Marriage Tax Breaks For Four Million Couples

David Cameron says four million couples will benefit from the Government's new £1,000 marriage tax allowance.

Ahead of the start of the Conservative Party conference, the Prime Minister said the scheme - starting in April 2015 - will be worth up to £200 a year for married couples, including 15,000 in civil partnerships.

They will receive the benefit at the end of the tax year in 2016.

It will work by letting people transfer £1,000 of their personal tax allowance to their spouse or civil partner - an increase on the £750 allowance promised in the Tory manifesto, which would have seen couples gain £150.

The new allowance, which is not available to couples which include a higher rate taxpayer, is aimed at couples where one partner has not used all of their personal allowance or does not work at all.

Labour's shadow chief secretary to the treasury, Rachel Reeves, said that the marriage tax break would not even help two-thirds of married couples and said he was out of touch if he "thinks people will get married for £3.85 a week".

She said: "And even for the minority who might benefit, it will be far outweighed by what David Cameron's Government has already taken away in higher VAT and cuts to child benefit and tax credits. In most cases, the extra payment will be paid to men, even though it is women who have disproportionately lost out so far."

The PM says 'nothing would be possible' without his wife Samantha

The announcement comes after a trade-off that allowed the Liberal Democrats to announce free school meals for all children under eight earlier this month.

The proposal, which Downing Street said shows the Government values commitment by recognising marriage and civil partnerships in the tax system, makes good on promises Mr Cameron made when he was running for leadership of the party in 2005.

In an article in today's edition of The Daily Mail, he said: "I believe in marriage. Alongside the birth of my children, my wedding was the happiest day of my life.

"Since then, Samantha and I have been a team. Nothing I've done since - becoming a Member of Parliament, leader of my party or Prime Minister - would have been possible without her."

He said that the new measures would apply "if you're gay or straight - and in a civil partnership or a marriage. This summer I was proud to make Equal Marriage the law. Love is love, commitment is commitment".

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Leicester House Fire Murders: Four In Court

By David Crabtree, Midlands Correspondent

Four people, including a 16-year-old boy, have appeared in court charged with murdering a mother and her three teenage children in a house fire.

In the early hours of Friday, September 13, a blaze engulfed the Taufiq family home in the Spinney Hills area of Leicester.

The bodies of the mother Shehnila, 47, her daughter Zainab, 19, and sons Bilal, 17, and Jamil, 15, were all discovered in upstairs bedrooms.

Dr Muhammad Taufiq said he would "deeply miss" his wife and children

The children's father, Muhammad Taufiq al Sattar, was not home at the time. The neurosurgeon was working in Ireland.

In a hearing lasting less than three minutes at Leicester Magistrates' Court, the four accused confirmed their names and addresses and indicated they did understand the nature of the charges against them.

Jackson Powell, 19, Nathaniel Mullings, 19, Shaun Carter, 24 and the 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were remanded in custody.

They are due to appear before Leicester Crown Court on Tuesday, October 1, with a further preliminary hearing fixed for October 12.

Another man, Kemo Porter, 18, was charged on September 19 with four counts of murder. He will appear at Leicester Crown court at a later date.  

Mr Taufiq al Sattar has said he would "deeply miss" his "beautiful" wife, daughter and two teenage sons.

The family are originally from Pakistan, but had a home in Ireland for at least 15 years before the children moved to the UK with their mother around five years ago for an Islamic education.

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Syria Chemical Weapons: UN Resolution Passed

A "historic" resolution to destroy Syria's chemical weapons has been passed unanimously by the United Nations Security Council.

All 15 members of the council voted in favour of the resolution, which was widely seen as a compromise between the US and Syria's key ally, Russia.

The vote after two weeks of intense negotiations marks a major breakthrough following two and a half years of paralysis that has gripped the council since the Syrian uprising began.

More than 100,000 Syrians have been killed during that time while millions have been displaced.

Russia's Sergei Lavrov votes in favour of the resolution

Russia and China previously vetoed three Western-backed resolutions pressuring President Bashar Assad's regime to end the violence.

Speaking immediately after the vote, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the council: "Today's historic resolution is the first hopeful news on Syria in a long time."

Foreign Secretary William Hague described the development as "ground-breaking".

"The failure of the council to tackle the crimes committed on a daily basis has resulted in a culture of impunity in which a brutal regime believed it could get away with murdering its own men, women and children," he said.

UN chemical weapons experts carried out inspections in Syria

"So it is vital that the council now builds on the consensus we have reached today to make progress today towards a sustainable resolution of the crisis.

"With renewed purpose and resolve, we need to achieve a political transition."

US Secretary of State John Kerry said the "strong, enforceable, precedent-setting" resolution showed diplomacy can be so powerful "that it can peacefully defuse the worst weapons of war."

He said the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile would begin in November and be completed by the middle of next year.

Volunteers in Aleppo at a class on how to respond to a chemical attack

For the first time, the council endorsed the roadmap for a political transition in Syria adopted by key nations in June 2012 and called for an international conference to be convened "as soon as possible" to implement it.

Mr Ban said the target date for a new peace conference in Geneva was mid-November.

The resolution calls for consequences if Syria fails to comply, but those will depend on the council passing another resolution in the event of non-compliance.

That will give Assad ally Russia the means to stop any punishment from being imposed.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that the resolution does not automatically impose sanctions on Syria.

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Woolwich Suspects Deny Lee Rigby Murder

Two men have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby earlier this year.

Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale appeared at Old Bailey via videolink before their trial.

Drummer Rigby, a father of one, was stabbed as he returned to the Woolwich barracks in southeast London on May 22.

The soldier's widow Rebecca Rigby watched in tears as Adebolajo, 28, and Adebowale, 22, each denied attempting to murder a police officer on the day of Drummer Rigby's death.

They also denied conspiracy to murder on or before that day.

Adebolajo, from Romford in Essex, has asked to be known as Mujaahid Abu Hamza in court, while Adebowale, from Greenwich, southeast London, has asked to be called Ismail Ibn Abdullah.

They were remanded in custody to face trial at the Old Bailey on November 19.

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Global Warming '95% Certain', Say Scientists

China Is No Friend To Environment

Updated: 9:19am UK, Friday 27 September 2013

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent, in Beijing

China is not kind to the environment. It is far and away the world's biggest consumer of coal, burning three times as much of it than America in 2012.

These days, the country is responsible for a quarter of global carbon dioxide emissions annually. The projections suggest it will get considerably worse over the coming years before peaking.

The causes are multiple. In Beijing, the most obvious pollutant is the traffic.

Since the 2007 UN climate report, two million more cars have been added to Beijing's roads.

There are now five million vehicles on the streets of the Chinese capital alone. All of them are filled with poor quality fuel, the fumes from which are spewed out into the city's air.

This year, the country has seen some of the worst air pollution on record.

On a bad day, you can smell the pollution. On a really bad day, you can taste it.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a safe Air Quality Index (AQI) is 25. In Beijing, in January, the index hit 900.

The 2013 "airmageddon", as it became known, could mark a turning point.

China's state-run media used to insist that the smog was "fog".

These days though, they're clear about its health implications.

China's people are increasingly asking questions and wondering aloud why their government isn't doing more to improve their environment.

The government appears to be taking their concerns seriously.

New measures are in place to limit car numbers in big cities and the quality of the fuel is being improved.

China's latest five-year plan to take on its pollution problem includes a cap on coal consumption.

To date though, it has failed to meet any of its previous pollution targets.

A "carbon cap-and-trade system" is now in place in the southern industrial city of Shenzhen.

Others are planned in Chongqing, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Shanghai and Beijing.

However, globally, governments have proved that implementing such measures and actually sticking to them are entirely different things.

Of course, much of the pollution may come from China, but that fact doesn't necessarily make it all China's fault.

The problem is that China is in the middle of its own industrial revolution. As long the West continues to demand its products are "Made in China" and on the cheap, we'll continue to pay the price for its pollution.

Essentially, the West has exported its own pollution to China. London's "pea-soupers" of the 1950s - a product of the UK's industrial revolution - are now being re-lived in China as it meets our demands.

And arguably, China is only adopting the same principle as the West did a century ago: the "grow first, clean up later" attitude.

But the speed at which China has industrialised has exacerbated its pollution problems.

It would be wrong though to suggest that China is doing nothing to sort out its problems and live up to its global responsibility.

It is a world leader in green technology. Chinese investment wind and solar power is second to none.

Britain, for one, recognises that. On Thursday, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey was in Beijing to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Chinese government.

The MoU, on offshore wind power, is the first of its kind that China has signed with another country.

"I am delighted that the UK and China have cemented their 'Strategic Partnership on Offshore Wind' through the signing of an MoU," Mr Davey said.

"The UK has more offshore wind installed than the rest of the world combined and we have ambitious plans for the future.

"Together with China, who plans to develop 30GW of offshore wind by 2020, we want to make offshore wind a competitive low carbon energy choice.

"Our strengthened cooperation will bring significant commercial and environmental benefits for both countries."

The broad point is this: China's impact on the global environment is so huge that a substantial shift in attitude and policy here alone could be a global game changer.

The concern is that many of China's considerable commitments to change its ways are, for now at least, on paper only; paper which, incidentally, comes from trees that China is chopping down at a frightening pace.

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Kenya Attack: 'Car Used By Terrorists Found'

A vehicle believed to have been used by the terrorists who attacked Nairobi's Westgate Mall, killing at least 67 people, has been recovered by investigators.

Kenyan police are trying to trace details of the ownership of the car, which was found outside the bullet-scarred and scorched shopping centre.

They are also building the profile of a man who warned a pregnant woman at the mall to flee for own safety moments before the attack.

Forensic teams continued their examination of the mall and sifted through the rubble of the complex's collapsed multi-storey car park.

FBI agents along with investigators from Britain, Canada, Israel and Germany have been dispatched to help investigate the crime scene.

A Kenyan government official disclosed the latest developments on condition of anonymity.

Speaking to the Associated Press, the official said there may be other vehicles used by the attackers.

Family and friends attend the funeral of radio host Ruhila Adatia Sood

Sky's Stuart Ramsay, in Nairobi, said: "There has been much discussion about whether they pre-positioned weapons inside the shopping mall using a shop that had been rented. We believe they had a house nearby as well.

"The shop came with a parking space. We understand that a truck was in there and hadn't moved for the best part of a week.

"We also understand that the owner of the shop is now being questioned in connection with this, probably in terms of who did he lease the property to."

The news emerged as the country continued to observe a period of national mourning in the aftermath of Saturday's massacre, which al Shabaab, the Somali militant group, has claimed responsibility for.

Colleagues gathered at the funeral of pregnant journalist Ruhila Adatia Sood, who bled to death after being shot in the leg.

"Just before it happened Ruhila texted a friend to say she could feel her baby kicking," said friend Shelina Manji.

More than 2,500 members of Nairobi's Ismaili Muslim community, a branch of Shia Islam, attended the service to pay their last respects to the slain radio host and another woman killed in the attack, 44-year-old Shairoz Dossa.

Meanwhile, a British passport holder stopped at Nairobi's international airport was still being questioned by Kenyan police.

The man, who was heading for London, has been held since earlier this week after he aroused suspicions at Jomo Kenyatta Airport because he had facial bruising, Sky News understands.

A global hunt was also under way for British terror suspect Samantha Lewthwaite, dubbed the "white widow", who was married to 7/7 London suicide bomber Jermaine Lindsay.

Interpol issued a red notice, or internationally wanted persons alert, for the Muslim convert to its 190 member countries on Thursday at the request of Kenya.

The 29-year-old is wanted by Kenya on charges of being in possession of explosives and conspiracy to commit a crime dating back to December 2011.

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Kenya Survivor 'Smeared Herself In Blood'

A survivor of the Nairobi mall attacks has described how she smeared herself with a victim's blood to play dead and fool the terrorists.

Radio presenter Sneha Kothari Mashru said a teenage boy lying next to her died of his wounds as they hid from the gunmen at the Westgate shopping centre in the Kenyan capital.

"I realised he was shot, because he was bleeding," she said.

"So I pulled out (his) phone slowly and I tried to switch it off, it was all full of blood, and I tried to switch off the phone so that it could stop ringing (in case it alerted the attackers).

"So I took a lot of his blood, (as) much (as) I could and I tried to put it on myself. I put it on my arm, a lot of the teenager's blood, and while I was trying to put it on my hand I just realised that he had stopped breathing at that time.

"So I put it on my arm, as much as I could, and I covered my face with my hair, because my hair was let loose even then, just to pretend that I'm dead or probably badly injured.

"I would still love to know who he is and everything, because his blood probably protected me from getting probably more injured or attacked."

Niall Saville and his wife Moon Hee Kang who died in the attack

Meanwhile, the family of a British man Niall Saville who was injured in the attack have paid tribute to his South Korean wife, Moon Hee Kang, who was killed.

"The Saville and Kang families are devastated and heartbroken by the sudden loss of Moon Hee.

"She was very close to the Saville family and brought so much joy to all of their lives. She and Niall had lived in numerous locations around the world together, but they always had time for both families," the statement said.

"Moon Hee was a bright, loving, kind and genuine person who will be greatly missed."

Terror group al Shabaab has claimed its militants carried out a "meticulous vetting process" to separate Muslims from non-Muslims before killing dozens of men, women and children in the mall.

Witnesses had described how the gunmen rounded up those inside centre before asking them questions about Islam.

In an email exchange with the Associated Press, the al Qaeda-affiliated terror group confirmed its fighters specifically targeted foreigners during the attack.

Security officials enter the mall to search for more evidence

"The Mujahideen carried out a meticulous vetting process at the mall and have taken every possible precaution to separate the Muslims from the Kuffar (disbelievers) before carrying out their attack," the group said.

It added: "Our targets have always been disbelievers, invaders and the apostate governments officials/troops who are allied with them."

The number killed in the attack is expected to rise from the current figure of 67, with speculation there could be additions to the six British dead.

Five terrorists were also killed in the four-day siege at the shopping centre, while 10 suspects remain in custody in relation to the incident.

Former prime minister Tony Blair told Sky News that terrorists are a "cancer" who will only be defeated by better education.

Speaking outside the United Nations headquarters in New York, the current envoy to the Middle East said Islamist ideology had created an enemy that was "insidious and venomous, but also difficult to beat".

"Unless we are educating people to a tolerant and respectful and open-minded approach to the world, then this cancer of these terrorist groups will continue," he said.

Miraculous tales of survival have emerged since the attack

Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud has warned that such attacks may become more frequent as al Shabaab tries to reassert its dwindling power base.

"Some people sometimes mix the issues that Shabaab want an Islamic state in Somalia - that's not true. Shabaab want a unified state all over the world," he told Channel 4 News.

"They do not believe in borders, they do not believe in sovereignty, so their theme is global, it's not even regional. They may do this act again and again."

On Wednesday the group threatened that if Kenyan troops remain in Somalia, they must "be prepared for an abundance of blood".

Experts from countries including the UK, the US and Israel are helping Kenyan authorities with the forensic investigation at the mall. Explosives experts and sniffer dogs are searching for booby traps in the wreckage.

Newly-released pictures show a gaping hole in the mall's roof and mounds of rubble.

The devastation was caused after soldiers fired rocket-propelled grenades and knocked out a support column.

A Kenyan government official said the soldiers fired to distract a sniper so that hostages could be evacuated.

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Stuart Hall Faces New Rape Allegations

By Martin Brunt, Crime Correspondent

Detectives are preparing to question jailed broadcaster Stuart Hall over dozens of new rape allegations.

A woman has told police that Hall raped her regularly over several years when she was a young teenager.

The alleged victim is thought to be a relative of friends of the disgraced presenter.

Hall, 83, could be re-arrested in prison and, if charged and convicted, he may never be freed.

Hall was jailed this year for 15 months after admitting 14 charges of indecent assault on girls aged between nine and 17 between 1967 and 1985.

At the time, a single rape charge was not pursued and was left on the file.

His sentence was later doubled when the Attorney-General appealed after some of Hall's victims complained he had been dealt with too leniently.

If Hall is charged with further offences, prosecutors would have to decide whether more expensive and time-consuming court action is in the public interest. 

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April Jones Funeral: Machynlleth Says Goodbye

The funeral of April Jones has begun in the murdered schoolgirl's home town in mid-Wales.

A white horse-drawn cortege led mourners, including the five-year-old's parents Paul and Coral from their Machynlleth home to St Peter's Church.

Crowds lined the streets and filled the church and its graveyard for the long-awaited ceremony.

Those paying their respects were asked to wear pink, April's favourite colour.

As the tiny coffin was carried into the church by family members, Coral wept, holding her hand to her face, comforted by Paul, while other relatives fought back tears.

April's body has never been found

A message from April's family, written on the order of service, said they "would like to say a big thank you to everyone for their overwhelming kindness, sympathy and support during this sad, sad time".

Among the crowds were members of the mountain rescue, who helped search for April.

Beginning the service, the Reverend Kathleen Rogers said: "We know that there are no words we can say at this moment to express what we are feeling.

"No words can alleviate our sorrow or take away our pain."

The order of service for the ceremony

Two poems by a local writer - one called April and the other called An Autumn Night - are being read during the service and the words of well-known hymns have been changed to suit the family.

It is almost a year to the day since the five-year-old went missing - with her murderer, Mark Bridger, jailed for his entire life in May - but reminders of the youngster are visible throughout the town.

Flowers from April's Nan and Grandad

A memorial garden has been built on the estate of Bryn y Gog, close to the home where she lived throughout her brief life.

Earlier April's father Paul inspected flowers and dolls left at the garden, which has become a focal point for locals.

A bench bearing her name has been placed among the trees and next to a pink playhouse.

Up in the Welsh hills overlooking her hometown, a tree has been intricately wrapped in knitted pink patches and below in the valley pink ribbons still adorn many of the shop fronts and houses.

But the town is different now according to Councillor Mike Williams, a friend and neighbour of April's family.

People in Machynlleth joined the search for the missing girl

He explained: "It's the magnitude of an event in which a five-year-old girl was ripped from her family, ripped from the community, in such a vile and vicious way.

"But the town has stayed together and together we will be. We will be as one and we will be always with the family in support."

April Jones' funeral reflects the wishes of her grieving parents Paul and Coral, who had wondered for months whether it would even be possible as their daughter's body was never found apart from fragments of bone.

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Hamzah Khan: 'He Died In My Arms', Mum Says

By Gerard Tubb, North of England Correspondent

The mother of four-year-old Hamzah Khan, whose mummified body was found in her bedroom almost two years after he died, told police he died in her arms, a court has heard.

Amanda Hutton, 43, is on trial accused of Hamzah's manslaughter after the grim discovery was made in her Bradford home in 2011.

In her police interviews read out to the jury, she said Hamzah had been a difficult child who shouted and screamed and would only eat bananas and milk.

Hutton said her son lost a large amount of weight in December 2009 and lay in a travel cot "really silent and still and peaceful".

She claimed Hamzah told her in "the kind of gabble" that he spoke in: "Oh, I love you mum, are you alright mum?"

Hutton told officers she went to a Morrisons supermarket chemist for something to build up his strength when her eldest son Tariq rang her, saying: "Mum, you need to come back, Hamzah's eyes are rolling into the back of his head."

She said she picked him up when she returned home, adding that when he died in her arms, she did not know what to do next.

The moment Hamzah's body was discovered was described to the jury by the police officer who found it.

DC Richard Dove, of the child protection unit at West Yorkshire Police, was searching Hutton's bedroom after the alarm was raised about her lifestyle and the filthy house she was living in.

DC Dove said that as he stood in the bedroom looking at a travel cot, he could sense there was something wrong.

"There was clothing and shoes and bedding piled up in the cot so I started taking them off," he explained.

In the dock, Hutton buried her head in her hands as DC Dove was asked: "What did you find?"

DC Dove replied: "The body of a small child, Asian in origin."

Hutton denies manslaughter and the trial continues.

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Miliband Warns Energy Firms After Backlash

Ed Miliband has rejected warnings his plans for an energy price freeze if Labour regains power will spark blackouts.

The Labour leader told Sky News he was serious about ending the "blatant overcharging of millions" as he brushed off criticism about the pledge.

In a surprise move, Mr Miliband vowed on Tuesday to freeze gas and electricity prices for 20 months if he becomes prime minister in 2015.

He has also now written to the "Big Six" energy companies warning that they will be "part of the problem" unless they support the move.

Ed Miliband insists it is time to "reset the market"

Firms claim it could lead to energy shortages and power cuts as the industry is starved of the investment it needs and business chiefs have also been critical.

Shares in Centrica - British Gas's holding company - were down almost 4% in early trading, and shares in Southern Electric and Swalec owner SSE fell 3.6%.

Centrica chairman Sir Roger Carr said: "We are all concerned about rising prices and the impact on consumers, but we also have a very real responsibility that we find supplies to make sure the lights stay on."

Energy Secretary Ed Davey added: "When they tried to fix prices in California it resulted in an electricity crisis and widespread blackouts. We can't risk the lights going out here too.

"Fixing prices in this way risks blackouts, jeopardises jobs and puts investment in clean, green technology in doubt."

But Mr Miliband hit back, saying: "There are bound to be people coming up with scare stories ... California was a totally different approach."

Energy firms argue they need money to overhaul UK power stations

His plans would see a price freeze from 2015 until 2017 while the sector is reformed, with watchdog Ofgem axed, firms split into generation and retail arms and competition increased.

The Labour leader insists it is time to "reset the market" and told the industry he would not help guarantee funding for its development if it does not fall in line.

In his letter, he wrote: "I appreciate that you will not welcome all aspects of this package but it is my firm view that without resetting the market we are not going to see the public consent that is required to underpin the scale of taxpayer backed guarantees for which you have argued.

"I am prepared to make the case for sharing the risks of such investment, but that must be against the backdrop of a market that customers believe works for them.

"You and I know that the public have lost faith in this market. There is a crisis of confidence. We face a stark choice.

"We can work together on the basis of this price freeze to make the market work in the future. Or you can reinforce in the public mind that you are part of the problem not the solution."

Mr Miliband announced the 20-month price freeze in his conference speech as he sought to show only his party could tackle a "cost-of-living crisis".

Pitching the next election as a battle between Tories representing the "privileged few" as ordinary families and small businesses suffer, he repeatedly declared: "Britain can do better than this."

"I will lead a government that fights for you," he vowed as he insisted he would relish a contest with David Cameron based on leadership and character.

Labour claims the freeze, to last from May 2015 until January 2017, would save the typical household £120 and an average business £1,800.

Consumer group Which? has said it will "give hope to the millions worrying about how they can afford to heat their homes" but the CBI warns it will damage Labour's "pro-enterprise credentials".

The energy sector's umbrella group, Energy UK, accused Mr Miliband of "posturing to no purpose" and warned the freeze could have drastic consequences.

Chief executive Angela Knight said: "Freezing the bill, may be superficially attractive, but it will also freeze the money to build and renew power stations, freeze the jobs and livelihoods of the 600,000 plus people dependent on the energy industry and make the prospect of energy shortages a reality, pushing up the prices for everyone."

SSE claimed price freezes would lead to "unsustainable loss-making retail businesses" and suggested the Government's energy policy costs be put into general taxation instead of on bills.

"This would wipe £110 off the average person's bill and shift the cost away from those who can't afford to pay and on to those who can," a spokesman said.

Simon Walker, director general of the Institute of Directors, said: "We should think very, very carefully before piling more distortion on an already grossly distorted energy market. Price controls only add greater uncertainty to companies who we need to take the financial risks of energy investment.

Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "When the government fixes prices, it always ends in a disaster for consumers.

"Ed Miliband is sticking by the green taxes and expensive subsidies that drive up the price of energy, so at best this new policy would just store up massive price hikes for another day. At worst it could create a crisis and force the government to bail out the sector."

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Kenya: Gunman 'Could Still Be Hiding In Mall'

There are fears that one of the gunmen who launched a terror attack on a Kenyan shopping mall could still be hiding inside.

Sky's chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay said: "There is a distinct possibility that somebody could have survived, one of the gunmen could be in there.

"There have been sources saying that is something under consideration whenever the clearance operation moves further into the building."

Kenya has begun three days of mourning for the victims of the Nairobi attack, as authorities look to retrieve the bodies of victims still trapped inside.

Smoke rises from the Westgate mall in Nairobi

At least 67 people have been confirmed dead in the attack, including 61 civilians and six security officials.

Kenyan authorities say the number of dead may rise further, as bodies are feared to be trapped beneath rubble in the mall after three levels collapsed.

Six Britons - including an eight-year-old girl - are among the dead, and Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has warned there may be further British victims.

A Western embassy official said the number of additional dead could reach as high as 100. Morgue workers are preparing to receive further victims.

People queue up to give blood

About 175 people were also wounded when al Shabaab militants stormed the Nairobi mall on Saturday afternoon.

More video shows the rescue of a woman and two children from the mall by a police officer.

Meanwhile a photo taken by Sky's Alex Crawford showed people lining up to give blood.

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta announced in a televised address that troops had "shamed and defeated" the militants following a four-day siege.

Kenyan troops stormed the shopping complex

"Kenya has stared down evil and triumphed. These cowards will meet justice as will their accomplices and patrons, wherever they are," Mr Kenyatta said.

Some 11 suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack, and a further five died during the siege at the complex.

The Foreign Office has confirmed the arrest of a Briton, and say they are making contact to offer standard consular assistance.

"Now it is for the forensic and criminal experts," said police spokesman Masoud Mwinyi.

Explosives experts are searching for booby traps in the wreckage.

Teams of sniffer dogs have been taken into the building to check for explosives and to find bodies.

The attackers marched into the four-storey, part Israeli-owned mall at midday on Saturday, shooting dead shoppers with machine guns and tossing grenades.

Al Shabaab has claimed it carried out the attack in retaliation for Kenya's military intervention in Somalia.

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Kenya Mall Siege: 'Six Britons Killed'

Six Britons, including a young girl, are among the 62 people killed in the attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi.

British businessman Louis Bawa confirmed his daughter Jenah, eight, and wife Zahira were among the dead.

"The people who did this, they are vigilantes, they are animals," Mr Bawa told The Daily Telegraph.

"They are using religion as an excuse to kill people. Zahira and Jenah were Muslims, but these animals just shot them the same as all of the others."

Smoke seen billowing from the shopping complex

He said he had spoken to his daughter last week and had told her if she did well in her exams he would "buy her any present in the world."

She had replied that she wanted a pony and Mr Bawa said that she told him to "start saving up because she was going to work very hard."

Mrs Bawa was born in Kenya and moved to the UK several years ago. A relative, Shakuntna Bawa, told Sky News: "It's very hard, we can't believe it."

Another family member, Tania Bawa, described the mother and daughter as "wonderful people".

Two of the other victims, British-Australian architect Ross Langdon and his Dutch wife Elif Yavuz, were expecting their first baby in two weeks.

Mr Langdon at a conference in 2012

Mr Langdon, 33, who was born and grew up in Tasmania, designed an Aids hospital in Kenya for free and helped create eco-lodges and socially sustainable tourism.

His wife, Ms Yavuz, also 33, was a malaria specialist with a PhD in public health policy from Harvard University.

She had completed her dissertation research on malaria in eastern Africa and was working with the Gates Foundation in Kenya and the Clinton Health Access Initiative in Tanzania.

She recently met former US president Bill Clinton and posted a photograph of the meeting on her Facebook page last month.

"Elif was brilliant, dedicated, and deeply admired by her colleagues, who will miss her terribly," Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton said in a statement.

A friend of the couple, Tasmanian sculptor Peter Adams, said the pair dedicated their lives to working for a peaceful world.

Ms Yavuz meeting Bill Clinton

"Besides a personal loss for myself, this is a major global loss," Mr Adams wrote on his blog.

Mr Langdon founded his own firm, Regional Associates, in 2008. The firm said on its website: "Profoundly talented and full of life, Ross enriched the lives of all those around him."

A businessman from Leicester, Samir Bharma, said four of his young relatives, who had been taking part in the recording of a TV programme called Junior Super Chef, had been killed in the attack.

Also killed was a Peruvian public health consultant, Dr Juan Jesus Ortiz-Iruri, 63, who was due to take up a post at Liverpool School of Tropical Medical next week.

Most of those killed among the attack were Kenyans but other victims came from China, Ghana, France, the Netherlands and Canada.

Among the dead were Ghanaian poet Kofi Awoonor, 78; a Canadian diplomat, Annemarie Desloges; Mbugua Mwangi, the nephew of President Kenyatta of Kenya and his fiancee Wahito; and Radio Africa news presenter Ruhila Adatia Sood.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond warned that the number of Britons killed in the attack may rise further.

"Our current best estimate is we now have six British nationals who have died in this incident," he said, after leaving a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee in the Cabinet Office.

"Of the additional two, one is confirmed and another one we believe to be a British national and we are awaiting final confirmation but we are pretty certain we now have six British nationals who have died."

:: A helpline has been set up for people in the UK who are concerned about relatives in Kenya: 020 7008 000. 

The gunmen killed at least 62 shoppers and staff during the attack

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Kenya Siege: British Woman 'Among Attackers'

A British woman and "two or three Americans" are said to be among the militants who took part in an attack on a shopping centre in Nairobi.

Kenyan Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed confirmed al Shabaab fighters were responsible for the attack at the Westgate building.

In an interview with the American PBS Newshour programme, Ms Mohamed said: "Both the victims and the perpetrators ... came from Kenya, the United Kingdom and the United States.

"From the information that we have, (there are) two or three Americans, and I think so far I have heard of one Brit."

Asked about the British woman, Ms Mohamed added: "A woman, and I think she has done this many times before."

Samantha Lewthwaite is known to be in East Africa

Her comments have been dismissed by an al Shabaab spokesman who said: "Those who describe the attackers as Americans and British are people who do not know what is going on."

Ms Mohamed's remarks have, however, fuelled speculation that British terror suspect Samantha Lewthwaite, who was married to the July 7 bomber Jermaine Lindsay, was involved.

Ms Lewthwaite, dubbed the "White Widow", is known to be in East Africa and is wanted by Kenyan police over alleged links to a terrorist cell that planned to bomb the country's coast.

In March last year officials said Ms Lewthwaite, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, had fled to Somalia and that officers were hunting a woman who used several identities, including hers.

Kenya's Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed spoke to the PBS Newshour programme

Professor David Anderson, an expert in African terrorism at the University of Warwick, said Ms Mohamed's remarks must be taken with a "pinch of salt".

He said: "It would be very unusual if a female, and a British female at that, was involved in an al Shabaab operation."

On Monday night, Ms Lewthwaite's grandmother, Elizabeth Allen, 86, of County Down, was said by a friend to be "deeply distressed" by suggestions her granddaughter had been involved in the attack.

Councillor Raj Khan, whose family knew Ms Lewthwaite's family socially in Aylesbury, said he was surprised at speculation she was involved in the attack in Kenya due to how he remembers her.

"She was an average, British, young, ordinary girl. She had a very great personality. She didn't have very good confidence.

Ms Lewthwaite had two children with 7/7 bomber Jermaine Lindsay

"She was not strong-headed. And that's why I find it absolutely amazing that she is supposed to be the head of an international criminal terrorist organisation."

Ms Lewthwaite has gained "semi-mythical status" since travelling to East Africa, according to terrorism expert Raffaello Pantucci, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.

Mr Pantucci said: "I don't think we've had any concrete evidence of her being involved in this incident, but the fact of her being mentioned in this context is not surprising because of her connections, and it is known that she is somewhere in East Africa."

Britain's Foreign Office would not confirm claims about the involvement of a British woman, while US officials said there was no evidence of the nationalities or identities of the attackers.

Speaking in Pakistan, Home Secretary Theresa May told the BBC: "I'm aware of the reports that there has been a British woman involved.

"At this time until we've seen the investigation completed, It's not possible to comment further. As I indicated earlier, I'm not able to give further details."

According to The Times, FBI sources are investigating claims that the terrorists were recruited in a Somali community known as "Little Mogadishu" in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Somalia's al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which began on Saturday and has left at least 62 people dead.

Kenyan security forces claim they have taken control of the shopping centre after a final assault on the militants, but heavy gunfire can still be heard coming from the complex.

Al Shabaab claims it is in control and still has hostages inside the mall.

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Kenya Siege: Heavy Gunfire Heard Inside Mall

Heavy bursts of gunfire have been heard from inside a Nairobi shopping centre as Kenyan soldiers fight with terrorists to rescue hostages.

At least 10 hostages remain inside the mall on the fourth day of the siege in which 62 people have been killed, including six Britons - among them an eight-year-old girl.

Medics who have been inside the complex warned that the numbers of dead are significantly greater than have been confirmed, and the city morgue is preparing for the arrival of a large number of bodies.

In a new Twitter feed claiming to be set up by Somalia's al Qaeda-linked rebel group, al Shabaab, a post said that "the mujahideen are still holding their ground".

It warned "there are countless number of dead bodies still scattered inside the mall" and said it was "far greater than how the Kenyans perceive it."

Another post said that they were still holding hostages who were "still alive looking quite disconcerted but, nevertheless, alive."

Victims: Ross Langdon, Eliv Yavus and eight-year-old Jenah Bawa

The Kenyan police responded with a Twitter message in which it told people to ignore enemy propaganda  and said: "Troops now in mop up operations in the building. More to follow. Be calm."

They also said that they had been defusing bombs set up by the militants inside the mall saying: "We are doing a clean-up of explosives that had been set up by the terrorists."

The Kenyan government insisted early on Tuesday that it was "in control" of the mall and that all hostages trapped by the attackers had been evacuated.

Kenyan forces at the shopping centre early on Tuesday

Government spokesman Manoah Esipisu said: "Our special forces are inside the building checking the rooms. Obviously it's a very, very big building.

"We think that everyone, the hostages, have been evacuated but we don't want to take any chances. The special forces are doing their job and yes, I think we are near the end."

Sky News Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay said: "The government has said it's all over … but that seems to conflict with what we are hearing both from the military sources here - one of them told me that there were at least maybe two gunmen still holed up - and indeed al Shabaab itself.

"They have been in communication with their people inside and they say are still there and they have hostages still

"It's very confused, there is an element of propaganda perhaps from both sides about what is happening inside."

He said that he had spoken to a medic who had been inside the building and they had said the numbers of dead were "huge" and warned that the official figures would rise.

The developments came as Kenya's Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed said that a British woman and two or three Americans were among those who had attacked the centre.

Smoke is seen rising from the shopping centre

She said the British woman had "done this very many times before".

Her comments have led to increasing speculation that she could be the 29-year-old widow of the 7/7 bomber Jermaine Lindsay, Samantha Lewthwaite.

However, a leading terrorism expert has said her involvement is unlikely and al Shabaab has denied the claim.

A string of Twitter accounts apparently run by al Shabaab have been shut down since the attack began.

Police and volunteers react after hearing gunshots

The extremists also appeared to verify a picture that has been circulating on the internet claiming to be taken from the shopping centre CCTV and showing the gunmen.

The two figures in the picture are seen in black headscarves, ambling past a children's sweet stall in the mall.

According to Sky News sources, the British military is now giving assistance to Kenyan forces at the mall and has offered further assistance.

On Monday, the Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond, said: "As the Prime Minister made clear, we have said we will provide them with any assistance which they request. We haven't yet been asked to provide any assistance beyond broad background advice."

Barack Obama, whose father was born in Kenya, said the United States stood with Kenyans against "this terrible outrage".

The atrocity is the worst in Nairobi since an al Qaeda bomb attack on the US embassy in 1998 that killed more than 200 people.

:: The Kenyan Red Cross has set up a webpage for anyone worried about friends or relatives who might be caught up in the siege.

:: A helpline has been set up for people in the UK who are concerned about relatives in Kenya: 020 7008 000.

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Rolf Harris In Court On Child Sex Charges

Rolf Harris has appeared briefly in court charged with nine counts of indecent assault and four counts of making indecent images of a child.

The 83-year-old entertainer arrived at Westminster Magistrates' Court with his wife Alwen at his side.

Wearing a dark suit, striped shirt and patterned tie, he said nothing to reporters as he walked into the building flanked by security guards.

He left court around 30 minutes later, surrounded by a throng of reporters and photographers as he climbed into a waiting car.

Harris, 83, said nothing as he walked into court

Harris is accused of assaulting two alleged victims, who were aged 14 and 15 at the time, between 1980 and 1986.

The charges of making indecent images of a child date back to last year.

During the hearing, Sonia Woodley QC, defending, said Harris had indicated he would plead not guilty.

The Australian-born artist, musician and TV presenter was questioned under caution last November by officers working on Operation Yewtree, the investigation into abuse claims against Jimmy Savile.

He was arrested in March and charged in August.

The allegations against him have no connection to Savile.

Harris, who has lived in Bray, Berkshire, for more than 50 years, has been in the public eye for decades.

He fronted the popular TV programme Animal Hospital and had several musical hits, many of which featured his famous wobble board.

He painted a portrait of the Queen in 2005 and performed at her Diamond Jubilee concert last year.

His next court appearance will be at Southwark Crown Court on October 7.

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Kenya: 'White Widow' Briton Linked To Attack

A female British terror suspect known as the White Widow could be linked to the shopping centre massacre in Kenya, according to some reports.

However the Foreign Office has denied that it is investigating any links between Samantha Lewthwaite, the English widow of 7/7 bomber Jermaine Lindsay, and the attack.

A white woman wearing a veil was reportedly spotted shouting orders to gunmen in Arabic during the attack on the Westgate complex in Nairobi.

Sky News' Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay said: "I saw a picture of a white woman wearing a balaclava and carrying a weapon.

"We know that she'd been in the area. She has been linked to a number of attacks in east Africa and they have been trying to capture her.

Soldiers are moving in on the terrorists at the shopping centre

"It is difficult to know whether or not it is her."

Ms Lewthwaite is wanted by Kenyan police over links to a suspected terrorist cell.

In March 2012 it was reported that Lewthwaite, 29, who is originally from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, had fled across the border from Kenya to Somalia.

However a commander of the group believed to be behind the attack has reportedly denied that any of militants are from the UK or US.

Some 68 people were killed in the attack, including three Britons.

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Kenya Stand-Off: Smoke Pours From Mall

A loud explosion has sent thick smoke billowing from the Westgate shopping complex in Nairobi where 69 people, including four Britons, have died in a raid by Islamic militants.

The blast was followed by other smaller detonations and volleys of gunfire as Kenyan troops laid siege to the four-storey complex.

A security official told reporters at the scene: "It is us who caused the explosion, we are trying to get in through the roof."

Sky's Stuart Ramsay said he had been told some of the al Shabaab terrorists had blown themselves up while others has been "taken out" by special forces.

One of the Britons killed in the raid, which began on Saturday, has been named in reports as Ross Langdon, who had dual nationality with Australia.

An architect, he apparently died alongside his girlfriend who was heavily pregnant, according to Australian media.

Colleagues of Mr Langdon told Sky News: "We were shocked at the news. Ross was the kind of guy who restored your faith in humanity - what a senseless waste."

The Kenyan Defence Force said earlier on its Twitter feed it was making every effort to bring the situation "to a speedy conclusion".

It said it has secured most of the shopping mall, and many of the hostages have been rescued. Police say more were rescued overnight.

"We have managed to rescue more hostages overnight and very few are remaining," said Kenyan police chief David Kimaiyo. "We are also closing in on the attackers."

Officials said up to 15 may still be inside the building. They have apparently been using the remaining hostages as human shields and have threatened to kill them.

Al Shebaab spokesman Ali Mohamud Rage warned the hostages would "bear the brunt of any force directed against the mujahedeen".

More follows... 

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Pakistan: Suicide Bombing At Peshawar Church

More than 60 people have been killed in a double suicide bomb attack on a church in northwest Pakistan, officials say.

A man cries over the death of his brother in the blast Around 400 people were at the service

Another 120 people were wounded when the two bombers blew themselves up as worshippers left the church in Peshwar city, which had been offering a free meal of rice.

Nazir John, one of those at the church, said: "There were blasts and there was hell for all of us. When I got my senses back, I found nothing but smoke, dust, blood and screaming people. I saw severed body parts and blood all around."

Peshawar's commissioner Sahibzada Anees told reporters the bombers struck when the service had just ended.

"Most of the wounded are in critical condition," he said, adding that special security had been in force to protect the church.

"We are in an area which is a target of terrorism and within that area there was a special security arrangement for the church. We are in a rescue phase and once it is over we will investigate what went wrong," 

Witnesses said they heard two blasts, the second more powerful than the first.             

Najeeb Bogvi, a senior police officer, said: "After the service ended, people started to come out and the suicide bomber rushed towards them."

Islamic militants are thought to be behind the attack

Schoolteacher Nazir Khan, 50, said: "A huge blast threw me on the floor and as soon as I regained my senses, a second blast took place and I saw wounded people everywhere."

Doctor Mohammad Iqbal of Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital said 61 people had been killed and 120 wounded. Sher Ali Khan, another doctor at the hospital, confirmed the numbers and said the dead included several women and children.

Sahibzada Anees, one of Peshawar's most senior officials, said: "Most of the wounded are in critical condition.

An injured person is taken awy from the scene of destruction

"We are in an area which is a target of terrorism and within that area there was a special security arrangement for the church. We are in a rescue phase and once it is over we will investigate what went wrong."

It is the country's deadliest ever assualt on the Christian  sectarian attack since Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was sworn in in June and the .

His office said in a statement: "The Prime Minister said that terrorists have no religion and targeting innocent people is against the teachings of Islam and all religions.

A woman mourns a victim of the attack

"He added that such cruel acts of terrorism reflect the brutality and inhumane mind set of the terrorists."

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion will likely fall on one of the country's many Islamic militant groups.

Islamic militants have been blamed for previous attacks on the Muslim country's Christian minority, and other Muslim groups they consider heretics.

Christians make up about 4% of Pakistan's population of 180 million

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Kenya: 'If You Were Muslim They Let You Go'

Al Shabaab Behind String Of Attacks

Updated: 8:12am UK, Sunday 22 September 2013

The Somali militant group al Shabaab, which has claimed responsibility for the attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi, is behind a string of terrorist atrocities across eastern Africa.

Formed in 2006, the al Qaeda-linked group can trace its roots to the Islamic Courts Union that once ran the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

It was eventually driven out of the city by African Union troops from Uganda and Burundi, who were later joined by soldiers from Kenya.

Al Shabaab uses guerrilla tactics to battle the Somali government and the troops brought in to maintain security.

It has attracted hundreds of foreign fighters, including some Britons.

Samantha Lewthwaite, from Buckinghamshire, the so-called "white widow" of 7/7 bomber Germaine Lindsay, is thought to have links to the group.

She has been on the run since Christmas 2011, when police foiled a plot to bomb buildings used by Western tourists in Mombassa.

Although al Shabaab has lost control of key towns and cities it once controlled, the group still claims vast swathes of rural Somalia, including land near the Kenyan border.

It has claimed responsibility for several deadly suicide bombings, including one in February 2009 which killed 11 Burundian soldiers on an African peacekeeping mission.

It carried out its first international attack in July 2010, killing at least 74 people in a bomb blast in the Ugandan capital Kampala, before gaining global notoriety by blocking aid from Western relief agencies during the 2011 famine in Somalia.

According to the US National Counterterrorism Centre, the group is also behind the assassinations of peace activists, aid workers, community leaders and journalists.

It was designated as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US government in February 2008.

Al Shabaab, whose name means "the youth" in Arabic, had threatened to strike Nairobi before.

In a message posted on Twitter, it said it had repeatedly warned the Kenyan government that failure to remove its forces from Somalia "would have severe consequences".

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Kenya Terror Attack: Hostages Held In Mall

Up to 15 gunmen remain inside a Kenyan shopping centre after a terrorist attack left dozens of people dead.

Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said at least 59 people were killed when attackers burst into the upmarket Westgate mall in the capital Nairobi armed with guns and grenades.

Some of those killed were executed after failing to recite a Muslim prayer at gunpoint. Others were shot at the entrance to the mall as they tried to escape.

More than 1,000 shoppers have so far been evacuated but an unknown number remain trapped inside.

Security forces took control of the upper and lower levels of the shopping centre, as well as the building's CCTV cameras, but an army spokesman told Sky News they were yet to secure the second floor where the terrorists are thought to be hiding.

Hundreds of shoppers were caught up in the attack

Witnesses reported hearing fierce gunfire and explosions on Sunday morning, as police tried to reach the remaining hostages.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said British nationals were caught up in the "callous and cowardly and brutal" attack on the mall, which is popular with expatriates and wealthy Kenyans.

Two Canadians have been confirmed dead in the attack, while two French citizens are understood to be among those killed.

The US State Department said American citizens have reportedly been injured but not killed.

Some of the injured were carried from the mall on shopping trolleys

The Somalia-based al Shabaab terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack and warned of more attacks.

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta has spoken to the nation in a televised address, saying Kenya had "overcome terrorist attacks before, and we will defeat them again".

"Our security forces are in the process of neutralising the attackers and securing the mall," he added.

"Terrorism is a philosophy of cowards. They want to cause fear and despondency in our country, but we will not be cowed.

Armed security staff went from shop to shop looking for the attackers

"I ask God to give you comfort. My government will provide the support needed in the days to come."

Saadia Ahmed, a radio presenter from Nairobi caught up in the attack, told Sky News how the attack began.

"We heard three explosions outside the building then all of a sudden we heard gunshots and people ducked down," she said.

"A lot of people were shot while they were trying to escape. I saw one of the gunmen with an AK-47 and later two of them were talking and it sounded like Somali or Arabic."

People took cover behind cars as the stand-off continued into the night

Ms Ahmed said the attackers released people who were able to prove they were Muslim.

"I witnessed a few people get up and say something in Arabic and the gunmen let them go. A colleague of mine said he was Muslim and recited something in Arabic and they let him go as well.

"I saw a lot of children and elderly people being shot dead. I don't understand why you would shoot a five-year-old child. They were firing at random at anyone who tried to escape."

Another survivor, Cecile Ndwiga, said she had been hiding under a car in the basement of the car park.

The Westgate shopping centre is located in the centre of Nairobi

"I called my husband to ask the soldiers to come and rescue me because I couldn't walk out," she said.

Nahashon Mwangi was at work when he received a desperate telephone call from his son from inside the mall.

"Dad, I have been shot in the neck and hand. I am bleeding. Come and help me please," his son told him.

When he called later, his son, who survived the attack, replied: "Don't call me again. I just want you to get me out of here. If they hear me talking, they are going to kill me."

:: A helpline has been set up for people in the UK who are concerned about relatives in Kenya: 020 7008 000.

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