Syria: Russia And US Push For New Peace Talks

The US Secretary Of State says America and Russia are "committed to working together" to solve the Syrian crisis and have agreed to push for a peace conference aimed at ending the war.

John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov are holding a second day of talks in Geneva where they are working on a plan to remove Syria's chemical weapons and avert American military action.

They held discussions this morning with UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi before the main meeting.

After the talks, Mr Kerry said the US and Russia agreed to meet again in New York later this month to try to set a date for a long-delayed peace conference.

"We are committed to trying to work together, beginning with this initiative on the chemical weapons, in hopes that those efforts could pay off and bring peace and stability to a war-torn part of the world," Mr Kerry told a joint news briefing.

But he said the chances for a peace conference "will obviously depend on the capacity to have success here...on the subject of the chemical weapons."

L to R: Mr Lavrov, Mr Brahimi and Mr Kerry

The peace talks, first proposed during Mr Kerry's visit to Moscow earlier this year, have failed so far to materialise, while the fighting on the ground in Syria has intensified.

But the issue of chemical weapons was set to dominate the day, after Syria earlier applied to join the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The treaty bans the production, use and stockpiling of chemical weapons, but Syria's opposition National Coalition said it was "deeply sceptical" about the move.

"Such a gesture comes as too little, too late to save civilians from the regime's murderous intent and is clearly an attempt to evade international action as well as accountability in front of the Syrian people," the umbrella group said.

However Russia, Iran and China have welcomed Syria's decision to join the treaty.

The Syrian leader said US threats must stop if he is to give up weapons

"I would like to express hope that it will be a very serious step on the path to solving the Syrian crisis," Russian leader Vladimir Putin said.

The UN also welcomed Syria's move - the first stage of a four-point plan -  but said that it could take 30 days for it to become a member.

Syrian President Bashar al Assad has also said the process of surrendering the stockpile would begin when he hands over information on the weapons in 30 days.

However, the US has firmly rejected that timetable and wants more immediate action.

Mr Kerry said despite 30 days being normal procedure, Syria's words were "simply not enough".

"There is nothing standard about this process," he added.

Supporters of Mr Assad celebrated his birthday earlier this week

America's top diplomat is wary of any stalling tactics and said there could still be military strikes if the Syrian regime reneged on its promises.

"There ought to be consequences if it doesn't take place," Mr Kerry warned at a news conference.

Mr Assad managed to avert potential US strikes by agreeing to the deal, but denied being influenced by the military threat.

"Syria is placing its chemical weapons under international control because of Russia. The US threats did not influence the decision," the Syrian leader told Russian state TV.

After agreeing to the Chemical Weapons Convention, Syria must then declare exactly what weapons it has.

The third stage of the plan is for UN inspectors to visit the country and verify Mr Assad's declaration. The final stage is for the weapons to be destroyed.

Fierce conventional warfare continues in Damascus

The US claims a chemical gas attack on August 21 killed 1,429 people, but other estimates of the deaths are lower.

Syria and Russia blame the country's rebel forces for the atrocity.

The political wrangling comes as conventional fighting - such as rocket attacks and gun battles - continues in many of Syria's devastated towns and cities.

For those on the ground it is this type of warfare that is ripping the country apart.

"The reality is conventional weapons killed hundreds of thousands and made many millions of refugees," one soldier told Sky correspondent Alex Rossi, who is in Damascus.

"Nobody talks about that - only the use of chemicals."

Fighting in the northern city of Aleppo also remains as fierce as ever.

Government forces, bolstered by Hizbollah troops from neighbouring Lebanon, are ramping up their attack on the opposition stronghold.

The two-and-a-half-year civil war has claimed more than 100,000 lives and created more than two million refugees, according to recent UN figures.

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Delhi Gang Rape: Four Men Sentenced To Death

By Neville Lazarus, Sky News Producer, in Delhi

Four men have been sentenced to death for the fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old woman on a bus in Delhi.

A judge said Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh should be hanged after they were convicted of the brutal attack.

In his 230-page judgement, Yogesh Khanna said the severity of the crime meant it fell into the "rarest of rare" category, telling the men: "We cannot turn a blind eye towards such a gruesome crime. There cannot be any tolerance.

"The victim was tortured to the end. There is a zero tolerance in society for such a crime."

A police vehicle carrying the four men arrives at a court in Delhi

Thakur, 28, Sharma, 20, Gupta, 19, and Singh, 26, lured their victim and her male friend onto the bus last December before raping the woman, assaulting her with an iron bar and dumping her on the roadside with her friend.

She suffered serious internal injuries and died in hospital in Singapore 13 days after the attack, which triggered violent protests across India.

New laws were introduced and existing ones amended, while fast-track courts were set up to try men accused of sexual crimes.

Police used CCTV images to track the bus and arrested two of the accused within 24 hours of the attack.

Tight security was in place outside Delhi's Saket District Court

The court case relied on evidence from the victim given to a magistrate before her death, as well as statements from her friend, forensic evidence, fingerprints and DNA samples.

Bite marks were also matched with dental impressions of the men.

A defence lawyer in the case had asked for sentences of life imprisonment, saying Indian law calls for execution only in exceptional cases.

The counsel referred to their family background and economic status and said they had clean past records.

However, prosecutor Dayan Krishnan joined the victim's family and leading politicians in calling for the men to be given the death penalty, telling the court: "There can be nothing more diabolic than a helpless girl put through torture."

Protesters outside court had called for the men to face the death penalty

The father of the victim said he was satisfied with the verdict, telling reporters: "We are very happy. Justice has been delivered."

Besides rape and murder, Thakur, Sharma, Gupta and Singh were found guilty of three abduction offences and various other counts, including attempted murder, banditry, destruction of evidence, voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery and dishonestly receiving stolen property.

Defence lawyers said they will appeal to the High Court and, if necessary, the Supreme Court.

A fifth defendant in the case, Ram Singh, was found hanged in his cell in Delhi's Tihar prison in March.

A woman lights a candle at a vigil for the 23-year-old victim

A sixth person, who was a juvenile at the time of the attack, has already been found guilty of murder, rape and kidnapping and sentenced to three years in a correction facility.

On an average, judges in India hand down 130 death sentences a year, although in the last 17 years only three executions have taken place.

India, which voted against a draft UN resolution calling for a global moratorium on executions, currently has 477 death row prisoners.

According to the National Crimes Records Bureau, 1,121 rape cases were recorded in Delhi in the first eight months of the year - double the number in the same period in 2012.

Police say the increase is due to more cases being reported.

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Leicester Fire: Four Dead Following Blaze

Police investigating the deaths of four people in a house fire have said they cannot rule out the blaze being linked to the murder of a man in a nearby street.

The four - whose details have not been released - were found dead in the early hours of Friday after emergency crews were called to the terraced property in Leicester.

Police and firefighters attended the burning building at Wood Hill, in the Spinney Hills area, at around 12.35am.

One local shopkeeper said a woman from Pakistan and her three British-born children - aged 15 to around 20 - lived at the house.

The blaze happened several hours after a man was attacked half a mile away in Kent Street.

The murder victim, in his 20s, was assaulted at around 5.30pm and was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary where he died.

A Leicestershire Police spokesman said: "Police were called at around 12.35 this morning by the fire service following a report of a fire at a house on Wood Hill, Leicester.

"On attendance it was reported that occupants were still inside the property and four people were found deceased in upstairs bedrooms.

"The fire, which caused extensive damage to the property, was extinguished by the fire service and the property has been cordoned off to allow for a full forensic examination.

"The circumstances and cause of the fire are currently under investigation and officers would ask anyone who has any information regarding the incident to please contact them.

"We are unable to rule out at this stage if this incident is linked to anything else we are investigating."

A post-mortem examination is due to take place on the murdered man and Detective Chief Inspector Simon Cure said the investigation was "in its very early stages".

This morning a police cordon was placed around the burned-out property as forensics teams and fire investigators hunted for clues.

Hashim Bahadur, 58, a businessman who works across the road from the gutted house, said: "Police have closed everything down.

"We know that four people have passed away in the terraced house - it is so sad."

Shopkeeper Sattar Raidhan said: "They are a good, educated family."

He added that the children's father works in Ireland during the week as a doctor, and returns home at weekends.

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Omagh Bombing Public Inquiry Ruled Out

Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers has rejected the request for a public inquiry into the Omagh bombing.

Ms Villiers has decided there are not enough grounds to justify a further review or inquiry into the attack by the Real IRA in 1998, in which 29 people died.

The blast in Co Tyrone was one of the worst atrocities in the Northern Ireland conflict and relatives had called for an all-Ireland probe into whether more could have been done to prevent it.

But Ms Villiers said: "I do not believe that there are sufficient grounds to justify a further review or inquiry above or beyond those that have already taken place or are ongoing.

"This was not an easy decision to make and all views were carefully considered.

"I believe that the ongoing investigation by the office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland is the best way to address any outstanding issues relating to the police investigation."

Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan died in the bombing, told Sky News he was "absolutely disappointed but not surprised".

"We gave both governments a document over a year ago that shows that both the British and Irish government could have done something to prevent the Omaga bomb," he said.

"Those people didn't need to die and yet here we have the Secretary of State saying we cannot have a public inquiry."

Mr Gallagher claimed the reasons given for the refusal were "trivial" and revealed relatives would immediately start pursuing a judicial review.

"We have the result now - it's not the result we wanted but at least we can move forward. We can go to the courts and that's exactly what we will do," he said in Belfast.

He insisted a full, public judicial inquiry with the power to compel witnesses to attend was required - pointing out that the police ombudsman does not have that ability.

The bomb in 1998 was detonated just months after the signing of the historic Good Friday Agreement peace deal.

No one has been criminally convicted but four republicans were found liable in a landmark civil case taken by relatives and ordered to pay £1.6m in compensation.

A number of survivors and the families of victims supported the bid for a full inquiry but others told the Secretary of State it would cause them further pain.

Their views were weighed against other factors including the series of previous inquiries and the current investigation by the police ombudsman, officials said.

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Prince William Leaves The Armed Forces

Prince William: Military Career

Updated: 11:43am UK, Thursday 12 September 2013

The Duke of Cambridge - who will one day be head of the armed forces - began his military career more than seven years ago when he followed his younger brother Prince Harry into Sandhurst.

At the age of 23, he commenced 44 weeks of gruelling training at the royal military academy in Camberley, Surrey, where the course is designed to push new recruits to the brink of exhaustion and shape cadets into Army officers.

By signing up, he was continuing a historic family tradition of military service and he became the most senior royal in recent memory to attend the college.

In December 2006, he graduated and was commissioned into the British Army as an officer.

The Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and William's then girlfriend Kate Middleton gathered to watch him in the passing-out parade which marked the end of his training.

William went on to join Harry's regiment, the Household Cavalry's Blues and Royals, and was promoted to lieutenant in 2007.

Continuing his career in the forces, he received his RAF wings from his father at RAF Cranwell in April 2008 after completing an intensive 12-week flying course - a feat which saw him become the fourth successive generation of the monarchy to become an RAF pilot.

He faced criticism later that month after he was allowed to practice landing a Chinook helicopter in a field behind the Middleton family home and when he flew himself and his brother by Chinook to a stag do on the Isle of Wight. 

The Ministry of Defence defended the flights as part of William's training.

Shortly after, he made a brief flying visit to RAF detachments at Kandahar Air Base in Afghanistan to meet frontline troops.

But while Harry has completed two deployments to Afghanistan, William, who has always insisted he wants to be able to fight in war zones despite being a future king, has yet to achieve his ambition.

Harry revealed earlier this year that William was envious of his tours.

"I think there is a bit of jealousy, not just the fact that I get to fly this, but obviously he'd love to be out here. And to be honest with you, I don't see why he couldn't," Harry said.

In June 2008, William began a two-month attachment with the Royal Navy to help familiarise him with all aspects of the armed forces. 

He joined a Royal Navy rescue team on a hurricane disaster exercise in the Caribbean and, while on board frigate HMS Iron Duke, took part in a drugs bust that seized more than one tonne of cocaine from a speedboat in the North Atlantic.

In September 2008 it was announced that William wanted to become a full time RAF search and rescue pilot.

"The time I spent with the RAF earlier this year made me realise how much I love flying," he revealed.

He began training in January 2009, later completing advanced helicopter flying training at the Defence Helicopter Flying School based at RAF Shawbury near Shrewsbury in Shropshire and undergoing the search and rescue conversion course at RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales.

"Flight Lieutenant Wales" became a full-time operational search and rescue pilot at RAF Valley - albeit with time off for royal appearances - and has been serving with C Flight, 22 Squadron, on Anglesey since September 2010.

A typical tour for a pilot in the RAF Search and Rescue Force (SARF) is 30 to 36 months.

William carried out emergency missions in a Sea King helicopter to rescue stranded climbers and stricken vessels. His first rescue as a fully operational pilot was in October 2010, helping a man who fell seriously ill while working on a gas rig in Morecambe Bay.

The Duke, who qualified as an operational captain in 2012, giving him overall control of his helicopter, has spoken of his "calling" to save lives.

In an interview for BBC Wales documentary Helicopter Rescue, he said: "There's no greater feeling than when you've actually done some good and saved someone's life.

"I don't think there's any greater calling in life... to be able to see a son or daughter's face when you bring their mother or father back from the edge of death - it's quite powerful."

He has also described his close bond with fellow crewmates, describing them as a family.

During February and March last year, the Duke spent more than six weeks flying search and rescue missions in the Falkland Islands, but his deployment caused a diplomatic row with Argentina.

William, who will one day as king be head of the armed forces, holds several honorary military appointments. He was made Royal Colonel of the Irish Guards in 2011 and wore the regiment's red tunic at his wedding.

He is also Commodore-in-Chief of Scotland and Commodore-in-Chief of Submarines and Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Coningsby near Lincoln.

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Syria: Weapons Plan Faces 'Immense' Challenges

Vladimir Putin's Letter To America

Updated: 8:42am UK, Thursday 12 September 2013

By Vladimir Putin, Russian President, for The New York Times

Recent events surrounding Syria have prompted me to speak directly to the American people and their political leaders. It is important to do so at a time of insufficient communication between our societies.

Relations between us have passed through different stages. We stood against each other during the Cold War. But we were also allies once, and defeated the Nazis together. The universal international organisation - the United Nations - was then established to prevent such devastation from ever happening again.

The United Nations' founders understood that decisions affecting war and peace should happen only by consensus, and with America's consent the veto by Security Council permanent members was enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The profound wisdom of this has underpinned the stability of international relations for decades.

No one wants the United Nations to suffer the fate of the League of Nations, which collapsed because it lacked real leverage. This is possible if influential countries bypass the United Nations and take military action without Security Council authorisation.

The potential strike by the United States against Syria, despite strong opposition from many countries and major political and religious leaders, including the Pope, will result in more innocent victims and escalation, potentially spreading the conflict far beyond Syria's borders.

A strike would increase violence and unleash a new wave of terrorism. It could undermine multilateral efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear problem and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and further destabilise the Middle East and North Africa. It could throw the entire system of international law and order out of balance.

Syria is not witnessing a battle for democracy, but an armed conflict between government and opposition in a multireligious country. There are few champions of democracy in Syria. But there are more than enough Qaeda fighters and extremists of all stripes battling the government.

The United States State Department has designated Al Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, fighting with the opposition, as terrorist organisations. This internal conflict, fuelled by foreign weapons supplied to the opposition, is one of the bloodiest in the world.

Mercenaries from Arab countries fighting there, and hundreds of militants from Western countries and even Russia, are an issue of our deep concern. Might they not return to our countries with experience acquired in Syria? After all, after fighting in Libya, extremists moved on to Mali. This threatens us all.

From the outset, Russia has advocated peaceful dialogue enabling Syrians to develop a compromise plan for their own future. We are not protecting the Syrian government, but international law. We need to use the United Nations Security Council and believe that preserving law and order in today's complex and turbulent world is one of the few ways to keep international relations from sliding into chaos.

The law is still the law, and we must follow it whether we like it or not. Under current international law, force is permitted only in self-defence or by the decision of the Security Council. Anything else is unacceptable under the United Nations Charter and would constitute an act of aggression.

No one doubts that poison gas was used in Syria. But there is every reason to believe it was used not by the Syrian army, but by opposition forces, to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons, who would be siding with the fundamentalists. Reports that militants are preparing another attack - this time against Israel - cannot be ignored.

It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States. Is it in America's long-term interest? I doubt it. Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan "you're either with us or against us".

But force has proved ineffective and pointless. Afghanistan is reeling, and no one can say what will happen after international forces withdraw. Libya is divided into tribes and clans. In Iraq the civil war continues, with dozens killed each day. In the United States, many draw an analogy between Iraq and Syria, and ask why their government would want to repeat recent mistakes.

No matter how targeted the strikes or how sophisticated the weapons, civilian casualties are inevitable, including the elderly and children, whom the strikes are meant to protect.

The world reacts by asking: if you cannot count on international law, then you must find other ways to ensure your security. Thus a growing number of countries seek to acquire weapons of mass destruction. This is logical: if you have the bomb, no one will touch you. We are left with talk of the need to strengthen non-proliferation, when in reality this is being eroded.

We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilised diplomatic and political settlement.

A new opportunity to avoid military action has emerged in the past few days. The United States, Russia and all members of the international community must take advantage of the Syrian government's willingness to place its chemical arsenal under international control for subsequent destruction.

Judging by the statements of President Obama, the United States sees this as an alternative to military action.

I welcome the president's interest in continuing the dialogue with Russia on Syria. We must work together to keep this hope alive, as we agreed to at the Group of 8 meeting in Lough Erne in Northern Ireland in June, and steer the discussion back toward negotiations.

If we can avoid force against Syria, this will improve the atmosphere in international affairs and strengthen mutual trust. It will be our shared success and open the door to cooperation on other critical issues.

My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust. I appreciate this. I carefully studied his address to the nation on Tuesday. And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States' policy is "what makes America different. It's what makes us exceptional".

It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord's blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.

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Vince Cable Raises Help-To-Buy Doubts

Vince Cable has called for the Government's flagship help-to-buy property scheme to be reconsidered in comments likely to anger George Osborne.

The Business Secretary told Sky News there was a risk of a "new housing bubble" because of recent changes in the market.

Mr Osborne's plans were a key plank of his Budget last year but prompted fears of a price surge because they do not address property availability.

Under the first stage, an equity loan scheme allows buyers with only a 5% deposit to buy a new-build property worth up to £600,000.

In January, the scheme will be extended to include a mortgage guarantee for buyers of any home up to the same value with deposits of 5-20%.

It is due to last for three years.

Asked if it should be rethought, Mr Cable said: "We should certainly think about how it should come into effect, indeed whether it should come into effect in the light of changing market conditions.

"We don't want a new housing bubble."

He cited warnings from experts including from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors this week about the "real risk" involved.

George Osborne recently hailed the change in economic fortunes

"I think in many parts of the country it clearly isn't a problem. If you are in Northern Ireland or Wales or indeed the East Midlands you would wonder what all this is about," he said.

"But certainly in London and the South East, in the north east of Scotland, in other areas, there are serious housing inflationary pressures."

Despite the warning, Treasury sources confirmed the Government's commitment to the policy and its launch next year.

Government sources added there were no plans for a rethink but that Mr Cable wants the Bank of England to keep a close eye on the scheme's effects.

His comments came as he was due to warn about "complacency" over Britain's economic recovery, insisting ministers cannot "rest on our laurels".

The Business Secretary will say later that a "few quarters of good economic data" does not mean the country is out of the woods.

The comments, in a speech to business leaders, follow Mr Osborne's declaration on Monday that the economy was finally "turning a corner".

The senior Lib Dem's intervention is likely to revive old tensions with the Chancellor after several clashes in the past.

It will also be seen as a piece of political positioning ahead of the party conference season, with the Lib Dems keen to put some distance between themselves and their Tory coalition partners.

In his address at Warwick University, Mr Cable will admit there are "encouraging" signs on the economy, but declare there is still further to go.

"We can't rest on our laurels. The kind of growth we want won't simply emerge of its own volition. In fact, I see a number of dangers. One is complacency, generated by a few quarters of good economic data," he will say.

"It isn't difficult to see evidence of confidence returning, and there are positive trends in production. Taken together with success stories like the car industry and export growth in emerging markets, we have the beginnings of a recovery story.

"But there are risks, not least the housing market getting out of control. Recovery will not be meaningful until we see strong and sustained business investment - and this is still 13% down on its 2008 peak and, as a share of GDP, is currently the lowest in the G7."

Mr Cable will stress that the improving economic news does not mean that the need for long-term restructuring and rebalancing could be forgotten.

"If we are to turn the British economy around on a sustainable basis there will have to be relatively rapid growth of exports and import substitutes," he will say

In a further sideswipe at Tory critics, he will also emphasise the need for the Government to have an industrial strategy, following a series of "classic market failures".

He will point out that Britain's growth rate for creating advanced skills put the UK just 20th out of the 27 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.

But he will also argue that his work on industrial strategy will last beyond the election because it is supported across the business world and political parties.

Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna said Mr Cable had delivered an "embarrassing slap-down" to Mr Osborne.

However, he insisted the Lib Dems could not distance themselves from the Chancellor's economic strategy.

"It also reminds everyone that you can't trust a word the Lib Dems say. Vince Cable has supported the Chancellor's policies which choked off the recovery in 2010," he said.

"Three wasted years of flatlining that has left families worse off and done long term damage to our economy is his record and he should take responsibility for it."

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Syria: Obama Cautious Over Weapons Deal

President Barack Obama has confirmed that a vote on air strikes against Syria is off - for now.

In an address to the nation he said he had asked Congress to postpone any decision on military action so a diplomatic solution could be pursued.

It came ahead the release of a UN report that confirmed at least eight massacres had been carried out in Syria by President Bashar Assad's regime and one by rebels over the past year and a half.

The UN commission investigating human rights abuses in Syria described the country as a battlefield where "massacres are perpetrated with impunity," and said said it was looking into nine more suspected mass killings since March.

Despite Mr Obama's decision to postpone the Congress vote, he said he remained cautious about Russia's plan for Syria to declare its chemical weapons - saying it was "too early to tell" if an agreement could be reached.

He said the images and videos of men, women and children dying in the suspected gas attack by President Bashar al Assad's regime were sickening and demanded a response.

Towns and cities across Syria have been destroyed

But speaking from the East Room in the White House, he said he had asked Congress to postpone a vote on action in Syria while the possibility of a diplomatic solution is pursued.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al Moallem said the regime was ready to co-operate fully with the Russian proposal to put its chemical weapons under international control, and would stop producing more.

Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Geneva to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Thursday.

But Mr Obama has ordered the US military to maintain its current posture to keep the pressure on Mr Assad's regime should diplomacy fail.

"It is too early to tell whether this offer will succeed," he said. "And any agreement must verify that the Assad regime keeps its commitments. But this initiative has the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force."

Mr Obama once again ruled out putting American "boots on the ground", but added that with "modest effort and risks", limited strikes could make Syria safer.

"A targeted strike can make Assad - or any other dictator - think twice about using chemical weapons," he said.

He accepted that many Americans were weary of military action after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Poison gas canisters

Mr Obama said the limitations he was imposing on the potential strike would ensure against the US sliding down a slippery slope into another prolonged war.

"The purpose of this strike would be to deter Assad from using chemical weapons, to degrade his regime's ability to use them and to make clear to the world that we will not tolerate their use," he explained.

Mr Obama insisted the US was not the "world's policeman", but said when ideals, principles and security are at stake, his country must act.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted by state TV as saying: "We hope that the new US attitude toward Syria would be a serious policy and not a media campaign."

At the United Nations, Britain, France and the US discussed elements of a draft Security Council resolution that would include a timeline for Syria to declare the full extent of its poison gas arsenal and to cede control of it to the UN.

An official close to French president Francois Hollande, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said tense negotiations had begun on a proposed resolution.

They said Russia objected not only to making the resolution militarily enforceable, but also to blaming the Syrian government for the chemical attack on August 21 that sparked the recent crisis.

The official said Russia also refused to agree on a demand that those responsible for the attack be taken before an international criminal court.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously insisted the handover of weapons would only work if the US rejected a use of force against Syria.

Sky's Moscow Corrrespondent, Katie Stallard, said: "Russia would be quite content for this now to get bogged down at the UN Security Council, because they are keenly aware here that there's a clock ticking down all the while, that President Obama is making his case for military action now.

"As long as the perception remains that there is a peaceful solution available, whether or not in the long term that is enforceable, they will be satisfied that is taking the wheels off his argument and the momentum behind the calls for military action."

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Turkey Shooting: Son 'Pleaded With Gunman'

The son of a British woman who was shot dead in Turkey has described how he pleaded with the gunman to stop the attack.

Alex Bury, whose mother Catherine Anne Bury was killed on Monday morning, said he tried to reason with alleged gunman Veli Acar before he opened fire on the 56-year-old.

Mr Bury and his grandmother Cecilia Bury were also shot, but survived.

Ms Bury was shot as she cowered in the bathroom

Speaking from his bed in Mugla University Hospital, Mr Bury, 24, told The Times he recognised the gunman as Acar, their gardener who was said to have been in a relationship with his mother.

Acar had apparently threatened the family earlier that weekend, but was later released by the police and returned with a pump-action shotgun to the Bury family's villa in the resort of Dalyan.

Mr Bury, who was shot in the leg, said: "I tried to reason with him. I told him it didn't have to be this way.

Alex Bury is recovering in hospital after the shooting

"He lifted the gun to his shoulder and gestured for me to go through to my mother and grandmother's room. They had heard me talking and had locked themselves in the room."

Acar is alleged to have gunned down Ms Bury as she cowered in the villa bathroom.

The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism confirmed the death of Ms Bury, who lived in the North Yorkshire village of Swainby.

Ms Bury's mother, who is in her 80s, has been discharged after treatment.

The alleged gunman was the gardener at the villa

Acar is said to have given himself up after the shooting and is due in court.

The ministry said: "The chief suspect has been arrested and is currently under custody, while a full investigation is under way."

Ms Bury, who trained as a midwife, had been working for an oil company in Dubai in a health role.

Her son worked at a North Yorkshire hotel, the Cleveland Tontine, after taking a year out of university, but is hoping to restart his studies in medicine.

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Delhi Gang Rape: Four Men Guilty Of Attack

Four men have been convicted of the gang rape of a 23-year-old woman as she travelled on a bus in Delhi.

Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh lured the woman and her male friend onto the bus as they returned home from watching a movie last December.

The physiotherapy student was raped and assaulted with an iron bar before she was dumped on the roadside with her friend.

She suffered serious internal injuries and died in a Singapore hospital 13 days after the attack.

The brutality of the assault triggered waves of protests across India, with new laws introduced and existing ones amended to give women greater protection.

The rape led to nationwide protests which forced the government to act

Fast-track courts were also set up to try men accused of sexual crimes.

The conviction of the four men follows an eight-month trial, during which more than 100 people gave evidence.

The case had been expected to finish sooner, with defence lawyers accused of using delaying tactics.

The men, who were found guilty of all charges against them, including rape and murder, are expected to be sentenced on Wednesday, when they could be given the death penalty.

A woman lights a candle during a vigil for the 23-year-old victim

Defence lawyers for Thakur, Sharma and Singh, who occasionally drove the bus and cleaned it, said they will appeal the verdict.

A fifth defendant, Ram Singh, was found hanged in his cell in Delhi's Tihar prison in March. His family and defence lawyers believe he was murdered.

A sixth person, who was a juvenile at the time of the attack, has already been found guilty of murder, rape and kidnapping.

He was sentenced to three years in a correction facility - the maximum penalty he could be given.

The parents of the victim, who argue the punishment is too lenient, called for him to be tried as an adult and to be hanged.

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Syria 'Agrees To Hand Over Chemical Weapons'

Syria has accepted a Russian proposal to put chemical weapons under international control, it has been reported.

More follows...

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Ed Miliband Stands By His Union Reforms

No Conference Role For Justine

Updated: 11:43am UK, Tuesday 10 September 2013

Ed Miliband has ruled out the possibility of his wife introducing him at the Labour Party conference later this month.

The Labour leader said there were no plans for Justine Thornton to follow in the footsteps of Gordon Brown's wife Sarah and announce him on to the stage.

There had been reports that Ms Thornton would play a higher profile at this year's event in Brighton.

It was claimed she had been drafted in in an attempt to boost her husband's flagging popularity, as his personal ratings continue to suffer.

But Mr Miliband told ITV's Daybreak : "She is working really hard in her own job, she is a lawyer and she has got a full-time job.

"She is playing her role looking after our kids and she has also got a role supporting me but ... we are not bringing her on to introduce me at conference, I can assure you of that.

"It is great to have her support, it is great to have her there."

The couple, who have two young sons Daniel and Samuel, first met in 2002 and married in May 2011 after Mr Miliband became party leader.

Ms Thornton, a former child actress, is a top barrister specialising in the environment and was described as "exceptional" in an industry guide last year.

Sarah Brown famously introduced husband Gordon at the Labour conference in 2009, calling him "my hero".

She also addressed the conference a year earlier, speaking of her pride in her husband's achievements and praised his motivation to help people.

The wives of the three current main party leaders all tend to adopt a lower profile, and balance the role with pursuing their own careers. 

Samantha Cameron works part-time as a consultant at stationers Smythson, where she was creative director before her husband became Prime Minister.

Nick Clegg's wife, who is known professionally by her maiden name Miriam Gonzalez Durantez, is a partner at the major law firm Dechert.

The mother-of-three has previously said: "I'm the wife of a politician. I don't have a role. I'm just married to him."

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89% Of Nurses Say A&E Patients Put In Danger

Nine out of 10 nurses working in acute and emergency care believe current pressure on A&E services is putting patients in danger, a nursing union has warned.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said a survey of its members found that 89% of nursing staff thought the people they were meant to be caring for were being put at risk.

Some 85% said patient safety was being compromised by the strain on departments, while one in five said this was the case on every shift.

The poll of 416 RCN members found 89% said they had experienced increased pressure in their A&E department in the last six months.

A lack of beds and staff were both key reasons for department strain

More than three quarters cited increased attendance at A&E as the reason for increased pressure, while 74% blamed inappropriate attendance at A&E where patients could have been treated elsewhere.

The survey also found 57% cited a lack of beds for patients coming into A&E, while 54% said there were too few health care staff on duty to cope with demand.

Dr Peter Carter, chief executive and general secretary of the RCN, said: "Our member survey demonstrates the same picture that NHS Confederation leaders are painting - that emergency services and the staff working within them are under increasing pressure which is putting patient safety at risk.

"Staff enter the health profession to save and improve lives through first class care.

"However they simply cannot deliver this if there are too few staff to properly treat and monitor the increasing numbers of patients, not enough beds to put them in and no clear signposting to community care that could prevent attendance at A&E."

The survey was conducted in July.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "We know A&E departments are under pressure. There are over one million more people visiting A&E compared to three years ago.

"However we know, on the whole the NHS is performing well, latest weekly figures show 96% of patients were seen in under four hours and there are more clinical staff, including 4,300 more doctors since 2010.

"We have given A&E departments an additional £500m to make sure the best care is available for every patient this winter and the next and have set aside an additional £3.8bn to help join up health and care services."

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RAF Scrambles Typhoons Amid Syria Tensions

Two RAF Typhoon jets were scrambled from their base in Cyprus to investigate unidentified aircraft in international airspace amid mounting tensions over Syria, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

Reports suggest the rogue aircraft, which were spotted on radar by the British and Turkish air forces on Monday, came from Syria.

An MoD spokesman said: "Typhoon Air Defence Aircraft operated from RAF Akrotiri on Monday, 2nd September 2013, to investigate unidentified aircraft to the east of Cyprus; the aircraft were flying legally in international airspace and no intercept was required."

The Sunday Mirror quoted a military source as saying: "This is a clear sign of the tension boiling over because of Syria. Everyone is on edge.

"It is a pretty serious move to send up Typhoons - one of their roles is to intercept any possible enemy strike."

A week ago, six RAF Typhoon jets were sent to Cyprus in what the MoD called a "prudent and precautionary measure".

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the number of countries ready to take military action against Syria was now in the "double digits" after holding talks in Lithuania with EU foreign ministers.

Mr Kerry met French foreign minister Laurent Fabius on Saturday

Following the meeting on Saturday, the EU ministers issued a call for action against Syrian President Bashar al Assad's regime.

The EU did not explicitly back military action, but Mr Kerry said he was encouraged by the "very powerful statement" made by the bloc.

"There were a number of countries, in the double digits, who are prepared to take military action," he said.

"We have more countries prepared to take military action than we actually could use in the kind of military action being contemplated."

The US accuses the Assad regime of gassing to death 1,429 people, including 426 children, in an August 21 attack outside Damascus.

In his weekly address, US President Barack Obama warned of the dangers of "turning a blind eye" to chemical attacks.

"I call on members of Congress, from both parties, to come together and stand up for the kind of world we want to live in," he said on his return from a deadlocked G20 summit in St Petersburg.

My Kerry says support for airstrikes is mounting

Mr Obama has asked for Congress to authorise strikes on Syria. Congress reconvenes on Monday and the president is set to address the nation on Tuesday about the US response.

Mr Kerry said Mr Obama had made no decision about whether to wait for the release of a UN investigation into the alleged August attack before taking action.

Prime Minister David Cameron has ruled out bringing the issue of intervention back to the Commons and he has the support of the public, according to a new poll.

The ICM survey found voters opposed MPs voting again on British involvement - even if the UN inspectors concluded chemical weapons were used, by 46% to 36%.

But almost a quarter (24%) accepted that the decision to stay out would encourage other dictators to use chemical weapons, the poll for The Sunday Telegraph showed.

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Sky Poll: Drunk A&E Patients Should Be Charged

By Thomas Moore, Health Correspondent

Patients who visit A&E while drunk or under the influence of recreational drugs should pay for the treatment they receive, according to the large majority of people questioned for a Sky News poll.

More than seven in 10 of those questioned said anyone needing emergency medical care because they were intoxicated should be charged for using NHS services.

Experts say at least seven million people a year attend A&E while drunk, placing an enormous strain on health service resources.

Sky News is broadcasting from inside the Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham

The poll commissioned for State of Emergency, Sky News' weekend of live coverage from Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre, shows that two in three people believe A&E services are in crisis and patients are being put at risk.

The Sky News poll of 1,106 people carried out by Survation also shows that eight out of 10 believe the Government must take immediate action to avoid major issues in A&E.

And more than six in 10 blame government cuts for any staff shortages and poor levels of care.

However, three-quarters of those questioned agreed that doctors and nurses were trying their best, but were being worked too hard.

To address the A&E care crisis, almost two-thirds of those asked thought consultants should be forced to work weekends and nights, with four in 10 saying senior doctors who refuse should receive less pay.

More than nine out of 10 opposed the provision of breast enlargements and tattoo removals on the NHS.

Nearly two-thirds also believed NHS managers were paid too much.

:: A&E Live Updates: Sky News On Emergency Ward

The think tank 2020health estimates that on an average weekday up to three out of every 10 patients attending A&E are there because of alcohol, and at the weekend that goes up to seven in 10.

Chief executive Julia Manning said: "We should be sending a really strong message that this is a misuse of A&E. A&E is there for people who've had road trauma accidents (and) major health incidents.

"It's not there for people who have just been mucking around and drinking too much. So we need to think of a way of creating a disincentive for people to get drunk and go to A&E, and we think one of the ways is that people should be invoiced for that use of A&E."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told Sky News that while he understood the public desire for the move, it would be a difficult measure to introduce.

"I understand why people would want that, but I think in practice it's very, very difficult to differentiate between the people who have a health problem because of a direct decision they've taken themselves, and people who are unlucky.

"I think it's also one of the fundamental things that we all love about the NHS - that in an emergency you can turn up at a hospital and get treated.

"I think the day we started differentiating and saying we're only going to treat some people, and other people are going to have to pay, I think would be a step in the wrong direction."

On Saturday, Mr Hunt warned that it would be "very, very tough" for the NHS to avoid a repeat of last winter's A&E care crisis.

In an exclusive interview with Sky News, the Health Secretary admitted to being "concerned" about the high demand for emergency care and the pressure staff are under.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has warned of a repeat winter A&E crisis

In the first three months of this year 94 out of 148 hospital trusts failed to meet the target for treating 95% of patients within four hours of them arriving at A&E.

Although the pressure eased over the summer, waiting times have begun to climb once more. Some hospitals are already breaching the target, even before winter pressures kick in.

The Government has given the NHS an extra £500m to pay for short term measures over the next two years to help ease the pressure.

That could include employing more locum consultants in A&E departments and setting up GP surgeries inside hospitals.

"A lot of things are happening to give support to the front line," said Mr Hunt.

"But that's not to say we are not worried about it, because it is going to be very tough, and we understand that."

The national director for acute episodes of care for NHS England, Professor Keith Willett, told Sky News that demand for emergency care is likely to rise once again this winter.

He will shortly unveil plans to divert more A&E patients towards the care of GPs, paramedics and chemists.

But in the short term patients will have to accept they have to wait for care.

"Safety is the priority," he said.

"We will do everything we can to maximise the way patients receive their care as quickly and optimally as possible.

"But it is a pressured system and we have to work within the envelope we have and the skills and staff we have."

:: As part of the poll 1,106 adults were surveyed on September 2-3 by Survation on behalf of Sky News.

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