Kim Jong-Un Missing Due To 'Pulled Tendon'

Kim Jong-Un has missed celebrations of the anniversary of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, with one source suggesting he hurt himself taking part in a military drill.

Mr Kim has not been seen in public for over a month, leading to reports he was suffering from broken ankles, gout or diabetes.

His disappearance from public life - the longest since he came to power in 2011 - even sparked rumours he had been forced from power in a coup.

North Korean state media, which usually slavishly follows the leader's ever move on official visits, did not list Mr Kim among officials who made the annual pilgrimage to the mausoleum in Pyongyang housing the remains of his father and grandfather.

Instead, a floral tribute with his name on it was presented to the two statues of Kim Jong-Il and Kim Il-Sung in the Kumsusan Palace mausoleum.

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1. Gallery: Kim Jong-Un Inspecting Things

   Before recently disappearing from public view North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un was making regular public appearances across the country

2. The state media followed him as he enjoyed visits to factories, military installations and construction sites. Continue through for more pictures

Reuters news agency quoted a source inside North Korea saying Mr Kim was still in firm control of his government, but had hurt his leg taking part in a military drill.

"He ordered all the generals to take part in drills and he took part too. They were crawling and running and rolling around, and he pulled a tendon," the source said on condition of anonymity.

"He injured his ankle and knee around late August or early September while drilling because he is overweight.

Video: 8 July 2014: Kim Seems Unbalanced

"He limped around in the beginning, but the injury worsened." 

State television said last month that Mr Kim had an "uncomfortable physical condition". He was seen walking with a limp and appeared more overweight than usual.

North Korea strictly controls information about its government, so much of what happens in Pyongyang remains unknown by outsiders as well as North Koreans.

Video: Inside North Korea: Full Programme

But South Korea said Mr Kim appeared to remain in control of key affairs.

"It seems that Kim Jong-Un's rule is in normal operation," Unification Ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol was quoted by the Yonhap news agency as saying.

"With regard to his specific health conditions, our government has no information to confirm yet."

Video: The Defectors: A Special Programme

Mr Lim noted that a high-level North Korean delegation conveyed a greetings message to South Korean President Park Geun-hye during a surprise visit to South Korea last week.

Meanwhile, the North fired into the South after a group of activists sent up balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets.

The South Korean military returned fire across the border, according to the Yonhap news agency.

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'Extremely Powerful' Typhoon Threatens Japan

Japan is preparing for its strongest storm this year as super typhoon Vongfong threatens to wreak havoc when it makes landfall over the Okinawa Islands.

"There is no question that it is an extremely large, extremely powerful typhoon," said an official at Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

"It's the strongest storm we've had this year, definitely, although it has lost some strength from its peak."

The typhoon, which will be Japan's second in a week, was south of Okinawa, and moving north at 15 kph (9 mph) with winds of 185 kph (114 mph) on Friday afternoon, the agency said.

It was likely to be closest to Okinawa, an island chain 1,600 km (1,000 miles) southwest of Tokyo, late on Saturday or early on Sunday.

Video: Deadly Typhoon Hits Japan Islands

The typhoon was expected to weaken as it moved north, and likely to hit land on Sunday on the westernmost main island of Kyushu, before moving northeast towards Japan's largest main island of Honshu, where it is likely to weaken into a tropical storm. 

Government officials were due to meet on Friday night to plan their response, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

"We are calling on all citizens to pay close attention to weather reports and respond promptly if the authorities advise them to evacuate," he said.

Vongfong was following the path of Phanfone, a typhoon that hit the mainland on Monday.

Video: High Waves Whipped Up By Typhoon

Japan's Kyodo news agency said nine people are now known to have been killed by Phanfone, including three US military servicemen in Okinawa who were washed out to sea. Their bodies have since been recovered.

Okinawa is home to about half of the 50,000 US troops stationed in Japan.

Two to four typhoons make landfall in Japan each year.

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Massacre 'Likely' If Islamic State Takes Kobani

More than 500 people trapped in Kobani could be "massacred" if Islamic State wins the fierce battle for the Syrian town.

Staffan de Mistura, UN envoy to Syria, made the warning as militants reportedly took more territory and shelled a border crossing to try to isolate the town.

He said 500 to 700 people - many of them elderly - were trapped in Kobani, with only a small area available for a possible escape through the fighting.

Staffan de Mistura says thousands are also trapped near the border

Mr de Mistura said a UN analysis showed 10,000 to 13,000 more people remain stuck near the border.

Since the siege began in mid-September, some 200,000 people have fled the Kurdish-dominated town into Turkey.

Video: Calls For Ground Forces In Kobani

Despite seven more US-led airstrikes, IS fighters could be close to seizing Kobani, according to monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

People still living there "will be most likely massacred" if the town falls, said Mr de Mistura.

The UN envoy urged: "When there is an imminent threat to civilians, we cannot, we should not be silent."

Video: IS Footage Shows Kobani Onslaught

Calls have been growing louder for Turkey to send ground forces to support the town's defenders but it has ruled out a ground operation on its own.

The US has said the Kurds "continue to control most of the city and are holding out against ISIL".

However, the situation could be approaching tipping point.

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1. Gallery: Protests Rage In Turkey Over IS

   Residents walk through a damaged street in central Diyarbakir following overnight clashes with police

2. Violence erupted in Turkish towns and cities, mainly in the Kurdish southeastern provinces, as protesters took to the streets to demand more be done to protect Kobani

3. Kobani, a predominantly Kurdish settlement, has been surrounded by Islamic State fighters for three weeks

6. Kurdish protesters set fire to a barricade set up to block the street as they clash with riot police in Diyarbakir

7. Flames are seen near a Turkish police vehicle in Diyarbakir during a demonstration of Kurds to demand more Western intervention against Islamic State militants (IS) in Syria and Iraq

9. Kurdish protesters set fire to a bank

10. The Halkbank branch was set ablaze

13. Kurdish protesters clash with Turkish riot police

14. Police used tear gas and water cannon in Istanbul

17. Smoke rises from the Gaziosmanpasa district in Istanbul

18. A public bus burned by Kurdish protesters is pictured in the Gaziosmanpasa district

UK-based SOHR said IS, also known ISIL or ISIS, now has "at least 40%" of Kobani after winning control of an local government area on Friday.

Deputy head of the Kurdish forces Ocalan Iso gave a different assessment and said IS was still bombarding the town from afar and probably only had 20% control.

Islamic State, which wants to expand its repressive Islamic 'caliphate', has already been accused of massacring minority populations in its push through Iraq.

Video: Sam Kiley On The Battle For Kobani

The US wants access to an air base in southern Turkey which could become a strategic stronghold in the battle against the militants.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said US officials have raised the possibility of using the Incirlik air base during discussions this week.

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Ebola Hospital Staff Throw Gloves At Spain PM

Angry staff have been filmed throwing medical gloves and shouting "go away" at the Spanish prime minister after his visit to a hospital where a nurse has ebola.

Teresa Romero, 44, caught the deadly disease while treating a missionary there. He had flown to Madrid after becoming infected in West Africa and later died.

Questions have been raised about safety measures at Carlos III hospital where Mrs Romero is in a stable but serious condition.

Teresa Romero is in a serious but stable condition in hospital

There have been complaints from medical staff that they did not receive the appropriate training.

Nurses' union representative Paloma Panillas said nursing staff "don't trust this situation".

Video: Ebola Crisis: On The Front Line

Health officials revealed Mrs Romero had twice entered the missionary's room - once to change an incontinence pad and then to retrieve items after he had died.

She then accidentally touched her face while still wearing gloves used during the clean up.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who was leaving in his convoy when the medical staff shouted at him, said it was extremely unlikely the disease would spread in Spain.

Speaking outside the hospital, the leader said: "Our first priority is Teresa Romero - she is the only person that we know has the illness."

Video: How Can The UK Stop Ebola?

Mr Rajoy said he had set up a committee headed by the deputy prime minister to handle the crisis.

Seven more people have been admitted to the hospital in relation to Mrs Romero's case - taking the total number under observation or being treated to 14.

The new admissions included two hairdressers who had given her a beauty treatment before she was diagnosed and hospital staff who had treated her after she was admitted on Monday.

All went voluntarily to be monitored for signs of the disease, although none of the 14, including her husband, has so far tested positive for the disease except Ms Romero.

Video: How Doctors Should Deal With Ebola

She said she did not tell doctors she had been in contact with the virus and only found out she had the disease after reading the news online.

The nurse is the first person known to have caught the disease outside of West Africa in the current outbreak, which has killed thousands of people.

Meanwhile, a British man who died in Macedonia after suffering symptoms similar to ebola has been named as Colin Jaffray, according to Sky sources.

Public Health England said it was "unlikely" the death was caused by the virus.

Video: Ebola 'Could Become Next AIDS'

Prime Minister David Cameron has defended the decision to introduce enhanced screening for ebola at Heathrow and Gatwick airports and the Eurostar rail terminals, saying it was taken on "medical advice".

Questions have been raised about the checks with a Gatwick spokesman saying the airport had not been given any instructions about how the screening should be carried out.

The move has also been criticised by health experts, with one describing it as a "complete waste of time".

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Malala 'Honoured' To Get Nobel Peace Prize

Schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai has said she is "honoured" after winning the Nobel Peace Prize for the championing of girls' rights.

The Pakistani schoolgirl said a teacher told her she had won the prize while in a chemistry lesson at school.

And she told a press conference in Birmingham that the prize was an "encouragement for me to go forward" in her campaign for equal rights in education.

"My message for children all around the world is that they should stand up for their rights," Malala said.

More follows...

Video: 12 July 2013: Malala Addresses UN

Video: 18 October 2013: Malala Meets Queen

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The Apocalyptic Prophecy Fuelling IS Militants

An ancient prophecy that sees an "infidel horde" in a monumental battle with an Islamic army in the Syrian town of Dabiq has apparently been seized upon by IS fundamentalists.

The Sunni Muslim tale dates back more than 1,300 years and tells of the "horde" flying 80 banners before an Islamic triumph that triggers the end of days.

It has become a fundamental part of the philosophy that drives Islamic State militants.

Dabiq, the Islamic State magazine

Having captured Dabiq in August, the town's symbolic significance far outweighs its relatively minor strategic importance to the group, compared with cities it controls such as Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq.

But as the militants come under heavy bombardment from the air by the US and allies seeking to halt their march, Dabiq is increasingly becoming a rallying call.

Video: Sam Kiley On The Battle For Kobani

Shadi Hamid, a fellow at the Brookings Institute, said: "It raises morale.

"It is fair to assume that the vast majority of (IS) fighters believe in this type of talk."

The prophecy itself was made by the Prophet Mohammed, according to his companion Abu Hurayrah's report, or hadith.

Abu Hurayrah is described as the most prolific narrator of hadith - accounts of the Prophet Mohammed's deeds, teachings and sayings - in Sunni Islam, adding to the importance of the prophecy in the eyes of IS.

Video: Where Does IS Get Its Money?

Among IS supporters on social media, Dabiq has become a byword for a struggle against the West, with the US-led coalition portrayed as modern-day Crusaders. IS has even named its official magazine Dabiq.

One Twitter user in Tunisia recently wrote: "The lions of Islam have raised the banner of the Caliphate in Dabiq. Now they await the arrival of the Crusader army."

The prophecy has been passed down in different versions, but in all cases it features a great battle between a Muslim army and the forces of non-believers.

IS supporters have been interpreting a series of recent events as further evidence of its truth.

Video: Is Town 'About To Fall' To IS?

The US-led coalition's members now number more than 60 countries, with many watching closely in anticipation of when the prophecy's "80 banners" are reached.

Comments by US General Martin Dempsey on the possible need for ground forces have also been seized on by some as a signal, with supporters on Twitter using the hashtag: "It is Dabiq, by God."

In reference to the prophecy, one user simply posted: "When you despair of your air power, you will find us waiting in Dabiq."

Anjem Choudary, a radical British Islamist preacher who has expressed support for IS, said he did not believe Muslims sought to make the foretold battle a reality.

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1. Gallery: The Moment RAF Jet Attacks IS Truck

   The RAF carried out its first airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq on 1 October, 2014 (All pictures: MoD)

2. Tornados destroyed a heavy weapon position, which was attacking Kurdish forces, and an armed pick-up truck (pictured). The red circle shows the path of the missile fired at the vehicle

3. The strikes were the first since MPs voted to support aerial raids in Iraq last Friday

4. The targets were in the northwest of Iraq

5. The moment the truck, which had a mounted machine gun, was destroyed by a Brimstone missile

6. A plume of smoke rose above the area

7. The strike was successful, according to an initial assessment, said Defence Secretary Michael Fallon

8. The Tornados safely returned to their base at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus after the sortie

9. Six of the GR4 fighter jets are based on the island in the Mediterranean

10. The aircraft began their combat missions on Saturday

"It could happen now; it could happen in the future," he said.

"I don't think any Muslim strives to bring it about."

But many IS supporters are convinced of the prophecy's validity, with one writing on Twitter: "Dabiq will happen for certain.

"The US and its allies will descend on Syria once they see that the air campaign has failed. That is a promise by God and his Messenger."

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Canada Authorises Airstrikes Against IS In Iraq

By Sky News US Team

Following a request from the US, the Canadian parliament has voted to authorise airstrikes against the Islamic State militant group in Iraq.

The motion introduced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative Party passed 157-134 on Tuesday.

It allows airstrikes in Iraq for up to six months, and explicitly rules out using ground troops in combat operations.

The combat mission includes up to six CF-18 fighter jets, a refuelling tanker aircraft, two surveillance planes and one airlift aircraft.

IS forces launching an assault of Kobani

About 600 airmen and airwomen will be involved.

"The threat posed by ISIL is real," Mr Harper said in a statement, referring to the Islamic State by one of its acronyms.

Video: The Brutal Battle For Kobani

The US has been bombing IS in Syria for more than two weeks with the help of Arab allies, and hitting targets in Iraq since August.

European countries have joined the campaign in Iraq but not in Syria.

It is unclear how effective the airstrikes are in weakening the group.

IS appears close to capturing the strategically important town of Kobani near the border with Syria.

The White House welcomed Canada's deployment.

"Canadians and Americans have fought alongside each other in several major conflicts over the past century, and we are grateful for Canada's further contribution against terrorism," a White House statement said.

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Doctor Kills His Bride In Wedding Night Row

By Sky News US Team

A doctor shot dead his wife on their wedding night during an argument before turning the gun on himself, officials say.

George Samson, 54, opened fire on Kelly Ecker, 50, at their mansion in Terre Haute, Indiana, early on Sunday.

The row turned deadly shortly after their last guest left a post-reception gathering at the couple's home.

Ms Ecker was a nurse at the same hospital as her husband Pic: Facebook

Ms Ecker, a nurse, phoned emergency services to say that her husband, an anaesthesiologist, was "beating the s*** out of me".

By the time police arrived, she had multiple fatal gunshot wounds to the head and torso with a 40-calibre semi-automatic pistol.

He was found dead in the basement.

Ms Ecker's 10-year-old son from a previous relationship and an elderly couple were in the home at the time of the shootings, the Indy Star reported.

Vigo County Chief Deputy Sheriff Clark Cottom told the newspaper: "The investigation has revealed that there was a verbal argument between the couple toward the end of the reception, which carried over to the after-party at the couples' home."

It is not clear what the newlyweds were arguing about.

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Texas Ebola Patient Thomas Eric Duncan Dies

By Sky News US Team

Thomas Eric Duncan - the first man diagnosed with ebola in the US - has died, says the Dallas facility where he was being treated.

A release from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital said: "It is with profound sadness and heartfelt disappointment that we must inform you of the death of Thomas Eric Duncan this morning at 7:51am.

"Mr Duncan succumbed to an insidious disease, Ebola. He fought courageously in this battle."

The statement said the hospital staff were "grieving" his death and had sent condolences to his family.

The Liberian national picked up the killer virus in Liberia before flying to Texas where he was admitted to the Dallas hospital.

Video: Bodies Pile Up After Ebola Strike

US authorities are monitoring about 50 people who came into contact with him.

His family said they had visited him on Tuesday at the hospital, but declined to view him via video link because his condition was too "disturbing".

Mr Duncan's nephew, Josephus Weeks, said he and his mother had been unable to sleep after seeing Mr Duncan's face over video during a previous visit.

He was being treated with an experimental drug and had been on a breathing machine while receiving kidney dialysis.

There is no approved treatment for ebola and no vaccine against the virus.

Video: Suiting Up In An Ebola Hotspot

As news of Mr Duncan's death was released, Secretary of State John Kerry was making an urgent appeal for nations to "step up" their response to the outbreak of the deadly virus.

Speaking alongside British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Mr Kerry said more money, equipment and personnel are needed now.

He said it is essential for airlines to keep flying to West Africa and for borders to remain open to allow for the movement of assistance and medical staff.

The US meanwhile ordered security agents at airports and other entry ports to screen arriving travellers for signs of ebola.

People arriving from ebola-stricken countries in West Africa could begin facing mandatory screening measures as early as this weekend.

Video: 56 Being Checked For Ebola In Spain

Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas did not provide specifics on how the screenings would be conducted.

He said agents would observe all travellers for "general signs of illness".

Customs and Border Protection agents would also distribute fact sheets to arriving travellers that contain details of what symptoms to look for and directions to call a doctor if they become sick within 21 days, Mr Mayorkas said.

According to US media reports, the measures also call for some travellers to have their temperatures taken upon arrival.

The announcement comes just days after President Barack Obama signalled the possibility of tougher screening measures.

Video: Online Appeal To Save Ebola Dog

Mr Obama has been under pressure to act in the wake of first ebola diagnosis on American soil last week.

The current ebola outbreak in West Africa is the deadliest in history, and has already killed nearly 3,500 people.

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Airstrikes Target IS Fighters In Border Town

Two new airstrikes have reportedly been carried out against Islamic State (IS) targets around the Syrian border town of Kobani.

Thick black smoke could be seen billowing into the air from a hill on the eastern side of the town, according to the AFP news agency.

A second strike, a few hours later, sent a cloud of smoke above the northeastern side of the city.

They were the first airstrikes since a flurry of attacks yesterday, which some sources said had helped Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG) push back the IS militants.

Idris Nahsen, a Kurdish official from Kobani, said the airstrikes had been helpful.

"The situation has changed since Tuesday," he said. "YPG forces have pushed back IS forces."

Video: IS Footage Shows Kobani Onslaught

It comes after at least 12 people were killed during pro-Kurdish demonstrations in Turkey, with protesters claiming the country is not doing enough in the fight against Islamic State jihadists.

According to reports, five people have been killed in Diyarbakir, the largest town in Turkey's majority-Kurdish southeast region.

Several other deaths were recorded in other southeastern towns, including three in Mardin, two in Siirt, one in Batman and another in Mus.

Police have also used tear gas and water cannon to disperse angry protests in Istanbul and Ankara.

Video: Turkey Turns Water Cannon On Kurds

Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala accused the pro-Kurdish protesters of "betraying their own country".

"Violence will be met with violence," he said.

"This irrational attitude should immediately be abandoned and (the protesters) should withdraw from the streets."

The demonstrations called by the main pro-Kurdish party, the People's Democratic Party (HDP), stem from claims that Ankara is failing to intervene militarily against IS jihadists fighting for Kobani.

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1. Gallery: Assad's Forces Seize Area From Islamists

   Forces of Syria's President Bashar al Assad carry a Syrian flag as they head towards a spot where a flag of the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front is positioned on a hillside in Zor al-Mahruqa village

2. Assad's forces said they had regained control of the area and its surrounding hills, in the Hama countryside

3. The flag of the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front is burnt on the hill

5. The Syrian national flag is erected

6. Assad forces inspect military equipment, which they said were left behind by rebel fighters in Zor al-Mahruqa village

7. An abandoned base where caves were dug by rebel fighters in Zor al-Mahruqa village

10. Assad forces inspect an underground base where caves were dug by rebel fighters in the nearby al-Hareeqa village

12. A Polish army member hods the German flag in front of an Eurofighter aircraft during a visit of new NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg of Norway (not pictured) at Lask air base

13. NATO will stand by member state Turkey if it comes under attack as a result of the fighting in neighboring Syria, alliance Secretary-General Stoltenberg said

Some 400 people are believed to have been killed in the town and thousands displaced during weeks of fighting.

US, Saudi Arabian and United Arab Emirates jets had previously launched five attacks against targets south of the city.

In a statement, US Central Command said four armed vehicles, anti-aircraft artillery, a tank and a militant unit were hit during the strikes.

Reports suggest the fighting has become less intense following the coalition attacks.

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1. Gallery: IS Attacks Town Near Turkish Border

   Turkish army tanks take up position on the Turkish-Syrian border near the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa Province

2. Kurdish fighters vowed not to abandon their increasingly desperate efforts to defend the Syrian border town of Kobani from Islamic State militants pressing in from three sides and pounding them with heavy artillery

3. Despite the heavy fighting, which has seen mortars rain down on residential areas in Kobani and stray fire hit Turkish territory, a Reuters reporter saw around 30 people cross over from Turkey, apparently to help with defence of the town

4. An IS fighter walks near a black flag belonging to the Islamic State near Kobani

14. Kurdish refugees from Kobani sit in front of their tents in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc

15. Islamic State is trying to seize Kobani, which is predominantly Kurdish, and has ramped up its offensive in recent days despite being targeted by US-led coalition airstrikes aimed at halting its progress

16. Turkish Kurds look at Kobani as they stand on top of a house near Mursitpinar border crossing. Continue through for more pictures

Reporter Jenan Moussa, positioned just 500m over the border in Turkey, told Sky News: "I can still hear shooting and shelling but (it is) nothing compared to Monday.

"I heard and I saw three airstrikes. One on the western side and two on the eastern."

Meanwhile, officials in Baghdad say IS militants have downed an Iraqi military helicopter near the refinery town of Beiji, killing the two pilots on board.

A military aviation official said the militants used a shoulder-fired missile to take down the Bell 407 helicopter north of Beiji on Wednesday. The town is home to Iraq's largest oil refinery and is located about about 130 miles north of Baghdad.

It comes after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan warned Kobani was "about to fall".

Canada has also now agreed to join the coalition of forces carrying out airstrikes against IS in Iraq.

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Ebola: Seven Facts About The Deadly Disease

Ebola is a virulent virus that has killed thousands during the latest outbreak and is notorious for its low survival rate among sufferers of the full-blown disease. Here we explain what it is.

What is ebola?

Ebola is a virus that can develop into a full-blown disease known as ebola haemorrhagic fever (ebola HF) or ebola viral disease (EVD), which in some patients leads to massive internal and external bleeding.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not flesh-eating, but destroys living tissue cells, which leads to the haemorrhaging, or bleeding.

Is it always fatal?

Video: Deadly Plague: In Ebola Country

The average fatality rate is 50% but case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% of people who contract the full-blown disease. It is not known why others survive.

Around 70% of those who have contracted ebola during the latest outbreak have died.

How is it transferred?

Ebola is transferred from person to person through contact with the blood or secretions of other bodily fluids of infected people.

It can also be caught from infected animals or during burial ceremonies in which mourners come into contact with dead victims.

Video: Ebola Outbreak: On The Front Line

Sufferers who are recovering after surviving the infection are known to have passed on the virus through sexual intercourse.

What are the symptoms?

Ebola often starts with a rapidly developing fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headaches and a sore throat.

This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, a rash, kidney and liver problems and bleeding.

In some patients death can be very painful, as the disease destroys connective tissue and also attacks skin and internal organs. The time from infection through to appearance of symptoms is between two and 21 days.

Video: Body Retrieval Worker Mark Korvoyan

How can it be prevented or treated?

There is no vaccine for ebola. Besides intensive supportive care to replace lost fluids (eg oral rehydration solution), the only medicine for the illness is ZMapp.

The experimental drug has been credited with saving lives since it was tested on sufferers for the first time this year.

However, it has not yet been subject to randomised clinical trials to establish its safety and whether it works.

Where does it come from?

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1. Gallery: The Desperate Fight To Contain The Ebola Outbreak

   A man rests outside the clinic.

2. A woman is comforted after medical officials remove her husband, who is suspected of having the disease.

3. Officials try to prevent themselves from spreading the disease.

4. A local who has just brought his brother to the centre. He had to rely on plastic bags tied around his hands to try to protect himself.

5. A man thought to be infected with ebola waits for treatment.

6. Patients wait to be seen by medical staff.

7. Workers try to decontaminate themselves.

8. A worker with a child who may have caught ebola.

9. A make-shift hand-washing station in Monrovia.

10. Decontaminated boots of medical staff.

11. The basic conditions make containing the disease very difficult.

The disease was first identified in Zaire in 1976, in a part of Africa that is now part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It is believed that fruit bats may be one of the hosts and is also known to be present in monkeys and apes.

It is thought it may have made the leap from animal to human through the custom of consuming bush meat, which is common in some parts of Africa.

How dangerous is it?

It is classified as a level 4 biohazard, regarded as the most dangerous and requiring decontamination for those who work with it.

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Ebola Outbreak: 56 Being Monitored In Spain

A Madrid nurse who became the first person to contract ebola outside of Africa is being treated with antibodies from survivors of the illness, hospital officials have revealed.

Four people, also including her husband, have been placed in quarantine at the hospital over fears they may also have the deadly virus.

The nurse was part of a medical team at the city's La Paz-Carlos III hospital that treated two Spanish missionaries who died shortly after returning from Africa with the disease.

A second nurse who also helped treat an infected priest is among the four being monitored by health workers, as is a man who arrived on a flight from Nigeria displaying symptoms.

Spain's health authorities said they had been in touch with a total of 22 people who are thought to have been in contact with the 40-year-old nurse, whose name has not been released.

Video: Spanish Nurse Contracts Ebola

They are also monitoring around 30 other members of the health care team that treated one of the missionaries.

Officials added that although the nurse began a holiday after one of the missionaries she had been caring for died on 25 September, she did not leave Madrid during this time.

She began feeling ill on 30 September and was diagnosed with ebola on Monday, but is in a stable condition.

EU countries have demanded an explanation from Spain's health minister as to how the nurse caught the disease, despite all the precautions taken

Video: Body Retrieval Worker Mark Korvoyan

A spokesman said a letter sent to the health minister sought "to obtain some clarification" from Spanish authorities, adding: "The priority remains to find out what actually happened."

Spain's health minister, Ana Mato, said an emergency protocol is in place and that authorities are working to establish the source of the contagion at the Madrid hospital.

"We are working to guarantee the safety of all citizens," she said.

In the US, President Barack Obama says airport screening measures are being stepped up in the country to help identify people who might have the deadly virus.

Video: Spanish Nurse Contracts Ebola Virus

More than 3,400 people have died in the latest ebola outbreak, which has swept through West African countries Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the British Army said more than 100 British Army medics were being sent to Sierra Leone to help tackle the ebola crisis within the next few weeks.

Personnel from the 22 Field Hospital have been undergoing an extensive training exercise in full protective suits, with simulated casualties in make-up.

They will staff a field hospital set up specifically to treat medics who have caught the disease, not members of the general public.

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1. Gallery: The Desperate Fight To Contain The Ebola Outbreak

   A man rests outside the clinic.

2. A woman is comforted after medical officials remove her husband, who is suspected of having the disease.

3. Officials try to prevent themselves from spreading the disease.

4. A local who has just brought his brother to the centre. He had to rely on plastic bags tied around his hands to try to protect himself.

5. A man thought to be infected with ebola waits for treatment.

6. Patients wait to be seen by medical staff.

7. Workers try to decontaminate themselves.

8. A worker with a child who may have caught ebola.

9. A make-shift hand-washing station in Monrovia.

10. Decontaminated boots of medical staff.

11. The basic conditions make containing the disease very difficult.

An Army spokeswoman said: "They are going through all their procedures and getting atuned to wearing their personal protective equipment, working in quite hot temperatures."

Experts say quarantine systems in developed countries including the UK, US and Spain mean the disease is very unlikely to spread to the same extent seen in poor African countries.

Travel firms also appear to have suffered amid the outbreak, with shares in airline group IAG, owner of British Airways and Iberia, down 6.5%.

Carnival Cruises are down 5.6%, Easyjet have fallen by 4.7% and Tui Travel by 3.2%.

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India Axes 'Laughable' Laws From British Rule

India is to repeal nearly 300 obscure laws dating back to the British Raj.

Among the archaic rules to be scrapped is a decree making it a criminal offence to unearth and keep treasure worth as little as 10 rupees (10p) because it still belongs to the British monarch.

A law from 1838 dictating that property in an area of the former imperial capital Calcutta - now called Kolkata - can only be sold to the East India Company, which laid the foundations of the British Empire but ceased to exist more than 150 years ago, is also set to be chopped.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took up office earlier this year, has made it one of his priorities to weed out 287 obsolete laws, after failed attempts by previous administrations. They are due to be axed during a session of Parliament in November. 

Mr Modi has made axing obsolete laws a priority

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who is leading the legislative clean-up, said: "Some of the laws on our books are laughable. Others have no place in a modern and democratic India."

Another obscure rule to be scrapped is an act making flying kites or balloons without police permission illegal across India as they are classified as 'aircraft'.

A World War II decree outlawing the dropping of leaflets from the air in the state of Gujarat will also go.

And motoring laws stating that car inspectors in the state of Andhra Pradesh must have a clean set of teeth and anyone with a "pigeon chest, knock knees, flat foot, hammer toes and fractured limbs" is disqualified from driving will cease to exist too.

The Indian Government hopes that less regulation and faster decision-making will make India a less puzzling place to do business and attract more foreign investment.

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Kobani 'About To Fall' To Islamic State

Turkish President Recep Erdogan says Syrian border town Kobani is 'about to fall' to Islamic State militants and that a ground operation is needed to defeat the group.

Fresh airstrikes targeted fighters who have been bombarding the town with machine-gun fire and shells on Tuesday.

Plumes of smoke billowed into the air over Kobani after US, Saudi Arabian and United Arab Emirates jets launched five attacks against targets south of the city.

In a statement, US Central Command said four armed vehicles, anti-aircraft artillery, a tank and a militant unit were hit during the strikes.

Kobani is just over a mile from Turkey

Airstrikes also took place near Rabiyah, west of al Hasakah and near Deir Ezzor, where a production facility for homemade bombs was destroyed.

Mr Erdogan, in a televised speech in the city of Gaziantep, said airstrikes were not enough to save Kobani.

Video: New Strikes Target IS At Border

He said: "The terror will not be over... unless we co-operate for a ground operation.

"I am telling the West - dropping bombs from the air will not provide a solution. Months have passed but no results have been achieved. Kobani is about to fall."

"We are following the attacks on Kobani and other towns where our Kurdish brothers live with great concern. Turkey is on guard and well-equipped for any threats directed against itself."

IS fighters raised their black flag over two buildings in the key border town after a day of heavy fighting on Monday.

The militants were reported to have moved into the southwest of Kobani overnight, taking several buildings to gain attacking positions on two sides of the town.

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1. Gallery: IS Attacks Town Near Turkish Border

   Turkish army tanks take up position on the Turkish-Syrian border near the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa Province

2. Kurdish fighters vowed not to abandon their increasingly desperate efforts to defend the Syrian border town of Kobani from Islamic State militants pressing in from three sides and pounding them with heavy artillery

3. Despite the heavy fighting, which has seen mortars rain down on residential areas in Kobani and stray fire hit Turkish territory, a Reuters reporter saw around 30 people cross over from Turkey, apparently to help with defence of the town

4. An IS fighter walks near a black flag belonging to the Islamic State near Kobani

14. Kurdish refugees from Kobani sit in front of their tents in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc

15. Islamic State is trying to seize Kobani, which is predominantly Kurdish, and has ramped up its offensive in recent days despite being targeted by US-led coalition airstrikes aimed at halting its progress

16. Turkish Kurds look at Kobani as they stand on top of a house near Mursitpinar border crossing. Continue through for more pictures

Fierce fighting raged in the area over the weekend as local Kurdish fighters struggled to hold out against rocket and mortar attacks - despite support from another three US strikes.

But Jenan Moussa, a reporter just 500m over the border in Turkey, told Sky News that the fighting was much quieter compared with Monday when bullets were "flying over our heads".

"I can still hear shooting and shelling but nothing compared to yesterday," she said.

"I heard and I saw three airstrikes. One on the western side and two on the eastern."

Turkey has put a line of tanks close to the border in a show of force should IS cross the line into its territory.

Video: Firework Attacks In Istanbul Unrest

At least 400 people - fighters from both sides, and civilians - have been killed during three weeks of fighting around the town, according to British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

It said it had documented the deaths from sources on the ground but added the real figure could be double.

Sky News Foreign Affairs Editor Sam Kiley said the Kurds were angry that they had not been getting enough air support.

"If (Kobani) falls then symbolically and strategically it will send a message to the Kurds that the coalition is not going to come to their aid."

IS began its advance on Kobani on 16 September, prompting weeks of street battles and forcing around 160,000 people to flee into Turkey.

Video: Turkey Turns Water Cannon On Kurds

The group - who last week murdered British hostage Alan Henning - controls large areas of Syria and Iraq and wants more territory for its 'caliphate'.

Violent clashes were reported overnight in Istanbul and other Turkish cities as hundreds of demonstrators angered at the IS advance clashed with police.

Protesters set up barricades, threw stones, fireworks and petrol bombs at police in some Istanbul neighbourhoods, said the country's Dogan news agency.

Police also reportedly used tear gas and water cannon on protesters in the Kurdish-dominated cities of Diyarbakir, Batman, Van, Sirnak, Sanliurfa and Hakkari.

Tensions in Turkey - a member of the NATO alliance - are rising after its parliament last week authorised military action if necessary.

Video: Desperate Help Needed In Kobani

The order allows incursions into Syria and Iraq to counter the threat "from all terrorist groups" and also means NATO powers could use the country as a base for airstrikes.

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S Korea Ferry Captain: I Should Have Done More

The captain of the South Korean ferry that sunk - killing more than 300 people - has admitted to his murder trial that he should have done more to get passengers to safety.

Testifying for the first time in court, Lee Joon-Seok said his decision-making process was paralysed by shock as the boat started sinking, but insisted he had never intended to sacrifice others' lives to save himself.

Most of those who died were children when the 6,825-tonne Sewol capsized and sank on 16 April.

The captain and crew faced heavy criticism for abandoning the ferry while hundreds were still trapped inside, and for ordering passengers to remain where they were when the ship began listing.

"I was stunned by the accident and I lost my ability to make decisions," Lee told the court in the southwestern city of Gwangju.

"I failed to take the necessary measures for passengers to leave the ship.

"(But) I swear I never thought passengers should be left to die in order for me to make it to safety first."                 

The disaster sparked a huge rescue operation

The bespectacled Lee, dressed in a khaki prison uniform, appeared tense and stammered during his testimony.

The 69-year-old and three senior crew members are accused of "homicide through wilful negligence" - a charge that can carry the death penalty.

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1. Gallery: Relatives Mourn Ferry Victims

   Members of the public and relatives of the victims of the South Korean ferry disaster have gathered at an official memorial altar set up in Hwarang Garden in Ansan.

2. Of the 476 people on board the ferry, 325 were students from the same high school in Ansan. Only 75 of them were rescued.

3. Meanwhile, the country's president apologised to the people of South Korea for her government's "insufficiency" in handling the tragedy. Click through for more images...

Eleven other crew are being tried on lesser violations of maritime law.

The findings of a five-month investigation by state prosecutors concluded that a deadly combination of cargo overloading, illegal redesign and poor helmsmanship had caused the disaster.

Under questioning by prosecutors in court, Lee said he knew that crew member Cho Jun-Ki, who was steering the ship after working on the Sewol for only six months, did not have the required skill and experience.

When asked if he should have taken the helm as the ship entered a channel notorious for its strong underwater currents, Lee replied: "Yes, I guess so."

Overloaded and top-heavy following an illegal refit, the ship made a sharp turn in the channel, causing it to list sharply to one side.

1/13

1. Gallery: Images: Recovery & Grief

   Divers with the South Korean Navy search for missing passengers at the site of the sunken ferry off the coast of Jindo Island.

2. Rescuers have struggled to gain access to the ferry because of strong currents, at times ripping off divers' facemasks.

3. Relatives sit on a wall as they wait for news about missing loved ones in Jindo harbour.

4. Hundreds of people are involved in the search operation, but poor visibility has hampered attempts to get into the vessel.

5. A relative sits with others inside a gymnasium used as a gathering point for family members of missing passengers aboard the sunken South Korean ferry Sewol.

6. Members of South Korean rescue team carry the body of a passenger retrieved from the capsized ferry.

7. South Korea has spent heavily on salvage and rescue equipment.

8. Relatives of missing passengers from the sunken ferry scuffle with police as they try to go to the presidential house for more information.

9. Relatives of missing passengers from the sunken ferry grieve as more bodies are recovered from the water.

10. The bodies of victims recovered from the Sewol are carried to waiting ambulances at Jindo harbour.

11. Rescue workers carry the body of another victim of the sunken ferry off the coast of Jindo Island after divers broke windows to get access to the ship.

12. Firemen salute the bodies of victims recovered from the Sewol after being carried to waiting ambulances.

13. An ambulance transporting the bodies of victims recovered from the Sewol drives past policemen at a harbour in Jindo.

This caused the cargo to shift and the ferry was unable to right itself, eventually capsizing and sinking.

Asked where he was when the ferry ran into trouble, Lee said he was in his cabin "smoking and changing clothes".

He denied allegations by some crew members that he had been playing games on his mobile phone.

"No, I wasn't playing a game. I wouldn't know how to. I was just holding the smartphone," he said.

Lee claims the ferry's owners are to blame as it was their decision to habitually overload the ferry.

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Face-To-Face With The Dying In An Ebola Centre

By Garwen McLuckie, Sky News Cameraman

Before filming inside the high-risk zone, we were told that all or equipment would have to be either disinfected or incinerated.

I had prepared hard - bringing tailor-made plastic sealed containers for the small DSLR camera I would be using and rigging up microphones for Sky News Correspondent Alex Crawford to carry under her clothing, or in a waterproof "dry sack".

In the end, none of them worked, but we were saved by our DSLR camera mike, which provided astonishing sound quality despite being smothered in plastic.

On arrival at the unit, we were first taken to a wooden shed so we could change into medical scrubs.

I felt confident, even excited about the challenge ahead as we moved to a small room be prepped for the high-risk area.

Each person was assigned a nurse to help us dress and to make sure we were properly covered.

First we had to put on large plastic socks which went up to our calves and white plastic boots.

Health workers secure protective body suits with duct tape

Then there was a hairnet, followed by a plastic PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) onesie which zipped right up to my neck and had a double sticky seal down the zip.

The first of three latex gloves went on and were sealed on to the onesie by duct tape round my wrist.

The onesie had its own hood which I pulled over my head, followed by a surgical mask over my mouth and nose.

I was then given another separate hood which went over my head and shoulders, covering my forehead, chin and neck. By this stage I was really feeling the heat and the humidity.

Alex Crawford with extra equipment used for filming in the virus zone

A huge yellow plastic apron was draped over me before my face was finally sealed by goggles. Not even a millimetre of my skin was exposed under these three layers of protection.

Almost immediately I was struggling with the heat and an extreme claustrophobic sensation which I had never experienced before - I wondered how long I would last.

Within a very short time, perspiration was filling my face mask, covering my nose and mouth and I could feel the bubbling of my own sweat as I kept trying to suck in air.

There didn't seem to be much of it.

Alex Crawford speaks to an ebola survivor in a quarantine area

At one stage while Alex was talking to one of the ebola victims I had to close my eyes whilst filming to try to calm myself.

I kept thinking: "I can't breathe, I can't breathe."

After filming for an hour, it took a painstaking 10 to 15 minutes to strip off each layer and be carefully disinfected each time.

The doctor could see I was anxious to get everything off but it was essential to observe all the health protocols.

My upbringing means I always give way to women, letting them through doors first and so on.

But in this case I think I would have rugby-tackled Alex to the ground if she hadn't let me go through the disrobing procedure before her.

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Ebola Deaths Hidden As Fear Grips Liberia

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, Monrovia

Liberia's few ebola treatment centres are overwhelmed with the sick and dying - with patients sharing beds and the dead laying near the desperately ill.

The country has accounted for more than half of the world's deaths from the latest ebola outbreak in West Africa and despite assurances from President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf that it is under control, evidence on the ground seen by Sky News appears to suggest otherwise.

Whole communities are gripped with fear about the virus - and terrified citizens prefer to die alone, unaided because of the stigma attached to admitting to the disease.

Dozens of ebola victims are dying in their homes in Monrovia, increasing the chances of the virus spreading.

And official numbers of victims are almost certainly unrepresentative of the real death count because of the lack of co-ordination and nationwide spread of the disease.

Video: Ebola Outbreak: On The Front Line

Small teams of about half a dozen workers set out daily to retrieve the ebola dead - most of whom have died after suffering in secret.

Their relatives are reluctant to admit ebola has caused the death, as this invariably invites ostracism from their communities and targets them as potential virus carriers.

The body recovery squads - still called "burial teams" despite government orders that all ebola victims be cremated - are doing one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.

They take extreme precautions, wearing multiple protective clothing layers along with goggles, boots, gloves and head coverings to try to stay safe.

Video: Music Protects Against Ebola

Head of Team Three, Mark Korvoyan, told Sky News: "There's no day comes that people don't die in their house. Every day, every blessing day."

There's simply too much work for the recovery teams to do, not enough hours in the day for them to track down the dead.

Even as they were picking up the latest corpses from the Elwa Treatment Centre, a young man was sobbing outside.

He cried: "Oh my God, I was just bringing a phone for my sister. Now they say she's died. What am I going to do? She has children..."

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1. Gallery: The Desperate Fight To Contain The Ebola Outbreak

   A man rests outside the clinic.

2. A woman is comforted after medical officials remove her husband, who is suspected of having the disease.

3. Officials try to prevent themselves from spreading the disease.

4. A local who has just brought his brother to the centre. He had to rely on plastic bags tied around his hands to try to protect himself.

5. A man thought to be infected with ebola waits for treatment.

6. Patients wait to be seen by medical staff.

7. Workers try to decontaminate themselves.

8. A worker with a child who may have caught ebola.

9. A make-shift hand-washing station in Monrovia.

10. Decontaminated boots of medical staff.

11. The basic conditions make containing the disease very difficult.

George Nyumah, like so many of Liberia's citizens, is frantically worried about catching the virus.

So the five children his sister cares for are left alone to fend for themselves in their one-room, corrugated iron shack home.

The eldest is 16, the youngest just two and they all sleep on the dirty mattress which their sick mother lay on in the days before she was taken into the ebola centre.

Their chances of catching or carrying the virus must be very high.

Video: Ebola: A Global Threat

For that reason, their uncle George - and the rest of the extended family - will keep well away for 21 days, just to see if they develop signs of the killer disease.

Even if they survive the virus, they'll have to fight poverty and the community's suspicions in the weeks and months ahead.

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IS Raises Flag In Town Near Turkey Border

Islamic State militants have apparently captured part of a town close to the Syrian border with Turkey after days of fierce fighting.

The extremist group raised its black flag on a building on the eastern side of Kobani, where Kurdish fighters have been involved in clashes after a nearly three-week siege of the town, according to Reuters.

A second flag has also been reportedly raised on a hillside overlooking the town.

Idris Nahsen, a Kobani official, had said the militants were less than a mile from the town, which was hit by rockets and mortars during fighting over the weekend.

The US also carried out three airstrikes targeting IS positions near the town in Syria on Sunday.

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1. Gallery: IS Attacks Town Near Turkish Border

   Turkish army tanks take up position on the Turkish-Syrian border near the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa Province

2. Kurdish fighters vowed not to abandon their increasingly desperate efforts to defend the Syrian border town of Kobani from Islamic State militants pressing in from three sides and pounding them with heavy artillery

3. Despite the heavy fighting, which has seen mortars rain down on residential areas in Kobani and stray fire hit Turkish territory, a Reuters reporter saw around 30 people cross over from Turkey, apparently to help with defence of the town

4. An IS fighter walks near a black flag belonging to the Islamic State near Kobani

14. Kurdish refugees from Kobani sit in front of their tents in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc

15. Islamic State is trying to seize Kobani, which is predominantly Kurdish, and has ramped up its offensive in recent days despite being targeted by US-led coalition airstrikes aimed at halting its progress

16. Turkish Kurds look at Kobani as they stand on top of a house near Mursitpinar border crossing. Continue through for more pictures

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed at least 33 IS militants and 23 Kurdish defenders were killed during the fighting.

One shell was fired from inside Syria and hit a house in the Turkish village of Buyuk Kendirci, injuring four people.

IS began its advance on Kobani on 16 September, forcing around 186,000 people to flee across the border into Turkey.

It has seized swathes of Syria and Iraq - including a long stretch of the Syria-Turkey border - after declaring an Islamic caliphate in June.

Video: Militants Besiege Border Town

The Turkish parliament authorised involvement in the campaign against IS last week, but no military operations have been announced.

It comes after a masked IS militant was filmed murdering British aid worker Alan Henning and threatening US hostage Peter Kassig in a video released on Friday.

Mr Henning, a 47-year-old former taxi driver from Eccles in Greater Manchester, was captured as he drove an ambulance full of aid supplies into Syria on 27 December last year.

The Ministry of Defence said two Tornado fighters had dropped Paveway bombs on IS targets near Ramadi, in Iraq, on Sunday night.

Video: Why Is Turkey Joining The IS Fight?

The RAF jets, based in Akrotiri, Cyprus, attacked IS forces who were shooting at Iraqi troops from a building near the city.

A leader from the al Qaeda-linked Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), a Taliban ally that has been based in Pakistan's tribal belt since 2001, has declared its support for IS.

IMU was set up in the 1990s and is listed as a terrorist group by the US.

On Saturday, the Pakistani Taliban vowed to send fighters to help IS in Iraq and Syria and said it would set aside its differences with extremist groups in the region.

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IS Hostage Tells Parents He Fears Being Killed

A former soldier threatened with death by Islamic State militants has spoken of his fear of being killed by his captors in a letter sent to his parents.

Peter Kassig, 26, was captured on 1 October 2013 in Syria, where he was taking aid to refugees fleeing the country's civil war.

In a statement released to the media, Ed and Paula Kassig said their son had written of his sadness at the pain his captivity was causing his family.

He wrote: "I am obviously pretty scared to die but the hardest part is not knowing, wondering, hoping, and wondering if I should even hope at all.

"I am very sad that all this has happened and for what all of you back home are going through.

Video: Kassig's Parents Issue Video Plea

"If I do die, I figure that at least you and I can seek refuge and comfort in knowing that I went out as a result of trying to alleviate suffering and helping those in need."

Mr Kassig was threatened at the end of a video showing the beheading of British aid worker Alan Henning on Friday.

The former Army Ranger, who set up Special Emergency Response and Assistance (SERA) in Turkey to provide aid for Syrian refugees, had begun delivering supplies to refugee camps in 2012 and providing medical aid to injured civilians.

Video: Alan Henning Memorial Service

According to a former IS hostage, Mr Kassig voluntarily converted to Islam sometime between his captured and December 2013 and is now known as Abdul-Rahman Kassig.

In the letter, he added: "In terms of my faith, I pray every day and I am not angry about my situation in that sense.

"I am in a dogmatically complicated situation here, but I am at peace with my belief."

Video: Henning's Family 'Numb With Grief'

In a statement, the Kassigs said: "We continue to pressure the government to stop its actions and continue to call on his captors to have mercy and release him."

They added that the text of the letter had been edited to remove "sensitive information", and that they received it in June, but did not indicate how they obtained it.

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Kenya President Steps Down For ICC Hearing

Kenya's president has announced he will temporarily step down from office to avoid being the first head of state to appear before the International Criminal Court this week.

Uhuru Kenyatta said he would be attending the hearing in The Hague in a personal capacity to face charges of orchestrating ethnic killings after the country's contested 2007 election.

He said he would invoke an article of the constitution, never used before, to appoint his deputy, William Ruto, as acting president in his absence to avoid putting the "sovereignty of more than 40 million Kenyans on trial".

The temporary abdication is Mr Kenyatta's way of fulfilling the court order that he attend, while not being the first president to sit before the court.

He said: "It is for this reason that I chose not to put the sovereignty of more than 40 million Kenyans on trial since their democratic will should never be subject to another jurisidiction.

More than 1,000 people were killed in post-election violence back in 2007

"Therefore let it not be said that I am attending the status conference as the president of Kenya.

"Nothing in my position or my deeds as president warrants my being in court."

If Mr Kenyatta had refused to go, as some members of his political party had urged, he risked facing an international arrest warrant, international condemnation or economic sanctions against Kenya.

Mr Kenyatta, Mr Ruto and a Kenyan radio personality all face crimes against humanity charges at the ICC.

The ICC's prosecutor has accused all three of inciting widespread violence in 2007, which killed more than 1,000 people and saw 600,000 flee their homes.

Mr Kenyatta has appeared before the court before but was not president at the time.

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Alan Henning's Life To Be Celebrated In Church

A church service is being held today to remember Alan Henning, the British taxi driver killed by Islamic State militants.

The special service will take place in Mr Henning's home town of Eccles in Greater Manchester this evening and organisers say it will mark his life and the good he did.

It comes after Mr Henning's family paid tribute to a "decent, caring human being" after he was murdered.

In a statement they thanked those who campaigned for his release, saying they had comfort "knowing how many people stood beside us in hoping for the best".

"There are few words to describe how we feel at this moment. Myself, Lucy and Adam, and all of Alan's family and friends are numb with grief," the statement said.

Video: Friend Describes Henning Kidnapping

Support from the Government, Foreign Office and Greater Manchester Police "meant that we were able to get through the most awful of times", the family said.

The statement went on to add: "His interest was in the welfare of others.

"He will be remembered for this and we as a family are extremely proud of him and what he achieved and the people he helped."

David Cameron vowed to do "everything we can" to "hunt down" Mr Henning's killers.

Video: 'Tactics Will Change' In IS Battle

The PM also paid tribute to Mr Henning, the second Briton to be beheaded by IS, for his "kindness, peacefulness and gentleness".

Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "We will do everything we can to support the efforts of the Government to bring those guilty of this terrible act to justice."

A video lasting one minute and 11 seconds and titled Another Message To America And Its Allies, was posted on YouTube on Friday.

It shows Mr Henning, a taxi driver who was captured on an aid mission in Syria in December 2013, kneeling in front of a knife-wielding militant in a desert setting before being beheaded in front of the camera.

Video: British Jihadi's Message To Cameron

Mr Henning, who is dressed in red, says: "I am Alan Henning. Because of our Parliament's decision to attack the Islamic State, I, as a member of the British public, will now pay the price for that decision."

The masked killer, who speaks with a British accent and is believed to be the man responsible for previous beheadings, makes a direct statement to Mr Cameron: "The blood of David Haines was on your hands, Cameron. Alan Henning will also be slaughtered, but his blood is on the hands of the British Parliament."

Last week MPs voted to join the US-led coalition and take part in airstrikes against IS fighters in Iraq.

At the end of the video another hostage, a former US soldier turned charity worker believed to be Peter Edward Kassig, is paraded in front of the cameras. The militant in the video says Mr Kassig will be the next victim.

Video: Henning 'Handed Death Sentence'

The UK Muslim community condemned Mr Henning's murder, which came on the eve of the Islamic festival Eid Al-Adha.

A second video emerged on Friday which purports to show a British IS fighter - thought to be 27-year-old Omar Hussein, a former supermarket security guard from High Wycombe - calling on Western governments to send ground troops to fight IS militants.

Downing Street has said it is examining the video.

:: Full coverage now on Sky News – watch Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 132.

Video: Imam Condemns Alan Henning's Murder

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American Hostage's Parents Issue Video Plea

By Sky News US Team

The parents of American hostage Abdul-Rahman Kassig, formerly known as Peter, have issued a video plea asking for his safe return.

Mr Kassig appeared at the end of a clip posted online on Friday that showed the killing of British aid convoy volunteer Alan Henning by an Islamic State (IS) militant.

Ed and Paula Kassig urged their son's captors to let him go in a video statement released on Saturday.

"We implore those who are holding you to show mercy and use their power to let you go," Mr Kassig's father said.

Mr Kassig converted to Islam and changed his name to Abdul-Rahman

Mrs Kassig, speaking directly to her son, added: "Most of all, know that we love you, and our hearts ache for you to be granted your freedom so we can hug you again and then set you free to continue the life you have chosen, the life of service to those in greatest need."

Ed Kassig said his son, who founded an organisation that provides aid to Syrians affected by the country's civil war, "grew to love and admire the Syrian people and felt at home there".

Video: IS Threatens To Kill US Hostage

Peter Kassig changed his name to Abdul-Rahman after years of humanitarian work in the region "culminated in him embracing Islam", his father added.

A family spokesperson previously said that Mr Kassig's faith "has provided him comfort during his long captivity".

The 26-year-old Indiana native and Iraq War veteran was captured by IS militants on 1 October 2013 while en route to Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria.

Video: Henning's Family 'Numb With Grief'

At the end of the video showing Mr Henning's murder, an IS militant spoke directly to President Barack Obama as he threatened to kill Mr Kassig next.

He said: "Obama, you have started your aerial bombardment in Sham. So it's only right we continue to strike the necks of your people."

In the plea for his son's release, Mr Kassig said: "We asked our government to change its actions, but like our son, we have no more control over the US government than you have over the break of dawn."

Video: 'IS Call To Send Ground Troops'

On Friday, Mr Obama condemned Mr Henning's "brutal" murder, saying the US would bring those responsible to justice.

Four IS hostages - two Americans and two Britons - have been killed since the US-led airstrikes in Iraq and Syria began on 8 August.

An estimated 15 to 20 hostages are still being held by the extremist group, according to the AP news agency.

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Brazil Presidential Race: Poll Gap Narrows

By Karine Mayer, South America News Editor

The world's seventh largest economy takes to the polls today, yet many Brazilians are still unsure who to vote for.

Although for the last month the race has been between two women - incumbent president Dilma Rousseff and environmentalist Marina Silva - the latest polls show that conservative Aecio Neves has crept into second place just ahead of Ms Silva.

It has been a roller-coaster ride campaign, but the latest polls show that 40% of Brazilians are likely to vote for the stability of the Workers' Party instead of the sustainable environment of Ms Silva, or a return to the Social Democracy Party with candidate Mr Neves.

The three main candidates are known in Brazil just by their Christian names; Dilma, Marina and Aecio.

Brazil's President and Workers' Party presidential candidate Dilma Rousseff

Ms Rousseff, 66, Brazil's incumbent president, was imprisoned and tortured by the country's military dictatorship as an armed Marxist guerrilla group in the early 1970s.

But it was due to the former president's support and help that she stepped into the limelight and became the first female president in Brazil.

Despite her tough stance she has failed to weed out corruption, and economic growth has stumbled under her administration.

Ms Silva is the election wild card. She was born to a desperately poor family of rubber tappers in the Amazon and was illiterate until the age of 16.

She then went from working as a maid to environmental activist alongside Chico Mendes, and became Brazil's youngest ever senator in 1994.

She became an official candidate at the end of August when her running mate was killed in a plane crash.

Mr Neves comes from a political family; his grandfather, Tancredo Neves, was the first post-dictatorship elected president in 1984 but died before being sworn in.

He represents the centre-right party. Initially labelled a playboy he has toughened his image in the last few months and attacked Ms Rousseff over the corruption scandal of state run oil company Petrobras which involved some of her colleagues.

A lot still remains to be done in Brazil as the government will have to address health, education, security and urban transport, as well as getting the country's economy growing again, as it experienced its first slowdown following the World Cup.

Some 142 million Brazilians will, by law, have to vote on today as they choose their president, 27 state governors, 513 congressmen, 1069 regional lawmakers, and a third of the Senate.

Then in three weeks' time, should no candidate win more than 50%, the second round will determine the future of the country.

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'Dangerous Crossroads' For Hong Kong Protests

By Greg Milam, Sky Correspondent, in Hong Kong

Authorities in Hong Kong have again called on 'Occupy' protesters to step aside and allow government offices and schools to operate as normal on Monday morning.

There are signs that leaders of the protest movement are willing to co-operate with police and clear access routes on roads they have blocked for a week now.

Police have warned they will take "all necessary action" to restore order after a weekend of tension and little sign of protesters losing enthusiasm in their calls for reform.

Away from the protest areas, it is largely business as usual in Hong Kong: a wedding party at the famous Peninsula Hotel, tourists packing cross-harbour ferries and snapping photos at the statue marking the handover from Britain.

Tens of thousands of protesters occupy streets in the financial district

Irene Pan and her 11-year-old son, who were crossing one of the bridges over a deserted main road through Hong Kong island, said: "I have seen a lot different opinions from all over the country and this city.

"It is a chance for the people of Hong Kong to think and to voice what we think no matter what the opinion is.

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1. Gallery: Protest Is An Art In Hong Kong

   Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong have been keeping their message alive with highly-produced poster art celebrating the 'Umbrella Revolution'. Continue through for more images...

"Hong Kong people have been silenced and politically moderate for a long, long time."

Behind the protest barriers, among the banners, walls of peace messages and tents full of supplies, groups of students continue to join the sit-in.

Shandy Hung told Sky News: "At the beginning I don't know much about politics, but I know that if we don't stand up now we will loose the time to fight for our democracy.

Video: Ultimatum For Hong Kong Protesters

"This is just the beginning. I think the most successful thing about the 'Umbrella Revolution' is that more and more people like me will start to care about politics."

Her friend Florence Lam added: "I think the protesters will allow people to go back to work but they will not stop the protest. We have done so much and this is about Hong Kong's future now."

All around them are signs of the determination of protesters to keep that message alive, including highly-produced poster art celebrating the 'Umbrella Revolution'.

Video: Hong Kong Talks Called Off

Scuffles and angry confrontations over the weekend highlight there are those in Hong Kong who are unhappy at the continuing protests.

As the South China Morning Post reported, Monday represents a "dangerous crossroads" for the people of Hong Kong.

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