Venezuela Prison Riot Kills Dozens Of Inmates

Up to 50 people have been killed and scores more injured in clashes at a prison in Venezuela, according to hospital officials and local media.

Television footage showed National Guard troops surrounding the Uribana prison as inmates in bloody clothes were taken out of the building.

Relatives of the prisoners, most of them women in tears, waited outside.

Iris Varela, the government minister responsible for Venezuela's jails and prisons, said the riot at the Uribana prison in northwest Lara state began after inmates objected to prison authorities planning to confiscate weapons.

She said that inmates fought with troops brought in to calm the situation and with each other as rival gangs battled for control of the prison.

Hospital official Ruy Medina said many of the dozens of casualties had suffered gunshot wounds.

The South American nation's 34 prisons were designed to hold just one-third of the 50,000 inmates now in them, according to local prison advocacy groups.

Many of the prisoners are armed and hundreds are killed each year in riots and gang fights.

In 2011, there was a month-long siege at El Rodeo prison, just outside the capital of Caracas, in which 22 people died before 5,000 soldiers were able to restore order.

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Fourteen Dead After Football Fans Sentenced

Troops are being sent to Port Said after violent clashes erupted following the sentencing to death of football fans who rioted during a game in 2012.

As the death sentence was read out in court and broadcast live on Egyptian television, families of those who were killed during the match, who were in the public gallery, wailed in disbelief and relief and shouted "God is great!"

Relatives and protesters of those sentenced reportedly attempted to storm the prison where the defendants are being held leading to fierce clashes which left fourteen people dead, including two policemen.

Disbelief: Families of fans killed shouted 'God is great' after the verdict

Meanwhile, some residents in Port Said, where the match was played, were angry that people from their city were being held responsible for the disaster, and many rampaged through the streets and attempted to storm a police station.

Automatic weapons were used against police who responded with tear gas, according to witnesses and troops are being sent to Port Said, a senior army officer said.

"It has been decided to deploy some units to work for calm and stability and the protection of public establishments," General Ahmed Wasfi said in a statement.

Mothers of those who died join football fans in a march for justice

Shops closed and armoured personnel vehicles were deployed as fighting raged in some streets around the prison.

In Cairo, both inside and outside court, there were explosions of joy. Relatives hugged and shouted "God is great".

One man who lost his son in the Port Said clashes wept outside the court and said he was satisfied with the verdict.

Another, Hassan Mustafa, had pinned a picture of his dead friend to his chest and said he was pleased with the verdict, but wanted "justice served for those who planned the killing."

People react after hearing the verdict

In February 2012 more than 70 people were killed in Port Said during clashes between fans of home side Al Masry and diehard supporters of Cairo's Al Ahly, known as 'Ultras'.

Doctors treating the victims said some had been stabbed to death. One player caught up in the rioting described it as "a war".

Witnesses said most of the deaths involved people who had been trampled in the crush of panicked crowds, or who fell from terraces.

After the violence, deputy health minister Hesham Sheiha told state television: "This is unfortunate and deeply saddening. It is the biggest disaster in Egypt's soccer history."

Among those on trial are nine security officials. The riot was the world's deadliest soccer violence in 15 years

Some of the defendants accused of involvement in the violence

The judge said in his statement read live on state TV that he would announce the verdict for the remaining 52 defendants on March 9..

As is customary in Egypt, the death sentences will be sent to religious authority, the Grand Mufti, for approval.

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Enda Kenny Condemns 'Outrageous' Garda Murder

Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny has described the fatal shooting of a Garda detective during a botched hold-up as "cold blooded violence".

Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe was with a colleague escorting a cash delivery to a credit union in Dundalk, County Louth, when he was killed.

Several shots were fired during the attack at the Lordship Credit Union, on the Cooley Road in the town at around 9.30pm.

Mr Kenny said: "This was an outrageous act of cold blooded violence that has left a family without a husband and father and the Garda Siochana without a brave and valued member.

"On behalf of the Government and of the people I would like to express my condolences to Adrian's wife and children and to all his extended family at this unbearably sad time."

It is believed the force is now hunting four men in a grey Volkswagen Passat which fled the scene.

Sky's Ireland correspondent David Blevins said: "There is a very significant security operation under way with the Garda helicopter hovering overhead.

"The Irish police have set up checkpoints on the southern side of the Irish border and the Police Service of Northern Ireland have checkpoints on the northern side of the Irish border."

The officer, who was based at Dundalk Garda station, was fatally injured in the shooting.

Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan said: "I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of my colleague Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe.

"Detective Garda Donohoe died as a result of injuries sustained in the course of his duty following a shooting incident in Dundalk.

"At this time my thoughts and prayers and those of the entire force are with the family, friends and close colleagues of Adrian."

Det Donohoe is understood to leave behind three children. He lived in the Lordship area, half a mile from the credit union where he was killed.

Local councillor Jim Loughran described him as a quiet, decent family man.

"I just spoke to him last week on the street in town. I can't believe this has happened," he said.

The Sinn Fein councillor, who knew the detective through their local GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) club St Patrick's, also condemned those responsible for the shooting.

"This was not just an attack on a Garda detective, it was an attack on the whole community," he said.

It is believed staff at the credit union were locking up when the shooting occurred.

Gardai have appealed for witnesses to contact them at Dundalk Garda Station on 042-9388400.

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Bolshoi Acid Attack: Dancers Return To Stage

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

An acid attack on the artistic director of Moscow's Bolshoi ballet company has led several insiders to speak out about Russia's ballet wars.

Sergei Filin remains in hospital where surgeons are working to save his sight.

He believes the attack was linked to his work at the Bolshoi, but the precise motive is still unclear. No arrests have been made so far.

Other Russian directors have since come forward to say they have also received threats.

Sky News filmed a dress rehearsal of the premiere of a new show at the Bolshoi where dancers and theatre management are still in shock over what happened.

Prima Ballerina Svetlana Zakharova said: "You know, we all feel like abandoned orphans.

"We couldn't believe it. It still seems so absurd, but we have to get ourselves together, the premiere is very soon.

The Bolshoi

"So we are doing our best, we rehearse a lot, it's very hard, but we try. Of course we ask about Sergei's health all the time and we wait for his return."

Mr Filin said he was harassed and threatened in the weeks leading up to the attack, claiming his tyres were slashed and his email account hacked.

The artistic director of another Moscow theatre, the Gogol, has also come forward to say that he has received threats.

He received a text message, which said: "If you do not leave the Gogol, you will be next."

The manager of a St Petersburg production of Lolita told Sky News he was beaten up by three masked men last week, who threatened him at gunpoint.

Artyom Suslov said: "I was beaten up before for my art, but never in my life I was threatened with a gun. The whole situation is getting more and more tense.

"The incident with me is just a tiny part of what's happening. I am worried about people who may suffer next, because these people will not stop at anything."

Artistic tensions and professional rivalries had initially been suggested as possible motives for the attack on Mr Filin.

Former Bolshoi prima ballerina Anastasia Volochkova said she remembers other dancers putting staples in her slippers and cutting the ribbons in an attempt to sabotage her performance.

But she believes the acid attack has little to do with Mr Filin's art.

She said: "Behind-the-scenes the Bolshoi Theatre is like a mirror of Russia - everything that is going on in our country, you can see inside the Bolshoi.

"I think over the last ten years the Bolshoi Theatre became not a beautiful theatre, not a beautiful fairy tale, it has become an outrage, criminalised and corrupt, unfortunately."

"I couldn't believe that this could happen, not to a businessman, not to a politician, not to someone from the criminal world, but to an artist - a ballet dancer."

Mr Filin is expected to undergo more surgery in the next few days. Doctors have said there are signs of improvement in one eye.

:: Russian police have questioned star Bolshoi dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze as a witness over the attack on Mr Filin, the AFP news agency reports.

A police statement said other employees of the Bolshoi and relatives and acquaintances of the victim had also been questioned, although Mr Tsiskaridze is the first to be named.

Well known for his appearances as a judge on TV talent shows, Mr Tsiskaridze has condemned the attack and denied any link with it.

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Samsung Q4 Profits Surge 76% Over Smartphones

Samsung has seen its quarterly profits soar by 76%, boosted by the popularity of its Galaxy smartphones, which have outsold the iPhone for a fourth straight quarter.

Net profit for the final quarter of 2012 totaled 7.04 trn South Korean won (£4.1bn), up from 4.01trn a year earlier. 

Sales for the final quarter of 2012 rose 19% over the previous year, and operating income jumped 89%.

Samsung, which overtook Apple as the top smartphone maker last year, said increased sales of the phones were the key source of its profit growth.

Its operating profit from the division that makes and sells smartphones and tablets more than doubled to 5.44trn won in Q4, up from 2.56trn a year earlier.

Most analysts believe Samsung shipped more than 60 million smartphones, including the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II, during the three months ending in December, which would put the year's smartphone sales at more than 200 million.

On Wednesday, Apple said it sold 47.8 million iPhones in the quarter.

Hong Kong-based research firm Counterpoint Research said Samsung took 33% market share in the fourth quarter, compared with Apple's 21%.

But Samsung said that it now expects earnings to decline during the current quarter, because of seasonally low demand for consumer electronics, post-Christmas.

The company said the growing strength of the South Korean won may harm profits, with margins reduced as a result.

Unlike Samsung, Apple is keeping its iPhone price high

However, analysts believe that Samsung could be little affected by market demand thanks to its variety of products that range from affordable to expensive devices.

Samsung, which makes dozens of handset models a year and customises them for mobile operators, also sells cheaper smartphones.

Apple, on the other hand, which keeps its iPhone price high, might see iPhone sales plateau in coming years as more consumers snap up cheaper Android phones.

Still, Apple's business has been more profitable because of the high price of the iPhone, which generates a larger profit per sales.

Samsung is expected to introduce a new flagship smartphone in its Galaxy S series as early as April, which analysts say will shore up its bottom line.

The company said consumers seeking to replace its current handset and get a faster wireless connection will drive the demand for new models, easing concerns that sales would slow because of smartphone saturation in developed markets.  

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Egypt: Protests Begin In Cairo On Anniversary

Protests have started in Cairo's Tahrir Square on the second anniversary of the revolution that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak and brought in an Islamist government.

Despite President Mohamed Morsi calling for calm, protesters have been making their way to the city's main square to demonstrate, with some throwing missiles.

Some have already spent the night there after police clashed on Thursday with protesters who tried to dismantle a wall of concrete blocks closing a street leading to the square.

The secular-leaning opposition has called for mass protests against Mr Morsi and his party, the Muslim Brotherhood, using the same slogan that brought Egypt to its feet in 2011: "Bread, freedom, social justice."

Opposition leader and former head of the UN's atomic agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, wrote on his Twitter account: "Go out into the squares to finally achieve the objectives of the revolution."

An anti-Morsi protester tries to escape from a tent sent on fire by police

Tahrir Square is the iconic birthplace of the 2011 revolution, and demonstrators gathered in front of the presidential palace, where anti-Morsi rallies last December erupted into deadly clashes with Islamist supporters.

Rallies were also due to be staged elsewhere, notably in Egypt's second city Alexandria, and the authorities have prepared for a heavy security presence, an official said.

The Muslim Brotherhood has not officially called for its own rallies, instead marking the anniversary by launching a charitable and social initiative called: "Together we will build Egypt."

Mr Morsi urged Egyptians to spend the anniversary in a "peaceful and civilised way" in a speech on Thursday to mark the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed.

A man in Cairo works on graffiti representing the Muslim Brotherhood

But the threat of violence remained, ahead of a court verdict due on Saturday in the trial of dozens of defendants over the worst football disaster in Egyptian history.

More than 70 people were killed in Port Said in February last year during clashes in the Suez Canal city between fans of home side Al Masry and diehard supporters Cairo's Al Ahly, known as Ultras.

Al Ahly supporters warned of violent protests and a "new revolution" if Saturday's verdict goes against them.

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North Korea Plans Nuclear Test 'Aimed At US'

North Korea plans a nuclear test and more long-range rocket launches, aimed at what it calls its "arch-enemy", the United States.

A declaration by the National Defence Commission, said: "We do not hide that the various satellites and long-range rockets we will continue to launch, as well as the high-level nuclear test we will proceed with, are aimed at our arch-enemy the United States."

The commission, which is commanded by the country's leader Kim Jong-Un, added: "Settling accounts with the US needs to be done with force, not with words, as it regards jungle law as the rule of its survival."

The Unha-3 rocket launched by North Korea in December

The threat is seen as a direct response to the UN Security Council's decision two days ago to increase sanctions against Pyongyang in response to its long-range rocket launch last month.

It marks an escalation in North Korea's hostility towards the West.

Sky's Asia Correspondent Mark Stone said: "We know that North Korea is always defiant on this issue but what's different here is that all along North Korea claimed that these rocket launches and these nuclear tests have been peaceful.

"Now, today, in a remarkable turn, they are saying from now on their rocket launches and their nuclear tests will be aimed at the United States."

The commission statement, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, did not mention when the test might be carried out, nor did it give explanation of the meaning of "high level".

The test would mark the country's third detonation of a nuclear device, the previous two were held in 2006 and 2009.

Kim Jong-Un in the rocket-launch command centre

North Korea's foreign ministry had denounced the move on Wednesday, when it also gave the first hint that Pyongyang would react with a nuclear test, saying the country would take "physical actions" to boost its nuclear deterrent.

China, North Korea's sole major ally, was quick to urge restraint following the announcement from Pyongyang.

Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei hoped that North Korea would "stay calm, be discreet in words and deeds and look at the long term interest and push for the resumption of the six-party talks".

The six-party negotiations over the North's nuclear programme have long since stalled, however, China's incoming leader Xi Jingping has indicated he is keen to see them resume.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency, citing a South Korean intelligence source, reported that Pyongyang had finished technical preparations and could conduct an atomic test within days of a decision by Kim Jong-Un.

The declaration signed by Kim Jong-Un authorising last month's launch

Last month, a US think-tank reached a similar conclusion based on satellite photos, suggesting the North had repaired rain damage at its nuclear test site and could conduct a detonation at two weeks' notice.

However, experts doubt North Korea has rockets capable of reaching the west coast of the US, despite reports from South Korea saying the rocket launched in December could have hit San Fransisco.

The US state department has yet to respond to North Korea's stance.

However, Glyn Davies, the US envoy to North Korea, said: "It is important that they heed the voice of the international community."

He said that if North Korea begins "to take concrete steps to indicate their interest in returning to diplomacy, they may find in their negotiating partners willing partners in that process."

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Austrian Police Bust 'Nazi' Network

Police in Austria have broken up an extreme-right network arresting 10 and discovering a cache of explosives and weapons.

The group is suspected of illegal arms trading, burglaries, illegal prostitution, and other crimes, which police estimate have caused damage of at least 3.5m euros (£2.9m).

Police say they found weapons, explosives, flags with Nazi symbols and neo-Nazi literature in a search of the group's headquarters in the village of Desselbrunn, 120 miles west of Vienna.

Officers are now holding 10 suspects for questioning but had originally detained 24 suspects in the operation.

They estimate the group had at least 200 members in Upper Austria.

More follows...

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Spain: Unemployment For Under 25s Hits 60%

Unemployment in Spain for people under the age of 25 has now reached 60%, according to officially released figures.

Overall, Spain's unemployment rate has risen to its highest level since measurements began in the 1970s, as a prolonged recession and deep spending cuts have left almost six million people out of work at the end of last year.

The nationwide jobless total rose to 26% in the fourth quarter of 2012, or 5.97 million people, according to the National Statistics Institute.

That is up from 25% in the previous quarter, and more than double the European Union average.

Spain sank into its second recession since 2009 at the end of 2011, after a burst property bubble left millions of low-skilled labourers out of work and sliding private and business sentiment gutted consumer spending and imports.

Efforts by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government to control one of the eurozone's largest deficits through billions of euros of spending cuts and tax hikes have fuelled anger and dampened demand.

When Mr Rajoy took office in late 2011 there were 5.27 million jobless in Spain.

The economic downturn put an average of 1,900 out of work every day through 2012 and with the recession expected to last at least until the end of 2013, net job creation is unlikely this year.

In comparison to the Spanish unemployment rate, Britain's jobless level for those aged 16-24 was 20.5% in the period September to November in 2012.

That level was unchanged compared with the previous quarter and down 1.7% compared with a year earlier.

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Netanyahu Claims Win In Israel Election

By Tom Rayner, Middle East News Editor

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed victory in the country's parliamentary elections, but suffered losses to new parties on the left and right.

Mr Netanyahu told his supporters he feels a great sense of responsibility to build "the broadest possible coalition" when forming a new government.

His Likud Beitenu party won the largest number of seats in the election, meaning he can retain the position of prime minister if he can persuade enough other parties to join an alliance.

Mr Netanyahu was welcomed to a victory rally in Tel Aviv with cheers and the beating of drums by the few hundred supporters who had waited for his midnight appearance.

But the Likud Beitenu party's popularity has been significantly eroded by the rise of new parties on both the left and the right.

As he took to the stage, Mr Netanyahu outlined his priorities for the next term as preventing Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, lowering the cost of living, bringing about equality in Israeli military service and striving for peace.

"There are many possible partners for this mission," he said, confirming he had already begun the process of speaking to potential coalition partners.

Exit polls broadcast by several Israeli media outlets have predicted the Likud Beitenu party will win 31 seats, well below expectations.

In a big surprise, Yair Lapid's party came in second, exit polls show

Voter turnout was particularly high throughout the day, which is likely to have benefited the centrist and leftist parties that have performed better than expected.

The centre-left Yesh Atid party, led by former TV presenter Yair Lapid, looks to have won the second largest number of seats, with exit polls estimating a haul of 19.

On the right, the hard-line Jewish Home party, led by millionaire former commando Naftali Bennett, is also likely to pick up enough seats to push for a role in a new government.

Jewish Home look set to take 12 seats, lower than the 16 that had been predicted in some opinion polls last week, but well above the position they were in just six months ago, when most counts put them at just two seats.

Naftali Bennett's party has surged in the vote

The surprise success of Yesh Atid and the strong showing by Jewish Home mean horse-trading over their prospective roles in any future coalition government will be critical to Mr Netanyahu's hopes of building an alliance of parties to give him an overall majority.

One senior Likud adviser told Reuters: "We anticipated we would lose some votes to Lapid, but not to this extent. This was a Yesh Atid sweep."

If Mr Netanyahu fails to pull Yesh Atid into a coalition then the 17 seats expected to be won by Labour, combined with seven seats likely to go to the party of former foreign minister Tzipi Livni, could form the basis of a left-wing bloc to challenge Mr Netanyahu's right to lead a government.

The negotiating process could continue for several days, and will ultimately be approved by Israel's President Shimon Peres.

Turnout among the country's 5.6 million eligible voters stood at almost 67 per cent, the highest in a decade.

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Google Sees Its Annual Revenue Top $50bn

Search giant Google has hit a new annual revenue high and an increase in profit, despite ploughing more money into developing smartphone and tablet technology.

"We ended 2012 with a strong quarter," Google co-founder and chief executive Larry Page said.

"We hit $50bn (£31bn) in revenues for the first time last year; not a bad achievement in just a decade and a half."

The fourth quarter profit was up 6.7% from a year earlier at $2.89bn (£1.8bn), and for the full year it grew 10% to $10.74bn (£6.8bn).

Revenue in the quarter that ended December 31 was up 36% from the same period a year earlier at $14.4bn (£9bn). For the year revenues grew to $50.2bn.

Google shares jumped more than 5% to $738.20 (£466) in after-market trading following the release of the earnings figures, which topped most Wall Street estimates.

Google dominates the US online advertising market, which grew 14.9% to $10.58bn in the final three months of last year, according to eMarketer.

The market tracker estimated that Google takes than 41% of digital ad revenue in the US and "holds more share than any other company" when it comes to online, display and mobile advertising.

Google has sought to spread the use of its Android technology

However, cost-per-click prices were down 6% from the fourth quarter of 2011, and up 2% on the third quarter of 2012.

In a conference call with financial analysts, Google executives stressed how the company is connecting with people on smartphones and tablets, and cautioned that it would take time to get newly-acquired Motorola Mobility on course.

Mr Page said he was excited about progress Google has made in handling search queries spoken to mobile devices and described the online Play shop for music, books, applications and other digital content as "on fire."

Google's mapping service programme tailored for Apple gadgets running on the iOS platform have been a hit, Mr Page said, adding that its search and email programmes are also popular on Apple devices.

"We now live in a multi-screen world - in fact, we feel naked without our smartphones," Mr Page said.

"Devices have been one of our biggest bets in the last few years, along with the software that goes with these devices."

In an indirect shot at the Apple iPad Mini launched late last year, Mr Page said Google's Nexus 7 "continues to define the seven-inch tablet category."

Google has been shedding unwanted Motorola Mobility assets since it completed its $12.5bn takeover of the company last year.

The move was seen as a grab for patents to protect Google's Android mobile operating system from legal attacks.

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Irish Nanny Charged Over Baby Death In US

An Irish nanny living illegally in America has been charged with violently assaulting a baby who later died.

Aisling McCarthy Brady, 34, from Quincy, Massachusetts, is alleged to have been the sole carer for the girl on January 14 - her first birthday - when she suffered injuries "consistent with abusive head trauma".

The baby, Rehma Sabir, died two days later in hospital after suffering brain damage.

She was also found to have multiple healing bone fractures.

Brady is currently being held on $500,000 (£316,000) bail after pleading not guilty to assault and battery on a child causing substantial bodily injury.

However, further charges are anticipated following the conclusion of the final report by the Chief Medical Examiner, the district attorney's office said on its website.

Brady could face further charges

Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone said: "This is an extremely troubling case where we allege the defendant violently assaulted a one-year-old child, causing a devastating head injury and broken bones.

"Children are our most vulnerable victims and where, as here, the offender has been entrusted with the care of a child who depends on them, the allegations are all the more egregious."

A statement on the District Attorney's website said: "It is alleged that on January 14, the child was in the care of the defendant, her nanny.

"Through their investigation, including interviews with witnesses, police determined that the defendant had sole custody of and contact with the child during the time that she sustained injuries consistent with abusive head trauma."

The hospital where Rehma was treated and later died

Rehma's injuries could have happened at any time, Brady's lawyer told the Associated Press.

Immigration authorities said Brady arrived from Ireland in 2002 with a permit to stay for 90 days.

A spokeswoman for Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: "We are aware of the case and have been in contact with the family.

"We are ready to provide any consular assistance if it is needed."

Rehma's father reportedly comes from London and her mother from Karachi, Pakistan.

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Israel's Extremist Right Set For Cabinet Posts

By Tom Rayner, Middle East News Editor, Jerusalem

Israelis go to the polls today in an election that could have a devastating impact on hopes for a future peace deal with the Palestinians.

While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is predicted to win the most seats, opinion polls have suggested support for his Likud Beitenu party has been steadily eroded by a surge in the popularity of smaller right wing parties.

Analysts have observed that a weak performance by his party at the ballot box could leave Mr Netanyahu having to accept demands from more extremist groups in order to form a coalition government.

Last Friday the publication of the final opinion polls before the vote showed the overall bloc of Israel's right-wing and religious parties winning a slim parliamentary majority of 63 out of 120 seats.

In the course of the campaign, the man who has generated more headlines than any other is Naftali Bennett - leader of the hard-line Jewish Home party.

Naftali Bennett heads the Jewish Home party

The party has surged in the polls. Six months ago they were predicted to win just two seats. Now they are expected to win as many as 15.

Running on a platform of outright refusal to countenance land deals with the Palestinians or the creation of a Palestinian state, the growing strength of Jewish Home is indicative of a general shift to the right among the Israeli electorate.

If the polls are right Mr Bennett is likely to end up being given a senior role in Mr Netanyahu's next cabinet.

Mr Bennett, who once served as Chief of Staff to Mr Netanyahu, is a multi-millionaire businessman and a former major in the Israeli army.

He also led the main organisation representing Jewish settlers in the built-up West Bank outposts, which have been deemed illegal under international law.

Speaking to Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sam Kiley in Jerusalem, Mr Bennett explained why he would rather opt for continuation of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories than discuss a peace deal.

He said, "Establishing a Palestinian State within the land of Israel would spell eternal war, bloodshed and sorrow between us and our neighbours.

"We've had it in Gaza and look what happened - we handed over 100% of the land to the Arabs and days after they started shooting thousands of rockets at us."

In recent years these kinds of arguments were the preserve of the hard-line minority, but the fact Mr Bennett has emerged as a potential king-maker in the election suggests such views are becoming increasingly mainstream.

Such negative attitudes towards the potential for a renewal of peace talks between the two parties have a become a major concern for many western diplomats, including those from Britain, as well as more left wing candidates in Israel.

Yaakov Peri, a former head of Israel's internal intelligence agency the Shin Bet, is standing as a candidate for the Yesh Atid - a centre-left party led by a well-known former television journalist.

He told Sky News the shift to the right, and the absence of any unity among the left wing and centrist bloc spelt trouble for the future stability of the region.

"I think it's a disaster. It's a disaster from all aspects you can imagine," he said.

Officials in the Palestinian Authority will also be watching the results carefully.

In anonymous briefings there have already been suggestions that the election of a right-wing government will prompt an attempt by the Palestinians to use their new UN non-observer status to push claims of Israeli war crimes at the International Criminal Court.

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Obama Inauguration: President Takes Oath

President Barack Obama has called for national unity after taking his public oath of office on the steps of the US Capitol to mark the beginning of his second term.

Hundreds of thousands of spectators converged on Washington, while millions more tuned in around the world to witness the ceremonial swearing-in, and to listen live as Mr Obama delivered his inaugural address.

US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath as the 44th president placed his hand on two Bibles - one used by President Abraham Lincoln at his first inauguration and one used by revered civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

After taking the oath, Mr Obama used his speech to call for a divided nation to come together to right the nation's course, following a bitterly partisan election and lame-duck session of Congress.

"Now more than ever we should do this as one nation," he said, adding that Americans are made for this moment and can succeed "so long as we seize it together".

Bibles belonging to Abraham Lincoln and Dr Martin Luther King Jr were used

Mr Obama touched on several issues in his roughly 18-minute speech, laying out an ambitious programme for his coming four years.

The president urged the country to join him in tackling a vast array of problems, from slowing climate change to honouring the dignity of men, women and children around the globe.

Mr Obama said the country must make hard choices to reduce its massive deficit. "But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future," he said.

With the ceremonial swearing-in complete, the president and First Lady Michelle Obama took part in a traditional parade before heading out to formal balls where the presidential couple danced for the cameras.

Spectators packed the National Mall in Washington to catch the event

After delivering his inaugural address and listening to patriotic musical selections and a poem written just for the occasion, Mr Obama attempted to savour his final inaugural before walking off the platform.

Turning around to look at the scene on the National Mall, filled with hundreds of thousands of people who braved chilly weather to be part of the ceremony, the president said: "I want to take a look one more time. I'm not going to see this again."

At the ball, Mr Obama paid tribute to America's military, before praising his wife.

"Some may dispute the quality of our president, but nobody disputes the quality of the First Lady," he said.

While Mr Obama was officially sworn in on Sunday, as required by law, the glitter of Inauguration Day still enlivened staid Washington.

The celebration was pushed to Monday because January 20 fell on a Sunday. That placed the grand ceremony on the US holiday marking the birthday of Dr King.

President Obama and First Lady Michelle enjoy the 'first dance' at the ball

The widow of slain civil rights activist Medgar Evers, Myrlie Evers-Williams, delivered the invocation prior to Mr Obama taking the oath.

Vice President Joe Biden also took the ceremonial oath to kick off his second term as Mr Obama's number two.

Former US presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter were among the dignitaries seated on the Capitol steps for the event.

Mr Clinton and Mr Carter are the only living Democrats who have occupied the White House. Mr Clinton was accompanied by his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is departing as Mr Obama's second term gets under way.

In addition to the key political figures on hand, several celebrities, including Jay-Z and Beyonce, were in attendance to give the inaugural a red carpet atmosphere. 

As he enters his second term, Americans increasingly see Mr Obama as a strong leader, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

The survey shows him with a 52% job approval rating - among the highest rankings since early in his presidency. His personal favourable rating, 59%, has rebounded from a low of 50% in the 2012 campaign against Republican Mitt Romney.

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Israeli Vote Could Kill Peace Process Patient

She was mobbed by journalists but not by ordinary Israeli voters as she toured a Tel Aviv shopping mall canvassing.

On the eve of the country's general elections, Tzipi Livni, a former Israeli prime minister, told Sky News that Israel's left had failed to reach a coalition deal to see off the right because "there have been a lot of policy issues but I am campaigning for peace".

Rare is the politician who campaigns for the opposite. But today, January 22 2013, may be the election day when Israelis irrevocably kill the peace process with the Palestinians.

Let's face it. It has been in a coma for most of the last decade.

It briefly emerged from the darkness of the second intifada, which erupted 12 years ago, during the premiership of Ehud Olmert in 2007.

But a Palestinian refusal to accept then what many Israelis saw as dangerously generous terms offered by Mr Olmert, caused it to slump back into oblivion.

Tzipi Livni lamented the left's failure to reach a coalition deal

Its chances of revival now, according to William Hague, the British foreign minister, and many others both inside and outside Israel, are rapidly vanishing.

In Mr Hague's view, the Peace Process Patient has only a year to live.

Today though, Binyamin Netanyahu's coalition of Likud and Yisrael Beitenu (Israel is our Home) is expected to take around 35 of the 120 seats in the Knesset.

Aggressive horse-trading will follow the voting.

But a right wing block which will include a new party, Jewish Home lead by Naftali Bennett, is likely to be asked to form a government.

This will be an historic moment. It will be the moment when an Israeli government is formed that explicitly rules out negotiating a two-state solution.

It will be the moment when the Peace Process Patient is declared dead - or that further treatment is fruitless because it is in a persistently vegetative state.

Mr Bennett has made it clear in an interview with Sky at the Hebrew University which sits on the edge of the West Bank in Jerusalem that a two-state solution is off the cards.

"I think that a Palestinian state 200 metres from here within the Land of Israel - we're in Jerusalem right now, would spell eternal war, bloodshed and sorrow between us and our neighbours.

"We've tried it in Gaza and look what's happening we gave 100% of Gaza over to the Arabs and days after they stared shooting thousands of missiles at us."

He favours a deal in which Israel no longer occupies the Palestinians - they rule themselves, but have no open borders and Israeli maintains a security presence in the Palestinian state - in other words a continuation of the status quo but without the bother of actually running areas inhabited by Arabs on the West Bank.

This week Mr Netanyahu, who has said he would talk to the Palestinians if they drop their demands for an end to the building of Jewish settlements in the Occupied Territories, announced that the "days of bulldozing Jewish areas are over" - meaning that he would never agree to a peace deal that would involve the dismantling of any settlement.

Any agreement with the Palestinians, including the Clinton proposals of a decade ago, would inevitably include the withdrawal of Jews from some settlements.

But Mr Bennett has said he would leave a government that agreed to any swap of territory in return for a long-term peace.

And Mr Netanyahu's government has announced the expansion of thousands of settlement dwellings into the West Bank in the first month of this year.

Israel has been steadily drifting into the hands of the hawks for more than a decade.

Naftali Bennett has taken an uncompromising approach to the peace process

Continued belief in a peace process with the Palestinians requires a subtle mind and an act of faith.

The subtlety is in understanding that, while it is true that diplomatic breakthroughs such as the Oslo Peace process in the 1990s, or the withdrawal of Jewish settlements in the last decade, were met with "Palestinian violence", the violence was not generated by all Palestinians.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad have a record of, literally, blowing up the road to peace with suicide bombs and missiles from Gaza.

But a majority of Palestinians want peace with Israel and are prepared to live alongside a Jewish State.

The need for Israeli "faith" derives from a gamble that if Israel ends its occupation of the West Bank then the Palestinians and their Arab allies won't use the newly-minted Palestine as a bridgehead to drive the Jews into the sea - a threat heard from Beirut through Baghdad to Tehran.

The last six heads of the Shin Bet, Israel's internal intelligence service responsible for spying on the Occupied Territories, interviewed in the Oscar nominated documentary 'The Gatekeepers' have subtle minds - and insist they have faith.

Every one of them said that Israel's future security depends on ending the occupation.

An opinion poll last December showed that 68% of Israelis still believe that a two state solution is desirable.

Yet this week it is likely that Israel will emerge from general elections with a far-right dominated government that will not engage with a two-state solution.

Gaza's missiles and the charisma of Mr Netanyahu and Mr Bennett have eclipsed the subtlety of the arguments of peace being advanced by the left - leaving the field open to the vocal minority on the settlements.

Many Israelis have simply lost their faith in peace and now want to hide under an Iron Dome.

As the bulldozers advance across Palestinian lands, chewing into ancient olive groves and farms, Palestinians see their land being eaten up by Israel and abandon hope.

This is a victory for Hamas which remains committed to destroying the "Zionist Entity".

"I think it's a disaster, it's a disaster from all aspects that you can imagine," says Yaacov Peri, a centre left candidate with the Yesh Atid party. He should know, he used to run the Shin Bet.

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Taliban Launches Suicide Attack In Kabul

Taliban insurgents have claimed responsibility for a co-ordinated attack on a police building in Kabul involving several suicide bombers and a car bomb.

A local police official said there was first a large explosion caused by a suicide car bomb. It was followed by several other blasts and gunfire.

A gun battle then raged for six hours, leaving at least 10 people wounded.

"A group of terrorists, two or three or four, tried to enter the traffic police building," Kabul CID chief Mohammad Zahir said.

"Two of the bombers were shot dead at the entrance and one has likely entered the building and is shooting sporadically. Our security forces are in the area."

A witness said the top floor of the building was on fire.

He described the initial explosion as "very very big - it was massive".

"There are firefighter trucks, ambulances and police all over the place. The gunfire comes from that direction and the building's top floors are on fire," he added.

The attack was the second raid inside the Afghan capital in less than a week.

A statement from the Kabul police chief, Mohammad Ayub Salangi, said six of the 10 wounded were civilians and four were members of the security services.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid contacted the media in a text message to say the group was behind the attack.

"Today at around 5am a large number of fedayeen (suicide bombers) entered a building in Dehmazang and are attacking an American training centre, a police centre and other military centres and have caused heavy casualties on the enemy," he said.

Last Wednesday, a squad of suicide bombers attacked the Afghan intelligence agency headquarters in heavily fortified central Kabul, killing at least one guard and wounding dozens of civilians.

All six attackers were killed in that attack on the National Directorate of Security.

Taliban insurgents, who have waged an 11-year war against the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai, also claimed responsibility for that attack.

Afghan police and other security forces are increasingly targets of Taliban attacks as they take a bigger role in the battle against the insurgents before Nato withdraws the bulk of its 100,000 combat troops by the end of 2014.

Despite claims by the US-led Nato force that the insurgency has been weakened, Kabul is regularly attacked.

The Taliban also remain active in their traditional strongholds in the south and east of the country, and there are widespread fears of a new multi-factional civil war once international troops leave.

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Dreamliner Fire: Investigation Widened

Boeing 787 Dreamliner Timeline

Updated: 1:50am UK, Saturday 19 January 2013

The turbulent history of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner:

Jan 19, 2013: Boeing says it is stopping deliveries of the Dreamliner to airlines.

Jan 18, 2013: US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials arrive in Japan to examine a 787 and its melted battery pack after an All Nippon Air (ANA) emergency landing two days earlier

Jan 17, 2013: The European Aviation Safety Agency,  FAA and Qatar Airways ground Dreamliners under their regulatory control

Jan 16, 2013: Japan Air Lines Co Ltd (JAL) follows suit and suspends Dreamliner flights from Japan over safety concerns

Jan 16, 2013: ANA grounds all 17 of its 787s after four of its aircraft suffer problems

Jan 16, 2013: ANA 787 Dreamliner makes emergency landing in Takamatsu, Japan, after smoke appears in cabin

Jan 11, 2013: The Federal Aviation Authority announces a review of the 787 design and systems

Jan 11, 2013: ANA discovers engine oil leak after a domestic flight lands at Miyazaki

Jan 11, 2013: A separate ANA flight to Matsuyama reported a crack appearing in the pilot's window

Jan 9, 2013: ANA cancels a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight due to a brake problem

Jan 8, 2013: Japan Air Lines (JAL) grounds a jet at Boston Logan International Airport after a 787 leaks 150 litres of fuel

Jan 7, 2013: A fire erupts in a battery pack in another JAL Dreamliner at Boston

Dec 13, 2012: Qatar Airways grounds one of its Dreamliners because of a faulty generator

Dec 5, 2012: The FAA orders inspections of all 787 Dreamliners in service in the US

Dec 4, 2012: A United Airlines 787 is forced to make an emergency landing in New Orleans after a generator fails

July 23, 2012: ANA grounds five Dreamliners due to an engine component issue

Feb 22, 2012: Boeing says around 55 Dreamliners may be affected by a flaw in the fuselage

Oct 26, 2011: The Dreamliner makes its maiden flight with paying passengers on board an ANA jet

Sep 26, 2011: Boeing delivers its first 787 Dreamliner to Japan's ANA, three years late

Jun 23, 2010: Boeing postpones the first flight of the Dreamliner because of a structural flaw

Dec 15, 2009: The passenger jet 787 Dreamliner takes off on its maiden test flight

Apr 9, 2008: Boeing says there will be a revised plan for the first 787 flight and initial deliveries

Dec 11, 2008: Boeing announces further delays due to strike action by machinists Sept-Nov

Oct 19, 2007: Boeing says there will be a six-month delay to deliveries due to assembly issues

Jul 8, 2007: The first assembled 787 goes on display to media, employees and customers

Jul 18, 2006: Boeing says it is making "solid progress" on the 787 Dreamliner programme

Jan 28, 2005: Boeing gives its new commercial airplane an official model designation number - 787

Jan 29, 2003: Boeing announces the launch of a new aircraft called the 7E7

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Algeria Crisis: Missing Brit Hostages Sought

David Cameron is to update MPs on the aftermath of the Algerian hostage crisis - as the death toll from the violent siege rose to 80.

Three Britons are now known to have died in a four-day siege at the BP gas plant and three more are believed to be dead. A UK resident is also thought to have died.

At least 48 hostages are thought to have been killed, along with 32 terrorists who stormed the remote desert facility.

Algerian security sources say that two of the dead militants were Canadian.

Veteran terrorist Mokhtar Belmokhtar's Mulathameen Brigade has threatened to carry out more attacks unless Western powers cease operations in neighbouring Mali, according to a Mauritanian news agency.

Paul Morgan

In a statement the al Qaeda linked group, whose name means "The Masked Ones", reportedly said the hostage-takers offered negotiations on freeing the gas plant captives but that Algerian authorities responded with a military assault.

The first of the British victims to be officially named was 46-year-old Paul Morgan, from Liverpool.

He was reported to be a former Foreign Legion soldier and Gulf War veteran who was in charge of security at the In Amenas plant.

His mother Marianne, 65, and partner Emma Steele, 36, described him in a statement as a "true gentleman".

Another image shown on Algerian TV

They said: "Paul was a true gentleman, a family man, he very much loved his partner Emma, his mum, brothers and sister, of whom he was very proud.

"He loved life and lived it to the full. He was a professional man proud to do the job he did and died doing the job he loved.

"We are so proud of him and so proud of what he achieved in his life. We are devastated by Paul's death and he will be truly missed."

The siege ended on Saturday and Algerian authorities warned the figure of 23 hostages killed at the remote facility would rise sharply.

Bomb squads searching for booby-trap devices left by the Islamist militants discovered 25 bodies, some so badly disfigured they could not be identified.

A Filipino survivor of the siege has told how foreign hostages were used as human shields to prevent Algerian troops firing on them from helicopters.

Father-of-four Joseph Balmaceda said: "Whenever government troops tried to use a helicopter to shoot at the enemy, we were used as human shields.

"We were told to raise our hands. The government forces could not shoot at them as long as we were held hostage."

Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal is expected to give details later about the hostage crisis, which left British, American, French, Japanese, Norwegian, Filipino and Romanian workers dead or missing.

Mokhtar Belmokhtar sent a video to a Mauritanian-based news website in which he claimed one of his cells, known as "Those Who Sign In Blood", was responsible for the attack.

Foreign Secretary William Hague branded the militants "cold-blooded murderers" and said reports they had "executed" seven of their hostages before the final battle could well be true.

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Obama's Gun Controls 'Will Fail', Says Gun Lobby

By Greg Milam, US correspondent

The organiser of America's first Gun Appreciation Day has told Sky News that any government attempt to limit access to firearms is destined to fail.

Gun owners across the United States were encouraged to rally at gun shops and shooting ranges to demonstrate their opposition to President Obama's calls for new gun controls.

In the wake of massacres, like the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, Mr Obama has proposed a ban on military-style assault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines.

He has also said there must be universal background checks on anyone wanting to buy a gun.

A protester carries a gun as he joins Gun Appreciation Day

The gun lobby says those efforts represent an attack on the rights of law-abiding citizens and especially the right to bear arms, which is enshrined in the Second Amendment of the US Constitution.

The Gun Appreciation Day event was organised by Larry Ward, president of a group called Political Media and a man who has attracted controversy for outspoken comments in support of gun ownership.

He spoke to Sky News at a gun shop and shooting range in Warrenton in Virginia where the numbers of customers appeared to be the same as any regular Saturday.

He denied this was a sign his event has fallen flat. He said: "This is not a centralised effort. People are doing their own thing."

He added: "This sends a signal to Congress and the President that Americans are very serious about their right to keep and bear arms.

"There are 80 million gun owners in the United States who show every day that they can own a gun and not be violent.

"Law abiding citizens don't kill people, criminals do. The fact is these guns are here to defend us, here to protect us. We're responsible gun owners and there is not a reason in the world to limit our right, our civil and natural right, guaranteed to us by our constitution."

Americans staunchly defend their right to bear arms

The timing of the event has been criticised as being provocative, coming so close to the presidential inauguration and the annual Martin Luther King Day.

The veteran civil rights campaigner Reverend Jesse Jackson told Sky News that the sheer number of mass shootings in America over the last two years meant action now was essential.

But it is evident that efforts to change gun control laws face fierce opposition in Congress and on the streets.

Cradling his shotgun at the Virginia range, gun owner Dave Briggman told Sky News there would be "civil war" if government tried to take guns away from the public.

:: Five people were injured in accidental shootings at gun shows in North Carolina, Indiana and Ohio.

At the Dixie Gun and Knife Show in Raleigh on Saturday, a 12-gauge shotgun discharged as its owner unzipped its case at a security entrance. Two bystanders were hit by shotgun pellets. A retired deputy sheriff's hand was struck.

In Indianapolis, a man was unloading his .45-caliber semi-automatic when he shot his hand while leaving the Indy 1500 Gun and Knife Show.

And in Medina, Ohio, a gun dealer was checking out a semi-automatic handgun he had bought when he accidentally pulled the trigger. Police say the gun's magazine had been removed, but one round remained in the chamber.

The bullet ricocheted off the floor and struck a friend's arm and leg.

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Hostage Crisis: Three Britons Confirmed Dead

Three Britons have been killed and another three are believed to have died in the Algerian hostage crisis, David Cameron has announced.

The Prime Minister said a British resident is also thought to have been killed in the four day stand-off in the desert which dramatically ended on Saturday.

Mr Cameron called the deaths at the In Amenas gas plant an "appalling terrorist incident" and said every effort was being made to help surviving hostages come home.

The death toll includes the Briton already known to have died on Wednesday in the initial raid staged by a band of Islamist militants.

Mr Cameron said: "We now know that three British nationals have been killed, and a further three are believed to be dead. A further British resident is also believed to be dead.

Freed British hostages Peter (left) and Alan (right). No surnames available

"I know the whole country will want to join me in sending our sympathies and condolences to the families who have undergone an absolutely dreadful ordeal, and now face life without these very precious loved ones."

He continued: "The priority now must be to get everybody home from Algeria."

Mr Cameron said the attack was a "stark reminder" of the continuing terrorist threat and vowed to use Britain's chairmanship of the G8 to ensure that it was at the top of the international agenda.

"This is a global threat and it will require a global response. It will require a response that is about years, even decades, rather than months," he said.

"It requires a response that is patient and painstaking, that is tough but also intelligent, but above all has an absolutely iron resolve and that is what we will deliver over these coming years."

Algerian police escort freed Norwegian hostage Oddvar Birkedal

So far, in total, 23 hostages and 32 terrorists are known to have died with 107 foreign workers and 685 local employees released.

Algeria's chief government spokesman said on Sunday that he "strong feared" the final hostage death toll would be higher.

According to Reuters, Algerian media are reporting that 25 bodies have so far been found inside the plant.

Carlos Estrada, a Colombian man who lived in London with his family and worked for BP, has already been confirmed dead by President Juan Manuel Santos.

At least one American died before Saturday's assault, and Japanese engineering firm JGC Corp said 10 of its Japanese and seven of its foreign workers are still unaccounted for.

Despite the major loss of life, the Prime Minister refused to criticise Algeria's handling of the crisis.

"The responsibility for these deaths lies squarely with the terrorists who launched these vicious and cowardly attacks," he said.

"When you are dealing with a terrorist incident on this scale with up to 30 terrorists it is extremely difficult to respond and get this right in every respect."

He added: "What we face is an extremist, Islamist, al Qaida-linked terrorist group. Just as we had to deal with that in Pakistan and in Afghanistan so the world needs to come together to deal with this threat in north Africa.

An Algerian army truck in a street of In Amenas, near the gas plant

"It is linked to al Qaida, it wants to destroy our way of life, it believes in killing as many people as it can.

"We need to work with others to defeat the terrorists and to close down the ungoverned spaces where they thrive with all the means that we have."

Foreign Secretary William Hague said 22 British nationals had survived the crisis and were already back in the UK.

Britain's ambassador is currently in Algiers and will travel to the south of the country today to help any other Britons trying to leave.

He told Sky's Murnaghan show: "These are cold-blooded murderers and we must remember that. There is no political excuse that justifies behaving in this way."

He also defended Algeria's response, revealing that he had been told the terrorists had been planning to blow up the whole installation - causing even more deaths.

The drama started on Wednesday when a group of around 30 heavily-armed militants mounted a dawn raid on the plant which is close to the Libyan border.

They seized hostages from among the 700 Algerian and foreign workers at the site. Two members of staff, including one Briton, died in the initial assault.

Algerian special forces mounted an operation to take back the plant 24 hours later, without informing any other governments in advance.

The Algerians insisted later that they had to act due to fears that the militants were about to flee into the desert, taking hostages with them.

Fears for the hostages' safety grew amid reports of fierce fighting and multiple deaths.

Algerian police guard the entrance of a hospital located near the gas plant

By Friday, it was being claimed that around 100 foreigners - from a total of 132 - and 573 Algerians had been freed.

Provisional figures put the death toll at 12 hostages and 18 militants but it was clear one group of terrorists was still holding out.

On Saturday, Algerian troops launched a final assault on the site and brought the stand-off to a bloody conclusion.

The state news agency, APS, reported that the terrorists had executed seven of the remaining hostages before they themselves were killed.

Troops later found an arsenal of six machine guns, 21 rifles, two shotguns, two 60mm mortars with shells, six 60mm missiles with launchers, two rocket-propelled grenades with eight rockets and 10 grenades in explosive belts.

Algerian security forces escort a bus carrying freed hostages

The terrorists also booby-trapped the sprawling plant with explosives before the last shoot-out.

Algeria's interior ministry has strongly defended the rescue operation.

"To avoid a bloody turn of events in response to the extreme danger of the situation, the army's special forces launched an intervention with efficiency and professionalism to neutralise the terrorist groups that were first trying to flee with the hostages and then blow up the gas facilities," it said in a statement.

The kidnappers are part of the Masked Brigade - a terrorist splinter group led by the veteran jihadist, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, which broke away from al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

They initially claimed the attack was in retaliation for the French military intervention in neighbouring Mali.

It was subsequently reported that they were demanding the release of two terrorists held in the US, including 1993 World Trade Centre bombing mastermind Omar Abdel Rahman, in return for the release of two US captives.

The gas plant is in the desert in In Amenas

Algeria has fought its own Islamist rebellion since the 1990s, elements of which later declared allegiance to al Qaida and then set up new groups in the poorly patrolled wastes of the Sahara, where they flourished.

The plant at In Amenas is jointly operated by BP, Norwegian company Statoil and Algerian state oil company Sonatrach.

As freed hostages began to leave the plant, accounts emerged of their horrific treatment at the hands of the kidnappers.

One Algerian worker, who gave his name only as Chabane, described how he heard the militants talking with Libyan, Egyptian and Tunisian accents.

At one point, he said, they caught a Briton.

"They threatened him until he called out in English to his friends, telling them 'Come out, come out. They're not going to kill you. They're looking for the Americans'," he said. "A few minutes later they blew him away."

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Barack Obama Kicks Off Inauguration Events

US President Barack Obama will take the first of two oaths for his second term later today.

Mr Obama will be sworn in during a small ceremony at the White House.

He will take the oath of office again on Monday before hundreds of thousands of people on the National Mall, followed by the traditional parade and formal balls.

But the mood is less festive than it was in January 2009, when the swearing in of the country's first black president drew a record 1.8 million people.

High unemployment, a tough election campaign and partisan fights over fiscal policies have taken a toll.

Still, some 800,000 people are expected to flock to Washington for the event. The star-studded inauguration includes acts by Beyonce and Katy Perry.

Thousands of workers and volunteers are making final preparations for the ceremonies. Hotels and government buildings along the parade route were adorned with red, white and blue bunting.

Mr Obama was still working on his inaugural address. He is expected to talk about the need for political compromise where possible, as well as detailing the priorities of his second term.

Mr Obama with his family at his first inauguration four years ago

Mr Obama and first lady Michelle yesterday participated in a day of service, hoping to encourage Americans to follow suit with volunteering projects.

Mr Obama added the day of service projects to the inaugural schedule in 2009 and he is hoping the event becomes a tradition for future presidents.

The White House says the call to service is a way for Americans to honour the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the civil rights leader's march on Washington.

The White House did not say in advance what Mr Obama's service project would be this time, but it will take place in the Washington area.

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