Man Beheads Woman At Food-Processing Plant

A man has beheaded a woman at a food-processing plant in Oklahoma, police have confirmed.

Police said the suspect, who was "angry" after just being fired, launched into the knife attack at a food-processing plant in Moore on Thursday afternoon.

Alton Nolen Pic: Oklahoma Department of Corrections

Alton Nolen, 30, decapitated one woman before he was shot by another employee at Vaughan Foods while actively stabbing a second woman.

The man who shot Nolen was an off-duty reserve police officer, Mark Vaughn, who was chief operating officer at the business.

Moore Police spokesman Jeremy Lewis said the suspect "recently started trying to convert some of his co-workers to the Muslim faith".

However, it is not clear if his beliefs played any role in the attack. The FBI is also investigating the incident.

Authorities say it appears Nolen attacked the workers at random.

Police said the attack began when Nolen went to the car park and drove his vehicle to the front of the warehouse where he hit another car. 

He then walked through the main entrance and began his rampage.

The first victim was identified as 54-year-old Colleen Hufford.

Mr Lewis told Friday morning's press conference: "He did kill Colleen and he did sever her head."

The scene outside the plant in the aftermath of the attack

Nolen and the second victim, 43-year-old Traci Johnson, are both in a stable condition in hospital, said police.

Mr Lewis said Mr Vaughn was a "hero" for shooting Nolen.

"It could have gotten a lot worse," he added. "This guy (Nolen) was definitely not going to stop."

There were said to be several hundred employees inside the warehouse at the time of the attack.

According to the state department of corrections, Nolen was convicted in 2011 of marijuana possession, intent to distribute cocaine, escape from detention and assault on a police officer.

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Taliban Captures Afghan Province, Killing 100

Taliban Rejects 'Bogus' New Afghan Government

Updated: 1:16pm UK, Monday 22 September 2014

A power-sharing deal between two rival Afghan politicians has been branded as a "sham" by the Taliban, amid warnings the deal is unacceptable to voters.

The militants have claimed the new government, with Ashraf Ghani at the helm, is a "bogus administration" because of America's involvement in brokering the coalition.

In a statement, the group insisted: "Our soil and land belongs to us, and all decisions and agreements are made by Afghans, not by the US foreign secretary or ambassador."

But ahead of a news conference in Kabul, president-elect Mr Ghani said the outcome was "a victory for democracy, for our constitution and for our future".

He added that Afghans should perceive poverty, income inequality, insecurity and poor education as national enemies, rather than fellow citizens.

The power-sharing deal has been months in the making, after widespread fraud emerged during the presidential election in June.

Afghanistan's Electoral Commission is yet to release the final result, much to the frustration of some voters, but leaked documents suggest that Mr Ghani secured 55% of the vote - roughly 10% ahead of his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah.

Mr Abdullah, who has been made the first chief executive of Afghanistan in the power-sharing pact, has demanded that the vote count is not released, amid fears of a violent backlash.

Some voters believe the damage is already done, with one saying: "I don't think anyone will vote again. They will have to do a lot of campaigning to get us to vote."

The first task of the "national unity government" is to stabilise the economy, with unrest worsening in a population heavily reliant on aid.

One of Mr Ghani's main priorities may be to reopen peace talks with the Taliban, which fell apart under Hamid Karzai's leadership.

He is also expected to reach a security agreement with the US, allowing a small group of foreign troops to remain embedded in the country beyond this year.

The latest figures suggest that more than 2,300 civilians died in Afghanistan in the first eight months of 2014 - a 15% increase compared to the year before.

There have been no widespread celebrations in Afghanistan since the power-sharing deal was announced, given the population's weariness over electoral fraud.

But Mr Ghani has received praise over plans to ensure Afghan women serve in the highest levels of government, as well as on the Supreme Court.

An inauguration ceremony could take place as early as September 29.

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US Court Summons Indian PM For 2002 Violence

A New York court has summoned India's prime minister to respond to a lawsuit accusing him of human rights abuses.

The civil case before a Manhattan federal court casts a shadow over the Indian leader Narendra Modi's first trip to the US as head of government.

The lawsuit against Mr Modi stems from long-standing allegations that he did not do enough to stop devastating religious riots in his home state of Gujarat in 2002, when he served as chief minister there.

The lawsuit was filed by human rights group American Justice Center on behalf of two unnamed survivors of the violence.

The plaintiffs are seeking monetary and punitive damages for crimes against humanity and extrajudicial killings, and a judgment that Mr Modi's conduct amounted to genocide.

Mr Modi in Gujarat earlier this year

"There is evidence to support the conclusion that minister Modi committed both acts of intentional and malicious direction to authorities in India to kill and maim innocent persons of the Muslim faith," the petition said.

Mr Modi was elected prime minister in May.

He arrives for a five-day visit on Friday in New York, where he will speak at the United Nations before heading to Washington for talks with President Barack Obama.

Mr Modi, 64, was denied a US visa in 2005 under the terms of a 1998 US law that bars entry to foreigners who have committed "particularly severe violations of religious freedom".

At least 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, died in a wave of reprisal attacks across Gujarat after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims was set on fire in February 2002.

Critics accuse Mr Modi, who was chief minister of the state from 2001 until this year, of doing too little to stop revenge attacks on minority Muslims.

He denies the accusations and was exonerated in an Indian Supreme Court inquiry in 2012.

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Iraq Front Line 'Trenches' Like World War One

By Stuart Ramsay, Sky News Chief Correspondent

One can see the front line between the peshmerga and the Islamic State fighters from quite a distance on the outskirts of Kirkuk in northern Iraq.

Their flags flutter in the wind. But they are so close now that from some angles you can't tell which is in front of the other.

This is the most dangerous and close front line in this conflict.

They are metres apart. Peshmerga soldiers gingerly peer over the earth wall that separates the two sides. There are snipers everywhere.

Absolutely nobody out here drops their guard for a second. On the wall, that single second lapse in concentration could cost you your life.

These battle lines are reminiscent of World War One. Two armies dug into these huge berms, trenches really, and a watery no man's land, a canal, dividing them.

Ramsay with peshmerga forces

The peshmerga are determined but lightly armed. The IS fighters are determined and heavily armed. But this is now a static front.

The pesh, as they are known, want to attack but know that across the canal IS aren't just well dug in but have the support, or at least tacit support, of the local population.

So this is about holding the line. The Kurds are hoping that will change.

In the clear blue skies above there is an occasional glint of light from the fuselage of jets patrolling and looking for IS targets.

We could hear the jet engines change tone as they began their descent into a bombing raid.

US jets have been involved in raids on IS in Iraq

From maybe a mile away we heard the explosion of a bomb drop and shortly afterwards the smoke rose into the air.

This has just started in this area but is happening across the north of Iraq. The coalition forces are attacking.

It has brought quiet to the front line. IS can't move when the jets are up. When it goes quiet they try to bring their vehicles forward.

The front lines are so close they hope the jets won't attack for fear of killing the Pesh.

In truth there have been a number of friendly fire incidents already and they are likely to continue if the US-led coalition ramps up the target selection and carries out a lot more bombing.

It's inevitable and the peshmerga understand that.

Islamic State fighters are heavily armed and determined

"We are fighting for the whole world, you have to understand that, we are fighting for everyone against these barbarians," Brigadier Bapir Sheik Wassany told me, looking across into IS territory.

"If you attack from the air and give us better weapons we will smash them. We don't want soldiers, we want weapons and airstrikes."

The pesh do have a tendency to get a bit carried away with the rhetoric.

But as a whole the Kurd military, made up of Special Forces and the Counter Terrorism Group, along with the peshmerga and a rather difficult alliance with Shia militia, can be pretty effective if they have the weapons and the all-important "Air" - the coalition's jets.

The reality is, though, that war cannot be won from the air.

In fact this war on IS probably can't be won without the actual support of the Sunni population where IS have made their home in Iraq and Syria.

Iraqi peshmerga troops load rockets into a launcher in northern Iraq

In a refugee camp in an Arab district of Kirkuk I chatted for an hour or so with Sunni refugees.

They have escaped their towns to avoid the bombing and to a degree IS, but mainly to escape the Shia militias; finding sanctuary in Kurdistan.

"We are protected by a military with one goal, to look after its people; answering to a government with one goal, to look after its people," their leader told me.

"If the airstrikes are 100% accurate on IS then we will go home. But if the Shia militia replace IS it will be worse," he said.

These people need a government that represents them and an army that they trust. If that happens then IS are finished here.

But it doesn't look likely for now and IS haven't gone anywhere.

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Six Children Killed In Chinese School Stampede

Four Children Fatally Stabbed On Way To School

Updated: 8:28am UK, Friday 26 September 2014

A manhunt is under way after a knife-wielding attacker, reportedly on a rickshaw, stabbed four children to death as they walked to school in southern China.

Three of the primary school pupils died at the scene while the other lost their life later in hospital.

Police are searching for a 56-year-old suspect following the killings in Lingshan County, Guanxi Province, on Friday.

State TV reported a man from Pingshan rode a red motorised rickshaw while stabbing the children.

Police gave out the number plate of the rickshaw and offered a reward of 20,000 yuan (£2,000) for information leading to the man's capture, it added.

It is the latest in a series of deadly stabbings targeting schoolchildren over the past 10 years in China, where firearms are difficult to get hold of.

Earlier this month, an attacker killed three students in a knife attack at a school in Hubei province.

In May 2010, an attacker stabbed seven children and one teacher to death and wounded 20 other people in a rampage at a kindergarten in north-west China.

At the time, it was the fifth in a string of savage assaults at the country's schools in three months.

Many of the attacks have been carried out by adults who have no connection to the schools, with authorities saying the assailants suffered from mental illness or were lashing out at society because of personal grudges.

The stabbings have led to tighter security measures.

Cities including Beijing require ID and registration for the purchase of some knives.

Knives have also been confiscated at the gates of schools and in the surrounding community, while students have also been given self-defence training.

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Obama: We Must Dismantle 'Network Of Death'

US President Barack Obama has called on the world to join together to destroy the Islamic State terrorist group, which he branded a "network of death".

Speaking at the United Nations, he vowed to keep up the pressure on the militants, arguing that the only communication they understood was the "language of force".

His comments came as Prime Minister David Cameron prepared to recall Parliament on Friday to support UK airstrikes in Iraq.

The US President said IS must be 'degraded and destroyed'

Sky News understands that British military assets are being readied for attacks on IS.

President Obama said: "The cancer of violent extremism has ravaged so many parts of the Muslim world.

"In this century, we have faced a more lethal and ideological brand of terrorists, who have perverted one of the world's great religions.

"They have embraced a nightmarish vision that would divide the world into adherence and infidels, killing as many innocent civilians as possible.

"America will not base our entire foreign policy on reacting to terrorism.

"At the same time, we have reaffirmed that the US will never be at war with Islam. Islam teaches peace, Muslims the world over aspire to live with dignity and a sense of justice. When it comes to America and Islam, there is no 'us' and 'them' - there is only 'us'.

"We reject any suggestion of a clash of civilisations."

President Obama added: "Collectively, we must take concrete steps to address the dangers posed by religiously motivated fanatics, and the trends that fuel their recruitment."

More airstrikes have been carried out against IS targets by the US

He reiterated his demand that IS "must be degraded and destroyed".

"This group has terrorised all who they come across in Iraq and Syria. Innocent children have been gunned down. Religious minorities have been starved to death.

"No god condones this terror. No grievance justifies these actions.

"There can be no negotiation with this brand of evil. The only language understood by killers like this is the language of force.

"We do not intend to send US troops to occupy foreign lands. Instead, we will support Iraqis and Syrians fighting to reclaim their communities.

"We will train and equip forces fighting these terrorists on the ground.

"Already, over 40 nations have offered to join our coalition. Today I ask the world to join in this effort. Those who have joined ISIL should leave the battlefield while they can.

"Those who continue to fight for a hateful cause will find they are increasingly alone. We will demonstrate that the future belongs to those who build, not those who destroy. That is the first challenge we must meet."

It comes as the US military confirmed it had launched five more airstrikes targeting IS, including one in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border, two west of Baghdad and two southeast of Irbil.

The first US raids on IS targets in Syria were launched on Tuesday, supported by Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Among the areas hit was the IS stronghold of Raqqa where it is thought British aid worker Alan Henning is being held hostage by the group.

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New Phil Spector Prison Mugshots Released

Two new photos of the former record producer and songwriter Phil Spector show the toll prison life has taken on him.

Spector is without his wigs these days

The most recent image, from October 2013, shows a bald, sombre-looking Spector staring straight into the camera.

The 73-year-old is serving 19 years to life after shooting the actress Lana Clarkson at his California mansion in 2003.

An earlier photo of a smiling Spector is dated July 24, 2013.

Before his conviction, Spector was known for the array of wigs he would wear in public and during his two trials in 2007 and 2008.

California Department of Corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton said the October photo was taken when Spector was moved to the prison system's huge California Heath Care Facility in Stockton.

The facility provides medical and mental health care to the state's sickest inmates, including those with chronic conditions.

Ms Thornton said she could not reveal details of Spector's health because of state medical privacy regulations.

Lana Clarkson and Spector during his 2009 trial

Spector always maintained his innocence and claimed Clarkson died from accidental suicide.

A 2013 HBO film called Phil Spector, written and directed by David Mamet and starring Al Pacino as Spector and Dame Helen Mirren as a defence lawyer, depicted a fictionalised account of the murder and trials.        

Spector in court in 2005

Spector became known for his Wall of Sound production method. He worked with a number of huge stars in the 1960s, co-writing the Righteous Brothers hit You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling.

He produced The Beatles' album Let It Be in 1970.

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Freed Abu Qatada 'Will Not Be Returning To UK'

Timeline: Qatada Legal Battle

Updated: 10:35am UK, Wednesday 24 September 2014

Abu Qatada challenged and ultimately thwarted every attempt by the Government to detain and deport him for many years.

Here is a timeline of the legal battle.

1993: Abu Qatada claims asylum when he arrives in Britain on a forged passport.

1994: Allowed to stay in Britain.

1995: Issues a "fatwa" justifying the killing of converts from Islam, their wives and children in Algeria.

1998: Applies for indefinite leave to remain in Britain.

1999: April - Convicted in his absence on terror charges in Jordan and sentenced to life imprisonment.

October - Speaks in London advocating the killing of Jews and praising attacks on Americans.

2001: February - Arrested by anti-terror police over involvement in a plot to bomb Strasbourg Christmas market. Officers find him with £170,000 in cash, including £805 in an envelope marked "For the mujahedin in Chechnya".

December - Becomes one of Britain's most wanted men after going on the run from his home in west London.

2002: Arrested by police in a council house in south London and detained in Belmarsh high-security jail.

2005: Freed on conditional bail and placed on a control order but arrested again in August under immigration rules as the Government seeks to deport him to Jordan.

2008: April: Court of Appeal rules deportation would breach his human rights because evidence used against him in Jordan might have been obtained through torture.

May - Granted bail by the immigration tribunal but told he must stay inside for 22 hours a day.

June - Released from Long Lartin jail in Worcestershire and moves into a four-bedroom house in west London.

November - He is rearrested after the Home Office tells an immigration hearing of fears he plans to abscond.

December - Qatada's bail is revoked by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) after hearing secret evidence that the risk of him absconding has increased.

2009: Five Law Lords unanimously back the Government's policy of removing terror suspects from Britain on the basis of assurances from foreign governments and it is ruled he can be deported to Jordan to face a retrial on the terror charges.

He is awarded 2,800 euro (£2,500) compensation by the European Court of Human Rights after the judges rule that his detention without trial in the UK under anti-terrorism powers breached his human rights.

2012: January - European judges rule he can be sent to Jordan with diplomatic assurances but not while "there remains a real risk that evidence obtained by torture will be used against him".

February - He is released on strict bail conditions.

April - Rearrested as the Government prepares to deport him after Jordan gives assurances it will "bend over backwards" to ensure he receives a fair trial.

March - Qatada's legal team loses its bid to have the case heard by the Europe's human rights judges, clearing the way for deportation proceedings to continue.

May and August - Siac rejects Qatada's applications for bail.

October - Siac holds appeal hearing.

November - His appeal is granted and he is granted bail.

December - Qatada is moved to a larger residence in the greater London area.

2013: March 9 - It emerges Qatada has been arrested for allegedly breaching his bail conditions. He is ordered to stay in custody and sent to Belmarsh.

March 21 - Police reveal the cleric is being investigated over extremist material.

March 27 - Home Secretary Theresa May loses her appeal over Siac's decision to allow Qatada to stay in the UK. The Home Office vows to appeal.

April 17 - The Home Office formally announces that it is seeking leave from the Court of Appeal to take the case to the Supreme Court.

April 22 - The Court of Appeal refuses permission to go to the Supreme Court, forcing the Home Office to appeal directly to the highest court in the land.

April 23 - Theresa May tells MPs she has signed a new treaty with Jordan that should pave the way to deportation, but warns it might take "many months".

May 10 - Qatada's barrister says he will go back to Jordan voluntarily if the treaty on the use of evidence obtained by torture, guaranteeing he will not be tortured, is ratified by the Jordanian parliament.

May 20 - Qatada is refused bail by the Special Immigrations Appeals Commission after "jihadist material" is found on a computer memory stick.

July 2 - The new treaty between Jordan and Britain is fully ratified, sparking claims Qatada could be on a plane within days.

July 3 - A Jordanian government official tells AFP the cleric is due back on Sunday.

July 7 - Flown from RAF Northolt to Jordan

December 10: Pleads not guilty to terrorism charges at a state security court in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

2014: June 26 - Acquitted of conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism over 1998 bomb plots allegations.

September 24 - Acquitted over plot to target Western tourists over the New Year in Jordan in 2000.

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Families Living In Fear In IS-Controlled Raqqa

By Jason Farrell, Sky Correspondent

Children in Syria are being taken from their families to be trained as Islamic State fighters and used as informants, according to a civilian who fled the city of Raqqa.

Former student Abu Abrahim Raqqawi gave Sky News a chilling account of life inside the IS-controlled city where he claimed children are being indoctrinated to become jihadists.

Abu, whose name has been changed, is able to talk because he was smuggled out of Raqqa two weeks ago but remains in regular contact with more than a dozen other underground activists in the city.

"They (IS) say to the young people, those between 16 and 18, 'Okay, we will give you money if you say who are talking about us or are saying something bad about us'.

"There is a camp for under-16 children. They took a lot of children without their families knowing, and it's very bad. It's just a special camp for young people. They make them like a bomb; a time bomb."

The US launched airstrikes against IS targets in Syria on Tuesday and Abu Abrahim said IS members in the city were killed after rockets struck their communications hub and a hospital used exclusively by the militants.

But there are mixed feelings about the Western military intervention.

Abu Abrahim said: "There is anger because the city is being destroyed but some accept they have to do a deal with the devil to get rid of IS.

The US has launched airstrikes against IS targets in Syria

"But others feel if the US cared about the people here, Obama would have acted when President Assad crossed the red line."

Here he is referring to the Syrian leader's alleged use of chemical weapons last year.

"There are a lot of executions, secret executions and public executions, especially after the Friday sermons - crucifying, beheading and things like that," he said.

He provided images to back this up; some showed children watching the gruesome events.

Several Syrian cities and IS strongholds were targetted in the attacks

"There are no hospitals inside the city of Raqqa now. When there is an airstrike (previously from President Assad's forces) wounded people are taken to small hospitals in houses without any equipment," he said.

"They're dying in the street. ISIS have their own hospitals that do not allow citizens to go in."

Abu Abrahim says there is no education in the city and some families are struggling to find food.

He claims IS fighters have also seized people's homes to house foreign fighters, but the biggest problem is access to medicine and hospital treatment.

The group have made rapid advances across swathes of Iraq and Syria

His friends have been filming and taking photographs - posting images on a Facebook page called "Raqqa Is Being Silently Slaughtered".

One of the group was killed by IS when his activities were discovered. Despite being tortured, he didn't release the names of the others.

IS has ousted the Free Syrian Army from Raqqa - the original resistance movement to the Syrian leader Bashar al Assad is much diminished by the terrorist group across Syria.

Abu Abrahim says there is no education for children in Raqqa

Abu Abrahim said: "I think if the West wants to do something to kick ISIS out from Syria, they must bomb the Assad regime. If the Assad regime gets bombed and down, then easily the ISIS regime will get out of Syria because the FSA and all the fighters will just fight ISIS and not both ISIS and Assad."

IS fighters proclaim Raqqa is a paradise, but Abu says normal civilians are struggling for survival - that life in a terrorist-controlled city is one of fear, and lives are being risked to tell the real story of the city.

:: Do you have a question about life in Raqqa for people who are there now? Tweet @SkyNews with the hashtag #SkyAskRaqqa and we will put a selection of them to friends of Abu who still live in the city.

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Khorasan Leader Killed In Syria - US Official

Al Qaeda Veterans Targeted In Syria Airstrikes

Updated: 3:05pm UK, Tuesday 23 September 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Hitherto obscure, they fell firmly into American gun sight in the first salvoes of the attack by coalition forces inside Syria.

They are the Khorasan Group - al Qaeda veterans allegedly planning attacks against the West.

Led by Musin al Fadhli, a 33-year-old Kuwaiti who was once so close to Osama bin Laden that he knew about the 9/11 attacks before they happened, the group subscribes to a ferociously anti-Western agenda.

Until a year or so ago, al Fadhli and his deputy Muhsin al Harbi were based in Iran.

They had been in and out of Iranian custody, occasionally subjected to house arrest - but were vital links to funding and recruitment of al Qaeda's operations, especially in Iraq.

They are, according to intelligence sources, now based in Syria. They have joined up with, or added themselves to, the al Nusra Front.

But while this al Qaeda franchise in Syria has focused on fighting the regime of Bashar al Assad and has been locked in combat with Islamic State, Khorasan have focused on anti-Western operations.

"They have been establishing close links to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula - in Yemen - where there are some supremely accomplished bomb makers," said one informed intelligence source.

The Pentagon said the airstrikes against Khorasan were because of active intelligence that their agents were plotting an attack in the West.

The UKand several other states have upped the threat level to "severe" in the last few weeks - which indicated there was intelligence that a terrorist attack was 'likely'.

The Khorasan Group, so-called because they draw their members from early Islamic regions that spread into parts of Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan which was known as Khorasan, is an al Qaeda veteran organisation in comparison with the competing Islamist franchise, Islamic State.

It has been losing ground, fame and recruits to IS and arguably needs to show its strength through a 'spectacular' attack on the West to restore its standing in the face of IS's media campaign and stunning territorial gains.

Late last year, an intelligence agency assessment of what has become the Khorasan Group said that al Fadhli "co-ordinates between the al Qaeda leadership and Jabhat al Nusra, which has been among the more effective fighting forces against Assad".

It said: "Al Fadhli now plays a key role in advancing plans for attacks by al Qaeda from Syria, in accordance with Iran's interests."

That last phrase is significant. How could operations by an al Qaeda-related group, a Sunni movement, serve the interests of Iran, a Shia dominated theocracy?

The answer lies in the old cliche that in the Middle East especially, "my enemy's enemy is my friend".

But it also may indicate that Iranian co-operation in allowing or encouraging al Fadhli to move to Syria was a means to boost the Assad regime's case that it was a bulwark against global Islamic terror.

Damascus has argued since the start of the uprising against Mr Assad's rule that it has been fighting "terrorists".

Whatever the truth of the Iranian connection to the Khorasan Group, Pentagon targeting officers can be expected to pursue the old school al Qaeda operatives - they will want to snuff out attempts to revive the brand by spilling blood in the Homeland.

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Al Qaeda Veterans Targeted In Syria Airstrikes

Hitherto obscure, they fell firmly into American gun sight in the first salvoes of the attack by coalition forces inside Syria.

They are the Khorasan Group - al Qaeda veterans allegedly planning attacks against the West.

Led by Musin al Fadhli, a 33-year-old Kuwaiti who was once so close to Osama bin Laden that he knew about the 9/11 attacks before they happened, the group subscribes to a ferociously anti-Western agenda.

Until a year or so ago, al Fadhli and his deputy Muhsin al Harbi were based in Iran.

They had been in and out of Iranian custody, occasionally subjected to house arrest - but were vital links to funding and recruitment of al Qaeda's operations, especially in Iraq.

They are, according to intelligence sources, now based in Syria. They have joined up with, or added themselves to, the al Nusra Front.

But while this al Qaeda franchise in Syria has focused on fighting the regime of Bashar al Assad and has been locked in combat with Islamic State, Khorasan have focused on anti-Western operations.

"They have been establishing close links to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula - in Yemen - where there are some supremely accomplished bomb makers," said one informed intelligence source.

Tomahawk missiles launched by a US warship

The Pentagon said the airstrikes against Khorasan were because of active intelligence that their agents were plotting an attack in the West.

The UKand several other states have upped the threat level to "severe" in the last few weeks - which indicated there was intelligence that a terrorist attack was 'likely'.

The Khorasan Group, so-called because they draw their members from early Islamic regions that spread into parts of Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan which was known as Khorasan, is an al Qaeda veteran organisation in comparison with the competing Islamist franchise, Islamic State.

It has been losing ground, fame and recruits to IS and arguably needs to show its strength through a 'spectacular' attack on the West to restore its standing in the face of IS's media campaign and stunning territorial gains.

Late last year, an intelligence agency assessment of what has become the Khorasan Group said that al Fadhli "co-ordinates between the al Qaeda leadership and Jabhat al Nusra, which has been among the more effective fighting forces against Assad".

It said: "Al Fadhli now plays a key role in advancing plans for attacks by al Qaeda from Syria, in accordance with Iran's interests."

That last phrase is significant. How could operations by an al Qaeda-related group, a Sunni movement, serve the interests of Iran, a Shia dominated theocracy?

The answer lies in the old cliche that in the Middle East especially, "my enemy's enemy is my friend".

But it also may indicate that Iranian co-operation in allowing or encouraging al Fadhli to move to Syria was a means to boost the Assad regime's case that it was a bulwark against global Islamic terror.

Damascus has argued since the start of the uprising against Mr Assad's rule that it has been fighting "terrorists".

Whatever the truth of the Iranian connection to the Khorasan Group, Pentagon targeting officers can be expected to pursue the old school al Qaeda operatives - they will want to snuff out attempts to revive the brand by spilling blood in the Homeland.

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Israeli Missile Shoots Down Syrian Fighter Jet

Israel says it has shot down a Syrian fighter jet over its airspace - the first such incident in more than 30 years.

The aircraft was hit by a Patriot missile while trying to "infiltrate" the Quneitra area of the Golan Heights, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said.

An Israeli defence source identified the jet as a Russian-built Sukhoi Su-24 fighter plane. Previously it was reported to have been a MiG-21 aircraft.

The aircraft was hit by a Patriot missile

It flew 800 metres into Israeli airspace and tried to return to Syria after the Patriot missile was fired, he said.

The crew managed to abandon the plane in time and landed in Syrian territory, he added.

The Golan area, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war, has seen clashes between the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and Syrian President Bashar al Assad's forces in recent weeks.

Syrian state TV confirmed Israel had shot down one of its planes, and described it as an act of aggression.

A file picture of the type of jet that was shot down

It quoted a military source saying the attack came "in the framework of (Israel's) support for the terrorist (Islamic State) and the Nusra Front".

Israel's Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said the aircraft had crossed into Israel in a "threatening way" and vowed to retaliate to any similar incidents in the future.

"We will not allow (any) element, whether it is a terror group or a state, to threaten our security and breach our sovereignty," he said.

"We are committed first and foremost to ensure the security of the Israel's citizens and we will use all means at our disposal to do so."

It came hours after the US and five Arab countries began airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria for the first time.

The raids were carried out using fighter jets, bombers, drones, and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from US ships in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain and Qatar were involved in the raids, a US official said, although their exact roles were unclear.

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'Unprecedented' Sentence For Chinese Academic

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent, in Beijing

A Chinese economics professor has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of "separatism" at a court in China.

Ilham Tohti, the country's most prominent Uighur Muslim scholar, was found guilty at the Intermediate People's Court in Urumqi, the capital of China's far-western Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

In a closed trial, off limits to foreign journalists and independent observers, the 44-year-old was accused of promoting independence in Xinjiang.

As he left the dock for a life in jail, Mr Tohti shouted, "It's not just! It's not just!", according to his lawyer, Li Fangping, who was in court.

Mr Li told Sky News: "This is a very harsh sentence. Ilham Tohti and we lawyers can't accept it at all.

Mr Tohti's sentence has been condemned by human rights groups

"We have been defending him for innocence. Now he's been sentenced to life in prison, deprived of political rights for life, and confiscated of all possessions, it's really terrifying."

The EU released a statement calling for Mr Tohti's "immediate and unconditional" release.

It said: "The EU condemns the life sentence for alleged 'separatism' handed out today to Uighur economics professor Ilham Tohti, which is completely unjustified.

"The EU deplores that the due process of law was not respected, in particular with regard to the right to a proper defence."

Amnesty International called the verdict "deplorable" and Human Rights Watch said it was "unprecedented".

According to state prosecutors, Mr Tohti used a website, UighurOnline, which he ran with students at Beijing's Minzu University, to call for an independent state in Xinjiang. No evidence for these claims was produced by the court.

As well as a life sentence, Mr Tohti has had his assets confiscated, leaving his wife and two children with nothing. His wife Guzaili Nu'er was in court and broke down in tears as her husband was taken away.

The economics professor taught at Minzu University in Beijing

"No matter what, we will appeal," his lawyer said.

As a member of China's minority Uighur Muslim population, Mr Tohti was a vocal but moderate critic of the Chinese government's policies in Xinjiang.

His imprisonment removes the only influential Uighur voice inside China. The length of the sentence has shocked his lawyers and rights groups.

"[This is] an incredibly harsh sentence, unprecedented for a prominent activist in China in recent memory," said Maya Wang from Human Rights Watch.

"This shameful judgement has no basis in reality. Ilham Tohti worked to peacefully build bridges between ethnic communities and for that he has been punished through politically motivated charges," said William Nee, from Amnesty International.

Nearly half of Xinjiang's 22 million people are Uighur Muslims, who claim they are persecuted by Han Chinese migrants from the rest of China.

They say their religious, cultural and economic freedoms are being eroded by the influx of Han Chinese.

The Chinese government says the Han Chinese are being threatened by a growing movement of Islamist extremism among the Uighur, a narrative strengthened in October when a Jeep, said to have been driven by Uighurs, ploughed into a group of tourists in Tiananmen Square.

Earlier this month, Sky News spent a week travelling in Xinjiang. We found no evidence of extremism but considerable resentment among the local population and anger at new policies banning beards, veils and in some cases, a ban on fasting during Ramadan.

The Communist government, who control the courts in China, has made no comment.

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Israel Kills Suspects In Jewish Teen Murders

Israeli troops have killed two Palestinians suspected of murdering three Jewish teenagers.

A gunfight took place after soldiers surrounded a house in the West Bank during a dawn raid, the Israeli military said.

Hamas activists Amer Abu Aisheh, 33, and Marwan Qawasmeh, 29, both from the Hebron area, were killed during the operation.

Israeli security forces had been hunting the pair since they were named as the killers of three Israeli youths shot dead near a Jewish settlement in June.

A memorial service for the three teenagers was held in New York in July

Their killings set off a chain of events that led to the 50-day war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner said: "We opened fire, they returned fire and they were killed in the exchange.

"We have visual confirmation for one. The second one, we have no visual confirmation, but the assumption is he was killed."

Palestinian officials have not confirmed the men were killed.

Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel, Eyal Yifrach (L-R)

Israeli forces arrested hundreds of suspected Hamas members in the West Bank after Jewish students Eyal Yifrach, 19, and 16-year-olds Gilad Shaar and Naftali Fraenkel went missing.

Their bodies were found in a field near Hebron on July 1.

After initially denying involvement in the killings, Hamas last month acknowledged responsibility.

In the days leading up to the start of the Gaza war in early July, a Palestinian youth was abducted and killed by Israeli extremists in an apparent revenge attack.

More than 2,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were killed in the seven-week bloodshed.

On the Israeli side, 67 soldiers and six civilians were killed.

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Obama: 'This Is Not America's Fight Alone'

President Barack Obama has pledged to keep building an international coalition to defeat Islamic State militants, hours after the US and five Arab nations launched airstrikes against the group in Syria.

"America is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these nations on behalf of our common security," he said at the White House.

"The strength of this coalition makes it clear to the world that this is not America's fight alone."

He said defeating IS would take time and effort but added: "We're going to do what's necessary to take the fight to this terrorist group."

After the brief statement, the President left for the UN General Assembly in New York, where he will seek to broaden consensus for the US-led effort.

A Tomahawk missile is launched from USS Arleigh Burke

The air campaign used land- and sea-based US aircraft as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from two Navy ships in the Red Sea and the northern Persian Gulf.

At least 70 IS fighters are said to have been killed in dozens of attacks, which also targeted al Qaeda veterans.

The US has targeted IS facilities in Iraq but this is the first time the campaign has expanded into Syria, a country torn by three years of civil war.

The US military said it had destroyed or damaged multiple IS targets around the militant stronghold of Raqqa as well as Deir al Zor, Hasakah and the border town of Albu Kamal.

The apparent aftermath of a US airstrike in Idlib

It said targets included IS fighters, training compounds, headquarters and command-and-control facilities, storage facilities, a finance centre, supply trucks and armed vehicles.

The five Arab nations - Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and the United Arab Emirate - either participated in the airstrikes or provided unspecified support, US officials said.

Jordan said its air force had bombed "targets that belong to some terrorist groups that sought to commit terrorist acts inside Jordan".

Where the airstrikes took place in Syria

Separately, the US alone carried out eight airstrikes to disrupt what the military described as "imminent attack plotting against the United States and Western interests" by a network of al Qaeda veterans.

"Once again, it must be clear to anyone who would plot against America and do Americans harm that we will not tolerate safe havens for terrorists who threaten our people," said Mr Obama.

A US official said the al Qaeda-linked group was nearing the execution phase for an attack in Europe or the US.

Islamic State have made rapid gains in Iraq and Syria

Mr Obama had been wary of dragging the US military into the conflict between the regime of President Bashar al Assad and rebel groups.

However, Damascus says the US had informed Syria's envoy to the UN about the strikes.

Activists said the airstrikes hit targets in and around the Syrian city of Raqqa and the province with the same name.

Raqqa is the Islamic State group's self-declared capital in Syria.

International efforts to combat the group have taken on an added urgency after the beheading of US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and British aid worker David Haines, and the threat to kill UK hostage Alan Henning.

The strikes did not involve the UK but Prime Minister David Cameron supported them and will discuss at the UN what contribution Britain can make, according to Downing Street.

Photographs taken in Raqqa showed wreckage of what IS fighters said was a drone that had been shot down.

Pieces of the wreckage were shown loaded into the back of a van.

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IS Urges Attacks In Egypt's Tourist Region

Islamic State extremists are urging militants in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula to continue with beheadings and attacks against security forces.

There are concerns about links between the terror group and insurgents in a region popular with tourists, including the beach resort of Sharm el Sheikh.

Egyptian officials, including the foreign minister, have acknowledged co-ordination between the two groups but insist there are no IS fighters in the country.

Egypt has faced an Islamist insurgency since the ousting of Mohamed Morsi

The terror group controls swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, where it has declared an Islamic state, or caliphate.

In the latest violence, its fighters have been locked in fierce clashes with Kurdish forces to the east of a Syrian city near the border with Turkey.

The IS offensive on Kobani, also known as Ayn al Arab, has led tens of thousands of Syrian Kurds to flee, many across the Turkish frontier.

Egypt has faced an Islamist insurgency since the army ousted president Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, last year.

The aftermath of the bomb attack in Cairo that killed three policemen

IS spokesman Abu Muhammad al Adnani said in a statement released online: "Rig the roads with explosives for them. Attack their bases.

"Raid their homes. Cut off their heads. Do not let them feel secure."

He praised Egyptian militants for carrying out "blessed operations against the guards of the Jews, the soldiers of Sisi, the new Pharaoh of Egypt".

Current president Abdel Fattah al Sisi, who as the then head of the army led the overthrow of Mr Morsi in 2013 following mass protests, has raised concerns about the threat posed by Islamist militants in Egypt and other parts of the Middle East.             

A militant from the Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al Maqdis, which has killed hundreds of Egyptian security forces in the past year, has said IS has provided instructions on how to operate more effectively.

A bomb attack outside the Egyptian foreign ministry in Cairo on Sunday, claimed by a militant group, killed three policemen, including a key witness in a trial of Mr Morsi.

Meanwhile, authorities in Belgium said several arrests had been made to prevent attacks by jihadist extremists, although the European Commission said it had not been told of any specific threat against it after reports suggested its Brussels headquarters was a possible target.

More than 800 officers were involved in Australia's anti-terror operation

And in Australia, sweeping new security powers are being sought by the government to tackle what it says is the growing threat from militant extremists.

Measures include making it a crime for Australian citizens to travel to overseas areas declared off limits.

The move follows the largest anti-terror operation the country has ever seen to thwart what the government said was a plot by IS supporters to behead a random member of the public.

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Blair: Airpower Alone Not Enough To Defeat IS

Tony Blair has said Britain should not rule out sending forces into Syria and Iraq to counter the threat posed by Islamic State.

In a 6,500-word essay, the former prime minister said that while no desire existed for ground engagement in the region, airpower alone would not be enough to defeat the group.

"We have to fight groups like ISIS," he said. "There can be an abundance of diplomacy, all necessary relief of humanitarian suffering, every conceivable statement of condemnation which we can muster.

"But unless they're accompanied by physical combat, we will mitigate the problem but not overcome it.

"Airpower is a major component of this to be sure, especially with the new weapons available to us. But - and this is the hard truth - airpower alone will not suffice.

"If possible, others closer to the field of battle, with a more immediate interest, can be given the weapons and the training to carry the fight.

Tony Blair: 'The enemy we're fighting is fanatical'

"I accept fully there is no appetite for ground engagement in the West. But we should not rule it out in the future if it is absolutely necessary."

The militant Islamist group has made rapid territorial gains across the region and released graphic videos depicting the beheading of two US journalists and British aid worker David Haines.

Mr Blair warned that any solution to the threat posed by the extremist group would involve casualties. 

"Because the enemy we're fighting is fanatical, because they are prepared both to kill and to die, there is no solution that doesn't involve force applied with a willingness to take casualties in carrying the fight through to the end," he said.

France and the US have launched airstrikes on IS positions

The US and France have already launched airstrikes against IS targets, and the UK has not ruled out joining the bombing campaign.

He said the lessons learned from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq had improved Western forces' "capacity and capability" to respond to the threat of IS and similar groups.

"To those who say that after the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq we have no stomach for such a commitment, I would reply the difficulties we encountered there are in part intrinsic to the nature of the battle being waged," he said.

Former taxi driver Alan Henning is being held by the group

"And our capacity and capability to wage the battle effectively are second to none in part because of our experience there."

Former taxi driver Alan Henning, from Manchester, is currently being held hostage by IS after he was kidnapped in the Syrian town of al Dana while volunteering with a humanitarian aid convoy.

The group has threatened to kill Mr Henning and warned Britain and America not to get involved in another Middle East war.

:: Watch Tony Blair live on Sky News Tonight at 7.15pm - live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 132 and Freesat channel 202.

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Hundreds Face DNA Tests In Beach Murder Probe

Thai police are to take DNA from all the men on Koh Tao island - potentially hundreds of people - in their investigation into the murders of two Britons.

The bodies of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, were found on a beach on September 15.

Police have been criticised over the investigation and are now expanding testing, with some 150 officers drafted in to the popular holiday island, which has 1,300 residents.

Ms Witheridge was caught on CCTV in the hours before her death

"We will submit one set of DNA samples and wait for their results before collecting another set of samples," said Colonel Uakrissadathikarn in The Phuket Gazette.

"We will do this until we find the culprits."

Police are also trying to trace fishing boat workers who may been on the island on the day of the killings.

Ms Witheridge's family have brought her body back to the UK

Officers previously said "sexual jealousy" may have been the motive and revealed DNA taken from Ms Witheridge's body was from two Asian men.

Claims the pair may have argued with a Thai man in a local bar are also being investigated.

Thailand's police chief (centre) has visited the island

Police Colonel Kissana Phathanacharoen said: "We have discovered fresh evidence which could lead to a new suspect who may have had a relationship or one-night stand with Hannah or one of her friends or David the night before they were killed.

"We have asked the Metropolitan Police to go back and make enquiries of Hannah's friends on this matter."

Ms Witheridge, from Great Yarmouth, suffered severe head wounds and Mr Miller, from Jersey, died from blows to the head and drowning, post-mortem examinations showed.

Islanders have also been helping to raise reward money

A garden hoe with Ms Witheridge's blood on it was discovered nearby, and investigators are searching for a blunt metal object used on Mr Miller.

Ms Witheridge's family said they had now brought their "beautiful Hannah" back to the UK.

A £4,000 police reward is on offer for information, and shocked island residents have also raised several thousand pounds on top of that.

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Taliban Rejects 'Bogus' New Afghan Government

A power-sharing deal between two rival Afghan politicians has been branded as a "sham" by the Taliban, amid warnings the deal is unacceptable to voters.

The militants have claimed the new government, with Ashraf Ghani at the helm, is a "bogus administration" because of America's involvement in brokering the coalition.

In a statement, the group insisted: "Our soil and land belongs to us, and all decisions and agreements are made by Afghans, not by the US foreign secretary or ambassador."

But ahead of a news conference in Kabul, president-elect Mr Ghani said the outcome was "a victory for democracy, for our constitution and for our future".

He added that Afghans should perceive poverty, income inequality, insecurity and poor education as national enemies, rather than fellow citizens.

Abdullah Abdullah signing the power-sharing agreement in Kabul

The power-sharing deal has been months in the making, after widespread fraud emerged during the presidential election in June.

Afghanistan's Electoral Commission is yet to release the final result, much to the frustration of some voters, but leaked documents suggest that Mr Ghani secured 55% of the vote - roughly 10% ahead of his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah.

Mr Abdullah, who has been made the first chief executive of Afghanistan in the power-sharing pact, has demanded that the vote count is not released, amid fears of a violent backlash.

Some voters believe the damage is already done, with one saying: "I don't think anyone will vote again. They will have to do a lot of campaigning to get us to vote."

The first task of the "national unity government" is to stabilise the economy, with unrest worsening in a population heavily reliant on aid.

Hamid Karzai failed to achieve a peace agreement with the Taliban

One of Mr Ghani's main priorities may be to reopen peace talks with the Taliban, which fell apart under Hamid Karzai's leadership.

He is also expected to reach a security agreement with the US, allowing a small group of foreign troops to remain embedded in the country beyond this year.

The latest figures suggest that more than 2,300 civilians died in Afghanistan in the first eight months of 2014 - a 15% increase compared to the year before.

There have been no widespread celebrations in Afghanistan since the power-sharing deal was announced, given the population's weariness over electoral fraud.

But Mr Ghani has received praise over plans to ensure Afghan women serve in the highest levels of government, as well as on the Supreme Court.

An inauguration ceremony could take place as early as September 29.

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Turkey Clashes As Refugees Flee IS Extremists

Turkish security forces have clashed with Kurdish protesters on the border as the country struggles to cope with a growing flood of refugees fleeing Islamic State extremists in Syria.

More than 130,000 Syrian Kurds have crossed into Turkey in the last four days alone, and the authorities are preparing for many more.

But one of the biggest waves of refugees since the Syrian civil war began has seen tensions flare.

Security forces fired tear gas and water cannon at hundreds of Kurdish youths gathered on the Turkish side of the border near Suruc, responding to calls from Kurdish leaders to join the fight against the militants who have seized swathes of Iraq and Syria and declared an Islamic state, or caliphate.

Fleeing refugees said the militants were executing people of all ages

Kurdish fighters say they have halted the IS advance east of the Syrian city of Kobani - also known as Ayn al Arab - just a few miles from the Turkish border, but that fierce fighting was continuing.

Residents fleeing Kobani said the militants were executing people of all ages in villages they seized.

Turkey's deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus warned the number could rise to "a refugee wave that can be expressed by hundreds of thousands".

"This is not a natural disaster. What we are faced with is a man-made disaster.

"We don't know how many more villages may be raided, how many more people may be forced to seek refuge.

"An uncontrollable force at the other side of the border is attacking civilians. The extent of the disaster is worse than a natural disaster."

A balaclava-clad Kurdish activist Shirwan, 28, said: "We all want to cross the border. We tried yesterday but they attacked us, and we will try again today."

Locals said protesters had gathered from cities across Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast.

Conservative estimates say several hundred Turkish Kurds have already crossed to join the fight.

The advances by Sunni insurgents just across Turkey's southern border has alarmed the government in the country's capital Ankara.

But Turkey has been slow to join calls for a coalition to fight IS, concerned in part about about links between the Syrian Kurds and Turkey's own Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which waged an armed campaign for Kurdish rights over several decades.

While Turkey has denied giving any support to the Islamist militants, the West argues its open borders during Syria's three-year civil war allowed Islamic State and other radical groups to grow in power.

The PKK issued a rallying call to Turkey's Kurds on Sunday, saying "supporting this heroic resistance" in Kobani was a "debt of honour".

Meanwhile, IS has called on supporters to attack citizens of the US, France and other countries which have joined a coalition to combat the terror group.

And an IS spokesman also taunted US President Barack Obama and other Western "crusaders" saying their forces faced inevitable defeat.

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Rwanda Militia Commander 'Tired Of War'

Key Events In Rwanda

Updated: 9:32am UK, Sunday 21 September 2014

Up to 5 million people have died in DR Congo during two decades of violence which followed the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Many of those blamed for the mass killings fled to DRC, then called Zaire.

Here is a timeline of key historical events in Rwanda:

:: January 1, 1932: Belgium, which controlled Rwanda, introduced identity cards which distinguished between the majority Hutus and minority Tutsis for the first time. These cards helped identify Tutsis in the 1994 massacre.

:: November 5, 1959: A Hutu rebellion against the Belgian colonial power and the favoured Tutsis led to 150,000 Tutsis fleeing to Burundi.

:: July 1, 1962: Rwanda and Burundi became independent with the Hutus ruling in Rwanda and Tutsis retaining power in Burundi.

:: December 1, 1963: Up to 20,000 Tutsis massacred in Rwanda in response to a cross-border attack by exiled Tutsis in neighbouring Burundi.

:: June 10, 1987: Exiled Tutsis from Rwanda formed the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in Uganda.

:: October 1, 1990: A 7,000-strong RPF force attacks Rwanda from Uganda following the death of thousands of Tutsis at the hands of the government-trained Interahamwe militia.

:: August 4, 1993: The Arusha Accord brought an end to the civil war and a power-sharing agreement between the RPF and the Hutu-led government.

:: October 5, 1993: UN Security Council establishes a peacekeeping mission to oversee the Accord and around 2,500 UN military personnel were deployed.

:: April 6, 1994: Aircraft carrying President Habyarimana of Rwanda and President Ntaryamira of Burundi was shot down, killing all on board.

:: April 7, 1994: Rwandan Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana, a moderate Hutu, and 10 Belgian Peacekeepers were murdered by Rwandan government soldiers.

This marked the start of 100 days of genocide which saw up to 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus killed by extremist Hutus.

:: July 19, 1994: RPF takes control of Rwanda and sets up a Government of National Unity. About  2 million Hutus, including some involved in the genocide, flee to Zaire fearing revenge attacks.

In the following 20 years, fighting continued in DRC with Rwanda accused of invading to pursue Hutus implicated in the genocide and of supporting rebel movements there.

Numerous ceasefires failed to stop the bloodshed and the UN declared that by 2001, 2.5 million had died.

Further peace deals followed, with agreements to hand over Hutus blamed for the genocide in Rwanda.

But more fighting erupted in 2008 as Rebel General and Tutsi Laurent Nkunde's forces clashed with Congolese troops. Rwanda denied backing Nkunde.

Other groups, like the infamous Lord's Resistance Army and pro-Hutu militias intent on the overthrow of the Rwandan government, have operated  inside DRC and added to the bloodshed.

More recently, warlords like Bosco Ntaganda and Thomas Lubanga have been brought to justice but Congolese and Rwandan troops clashed on the countries' borders as recently as June this year.

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Briton's Body Found After Mexico Hurricane

The body of a British woman who went missing while travelling on a yacht off the coast of Mexico has been found.

The Foreign Office confirmed one Briton had died after a search operation was launched earlier this week for couple Paul Whitehouse and Simone Wood in the aftermath of Hurricane Odile.

The pair, from London and Wolverhampton, were reported missing on Friday after their yacht overturned in the Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez.

Mr Whitehouse is still missing. Pic: Facebook

The couple are thought to have been living in La Paz, Mexico, for a year.

Mr Whitehouse, who is believed to be a scuba instructor, is reportedly still missing.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national, reported missing along with another British national earlier this week off the coast of Mexico.

The hurricane affected power and water supplies

"The Embassy is working with the local authorities and consular staff are providing assistance to both families at this very difficult time."

Hurricane Odile left a trail of destruction when it hit the Baja California Peninsula last Sunday.

Three other people have been confirmed dead following the storm - two Korean citizens and a German man who reportedly died from a heart attack.

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Jude Law 'Overwhelmed' By DR Congo Suffering

Key Events In Rwanda

Updated: 9:32am UK, Sunday 21 September 2014

Up to 5 million people have died in DR Congo during two decades of violence which followed the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Many of those blamed for the mass killings fled to DRC, then called Zaire.

Here is a timeline of key historical events in Rwanda:

:: January 1, 1932: Belgium, which controlled Rwanda, introduced identity cards which distinguished between the majority Hutus and minority Tutsis for the first time. These cards helped identify Tutsis in the 1994 massacre.

:: November 5, 1959: A Hutu rebellion against the Belgian colonial power and the favoured Tutsis led to 150,000 Tutsis fleeing to Burundi.

:: July 1, 1962: Rwanda and Burundi became independent with the Hutus ruling in Rwanda and Tutsis retaining power in Burundi.

:: December 1, 1963: Up to 20,000 Tutsis massacred in Rwanda in response to a cross-border attack by exiled Tutsis in neighbouring Burundi.

:: June 10, 1987: Exiled Tutsis from Rwanda formed the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in Uganda.

:: October 1, 1990: A 7,000-strong RPF force attacks Rwanda from Uganda following the death of thousands of Tutsis at the hands of the government-trained Interahamwe militia.

:: August 4, 1993: The Arusha Accord brought an end to the civil war and a power-sharing agreement between the RPF and the Hutu-led government.

:: October 5, 1993: UN Security Council establishes a peacekeeping mission to oversee the Accord and around 2,500 UN military personnel were deployed.

:: April 6, 1994: Aircraft carrying President Habyarimana of Rwanda and President Ntaryamira of Burundi was shot down, killing all on board.

:: April 7, 1994: Rwandan Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana, a moderate Hutu, and 10 Belgian Peacekeepers were murdered by Rwandan government soldiers.

This marked the start of 100 days of genocide which saw up to 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus killed by extremist Hutus.

:: July 19, 1994: RPF takes control of Rwanda and sets up a Government of National Unity. About  2 million Hutus, including some involved in the genocide, flee to Zaire fearing revenge attacks.

In the following 20 years, fighting continued in DRC with Rwanda accused of invading to pursue Hutus implicated in the genocide and of supporting rebel movements there.

Numerous ceasefires failed to stop the bloodshed and the UN declared that by 2001, 2.5 million had died.

Further peace deals followed, with agreements to hand over Hutus blamed for the genocide in Rwanda.

But more fighting erupted in 2008 as Rebel General and Tutsi Laurent Nkunde's forces clashed with Congolese troops. Rwanda denied backing Nkunde.

Other groups, like the infamous Lord's Resistance Army and pro-Hutu militias intent on the overthrow of the Rwandan government, have operated  inside DRC and added to the bloodshed.

More recently, warlords like Bosco Ntaganda and Thomas Lubanga have been brought to justice but Congolese and Rwandan troops clashed on the countries' borders as recently as June this year.

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Thai Murders: 'Beautiful Hannah' Brought Home

The family of a British backpacker murdered in Thailand say they have brought their "beautiful Hannah" back to the UK.

It is nearly a week since the bodies of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and fellow Brit David Miller, 24, were found on a beach in Koh Tao, also known as Turtle Island.

In their first statement since the deaths, Ms Witheridge's family said they travelled to Bangkok on Tuesday.

"The main purpose of our trip was to bring our beloved Hannah home and to obtain information on the investigation," they said.

"We can confirm that we have now returned to the UK with our beautiful Hannah.

The Britons were murdered on Koh Tao

"As a family we feel enormous relief to have Hannah back at home where she belongs.

"We continue to work closely with officers to assist in the investigation and bring those responsible to justice.

"Our family is broken and require time to grieve in private - as do Hannah's many friends."

Ms Witheridge, from Great Yarmouth, suffered severe head wounds and Mr Miller, from Jersey, died from blows to the head and drowning, post-mortem examinations showed.

A garden hoe with Ms Witheridge's blood on it was discovered nearby, and investigators are searching for a blunt metal object used on Mr Miller.

Ms Witheridge was caught on CCTV in the hours before her death

Earlier, police hunting the killer told Sky News "sexual jealousy" may be the motive for the killings.

Sky's Jonathan Samuels, who is on the island, said officers have asked police in the UK to speak to British friends of the travellers to find out about their interactions in the days leading up to the murders.

He said: "They are also investigating rumours that they may have had a row with a Thai man in a bar."

Police Colonel Kissana Phathanacharoen said: "We have asked the Met Police to go back and ask their friends if they can help with any further information."

He added: "We still believe sexual jealously is at the heart of this crime.

Police are also examining CCTV footage of David Miller

"We are aware of reports they may have been involved in a row in a bar with a Thai man and we are currently investigating."

Police previously said DNA taken from the body of Ms Witheridge matches that of two Asian men.

Officers also said they do not know if the killer is still on Koh Tao, where she and Mr Miller were found murdered.

Sky News has obtained exclusive CCTV video of Ms Witheridge in the hours before she was killed, walking between bars with a group of friends.

Samuels said there had been criticism of the police investigation, with "the finger pointed at different people every day".

A message of support to the friends and families of the two victims

But the chief police officer has given assurances they are taking the investigation seriously.

A cash reward worth about £4,000 is being offered for information.

Two British brothers who were questioned by police were told they were free to return home to Jersey.

Christopher and James Ware, childhood friends of Mr Miller, were spoken to by officers but were never detained or named as suspects.

A group of Burmese migrants who were interviewed by police after bloodstains were found on their clothes have also been eliminated from police inquiries.

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