Middle East Peace Talks To Resume, Says Kerry

US Secretary of State John Kerry has announced that an agreement has been reached between the Israelis and Palestinians for the basis to resume Middle East peace talks.

It follows a stalemate of almost three years.

"I'm pleased to announce that we've reached an agreement that establishes a basis for resuming final status negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis," Mr Kerry told reporters in Amman, Jordan.

"This is a significant and welcome step forward. The agreement is still in the process of being finalised so we are absolutely not going to talk about any of the elements now."

John Kerry meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank

Secretary of State Kerry also said that Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat and his Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni would meet him in Washington "to begin initial talks within the next week or so".

The announcement came at the end of four days of intense diplomacy by Mr Kerry as he consulted Israeli and Palestinian leaders from his base in the Jordanian capital.

Talks between the Israelis and Palestinians have been frozen for three years, after Israel refused to agree to a new suspension of settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.

In his brief comments to the press, Mr Kerry praised the courage of Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mr Kerry is hoping to get Israel-Palestine peace talks back on track

He said: "No one believes the long-standing differences between the parties will be resolved overnight or just wiped away. We know that the challenges require some very tough choices in the days ahead.

"Today, however, I am hopeful. I am hopeful because of the courageous leadership by President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu. Both of them have chosen to make difficult choices here and both of them were instrumental."

President Abbas' office said there had been "progress" towards resuming peace talks with Israel in the meeting with Mr Kerry.

But a presidency spokesman stressed there were still "specific details that need to be resolved," without saying what these were.

An Israeli official said if the peace negotiations with Palestinians did resume, they would take months.

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Costa Concordia: Five Guilty Of Manslaughter

Five people have been found guilty of manslaughter over the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster which left 32 people dead.

The court in Grosseto in Italy handed down the highest sentence to the crisis co-ordinator for the Italian cruise company Costa Crociere, Roberto Ferranini, who could serve two years and 10 months.

The ship's hotel director was sentenced to two years and six months while two bridge officers and a helmsman got sentences ranging from one year and eight months to one year and 11 months.

None are likely to go to jail though as the sentences of less than two years are suspended, and the longer sentences may be appealed or replaced with community service, judicial sources said.

On Thursday, Francesco Schettino - the captain of the Costa Concordia and the main defendant - asked the judge at his manslaughter trial to order tests on the cruise liner's wreckage to determine why electrical and other systems failed after the vessel struck a reef off the Italian island of Giglio.

Schettino talks to his lawyers in Grosseto

The outcome of his request will not be known until at least September.

His trial was adjourned until September 23 for a summer's break.

Schettino is also charged with causing the shipwreck in January 2012 and abandoning ship before all aboard had been evacuated.

His defence claims that no one died in the collision itself, but that the failure of a backup generator and supposedly water-tight compartments that were flooded created problems during the evacuation, when the deaths occurred.

If convicted, Schettino could receive up to 20 years in prison.

The cruise company Costa Crociere was given an administration fine of one million euros (£860,000) earlier this year, under a law in which companies whose employees commit crimes can be sanctioned. It has put the blame for the collision on Schettino.

Salvage experts are still attempting to work out how to right the ship, which remains stuck on a reef off Giglio, and float it away to the mainland for demolition.

The boat has become a macabre tourist attraction in the area.

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Beijing Airport Blast: Smoke In Arrivals Hall

Chinese media report that there has been an explosion in an arrivals hall at Beijing airport.

Pictures posted on the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, Weibo, show smoke in Terminal 3 after the blast at around 6.30pm local time.

There are reports that the explosion may have been caused by someone in a wheelchair.

Police appear to tend to a casualty. Pic: @mild_luna

Eyewitnesses have claimed that a man was sitting in the arrivals hall, shouting before the explosion took place.

One person is believed to have been injured.

The Sina Weibo microblog of state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) said a man detonated a package of black gunpowder used to make firecrackers just outside the international arrivals exit.

More follows ...

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Dreamliner Turns Back After Fuel Pump Warning

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been forced to return to an airport in the United States because of a possible fuel pump problem.

The Japan Airlines flight from Boston to Tokyo turned back as a "standard precautionary measure" around five hours after taking off, according to a company spokeswoman.

Pilots landed the plane safely after a maintenance warning indicated a possible fault.

Japan Airlines only resumed its 787 operations in June, five months after a battery caught fire on board one of the planes in its fleet.

At the time, company president Yoshiharu Ueki said he would "ensure safety, security and reliability in operations of every aircraft in the group's fleet".

The Dreamliner has been beset by glitches since its first commercial flight in October 2011.

The aircraft was grounded worldwide in January after batteries overheated on two Japanese-operated jets.

Damage caused to an Ethiopian Airlines 787 following a fire at Heathrow

It resumed commercial service in May after Boeing installed a redesigned battery system.

However in June, a 787 operated by United Airlines was forced to make an emergency landing because of an issue with its braking system.

Days later, another of the company's fleet landed safely when pilots became aware of a potential oil filter problem.

Meanwhile, a fire on an Ethiopian Airlines 787 that caused major disruption at Heathrow Airport earlier this month is believed to have started in the battery of an emergency locator transmitter.

A report from the UK's Air Accident Investigation Branch said that if a similar fault occurred mid-flight, "it could pose a significant safety concern and raise challenges for the cabin crew in tackling the resulting fire".

British Airways and TUI Travel have both taken delivery of Dreamliners this year, while Virgin Atlantic is awaiting the arrival of 16 of the planes.

More than 900 787s have been ordered worldwide since 2004.

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Alexei Navalny: Russia Blogger Freed For Appeal

Russian anti-corruption blogger and Putin opponent Alexei Navalny has been freed from custody after just 24 hours behind bars.

The release came after a surprise request by prosecutors, who said that because Navalny is a candidate in this autumn's Moscow mayoral race keeping him in custody would deny him his right to seek election.

He will remain free until any appeals against his conviction for embezzlement are completed.

After the decision, Navalny emerged from the caged-off defendants' section of the courtroom and thanked supporters who had held protest rallies on Thursday after his conviction.

Navalny talks to the media following his release

"What happened now is a completely unique phenomenon in the system of Russian justice," he said.

Navalny, a popular blogger and corruption-fighting lawyer, rose to prominence among the opposition during a series of massive protests in Moscow against President Vladimir Putin's re-election to a third presidential term in March 2012.

His conviction prompted criticism from the United States and the European Union.

Navalny, 37, has blogged about his investigations into corruption at state-owned companies where he owned shares.

Navalny wants to challenge Mr Putin for the presidency

He and his team of lawyers and activists have sifted through property registers abroad to identify top officials and politicians who own undeclared foreign assets and hold foreign citizenship.

On Thursday, 40 people were arrested during protests against his five-year sentence.

Navalny has said he wants to challenge Mr Putin for the presidency in the next election, and believes the prosecution was politically motivated.

He will not be allowed to travel outside Moscow while the appeals process is under way.

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Kerry Heads To West Bank In Peace Talks Push

US Secretary of State John Kerry is flying to the West Bank in an attempt to salvage his Middle East bid.

He will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as part of an attempt to get peace talks back on track.

A Palestinian official announced the surprise move after Mr Kerry met twice with Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat on Friday morning in his Amman hotel.

A senior US State Department official confirmed the report saying: "Secretary Kerry will travel to Ramallah this afternoon to meet with President Abbas."

The whirlwind diplomacy came after the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah rejected Mr Kerry's proposals for a framework to guide the relaunch of peace talks with the Israelis, which have stalled for nearly three years.

Talks have stuttered and started for decades in the elusive bid to reach a final peace deal between the Arab world and Israel.

But they collapsed completely in September 2010 when Israel refused to keep up a freeze on settlement building in Palestinian territories.

A State Department official said in a statement issued just after midnight that serious Palestinian debate over resuming talks was "appropriate and encouraging".

Mr Kerry arrived in the Jordanian capital on Tuesday and has met twice already with Abbas. He also won endorsement from the Arab League for his proposals to resume talks.

More follows...

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Alexei Navalny Jailed For Embezzlement

A Russian judge has sentenced protest leader Alexei Navalny to five years in a penal colony for embezzlement.

Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin's biggest critics, was led away from court in the industrial city of Kirov following the sentencing.

The 37-year-old has said the case is politically motivated because of his opposition towards Mr Putin.

In a final tweet after he was led from the court, he wrote: "Don't miss me and don't do nothing."

Prosecutors had asked the court to jail the anti-corruption blogger for six years.

Judge Sergei Blinov found Navalny guilty of colluding to steal 16 million rubles (£326,000) in a timber deal while acting as an unpaid adviser to the local government in 2009. 

He said: "Navalny... committed a grave crime.

"The court has established that Navalny organised the criminal act and led the execution of this large-scale embezzlement."

Navalny had said he wants to challenge Mr Putin for the presidency in the next election. He had been campaigning against corruption by state officials and companies since 2007.

He emerged as a powerful new political force in mass protests against Mr Putin that broke out in December 2011.

It was Navalny who coined the phrase "the party of crooks and thieves" to describe the ruling United Russia party. The phrase became a rallying cry for the opposition to Mr Putin.

Navalny with his mayor candidate registration card

Katie Stallard, Sky's Moscow Correspondent, said: "The real question is what happens from now on. This is a gamble from the Kremlin's point of view.

"On the one hand they are taking this man out of the public spotlight, they are removing him from the position from which he could campaign.

"That will either silence him and kill off the nascent opposition or it will give them a martyr, it will give them a figure to rally behind."

Navalny claimed the embezzlement case had been personally ordered by Mr Putin in order to silence him.

Ahead of the verdict, Navalny had a rare victory after he was accepted as a candidate in a Moscow mayoral election.

The conviction does not immediately nullify his candidacy, which will only happen once the appeals process is over.

The case is seen as the biggest trial in Russia since the jailing of oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky in 2005 on tax evasion and fraud charges after he fell out with Mr Putin.

Lilia Shevtsova, a political analyst and author from the Carnegie Centre in Moscow said:  "Khodorkovsky was a kind of warning to the business elite - 'don't meddle in politics'. 

"Navalny was a warning to political elite, to the younger generation - 'don't even dare to fight with us'."

Ms Shevtsova said Navalny is a symbol of a new regime.

"The new regime introduces the new rules of the game for Russia, for the the country and for the state, which are based on the rule of total, absolute loyalty. No step to the right, no step to the left. Loyalty means you don't dare," she said.

"You don't dare to have ambitions, you don't dare to take part in the struggle for power."

Moscow's stock exchange, Micex, dipped by more than 1% after the sentencing.

Alfa Bank economist Natalia Orlova said: "Very few people believe that he is truly guilty. Even if he had some financial dealings, it's difficult to imagine that he must spend five years in prison.

"This is not a good sign."

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India School Deaths Caused By Insecticide

Post-mortems on children who died after eating a school lunch in India indicate insecticide was present - either in the food or cooking oil.

As protests continue over the tragedy and the subsequent poor hospital treatment, the Bihar state education minister PK Sahi pointed to the rice served with the meal as the likely point of contamination.

He said it was believed the rice had not been washed before it was served to the children.

Local villagers, however, have said the problem appeared to be with a side dish of soya and potatoes, not rice.

Children who did not eat the side dish were fine, even though they had eaten the rice and lentils, several villagers said on Wednesday.

Some 25 children are still being treated in hospital

Patna Medical College hospital superintendent Amarkant Jha Amar said a detailed chemical analysis of the ingredients was still pending.

The free midday meal was served to the children on Tuesday in Gandamal village in Masrakh, 50 miles north of Patna, the Bihar state capital.

The children, aged from five to 12, fell ill soon after eating the meal. Some 22 died and dozens were taken to hospital.

A total of 25 children and the school cook are still being treated but are unlikely to suffer from any serious after effects from the tainted food, Mr Amar said.

"There will be no remnant effects on them. The effects of poisoning will be washed after a certain period of time from the tissues," Mr Amar said.

He said on Thursday that the post-mortem reports on the children who died confirmed that insecticide was either in the food or cooking oil. He said authorities were waiting for lab results for more details on the chemicals.

Thousands of school children are now refusing the free meals.

Some were seen dumping their meals in bins or refusing to touch them, despite pleas from school officials that the tragedy would not occur again.

Sky producer Neville Lazarus, in New Delhi, said that "stringent laws" are likely to be introduced following the tragedy.

He added that some of the anger stems from the poor treatment the children received, with some being forced to lie down on the floor of the hospital due to a lack of beds.

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Nelson Mandela: 95th Birthday Marked Worldwide

Mandela's Love Affair With Winnie

Updated: 8:15am UK, Thursday 18 July 2013

By Claude Colart, Mandela family friend, in South Africa

"My love for her remains undiminished." These were the words Nelson Mandela used on April 13, 1992, when he announced to the world his separation from Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

A few years later the couple legally divorced.

But it wasn't the end of a long-lasting love story. When he saw her at a bus stop in 1957, it was love at first sight. Nelson Mandela (aka Madiba, as per his clan name) has always admitted that.

And Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has remained a presence in his life, even after his marriage to Graca Machel in 1998 - on his 80th birthday. In private, Mrs Machel sometimes refers to herself and Winnie as "Madiba's two wifes".

To many in the outside world Winnie remains labelled as the anti-apartheid fighter, who, in 1986, said: "With our boxes of matches and our necklaces we shall liberate this country." Necklacing was a brutal practice of "punishing" suspected traitors and apartheid collaborators by burning them alive using tyres and petrol.

But even more, Winnie's image remains tarnished when she was found guilty of kidnap and assault of 14-year-old Stompie Moeketsi, whom she and her supporters suspected of being an apartheid informer.

Stompie was found dead in a field in Soweto. Winnie's six-year jail sentence was reduced to a fine on appeal.

In 2003 Winnie was found guilty of fraud related to a funeral fund. Her five-year sentence was changed to a suspended one of three years and six months.

But these dark pages in Winnie's life are probably, sadly, hiding a truly deep story of love, affection and commitment. And thus the more accurate, full story of Nomzano Winnie Madikizela is much lesser known. A love story amid the darkest days of South Africa's apartheid past and into Nelson Mandela's long walk to freedom and pension.

Winnie was born on September 26, 1936, in Pondoland, in South Africa's Eastern Cape. A social worker by training, she married Nelson in 1958, three months after Nelson divorced his first wife Evelyn Mase. Nelson had to ask the apartheid government for a six-day reprieve of his banning order to attend his own wedding.

The social worker was thrown into the heart of the anti-apartheid struggle.

The love story grew even stronger as Nelson was sentenced to life and sent to Robben Island. His prison letters are the proof of how he missed his wife and family - Winnie and Nelson had two daughters.

Winnie took over the megaphone of activism and the apartheid government punished her severely for it.

She was detained in solitary confinement between May 12, 1969, and September 14, 1970. And tortured, too. In one instance, although suffering from a heart condition, she was interrogated by the apartheid security police continuously and without a break for five days and five nights.

Winnie faced banning orders, detentions, about a dozen political trials, house arrest, and was banished to a rural town where she did not speak the same language as the local population. Nelson himself, and family friend and co-Robben Island prisoner Ahmed Kathrada said on many occasions how the hardship from prison can never be compared with the brutal suffering of those on the outside. And it hurt Nelson very deeply, as expressed in his prison letters, that he wasn't there to help, protect, assist Winnie. And hold her, and comfort her. That might well be his deepest regret. How his political activism pushed his family life to the brink of the impossible.

Winnie, still respected in her Soweto community (and beyond) as the Mother of the Nation, is also a solid mother of a big family. A shoulder to cry on for daughters and grandkids. A source of guidance. A pillar of strength.

She had to be treated for shock when her grandchild Zenani (Jr) was killed in a car accident in 2010. She was present all the time when her granddaughter Zoleka went for weekly chemotherapy in 2013. She accompanied her eldest daughter Zenani to the Johannesburg international airport when she left earlier this year to become South Africa's ambassador to Argentina. And she was at that same airport last week collecting her grandson returning from the US.

That's her. The mother, grandmother, great-grandmother.

In August 2010, the family gathered at Winnie's Soweto house to remember little Zenani, who died a month earlier. The end of a traditional mourning period. It was an intimate family lunch gathering... and Nelson was there, too. It was an amazing moment that had all the signs of any family anywhere in the world coming together to think of loss but also salute the family bond.

Winnie has always attended family events and especially Madiba's birthday on July 18. Be it in his Qunu homestead, be it in his Houghton residence. Graca Machel and Winnie have a good relationship and accept each other's position in Nelson's life and in his heart.

When Nelson's health started to deteriorate in 2011 and he ended up being admitted to hospital, Winnie was there at his bedside, every day. She felt it her duty to their kids, and certainly to the man she loved and still loves so much.

Since their eyes met at that bus stop in 1957, their souls have been interconnected … until eternity.

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Arabian Al Qaeda Number Two Killed By Drone

A Saudi who was freed from Guantanamo Bay only to become second-in-command of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has been killed.

Said al Shehri died in a US-led drone strike in Yemen, senior AQAP official Ibrahim al Rubaish said in a video statement posted online.

"I present my condolences to all the Mujahideen on the martyrdom of Said al-Shehri who was killed in a US drone attack," said Rubaish.

He did not say when the strike took place.

Shehri was taken to the Cuban detention facility in 2002 after Pakistan handed him to US authorities.

He was returned to Saudi Arabia in late 2007 and later fled to Yemen to join the al Qaeda branch there.

Shehri's death has been announced several times by the Yemeni authorities, most recently on January 24.

Last October, Shehri himself denied a September announcement by Yemen's defence ministry that he had been killed in an army raid, in an audio message posted on extremist internet forums.

An official Yemeni statement in January called him "one of the (al Qaeda) leaders who played a major role in the planning of local, regional and international terrorist acts".

It said he was "the military commander of terrorist elements" during deadly clashes with the army in the southern Abyan province, which Islamist rebels largely controlled for a year before Yemeni forces recaptured it in June 2012.

In April, AQAP released an audio message purported to be a newly-delivered address by him.

AQAP, which has planned attacks on international targets including airliners, has been described by Washington as perhaps al Qaeda's most dangerous and innovative affiliate.

AQAP took advantage of the weakness of Yemen's central government during an uprising in 2011 against now-ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh to seize large swathes of territory across the south.

But after a month-long offensive launched in May last year by Yemeni troops, most militants fled to the more lawless desert regions of the east.

AQAP is led by Nasser al Wuhayshi, who in July 2011 reaffirmed the group's allegiance to Ayman al Zawahiri, head of the worldwide al Qaeda network since the killing in May 2011 of its founder, Osama bin Laden.

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India: 21 Children Die After Eating School Meal

Some 21 children, aged between eight and 11, have died after eating free meals at a primary school in eastern India.

At least another 35 children remain in hospital in Patna, the Bihar state capital. Ten of the youngsters are in a critical condition. 

They fell ill after eating a lunch of rice and lentils in Masrakh village in the Saran district on Tuesday.

They were rushed to hospital in the capital, some 50 miles (80km) south of the village.

A family with their son who fell ill after consuming a free school meal

Some of the other sick children were taken to hospital in nearby Chaapra.

Sky Producer Neville Lazarus, in New Delhi, said: "Masrakh is in one of the poorest of the poor states in the country and in a remote place, so there weren't proper medical facilities."

The meal was cooked in the school kitchen, and police have seized all the ingredients used.

Lazarus said the cook and her two children had also died.

A woman cries after hearing that her grandson was one of the victims

Bihar's Education Minister P K Shahi said a preliminary investigation suggested the food had traces of phosphorous, which is used to preserve rice and wheat.

"It is sad but true that 20 children died after eating their midday meal, which appears to be poisonous," the minister said.

Authorities have suspended a food inspector and registered a case of criminal negligence against the head teacher.

The father of an ill child, Raja Yadav, told reporters that his son was vomiting after returning from school.

Free lunches are used as a way of increasing school attendance

"As soon as my boy returned from school, we rushed to the hospital with him. His condition was not good," he said.

Bihar state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has also ordered an inquiry, announced that families of the dead children will be offered financial compensation of 200,000 rupees (£2,200).

Twenty of the children who died were buried near the school on Wednesday morning as angry residents armed with poles and sticks took to the streets in the city of Chhapra to protest against the state government over the children's deaths.

"Hundreds of angry people staged a protest in Saran since late Tuesday night, demanding stern action against government officials responsible for this shocking incident," district government official S K Mall said.

Angry parents take to the streets in protest at the tragedy

Lazarus described the situation as "tense", with locals saying there was a delay in getting medical help to the children, contributing to the high death toll.

Free meals are offered to impoverished students in state-run schools as part of government welfare measures in many of India's 29 states

The lunches are hugely popular with poor families and educators see the meals as a way of increasing school attendance and stemming malnourishment.

But children often suffer from food poisoning due to poor hygiene in school kitchens and the sometimes poor quality food.

More than 130 students were taken to hospital in the western city of Pune last year after eating lunch at school, the Times of India reported.

A probe revealed that the food served to them was contaminated with E. coli bacteria, strains of which can cause food poisoning.

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Panama: Cuba 'Owns' North Korean Ship Arms

Cuba has claimed it owns the arms that were found on board a North Korean ship that Panama has impounded.

Panama has called for United Nations investigators to inspect the shipment of missile parts found on the Chong Chon Gang as it tried to enter the Panama Canal last week.

The contraband munitions were hidden under thousands of bags labelled "Cuban Raw Sugar", Panama said.

Cuba claimed ownership in a statement on state television, saying the Soviet-era missile system parts were to be repaired and returned - without mentioning where they were being sent.

The weapons were hiding under thousands of bags labelled Cuban Raw Sugar

Cuba said the shipment contained "obsolete" weaponry "manufactured in the mid-20th century", including anti-aircraft missile arrays, nine disassembled missiles, two MiG-21 Bis jets and 15 engines.

"The agreements Cuba has signed in these areas are based on our need to maintain our defensive capacity to protect national sovereignty," the statement said.

"Cuba reiterates its firm and unwavering commitment with peace, disarmament - including nuclear disarmament - and respect for international law."

Portraits of Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung on board the Chong Chon Gang

Cuba is the only one-party Communist regime in the Americas, and is a rare ally of similarly isolated Pyongyang.

North Korea's army chief of staff General Kyok Sik Kim visited Cuba last month and said the two countries were "in the same trench".

The shipment could constitute a violation of the strict UN arms sanctions imposed on North Korea over its nuclear programme and further sour relations between the US and Cuba.

Panama's security minister Jose Raul Mulino said authorities believe the ship was returning from Havana on its way to North Korea.

He said the affair was now a matter for UN investigators.

President Martinelli inspecting the ship

"The Security Council will have to send experts," he said.

The US said it strongly supports Panama's actions over the Chong Chon Gang.

"We stand ready to cooperate with Panama should they request our assistance," said US State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell.

The IHS global information company identified the equipment as an RSN-75 Fan Song fire control radar, also known as the SNR-75 Fan Song, for the SA-2 group of surface-to-air (SAM) missiles.

Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli tweeted a photo of the weaponry with the message: "The world needs to sit up and take note: you cannot go around shipping undeclared weapons of war through the Panama Canal."

Panamanian authorities boarded the ship suspecting it was carrying drugs

He said the North Korean captain attempted to kill himself and violence broke out among the 35-strong crew as the ship was raided.

It had been stopped because it was suspected of transporting drugs.

A Panamanian government spokesman said an examination of the ship by weapons specialists may take as long as a week.

Pyongyang has yet to comment on the case.

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British 'Cocaine Smuggler' Arrested In Spain

Spanish police say they have arrested a notorious suspected British drug dealer, Brian Charrington.

The 57-year-old is alleged to have run an international trafficking ring involving cocaine from Venezuela.

Charrington was detained at his luxury home on the Costa Blanca in a joint operation by UK and Spanish officers.

His girlfriend and son were also arrested along with 10 other people in Spain and Venezuela.

A police statement said Charrington was "one of the 10 criminals most investigated by European police and leader of an international drug-trafficking organisation".

The statement said officers seized 220kg (485lb) of cocaine hidden in an apartment in L'Albir near the tourist resort of Benidorm.

They also impounded property and bank accounts worth more than five million euros (£4.33m).

It is claimed Charrington, from Middlesbrough, and others smuggled tons of cocaine into Europe via an armada of yachts.

Charrington is said to have started as a car and drugs dealer in the 1980s and allegedly went on to build an international criminal empire.

He is the third suspected British drugs baron to be arrested in recent weeks.

On July 10, Kevin Hanley, who was wanted in connection with a multimillion-pound drug seizure, was caught in a sting operation in Athens.

Two days before, convicted drug trafficker Mark Lilley was caught hiding naked in a panic room in his luxury villa in Malaga.

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Egypt: Mosri Supporters Killed In Clashes

At least seven people have died in overnight clashes between supporters of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, opponents and security forces, officials said.

Mohamed Sultan, the head of Egypt's emergency services, said more than 260 people were injured and more than 400 arrested in the latest eruption of violence since the military unseated Mr Morsi, just a year after he was elected.

Two people were killed at a bridge in in the Ramses area near Tahrir Square in Cairo, where security forces reportedly fired tear gas to drive the protesters back.

The protesters responded by hurling rocks at the security forces, triggering fresh volleys of tear gas, with clashes continuing in adjacent Ramses Square and elsewhere late into the night.

Five more people died in the capital's Giza district, Mr Sultan said.

Security officials said four of the deaths came as Morsi supporters staging a sit-in near the main Cairo university campus clashed with residents of the area.

Thousands of supporters of the former president were calling for him to be reinstated.

Earlier reports said police had fired tear gas at the protesters and demonstrators had retaliated by throwing rocks back at police.

Many protesters were treatment at a makeshift ward set up to deal with casualties.

The deputy president of Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood's political party, Essam el Erian, had stressed the protests and sit-ins must remain peaceful.

"The fact that our protests are peaceful is what makes them powerful," he said.

"We will remain peaceful in our path to continue the January 25 revolution and we will not use violence to respond to the violence that targets us."

The clashes came as US Under Secretary of State Bill Burns held talks in Cairo with Egypt's interim president Adli Mansour about the transition plan put forward by the new leadership.

It was the first violence in the Egyptian capital since more than 50 pro-Morsi demonstrators were shot dead outside an elite military headquarters on Monday of last week.

The latest deaths bring to more than 100 the number of people killed in Egypt since the coup.

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Fugitive Edward Snowden Asks Russia For Asylum

The US intelligence whistleblower, Edward Snowden, has applied for temporary asylum in Russia, according to his lawyer.

The former National Security Agency worker has been holed up at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport since June 23 after leaking details of US surveillance programmes.

Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said he had met Snowden on Tuesday and "the application has been filed with the Russian authorities".

Washington has urged Moscow to return the 30-year-old to the US, where he is wanted on espionage charges after revealing details of secret surveillance programmes.

Speaking to human rights activists last week, after three weeks of silence Snowden said he planned to apply for temporary asylum in Russia until he had won "safe passage" to a Latin American country.

More follows...

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Tornado Tourism: Thrill-Seeking Trend On Rise

By Amanda Walker, US Correspondent

A summer of deadly twisters has not discouraged British tourists from signing up for storm-chasing holidays in America's Tornado Alley.

Roger and Caryn Hill, who run Silver Lining Tours out of Denver, Colorado, say around 30% of their thrill-seeking clients are from the UK.

Roger, one of the most renowned and respected chasers in the business, says: "I've seen 660 tornadoes in my life and every one I've seen is like the first one I ever saw."

The husband and wife team run six-day weather stalking tours, often covering thousands of miles across several states in a convoy of vans, each marked with impressive hailstone dents.

Roger Hill uses a weather tracking system to chase the storms

This could be a rough ride. Roger sits up front, plugged into his advanced weather tracking system as we and 17 eager storm tourists head out onto the Montana plains.

As we motor through Big Sky Country, Roger says the charts look hopeful, not for the blue sky and sunshine you would normally wish for on holiday - but for powerful dramatic tempests.

There's a feeling of anticipation and confidence among the tourists: if a storm is brewing, Roger will find it.

In 25 years of weather hunting, Roger has seen and captured hundreds of tornadoes on camera. A twister has yet to surface on this latest mission, but Roger's appetite for any form of dramatic weather is insatiable and infectious.

A powerful twister tore through Oklahoma City last month

Brit Gayle Dawes says: "When Roger comes on the radio and says we're at code red which means there are storms and they are looking really, really good.

"I think it's the moment when you get out of the van, just before a storm you can feel that tension in the air."

UK tourists spend around £2,000 to join Silver Lining Tours for some high impact, adrenaline pumping storm chasing.

It sounds and looks fun, but these situations can quickly turn deadly - even for the most experienced chasers.

Roger's close friend and established meteorologist Tim Samaras was among the dozens killed by the series of lethal tornadoes that crashed through the Midwest this summer.

Roger's friend Tim Samaras died while chasing the Oklahoma storm

Roger says: "It hit real close to home. He always said 'If I get killed by one of these damned things, it had better be an EF5'. And, lo and behold, he was killed by an EF5 and it was the most violent kind of tornado there is."

The group gather under heavy, rumbling clouds to capture images of a looming "wall cloud" before Roger calls everyone back into the vehicles for a moment the thrill-seeking group have been craving: "core punching" - the industry term for racing through the heart of the storm.

The rain lashing the windscreen is punctuated by huge thumps from what Roger says is golfball-sized hail. The atmosphere fizzes as Roger warns his group to hold on - experiencing a storm from the relative safety of the van is a tour highlight.

Londoner Selvin Reid says his family and friends had reservations about his unusual holiday choice.

Tornado tourists say it's an experience of a lifetime

"The obvious reaction is 'be careful what you're doing, it's going to be dangerous'. Because quite obviously, they've been influenced by the headlines where people have been killed," he said.

Steve Famiglietti, who is partially sighted, has been on eight storm-chasing tours. For him it's about feeling and sensing the magnitude of the weather around him.

"It's so exciting. Roger gets so excited. He's so good at showing us what we're looking at ... to be able to come out here and see that is just something that you don't get everywhere on Earth," he explained.

These people's backgrounds are as varied as the weather they hunt. What binds them is a fascination with the elements - as long as there's a storm, their desire to chase will be irrepressible.

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Cory Monteith: Glee Star Found Dead In Hotel

Glee star Cory Monteith has been found dead in a hotel room in Canada, Vancouver Police have confirmed.

The 31-year-old's body was discovered at Vancouver's Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel just after noon on Saturday after he failed to check out.

Police believe he was alone when he died, and have ruled out foul play.

Doug LePard, the acting chief of Vancouver Police, said: "As was the case in countless homes, I watched Glee regularly with my daughters, and I know there will be shock and sadness in many households with the news of his tragic death.

Monteith had reportedly been dating Glee co-star Lea Michele

"Mr Monteith checked into the hotel on July 6 and was due to check out of the room (on Saturday).

"There were others with Mr Monteith in his room earlier ... but video and fob key entries show him returning to his room by himself in the early morning hours and we believe he was alone when he died."

Monteith had voluntarily entered rehab for substance abuse problems in April.

It was not Monteith's first time in rehab. He received treatment when he was 19 and had previously talked about his addiction struggles, saying he had a serious problem and took just "anything and everything".

Popular musical comedy Glee first aired in 2009

He told Parade magazine in 2011 that he was "lucky to be alive".

He was best known for playing Finn Hudson in the popular musical comedy series Glee, which follows a group of American secondary school misfits.

A post-mortem will take place on Monday, and the coroner will decide on the next steps to establish the cause of death.

A statement on behalf of Glee's executive producers and 20th Century Fox Television said: "We are deeply saddened by this tragic news.

"Cory was an exceptional talent and an even more exceptional person. He was a true joy to work with and we will all miss him tremendously. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones."

Stars have spoken of their shock at the news.

Dot-Marie Jones, who plays Coach Bieste in Glee, wrote on Twitter: "I have no words! My heart is broken, Cory was not only a hell of a friend, he was one amazing man that I will hold close to my heart forever."

Singer Taylor Swift wrote: "Speechless. And for the worst reason."

Actress Jaimie Alexander added: "Sweet man... Gone far too soon. Peace be with you friend."

Singer Lance Bass said: "Devastated about the news of Cory Monteith - such an incredible guy - my thoughts are with his family and friends."

And Zooey Deschanel wrote: "What an absolutely tragic loss of a very talented young man."

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Trayvon Martin: George Zimmerman Acquitted

George Zimmerman has been acquitted of all charges over the fatal shooting of black teenager Travyon Martin in Florida.

Mr Zimmerman was freed after the jury deliberated for more than 15 hours over two days in the second-degree murder trial.

The jurors notified the judge on Saturday night, shortly before 10pm local time, that they had reached a decision.

Minutes later the verdict was announced. Mr Zimmerman stood impassively as the verdict was read out.

Supporters of Trayvon Martin outside court after the verdict was reached

The parents of the teenager were not in court for the verdict.

But outside the court supporters of Trayvon reacted with disappointment and anger.

Some chanted and held up a large banner saying "End racial oppression", while others yelled "No" in disbelief at the acquittal.

The six-member, all-woman jury began deliberating at 2.30pm on Friday after spending part of the day listening to the defence team's closing arguments and a rebuttal from the prosecution.

George Zimmerman is congratulated by his defence team

The jurors considered nearly three weeks of often wildly conflicting testimony over who was the aggressor on the rainy night the 17-year-old was shot while walking through the gated townhouse community where he was staying.

Mr Zimmerman's lawyers said the case was classic self-defence, claiming Trayvon knocked Mr Zimmerman down and was slamming the older man's head against the concrete footpath when Mr Zimmerman fired his pistol.

Trayvon Martin was shot dead in a gated community

"We're ecstatic with the results," defence lawyer Mark O'Mara said after the verdict.

"George Zimmerman was never guilty of anything except protecting himself in self-defence."

Another member of his defence team, Don West, said: "I'm glad this jury kept this tragedy from becoming a travesty."

Prosecutors called Mr Zimmerman a liar and portrayed him as a wannabe police officer and vigilante who had grown frustrated by break-ins in his neighbourhood committed primarily by young black men.

The teen's death drew protests in cities across America

They said Mr Zimmerman assumed the teen was up to no good and took the law into his own hands.

The case divided public opinion in the United States, with even President Barack Obama commenting on the shooting. Congressman Bobby Rush wore a "hoodie" in the House of Representatives in support of Trayvon.

Further criticism came from the 44-day delay before Mr Zimmerman was arrested.

Trayvon's father was not in court for the verdict

After hearing the verdict, judge Debra Nelson told the defendant he was free to go and the GPS tracking tag unit would be removed.

"You have no further business with this court," she said.

Mr Zimmerman later hugged his family, and his wife Shellie smiled and cried.

Fearing further social unrest over the controversial shooting, the police chief in Sanford, where Trayvon Martin was shot and where the trial was held, urged peace.

State Attorney Angela Corey said she believed second-degree murder was the appropriate charge because Mr Zimmerman's mindset "fitted the bill of second-degree murder."

"We charged what we believed we could prove," Ms Corey said.

Second-degree murder is classed as a death that does not include specific intent to kill, and the trial centred on the state's controversial self-defence rule of "Stand Your Ground".

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