Gas Leak Blast Levels Massachusetts Strip Club

An explosion triggered by a gas leak flattened a strip club in Springfield, Massachusetts, injuring at least 18 people.

The Scores Gentlemen's Club, exploded at about 5.25pm local time as a gas company was looking for a leak under the road, said Springfield Police Captain William Collins.

The blast blew out all windows in a three-block radius, leaving three more buildings damaged beyond repair and prompting emergency workers to evacuate an apartment building that buckled.

Nine firefighters were among the injured

Witnesses described to local media a massive explosion that shook the ground and sent up a huge cloud of smoke.

Police said it looked as though there was a missile strike where the explosion occurred.

Massachusetts Lt Gov Tim Murray said it was "a miracle" no one died.

Four buildings were damaged beyond repair

A representative of the Columbia Gas company said that four employees had been injured in the incident but were expected to survive. Nine firefighters and two police officers were also among those hurt.

The city established an emergency shelter to accommodate residents displaced by the blast.

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Dallas Star Larry Hagman Dies

Larry Hagman, who starred in the hit TV series Dallas as the scheming oil baron J R Ewing, has died.

His family said in a statement that the 81-year-old died in a Dallas hospital following complications from his battle with cancer.

He had suffered from liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver in the 1990s after decades of drinking.

Dallas, which made its premiere on the CBS network in 1978, made Hagman a superstar.

The show quickly became one of the network's top-rated programmes, built an international following and inspired a spin-off, imitators and a revival in 2012.

"Larry was back in his beloved hometown of Dallas, re-enacting the iconic role he loved the most," his family said in a statement. "Larry's family and closest friends had joined him in Dallas for the Thanksgiving holiday."

Hagman with his co-stars Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray

The popularity of Dallas made Hagman one of the best-paid actors in television and earned him a fortune. He lost some of it, however, in bad oil investments before turning to real estate.

Fans and celebrities took to Twitter to pay tribute to him.

Linda Gray, who played J R's wife, Sue Ellen, and was at his bedside when he died, said: "Larry Hagman was my best friend for 35 years. He was the Pied Piper of life and brought joy to everyone he knew. He was creative, funny, loving and talented, and I will miss him enormously."

Larry King said: "Larry Hagman was a dear man who had an incredible career. He helped me to stop smoking. He was a very special person."

Actor William Shatner said: "My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Larry Hagman. My best, Bill".

Hagman with Barbara Eden at the I Dream Of Jeannie DVD launch

In July 1995, he was diagnosed with liver cancer, which led him to quit smoking, and a month later he underwent a liver transplant.

Hagman said he quit drinking the moment doctors told him he had cirrhosis of the liver and could die within six months.

Hagman was born in Weatherford, Texas, and his father was a lawyer who dealt with the Texas oil barons Hagman would later come to portray.

His mother was stage and movie star Mary Martin and he became a star himself in 1965 on I Dream of Jeannie, a popular television sitcom.

Barbara Eden, who starred alongside him in I Dream of Jeannie, tweeted: "Larry Hagman not just a great actor, not just a television icon, but an element of pure Americana. I'll miss him."

Hagman and his wife Maj

Hagman started his acting career in theatre in New York where he married Maj Axelsson in 1954 while they were in a production of South Pacific. They have two children, Heidi and Preston.

He served in the Air Force, spending five years in Europe as the director of USO shows.

In his later years, Hagman became an advocate for organ transplants and an anti-smoking campaigner.

He also was devoted to solar energy, telling the New York Times he had a $750,000 solar panel system at his Ojai estate, and made a commercial in which he portrayed a J R Ewing who had forsaken oil for solar power.

He was also a longtime member of the Peace and Freedom Party, a minor leftist organisation in California.

Hagman had a eccentric streak. When he first met actress Lauren Bacall, he licked her arm because he had been told she did not like to be touched and he was known for leading parades on the Malibu beach and showing up at a grocery store in a gorilla suit.

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Yasser Arafat's Body To Be Exhumed Next Week

The body of the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will be exhumed next week to try to establish whether he was poisoned.

Experts will take samples from Mr Arafat's remains as part of a fresh inquiry into his death in November 2004 after a sudden illness.

A murder inquiry was launched in France earlier this year when tests carried out by a Swiss institute detected traces of the lethal radioactive substance polonium-210 on his clothing.

Polonium-210 is the substance that was used to assassinate the former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in London six years ago. It is usually only found in medical or military circles.

Mr Arafat's tomb in the West Bank city of Ramallah, will be opened for a few hours on Tuesday for tests to be carried out by Swiss, French and Russian experts.

Sheets cover Yasser Arafat's mausoleum in preparation for his exhumation

A reburial ceremony with full military honours will be held later the same day.

Tawfik Tirawi, the former Palestinian intelligence chief who is leading the investigation, said: "November 27 will be one of the most painful days of my life for personal reasons as well as patriotic, political and religious ones.

"But it is necessary in order to get to the painful truth behind Yasser Arafat's death."

Palestinian officials have remained convinced Mr Arafat was poisoned by Israel. Israel denies the allegations.

Mr Tirawi said: "As patriotic Palestinians, we remain convinced that the Israelis assassinated president Arafat, and at the inquiry level, we have evidence leading in this direction."

There has been continued speculation about Mr Arafat's death because of the speedy and sudden deterioration of his health.

Yasser Arafat with his daughter Zahwa in Gaza City in the 1990s

He died aged 75 at a military hospital just outside Paris after being moved there from his West Bank compound.

French doctors said that he suffered a brain haemorrhage but, at his widow's request, no post mortem was conducted.

Medical experts in France have cast doubt on the polonium-210 theory, however, the French authorities launched an official murder inquiry in August.

Marcel Francis-Kahn, the former chief of rheumatology at Paris's Bichat hospital, told French media: "The hypothesis of polonium does not stand up to scrutiny."

He explained that Mr Arafat suffered no traditional symptoms of radiation poisoning such as hair loss and a notable drop in white blood cells.

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Cameron: Stop 'Tinkering' With EU Budget

The Prime Minister has warned EU leaders to stop "tinkering" with Europe's budget and make real savings in line with national austerity efforts.

Speaking in Brussels at the start of a second day of negotiations, David Cameron said there had not been enough progress during Thursday's meeting and nothing had been done to tackle "unaffordable" spending programmes.

"There really is a problem that there hasn't been the progress in cutting back proposals for additional spending.

"It isn't the time for tinkering. It isn't the time for moving money from one part of the budget to another. We need unaffordable spending cut. That's what's happening at home and that's what needs to happen here."

France and Germany's leaders are already saying a deal is unlikely after a crucial budget summit in Brussels.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters on Friday: "I think we're advancing a bit, but I doubt that we will reach a deal."

French President Francois Hollande also said that some countries needed to "contribute more".

Mr Cameron has demanded billions in pay and pension cuts from the EU's civil service and presented EU heads with a paper setting out how Brussels could slash at least 6bn euro (£4.8bn) off its staff costs.

His measures include upping retirement ages, lowering pensions and trimming lavish salaries.

But Downing Street also said after the first day that there was "a long way to go" before EU leaders could agree a long-term budget.

Sky's political editor Adam Boulton, who is in Brussels, said that the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, came up with fresh proposals on Thursday night and sent leaders away to deliberate before reconvening this afternoon.

He added: "Angela Merkel, who is the biggest contributor to the budget, is already saying that she doesn't think that there will be final agreement reached here.

"Europe on these negotiations likes to go down to the deadline and this is not quite the deadline moment."

He added that Mr Van Rompuy appears to be "resisting the pressure" from nations that want to see more money spent by the EU.

"He's sticking by his headline total of below a trillion euros and that is good news for David Cameron," he added.

A pre-summit compromise is already on offer - a seven-year budget "envelope" of 973bn euro (£785bn) for 2014/2020, a cut of nearly 5bn euro (£3.8bn) compared with the 2007/2013 ceiling.

The move was seen in Downing Street as being in the right direction - although the "cut" is in a spending ceiling which officials say has not been reached.

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Egypt's President Faces 'New Pharaoh' Jibe

Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi has assumed sweeping new powers, drawing criticism that he is seeking to become a "new pharaoh".

The new powers are a blow to the pro-democracy movement that formed before long-term president Hosni Mubarak was ousted and they raise questions about the gains made in last year's uprising.

Opposition forces denounced the declaration as a "coup" and called for nationwide protests on Friday.

"The president can issue any decision or measure to protect the revolution," according to a decree read out on television by presidential spokesman Yasser Ali.

"The constitutional declarations, decisions and laws issued by the president are final and not subject to appeal."

"This is a coup against legitimacy ... We are calling on all Egyptians to protest in all of Egypt's squares on Friday," said Sameh Ashour, head of the lawyers syndicate.

Mohamed ElBaradei (centre) says the powers are a blow to the revolution

They accused Mr Morsi, an Islamist, of "monopolising all three branches of government" and of overseeing "the total execution of the independence of the judiciary".

Nobel laureate and former UN atomic energy agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei had earlier lashed out at the declaration, which would effectively put the president above judicial oversight.

"Morsi today usurped all state powers and appointed himself Egypt's new pharaoh. A major blow to the revolution that could have dire consequences," Mr ElBaradei wrote on his Twitter account.

The head of the influential Judge's Club, Ahmed al-Zind, told a press conference that the judges would hold an emergency meeting on Saturday to decide on their next step, promising "actions, not words".

Mr Morsi also sacked prosecutor general Abdel Meguid Mahmud, whom he failed to oust last month amid strong misgivings among the president's supporters about the failure to secure convictions of more members of the old regime.

He appointed Talaat Ibrahim Abdallah to replace Mr Mahmud and, within minutes of the announcement, the new prosecutor was shown on television being sworn in.

Mr Abdullah later issued a brief statement on state television, pledging to "work day and night to achieve the goals of the revolution".

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Two Dead After 100-Car Pile-Up In Texas

Two people died and up to 100 were hurt when at least 100 vehicles collided on a Texas highway in dense fog.

The Thanksgiving holiday morning crash left trucks twisted on top of each other and authorities rushing to pull survivors from the wreckage.

Twelve of those injured were in a critical condition, officials said.

The pile-up came on the busiest travel day of the year.

The pile-up happened on the on Interstate 10 about 80 miles (128km) east of Houston.

"It is catastrophic," said Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Deputy Rod Carroll. "I've got cars on top of cars."

It wasn't immediately clear how the pile-up began, but Mr Carroll said the fog was so thick that officers didn't immediately realise they were dealing with multiple accidents.

I-10's eastbound lanes were expected to remain closed for most of Thursday.

Texas Department of Public Safety trooper Stephanie Davis told KFDM that two people in an SUV died after the crash. She said at least 100 cars and trucks were involved in the accident.

Firefighters used cutting equipment to free some drivers.

Mr Carroll said uninjured drivers tried to help as authorities sorted through the wreckage.

"It's just people helping people," Mr Carroll said. "The foremost thing in this holiday season is how other travellers were helping us when we were overwhelmed, sitting and holding, putting pressure on people that were injured."

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Suicide Bomber Kills 23 Near Pakistan Capital

A suicide bomber has killed at least 23 people in an attack on a Shi'ite Muslim procession in Pakistan.

Police say they tried to stop and search the attacker as he attempted to join the march in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, but he ran past them and detonated the explosives.

The bomber was also carrying grenades, some of which exploded.

At least 62 people were wounded in the attack, at midnight, including six police officers.

Earlier on Wednesday two bombs went off within minutes outside a Shi'ite mosque in the southern city of Karachi, killing at least one person and wounding several others.

The Pakistani Taliban has said it was responsible for both attacks.

"We carried out the attacks in Rawalpindi and Karachi because the Shi'ite community is engaged in defiling the Prophet," spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said.

The bombings came as Shi'ites observe the holy month of Muharram.

On Saturday, they will observe the holiest day of the month, Ashoura.

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Tottenham Hotspur Fans Attacked In Rome

A group of English football fans have been injured in a late-night clash in Rome ahead of a Europa League match.

At least nine Britons and an American were hurt when they were set upon by masked assailants in a pub in the Italian capital, according to police.

The Britons were in the country to support Tottenham Hotspur who are due to play Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday night.

They were set upon by knife-wielding "Ultras" - fanatical fans - when they were enjoying a drink at The Drunken Ship pub, according to reports.

Nine Britons and an American were hurt in the fight

Two of the group were stabbed. One suffered injuries to an artery and is in a serious condition.

Photographs of the pub showed it had been wrecked in the clash, with chairs strewn across the floor and windows broken.

Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported scenes of "urban warfare" erupted shortly after 1am, involving up to 100 "Ultras".

Some of the notorious troublemakers were armed with knives and others wielded baseball bats, according to the paper.

The Drunken Ship is located in the Campo de Fiori  - one of the most visited squares in the historic centre of Rome.

Tottenham Hotspur are due to play Lazio

It is popular because of its colourful food market and nightlife and the American-owned bar is renowned for its lively atmosphere.

There was no response from the pub on Thursday morning.

A police spokesman said a number of Italians involved in the fight had been arrested.

A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed they are investigating the clash.

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Gaza: Israel And Hamas Ceasefire Holding

Egypt Holds Key For Peace Process

Updated: 11:31pm UK, Wednesday 21 November 2012

By Sam Kiley, Middle East Correspondent

The cycle of violence that has gripped the Israelis and the Palestinians for more than 60 years is often bloody, horrific and for many in the outside world, interminably boring.

A common reaction is to say "a plague on both their houses".

That would be fine, but people - living, loving, breathing, laughing people with children - live in those houses.

If a basic humanity was not enough to prompt interest and efforts to end the violent illness caused by occupation, terror and religious hatred, a more compelling case can be made for seeing peace on the Gaza Strip.

If Israel's ground invasion had gone ahead, as many in Benyamin Netanyahu's Cabinet and the Israeli Knesset had argued it should, the foundations of regional peace risked being shaken loose.

This is a new danger.

It follows the uprisings in the Islamic world that swept Mohammed Morsi to power in Egypt and have threatened the throne in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Both countries have peace treaties with Israel.

Both are heavily influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood, which in Egypt controls the presidency and which in Jordan has called for the abdication of Abdullah II and fomented street protests against his rule.

Hamas to a great extent is a "child" of the Brotherhood.

This gave Egypt's new president, a member of the Brotherhood, enormous influence over Hamas.

His predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, was seen as little more than an American puppet.

America is seen on the Arab street as part of a Zionist conspiracy in which Israel's interests come above all others – especially when it comes to the Palestinians.

Mubarak treated the Palestinians with something approaching contempt.

Hamas' links to the Muslim Brotherhood lumped them into an opposition movement he wanted to jail not empathise with.

The influence that Morsi has over Hamas has meant that he had to be taken seriously as the chief negotiating partner in ending the latest bout of violence - especially by Israel.

That he was sympathetic to the Hamas cause, and will hold Israel to its commitments, helped Hamas to climb down from a defiant militarism which, if the Israeli invasion had gone ahead, could have been suicidal.

Egypt's new leadership has emerged as a maturing force in the region.

There may now be great hopes that Egypt will be able to reinvigorate the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

After all, if it doesn't then the cycle of violence will return.

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Israel: Explosion On Tel Aviv Bus Hurts Ten

At least 10 people are thought to have been injured in a bomb blast on a bus in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv.

The explosion took place across from the military headquarters -  on the eighth day of an Israeli offensive against Palestinian militants in Gaza.

Ofir Gendelman, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, immediately condemned the explosion as a "terrorist attack".

Authorities are investigating whether an explosive was planted on the vehicle or whether the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.

Emergency services tend to the injured as crowds gather after the blast

Unconfirmed reports from Israel said police are holding a man caught running away from the scene moments before the bombing, and are looking for a woman who was on the bus before the explosion.

The blast happened at around noon in one of the coastal city's busiest hubs, near the Tel Aviv Museum and an entrance to the Kirya, Israel's national defence headquarters.

Television footage showed pictures of a smoke-filled bus, charred inside with its windows blown out.

Israel's ambulance service said three of the wounded were in a moderate-to-serious condition.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri praised the bombing, but stopped short of claiming responsibility.

"Hamas blesses the attack in Tel Aviv and sees it as a natural response to the Israeli massacres ... in Gaza," he said.

"Palestinian factions will resort to all means in order to protect our Palestinian civilians in the absence of a world effort to stop the Israeli aggression," he added.

Israeli medics wheel a wounded man away from the scene

Israel has been locked in a deadly week-long confrontation with Palestinian militants in Gaza after an Egypt-brokered truce fell through.

The attack comes as diplomats, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, are in the region for talks to try to broker a ceasefire.

More than 130 Palestinians and five Israelis have been killed in the latest conflict.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the bus explosion was of "deep concern".

"Terrorists must not be allowed to set the agenda," he said.

"This shocking violence further underlines the urgent need for an immediate de-escalation of violence and a full ceasefire."

Hamas militants have fired at least four rockets at Tel Aviv in the past week, but none have resulted in direct hits or any casualties.

The last time the city was hit by a serious bomb blast was in April 2006, when a Palestinian suicide bomber killed 11 people at a sandwich stand near the city's old central bus station.

More follows...

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Gaza: Ceasefire Delayed As Shelling Continues

A ceasefire between the Israelis and the Palestinians in Gaza has been delayed – but a diplomatic push is under way to try to stop the fighting.

On Tuesday night, Hamas official Ayman Taha said an Egyptian-brokered truce had been finalised and would take effect from 10pm.

But a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the announcement was premature.

The remains of government building in Gaza City

The United States has now stepped in, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meeting Mr Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

Mrs Clinton has vowed to work on a truce between the two sides.

She said: "In the days ahead, the United States will work with our partners here in Israel and across the region toward an outcome that bolsters security for the people of Israel, improves conditions for the people of Gaza and moves toward a comprehensive peace for all people of the region."

Smoke rises after an apparent Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip

Israel intensified its bombardment of Gaza on Tuesday night, with airstrikes just 10 minutes apart.

Artillery shells and missiles were also fired from gunboats.

One Israeli airstrike hit the seventh floor of a media building in Gaza City.

The Israel Defence Forces tweeted a warning to all foreign journalists operating in Gaza to stay away from Hamas militants just minutes later.

A rocket fired from Gaza hit an apartment building near Tel Aviv

Some 138 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel. The Iron Dome system intercepted 53 rockets which were headed for built-up areas, but 14 got through.

One hit an apartment building in the town of Rishon Letsion, near Tel Aviv. Six people were injured in the attack.

Rockets were also aimed at Jerusalem, where residents took to underground bomb shelters. However, none fell on the city.

Parachute flares illuminate the Gaza Strip for an artillery barrage

Israel launched the offensive one week ago in an attempt to end months of rocket attacks out of the Hamas-run territory, which lies on Israel's southern flank.

After assassinating Hamas' military chief, it has carried out a campaign of airstrikes, targeting rocket launchers, storage sites and wanted militants.

The campaign has killed more than 130 Palestinians, including 20 on Tuesday, and wounded hundreds of others.

Five Israelis have been killed by rocket fire, including a soldier and a civilian contractor.

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Ten Die In Yemeni Military Plane Crash

All 10 people on board a Yemeni military transport plane have been killed in a crash near Sana'a airport.

The plane came down in an abandoned market in the Hasaba district near the Yemeni capital after a problem was reported, an official said.

"The plane tried to land in an empty space in Hasaba, but because of a technical problem it crashed and 10 of the crew died," the official said.

Crowds gathered as ambulances raced to the scene.

Witnesses said that the Antonov plane was completely burnt out and that thick black smoke surrounded the area.

In October last year, a Yemeni military plane crash-landed at an air base in the south of the country, killing nine passengers including eight Syrian engineers.

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Oz Collar Bomb Attacker Paul Peters Jailed

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

An investment banker who attached a fake bomb around the neck of a schoolgirl in an attempt to extort money from her wealthy family has been jailed for at least 10 years.

Paul Peters, 52, had already pleaded guilty to breaking into the home of the Pulver family in August 2011 and putting the device around the neck of teenager Madeleine Pulver, telling her that if she moved it would detonate.

It took a bomb squad 10 hours to remove the device, which contained no explosives.

Peters, who had been wearing a ski mask and carrying a baseball bat when he entered the multimillion-dollar mansion, was eventually tracked down to the US and extradited back to Australia.

He pleaded guilty to aggravated breaking and entering, and detaining the teenager for advantage.

"The offender intended to place the very young victim in fear that she would be killed," Judge Peter Zahra said in court.

"The terror instilled can only be described as unimaginable."

Miss Pulver hugged relatives after the sentence was read. Her father, Bill Pulver, wiped away tears. Peters remained stone-faced and said nothing.

"I'm pleased at today's outcome and that I can now look to a future without Paul Peters' name being linked to mine," she said outside court.

"For me, it was never about the sentencing, but to know that he will not reoffend. And it was good to hear the judge acknowledge the trauma he has put my family and me through."

"I realise it is going to take quite some time to come to terms with what happened, but today was important because now the legal process is over," the teenager added.

The court heard Peters was suffering psychiatric problems after his marriage broke down and he lost custody of his children, with Mr Zahra saying he appeared to think he was an "avenging character" in a novel he was writing.

The judge, who said Peters would be eligible for parole in 10 years, described his bizarre crime as "heinous" and a "deliberate act of extortion" which had terrified Miss Pulver, now aged 19, who was home alone studying for exams.

"The offender entered a house armed and disguised. He found the young girl on her own and vulnerable," Mr Zahra said.

"At the time of placing the device he had prepared around the neck of the victim he would have appreciated the enormity of what he was doing and the terrible effect and consequence of his conduct upon the victim," he added.

Madeleine Pulver now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder

Mr Zahra said Peters "would have been aware that after he left the victim she would have experienced considerable trauma before it was determined that the device did not contain explosives".

"He would have understood, at the time, in the many hours that followed she was in fear she would be killed," he added.

"The terror instilled can only be described as unimaginable."

Mr Zahra said Miss Pulver had been in fear of her life for a "substantial period" and now struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression.

"She presently experiences severe nightmares and suffers debilitating intrusive images while awake," the judge said.

Mr Zahra noted that Peters' expressions of remorse had been "qualified and guarded" and gave him "minimal" discount for his mental health problems, which included bipolar disorder, alcohol abuse and major depression.

Prosecutors had described the case as an act of "urban terrorism" fuelled by financial greed.

Defence lawyers argued that Peters was depressed, drinking heavily and exhibiting wild mood swings before committing the crime and had no memory of the attack.

He had recently split from his wife, was separated from his children and had become obsessed with a book he was writing about a villain out for revenge.

During an earlier hearing, prosecutor Margaret Cunneen said Miss Pulver was never the intended target of Peters' crime.

The investment banker was having financial problems and originally travelled to Mosman - the wealthy Sydney suburb where the Pulvers live - to hunt down the beneficiary of a multimillion-dollar trust fund he had learned about, she said. 

When he arrived there, he bumped into a neighbour of the Pulvers whom he had met while doing business in Hong Kong.

That man, who lived next door to the Pulvers, then became Peters' new target, Cunneen said.

But on the day of the attack, Peters walked into the wrong house. Miss Pulver was, in the end, just the unwitting victim of Peters' incompetence, the prosecutor said.

Miss Pulver now intends to put the experience behind her and begin studying at Sydney University in the new year.

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India: Deadly Stampede On River Ganges Bridge

At least 18 people have been killed and several others injured during a stampede on a bridge over the Ganges River in India.

The bridge collapsed under people returning home from a Hindu religious ceremony in Patna, in the eastern state of Bihar, Indian police said.

Worshippers had been offering a sunset prayer in celebration of the Chhath festival, dedicated to the Sun God Surya.

The temporary bridge, made from bamboo, collapsed due to the heavy rush of people - mainly devotees and their family members.

An injured victim is covered by a blanket before being rushed to hospital

The bodies of those killed - which included women and children - were transported to the Patna Medical College Hospital for post-mortems. Injured people were admitted for treatment in nearby hospitals.

A senior police official said the stampede had been triggered by the collapse of the bridge. He added that several people were still missing after falling into the river.

More than 400,000 people were present during the ceremony.

Stampedes occur occasionally in India, especially during religious ceremonies which tend to attract huge crowds.

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Gaza: UN Boss Warns Of 'Dangerous Escalation'

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has called for an immediate ceasefire to end the Gaza-Israel conflict.

Speaking in Cairo after talks with Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby, he said a ground invasion of Gaza would be a "dangerous escalation" that must be avoided.

"Immediate steps are needed by all to avoid a further escalation, including a ground operation which will only result in further tragedy," Mr Ban, who is to meet Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, said.

Gaza residents inspect bomb damage from an attack overnight

"My message is clear - all sides must halt fire immediately - further escalating the situation will put the entire region at risk."

Mr Ban, who will go to Israel later today, added: "I will urge the Israeli leadership to end the violence."

"We all must recognise that Israel has legitimate security concerns that must be respected in accordance with international law, but a ground operation would be a dangerous escalation."

A bus in southern Israel damaged by a rocket attack from Gaza

The US has confirmed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will fly from Asia to meet key officials in Jerusalem, Ramallah and then Cairo.

It also emerged that Barack Obama has not asked Israel to hold off on a ground invasion, as a White House source confirmed the US president believes Israel has a right to make its own security decisions.

Egyptian officials have already held talks with an Israeli envoy and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, but both sides continued to trade blows as Hamas insisted on the lifting of a six-year blockade of the Gaza Strip.

An Israeli child in a shelter used during rocket attacks from Gaza

Militants said they fired 16 missiles at the southern Israeli city of Beersheba after Israel's military targeted roughly 100 sites in Gaza overnight, including ammunition stores and the Gaza headquarters of the Hamas-backed National Islamic Bank.

Many families have fled their homes to seek haven in the south which has seen fewer strikes, while thousands of Israeli families have been forced into shelters during the rocket attacks.

Israeli strikes killed 32 Palestinians on Monday, taking the Gaza death toll to at least 111.

Residents who have fled their homes outside a UN-run facility in Gaza

:: Shots were fired and a man armed with a knife and axe has been taken into custody by police in Tel Aviv, after he attacked a guard outside the US embassy.

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President Obama In Landmark Visit To Burma

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

Barack Obama has made history in becoming the first sitting US president to visit Burma.

In a landmark trip aimed at encouraging a string of political reforms in the former pariah state, the US president flew into Rangoon on Monday morning.

It is the second stop of his three-country tour of Asia.

Mr Obama said his historic visit marked the next step in a new chapter between America and Burma, also known as Myanmar.

He said he was "extending the hand of friendship" to the country, where he met both reformist President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Tens of thousands of people, many of them waving US flags, packed the streets of Rangoon to see Mr Obama's motorcade speed through the city.

He shared words and an affectionate hug with Ms Suu Kyi, the democracy activist who endured years of house arrest to gain freedom and become a lawmaker.

People line the streets in Rangoon to greet Mr Obama

Speaking after a private meeting with the opposition leader, Mr Obama said he had seen encouraging signs of progress in the country in the past year - including her release from house arrest and election to parliament.

He said ties between the US and Burma will grow stronger if moves toward democracy continue.

"Our goal is to sustain the momentum," he declared. 

He told Ms Suu Kyi that if the nation's leaders keep making true reforms, "we will do everything we can to ensure success".

With Mr Obama at her side, Ms Suu Kyi said: "We are confident that this support will continue through the difficult years that lie ahead."

After his meeting with Mr Sein, who has orchestrated much of his country's transition to democracy, Mr Obama said the reforms "in Myanmar" could unleash "the incredible potential of this beautiful country".

He also made a speech at the University of Rangoon, acknowledging the country's shortcomings but saying: "The United States of America is with you."

Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton on their historic visit to Burma

The US would be friends with any nation that respects its people's rights and international law, he said.

The president used the speech to urge an end to sectarian unrest in the western state of Rakhine, saying there was "no excuse for violence against innocent people".

But with human rights groups claiming his visit was too soon in the reform process - risking rewarding a half-baked democracy - Mr Obama made clear that he was not endorsing the Burmese government.  

The president's first stop on his Asia tour was Thailand, where he stressed the "critical" importance of the Asia-Pacific region to the future of the US over the coming century, during his first foreign trip since his re-election.

Speaking at a news conference with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Mr Obama said: "Asia is my first foreign trip since our election in the United States, and Thailand is my first stop.

"This is no accident. As I've said many times, the United States is and always will be a Pacific nation.

"As the fastest growing region in the world, the Asia-Pacific will shape so much of our security and prosperity in the century ahead, and it is critical to creating jobs and opportunity for the American people.

"That's why I've made restoring American engagement in this region a top priority as president."

Mr Obama also met the Thai King, Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is in hospital where he has been recovering from an illness since September 2009.

Mr Obama met Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Sunday

Mr Obama calls himself the "Pacific President" and has pledged to focus significant attention on the Asia-Pacific region.

It is therefore no surprise that his first foreign trip is here.

The US is seeking to counter China's increasing clout in the region. The US government has said that 60% of the US naval forces will be based in the region by 2020.

As if to underline America's commitment to the region, the US defence secretary is currently on his fourth trip to Asia this year.

Thailand is the US' longest standing ally in the region. The US sees it as vital in helping it pivot attention towards Asia and boost ties with the fastest growing region on the planet.

During the news conference, Mr Obama defended his decision to go to Burma.

"This is not an endorsement of the Burmese government," he said.

"This is an acknowledgement that there is a process under way inside that country that even a year and a half, two years ago, nobody foresaw."

The president's visit follows a trip by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the country in December 2011 and a visit by British Prime Minister David Cameron in April 2011.

The US president's Asian tour will end in Cambodia, where he will attend a meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean).

The leaders of 16 southeast Asian countries will attend, as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin, outgoing Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In Burma, despite the recent reforms, sectarian clashes between Muslims and Buddhists have killed more than 180 people and destroyed the homes of more than 100,000.

The government has been criticised for not having done enough to stop the violence in the coastal Rakhine State.

On Friday, Washington announced it had lifted a ban on the import of goods from the country.

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Gaza Conflict: Rockets 'Hit Israeli Town'

Gaza: The Moment Media Buildings Were Hit

Updated: 11:11am UK, Monday 19 November 2012

By Sam Kiley, Middle East Correspondent, in Gaza City

An orange flash lingered, windows bulged pregnant, and burst - the bang came last. It's odd the things you notice in the blink of an eye.

We had chosen to sleep on the floor in a small room in the Sky studios in central Gaza City for our own safety.

The previous two nights had been interrupted every few minutes with the cataclysmic detonations of airstrikes near the hotel we had picked in the north of the city.

Hamas has rocket firing points not far from the hotel, a training ground, and the home of Ismail Haniye, the Hamas Prime Minister, were about 500 yards away.

One can only take a few nights of the "waterbed effect" - when the shock waves of nearby blasts seem to liquefy the mattress and its occupant flows on to the floor.

More fools us.

Mick Deane, Sky's veteran cameraman, News Editor Tom Rayner, and I convinced ourselves the Sky Arabia studios that we were borrowing were well known to the Israeli Air Force, and would never be targeted.

At around midnight on Saturday, we might have taken a hint. A building about 100 yards away was hit twice.

Our local colleagues reacted with horror. Eight journalists were injured, one losing a leg - they were from two Arab TV Channels.

Ambulances screeched up and down the streets while we considered out options.

We had none.

It was too dangerous to leave in the middle of the night, we risked being picked off as militants by an Israeli drone.

Surely they would not hit us here, we reasoned, they have good intelligence?

We wrapped ourselves in the miraculous, dream coat-coloured polyester blankets that are ubiquitous in the Third World, and tried to catch up on missed sleep.

An hour after dawn, the first flash, the bubbling windows.

We struggled into our dirt-stiffened clothes to figure out how badly hit we were and look for any injured.

As I approached the stairwell leading to the floor above and the roof, another blast drove a wall of choking dust down at me and I spun away.

Water poured out of burst mains on the roof and cascaded down the outside of the building.

Later, Israeli military officials said a Hamas communications facility had been "surgically targeted" on the roof above us and especially small munitions used to destroy it.

Air strikes have become an everyday experience for Gazans. Except we were luckier than many.

Gaza's trapped population has endured raids against 1,000 targets across this tiny coastal enclave. After a house was hit, the death toll shot up to around 60, with some 300 wounded.

The majority, medical officials say, are civilians.

Just like the Sky News team, Gazans don't know where they can be safe.

Hamas or other militants use rocket launching sites that are tucked into residential neighbourhoods to fire at Israel.

Gaza is so densely populated it's difficult to see how the militants could find anywhere to use their weapons that did not endanger civilians. Equally, however hard Israel tries to avoid hitting the innocent, it surely has and surely will.

The only advice Israel's military give to Gazans is to try to stay away from Hamas installations and personnel.

But, as we spent several hours trying to figure out how to do that, we drew a blank.

Hamas is the government here. It runs the schools and other ministries. Its security officers are on every street corner, and its guerrilla fighters experts at concealment.

Nowhere is safe.

So we are back at our hotel in the north of the city enduring the orange flashes, the bulging windows, the nauseating process of actually counting luck.

Just like everybody else.

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South African Found Guilty Of Dewani Murder

A judge finds South African Xolile Mngeni guilty of the murder of Anni Dewani while on her honeymoon in November 2010.

Judge Robert Henney told the High Court in Cape Town: "I'm satisfied that the accused has committed the crime of murder."

In his ruling, the judge dismissed claims by Mngeni's lawyer that his client had been set up for the killing. He found Mngeni guilty of murder and robbery, but acquitted him of kidnapping charges.

Prosecutors said Mngeni was hired to carry out the killing, which was made to look like a car hijacking in Cape Town's impoverished Gugulethu township.

In August, Mngeni's alleged accomplice Mziwamadoda Qwabe pleaded guilty to charges over the killing. He was jailed for 25 years.

Zola Tongo, the taxi driver who drove the couple, earlier pleaded guilty to charges and was jailed for 18 years.

Anni Dewani's British husband Shrien is fighting extradition to South Africa over charges he arranged the murder. He denies the charges.

The UK High Court found in March that it would be "unjust and oppressive" to extradite Mr Dewani to South Africa.

His lawyer told the court in July that he needed at least a year to recover from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

More follows...

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Israel Readies Forces For Gaza Border Assault

By David Bowden, Senior News Correspondent, in southern Israel

Israel is massing troops and military equipment close to the border with Gaza after hundreds of airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave failed to stop militants launching scores of rockets into the South and central areas of the country.

The government has given the go-ahead for 75,000 reservists to be put on stand by for call-up for any ground incursion into Gaza.

Israel knows that the eyes of the world are on it and that a ground war brings not only military dangers, but international and diplomatic ones too.

But the politicians are all too aware that with an election now just two months away they have to be seen to be doing something to clampdown on the missile strikes coming out of Gaza and forcing Israeli citizens to have to run to their shelters.

"We are under attack," Israeli Defence Ministry spokesman Josh Hantsman said.

"Three million Israeli citizens are now within the range of the Hamas fire, we have a responsibility and a duty to make sure the other side knows we are serious. We will consider all the options."

For now the option appears to be a show of strength and a hope that Hamas will back down and stop targeting Israel before a ground war becomes inevitable.

That means more airstrikes and more attempts to degrade Hamas's ability to hit back from Gaza.

In the mean time the diplomatic pressure carries on apace with the Tunisian foreign minister visiting political leaders in Gaza, 24 hours after the Egyptian Prime Minister did the same thing.

US President Barack Obama has been in touch with both the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and President Morsi of Egypt - whose Muslim Brotherhood is sympathetic to Hamas - to try and mediate.

As yet there has been no breakthrough, so the very public military build-up from Israel carries on as do the airstrikes which the Israeli government hopes will mean the soldiers and their kit can be stood down as quickly as they were called up.

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Oil Rig Fire Search Called Off As Body Found

Divers hired by the owner of an oil platform that caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico have recovered a body in the waters near the site.

US Coast Guard spokesman Carlos Vega said the remains of the unidentified person were found by divers working for Houston-based Black Elk Energy, who were inspecting the platform.

Mr Vega said the Coast Guard would be turning over the remains to local authorities.

John Hoffman, the president and CEO of Black Elk Energy, wrote in an email late on Saturday that the body is apparently that of one of two crew members missing since an explosion and fire on the oil platform on Friday morning.

"Divers will continue to search for the second missing worker. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families," Mr Hoffman said.

Rescue crews work at the oil platform on Friday

He said the body was found close to the leg of the platform, near where the explosion occurred, in about 30ft of water.

The missing men were employees of oilfield contractor Grand Isle Shipyard, he added.

The news came shortly after the Coast Guard suspended a 32-hour-long search for the two missing workers that covered 1,400 square miles near the oil platform, located about 20 miles southeast of Grand Isle, Louisiana.

"We have saturated the search area several times - the 1,400-square-foot area," Mr Vega said.

"We saw no signs of life. We have suspended the search ... pending further development. If we receive any credible information that there are signs of life, we can resume the search at any time."

Four other workers who were severely burned remained at Baton Rouge General Medical Centre on Saturday night.

Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Bobby Nash said the guard's search was ended early on Saturday evening.

Helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft had been searching by air, while cutters and boat crews searched the sea.

The blaze erupted on Friday morning while workers were using a torch to cut an oil line on the platform, authorities said.

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Gaza: Israel Prepares To Expand Offensive

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country is ready to "significantly expand" its Gaza offensive.

"We are extracting a heavy price from Hamas and the terror organisations," Mr Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting on the fifth day of the conflict.

"The soldiers are ready for any activity that could take place."

On Friday, ministers doubled the current reserve troop quota set for the offensive to 75,000 in preparation for a possible ground invasion.

Some 30,000 soldiers have already been called up.

Israeli President Shimon Peres told Sky's Murnaghan programme that he does not see a ground invasion as an escalation of the conflict.

Some 30,000 Israeli soldiers have already been called up

"What we are doing is self defence," he said.

"What would you do in London if you would have 900 missiles aimed at your schools, at your homes, at your houses? Would you call it an escalation if you tried to stop it?

"We don't have any purpose to control Gaza or to go into Gaza.

"Basically our purpose is peace, their purpose is to destroy Israel. It is not an easy situation."

Foreign Secretary William Hague tells Sky News Murnaghan that Britain has warned Israel against a ground invasion.

"The Prime Minister and I have both stressed to our Israeli counterparts that a ground invasion of Gaza would lose Israel a lot of the international support  and sympathy they have in this situation," he said.

"A ground invasion is much more difficult for the international community to sympathise with or support, including the United Kingdom."

But Mr Hague blamed Hamas for sparking the current conflict in Gaza.

"We call on Hamas again to stop the rocket attacks on Israel, it is Hamas that bears principal responsibility for starting all of this and we would like to see an agreed ceasefire - an essential component of which is an end to those rocket attacks."

Israel pounded Gaza from the air and sea overnight

Israel's bombardment of Gaza entered a new phase overnight, with the military shelling the Palestinian territory from the sea, as well as continuing its airstrikes.

On Sunday, five Palestinian civilians were killed in airstrikes, including four children ranging in age from one to seven, according to Ashraf al-Kidra, a Gaza health official. 

The deaths bring to 51 the number of Palestinians killed since the operation began on Wednesday. One-third of the dead were civilians. More than 400 people have been wounded in the strikes.

On the Israeli side, three civilians have been killed and more than 50 wounded by rocket fire.

Palestinians in Gaza this morning fired rockets at Tel Aviv for the fourth straight day. Police said two rockets were shot down by Israel's Iron Dome air shield.

Earlier Sunday, at least one rocket fired by Gaza militants landed in Ashkelon in southern Israel.

But a Palestinian official told AFP news agency that a truce was possible "today or tomorrow", after Egypt's President suggested that there could be a ceasefire soon.

Mohamed Morsi said: "There are now intensive efforts through communication channels with the Palestinian side and with the Israeli side and there are now some indications that there is possibility of a ceasefire soon between the two sides."

 Israel has said it is not prepared to enter into a truce without guarantees the rocket fire will stop.

Palestinian girls in the northern Gaza Strip

The latest Israeli strikes also hit two Gaza media centres housing the offices of Al Quds TV and Al Aqsa, both seen as sympathetic to Hamas. 

A Gaza press association said six Palestinian journalists were wounded, including one who lost a leg. 

The media buildings hit were also being used by foreign journalists, including Sky News and ITN.

Tom Rayner, Sky News Middle East editor, said on Twitter: "There don't appear to have been any injuries following Israeli strike on international media building being used by Sky News, ITN and others."

Sky's Sam Kiley: "I think that this demonstrates just how dangerous and complex with aerial bombardment is."

The attacks followed a defiant statement by Hamas military spokesman Abu Ubaida.

"This round of confrontation will not be the last against the Zionist enemy and it is only the beginning."

The masked gunman dressed in military fatigues insisted that despite Israel's blows Hamas "is still strong enough to destroy the enemy".

Israel military spokesman Yoav Mordechai warned that Israel would go after Hamas commanders Sunday, in addition to rocket squads, in "more targeted, more surgical and more deadly" attacks.

Israel unleashed its massive air campaign on Wednesday, killing a leading militant of the Hamas Islamist group that controls Gaza and rejects Israel's existence.

Israel says it is trying to stop militants in the coastal enclave from launching rockets that have plagued its southern communities for years.

More than 500 rockets fired from Gaza have hit Israel since the recent violence flared on Wednesday.

The Jewish state has launched more than 950 air strikes since then.

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