen. "Money is being squeezed and the size of the repayments will make it harder for some to make the savings it needs to. I don't see why the NHS can't go back to its lenders to renegotiate the deals, just as we would with our own mortgages."Dr Mark Porter, of the British Medical Association, added: "Locking the NHS into long-term contracts with the private sector has made entire local health economies more vulnerable to changing conditions.Air Max 90 Leather"Now the financial crisis has changed conditions beyond recognition, so trusts tied into PFI deals have even less freedom to make business decisions that protect services, making cuts and closures more likely."Nigel Edwards, director of policy at the NHS Confederation, which represents trusts, accepted there was a problem."They were planned for a different world. I'm sure that in some cases people feel their hands are tied."But a Department of Health spokeswoman said the schemes were providing "value for money" and were "affordable".Air Max 90 MeshShe added: "All trusts, not just those with PFI contracts, will need to deliver significant efficiencies over the coming years in order to meet rapidly rising demands while protecting front-line services."One of the benefits of PFI is that the buildings are always contractually required to be kept in good condition - good maintenance will always cost more than not maintaining facilities to a high standard." Air Max 90 PremiumAir Max 93Air Max 95Air max 97Air Max BW

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari has returned to his flood-stricken country, after a foreign tour which has prompted widespread criticism. Air Max 90 LeatherCritics were angry he was not at home to oversee the government's response to the disaster, and continued his visit to Europe as the floods worsened.Mr Zardari is expected to go to some of the affected areas.But his office said he had been holding meetings since his return and did not plan to visit those areas on Tuesday.The UN says 1,600 people have been killed and nearly 14 million affected.Air Max 90 MeshAs the floods hit Pakistan, Mr Zardari went on a visit to France and the UK, and was criticised back home for being absent when Pakistan was being struck by the worst floods in living memory.He was already facing criticism for his handling of the economy and of security, says the BBC's Jill McGivering.Any perception that during the crisis the army has delivered, and the president proved ineffective, could compound the damage to Pakistan's beleaguered civilian government, she adds.Air Max 90 PremiumEnraged survivors have been physically attacking government officials in flood-hit areas, amid widespread anger at the pace of the relief effort.Mr Zardari's return comes as thousands of people are fleeing Muzaffargarh, a major city of about 250,000 people in Punjab province, central Pakistan, as rivers nearby are swelling and there are warnings of further floods.The flood wave is also likely to hit the Kotri Barrage near Hyderabad later on Tuesday. With several low lying areas, Hyderabad, Sindh's second largest city after Karachi, is nervous about a huge spillover.Air Max 93UN special envoy Jean-Maurice Ripert says Pakistan faces its "biggest catastrophe"Flood waters have roared down from the north to the agricultural heartland of Punjab and on to Sindh along a trail more than 1,000km (600 miles) long.In the early hours of Monday morning, the water flow coming down the Sukkur Barrage was recorded at up to 1.4m cusecs (cubic feet per second). It is only designed to withstand 900,000 cusecs.Air Max 95Upper Sindh is already under water, and rescuers are continuing to evacuate people from the province, where the Indus river banks are at risk of bursting. Two million people have already left the area.BBC Urdu will transmit six daily bulletins in Urdu and Pashto providing vital information including how to stay safe, avoid disease and access aid. Air max 97Air Max BWAir Max Kids 180Air Max LTDAir Max LTD 2

Pop star Robbie Williams and US actress and model Ayda Field have married at their Los Angeles mansion.Air Max 2010Williams, 36, and Field, 31, married in front of family and friends in the grounds of their Beverly Hills home on Saturday, the singer's spokesman said.There was tight security for the ceremony, after the couple agreed a deal with Hello! magazine.Field has appeared in US TV series including Days of Our Lives and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.Black buses with tinted windows were used to ferry in the guests. There were no fans outside, although some media helicopters flew overhead.Before the news was officially confirmed, News of the World reporter James Desborough told BBC 5 live the paper had photos taken from a helicopter. Air Max TN Special EditHe said: "We got pictures of Ayda looking astonishingly beautiful going up an aisle which was created in the back garden of his Mulholland home."Williams was "dressed in a tuxedo really looking very dapper", he added.The couple have been together for more than three years.Last year, the singer denied his mother's apparent confirmation of the couple's engagement.Air Max 1They had appeared on an Australian radio show together in which the singer jokingly asked her to marry him.The pair met through friends, prompting Williams to tell chat show host Jonathan Ross that he thought he would always be a bachelor until he got together with Field."I was introduced to Ayda and things just changed," he said."She's a wonderful person and I'm in love. She's really broody and I'm getting there."Air Max 1Williams recently announced he was rejoining the line-up of Take That to record new material and go on tour. But his bandmates are not thought to have attended the ceremony.The singer, who has won 15 Brit Awards, has previously been linked to model Rachel Hunter and was engaged to singer Nicole Appleton. Air Max 1 LeatherAir Max 1 MeshAir Max 1 PremiumAir Max 180Air Max 180 Plus II

The treasurer of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games has resigned over allegations of corruption.Air Max 90 ClassicAnil Khanna quit after reports claimed an Australian firm won the contract to lay tennis courts for the Games because his son headed its Indian arm.All India Tennis Association chief Khanna denies any wrongdoing.His departure came on the same day that three other senior Games officials were suspended following an investigation into financial irregularities. Air Max TN Special EditThey are joint directors general TS Darbari and M Jeyachandran, and deputy director general Sanjay Mohindroo.An inquiry carried out in 2009 by India's anti-corruption agency, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) identified 16 Games-related projects in which irregularities were suspected.The CVC reported it had discovered a number of issues with construction work for the Games, which begin on 3 October in the Indian capital, including the use of poor-quality materials and dubious contracts.Air Max 90 Current FlywireIts findings prompted Delhi's organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi to form a three-member panel to investigate the claims.And the panel's conclusion will now be forwarded to India's financial anti-corruption watchdog, the Enforcement Directorate.Darbari and Jeyachandran have denied any wrongdoing while Mohindroo is no longer on the Committee's payroll.Air Max 90 HighMr Khanna said: "I have a clear conscience and I don't want to be seen anywhere near corruption. So I have submitted my resignation for the peace of my family and myself."India's sports minister, MS Gill, told parliament: "If officials are found to be corrupt, they will be removed. We will look into every single charge and the truth shall be brought before the nation."Preparations for the Delhi Games have been plagued by construction delays and concerns over security.Air Max 90 LeatherBut Mr Gill claimed: "Most of the venues have already hosted test events without glitches."I have had a look at the stadiums, they are ready. Just the finishing work remains to be done." Air Max 90 MeshAir Max 90 PremiumAir Max 93Air Max 95Air max 97

An all-party meeting aimed at tackling Scotland's alcohol problem is to be held at Holyrood.Air Max 2010 MeshThe meeting was proposed by opposition parties in a bid to explore alternatives to the government's minimum alcohol pricing policy.It will be attended by members of the government, as well as Labour, the Tories, Lib Dems and Greens.The minority SNP government intends to push ahead with minimum pricing despite opposition from a majority of MSPs.Air Max 2012Speaking ahead of Wednesday afternoon's meeting, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said the government would confirm the proposed minimum price for alcohol before the next stage of the Alcohol (Scotland) Bill.Ms Sturgeon said: "I believe that tackling Scotland's damaging relationship with alcohol should transcend party politics."There is a large and growing body of support for minimum pricing and I appeal to opposition colleagues to support the evidence-based policy that already has the backing of doctors, nurses, the police and significant numbers of the wider population. Air Max 2012 Mesh"Colleagues have asked that we publish the rate at which the minimum price will be set and I can confirm that I will announce that before Stage 2 of the bill."Tory health spokesman Murdo Fraser said it was time for the Scottish government to "work with other parties on areas of common agreement" in order to tackle problem drinking in Scotland.He added: "We believe that the tax and duty system has a major part to play in increasing the price of problem drinks. We welcome the commitment from the UK government, reiterated by George Osborne in June's budget, to bring forward proposals in the autumn on increasing duty on a targeted basis.Air Max Turbulence"Increasing prices through duty increases government revenues to help fund health and justice programmes, unlike minimum pricing which simply enriches supermarkets and retailers still further."We look forward to a constructive dialogue with the SNP government and taking measures forward which will benefit all of Scotland."Lib Dem health spokesman Ross Finnie said "real progress" could be made on tackling Scotland's "shameful" relationship with alcohol if all parties worked constructively together.Air Max 24-7"Clamping down on retailers selling to underage children and people who are already drunk would go a long way," he said.'Alternative policy'The meeting comes after Ms Sturgeon accepted an invitation extended to her by the four opposition parties at Holyrood.The invitation letter stated that the meeting should be an "opportunity to put party politics to one side, and focus on the common ground between us". Air Max 24 7It continued: "There are no conditions attached to this invitation. We accept that the SNP will continue to make the case for minimum unit pricing."But this should not preclude the search for an alternative policy that is capable of commanding broader support across the chamber."The Scottish government's plans for a minimum unit price for alcohol are widely backed by health professionals, the police and sections of the drinks industry. Air Maxim 1MSPs voted against the policy in principle in June, but ministers intend to continue with the plan because the vote was non-binding.A recent NHS study suggested Scottish adults buy a quarter more alcohol than adults elsewhere in Britain.Air Max 360Air Max 90Air Max 90-360Air Max 90 360Air Max 90 Chi Town

Colonels from North Korea and the US have met under UN auspices for a third round of talks.Air Max 2009 IIIThe talks with the US-led UN Command follow a large-scale military exercise by US and South Korean troops.China also carried out live-fire naval drills this week, state media report, while South Korea plans its own anti-submarine drill next week.Tensions have been high on the Korean peninsula since the North was accused of torpedoing a South Korean warship.The Cheonan sank on 26 March with the loss of 46 South Korean lives.Nike Air Structure Triax 91The US-South Korean military exercise was a four-day naval and air operation in the seas around the Korean peninsula, described as the first of a series.It had prompted strong denunciations from Pyongyang, which had threatened to unleash nuclear retaliation if the exercises went ahead.Instead, the UN Command talks took place at the Panmunjom border village as scheduledAir Max 2009 LeatherNorth Korea has strongly denied any role in the sinking of the Cheonan but agreed to hold tension-reducing talks under the UN Command.These talks are intended to set up higher-level consultations. When the talks were last held on July 23, the two sides discussed forming a joint group to assess the circumstances of, and evidence on, the sinking.Nike Air YeezyThe UN Command has been based in the South since the end of the 1950-53 war to enforce the armistice which ended the conflict.There are about 28,500 US troops based in South Korea.China, which has heavily criticised the US-South Korean exercises, said on Thursday that it too had carried out live-fire naval and aviation drills. Air Max 2009 IIIThe exercises, involving precision strike training, were carried out on 26 July in the South China Sea, the Xinhua news agency reports. Air Max 2009 Leather SiAir Max+ 2009Air Max 2010Air Max 2010 LeatherAir Max 2010 Mesh