F-35 Fighter Jets Cleared To Fly After Fire

The F-35 fighter jet has been cleared to fly after an investigation into the cause of a fire on one of the aircraft.

The Pentagon said the stealth aircraft's US fleet now has "limited flight clearance".

The F-35 Lightning II programme has been beset by problems. Aircraft have been grounded on a number of occasions and it is running wildly over budget.

Different versions are being built by Lockheed Martin for the US Marines, US Air Force and US Army.

The Pentagon said it was not yet clear if the planes will take part in Britain's Farnborough air show, which is currently under way. 

The aircraft had been due to fly at the show in Hampshire on Monday, after failing to make the Royal International Air Tattoo in Fairford, Gloucestershire, on Friday.

The UK is investing billions of pounds and staking the reputation of the military on the eventual success of the F-35 programme.

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MP Top Trumps: David Cameron's Rising Stars

The Prime Minister's battle plan for the General Election begins with a Cabinet reshuffle. Find out the ones to watch.

Nicky Morgan MP

Who: Nicky Morgan, MP for Loughborough since 2010
Born and brought up: Kingston upon Thames, Surbiton
Education: Jurisprudence at St Hugh's College, Oxford
Before politics: Solicitor on corporate law, specialising in mergers and acquisitions. Joined Tories in 1989 and was chair of Wessex Young Conservatives and vice-chair for Battersea Conservatives.
Politics: Fought for Islington South and Finsbury seat in 2001. Fought for Loughborough seat in 2005.
Constituency campaigns: Cash for potholes, entrepreneurs, housing, local libraries, business.
Old jobs: Assistant whip, financial secretary to the Treasury, minister for women.
New job: Education Secretary - continues with women and equalities brief. Tells Sky News she is "very excited"
Home life: Married to an architect. One son.
Known for: Saying university isn't a rite of passage, praising Loughborough students on rag week, against same-sex marriage, safe pair of hands, time in the whip's office.
X Factor: Mother, Osbornite, loyalist.

Liz Truss MP

Who: Liz Truss, MP since 2010 for South West Norfolk
Born and brought up: Yorkshire
Education: Philosophy, politics and economics at Merton College, Oxford University
Before politics: Trained as an accountant. Worked in the energy and telecoms industry. Member of the Conservative Party for 17 years. Proved blue credentials as deputy director of the right-wing think-tank Reform.
Politics: Fought for a seat in 2001 and 2005. Published two books arguing for return of entrepreneurship and need to learn from rising nations.
Constituency campaigns: Better roads, faster broadband, reliable energy supplies, small businesses.
Old job: Education minister, campaigning for a stronger emphasis on academic subjects.
New job: Environment Secretary
Home life: Lives in London. Married with two daughters.
Known for: Attention to detail, unflappable manner.
X Factor: Mother (rare in Parliament, rarer in Cabinet). At 38, she is the youngest ever female Cabinet member.

Priti Patel MP

Who: Priti Patel, MP since 2010 for Witham, Essex
Born and brought up: South Harrow, Ruislip, Watford
Education: Economics, Keele University. Postgraduate at University of Essex
Before politics: Director of corporate communications for PR consultancy. Press officer for William Hague.
Politics: Fought for a seat in 2005, won different seat in 2010. Against prisoner voting. For capital punishment.
Constituency campaigns: Small businesses, affordable homes, transport infrastructure
Home life: Lives in Witham and London. Married with a son.
Known for: Independently minded. Unpredictable.
X Factor: A rebel. Admired by backbenchers. Mother.

Esther McVey MP

Who: Esther McVey, MP for Wirral West since 2010
Born and brought up: Liverpool
Education: Law at Queen Mary University, London. Radio journalism at City University, London. MSc in corporate governance at Liverpool John Moores University
Before politics: TV presenter and producer, director of her father's demolition business and set up own training business for SMEs.
Politics: Fought for seat in 2005. Was parliamentary under-secretary for disabled people. Worked for Chris Grayling and had a Work and Pensions brief.
Constituency campaigns: Small businesses, youth unemployment
Old job: Employment minister
New job: Continues as minister for Employment and Disabilities but will attend Cabinet
Home life: Lives in West Kirby and London. Unmarried.
Known for: Friend of Kate McCann and helped set up Madeleine McCann Fund. First Tory MP on Merseyside since 1997.
X Factor: Feisty and outspoken. Liverpudlian accent ticks the Northern box. Strong media performer. Nominated for Merseyside Woman of the Year and Cheshire Woman of the Year.

Penny Mordaunt MP

Who: Penny Mordaunt, MP for Portsmouth North since 2010
Born and brought up: Torquay, Portsmouth
Education: Philosophy at University of Reading
Before politics: Magician's assistant, communications director for Kensington and Chelsea Council, worked for Freight Transport Association, director of National Lottery, director of Diabetes UK, head of foreign press for George W Bush's 2000 campaign.
Politics: Head of Youth for Tories. First fought for a seat in 2005. Care and quality of life for elderly, healthcare, arts, space.
Constituency campaigns: Portsmouth Naval Base and Royal Navy fleet. Charities. Restoring Grade-II listed manor.
Current job: Ministerial aide
Home life: Lives in Port Solent with partner and breeds Burmese cats. Sub-lieutenant in Royal Navy Reserve.
Known for: Belly-flop on TV diving competition Splash! Second woman to give thank you after Queen's Speech - in it, she talked about testicles. Supporting women in Armed Forces. Named after frigate HMS Penelope. Critic of women-only shortlists. Supporter of homeopathy. member of British Astronomical Association.
X Factor: Have-a-go attitude.

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Gove Leaves Education Job As Hague Quits

Michael Gove will leave his job as Education Secretary in the biggest reshuffle of the top jobs in Government for four years.

The 46-year-old, a controversial figure among teachers, has been swapped to the role of Commons Chief Whip - a move described as "definitely a demotion" by Sky's Political Editor Adam Boulton.

In a shake-up described as a cull of the "pale, male and stale", a number of women were promoted into key posts, as has been expected, ahead of next year's General Election.

Nicky Morgan takes over from Michael Gove as Education Secretary

The first to secure a high-profile role was Nicky Morgan from Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Minister for Women to fill the vacancy left by Mr Gove. It is a rapid rise for an MP who has only held a seat in the House of Commons for four years.

Liz Truss, also only an MP since 2010, has moved from Education Minister to Environment Secretary to replace Owen Paterson, who was criticised for his response to the flooding crisis over the winter.

Esther McVey, another of the 2010 intake, had been tipped for a move but remains as Employment Minister, although she will now attend Cabinet. Anna Soubry has been promoted to Defence Minister.

Liz Truss is the Government's new Environment Secretary

The wide-ranging reshuffle also sees the shock departure of William Hague, who has stepped down as Foreign Secretary.

The 53-year-old will become Leader of the House Of Commons before standing down as an MP at the next General Election in 2015.

He is replaced by outgoing Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, whose job has been taken by Michael Fallon.

Esther McVey stays at employment but is given Cabinet role

Mr Hague denied Mr Hammond's appointment marked a more Eurosceptic approach in Government and said: "We are very clear and united on Europe. Philip Hammond, David Cameron and I all have exactly the same policy on Europe.

"We want to improve Britain's relationship with the EU and then hold a referendum on staying in or leaving the European Union."

Mr Hague will now help to coordinate Government policy and become a "leading campaigner in key constituencies".

He will also be the Prime Minister's special representative on preventing sexual violence in conflict, following his work with UN special envoy and Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie.

Philip Hammond replaces William Hague as Foreign Secretary

Sky's Political Correspondent Sophy Ridge said: "When they said this would be a significant reshuffle, they actually meant it."

Dominic Grieve lost his role as Attorney General and has been replaced by Jeremy Wright, while Policing Minister Damian Green also lost his job, with Mike Penning getting a ministerial role in the Home Office .

Mr Cameron has also announced Lord Hill will be the UK's candidate for European Commissioner, to replace Baroness Ashton in Brussels, leaving his post as Leader of the House of Lords. Baroness Tina Stowell will become the new Leader of the Lords.

Matt Hancock, a key ally of Chancellor George Osborne, takes on the post of Minister of State for Business, Enterprise and Energy from Mr Fallon and will also take on the job of Minister for Portsmouth, attending Cabinet.

Ken Clarke pictured arriving at No 10 on Monday

Mark Harper, who was last seen resigning as immigration minister after he was discovered to be employing an illegal immigrant as a cleaner, has returned as Work and Pensions minister.

Meanwhile, Ken Clarke is retiring from Government at 74, and on Monday announced he was stepping down as minister without portfolio, bringing to an end a front bench career stretching back to 1972.

Speaking shortly after Mr Hague announced his departure, the Prime Minister paid tribute to him as a "first class Foreign Secretary" and  "a close confidante, a wise counsellor and a great friend".

Welsh Secretary David Jones has been replaced by Stephen Crabb and Transport Minister Stephen Hammond and Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd are also out.

Mr Hague with Angelina Jolie and US Secretary of State John Kerry

International Development Minister Alan Duncan is standing down at his own request, while Universities Minister David Willetts has also stood down and has been replaced by Greg Clark.

In a shake-up of the Civil Service, Sir Bob Kerslake has stepped down as permanent secretary of the Department for Communities and Local Government, his role as head of the Civil Service will be handed to Sir Jeremy Heywood. 

A new role of Civil Service chief executive is to be created and will report to Sir Jeremy.

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Costa Concordia: Cruise Ship 'Floating Again'

The shipwrecked Costa Concordia is floating on its own for the first time in two and a half years as one of the biggest salvage operations ever enters its most crucial phase.

"The ship is floating," chief engineer Franco Porcellacchia told scores of reporters gathered on the island of Giglio.

"It is now about one metre off the underwater platform it was lying on." 

The Costa Concordia has been resting on a huge underwater platform

The massive ship - twice as large as The Titanic - will be raised another metre before being shifted towards the open sea.

Compressed air is being pumped into 30 tanks attached to the sides of the vessel to force out seawater and refloat the vessel.

Thirty-two people died when the huge ship slammed into rocks off the Italian island in January 2012 and part of the ship's 290-metre-long hull sank beneath the water.

The salvage operation is the biggest in maritime history

But having been hauled into an upright position after a 19-hour operation last September, the wreckage of the luxury liner will soon be dragged to the port of Genoa where it will be broken up and sold as scrap.

The 114,500-tonne vessel will be raised two metres off the artificial platforms it has rested on since September in the initial phase of the operation on Monday.

It will then be towed away from the shore and moored using anchors and cables.

Mr Rebello, second left, is the only victim whose body is still missing

"The risks are that the ship could bend as it is raised, or the chains underneath it could snap," Salvage Master Nick Sloane said.

"There will be 42 people on board during the first manoeuvre. If disaster strikes we will evacuate through emergency escapes on the bow and stern."

The bulk of the refloating operation is due to take place from Thursday to Saturday, as the decks slowly emerge to be cleared of debris and checked for structural damage.

Francesco Schettino is accused of fleeing the ship

Search teams will scour the wreck as it is refloated in an attempt to find the body of the only victim still missing, Russel Rebello, an Indian waiter. 

In an interview with Sky News last January, Mr Rebello's brother, Kevin, who has made regular trips to Giglio from his home in Milan, said: "More than anything we would just like to find Russel's body so we can bury him and draw a line on what happened.''

Eerie video footage shot by divers and released by police earlier this month showed twisted metalwork, broken furniture and discarded belongings left by the 4,200 people who were on board the Costa Concordia when it crashed.

Francesco Schettino, the ship's captain, is on trial for charges including manslaughter.

He is accused of deliberately altering the course of the Concordia in order to carry out a sail-by salute of the island in order to impress local residents and passengers.

The 53-year-old, who was allegedly on the bridge with his Moldovan lover Domnica Cemortan, claimed it was ''too dark to see anything'' and told investigators he had not fled but had ''tripped and fell into a lifeboat".

He was dubbed 'Captain Coward' by some tabloid newspapers after reportedly refusing orders from the coastguard to return to the ship to help with the rescue operation.

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Pistorius Breaks His Silence On Twitter

Oscar Pistorius has broken his silence on social media by posting a string of religious messages.

The Paralympian took to Twitter on Sunday afternoon, five days after the last evidence was heard in his murder trial.

He posted a collage of himself posing with children, along with the message: "You have the ability to make a difference in someones (sic) life."

The 27-year-old also uploaded a passage about how a man in "utter desolation" can still "achieve fulfillment" through "loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved".

The athlete posted a picture of himself with children

The last time he tweeted before that was on February 14 this year, the first anniversary of the day he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Then, he wrote about the "devastating accident" that caused "such heartache for everyone who truly loved - and continues to love Reeva".

The double-amputee is waiting to learn whether he will be found guilty of the 29-year-old model's murder.

Pistorius says he heard what he thought was an intruder in his house and, in "fear for his life", approached a closed toilet door and fired four shots through it.

Pistorius shot Reeva four times through a toilet door

He said he thought Reeva was still in the bedroom when he opened fire.

The athlete's first message to his 354,000 followers - posted at 5.26pm on Sunday - contained seven pictures of himself with children.

Eight minutes later, he posted a passage from Man's Search For Meaning, a book published in 1946 by Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, about his experiences as an inmate at Auschwitz.

It mentions "how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss" by contemplating "his beloved".

His last tweet contained a prayer about those living in pain

Thirteen hours later, he posted a prayer saying: "Lord, today I ask that you bathe those who live in pain in the river of your healing. Amen."

His trial resumes on August 7 and 8, when lawyers will present their final arguments at Pretoria High Court.

The judge will then retire to consider her verdict, which could take several weeks.

Pistorius faces between 25 years and life in prison if found guilty.

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Sex Abuse Inquiry Judge Quits As Head of Probe

A retired judge chosen to spearhead one of two key inquiries into claims of historical child abuse has stepped down.

Elizabeth Butler-Sloss was picked to examine whether alleged abuse by politicians and other powerful figures between the 1970s and 1990s was swept under the carpet.

However, her appointment was engulfed in controversy because as an establishment figure herself - she was therefore considered the wrong person to head the Government's investigation into a possible cover-up.

In addition, her late brother, Tory MP Sir Michael Havers, was the Attorney General during the 1980s.

He is alleged to have had a row with former Conservative MP Geoffrey Dickens in the 1980s in an attempt to stop him using parliamentary privilege to make allegations about paedophilia.

Baroness Butler-Sloss said in a statement that following "a widespread perception" she was not the right person to chair the inquiry, "I did not sufficiently consider whether my background and the fact my brother had been Attorney General would cause difficulties".

She said: "Having listened to the concerns of victim and survivor groups and the criticisms of MPs and the media, I have come to the conclusion that I should not chair this inquiry and have so informed the Home Secretary.

"I should like to add that I have dedicated my life to public service, to the pursuit of justice and to protecting the rights of children and families and I wish the inquiry success in its important work."

David Cameron's official spokesman insisted the Prime Minister's view the Baroness "would have done a first-class job as chair" remained unchanged.

"The reasons for her appointment still absolutely stand in terms of her professional expertise and her integrity, which I don't think has been questioned from any quarter whatsoever, and rightly so," he added.

Home Secretary Theresa May said she was "deeply saddened" by the decision and said the peer's replacement would be announced as soon as possible.

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Cable Plots Tougher Foreign Takeover Rules

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

Vince Cable is to set out new proposals to force buyers of key British companies to make watertight commitments aimed at protecting jobs and research budgets.

The Business Secretary is expected to detail plans that would oblige foreign bidders for UK businesses to offer binding guarantees to the City's takeover watchdog in order to prevent the erosion of Britain's knowledge base.

His pledge will come less than two months after the American pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer's interest in a £69bn takeover of AstraZeneca ignited a political storm in Westminster about a perceived threat to scientific research and development in Britain.

Mr Cable is understood to want to strengthen the powers of the Takeover Panel, which oversees mergers and takeovers involving British companies, but his plans will nevertheless fall short of the more stringent regulatory framework for which Labour has been calling.

The Business Secretary's proposals are expected to be set out later this weekend.

It was unclear on Saturday whether Mr Cable would require legislative change to push through his proposals or whether there would be a formal threshold above which acquirers of UK companies would be forced to adhere to any new rules.

Currently, the formal public interest test which gives politicians power to intervene in corporate deals is restricted to areas such as media plurality and financial stability.

The Takeover Panel, which regulates mergers and acquisitions, can force foreign bidders for UK companies in any sector to make or clarify public statements about their intentions.

However, it is not deemed by ministers to have sufficiently robust powers to compel companies to make legally-binding commitments on issues such as jobs and R&D.

Promises made by Kraft on UK jobs and manufacturing were reneged upon

That became a politically sensitive issue under the last Labour Government, when Kraft Foods of the US reneged on a pledge to retain a Cadbury manufacturing facility in the UK.

Speaking before a House of Lords select committee earlier this week, Mr Cable said he was not interested in introducing rules purely designed to protect the Union flag, pointing out that Britain's biggest manufacturer is Tata, the Indian conglomerate which owns Jaguar Land Rover.

"A crude nationality test has no merit," he said.

Hinting at a possible strengthening of the Takeover Panel's powers, he also said that an extension of the national interest test could risk breaching European Union law.

Ian Read, Pfizer's chief executive, said in May he regarded commitments to UK jobs made during the recent bid situation as legally enforceable.

When Pfizer abandoned its offer two months ago, Chuka Umunna, the Shadow Business Secretary, reaffirmed his commitment to subjecting the deal to a public interest test if a fresh approach was made under a Labour administration.

"While Labour was standing up for British jobs and British science throughout this takeover bid, David Cameron and his ministers were cheerleading for it when one of the primary motivations behind the deal was financial engineering - cited by the AstraZeneca board as one of the execution risks justifying rejection of the bid," he said at the time.

Pfizer was forced to walk away from its bid after a string of rejections by the AstraZeneca board, despite a desire from some of the UK company's shareholders for it to engage with its suitor.

AstraZeneca could invite Pfizer to enter fresh talks towards the end of August, although it would be late November before the US company could make a new unsolicited approach under Takeover Panel rules.

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Iraq: Gunmen Shoot Dead 29 In 'Brothel'

At least 29 people have been shot dead in the Iraqi capital Baghdad in a building that police believe was being used as a brothel.

Twenty of them were said to be women.

Gunmen carried out the raid on two rundown apartments in a housing complex in the east of the city on Saturday evening.

A police officer told Reuters that the words: "This is the punishment of those practising prostitution" were scrawled in black on the walls on at least one of the flats where the bodies of the women were found.

Shia militia members have been accused by locals of carrying out killings of women branded as prostitutes in that district of Baghdad.

At least 18 people were wounded, police said.

The apartment block where the attacks took place

The attack happened in Zayouna neighbourhood and local people said it was was carried out by men wearing a mix of plain clothes and camouflage.

The exact number killed has yet to be confirmed but some locally said the figure could be much higher.

Dhafir Abdullah, a local resident said: "While I was having a picnic at 8.30pm yesterday, I saw police vehicles parked. Then I heard that 35 women were killed in vague circumstances."

Video footage of the scene showed bloodstains on the path leading to the apartment doorways and discarded clothing and medical equipment left by the emergency services.

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Israeli Troops Launch First Ground Raid On Gaza

Israeli troops have launched a ground operation in the northern Gaza Strip, the first since the offensive against Hamas began, as Palestinian deaths continue to mount.

The navy commandos' brief incursion - which ignored a United Nations call for a ceasefire - targeted a rocket launcher site, according to Israeli public radio.

The armed branch of Hamas confirmed that Israeli troops had exchanged gunfire with Palestinian fighters.

Buildings destroyed by an air strike in Rafah, southern Gaza

Thousands of residents in northern Gaza have fled their homes, after a warning from Israel's military that they should leave "for their own safety".

Israel says it plans to step up its offensive against Hamas militants in Gaza over the next 24 hours in an effort to stop missiles being fired into Israel.

It has been massing military hardware and troops close to the border with northern Gaza.

Artillery flares illuminate the sky following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza

Sky's Alex Rossi said more than 100 Israeli armoured personnel carriers and tanks are in the area.

Israel began its offensive on Tuesday in response to weeks of rocket attacks from Hamas militants in Gaza, who are understood to have fired more than 600 missiles into the country.

A picture tweeted by Israel claiming to target a militant rocket site

On Saturday evening, an Israeli warplane bombed the home of Gaza's police chief and damaged a nearby mosque, killing at least 18 people and wounding 50.

It was the deadliest single attack during the five-day conflict, which has now claimed 165 Palestinian lives and left more than 1,000 injured.

Tel Aviv residents take cover during an air raid siren warning of an attack

The injured were taken to al Shifa hospital in Gaza City as the bombardment continued.

Dr Ayman al Sahabany, director of emergency ward at the hospital, said: "Women and children are more than half of the casualties. And children form a third of the total casualties."

No Israelis have died so far in the latest conflict, and many of the rockets fired into the country have been intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system.

Israeli soldiers rest in the shade of trees near central Gaza

France has called on Israel to order an immediate ceasefire.

"We condemn the Hamas rocket attacks against Israeli civilians," said Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

"But we also call on Israel to show restraint in its response and in particular to respect international law and to ensure that civilian casualties are avoided."

Israeli soldiers walk across a field near central Gaza strip

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) defended its military campaign via social media.

"To warn civilians of an impending strike, the IDF drops leaflets, makes personalized phone calls & sends SMSes. How many militaries do that?" it tweeted.

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Archbishops Split Over Right-To-Die Debate

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has made an extraordinary U-turn by announcing he is backing laws to legalise assisted dying.

His support for Labour peer Lord Falconer's Bill, which will be debated in the House of Lords next week, goes against the Church of England's official line that the law on assisted suicide should not change.

Lord Carey said it would not be "anti-Christian" to legalise assisted suicide and that by opposing reform the Church risked "promoting anguish and pain".

Tony Nicklinson died two years ago

He said the case of Tony Nicklinson - the locked-in syndrome sufferer who died after being refused the legal right to die - had the "deepest influence" on his change of heart.

"Here was a dignified man making a simple appeal for mercy, begging that the law allow him to die in peace, supported by his family," he wrote in the Daily Mail.

"His distress made me question my motives in previous debates. Had I been putting doctrine before compassion, dogma before human dignity?"

Assisted suicide is already legal at clinics like this in Switzerland

Mr Nicklinson's widow Jane said she was "amazed and thrilled" at Lord Carey's U-turn.

His comments come as a surprise because he was part of a coalition that helped stop Lord Joffe's Assisting Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill in 2006 in the House of Lords.

But while the former Archbishop has come out in favour of a change in the law, the current Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, has condemned the Bill as "mistaken and dangerous".

Writing in the Times, Archbishop Welby warned the "deep personal demands" of individuals should not blind people to the pressures others could be put under should the practice become legal.

Lord Falconer's Bill would allow adults to ask for help to die

"It would be very naive to think that many of the elderly people who are abused and neglected each year, as well as many severely disabled individuals, would not be put under pressure to end their lives if assisted suicide were permitted by law," he wrote.

Archbishop Welby said a law that permitted assisted suicide would be "bound" to lead to some people feeling they ought to stop "being a burden to others".

Under the 1961 Suicide Act, it remains a criminal offence carrying up to 14 years in jail to help take someone's life.

If successful, Lord Falconer's Bill would allow mentally capable adults in England and Wales to ask for help to die if they were suffering from a terminal illness and had less than six months to live.

Modelled on a system in place in the US state of Oregon, patients would be able to administer a fatal dose of drugs to themselves, but would not be able to be given help if they could not lift it or swallow it.

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