Scottish Labour Row May Cost Miliband Dearly

If Ed Miliband allowed himself to gloat over David Cameron being ambushed at the EU summit, and the Tories' battle with UKIP becoming even harder, he would have been foolish and even more out of touch than his critics claim he is.

Margaret Thatcher famously said that "in politics, the unexpected always happens". And the Labour leader probably wasn't expecting his party to be plunged into a civil war by the resignation of its leader in Scotland – just 24 hours after the Prime Minister was exploding in fury in Brussels.

But Johann Lamont's resignation, after what her critics claimed was a lacklustre performance in the Scottish referendum campaign, wasn't unexpected. Mr Miliband and many Scottish Labour MPs at Westminster say they knew earlier this week that it was coming.

What was unexpected was the ferocity of her onslaught on Mr Miliband and the Labour leadership in her valedictory interview in Scotland's Daily Record, triggering tartan turmoil in the party and revealing splits, rows and bitterness between Westminster and Holyrood.

She accused the Labour leadership in Westminster of treating the Scottish party as a "branch office" and branded some Westminster Labour MPs "dinosaurs… who think nothing has changed".

She complains that the party's Scottish general-secretary was ousted without her being consulted, making her position "untenable".

And, I'm told, she also wanted Eric Joyce kicked out of Parliament after his Westminster bar room brawl, rather than be allowed to remain as an MP sitting as an independent.

Johann Lamont surprised many MPs with her critical newspaper interview

Many will agree that she's right about Westminster "dinosaurs". Many Scottish Labour MPs are still guilty of shocking complacency, despite Alex Salmond winning an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament in the election of 2011, just before Johann Lamont became leader.

Those same Scottish Labour MPs, although no doubt mightily relieved by the No vote in the referendum, still don't seem to grasp the real threat that the SNP poses to Labour in many of its heartlands in the 2015 General Election, based on strong Yes votes in some of those strongholds in the referendum.

Video: Lamont's 'Stinging' Labour Attack

Labour currently holds 41 of the 59 Westminster seats in Scotland. And, leaving aside the row over "English votes for English laws", it needs to hold on to those – or even make a few gains – if Ed Miliband is to have any chance of becoming Prime Minister.

Yet it's estimated that one in three Labour supporters voted Yes in the referendum. And if that haemorrhaging of support was repeated in the General Election, Labour's 41 seats would be down to about 30. That could make the difference between Labour being in Government and staying in the Opposition.

In other words, however well Labour does against the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in English and Welsh marginals, Labour losses to the SNP could rob Mr Miliband of an overall majority, or of leading the largest party in the Commons.

Video: Miliband: Debates Must Take Place

So the Labour disarray, rancour and infighting unleashed by the departing Johann Lamont won't just send shock waves throughout Scotland. It threatens to change the landscape in the whole of the UK.

If there was any gloating by Ed Miliband at David Cameron's Euro-nightmare, it will now have been brought to an abrupt end.

And just who will succeed Johann Lamont? Anas Sarwar? Jim Murphy? Gordon Brown? The job is beginning to look like a poisoned chalice.

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1. Gallery: Who Will Be The Next Scottish Labour Leader?

   Some of the politicians tipped to succeed Johann Lumant: Anas Sarwar is the MP for Glasgow Central, and will assume the role of acting leader of the Scottish Labour Party until a ballot takes place

2. Kezia Dugdale became an MSP for the Lothian Region in 2011, and also writes a column for the Daily Record, the same newspaper used by Johann Lumont to criticise the Labour Party

3. Gordon Brown, the former Prime Minister, has also been tipped for the role. He returned to front-line politics by encouraging the public to vote No in the independence referendum

4. Jim Murphy had insisted he was not going to begin a leadership challenge against Johann Lumont, but all that could now change now she has resigned

5. Douglas Alexander, the MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South, already has a meaty role in Westminster as shadow foreign secretary

6. Jenny Marra is another MSP who entered Holyrood in 2011. She is deemed to have an outside chance of becoming the Scottish Labour leader

The one person who is gloating this weekend, despite falling short of victory in last month's referendum, is the cocky Alex Salmond, who couldn't resist pointing out that Scottish Labour is now going to have its fifth leader since he become Scotland's First Minister in 2007.

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Automatic Quarantine In US For Ebola Medics

New York, New Jersey and Illinois are to begin automatically quarantining medical staff who return from areas badly affected by Ebola.

The decision by the health authorities follows former Doctors Without Borders medic Craig Spencer testing positive for the disease several days after he returned from Guinea.

The World Health Organisation says the number of Ebola deaths has risen to 4,922 and the total cases passed the 10,000 mark at 10,141, mostly in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Dr Spencer, 33, was able to travel on the subway and go bowling before he showed the classic symptoms of the virus and had to go to hospital.

The US government said it was considering adopting the move for the whole country after it emerged that Dr Spencer had already been checked at the border and declared safe.

Video: Ebola Response: Science Not Fear

Hours after the policy was announced, a female healthcare worker who had been quarantined when she arrived from the affected region into Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey, was isolated with a fever.

Preliminary tests have come back negative for the Ebola virus, but the woman continues to be monitored at University Hospital, Newark.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said. "We've seen what happens... You ride a subway. You ride a bus. You could infect hundreds and hundreds of people."

Video: Cured Texas Ebola Nurse 'Blessed'

President Barack Obama praised New York City's quick reaction to its first Ebola case and said he has promised local officials any federal help they need.

He said the US must be guided by science and not fear as it responded to Ebola, insisting the disease can be beaten if people remain vigilant.

The president also sought to reassure members of the public by hugging Dallas nurse Nina Pham, who was one of the first to be treated for the virus in the US.

Video: Ebola: Busting The Myths

She had caught it while working as one of the medical staff treating a man who had earlier arrived from Liberia and who later died of the disease.

Ms Pham, 26, was declared cured on Friday, and gave a speech, thanking those who had treated her.

She said: "I feel fortunate and blessed to be standing here today."

Video: How Ebola Attacks The Human Body

Officials said she did not take any experimental drugs, but she did use blood plasma from previous survivor Dr Kent Brantly, who she also thanked.

Her colleague Amber Vinson, who caught the disease at the same time, was also declared cured, but was not yet well enough to leave hospital.

Dr Spencer remains in a stable condition in an isolation ward at Bellevue Hospital in New York undergoing treatment.

Video: Liberia Gripped By Ebola Virus Fear

The latest case comes as the World Health Organisation announced that it expects hundreds of thousands of doses of a new Ebola vaccine to be available by early next year.

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Scottish Labour Leader In Shock Resignation

Ed Miliband's leadership has come under fire again with the resignation of Scottish Labour Party leader Johann Lamont, as she claimed her colleagues "do not understand the politics they are facing".

The Glasgow MSP used her exit to criticise the party's leadership across the UK, and accused Westminster of trying to manage Scotland "like a branch office of London".

She added: "Colleagues need to realise that the focus of Scottish politics is now Holyrood, not Westminster.

"There is a danger of Scottish politics being between two sets of dinosaurs… the nationalists who can't accept they were rejected by the people, and some colleagues at Westminster who think nothing has changed."

Ed Miliband gave credit to Ms Lamont for her role in the referendum

It marks another setback for Ed Miliband ahead of next year's General Election - already, a group of Scottish Labour activists are pushing for their party to enjoy complete autonomy from London.

Speculation over Ms Lamont's leadership has grown since the referendum, with one senior aide confessing Scottish Labour needed to rediscover its "sense of purpose".

Video: Labour: Scotland Is Still Our Focus

Nicola Sturgeon, due to become the First Minister in November once she replaces Alex Salmond as leader of the SNP, warned that "Scottish Labour really is in meltdown" if rumours of its tensions with Westminster were true.

Ms Lamont alluded to this in her resignation letter to Jamie Glackin, chair of the Scottish Labour Party.

She wrote: "Some, including senior members of the party, have questioned my place in this new phase. In order that we can have the real discussion about how we take Scottish Labour forward, I believe it would be best if I took myself out of the equation and stepped down as leader."

In reaction to Friday's news, a Scottish Conservative spokesman said: "Johann Lamont's resignation has shown the complete chaos at the heart of Ed Miliband's operation in the starkest possible terms.

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1. Gallery: Who Will Be The Next Scottish Labour Leader?

   Some of the politicians tipped to succeed Johann Lumant: Anas Sarwar is the MP for Glasgow Central, and will assume the role of acting leader of the Scottish Labour Party until a ballot takes place

2. Kezia Dugdale became an MSP for the Lothian Region in 2011, and also writes a column for the Daily Record, the same newspaper used by Johann Lumont to criticise the Labour Party

3. Gordon Brown, the former Prime Minister, has also been tipped for the role. He returned to front-line politics by encouraging the public to vote No in the independence referendum

4. Jim Murphy had insisted he was not going to begin a leadership challenge against Johann Lumont, but all that could now change now she has resigned

5. Douglas Alexander, the MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South, already has a meaty role in Westminster as shadow foreign secretary

6. Jenny Marra is another MSP who entered Holyrood in 2011. She is deemed to have an outside chance of becoming the Scottish Labour leader

"The man isn't fit to run a village fete, never mind the UK."

In a statement, Mr Miliband said: "Johann Lamont deserves significant credit for the successful No vote in the Scottish referendum campaign.

"She has led the Scottish Labour Party with determination."

Earlier this week, Scottish Labour was described as "going through a period of reflection" after the referendum, which saw large numbers of the party's supporters vote to leave the UK, despite the overall majority of Scots backing the union.

Video: Fall-Out Over Scottish Referendum

Ms Lamont, who took over as leader in December 2011, is the second Scottish party leader to resign since September's vote - and made her comments during a Daily Record interview.

The first to quit, Alex Salmond MSP, said: "The fact that Scottish Labour are now going to have their fifth leader since the SNP took office in 2007 indicates that their problems are not about personalities - they are much more deep-seated than that.

"It was always very clear that Johann Lamont was never able to be meaningfully in charge of Labour in Scotland, and that is laid bare in dramatic fashion in her resignation comments."

Gordon Brown, who is one of the favourites to succeed the mother-of-two, said: "I am sorry to hear than Johann has resigned.

Video: Gordon Brown On Devolution

"She brought determination, compassion and a down-to-earth approach to the leadership and deserves great credit for taking on the challenge after 2011.

"I wish her well in the future."

Meanwhile, Tony Blair, another former Labour Prime Minister, has had to deny rumours that he privately believes Mr Miliband will not win the next General Election.

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Fourth Man From Portsmouth Dies In Syria

A jihadist fighter has become the fourth man from the same British city to be killed in Syria.

Mehdi Hassan, from Portsmouth, Hampshire, had travelled to the conflict-hit country with a group of four other men in October last year.

A photo of the 19-year-old's body emerged on Twitter on Friday.

His family have confirmed his death, Abdul Jalil, chairman of the Portsmouth Jami Mosque, told Sky News.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of reports of the death of a British national in Syria.

"The UK has advised for some time against all travel to Syria, where all UK consular services are suspended.

"As we do not have any representation in Syria, it is extremely difficult to get any confirmation of deaths or injuries.

"And our options for supporting British nationals there are extremely limited."

On Tuesday, it emerged a third Portsmouth man, Manunur Roshid, had been killed.

The 24-year-old was understood to have joined up with fighters from the Islamic State (IS).

Two of his companions, Ifthekar Jaman, 23, and Muhammad Humidur Rahman, 25, had already died.

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Sergeant-At-Arms Given Standing Ovation

Kevin Vickers, who shot dead a gunman after he opened fire in the Canadian parliament, has been given a standing ovation by colleagues.

At the start of a special sitting of the parliament, a day after Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot dead a soldier at a war memorial before attempting to storm the building, politicians applauded as Mr Vickers walked into the chamber.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave a speech on the attack, before shaking hands with Mr Vickers as MPs stood to applaud again.

Cpl Nathan Cirillo at his post in Ottawa moments before he was killed

The former Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer engaged the gunman as he began firing inside the parliament building, and is believed to have shot him dead.

MPs said a prayer, sang the Canadian national anthem and held a moment of silence after two soldiers have been killed in attacks this week.

Video: Footage Emerges Of Shooting Hero

Mr Harper said the government would give more powers of detention and surveillance to security agencies in the wake of the attack.

He said: "The objective of these attacks was to instil fear and panic in our country and to interrupt the business of government.

"Well, members as I said yesterday, Canadians will not be intimidated.

Video: Man Arrested At Ottawa War Memorial

"We will be vigilant but we will not run scared. We will be prudent but we will not panic and as for the business of government, well, here we are, in our seats, in our chamber in the very heart of our democracy and our work."

He also said plans to bolster Canadian laws and police powers in surveillance, detention and arrest would be sped up.

Video footage has emerged of Mr Vickers patrolling through the corridors in the building after the shooting.

Video: Shots Fired In Canada Parliament

MPs and members of the public were quick to thank him after his intervention on Wednesday.

Veterans affairs minister Julian Fantino said: "All the details are not in, but the Sergeant-at-Arms, a former Mountie, is the one that engaged the gunman... and stopped this."

Craig Scott, an NDP MP for Toronto-Danforth, said: "MPs and Hill staff owe their safety, even lives, to Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers who shot attacker just outside the MPs' caucus rooms."

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1. Gallery: Tributes Paid To Canadian Soldier

   Nathan Cirillo was a member of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

2. Hundreds of messages have been posted on a Facebook tribute page

3. Click through for more images of Cpl Cirillo

Justice minister Peter MacKay tweeted: "Thank God for Sgt at Arms Kevin Vickers & our Cdn security forces. True heroes."

Video: 'Planet Descending Into Savagery'

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Family And Friends Honour 'Spirited' Alice Gross

By Rhiannon Mills, Sky News Correspondent

The family of Alice Gross have said they "find it almost impossible to understand what has happened to her and that we have to say goodbye".

Her family released the statement as they held a private funeral for the 14-year-old, who was found dead in West London after going missing in August.

In the statement, parents Rosalind Hodgkiss and Jose Gross said: "We have been devastated by the appalling circumstances of Alice's death.

"Alice was so spirited, so present, so vital and so full of promise. We want Alice's funeral to focus on the joy of Alice's life and the joy of having known her.

Suspect Arnis Zalkalns was founded after Alice's body was found

"We would like to thank everyone for being so kind and supportive. We have been moved by the depth of sympathy and compassion around us, not only from close family and friends but also from the local community."

Before the humanist service celebrating Alice's life, a hearse carrying the brightly coloured coffin, travelled through Hanwell, where the family live.

Video: Family Pays Tribute To Alice Gross

It was decorated with a meadow scene and pictures of the schoolgirl's pets and had been painted by her sister, Nina, her grandmother, Anne Hodgkiss, and a family friend.

During the private service, videos were shown of the teenager playing and singing her own songs. Tributes were read by teachers, her sister and her parents.

Alice was last seen walking near her home in West London on August 28.

Following her disappearance the Metropolitan Police launched their largest search operation since the July 7 terror attacks.

More than a month after she disappeared, her body was found in the River Brent.

Days later, the prime suspect in her murder, Arnis Zalkalns, was found hanged in nearby Boston Manor Park. Investigations are still being carried out into both of their deaths.

The clocktower in the centre of Hanwell has been covered in yellow flowers in memory of the schoolgirl and locals have lit candles to spell out "We love you Alice".

Jayne Roberts was one of those who put yellows ribbons around West London to help in the search.

She told Sky News: "We'll never forget her and I don't think anyone will.

"We were able to go out and make people aware that Alice was still a missing child and we know that the family has really appreciated what the community has done for them."

The family has asked that donations are made to the charity, Youth Music, in memory of their daughter's passion for singing and song writing.

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Canada Killer Believed 'Devil Was After Him'

The gunman who killed a soldier in Ottawa and stormed Canada's parliament had been put on a terror watch list, it has emerged.

The attacker, identified as Michael Zehaf-Bibeau by Canadian media, was considered "high risk" and had seen his passport confiscated to stop him travelling abroad to join Islamic State terrorists in Iraq or Syria.

But the 32-year-old was able to strike at the heart of his home country's capital, shooting dead Corporal Nathan Cirillo before he was himself gunned down by Sergeant-At-Arms Kevin Vickers as he launched his assault on parliament.

US sources said the killer was a convert to Islam from Quebec who grew up in Laval and Montreal and was called Michael Joseph Hall before he changed his name.

Cpl Nathan Cirillo at his post in Ottawa moments before he was killed

Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper reported that he was the son of Susan Bibeau, a senior civil servant with Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board, while his stepfather or adoptive father was Bulgasem Zehaf, a Libyan businessman who once owned Montreal's Cafe Tripoli.

Former neighbour Janice Purnell told CTV Zehaf-Bibeau was privately-educated and a typical teenager. She said she once called the police because he was playing loud music.

Video: How The Ottawa Attack Unfolded

Evidence has been emerging that suggests he fitted the common jihadist profile of a troubled young man who had turned to radical Islam. 

Canadian network CTV reported he had been jailed for two years for robbery and weapons possession in 2003, four years after his mother and Mr Zehaf had divorced.

Quebec court records also show that he pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to comply with a judge's order and several drug offences, including marijuana possession.

He reportedly stood trial for robbery in Vancouver in 2011 after a psychiatric assessment ruled he was fit for the judicial process.

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1. Gallery: Tributes Paid To Canadian Soldier

   Nathan Cirillo was a member of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

2. Hundreds of messages have been posted on a Facebook tribute page

3. Click through for more images of Cpl Cirillo

Family friend Dave Bathurst told the CBC Zehaf-Bibeau did not appear to have extremist views, but had at times shown a disturbing side.

He said: "We were having a conversation in a kitchen, and I don't know how he worded it - he said the devil is after him."

Mr Bathurst said his friend frequently talked about the presence of Shaytan in the world - an Arabic term for devils and demons, adding: "I think he must have been mentally ill."

Bathurst last saw Zehaf-Bibeau praying in a Vancouver-area mosque six weeks ago and said that he spoke of wanting to go to the Middle East soon - although he claimed he only wanted to study Islam and Arabic.

Video: The Face Of Canada's Terror Fight

His case has parallels with that of Martin Couture-Rouleau, a 25-year-old convert who rammed his car into two soldiers in the Montreal suburb of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu on Monday - killing one of them before he was shot dead.

Rouleau also had his passport confiscated in July after he was arrested at an airport on his way to Turkey.

He was among 90 people being tracked by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on suspicion of taking part in militant activities or planning to do so.

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Tesco Profits Plunge 92% In Accounting Chaos

Tesco's chief executive has told Sky News he will not take an axe to prices in the short term to win back shoppers, after first-half profits fell 92%.

Dave Lewis was speaking after the supermarket chain revealed its latest results and the conclusions of an inquiry into an accounting scandal.

Its chairman Sir Richard Broadbent confirmed a plan to quit as the probe identified a £263m profit overstatement.

Tesco said the internal investigation by Deloitte into its procedures had found historic failures in its UK food business going back a number of years, having previously suggested the error was a one-off.

The overstatement reflected profits in previous reporting periods too, Tesco confirmed, not just in the first half of its financial year.

Phillip Clarke was sacked as chief executive

Its share price fell 7% when the FTSE 100 opened for business in the wake of the statement but later eased back.

Analysts said it could be explained by UK sales continuing to fall and Mr Lewis' decision not to launch an immediate discount challenge to rivals - especially hard discounters at the bottom and Waitrose at the top end, who have eaten away at its market share.

Video: Ex-Investor Wants Tesco Redress

Mr Lewis told Sky's Business Presenter Ian King: "Our promotional intensity is very high."

He said: "The critical thing is that I and 320,000 other people give great service, make sure everything's available in a really good, quality way, and then price will be part of the equation."

But he added he might think about price in a "different way" once his business review was completed.

Thursday's results statement was delayed by a month because of the investigation.

Eight senior executives have been suspended pending the outcome of the inquiry, which examined how Tesco logged suppliers' rebates and if they were reported in the correct accounting period.

Tesco said there was no evidence anyone at Tesco had sought to gain personally but the findings raise questions about the leadership of former chief executive Philip Clarke, who stepped down in the summer before the accounting issues were made public.

Tesco said his pay-off - and that of former finance chief Laurie McIlwee - was being delayed until such time as inquiries were complete.

Sir Richard said his decision to stand down reflected "the important principle of accountability."

The accounting scandal failed to overshadow the spotlight on Tesco's turnaround efforts.

Pre-tax profits fell 92% to £112m in its first six months while UK trading profit was down 55.9% to £499m.

Video: Waitrose Wins As Tesco Struggles

UK like-for-like sales were 4.6% lower - slightly better than expected.

Mr Lewis said: "We know that we have got a lot of work to do.

"We know what it is we need to do to turn the business around".

Tesco's market value - which has lost £17.6bn in the last five years - has plunged more than 50% in the past 12 months alone.

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Canada Shooting: Police Hunt More Gunmen

Ottawa is in lockdown as police search for up to three gunmen after one was reportedly shot dead inside Canada's parliament building.

Police told the AFP news agency that possibly up to three shooters were feared to be on the roof of the parliament building.

It came after a soldier guarding a nearby war memorial was wounded after shots were fired.

Shots have been reported at three separate locations in Ottawa

Shots have also now been reported at a hotel in the city.

Armed forces bases across the country are being closed to the public in the aftermath of the shooting, according to CBC TV.

Video: Video: Shots In Canada Parliament

A construction worker at the parliament told the Reuters news agency he heard a gunshot, and then saw a man dressed in black with a scarf over his face running towards the building with a gun.

Another witness said more than 30 shots were fired inside the building.

One witness, Marc-Andre Viau, said he saw a man run into a caucus meeting at the parliament, chased by police who yelled "take cover."

This was followed by "10, 15, maybe 20 shots," possibly from an automatic weapon, he said.

Video footage posted by the Global and Mail newspaper showed police crouching for cover as they advanced along a stone hallway, with loud gunfire echoing among the gothic columns.

Video: Soldier Wounded In Ottawa Shooting

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is safe and has left Parliament Hill.

Michelle Rempel, MP for Calgary Centre North, tweeted: "Mom im okay Im in hiding."

Some people fled parliament by climbing down scaffolding erected for renovations, witnesses told the Canadian Press news agency.

The cordon has been pushed back and media on the scene have been told they are not safe.

Police have warned people in Ottawa to stay away from windows and roofs.

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1. Gallery: Pictures: Shots Fired At Canada Parliament

   Canadian police have surrounded the parliament in Ottawa after a soldier was shot while guarding a nearby monument.

The wounded soldier, who was standing guard at the National War Memorial, has been taken away in an ambulance.

The soldier appeared to be seriously wounded and medics were seen pushing on his chest to revive him.

The shooting comes two days after an Islamic convert ran down two Canadian soldiers near Montreal, killing one of them.

Authorities had raised the security threat level from low to medium after that incident.

More follows...

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'Numbers' Jail Gang Behind Pistorius Threat

As Oscar Pistorius starts a five-year sentence at Pretoria's Central Prison the Olympian will need to urgently study the lore and laws of South Africa's numbers gangs.

More than a century old, the gangs - the 26s, 27s and 28s, dominate South Africa's prison system with a mixture of arcane mythology, sexual intimidation and sometimes extreme violence.

Pistorius, serving his sentence for the manslaughter of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, will quickly have to learn how to navigate through the darkest corners of jailhouse anthropology.

His life may depend on it.

According to his lawyers he has already had a death threat from the 'general' of the 26s, who is reported to be a murderer serving a 33-year sentence.

Video: Pistorius Trial: The Sentence

He told a South African news agency that if Pistorius is given special treatment then he will die.

This may have been part of the plea for leniency. But it's also a real danger.

Pistorius will most likely remain in a segregated part of the prison which also accommodates the mass killer of the apartheid regime, Eugene de Kock.

If not, he may have to seek the protection of the 28s or 27s from the threat made by the leader of the 26s.

All three gangs have their roots in the story of how Po, a deity of some kind, met Nongoloza and Kilikijan in the late 19th Century as both men were heading to work in the white-owned gold mines of the Vaal Reef.

Video: Pistorius Leaves Court For Prison

Po advised against it and encouraged both men to form highway gangs.

Kilikijan worked by day, with seven members. Nongoloza and his eight followers owned the night.

The two fell out over Nongoloza's predilection for sex with other men.

The clash in a Durban prison, legend has it, over six men that Nongoloza wanted to take as 'wives', produced, in around 1907, the 26s who take a mediating role.

Today the numbers gangs are made up of mixed race members from the Cape.

Video: Friends 'Felt Reeva's Light Today'

Most speak Afrikaans but Funagalore, the language of the mines, is the 'official'  lingua franca of the numbers.

Their interests extend far beyond the prison walls.

The 28s are the root of the 'American' - an organised crime syndicate on the Cape Flats; the 26s were formed by the Staggie brothers from the Hard Livings gang.

All run prostitution, drug dealing and protection rackets worth millions every year.

Pistorius would have trouble joining the 27s. They're the most violent group.

Video: Pistorius Sentencing Highlights

So that would leave the 28s. They run kitchen work. But the 28s' hierarchy is tough to climb.

Membership of its top tier, the Gold Line, requires initiates to stab a prison warden.

This is the 'male line' in a gang that celebrates same-sex relationships.

The foot soldiers for the Gold Line are known as the Third Division. They are the gang's muscle, sworn off sex, they may not have contact with the Silver Line, the gang's majority.

Probationers must always show they are available for sex by revealing part of their chest; while seen as sex slaves they are pampered and protected – as "wyfies".

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Government Failing To Deport Foreign Criminals

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

The Government has come under fire from victims of crime for failing to deport hundreds of foreign criminals.

A damning report by the National Audit Office (NAO) revealed 760 foreign national offenders awaiting deportation have absconded and 395 of those have been missing for more than four years.

Some 58 of these offenders are described as "high harm" and present a serious danger to people or property.

David Cameron admitted "the buck stops with me" during Prime Minister's Questions, but he also appealed for support from the other parties over what he called the "obstacles" of human rights legislation.

He said: "The buck absolutely stops with me, I'm very clear about that.

Video: How Police Stop Foreign Criminals

"We've deported 22,000 foreign national offenders since I've become Prime Minister.

"The report is very clear that since 2013 for the first time we've got a proper cross-government strategy to deal with this."

Home Secretary Theresa May told MPs she is acting to end the abuse of the legal process.

She said: "As the report makes clear, this is a problem that has beset successive governments. It falls to this government to tackle the problems of the past.

"Quite simply, the Home Office did not prioritise the removal of foreign national offenders before 2005."

The report reveals the case of a foreign national whose UK visa had expired, yet authorities took no action over 14 years to remove him.

Even when the Government first began extradition proceedings in 2007 when he was convicted of a string of sex offences, he launched a series of appeals that delayed proceedings for another seven years.

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1. Gallery: Britain's Most Wanted Fugitives

   Dritan Rexhepi is wanted over the deaths of two men in Albania. He's also accused of carrying out a burglary in Belgium, where the home occupants were tied up and threatened at knife point.

2. Pawel Chmielorz was convicted of a string of violent offences in Poland, which resulted in his victims sustaining serious head injuries. He should be serving two-and-a-half years in prison.

3. Robert Grygoruk is wanted for 24 offences including possession of a handgun, producing and supplying amphetamine, supplying 5kg of cannabis, fraud and burglary.

4. Evaldas Rabikauskas is wanted for questioning over allegations he raped an intoxicated girl at a house in Lithuania in 2007. He is believed to have links to Hertfordshire.

5. Ioan Cretu, 36, is wanted for murder alleged to have been committed in Romania in 2005. It is thought he may have links to London, particularly the Waterloo area.

6. Dariusz Glowacki is wanted on suspicion of child rape in Poland. Police say he may be responsible for two other sex attacks and has links to the Acton and Slough areas.

7. Constantin Niciu is wanted in connection with the abduction of two men who apparently refused to take part in a human trafficking operation. They were tied up and beaten with a plank of wood.

8. Costin Stoica is alleged to have been in the company of others who sprayed a woman in the face with a noxious substance before stealing her handbag in Romania in 2002.

9. Krzysztof Zakrewski is alleged to have robbed and beaten a man with an accomplice in Poland in 1992.

10. Serhat Aslan is wanted in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 19-year-old man in Turkey in 2004 following an argument.

11. Michal Smolen is wanted for questioning over an assault alleged to have taken place in Poland in 2009.

It is estimated that public bodies spent £850m in 2013/14 managing and removing foreign national offenders, working out at around £70,000 per offender.

Meanwhile, the number of foreign prisoners has risen 4% from 10,231 to 10,649 since 2006, the NAO said.

The number of those removed has fallen to 5,097 from a peak of 5,613 in 2008/09.

The time it takes to deport an overseas criminal has been revealed to be 319 days.

This comes despite a 10-fold increase in the number of Home Office staff working on foreign national offenders (FNOs), from 100 to more than 900.

Amyas Morse, of the NAO, said: "It is no easy matter to manage foreign national offenders in the UK and to deport those who have completed their sentences.

"However, too little progress has been made, despite the increased resources and effort devoted to this problem."

Video: Romanian Police Fighting UK Crime

Conservative MP Philip Hollobone has long raised concerns about the number of foreigners in UK prisons and failures to deport them.

He said: "Most people will be staggered that despite increasing its staffing for deportations from 100 to 900, the Home Office is not actually deporting any more FNOs than it was before.

"The public will also be concerned that at any one time over 4,000 convicted FNOs are at large within our communities and that, of these, over 700 go missing.

"My view is that if you are a foreign national who commits a crime in the UK, you should be caught, convicted and sentenced with your sentence served back in your own country at the expense of your fellow nationals."

Immigration and security minister James Brokenshire MP said: "The countless appeals and re-appeals lodged by criminals attempting to cheat the system cost us all money and are an affront to British justice.

"That is why we are putting a stop to that abuse through the Immigration Act.

"New powers came into force this week to cut the number of grounds on which criminals can appeal their deportation and to end the appeals conveyor belt in the courts."

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Canada On Alert After Two Attacks In Days

A second attack on a Canadian soldier in three days came after the government raised the country's terror alert level.

The alert level was raised on Tuesday to medium after a man, one of 90 suspected militants being tracked by police, ran over two soldiers in Quebec.

One of the soldiers died as a result of his injuries and the suspected attacker, identified as Martin Couture Roulea, 25, was shot and killed.

On Wednesday, Canada's parliament was placed under lockdown after a soldier guarding a nearby war memorial was reportedly wounded after shots were fired.

Witnesses said more than 30 shots were fired inside the building, and one suspected gunman was shot dead.

Video: Video: Shots In Canada Parliament

Police stations in Ottawa were closed to the public after the incident and Canadian armed forces bases across the country were being shut down, according to CBC TV.

Earlier this month, Canada announced its intention to join the US coalition carrying out military operations against Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria.

Professor Anthony Glees, security and intelligence expert from the University of Buckingham, said he thought the attacks stemmed directly from that decision.

Video: Soldier Wounded In Ottawa Shooting

He said: "It shows that people are determined to use terrorism to get the Canadians – who have in the past sometimes been a bit wobbly – to think about their support for airstrikes."

The Canadian government has said it was aware of more than 130 Canadians overseas who are "suspected of terrorism-related activities".

More follows...

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1. Gallery: Pictures: Shots Fired At Canada Parliament

   Canadian police have surrounded the parliament in Ottawa after a soldier was shot while guarding a nearby monument.

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Oscar Pistorius Jailed For Shooting Reeva Dead

Oscar Pistorius has been jailed for five years for killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine's Day last year.

His defence team said he would spend a sixth of the term in prison - 10 months - before being placed under house arrest for the remainder of his sentence.

But Nathi Mncube, a spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, said he was likely to serve one third of the sentence behind bars, before adding "it's not for the NPA to decide".

"This is not what we were hoping to achieve at the end of this trial ... but it is not entirely up to us," he told Sky News.

Video: Pistorius Sentencing Highlights

The 27-year-old, who was found guilty of culpable homicide last month, appeared to wipe his eyes as the sentence was handed down.

Judge Thokozile Masipa had ruled the Olympic and Paralympic athlete did not intend to kill his girlfriend when he fired through the bathroom door at his home in Pretoria.

"Having regard to the circumstances in the matter, I am of the view that a non-custodial sentence would send the wrong message to the community," she said.

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1. Gallery: Sentencing Day For Pistorius

   South African Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius arrives at the court in Pretoria for sentencing over the killing of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp

2. He was convicted last month of "culpable homicide" - South Africa's equivalent of manslaughter. Continue through the gallery for more pictures from the day on which he was jailed for five years

5. Pistorius walks into the courtroom

6. Pistorius hugs his father Henke Pistorius ahead of his sentencing

8. Carl Pistorius, brother of Oscar Pistorius, attends the sentencing hearing

10. Pistorius stands in the dock as his sentence is delivered

11. Judge Thokozile Masipa sentences Pistorius to prison for the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp

12. Pistorius is led to holding cells

13. Pistorius holds the hands of family members after being sentenced

17. His defence team said he would spend a sixth of the term in prison - 10 months - before being placed under house arrest for the remainder of his sentence

18. Reeva's mother June agrees justice had been served as she reacts to the jailing of Oscar Pistorius over her daughter's killing

19. Friends of Reeva Steenkamp, Gina and Kim Myers

20. Pistorius (C) enters a police van after his sentencing

23. A general view of Pretoria Central Prison

"On the other hand, a long sentence would also not be appropriate either, as it would lack the element of mercy.

"What may appear to be justice to the general public may not be justice. Society cannot always get what they want."

She said Pistorius' skill using a gun was an aggravating factor but that she also recognised his remorse.

Video: Defence Expects Ten Months In Jail

She said he "fired not one shot but four shots into the door" of a small cubicle "with no room for escape".

He was also handed a suspended three-year prison sentence for the discharging of a firearm, over an incident in which a gun accidentally went off in a restaurant.

Pistorius is expected to spend his jail time in the hospital wing of Pretoria's prison.

Video: Sentence Disappoints Prosecutors

Ms Steenkamp's father, Barry, said he was "satisfied" with the outcome.

Her mother, June Steenkamp, said the sentence brought a sort of closure, but that full closure was not possible "unless you can magic her back".

Sentencing options available to the judge in the culpable homicide case included up to 15 years in jail, a suspended sentence, a correctional supervision or fine. 

Video: Friends 'Felt Reeva's Light Today'

It brings to a close a seven-month trial, which attracted worldwide attention.

After one of the most sensational court cases in the country's history, the sentence is expected to fuel further controversy about race and money in its justice system.

Pistorius' legal team argued during the trial that he mistook Ms Steenkamp for an intruder and believed they were both in danger.

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1. Gallery: Reeva Steenkamp's Life In Pictures

   Reeva Steenkamp, 29, was born in Cape Town and grew up in Port Elizabeth. She went to a convent school and studied law. She was a keen horse rider until she broke her back

2. She moved to Johannesburg from Cape Town to model for Avon cosmetics. In 2012, Reeva was voted number 45 in the South African FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll

3. She featured as a celebrity contestant on BBC Lifestyle show Baking Made Easy in 2012

4. The model was a keen Twitter user, and had more than 34,000 followers. She used the site to promote women's rights and empowerment

5. Her former fashion editor, Barbara Robertson, described the model as being "sweet and down to earth" with the "it factor". She likened her to an "early Kate Moss"

6. Reeva Steenkamp on the set of reality TV show Tropika Island Of Treasure (Pic: Stimulii)

His lawyer Barry Roux said the athlete had "lost everything" after the 29-year-old law graduate and model's death, and argued he should not go to prison.

He also said the Pistorius, whose lower legs were amputated as a baby, would face particular difficulties in jail.

But state prosecutor Gerrie Nel had argued that only 10 years' imprisonment would satisfy the public.

Video: Pistorius Leaves Court For Prison

He said that any lesser sentence could result in a widespread loss of faith in the justice system.

Known as Blade Runner because of his carbon-fibre prosthetics, Pistorius achieved global recognition at the London 2012 Olympics when he reached the semi-finals of the 400m against able-bodied athletes. 

:: Watch a round-up of the day's events on Sky News at 9.30pm - Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 132 and Freesat channel 202.

Video: Pistorius Led Down To The Cells

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1. Gallery: Pistorius: A Sporting Pioneer

   Pistorius was born in Johannesburg on November 22, 1986. A congenital condition meant he had no bones in his lower legs.

2. He had both legs amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old, and now runs on carbon fibre prosthetic blades.

3. Pistorius won the 200m final in a record time at the 2004 Athens Paralympics. In 2006 he finished sixth in the able-bodied event in South Africa.

4. Ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled his blades did not give him an unfair advantage. But he failed to qualify for the men's 400m.

5. He won gold in all three of his events at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics - the 100m, 200m and 400m. He set a world record in the 400m (sport class T44).

6. He won the 400m in 47.28s and the 100m in 11.04s at the 2011 Paralympic World Cup. The athlete later ran the 400m in 45.07s - within the Olympic qualifying time.

7. The Blade Runner won the 400m silver medal in 45.52s at the 2012 African Championships. He just missed the 45.30s he needed to qualify for the Olympics.

8. Pistorius was selected by the South African Olympic Committee to run the 4x400m relay and 400m at the 2012 London Olympics. He said it was "one of the happiest days of my life".

9. He had been dating the model Reeva Steenkamp since late 2012. She was found dead at his home on February 14, 2013.

10. After a lengthy trail, Pistorius is cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to five years in prison.

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Mockery Of Justice System Or A Fair Sentence?

By Robert Nisbet, in Pretoria

At first there was bemusement and quizzical looks as people tried to compute what Judge Thokozile Masipa had delivered.

Dozens of bystanders had gathered around TV monitors and satellite trucks to hear the summary, delivered quietly and methodically by the 67-year-old judge.

Gradually it sank in that Oscar Pistorius had been sentenced to jail, and would be serving a maximum of five years behind bars for culpable homicide.

Overwhelmingly the reaction on the streets was negative.

One man grabbed the barrel of our camera to have his say: "It's too light. He took the soul of another person. How can that be right? He's a murderer."

Video: Steenkamps' Relief At Trial's End

This was a view replicated across Madiba Street which separates the North Gauteng High Court from the Palace of Justice where this drama has played out.

One ex-offender who now works for prison reform stood outside the gates, dressed symbolically in chains and an orange jumpsuit.

"It makes a mockery of the justice system," he told me.

Video: Friends 'Felt Reeva's Light Today'

"I was sentenced to five and a half years in jail for robbery and yet the rich man, the famous man gets less than that for killing a totally innocent woman."

Two people told us that they thought it was a fair sentence given his disability, but they were shouted down by others.

But the most supportive message was scrawled on a bus stop.

Video: Defence Expects Ten Months In Jail

It said: "We will always honour UR talent. Prison is not the end."

Video: Pistorius Sentence Public Reaction

Video: Pistorius Led Down To The Cells

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Steenkamps Welcome Pistorius' Five-Year Term

Barry and June Steenkamp reacted positively to the five-year sentence handed to Oscar Pistorius for the killing of their daughter.

Speaking outside Pretoria High Court, Mrs Steenkamp expressed relief at the end of the trial, which lasted seven months.

Defence counsel had suggested that Pistorius could be moved out of prison into house arrest after serving 10 months of his sentence.

Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead on Valentine's Day 2013

When asked whether she was happy with this, Mrs Steenkamp said: "Doesn't matter, he's going to pay something. I'm just glad it's over."

Reeva Steenkamp's father Barry, who has suffered health problems since the death of his daughter, added: "We are satisfied."

Video: Pistorius Jailed For Five Years

Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford spoke to both inside the courtroom.

She added that Mrs Steenkamp had said: "There's no closure without Reeva unless you can magic her back."

Dup De Bruyn, the lawyer acting for the Steenkamps, said the judge had given "the right sentence" and added: "Justice was served."

Video: Pistorius Led Down To The Cells

Arnold Pistorius, the athlete's uncle, criticised the prosecution in the case and called for his family to be allowed to move forward.

He said: "We accept the judgment. Oscar will embrace this opportunity to pay back to society."

Judge Thokozile Masipa had ruled a custodial sentence was unavoidable for the Paralympic and Olympic athlete, and criticised defence witness Annette Vergeer, who had suggested he would have been vulnerable in jail.

Video: Pistorius Leaves Court For Prison

Pistorius offered little visible reaction as his sentence was read out. He stood and stared straight ahead, and then sat staring at the floor as legal submissions were made.

Mrs Steenkamp looked directly at him as the sentence was given, but otherwise did not visibly react in the packed courtroom.

A spokesperson for defence lawyer Barry Roux said there would be no appeal. She added that Pistorius will serve a sixth of his sentence - around 10 months - before being moved to house arrest.

Video: Sentence Disappoints Prosecutors

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who had argued the double amputee should be jailed for 10 years for killing Ms Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year, said: "The court has done what the court should do."

The prosecution has not yet decided if it will appeal against the sentence, spokesman Nathi Mncube said.

The prosecution has disputed the defence claim that Pistorius - known as the Blade Runner - could be out of prison after 10 months.

Video: Defence Expects Ten Months In Jail

:: Watch a round-up of the day's events on Sky News at 9.30pm - Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 132 and Freesat channel 202.

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Lynda Bellingham: Loose Women Stars Pay Tribute

Tributes have come from across the showbiz and television world for Lynda Bellingham, who has died from colon cancer aged 66.

Her former co-presenters on Loose Women were among the first to share their memories.

Denise Welch tweeted: "I loved my friend Lynda. I will miss her so much. xx".

Carol McGiffin, who was also on the ITV show, posted: "A very sad day indeed, rest in peace my friend @LyndaBellingham."

Another former Loose Women regular, Lisa Maxwell, said: "My Darling friend Lynda passed away last night. She was an inspiration to me as a wife, mother and as an actress. RIP beautiful lady."

Nadia Sawalha says Bellingham would 'light the place up'

Nadia Sawalha, who also appeared with Bellingham in the famous Oxo TV adverts, said the Loose Women team was devastated.

She told ITV's Lorraine show: "We're just all heartbroken because her last wish was that she would spend this Christmas with her family.

Video: Lynda Bellingham: 'Oxo Mum' Dies

"Anyone that knew Lynda and knew her well, knew that she was this absolute live wire.

"She would come into a room and light the place up. Everybody loved her.

"She got me my first ever job on the Oxo ads ... I played her son's girlfriend in it and then we worked together on [TV series] Second Thoughts.

"She played my sister's mum. And we all absolutely adored her."

The show's official Twitter feed posted: "Our thoughts go to #lyndabellingham's family at this incredibly sad time and to all those who's lives she touch so deeply, as she did ours."

Bellingham - familiar to millions for her 16-year role in the famous Oxo adverts - died in her husband's arms at a London hospital just a month after revealing she planned to stop chemotherapy.

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1. Gallery: Actress And Presenter Lynda Bellingham Dies

   Bellingham rehearsing a scene for one of the classic Oxo TV adverts in 1987

2. The long-running ads featuring the squabbling family made Bellingham a familiar face to millions

3. Pictured with on-screen husband Michael Redfern.

4. The pair rehearsing for another Oxo advert in 1999

5. Bellingham married three times - her first husband was film producer Greg Smith (left), who she married in 1975

6. Taking to the floor: She appeared in Strictly Come Dancing in 2009

7. Pictured with Strictly co-stars (left-right) Laila Rouass, Natalie Cassidy and Zoe Lucker

8. Appearing in a photo to promote her role in the stage production of Calendar Girls

9. Bellingham meeting the Queen at the ITV 50th Anniversary celebration alongside Nicholas Parsons and Harry Hill

10. Bellingham was also part of the panel on Loose Women. She is pictured here in 2010 with fellow presenters Carol McGiffin, Denise Welch, Kate Thornton, Leslie Garrett and Andrea McLean

11. With husband Michael Pattemore in April 2013 at the Laurence Olivier Awards in London

12. The actress was made an OBE in March 2014 after a 40-year acting career which saw her appear in shows such as All Creatures Great And Small, Faith In The Future, and The Bill

Star Trek and Shaun of the Dead star Simon Pegg appeared with Bellingham early in his career, in 90s sitcom Faith in the Future.

He posted: "Lynda Bellingham, a gorgeous, brassy, funny, generous, talented human being. My first TV mother figure and a treasured friend."

One of Bellingham's most prominent roles was in the late 80s as Helen Herriot in countryside vet drama All Creatures Great and Small.

Co-star Christopher Timothy described her as funny, loyal and talented.

He added: "She was a great mum, she was a real friend and on-set she was one of the boys really."

Her partner in Strictly Come Dancing in 2009, Darren Bennett, said: "Lynda Bellingham was a courageous, talented and beautiful lady who I had the privilege of working with."

Video: Bellingham: I'm Not The Only One

Actress and Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden also told her followers she was "devastated to hear the news about the beautiful Lynda Bellingham".

TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp urged other people who might be in a similar position to stay strong: "Lynda Bellingham, she was an inspiration, she so wanted to make it to Christmas, if you're working towards that, don't give up hope."

Broadcaster Chris Evans said: "Lynda Bellingham - an absolute mensch of the highest order.

"Enjoyed her company on several occasions. Outstanding spirit and company."

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UKIP Calypso Not Racist, Says Mike Read

Former DJ Mike Read has defended his calypso song praising UKIP and Nigel Farage as "nothing remotely racist" and just a "bit of fun".

Read is hoping for chart glory with the ditty, which he sings in a mock-Caribbean accent.

He told Sky News: "It's a satire and a bit of fun. It's not terribly serious. It wouldn't have sounded very good sung in a Surrey accent."

The UKIP calypso sings the praise of Nigel Farage

He said people criticising the song had "lost their sense of humour" and that if he had done an Australian song he would have put on an Australian accent.

The song's lyrics include: "When we take charge, and the new prime minister is Farage; we can trade with the world again, when Nigel is at Number 10."

Jean-Claude Juncker comes in for a bit of stick in the song

Others point fun at incoming European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and chastise the EU for trying to "ban bent bananas and British jam".

Read in his Radio 1 prime in 1980

Some bookies already have the former Radio 1 DJ at 50-1 to go straight in the charts at Number One.

Read's other creative endeavours have seen him try his hand at musicals.

However, his show about Oscar Wilde closed after one night following a critical panning and poor ticket sales.

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How Kurds The World Forgot Are Holding Off IS

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, in Sari Kani, Syria

Right now in Syria a desperate fight is under way against Islamic State (IS) forces that control so much of the north of the country.

In the east that fight is being carried out virtually unseen to the rest of the world by People's Protection Units (YPG) fighters, Syrian Kurds, who are doing so with almost no assistance.

They have been fighting IS for longer than any other group.

With home-made weapons and armoured cars and some old heavy guns, they fight in dusty villages, the countryside and larger towns to try and force IS back to the west of Syria.

Kurdish fighters have been retaking ground from IS militants on the border

Kobani has been surrounded for weeks by IS but there are many other towns that are under siege. From Sari Kani 100 miles or so east of Kobani the YPG have been taking back ground from IS.

They would dearly love to reach their colleagues in Kobani but, with no assistance, even they accept it will be an almost impossible mission.

Video: Travelling Through Syria

Always moving and repositioning themselves, the front line is a confused and confusing battle of attrition.

The men of the YPG and the women fighters of the Women's Protection Unit (YPJ) work together. There is no battlefield difference between the sexes. They all throw themselves into the fight. They are protecting their homeland and say to us that they can die at the front or at home, but either way they are prepared to die.

Against the odds and the better equipped IS forces, they have made ground and captured weapons. In a rear position they work on tanks captured from IS and they showed us the bodies of 20 IS jihadists they killed in a night operation.

We travelled from Iraq through Syria. The birthplace of IS is one of the most dangerous places on earth today. The YPG grip is tenuous and the vast open spaces are difficult to protect from IS incursions.

Video: Passports Reveal Turkey Link

These Syrian Kurds are hemmed in. The Turkish border lies to the north and its military considers the YPG a terrorist organisation.

To the south, east and west IS controls all the land leading to Iraq and across its border.

On the newest YPG front lines we came across a seemingly rag-tag group of fighters. But while they may look so they are in fact well trained and utterly determined.

A hill-top cemetery has become a fort. They watch across the plains and the villages that IS control. They are so close they can hear the foreign languages of the IS fighters on their walkie-talkies.

Video: Kurds Face Future Without A Home

But nobody here seems in any way frightened of IS. They laugh and joke and prepare to fight. Day in, day out.

The YPG are very canny. Their front-line positions are never static for long. Their numbers are small so they move positions and manoeuvre around the battlefield looking for signs of IS weakness. Then they attack. Both sides are doing this but one gets the sense that the Kurds are more determined.

While IS have many foreign fighters the YPG also have a small contingent. Chechens, Europeans and Americans who have decided to help fight IS.

Brian Wilson is from Ohio. A divorcee with two children, this veteran of the first Gulf War and 16 years a police sheriff in the United States decided to come here a month ago and join the fight. He was shocked that the West was doing nothing to help here.

Video: Desperate Help Needed In Kobani

"They have been holding out against DASH (IS) in this area for going on two, two and a half years," he told me on the front line.

"They are outgunned. They are brave fighters. They just need more help. If they had better technology, better weapons, they could finish IS on their own. More airstrikes would be very helpful to clear out some areas."

The YPG are fighting multiple fronts on a constant basis. Sometimes they are in cities and towns, sometimes in open countryside. But they are holding on and sometimes doing better than that.

And, as they say, they will do that to the death if necessary.

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Lynda Bellingham Dies After Cancer Fight

Actress Lynda Bellingham, best known for playing the mother in the Oxo television adverts, has died.

She died "peacefully in her husband's arms" at a London hospital, her agent said.

The 66-year-old had colon cancer and last month said she planned to end life-extending chemotherapy treatment.

The actress said she wanted to spend one last Christmas with her family after the disease had spread to her lungs and liver.

Her role as the mother in a squabbling family in the Oxo adverts made her familiar to millions in the 1980s.

The actress took to the dance floor on Strictly Come Dancing in 2009

Career highlights also included TV series All Creatures Great And Small, sitcom Faith In The Future, competing in Strictly Come Dancing, and starring in the stage production of Calendar Girls.

In her autobiography, the actress described her decision to end treatment for cancer, which she had been diagnosed with in July 2013.

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1. Gallery: Actress And Presenter Lynda Bellingham Dies

   Bellingham rehearsing a scene for one of the classic Oxo TV adverts in 1987

2. The long-running ads featuring the squabbling family made Bellingham a familiar face to millions

3. Pictured with on-screen husband Michael Redfern.

4. The pair rehearsing for another Oxo advert in 1999

5. Bellingham married three times - her first husband was film producer Greg Smith (left), who she married in 1975

6. Taking to the floor: She appeared in Strictly Come Dancing in 2009

7. Pictured with Strictly co-stars (left-right) Laila Rouass, Natalie Cassidy and Zoe Lucker

8. Appearing in a photo to promote her role in the stage production of Calendar Girls

9. Bellingham meeting the Queen at the ITV 50th Anniversary celebration alongside Nicholas Parsons and Harry Hill

10. Bellingham was also part of the panel on Loose Women. She is pictured here in 2010 with fellow presenters Carol McGiffin, Denise Welch, Kate Thornton, Leslie Garrett and Andrea McLean

11. With husband Michael Pattemore in April 2013 at the Laurence Olivier Awards in London

12. The actress was made an OBE in March 2014 after a 40-year acting career which saw her appear in shows such as All Creatures Great And Small, Faith In The Future, and The Bill

"I sat down with (husband) Michael and Professor Stebbing and announced: 'The time has come to cease and desist.

"'I would love to make one more Christmas, if possible, but I want to stop taking chemo around November in order to pass away by the end of January'."

In another excerpt she wrote: "I don't want the boys or my husband to see me die a little sad old lady. I want to go out there as I am."

Speaking on ITV show Loose Women, where she was one of the presenters, she told viewers: "Grasp it all, don't be afraid, enjoy the bits you can and tell your family you love them while you have the chance."

Her pre-recorded farewell appearance on the show will go out on Wednesday.

Video: 'I Miss Her Dreadfully Already'

Earlier this year, Bellingham also picked up an OBE from Buckingham Palace in recognition for her 40-year career.

Her agent, Sue Latimer, issued a statement on behalf of her family: "As an actor, writer and presenter, Lynda was a consummate professional to the very end.

"Those of us privileged to have known her personally will miss the entertaining, life enhancing, true and honest friend that blessed our lives."

The family also thanked nurses "for their tremendous care and support".

Actor Simon Pegg was among those to pay tribute on Twitter - he appeared alongside the actress in 1990s show Faith In The Future.

Video: Bellingham: I'm Not The Only One

"Lynda Bellingham, a gorgeous, brassy, funny, generous, talented human being. My first TV mother figure and a treasured friend," Pegg tweeted.

Former Loose Women star Denise Welch wrote: "I loved my friend Lynda. I will miss her so much. xx".

Carol McGiffin, who was also on the show, posted: "A very sad day indeed, rest in peace my friend @LyndaBellingham."

Bellingham was born in Montreal, Canada, but was adopted by a British couple and grew up near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire.

She married three times and has two sons.

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Web Trolls To Face Two-Year Jail Terms

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

Internet trolls who target people with abusive material online will face up to two years in jail under Government plans being set out by the Justice Secretary.

Chris Grayling said he was determined to crack down on trolling with harsh punishments because it was leading to "absolute misery for victims".

He said the venom thrown at people over the internet would never be acceptable in real life.

Mr Grayling said it was "terrible" that the model Chloe Madeley recently received rape threats after defending controversial comments made by her mother, Judy Finnigan, about convicted rapist Ched Evans.

Chris Grayling said trolls are causing 'absolute misery for victims'

He said: "We already have offences in place to deal with this appalling behaviour, but we've toughened up the law to make sure these crimes can be properly investigated and those who commit the most serious offences face a longer prison sentence."

Cases are currently dealt with under the Malicious Communications Act in the magistrates courts, with a maximum sentence of six months.

Video: Fiery Debate Over Twitter Trolls

Now Mr Grayling is changing the law so the most serious cases can be passed on to the Crown Courts where they could result in much longer sentences.

It comes after Peter Nunn was sentenced to 18 weeks in jail after an online "campaign of hatred" against the Labour MP Stella Creasy.

In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, Mr Grayling said trolls were "cowards who are poisoning our national life".

And Ms Madeley told the paper she supported the change, describing the current laws as outdated.

Video: Trolling Victim Nicola Brookes

They were drawn up 10 years ago before Twitter existed.

She said: "The current law obviously needs to be reviewed. It needs to be accepted that physical threats should not fall under the 'freedom of speech' umbrella.

"It should be seen as online terrorism and it should be illegal."

Former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Blair said trolling is "probably the most challenging thing facing policing over the next 10 years".

Video: Chloe Madeley Slams Internet Trolls

He told Sky's Murnaghan programme: "A huge amount of people's lives, especially young people's lives, is now lived on the internet.

"And if it's lived on the internet and there are criminals on the internet then police are going to have go into the internet."

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Ched Evans Rape Inquiry Will Be Fast-Tracked

A "substantive" investigation into Ched Evans' rape conviction is expected to take place "within the next few weeks", the Criminal Cases Review Commission has said.

The disgraced footballer, who continues to protest his innocence, has had his case prioritised by the body, which examines possible miscarriages of justice.

If the review goes in Evans' favour, his conviction could potentially be overturned, as the CCRC has the authority to direct cases to the Court of Appeal.

A CCRC spokesman told Sky News: "In line with our published policy on prioritisation, and in relation to the facts of the case and the issues raised in Mr Evans' application to us ... we now expect our substantive investigation to begin within the next few weeks."

"The decision to prioritise the case simply brings forward the starting point of the investigations to decide whether or not there may be grounds for us to refer the case to the court of appeal.

Video: 'Heartbreaking' If Evans Re-Signs

"It does not in any way represent a judgment by the commission as to the merits of the case or its chances of being referred."

Evans was released from jail on Friday after serving half of a five-year sentence for raping a woman.

In an interview with the Sunday Mirror shortly before he was released, he said he was "ashamed" of his actions but insisted he is innocent of rape.

The 25-year-old striker added that cheating on his girlfriend, Natasha Massey, was "unforgivable".

"It was something that should never have happened," he said.

Video: Ched Evans Debate Montage

"I cheated on my girlfriend and had sex with this girl - but it was definitely consensual."

A statement posted on Evans' website from his family and girlfriend said he would "continue the fight to clear his name".

It added: "Chedwyn Evans maintains his absolute innocence and his family, friends and many who know the true facts of the case believe that his conviction was a gross miscarriage of justice."

Katie Russell, of charity Rape Crisis, told the Sunday Mirror the player's words were insulting to his victim.

"His protestations of innocence and sympathy only for his girlfriend are insulting, harmful and hurtful - not only to his victim, but also to the countless other victims of sexual violence out there," she said.

"He has never taken a moment's responsibility for his crime nor shown any regard for the terrible impact it has had on her."

The former Sheffield United player's release has divided opinion over whether he should be allowed to return to football.

Many Blades fans have called for Evans to be rehabilitated but more than 151,000 people have signed an online petition urging the Bramall Lane club to block his return.

Sheffield United Community Foundation patron Charlie Webster said if Evans re-signed for the club she would be "heartbroken" and "disappointed".

She told Sky News: "It would send out the wrong message to the next generation to watch Ched Evans score a goal and cheer him on as a hero."

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1. Gallery: Sports Stars Whose Careers Survived Criminal Convictions

   Former Arsenal and England captain Tony Adams was jailed for four months in 1990 for drink-driving. After admitting to an alcohol problem he set up the Sporting Chance addiction clinic

2. Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson served three years in prison after being convicted of rape in 1991. He returned to professional boxing after his release

3. In 1998 ex-footballer Vinnie Jones was convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage against a neighbour. He was also found guilty of an air rage incident in 2003

4. American figure skating champion Tonya Harding received three years' probation for her part in an attack on Olympic rival Nancy Kerrigan in 1994. Others involved in the plot were jailed

5. Boxer Adonis Stevenson served four years in prison for managing prostitutes, assaults and making threats before turning pro in 2006. He went on to become WBC world light-heavyweight champion

6. In 2007 Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick served 21 months in prison for his involvement in illegal dog fighting. On his release he joined the Philadelphia Eagles and now plays for the New York Jets

7. Former Chicago Bulls basketball star Dennis Rodman has made as many headlines off the court as on. In 2008 he was sentenced to community service, counselling and probation for domestic violence

8. Scotland U21 international footballer Craig Thomson pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent behaviour with underage girls in 2011. He remains on the sex offenders register and now plays non-league football

9. American basketball star Lamar Odom, married to Khloe Kardashian, received a three-year suspended sentence for drink-driving in 2013. His most recent team was the New York Knicks, but they released him in July

10. Former Watford, Wigan and Middlesbrough footballer Marlon King, who has previously served time for drink-driving and sexual assault is currently serving 18 months for dangerous driving

11. Forest Green Rovers striker Lee Hughes served three years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving and played for Oldham and Notts County after his release

Ms Webster also said it would "wrong" for her to stay in her role with the foundation if the club took him back.

On Saturday, Sheffield United dismissed reports that the club has offered a new contract to convicted rapist Ched Evans as "false and damaging".

The club's co-chairmen, Kevin McCabe and Jim Phipps, said they had not yet made a decision about whether to re-employ him.

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