Iran Nuclear Talks: Hague Arrives In Geneva

Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague has arrived for talks in Geneva amid hopes an historic deal may be signed on Iran's nuclear programme.

Mr Hague joined counterparts including US Secretary of State John Kerry and foreign ministers from Russia, France and Germany, and the presence of senior ministers has raised expectations that a deal could be close.

Arriving at the talks, he told reporters: "They remain very difficult negotiations, I think it's important to stress that. We're not here because things are necessarily finished, we're here because they're difficult and they remain difficult.

"There are narrow gaps but they are important gaps. It's very important that any agreement is thorough, that it is detailed, that it is comprehensive, and that it is a deal in which we can all - the whole world - have confidence that it can work and it will be observed."

He added: "We will only make a deal - the six countries involved - will only make an agreement if we think it is a truly worthwhile agreement and really does address the problems caused by Iran's nuclear programme."

Earlier, Iranian officials said "two or three" differences remain as talks aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear ambitions go into a fourth day.

The arrival of Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov had heightened speculation that US Secretary of State John Kerry would also attend.

John Kerry has also joined the talks in Geneva

Mr Kerry's goal is to "help narrow differences and move closer to an agreement," a State Department spokeswoman said.

Mr Lavrov joined the talks as negotiators said there had been some progress on the third day of meetings and the White House said the US remained "hopeful" that agreement could be reached.

This third meeting since President Hassan Rouhani's election in June is seen as the biggest hope in years to resolve the decade-old stand-off over Iran's nuclear programme.

Failure might mean Iran resuming the expansion of its atomic activities, while Washington and others could toughen already painful sanctions and the possibility of Israeli military action would draw nearer.

At the last gathering, foreign ministers including Mr Kerry flew to Geneva but three days of intense talks failed and they went home empty-handed.

Sky's Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall, in Geneva, said: "They've spent the last 12 days talking to each other via the phone at political director level and I think they've got so close.

Iran's Foreign Minister said talks were 'progressing well' on Friday

"They're burning political capital here, the foreign ministers. If they come in again and leave empty handed again, they've burned a lot of capital and the voices that say 'what is the point of this' will grow ever louder.

"And I think if they don't get a deal, you might see extra sanctions coming from the US Congress next week and that will scupper the whole deal."

According to a draft proposal hammered out on November 9, the US, Britain, China, France, Russia, and Germany - the so-called P5+1 nations - want Iran to freeze key parts of its nuclear programme for six months.

In return Iran would get minor and, Western officials insist, "reversible" sanctions relief, including unlocking several billion dollars in oil revenues and easing trade restrictions on precious metals and aircraft parts.

This hoped-for "first phase" deal would build trust and ease tensions while negotiators push on for a final accord that ends once and for all fears that Tehran will get an atomic bomb.

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Latvia Supermarket Collapse: 50 Killed

Rescue teams are searching among the rubble of a Latvian supermarket which collapsed and killed at least 50 people.

Fire trucks and ambulances remain at the Maxima shopping centre in the capital Riga, and rescue workers are using mechanical cutters and cranes to clear debris from the single-storey building.

Among the dead are three firefighters.

The roof of the supermarket collapsed at around 6pm on Thursday evening when the store was busy with shoppers on their way home from work.

Firefighters were injured by a second collapse shortly after their arrival on the scene.

People gathered to await news of the rescue operation

It is unclear how many people remain trapped in the ruined store but Latvian television has said it could be as many as 40.

"I don't know what happened to the cashiers - if you were sitting down, there is no way you could have got out in time," a witness named Jana told Latvia's LNT television.

The cause of the collapse has not been confirmed but police said a winter garden, involving large amounts of soil, was being built on the roof.

Soil, grass and parts of a new walkway can be seen dangling from the edges of the collapsed rooftop.

Rescuers have been periodically silencing their equipment and asking relatives to call their loved ones so anyone trapped can be pinpointed.

Rescue teams have been working slowly, fearing a further collapse

Work is continuing slowly, as remaining sections of the roof are unstable and rescuers believe another collapse could occur.

"In the past hours no survivors have been found," said rescue service spokeswoman Viktorija Sembele on Friday morning.

Thirty eight people were injured in the collapse, according to latest police figures, and sniffer dogs are helping in the search.

More than 60 soldiers are also involved, the army said.

Visiting the scene, Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis said police had launched a criminal investigation into the cause of the incident.

Emergency services worked through the night but lost three of their own

Council official Juris Radzevics confirmed that the roof of the supermarket, built in 2011, was in the process of being turned into a green area.

"The project was submitted in accordance with all regulations but of course we will be looking at whether materials and works were carried out to the proper standards," Mr Radzevics told Latvian television.

Three days of mourning, starting on Saturday, have been announced as the country marks its worst accident since regaining independence in 1991.

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Shark Kills Surfer In Western Australia

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

A 35-year-old man has been killed by a shark while surfing in Western Australia.

Beaches have been closed in the area near Gracetown, 167 miles (270km) south of Perth, after the man's body was pulled from the sea on Saturday morning.

Eyewitnesses described how the man's arm was missing and there was no sign of life when he was dragged to shore.

Officers from the Department of Fisheries have issued an "imminent threat danger" and have been sent to the area to attempt to catch the shark.

The attack happened at an area known as the Lefthanders surf break.

Surfer Tom Jones told the ABC he was at nearby Big Rock beach at the time of the attack and knows of the victim.

"Cop cars rolled up at Lefties and we thought, definitely another shark attack," he said, adding, "I know of him, and he was pretty young to die."

The attack was near Gracetown

The man's body was airlifted from the beach. It is reported he was surfing alone at the time.

Gracetown has now been the site of three fatal shark attacks in the past 10 years. It is the tenth fatal attack in Western Australia in nine years.

Surfer Bradley Smith was taken by a great white at a beach near the town in 2004, and another surfer, Nicholas Edwards, was killed by a shark at nearby South Point.

And Saturday's attack comes just weeks after diver Greg Pickering was bitten on the face and body by a five metre great white while diving off the coast of Esperance also in Western Australia.

It also comes as some of the world's finest chefs - including Heston Blumenthal - gather in the state's southwest for a gourmet tourism extravaganza.

The Australian Associated Press reported that Mr Blumenthal was surfing in waters near the site of the attack on Friday.

The dead surfer has not yet been identified.

When it comes to shark attacks Australia is now the world's deadliest country.

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Latvia Supermarket Collapse: 32 Killed

Rescue teams are searching among the rubble of a Latvian supermarket which collapsed and killed at least 32 people.

Fire trucks and ambulances remain at the Maxima shopping centre in the capital Riga, and rescue workers are using mechanical cutters and cranes to clear debris from the single-storey building.

Among the dead are three firefighters.

The roof of the supermarket collapsed on Thursday evening when the store was busy with shoppers on their way home from work.

Firefighters were injured by a second collapse shortly after their arrival on the scene.

It is unclear how many people now remain trapped in the ruined store.

Rescue teams have been working slowly, fearing a further collapse

The cause of the collapse has not been confirmed but police said a winter garden, involving large amounts of soil, was being built on the roof.

Rescuers have been periodically silencing their equipment and asking relatives to call their loved ones so anyone trapped can be pinpointed.

Work is continuing slowly however as remaining sections of the roof are unstable and rescuers believe another collapse could occur.

"In the past hours no survivors have been found," said rescue service spokeswoman Viktorija Sembele on Friday morning.

It is unclear how many people are still trapped in the rubble

Thirty five injured people have been rescued and sniffer dogs are helping the search.

More than 60 soldiers are also involved, the army said.

Visiting the scene, Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis said police had launched a criminal investigation into the cause of the incident.

Council official Juris Radzevics confirmed that the roof of the supermarket, built in 2011, was in the process of being turned into a green area.

"The project was submitted in accordance with all regulations but of course we will be looking at whether materials and works were carried out to the proper standards," Mr Radzevics told Latvian television.

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Murdered Massachusetts Teacher 'Was Raped'

A 14-year-old student in Massachusetts accused of killing his teacher has now also been charged with raping her.

Philip Chism has been held since shortly after the October 22 killing of Colleen Ritzer, a maths teacher popular among students and colleagues at the Danvers High School.

Chism allegedly murdered the 24-year-old in the school and then dumped her body in the woods nearby, where it was later found.

He has already been indicted on charges of murder. Now authorities have added charges of aggravated sexual assault and armed robbery.

Authorities say he sexually assaulted Ms Ritzer with an object before killing and robbing her.

"The indictments returned today detail horrific and unspeakable acts," Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said.

More details could be made public later.

Students mourned the popular Ms Ritzer at a vigil hours after her death

According to the indictments, Chism, armed with a box cutter, stole Ms Ritzer's underwear, credit cards and iPhone.

Chism has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.

Ms Ritzer's family said in a statement that they continue to mourn and asked for privacy.

"We are devastated and heartbroken by the details of the horrific circumstances surrounding the death of our beautiful daughter and sister, Colleen," the statement said.

Classmates said Ms Ritzer had asked Chism to stay after school on the day that she was killed but a motive remains unclear.

Chism had moved to Massachusetts from Tennessee before the start of the school year and played on the school's junior varsity soccer team.

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Arctic Oil Protest Brits Freed In Russia

Three of the Britons arrested by Russian authorities during a Greenpeace protest against Arctic oil drilling have been released from detention in St Petersburg.

Activists Alex Harris and Anthony Perrett and journalist Kieron Bryan are the first of six Britons to be freed on bail. Three Russian nationals were freed on Monday.

Thirty people, including the six Britons aboard the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, were detained after the protest in September.

Fellow Britons Frank Hewetson and Iain Rogers have also been granted bail, but have yet to be freed. The sixth, Philip Ball, was due to have his bail application heard on Friday.

Speaking after his release, Mr Bryan told Sky News it felt "very, very good" to be free.

"It's good to be outside and see the sky for the first time for a while," he said.

Anthony Perrett following his release

"To everyone who's supported me and the rest of the group: Keep fighting, we're not free yet, this is first step. It's a glimmer of justice, but it's not finished."

He said being imprisoned had been "tough" and that he was looking forward to "a long shower" and "never doing another Sudoku again" and "an improved diet".

All 30 of the accused were initially charged with piracy but are now accused of hooliganism, which carries a shorter maximum jail term of seven years.

Greenpeace on Thursday unveiled giant portraits of those arrested - the "Arctic 30" - outside the London offices of oil giant Shell.

The protest group said it was drawing attention to Shell and its Russian partner Gazprom's planned joint venture to drill for oil in the Arctic.

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said: "Shell and Gazprom are not equipped to drill in the Arctic without causing catastrophic damage to the unique ecosystem.

"But what makes their Arctic plans so blindly stupid is that they're only able to drill there because of the huge loss of Arctic sea ice from climate change."

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Turkey: Bomb Suspect Caught Near PM's Office

A suspected bomber has been detained by police near the prime minister's office in Ankara.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said police "subdued" a man who was allegedly carrying a bomb near Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office.

Police were investigating whether the man was carrying explosives after he refused to show his identity card at a checkpoint in the street outside the building, an official in Mr Erdogan's office said.

Local television stations had initially reported that he was shot and wounded by police but later said they wrestled him to the ground and only fired shots in the air.

The suspect, reportedly a 52-year-old man, was taken to a police station for questioning.

NTV television reported that a man had called the police saying he was a suicide bomber and was planning to go to Mr Erdogan's office.

The Prime Minister was not at his office at the time of the incident. He is due to leave for a visit to Moscow.

Turkey's Haberturk television channel showed footage of streets sealed off in the area.

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Iran Nuclear Talks Are A 'Historic Opportunity'

By Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor, in Geneva

As negotiators from Iran and six world powers sit down for a second day of talks in Geneva they still face major hurdles if there is to be a breakthrough interim agreement on Tehran's nuclear programme.

Last night a senior American administration official here at the talks agreed progress had been made since the previous round of talks ended without success 10 days ago, but urged caution about the prospects of an agreement by Friday.

Speaking in Istanbul, British Foreign Secretary William Hague was more upbeat.

"The differences that remain between the parties are narrow and I believe that they can be bridged with political will and commitment," he said.

"So this is an historic opportunity to build agreement on how to curb nuclear proliferation in the Middle East and potentially to set our relations with Iran on a different path."

If there is to be an agreement it will require compromises on all sides.

Iran insists on its right to enrich uranium despite numerous UN Resolutions calling on it to halt. The compromise on this could be that Iran stands by its claim, but does not insist other countries recognise that claim.

Another possible compromise could be for Iran to agree to stop enriching to levels close to weapon-grade material, but continue to enrich at lower levels.

The French would have to drop their insistence that Iran reduces its stockpile of uranium already enriched to the high level of 20%.

Perhaps the most difficult issue is Iran's plutonium reactor due to open next year.

It's thought France insists it must not open as that would be another route to a nuclear bomb, but Iran insists on its sovereign right to operate such a plant.

Here the compromise could be for France to agree the facility can open, and Iran to accept limits to what it can do within the facility.

If there is an agreement the US and EU will relax some of the sanctions currently hurting the Iranian economy. About $10bn belonging to Iran which is currently in foreign bank accounts would be unfrozen.

The talks are scheduled over three days ending tomorrow. However, in reality the negotiations have dragged on for 10 years. If there is no breakthrough the voices asking 'what is the point of continuing them' will grow louder.

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Russia: Brit Greenpeace Activists Granted Bail

Two more British Greenpeace activists held after the Russian oil rig protest in the Arctic have been granted bail.

Frank Hewetson, 45, and 37-year-old Iain Rogers were among 30 people arrested by Russian security forces following the action two months ago.

Three other Britons, Alex Harris, Anthony Perrett and journalist Kieron Bryan, are also due for release after winning their bail applications on Wednesday.

More than 20 of those on the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise have now been allowed bail by courts in St Petersburg.

Brazilian Ana Paula Maciels, 31, was the first to be released from custody on Wednesday after Greenpeace paid her £38,000 bail.

She was followed on Thursday morning by three Russians - activist Andrei Allakhverdov, photographer Denis Sinyakov and the ship's doctor Yekaterina Zaspa.

(L to R) Ms Harris, Mr Bryan and Mr Perrett

The so-called Arctic 30 were detained in September after their vessel entered Arctic waters despite Russian warnings.

Some of the activists tried to scale an offshore drilling platform owned by the state gas giant Gazprom.

The protesters were initially charged with piracy but this was changed to the less serious offence of  hooliganism, which carries a maximum sentence of  seven years.

Greenpeace denies any wrongdoing and is demanding that all the activists - and their ship - are freed.

Ms Maciels after she was released from detention

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, welcomed the decision to grant bail to Ms Harris, Mr Bryan and Mr Perrett.

"This rather tortuous legal process still has a long way to run, but (the) decision by the court to grant bail to Alex, Kieron and Anthony will come as a real relief to the family and friends of the three of them," he said.

"Greenpeace will be doing everything we can to get the remaining activists released. All 30 are still facing ridiculously inappropriate charges for a peaceful protest against oil drilling in the Arctic."

Meanwhile, Greenpeace has unveiled giant portraits of the 'Arctic 30' as part of its campaign against drilling in the Arctic.

Protesters climb the Prirazlomnaya oil platform

The black and white photographs were placed outside the London offices of oil giant Shell.

Greenpeace said it was drawing attention to Shell and Gazprom's planned oil venture in the Arctic.

Entitled Thirty Acts of Courage, the "exhibition" was officially opened by fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood, who said: "I'm delighted to be able to open this exhibition celebrating the bravery of the Arctic 30.

"Their audacious efforts to protect one of the world's last remaining wildernesses from exploitation by the oil industry are an example to us all."

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Iran Nuclear Talks With West Resume In Geneva

PM's Key Call To Iran President

Updated: 12:02am UK, Wednesday 20 November 2013

David Cameron has become the first British Prime Minister to call an Iranian president in more than a decade.

The Prime Minister spoke to Hassan Rouhani by telephone on Tuesday afternoon ahead of negotiations over Tehran's nuclear ambitions in Geneva this week.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "The two leaders discussed the bilateral relationship between Britain and Iran welcoming the steps taken since President Rouhani took office, including the appointment of non-resident Charges d'Affaires last week.

"They agreed to continue efforts to improve the relationship on a step by step and reciprocal basis.

"On Iran's nuclear programme, both leaders agreed that significant progress had been made in the recent Geneva negotiations and that it was important to seize the opportunity presented by the further round of talks which get under way on Wednesday.

"The Prime Minister underlined the necessity of Iran comprehensively addressing the concerns of the international community about their nuclear programme, including the need for greater transparency."

Dr Rouhani also gave details of the phone call on his Twitter feed, saying they discussed "way to create a positive atmosphere to address concerns on both sides on the nuclear issue".

Three days of high-level talks between representatives from Iran and the P5+1 group of nations earlier this month failed to achieve a breakthrough.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said Iran had been unable to accept a deal "at that particular moment", but Tehran blamed divisions between Western powers.

Some reports suggested France had wanted to place restrictions on the heavy-water reactor being built at Arak.

Iran stresses that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only, and has warned world powers against making "excessive demands" when trying to negotiate a deal.

In September, US president Barack Obama spoke with Mr Rouhani, the first such top-level conversation in more than 30 years.

Mr Obama said it was a "unique opportunity" to make progress with Iran's new leadership.

On the eve of next round of Geneva talks, the President urged Congress against imposing news sanctions on Iran during the negotiations.

He said such measures "would be most effective as a robust response, should Iran not accept the P5+1 proposal, or should Iran fail to follow through on its commitments," according to White House spokesman Jay Carney.

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Arctic 30: British Activist Released On Bail

Briton Alexandra Harris has been freed on bail after she was arrested over attempts by Greenpeace to occupy the Prirazlomnaya oil platform in an Arctic-oil protest.

As she heard the news Ms Harris skipped for joy and said: "This has been the hardest experience of my life. I'm really happy. It's not over yet but there's light at the end of the tunnel.

"It's nice that the Russian's made the right decision. I love my parents and look forward to speaking to them soon".

Russian special forces arrested the protesters at gunpoint in September

A Greenpeace spokesperson said of the protesters: "I'm so proud, they're doing so well. It's amazing, look at her, she's been in prison for two months and she's still strong.

"We need to remember they're still charged with really horrible charges and we've no clue as to the next steps, so we're not celebrating yet. But that moment when they say they're released on bail is quite amazing".

As she was earlier led into the courtroom by police, Ms Harris had told supporters she felt "trapped inside a political game".

Speaking from a metal cage she told Sky's Katie Stallard: "I will not dishonour Greenpeace or my country by trying to flee Russia or the investigation."

British journalist Kieron Bryan's bail application will be heard today

Ms Harris said she was nervous and that the past two months had been "horrible".

"When I talk about the last two months it's hard not to get emotional," she said. "The conditions (in prison) at first were awful and the food was disgusting.

"The conditions are better now but it's still prison, I'm still trapped, I can't speak to anyone, (I'm) cut off from the world; it's no better".

Two other Britons - Greenpeace activist Anthony Perrett and video-journalist Kieron Byron - will have similar applications for bail heard by the court later today.

British activist Iain Rogers was denied bail at a hearing in October

Dutch protester Faiza Oulahsen and the ship's captain, Pete Wilcox, where also granted bail this morning but Australian activist Colin Russell was denied bail at an earlier hearing and will be kept in detention until February.

A total of thirty people aboard the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise were detained after the protest in September, including six Britons. They were initially charged with piracy but are now accused of hooliganism, which carries a maximum jail term of seven years.

Sini Saarela of Finland and Francesco Pisanu of France were granted bail yesterday but British activist Iain Rogers, the Arctic Sunrise engineer, was refused bail at a hearing in October.

More follows...

:: Watch Sky News for live coverage of the hearing.

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Indonesia Halts Relations With Australia

Indonesia has frozen military cooperation with Australia after claims its neighbour tried to eavesdrop on mobile phone conversations of top Indonesian officials.

The announcement by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono marks the lowest point in relations between the pair in 14 years.

It follows increasingly tense exchanges between the countries since Tony Abbott became Australian prime minister in September.

Australian officials have yet to comment.

"It's clear that this is a logical step Indonesia must take," said Mr Yudhoyono.

He repeated his demands for an official explanation from Australia over media reports, quoting documents leaked by former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, that its spy agencies tried to tap his mobile phone and those of his wife and senior officials.

Indonesia had previously cooperated with Australia's border control force

Some analysts said allegations that snooping involved his wife, Ani Bambang Yudhoyono, may have fuelled Indonesian anger in the latest upset in often prickly relations.

The very public display of anger comes ahead of Indonesia's general and presidential elections next year, with the president's ruling party slipping badly in recent opinion polls.

Among the measures Indonesia will take is a suspension of military cooperation and intelligence exchanges, including over the politically charged issue of asylum seekers, which has long been a thorn in relations.

An Indonesian military spokesman said these would take effect from the beginning of next year.

Mr Abbott has been pressing Jakarta over the issue of boat people who frequently head to Australia via Indonesia.

Mr Yudhoyono said he wanted to return to good relations with Australia once the issue of phone-tapping was resolved.

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Sardinia: Deadly Floods After 'Apocalyptic' Storm

At least 16 people have been killed after heavy thunderstorms triggered flash flooding on the Italian holiday island of Sardinia.

Up to 40cm of rain fell in just 24 hours, causing river levels to rise to as high as three metres.

The torrent of water swept away cars, submerged homes and caused bridges to collapse.

Italian prime minister Enrico Letta declared a national emergency amid fears the number of confirmed deaths could rise.

Streets were inundated with water as up to 40cm of rain fell in 24 hours

Rescue workers struggled to reach an isolated, mountainous area around Nuoro, where people scrambled onto roofs and climbed up trees to escape the rising waters.

Further north in Olbia, where thousands of residents have been evacuated, firefighters were called out more than 600 times, La Repubblica reported.

The city's mayor Gianni Giovanelli said the city had been destroyed by the "apocalyptic" storm.

Among the victims were an entire family of four Brazilian immigrants who drowned in their basement flat in the town of Arzachena.

Many bridges collapsed as heavy rain caused river levels to rise

In Dorgali, a policeman helping to escort an ambulance was killed when his car sank near a collapsed bridge, L'Unione Sarda reported.

Three people died when their van was crushed by a road bridge in Gallura, the newspaper added.

Sky News weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said further heavy downpours are expected across the Mediterranean over the coming days.

"There should be a brief respite of drier conditions during the middle of the week before conditions turn more unsettled again into the weekend, with further heavy rain and thunderstorms leading to the chance of flash flooding," she said.

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Last Guantanamo Briton Speaks From Cell

A British prisoner who has been held at Guantanamo Bay for 11 years without charge has spoken from his prison cell for the first time.

Shaker Aamer, who is accused of being a close associate of Osama bin Laden - a charge he denies - said he was being treated like an animal and begged to be left to die.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister David Cameron raised Aamer's case with President Barack Obama at a G8 summit and the British Government has repeatedly stated that it wants him returned to the UK.

Shouting from his cell, Aamer told CBS's 60 Minutes show: "Tell the world the truth ... Please, we are tired. Either you leave us to die in peace - or either tell the world the truth. Open up the place. Let the world come and visit. Let the world hear what's happening.

"Please colonel, act with us like a human being, not like slaves."

He added: "You cannot walk even half a metre without being chained. Is that a human being? That's the treatment of an animal...

"It is very sad what is happening in this place."

Aamer has been cleared for transfer by both the Bush and Obama administrations, according to Reprieve, the legal charity and human rights group that is representing him.

Shaker Aamer says he is being "treated like an animal"

Despite having British residency and a British wife and four children living in Battersea, south London, US authorities have repeatedly threatened to send him back to Saudi Arabia, his birthplace, against his wishes.

Clive Stafford Smith, his lawyer and Reprieve's director, said: "CBS' show gives a very rare and very shocking glimpse inside Guantanamo Bay. Everyone in the prison - the guards and the men - is suffering horribly, day after day.

"Obama must fulfil his promise to close the prison and Shaker Aamer must come home to his family in the UK, which is what David Cameron has said he wants."

According to Reprieve, Aamer was detained in Kabul in Afghanistan in 2001 after he went to the country to carry out voluntary work for an Islamic charity.

It is alleged that he was tortured at the Bagram air base while being questioned by US forces.

In February 2010 it emerged that the Metropolitan Police was investigating allegations of MI5 complicity in his torture.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "Mr Aamer's case remains a high priority for the UK Government and we continue to make clear to the US that we want him released and returned to the UK as a matter of urgency."

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Iranian Embassy Blasts Kill 23 In Beirut

Two explosions at the Iranian Embassy in Beirut have killed 23 people and injured 146, Lebanon's health minister has said.

Ali Hassan Khalil said the number of victims, which include the embassy's cultural attache, was not final and could rise further.

Lebanese officials say security footage showed a suicide bomber and car bomb were behind the blasts in the neighbourhood of Janah, in the south of the Lebanese capital.

The area is a stronghold of the militant Hizbollah group, which is a main ally of President Bashar al Assad in neighbouring Syria's civil war. It is unclear if the blasts are related to that conflict.

State television in Syria said: "The Syrian government firmly condemns the terrorist attack carried out near the Iranian embassy in Beirut."

The front of the embassy was badly damaged in the blast

Iran accused Israel of being responsible for the attacks.

The bombings were "an inhuman crime and spiteful act done by Zionists and their mercenaries," ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said in remarks reported by the official IRNA news agency.

Al Qaeda-linked group the Abdullah Azzam Brigades has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The neighbourhood has been hit by several blasts in recent months that have killed and wounded scores.

Shi'ite Iran has been bankrolling Mr Assad's fight against the mainly Sunni rebels and has given military support.

Southern Beirut is known as a Hizbollah stronghold and has been hit by at least three other explosions this year.

Those attacks were blamed on groups linked to the rebels, believed to be in retaliation for its involvement in Syria's civil war.

Hizbollah fighters have been supporting Mr Assad's forces in several strategic battles across Syria, a move that has also increased sectarian tension in the two countries.

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Tornadoes Sweeping Across US Midwest Kill Six

At least six people have died as powerful tornadoes carved a path of destruction across the US Midwest.

Entire neighbourhoods were flattened within seconds as the twisters, triggered by a "very dangerous" and fast-moving weather system, touched down in as many as 10 states.

Forecasters said the extreme weather - which destroyed homes, uprooted trees and flipped cars upside down - could affect more than 50 million people.

The devastation left behind by a tornado in Washington, Illinois

According to the National Weather Service, more than 60 tornadoes struck, unleashing 80mph winds and hail stones up to two inches in diameter.

Illinois was struck the hardest. At least six were killed and dozens more injured, but with communications difficult and many roads impassable, it remained unclear how many people might be hurt.

At one hospital in Peoria, Illinois, doctors were treating at least 24 casualties, some of whom had head injuries and broken bones.

The storm moved toward the east coast, causing major damage in Illinois

Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin were buffered by the storm, which weakened as it tracked east towards Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and New Jersey.

Washington, a town of 16,000 in Illinois, appeared to have the most severe damage. 

Anthony Khoury, who saw a twister rip through Washington, told Sky News: "Most of my neighbourhood is completely destroyed, everything has been demolished.

"Families have lost their homes, people don't have anywhere to sleep and the electricity has gone."

Michael Perdun, a fellow Washington resident, said: "I stepped outside and I heard it coming.

Entire communities were flattened in seconds

"My daughter was already in the basement, so I ran downstairs and grabbed her, crouched in the laundry room.

"All of a sudden I could see daylight up the stairway and my house was gone."

Jeff Leeman, who was in his backyard with his son when a tornado struck Pekin, Illnois, added: "In a matter of seconds ... it was right on top of us.

"We hustled in the house and before we knew it, it was gone. It was that fast."

Two people, an 80-year-old man and his 78-year-old sister, were killed in Washington County; three were killed in Massac County, near the Kentucky border; and the sixth victim was reported in Tazewell County.

A car crushed by a fallen tree in Pekin, Illinois

The tornadoes brought down phone lines, caused thousands of power failures and left debris strewn across roads.

The severe weather also caused the cancellation of many flights, while the Baltimore Ravens' game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field was temporarily suspended in the first quarter due to lightning in the area.

Meteorologist Matt Friedlein said such powerful storms rarely occur so late in the year because the climate is usually too cold.

However, temperatures had been forecast to climb to as high as 26C (78F), he said, which is warm enough to produce severe weather when coupled with strong winter winds.

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Typhoon Haiyan: Video Shows Home Swept Away

Huge waves can be seen crashing into and washing away a house in amateur footage from one of the typhoon-hit areas of the Philippines.

Shot from the top floor of a boarding house in Hernani as a storm surge hit, the video released by an aid organisation shows the home disappear after being completely engulfed by water.

The footage emerged as the United Nations warned that some Philippine islands may have not been reached 10 days since the disaster struck, claiming more than 3,900 lives.

Millions have been displaced by the disaster

Nickson Gensis, from the Plan International development organisation, filmed the video from the building he and five others were staying in a few hundred metres from the sea.

"Five were praying and I was filming," he said.

"Three of our group were male and we all wore trunks so that we could swim if we needed to. We were so scared. But I thought, 'If I die, so be it'.

"It was like a huge tsunami but the water receded quickly afterwards."

With thousands dead and hundreds of thousands of homes destroyed, Philippine president Benigno Aquino visited the town of Palo, just south of worst-hit Tacloban city, where engineers have salvaged generators from a flooded IT park to light up the streets and town hall again.

A survivor surveys the devastation in a part of Tacloban

"One is tempted to despair, but the minute I despair, then everybody, it cascades down and everybody gets hampered in their efforts," he said.

Authorities in the country, the US military and international agencies face a mounting humanitarian crisis, with the number of people displaced by the catastrophe estimated at four million.

Bernard Kerblat, UN High Commissioner for Refugees representative for the Philippines, said the agency was still facing co-ordination problems.

"As of now, personally, I am not so sure that we've reached every single portion of the territory where people are in need of aid," he said.

"And, in fact, I wouldn't be surprised that unfortunately that there might still be, as I'm speaking to you, day 11 of this disaster, there might be still very isolated islands."

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Liberation Newspaper Shooting: Man Critical

Police are guarding media offices across Paris after a shotgun attack at a newspaper office left a man fighting for his life.

The victim was shot in the chest and stomach and at the Paris base of left-wing French daily Liberation, according to police and the newspaper.

The shooter reportedly entered the lobby of the building just before 10.15am, fired two shots and then fled.

Liberation says the 27-year-old victim is in a critical condition at the city's Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital.

The shooting comes three days after a man stormed into the Paris headquarters of news channel BFMTV brandishing a shotgun and warned a senior editor: "Next time, I will not miss you."

Police are investigating a possible link between the two incidents.

A police security cordon has now been put up around the newspaper's offices in central Paris.

Liberation executive Nicolas Demorand said the attack had left staff horrified.

"When you have someone with a shotgun coming into a newspaper's offices in a democracy, it is very, very serious, whatever the mental state of the person.

"If papers and other media have to become bunkers, something has gone wrong in our society."

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Mandela's Granddaughter: My Battle Of Survival

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent

Nelson Mandela's granddaughter Zoleka has told Sky News how her grandparents inspired her in her battle to beat breast cancer.

Her interview with Sky comes as a leading South African newspaper reported her grandfather could no longer speak because of all the "tubes that are in his mouth to clear (the fluid off) his lungs".

The South African Sunday Independent splashed the news across its front page this morning following an interview with Mandela's second wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. 

The former South African president is considered to be medically stable by doctors although still critical and is being cared for at a 24-hour medical unit set up at his home in Houghton, a suburb of Johannesburg.

When Hope Whispers was published last week

The newspaper reports that Mr Mandela now communicates using facial gestures.

"He can't actually articulate anything," the newspaper reported Mr Mandela's ex-wife as saying.

The news coincides with the publication of a book by Zoleka in which she charts her painful journey with breast cancer, but also goes into startling detail about her drink, drug and sex addiction and touches on her childhood sexual abuse.

She stops short of explaining who was responsible for the sex abuse or how it happened.

"That's a story for another book," she told me when we met.

"It's still too painful."

The life of 33-year-old Zoleka has been anything but staid.

Her book, When Hope Whispers, begins with the words: "By the time I was born, on 9 April 1980, my mother (Zindzi Mandela) knew how to strip and assemble an AK-47 in exactly 38 seconds.

"She was 20 years old, trained in guerrilla warfare and already a full-fledged member of Umkhonto we Sizwe (the armed wing of the African National Congress)."

Her family's fight against South Africa's apartheid laws, which discriminated between different skin colours, dominated their lives and left a personal legacy which they are still coping with.

For Zoleka that meant a descent into drink and drug addiction and multiple sexual partners - but also the loss of two children; one was killed in a car accident, the other died after being born prematurely. And now, it has meant coping with breast cancer.

Zoleka said when she was first diagnosed she refused treatment for three months.

"I think I was in denial," she said.

She feared the chemotherapy and surgery would mean she would be unable to be a healthy mother to her surviving son.

Nelson Mandela can no longer speak, according to a newspaper report

It is a decision she regrets and the aim of the book, she says, is to provide some hope and inspiration to others coping with addictions, loss of children or a potentially terminal disease.

She detailed her chemotherapy in video blogs and pictures too. They show her hair being shorn and a sobbing Zoleka speaking about the pain of being bald. "I feel so ugly," she says.

She was persuaded by her medical team to save her eggs so she could possibly try for a family in the future but talks movingly about how heartbreaking it was for her to come to terms with the fact that with a double bilateral mastectomy, she would never be able to breastfeed again, should she become pregnant.

And she pays tribute to her grandparents. Her grandmother Winnie was by her side through much of her cancer treatment.

"Having the name I have, means there is a certain responsibility that I can't run away from," she said.

"And one of the things I learned from my grandparents is that everyone has the power to make a difference in other people's lives, no matter how difficult their own circumstances, and that's what I'm trying to do."

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Antibiotics Warning: Resistance 'Growing'

By Enda Brady, Sky News Reporter

The world faces "unimaginable setbacks" unless it tackles the growing threat of resistance to antibiotics, according to an international group of experts.

The latest research by the 26-strong group predicts major problems unless governments work together immediately.

Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria evolve mechanisms to withstand the drugs which are used to fight infection.

"The causes of antibiotic resistance are complex and include human behaviour at many levels of society," said lead author Professor Otto Cars, of Uppsala University in Sweden.

"The consequences affect everybody in the world. Within just a few years, we might be faced with unimaginable setbacks - medically, socially, and economically - unless real and unprecedented global co-ordinated actions to transform the way antibiotics are regulated and developed are taken immediately."

In September, the UK Government announced plans for a five-year strategy to tackle the problem, setting aside £4.5m.

In the UK, research is focusing on how plant chemicals keep insects at bay

Recent decades have seen vast increases in the use of antibiotics across medicine and agriculture, but the scientists argue that without adequate regulatory controls and better patient awareness, the huge global surge in antibiotic resistance will continue.

They say the problem is compounded by a desperate shortage of new drugs to treat multi-drug resistant bacterial infections.

Prof Cars added: "Antibiotic resistance is a complex ecological problem which doesn't just affect people, but is also intimately connected with agriculture and the environment.

"We need to move on from 'blaming and shaming' among the many stakeholders who have all contributed to the problem, towards concrete political action and commitment to address this threat. Consumers and providers of antibiotics alike need to be empowered to tackle antibiotic resistance, as well as ensuring that those in need benefit from affordable, effective antibiotics."

One of the British scientists who helped compile the report said that alarm bells have been ringing - and ignored - for many years.

Prof Laura Piddick says more funding is needed to develop new treatments

"For a long time there has been a sense of crying wolf over this," said Professor Laura Piddock, from the University of Birmingham.

"Science has been telling us about this problem for years. We need more academic research and funding. New treatments have been hampered by a lack of funding. It has always been viewed that this is something that the pharmaceutical industry should do."

At the John Innes Centre in Norwich scientists are going back to nature for the answers, studying how plants like eucalyptus trees producing chemicals to keep insects at bay.

"Plants have a distinct disadvantage in that they can't move out of the way of predators," Tony Maxwell, the centre's head of biological chemistry, told Sky News.

"And they have no end of predators, large and small animals, insects and bacteria. They have to produce a whole array of chemicals to defend themselves. What we are trying to work out is how we can use those chemicals for our own usage in antibiotics."

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Typhoon Haiyan: HMS Daring Arrives To Help

British warship HMS Daring has arrived in the Typhoon Haiyan disaster zone, as the president of the Philippines visited devastated areas.

The Type 45 destroyer and her crew docked at the island of Cebu ready to provide humanitarian assistance, the Department for International Aid and Development said.

It has spent the last three days carrying out reconnaissance work in and around the southeast Asian nation, using a helicopter to survey 48 islands, including areas which have not yet been reached by international relief teams.

The Lynx helicopter will now be used to fly shelter kits, food and medical supplies to those remote areas.

Members of a 12-strong medical team from the UK, which arrived in the Philippines earlier this week, will also be flown to different areas to treat injured victims of the typhoon.

The typhoon hit the country on November 7

HMS Daring Commander Angus Essenhigh told Sky News: "We're very much looking forward to getting into the fight tomorrow and delivering some of the aid where it's most needed."

Sky's Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall, on board the warship, said: "They will no doubt be the first outsiders to reach some of these devastated areas since typhoon struck."

The typhoon - said to be the strongest ever to make landfall - slammed into the Philippines on November 7, killing thousands of people.

President Benigno Aquino, caught off guard by the scale of the disaster and criticised by some for the sometimes chaotic response, has been visiting affected areas.

Not for the first time, he sought to deflect blame for the problems onto local authorities whose preparations he said had fallen short.

Mr Aquino delivers a speech in Guiuan

In Guiuan, a hard-hit coastal town in eastern Samar province, he praised the city mayor for conducting a proper evacuation that had limited deaths to less than 100, saying that was a contrast to other towns.

"In other places, I prefer not to talk about it. As your president, I am not allowed to get angry even if I am already upset," he said.

"I'll just suffer through it with an acidic stomach."

Mr Aquino spoke of his appreciation for the volunteers, and also promised his nation that those who have been affected will receive continued support.

"Your government will not be remiss in providing everything, everything, everything that you will need," he said.

While aid packages have begun to reach more remote areas, much of it carried by helicopters brought by the USS George Washington aircraft carrier, the United Nations said people were still going hungry in some mountainous provinces.

It said information about several provinces in the west of the Visayas region remained "limited", with 60% of people in towns in the northeast part of Capiz province needing food support.

More than a week after Typhoon killed at least 3,633 people, the UN has doubled its estimate of homeless to nearly two million.

There are still 1,179 people missing, according to national figures.

A number of Britons are missing following the disaster, Foreign Secretary William Hague confirmed on Saturday.

People in a temporary shelter in Tacloban

Among those feared dead is Colin Bembridge, 61, from Grimsby, who was staying with his partner Maybelle, 35, and their three-year-old daughter Victoria near Tacloban when the storm hit.

British Prime Minister David Cameron pledged an additional £30m on Saturday for international aid agencies working in the country.

It brings the total amount pledged by the British Government to £50m, on top of £33m in donations from the public.

Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious is also being sent to replace HMS Daring.

The aid effort continues as members of the Disaster Emergencies Committee (DEC) warned leaders meeting at UN climate talks in Warsaw that the disaster offers a glimpse of the future if urgent action is not taken.

Aid agencies including Christian Aid, Cafod, Care International, Oxfam and Tearfund said ministers meeting in the Polish capital must act urgently because climate change is likely to make such extreme weather events more common in future.

Climate models forecast that typhoons could become more powerful and that weather-related events around the world will be more extreme and frequent, they warned.

Delegates from 195 countries are taking part in the annual UN climate talks, which are taking place until November 22.

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