Italy: Berlusconi Facing Ban From Public Office

A court has ruled that Silvio Berlusconi should be barred from public office for two years following a tax fraud conviction.

But as the former prime minister is a senator the upper house of parliament will need to approve his expulsion in a vote expected next month.

The Senate - which is dominated by Berlusconi opponents from both the left and the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement - is expected to strip him of his seat.

The 76-year-old billionaire could also face a six-year ban from public office because the upper house's vote will be based on a separate law to that applied by the Milan court.

Losing his seat would also deprive Berlusconi, who is fighting a conviction for paying for sex with a minor among other legal cases, of his parliamentary immunity from arrest.

The Milan court's ruling reflected the prosecution's request for a two-year ban.

Berlusconi's lawyers, who can appeal to the supreme court, had asked for a one-year ban, the minimum under the law that was being applied in the case.

The maximum would have been three years.

On August 1, Italy's supreme court definitively upheld a tax fraud conviction against the centre-right leader, rejecting his final appeal against an earlier four-year jail sentence, which was reduced to one year.

If the Senate expels him, Berlusconi will spend the year either under house arrest or in community service.

The August supreme court ruling involved claims of inflated invoices at his Mediaset broadcasting empire.

It was the first definitive sentence he had received after dozens of previous trials on charges ranging from tax to sex offences.

Berlusconi has protested his innocence, accusing magistrates of persecuting him since his entry into politics 20 years ago.

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Syria: Rebels Kill 16 Soldiers In Bomb Attack

Syrian rebels attacked a checkpoint in a pro-government suburb of Damascus, setting off a suicide vehicle bomb that killed 16 soldiers, according to activists.

It came as the UN-Arab League envoy began a regional push for peace talks.

Meanwhile, the US said children were starving to death in besieged areas of the capital and demanded that the regime allow aid convoys in.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a suicide bomber from the al Qaeda-linked Al Nusra Front detonated an explosives-packed car at the checkpoint between Jaramana and the rebel-held area of Mleha.

State media blamed the blast on "terrorists", the regime term for rebels.

Heavy fighting followed, with rebel mortar fire hitting Jaramana, said the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on activists and medics on the ground for its information.

One resident said the intensity of fighting was "unprecedented" since the conflict erupted in March 2011.

The wreckage of a car bomb explosion in Jaramana in July

The war, which began after President Bashar al Assad launched a bloody crackdown on democracy protests inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings, is believed to have killed more than 115,000 people.

Washington condemned the regime's relentless siege of rebel-held Eastern Ghouta and Moadamiyet al Sham on the capital's outskirts.

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said there were "unprecedented reports of children dying of malnutrition-related causes in areas that are only a few miles from Bashar al Assad's palace in Damascus".

She added: "The regime's deliberate prevention of the delivery of lifesaving humanitarian supplies to thousands of civilians is unconscionable.

"We call on the Syrian regime to immediately approve relief convoys into these areas."

The call came as UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi was to arrive in Cairo at the start of a regional tour aimed at paving the way for peace talks.

World powers hope to convene a peace conference in Geneva next month but prospects for it remain unclear, with Syria's opposition divided and due to vote next week on whether to take part.

Mr Assad's government says his departure from office cannot be on the table, while the opposition insists he cannot remain in power.

Separately, US Secretary of State John Kerry will head to Europe next week for talks on Syria.

He and other envoys from the "Friends of Syria" group will meet the Syrian opposition in Britain on Tuesday to review progress towards convening the conference.

The National Coalition, Syria's main opposition bloc, said it would hold internal discussions next week to decide whether to do so.

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Northern India: Bootleg Liquor Kills 32 People

A batch of tainted alcohol has killed at least 32 people in northern India and left another 50 in hospital - with some of them blinded, according to police.

A shopkeeper in Adampur village in Uttar Pradesh state began selling the bootleg liquor on Thursday. 

Police say patrons who bought it became sick immediately and 32 people were dead by the next day.

The shopkeeper – whose son was among those killed – was arrested by police.

Eight state government officials and four police officers have also been suspended as part of the inquiry into the deaths.

The officials are being investigated for possible negligence of duty over allowing the toxic drink to be sold.

Home-brewed liquor is common in India as many people cannot afford licenced alcohol.

It is often brewed with harmful chemicals to increase its potency.

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Somalia: 12 Killed In Restaurant Bomb Attack

A suicide bomber in Somalia has detonated explosives in a crowded restaurant, killing at least 12 people including himself, according to police.

The attack occurred in the city of Beledweyne, about 339 kilometres (210.65 miles) north of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.

"It was horrible, I counted 12 people killed – among them soldiers – and many others were injured," Mohamed Islow Ali, a witness, told AFP.

"There were a lot of people in the restaurant when the bomber blew himself up, many people have died including civilians," said Hussein Ali, another witness to the attack.

Mohamed Abdi, a senior Somali police official, told the Associated Press that at least 10 people were injured in the blast.

The restaurant targeted was understood to be popular among soldiers.

Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants have since claimed responsibility for the bombing.

"The attack was carried out by one of the mujahedeen. Thanks to Allah, he has killed many of the enemy including Ethiopian soldiers and Djiboutians," Sheikh Mohamed, an al Shabaab commander in the nearby town of Bulaburde, told AFP.

The group was also responsible for last month's attack on Nairobi's Westgate shopping centre in Kenya.

At least 67 people were killed in the four-day siege.

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Mystery Blonde Girl: Greece Charity In Appeal

An international search is under way to identify the parents of a blonde girl found in the care of a couple on a Roma camp in Greece.

DNA tests have shown the four-year-old is not related to the pair - and their accounts of how she came to be living with them differ.

Police found the girl, who recognises the name Maria, during a raid on the camp, in Farsala, central Greece, on Wednesday.

She has now been taken into the care of a Greek charity called The Smile Of The Child, which has put out a Europe-wide alert.

A poster released to help find the girl's parents

A statement from the charity said: "The features of the girl and the controversial claims of the persons who claimed to be the parents of the child led the authorities to collect a DNA sample test.

"The results of DNA testing proved that these people are not the biological parents of the child.

"The Smile of the Child in co-operation with national police authorities is taking all necessary steps to inform the competent actors at national and international level."

The director of The Smile Of The Child praised an observant prosecutor who went on the camp raid along with dozens of police.

Costas Giannopoulos told Greece's Skai TV: "She saw a little blonde head poking out from under the bedclothes. It struck her as odd, and that's how it all started."

The girl recognises the name Maria

Vassilis Halatsis, the police chief handling the case, told Sky News that despite a flood of local and international calls to domestic media and social groups, no parent has come forward to claim the child.

"That makes the case so much more difficult for us," he said.

He said authorities will release pictures of the arrested gypsy couple on Monday and hope it will unravel the mystery surrounding Maria.

Another reason detectives suspect the case could be part of an international trafficking ring is that Greek police records show a related kidnapping case in 2009, the year Maria was born.

Apparently, the couple's various excuses included that the girl was found in a blanket and that she was handed to them by strangers. They later claimed she had a foreign father.

Maria is described as: born around 2009, white, with blue eyes, long blonde hair, 100cm tall and weighing 17kg.

The couple - a 39-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman - have been arrested and are now under investigation for abduction and falsifying identity and family certificates.

They claimed to have 14 children, police said, and had registered different numbers with authorities in three different parts of Greece. Including Maria, the couple only actually had four.

The woman is also said to have claimed to have given birth to six children within a space of less than 10 months.

Police say they also found drugs and unregistered firearms in other parts of the camp, which is about 170 miles (280km) north of Athens.

Officers are now working on the theory that, because of her appearance, Maria may be northern or eastern European.

Her discovery has given hope to the family of Ben Needham - one of the longest-running missing persons cases in British history.

The boy disappeared from outside his grandparent's farmhouse on the Greek island of Kos in 1991.

Ben Needham vanished in Greece 22 years ago

Ben's sister Leighanna told Sky News: "I believe that the camp the little girl was found in was looked at (during the investigation into her brother's disappearance).

"But 22 years ago, the Greek police were scared of the gypsies and pretty much point-blank refused to go into the camps...so our inquiries into these camps never fully got covered."

The case, which some people have likened to the Madeleine McCann disappearance, has raised concerns about how easy it appeared to be for people to get official documents for children who are not their own.

A spokesman for Madeleine's family said: "This gives Kate and Gerry great hope that Madeleine could be found alive."

The Smile Of The Child director Costas Giannopoulos said Maria was being examined by doctors.

"We are shocked by how easy it is for people to register children as their own," he told the Greek TV station Skai.

"There is much more to investigate ... and I believe police will unravel a thread that doesn't just have to do with the girl."

Greece has only acquired a central system of registration for births in the last five months.

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Kenya Mall Attack: New Video Of The Gunmen

New CCTV footage has emerged from inside the Nairobi shopping mall showing how the attackers calmly shot people before taking time out to pray.

The video shows shoppers running away from the gunmen and dropping to the floor as bullets fly through the air.

At one point an injured man, who is bleeding heavily, is seen trying to pull himself to safety before apparently being shot again and then dying.

The silent video is taken from a number of CCTV cameras around the upmarket Westgate Mall in Kenya's capital and was obtained by CNN.

It appears that the footage was taken on September 21, the first day of a four-day siege, which left at least 67 people dead.

The attackers are also shown taking in turns to pray in what appears to be a store room.

Another section shows two militants casually walking through a supermarket while firing their guns and then talking on their mobile phones.

A woman with two children and pushing another in a shopping trolley are seen walking past a line of tills before a teenage girl follows them with a gunman behind her pointing the way.

It is believed they were all eventually released.

The al Qaeda-linked group al Shabaab claimed the attack was in retaliation for Kenyan military operations in Somalia.

A month on from the attack, two boxes of charred body parts have been delivered to a Nairobi morgue in what could be the first discovered remains of the gunmen.

Officials in Kenya, speaking anonymously, said they were found in the mall alongside four AK-47 rifles.

Another security official also said one of the four gunmen seen in the CCTV footage is a Norwegian-Somali whose last name is Dhuhulow, with the first or middle name Abdi.

Five attackers were killed by security forces during the siege, Kenya authorities have said.

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Australia Fires: Man Dies As Homes Destroyed

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

Around 100 bushfires continue to burn across the state of New South Wales in Australia with the crisis claiming its first life.

A man died from a heart attack on the Central Coast north of Sydney whilst trying to protect his home from the flames.

Dozens of houses have been destroyed with the authorities suggesting the eventual number of properties burned down could be in "the hundreds".

Barry O'Farrell, New South Wales State Premier, said: "Regrettably, overnight we had what we hoped wouldn't occur which is a loss of life up there at Lake Munmorah.

"A 63-year-old man who apparently collapsed fighting a fire to defend his property, taken to Wyong Hospital and unfortunately couldn't be resuscitated. That's the worst that anyone wants to happen."

Firefighters were assisted by milder conditions on Friday after unseasonably hot temperatures and strong winds fanned flames across the parched landscape threatening areas to the North, South and West of Sydney, Rural Fire Service officials said.

Around 30 fires are still understood to be burning out of control.

Two firefighters were taken to hospital with injuries, and one had undergone surgery, Mr O'Farrell said. He did not give details of their injuries.

Hundreds of residents spent Thursday night in dozens of evacuation centres in the Blue Mountains, a popular tourist region to Sydney's west, and elsewhere in New South Wales.

One of the houses destroyed in Winmalee in Sydney's Blue Mountains

Most were unaware of the fate of their homes.

One homeowner from Springwood, west of Sydney told reporters: "You do your best and it just kind of gets to the stage where you just realise that you can't do any more and you go.

"You take what you can and go. In my case, it was the dog."

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, himself a volunteer firefighter, has been visiting Winmalee, one of the areas affected.

He said he wanted to "convey our nation's sympathy to all those who are suffering, to all those who have lost homes".

"And in particular, to acknowledge there has already been a loss of life and we fear more," he said.

"Australia is a country which is prone to natural disaster but, every time it strikes, it hurts and we grieve for all of those who are now hurting."

Temperatures west of Sydney made conditions easier for fire crews, reaching around 23C (73F) - around 10C (18F) cooler than on Thursday.

However, high temperatures and strong winds are forecast to return on Sunday and Monday.

Wildfires are common throughout Australia in the warmer months.

In February 2009, wildfires killed 173 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes in Victoria state.

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Snowden Denies Taking NSA Files To Russia

Edward Snowden has said he did not take any secret National Security Agency documents with him to Russia, telling a newspaper "it wouldn't serve the public interest".

In an interview with The New York Times, the former NSA analyst said he handed over all material to journalists during his stay in Hong Kong and that he did not keep copies for himself.

China and Russia could not get access to the documents he had obtained before leaving the US, he insisted.

Snowden, who worked for a contractor as a systems administrator at an NSA facility, said he was able to protect the documents from Chinese agencies because he was familiar with Beijing's intelligence capabilities.

"There's a zero per cent chance the Russians or Chinese have received any documents," he told the paper.

The US has faced protests at home and abroad over its spying operations

Snowden's leaks of highly classified material have unveiled US surveillance activities at home and abroad, sparking debate about the privacy implications for Americans.

In the Times interview, Snowden described himself as a whistleblower who was acting in the nation's best interests by revealing information about the NSA's programmes.

"The secret continuance of these programmes represents a far greater danger than their disclosure," he said in the interview, which took place over several days and involved encrypted online communications.

Snowden said he feels he has boosted US national security by prompting a public debate about the scope of US data collection.

"So long as there's broad support amongst a people, it can be argued there's a level of legitimacy even to the most invasive and morally wrong programme, as it was an informed and willing decision," he said.

"However, programmes that are implemented in secret, out of public oversight, lack that legitimacy, and that's a problem."

Snowden, 30, has polarised opinion in the US, where some consider him a civil rights hero who wants to empower citizens, and others a traitor who stole secrets after vowing to protect them.

Snowden, who faces espionage charges in the US, is now in Russia, which granted him asylum for one year.

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Saudi Arabia Rejects UN Security Council Seat

Saudi Arabia has refused to accept its seat on the UN Security Council, saying the international body is incapable of resolving world conflicts.

The snub came hours after the country, along with Chad and Nigeria, was elected to serve a two-year term on the Security Council as human rights groups called for all three countries to improve their records.

It is the second time this month that Saudi Arabia has publicly expressed discontent over what it sees as the UN's failure to stop the bloodshed in Syria.

In a statement, carried on state news agency SPA, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said the Council had allowed President Bashar al Assad's regime to continue killing Syrians, including with chemical weapons, without punishment.

"The Kingdom sees that the method and work mechanism and the double standards in the Security Council prevent it from properly shouldering its responsibilities towards world peace," it said.

Syrian rebels battle with Assad's forces in Aleppo

Saudi Arabia also said the UN had not been able to end more than four decades of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and had failed to transform the Middle East into an area free of weapons of mass destruction.

It said it was unable to take its seat until reforms were introduced, but did not specify what changes it wanted.

The Security Council has been split on how to handle the civil war in Syria, with Western leaders pushing for stronger sanctions against Mr Assad and Russia vetoing the demands.

Saudi Arabia has backed the rebels in the conflict, which has seen at least 100,000 people killed.

Palestinians celebrate the release of prisoners from jail

The Saudis, along with other Arab states, have criticised the US for blocking international action to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands seized in the 1967 Middle East war.

Earlier this month, the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Saudi Arabia, Prince Saud al Faisal, cancelled a speech at the UN General Assembly in frustration over international inaction on Syria and the Palestinian issue, a diplomatic source said.

Saudi Arabia has long been criticised by rights groups.

In its 2013 report on the country, Amnesty International said authorities "severely restricted" freedoms of expression, political activists were detained without trial and migrant workers were exploited and abused.

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China: Couple 'Sell' Baby Daughter For iPhone

A young Chinese couple are facing criminal charges for allegedly "selling" their young daughter and using the money to buy an Apple iPhone, according to state media.

Shanghai prosecutors have brought a case of human trafficking against the pair, who are accused of putting their third child up for adoption online in exchange for cash, the Liberation Daily reports.

Investigators claim the mother, whose full name was not given, used the money to buy an iPhone, high-end sports shoes and other goods.

Apple's products are hugely popular in China but are priced beyond the reach of many.

Some have gone to extreme lengths to get hold of the devices, highlighted last year by the case of a teenager who sold his kidney, and used the proceeds to buy an iPhone and iPad.

The couple are said to have told police they wanted their daughter to have a better upbringing than they could provide, as they already had two children.

Apple products are extremely popular in China

"Giving away the child was not for obtaining benefits, but giving her better guarantees," one is reported as saying.

Some Chinese, especially in rural areas, have a traditional preference for sons, although reports did not say if the child's gender had also been a factor in the case.

An official of the prosecutor's office dealing with the case has expressed concerns over "sensationalism" surrounding the affair, but declined to comment further.

Shanghai police could not be reached for comment.

Reports did not give the amount the couple received for the child, but their online postings allegedly asked for 30,000 yuan and 50,000 yuan (around £3,000 and £5,000).

Apple last month launched the iPhone 5S, including a gold-coloured model, and the cheaper iPhone 5C in China.

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Outrage Over China's Plans For Mao's Birthday

More than $2.5bn (£1.6bn) is being spent on events to mark the 120th anniversary of the birth of Mao Zedong, to the fury of many Chinese citizens.

The money is being directed towards Mao's birthplace of Shaoshan, where a tourist information centre will be renovated and his former residence restored, according to the Changsha Evening News.

High-speed rail stations and new highways will also be built to impress the expected influx of visitors.

Authorities in Xiangtan, which includes Shaoshan, defended the spending plans, telling China's Global Times newspaper that the commemoration's importance "overrides any other at the moment".

However, Chinese internet users have criticised the sum of money the city plans to spend - far greater than originally planned - more than 37 years after Mao's death.

Mao memorabilia remains popular throughout China

One poster on Sina Weibo, China's equivalent to Twitter, said: "How much money does it cost to deal with pollution? How much does it cost to provide medical insurance? How much to offer students from poor districts free lunch?

"I can't believe they're spending this much money on a dead man, a controversial dead man."

Another user added: "Xiangtan's economy is not doing well and a lot of people have been laid off by state-owned enterprises. And they spent so lavishly! I am so "proud" of them. Who are those Xiangtan officials really serving?"

The comments highlight the thorny issue of such lavish outlays in China.

Although the government has launched an austerity campaign, banning banquets and other indulgences, it came under fire earlier this month after building a 70m yuan (£7m) viewing tower in the shape of a giant puffer fish.

The enormous puffer fish has been built on an island in Jiangsu province

The spending plans are part of a broader commemoration of the Mao anniversary in China.

The late leader's legacy is often associated in the West with events such as China's Great Leap Forward, when tens of millions died through famine, as well as the Cultural Revolution.

However in China, his supporters focus on Mao's earlier revolutionary years, his role in the 1949 founding of the People's Republic and his nationalistic stance.

Jeffrey Wasserstrom, professor of history at the University of California Irvine, said the 120th anniversary will see an effort to put Mao "into a context as the person who began China's resurgence to world-power status, as opposed to what the Western associations with Mao often now are".

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Up To 30m People 'Live As Modern-Day Slaves'

Some 30 million people around the world are living as so-called modern-day slaves, according to an inaugural report by the Walk Free Foundation.

The Global Slavery Index 2013 reveals African and Asian countries have the highest numbers of slaves and the highest proportion according to population density.

Britain, Ireland and Iceland are placed joint bottom in the prevalence table of 162 countries.

While Iceland is believed to have fewer than 100 slaves, Britain is understood to have up to 4,600.

The study defines slavery as the possession or control of people to deny freedom and exploit them for profit or sex, usually through violence, coercion or deception.

Aysha was forced to work as a prostitute in her home of Uzbekistan

It includes practices such as debt-bondage, forced marriage, forced begging, human trafficking, forced labour and the abduction of children to serve in war.

The report said: "Today some people are still being born into hereditary slavery, a staggering but harsh reality, particularly in parts of west Africa and south Asia.

"Other victims are captured or kidnapped before being sold or kept for exploitation, whether through marriage, unpaid labour on fishing boats, or as domestic workers.

"Others are tricked and lured into situations they cannot escape, with false promises of a good job or an education."

Forced labour workers on a penal colony near Krasnoyarsk, Siberia

Almost half of the world's slaves are in India, where bonded labour in quarries and kilns and commercial sex exploitation is widespread.

The report reveals some 10 countries alone account for three quarters of the world's slaves.

After India, China has the most with 2.9 million, followed by Pakistan (2.1 million), Nigeria (701,000), Ethiopia (651,000), Russia (516,000), Thailand (473,000), Democratic Republic of Congo (462,000), Myanmar (384,000) and Bangladesh (343,000).

When ranked by prevalence of slavery per head of population, Mauritania ranks highest with almost 4% of its 3.8 million people reported to be enslaved, though estimates by other organisations put the level at up to 20%.

Two children rescued from a child-marriage ceremony in Pakistan

Chattel slavery is common in Mauritania, meaning that slave status is passed down through generations, with 'owners' buying, renting or giving away their slaves as gifts.

After Mauritania, slavery is most prevalent by population in Haiti, where a system of child labour known as "restavek" encourages poor families to send their children to wealthier acquaintances, where many end up exploited and abused.

Nick Grono from the Walk Free Foundation said the annual index would serve as an important baseline for governments and activists in the anti-slavery fight.

"This kind of data hasn't been out there before," he said.

"It's a multi-year effort, and next year we'll have a much better picture of where slavery is and what changes there are."

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Air Pollution 'Leading Cause of Cancer'

Outdoor air pollution is the leading cause of cancer, a World Health Organisation agency has revealed.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) said that in 2010, 223,000 deaths from lung cancer worldwide resulted from air pollution, also pointing out there was also convincing evidence it increases the risk of bladder cancer.

Air pollution, mostly caused by transport, power generation, industrial or agricultural emissions, and residential heating and cooking, is already known to raise risks for a wide range of illnesses including respiratory and heart diseases.

The average annual deaths per 1,000 sq km due to air pollution (see below)

Kurt Straif, of the IARC, said: "The air we breathe has become polluted with a mixture of cancer-causing substances.

"We now know that outdoor air pollution is not only a major risk to health in general, but also a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths."

Research suggests that in recent years exposure levels have risen significantly in some parts of the world - particularly countries with large populations going through rapid industrialisation such as China.

In a statement, IARC said both outdoor air pollution and "particulate matter" would not be classified among its Group One human carcinogens.

That puts them alongside more than 100 other known cancer-causing substances, including asbestos, plutonium, ultraviolet radiation and tobacco smoke.

IARC director Christopher Wild said the decision to classify outdoor air pollution as carcinogenic was an important step to alerting governments to its dangers and potential costs.

He said: "There are effective ways to reduce air pollution and, given the scale of the exposure affecting people worldwide, this report should send a strong signal to the international community to take action."

It comes after the head of the Vatican Museums warned he will be forced to limit the number of visitors to the Sistine Chapel if new air conditioning and purification systems does not significantly reduce pollution levels.

Antonio Paolucci said he was confident the new system, which is expected to be completed at the end of 2014, would curb the dust, humidity and carbon dioxide that is dulling Michelangelo's masterpiece.

:: The diagram above shows the model estimate of the average annual number of deaths per 1,000 square kilometres due to air pollution. Using the difference in pollution levels between 1850 and 2000, dark brown areas have more premature deaths, while blue areas experienced an improvement in air quality and a decline in premature deaths.

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Madeleine McCann: 500 Calls From Germany

German broadcaster ZDF has received 500 phone calls and emails after airing a programme on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Madeleine's parents launched an appeal for information to help them find their daughter on the television show "Aktenzeichen XY ungeloest," Germany's version of BBC's Crimewatch programme.

Some 7.26 million people watched the show, its highest rating in 15 years.

E-fit images of a man police want to talk to in connection with the case

The missing girl's mother Kate McCann told the programme: "Please have the compassion and courage to tell us what happened to her."

It is not known how many of the 500 tip-offs will prove useful to police, who received 150 phone calls from the public after a similar appeal was aired on Dutch television.

Officers at Scotland Yard said they received the calls after the appeal was broadcast on the crime programme Opsporing Verzocht.

Mrs McCann and her husband Gerry said they were "absolutely delighted" with the "overwhelming" response to the new appeal for information about their daughter's disappearance which first featured on Crimewatch.

Following a similar appeal on Norway's TV2 channel, a Norwegian woman claimed to have seen a girl resembling Madeleine with a strange man when she was on holiday in Spain two years ago.

Detectives have released two e-fit images of a man they want to speak to in connection with the case based on the accounts of two witnesses.

Both described seeing him in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on the evening of the three-year-old's disappearance on May 3, 2007.

:: Madeleine: The New Investigation, Friday at 7.30pm on Sky News

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Goa: British Man Held Over Record Drugs Haul

A British man has been arrested in the holiday resort state of Goa in what the Indian authorities have said is their biggest ever drugs seizure.

Gary Baird, 45, was arrested on Wednesday accused of illegally possessing more than four kilos of amphetamines with a street value of $330,000 (£204,300), police superintendent Karthik Kashyap said.

"The accused had come to deliver the narcotics to a customer," the police officer said, adding that the Briton, who was staying in a hotel, had visited Goa several times in recent years.

Baird was held during the raid in Aguada village, 10km (six miles) from the state capital Panaji.

Goa has been a popular destination for foreigners since the days of the hippie trail in the 1960s.

But the availability of illegal drugs and aggressive dealing around its beaches has long caused concern for authorities.

Superintendent Kashyap said amphetamines were a relatively new phenomenon in the state.

"This is the biggest seizure in the history of drug seizures by the Goa police," he said.

He added that more people are expected to be arrested.

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Japan: Typhoon Wipha Sweeps Through Country

At least 17 people are reported dead and 50 people missing in a typhoon that caused deadly mudslides and destroyed homes as it swept up Japan's east coast.

The area worst hit by the "once in a decade" typhoon was the Japanese island of Izu Oshima, home to about 8,200 people and lying about 75 miles south of Tokyo where more than 280 homes were destroyed.

More than 30 inches (76cm) of rain fell on the island during a 24-hour period, the most since record-keeping began in 1991.

The rainfall was particularly heavy before dawn, the kind in which "you can't see anything or hear anything," a Japanese meteorologist said.

Television footage showed roads clogged with wreckage and houses with gaping holes smashed into them.

"I heard a crackling sound and then the trees on the hillside all fell over," one woman said. 

Yutaka Sagara, a 59-year-old sushi chef on the east coast of the island, said he spent a sleepless night with colleagues at their company housing.

Residents pay their respect to the body of a victim of the typhoon

Their hillside apartment barely escaped a mudslide that veered off to the side. Later he found out the mudslide had crushed several houses as it flowed to the sea.

"People on this island are somewhat used to heavy rainstorms, but this typhoon was beyond our imagination," he said, speaking by phone.

The storm brought hurricane-force winds and drenching rain to the Tokyo metropolitan area of 30 million people at the peak of the morning rush hour and hundreds of flights were cancelled.

A woman from Tokyo died after falling into a river - her body was found six miles away in Yokohama, police said.

Two sixth-grade boys and another person are missing from Japan's main island of Honshu.

The operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant, Tokyo Electric Power Corp, cancelled all offshore work and secured machinery as the storm approached.

The typhoon, which stayed offshore in the Pacific, sustained winds of 78 mph, with gusts up to 110 mph, before it was downgraded to a tropical storm.

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South Africa Toddlers Found Dead In Toilet

South African police are questioning three people over the deaths of two toddlers who were found in a communal toilet, sparking violent protests and looting.

Angry residents in the Diepsloot township north of Johannesburg barricaded roads, set fire to tyres and stoned vehicles after the girls, two cousins aged two and three, were discovered.

Shops belonging to foreign nationals were looted, according to reports.

The protesters accused police of failing to provide security for their community.

Gauteng police said they were investigating if the girls - identified as Yonelisa and Zandile Mali - had been sexually assaulted before they were killed. 

They also told reporters they were searching for a fourth person in connection with the investigation.

The two girls had been reported missing at the weekend and were found in the toilet cubicle in the early hours of Tuesday.

Last month, the body of a five-year-old girl was found in a skip in the same area.

Diepsloot is an impoverished area of Johannesburg. Pic: File

Diepsloot, which borders one of the country's wealthiest gated estates, Dainfern, is among the most impoverished areas in Johannesburg.

Some parts of the township have no running water and residents share pit latrines or mobile toilets.

President Jacob Zuma urged South Africans not to take the law into their own hands.

"These gruesome incidents of extreme torture and murder of our children do not belong to the society that we are continuously striving to build together," he said.

"We condemn these murders in the strongest possible terms."

In a separate case, the bodies of two other children were found in a field in Katlehong township in East Rand, Gauteng province.

The children, aged one and three, were found next to their mother, who had been critically injured, according to iAfrica.com.

Police Colonel Katlego Mogale said: "It appears as if they were dropped by the husband in an open place and then the husband drove away. They are all Mozambican nationals."

The death of a young boy whose body, bearing marks of torture, was found in a field east of Johannesburg is also being investigated by police.

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Cleveland Police Suspended After Deadly Chase

The police force in Cleveland, Ohio, has suspended 63 officers from duty and more may face criminal charges after a deadly car chase through the city.

Police fired 137 shots as they pursued the vehicle for 23 minutes in November last year.

Both people in the car - Timothy Russell, the driver, and Malissa Williams, the passenger - were killed.

Officers involved reported shots were fired from Russell's car but investigators now believe they were the sound of his 1979 Chevy backfiring.

They also said that Williams had a weapon in her hand during the chase, according to the investigation. However, no weapon was found and there was no gunshot residue on Williams' hands.

Police Chief Michael McGrath said the suspensions are the result of disciplinary hearings.

The 63 suspended officers were not actually involved in the shooting. Thirteen other officers may still face discipline and possible criminal charges for firing on the car.

The officers will serve suspensions of 178 days in total, with the longest suspension 10 days, Chief McGrath said. He added that officers were very honest and professional during the investigation.

Chief McGrath said many of the officers involved told the investigation they joined the chase because they thought Russell and Williams were shooting at police and they thought "a police officer was in trouble".

They are being disciplined because of excessive speed, insubordination and failure to request permission to join the pursuit, he said.

The officers involved in the shooting will be dealt with after prosecutors finish reviewing what happened.

Police have already announced punishments for 12 supervisors stemming from the chase. One sergeant lost his job. A captain and a lieutenant were demoted, and nine sergeants were suspended.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said although the investigation had taken 11 months, "justice was not delayed for the victims" and that his office was "not throwing officers under the bus for political reasons and we're not covering anything up".

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Dozens Die As Plane Crashes Into Mekong River

An aircraft has crashed into the Mekong river in Laos, killing all 44 people on board.

The Lao Airlines plane was on an internal flight from the capital Vientiane when it crashed in the late afternoon.

The plane, carrying 39 passengers and five crew, went down around five miles (8km) from the airport in Champassak province, according to Thai foreign ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee.

The dead included at least seven French nationals, five Thais and three South Koreans.

Pakse airport in Champassak province, Laos. Pic: Jialiang Gao

In a statement, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he had learned of the deaths with "deep shock and great sadness".

France was sending embassy officials to the site of the crash.

Pictures on Thai television showed a plane, partly submerged in the river, with what appeared to be bodies lying on the banks.

The Bangkok Post reported that the ART twin-turbo plane, flight number QV301, crashed into the river in bad weather.

Lao Airlines operates throughout Indochina. Pic: Jpatokal

The plane left Wattay airport in Vientiane at 2.45pm local time and crashed in Pakse at 4pm, the report said.

Airline and government officials in Laos were not immediately available for comment.

State-owned Lao Airlines has been in existence since 1976.

It previously operated as Lao Aviation, becoming Lao Airlines in March this year.

Its aircraft carried 658,000 passengers last year and it has a fleet of just 14 planes, mostly propeller-driven.

It operates on seven domestic routes and has international flights to China, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. 

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Senate Leaders 'Reach Deal' To Avert Default

Senate leaders have reached a last-minute agreement to avert a threatened US default and reopen the government, according to a Republican senator.

Senator Kelly Ayotte said congressional leaders would push for passage as soon as possible.

"I understand they've come to an agreement but I'm going to let the leader announce that," Sen Ayotte said as she walked into a meeting of Senate Republicans called to review details of the emerging deal.

The deal was struck by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and GOP Leader Mitch McConnell.

A top Democratic aide told Reuters that aides to House Speaker John Boehner called senior Senate staff earlier in the day to say the House would vote first on the measure.

The aide added that the deal appears certain to be approved with mostly Democratic votes.

House Speaker John Boehner has failed to rally Republicans behind a deal

The New York Stock Exchange soared on the news that the threat of default was easing in, rising roughly 200 points by late morning.

Officials said the proposal called for the Treasury to have authority to continue borrowing through February 7, and the government would reopen through January 15.

With borrowing authority set to run out on Thursday, leaders worked through the night to craft an agreement that could win bipartisan support in the deeply polarised Congress.

President Barack Obama has warned of the consequences of a default and leading economists have said it could hurt the global economy.

Warren Buffett, one of the the world's most influential investors, said the threat not to raise the debt limit is a "political weapon of mass destruction" comparable to poison gas.

The president's health care law is at the heart of the dispute

Mr Buffett, who leads the Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, told CNBC that he does not think the federal government will fail to pay its bills.

"If it does happen, it's a pure act of idiocy," he added.

Uncertainty over Washington's ability to avert a default led Fitch Ratings to warn it could cut the sovereign credit rating of the United States from AAA, citing the political brinkmanship on Capitol Hill.

The renewed push in the Senate came after a day of chaotic developments in the House that saw two separate GOP plans buried when it became apparent they failed to rally enough support among Republican rank-and-file.

Politically, neither party is faring well, but polls indicate Republicans are bearing the brunt of public unhappiness as survey after survey shows their approval ratings plunging.

A Washington Post/ABC News poll released on Monday found that 74% of Americans disapprove of the way congressional Republicans have handled the standoff, compared with a 53% disapproval rating for Obama.

The shutdown has already furloughed hundreds of thousands of federal workers and forced national parks and monuments to close down in high season.

Some tourist attractions such as the Grand Canyon and the Statue of Liberty have now reopened, as states agreed to fund their running.

However, many communities have lamented the economic damage they have had to incur.

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Somali Pirate Seized In Belgium Film Sting

A notorious Somali pirate chief has been arrested in Belgium after being lured there on promises of filming a documentary about his life on the high seas.

Federal prosecutor Johan Delmulle said Mohamed Abdi Hassan, better known as 'Afweyne' or 'Big Mouth', is being held in the Belgian city of Bruges after being detained at Brussels airport on Saturday when he stepped off a flight from Nairobi.

Afweyne and his powerful accomplice, Mohamed Aden "Tiiceey", the former governor of Somalia's self-proclaimed Himan and Heeb statelet, are facing charges of kidnapping, piracy and organised crime, the prosecutor said in a statement.

The charges followed the 2009 capture of a Belgian ship, the Pompei, seized and held by pirates off the Somali coast for more than 70 days until a ransom was paid.

An inquiry led to the arrest and conviction of two of the pirates but the Belgian prosecutor's office had not let up its determination to bring to book the people "behind this act of piracy, who ordered, financed and organised logistical backup", Mr Delmulle said.

"Afweyne" is being held in the medieval city of Bruges

As the pirate was a resident of Somalia and rarely travelled, police "elaborated an infiltration operation aimed at arresting Afweyne outside of Somalia". the prosecutor said.

"Via Tiiceey, Afweyne was asked to collaborate as an adviser and expert on a film project on maritime piracy. The film was supposed to reflect his life as a pirate."

But when Afweyne and Tiiceey landed on Saturday morning to sign the movie contract, "they were awaited and taken into custody", the prosecutor said.

Described last year by the UN as "one of the most notorious and influential leaders" in Somalia's pirate hub, Afweyne notably was involved in the 2008 capture of the Saudi-owned Sirius Star oil supertanker, released for a ransom of several million dollars.

He also reportedly took part in the 2008 capture of the MV Faina, a Ukrainian transport ship carrying 33 refurbished Soviet-era battle tanks, which was released after a 134-day hijack.

Afweyne announced in Mogadishu in January that he was leaving piracy after a highly profitable eight-year career. He said he was working to persuade other pirates to do the same.

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Missing British Teacher Feared Dead In Qatar

A British teacher is feared dead after going missing in Qatar.

Lauren Patterson disappeared in the early hours on Saturday in the state's capital Doha.

Local media are reporting the primary school teacher was last seen outside the city's five-star La Cigale hotel.

The 24-year-old's mother and boyfriend both took to Facebook to describe her as "truly amazing" and "remarkable" amid unconfirmed reports that a body has been found.

Doha police said they could not confirm whether Ms Patterson had died, what had happened to her, or the progress of their investigation.

Ms Patterson, originally from Chislehurst in south-east London, was working at the Newton British School in Doha.

Reports suggested she had returned to Doha on Friday after attending her grandmother's funeral in Britain.

Her mother, Allison Patterson, who is reported to have flown to Doha, wrote on Facebook: "Thank you so much to everyone for all their wonderful words about Lauren.

The Qatari capital Doha is a popular destination for British expats

"She was a truly remarkable girl my rock always there for everyone. I know she's in heaven now in her Daddy's arms."

Her boyfriend, James Grima, from Malta, wrote: "You really were the most smart, kind, beautiful and amazing woman I've ever met.

"I keep going through our messages and your pictures, and it reminds me of how lucky I was just to even know you and be a part of your life.

"Although I don't know if I will ever come to terms with what happened, I have all our funny & beautiful memories that we shared together."

Friend Lorna Ann Campbell wrote: "I can't get my head around why someone so special has been taken from us.

"She meant the world to us and we will never forget how beautiful she was.

"You couldn't ask for a better friend. Her family meant everything to her and she was always talking about you all. Sending love and prayers to you all.xxxx"

Friends had desperately been appealing for help to find her on social media.

Up to 500 British expats are thought to be arriving in Doha every day as the city expands into a global hub, built on the back of Qatar's enormous oil and natural gas wealth.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of a British national, Lauren Patterson, reported missing in Qatar.

"We are providing the family with consular assistance."

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Philippines Earthquake: At Least 93 Dead

The death toll from a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck the Philippines continues to rise with at least 93 people now reported killed.

Most of the fatalities occurred at the tremor's epicentre on the central island of Bohol, where rescuers are struggling to reach patients in a collapsed hospital.

People have also died on the neighbouring islands of Cebu and Siquijor.

The earthquake has caused widespread damage to buildings, left many areas without power, and cut transport links.

Bridges and roads have been left impassable, frustrating rescue efforts, while historic churches dating from the Spanish colonial period have also been hit.

Among them was the country's oldest, the 16th century Basilica of the Holy Child in Cebu, which lost its bell tower.

The quake struck at 8.12am local time, at a depth of 20 miles (33km) below Carmen town on Bohol.

The earthquake ripped up roads

Renato Solidum, head of the state seismology agency, said: "A magnitude 7 earthquake has energy equivalent to around 32 Hiroshima atomic bombs.

"Compared to the 2010 Haiti earthquake that had a magnitude of 7.0, this one had a magnitude of 7.2, slightly stronger."

Bohol police chief Dennis Agustin said 77 people had died in 11 towns on the island, which is popular among foreigners because of its beach and island resorts, and famed "Chocolate Hills".

The highest number of dead - 18 - were in the municipality of Loon,  26 miles (42km) west of Carmen, where an unknown number of patients were trapped inside a hospital, which partially collapsed.

Rescuers were working to reach them, said civil defence spokesman Major Reynaldo Balido.

The damaged Basilica of the Holy Child

Densely populated Cebu city, across a narrow strait from Bohol, also saw extensive damage caused when a building in the port and the roof of a market area collapsed.

At least 15 people died on Cebu, and another on Siquijor, which attracts tourists with its pristine white sands.

Authorities were setting up tents for those displaced by the quake, while others who lost their homes moved in with their relatives, Bohol Governor Edgardo Chatto said.

Describing the moment the quake struck, Vilma Yorong, a provincial government employee in Bohol, said: "We ran out of the building, and outside, we hugged trees because the tremors were so strong.

"When the shaking stopped, I ran to the street and there I saw several injured people. Some were saying their church has collapsed."

Offices and schools were closed for a national holiday - the Muslim festival of Eid - which may have saved lives.

People gather around collapsed buildings

Another eye-witness Aledel Cuizon said the quake sounded like "a huge truck that was approaching and the rumbling sound grew louder as it got closer."

She and her neighbours ran outside, where she saw concrete electric poles "swaying like coconut trees." It lasted 15-20 seconds, she said.

The earthquake was followed by at least four aftershocks measuring more than 5.0 in magnitude.

Cebu city's hospitals quickly moved patients into the streets, basketball courts and parks.

Soldiers have been recalled from leave to respond to the civil emergency, while President Benigno Aquino said he plans to visit earthquake-damaged areas.

A van damaged by falling debris

The Philippines lies on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a chain of islands that are prone to quakes and volcanic eruptions.

The deadliest recorded natural disaster occurred in 1976, when a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake devastated the Moro Gulf on the southern island of Mindanao.

Between 5,000 and 8,000 people were killed, according to official estimates.

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Pensioner Sea Fall Inquest: Narrative Verdict

A coroner has recorded a narrative verdict at the inquest of a woman who died after falling from a stretcher into the North Sea.

Janet Richardson, from Penrith, Cumbria, was on holiday with her husband George on a cruise ship travelling off the coast of Norway on March 29, 2011, when she fell ill.

The 72-year-old plunged into the sea while being transferred from the ship to a lifeboat.

She was not wearing a like jacket at the time, and the two vessels were not tied together.

The pensioner fell into the sea while being transferred off the cruise ship

Mrs Richardson was taken to hospital in Norway and later transferred to another in Carlisle but died on April 21, 2011.

She died as a consequence of her underlying health conditions but the immersion in the icy, cold sea was a significant factor and "accelerated" her death, the inquest heard.

Mrs Richardson had been struck down with internal bleeding on the voyage from Hull to Norway on a trip to see the Northern Lights with her husband.

The captain of the Ocean Countess, operated by UK company Cruise and Maritime Voyages, had called for a rescue boat to take her to hospital.

As she was being lifted from the ship to the rescue boat, the two vessels moved away and her stretcher slipped from the grasp of the rescuers and she fell into the sea.

More follows...

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White House Rejects 'Partisan' GOP Debt Plan

The White House has rejected a new proposal from House Republicans for reopening the government and extending the debt ceiling.

House GOP leaders on Tuesday pitched the plan to fellow Republicans to counter an emerging Senate deal to reopen the government and forestall a looming default on US obligations.

The proposal, which includes a two-year suspension of a tax on medical devices aimed at funding President Obama's signature health care law, was immediately rejected by the White House.

White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage said the plan is a "partisan attempt to appease a small group of Tea Party Republicans who forced the government shutdown in the first place".

Democratic Representative Chris Van Hollen tweeted that the "GOP's latest plan is designed to torpedo the bipartisan (Senate) solution."

He called the plan "not only reckless", but "tantamount to default".

The House proposal emerged after conservative lawmakers rebelled at the outlines of the emerging Senate plan by Majority Leader Harry Reid and GOP leader Mitch McConnell.

Those two hoped to seal an agreement on Tuesday, just two days before the Treasury Department says it will run out of borrowing capacity.

The White House praised the Senate negotiations as a good-faith effort to end the partial government shutdown and avoid an economy-shaking default.

Mr Obama also planned to meet with House Democratic leaders on Tuesday afternoon as talks continue.

John Boehner, the top Republican in the House, stopped short of saying the GOP's latest proposal would be tabled for a vote on Tuesday.

The House Speaker told reporters he is "trying to find a path forward" but that "there have been no decisions about exactly what we will do". 

More follows...

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Google Users To Be The Stars Of Online Ads

Google is facing a privacy backlash after revealing plans to use pictures of Google+ users in online advertisements - without their permission.

The Internet giant says that from November 11 it may publish usernames, profile photographs, reviews and ratings in what it is calling "shared endorsements".

The idea is to give online adverts a "social" context, making them less annoying and more engaging for Internet users suspicious of commercial marketing.

How the new ads will look

Users who like a song in the Google Play store or rate a favourite restaurant could find their approvals harvested and published as official recommendations.

Google's plans are similar to shared endorsements currently used by Facebook, which faced legal action over the practise in 2011. It ended up paying $20m (£12.49m) in damages to users whose pictures it had used without permission.

Users warn they will change their picture to Google boss Eric Schmidt

In a statement on its website Google said: "To ensure that your recommendations reach the people you care about, Google sometimes displays your reviews, recommendations and other relevant activity throughout its products and services.

"This sometimes includes shopping contexts, like Google Music play store and ads. Your profile name and photo may appear with the recommendation".

MPs declared last month that they were "unimpressed" with Google

Users will be able to opt out of the plans but privacy campaigners are concerned many people could be unaware they have already been opted in without their consent.

Some activists are warning of a campaign of digital disobedience to subvert the plans. Ideas swapped on social media sites include users changing their profile pictures to that of Google boss Eric Schmidt.

Facebook was fined $20m (£12.49m) for a similar system in 2011

In response, Google said in a statement: "The privacy and security of our users is one of our top priorities.

"We believe our Terms of Service updates are a positive step forward in clarifying important privacy and security details for our users, and are in full compliance with the law."

Last month MPs accused Google of failing to crack down on illegal downloads and using "flimsy" excuses for its lack of action.

The Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee said it was "unimpressed" with the Internet giant's efforts to tackle online piracy.

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Illegal Immigration In US Now Hard To Ignore

By Greg Milam, US Correspondent

The United States is locked in a fierce debate over immigration, with an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants.

But frustration is growing at the lack of political action to answer the big immigration questions.

Earlier this month, thousands of people rallied in 150 cities in 40 of the 50 states to put pressure on Washington to deliver an overhaul to the country's immigration rules.

They fear the momentum for change is fading after almost unprecedented co-operation between Republicans and Democrats towards reaching agreement earlier this year.

The results of last year's presidential election demonstrated, particularly to Republicans, that the fast-growing immigrant population in states like Colorado meant the issue could not be ignored.

But a plan that would have offered a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants already living in the US appears to be in jeopardy with renewed wrangling between the parties.

Some believe the US border is way too porous

Immigration has often fallen behind other issues like guns, the economy and international concerns like Syria.

Reshma Shamasunder, executive director of California Immigrant Policy Centre, said: "People are fed up with inaction, they're fed up with Congress every year promising they're going to do something and then not doing it.

"We haven't had an immigration overhaul in this country for decades and our immigration laws are so outmoded and outdated that not only are they not serving immigrants well, they're not serving the American people well.

"So I think there is a huge appetite among Americans to do something."

Without an overhaul, she says, the problem is going to get worse.

Sky News spoke to a man, originally from Central America and now living legally in the US, who had sent $2,000 (£1,255) to a nephew waiting just across the border in Mexico. He will pay a so-called "coyote" to smuggle him into America.

Critics of immigration reform point to cases like that and say the government needs to urgently address border crossings that are way too porous.

California recently reached the landmark moment when whites were no longer the majority. By the middle of next year, Latinos will make up a greater proportion of the population.

The state's governor, Jerry Brown, recently signed into law a raft of new bills that increase protections for immigrants and campaigners say the rest of the US needs to follow suit.

But it remains an emotive issue and one it is increasingly hard to ignore.

:: Immigration UK: A week of special coverage on Sky from October 14 to 18 - watch on Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 82, Skynews.com and Sky News for iPad

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Moscow Race Riots: Police Arrest 1,200 In Raid

Police have arrested 1,200 people at a Moscow vegetable warehouse in pre-emptive raids following riots there on Sunday.

The disturbances erupted after a native Russian was stabbed to death on Thursday night. His death was blamed by the protesters on a migrant from the north Caucasus, a region in southern Russia.

Natives of the Caucasus, most of whom are Muslims with dark complexions, often work in shopping centres and at vegetable markets in the Russian capital.

Protesters had claimed CCTV pictures showed the killer to be Caucasian

After seeing unidentified CCTV pictures, the protesters believed a dark-skinned Caucasian killed 25-year-old Yegor Shcherbakov in a dispute over his girlfriend as the couple returned home on Thursday.

Demonstrators chanting 'White Power' and 'Russia Forward' vandalised shops and market stalls in the district of Biryulovo on the southern outskirts of Moscow.

Police arrested at least 200 of the protesters on Sunday before launching dawn raids on the vegetable warehouse on Monday morning.

Moscow police spokesman Andrei Galiakberov said on television that they are investigating some of the detainees for possible criminal connections.

Police also said that they found a car full of cash and unlicensed arms on the premises.

President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month that Russia needed migrant labourers in industries such as construction, but - in a nod to anti-migrant sentiment - suggested their numbers could be restricted in other sectors, including trade.

Growing nationalism among ethnic Russians combined with an influx of workers from former Soviet republics has led to increased tensions between native Muscovites and migrants.

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New York Man Held As Children Lived In Filth

New York police responding to a domestic dispute found four children living in a house in Queens filled with pets including pit bulls and snakes.

Officers said they had found evidence of animal cruelty and danger to the four children, and arrested their 29-year-old father.

According to local reports, they found 15 pit bulls, 10 of them puppies, two boa constrictors and a lizard.

The New York Post said the Richmond Hill apartment was littered with debris and dog faeces.

The newspaper said the man's wife was taken in for questioning.

It quoted neighbours as saying the couple fought all the time and the father would put snakes on the children if they misbehaved, and also beat the dogs.

Last week, a Denver couple were arrested after police found their small children - four boys - living in filthy conditions.

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Temple Stampede: At Least 109 Worshippers Dead

At least 109 people have been killed in a stampede at a Hindu temple in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Although the true cause of the stampede has yet to emerge, it has been reported that Pilgrims visiting the remote Ratangarh temple panicked after rumours spread that a bridge carrying 20,000 worshippers was about to collapse.

In the panic that followed, people were crushed to death or died after falling or jumping into the river below, officials said.

Rumous this bridge was about to collapse may have started the panic

The crush killed mostly women and children and although many bodies were pulled from the river, there are fears some bodies may have been washed away.

At least 130 people were injured in the incident which happened about 200 miles southeast of Delhi. Many of those who drowned while trying to save others, India's News Tribe website reported.

The incident happened at a bridge over the river Sindh where more than half a million pilgrims had gathered to take part in rituals.

Initial rumours suggested a police baton charge had caused the stampede, but this has been denied by senior officers.

A map showing the location of Datia

Engineers say the bridge was not damaged, and images from the scene showed vehicles and people using the bridge after the stampede occurred.

Relatives have been gathering outside a state-run hospital on Monday to take away the bodies after autopsies had been carried out.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan announced he had ordered a judicial probe into the incident.

Madhya Pradesh's government said it was offering Rs150,000 (£1,540) to the families of those who were killed and Rs50,000 (£513) to those who were seriously injured.

Bodies of Hindu devotees are loaded onto a truck following the tragedy

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tweeted: ''On this day of festivities, our hearts and prayers are with the victims and their families.''

The worshippers were gathering at the temple as part of the celebrations for the Navratri festival.

The 10-day festival includes an event marking the victory of the Goddess Durga over the buffalo demon in Hindu mythology.

In 2006, at least 35 devotees died at the same spot after they were washed away when a dam in a neighbouring province opened its sluice gates, causing a deluge.

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Australia On Alert For Extreme Summer

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

Australians are being warned to brace themselves for an increase in heatwaves, cyclones, severe thunderstorms and ferocious bushfires as the country heads towards summer.

Australia has recently sweltered through record breaking weather and meteorologists say they are expecting more records to be broken after the country's hottest 12 months on record, including the hottest ever September, hottest ever day, and second warmest winter.

Tom Saunders, senior meteorologist at the Sky News Australia Weather Channel, says: "Through this summer we are expecting another hot one for Australia, above average temperatures throughout the country with at least one or two heatwaves through the southern states.

"We are expecting 11 to 14 tropical cyclones off our northern coastline, and we are expecting an above average number of severe thunderstorms for eastern and southern parts of Australia."

Australia's seas are said to be getting hotter

Warmer than average sea surface temperatures around Australia's coast are partly to blame, adding heat and moisture to the atmosphere.

"Our seas have been warming up over the past few decades and even in the past 12 months the sea surface temps off the west coast and south coast of Australia have been the highest on record," says Mr Saunders.

Last January, Australia recorded its hottest ever day - hitting a national average of 40.3 degrees Celsius, the hottest place being Oodnadatta in South Australia's far north which reached a blistering 47C.

While hot, dry, breezy days might be welcomed by tourists and those living near Australia's beaches, for many living inland such conditions raise the frightening prospect of fierce bushfires.

Windsor in New South Wales was affected by bushfires last month

The 2013 bushfire season began early in Australia and firefighters, many of them volunteers in rural areas, are preparing for a dangerous few months ahead.

"It's a wake up call to everybody living in bushfire prone areas," says commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.

"We've got a vegetation growth the likes of which we haven't seen for many decades and with the sign ahead for a continuing hot dry period as we lead into summer, it shapes up for a signal to a long hot difficult bushfire season."

Many in Australia know the pain such fires can cause. In what became known as 'Black Saturday' in February 2009 as many as 400 blazes killed 173 people, and injured 414.

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Greenpeace Arrests: Briton Writes From Jail

A British video journalist arrested for piracy after covering a Greenpeace protest against drilling in the Arctic, has said he is preparing for a long prison sentence.

Kieron Bryan was on board Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise ship carrying 30 people, including six Britons, who attempted to occupy the Russian drilling platform Prirazlomnaya in the Pechora Sea.

The cameraman from London says those arrested feel like 'pieces in a game'

Mr Bryan, 29, said in a letter sent to his family in Devon that he is suffering from "horrible uncertainty and anxiety" after being denied bail by Russian authorities last week.

The offence of piracy carries a 15-year prison sentence in Russia.

Protesters outside the court in Murmansk where Mr Bryon was denied bail

"The food is basic or grim but I'll not starve," he wrote. "The guards can't communicate but are polite and harmless, likewise my cell mate can barely string two words of English together but he is fine with me.

"We draw pictures and speak pigeon (sic) versions of the other's language - it's funny in a farcical way.

Six of the Greenpeace team arrested by Russian police

"Lack of communication has been really tough - I just hope my lawyer can get messages to you. I will ask him to send you the prison address - packages are allowed (with restrictions, keep the nail file out!).

"Things to keep me occupied are always welcome - I'm running out of books since we've swapped between the group already. Hopefully Greenpeace and the embassy can help there too."

Greenpeace campaigners attempt to occupy the platform

Images released by Greenpeace showed Russian security forces abseiling from a helicopter before seizing the ship and crew at gunpoint.

Mr Bryan added that those arrested were "pieces in a game we didn't want to participate in".

He went on: "I'm trying to prepare myself for a lengthy sentence. Everyone says it's very unlikely but all of this feels unlikely.

Russian security forces abseiled onto the ship and arrested the activists

"I'll get through this, we all will."

Mr Bryan's family have stressed he is a journalist rather than an activist, and that he is not a member of Greenpeace.

"If everyone was arrested for writing an article, journalists would not exist," Mr Bryan said in his final address to a court in Murmanks last week when his appeal was refused.

He is currently being held in a Russian detention centre awaiting trial.

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Temple Stampede Kills Scores Of Worshippers

More than 91 people have reportedly been killed in a stampede at a Hindu temple in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Some reports said the stampede occurred when police used batons to control a huge crowd that had gathered at the Ratangarh Temple near the village of Chand Pur, in Datia District.

As the devotees attempted to flee, hundreds of people ran towards a bridge across the Sindh river and an unknown number are believed to have fallen in.

Dozens are feared to have died and at least 100 were injured in the incident on Sunday.

A map showing the location of Datia

Others claimed the stampede happened when a rumour swept through a crowd of 20,000 crossing the bridge that it was about to collapse.

Many of those who drowned did so while trying to save the lives of others, India's News Tribe website reported.

The true cause of the stampede, which happened about 200 miles southeast of the capital Delhi, has yet to emerge.

The incident happened at a spot on the Sindh river where more than half-a-million pilgrims have gathered to take part in rituals.

Local Deputy Police Inspector General D K Arya denied that a baton charge had taken place.

The body of one of those who died in the stampede

He said: "More than 100 others have been injured ... There was no baton charge."

Rescue teams have been combing the water to pull out bodies and in an attempt to find survivors.

The worshippers were gathering at the temple as part of the celebrations for the Navratri festival.

The 10-day festival includes an event marking the victory of the Goddess Durga over the buffalo demon in Hindu mythology.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan announced he had ordered a judicial probe into the incident.

Madhya Pradesh's government said it was offering Rs150,000 (£1,540) to the families of those who were killed and Rs50,000 (£513) to those who were seriously injured.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tweeted: ''On this day of festivities, our hearts and prayers are with the victims and their families.''

In 2006, at least 35 devotees died at the same spot after they were washed away when a dam in a neighbouring province opened its sluice gates causing a deluge.

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