Dallas Star Larry Hagman Dies

Larry Hagman, who starred in the hit TV series Dallas as the scheming oil baron J R Ewing, has died.

His family said in a statement that the 81-year-old died in a Dallas hospital following complications from his battle with cancer.

He had suffered from liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver in the 1990s after decades of drinking.

Dallas, which made its premiere on the CBS network in 1978, made Hagman a superstar.

The show quickly became one of the network's top-rated programmes, built an international following and inspired a spin-off, imitators and a revival in 2012.

"Larry was back in his beloved hometown of Dallas, re-enacting the iconic role he loved the most," his family said in a statement. "Larry's family and closest friends had joined him in Dallas for the Thanksgiving holiday."

Hagman with his co-stars Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray

The popularity of Dallas made Hagman one of the best-paid actors in television and earned him a fortune. He lost some of it, however, in bad oil investments before turning to real estate.

Fans and celebrities took to Twitter to pay tribute to him.

Linda Gray, who played J R's wife, Sue Ellen, and was at his bedside when he died, said: "Larry Hagman was my best friend for 35 years. He was the Pied Piper of life and brought joy to everyone he knew. He was creative, funny, loving and talented, and I will miss him enormously."

Larry King said: "Larry Hagman was a dear man who had an incredible career. He helped me to stop smoking. He was a very special person."

Actor William Shatner said: "My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Larry Hagman. My best, Bill".

Hagman with Barbara Eden at the I Dream Of Jeannie DVD launch

In July 1995, he was diagnosed with liver cancer, which led him to quit smoking, and a month later he underwent a liver transplant.

Hagman said he quit drinking the moment doctors told him he had cirrhosis of the liver and could die within six months.

Hagman was born in Weatherford, Texas, and his father was a lawyer who dealt with the Texas oil barons Hagman would later come to portray.

His mother was stage and movie star Mary Martin and he became a star himself in 1965 on I Dream of Jeannie, a popular television sitcom.

Barbara Eden, who starred alongside him in I Dream of Jeannie, tweeted: "Larry Hagman not just a great actor, not just a television icon, but an element of pure Americana. I'll miss him."

Hagman and his wife Maj

Hagman started his acting career in theatre in New York where he married Maj Axelsson in 1954 while they were in a production of South Pacific. They have two children, Heidi and Preston.

He served in the Air Force, spending five years in Europe as the director of USO shows.

In his later years, Hagman became an advocate for organ transplants and an anti-smoking campaigner.

He also was devoted to solar energy, telling the New York Times he had a $750,000 solar panel system at his Ojai estate, and made a commercial in which he portrayed a J R Ewing who had forsaken oil for solar power.

He was also a longtime member of the Peace and Freedom Party, a minor leftist organisation in California.

Hagman had a eccentric streak. When he first met actress Lauren Bacall, he licked her arm because he had been told she did not like to be touched and he was known for leading parades on the Malibu beach and showing up at a grocery store in a gorilla suit.

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Doomsday Cults Banned From French Village

The mayor of a sleepy village in southwest France is stepping up security because of fears of an invasion of people who think the end of the world is nigh.

An ancient prophecy based on the Mayan calendar has led to internet speculation that Bugarach, which is near the Pyrenees, will be the only place left after the apocalypse, which some are predicting will happen on December 21 this year.

Followers believe a nearby mountain has magic powers and are convinced UFOs will rescue them and take them to safety.

French authorities have insisted the scenario is ridiculous, but they are taking the situation seriously.

Most villagers seem unconcerned about the claims of impending doom

Mayor Jean-Pierre Lord says over a hundred gendarmes are to seal off the village from December 19-23 to keep out any Doomsday groups.

"My message is very simple. I am telling people don't come here to Bugarach for a simple reason there will be nothing to see here. So I insist don't come here, especially as there will mainly be the police here," he said.

In the nearby ancient town of Carcassone, officials say they are planning for every eventuality.

"Taking into account the huge media interest this affair has created we have to take into account all security concerns and be prepared for all outcomes whether there are 300 people or 3,000," said security chief Eric Freysselinard.

Villagers appear not to be too concerned about claims of impending doom.

Many said they were doubtful that extra-terrestrials would be coming to pluck survivors to safety.

"I think it's a big load of nonsense. I don't think there are UFOs within the Bugarach mountain," said local rubbish collector Jean-Luc Billard.

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McAfee's Dogs Could Be Key To Murder Riddle

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

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

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

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

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

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

Police officers carrying the corpse of Gregory Faull

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

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

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

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

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

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Egypt Judges Condemn President's 'Attack'

Egyptian judges have condemned a decree granting President Mohamed Morsi sweeping new powers, as angry protesters clashed with police for a second day.

A handful of rock-throwing activists battled riot police in the streets near Tahrir Square, where several thousand protesters massed on Friday to demonstrate against a decree, which effectively prevents Mr Morsi's decisions from being challenged.

The move also removed powers from the judiciary and allows the president to take any measures to protect national security.

The Supreme Judicial Council, the country's highest judicial authority, said the decree was an "unprecedented attack" on their independence, the state news agency reported.

Judges in the coastal city of Alexandria said all work at courts and prosecution offices would be suspended until the measures were reversed.

Some protesters are staging a sit-in in Tahrir Square

A number of opposition parties have called for an open-ended sit-in with the aim of "toppling" the decree which has also drawn criticism from the US, the UN and the European Union.

A mass protest has also been called for Tuesday.

"We are facing a historic moment in which we either complete our revolution or we abandon it to become prey for a group that has put its narrow party interests above the national interest," the liberal Dustour Party said in a statement.

Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood party also called its supporters out onto the streets of Cairo on Tuesday for a counter-demonstration to show support for the move.

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

He said that the new powers were designed to stop "weevils" from the regime of ousted former president Hosni Mubarak blocking progress.

The decree reflects the concerns in the Muslim Brotherhood-led government that sections of the judiciary remain unreformed following the overthrown of Mubarak.

"It aims to sideline Mursi's enemies in the judiciary and ultimately to impose and head off any legal challenges to the constitution," said Elijah Zarwan, a fellow with The European Council on Foreign Relations.

"We are in a situation now where both sides are escalating and its getting harder and harder to see how either side can gracefully climb down."

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Boxer Hector Camacho Taken Off Life Support

Boxer Hector "Macho" Camacho has died after being taken off life support, doctors say.

The 50-year-old was declared clinically brain dead on Thursday after being shot in his hometown of Bayamon in Puerto Rico earlier in the week.

Dr Ernesto Torres said Camacho went into cardiac arrest in the early hours of Saturday. He was then taken off life support and died shortly after.

His mother Maria Matias had indicated he would be allowed to die after three of his sons had arrived in Puerto Rico to see him for a final time.

"I lost my son three days ago. He's alive only because of a machine. My son is not alive. My son is only alive for the people who love him," she had said.

However, his eldest son, Hector Jr, said he wanted to keep his father alive.

The former world champion was shot as he sat in a car with a friend, 49-year-old Adrian Mojica Moreno, who was killed in the attack.

Police spokesman Alex Diaz said officers found nine small bags of cocaine in the friend's pocket and a 10th bag open inside the car.

Police reported no arrests and said investigators continued to interview potential witnesses.

Camacho fought some of boxing's biggest stars

Preparations had already begun for a memorial and a funeral Mass.

Camacho fought professionally for three decades, from his humble debut against David Brown at New York's Felt Forum in 1980 to an equally forgettable swansong against Sal Duran in Kissimmee, Florida, in 2010.

In between, he fought some of the sport's biggest stars, including Sugar Ray Leonard, Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya and Roberto Duran.

After his career reached its prime, Camacho was plagued by drug, alcohol and other problems.

In 2007 he was sentenced to seven years in prison for the burglary of a computer store in Mississippi. While arresting him on the burglary charge in January 2005, police also found the drug ecstasy.

A judge eventually suspended all but one year of the sentence and gave Camacho probation but he ended up serving two weeks in jail after violating that probation.

Camacho's ex-wife, Amy, obtained a restraining order against him in 1998, alleging he threatened her and one of their children. The couple, who had two children at the time, later divorced.

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Seven Gunned Down In Guatemalan Clinic 'Hit'

Gunmen dressed as policemen shot dead seven people in a medical clinic in Guatemala City in an apparent attack on an alleged drug dealer.

The hit-squad killed bodyguards and people guarding the clinic, in an upper class area of the city, but missed their intended target.

The country's interior minister, Mauriciao Lopez, said the group of men entered the clinic looking for the alleged Guatemalan drugs baron, Jairo Orellana, who was a regular client there.

When they were turned away by guards they opened fire with AK47 rifles, shooting four people on the ground floor, one on the stairs and two more on the second floor.

Police officers stand next to the body of a man outside the clinic.

Six men died at the scene and a seventh, who has been named as Trinidad Mendez Chacon, an employee of a private bodyguard company, died later in hospital.

After the attack, the men fled in five vehicles.

Mr Lopez told reporters: "The attack in the capital could be the product of a power struggle between drug traffickers. It was directed at Jairo Orellana."

Officials said one of the victims was from a rural province where the government has suspended constitutional rights in an attempt to remove it from the stranglehold of Los Zetas, the Mexican drug cartel.

The Mexican cartels are reaching further into Central America in an expansion of their cocaine-smuggling empires.

In May last year, Los Zetas beheaded 27 innocent farm workers in the northern border region of Peten in a dispute with the farm's owner over drug trafficking routes.

General Otto Perez, the Guatemalan president, has vowed to crack down on violent drug gangs.

Guatemala is one of the most violent countries on Earth, with 39 people out of every 100,000 murdered.

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Spurs Fan Stabbed In Rome Speaks Of Fear

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mills bled profusely from his thigh stab wound

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

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

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

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

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

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

Doctors said he would remain in hospital on Friday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Eurozone Crisis: Cyprus Poised For Bailout

Discussions between Cyprus and European officials are ongoing, as the island negotiates the terms of a sovereign bailout.

Cyprus' government officials said they had agreed on a package with the European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

But the European Commission (EC) denied that a deal had been struck, adding that discussions are ongoing.

"Discussions are expected to continue from respective headquarters with a view to making further progress toward a potential program," a a joint statement from the EU, IMF and EC said.

If the deal is approved, it would make the Mediterranean island the fourth country in the eurozone to request a sovereign bailout, as the region struggles to contain its debt crisis. 

Cyprus requested a bailout - which could be worth as much as £17.5bn, or its total GDP - after its banks failed to cope with their exposure to Greece.

"The deadline that was set by the European Central Bank for the recapitalisation of the banks expired, so we had to enter the rescue mechanism," spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said.

He added: "The bailout deal includes unpleasant measures."

Greece, Ireland and Portugal have already received bailouts to help manage their debt levels, while Spain received a 100bn euro (£80.8bn) aid package to bolster its banking industry. 

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Gaza: Israeli Soldiers Shoot Dead Man At Border

Israeli troops have shot and killed a Palestinian man and wounded at least 15 others after crowds surged towards Gaza's border fence with Israel.

The shooting did not appear to pose an immediate threat to the ceasefire declared on Wednesday night, which called for an end to Gaza rocket fire on Israel and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.

It appeared unlikely Hamas would retaliate for the shooting because that could jeopardise the militant group's potential gains from the ceasefire deal, such as an easing of restrictions on movement in and out of the Palestinian territory.

Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister in Gaza, has urged militant factions to respect the ceasefire.

But Nafez Azzam, a spokesman for Gaza's Islamic Jihad, said the shooting was a violation of the truce and added that Egypt had been informed.

It is believed hundreds of Palestinians approached Israel's border fence in several locations in southern Gaza.

In the past, Israel's military has barred Palestinians from getting close to the fence, and soldiers opened fire routinely to enforce a no-go zone meant to prevent infiltrations into Israel.

Since the ceasefire, growing numbers of Gazans have entered the no-go zone.

In footage taken along the border on Friday, a soldier is heard shouting in Hebrew "Go there, before I shoot you," and pointed away from the fence, toward Gaza.

Israeli troops guard the border

The soldier then dropped to one knee, assuming a firing position. Eventually, a burst of automatic fire was heard, but it was not clear whether any of the casualties were from this incident.

Gaza health official Ashraf al Kidra said the victim was a 20-year-old man.

On Thursday Israeli police said 12 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip but there were no reports of any injuries or damage.

The truce has allowed both Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step back from the brink of a fully-fledged war.

Over eight days, Israel's aircraft carried out some 1,500 strikes on Hamas-linked targets, while Gaza fighters peppered Israel with roughly the same number of rockets.

The fighting killed 166 Palestinians, including dozens of civilians, and six Israelis.

In Cairo, Egypt is hosting separate talks with Israeli and Hamas envoys on the next phase of the ceasefire - a new border deal for blockaded Gaza.

Hamas demands lifting of all border restrictions, while Israel insists that Hamas must halt weapons smuggling to the territory.

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Egypt Protests: Brotherhood Offices Set Alight

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

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

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

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

Protesters storm the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in Alexandria.

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

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

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

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

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

Supporters and opponents of the president clash in Alexandria.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Man Charged Over New York Shopkeeper Slayings

Police in New York have charged a discount clothing dealer they suspect of being involved in the murder of three city shopkeepers of Middle Eastern descent.

New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said 63-year-old Staten Island resident Salvatore Perrone was arrested on Wednesday on murder charges in the Brooklyn shooting deaths.

Police said Perrone had tried to sell clothing to the shopkeepers.

A bag containing a sawn-off rifle believed to have been used in the killings was recovered by officers looking to question a person they called 'John Doe Duffel Bag'.

Officers said balding Perrone appeared on surveillance footage carrying the bag moments after the most recent shooting last Friday.

The other killings happened in July and August. All three shopkeepers were alone in stores that had no video cameras.

"It's reasonable to assume he was going to continue doing this," Commissioner Kelly said in a news conference on Wednesday.

"He went to other locations and asked questions that indicated he may have been planning to come back."

The most recent killing claimed Rahmatollah Vahidipour, a Jewish man from Iran.

He was shot three times in the head and chest at his She She Boutique.

Detectives matched the spent .22 calibre cases to the fatal shootings of two other shopkeepers.

On July 6, Mohamed Gebeli, 65, a Muslim Egyptian immigrant was found shot in the back of his shop, Valentino Fashion Inc.

On August 6, Isaac Kadare, 59, also Egyptian but Jewish, was shot in the head in his store, Amazing 99 Cent Deal.

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Bin Laden Burial Details Revealed In Emails

Secret internal military emails have revealed that Osama bin Laden's body was referred to as "the package" before its burial at sea.

No sailors watched as the al Qaeda leader's body was dropped into the North Arabian Sea from the USS Carl Vinson.

The operation was shrouded in secrecy, which included the corpse being referred to as "the package" delivered by "Fedex".

The emails, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, are heavily blacked out but are the first public disclosure of government information about the terrorist's death.

Bin Laden was killed on May 1, 2011, by a Navy SEAL team that swooped on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

One email stamped secret and sent on May 2 by a senior Navy officer briefly describes how his body was washed, wrapped in a white sheet, and then placed in a weighted bag.

According to another message from the Vinson's public affairs officer, only a small group of the ship's leadership was informed of the burial.

"Traditional procedure for Islamic burial was followed," the May 2 email from Rear Admiral Charles Gaouette reads.

"The deceased's body was washed (ablution) then placed in a white sheet. The body was placed in a weighted bag. A military officer read prepared religious remarks, which were translated into Arabic by a native speaker.

"After the words were complete, the body was placed on a prepared flat board, tipped up, whereupon the deceased's body slid into the sea."

Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan

The email also included the cryptic reference to the intense secrecy surrounding the mission.

Gaouette, then the deputy commander of the Navy's Fifth Fleet, used code words to discuss whether the helicopters carrying the SEALs and bin Laden's body had arrived on the Vinson.              

"Any news on the package for us?" he asked Rear Adm. Samuel Perez, commander of the carrier strike group that included the Vinson.

"Fedex delivered the package," Perez responded. "Both trucks are safely en route home base."

Although the Obama administration has pledged to be the most transparent in American history, it is keeping a tight hold on materials related to the raid.

In a response to separate requests for information about the mission, the Defence Department said in March that it could not locate any photographs or video taken during the raid or showing his body.

It also said it could not find any images of the corpse on the Vinson.

The Pentagon also said it could not find any death certificate, autopsy report or results of DNA identification tests, or any pre-raid materials discussing how the government planned to dispose of the body if he were killed.

The Defence Department also refused to confirm or deny the existence of helicopter maintenance logs and reports about the performance of military gear used in the raid.

One of the stealth helicopters that carried the SEALs to Abbottabad crashed during the mission and its wreckage was left behind.

People who lived near bin Laden's compound took photos of the disabled chopper.

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Tottenham Hotspur Fans Attacked In Rome

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

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

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

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

Nine Britons and an American were hurt in the fight

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

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

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

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

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

Tottenham Hotspur are due to play Lazio

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

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

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

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

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

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

There was no response from the pub on Thursday morning.

A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed they are investigating the clash.

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Uganda Halts British Producer's Gay Trial

By Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor

A British theatre producer, facing two years in jail for staging a play featuring a homosexual, has had his case postponed again by a Ugandan court.

The postponement comes at a time when the Ugandan parliament is about to debate a bill allowing the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality".

David Cecil, 34,  was arrested in September after refusing to allow government censors to review the play The River and the Mountain which was performed in August.

He was charged with "disobeying lawful orders".

A petition to drop the case against him has been signed by more than 2,500 people including British celebrities Stephen Fry, Sandi Toksvig and Simon Callow.

A pre-trial hearing was adjourned shortly after his arrest, and his latest appearance in court was only to hear that the case has been postponed until January.

Sky sources say the court will allow Mr Cecil to leave the country before his next hearing, but that his family will not in order to ensure he returns.

Activists following the case suggest it may have been put on hold because the Ugandan parliament looks set to pass a law allowing the death sentence for certain homosexual acts.

Homosexuality is already a crime in Uganda, and can lead to up to 14 years in prison. 

A banner promoting the play

The new Bill, called "Kill the Gays Bill" by opponents, is thought to propose a life sentence for same-sex relationships, and the death penalty for "serial offenders".

The wording has not been fully revealed but the bill will prohibit the promotion of gay rights and the funding or sponsoring of homosexuality. It has been condemned by world leaders, including President Obama.

Uganda is a deeply conservative society with many government figures, religious leaders and the tabloid press engaging in routine insults of gay people and claiming that homosexuality is a western import.

The bill was re-introduced to Parliament by Speaker Rebecca Kadaga who promised it as a "Christmas gift"  to the Ugandan people.

Religious groups protesting against homosexuality in Kampala

Jeff Ogwaro of the Ugandan Civil Society Coalition, which is fighting the proposal, told Sky News: "We are 95% sure that the bill will go to Parliament before the end of the year, and 100% sure that, if it does, it will pass." 

If it does, President Museveni can veto it, but Parliament can then overturn his veto.

Earlier this year Ms Kadaga was in Canada and became embroiled in a row with Canada's foreign minister John Bairs who deplored the bill.

Ms Kadaga referred to Uganda's colonial past and said: "If homosexuality is a value for the people of Canada they should not seek to force Uganda to embrace it. We are not a colony or a protectorate of Canada."

Upon her return to Entebbe airport she was enthusiastically greeted by several hundred anti-gay activists, among them many religious leaders.

Some gay activists believe Mr Cecil's case has been postponed in order to try to limit UK media coverage of homosexuality in Uganda ahead of the bill being debated.

Several countries are considering withholding aid to Uganda if the bill becomes law.

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Gaza: Rockets Fired Hours After Ceasefire

Twelve rockets were fired into Israel hours after a ceasefire was brokered, it has been claimed.

An Israeli Police spokesman said the attacks caused no injuries or damage, with the rockets mostly landing in open fields in the south of the Jewish state.

A truce brokered between Israel and Hamas came into effect on Wednesday evening, bringing eight days of fighting to an end.

Both sides quickly claimed victory, with Hamas insisting it had defeated Israel.

Hillary Clinton called it a "critical moment" for the region

The Israelis, meanwhile, said they have severely impaired the military capability of Hamas, which governs Gaza.

The ceasefire deal calls on Israel to "stop all hostilities ... in the land, sea and air including incursions and targeting of individuals" and urges the Palestinian factions to end "rocket attacks and all attacks along the border".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he was prepared to give peace a chance.

"Netanyahu spoke with President Barack Obama and agreed to his recommendation to give a chance to an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire and thereby give an opportunity for the stabilisation of the situation and a calming of it," said a statement.

Benjamin Netanyahu says he is prepared to give the ceasefire a chance

Meanwhile, police are still investigating a bus bombing in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv that left at least 21 people wounded.

The explosion took place near the military headquarters hours before a ceasefire was announced and threatened to derail negotiations.

And a Palestinian woman in her late 30s has been arrested after trying to stab an Israeli border guard at the entrance of an east Jerusalem police station, police said.

It was not immediately clear what prompted the woman to attack the border guard, who suffered only scratches, according to a statement.

But the incident drew the attention of Palestinian youths in the neighbourhood, with about 100 people gathering around the station after the incident to show their support for the woman.

Police arrested three of them before dispersing the crowd.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said it was a "critical moment" for the region.

Gaza City's streets were dark and deserted in the minutes after the truce took effect at 7pm UK time.

Soon afterwards people poured out of their homes to hail the "victory".

Celebratory gunfire could be heard throughout the Gaza Strip and fireworks were released into the sky, where Israeli drones still buzzed overhead.

"The resistance has triumphed," some shouted.

After urging the two sides to uphold the accord, the 15-member UN Security Council also called in a statement for an international effort to get "emergency aid" into Gaza.

There had to be "expeditious and unimpeded delivery of such humanitarian assistance, including of food, fuel and medical treatment," said the statement.

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Mumbai Terrorist Mohammed Kasab Is Executed

The sole survivor of a militant squad that killed dozens of people during a massacre in Mumbai has been executed.

Some 166 people died in the three-day attack in India's financial capital in 2008.

Pakistan national Mohammad Ajmal Kasab was hanged at Yerwada prison in Pune, after India's President Pranab Mukherjee turned down a last-ditch mercy plea.

Pictures of Kasab wearing a black T-shirt and toting an AK-47 rifle as he strode through Mumbai's train station during the massacre were published around the world.

"This is a tribute to all innocent people and police officers who lost their lives in this heinous attack on our nation," said RR Patil, the home minister for the state of Maharashtra, where Mumbai is located.

The execution was the first time a capital sentence had been carried out in India since 2004.

The Taj Mahal Hotel during the attacks

There was relief on the streets of Mumbai as news of the gunman's death spread.

"When I heard the news of Kasab's execution today, I remembered those horrifying moments of the attack," said Vishnu Zende, who was working at the train station on the day of the attack. "My eyes were filled with tears."

A senior commander of Pakistan's Lashkar e Taiba (LeT) militant group, which India blames for the assault on Mumbai, called Kasab a hero and said he would inspire more attacks.

"To die like Kasab is the dream of every fighter," the commander told reporters by telephone from an undisclosed location.

A Pakistan Taliban spokesman said: "There is no doubt that it's very shocking news and a big loss that a Muslim has been hanged on Indian soil."

The killing spree started on November 26, 2008, after 10 militants arrived on the Mumbai coast in a dinghy.

Nearly 60 people were gunned down in the train station alone.

The militants, who had originally split up into four groups, held off elite commandos for up to 60 hours in two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre in the city.

India says Islamabad is failing to act against those behind the raids, including LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, who has a $10m US bounty on his head.

Pakistan admits the attacks were planned on its soil, but denies official involvement. It says seven suspected militants are being prosecuted for their role.

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Gaza: Ceasefire Delayed As Shelling Continues

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

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

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

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

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

The remains of government building in Gaza City

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Ex-Boxing Champ Hector Camacho Shot In Face

Three-times boxing world champion Hector "Macho" Camacho could be left paralysed after he was shot in the face while sitting in a car.

Another man died in the attack after at least one gunman opened fire on the vehicle in the Puerto Rican city of Bayamon, according to a statement from police.

Camacho, 50, was taken to San Juan's Centro Medico trauma centre, where he was in critical but stable condition and expected to survive, said Dr Ernesto Torres.

The bullet apparently struck him in the jaw, but exited his head and lodged in his right shoulder, fracturing two vertebrae.

Dr Torres said Camacho, who was plagued by drug and alcohol problems during his career, could be paralysed after the shooting.

He said: "Camacho's condition is extremely delicate. His physical condition will help him, but we will see."

No arrests have been made in the shooting.

Camacho (L) with son Hector Jr, who is also a professional boxer

Camacho's spokesman Steve Tannenbaum said he was told by friends at the hospital that the boxer would make it.

He said: "This guy is a cat with nine lives. He's been through so much - if anybody can pull through, it will be him."

The fighter's last title bout came against then-welterweight champion Oscar De La Hoya in 1997, when he lost on a unanimous decision.

Mr Tannenbaum said Camacho was going to fight two years ago in Denmark until his opponent pulled out - but they were looking at a possible bout in 2013.

"We were talking comeback even though he is 50 - I felt he was capable of it."

Camacho was born in Bayamon, one of the cities that make up the San Juan metropolitan area. He won super lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight world titles in the 1980s.

Camacho's last title fight ended with defeat by Oscar de la Hoya in 1997

He fought high-profile bouts in his career against Felix Trinidad, Julio Cesar Chavez and Sugar Ray Leonard, whose career he ended with a 1997 knockout.

Camacho had a career record of 79-5-3, with his most recent fight coming in 2009.

He has battled drug, alcohol and other problems since the prime of his boxing career and was sentenced in 2007 to seven years in prison for the burglary of a computer store in Mississippi.

While arresting him on the burglary charge in January 2005, police also found the drug ecstasy.

A judge eventually suspended all but one year of the sentence and gave Camacho probation. He served two weeks in jail after violating his probation conditions.

His wife filed domestic abuse complaints against him twice and filed for divorce several years ago.

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Israel: Explosion On Tel Aviv Bus Hurts 21

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Israeli medics wheel a wounded woman away from the scene

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Israeli police officers comb the bus and its surroundings for evidence

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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China To Build Tallest Skyscraper In 90 Days

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

A company in China is preparing to build the world's tallest skyscraper in just 90 days.

From the foundations upwards, the whole construction will be erected within three months at a rate of five floors a day.

Work will start at the end of this month and it should all be finished by the end of February.

It is a challenge only China could attempt to take on and it will be built in a city most people will have never heard of - Changsha in Hunan Province.

The building will be called Sky City and its statistics are quite remarkable. It will be 838 metres high, with 220 floors and a construction area of one million square metres.

To achieve that, 200,000 tons of steel will be used.

There will be space for 31,000 people inside, who will be able to move up and down with the help of 104 high speed lifts.

Some 83% of the building will be for residential use, with room for 17,400 people.

It will be taller than Dubai's Burj Khalifa

It will also contain a hotel with a capacity for 1,000.

There will be schools educating up to 4,600 children and a hospital which will treat 1,400 patients.

Only 3% of the building will be for office use. Any remaining space will be shops and restaurants.

The building will be just a few metres taller than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai but will be constructed at a fraction of the cost.

The company behind it, Broad Sustainable Building (BSB), specialises in prefabricated modular technology which allows them to cut costs significantly.

The Burj in Dubai cost £9,500 per square metre, whereas Sky City will cost just £950 per square metre.

Some of the same team who built the Burj will work on this new project.

It is not the first seemingly impossible, fast construction project by the company. In January, they built a 30-story hotel in just 15 days and it is still standing.

Any concerns that the speed of construction will seriously jeopardise the safety of Sky City have been refuted by the company.

BSB claim that the building will be state-of-the-art in every respect. It will be resistant to fire for up to 15 minutes and will, they claim, even be able to withstand magnitude nine earthquakes.

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India: Deadly Stampede On River Ganges Bridge

At least 18 people have been killed and several others injured during a stampede on a bridge over the Ganges River in India.

The bridge collapsed under people returning home from a Hindu religious ceremony in Patna, in the eastern state of Bihar, Indian police said.

Worshippers had been offering a sunset prayer in celebration of the Chhath festival, dedicated to the Sun God Surya.

The temporary bridge, made from bamboo, collapsed due to the heavy rush of people - mainly devotees and their family members.

An injured victim is covered by a blanket before being rushed to hospital

The bodies of those killed - which included children - were transported to the Patna Medical College Hospital for post-mortems. Injured people were admitted for treatment in nearby hospitals.

A senior police official said the stampede had been triggered by the collapse of the bridge. He added that several people were still missing after falling into the river.

More than 400,000 people were present during the ceremony.

Stampedes occur occasionally in India, especially during religious ceremonies which tend to attract huge crowds.

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Croatia Jails Ivo Sanader For Corruption

A former Croatian prime minister has been sentenced to 10 years in prison - becoming the highest ranking official to be convicted of corruption in the country.

Ivo Sanader was found guilty of accepting a payment of 5m euros (£4m) in 2008 from Hungary's energy group MOL Nyrt in exchange for granting it full management rights over Croatia's state oil company INA.

He was also convicted of accepting 476,000 euros (£382,91£382,913) from Austrian bank Hypo Alpe Adria Group in 1995, when he was deputy foreign minister. Prosecutors described this action as "war profiteering".

After reading out the verdict, Judge Ivan Turudic speaking directly to Sanader, said: "Without a doubt, you have committed these criminal acts, abusing the powers of your office as prime minister and, earlier, as deputy foreign minister."

He is also facing a separate trial for allegedly using profits from state companies to fund his political party.

Sanader, 59, left the country in 2009 and was arrested shortly after in Austria where he was extradited back to Croatia in 2011 to face trial.

He was the leader of the Croatian Democratic Party, which has been in power for 17 of the 22 years since the end of communism in 1990.

Croatia is due to join the EU in July 2013 and Sanader's conviction is likely to be seen as proof it is cracking down on corruption.

EU officials are said to be taking a tough stance on the country's corruption problems before its joins alongside Romania and Bulgaria.

Sanader's hand-picked successor, Jadranka Kosor, launched an anti-corruption campaign which helped Zagreb complete EU entry talks in June 2011.

Sanader argued that the case against him was politically motivated. He has 15 days to appeal the verdict.

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Euro Crisis: French Credit Rating Cut

A second major credit ratings agency has stripped France of its 'triple-A' status in a move that risks stoking its borrowing costs and dragging it further into the eurozone debt crisis.

Moody's Investors Service announced it was cutting France's sovereign rating by one notch to Aa1 from Aaa, citing the country's uncertain fiscal outlook as a result of "deteriorating economic prospects".

Moody's also said it was maintaining a negative outlook on France due to structural challenges and a "sustained loss of competitiveness" in the country. The downgrade follows that of Standard & Poor's in January.

The loss of the Aaa rating from two agencies poses a problem for France, as investment funds often require their best assets to have a minimum of two top-notch ratings in order to remain in their portfolios.

Moody's said it was becoming increasingly difficult to predict how resilient France would be to future euro-area shocks but analysts suggested the downgrade was not a consequence of new information from the market.

Because of that there was little movement in its 10-year debt yield, the cost to France of servicing its debts, rising only slightly on Tuesday morning though the CAC 40 lost 0.6% on opening in Paris.

Pierre Moscovici, the French finance minister, blamed the downgrade on the policies of previous governments that had failed to restore the competitiveness of the nation's economy.

"French debt still remains among the most liquid and safest of the eurozone," he said.

"The French economy is large and diversified and the government has shown proof of its serious plan to implement structural reforms and restore public finances."

Mr Moscovici is due to join his euro area counterparts in Brussels to give tentative approval for the next tranche of loans to Greece.

However, the money is unlikely to be paid until December as talks continue on debt reduction and Greek efforts to keep to tough spending targets.

The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde, who has become the most vocal critic of easing pressure on Athens, is expected to attend the meeting.

She could yet move to ensure that the IMF, which has covered about a third of loans to Greece, gets its money back in a previously agreed timescale.

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Gaza: Six Men Executed 'As Israeli Spies'

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

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

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

Israeli homeowners inspect damage after a rocket attack in Beersheba

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

The Hamas military wing has claimed responsibility for the executions.

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

Gaza residents flee their homes on November 20

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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HP Hit By 'False Accounting' At Autonomy

Hewlett-Packard (HP) has accused Autonomy of lying about its finances, as it announced a write-down of $8.8bn (£5.5bn) relating to its purchase of the company.

The Silicon Valley computing firm said the majority of this charge was because of "serious accounting improprieties" at the Cambridge-based software company.

HP bought Autonomy for £7.1bn last summer, but said it now believes it was "substantially overvalued" at the time of the sale.

Nine months after the deal, the chief executive of Autonomy, Mike Lynch - who founded the company in 1996 and made more than £500m from the deal - stepped down.

Mike Lynch founded Autonomy in 1996

Following HP's announcement, Dr Lynch's spokeswoman said he "flatly rejects" the allegations, describing them as "false".

A statement said: "The former management team of Autonomy was shocked to see this statement today, and flatly rejects these allegations, which are false.

"HP's due diligence review was intensive, overseen on behalf of HP by KPMG, Barclays and Perella Weinberg. HP's
senior management has also been closely involved with running Autonomy for the past year."

An internal investigation into Autonomy's finances was launched by HP after a whistleblower came forward, alleging suspect accounting and business practices at the firm.

These "mislead investors and potential buyers", HP said, adding that it had referred the case to the Serious Fraud Office and the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

"HP is extremely disappointed to find that some former members of Autonomy's management team used accounting improprieties, misrepresentations and disclosure failures to inflate the underlying financial metrics of the company, prior to Autonomy's acquisition by HP," the company said in a statement.

"These efforts appear to have been a willful effort to mislead investors and potential buyers, and severely impacted HP management's ability to fairly value Autonomy at the time of the deal."

This one-off charge pushed HP to a $6.9bn (£4.3bn) loss in the fourth quarter - compared with a $200m (£125m) profit in the same quarter last year.

The company's share of the personal computer and printer markets also shrunk, and revenues fell 6.7% to $29.9bn (£18.8bn).

Earlier this year, the struggling firm warned of cuts to its UK operations as part of a restructuring resulting in 27,000 job cuts globally.

HP shares fell by 12% in early trading in the US.

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Broadwell 'Devastated' By Petraeus Scandal

Paula Broadwell, whose extramarital affair with General David Petraeus led to his resignation as CIA chief, has confided to friends that she is devastated by the ensuing fallout.

The biographer is said to deeply regret the damage that has been done to her family and everyone else's, and she is trying to repair that and move forward.

Mrs Broadwell's friend spoke on condition of anonymity to the AP news agency because he was not authorised to speak publicly.

A group of friends and neighbours welcomed Mrs Broadwell and her family back to their home in Charlotte in North Carolina at the weekend, after she spent more than a week lying low in Washington.

Paula Broadwell is "overwhelmed" by the support of friends and neighbours

Mrs Broadwell is still being investigated by the FBI over classified documents found on her laptop and in her home.

Investigators say many of the documents are old and Mrs Broadwell told them she did not get them from Gen Petraeus.

The FBI stumbled onto their relationship after tracking anonymous emails that Mrs Broadwell allegedly sent to Tampa socialite Jill Kelley, warning her to stay away from Gen Petraeus.

Mrs Kelley served as sort of an unpaid social liaison for Central Command, hosting parties at her Florida home, where senior officers would mingle with Tampa's elite.

Mrs Kelley kept in near-constant contact with the Gen Petraeus and Afghanistan war commander Gen John Allen, officials claimed.

Jill Kelley received threatening emails from Paula Broadwell, it is alleged

The scandal widened when the Pentagon announced it was looking into copious correspondence between Mrs Kelley and Gen Allen, searching for possible evidence of an inappropriate relationship between the two married people.

Gen Allen's nomination to lead the US European Command has been put on hold, pending results of the investigation, though officials now concede only a handful of the emails are of a flirtatious or questionable nature.

The FBI found no reason to further investigate Gen Petraeus, but the CIA is now investigating whether the former director behaved inappropriately, such as possibly using agency resources to further the affair.

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San Francisco May Ban Nudity In Public Places

Local politicians in San Francisco are scheduled to vote on Tuesday on an bye-law that would prohibit nudity in most public places.

The blanket ban represents an escalation of a two-year dispute between a devoted group of men who strut their stuff through the city's famously gay Castro District and the local official who represents the area.

Supervisor Scott Wiener's proposal would make it illegal for a person over the age of five to "expose his or her genitals, perineum or anal region on any public street, sidewalk, street median, parklet or plaza" or while using public transport.

A first offence would carry a maximum $100 fine, but a third violation would be treated as a misdemeanour punishable by up to a $500 fine and a year in jail.

Exemptions would be made for participants at permitted street fairs and parades, such as the city's annual gay pride event and the Folsom Street Fair.

The proposed ban has produced outrage, as well as a lawsuit.

Mr Wiener said he resisted introducing the ordinance, but felt compelled to act after complaints about naked men gathering in a small Castro plaza.

He persuaded his colleagues last year to pass a law requiring a cloth to be placed between public seating and bare behinds, but the complaints continued.

"I think it's a caricature of what San Francisco is about," Mr Wiener said.

"I don't think having some guys taking their clothes off and hanging out seven days a week at Castro and Market Street is really what San Francisco is about."

Last week, about two dozen people disrobed in front of City Hall to protest.

While it may seem strange that going nude is not already illegal in San Francisco, most California cities do not have local nudity laws but rely upon state indecent exposure laws or peer pressure.

But the state laws technically only apply to lewd behaviour, so city officials have had to craft a local solution, like the other California cities of Berkeley and San Jose.

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President Obama In Landmark Visit To Burma

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

Barack Obama has made history in becoming the first sitting US president to visit Burma.

In a landmark trip aimed at encouraging a string of political reforms in the former pariah state, the US president flew into Rangoon on Monday morning.

It is the second stop of his three-country tour of Asia.

Mr Obama said his historic visit marked the next step in a new chapter between America and Burma, also known as Myanmar.

He said he was "extending the hand of friendship" to the country, where he met both reformist President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Tens of thousands of people, many of them waving US flags, packed the streets of Rangoon to see Mr Obama's motorcade speed through the city.

He shared words and an affectionate hug with Ms Suu Kyi, the democracy activist who endured years of house arrest to gain freedom and become a lawmaker.

People line the streets in Rangoon to greet Mr Obama

Speaking after a private meeting with the opposition leader, Mr Obama said he had seen encouraging signs of progress in the country in the past year - including her release from house arrest and election to parliament.

He said ties between the US and Burma will grow stronger if moves toward democracy continue.

"Our goal is to sustain the momentum," he declared. 

He told Ms Suu Kyi that if the nation's leaders keep making true reforms, "we will do everything we can to ensure success".

With Mr Obama at her side, Ms Suu Kyi said: "We are confident that this support will continue through the difficult years that lie ahead."

After his meeting with Mr Sein, who has orchestrated much of his country's transition to democracy, Mr Obama said the reforms "in Myanmar" could unleash "the incredible potential of this beautiful country".

He also made a speech at the University of Rangoon, acknowledging the country's shortcomings but saying: "The United States of America is with you."

Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton on their historic visit to Burma

The US would be friends with any nation that respects its people's rights and international law, he said.

The president used the speech to urge an end to sectarian unrest in the western state of Rakhine, saying there was "no excuse for violence against innocent people".

But with human rights groups claiming his visit was too soon in the reform process - risking rewarding a half-baked democracy - Mr Obama made clear that he was not endorsing the Burmese government.  

The president's first stop on his Asia tour was Thailand, where he stressed the "critical" importance of the Asia-Pacific region to the future of the US over the coming century, during his first foreign trip since his re-election.

Speaking at a news conference with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Mr Obama said: "Asia is my first foreign trip since our election in the United States, and Thailand is my first stop.

"This is no accident. As I've said many times, the United States is and always will be a Pacific nation.

"As the fastest growing region in the world, the Asia-Pacific will shape so much of our security and prosperity in the century ahead, and it is critical to creating jobs and opportunity for the American people.

"That's why I've made restoring American engagement in this region a top priority as president."

Mr Obama also met the Thai King, Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is in hospital where he has been recovering from an illness since September 2009.

Mr Obama met Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Sunday

Mr Obama calls himself the "Pacific President" and has pledged to focus significant attention on the Asia-Pacific region.

It is therefore no surprise that his first foreign trip is here.

The US is seeking to counter China's increasing clout in the region. The US government has said that 60% of the US naval forces will be based in the region by 2020.

As if to underline America's commitment to the region, the US defence secretary is currently on his fourth trip to Asia this year.

Thailand is the US' longest standing ally in the region. The US sees it as vital in helping it pivot attention towards Asia and boost ties with the fastest growing region on the planet.

During the news conference, Mr Obama defended his decision to go to Burma.

"This is not an endorsement of the Burmese government," he said.

"This is an acknowledgement that there is a process under way inside that country that even a year and a half, two years ago, nobody foresaw."

The president's visit follows a trip by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the country in December 2011 and a visit by British Prime Minister David Cameron in April 2011.

The US president's Asian tour will end in Cambodia, where he will attend a meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean).

The leaders of 16 southeast Asian countries will attend, as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin, outgoing Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In Burma, despite the recent reforms, sectarian clashes between Muslims and Buddhists have killed more than 180 people and destroyed the homes of more than 100,000.

The government has been criticised for not having done enough to stop the violence in the coastal Rakhine State.

On Friday, Washington announced it had lifted a ban on the import of goods from the country.

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Silvio Berlusconi Aide Spinelli Held Hostage

Silvio Berlusconi's accountant was taken hostage by armed intruders who demanded a 35m euro (£28m) ransom from the former Italian prime minister, police have revealed.

Three Italians and three Albanians have been arrested and accused of taking Giuseppe Spinelli, 71, one of Berlusconi's closest allies and friends, and his wife Anna hostage last month.

Three intruders forced their way into Mr Spinelli's apartment on October 15 and ordered him to call Berlusconi for a ransom in the early hours of the following morning, police said.

In exchange, the trio also offered to hand over documents they claimed would overturn a guilty verdict for corrupt practices against one of the former leader's companies, according to media reports.

"Spinelli was suffering from shock. He could not say he had been taken hostage because he feared for his wife's life during the telephone call to Berlusconi," said Niccolo Ghedini, one of the media magnate's lawyers.

"He was terrified, he was still being threatened with weapons," he said.

The suspects had been tracking Mr Spinelli's movements since June and took the building's video surveillance tapes with them.

Police said there was no evidence the ransom had been paid.

Berlusconi, who is currently on trial accused of paying a 17-year-old call girl for sex, entrusted his accountant with giving cash presents to young girls invited to his parties.

His lawyers did not alert police to the hostage situation and extortion attempt until Saturday, reports said.

The suspects claimed the documents they had would overturn a court ruling in 2011 which ordered one of Berlusconi's family companies to pay 560 euros (£450m) to a rival group as compensation for corrupt activities in a takeover battle.

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One Killed As Blast Rocks Gaza Media Centre

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thousands of Israeli troops have been readied for a ground offensive

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Oil Rig Fire Search Called Off As Body Found

Divers hired by the owner of an oil platform that caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico have recovered a body in the waters near the site.

US Coast Guard spokesman Carlos Vega said the remains of the unidentified person were found by divers working for Houston-based Black Elk Energy, who were inspecting the platform.

Mr Vega said the Coast Guard would be turning over the remains to local authorities.

John Hoffman, the president and CEO of Black Elk Energy, wrote in an email late on Saturday that the body is apparently that of one of two crew members missing since an explosion and fire on the oil platform on Friday morning.

"Divers will continue to search for the second missing worker. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families," Mr Hoffman said.

Rescue crews work at the oil platform on Friday

He said the body was found close to the leg of the platform, near where the explosion occurred, in about 30ft of water.

The missing men were employees of oilfield contractor Grand Isle Shipyard, he added.

The news came shortly after the Coast Guard suspended a 32-hour-long search for the two missing workers that covered 1,400 square miles near the oil platform, located about 20 miles southeast of Grand Isle, Louisiana.

"We have saturated the search area several times - the 1,400-square-foot area," Mr Vega said.

"We saw no signs of life. We have suspended the search ... pending further development. If we receive any credible information that there are signs of life, we can resume the search at any time."

Four other workers who were severely burned remained at Baton Rouge General Medical Centre on Saturday night.

Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Bobby Nash said the guard's search was ended early on Saturday evening.

Helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft had been searching by air, while cutters and boat crews searched the sea.

The blaze erupted on Friday morning while workers were using a torch to cut an oil line on the platform, authorities said.

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Musharraf Plans Pakistan Return For Elections

By Alex Rossi, Sky News Correspondent

Former Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf has told Sky News he will return to the country early next year to contest the upcoming general elections - even though he faces death threats, arrest and imprisonment.

General Musharraf - who led Pakistan as both dictator and democratically elected president - said the charges against him are "politically motivated".

He stands accused of conspiracy to murder Benazir Bhutto and treason. Ms Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007 while on the campaign trail.

"All the cases against me are absolutely politicised and therefore whatever warrants that are issued are not because the cases are proven because I have not appeared in the court. Legally and constitutionally there are no cases against me," he said.

The four-star General currently divides his time between London and Dubai where he is in self-imposed exile.

He claims though to still have a great deal of support in Pakistan and denies he is yesterday's man.

"Take my Facebook, today we have crossed 500,000 supporters. 92% of them are in Pakistan and out of these more than 50% are between the ages of 18 and 34," he said.

But General Musharraf will not confirm when exactly he will return.

There is scepticism about whether he will actually go back. A trip to Pakistan last January, to launch his second coming as a politician, was cancelled at the last minute.

His detractors say he is not prepared to face the very real risk of imprisonment and arrest.

The 69-year-old has been out of Pakistan for the last four years.

In that time the political landscape has changed dramatically with the former cricketer turned politician Imran Khan gaining a great deal of support. 

"Imran Khan is not a problem for me at all in fact my support base and his are almost the same," General Musharraf told Sky News.

"We are both popular with the youth and the women. We have popularity with the minorities so there is there is a commonality between us."

General Musharraf said if it was in the interests of Pakistan he would join forces with Mr Khan in a political alliance.    

But speaking to Sky's Murnaghan programme, Mr Khan said: "Allying ourselves with General Musharraf right now means that we'll be alienating a large part of the population.

"We at the moment are the party which has a seven million membership. So we feel pretty confident that we can go into this election coming next spring, and we think we'll do very well."

No date has been set for next year's election yet, but the current National Assembly must be dissolved on or before March 18 next year.

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Gaza: Israel Denies Strikes Targeted Media

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Shuruq building, which houses al Aqsa TV

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

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

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

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

"The target was the Hamas facility."

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

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

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

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

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

A Palestinian journalist inspects his work car

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Obama: Asia-Pacific Is Key Region For US Future

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

Barack Obama has stressed the "critical" importance of the Asia-Pacific region to the future of the US during his first foreign trip since his re-election.

The US President flew into Bangkok for the first stop of a three-country tour which will include Cambodia and Burma.

Speaking at a news conference with the Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Mr Obama stressed the important role the region will play in shaping US interests over the coming century.

"Asia is my first foreign trip since our election in the United States, and Thailand is my first stop," Mr Obama said.

"This is no accident. As I've said many times, the United States is and always will be a Pacific nation.

"As the fastest growing region in the world, the Asia-Pacific will shape so much of our security and prosperity in the century ahead, and it is critical to creating jobs and opportunity for the American people.

"That's why I've made restoring American engagement in this region a top priority as president."

Mr Obama also met the Thai King, Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is in hospital where he has been recovering from an illness since September 2009.

Mr Obama calls himself the "Pacific President" and has pledged to focus significant attention on the Asia-Pacific region.

It is therefore no surprise that his first foreign trip is here.

The US is seeking to counter China's increasing clout in the region. The US government has said that 60 per cent of the US naval forces will be based in the region by 2020.

As if to underline America's commitment to the region, the US Defence Secretary is currently on his fourth trip to Asia this year.

Thailand is the United States' longest standing ally in the region. The US sees it as vital in helping it pivot attention towards Asia and boost ties with the fastest growing region on the planet.

The main focus of the trip will be to Burma on Monday.

Mr Obama will become the first US president ever to visit the country. The visit is a key indicator that Washington believes Burmese government reforms are genuine and continuing.

During the news conference, Mr Obama defended his decision to go to Burma.

"This is not an endorsement of the Burmese government," he said.

"This is an acknowledgement that there is a process underway inside that country that even a year and a half, two years ago, nobody foresaw."

He will meet both President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. On Friday, Washington announced it had lifted a ban on the import of goods from the country.

The president's visit follows a trip by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the country in December 2011 and a visit by British Prime Minister David Cameron in April 2011.

The US President's Asian tour will end in Cambodia where he will attend a meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean).

The leaders of 16 southeast Asian countries will attend, as well as the Russian President Vladimir Putin, the outgoing Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, the Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In Burma, despite the recent reforms, sectarian clashes between Muslims and Buddhists have killed more than 180 people and destroyed the homes of more than 100,000.

The government has been criticised for not having done enough to stop the violence in the coastal Rakhine State.

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