Iran Nuclear Talks Make 'Very Good Progress'

British Foreign Minister William Hague has said global powers negotiating with Iran over its nuclear programme must "seize the moment" as talks enter an unscheduled third day.

Six world powers - the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany - are working on a deal to cap some of Iran's atomic programme in exchange for limited relief from economic sanctions.

As delegates arrived on Saturday, Mr Hague told reporters: "We are very conscious of the fact that real momentum has built up in these negotiations and there is now real concentration on these negotiations and so we have to do everything we can to seize the moment.

However, he cautioned that it was not clear whether a deal could be reached by the end of the day.

France's Laurent Fabius said the sticking points were a call for Iran to halt operations at its Arak research reactor - a potential producer of bomb-grade plutonium - while the negotiating process continues and questions about Iran's stock of uranium enriched to 20%.

Both issues reflect Western concerns that Iran is enriching uranium for use in atomic weapons rather than in a civilian nuclear energy programme as it claims.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who cut short a Middle East tour to attend the talks in Geneva, Switzerland, had also struck a note of caution after a five-hour meeting drew to a close last night.

Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (centre) is at the talks

"There is not an agreement at this point," Mr Kerry told reporters. "There are still some very important issues on the table that are unresolved."

Iran's deputy foreign minister Abbas Araqchi had stressed: "It was productive but still we have lots of work to do."

Earlier on Friday, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov raised hopes after he said the six countries and Iran could agree a "road map" to end the differences over the programme at the talks.

He told reporters he did not wish to prejudge the outcome but said Iran should be allowed to have a peaceful nuclear programme under the watch of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Unlike previous encounters between Iran and Western powers in the past decade, all sides have remained quiet about details of the negotiations, without the criticism and mutual allegations of a lack of seriousness that have been typical of such meetings in the past.

Diplomats involved in the talks say this is a sign of how serious all sides are.

If some sort of agreement is reached, it would be a breakthrough after a decade of negotiations between Iran and the six world powers.

A potential deal could see Tehran freeze its nuclear efforts for as long as six months in exchange for some relief from the sanctions that have battered its economy.

But Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that his country "utterly rejects" a deal being forged, adding that "Israel will do everything it needs to do to defend itself and defend the security of its people".

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Cameron Backs Marines After 'Appalling' Murder

The Events That Led To A Murder

Updated: 3:16pm UK, Friday 08 November 2013

By Alistair Bunkall, Sky News Defence Correspondent

The events that led up to the murder of the injured insurgent in Helmand province were filmed on a helmet-camera belonging to Marine B.

The footage begins as the Marine's were nearing the end of a routine patrol. An Apache helicopter is heard flying nearby. It then fires 139 rounds at suspected insurgents.

The patrol was then asked to go and perform a tactical battlefield assessment - essentially look for injured or dead bodies.

They found one Afghan lying in the middle of a field. He was badly wounded in the chest and legs. An AK-47 was found with him.

At this point Marine B is some 40 yards from the wounded Afghan, having taken up a position to scan the field for the enemy. His camera records Marine A, a 39 year old Sergeant, and Marine C searching and assessing the Afghan.

Having established he had no other weapons or explosives on him, Marine A then instructs his colleagues to drag the man to the edge off the field. This, he claimed, was so that they weren't sat out in the open where they would be easy targets. He wanted to treat the insurgent in safety Marine A claimed. The prosecution disagreed, arguing that it was a deliberate attempt to find cover, out of the sight of the Apache and a long range surveillance camera in Camp Bastion, know as a PGSS, that might have been monitoring their activity.

Once in a clearing on the edge of the field, Marine A is heard on the video asking if anyone wants to give the Afghan first aid.

"Anybody want to do first aid on this idiot?" he asks.

"No" reply a number of Marines.

"I'll put one in his head, if you want," offers Marine C.

Laughter is heard before Marine A decides:

"No, not in his head, 'cause that'll be f****** obvious."

Marine A is also seen speaking on the radio, updating his base on the status of the Afghan.

He claims he was preparing a '9-liner', the process of calling in medical evacuation, so called because of the nine lines of checks that must be completed before a helicopter is allowed to deploy. A pink 9-liner form can be seen in his hand at one point.

In addition to the video, the events were recorded in a journal kept by Marine C. This was also used in evidence.

"Now we were in cover, I was ready and waiting to pop him with a 9mm, one in the heart should do it, but I waited out for the nod from Marine A, ... and although for one minute I thought we were actually going to treat and casivac him, Marine A squashed it and sent it up that he'd snuffed it while we treated him," he writes.

"So there I was, pistol drawn, waiting for Marine A to get off the net so I could pop this little w***** and be done with it; when Marine A came back over, and thinned me out, to take up arcs with the others." 

"As I walked off..., Marine A popped him one himself!  I felt mugged off, but job done; little f*** was dead at the end of the day."

The video clearly shows Marine A lean towards the Afghan who is lying supine on the ground. He levels his 9mm pistol at the man's chest and fire a shot at virtual point blank range.

Dr Nicholas Hunt, a Pathologist who gave expert witness at the trial, explained what happened next in his view:

"The hands. Particularly the right hand comes up to the area to which the weapon has been discharged – that's the first thing I noted," he told the court.

"The legs are also seen to move quite significantly. His head has started to move and his breathing becomes very obviously laboured, much more rapid than it has been before and much deeper breaths."

"He was still alive at the point he was shot. After that his breathing far less obvious – it becomes shallower and the gap between breaths increases."

Marine A's defence was that he believed the Afghan man was already dead when he shot him.

"I saw no signs of life from him, so yes I believed he'd passed,"he told Bulford Military Court.

When asked why he'd shot a man he believed was dead, Marine A replied:

" Stupid, lack of self-control. Poor judgement on my part."

"I was very surprised the amount he did move. I believed he was dead. I'd not seen any move,ent for a few minutes. He suddenly became very animated once I'd shot him."

On the video Marine A is heard admitting he'd just broken the Geneva Convention but insists he was referring to the fact he'd shot a dead body rather an injured man.

Under cross-examination, Marine A was asked what was done to check if the man had died.

"Did anyone check the man's pulse?"

"No," Marine A answered.

"Did anyone check the man's breathing?"

"Not that I saw."

"Did anyone check the man's eyes?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

Marine B argued that he was giving the insurgent first aid but  admitted it was cursory. Marine C said that he'd started walking away from the area and had his back turned when the shot was fired. He also claimed that his diary was a form of therapy and not always accurate.

The Marines were arrested in October last year. Under cross-examination during the trial Marine B admitted misleading the investigation.

"Was there a plan to cover it up?" he was asked by Dave Perry QC for the prosecution.

"We were protecting him, yes," Marine B replied. "In my opinion he had shot an alive, injured insurgent."

Mr Perry asked: "We saw on the video you suggesting a cover story to the patrol. What was the cover story to be?"

"It was just protecting Marine A. It meant to say it was a warning shot," was Marine B's answer.

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Super Typhoon Haiyan: Hundreds Feared Dead

An airport worker in the Philippines has reported seeing one hundred bodies lying in the streets in just one town after Super Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the country.

At least 20 more were confirmed dead on Saturday but there are fears for hundreds more after the tropical cyclone smashed through the country with winds gusting up to 170mph.

Manila-based journalist Mike Cohen told Sky News: "We are thinking (the death toll will be) in the higher hundreds.

A man walks amid shattered homes in Tacloban

"The video images that we are seeing are so gruesome we cannot show them. There are bodies piled up upon bodies in several areas.

"This is from Leyte and Samar provinces. We are still not through the other four provinces."

Dozens of towns and villages are thought to have been inundated with water after storm surges flooded low-lying areas, drowning many it their path.

A mother weeps beside the dead body of her son

TV pictures showed cars, trees and rubble from houses strewn across streets after they were picked up by giant waves and carried inland.

One survivor said: "We thought it was a tsunami."

"Almost all houses were destroyed, many are totally damaged. Only a few are left standing," said Major Rey Balido, a spokesman for the national disaster agency.

Women walk past fallen trees and destroyed houses on Leyte Island

A British team of humanitarian experts is due to fly out to the far eastern country to help the UK Government decide what aid to send.

An appeal launched by the British Red Cross has already raised more than £100,000.

About a million people who were evacuated because they were living in the typhoon's path have been returning to find out what is left of their houses.

Residents carry the body of a loved one

Hundreds of thousands are said to have lost their homes.

Many of the most heavily damaged areas are still to be contacted because power and telephone lines are down, suggesting the final death toll could be much higher.

Captain John Andrews, deputy director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, said he had spoken to colleagues in some of the affected areas by radio who had told him there were bodies lying in the street.

Soldiers walk outside of Tacloban's shattered airport terminal

There were "100-plus dead, lying on the streets, with 100 plus injured" in Tacloban, the airport worker had told him.

Tacloban is the capital of Leyte, a large island of about two million people that suffered a direct hit from Haiyan on Friday morning when the storm was at its strongest.

Leyte Island, about 350miles south of the capital Manila, is one of five islands that was in the path of the super typhoon.

Children ran and cowered in terror as the typhoon hit

A news team for local television network GMA reported counting at least 20 bodies in a church, 20 more at a pier and a further 11 that had been washed ashore, including one child.

An AFP photographer who reached the city aboard a military plane said large areas of Tacloban had been flattened.

Minnie Portales, a spokesman for the aid agency World Vision, said: "As we wait for early reports from some of the hardest-hit provinces, we fear for the worst. This could be very bad."

A map showing the path of the typhoon and affected islands

At one point before it hit land the super typhoon had been even stronger, with winds gusting up to 235mph, which made it among the most powerful ever.

Meteorologists said that it had slowed to 100mph after passing over the Philippines but could pick up strength again as it sweeps across the South China Sea toward Vietnam.

Hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese have been moved away from coastal areas as authorities prepared for Haiyan to make landfall around 10am Sunday.

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Iran Nuclear Deal 'Utterly Rejected' By Israel

Israel's prime minister has dismissed an agreement expected to made between world powers and Iran over its nuclear programme as a "bad deal".

Six world powers - the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany - are working on a deal to cap some of Iran's atomic programme in exchange for limited relief from economic sanctions.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said the six countries and Iran could agree a road map" to end the differences over the programme at the talks in Geneva, Switzerland.

He told reporters he did not wish to prejudge the outcome but said Iran should be allowed to have a peaceful nuclear programme under the watch of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Sergei Lavrov is hoping for a "concrete result"

But Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu - who last year drew a red line across a cartoon bomb to illustrate the point at which Iran will have amassed enough uranium to fuel one nuclear bomb - said his country "utterly rejects" the deal being forged.

"I understand the Iranians are walking around very satisfied in Geneva as well they should because they got everything and paid nothing," he said.

"They wanted relief of sanctions after years of gruelling sanctions, they got that. They paid nothing because they are not reducing in any way their nuclear enrichment capability.

"So Iran got the deal of the century and the international community got a bad deal.

Iran's president denies his country wants to make nuclear weapons

"This is a very bad deal and Israel utterly rejects it. Israel is not obliged by this agreement and Israel will do everything it needs to do to defend itself and defend the security of its people."

Meanwhile, a senior US State Department official travelling with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Amman, Jordan, said he was going to Geneva "to help narrow differences in negotiations".

Foreign Secretary William Hague and the foreign ministers of France and Germany will also attend the talks, further raising hopes a deal could be imminent.

If an agreement is reached in Geneva, it would only be the start of a long process to reduce Iran's potential nuclear threat, with no guarantee of ultimate success.

US Secretary of State John kerry

But even a limited accord would mark a breakthrough after nearly a decade of mostly inconclusive talks focused on limiting, if not eliminating, Iranian atomic programmes.

The talks are primarily focused on the size and output of Iran's enrichment programme, which can create both reactor fuel and weapons-grade material suitable for a nuclear bomb.

Iran insists it is pursuing only nuclear energy, medical treatments and research, but the US and its allies fear that Iran could turn this material into the fissile core of nuclear warheads.

Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, has indicated he could cut back on the nuclear programme in exchange for an easing of sanctions.

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Thames Water 8% Price Hike Stopped By Ofwat

Britain's biggest water company has been stopped from imposing a price hike of 8% on its customers for 2014-15.

Ofwat, the water regulator, said the Thames Water price rise of £29 was not justified, despite the company saying the extra money was needed to fund the construction a "super sewer" under London.

The watchdog's chief regulation officer Sonia Brown said: "We said we would challenge Thames' application, in the interests of customers.

"We did just that and on the evidence provided we are not convinced that an extra bill increase is justified."

This announcement is Ofwat's final decision on the application.

Thames Water now has the right to trigger an appeal to the Competition Commission. The company told Sky News it was reviewing the decision by Ofwat.

The decision by Ofwat means the maximum that Thames Water can add to customers' bills for 2014-15 is capped at 1.4% above inflation, as set in the 2009 price review.

 Thames Water had submitted the application to Ofwat for an interim adjustment to prices over the current five-year price period.

The firm, which is privately owned by a global consortium led by Australia's Macquarie group, said it has spent £273m on acquiring land needed for the construction of the Thames Tideway Tunnel.

It also said bad debt as a result of the economic slowdown had prompted the application.

Ofwat criticised Thames Water over delays to a sewage treatment programme

In September, Ofwat criticised Thames Water over the application, saying it had made "substantial savings" by doing less than expected to tackle sewer flooding.

A major investment programme in sewage treatment has also dragged on too long, it added, despite customers being charged for the improvements.

Last week, Ofwat chairman Jonson Cox wrote to all water companies asking them to consider whether they needed to increase their bills for 2014-15 by the full amounts set in the last price review.

On 2 December, companies will submit their business plans for the next price review, which will cover the period from 2015 to 2020.

Ofwat has called on these plans to reflect their customers' priorities, and believes there is scope for reductions in bills from 2015.

If companies do not propose reductions, they will need to fully explain to their customers why.

Mr Cox told the firms that Ofwat will set 2015-20 prices using an independent, rigorous process, ahead of a final decision is due on these prices by January 2015.

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Super Typhoon Haiyan Hits The Philippines

At least four people have been killed after Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded, hit the Philippines.

The victims are reported to include a mother and child who drowned in South Cotabato, and a boy who was struck by lightning in Zamboanga City.

A fourth was killed by a falling tree but the death toll is expected to rise as the worst affected areas after currently cut off.

Children have been left in tears by the typhoon in Cebu city

Three quaters of a million people were ordered to leave their homes in villages in Haiyan's path amid fears the storm damage could be the worst in the Philippines' history.

President Benigno Aquino III threatened to use guns to force people living in high-risk areas, including 100 coastal communities, to move in a desperate bid to save lives.

War-like preparations were swung into place with three C-130 air force cargo planes and 32 military helicopters and planes on standby, along with 20 navy ships.

"No typhoon can bring Filipinos to their knees if we'll be united," Mr Aquino said in a televised address.

The US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Centre in Hawaii said Haiyan's maximum sustained winds were 195mph (314kmph), with gusts up to 235mph (379kmph).

Some meteorologists have claimed it is the strongest severe tropical storm to make landfall. The previous record holder, according to Reuters and AP, was Hurricane Camillie in 1969 which had winds up to 190mph.

Residents of Legazpi city in Albay province, south of Manila

The cyclone whipped up the seas, producing waves that reached 6m (19ft) high, threatening to inundate low lying areas.

Local journalist Mike Cohen told Sky News: "We're seeing a lot of strong winds but not a lot of rain.

"There are already reports of some landslides and very strong storm surge entering towns and villages in the path of the storm.

Damage to buildings in Ormoc City. Credit: Ritchel M. Deleon

"Trees are falling and there is lots of damage reported across the region."

The typhoon is believed to have made landfall on the northern tip of Cebu Province, about 350 miles south east of the capital Manila.

Up to 12million people live in the affected areas, including the tourist districts of Leyte Island and Borocay Island.

Children sheltering in Cebu. Picture: Red Cross

At the moment the cyclone  - known locally as Yolanda - is about 300miles across. It is expected to pass over the south end of Mindoro Island around noon on Friday, hitting Busuanga at about 1pm.

According to Mr Cohen, power has been cut to the worst-affected areas, mainly as a preventative measure to avoid electrocution, but this was making communications difficult.

Among the 720,000 evacuated are thousands of refugees from a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Bohol last month, who have been living in tents since the tremor hit.

Waves up to six metres high have been reported as a result of high winds

Jeff Masters, a former hurricane meteorologist who is a director at the private firm Weather Underground, warned that there would be "catastrophic damage".

He said: "195mph winds; there aren't too many buildings constructed that can withstand that kind of wind. The wind damage should be the most extreme in Philippines' history."

The strength of the wind made it one of the four most powerful typhoons ever recorded in the world, and the most powerful to have made landfall, he added.

A closer look reveals the eye of the storm over the Philippines

But other meteorologists forecast lower readings, saying the storm's speed at landfall had sustained winds at 145mph (234kmph) with gusts of 170mph ( 275kmph).

Haiyan is expected to sweep through the Philippines' central region before moving toward the South China Sea over the weekend, heading towards Vietnam.

Meteorologists fear that it could intensify further as it approaches the Vietnamese coast.

A map showing the path and predicted path of Typhoon Haiyan

The head of the government's main disaster response agency in the capital Manila said people are still being moved from communities prone to landslides and flooding.

But there is hope that, as Haiyan is a fast-moving storm, flooding from heavy rain - which usually causes the most deaths from typhoons in the Philippines - may not be as bad.

Haiyan is the 24th tropical storm to hit the Philippines this year. Last year, Typhoon Bopha, which had maximum sustained winds of 175mph, killed 1,100 people in the country.

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On-The-Run Terror Suspect In 'Torture' Claim

The terror suspect who escaped after dressing in a burka is claiming damages from the Government, alleging he was tortured.

Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed, who vanished from a London mosque dressed in a burka on Friday, has launched a human rights legal challenge at High Court.

The 27-year-old is the subject of a Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measure but managed to escape surveillance by disguising himself as a woman.

It has been claimed that he has been trained and fought for the al Qaeda-linked Somali group al Shabaab.

The manhunt currently includes the Metropolitan Police's counter terrorism command, MI5 and the UK Border Force.

The High Court heard how Mohamed was bringing a claim against the Foreign Office, the Home Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Attorney General.

Mohamed dressed in a burka to flee the London mosque

Mohamed and another, referred to as CF, accuse the British authorities of bringing about their arrest by Somaliland authorities in January 2011 and then being complicit in their detention and torture.

Mohamed launched his damages claim under a cloak of anonymity and was referred to in court papers as "MA" but anonymity was lifted following his disappearance.

The Home Secretary Theresa May has insisted Mohamed, who is the second terror suspect under a terrorism-prevention measure to go missing, does not pose "a direct threat" to the public.

However, it has emerged that Mrs May was mistaken when she claimed in the House of Commons that the police had Mohamed's passport.

In a statement today from the chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, the Labour MP Keith Vaz, he discloses that the Home Secretary had written to correct an answer she had given him in which she said: "I do not have his passport but the police do."

Mrs May amended her response writing: "I do not have his passport. Mohamed was not in possession of his British passport when he returned to the UK so there was no passport for the police to seize."

Theresa May was 'mistaken' when she said poilce had Mohamed's passport

Mr Vaz said: "I am amazed that Home Office officials should have briefed the Home Secretary so poorly on such an important issue. When there are only 8 people on Tpims they ought to know every detail about them.

"It is a worry that there may be other factual errors in the way this matter has been handled and I will seek reassurance about this.

It could well be that Mohamed has another passport and her answer has raised questions about his current whereabouts. We will be raising these questions with Charles Farr when he comes before the Committee next Tuesday."

It is thought Mohamed used a sharp instrument to cut off his tag and was last seen at the An-Noor Masjid and Community Centre in west London.

Mohamed and CF were detained in Somaliland on January 14 2011 and held until their removal back to the UK on March 14 that year.

Mohamed alleges the fact the British authorities knew he was about to be arrested in Somaliland was demonstrated by the Home Secretary's decision to apply for a control order against him "as a precaution" prior to his detention.

The first control order against him was sanctioned by High Court judge Mr Justice Silber on January 13 2011.

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Surgeons Discover New Ligament In Human Knee

Surgeons in Belgium have found a new ligament in the human knee, which might hold the key to treating particular sports injuries.

The discovery of the anterolateral ligament gives particular hope for people who have torn their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Such tears are particularly common among footballers.

The ligament was uncovered by orthopaedic surgeons Steven Claes and Johan Bellemans of the University of Leuven who were looking to understand why patients with ACL-repaired knees could still suffer from recurrent "pivot shifts" where the knee "gives way" during activity.

The surgeons began their investigation by looking back at an article from 1879 by French surgeon Paul Segond who suggested there might be another ligament located on the anterior of the knee.

Drawings showing how the knee works. Pic: University Hospitals Leuven

After a four-year study using macroscopic dissection techniques on 41 corpses, the scientists found that the anterolateral ligament (ALL) was present in all but one of the knees studied.

The scientists say the research could signal a breakthrough in the treatment of patients with serious ACL injuries.

"This study is the first to provide a detailed anatomical description of the anterolateral ligament (ALL) of the human knee," the authors wrote.

"Given its suggested role in common knee instability patterns such as the pivot shift, the precise anatomical knowledge of this enigmatic structure delivered by this study could be highly relevant for clinical practice.

"However, further research is needed to establish the function of the ALL and to determine its role in clinical knee injuries."

They are currently working on a surgical technique to correct ALL injuries but say the results will not be ready for several years.

The results of the study, published in the Journal of Anatomy which described the research as "very refreshing".

The journal congratulated the researchers for "reminding the medical world that, despite the emergence of advanced technology, our knowledge of the basic anatomy of the human body is not yet exhaustive".

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Intelligence Agency Heads Face MPs' Questions

Who Are Britain's Spy Chiefs?

Updated: 10:58am UK, Thursday 07 November 2013

All three of Britain's spy chiefs are to appear together in public at a televised Parliamentary committee for the first time. Here's who they are:

:: Sir Iain Lobban,  Director of GCHQ (The Government Communications Headquarters)

A languages graduate from the University of Leeds in who joined GCHQ in 1983, Sir Iain Lobban has been in post since 2008.

He moved to the GCHQ Board in 2001 where he oversaw the intelligence agency's move to its new headquarters in Gloucestershire.

Sir Iain, an Everton fan who is married with a daughter, was knighted in the 2013 New Year's honours list for services to national security.

He has recently spoken to say that GCHQ needs to recruit more socially awkward people like the code-breaker Alan Turing.

In a speech at Leeds University last year he said: "I strongly believe [the] agency needs the widest range of skills possible if it is to be successful, and to deny itself talent just because the person with the talent doesn't conform to a social stereotype is to starve itself of what it needs to thrive."

He succeeded Sir David Pepper in July 2008

GCHQ provides communications information to the British government and armed forces.

It monitors communications and electronic data to defend Britain and British interests against cyberattacks, international and domestic terrorism, organised crime, and the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

GCHQ identifies cyber espionage and gathers intelligence to better understand new and emerging threats. It has partnerships with MI5, MI6 and a range of international allies, primarily the USA, to further UK foreign policy.

:: Andrew Parker, Director General of the British Security Service (MI5)

Andrew Parker has worked for MI5 for 30 years and has been head of the service since April 2013.

He became director of International Terrorism for the Security Service in 2005 and led the response to the July 7 London transport system bombings.

The University of Cambridge graduate was made Deputy Director General of the service in 2007 and took the top slot when Sir Jonathan Evans left in April this year.

In his first speech since taking over he warned of the damage the CIA whistleblower Edward Snowden had caused by leaking classified information.

Mr Parker said that Snowden had handed a gift to terrorists.

MI5, the British Security Service, is mainly concerned with the protection of Britain's national security, parliamentary democracy, its economic interests, counter-terrorism and counter-espionage within the UK.

It was established in 1909 as the Secret Service Bureau; during the First World War it was renamed the Directorate of Military Intelligence Section 5, giving it the popular name of MI5.

MI5 investigates organisations and individuals it suspects pose a threat to British security, and advises the Government and other organisations to keep them informed of the threats.

:: Sir John Sawers, Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)

Sir John joined the Foreign and Commonwealth office in 1977 and was British Permanent Representative to the UN from 2007 and 2009.

Sir John, who studied physics and philosophy at the University of Nottingham, has been head of MI6  since November 2009, taking over from Sir John Scarlett.

He was foreign affairs adviser to then prime minister Tony Blair between January 1999 and summer 2001.

He is the only serving member of MI6 who is officially named in public.

The Secret Intelligence Service collects Britain's foreign intelligence. The Service is based at Vauxhall Cross in London.

It collects secret intelligence and mounts covert operations overseas in support of British Government objectives regarding defence and foreign policies and in support of the prevention or detection of serious crime.

MI6 tackles terrorism using assessed intelligence and preventing people from becoming terrorists; and protecting critical national infrastructure and crowded places.

The organisation also obtains secret intelligence on the efforts of foreign states to acquire nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

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Stuart Hall In Court On 15 Rape Charges

Former broadcaster Stuart Hall has appeared in court charged with 15 offences of rape relating to two girls.

The 83-year-old, who also faces a charge of indecent assault, was wearing a white shirt, striped black and white tie and black suit.

During the brief hearing at Preston magistrates court Hall was asked to identify himself and replied, "I beg your pardon?" as he struggled to hear proceedings.

He then gave his name as James Stuart Hall and his address as Prestbury Road, Wilmslow.

Hall listened as the charges were outlined. No pleas were entered.

The charges relate to two girls aged between 11 or 12 and 16 at the time.

Hall is alleged to have committed seven counts of rape against one girl between 1976 and 1978 in Manchester, when she was aged between 14 and 16.

He is also accused of eight counts of rape and one count of indecent assault against a second girl, who was aged between 11 or 12 and 15 at the time.

These offences are said to have taken place between 1976 and 1981 at various locations in Greater Manchester and Cheshire.

Hall was remanded in custody until November 29 for a further hearing at Preston Crown Court.

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Dog Attack: Girl's Family Pays Tribute

Dangerous Dogs: The Victims

Updated: 9:58am UK, Wednesday 06 November 2013

Some 17 people have now been killed by dogs in the UK since 2005. Here is a list of the cases...

October 2013: Lexi Branson, 4, killed in Mountsorrel, Leicestershire. Breed of dog responsible is not yet confirmed.

May 2013: Clifford Clarke, 79, was outside his home in Clubmoor, Liverpool. Breed of the dog, belonging to a neighbour, was believed to have been a bull masitff crossed with either a Presa Canario or a bandog.

March 2013: Jade Lomas-Anderson, 14, from Wigan, Greater Manchester. Attacked by four or five dogs at a friend's house. Two were believed to have been bull mastiffs, two were Staffordshire bull terriers.

November 2012: Harry Harper, eight days old, from Ketley, Shropshire. Attacked by a Jack Russell in his cot.

October 2012: Gloria Knowles, 71, from Morden, south London. Suffered a heart attack when savaged by her daughter's dogs when she went to feed them. Two were Bordeaux bulldogs, two were American bulldogs and one was a mongrel.

January 2012: Leslie Trotman, 83, of Brentford, west London. He was in his garden when a neighbour's Pitbull-type dog escaped and attacked him.

December 2010: Barbara Williams, 52, Wallington, Surrey. Attacked by a Belgian mastiff in a garden.

April 2010: Zumer Ahmed, 18 months, from Crawley, West Sussex. Killed when her uncle's American bulldog got into the house.

November 2009: John Paul Massey, aged four, from Wavertree, Liverpool. Killed at home by his uncle's pitbull-type dog.

May 2009: Andrew Walker, 21, Blackpool, Lancashire. Bitten more than 50 times by his flatmate's two Alsatians.

February 2009: Jaden Mack, three months old, from Caerphilly, South Wales. Stafforshire bull terrier and Jack Russell attacked him on a table at home after his grandmother fell asleep.

January 2009: Stephen Hudspeth, 33, Bishop Auckland, County Durham. Attacked by a Staffordshire bull terrier and died days later from blood poisoning.

January 2008: James Redhill, 78, Plaistow, east London. His own pet Rottweiler attacked him in the street.

December 2007: Archie-Lee Hirst, one year old, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Attacked by a Rottweiler at his grandparents' home.

January 2007: Ellie Lawrenson, five years old, St Helens, Merseyside, Attacked at her grandmother's home by her uncle's Pitbull-type dog.

September 2006: Cadey-Lee Deacon, five months, from Leicester. Taken from her Moses basket by two Rottweilers in the living area of her grandparents' pub.

November 2005: Liam Eames, one year old, from Leeds. Attacked at home by the family's American bulldog.

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BAE Announces 1,775 Shipyard Job Losses

BAE Job Loss Statement In Full

Updated: 11:22am UK, Wednesday 06 November 2013

BAE Systems has released a statement to accompany its announcement that 1,775 jobs will go across sites in Scotland and Portsmouth:

BAE Systems has reached agreement in principle with HM Government on measures to enable the implementation of a restructuring of its UK naval ships business.

The agreement will result in:

· Restructuring of the contract for the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier programme.

· Provision of additional shipbuilding work prior to the start of the Type 26 Global Combat Ships programme.

· Rationalisation of the UK naval ship business to match future capacity requirements.

In 2009, BAE Systems entered into a Terms of Business Agreement (ToBA) with the Ministry of Defence that provided an overarching framework for significant naval shipbuilding efficiency improvements in exchange for commitments to fund rationalisation and sustainment of capability in the sector.  The agreements announced today, together with an anticipated contract for the design and manufacture of the Type 26 Global Combat Ships programme, will progressively replace that ToBA.

Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier

BAE Systems, with the other participants in the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, has agreed changes to the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier contract.

Under the revised terms, the contract will be amended to accommodate programme changes and activities previously excluded from the contract.

Under the new Target Cost contract the industrial participants' fee will move to a 50:50 risk share arrangement providing greater cost performance incentives. The maximum risk to the industrial participants will continue to be limited to the loss of their profit opportunity.

The revised contract reflects the increased maturity of the programme, with structural assembly of the first of class vessel now substantially complete. 

Interim shipbuilding workload

A significant reduction in workload will follow the peak of activity on the Aircraft Carrier programme, the six Type 45 destroyers and two export contracts.

The anticipated Type 26 programme will, in future years, address some of that workload reduction.

In the interim period, a proposed contract for the manufacture of three Offshore Patrol Vessels, announced today, will provide additional capability for the Royal Navy and sustain key shipbuilding skills.

Restructuring of the Naval Shipbuilding business

Following detailed discussions about how best to sustain the long-term capability to deliver complex warships, BAE Systems has agreed with the UK Ministry of Defence that Glasgow would be the most effective location for the manufacture of the future Type 26 ships.

Consequently, and subject to consultation with trade union representatives, the Company proposes to consolidate its shipbuilding operations in Glasgow with investments in facilities to create a world-class capability, positioning it to deliver an affordable Type 26 programme for the Royal Navy.

Under these proposals, shipbuilding operations at Portsmouth will cease in the second half of 2014.  Subject to consultation, Lower Block 05 and Upper Blocks 07 and 14 of the second Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier will be allocated to Glasgow. 

The Company remains committed to continued investment in the Portsmouth area as the centre of its Maritime Services and high-end naval equipment and combat systems business.

Consultation will commence on a total employee reduction of 1,775 that is expected to result from these restructuring proposals, including 940 in Portsmouth in 2014 and 835 across Filton, Glasgow and Rosyth, progressively through to 2016.

The cost of the restructuring will be borne by the Ministry of Defence.

The implementation of these restructuring activities will sustain BAE Systems' capability to deliver complex warships for the Royal Navy and secure the employment of thousands of highly skilled employees across the UK.

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Terror Hunt: Suspect 'Linked To Al Shabaab'

A suspect who escaped surveillance by changing into a burka on a visit to a mosque has connections to the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab Islamist group in Somalia, according to Sky sources.

Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed, who was last seen at a west London mosque on Friday afternoon, is being hunted by counter-terrorism officers.

He entered the An-Noor Masjid and Community Centre in Church Road, Acton, at 10am, wearing Western-style clothes, but CCTV images issued by Scotland Yard later show him leaving with his face and body fully covered by the traditional Islamic garment.

The venue - where he was last seen at 3.15pm the same day -  said it did not intend to comment.

The wanted man is subject to a Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures notice (Tpim).

Mr Mohamed is not considered a "direct threat", police said.

He was put under surveillance on terrorism prevention and investigation measures due to his connection with the Somalian terror group, which was behind the attack on the Westgate Mall in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on September 21 that killed at least 67 people.

The 27-year-old is understood to have received training and fought overseas for al Shabaab.

A court-imposed anonymity order banning the publication of Mr Mohamed's name has been lifted to allow police to make a public appeal, following an application from Home Secretary Theresa May.

Mr Mohamed is "not considered at this time to represent a direct threat to the public", Scotland Yard said, but anyone who sees him is urged to call 999 immediately.

Security Minister James Brokenshire said: "National security is the Government's top priority and the police are doing everything in their power to apprehend this man as quickly as possible.

"The police and security services do not believe that this man poses a direct threat to the public in the UK.

"The Home Secretary, on police advice, yesterday applied to the High Court for an order protecting anonymity to be lifted in order to assist with their investigation."

Somalia-born Mr Mohamed, who is 5ft 8in tall and of medium build, arrived at the An-Noor Masjid and Community Centre in Church Road, Acton, at 10am on Friday and was last seen there at 3.15pm that day.

He is the second person to breach a Tpim since they were introduced to replace control orders in early 2012.

Another CCTV image shows the burka-clad figure, believed to be Mr Mohamed

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The Counter Terrorism Command immediately launched inquiries to trace Mr Mohamed and these continue.

"Ports and borders were notified with his photograph and details circulated nationally. Public safety remains our priority."

Pressure is mounting on the Government to explain how the al Qaeda-linked terror suspect escaped surveillance.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper described the matter as "extremely serious".

She said: "Clearly police and security agencies will be doing everything possible to locate this terror suspect and ensure public safety.

"The Home Secretary also needs to provide information about the decisions made over Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed's Tpim, how he was able to abscond and what the risks to the public are."

The Labour Party has said it plans to put down an urgent question in the Commons later.

Tpims, which include restrictions on overnight residence, travel and finance, are imposed by the Home Secretary who is given access to secret evidence that can not be placed before juries.

Police are still hunting Ibrahim Magag, who absconded in December 2012

They do not allow for the relocation of suspects, as control orders did and unlike control orders, Tpims have a maximum time limit of two years.

Control orders could be extended year on year without limit, while Tpims can be extended after a year for another 12 months before they expire.

As of August 31, there were nine Tpims in force, including eight against British suspects, the latest written update to MPs showed.

Last December, Ibrahim Magag, who is understood to have attended terrorist training camps in Somalia, absconded from a Tpim notice after ripping off his electronic tag. The police search for him is continuing.

The terrorism watchdog warned earlier this year that Tpims could allow those deemed potentially dangerous to be left "free and unconstrained" in the absence of prosecution or new evidence of terrorism-related activity.

David Anderson QC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said in his first report on Tpims, that the two-year limit was the "boldest" change from control orders made by the Government, adding that it was "tempting, in the most serious cases, to wish for longer".

Speaking in March, he said: "Some subjects who have been judged by the Home Secretary and by the courts to be potentially dangerous will then, absent prosecution or new evidence of terrorism-related activity, be free and unconstrained."

Mr Anderson said a longer time limit was tempting as allegations against some Tpim subjects were at the "highest end of seriousness, even by the standards of international terrorism".

However, he concluded that the two years of constraint now permitted were "a very strong power by international or indeed historic British standards".

Mr Brokenshire has defended the measures, describing them as providing a "robust mechanism" to manage suspects and reassure the public.

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Ryanair Moves To Fully Allocated Seating

Ryanair has announced a plan to move to fully allocated seating on all of its flights.

The budget carrier said the new system will be in force from February 1.

The move comes after numerous customer complaints about the frenzied rush by passengers to secure the best seats.

The company said in a statement: "This return to allocated seating is Ryanair's response to the enormous demand from our customers in recent weeks via Ryanair's 'Tell MOL' customer feedback initiative.

"Ryanair's decision to launch fully allocated seating is also part of the airline's commitment to listen to its customers."

The announcement comes as the company revealed a profit rise of just 1% to £510m, in the six months to September 30.

Two months after Ryanair issued its first profit warning in a decade, the Ireland-based firm has now cut its profit forecast further for the financial year ending in March, to £423m and £440m.

It had previously estimated the full-year profit at £487m.

Ryanair, Europe's largest carrier by seats sold, said traffic rose 2% to 49 million passengers in the period, but said intense competition was pushing down winter fares by around 10%.

Shares in Ryanair were down more than 11% in early Monday trading, as investors fled from airline stocks.

Easyjet and IAG, the parent company of BA, were also down as a result.

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Garden Murders: Accused Couple In Court

The daughter and son-in-law of an elderly couple who were found buried in their own garden have appeared in court charged with their murders.

More follows...

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Maidstone Prison 'Riot' Brought Under Control

A "riot" at Maidstone Prison has been brought under control, the Prison Service has said.

Officers from special prison service riot units across the country were called in to deal with the Maidstone incident in a system known as Operation Tornado.

A prison officers union said it had been told the riot involved up to 180 prisoners, but the Prison Service said just 40 inmates took part in the "incident".

Riot units were called to the prison

Prison Officers Association vice chair Ralph Valerio told Sky News negotiators had been sent to the scene in Kent to try to contain the disturbance.

He said he had been told that at one point inmates were smashing up the Thanet Wing at the prison.

Mr Valerio said he had been led to believe that between 160 to 180 foreigners were involved - and some staff could have been assaulted.

Up to 180 foreigners are thought to have taken part in the disturbance

He said prison staff had been forced to retreat to safety. Thanet Wing, where the riot occurred, is separated from the other wings.

Jackie Hipwell, the landlady of a pub nearby, said the whole road in front of the prison was filled with fire engines and riot vans.

She said it started around 4pm and there were so many vehicles deployed she was unable to use the road.

The location of Thanet Wing at Maidstone Prison

A Prison Service spokesperson said later: "An incident involving around 40 prisoners at HMP Maidstone has been successfully resolved with no injuries to staff or prisoners.

"An investigation is under way and the perpetrators will be dealt with appropriately by the prison."

Mr Valerio believes staff shortages and the impact this has had on the prisoners is a possible reason behind the rioting.

Maidstone, with an inmate population of about 600, is a category C training prison that predominantly houses sex offenders from the Kent and Sussex areas.

Its website says it aims to "create a therapeutic environment that supports, embraces and empowers change with a primary focus on risk reduction and protection".

The prison also takes in foreign prisoners with more than 18 months to serve and provides forums with the UK Border Agency.

Kent Police confirmed it was aware of the incident, but a spokeswoman said prison services were dealing with the matter.

Meanwhile, a passive demonstration took place at G4S-run Rye Hill Prison, near Rugby,  involving 60 inmates. However, this was resolved peacefully and was not linked to the Maidstone riot.

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EBay: Nazi Holocaust Memorabilia Removed

Auction site eBay has apologised after Nazi Holocaust memorabilia, including clothes worn by concentration camp victims, were traded online.

Journalists claim to have found several items for sale, including a complete Auschwitz uniform worn by a Polish baker who died in the camp.

The Auschwitz uniform had reportedly been priced at £11,300 by the seller, a Ukrainian man in Canada, named as Viktor Kempf.

Survivors liberated from Auschwitz in 1945

He had apparently sold similar clothing for $18,000 (£11,491) last year.

It was claimed Mr Kempf had been criticised in the past for selling such items, but did so to "document" them and to fund history book projects.

Mr Kempf was quoted as saying: "I don't want people to think I'm just doing it for the money. These periods in history are horrific, nobody should ever forget them."

How Mr Kempf described the items on eBay

EBay has offered to donate £25,000 to charity after the items were discovered and admitted they breached the terms of use.

The online retailer said: "We are very sorry these items have been listed on eBay and we are removing them.

"We don't allow listings of this nature, and dedicate thousands of staff to policing our site and use the latest technology to detect items that shouldn't be for sale.

Schindler's list failed to sell on eBay when offered for sale for £3m

"We very much regret that we didn't live up to our own standards. We have made a donation to charity to reflect our concern."

Other items found on eBay, by journalists at the Mail On Sunday, included shoes and a toothbrush said to have belonged to concentration camp victims.

There were also yellow Star of David armbands used by the Nazis to identify Jews for persecution.

An original copy of Schindler's list of Jews saved from the Holocaust by Oskar Schindler went unsold on eBay in July.

The 14-page typewritten list - bearing the names of 801 men - originated from the German industrialist's right-hand man Itzhak Stern, and had a steep opening bid of $3m (£1.96m).

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'Plebgate' Officers Facing New Investigation

Three police officers accused of deceiving MPs over the so-called Plebgate scandal are to face a new investigation by the police watchdog.

Inspector Ken MacKaill, Detective Sergeant Stuart Hinton and Sergeant Chris Jones will also be called back before an influential committee of MPs, over claims they gave misleading accounts of a meeting with Andrew Mitchell.

The trio were initially told they would face no action for misconduct after they used press interviews to falsely accuse the former chief whip of calling them "******* plebs" during a Downing Street row over his bicycle.

But the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has now said it will hold an investigation into their behaviour, saying the evidence they gave to the home affairs select committee revealed "a number of procedural irregularities" in earlier police reports.

The confrontation was caught on CCTV and shown on Channel 4

Speaking on Sky News' Murnaghan show, former shadow home secretary David Davis spoke about the "devastating" impact of the officers' actions on Mr Mitchell and his family.

He called for him to be returned to the cabinet, in which he served between 2010 and 2012, in any future reshuffle.

"Mr Mitchell's career came to an end and he was subject to widespread vilification," he said.

"At one point, the entire British public thought he was guilty. They now see him, quite rightly, as a wronged man.

"It's long past time that Mr Mitchell should be exonerated and returned to office."

The row had a "devastating" impact on Mr Mitchell, according to Mr Davis

The policemen, all of whom are police federation representatives, have been recalled to the home affairs select committee to apologise for giving "misleading answers" on October 23.

Mr Davis said members of the public expected "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth to be at the core of policing".

"When are (these three officers) going to realise that telling a lie or a half truth just isn't good enough?" he said.

"This isn't just about three policemen - it's about whether or not this sort of behaviour is seen as acceptable by the entire system."

Chief Constable Alex Marshall, chief executive of the College of Policing, told the Murnaghan show that the officers' actions had "damaged the public image of the police".

"There will now be a full, independent investigation by the IPCC and it's my view that there should have been from the start," he said.

"The officers should have apologised and they should have apologised very clearly."

Referring to a draft code of ethics published last month by the College of Policing, which outlined how all 220,000 police officers and staff in England and Wales are expected to behave, he added: "Officers must uphold high standards when they join the police.

"The code of ethics spells out those standards and for people joining the police service, (it should be) lesson one on day one."

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