McAfee's Dogs Could Be Key To Murder Riddle

Police hunting the anti-virus pioneer John McAfee think the millionaire's dogs could hold the key to solving the murder of his neighbour.

Mr McAfee shot dead his pets after they were poisoned two days before Gregory Faull, a retired American builder, was killed.

Officers have dug up the animals' remains, which were buried in the grounds of Mr McAfee's home in Belize, to examine the bullets used to kill them.

Forensic officers are now comparing the bullets to the single casing found by the body of Mr Faull to determine if there is a match.

Police spokesman Raphael Martinez said: "The dogs were exhumed and the slugs were taken out indeed and basically it's just to match the slug that was found in Mr Faull."

The 52-year-old was found dead in his home on the island of Ambergris Cave on November 11. He had a gunshot wound to the head.

Police officers carrying the corpse of Gregory Faull

Mr McAfee has denied he was responsible for the murder and says he went into hiding only because the Belize authorities have a vendetta against him. He believes he was the intended victim of the shooting, not Mr Faull.

Since going on the run he has started a blog, which he promotes on Twitter, and regularly updates.

In it he has given details of how he has disguised himself as a beggar, a salesman and a drunken German tourist to watch police search his home seven times.

In a post about the exhumation of his dogs, Mr McAfee wrote: "Then I watched the police dig up my four dogs that had been poisoned and buried. They cut off the heads and re-buried the bodies. I found this curious."

Mr McAfee amassed a $100m (£63m) fortune from his software business but said he lost all but $4m of it in the financial crisis. He moved to Belize in 2008.

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UKIP Foster Care Row: Investigation Launched

Rotherham Council has launched an investigation into the decision to remove three foster children from a couple because of their membership of the UK Independence Party.

Councillor Paul Lakin, cabinet member for children, young people and family services, made the announcement following widespread criticism from across the political spectrum.

"This was a decision taken by social services professionals and I have ordered an immediate investigation to establish the full facts of this decision and asked for the report to be on my desk on Monday morning," he said.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage condemned the case as "outrageous", while Education Secretary Michael Gove, who was himself adopted as a child, said the Labour-controlled council's decision was "plain wrong" and "indefensible".

Three children were removed from the care of an unnamed couple from South Yorkshire who have been fostering for seven years.

They took on a baby girl, a boy and an older girl from an ethnic and troubled family background in September.

Michael Gove has said the council was "wrong" to remove the foster children

Less than eight weeks into the placement they were visited by a Rotherham social worker and foster agency official who accused them of belonging to a party with "racist policies" which meant they were unsuitable to look after the children.

The husband and wife told The Daily Telegraph they were left "dumbfounded" and "offended".

The visit followed an anonymous tip-off about the couple's party membership.

Rotherham Council said earlier it needed to consider the children's "cultural and ethnic needs" and highlighted UKIP's policy on multiculturalism.

Mr Gove told Sky News: "I think it's quite, quite wrong for Rotherham Council, or indeed for any other local authority, to say that people should not be foster or adoptive parents on these grounds.

"We need more people to come forward to be foster or adoptive parents, and if we start saying there's a very tightly prescribed range of political views to which you have to agree before you can be a foster or adoptive parent, then we won't get the fosterers or the adoptive parents that we need."

The couple say the children were take away because of their UKIP membership

He added he had asked staff in his department to get to the bottom of the matter as quickly as possible to clarify the guidance.

Joyce Thacker, strategic director of children and young people's services at the council, said the children had been placed with the couple as an emergency and it was never going to be a long-term arrangement.

"These children are from EU migrant backgrounds and UKIP has very clear statements on ending multiculturalism, not having that going forward, and I have to think about how sensitive I am being to those children," she told BBC Breakfast.

Mr Farage demanded the council apologise "wholeheartedly for the "concern and the upset they have caused".

He told Sky News he had spoken to the couple, who were "very upset and distressed" by what had happened.

"My first and primary concern is that they get a fair deal and these three children get a fair deal because what has happened is outrageous," he said.

"UKIP is a non-racist, non-sectarian political party. I mean, for goodness sake, we have got the Croydon North by-election going on at the moment where Jamaican-born Winston McKenzie is our candidate, so there are absolutely no grounds for this at all."

He said the council was now "backtracking" and had decided the couple can foster again.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage has condemned the decision "outrageous"

"I am pleased that at least they have done that, but what they've said is rather insulting - they've said the couple may foster again, but only white children," Mr Farage continued.

"That, frankly, is pursuing an apartheid-style policy, dividing up children and categorising adults. That simply isn't good enough ... heads should roll within that council."

He added: "I think we should be colourblind in these things ... it's the interest of the child that matters, not some politically-correct theory."

Labour leader Ed Milband told Sky News: "Being a member of UKIP should not be a bar to adopting or fostering children."

The Daily Telegraph said the couple denied they were racist and told the officials they would not have taken them on if they were.

The wife said: "I was dumbfounded. Then my question to both of them was, 'What has UKIP got to do with having the children removed?'

"Then one of them said, 'Well, UKIP have got racist policies'. The implication was that we were racist."

"I said, 'I am absolutely offended that you could come in my house and accuse me of being a member of a racist party'."

The youngsters were taken away from the couple, who are former Labour voters, within a week last Friday.

She said she was left "bereft", adding: "We felt like we were criminals. From having a little baby in my arms, suddenly there was an empty cot."

Robert Tapsfield, chief executive of Fostering Network, said: "On the face of it this does appear to be a very strange decision. The children we understand were being well cared for by the foster carers and if there was a need to move them in the longer-term, there certainly doesn't appear to be a need to have moved them in the shorter-term."

Parliamentary by-elections for Rotherham, Middlesbrough and Croydon North are due to take place next Thursday.

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Chief Whip Requests Meeting With Nadine Dorries

Nadine Dorries has been asked to attend a meeting with the Chief Whip following her appearance on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

The MP for Mid Bedfordshire was suspended from the Conservative Party earlier this month after agreeing to take part in the ITV show over concerns she would not be able to carry out her constituency duties while in Australia.

Sir George Young, whose job it is as Chief Whip to administer party discipline, has put in a request for her to attend a meeting now that she had been evicted from the jungle.

The Prime Minister supported the decision to suspend her and said then: "When she gets back from the jungle, she can explain what she's been up to and why."

Ms Dorries, who is understood to have received a £40,000 payment for her appearance, has been a source of annoyance to the Tory leadership for some months.

She publicly upbraided David Cameron and the Chancellor, George Osborne, for being "arrogant, out of touch posh boys" who didn't know the price of bread.

The controversial MP, who has been nicknamed "Mad Nad", was the first contestant to be voted off the show but was in the jungle for 12 days.

If her suspension were to continue until nearer the next general election, due in 2015, she would be unable to defend her leafy suburban seat, where she had a healthy majority of 15,152 at the last election.

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Britain Braced For More Heavy Flooding

Britain is bracing itself for more flooding and travel disruption over the weekend as forecasters predict further heavy downpours.

A deep area of low pressure is set to move in over the weekend, bringing more heavy rain to areas already badly hit by Thursday's downpours.

Dave Throup of the Environment Agency told Sky News there were an "awful lot" of properties at risk.

"We are initially concerned about the south west of England which is already saturated and then tomorrow probably moving up into the Midlands as well," he said.

"The catchments are now completely saturated and we have spent the last day or so trying to make sure that the rivers are as clear as they can be.

"We've already protected 20,000 properties but we need to be vigilant."

He said 400 properties across the country had already been flooded.

The Environment Agency has issued 44 flood warnings and more than 150 less serious flood alerts.

The South West has been hardest hit by the floods

Emergency teams have been working through the night and this morning to shore up defences, deploy temporary barriers, monitor river levels, clear blockages from watercourses and pump out flood water from towns.

Sky weather producer Joanna Robinson said: "England and Wales could see 15 to 25mm quite widely, with up to 50mm possible in some spots."

South and west Wales and the West Country will be worst affected. Strong winds and possible severe gales are expected on Saturday night and Sunday morning,

"There's still some uncertainty about where the strongest winds will be, but it looks like southern counties of England will bear the brunt, with exposed parts seeing gusts up to 70mph," she said.

The AA's head of special operations, Darron Burness, said: "With more heavy rain forecast across the Midlands, Wales and the South West, road conditions in the affected areas are likely to only get worse as the ground is so saturated.

"Even if you think you know your local roads, don't be complacent, as flash-flooding continues to be a real risk and is catching people out."

Meanwhile, Network Rail said trains were likely to be suspended between Exeter and Bristol until Monday.

The majority of the UK was battered by storms on Thursday leaving hundreds of drivers stranded and thousands of homes without power. More than 100 people had to be evacuated as winds reached more than 86mph.

Three people were rescued after their car was swept away

An elderly man died after becoming trapped in his 4x4 in floods in Chew Stoke in Somerset.

Three other people had a lucky escape after their car was swept down a swollen river in Warwickshire. The vehicle was carried more than 500 metres before a farmer managed to pull it to the water's edge.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: "Two elderly females and one male were treated for shock and hypothermia by ambulance crews."

In Torquay, Devon, several homes were evacuated after a landslide. Part of a cliff face was hit by a landslip after netting was washed away.

A monkey at a sanctuary in Looe, Cornwall had to be resuscitated after falling ill due to the bad weather. The illness to one-year-old Pepper was the latest setback for Wild Futures Monkey Sanctuary affter it suffered serious flood damage on Thursday.

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Spurs Fan Stabbed In Rome Speaks Of Fear

The Tottenham Hotspur fan brutally attacked by masked hooligans in Italy says his assailants "came out of nowhere" and pulled him along the ground after beating and stabbing him.

Ashley Mills spoke of his fear after he was nearly killed in the attack on a popular tourist pub in downtown Rome.

"They came out of nowhere," said the 25-year-old builder from Brentwood, Essex, who was in the Italian capital to watch Spurs take on Lazio in the Europa League on Thursday night.

"I didn't see the guy that stabbed me, there were too many of them."

Mr Mills was drinking with a group of Spurs fans late on Wednesday night at The Drunken Ship pub in Rome's famed Campo de Fiori piazza when a mob of about 50 assailants, armed with sticks, iron bars and paving stones, launched a frenzied assault on the drinkers.

Lazio "Ultras" - fanatical supporters - were initially suspected of the raid, but two fans of cross-town rivals Roma have now been arrested and charged with attempted murder.

Suspicions are mounting among Italian investigators that the aggressors were far-right sympathisers drawn from both fan groups.

Mills bled profusely from his thigh stab wound

Mr Mills said the Spurs fans had been taken by complete surprise.

"There was a good atmosphere in the bar," he said. "Everyone from back home having a few drinks, we were having fun. And then the atmosphere changed really quickly.

"I was standing outside the bar drinking, and the next thing I know there are loads of them. It happened very quickly, I don't remember much. I remember being pulled out, along the ground, after I had been stabbed.

"I am not scared now, I was scared at the time."

Mr Mills received head wounds when he was beaten and a knife wound to the top of his right thigh, causing profuse bleeding.

The next thing he remembers is waking up at Rome's San Camillo hospital, where his groin wound, considered life-threatening by doctors, was operated on, while his head wound was treated with stitches.

Doctors said he would remain in hospital on Friday.

"The pain in the groin can be intense - I think I may have been stabbed there more than once," said Mills, adding that the pain had kept him awake on Thursday night.

He said he is not sure when he can leave the hospital, but has been cheered up by three friends who have travelled to Rome to see him.

"The doctors do not speak English so I cannot find out much. They have looked after me really well, but I would like to know how long I will be here."

Mr Mills, who grew up in Tottenham, north London, had travelled to the game with his brother Bradley Mills, a 30-year-old interior designer who was in the bar and was also injured.

His trip to Rome was his first to see Spurs play abroad. "I am a lifetime fan and I have never seen trouble before - I would not have come if I knew this was going to happen," he said.

But, he added, he was determined to travel abroad again to see his team.

"It's a one-off, and now I want to get out of here as soon as possible and put this behind me."

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Floods: Man Dies As More Rain Expected

An elderly man has died after becoming trapped in his 4x4 in floods after large parts of the UK were hit by strong winds and heavy rain.

There has been a respite in the weather today - but the wet conditions are expected to return this weekend with gale force winds.

Around 70 flood warnings and about 150 less serious flood alerts are in place for rivers.

The areas most affected by the heavy downpours were Wales and southwest England.

Southwest England was one of the worst hit areas in the floods

But the majority of the UK was hit by the storms as they were pushed eastwards throughout Thursday, causing flash flooding. Much of the rain overnight fell on already saturated ground.

Hundreds of drivers were stranded, thousands of homes were without power and more than 100 people were evacuated as winds reached more than 86mph.

In Torquay, Devon, several homes were evacuated after severe weather overnight resulted in a landslide. Part of a cliff face was hit by a landslip after netting was washed away.

Homes in Torquay were evacuated after a landslide: (Pic: Ellacombe Police)

The unnamed man who died after becoming trapped in his car in floodwater is believed to have been visiting a relative when his 4x4 was swept away crossing a ford.

The Mitsubishi Shogun was completely submerged, wedged under a small wooden bridge at Rectory Fields, in Chew Stoke, Somerset, at 8.50pm last night.

Fire crews, police and search and rescue teams attended the scene and found the victim who was pronounced dead on the way to hospital.

Chew Stoke resident David Smith, 76, said it was the second time in 24 hours in which a 4x4 had got into trouble crossing the ford.

Mr Smith said: "About 24 hours ago, a Land Rover came past here and I flagged him down and told him he ought not to try and cross the ford, but he did and he was swept away in the middle of the ford.

"Fortunately, his vehicle was caught by one of the bollards on the road and he was able to climb out of the window on to the roof.

The man died in his car in Chew Stoke, Somerset

"We tied a rope around him, from my garden, just in case he was swept away and sort of secured him until the fire brigade arrived about 20 minutes later."

Amid the wet and windy weather, thousands of commuters also suffered disruptions, with many train services in the South West and connections to London Paddington either cancelled or delayed.

Sky's weather producer Joanna Robinson said: "There's some respite in the weather today, but it's been a windy and wet week, with local flooding.

"A deep area of low pressure is set to move in over the weekend, bringing yet more heavy rain to areas already badly hit. England and Wales could see 15 to 25mm quite widely, with up to 50mm possible in some spots.

Driving conditions have been treacherous

"South and west Wales and the West Country can expect to see the heaviest rain and perhaps the greatest impact, with further flooding and travel disruption likely after the recent wet weather.

"Scotland will turn wet Saturday night, but rainfall amounts shouldn't be as high there. The wind will strengthen over the weekend too, with gales or perhaps even severe gales possible Saturday night and Sunday morning.

"There's still some uncertainty about where the strongest winds will be, but it looks like southern counties of England will bear the brunt, with exposed parts seeing gusts up to 70mph."

Robinson added: "There'll be more rain on Monday and Tuesday, but it looks to turn drier later next week, if colder."

The Met Office said some areas saw up to 60mm of rain during Thursday, causing river levels to rise and surface water flooding.

Western Power said 2,500 customers in the South West and 500 in Wales were without power because of high winds bringing down power lines, but that it was working to reconnect them as quickly as possible.

The AA said the last few days have been some of its busiest for flood-related call-outs, with many roads impassable.

:: Send us your flooding photos and videos.

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Egypt Protests: Brotherhood Offices Set Alight

Violent clashes have broken out in cities across Egypt in a day of protest after President Mohamed Morsi granted himself sweeping new powers.

In Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city, protesters stormed the headquarters of Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood party throwing chairs and books into the street and setting them on fire.

Police fired tear gas on crowds gathered in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, the scene of the violent clashes during the overthrow of the former president, Hosni Mubarak.

The Daily News Egypt reported injuries in cities across the country as violent clashes broke out between protesters and Mr Morsi's supporters, who according to reports on Twitter, were being bussed in to counter the dissenters.

Protesters storm the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in Alexandria.

Hundreds gathered outside the Muslim Brotherhood's offices in Port Said, pelting it with stones and attempting to storm the building.

There were reports the Muslim Brotherhood's offices in Suez and Ismailiya had also been set on fire.

Mr Morsi addressed his supporters at a rally outside the presidential palace telling them he would press forward and that he was on the path to "freedom and democracy".

He said: "No one can stop our march forward ... I am performing my duty to please God and the nation and I take decisions after I consult with everyone." 

He said that the news powers were designed to stop "weevils" from the former Mubarack regime blocking progress. 

Supporters and opponents of the president clash in Alexandria.

Under the new powers assumed by Mr Morsi, none of his laws or decrees can be cancelled, powers have been removed from the judiciary and he can take any measures necessary to safeguard national security.

The move has come as a blow to the pro-democracy movement that formed before Mubarak was ousted and they raise questions about the gains made in last year's uprising.

Opposition forces have denounced the declaration as a "coup". 

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

The United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay, has said that Mr Morsi's move raised serious issues.

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

His spokesman, Robert Colville, told a news briefing at the UN in Geneva: "We are very concerned about the possible huge ramifications of this declaration on human rights and the rule of law in Egypt."

The EU has also issued a warning. "It is of utmost importance that democratic process be completed in accordance with the commitments undertaken by the Egyptian leadership," a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, said in a statement.

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

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

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

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Elephant Abuse: Circus Owner Convicted

A circus owner has been found guilty of three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an Asian elephant in his care.

Bobby Roberts, who was accused of allowing his staff to beat the animal called Anne, said he had no knowledge of the behaviour towards her.

He and his wife Moira, from Oundle, denied causing unnecessary suffering and failing to prevent an employee from repeatedly beating the elephant.

Moira Roberts was found not guilty at Northampton Crown Court.

The court was shown footage filmed secretly by animal welfare group Animal Defenders International (ADI) of the animal being kicked and struck with a pitchfork several times by the groom at the circus's winter quarters in Polebrook, Cambridgeshire, last year.

The footage, filmed between January 21 and February 15 2011, also showed Anne constantly chained to the ground.

The elderly elephant could be seen chained by one foot and one hind leg in a barn.

The legs of the animal - who the prosecution allege was not receiving medication for its arthritis - could also be seen to buckle several times in the footage.

Bobby Roberts, who owns Bobby Roberts Super Circus, told the court he was unaware that Anne had been constantly chained.

And he said the groom, who is believed to have returned home to Romania, had not followed his instructions.

He admitted the elephant would be chained up at times.

He added his instructions were that the animal be let loose behind an electric fence in a cordoned off area of the barn when possible or, if the weather was good, to be taken to a field outside.

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CCTV Attack: Man Held Over Teenager Assault

A man has been arrested after a 16-year-old girl was punched in the head in an apparently random attack caught on CCTV.

The shocking footage shows a man jogging up behind the 16-year-old and hitting her around the head.

The girl was left lying on the ground in Plaistow, east London, as her attacker casually jogged off.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "A man, aged 34, was arrested yesterday evening in connection with the assault of a 16-year-old female in High Street, Plaistow.

"He remains in custody at an east London police station."

The teenager is now recovering after the attack which happened outside the Black Lion pub at around 12.30pm on November 13.

The girl, who needed work on her teeth following the assault, is said to be "bearing up really well".

Anyone with information can contact Newham Violent Crime Unit on 020 8217 5890 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Tottenham Hotspur Fans Attacked In Rome

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

One fan was in serious condition after being stabbed, and at least four other Britons, one American and one Bangladeshi were hurt when masked assailants attacked a pub in the Italian capital, according to police.

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

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

Nine Britons and an American were hurt in the fight

The cobblestones outside the bar were blood-stained, chairs and bits of wood were strewn across the floor and windows were broken.

Police named the critically injured as Ashley Mills, and said the American had also been stabbed.

Some of the other hurt Britons were identified as Dave Lesley, Stephen Tierney and Christopher Allen.

Earlier reports said nine fans had been hurt, and a statement by a club spokesman said: "We understand from local police that nine of our supporters suffered injuries last night following an incident in the city centre. Three of these supporters were taken to hospital for further treatment."

Police said around 50 Italians were involved in the assault, and that some had been arrested.

Tottenham Hotspur are due to play Lazio

A spokesman for the mayor's office said the attack had been "obviously organised".

The aggressors, who were believed to be Lazio fans, had their faces covered by motorcycle helmets or scarves when they launched their assault shortly after 1am.

Italian newspaper La Repubblica described the clashes as "urban warfare" and reported that up to 100 "Ultras" armed with knives, baseball bats and belts had taken part in the attack.

Witness Giuseppe Tamborra said: "I saw four people lying on the ground, one with his forehead cut open from here to here, probably with a stool taken from the bar.

"The Italians were very organised, with helmet, bats, even balaclavas," he said.

The Drunken Ship, a popular drinking spot for tourists and foreign students, is located in the Campo de Fiori - one of the most visited squares in the Italian capital's historic centre.

There was no response from the pub on Thursday morning.

A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed they are investigating the clash.

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Lord McAlpine Reaches Settlement With ITV

Lord McAlpine has reached a £125,000 settlement with ITV and Phillip Schofield over a This Morning show in which a list of alleged paedophiles was shown to the Prime Minister.

During the show, presenter Schofield handed a piece of paper to David Cameron saying it was a list of senior Tories who were being linked on the internet to a paedophile ring.

Schofield briefly showed the names to viewers as he handed over the list and asked the Prime Minister if he would investigate them.

In a statement, the broadcaster said: "ITV and Phillip Schofield have now reached agreement with Lord McAlpine to settle his libel claim, made in relation to the This Morning programme broadcast on November 8, 2012.

"ITV and Phillip Schofield apologise unreservedly to Lord McAlpine, have agreed the terms of a statement to be made in open court, and have agreed to pay him damages of £125,000 and his legal costs."

Earlier this week lawyers for Lord McAlpine had said that he was seeking a larger payout from ITV than the £185,000 settlement he agreed with the BBC.

Speaking to The Times newspaper, his spokesman said: "This was also done in broad daylight in a premeditated way in front of the Prime Minister. It was that programme that prompted Lord McAlpine to come out with his statement."

Lawyers had made clear ahead of the BBC settlement last week that they were mindful of the effect on the licence payer and had "tempered" their demands accordingly.

Lord McAlpine said the damage "can't be repaired"

But Lord McAlpine's solicitor Andrew Reid told BBC Radio 4's The World At One: "It is a pragmatic settlement.

"I think we accepted the legal argument that the Newsnight programme had effectively set the pot boiling at that point and the Schofield stunt added fuel to the fire that was already there, and we had to take that into account.

"It was listening to sensible legal argument."

Action is also being considered against a "very long list" of Twitter users who wrongly named the former Tory politician, thought to include comedian Alan Davies and the Commons Speaker's wife Sally Bercow.

Lord McAlpine has asked those who linked him to child abuse allegations to apologise formally and pay a "sensible and modest amount", which he plans to donate to BBC Children in Need.

The politician was mistakenly implicated by Newsnight's November 2 broadcast in a paedophile ring that targeted children at the care home in Wrexham.

It did not name him, but Lord McAlpine was later identified on social media.

The peer said the damage of the Newsnight report "can't be repaired" and he now has to live with the legacy of suspicion.

Newsnight carried a full, on-air apology for the broadcast a week later.

An official report by the BBC's Scotland director Ken MacQuarrie into the botched investigation concluded that Newsnight staff had failed to complete "basic journalistic checks".

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BBC Appoints Tony Hall As New Director-General

The new director-general of the BBC has said he is looking forward to taking up the post "immensely".

Tony Hall, Baron Hall of Birkenhead and currently the chief executive of the Royal Opera House, will take over the £450,000 post next year.

Lord Hall replaces George Entwistle, who was forced to resign after just 54 days in the job in the wake of the Jimmy Savile and Lord McAlpine scandals.

The new BBC chief, who is expected to start in early March, is a former trainee at the corporation where he worked for 28 years.

He was head of news and current affairs from 1996 to 2001 but left after he was beaten to the top job by Greg Dyke.

BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten said his background in news "will prove invaluable as the BBC looks to rebuild both its reputation in this area and the trust of audiences".

He added: "Tony Hall has been an insider and is a currently an outsider. As an ex-BBC man, he understands how the Corporation's culture and behaviour make it, at its best, the greatest broadcaster in the world.

"And from his vantage point outside the BBC, he understands the sometimes justified criticisms of the Corporation - that it can be inward looking and on occasions too institutional."

Lord Patten issued a letter to all BBC staff saying that it was a significant day for the broadcaster and marked a new chapter.

BBC needs to rebuild its reputation after two Newsnight scandals.

He made clear there were still "very serious questions" to answer about the dropped Newsnight investigation into the Savile abuse claims and BBC culture at the time the star worked there.

But he continued: "It is also marks the beginning of a new phase for the BBC. And the key challenge will be re-establishing our reputation with the public. I hope you will all support Tony Hall as he goes about the important work of doing just that."

Lord Hall said: "This organisation is an incredibly important part of what makes the United Kingdom what it is. And of course it matters not just to people in this country - but to tens of millions around the world too.

"It's been a difficult few weeks - but together we'll get through it."

The peer did not apply for the director-general position when Mark Thompson quit but he was the only candidate approached by the Trust following Mr Entwistle's resignation earlier this month.

Lord Hall, who became a cross bencher in the House of Lords in 2010, has been successful at the helm of the Royal Opera House and praised for initiatives such as the relay of performances to screens across the UK.

He sits on a number of boards but will be stepping down from those roles before taking up his position at the corporation.

Tim Davie will stay on as acting director-general until he arrives in the spring.

Veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby welcomed the appointment, calling him a "good public face" for the corporation.

"I feel like I'm serving in the Royal Navy when the message came in: 'Winston is back'," he said.

"I think most people will be thrilled at this choice and will also get the leadership that is needed from somebody who is a creative man and a good administrator - and a calm man in a time of crisis."

The actor, Stephen Fry, also approved the decision, writing on Twitter: "I think Tony Hall is a really good DG choice, TBH. He's not a 'process' man, he's behind the best of BBC's digital moves in the past."

The announcement followed the revelation that Mr Entwistle refused to leave his post without a £450,000 pay off - twice as much as he was entitled under his contract.

BBC trustee Anthony Fry told the Public Accounts Committee that the Trust had to choose between accepting his terms or facing a lengthy legal battle that could have increased the payout by £80,000.

He also revealed that Mr Entwistle received a pension pot of £833,000 - worth up to £40,000-a-year, private medical cover, up to £35,000 for legal fees connected to his resignation and his evidence to the Savile inquiries and £10,000 for public relations.

MPs were incensed to learn that he will continue to have his private medical bills paid for over the next year.

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Chelsea Manager Roberto Di Matteo Sacked

Chelsea: Eight Managers In Nine Years

Updated: 11:16am UK, Wednesday 21 November 2012

Roberto Di Matteo has become the latest Chelsea manager to be removed from his post by Roman Abramovich.

How did his predecessors fare after parting company with the club's Russian oligarch owner?

CLAUDIO RANIERI (September 2000 to May 2004)

Life under Abramovich: The first manager to spend Abramovich's billions was under pressure from day one amid rumours Sven-Goran Eriksson was being lined up to replace him.

The 'Tinkerman' tag did not help the Italian and, despite finishing second in the Premier League and reaching the Champions League semi-finals, he was sacked.

Life after Abramovich: Returned to former club Valencia, immediately winning the European Super Cup.

But was sacked six months later and has won nothing since, despite landing prestigious jobs at Parma, Juventus, Roma, and Inter Milan. Currently managing Monaco in France's second tier.

JOSE MOURINHO (June 2004 to September 2007)

Life under Abramovich: Declared himself a 'Special One' and lived up to the title, becoming the most successful Chelsea manager ever.

Immediately ended their 50-year wait for a league title with back-to-back Premier League crowns and also won the FA Cup and two Carling Cups. Champions League glory remained elusive and a reported power struggle with Abramovich eventually saw him leave.

Life after Abramovich: Heavily linked with the England job before eventually resurfacing at Inter Milan.

One of the most successful bosses in their history, he became only the third manager to win the European Cup with two different clubs.

Now at Real Madrid where he became the first man to win league titles in England, Italy and Spain, although Champions League success currently evades him in the Spanish capital.

AVRAM GRANT (September 2007 to May 2008)

Life under Abramovich: Less than two months after arriving as director of football, Israeli Grant found himself parachuted into the manager's hotseat.

Speculation was rife he did not have the backing of the dressing room but still managed to get the club to their only Champions League final. Also reached the Carling Cup final and finished second in the Premier League before being sacked.

Life after Abramovich: History repeated itself as Grant joined Portsmouth as director of football in October 2009, once again becoming manager less than two months later.

Boosted reputation by leading side to the FA Cup final despite administration saga that saw them relegated. Resigned and joined West Ham but was sacked after they were also relegated.

LUIZ FELIPE SCOLARI (July 2008 to February 2009)

Life under Abramovich: Billed as the man to inspire Chelsea to take final step in Champions League, World Cup winner Scolari enjoyed a flying start but things soon began to go wrong amid rumours of dressing-room unrest.

The timing of the Brazilian's sacking after just seven months still came as shock.

Life after Abramovich: Made surprise decision to move to Uzbekistan and join champions FC Bunyodkor, although the salary reportedly made him the one of the highest paid managers around.

Left after less than a year and returned to former club Palmeiras, but recently lost his job.

GUUS HIDDINK (February 2009 to May 2009)

Life under Abramovich: Still revered by players and fans for rescuing Chelsea's season while combining Russia job with a caretaker role at Stamford Bridge.

Won the FA Cup and desperately unlucky not to reach the Champions League final, Hiddink lost only one game in charge.

Life after Abramovich: Continued as Russia boss until June 2010, leaving after failing to lead them to the World Cup.

Became Turkey manager but left in November after losing another play-off, this time for the European Championships.

Persistently linked with a return to Chelsea after Carlo Ancelotti was sacked before joining mega-rich Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala in February.

CARLO ANCELOTTI (June 2009 to May 2011)

Life under Abramovich: Recruited largely because of two Champions League successes at AC Milan, instead delivered Chelsea's first ever domestic double in maiden season.

Nevertheless damaged by losing in the Champions League last 16, and a trophy-less season followed.

Life after Abramovich: Linked with several jobs in England and abroad, December saw him appointed manager of big-spending Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain.

ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS (June 2011 to March 2012)

Life under Abramovich: Arrived in London to a splash of publicity and dubbed as the 'new Mourinho' after a stellar spell in charge of Porto which took in domestic and European titles.

Cracks soon emerged, though, with senior players reportedly baffled by his methods and unhappy with his selection policy. The Portuguese was sacked after a defeat at West Brom.

Life after Abramovich: Returned to English football in the summer when he replaced Harry Redknapp at Tottenham. Domestic form has been mixed, with a memorable victory at Manchester United the highlight and punishing derby defeats to Arsenal and Chelsea the lows.

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Gaza: Ceasefire Delayed As Shelling Continues

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

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

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

The United States has now stepped in, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arriving in Cairo on Wednesday for talks with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.

During her flight, however, a bomb ripped through a bus in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv injuring at least 21 people - clouding the prospects of a durable ceasefire.

The remains of government building in Gaza City

:: Watch our live debate from Israel and Gaza on the crisis

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

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

She arrived from Israel where she earlier met with Mr Netanyahu in Jerusalem, while also travelling to the West Bank city of Ramallah for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who told her "Egypt was the key to everything".

Hours later, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon arrived in the Egyptian capital for talks with Mr Morsi.

Mr Netanyahu told Mrs Clinton that he was ready to agree to a "long-term solution" as long as the rocket attacks from Gaza stopped.

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

A senior Hamas official told reporters that a key sticking point in the negotiations was the timing of when Israel would begin easing its six-year blockade of Gaza.

Earlier, Pope Benedict XVI also spoke of his concern of the escalating violence.

"Hatred and violence are not the solution," he said, adding that he encouraged "the initiatives and efforts of those who are trying to reach a ceasefire and promote negotiations".

Meanwhile, Iran announced it was providing military and financial assistance to the Palestinians.

"We are proud to defend the people of Palestine and Hamas ... and that our assistance to them has been both financial and military," said Iran's parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani.

Israel continued its bombardment of Gaza striking more than 100 targets, killing six Palestinians, including a toddler.

Some 30 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel. The Iron Dome system intercepted 14 of them..

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

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

The campaign has killed more than 140 Palestinians and wounded hundreds of others.

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

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Israel: Explosion On Tel Aviv Bus Hurts 21

At least 21 people have been injured in a bomb blast on a bus in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv.

The explosion took place across from the military headquarters - on the eighth day of an Israeli offensive against Palestinian militants in Gaza - jeopardising frantic diplomatic negotiations to secure a truce.

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

Israeli deputy prime minister Silvan Shalom, who heard the explosion from his Tel Aviv office, called it "an escalation".

"What does it say about the future of the (truce) talks? I leave it to (the senior officials). but this doesn't add anything," Yitzhak Aharonovich, Israel's minister of internal security, told Israeli Army Radio.

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

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

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

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

:: Watch our live debate from Israel and Gaza on the crisis

Police said it was not a suicide attack and suggested an explosive may have been planted on the No. 142 bus.

Israeli Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told Sky News: "We have heightened security all around the Tel Aviv area in order to also see if there are any suspects that fled the area."

Israeli medics wheel a wounded woman away from the scene

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

The driver, who escaped largely unscathed, told reporters he had not seen anyone suspicious get on board. "I felt the explosion ... smoke was everywhere, you couldn't see a thing," he said.

Passenger Yehuda Samarano, 59, who suffered shrapnel wounds to his chest and leg, said from his hospital bed: "I flew from my seat. Everything became white and my ears are still ringing now."

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

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

Leor Sinai, a resident who visited the scene after the explosion, said there was "chaos, mayhem".

He told Sky News: "Thankfully, there's a hospital around the corner so the people were brought right to the hospital. They were, from what I hear, hit with nails, that the bomb was filled with nails and little sort of marbles that kind of flew in all different directions."

Israeli police officers comb the bus and its surroundings for evidence

Medics said three of the wounded were in a moderate-to-serious condition. Some reports suggested up to 17 or 21 people had been injured in the blast.

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

Diplomats, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, are in the region for talks to try to broker a ceasefire amid the latest conflict during which more than 140 Palestinians and five Israelis have been killed.

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

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

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

The White House also condemned the attack as an "outrageous" assault on "innocent Israeli civilians".

The UK and United States' sentiments were echoed by France and Russia who renewed calls for a halt to the violence.

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

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

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'Devastating' Loss Of Baby Boy Bitten By Dog

The family of a one-week-old boy who died after being bitten by a dog in Shropshire says it has been left "absolutely devastated" by the infant's death.

Harry Harper died in hospital on Tuesday morning after paramedics were called out to a house in Woodside Road in Ketley, near Telford.

The boy had reportedly been with his mother at his grandparents' house when it was bitten by the family-owned dog.

In a statement, the family said: "We are absolutely devastated by Harry's death and have no words to describe the loss we have suffered.

"At the present time, we have no wish to speak publicly about yesterday's events and would ask that we are left in peace to grieve and begin to deal with our loss."

The house on Woodside Road where the attack happened

Initial indications suggested Harry, who was just eight days old, died after being bitten by the Jack Russell.

Police emphasised that Harry was not mauled by the animal, which has now been put down.

West Mercia Police are continuing to investigate the precise circumstances of the newborn's death as they await the result of a post-mortem examination.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Jamieson said: "Our investigation is ongoing but it appears that the baby died as a result of a dog bite.

"The dog in question was a family pet - a Jack Russell - and this animal has been put down.

"A post-mortem will be taking place to establish the exact cause of this baby's death but at this stage it does appear to be a tragic accident.

Woodside Road, Ketley

"With an investigation ongoing, there is no further comment I can make on this matter apart from to say that all our thoughts are with the family of the baby at this extremely sad time."

The emergency services were called to the house just before 8am and Harry was taken to Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.

Efforts to save the baby were made by the ambulance crew at the scene and on the way to the hospital.

Residents in the local area were reluctant to speak to the media about the tragedy, which is reported to have happened at the home of his mother's parents.

One neighbour, who declined to give her name, said: "It's very, very sad.

"Losing a baby must be heart-breaking however it happens and they need to be left to grieve."

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On-The-Run James Allen Guilty Of Two Murders

A robber who killed twice while on the run has been found guilty of two counts of murder.

James Allen, 36, savagely attacked 81-year-old Colin Dunford in his Middlesbrough terrace home, then three days later stabbed to death Julie Davison, 50 at her flat in Whitby, North Yorkshire.

The double killing sparked a huge manhunt which ended in Leeds when an off-duty police officer spotted him.

Allen, who had a history of violent crime, attacked Mr Dunford while hiding at a friend's house after being accused of a serious crime in April. Mr Dunford died from serious head injuries.

Allen ransacked the pensioner's home and tried but failed to use Mr Dunford's bank card at a nearby cash machine. The next night, friends of Mr Dunford became worried after he failed to turn up at his local club for a drink and they found him dead in his home in Leven Street.

More follows...

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SAS Sniper's Case Review 'Inappropriate'

Attorney General Dominic Grieve has said it would be "inappropriate" for him to review the decision to prosecute an SAS sergeant for illegal possession of a weapon.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond wrote to Mr Grieve asking him to examine if proper consideration had been given to whether a prosecution of Sgt Danny Nightingale was in the public interest before the case was brought to court martial.

Sgt Nightingale is serving an 18-month sentence in military detention after pleading guilty to having a prohibited firearm and ammunition.

The father of two, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, suffers medical problems which affect his memory and says he did not remember having the weapon, which was a gift from Iraqi soldiers he had been training.

A spokesman for the Attorney General's office said: "It would be inappropriate for the Attorney General to review either the decision to prosecute or comment on the appropriateness of the sentence.

"That is a matter for the Court Martial Appeal Court, in due course."

MPs will be able to raise concerns about the case with Solicitor General Oliver Heald later today after Canterbury MP Julian Brazier secured a debate in the House of Commons.

SAS veterans have been outraged by the case, and four special forces veterans, including the former commanding officer of the SAS, have written an open letter to Prime Minister David Cameron, claiming Sgt Nightingale was "the victim of a monstrous miscarriage of justice".

Sgt Nightingale pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a 9mm Glock pistol which had been packed up and returned to him by colleagues after he had to leave Iraq in a hurry to help organise the funeral of two friends killed in action.

He also admitted possessing ammunition.

Sgt Nightingale's father Humphrey has told Sky News his son was bullied into pleading guilty at the court martial.

Humphrey Nightingale said: "We knew Danny was not guilty but the judge made it quite clear that if he did not plead guilty he would be sent to a civilian jail for a minimum of five years.

"Our hands were tied and we had no other option - Danny has a lovely wife and a young family. We expected a lenient sentence - maybe suspended - but instead he was sentenced to 18 months."

Lawyers for Sgt Nightingale plan to lodge an appeal against his conviction and sentence later this week, as well as applying for bail.

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Gaza: Six Men Executed 'As Israeli Spies'

Six Palestinian men accused of being spies for Israel have been executed at an intersection in Gaza, just hours after the UN boss called for a halt to the conflict.

Witnesses said the six men were dragged out of a van and forced to lie down in the street before they were shot by masked gunmen.

Sky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay, reporting from Gaza, said: "We understand six men were taken into a square ... and were executed in front of crowds."

Israeli homeowners inspect damage after a rocket attack in Beersheba

It has been reported that five of the bodies lay in a pile as a mob stomped and spit on them. A sixth body was tied to a motorcycle and dragged through the streets as people screamed, "Spy! Spy!"

The Hamas military wing has claimed responsibility for the executions.

The deaths follow UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon's call for an immediate ceasefire to end the Gaza-Israel conflict.

Gaza residents flee their homes on November 20

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

"Immediate steps are needed by all to avoid a further escalation, including a ground operation which will only result in further tragedy," Mr Ban said.

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

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

Mr Ban, who later arrived in Israel, added: "We all must recognise that Israel has legitimate security concerns that must be respected in accordance with international law, but a ground operation would be a dangerous escalation."

Earlier Israel's air force dropped leaflets across areas of Gaza City urging people to evacuate their homes "immediately".

"For your own safety, you are required to immediately evacuate your homes and move toward Gaza City centre," the one-page Arabic-language leaflet said.

Sky's Sam Kiley said the leaflet drop could be part of a propaganda exercise to show Hamas that Israel is seriously considering an imminent ground invasion.

Elsewhere Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi has said that talks with both sides of the conflict will have "positive results" in the coming hours.

Israeli troops near the Gaza border prepare weapons ahead of any invasion

Meanwhile a man identified as the most elusive top Hamas commander. and a founder of its military wing, has urged the group's fighters to keep up attacks on Israel.

Mohammed Deif, seriously wounded in an Israeli airstrike in 2003, reportedly said on Hamas-run radio that fighters "must invest all resources to uproot this aggressor from our land".

Palestinian militants fired a rocket toward Jerusalem on Tuesday, causing an explosion moments after air raid sirens sounded across the city.

Foreign Secretary William Hague told the Commons that three Israelis, including one woman and a child, and at least 109 Palestinians, including 11 women and 26 children, have so far died in the conflict.

"We have made clear that Hamas must bear primary responsibility for the start of the current crisis but also that all side have responsibilities," Mr Hague said.

"We quickly called on Israel to seek every opportunity to deescalate their military response and to observe international humanitarian law and avoid civilian casualties."

The US has confirmed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will fly from Asia to meet key officials in Jerusalem, Ramallah and then Cairo, as it emerged that Barack Obama has not asked Israel to hold off a ground invasion.

Egyptian officials have held talks with an Israeli envoy and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, but Hamas has insisted on the lifting of a six-year blockade of the Gaza Strip by the opposing side.

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

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Brooks And Coulson To Face New Charges

By Martin Brunt, Crime Correspondent

Former Tory spin doctor Andy Coulson and ex-News International chief Rebekah Brooks face new criminal charges over bungs to public officials in return for stories used in the News Of The World and The Sun.

Coulson, who was editor of the NOTW at the time, and the paper's former royal correspondent Clive Goodman are charged with conspiring to pay for information about the royal family, including an internal phone directory known as the Green Book.

Brooks, who edited The Sun, and the paper's chief reporter John Kay are charged with conspiracy to pay Ministry of Defence employee Bettina Jordan Barber £100,000 for information that led to a series of stories in the newspaper.

Ms Barber faces the same charge.

Kay attended a north London police station on Tuesday morning and was charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office. He was bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on November 29.

Solicitor Henri Brandman, who is representing Kay, said: "Neither my client nor I will be making any comment in respect of the matter at the present time."

Coulson pledged to fight the allegations that he is facing and said: "I am extremely disappointed by this latest CPS decision. I deny the allegations made against me and will fight the charges in court."

The charges follow Scotland Yard investigation Operation Elveden, which began in July last year and is likely to continue for many months.

So far, 52 people have been arrested, including 21 journalists from The Sun, armed forces staff and a prison official.

Before today, the only charge brought was against Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector April Casburn, accused of leaking information to the NOTW, which was closed by owner Rupert Murdoch 16 months ago in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal.

DCI Casburn has denied the charge.

Two arrested suspects, an ex-police officer and a former journalist, were told recently that they would not face prosecution.

The five charged today are expected to appear in court in the next few weeks. The formal charge against them is conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office, which could mean jail if convicted.

Coulson, Brooks and others have already been charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, over allegations they tried to cover up evidence of phone hacking.

In a news conference during a visit to Northern Ireland, Prime Minister David Cameron was queried on his judgment in both hiring Coulson and becoming a close friend to Brooks.

He said: "I've made it clear on many occasions about this issue and I've also said very clearly we should allow the police and prosecuting authorities to follow the evidence wherever it leads, and I think that is very, very important.

"But I think that, particularly as we get to a situation with pending court cases, that probably we should leave it at that."

Pushed further, and asked if it was embarrassing for him, Mr Cameron said: "I think, as I said, with impending court cases we should probably leave it at that."

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Massive Waterspout Forms Off Australian Coast

A giant waterspout has formed close to the shoreline at Batemans Bay in the Australian state of New South Wales.

Local residents at Long Beach described it as "a giant twister" that was "swirling with water".

Despite lasting about 15 minutes and having the potential to reach speeds of up to 160km/h, the giant funnel of cloud and water, which occurred about 225km south of Sydney, did not cause any damage.

A meteorologist at Australia's Bureau of Meteorology told the Sydney Morning Herald that waterspouts, were impossible to forecast and could be dangerous to nearby swimmers or surfers.

Pic: Adam Keyte/NSW Rural Fire Service

Forecasters warned of more severe conditions to come in the state, particularly in the north, after a weekend of wild weather.

Thousands of lightning strikes and wind gusts of up to 100km/h were reported on Saturday and Sunday, causing power lines to come down and at least one home to collapse.

Authorities advised residents to take precautions, such as moving cars under cover or away from trees, securing or putting away loose items around the house, and keeping clear of fallen power lines.

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South African Found Guilty Of Dewani Murder

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent

The man found guilty today of the murder of honeymooner Anni Dewani is the last of the South African killers to face justice.

Xolile Mngeni protested his innocence throughout the three-month trial but was convicted as the "trigger man" - the man who fired the fatal shot which killed Anni on November 13, 2010.

Two of the men accused of being his accomplices are already serving lengthy prison sentences after entering into plea bargains.

But both Zola Tongo and Mziwamadoda Qwabe had implicated Mngeni and both claimed they had been hired by Anni's new British husband Shrien Dewani to kill his bride during a fake hijacking in Gugulethu township.

Xolile Mngeni has been found guilty of shooting Anni Dewani

Mngeni claimed he was not there during the shooting, but Western Cape High Court judge Robert Denney did not believe him.

He told the court: "I am satisfied that the accused has committed the crime of murder.

"Mngeni did not take the court into his confidence. He came with a rather late alibi which proved unconvincing."

The court heard how Mngeni's left palm print was found on the car in which Anni's body was found. Her watch, bracelet and mobile phone were also discovered in Mngeni's friend's shack.

The National Prosecuting Authority believes without doubt that Mngeni was part of a conspiracy to kill 28-year-old Anni Dewani.

Taxi driver Zola Tongo was jailed for 18 years for his role in the murder

She was fatally shot in the neck on the fourth day of her honeymoon in Cape Town two years ago.

Prosecutors said Mngeni, Qwabe and Tongo were paid 15,000 rand (£1,066) for the killing.

The court heard the couple went out for a night-time tour of the city's townships.

In CCTV footage taken from the Cape Grace hotel where they were staying, the couple are seen kissing and cuddling in the hours before her death.

A motive has never been clearly explained for why Shrien Dewani would want his new bride killed and he is still in Britain fighting extradition to South Africa, claiming he will not get a fair trial.

Mngeni (L) and Mziwamadoda Qwabe on February 10

The legal battle is on hold while he receives treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder following the murder.

His health will be reviewed again in the London High Court on December 3 but the conviction of Mngeni in Cape Town is sure to intensify the pressure to send Dewani to South Africa to stand trial.

Anni's family said they were still going through turmoil.

Ashok Hindocha, her uncle, told Sky News from their home in Sweden: "There were four people in the car apart from Anni. Three of them have now been sent to jail.

"We have yet to hear what happened from the fourth (Shrien). We just want the truth. It is eating our family up from inside."

Mngeni, 25, will be sentenced on Wednesday.

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More Jobs To Be Slashed At Troubled Comet

Struggling retailer Comet is to cut a further 735 jobs, administrator Deloitte has announced.

It said 603 jobs have been lost from the company's home delivery network, which operates from 12 hubs across the UK.

And it has made a further 57 employees redundant from Comet's head office at Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire, as well as 56 from a call centre in Clevedon.

A further 17 staff have been made redundant from an office in Hull.

The sites were also the subject of 330 redundancies announced by the administrator last week.

There have been no job losses to date at Comet stores, but Deloitte warned on Saturday that up to 41 stores may have to close before the end of this month.

The collapse of Comet marks one of the biggest high street casualties since the demise of Woolworths in 2008 and came a month after the failure of JJB Sports.

The group was hit by weak high street trading conditions, competition from online rivals and being unable to secure the trade credit insurance needed to safeguard suppliers.

In particular, it was knocked by the lack of first-time home buyers, who have been key customers for Comet, according to Deloitte.

The high street electricals market in the UK has come under huge pressure as cash-strapped shoppers put off purchases of big-ticket items such as TVs and large appliances and online rivals take a bigger slice of the sector.

Comet's administration comes just months after it was taken over by investment firm OpCapita, which bought the chain for a nominal £2 in February.

Angry staff at the chain have called for ministers to investigate the retailer's collapse and the way its former private equity owners ran the company.

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One Killed As Blast Rocks Gaza Media Centre

One person has been been confirmed killed after a large explosion shook a central Gaza building used by local and foreign media, including Sky News Arabia.

Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad said the dead man was Ramaz Harab, one of its senior commanders.

Israel Defence Forces (IDF) later said it had targeted a "hideout" used by senior operatives from Islamic Jihad. It named four individuals, including Ramaz Harab, who were in the building and said they had been involved in firing rockets at Israel.

Health officials said several others were wounded in the attack, which is the second strike on the building in two days.

The IDF accused militants of "cynically (using) those inside civilian-populated institutions as human shields".

Gaza, left, and Ashkelon, in Israel, right, have been targeted

The Hamas TV station Al Aqsa is located on the top floor of the building. The third floor took brunt of the explosion.

The building is also said to house communications equipment used by Hamas.

Both sides continued their attacks on Monday as efforts to bring about a truce gathered pace.

Israeli aircraft struck several crowded areas in the Gaza Strip, driving up the Palestinian death toll to above 90 over the six-day offensive, including 50 civilians, according to reports.

Thousands of Israeli troops have been readied for a ground offensive

Hamas fighters have fired hundreds of rockets into Israel since Wednesday, including one that hit an empty school in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on Monday.

On the Israeli side, three civilians have died from Palestinian rocket fire since the violence erupted and dozens have been wounded. An Israeli rocket-defence system has intercepted hundreds of rockets bound for populated areas.

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said on Monday that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested a truce - a claim denied by Israel - and he called on Israel to initiate a ceasefire because "they started the war".

Speaking at a news conference in Cairo, Mr Meshaal called on rights groups to "expose" Israeli "crimes" and said Gaza-based Hamas would not yield to any Israeli conditions.

Israeli officials said earlier that the country was ready to launch a ground offensive but that it preferred a diplomatic solution.

After an initial lull in attacks on Monday morning, airstrikes escalated as Egypt was trying to broker a ceasefire with the help of Turkey and Qatar. Egypt's prime minister said a peace deal between the two sides could be close.

In Gaza City, thousands of mourners attended funerals of four children who were killed on Sunday in an Israeli airstrike. The missile reduced their home to rubble - the Israeli navy said a wanted militant was hiding inside.

Turkey's foreign minister and a delegation of Arab foreign ministers were expected in Gaza on Tuesday.

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, who is travelling to Egypt, has also called for a truce.

Middle East envoy Tony Blair met Israel's president, Shimon Peres, for talks earlier and said he hoped both sides could find a way to end the violence.

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Prisoner Voting Ban: MPs To Debate Again

MPs are to be given another say on whether to give prisoners the vote, as the deadline for Britain to comply with a European ruling on the controversial issue looms.

The UK's current blanket ban on prisoners voting has been judged as unlawful by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and officials in Strasbourg have given the Government until Friday to comply with the ruling.

Last February, the Commons called by an overwhelming margin of 234 to 22 for the blanket ban to be maintained, while David Cameron has flatly ruled out the option of handing criminals back their democratic rights.

MPs will this week be given another chance to vote on the issue when the Government introduces a draft bill.

The bill, to be published on Thursday, will give MPs three options, according to The Daily Telegraph.

They will be votes for prisoners who have been imprisoned for four years or less, votes for prisoners who have been imprisoned for six months or less, or no votes for prisoners at all.

There is a risk that this week's Commons vote could set up another clash with the ECHR, which could fine the Government if it does not comply with its ruling.

Attorney General Dominic Grieve has warned against defying the Strasbourg court, saying its ruling imposes an international legal obligation on the UK.

But the Prime Minister made it clear he would not be letting prisoners get the vote.

David Cameron told the Commons last month: "I do not want prisoners to have the vote, and they should not get the vote - I am very clear about that.

"If it helps to have another vote in Parliament on another resolution to make it absolutely clear and help put the legal position beyond doubt, I am happy to do that.

"But no one should be in any doubt: prisoners are not getting the vote under this Government."

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has said Parliament has the right in law to tell the ECHR that it does not accept its ruling.

But he added there would be "consequences" for the UK's position in Europe if MPs do chose to defy the judgement.

In 2005, the ECHR said it was up to individual countries to decide which prisoners should be denied the right to vote from jail, but that a total ban was illegal.

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Gaza: Israel Denies Strikes Targeted Media

Israel has denied targeting foreign media in airstrikes in Gaza, saying it was aiming for Hamas communication sites.

The Israeli Defence Forces have released video footage of one of the media buildings, occupied by a team from Sky News and other international broadcasters, being hit.

No one was injured in the attack, which happened about 7.15am (local time).

About five hours earlier, another media building in Gaza, housing Hamas' al Aqsa television among others, was also hit in an Israeli airstrike on Sunday.

Six journalists were injured in that strike, including an employee of al Quds television station who lost his leg.

The Israeli military said in a statement it had "targeted two Hamas operational communication sites that were identified by precise intelligence".

Discussing the attack on the building used by Sky News, Israeli military spokeswoman Avital Leibovich said a Hamas antenna was the target of the strike.

The Shuruq building, which houses al Aqsa TV

"The media building was taken by Hamas to be used as human shields - we see this time after time, year after year," she told Sky News.

"Hamas chose, out of all the buildings in the Gaza Strip, to choose this building - the media, civilian building - to place its electronic infrastructure and communications on the rooftop.

"The target was on the roof and only that target was hit."

She added: "The entire building stayed safe. The entire floors stayed safe. Maybe there was some broken windows as a result of the explosion but no more than that.

"The target was the Hamas facility."

But she said: "I say this to any civilian in Gaza: stay away from Hamas sites.

"This is my recommendation to the journalists as well as others."

Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sam Kiley, who was in the building when it was hit, said there was reason to disbelieve Israel's reason for the attack.

"I think what happened to us just illustrates in a general sense that no one in Gaza can feel safe," he said.

Kiley said it is very hard for civilians to know what locations are being used by Hamas.

A Palestinian journalist inspects his work car

"It isn't easy for the 1.7 million Gazans to know what is considered a target by Israel and what is not," he said.

"Hamas don't put a flag on each of their firing positions. They are extremely well camouflaged. Large numbers of them are indeed hidden in built-up areas and on waste ground.

"There are known Hamas areas, but there are a lot of unknown areas and there are lots more subtle things, like radio transmission, relay stations and such, which is presumably what they were hitting on the building we were in.

"It was pretty much the tallest building in Gaza, and therefore it is pretty much inevitable that communications equipment is going to be put there."

Kiley said there is further confusion because Hamas is the government and a militia.

"Hamas is not just a militant organisation, it is also the government here. It runs the hospitals, the sewage collection, the trash collection, the education department.

"Therefore it is very troubling for Gazans to try to figure out where Israel is going to lay the distinction in terms of what is a crossover between military and civilian activity."

The Foreign Press Association issued a statement saying it was "concerned" by the attacks, adding that both buildings house or have been used by members of the association.

The statement pointed to a 2006 UN Security Council resolution condemning attacks on journalists in conflict zones.

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Jaguar Land Rover Launches China Expansion

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

Jaguar Land Rover is to manufacture cars outside the United Kingdom for the first time.

The company has entered into a joint venture with one of China's largest car makers Chery.

The two firms began work to build a factory near Shanghai today.

"For the first time one of the most famous names in the British automotive industry, Jaguar Land Rover, is poised to begin manufacturing in a market outside the United Kingdom," the company's CEO Dr Ralf Speth said at the stone-laying ceremony.

"It seems only fitting that this new venture will take place here, in the People's Republic of China, the world's fastest-growing market for premium vehicles."

Kay Francis, the company's director of global corporate communications, told Sky News: "This is our first ever manufacture plant outside the UK.

"The facility here in China will include research and development, engine plants and production lines. Start to finish, the cars will be made in China," Ms Francis added.

Executives at Jaguar Land Rover have been in complicated negotiations with their counterparts at Chery for months.

Chery is a state-owned company and Chinese government approval was required before any deal could be signed.

The joint venture project was approved by China's National Development and Reform Commission last month.

The first bricks of the new factory were laid at a ceremony in Changshu, Jiangsu Province, to the northwest of Shanghai.

Yin Tongyao, the president of Chery Automobile, and Dr Speth were both there.

"Soon, on this very site, will be a fully-fledged manufacturing plant, to create employment, stimulate the supply chain and develop game-changing environmental technologies for China. A total of 10.9bn renmimbi (£1bn) will be invested in this joint venture," Dr Speth said.

"In our shared vision with Chery, this partnership will offer Chinese customers the latest generation models from Jaguar and Land Rover, as well as vehicles designed specifically for Chinese customers," he said.

The company hopes that the first cars will roll off the production line in 2014.

It is understood the first vehicle to be built at the factory will be the Land Rover Freelander.

The company would not confirm that suggestion.

"We intend to build Jaguar and Land Rover branded products here... It's likely that a Land Rover badged vehicle will be the first to come out of the plant when it opens in 2014," Ms Francis said.

Volkswagen already manufactures VWs, Audis, Skodas and Seats in China

China has become Jaguar Land Rover's largest market and experts say it has not even begun to reach its potential.

Sales of the company's cars reached 53,000 there in the first nine months of this year - that's up 80 per cent from the year before.

The reason behind the boost is China's demand for luxury goods.

Jaguar Land Rover has sold 20,000 Range Rover Evoques this year alone.

The firm hopes to boost last year's record £1.5bn profits when the new Chinese factory begins work.

Building cars in China rather than importing them from the UK allows the company to avoid massive import duties.

Chinese-made vehicles can be sold for less and the hope is that more will be bought.

The company insists the expansion to China is in addition to their business in the UK and that no UK jobs will be lost as a result.

"Everything we do in China is in addition to our UK operation. We are not shifting production and it doesn't impact the head count and state of play of the plants in Britain," Ms Francis said.

Jaguar Land Rover does have a factory in Pune, India, but that acts simply as an assembly plant, constructing flat-packed cars which are manufactured in the UK.

Compared with other European car makers, Jaguar Land Rover is very late in expanding production to China.

Volkswagen began its first joint venture in China in 1984. Volkswagen Group China now manufactures VWs, Audis, Skodas and Seats in China with year-on-year record sales.

Ageing Volkswagens are a common sight in Beijing; a sign of just how long the company has been operating here.

Audi is now the favoured brand for the political elite in China. Black Audi A6 cars, manufactured in China, are seen all over Beijing.

Jaguar Land Rover says that as well as building cars identical to those built in the UK, it plans to build a new vehicle designed specifically for the Chinese market. 

"We may also build a brand of car that is a blend of the two: a car that is new and designed and developed entirely in China," Ms Francis said.

"Having Chinese research and development means we can tailor cars for Chinese tastes."

British brands are very popular in China. Combine that with the fact that China has an increasingly wealthy urban population and there are significant opportunities which could help strengthen the UK economy.

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Gaza: Israel Prepares To Widen Offensive

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

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

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

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

Some 30,000 soldiers have already been called up.

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

Some 30,000 Israeli soldiers have already been called up

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

US President Barack Obama said it was "preferable" for the crisis to end without a "ramping up" of Israeli military activity, but he blamed Hamas militants for causing the showdown.

A car is examined after a rocket attack in Holon, near Tel Aviv

"Israel has every right to expect that it does not have missiles fired into its territory," Mr Obama said, in Thailand.

Ten Palestinian civilians have been killed in an Israeli air strike on a house in Gaza, Palestinian medics said.

It is the highest civilian death toll in a single incident during five days of fighting.

An Israeli military spokesman said he was checking the report.

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

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

In all, at least 66 Palestinians have killed since the operation began on Wednesday. More than 400 people have been wounded in the strikes.

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

Israel pounded Gaza from the air and sea overnight

Gaza militants continued their barrage of rocket fire, firing more than two dozen at Israel on Sunday.

This included a longer-distance projectile that targeted Tel Aviv for a fourth straight day, but it was intercepted by Israel's defence system.

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

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

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

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

A Gaza press association said six Palestinian journalists were wounded, including an Al Quds employee who lost a leg. 

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

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

An Israeli military spokeswoman said the strike had targeted a rooftop "transmission antenna used by Hamas to carry out terror activity". 

Palestinian girls in the northern Gaza Strip

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

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

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

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

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