Father In Court Over Daughter's Murder

The father of an 11-year-old girl found strangled at her home has appeared in court charged with her murder.

Rebecca Thompson was discovered at the house in Holmefield Road, Bushey, Hertfordshire, on Saturday, June 22.

Her father Simon Thompson, 52, was taken to hospital after being involved in a car crash in the early hours of the same day.

He has now appeared at Hatfield Magistrates' Court, where he was remanded in custody.

Rebecca's headteacher paid tribute to the schoolgirl.

In a statement, Rita Cooper, head of Sacred Heart Primary School, said: "It is with great sadness that we heard of the death of Rebecca who was in Year Six at Sacred Heart.

"Rebecca was a lovely girl who was hard-working and did well in her learning. She was looking forward to secondary school.

"The whole school is very distressed by this tragedy and our thoughts are with her family and friends."

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Egypt Clashes Turn Deadly As Troops Open Fire

By Dominic Waghorn, Sky News Correspondent, in Cairo

At least 36 people in Egypt have died and over 1,000 were hurt in fierce clashes between supporters and opponents of deposed president Mohamed Morsi.

Supporters of the former leader marched to the Cairo barracks of the Republican Guard chanting "down with military rule" after a Muslim Brotherhood rally at the city's Rabea al Adaweya mosque.

Shots were fired as protesters hung pictures of Mr Morsi on a barbed wire barrier around the military complex. At least three demonstrators were shot by the military.

Downtown Cairo witnessed the same street battles played out two-and-a-half years ago, this time with Morsi supporters fighting their enemies with rocks, clubs and fireworks. One person was killed in their clashes.

Following the violence, the country's interim president Adli Mansour held talks with General Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi - the army chief who is also defence minister - and interior minister Mohammed Ibrahim who is in charge of the police.

It was the first time Mr Mansour has worked from the president's main offices since he was sworn-in on Thursday, after the military overthrew Mr Morsi - the country's first democratically elected president.

An anti-Morsi protester with evidence of gun cartridges

A pro-Morsi crowd crossed the Sixth Of October bridge heading towards Tahrir Square, provoking a fierce confrontation.

The Egyptian army said troops were responding only with blank rounds and tear gas.

However, anti-Morsi youths showed Sky News what their enemies had done to them, brandishing used shotgun cartridges and pellet wounds.

"They are terrorists and we should get rid of them," they said. "They're using automatic weapons and shotguns."

Egyptian elite soldiers guard a military building in Cairo

The atmosphere was febrile. Changing in a second. Turning from triumphant to panicked, as the crowd scattered thinking their attackers had returned.

"The Muslim Brotherhood is coming here beating us shooting us," said one man. "We're here, we're alone and we need someone to  help us."

As if to answer him, military armoured personnel carriers appeared from the gloom.

But this isn't a conflict against foreign invaders, it's between Egyptians.

The anti-Morsi crowd screamed curses against the ousted president venting their fury, and relief then turned against us, the Sky News crew, mistaking us for Americans.

A hurried explanation gave us time to escape.

More than 200 people have been wounded nationwide, according to officials

There are now two armies of protesters on the streets of Cairo - enraged and out for vengeance, determined to prevail.

Violence also erupted in cities of southern Egypt, along the Suez Canal and in the Nile Delta, with officials reporting more than 200 people injured. Four were killed in the northern Sinai city of el Arish, where Islamists stormed a government building.

Egypt's ambulance authority said 36 people had died nationwide, including 12 people in clashes in Alexandria. Most of the fatalities were from gunshot wounds.

It came after the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies called for protesters to take to the streets on the Muslim day of prayer for what it described as a "Friday of Rage".

The leader of the Brotherhood called for followers to remain peaceful but he vowed to restore power to Mr Morsi, who was ousted in a military coup earlier this week, a year after being elected to office.

Meanwhile, lawyers for ex-president Hosni Mubarak entered a not guilty plea as his retrial for alleged complicity in the killings of protesters in 2011 resumed.

The 85-year-old former leader appeared in the dock behind bars, wearing dark sunglasses and a white prison uniform.

During the televised hearing, Cairo's criminal court heard submissions by the defence before proceedings were adjourned  until August 17.

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Islamic Militants Kill 30 In Nigeria School Attack

Armed Islamic militants have killed 29 students and an English teacher in an attack on a boarding school in northeastern Nigeria.

Survivors being treated for burns and gunshot wounds said some students were burned alive in the attack on Saturday which has been blamed on a radical terror group.

Gunmen, believed to be from Islamist sect Boko Haram, stormed the premises of Government Secondary School in the town of Mamudo in Yobe state at around 3am, setting fire to parts of the complex.

Dozens of children from the 1,200-student school escaped into the bush and have not been seen since.

Parents rushed to the school and screamed in anguish as they tried to identify the charred and dead bodies of the victims.

Mohammed Musa, who taught English at the school, died after he was shot in the chest.

One 15-year-old, who survived the attack, told of how he awoke to find one of the attackers pointing a gun at him.

Speaking at Potsikum General Hospital, Musa Hassan said: "We were sleeping when we heard gunshots. When I woke up, someone was pointing a gun at me."

Nigerian soldiers on patrol in a village

He put up his hands in defence and was shot in his right hand, the one he uses to write with, and lost four fingers.

The child said the gunmen came armed with jerry cans of fuel that they used to torch the school's administrative block and one of the hostels.

"They burned the children alive," he added.

Farmer Malam Abdullahi found the bodies of two of his sons, a 10-year-old shot in the back as he apparently tried to run away, and a 12-year-old shot in the chest.

He said he planned to withdraw his three remaining sons from another school nearby.

"That's it, I'm taking my other boys out of school," he said.

He complained there was no protection for students despite the deployment of thousands of troops since the government declared a state of emergency mid-May in three northeastern states.

"It's not safe," he said. "The gunmen are attacking schools and there is no protection for students despite all the soldiers," he added.

A poster offers a reward for the capture of Boko Haram head Abubakar Shekau

It is the deadliest of three attacks on schools since the military launched its offensive to try to crush Boko Haram. The group's nickname translates as "Western education is sinful" in the northern Hausa language.

Suspected Islamist militants opened fire on a school in Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri last month, killing nine students, and a similar attack on a school in the city of Damaturu killed seven just days earlier.

Dozens of schools have been torched and unknown scores of students killed among more than 1,600 victims slain by extremists since 2010.

Militants have increasingly targeted civilians, including health workers on vaccination campaigns, teachers and government workers, while farmers have been driven from their land.

President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency on May 14, and deployed thousands of troops to halt the insurgency, acknowledging that militants had taken control of some towns and villages.

Nigerian forces say they have wrest back control of the remote northeast from Boko Haram, destroying key bases and arresting scores of suspects.

However, the military crackdown has pushed many militants into hiding.

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Met Approved Stephen Lawrence Friend Bugging

The man who was in charge of the inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence authorised a secret recording of a meeting between the teenager's close friend, his lawyers and police detectives, it has been revealed.

Scotland Yard said Former Deputy Assistant Commissioner John Grieve, who headed up the Met's racial and violent crimes task force, gave permission for at least one meeting between Duwayne Brooks and investigating officers to be recorded - without Mr Brooks' knowledge or permission.

John Grieve says the bugging was necessary to catch Stephen's killers

Eighteen-year-old Stephen was waiting for a bus with Mr Brooks when he was murdered by racists in Eltham, south-east London, in 1993.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Fiona Taylor, who is in charge of the Directorate of Professional Standards, has written to Mr Brooks' solicitor Jane Deighton saying documentation authorising the recording of the meeting in May 2000 has been discovered.

The actual recording has not yet been found and is still being searched for.

Ms Taylor was asked to urgently assess what happened after it emerged at the end of June that the police had allegedly launched some sort of smear campaign against Stephen's parents, Doreen and Neville.

Following those shock revelations it was claimed that the police had made secret recordings of interviews between Mr Brooks, his lawyer and detectives.

Scotland Yard launched an investigation into those allegations last week. Nothing illegal has been uncovered so far.

Mr Grieve, who is now retired, has defended authorising the covert recording of the interviews at the offices of Ms Deighton, insisting it was done in order to protect the integrity of the evidence and make sure he was doing everything he could to find Stephen's killers.

Stephen Lawrence was murdered in a racist attack

Acting within the parameters of the law, he claims that if he had offered Mr Brooks and his legal team the option of recording the interview and keeping it, there would have been objections and the interview would have been quite different. His request to conduct the secret recording was approved by Scotland Yard.

But Mr Grieve has apologised for any "discomfort or dismay" the actions might have caused Mr Brooks and the Lawrence family.

In a statement, Ms Deighton said Mr Brooks was "going to take some time to absorb the enormity of the admission that the former DAC Grieve deliberately deceived him in the guise of providing him with victim support".

Former undercover officer Peter Francis, who worked with Scotland Yard's former Special Demonstration Squad, last month alleged that he had been told to find information to use to smear the Lawrence family, and spoke out about tactics that he said were used by the secretive unit in the 1980s and 1990s.

In the wake of his claims, Mr and Mrs Lawrence called for a public inquiry into the allegations, which the teenager's mother said made her feel "sick to the stomach".

Shadow minister for policing David Hanson said Mr Grieve's admission over the secret recordings "mean an independent inquiry is all the more needed".  

"These differing accounts of secret recordings and the activities of some police officers surrounding the Lawrence case and Macpherson inquiry (the 1998 public inquiry into Stephen's death) make it more vital we get full disclosure," he said.

Prime Minister David Cameron has said he remains open to further probes into the allegations but has so far resisted calls for another full public inquiry.

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Azelle Rodney 'Unlawfully Killed' By Police

An inquiry into the death of a man shot dead by police eight years ago has concluded that he was unlawfully killed.

Azelle Rodney, who was 24, died after the car he was in was stopped by armed officers in London.

An official report found the police marksman who shot Mr Rodney had no reason to believe he had picked up a weapon - so there was "no lawful justification" for killing him.

The officer who fired the fatal shots could now face criminal charges after the case was referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Mr Rodney's mother Susan Alexander said the report backed her view that her son was "executed" and demanded an apology from Scotland Yard.

Former High Court judge Sir Christopher Holland released his findings following the public inquiry into the shooting in Edgware, north London in 2005.

The VW Golf in which the victim was travelling with two other men was stopped by officers who feared the trio were on their way to stage an armed heist on Colombian drug dealers and had an automatic weapon capable of firing 1,000 rounds per minute.

Mr Rodney's family and legal team spoke out after the report was published

Mr Rodney was shot six times, once each in the arm and back and four times in the head.

Sir Christopher's critical conclusions raise the possibility of the officer, known only as E7, facing criminal charges for the shooting.

He found that even if the armed officer believed Mr Rodney had picked up a weapon, it was disproportionate to fire the four fatal head shots.

E7 told the inquiry that he had seen Mr Rodney start moving around, reaching down and then coming back up with his shoulders hunched.

But Sir Christopher's report dismissed this account, which was also contradicted by eyewitnesses.

It said: "E7's accounts of what he saw are not to be accepted. Prior to firing he did not believe that the man who turned out to be Azelle Rodney had picked up a gun and was about to use it.

"Further, on the basis of what he was able to see, he could not rationally have believed that."

The officer has written to the inquiry to claim that the findings against him are " irrational".

Three guns were found in the Golf - a Colt .45 calibre pistol, a Baikal pistol and a smaller gun that looked like a key fob.

The Colt was not loaded, the Baikal was loaded but was not cocked and the safety catch was on, and the key fob gun was loaded, cocked and the safety catch was off.

During the 11-week public inquiry it emerged that E7 had previously shot two men dead during an incident in the 1980s, and injured another two.

Inquests into the men's deaths later found that they had been lawfully killed, and the officer received a commendation from the-then Metropolitan Police Commissioner for his conduct.

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said the Met "deeply regrets" the killing

The two injured men were later tried and jailed.

Sir Christopher found that Operation Tayport, which led to Mr Rodney's death, was not run in a way that would minimise the threat to life.

He also concluded that the "hard stop" on the Golf "fell short of the standards set by the MPS".

Drivers were not supposed to deliberately ram the suspect car but two of the police cars did.

The firearms officers were also supposed to be wearing police caps, but the two that could be seen in a video of the shooting were not.

Two officers also fired rounds into the tyres of the Golf after it had been rammed and hemmed in by unmarked police cars.

Sir Christopher has recommended that Scotland Yard now nominates a senior officer to carry out a review of the operation.

Speaking after the report was published, Mr Rodney's mother Susan Alexander said: "I do not seek to justify what Azelle was doing on the day he died, but he was entitled to be apprehended and, if there was evidence, to be charged and brought before a court of law to face trial before a jury.

"The fact that he was strongly suspected in being involved in crime does not justify him or anyone else being summarily killed."

She said she did not want any further delays in investigating what happened to her son, and asked for apologies from the police and watchdog the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said: "I have read the findings carefully and want to express my personal sympathy to Mr Rodney's family.

"The MPS deeply regrets his death, and I recognise how distressing the inquiry must have been for them."

He said the force accepts recommendations made by Sir Christopher about how officers are debriefed after firearms operations.

The CPS said in a statement: "Following the publication of the report into Mr Rodney's death, the IPCC has written to the Director of Public Prosecutions to ask that we review the case in light of new evidence provided to the Public Inquiry.

"This review will be completed as soon as practicable, in close liaison with the IPCC and in accordance with the Attorney General's undertaking to the inquiry."

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Egypt Coup: Three Killed In Cairo Gun Battle

At least three people have reportedly been shot dead after Egyptian troops opened fire in a stand-off with demonstrators.

Violence erupted as supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi marched on the Cairo headquarters of the Republican Guard chanting "down with military rule".

Thousands of people streamed towards the barracks after a Muslim Brotherhood rally at the city's Rabea al Adaweya mosque.

Protesters carry away an injured man in Cairo

Shots were fired as protesters hung pictures of Mr Morsi on a barbed wire barrier around the military complex, although a spokesman for the Egyptian army said troops were using only blank rounds.

Soldiers were pelted with stones and responded by firing tear gas into the crowd.

Sky's Middle East correspondent Sam Kiley, who is in Cairo, saw several people injured in one army savlo and said live rounds had "certainly" been used.

The army says soldiers fired blank rounds and tear gas

"I've seen one spent bullet from an automatic weapon," he said. "There were shotguns in use."

He spoke to one man whose clothes were apparently stained with the blood of a victim and said the atmosphere as "tense", with the headquarters likely to become a "magnet" for supporters of Mr Morsi.

The clashes came after the United Nations' human rights chief expressed concern at the arrest of key members of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.

A supporter of Mohamed Morsi holds a poster of the ousted president

Navi Pillay said there should be "no more violence, no arbitrary detention, no illegal acts of retribution" following the military intervention that forced Mr Morsi from office.

He is believed to have been placed under house arrest since Egypt's top judge, Adli Mansour, was sworn in as interim president.

At least four of his aides and advisers are also being held.

Mohamed Morsi is said to be under house arrest

Elsewhere, the Egyptian army positioned its tanks and troops outside the presidential palace in Cairo, blocking access to protesters. There have been smaller-scale clashes way from Cairo, with protesters taking on police in Alexandria.

It came after the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies called for protesters to take to the streets on the Muslim day of prayer for what it described as a "Friday of Rage".

Egyptians are braced for more violence, although Muslim Brotherhood officials have urged their followers to keep their protests peaceful.

Sky's Andrew Wilson, in Cairo, said: "Everyone's trying to read the signals and figure out what's most likely to happen next, and they're hoping for some sort of resolution.

"One thing we will not see this time round, as we might have seen during some parts of the original Arab Spring, is two sides clashing.

"The protesters in Tahrir Square - this so-called coalition or rebellion - all agreed on one point and one point only. They wanted Mr Morsi out and they've won. They have no interest whatsoever in getting involved in clashes in the streets.

"Two-and-a-half years ago, it was pro-Hosni Mubarak supporters fighting with anti-Mubarak campaigners, clashing with the army in the middle.

"The army has delivered what half the population wants and now only has the job of policing the other half."

Meanwhile, Ms Pillay called on authorities to investigate the "appalling" rise in sexual violence against women.

It comes after a number of women told Human Rights Watch they had been assaulted in Tahrir Square.

The charity said some women had been beaten with metal chairs, chains and sticks, while others were attacked with knives.

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Falkirk Row: Union Boss Hits Back At Labour

Unite boss Len McCluskey says the Labour leadership is caught in "anti-union Tory hysteria" over the Falkirk candidate selection row.

Labour is handing its investigation into alleged irregularities over the selection of an election candidate in Falkirk to the police, a senior party source told Sky.

It is claimed Unite crammed the Scottish constituency with 100 or more members whose subscriptions were paid by the union, some of them without their knowledge.

Facing potentially the biggest crisis of his Labour leadership, Ed Miliband earlier told Mr McCluskey to face up to "malpractice" and insisted the union - Labour's biggest donor - should not be defending the "machine politics".

But Mr McCluskey hit back, saying: "It seems to me that the Labour leadership is now being caught up in anti-union Tory hysteria.

"I would urge the Labour leadership to stop responding to the Tory agenda.

Tom Watson has resigned

"We believe [Labour] have handled it absolutely amateurishly and they have played into the Prime Minister's and the Coalition's hands.

"They must be rubbing their hands at this."

Mr McCluskey accused the Labour leadership of deliberately picking a fight in an echo of Tony Blair's "Clause IV moment" when he got rid of Labour's historic commitment to collective ownership.

"It's depressing that Labour leaders seem to want to have a Clause IV moment, they've got to have a situation where they front up union leaders," he said.

"Well Ed [Miliband] doesn't need to front up me, I'm his friend, I support him."

He is calling for an independent inquiry into the allegations.

"We have no confidence in the so-called investigation that has been carried out by Labour Party HQ," he said.

"If an independent report indicates that Unite have done something wrong then I'll be the first to put my hand up and accept responsibility for it and do something about it.

"But at the moment we're caught up in a media storm caused by Labour's inability to deal with this situation.

"They've shot themselves in the foot."

Karie Murphy was Unite's favoured candidate for Falkirk

The seething dispute has seen Tom Watson - who has close links with Unite - stepp down as Labour's deputy chairman and left the shadow cabinet.

Mr Watson said that he was quitting to safeguard "the unity of the party".

Mr Miliband also announced he was suspending two members of the Falkirk party - constituency chairman Stephen Deans and Karie Murphy, Mr Watson's office manager who was Unite's favoured candidate for the seat.

Speaking at a charity event in London earlier, Mr Miliband said: "The Labour Party I lead will select its candidates in a fair and transparent way.

"We will act without fear or favour. Instead of defending what happened in Falkirk, Len McCluskey should be facing up to his responsibilities.

"He should not be defending the machine politics involving bad practice and malpractice that went on there, he should be facing up to it.

"We had members being signed up without their knowledge, bad practice, malpractice and, frankly, instead of defending that kind of thing, Len McCluskey should be condemning it."

Conservative Paty chairman Grant Shapps has written to Mr Miliband demanding the publication of Labour's internal report on events in Falkirk.

Mr Shapps also asked Mr Miliband whether he would suspend candidates in 40 other seats named in a leaked Unite document as enjoying support from the union in selection contests.

Labour insists it has no evidence of membership irregularities in any constituencies outside Falkirk.

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Pope Clears John Paul II For Sainthood

Pope Francis has cleared John Paul II for sainthood, approving a second miracle attributed to his intercession, the Vatican says.

John Paul was extremely popular during much of his 27-year-papacy. 

He died in 2005 at age 84.

The canonisation ceremony is expected to take place before the end of the year, possibly in December.

Two miracles are required for sainthood.

A view of St Peter's Square during John Paul's funeral

The first miracle to be approved by the Vatican came just six months after John Paul's death, when French nun Sister Marie Simon-Pierre inexplicably recovered from Parkinson's disease after praying for the late pontiff's "intercession".

There have been suggestions that Sister Marie did not actually have Parkinson's.

The Vatican spokesman said the second miracle concerned a Costa Rican woman.

The Spanish Catholic newspaper La Razon said she suffered from a brain aneurysm that was inexplicably cured on May 1, 2011 - the day of John Paul's beatification.

La Razon reported that the woman had been given only a month to live after doctors found she had the aneurysm. But her family said that after they prayed to John Paul, the aneurysm disappeared.

Pope Francis approved the second miracle attributed to John Paul

The newspaper quoted her doctor, Dr Alejandro Vargas, as saying: "I can't explain it based on science."

For a healing to be officially certified as a miracle, the occurrence must be permanent, instantaneous and have no scientific explanation.

The Vatican put John Paul on a fast-track to sainthood just weeks after his death on April 2, 2005, dispensing with the traditional five-year waiting period.

Calls for the beloved pontiff to become a saint erupted at his funeral, where many mourners shouted "Santo Subito!" ("Sainthood Now!").

But some Vatican observers have voiced concerns that the process has been too quick.

The Pope with the Queen in 2000

The last years of John Paul's papacy have been marred by a clerical sex abuse scandal, and critics said he failed to address other problems such as dysfunctional governance at the Vatican.

As one of the longest-serving popes, the Polish-born John Paul travelled far and wide, often greeted by massive crowds as he championed peace, denounced human rights abuses and deplored the decadence of the modern world.

Pope John XIII was dubbed the 'good pope'

He eschewed the pomp that surrounded his predecessors to seek contact with ordinary people, and is credited by many with helping to topple Communism in Eastern Europe. In 1981, he survived an assassination attempt in St Peter's Square.

But he also alienated many Catholics with staunchly conservative views on social matters.

Pope Francis also decided to make the late pontiff John XXIII a saint even though the Vatican has not confirmed a second miracle attributed to his intercession.

The Vatican said Francis had the power to "dispense" with the normal saint-making procedures to canonise him on his own merit, without a miracle.

John XXIII, who led the Roman Catholic Church between 1958 and 1963, was dubbed the "good pope" and enacted sweeping reforms to modernise the Vatican.

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Madeleine McCann: New UK Police Investigation

By Michelle Clifford, Senior News Correspondent

Madeleine McCann's parents have welcomed the launch of a new UK police investigation into their daughter's disappearance.

A Met Police review has identified 38 "persons of interest" who detectives want to speak to in relation to the suspected abduction in 2007 - almost twice as many as previously thought.

Officers say they are moving from the case review to an "investigative stage of the inquiry" and now intend to pursue more information about those individuals - 12 of whom are UK nationals.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is heading up the inquiry, calls this "a critical moment" in the the search for Madeleine.

He said: "We have been in a unique position over the last two years in drawing together three strands - Portuguese, UK and private investigators' material.

"From that vast quantity of material analysed we have identified 38 persons of interest and 12 who are UK nationals, and it is from that position that we are able to move from review to investigation."

The Met intends to apply to issue formal requests to Portugal for evidence to be gathered and to allow a team of British officers to be present during the process.

The working relationship between UK and Portuguese police is now said to be "positive and focused" and, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, both countries are working on the assumption that Madeleine may still be alive.

Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry say they "warmly welcome" the new probe

DCI Redwood said: "There is no clear, definitive proof that Madeleine McCann is dead.

"On that basis I genuinely believe there is a possibility she is still alive. And so I would like to ask the public to continue to look for her."

Madeleine was three when she vanished from her bedroom in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in May 2007 as her parents Kate and Gerry dined with friends nearby.

The local police investigation was called off a year later, yielding few clues into her disappearance or whereabouts.

In 2011, the Met launched its review of the case and earlier this year it was reported that around 20 "persons of interest" had been identified.

The Home Office said in June that it was prepared to fund any continuing investigation.

Met detectives have made 16 visits to Portugal and officers have met and shared their findings with key members of both the Policia Judiciaria and the judicial authorities.

A spokesman for the McCanns said: "Kate and Gerry warmly welcome the shift in the Met's emphasis from review to investigation.

"It is clearly a big step forward in establishing what happened and, hopefully, towards bringing whoever is responsible for Madeleine's abduction to justice."

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Honduras Boat Crew 'Survived On Rainwater'

Nine crew members rescued after five days adrift in their boat off the coast of Honduras have said they survived by drinking rainwater.

The crew said they ran out of fuel and only survived by catching rain as their boat was tossed around in stormy weather.

One of the rescued crew members, Tasha Brown, said they had no food and caught drinking water from two storms in buckets and containers.

"In the middle of the night we hit two storms ... and it just poured and poured," the 20-year-old Canadian told ABC News.

"We flipped over every bucket that we had, ever container, every surface that could catch water. ... [We] prayed that we weren't going to be flipped over by the storm and that we would have water for the next day."

The 28-ft vessel was spotted by a US Coast Guard plane about 66 miles from the western coast of Roatan, Honduras, where it had set sail on Saturday afternoon.

The group had run out of fuel during an 18-mile trip to Utila Island.

USCG spokesman Gabe Somma said the eight people on board - two Americans, a Canadian and six Hondurans - were all alive.

They were hoisted into a US Army helicopter on Wednesday afternoon and taken to Clearwater in Florida for treatment.

The search covered more than 4,000 square miles after a family member of the US citizens reported the boat missing.

The multi-agency mission included the Coast Guard, the Honduran navy, and aircraft attached to the US Southern Command in Honduras.

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Egypt Coup: Interim President Is Sworn In

Egypt's top judge has been sworn in as interim president, a day after the overthrow of the country's first democratically elected leader, Mohamed Morsi.

Adli Mansour, the chief justice of Egypt's supreme constitutional court, took his oath of office under an army transition plan during a ceremony that was broadcast live on state television.

Shortly afterwards, officials announced they had arrested the supreme leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group of the deposed president.

Mohammed Badie was arrested on Wednesday night in a coastal city west of Cairo and flown to the capital on a military helicopter.

As the swearing-in ceremony got underway, military jets staged a series of fly-pasts across the capital.

Above Tahrir Square, for days the centre of anti-government protests, Air Force planes painted the sky in the colours of the national flag.

"I swear to preserve the system of the republic, and respect the constitution and law, and guard the people's interests," Mr Mansour said.

He praised the mass protests, saying they united Egyptians, but also invited the deposed president's Muslim Brotherhood "to take part in the political life".

Egypt's chief justice Adli Mansour is sworn in

"The most glorious thing about June 30 is that it brought together everyone without discrimination or division," he continued.

"I offer my greetings to the revolutionary people of Egypt.

"I look forward to parliamentary and presidential elections held with the genuine and authentic will of the people.

"The youth had the initiative and the noblest thing about this glorious event is that it was an expression of the nation's conscience and an embodiment of its hopes and ambitions. It was never a movement seeking to realise special demands or personal interests," he added.

Muslim Brotherhood supporters clash with riot police in Cairo

The ceremony followed the dramatic removal of Mr Morsi by the military, the suspension of the Islamist-drafted constitution and a declaration of fresh presidential and parliamentary elections.

Mr Morsi, who was elected a year ago, remains in custody at an undisclosed facility.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which renounced violence decades ago, said it would boycott the new military-sponsored political process, but vowed not to take up arms, according to a senior leader of the group, Mohamed El-Beltagy.

But he warned that the overthrow might push other groups towards violent resistance.

Soldiers keep guard near a camp of pro-Morsi supporters in Cairo

The "second revolution" - after the Arab Spring uprisings that led to the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in 2011 - leaves Egypt's 84 million people deeply divided.

In Cairo's Tahrir Square, millions celebrated the news of Mr Morsi's removal with fireworks. At a square near Cairo University, his supporters were stunned into initial silence at the news.

The president's ousting prompted clashes across Egypt that left at least 14 people dead and hundreds wounded.

Fearing a violent reaction by Mr Morsi's supporters, troops and armoured vehicles were deployed across the streets of Cairo and elsewhere, surrounding Islamist rallies.

British Prime Minister David Cameron called for a return to the democratic process.

"We never support in countries the intervention by the military but what now needs to happen … is for democracy to flourish and for a genuine democratic transition to take place," he said.

"All parties need to be involved in that, and that's what Britain and our allies will be saying very clearly to the Egyptians."

General Abdul Fatah Khalil al Sisi announces the overthrow of Mohamed Morsi

Amid a crackdown on Islamist movements, prosecutors sought the arrest of the Muslim Brotherhood's top leaders and of some 300 members of the group and other organisations.

In a televised address, the commander of the armed forces, General Abdul Fatah Khalil al Sisi, said Mr Morsi had "failed to meet the demands of the Egyptian people".

Flanked by military officials, Muslim and Christian clerics and political figures, he unveiled details of a political transition which he said had been agreed with them.

As acting leader, Mr Mansour will be assisted by an interim council and a technocratic government until new presidential and parliamentary elections are held. No details were given as to when the new polls would take place.

The military chief also announced a national reconciliation committee that would include youth movements, and said the armed forces and police would deal "decisively" with any violence.

Anti-Morsi protesters react to the army statement

"Those in the meeting have agreed on a road map for the future that includes initial steps to achieve the building of a strong Egyptian society that is cohesive and does not exclude anyone and ends the state of tension and division," he said.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed for a peaceful settlement of the crisis, saying he would personally deliver a message to the country's leaders later in the day.

He said the "voices and aspirations of the people should have been heard" and that it was important to restore the democratic process in a "very volatile" situation.

President Barack Obama voiced his concern over the military intervention and urged a speedy return to a democratically elected government.

In a statement he said: "We are deeply concerned by the decision of the Egyptian Armed Forces to remove President Morsi and suspend the Egyptian constitution.

Muslim Brotherhood members and pro-Morsi supporters react in Cairo

"I now call on the Egyptian military to move quickly and responsibly to return full authority back to a democratically elected civilian government as soon as possible through an inclusive and transparent process, and to avoid any arbitrary arrests of President Morsi and his supporters."

The US and other world powers have not branded Mr Morsi's removal as a military coup - which might trigger sanctions.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he had talked with his Egyptian counterpart and had been reassured that "there will be early presidential elections".

He said: "It is the problem with a military intervention that it is a precedent for the future, that if this is going to happen to a democratically elected president it can happen to another in the future, and that's why it's so important to entrench democratic institutions."

A military helicopter above Tahrir Square

The Foreign Office has advised British citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Egypt apart from the Red Sea resorts, and to monitor travel advice from the Foreign Office.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton condemned the bloodshed and also called for a swift return to democracy.

Mr Morsi's overthrow came after days of demonstrations against the government. He rejected calls to step down and defied an army deadline.

Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sam Kiley said the atmosphere among Muslim Brotherhood supporters was "extremely subdued", with many going underground.

A soldier cheers with anti-Morsi protesters

"One person, asking to remain anonymous, says that he feels that for them the regime has gone back to the days of Hosni Mubarak, when they were a banned organisation and their leadership was in jail."

The Brotherhood's TV station was taken off air and its managers arrested hours after Mr Morsi was overthrown.

The Egypt25 channel had been broadcasting live coverage of rallies by tens of thousands of pro-Morsi demonstrators in Cairo and around the country, with speeches by leading Muslim Brotherhood politicians denouncing the military intervention to oust the elected president.

The offices of Al Jazeera's Egyptian television channel were also reportedly raided by security forces and prevented from broadcasting from a pro-Morsi rally. Several members of staff were also reportedly detained.

:: Follow live updates here

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Mandela: Doctors Said 'Turn Off Life Support'

Doctors advised that Nelson Mandela's life support should be turned off as he was in a 'vegetative state', court documents show.

More follows...

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Egypt's Morsi Fights On As Army Deadline Passes

Why Egyptian Army Backs The People

Updated: 1:45pm UK, Wednesday 03 July 2013

By Sam Kiley, Middle East Correspondent, in Cairo

Egypt's Supreme Council for the Armed Forces (Scarf) has pirouetted through a revolution and successive crises.

With extraordinary agility, the military sloughed off its history of dictatorship and took on a new costume of defender of the State and its people in 2011.

It has now locked horns with the Arab world's most populous nation's democratically-elected president, again in the name of the people.

Could there be other motives for his new found champion of Egypt's industrial workers.

The Scarf's chairman, General Abdul Fatah al Sisi, British and American trained, gave the president 48 hours to end an uprising against his first year in office, or ...

The rest is unclear. But leaks to local and international media indicate that a coup has been planned.

The threat is new. The complaints are not.

In December last year and in the following February, the general called on the government to acknowledge the will of the people.

Then, as now, large sections of society are angered by attacks on the media and the Islamisation of the new constitution.

On June 15, many were horrified when President Mohamed Morsi called on Egyptians to join a 'Holy War' against President Bashar al Assad of Syria - seemingly putting Egypt's weight behind a Syrian jihad.

His party, the Muslim Brotherhood, was banned by the military in 1954.

Its members suffered decades of persecution, imprisonment, exile, torture and death but emerged as the most well-organised element of the 2011 revolution - and won political power as a result.

This has been anathema to the military which see themselves in the Nasserite tradition of modernising Arabs.

But there may also be less high-minded reasons for the military to be backing 'the people' against the president.

The armed forces control vast amounts of the Egyptian economy. Its investments and holdings include hotels, fridge factories, mineral water bottling, car manufacturing. Its agricultural operations make it the country's biggest food supplier.

Officially it acknowledges generating $198m (£130m) a year. The true scale is probably several times that figure.

Now Egypt's economy is on its knees. It has been bailed out by Qatar but remains dangerous vulnerable to debt default.

Two years of instability has been bad for the economy and the military's assets inside that economy.

Law and order has been collapsing - the Sinai is now a largely military zone where Egypt's army has been sent to fight Islamists.

Towns like Port Said have been largely abandoned by the police.

Religious tensions have risen between Muslims and Egypt's 10 million Christians.

So the economy continues to decline.

The military may well want to head off a further collapse of central power and seize it in the 'interests of the nation'.

But such a move might not be bad for its business, either.

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Egypt Sex Attacks Reach 'Horrific' Levels

Almost 100 women have been sexually assaulted in Cairo's Tahrir Square in just four days, according to Human Rights Watch.

The charity described the attacks as "rampant" and said they highlight the "failure of the government and all political parties to face up to the violence that women in Egypt experience on a daily basis".

Some of the 91 women assaulted were reportedly beaten with metal chains, chairs and sticks, while others were attacked with knives.

Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said: "These are serious crimes that are holding women back from participating fully in the public life of Egypt at a critical point in the country's development."

The assaults come amid escalating protests in the square around the first anniversary of President Mohamed Morsi's election.

He faces mounting pressure to resign, as well as an army deadline to resolve the country's political crisis that could lead to military intervention.

Some say the attacks are staged by thugs who are abusing a lack of security and are confident of escaping prosecution.

Others claim they are organised to scare women into not joining anti-government protests.

Human Rights Watch cited figures from a hotline for victims of sexual assault and Nazra for Feminist Studies, a women's rights group.

The watchdog called on Egyptian officials and political leaders to "condemn and take immediate steps to address the horrific levels of sexual violence" in the square.

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Pelka Case: Sibling Says Boy Had Head 'Bashed'

The sibling of Daniel Pelka, who died after allegedly being starved to death, has told a court how the four-year-old had his head "bashed" in the bathroom.

The jury at Birmingham Crown Court was played a tape of evidence given by the child, whose age and gender cannot be published for legal reasons.

The prosecution claims Daniel died of head injuries after being subjected to a campaign of "incomprehensible" cruelty at the hands of his mother and stepfather.

Magdelena Luczak and her partner Mariusz Krezolek deny murder and causing or allowing Daniel's death.

During the interviews with police, the sibling claimed that Daniel hit his head on a bath after being pushed over.

Responding to questions from a female police officer, the witness said: "When Mariusz was too much drinking, my brother had a cold bath and I asked Mariusz to stop it.

"I got my brother from the bath and I pulled the plug out and I hugged him."

Asked by the police officer to give further details of the incident, the witness replied: "I was downstairs, I heard him screaming.

"I came upstairs and smashed Mariusz to stop it, and he stopped it.

"I got my brother from the bath and put a towel on him and hugged him."

The child said the last time they saw Daniel he was "sleeping in my bedroom" and they "tried to wake him up ... I listened to his heart ... I couldn't hear his heart ... it couldn't beat".

The child said they used to hide and cook food to give to Daniel "because he's not allowed to come down the stairs".

The court heard that the boy's bedroom "smelled disgusting" and the sibling said they had seen bruises on his legs.

The child said: "I love him and I didn't want him to be hurt."

Daniel, whose physical condition was likened by a doctor to that of a concentration camp victim, is alleged to have been deliberately starved over several months.

The primary school pupil was pronounced dead in the early hours of March 3 last year after paramedics were called to his home.

Krezolek, 33, and Luczak, 27, are alleged to have "imprisoned" Daniel in an upstairs room.

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Mandela Family Remains 'Must Be Exhumed'

By Robert Nisbet, Sky News Correspondent

Nelson Mandela's eldest grandson has lost his appeal against a court order to return the remains of three relatives to a graveyard where the former president was raised.

Mandla Mandela, who is the chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council, had exhumed the bodies of his father and two other children of the ailing icon without seeking permission from other relatives.

He put the remains in three graves near a visitor centre and complex he is building in the Eastern Cape where Nelson Mandela was born.

The relatives argue he moved the bodies to establish a family cemetery at the development - which could eventually include the grave of Nelson Mandela - in order to attract paying tourists.

After Judge Lusindiso Pakade made the ruling, one of the lawyers for the Mandela family was heard saying outside court: "The hearse is on the way."

Mandela's daughter Makaziwe (L), grandson Ndaba and granddaughter Ndileka

The court has said Mandla, the chief of the clan and Mandela's official heir, must exhume the bodies by 3pm, or a sheriff would be sent to Qunu to carry out the task.

The grandson's legal team launched an immediate appeal, saying the chief did not have enough time to explain his side of the story to the court and called for a mediator to be appointed, to avoid unwanted publicity.

Mandela's eldest daughter Makaziwe Mandela, her nephew Ndaba Mandela, and niece Ndileka Mandela were in court to observe proceedings.

The graves are those of Mandela's eldest son, Mandla Mandela's father, Makgatho Mandela, who died in 2005; Mandela's first daughter Makaziwe Mandela, who died as an infant in 1948; and Mandela's second son Madiba Thembekile, who died in a car accident in 1969.

The family dispute comes as the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader remains critically ill in a Pretoria hospital.  

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Shipley: Man Arrested Over Murder And Stabbing

Police are linking the murder of an 84-year-old woman to the stabbing of a nine-year-old boy and another incident in which a girl of eight was chased into her home.

West Yorkshire Police said a 26-year-old man has been arrested over the murder of pensioner Louisa Denby at her home in Shipley, West Yorkshire, on Monday, and the attempted murder of the boy at a nearby skate park.

Speaking at the skate park, Detective Superintendent Lisa Griffin said the boy was attacked for no reason and with no warning.

The officer said the girl was chased through her garden 10 minutes later but she went inside her home and came to no harm.

Det Supt Griffin said five people were in custody in relation to the three related incidents and officers were not looking for anyone else.

She confirmed that a knife had been recovered and that the 26-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder was related to Mrs Denby.

Shipley skate park

"Ten minutes after that attack on a nine-year-old boy, an eight-year-old girl was chased through her garden at home.

"Fortunately the girl went inside the house and nothing untoward happened to her."

Det Supt Griffin said inquiries into these two incidents had led officers to a semi-detached house in Prospect Mount where Mrs Denby's body was found.

"It's my belief at this time that the three incidents are linked," she said.

She went on: "The nine-year-old boy was out playing and was returning home for a drink when he was approached by the male suspect.

"With no prior warning and for no reason known to us at this time, he was attacked with a knife - a single stab wound causing him injuries to his chest and his arm."

Prospect Mount

The boy was taken to Leeds General Infirmary after emergency services were called to the skate park at about 4.40pm. He was due to undergo surgery and is said to be in a stable condition.

The girl was playing in the garden of her home in Prospect Grove "when a male approached and tried to draw her attention, chased her through the garden and she went into her home address".

Mrs Denby's body was found just before midnight. She had suffered a number of stab wounds, police have said.

Sky's North of England Correspondent Gerard Tubb, in Shipley, said Mrs Denby, a retired head teacher, was well-liked.

Next-door neighbour Jackie Smith said: "She was such a good neighbour and she was really respected down this road.

"She was my husband's school teacher and then, when she moved in, she'd say 'Hiya, Michael, I remember you'. She was absolutely lovely."

Any witnesses or anyone with information is asked to contact the non-emergency number 101 or Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111.

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CCTV Shows Cop Killing Child Snatcher

CCTV images have been released of a child hostage situation in an Oklahoma supermarket, which ended with a policeman shooting dead the suspect.

The surveillance video released by police in Midwest City shows a man snatching a two-year-old girl from a shopping trolley and then holding a knife to her throat.

The toddler's mother, Alicia Keating, frantically pleads with the man, identified as Sammie Wallace, 37, as other shoppers crowd around.

The man snatches the child as her mother's back is turned

She is seen and heard calling 911 for help. Local police are quickly on the scene and clear the store. 

After 30 minutes of tense negotiation, police said Wallace began talking about a satanic cult and counting down from 60.

One of the officers, Captain David Huff, determined that the only way to ensure the safety of the toddler would be to take drastic action. 

On the video he is seen moving quickly towards the hostage-taker and preparing to fire a single shot at his head.

The pictures stop at that point, but the police commentary continues and confirms Wallace was killed. The child was unharmed.

The mother pleads for her child to be let go

"Obviously, our goal was to talk him down to get him to release the child,"  Police Chief Brandon Clabes told reporters.

"I mean, we waited until the last second to use deadly force. No one wants to take a life, especially in the line of duty."

The Oklahoma County district attorney said the shooting on June 17 was justified, and hailed Captain Huff as a hero.

Wallace served time in a Texas prison from 2000 to 2011 on drug and assault charges. He was known to have a long history of mental illness.

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Linzi Ashton Murder: Man Arrested By Police

Detectives investigating the murder of mother-of-two Linzi Ashton have arrested a man on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have offered a £5,000 reward for information leading to the capture of Michael Cope, whom they describe as a "dangerous man".

He is wanted for the "sustained and vicious" murder of Miss Ashton, whose body was found at her home in Winton, Salford, on Saturday.

A post-mortem concluded she died as a result of pressure to the neck and multiple injuries.

A 25-year-old man was arrested on Monday night on suspicion of helping Cope, a police spokesman said.

Cope had been in a relationship with Ms Ashton

Chief Superintendent Kevin Mulligan said: "We are continuing to do all we can to trace Michael Cope and urge him once again to hand himself in to the police.

"We also reiterate our appeal to those who may have information on Cope's whereabouts to speak to us in confidence.

"We are also working with our partner agencies to look at evicting anyone who is using their property to offer this man safety."

Cope is still thought to be in the Salford area.

The murder scene in Winton, Salford

Police say they would like to hear from anyone who saw Miss Ashton and Cope after it was established they were together on Friday night.

Miss Ashton, 25, was last seen alive by a friend in the Eccles area shortly before 2am on Saturday.

She was found dead by a relative at her home in Westbourne Road shortly before 6pm on Saturday. Her two daughters, Daisy, two, and Destiny, seven, were not at the address at the time.

Miss Ashton, a barmaid, and Cope had been involved in a brief, "acrimonious" relationship and she had previously complained to police he had raped and beaten her.

GMP have referred their previous contact with Miss Ashton to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney said: "We know that Michael Cope had been in a relationship with Linzi and through that relationship there have been reports to police in respect of allegations made by her.

"This includes a serious sexual offence and an assault that were reported at the end of April and the middle of May respectively.

"I am not going to go into great detail about these offences or our involvement. Suffice it to say Michael Cope was wanted in connection with these matters and numerous attempts were made to arrest him."

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0161 856 8531, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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Stop-And-Search Police Powers To Be Reviewed

The Home Secretary has launched a public consultation into controversial police stop-and-search powers.

Theresa May, in a Commons statement, warned the way the powers were being used was harming community relations as well as wasting police time.

MPs heard that people from black or ethnic minority backgrounds were seven times more likely to be stopped by officers than white people.

Mrs May said more than one million stops were recorded every year but on average only around 9% led to an arrest.

This conversion rate and how long each took to process - around 16 minutes - caused a "dreadful waste of police time", she added.

Last year this took up 312,000 hours - equal to 145 full-time officers doing nothing else, Mrs May told the House.

Theresa May speaking to MPs in the Commons

She stressed that the procedure would not be scrapped but announced a six-week public consultation into its fairness.

She said: "Everybody involved in policing has a duty to ensure nobody is ever stopped just on the basis of their skin colour or ethnicity.

"The law is clear that in normal circumstances stop and search should only ever be used where there is a reasonable suspicion of criminality and that is how it should be."

She added: "Firstly, it must be applied fairly and in a way that builds community confidence in the police, rather than undermining it.

"And second, given the scale of recording requirements placed on the police, when stop-and-search is misapplied, it is a waste of police time."

The consultation comes a few weeks after the Government's equality watchdog said police forces were being fairer and more efficient in how the employed the powers.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found that five forces, including the Metropolitan Police, had reduced their use without compromising crime reduction.

Mrs May has also asked Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to look at the procedure and their report is due within a few weeks.

Under current laws, police need to have reasonable grounds to suspect that the subject is guilty of some form of criminal behaviour before they can conduct a search.

The Home Secretary said: "At its best stop-and-search is a vital power in the fight against crime. At its worst, it is a waste of police time and undermines public confidence in the police."

She promised a formal Government response would be issued by the end of the year.

Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights campaigners Liberty, said: "After years of bad and counter-productive practice, it is encouraging that the Home Secretary is waking up to concerns about stop and search.

"Lax powers have failed to increase public safety and only alienated the young. But whether it's snooping or stopping and searching, warm words and guidance are no substitute for tightening up the law."

Mark Hammond, chief executive of the EHRC, added: "Stop and search is a necessary and useful power.

"If it is used proportionally and intelligently the police can protect the public, reduce crime and disorder and improve relations with black and ethnic minority groups.

"There is no evidence to suggest that disproportionately targeting black and Asian people reduces crime."

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Meat From Diseased Cattle Sold By Defra

Meat from cattle slaughtered after testing positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is being sold for human consumption by Defra, the food and farming ministry has said.

The meat is banned by most supermarkets and burger chains, The Sunday Times reported.

Tesco, for example, rejects it because of "public-health concerns surrounding the issue of bTB and its risk to consumers".

But carcasses from around 28,000 diseased animals are sold to caterers and food processors every year.

The meat then finds its way into schools, hospitals and the military, or is used in products such as pies and pasties, the newspaper said.

A Defra spokeswoman said: "All meat from cattle slaughtered due to bovine TB must undergo rigorous food safety checks before it can be passed fit for consumption.

"The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has confirmed there are no known cases where TB has been transmitted through eating meat and the risk of infection from eating meat, even if raw or undercooked, remains extremely low."

Cattle which test positive for bTB must be slaughtered. Unless a private slaughter is arranged, the animals are taken to slaughter by Defra, which then pays compensation to farmers based on the market value.

Compensation ranges from £81 for a dairy calf up to £1,717 for an older breeding bull. Payments for pedigree cattle vary from £639 to £4,471.

Meat from slaughtered cattle is sold with no warning to processors or consumers that it comes from a bTB-infected herd.

A spokeswoman for the FSA said: "All meat must be marked with an identification mark which will indicate the approval number of the plant of origin.

"However, meat from TB reactors (animals that have failed tests for TB), once it has been passed as fit for human consumption, is not required to be marked in any way to distinguish it from other meat.

"Meat which passes the post-mortem inspection is fit for human consumption and does not need additional labelling."

The spokeswoman said that where an inspection of a carcass reveals tuberculous lesions in more than one organ or region it is declared unfit for human consumption and destroyed.

If the lymph nodes in only one organ or part of the carcass are infected, that area is removed and the rest is considered safe to enter the food chain.

"Cooking this meat would be an additional safety step, but we would emphasise the risk even before cooking is very low," she said.

George Browning, an organic farmer in Frankton, Warwickshire, told Sky News he would be "happy enough" to eat meat from a TB-infected animal.

"It's a waste for one thing," he said. "I'd rather eat something that had had TB than had been filled with drugs of all sorts, which I'd view as more unsafe to eat.

"People have got used to having cheap food and if you want cheap, you can't afford to be picky about what's in there."

The Sunday Times claimed Defra's reassurances contrasted with experts' warnings that rising levels of bTB in cattle are becoming a serious threat to human health.

Such claims have been used to justify a cull of tens of thousands of badgers which are said by some to help spread the disease between cattle.

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Dundee's Landmark Tower Blocks Demolished

By James Matthews, Scotland Correspondent

A church in Dundee was the meat in a "demolition-sandwich" when two neighbouring tower blocks were blown down.

St Martin's Episcopal Church is situated just metres from Butterburn and Bucklemucker Court multi-storeys, which have been razed to the ground.

The congregation was decanted elsewhere for their Sunday worship, where prayers were said for the church to survive intact.

The top of one of the buildings appeared to fall onto its side

The Bishop of Brechin, the Right Reverend Dr Nigel Peyton, told Sky News before the demolition: "We'll be praying for everyone involved in the whole day, really. 

"There'll be a lot of other neighbours anxious about their properties and we'll be praying for them. We are confident that the blow down of the 'multis' will go well. 

"We've made our preparations, we've talked to the contractors and have a lot of confidence in them and we've certainly told our insurers!"

A huge pile of debris was left after the towers were brought to the ground

Preparations for the plume of dust included sealing the church organ in plastic, removing valuable items from the premises and taping up exterior doors.

The demolition of the 25-storey blocks removed two landmarks that have been prominent on the Dundee skyline since 1971. 

The 374 flats were demolished by explosives placed strategically in the structure of the buildings. 

A cloud of dust hangs over Dundee after the demolition

More than 10,000 detonators were used by the contractors SAFEDEM, which has worked on the tower blocks for several months, removing internal fittings and weakening support walls prior to the final 'blow down'. 

An exclusion zone has been set up closing off 20 surrounding streets and, as well as St Martin's Church, around 600 homes and 60 business premises were evacuated.   

Dundee City Council advised people in the area to keep windows and vents closed, not to hang out their washing and to cover garden fish ponds.

The demolition took place as part of a regeneration project for Dundee's Hilltown area.

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Heatwave: Man Dies As Temperatures Hit 50C

A man has died and dozens more have been treated in hospital during a heatwave in the western United States.

The temperature in Phoenix, Arizona, hit 48.3C, while in Las Vegas, Nevada, the mercury rose to 46C, two degrees short of the city's all-time record.

Large swathes of California also sweltered in the extreme heat, although temperatures in Death Valley were around 3C cooler than the 53C that was forecast.

The area's record high of 56.6C, set a century ago, stands as the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth.

Temperatures reached 50C in Death Valley National Park

The first fatality of the heatwave was confirmed in Las Vegas, where paramedics found an elderly man inside a house without air conditioning.

Fire and rescue spokesman Tim Szymanski said the man had pre-existing medical issues, although the heat was thought to have worsened his condition.

Another elderly man suffered a heat stroke when the air conditioner in his car went out for several hours while he was on a long road trip.

He stopped in Las Vegas, called for help and was taken to hospital in a serious condition.

People in Los Angeles shelter under a parasol

More than 40 other people have been seen in hospital in Las Vegas since the heatwave began on Friday, although no life-threatening injuries were reported.

"We will probably start to see a rise in calls on Sunday and Monday as the event prolongs," Mr Szymanski said in a statement.

"People's bodies will be more agitated the longer the event lasts and people may require medical assistance."

The heatwave is expected to last into Tuesday night and possibly longer.

To make matters worse, ocean breezes that would normally cool the region's valleys and deserts have not travelled far enough inland.

Cooling stations have been set up to shelter homeless and elderly people who cannot afford to run air conditioning units.

Rangers took up positions on trails around Lake Mead, Nevada, to persuade people not to hike, while zookeepers in Phoenix tried to keep animals cool, hosing down elephants and feeding tigers frozen fish snacks.

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Salford Murder: Police Seek Linzi Ashton Ex

The ex-boyfriend of a 25-year-old mother who was "brutally murdered" in her home is being hunted by police.

Detectives in Salford said Michael Cope, 28, was their main suspect in the death of Linzi Ashton and have warned locals against "harbouring" him.

Bar worker Ms Ashton had clearly suffered face and head injuries when her body was found on Saturday evening by relatives, police said.

It is understood her daughters Destiny, seven, and Daisy, two, were not at home in Westbourne Road, Winton, at the time.

The couple had an "acrimonious" relationship, police said, and officers had been called to the address in the past. Because of this, the case has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Ms Ashton's children were not at home at the time of the attack

Detective Chief Superintendent Darren Shenton said: "I have named Michael Cope as I believe he is responsible for Linzi's death.

"Linzi and Michael Cope have been in a relationship and that relationship has been acrimonious and the subject of reports to police.

"A young woman has been brutally murdered and our thoughts are with her family and friends at what is obviously a totally devastating time for them.

"I will take a dim view of anybody who provides assistance to Cope knowing that he is being sought by Greater Manchester Police."

A post-mortem examination on Ms Ashton's body was taking place on Sunday.

Neighbours have laid flowers close to the scene as police continue to look for clues.

Tributes were also left at the Duke of York pub in Eccles town centre, where Ms Ashton worked. One read: "Our Lovely Princess Linzi. Fallen too soon. Forever in our hearts and memories."

It is thought Ms Ashton was last seen alive by a friend in the Eccles area shortly before 2am on Saturday.

:: People are advised not to approach Michael Cope. Anyone with information should call police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111

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