Twilight Shooting Plot Foiled In Missouri

A man has been accused of plotting a shooting inside a cinema during a screening of the new Twilight film after his mother contacted police.

Blaec Lammers, 23, has been charged with first-degree assault, making a terrorist threat and armed criminal action.

His mother alerted police after fearing her son had purchased weapons similar to those used in a cinema shooting earlier this year in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises.

Bolivar Police Chief Steve Hamilton said: "Thankfully we had a responsible family member or we might have had a different outcome."

He said Lammers had been under a doctor's care for mental illness, while court documents said the suspect was "off of his medication".

Lammers' mother contacted authorities on Thursday, saying she worried that with this weekend's opening of the final film in the vampire series, her son "may have intentions of shooting people at the movie," police said.

She said she thought the weapons - two assault rifles and hundreds of bullets - resembled those used by the gunman who opened fire inside the Aurora cinema in July.

James Holmes, 24, is accused of killing 12 people in that attack.

Lammers told authorities he bought tickets for a screening of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 in Bolivar on Sunday and planned to shoot people inside the cinema.

He also planned to "just start shooting people at random" at a Walmart store less than a mile away, police said.

Lammers also stated he wanted to stab a Walmart employee to death and followed an employee around in a store before officers intervened in 2009, according to police.

He said he had purchased weapons and if he ran out of bullets, he would "just break the glass where the ammunition is being stored and get some more and keep shooting until police arrived".

Police said Lammers bought one firearm on Monday and another on Tuesday. He then went to the town of Aldrich to practise shooting because he "had never shot a gun before and wanted to make sure he knew how they shot and how they functioned".

Mr Hamilton said it appeared the suspect obtained the firearms legally but that police were continuing to investigate "to determine how in fact he was able to obtain a permit".

Ashley Miller, who lives in a nearby town, said she has known Lammers for about a year and described him as "one of the sweetest guys I had ever met" but "very emotional," noting he would periodically stop talking to her.

Lammers is expected to appear in court on Wednesday.

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Eight People Reported Dead In Gaza Airstrikes

Israel has carried out 180 airstrikes in Gaza City, reportedly killing eight people and targeting the Hamas government headquarters.

Medics have told AFP that the eight people died in central and southern Gaza and 30 were injured in the latest strikes.

An aerial attack on Rafah in southern Gaza killed four people on Saturday, Palestinian medics said, while other strikes elsewhere in the city killed another four people.

The latest deaths raised the overall death toll in Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip to 38, as both sides continued to hurl missiles at each other. 

Three Israelis have been killed in the recent violence. Three soldiers were also hurt in rocket fire, the army said on Saturday.

The airstrikes continued into the morning

Israel stepped up its air assault in retaliation to an unprecedented rocket strike aimed at the contested holy city of Jerusalem.

Israel's military also called up 75,000 reservists, raising speculation of a ground invasion.

Despite the violence, Tunisia's foreign minister arrived in the coastal enclave early Saturday in a show of Arab solidarity, heading to a hospital to visit the wounded.

The headquarters of the Hamas government, a police compound, a mosque and a vast network of smuggling tunnels were all bombed in overnight airstrikes.

"The cabinet headquarters was targeted with four strikes and the government stresses that it remains committed to its positions and its stand alongside the people," the Hamas government said in a statement.

Israeli aircraft also kept pounding their original targets, the militants' weapons storage facilities and underground rocket launching sites.

Rocket fire by militants into Israel resumed after dawn following a relative lull overnight, but the number was still lower than on the previous three days since the start of the offensive, an Israeli military spokesman said.

Israel has launched more missiles into Gaza, with four flattening Hamas HQ

Israeli leaders have threatened to widen Operation Pillar of Defence if the rocket fire from the Gaza Strip does not halt.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said options included the possible assassination of Hamas' prime minister Ismail Haniyeh and other top leaders.

"Every time that Hamas fires there will be a more and more severe response," he told Israel's Channel 2 TV.

US President Barack Obama has reiterated his country's support for Israel's right to defend itself against rocket attacks from militants in the Gaza Strip.

In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr Obama also expressed his regret over the loss of Israeli and Palestinian civilian lives, the White House said.

Mr Netanyahu called the President to update him on the situation in Israel and Gaza and expressed his "deep appreciation to the President and the American people for the United States' investment in the Iron Dome rocket and mortar defence system, which has effectively defeated hundreds of incoming rockets from Gaza and saved countless Israeli lives".

The two leaders also discussed options for de-escalating the situation.

Mr Obama also spoke to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and praised his country's efforts to ease tensions in the region.

On Friday morning, Gaza's Hamas prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, and a slew of other government officials lined up in front of the cabinet building to welcome Egypt's Prime Minister Hisham Kandil, on a brief trip.

A ceasefire had been declared during Mr Kandil's visit - officially to show solidarity with the Palestinian people - but lasted just three hours.

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Dozens Killed In Egypt School Bus Crash

At least 40 school children have been killed after a train collided with a bus in a city south of the Egyptian capital Cairo.

Egypt's official news agency said 40 children died, however a doctor at a hospital in Assiut, near the crash site, said the death toll was 38, among them 37 children.

The children were reportedly aged between four and six years.

"They told us the barriers were open when the bus crossed the tracks and the train collided with it," doctor Mohamed Samir said, citing witness accounts.

He said four children and two women were seriously injured in the accident in the city of Manfalut, near Assiut, some 190 miles south of the capital.

President Mohamed Mursi ordered his ministers to offer support to the families of those killed.

The governor of Assiut, Yahya Keshk, has ordered an inquiry.

Egypt's roads and railways have a poor safety record.

Egyptians have complained that successive governments have failed to enforce basic safety standards, leading to a string of deadly accidents.

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Gaza: Israeli Strike As Egypt PM Visits

There have been fresh exchanges of fire between Israel and Hamas militants despite a temporary ceasefire in place for a visit by Egypt's Prime Minister to Gaza.

Several sites in southern Israel have been hit by rockets fired from inside the Gaza Strip - the Israeli air force responding by attacking a Hamas commander's house.

Sky's Middle East Producer Tom Rayner said: "We've seen at least 4 rockets launched from Northern Gaza in the last 10 minutes - ceasefire may be over before it has even really begun."

Hisham Kandil has already condemned Israeli action against Gaza as "unacceptable aggression" - and says his country will intensify efforts to secure a truce in the conflict.

"Egypt will not hesitate to intensify its efforts and make sacrifices to stop this aggression and achieve a lasting truce," he said at a press conference in Gaza City's Shifa hospital after seeing some victims from the latest strike.

Sixteen thousand Israeli army reservists have been called up and heavy artillery has been seen on the Gaza border, increasing the possibility of a ground attack. Israel has given the green light to the call-up of up to 30,000 army reservists.

An interior ministry building in Gaza City comes under fire from Israel

The Palestinian territory suffered a second night of heavy bombardment, with Israeli warplanes hitting targets in and around Gaza City.

"There have been 130 strikes overnight until now," Hamas interior ministry spokesman Islam Shahwan said.

He said the strikes destroyed a building belonging to the interior ministry, while there were also reports that training positions used by various Palestinian militant groups had also been hit.

The Israeli army said 11 Palestinian rockets had been fired from Gaza at Israel overnight.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier said all offensive actions would be called off during Mr Kandil's visit - as long as Palestinian groups refrain from firing rockets across the border.

Egypt's Prime Minister Hisham Kandil

A senior Israeli official said: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to an Egyptian request to cease all offensive operations in Gaza during the visit of the Egyptian prime minister there this morning, which is supposed to last for about three hours.

"In the answer that has been forwarded to Egyptians, we've said that the Israel Defence Forces will cease fire on the condition that there won't be fire from Gaza into Israel during that period."

Two days of Israeli air strikes have killed 19 Palestinians, including seven militants and 12 civilians - among them six children and a pregnant woman. A Palestinian rocket killed three Israelis in the town of Kiryat Malachi on Thursday.

Two more rockets from Gaza landed near Tel Aviv in the first such attack on Israel's commercial capital in 20 years. One fell into the Mediterranean Sea and the other in an uninhabited part of one of the suburbs south of the city.

Prime Minister David Cameron has blamed Hamas militants for the escalation of violence in a phone call to Mr Netanyahu.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: "The Prime Minister said that he was extremely concerned by the dangerous situation and deeply sorry for the loss of civilian life on both sides.

"He said the rocket attacks from Gaza into southern Israel by Hamas and other armed groups were completely unacceptable and that the increasing frequency of rocket attacks in recent days was the immediate cause of the situation.

An Israeli armoured vehicle moves towards the border with the Gaza Strip

"He made clear that Hamas bears the principal responsibility for crisis.

"The Prime Minister said that the priority must be to de-escalate the crisis. He called on Mr Netanyahu to do all he could to avoid civilian casualties and emphasised that both sides needed to avoid a spiral of violence that would be in no-one's interest, particularly at a time of instability in the region."

Israel's "Pillar of Defence'' operation, which it said was in response to an escalating barrage of rocket fire from Gaza, began with the targeted assassination of Hamas' top military commander Ahmed al Jaabar on Wednesday.

The resurgent conflict has confronted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi with the biggest test yet of his commitments - to his fellow Islamists and to Egypt's 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

He is also under pressure to show Egyptians that his policies differ from those of his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, who came under fire from the Muslim Brotherhood, which brought Mr Morsi to power.

Mr Morsi has rejected what he has called Israel's aggression in Gaza, saying that it threatens to destabilise the nation.

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US Veterans Parade In Texas Hit By Train

Four people have been killed after a freight train hit a float during a parade honouring wounded military veterans.

The crash, which also left 17 people injured, happened on a railway crossing in the city of Midland, Texas.

City spokesman Ryan Stout said 10 people are in critical condition at Midland Memorial Hospital, while the seven others are in stable condition.

The crash site in an industrial area was cordoned off by police as rescue crews and investigators worked at the scene.

Midland Police Chief Price Robinson told local media: "I'm standing out here now. It's hard to look at.

"It's a very tragic event, very unfortunate."

The float was one of two carrying veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, some who suffered major injuries in combat, and their partners.

Parade participants comfort each other after the crash

Some people managed to jump clear before the train hit, police said.

Witnesses described the panic as the locomotive's horn sounded.

"My daughter said, 'Momma, the train is coming!' Patricia Howle told KOSA-TV.

"People were jumping off, trying to get off that trailer and the truck was still rolling.

"People on the trailer saw the train coming and they were flying in every direction," she added. "I covered my face. I didn't want to see."

Hours after the accident, a float was still sitting near the train tracks, a white poster board on its side and about a dozen empty chairs sitting on top.

The parade was scheduled to end at a "Hunt for Heroes" banquet before the wounded service members were to be treated to a deer-hunting trip.

A spokesman for railway operator Union Pacific said it was not clear if the train crew had seen the float approaching the crossing but that they had been sounding their horn before the collision.

He added that the crossing gate and lights were working at the time.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson said the agency was investigating.

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David Beckham Denies Move To Australia

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia correspondent

David Beckham has insisted he has no plans to play in Australia after reports suggested he was planning a career move Down Under.

A spokesman for the 37-year-old player issued a statement to Sky Sports News, which said: "There is always enormous interest from clubs across the world in signing David as a player. 

"There are absolutely no plans to play in Australia. David is completely focused on the Major League Soccer play-offs and winning another Championship with the Galaxy."

The Football Federation Australia (FFA) said they were approached by Beckham's management about a possible move to Australia, leading to speculation in The Australian newspaper about a move - but that no deal had been done.

Beckham's former Manchester United team mate turned Fox Sports pundit, Mark Bosnich, had also said he had spoken to sources close to the LA Galaxy star who said he was considering a more permanent move to Australia.

Media reports suggested the star midfielder would play a 10-game stint, with several clubs hoping to attract him. The deal would still have to be ratified by the FFA and its new chief David Gallop.

Beckham has previously said that he will not be making any decisions on his future until Galaxy's season ends. The club is currently in finals and will likely to make the season finale on December 1.

He has visited Australia a number of times with LA Galaxy, playing in friendly games against Sydney FC, Newcastle Jets and Melbourne Victoria and has never ruled-out a move to the country.

Traditional football is still far behind Aussie rules as a spectator sport.

During the visits he was mobbed by fans and created a huge buzz on and off the pitch. Beckham would be the biggest signing ever for the Australian 'A-league' if such a move was made.

During one visit he was interviewed by Bosnich, who asked him his thoughts on the A-League: "The standard's similar to what it is in the US," Beckham said. "The game's growing like it is in the US, and that's great to see.

"People all around the world are talking about (Major League Soccer and the A League) now, and that's a sign of the growth in both countries."

Football in Australia is undergoing something of a resurgence at present with recent star recruits Alessandro Del Piero and Emile Heskey drawing record stadium crowds and television audiences. 

Football is Australia's number one participation sport but is far behind Aussie rules football and rugby league as a spectator sport.

Beckham recently said he had no intention of retiring from the game just yet: "If I continue to feel like I do right now, I'll continue to play," he said.             

"I don't feel 36 years old when I'm out there. I still love training, I still love playing.

"So I want to continue until I feel differently. I love the game. Until that stops, I want to play as long as I can."

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April Jones Search Expected To End In Weeks

By Mike McCarthy, Sky News Correspondent

The search for April Jones is understood to be approaching its final stages.

Officers are still searching areas around the town of Machynlleth, where the five-year-old went missing, but police say the effort is now expected to last weeks rather than months.

Community leaders are preparing to celebrate Christmas as normally as possible, despite the fact April's body has still not been found.

But they accept that her disappearance has had a profound effect on life in the town.

Machynlleth became the focus of national media attention when April went missing six weeks ago.

Now it is trying to strike a balance between remembering the schoolgirl and moving on for the sake of hundreds of other children in the town.

Mayor Gareth Jones said it was important to make efforts to recapture the routine of normal life.

"I think by now people have a sense that they wish to try to move on as much as possible," he said.

"Obviously that doesn't mean that April and her family are any further away from our thoughts than they were at the very beginning.

"There's just a sense that people see that we owe it to our young people to try to get some semblance of normality back into the way we are living our lives."

Pink ribbons can be seen throughout Machynlleth

Pink ribbons still adorn the town as a mark of support for April Jones' family.

Hundreds are tied to fences, gateposts and door handles. Many people in the town still wear one every day.

Mr Jones said that the effect on the people of Machynlleth remains profound and will probably last a generation.

"People have become a little more wary of their children's whereabouts," he said.

"They are thinking twice about letting their children play outside. It will take a time for people to get back to the way it was."

The sentiment was echoed at Wheeler Fabrics in the centre of town, the store that supplied most of the pink ribbons.

Sam Wheeler said: "The way that families treat their children, what they let them do and the freedom that they let them have.

"It's going to be talked about in more detail than it used to be, which is a shame because future generations of kids might lose out on the freedom that they had."

A pink candle has been lit at St. Peter's Church where five weeks ago hundreds of people gathered for a service in April's memory.

Vicar Kathleen Rogers said it would remain lit until April's body is found. 

Referring to the huge turnout of volunteers who helped with the search for April, she said: "At the beginning there was a lot of urgency.

"It was a hive of activity. Now there is a deep sense of sadness. People are preparing for Christmas and it will go ahead as it always does, but there will be a part of every [church] service that will be for April."

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Gaza Rocket Attack Kills Three Israelis

Three Israelis have been killed after a rocket fired from Gaza hit a building in the south of the country, according to police.

The casualties were the first since Israel attacked targets in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing Hamas' top military commander.

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the rocket struck an apartment building in the town of Kiryat Malahi.

World leaders have urged Israel to show restraint after prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to "expand" military operations in Gaza following the killing of Ahmed al Jaabari.

US President Barack Obama and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon both telephoned Mr Netanyahu ahead of an urgent UN Security Council meeting on the deteriorating situation.

According to the White House, Mr Obama reiterated US support for Israel's right to self-defence against rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip but urged Israel to avoid civilian casualties in the Palestinian territory.

Head of Hamas' military wing Ahmed al Jaabari was killed

They agreed that Hamas must stop the attacks, which have seen more than 120 rockets fired into Israel over the last five days, in order to allow tensions to ease.

Mr Ban told the Israeli PM of his expectation that "Israeli reactions are measured so as not to provoke a new cycle of bloodshed," the UN said.

He also expressed his concerns about "an alarming escalation of indiscriminate rocket fire from Gaza into Israel".

So far, at least seven people, including Mr Jaabari, have been killed in more than 50 Israeli airstrikes - codenamed Operation Pillar Of Defence. Two young children were also among the dead.

The Israeli military is ready, if necessary, to send ground troops into Gaza, according to its official Twitter account. It has also been authorised to call up army reserve units.

In a televised address, Mr Netanyahu said: "If it becomes necessary, we are prepared to expand the operation.

"We will not tolerate a situation in which Israeli citizens are threatened by rocket fire."

A car destroyed by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants

Defence minister Ehud Barak, appearing with the prime minister, said: "We are at the beginning of the event, and not the end."

Palestinian militants said the airstrikes had opened "the gates of hell" for the Jewish state.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said another 55 rockets had been fired at Israel in the aftermath of the airstrike that killed Mr Jaabari.

Gaza's Hamas government welcomed the decision of Egypt, one of only two Arab countries to have a peace treaty with Israel, to pull out its envoy and urged Arab leaders to take "decisive action".

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said: "The occupation committed a dangerous crime and crossed all the red lines, which is considered a declaration of war."

The emergency Security Council meeting came at the request of Egypt, Morocco and the Palestinians.

"Once again the international community is witness to Israel's malicious onslaught, using the most lethal military means and illegal measures against the defenceless Palestinian civilian population," the Palestinian Authority's UN envoy, Riyad Mansour, told the Council.

"A direct firm message must be sent to Israel to cease immediately its military campaign against the Palestinian people and to abide ... by its obligations under international law."

Speaking to reporters, Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor urged the international community to condemn "indiscriminate rocket fire against Israeli citizens - children, women".

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'Facebook Party' Stab Death: Four Arrested

Four people have been arrested over the killing of a teenager who was stabbed at a house party in Essex.

Jay Whiston, 17, was attacked at the event in Colchester and died a short time later in hospital.

It is believed the party on September 8 got out of control after details were posted on Facebook.

Detectives have arrested two men, a woman and a girl at a house in the Colchester area.

Two men, aged 51 and 18, and a 42-year-old woman from the Colchester area, as well as a 17-year-old girl from Clacton, are being questioned at a police station in north Essex.

Five people from Colchester are on police bail after they were also arrested in connection with the killing.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Parkes said: "This is very much a live investigation where we continue to benefit from the support of the public."

Flowers were left in memory of Jay Whiston

He added: "Today we have arrested four on suspicion of assisting an offender. We remain convinced that there are people who have yet to contact us, who know what happened and are protecting those responsible.

"It is those people we would appeal to come forward."

Since the teenager's death, his mother, Caroline Shearer, has launched a campaign to fight knife crime.

She has opened a charity shop in Colchester to raise funds for her campaign Only Cowards Carry.

Mrs Shearer has also called for "weapons awareness" to be taught in schools.

She said: "It's no good teaching them these lessons once these children have found out what path they want to take in life.

"The younger the child you can get to, the more chance you've got of changing the mindset of why our children are carrying knives."

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Toyota Issues Another Massive Recall

Toyota has announced its second huge recall of vehicles in as many months in a move affecting almost 2.8 million cars world-wide.

The company blames problems with steering mechanisms and its hybrid system water pump.

The Japanese firm said it was recalling 1.5 million vehicles in Japan, 670,000 in the United States and 496,000 in Europe to correct  steering intermediate extension shafts which can be damaged at slow speed.

But it insisted that the problem, seen in cars such as the second-generation Prius and certain Corolla models, could be fixed in about 50 minutes.

Separately, the car-maker is recalling 630,000 vehicles worldwide, including 350,000 in the US and 175,000 in Japan, to fix water pumps in hybrid vehicles.

Toyota UK told Sky News there were 75 thousand British cars affected by the two recall issues in total and there had been no reported accidents in the UK as a result of the steering problem.

Customers whose cars are subject to the recall will receive a letter to that effect within 6 weeks, the company said, though anyone concerned could enter their car's registration into a special search database on the Toyota UK website to check whether their vehicle is affected.

The move is the latest in a series of embarrassing recalls for the firm.

In October, Toyota said it was pulling back more than 7.4 million vehicles worldwide to fix faulty power window switches, the industry's biggest single recall since Ford took 8 million vehicles off the road in 1996.

A previous series of Toyota recalls involving more than 10 million vehicles between 2009 and 2011 damaged the firm's image but it recovered and earlier this month raised its full-year net profit forecast to $9.7 billion (£6.1bn), citing solid sales.

This year's profit forecast comes despite a big drop in car sales in China since September, when anti-Japanese protests erupted over a diplomatic row.

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Anti-Austerity Strikes: Protests Grip Europe

A wave of anti-austerity anger is set to sweep across Europe with general strikes planned in Spain and Portugal and walkouts in Greece and Italy - grounding flights, closing schools and shutting down transport.

Tens of thousands of workers are expected to take part in the dozens of co-ordinated protests in a so-called European Day of Action and Solidarity against spending cuts and tax hikes.

In Spain - the fourth-biggest eurozone economy - activists and unions will be staging an evening rally outside the parliament in the capital Madrid.

Airlines operating in the country including Iberia, Iberia Express, Air Nostrum, Vueling, Air Europa and easyJet cut more than 600 flights including some 250 international routes.

A protest by public workers in Lisbon last month

Hospitals in Spain will fully staff emergency and surgery rooms but non-essential care will be scaled back.

Spain, where one in four workers is unemployed, is now teetering on the brink of calling for a European bailout, with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy trying to put off a rescue that could require even more EU-mandated budget cuts.

Protests are also being called in 40 towns and cities across bailed-out Portugal, including Lisbon and Porto.

Portuguese airline TAP said it was grounding more than 160 flights, most of them international.

Greece, struggling to satisfy international lenders that it has cut spending sufficiently to qualify for bailout funds and to avoid default, has called a three-hour walkout and a rally in Athens.

Italian unions, too, are seeking a four-hour work stoppage.

The European Trade Union Confederation said it was the first time that it had appealed for a day of action that includes simultaneous strike action in four countries.

A rally in front of the parliament in Athens, earlier this month

"By sowing austerity, we are reaping recession, rising poverty and social anxiety," its general secretary Bernadette Segol said in an online statement.

"In some countries, people's exasperation is reaching a peak. We need urgent solutions to get the economy back on track, not stifle it with austerity. Europe's leaders are wrong not to listen to the anger of the people who are taking to the streets."

Union-led rallies are also being called across France and in Poland, while high-speed Thalys rail services between Belgium and Germany have been cancelled for the day.

Just 20% of Spain's long-distance trains and a third of its commuter trains are expected to run, while Lisbon's Metro will be shut completely with only 10% of rail services in action.

Tensions have been rising in Spain since last Friday when a woman jumped from her apartment to her death as bailiffs tried to evict her from her home in the country's second apparent suicide linked to evictions.

On Monday, the country's largest banks agreed to halt repossessions for the most vulnerable for two years.

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Energy Firm SSE Defends 38% Profits Rise

The energy firm SSE has defended a 38% rise in half year profits at a time when its gas and electricity bills are rising by 9% on average.

The company, formerly known as Scottish & Southern Energy, made an adjusted profit before tax of £397.5m in the six months to September 30.

SSE's retail business, which supplies electricity and gas to homes and businesses, reported an operating profit of £75.7m for the first-half after posting an operating loss of £101.4m a year ago.

Lord Smith of Kelvin, the firm's chairman, said: "While some observers may choose to criticise SSE for making a profit and paying a dividend (of 25.2p per share - a rise of 5%) I believe that profit and dividend allow SSE to employ people, pay tax, provide services that customers need, make investments that keep the lights on and create jobs while providing an income return that shareholders like pension funds need."

In August SSE became the first of the so-called 'big six' energy firms to announce inflation-busting increases to household bills.

It blamed "sustained increases" in the cost of using the electricity and gas networks, costs associated with mandatory Government schemes and the price it had paid for energy in the wholesale markets for the 9% rise, which came into effect last month.

Wholesale gas charges had risen 14% year-on-year, the group said and its bill increase would add another £8.53 a month on to the typical monthly direct debit, dual fuel customer - taking the average annual bill to £1,274.

In its statement today SSE said that despite the rise its retail profit margin was just 1.5%.

"The prices achieved for generating electricity have been weak and higher gas and non-energy costs unfortunately had to be reflected in the increase in household energy prices."

Adam Scorer, Director of Policy and External Affairs at Consumer Focus, suggested energy firms only had themselves to blame for criticism of profits.

"The furore over wholesale costs, energy pricing and company profits has deepened consumer distrust in the energy industry.

"Energy companies need to make profit so they can invest in our energy infrastructure. But if confidence is to be rebuilt in this market, the information that all energy firms are required to provide must be fully transparent, comparable, and include profit and trading information from across the whole of their business."

SSE's share price opened up slightly when trading began on the FTSE 100.

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Abu Qatada: Terror Suspect Set To Be Released

Timeline: Qatada Legal Battle

Updated: 3:36pm UK, Monday 12 November 2012

Abu Qatada has challenged and ultimately thwarted every attempt by the Government to detain and deport him since 2001.

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 is 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.

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Gas Prices: Watchdogs Probe Fixing Claims

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) and Ofgem are investigating claims by a whistleblower that Britain's wholesale gas market has been frequently manipulated by energy companies.

The allegations, revealed by The Guardian, suggest the £300bn market has been fixed in a way similar to the banks' fiddling of the Libor interest rate.

The FSA, the City watchdog, said: "We can confirm that we have received information in relation to the physical gas market and will be analysing that material."

Ofgem, the energy regulator, said it had also received information relating to trading in the gas market and is looking into the issue.

The allegations come with the energy sector already under fire after major energy suppliers announced inflation-busting price rises.

It is understood the Treasury and the Department for Environment were alerted to the market manipulation claims by Ofgem and the FSA on Monday.

Energy Secretary Ed Davey said: "I am extremely concerned about these allegations and will be keeping in close touch with the regulators while they get to the bottom of this."

Ed Davey said he was "extremely concerned"

Mr Davey is expected to make a statement to MPs later today.

An Ofgem spokesman said: "In preparing for full implementation of new EU legislation (Remit) to tackle market abuse, we will consider carefully any evidence of market abuse that is brought to our attention as well as scope for action under all our other powers.

"Ofgem has already activated its established procedures to review the information we have received."

UK energy companies EDF Energy, NPower, SSE, ScottishPower, E.On and British Gas have all denied any involvement.

The whistleblower, Seth Freedman, works as a price reporter for ICIS Heren, a company responsible for setting so-called benchmark prices.

Mr Freedman raised the alarm after identifying what he believed to be attempts to distort the prices reported by the company.

ICIS said in a statement that it had "detected some unusual trading activity" on the British wholesale gas market on September 28, which it reported to Ofgem in October.

"The cause of the trading pattern, which involved a series of deals done below the prevailing market trend, has not yet been established," an ICIS spokesman said.

"ICIS welcomes the seriousness with which the regulator has so far responded to this information and we have provided all the evidence at our disposal to help the regulator determine what happened."

It is believed that on September 28 prices went down by about 0.4%.

Shadow energy secretary Caroline Flint said: "These are very concerning reports which, if true, suggest shocking behaviour in the energy market that should be dealt with strongly."

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Workers To Be Able To Ask For Flexible Hours

By Gerard Tubb, Sky Correspondent

New mothers will be able to share leave with their partners and all workers will have the right to flexible hours under radical reforms.

Changes to be announced by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will mean mothers could return to work two weeks after childbirth and hand over their leave to the father.

Every employee in the country will also be given the right to ask for flexible hours to encourage different work patterns for parents and help more women back into work.

Mr Clegg believes that enabling relatives and friends of working parents to alter their working patterns will boost the economy.

The Government estimates around a million women are effectively locked out of employment because of problems balancing work and childcare.

The plans to allow anyone to ask for flexible hours are an extension of the rights introduced in 2009 for parents of children aged 16 and under.

They also mean that grandparents will be able to apply so that they can look after their grandchildren.

Under the changes, a mother could decide to stop her maternity leave at any point and hand over the rest of the year to her partner instead.

Parents will be able to "chop up" time between them or take time off together, as long as no more than 12 months is taken in total and no more than nine at guaranteed pay.

Fathers-to-be will also be given a legal right to take unpaid leave to attend two antenatal appointments.

Mr Clegg will claim that the plans could transform opportunities for young people who want to start a family.

"You won't get to 30 and suddenly have to choose - motherhood or work - because we're making the changes that give you a route back," he will say.

The Lib Dem leader rethought the reforms after being warned that extending paternity leave from the current two weeks would be too difficult for businesses.

Flexible leave will be reviewed by 2018 and extending paternity leave will be re-examined then, Mr Clegg is expected to say.

"These are major reforms and, at a time of continuing economic difficulty, it's sensible to do them in a number of steps, rather than one giant leap," he will say.

"More and more men are taking on childcare duties, or want to, and flexible leave builds on that."

A study last year of eligible parents showed 28% of women and 17% of men had asked to change their work patterns in the previous two years, with 80 to 90% of requests accepted.

At Odyssey Systems on Teesside, a telecommunications company with 30 employees, management says it has helped parents to change working hours, but extending the scheme to everyone will be a burden.

Sales director Christine Gilbert said: "We're still here because we think about customers first. To say that everybody in the whole company has to have flexible working is just going to be a massive managerial nightmare."

Adam Marshall, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce believes the new proposals could cause "unnecessary friction" in the workplace and "unrealistic expectations about the level of flexibility most businesses will be able to accommodate".

But the TUC welcomed the proposals, with General Secretary Brendan Barber describing them as common sense.

He said: "These reforms will make life easier for millions of working parents. Businesses will also benefit from a more engaged workforce and a larger pool of people to recruit from."

The entitlement to ask for flexible hours will be introduced in 2014 at the earliest and employers will have to provide good reason for refusing a request.

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Under Water: Venice Hit By Severe Flooding

Heavy rain and strong winds have led to 70% of Venice being flooded, while some 200 people were evacuated from their homes in Tuscany because of severe weather.

Authorities said sea levels in the lagoon city reached a peak of 5ft (1.5 metres) above normal before receding slightly.

This marked the sixth-highest level since records began in 1872, Italian news agency ANSA said.

Moveable barriers that would rise from the sea bed to protect Venice from high tides have been in the works for years but will not be operational before 2014.

In Tuscany, around 200 people were evacuated from their homes because of heavy rain which caused mudslides.

Several days of relentless rainfall have caused serious flooding in Venice

The most affected region was the province of Massa and Carrara, where around 50 people were evacuated and a car was swept away by an overflowing river.

Residents have been told to avoid going into the streets and to stay in the upper floors of their homes.

In Pisa, some streets have been without electricity.

In Liguria, the region bordering Tuscany, 30 people were forced to flee their homes.

In anticipation of the floods two days ago, authorities issued warnings and planned security measures to avoid casualties after 13 people died in Tuscany and Liguria a year ago.

The bad weather is said to be heading slowly towards the centre of the country and is set to hit Rome where civil defence forces have been put on alert.

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British Soldier Killed In 'Insider Attack'

A British soldier has been killed in Afghanistan in an apparent "insider attack" at his base, the Ministry of Defence has said.

The soldier, from The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, was killed while in Patrol Base Shawqat, in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province, a spokesman for Task Force Helmand said.

His next of kin have been informed.

Major Laurence Roche, a spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: "I am very sorry to report the death of a soldier ... who was shot by an individual wearing an Afghan National Army uniform at his base in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province.

"This is incredibly sad news for the battalion and everyone serving in Task Force Helmand.

"As we mark Remembrance this weekend, our thoughts now turn to the soldier's family and friends whose loss is so much greater than ours."

The insider attack takes to 438 the number of UK service members to have lost their lives in Afghanistan since operations started in October 2001.

The number of British servicemen killed by Afghan soldiers or police, which have become known as 'green on blue' attacks, is 12 this year, compared with one in 2011, three in 2010 and five in 2009.

At least 54 international troops have died as a result of such attacks - where Afghans turn their weapons on their coalition colleagues.

Responsibility for security in Afghanistan is due to be handed over to local military and police from 2014.

News of the killing came last night after the Queen led the nation in honouring the fallen, as the country fell silent to remember its war dead.

In scenes replicated at memorials across the UK and Commonwealth nations, the monarch laid the first wreath at the Cenotaph to commemorate members of the Armed Forces who died fighting in all conflicts since the First World War.

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BBC Crisis: News Executives To Stand Aside

BBC news director Helen Boaden and deputy Stephen Mitchell are to stand aside over the BBC crisis, Sky sources understand.

It follows the resignation of director general George Entwistle at the weekend in the wake of the Newsnight row.

Media commentator Steve Hewlett told Sky News: "Helen Boaden and Stephen Mitchell have up till now been standing aside from all matters Savile - now they'll be standing aside from everything.

"They're going to be replaced by Fran Unsworth, head of Home Newsgathering. She will become director of news, and Kerry Thomas, the editor of Radio 4's Today programme I understand is going to be deputy director."

Acting director general Tim Davie arrives for work

The acting director general is Tim Davie. He arrived for work but did not speak to waiting reporters. Later today he will set out his plans for rebuilding trust in the corporation in the wake of the botched Newsnight child abuse investigation.

Mr Davie held his first meeting last night with the BBC Trust since being drafted in to replace Mr Entwistle, who announced his resignation on Saturday.

It came as a row erupted over the disclosure that Mr Entwistle - who served just 54 days in the post - was to receive a full year's salary of £450,000 in lieu of notice.

Under the terms of the his contract he was entitled to only six months' pay but the trust said that the additional payment had been agreed as a reflection of his continuing involvement with the various BBC inquiries now under way.

BBC staff are now braced for further bloodletting.

On Sunday, Mr Davie received a report which Mr Entwistle had commissioned from BBC Scotland director Ken MacQuarrie into how Newsnight came to wrongly implicate former Tory Party treasurer Lord McAlpine in the north Wales children's home scandal of the 1970s and 1980s.

Before he quit, Mr Entwistle warned that it could result in disciplinary action against staff and over the weekend MPs demanded that those directly involved in the broadcast were held to account.

The future of Newsnight also appears to be in the balance, with the chairman of the BBC Trust Lord Patten warning that there would have to be some "tough managerial decisions".

More follows...

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BBC Boss Resigns After Newsnight Abuse Report

BBC's Reputation Is In Crisis

Updated: 7:52am UK, Sunday 11 November 2012

By Katie Stallard, Media Correspondent

The BBC has been through crises before, but nothing that has shaken trust quite like this.

According to a ComRes poll carried out after the Savile allegations came to light, but before the latest scandal hit, more people now believe the corporation is untrustworthy than trustworthy.

Of 1,002 adults polled last month, 47% did not agree that the BBC was trustworthy, compared to 45% who said it was.

Among 45 to 54 year-olds, the results were even worse - 59% said the corporation was not trustworthy.

Media commentator Steve Hewlett told Sky News it was the first time he could remember that more people did not trust, than trusted, the BBC.

The corporation has had its share of uncomfortable scrutiny over the last decade - the Hutton Inquiry, misleadingly edited footage of the Queen, the Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand affair.

Yet the Savile scandal seems to have resonated with viewers like never before.

In the space of just over five weeks, Savile has been unmasked as, according to police, one of the most prolific sex offenders the country has ever seen, the BBC has had to order an inquiry into why a Newsnight report that might have uncovered his activities was shelved, and now another Newsnight investigation has been broadcast falsely accusing a senior Tory of being a paedophile.

It has not been the corporation's finest hour.

What's at stake now is trust in the integrity of the BBC's journalism, and trust in the senior management's ability to get a grip.

Mr Hewlett said: "It looks like no-one's in charge, no-one's got a grip and it's clearly unsettling. Not just inside the BBC, where it's plainly unsettling, I can tell you that for certain, but it's also unsettling out there. People are not sure, they are just not sure."

Before he resigned as the corporation's director-general, George Entwistle demanded a report into the latest Newsnight incident and halted all Newsnight investigations while their editorial robustness is assessed.

He also had to admit that he did not see the Newsnight report in question at the time - he was out that night - and he did not know anything about it in advance. He found out about it on the internet, he said.

That led to the unfortunate label "Incurious George" from some - the man who failed to ask questions as Director of Vision last year about the Newsnight Savile investigation, and who failed, as director-general and editor-in-chief of the BBC, to show that he was wholly in charge of the organisation.

Conor Burns MP said that ought to have been "at the very heart of George Entwistle's agenda every day" and which has been "destroying the credibility of the BBC".

"This is a crisis for the BBC, it's been an ongoing crisis for the BBC for some weeks now," he added.

Trust in the BBC is more than just a warm, fluffy sentiment - the BBC depends on the trust of the public because it depends on the licence fee to fund it.

Perhaps no surprise then that the BBC Trust, which oversees the corporation and protects the interests of the licence fee payer, has expressed its concern.

A spokesperson told us: "This is a deeply troubling episode. The Trust notes the BBC Executive's apology and would like to offer its own apology also.

"The Trust has impressed upon the director-general the need to get to the bottom of this as a matter of the utmost urgency and will expect appropriate action to be taken as quickly as possible."

In other words, Auntie needs to get the house in order.

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Jimmy Savile Inquiry Police Arrest Man

Police investigating sexual abuse claims surrounding Jimmy Savile have arrested a man in his 70s.

The suspect is being held as part of Operation Yewtree - an inquiry into alleged child sexual exploitation by Savile and others.

Police said the man was detained at 7:15am at an address in Cambridge on suspicion of sexual offences, and has been taken into custody locally.

Among those previously arrested by Operation Yewtree detectives have been comedian Freddie Starr and singer Gary Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd.

More follows...

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Man Sought Over Missing Teen In Stevenage

Police in Hertfordshire have appealed to the public to help trace a man wanted in connection with the disappearance of a 19-year-old who is believed to have been murdered.

Detectives want to question 22-year-old Jack Wall, of Hadrian's Walk, Stevenage.

He is thought to be blind in one eye and is described as having a distinctive squint.

The 19-year-old has been named as Amelia Arnold, from Stevenage, who was last seen on Wednesday.

Detective Chief Inspector Tim Redfearn, from the joint Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire major crime unit, said: "We have reason to believe that the missing woman has been murdered and we'd urgently like to speak with Jack Wall in connection with the inquiry.

"It is likely he may be in the Stevenage area, but he could be further afield."

DCI Redfearn, who is leading the inquiry, added: "I would urge anyone who has information about his whereabouts to call police as a matter of urgency.

"I'd also like to appeal directly to Jack. If you are reading this, please go to Stevenage or your nearest police station to speak with officers."

Amelia Arnold was last seen on Wednesday

As part of the inquiry, detectives and scene-of-crime specialists are examining a property in Hadrian's Walk.

Witnesses who may have seen suspicious activity at the address between Wednesday and Friday are also being asked to come forward.

Mr Redfearn said: "We've been speaking with residents in Hadrian's Walk but I would like to hear from anyone who has been in the area between these times and believes they may have seen or heard any suspicious activity to make contact with police.

"We would also like to appeal to anyone who may have witnessed anyone acting suspiciously in a white Citroen Berlingo, registration R389 VDP, in the Stevenage area since Wednesday.

"Any information, however small could prove vital to our investigation."

Meanwhile, a 41-year-old man from the local area has been arrested in connection with the investigation and is in police custody.

Anyone with information which could assist the inquiry should contact police by calling the non-emergency number, 101. Alternatively, information can be passed on anonymously to the Crimestoppers hotline on 0800 555111.

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