Obama: NSA Spying Sweeps May Be Reviewed

President Barack Obama has suggested that surveillance methods used by US intelligence services may be reviewed following further spying revelations.

According to documents leaked by the whistleblower Edward Snowden, Britain and America monitored EU officials and the Israeli Prime Minister.

Speaking at a news conference at the White House, Mr Obama suggested that he may be ready to make some changes to the way phone records are collected.

Among dozens of recommendations he is considering, he hinted that he may strip the National Security Agency of its ability to store data in its own facilities and instead shift that storage to private phone companies.

"There are ways we can do it potentially, that gives people greater assurance that they're checks and balances, that there is sufficient oversight, sufficient transparency," Mr Obama said.

The new documents leaked by Mr Snowden reveal heads of state and international organisations were the focus of US and British spies.

The agents targeted a senior European Union official, German government buildings, and the office of a former Israeli prime minister, according to the papers published on Friday.

Other targets from 2008 to 2011 included foreign energy companies and aid organisations, according to The Guardian and The New York Times, citing secret documents from the former NSA contractor.

Mr Snowden's leaks have exposed the reported surveillance activities of the NSA and its British counterpart GCHQ, the alleged extent of which has upset many US allies and fuelled a heated debate about the balance between privacy and security.

Former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert

He is living in Russia under temporary asylum.

The newspapers reported that in January 2009, GCHQ and the NSA had targeted an email address listed as belonging to the Israeli prime minister, who at the time was Ehud Olmert.

Spies also monitored email traffic between then-Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak and his chief of staff, Yoni Koren, the newspapers said.

Other targets were said to include the United Nations Children's Fund, French aid organisation Medecins du Monde, French oil and gas firm Total, and French defence company Thales Group.

An NSA spokeswoman said the agency did not use espionage to help US businesses.

"We do not use our foreign intelligence capabilities to steal the trade secrets of foreign companies on behalf of - or give intelligence we collect to - US companies to enhance their international competitiveness or increase their bottom line," the spokeswoman said.

The European Commission said if it was true one of its senior officials had been targeted it would be "unacceptable".

"This piece of news follows a series of other revelations which, as we clearly stated in the past, if proven true, are unacceptable and deserve our strongest condemnation," a spokesman said.

The Guardian said the disclosure that GCHQ had targeted German government buildings in Berlin was embarrassing for British Prime Minister David Cameron since he had signed an EU statement condemning the NSA's spying on Chancellor Angela Merkel.

GCHQ said it was aware of the reports but did not comment on intelligence matters.

A spokesman said: "Our work is carried out in accordance with a strict legal and policy framework which ensures that our activities are authorised, necessary and proportionate."

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Billionaire Feared Dead In Helicopter Crash

A Chinese billionaire and his young son are among four people feared dead after the helicopter from which they were viewing his newly-purchased French chateau crashed into a river.

Lam Kok, the 46-year-old head of the Hong Kong-based Brilliant group, had just bought Chateau de la Riviere, a major Bordeaux vineyard.

The accident happened at the end of a festive day marking Thursday's sale of one of the region's oldest wine estates reportedly worth 30m euros (£25m).

He and his 12-year-old son were on the helicopter piloted by James Gregoire, the former owner, when the accident happened on Friday. An interpreter was also a passenger.

Rescuers search the Dordogne river for the victims of the helicopter crash

Emergency workers pulled a still-unidentified body from inside the helicopter after finding the wreckage in the Dordogne river, said local officials.

A large search operation was called off just before midnight with the helicopter's other three occupants still missing. The search is due to resume.

Lam Kok's wife had pulled out of the aerial tour at the last minute, saying she was "scared of helicopters", said a photographer at the event.

After a press conference, an introduction to the staff and dinner, Mr Gregoire was taking his buyer on a short tour of the 65-hectare (160-acre) vineyards and surrounding grounds.

When they did not return after 20 minutes, employees at the vineyard contacted emergency services.

A major search operation was launched using emergency helicopters, inflatable boats, rescue divers and around 100 officers on foot.

Lam Kok and his wife pose among the vines hours before the crash

Emergency workers managed to locate the wreckage in the river after police received a call from a witness who had seen the helicopter go down.

A previous owner of the Chateau de la Riviere, Jean Leprince, was killed in a plane crash in 2002.

Mr Gregoire bought the property, the largest in Bordeaux's Fronsac wine-producing region, the following year.

Earlier on Friday, the vineyard's managing director, Xavier Buffo, said during a press conference the sale marked the largest Chinese investment in Bordeaux property to date.

Hong Kong-based Brilliant, which specialises in rare teas and luxury hotels in China, had said it wanted to turn the chateau into a high class tea and wine tasting centre with a hotel nearby.

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Morsi Faces Trial Over Egypt Prison Break

Egypt's ex-president Mohamed Morsi will stand trial for a prison break during the 2011 uprising against dictator Hosni Mubarak.

The deposed former leader and 132 others, including members of the Palestinian group Hamas and Lebanon's Hizbollah, face charges including killing policemen.

The case relates to a mass prison break during the protests against ex-president Hosni Mubarak.

Several Hamas and Hizbollah members were in jail and escaped during the unrest.

Almost 70 of the defendants are members of the Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups, who will be tried in absentia.

It marks the third set of charges brought against Mr Morsi since he was ousted by the army in July following major demonstrations against his rule.

Protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square in July 2011

He also faces trial along with 35 other Muslim Brotherhood leaders over allegations he conspired with foreigners to carry out terrorism in his country.

The investigating judge did not name any members of Hizbollah or Hamas in the latest charges.

Mr Morsi is already standing trial for inciting violence during protests outside the presidential palace a year ago when he was still in office.

The former leader faces a further trial on charges including conspiring with foreign groups to commit terrorist acts and divulging military secrets to a foreign state.

He and 35 other top Muslim Brotherhood members are accused of a plot to carry out a campaign of violence in the Sinai Peninsula and beyond, which included an alliance with Hamas and Hizbollah.

The accusations levelled against them could result in their execution.

Mr Morsi - Egypt's first democratically elected president - was deposed in July by the army following mass protests against his rule.

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Woolwich Killer Adebolajo 'A Hero' In Kenya

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, in Mombasa

The young man, who we believe is an al Shabaab recruit, glared at me.

"If it wasn't for the cleric being here with us, I would cut off your head," he said.

His view is not unusual among his particular Muslim group in the Kenyan coastal town of Mombasa.

Michael Adebolajo was found guilty of murdering soldier Lee Rigby

Here, Michael Adebolajo is considered a hero, while British soldiers and even, in some quarters, British people, are considered justifiable targets because of what is perceived to be the British Government's aggressive involvement in Islamic countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq.

It is the same terror network which British intelligence believes Adebolajo plugged into when he set off from south London to try to join the al Shabaab fighting brigade in Somalia in 2010.

It is the same network and the same people which the British woman Samantha Lewthwaite, also known as the White Widow, connected with and moved amongst. Lewthwaite is being hunted by Interpol in connection with a string of terror incidents in Kenya.

Influential Muslim leader Makaburi says Britain is "at war" with Islam

The cleric he is referring to tells me he isn't a cleric, although everyone else says he is.

He is undoubtedly an influential leader and he has delivered several speeches inside a number of mosques. He is known by most people in Kenya as Makaburi, meaning grave in Swahili, although his real name is Abubaker Shariff Ahmed.

He is named by the United Nations as a recruiter and facilitator of al Shabaab. His response to that accusation when I put it to him is always: "Let them prove it. There is no proof whatsoever I even know anyone from al Shabaab."

His views, and those of the young men who dote on his words, are astonishingly similar to the 'defence' put up in court by Adebolajo: that he, and others like him, are soldiers of Allah, fighting a Holy war.

Sky's Alex Crawford meets the alleged al Shabaab recruit

So the young man in front of us tells us with absolute conviction: "Britain is killing Muslims all over the world - in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Pakistan. We are just defending ourselves. Adebolajo is a hero and he will receive glory from Allah."

And in Kenya, a significant number of Muslims feel persecuted and vulnerable.

They are the ones who are bitterly opposed to Kenya's military involvement across the border in Somalia, where soldiers are trying to stop the flood of al Shabaab recruits from crossing the border.

Police chief Samuel Obara says border security is an international problem

They believe Britain's support of that action - in words as well as in deeds through their training of Kenyan troops - justifies attacks against British soldiers, British targets, British interests.

Al Shabaab's claim that it carried out the attack on the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi in September which killed nearly 70 people has made some Muslims in Kenya only feel more at risk and hunted.

It has resulted in much more intensive attention on the activities on the coast in Mombasa and further afield in Lamu County - the favoured route for radicalised youths to travel through to Somalia.

The residents of Faza island on the Lamu archipelago where Adebolajo stayed when he was trying to reach Somalia were very reluctant to talk to us. The few who did spoke in no uncertain terms about how virulently against al Shabaab they are.

The island is very much off the tourist trail. It is undeveloped and remote. A perfect cover for those who want to disappear under the authorities' radar and make their way to Somalia. It seems inconceivable that a young man from south London would be able to get around without some help and guidance.

The route from Lamu County into Somalia is favoured by radicalised youths

Senior Supt Samuel Obara, the head of Lamu East Border Police, told Sky News the border - part water and part land - is porous and difficult to monitor.

"We need international help," he said. "This is an international problem and we need other countries to help us."

He went onto say many of the border villages and towns were now 'cleansed' of al Shabaab.

"You can walk around here safely now," he said.

But he admits it is still being used as a route by extremists wanting to reach al Shabaab in Somalia, and British intelligence services believe there are several hundred Britons with links to the terror network.

Most have gone on to fight in Syria but there are concerns about those who may return to Britain, like Adebolajo, to carry out attacks on home territory.

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EU's Credit Rating Downgraded By S&P to AA+

The European Union's credit rating has been downgraded one notch from the maximum AAA to AA+.

The ratings agency Standard & Poor's said the move had been prompted by weaker credit worthiness among the bloc.

A spokesman for the agency said: "The downgrade... reflects our view of weaker credit worthiness among the 28 EU member states, including among net creditors to the EU's budget.

"We consider that the EU's financial arrangements have deteriorated, and that cohesion among members has lessened."

The outlook was stable, it added.

Numerous countries within the EU have seen their credit ratings cut in the last few years.

Although S&P said it was continuing to rate the UK at AAA, the other two well-known ratings agencies Fitch and Moody's had previously rated it at below the maximum.

While S&P rates many northern countries above A, several of the southern and east European countries are languishing at BBB or below.

The agency said that a bitter battle over the EU's budget and the worsening creditworthiness of its members was behind the decision.

A downgrade can sometimes make it more expensive to borrow money on bond markets.

A rating of AA+ is still considered very solid, but the downgrade will come as a blow to European money chiefs, who have taken pride in their record.

The downgrade came as EU leaders held a summit in Brussels during which they stumbled to agree on deeper economic reforms after striking a landmark banking union deal.

The banking agreement, which applies only to the eurozone, is regarded as one of the biggest handovers of sovereignty since the creation of the single currency.

All nations in the bloc agreed that banks in the 17 countries which currently use the euro - with Latvia due to be the 18th next month - should be be policed by a single body.

All banks in countries within the eurozone will have to pay into a fund so that, in the event one fails, it will pay out so that taxpayers in those countries should not have to bail them out.

But the deal has been criticised for not being large enough. The fund is only €55bn, which is less than it cost to bail out just one bank, RBS, during the 2008 banking crisis in the UK.

The UK is not included in the banking union agreement as it is outside the eurozone.

The deal was drawn up after failed banks drove countries such as Ireland into bailouts and brought the continent's economy to a halt.

The banking union is seen as a means to ensure stability in the eurozone, and proponents also hope it will help facilitate much-needed growth and jobs by getting the banks to lend freely again.

With fragile growth of just 1.1% and a stubbornly high unemployment rate of 12.2% expected for 2014, the eurozone is badly in need of a boost.

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Russia: Khodorkovsky Freed After Putin Pardon

Mikhail Khodorkovsky has been freed from a Russian prison camp after receiving a pardon from President Vladimir Putin.

The former oil tycoon was released within an hour of the Kremlin publishing a decree, which stated: "Guided by humanitarian principles, I decree that Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky... should be pardoned and freed from any further punishment in the form of imprisonment.

"This decree comes into force from the day of its signing."

Mr Putin surprised journalists at the end of his annual end-of-year news conference on Thursday by announcing that he was planning to pardon Mr Khodorkovsky.

Mr Putin meets Mr Khodorkovsky at the Kremlin in May 2001

The 50-year-old former Yukos oil tycoon has been in prison since 2003 after being convicted in two trials on charges including fraud and embezzlement.

Human rights groups criticised both trials and have said they considered Mr Khodorkovsky a political prisoner.

The circumstances surrounding the pardon remained unclear.

Mr Khodorkovsky, once the richest man in Russia, previously said he would not request one because he would be seen to be admitting guilt.

Mr Khodorkovsky has been held at a prison camp in Segezha, northwest Russia

However, the newspaper Kommersant reported that he changed his mind after a meeting with Russian security services, who raised the possibility of a third trial and warned him that his mother's health was deteriorating.

"This conversation, which was conducted without lawyers, forced Mr Khodorkovsky to turn to the president," the article said. 

Mr Khodorkovsky gained considerable political influence under President Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s as one of the so-called "oligarchs" who surrounded the ailing leader.

However, when Mr Putin became president in 2000, their influence quickly faded.

Pussy Riot's Maria Altokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova are set to be freed

Economic and political analysts said the announcement was an attempt by Russia to improve its human rights record and international image ahead of the Winter Olympics in February.

Meanwhile, a Kremlin-backed bill is set to end the ordeal of a group of Greenpeace activists who were arrested near an Arctic oil rig in September, and allow two Pussy Riot protesters to be freed.

The amnesty laws would allow investigators to drop charges against the 30 activists, including six Britons who have not been allowed to return home.

Protesters Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, who were jailed for two years after a demonstration in a Moscow cathedral, would be released early.

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Brits Evacuated From South Sudan Amid Fighting

Britons are being evacuated from South Sudan as fighting spreads through the state after an apparent coup at the weekend.

A plane has been sent to the state to remove more than 150 British citizens who have contacted the Foreign Office wanting to leave the country.

Embassy staff were among those being evacuated although the Foreign Office emphasised that it would be keeping open its embassy in the capital, Juba.

The United Nations has estimated that up to 500 people have been killed in fighting between rival factions following a coup attempt against President Salva Kiir by soldiers loyal to his former deputy.

Some 10 senior government ministers were arrested at the beginning of the week but fighting continues amid increasing political tensions.

South Sudan won its independent from the north in 2011 but has struggled with corruption and ethnic violence since.

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that around 20,000 people have taken refuge with the UN in Juba.

The Foreign Office has advised against all travel to within 40km of South Sudan's northern border with Sudan, Jonglei State and Juba, and all but essential travel to the rest of South Sudan.

There are an estimated 500 Britons living in South Sudan.

A foreign Office spokeswoman said: "A UK aircraft is en route to Juba to evacuate British nationals who wish to leave from Juba airport on Thursday 19 December.

"If you are a British national and you wish to leave Juba you should contact the FCO as soon as possible."

British nationals seeking to leave South Sudan are urged to contact the Foreign Office in London for advice, by calling 0207 008 1500 or by emailing crisis@fco.gsi.gov.uk.

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NSA Spying Sweeps 'Have Gone Too Far', Report

A panel has recommended curbing the secretive powers of the National Security Agency, warning its mass spying sweeps in the war on terror had gone too far.

The report, commissioned by President Barack Obama, said the NSA should halt the mass storage of domestic phone records, and called for new scrutiny on snooping on world leaders.

It also called for privacy safeguards for foreigners and fresh transparency over US eavesdropping.

The 300-page report unveiled 46 recommendations to reshape US surveillance policy following explosive revelations by fugitive intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.

There is no guarantee the president will accept the non-binding recommendations but he will consider his next move ahead of a public statement in January.

The panel urged reforms of a secret national security court that oversees clandestine surveillance operations.

It also called for the NSA to be stripped of its ability to store telephone records - instead handing that duty to phone companies or a third party.

The report said the intelligence and security infrastructure launched after the September 11 attacks had perhaps gone too far.

"It is now time to step back and take stock," it said.

Fugitive intelligence contractor Edward Snowden

"We conclude that some of the authorities that were expanded or created in the aftermath of September 11 unduly sacrifice fundamental interests in individual liberty, personal privacy, and democratic governance."

Review board member Richard Clarke, a former White House counterterrorism aide, called for mechanisms that were more transparent and have more independent oversight to give the public a new "sense of trust".

Throughout, the report argued that a new equilibrium needed to be found between national security, and privacy and individual Constitutional rights.

It steered away from calling for outright curbs on gathering intelligence on foreign leaders, following embarrassing revelations that US spies had snooped on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone.

But it said US spy chiefs should be forced to justify surveillance on world leaders to the president and his aides.

The release of the report comes amid deepening political pressure on the White House for significant reforms in the massive NSA telephone and internet data mining operations across the world.

A federal judge in Washington this week ruled that NSA programmes, which have scooped up millions of details on telephone calls and Internet traffic on Americans and foreigners, were probably unconstitutional.

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Paul Walker Porsche Crash Down To 'Speed Alone'

The Porsche Carrera GT that crashed killing Fast & Furious actor Paul Walker and the driver had no mechanical problems, according to investigators.

A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the car lost control due to "speed, and speed alone".

The investigation also ruled out debris in the road as causing the car in which Walker was a passenger to smash into a street light and a tree.

The actor and the driver, his friend and financial adviser Roger Rodas, were both killed in the accident on November 30.

Scene of the crash in Santa Clarita, California

Investigators have refused to set a firm speed at which they think the car was travelling until Porsche engineers come to California next month to extract information from on-board data collectors.

According to reports in the US, three black boxes have been recovered from the vehicle.

One will be able to tell the last speed recorded and whether the airbags were deployed, while the other two will give information on the throttle and engine readings.

Tributes are left at an unofficial memorial for the star

As a result of 40-year-old Walker's death, Universal Pictures has announced it is putting the filming of Fast & Furious 7 on hold indefinitely.

More than half the movie has reportedly been made and it was slated for release on July 11, 2014.

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Syria: Sky News Gains Access To UK Jihadists

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent

Sky News has gained the first access to a previously unknown brigade of exclusively British jihadists fighting in Syria.

Until now, the existence of this UK brigade has been kept a secret, but it reveals that British security services have hugely underestimated the scale of UK nationals involved in the bloodshed.

In a series of wide-ranging and frank interviews, the jihadists, who have asked Sky News to protect their identities for fear of a backlash against their families in the UK, reveal that hundreds of young men from Britain have joined the fight against Bashar al Assad's government and that "at least" four die each month.

They also claim that the UK remains the largest single source of private fundraising for jihadi fighters, outdoing countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.

In the interviews, carried out by US journalist and Muslim convert, Bilal Abdul Kareem, exclusively for Sky News, the Islamic fighters insist they have no intention of attacking UK targets or waging jihad on British soil.

One of the men, identified as Mustafa, is asked directly if he is part of al Qaeda and why he insists on hiding his identity.

"I'm not part of al Qaeda, and I've never been a part of al Qaeda - ever,"  he says.

UK jihadists say they are no threat to Britain

"I'm not a terrorist in any way. If people could see how much goodness we have in our hearts, how much mercy we have for people and how much you know we are driven by compassion to help other people they wouldn't think that we were terrorists.

"But this is a line that they have been fed and there are people that benefit from pushing that narrative about us, so I protect my identity."

This denial follows warnings from the heads of the UK's security services that young men travelling to Syria risk being radicalised before returning home to carry out terror attacks in Britain.

Fighting on a mountain top in the northeast of the country, these men look like hardcore jihadists, but when they speak they are pure Brits.

They say they will not attack UK targets

They joke and laugh between themselves, sometimes comparing the now ubiquitous "selfies".

But they hardly speak any Arabic and are dependent on one of their number to give orders on the battlefield.

Like British soldiers, they discuss kit and the best things to buy for jihad. In one exchange a young man, advised to buy new binoculars, naively asks if eBay will deliver.

"No man," one of the more seasoned fighters laughs in reply, shaking his head, "eBay won't deliver here man."

It is pure comedy. The men insist they have a moral obligation to help in Syria because of the outside world's refusal to intervene in the near three-year-old civil war, and deny they are terrorists.

"When you see atrocities carried out like what you see from the images that you see from Syria, then really as a human being, you know morally there should be an obligation just being part of the human race to defend such people," one of the brigade's leaders told Sky News.

"But if morals can't, if that's not enough to motivate you, our religion demands for us that people that cannot defend themselves, that somebody needs to get up and respond to their call. Ethically, it's the only right thing to do," he said during a pause in the fighting.

The Britons say they were angered by the lack of international intervention

The armed opposition to President Assad in the north of the country is now being waged almost exclusively by a myriad of jihadist groups supported by a significant number of foreign fighters from the USA, Canada, Northern Europe, North Africa and the former Soviet republics of Chechnya and Dagestan.

The British contingent say their numbers are increasing daily and social networking sites are helping to organise the influx into Syria.

They know that returning to their families in the UK will be extremely difficult from now on, but in reality they probably won't get the chance - the fighting footsoldier's life expectancy in Syria is very short once serious combat begins.

This committed group buck many stereotypes used to describe the Islamist fighters in Syria.

Whether anyone agrees or disagrees with them is not in itself relevant, not yet at least, as this is the first time we have ever heard them speak.

:: A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "Syria is the number one destination for jihadists anywhere in the world. There are thousands of foreign fighters in Syria, including large numbers of Europeans, gaining combat experience and forging connections with extremists.

"Some people who travel from the UK to Syria for jihadist fighting will pose a security threat when they return. We are concerned that Al-Qaeda affiliates such as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Al Nusrah Front (ANF) are now able to operate in the large areas of ungoverned space that have been created by the conflict.

"We are aware of at least 200 UK-linked individuals of concern who have travelled to Syria, but the true number is likely to be higher."

The FCO said it is taking the following action:

:: Intelligence agencies and police are working to identify and disrupt potential threats.
:: The police have the power to examine and detain individuals at the UK border to investigate any concerns of terrorism involvement.
:: UK nationals of concern seeking to travel from the UK can have their passports removed or withdrawn. And foreign nationals resident in the UK can have their leave to remain revoked if they are deemed non-conducive to the public good.
:: Working with our international partners we have secured the designation of the al-Nusrah Front under the UN al Qaeda sanctions regime.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "The report has rightly highlighted the importance of finding a political transition in Syria to bring this brutal regime to an end and the continuing vigilance we must have."

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South Sudan: Hundreds Killed In Army Clashes

Hundreds of people have been killed in clashes between rival army factions in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Gunfire was ringing out into the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to a reporter on the scene.

"There are people walking in the city this morning, but it would be premature to say things are back to normal," he said.

A tank patrols a street in Juba

The government under President Salva Kiir has ordered the airport to reopen, although regional airlines said they are waiting for security guaranties before allowing flights bound for Juba to take off.

"We are waiting for confirmation that the airport is safe," a Kenya Airways official said. "For the moment it is 50-50".

The US has ordered non-essential embassy staff out of the country, the world's youngest nation, amid fears of a descent into wider ethnic violence.

President Salva Kiir (L) and Riek Machar

The fighting appears to be taking place along ethnic lines, UN Security Council president Gerard Araud, France's UN ambassador, told the 15-member council.

Mr Kiir has accused troops loyal to former vice-president Riek Machar - who was sacked in July - of staging a coup attempt in the oil-rich but deeply impoverished nation.

Mr Kiir is an ethnic Dinka while Mr Machar is a Nuer.

Riek Machar remains "on the run", say government officials

Mr Machar has meanwhile denied any attempt to topple the president, instead accusing the president of using the violence as a pretext to purge any challengers.

"What took place in Juba was a misunderstanding between presidential guards within their division, it was not a coup attempt," he told the Paris-based Sudan Tribune website, in his first public remarks since the fighting started.

"Kiir wanted to use the alleged coup attempt in order to get rid of us."

A child is treated in a Juba hospital

UN leader Ban Ki-moon spoke with Mr Kiir on Tuesday and urged him to offer "dialogue" with the opposition. Mr Ban also spoke with the president of neighbouring Uganda, Yoweri Musseveni, about the unrest.

The Security Council meeting was called at the request of the US, which has ordered non-essential diplomatic staff out of South Sudan.

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Saudi Activists Defy Threats On Social Media

By Zein Ja'Far, in Abu Dhabi

Activists in Saudi Arabia, who are turning to social media to campaign for reforms in the country, face the threat of intimidation, arrest or imprisonment, according to a new report.

With protests banned in the country, and authorities cracking down on internal dissent, human rights campaigners are finding new ways to spread their messages online and out of sight from the authorities.

A Human Rights Watch report has highlighted the work of 11 Saudi activists campaigning for various issues ranging from women's rights to religious tolerance and greater political participation.

All of them have faced intimidation, arrest or imprisonment despite pursuing peaceful means. 

Saudi women are challenging a driving ban in their country

The kingdom's interior ministry and security forces have tried to quash protests in the country, but it has not stopped people taking to the streets in various cities calling for the release of political prisoners, greater gender equality and to demonstrate against sectarianism.

Twitter campaigns highlighting issues previously seen as taboo, such as poor living conditions or calling for better pay, have proven incredibly popular.

One of the most visible campaigns of 2013 has been the push to overturn the driving ban against women.

Despite threats of arrest, and even the possibility of force being used against them, the Women2Drive initiative received thousands of messages of support on Twitter and Facebook, with videos of the drivers uploaded moments after they were filmed. 

Adam Coogle, Middle East researcher at Human Rights Watch and author of the report, said: "Authorities think by arresting the most prominent activists for their social media activism, and their human rights activism in general, that they can intimidate everybody else into silence.

A Facebook campaign to allow women to drive

"But really the cat is out of the bag. People are talking on social networks now, they're expressing their views, and there's really nothing the Saudi authorities are going to be able to do to shut this thing down."

For many human rights campaigners in Saudi Arabia, online activism is the safest platform they have to push for reforms.

Human rights lawyer Waleed Abu El Khair was recently arrested for hosting a gathering of pro-democracy campaigners at his home.

In 2011 he was charged by authorities for providing legal assistance to other activists and the interior ministry has imposed a travel ban on him.

He told Sky News that at his last meeting with police they pressured him to stop his online activities.

"They said to us maybe we lose the control on the new media but we will never lose control in reality. That is why they blocked our accounts ... because they don't want anyone to say the true story, they just want one story which is said by the government.

Women activists are filmed in the back of a police vehicle

"Before I went to court they said to me clearly, stop everything, close your account and we will stop punishing you … but if you continue we will punish you."

Despite winning a seat on the UN's Human Rights Council last month, Saudi Arabia has continued to target anyone threatening the status quo.

An activist was recently sentenced to four years in jail and 300 lashes after he called for a constitutional monarchy, while new anti-terror laws have been introduced to criminalise acts which "disturb public order" and "defame the reputation of the state".

But Saudi Arabia is a young, and increasingly cyber-savvy society with some of the most active social media users in the world.

If the Government remains unwilling to introduce substantial reforms it is likely activists will take their demands off the streets and online, where there will be a substantial audience waiting for them.

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Mega Millions Jackpot Could Surpass Record

The US Mega Millions jackpot has soared to $586m (£360m) following a frenzy of ticket purchases.

The jump pushed the prize closer to the $656m (£402m) record set last year.

Paula Otto, executive director of the Virginia Lottery and Mega Millions' lead director, said ticket sales are ahead of projections for today's draw, increasing the likelihood that the record could fall.

If the prize goes unclaimed for a 22nd consecutive drawing, the next one would probably shatter the record set in March 2012, she said.

"I think we'll be very close to the record, and maybe even surpass it," Ms Otto said, adding that sales are difficult to predict.

That was enough for Drew Gentsch to play one ticket on Monday morning. The attorney from Des Moines, Iowa, never plays, but the jackpot was too good to pass up.

"I think it's ridiculous, but you have to dream big," he said. "The odds of winning are so low there's no real reason to play. But it's fun to do so once in a while."

Between 65% and 75% of the roughly 259 million possible number combinations will be in play when the numbers are drawn, Ms Otto estimated.

She said the jackpot may be increased one more time this morning in advance of the evening drawing.

"Lotto players are procrastinators. They tend to buy on the day of the draw," she said.

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N Korea Marks Anniversary Of Kim Jong-Il Death

North Korea's political and military elite have publicly pledged their loyalty to Kim Jong-Un during a large memorial in Pyongyang to mark the second anniversary of the death of his father.

The public display of support came only days after the execution of the young leader's uncle, Jang Song Thaek, considered the second most powerful man in the secretive state.

The ousting of Jang overlaps with a propaganda drive that has tied the younger Kim to his father's legacy in the weeks leading up to the anniversary.

Official television footage showed Kim Jong-Un sitting centre stage beneath a huge red mural of a flag emblazoned with a picture of his smiling father Kim Jong-Il.

A noticeable absentee on the stage was his paternal aunt Kim Kyung Hui, Kim Jong-Il's sister and Jang's wife.

She and Jang had been the "Pyongyang power couple" considered to be the real force behind the North Korean leadership.

Mr Kim, who is believed to be about 30, took over when his father died suddenly in December 2011.

In a relatively short period of time he has followed his father's programme by ordering the North's third nuclear test and successfully launching a long-range rocket in the face of increasingly tight UN sanctions.

His first two years in power have also been marked by construction, with a flagship project being the Masik Pass ski resort near Wonsan, on North Korea's east coast.

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New Pipeline To Loosen Russia's Grip On Energy

By Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor

The UK Foreign Secretary William Hague is in Azerbaijan today at a ceremony to sign a £27.6bn pipeline deal which will provide another alternative to energy supplies from Russia to Europe.

The deal will make Britain the biggest foreign investor in the country.

BP is the lead shareholder in an international consortium to bring gas from the Caspian Sea into Italy, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Greece.

British officials do not openly admit that part of the strategy behind the Shah Deniz 2 deal is to loosen Russia's grip on energy supplies to Europe, but Mr Hague did hint at that in a speech in the capital Baku saying: "This adds to Europe's energy security and competitiveness by opening up a new source of gas for southern Europe."

Behind the statement lies the idea that countries west of Russia could become less beholden to Moscow for energy, and that Russian gas prices may have to come down due to this new route.

One source told Sky News: "Europe is too reliant on too few sources of gas and oil, this makes it vulnerable."

Human Rights campaigners have criticised the deal claiming it will boost Azerbaijan's President lham Aliyev who is accused of human rights abuses and of rigging elections.

In October a government phone app appeared to release the results of this year's Presidential election a day before the polls opened. It gave the President a landslide victory over his rival Jamil Hasanli.

According to the country's electoral commission it was a "technical glitch" and a "misunderstanding".

The manager of the company making the app told local media that the test result was data from the previous presidential election. Not everyone believed this and pointed out that Mr Hasanli had not then been standing for President.

Mr Aliyev duly won the election by a landslide.

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China's Illegal Detention Of Christian Pastor

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent, in Henan Province

A Chinese Christian pastor and 23 members of his congregation have been held at an unknown location illegally and without access to lawyers since mid-November.

The case of Pastor Zhang Shaojie is evidence that in parts of China the violent suppression and unlawful arrests of the faithful by local government officials continues.

China's poor record on religious tolerance has been showing signs of improvement in recent years.

The Communist government had pledged to improve the rights of religious groups but this case suggests challenges remain.

Our research led us first to a small town on the border of Hebei and Henan Provinces.

We arrived at 1am to meet the daughter of Pastor Shaojie. Her name is Zhang Yunyun and she is a mother on the run.

We meet her in the hotel room she is hiding in for the night with her 11-month-old daughter Jessie.

Yunyun is on the run because she fears the arrest of her father could lead to her own detention.

She has received repeated threats on the phone from officials. One caller threatened to "wipe out her family" if she talks to reporters. But she is undeterred.

It is nearly a month since she last saw her father. Speaking in whispers, she explains what happened.

The pastor's daughter Zhang Yunyun and her 11-month-old daughter Jessie

"My father went to work (in the church) as usual, it was a Saturday.

"Suddenly a dozen police came, they forcefully took my father away.

"There was no paperwork at all, they just took him away. we haven't seen him since."

We look at photographs she took of the government men who turned up at the church on November 16.

"Government," she says, pointing at a group of plain-clothed men. They look threatening.

She describes how they tied up her father and took him away with some of his parishioners.

She selects another photograph and points to some of those who have disappeared.

"Her, her, him, her," she says. In all, 24 people were taken away.

This is a case that pits a Christian community, which had been growing in numbers and influence, against a local government that has seized the land bought for a new church.

Our conversation with Yunyun wakes Jessie, who begins to cry. It is time for us to leave.

A man defends himself with makeshift barricades

She shows us the location of her church on a map. It is in a town 20 minutes' drive away, over the border in Henan Province.

We arrive at Nanle County Church at dawn. It is a rundown building in centre of the town. The front door is closed but a side door is ajar. We go inside.

It does not resemble a European Christian church. It looks more like a theatre: 600 or so seats and a large stage with a pulpit in its centre.

This is where Pastor Zhang and his worshipers were dragged from a month ago.

There are two types of church in China: some are sanctioned and authorised by the state and others are not.

Nanle County Church is sanctioned and so, in theory, its worshippers should face no problems from the authorities.

As we are looking around, some of the parishioners emerge from a side room. They recall the day of the arrests.

"Pastor Zhang was negotiating with our local government here. Suddenly a dozen people arrived, and they took Pastor Zhang away," one woman says.

"We did some charity work, perhaps some of that was too much? They always discriminate towards religions."

"We are very worried about my dad," another says.

"My mother was arrested here too, at the church. No arrest warrant, no evidence, just arrested."

I ask whether it is hard to practise their religion in China.

"I think it's really unsafe here and there's no freedom. Whenever we come to services there are always restrictions."

The parishioners then receive a phone call. It is from one of a group of lawyers who have taken up the case and who have just arrived at the prosecutor's office across town.

We drive over to meet them. For 10 minutes we chat to them about the case.

A child seen inside the Nanle County Church in China

"Christianity in the Chinese system does not have any real standing," one lawyer explains.

The lead attorney for the detained Christians is Xia Jun. "Our rights as lawyers to meet our client have been blocked," he says.

"I've been in Nanle for more than 20 days, I'm representing Pastor Zhang Shaojie. We went to the detention centre to see him five times, but all been denied.

"Four times I went to the Public Security Bureau to report about it, all been rejected. Then I was followed, every day. I drive around the roundabout three times, the car following me drove three times too."

They explain the complexity of the case. It combines a number of themes: intolerance of religious groups, land-grabs for financial gain, and rampant local corruption by officials who operate above their own laws.

"The key problem is the power of officials in our country. They behave like uncaged monsters ... out to harm us all. For them, the law doesn't exist," Mr Xia says.

Moments later we all discover what he means. A coach pulls up next to us. We assume those who disembark are more Christian supporters, but they're not. They are just the opposite.

In a split second, our civilised chat with the lawyers turns into a melee of chaos. The coach-load of women backed by some men attack the lawyers, the Christians and us.

One of the lawyers is beaten and kicked in front of us. Our camera is then pulled from the Sky News cameraman's shoulder and damaged.

We retreat inside the prosecutor's office, which turns out to be deserted. One of the lawyers puts a chair leg through the door to stop the mob from entering the building. It doesn't work.

The mob move into the lobby and we retreat with the lawyer and one of the Christians into another room: a dead end.

The lawyer barricades us all inside the small room using a sofa, a chair, a desk and a drawer to wedge the door handle. Inches away on the other side of the door the determined mob are trying to get to us.

"Who are they? I ask.

"They are paid and backed by the local government. They come and go as required. All this is organised behind the scenes by the government," Mr Xia explains.

Xie Jun, the lawyer for Pastor Zhang Shaojie

The same group had attacked him the previous day.

We watched through the barred window as another lawyer, stuck outside, is struck on the head with a small rock.

"This case is for pure religious causes," Mr Xia says.

"More than 20 people were arrested. Pastor Zhang Shaojie and most of them are church staff: the core leaders of the church.

"When they are arrested, all the activities like worshiping and services, can't take place as normal."

For four hours, the local government rent-a-mob did their best to get inside. We watched a police car pull up outside and then drive away again.

The violent spectacle is a demonstration of a determined intolerance of religion incited by a corrupt local government.

The lawyers tell us that they believe the government seized the church land because it can be used for their own lucrative construction projects.

We call the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing, who "handle" foreign reporters in China, to explain the situation.

Eventually, the same authorities who refuse to tell anyone why they are holding Pastor Zhang and his congregation escort us out of the building and out of the town.

They have given us safe passage out but continue to intimidate the Christians within their town.

"I miss my father very much," Zhang Yunyun had told me the previous night. It is exactly a month since she last saw him.

I ask if she thinks he will be home for Christmas.

She pauses: "I don't think so."

She and her baby daughter Jessie remain on the run, in hiding and frightened.

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Israeli Soldier Shot Dead On Lebanon Border

An Israeli soldier has been shot dead by a Lebanese army sniper on the border between the two countries.

Within hours, Israel's army said its troops had shot two Lebanese soldiers after it identified "suspicious movement" along the border.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said the soldier who was shot had been driving along the border near Rosh Hanikra.

"The soldier was treated at the scene and was then evacuated to a hospital. He later died of his wounds," the IDF said in a statement.

"Initial enquiry confirmed that the sniper is a member of the Lebanese Armed Forces."

Lebanon's National News Agency confirmed the shooting was by a member of the Lebanese army.

The army has opened fire in the past after saying Israeli soldiers had tried to infiltrate Lebanese territory.

Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner, an Israeli army spokesman, said Israel had protested "this outrageous breach of Israel's sovereignty" with UN peacekeeping forces and heightened its state of preparedness.

"We will not tolerate aggression against the state of Israel, and maintain the right to exercise self-defence against perpetrators of attacks against Israel and its civilians," he said.

The shootings raise the possibility of renewed fighting in the volatile border region, which has remained mostly quiet since a month-long war in 2006.

Israel has responded with airstrikes and artillery fire following a number of rocket attacks and shootings across the border.

In the most serious incident, a high-ranking Israeli officer was killed by a Lebanese sniper in 2010 after Israeli forces tried to cut down a tree along the border.

Israel responded with artillery fire, killing two Lebanese soldiers and a journalist.

Andrea Tenenti, a spokesman for UN forces in southern Lebanon, said the UN was informed of a "serious incident" along the border.

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Reann Murphy Killing: Jerrod Metsker Held

A neighbour arrested over the killing of a nine-year-old girl whose body was found in a bin is due to appear in court.

Jerrod Metsker, 24, was held on a murder charge early on Sunday afternoon by police investigating the death of Reann Murphy.

Sheriff Travis Hutchinson described Mr Metsker as a family friend and neighbour but would not provide information about how Reann was killed or a possible motive for the crime.

Reann was last seen on Saturday night playing at the mobile home park where she lived in Smithville, around 30 miles southwest of Akron, Ohio.

Police found her body in the trash in a courtyard of the park at around 1.30am on Sunday, some five hours after she was reported missing by her family.

Wayne County Sheriff's Office said Mr Metsker was seen with Reann in the hours before she disappeared.

He is set to appear in the Wayne County Court of Common Pleas on an aggravated murder charge today.

Reann's father Richard Murphy told the Wooster Daily Record: "All she did was love people."

He said he wanted "the worst for the guy" who had killed his daughter.

Wayne County prosecutor Dan Lutz said: "Obviously, all of our thoughts and prayers go to the family. It's a horrific thing to take place at any time but especially before the holidays."

Marilyn Briggs, who lives in a house next to the mobile home park, said she didn't know Reann but was upset by her death.

She said: "It sickens me and I'm so sad for the family, and this close to Christmas. It's just awful. You never think something like that is going to happen in your area."

Ms Briggs said the park was a bit run-down but generally safe and that there had not been any serious crimes in the area in the eight years she had lived there.

The police investigation is continuing.

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Iran Claims 'MI6 Spy' On Trial After Capture

Iran says it has arrested a "spy" accused of working for the British secret intelligence service.

A court official said the man had confessed to his alleged crimes and was on trial.

He was detained in the town of Kerman in southeast Iran after authorities spent months tracking him down, the semi-official ISNA news agency said.

The suspect is accused of meeting four British intelligence operatives and giving them information.

Dadkhoda Salari, head of the Kerman revolutionary court, said: "Through the efforts of Iranian security forces, an MI6 spy has been arrested.

"He has met British intelligence officers in person 11 times, both inside the country and abroad, and provided them with intelligence."

It has not been suggested the alleged spy is a Briton, and Tehran has a history of announcing the arrest of people it claims are spying without releasing more details.

But the news is potentially embarrassing at a time when diplomatic relations between the UK and Iran had been improving after a two-year freeze.

On Friday, Iran's new envoy to Britain, Hassan Habibollah-Zadeh, held talks in London on his first visit since his appointment in November.

And a British diplomat, non-resident charge d'affaires Ajay Sharma, said he had "detailed and constructive discussions" about the UK's relationship with Iran during talks earlier this month.

He visited the site of the UK's embassy in the Iranian capital to assess the damage caused when it was ransacked by a mob in 2011, an incident which prompted the Government to pull its staff out of the country.

The thaw in relations between Tehran and the international community has also seen a deal reached over its nuclear programme.

Responding to the reported arrest a Foreign Office spokesman said: "We don't comment on intelligence matters."

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Mandela Funeral: End Of 'Extraordinary Journey'

Nelson Mandela, hailed as "Africa's greatest son" at an emotional state funeral, has been laid to rest near his childhood home.

The burial of the anti-apartheid icon follows a service attended by 4,000 mourners from across the world, at which South African President Jacob Zuma declared Mr Mandela's "extraordinary journey" was now over.

"It is the end of 95 glorious years of this freedom fighter, a dedicated and humble servant of the people of South Africa," he said during a poignant speech.

Mr Mandela's coffin is carried along a hilltop overlooking Qunu village

"He was a fountain of wisdom, a pillar of strength and a beacon of hope for all those fighting for a just world order."

In contrast to the funeral, held in a huge tent at Mr Mandela's ancestral home of Qunu, in South Africa's Eastern Cape, the burial service was a smaller affair.

Several hundred of Mr Mandela's family and closest friends gathered at the grave site, as military jets and helicopters performed a fly pass.

Television cameras cut away as officials lowered his body into the ground.

Earlier, Mr Mandela's coffin was carried to the funeral on a military carriage and covered with the country's flag, as a 21-gun salute echoed around his childhood home.

It was placed in front of a stage, on which 95 candles - one for each year of his life - were lit and a huge portrait of the smiling former president was displayed.

Mourners heard from political leaders, Mr Mandela's family and some of his closest friends during an emotional service that brought both tears and laughter.

Mr Mandela's family and South Africa's president sit beside his coffin

Ahmed Kathrada, who was imprisoned on Robben Island for 26 years with Mr Mandela, gave a memorable speech, recalling a man he described as his "elder brother".

Speaking directly to his friend, he said: "What can we say ... in these, our last, final moments together?

"Your abundant reserves of love, simplicity, honesty, service, humility, care, courage, foresight, patience, tolerance, equality and justice continually serve as a source of enormous strength to millions."

Mr Kathrada said his close friend was an "enormous" source of strength

Holding back tears, he added: "My life is in a void and I don't know who to turn to."

Hailemariam Desalegn, the Ethiopian Prime Minister and chairman of the African Union, said: "His was a life of struggle in the face of unparalleled odds. A life of suffering in the hands of malicious perpetrators of injustice. A life of perseverance in the face of challenge.

"But we are not mourning. We are celebrating humanity at its finest. We should find consolation that his legacy will live on for eternity."

Mr Mandela's ex-wife Winnie Mandela (left) and widow Graca Machel (centre)

Jakaya Kikwete, the President of Tanzania, described Mr Mandela as "our leader, our hero, our icon and our father", while Kenneth Kanda, the former president of Zambia, added: "As we go on without Madiba ... let us remember the love he had for us all. Without that, we cannot succeed."

High-profile guests included businessman Sir Richard Branson, TV chat show host Oprah Winfrey and actor Idris Elba, who plays Mr Mandela in a forthcoming film about his life, while prominent US civil rights activist Reverend Jessie Jackson and Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams also made the journey.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu was in the audience after earlier suggesting he had not received an invitation, while the Prince of Wales attended on behalf of the Queen.

Oprah Winfrey and Sir Richard Branson attended the service

During his speech, Mr Zuma described his predecessor as a man "so great and yet so humble".

"We wish to express two simple words," he said. "Thank you. Thank you for being everything wanted and needed in a leader during a critical period in our lives."

He added: "We'll cherish every moment we spent with you.

"You were an exceptional human being and you will remain our guiding light, as we continue our journey to build the South Africa of your dreams."

Archbishop Desmond Tutu initially thought he had missed out on an invite

As the funeral was beamed to specially erected big screens on hillsides around Mr Mandela's home, warriors, dressed in their colourful tribal outfits, gathered to sing, dance and clap.

Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford, in Qunu, said: "The authorities and the Mandela family have always insisted this should be a coming together of a huge, important state funeral with all its pomp and ceremony, and the traditions of Mr Mandela's tribe.

"These past 10 days have been a chance not just for local people to grieve and to mourn, but also to remember how much of a colossus this man was, both in world politics and South African history."

Members of the armed forces marched alongside Mr Mandela's coffin

Mr Mandela's body arrived in South Africa's Eastern Cape on board a military plane, escorted by two fighter jets.

Tens of thousands of people lined the roads as the funeral procession made the short journey from Mthatha airport to Qunu, although some were angry the cortege did not stop to allow them time to pay their respects.

Preparations for service - the first ever state funeral in South Africa - were also marred by a public spat between the country's government and Mr Tutu, one of the most prominent survivors in the long struggle against apartheid.

A 21-gun salute heralded the arrival of Nelson Mandela's coffin

Mr Tutu, a Nobel laureate who has been critical of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, initially said he was not invited - an apparent snub denied by the government.

More than 100,000 people saw Mr Mandela's body lying in state in Pretoria over the last three days, but some had to be turned away.

The former leader, who was imprisoned for 27 years for opposing racist apartheid before emerging in 1990 to forge a new democratic South Africa, died on December 5.

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Nelson Mandela Funeral: Live Updates From Qunu

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11:36am UK, Sunday 15 December 2013

Nelson Mandela guided South Africa from the shackles of apartheid

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