Nelson Mandela's Body To Be Flown To Funeral

Retired archbishop Demond Tutu will miss his close friend Nelson Mandela's burial service, amid allegations he was not invited for politcal reasons.

The 82-year-old, who also missed a memorial service in Sowetto earlier this week, has been openly critical of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party.

His spokesman refused to comment on the reasons for his exclusion, saying only: "He is not presently planning to attend."

It comes as final preparations are made to fly Mr Mandela's body to South Africa's Eastern Cape ahead of a state funeral for the former president.

After a farewell service in Pretoria's Waterkloof air base, his coffin will be carried onto a military plane bound for Mthatha.

The casket will then begin its final journey to the village of Qunu, the anti-apartheid icon's childhood home.

The mostly sombre event in Pretoria was punctuated by song and dance, as the ANC paid tribute to its former leader.

President Jacob Zuma recalled the political achievements of his predecessor, saying he brought discipline and vision to the anti-apartheid movement.

"He did something that is not easy to do," he said.

Mr Mandela's grandson Mandla, who sat with his grandfather for three days while he lay in state in Pretoria, also attended the service.

He told the audience: "I have witnessed his army, I have witnessed his people, I have witnessed ordinary South Africans who walked this long walk to freedom with him.

"I can assure the ANC that today, the future of this country looks bright."

Mr Mandela's state funeral is a first for South Africa and means full military ceremonial honours will be laid on, led by the armed forces.

A 21-gun salute will ring out and the South African Air Force will perform a fly pass.

The centuries-old traditions of the Xhosa tribe will also be observed, with a ritual slaughtering of an ox before Mr Mandela's body arrives at Mthatha airport.

A group of traditional leaders and Mandela elders, led by Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, the AbaThembu king, will welcome him home to Qunu.

According to his memoirs, the village, with its rolling hills and dusty tracks, was where he spent "the happiest days" of his childhood.

Zwelonke Sigcau, the Xhosa king, told Sky News: "The Xhosa people believe Nelson Mandela is not leaving us. It is just his body which is going into the ground. His spirit will remain."

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Lynne Spalding Death Linked To Alcoholism

A British woman found dead in a locked stairwell 17 days after going missing from her San Francisco hospital room probably died of a chemical imbalance due to complications from alcohol abuse, a coroner has said.

Lynne Spalding, 57, disappeared from the city's general hospital on September 21 but her body was not found until October 8.

Assistant medical examiner Ellen Moffat said in a new report that the mother-of-two had been dead for days before the discovery.

The medical examiner's office said Ms Spalding was confused and delirious on the day she disappeared.

Ms Moffat said Ms Spalding, originally from Peterlee, Co Durham, didn't know the day or time or even why she was in the hospital.

She had been admitted for a bladder or urinary tract infection and arrived at the hospital thin and frail with her children worried about her condition.

San Francisco General Hospital

Although sheriff's deputies at the hospital did a "perimeter search" of the hospital's 24-acre campus within an hour of her disappearance, it was not until September 30 that they attempted a more extensive search of the grounds.

The next day, after it became clear that not all the stairwells used as fire exits had been searched, a supervisor ordered the stairwell searches to continue, yet "only about half the stairwells" ever were, Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi said.

Ms Spalding's friends and relatives spent days scouring the streets of the Californian city with flyers because they were "under the assumption that San Francisco General had been searched and Lynne was not here".

On October 4 a hospital staff member told the sheriff's department that someone had reported seeing a body in a locked stairwell of the building where Ms Spalding had been a patient.

A sheriff's dispatcher told hospital officials the department would respond, but "there is no indication that any one was dispatched to that stairwell".

Ms Spalding had lived in the city for more than 20 years and had two grown-up children, a 19-year-old son and 23-year-old daughter, who both live in the US.

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Mandela To Return To Homeland For Funeral

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, in Qunu

He is Qunu's most famous son and the return of Mr Mandela's body to his ancestral homeland is not just for sentimental reasons - it is part of Xhosa tradition that those who pass away are returned to the soil from where they came.

This weekend sees a stark shift in tempo, organisation and ceremony as the state funeral meshes with the centuries-old traditions of Mr Mandela's countrymen and women in the rural Eastern Cape.

"We feel very represented by Nelson Mandela," Mandisi Tshaka, a young Xhosa man, resplendent in his traditional robes and big beaded necklace told me.

"Everyone in the world knows the Xhosa tribe because of him and we're saluting him."

The South African government has announced the former president's state funeral is a "first for the country" and means full military ceremonial honours will be laid on and led by the armed forces.

There will be 21 gun salutes and a fly-over by the South African Air Force.

But there is a strong importance being put on performing the Xhosa rites as Mr Mandela is laid to rest.

There will be a ritual slaughtering of an ox in the early hours before receiving Mr Mandela's body at Mthatha airport in the Eastern Cape.

The AbaThembu king, Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, is expected to lead a group of traditional leaders as well as Mandela elders in welcoming him home to the village of Qunu where he spent much of his childhood.

Xhosa custom dictates a welcome ritual is performed to ensure the ancestors are iinformed of the arrival of Mr Mandela's remains.

Mr Mandela will be called on by his praise name Dlibhunga and the AbaThembu king will shout this three times as he greets the body when he arrives home.

Despite the pomp and ceremony of the state funeral, there will be equal, if not more, importance put on the traditional Xhosa burial rituals to ensure the man they call Madiba has an easy transition into the afterworld.

The Xhosa king, Zwelonke Sigcau, told Sky News: "The Xhosa people believe Nelson Mandela is not leaving us. It is just his body which is going into the ground. His spirit will remain."

Mr Mandela's body lay in state for three days

In the African culture many believe a dead person's spirit lives on beyond death and joins other ancestors who guide, help and protect the living.

It is a belief which greatly helps alleviate the pain felt by the loss of a loved one - and Mr Mandela may assume even greater importance amongst his people because of his exalted status as a spiritual ancestor now.

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Food Poverty: 1.5m UK Pensioners Struggling

By Ashish Joshi, Sky News Correspondent

More than 1.5 million British pensioners are now living in food poverty - and the situation is set to worsen this winter, according to new research.

The Centre for Economics and Business says a quarter of over-65s have had to make cutbacks on food over the past three years, and over one million are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition because they are struggling to afford basic nutritious food.

The reason is that while the cost of living has continued to rise, incomes have not kept pace.

Increasing food prices in particular have hit the elderly the most.

The study shows over-65s will spend an average of £699 on food between October and December this year - that's an increase of £138 compared to the same quarter five years ago.

And by 2018 there will be an additional increase of £297 on top of that bill. It all adds up to the over-65s being harder hit than any other demographic.

Members describe the lunch clubs as a lifeline

Raina Barnes, 82, from Perivale, Middlesex, has been attending the Age Concern lunch club in Greenford for the past few months. Hot meals and warm company are provided by the charity.

Mrs Barnes, who was widowed last year, remembers when a £30 shop would easily last a few weeks. These days, she says, you get "hardly anything" for that amount.

"I think the supermarkets are taking us for a ride. One minute they're putting their prices down. The next they're going higher. You've only got a certain amount of money to spend," she says.

"All the basics like bread, milk and eggs are the things you need all the time. I mean eggs have just gone up terrible. You just have to see how it goes."

Sharing the dinner table with Mrs Barnes is 88-year-old Harry Thomas, a World War Two veteran. Mr Thomas says he shops around to compare the best prices in local supermarkets.

"It's a very hard thing these days for people, the price of things. You go to one shop and the price might have been dropped and you go to another and the price goes up a little bit.

"You never know what to buy. All I do is look at the price and say 'too high' and I don't bother."

Danny Woolcott, 87, has been a regular at the lunch club for more than six years. The retired mechanic, from Southall, visits three times a week.

He blames the Government for "letting pensioners down".

"I would like to see any government looking after the elderly people of this country.

"The people who brought this country along are being neglected badly and I think it's disgusting the way things have been left, honestly and truthfully."

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Migrants Face 'More Robust' Benefits Test

A "more robust" test for migrants who want to claim income-related benefits is being rolled out at Jobcentres across Wales, England and Scotland this week.

The new habitual residence test is part of the Government's plan to ensure that only migrants who have a legal right to be in the UK, and plan to contribute to this country, can make a claim for benefits.

In order to pass the test, migrants will have to answer more individually tailored questions, provide more detailed answers, and submit more evidence before they will be allowed to make a claim.

For the first time migrants will be quizzed about what efforts they have made to find work before coming to the UK and whether their English language skills will be a barrier to them finding employment.

Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said: "It is vitally important that we have strict rules in place to protect the integrity of our benefits system.

"The British public are rightly concerned that migrants should contribute to this country and not be drawn here by the attractiveness of our benefits system.

"And we are taking action to ensure that that is the case.

"The roll-out of the new habitual residence test is the first in a series of measures to ensure that we have a fair system: one which provides support for genuine workers and jobseekers, but does not allow people to come to our country and take advantage.

"It is a crucial part of our long-term plan to secure Britain's economy."

Labour's shadow welfare minister Chris Bryant said: "For generations, people have come to this country and worked hard to contribute to Britain, but the principle of contribution is an important one, and the controls on immigration must be fair to those who live here.

"That is why Labour called for stronger restrictions on benefits for new arrivals from the EU, including proposals eight months ago to strengthen the habitual residence test to make it clear that people should not be able to claim benefits when they first arrive.

"At the time, the Government dismissed those proposals, but eight months later they have changed their minds and keep re-announcing their proposals.

"Yet the Government are still doing nothing to tackle the serious problem of low-skilled migrant workers being exploited, undercutting local workers and responsible businesses too.

"That is bad for everyone, yet they are doing nothing about it."

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North Korea Executes Leader's 'Traitor' Uncle

The once-powerful uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has been executed for a string of alleged crimes.

State news agency KCNA announced his death early on Friday, branding the once-powerful General Jang Song-Thaek a "traitor".

Gen Jang was executed on Thursday shortly after a special military trial, the agency reported, after committing such a "hideous crime as attempting to overthrow the state by all sorts of intrigues and despicable methods with a wild ambition to grab the supreme power of our party and state".

South Korean media say they believe he was killed by machine gun - a relatively common form of execution in the North.

Gen Jang was removed from a party meeting by soldiers

The announcement comes days after Pyongyang announced that Gen Jang had been removed from all his posts because of allegations of corruption, drug use, gambling, womanising, generally leading a "dissolute and depraved life" and "dreaming different dreams".

He was once considered the second most powerful official in the North.

He was seen as helping Mr Kim consolidate power after the death of his father, Kim Jong-Il, two years ago.

Gen Jang is the latest and most significant in a series of personnel reshuffles that Mr Kim has conducted in an apparent effort to bolster his power.

Gen Jang pictured with Kim Jong-Un

In a viciously-worded attack, the regime accused Gen Jang of betraying the trust of both Mr Kim and his father, saying he had received "deeper trust" from the younger leader in particular.

Branding Gen Jang "despicable human scum ... worse than a dog", the regime accused him of attempting to stand in the way of Mr Kim's succession, according to KCNA.

Gen Jang, who was married to the sister of the late Kim Jong-Il, played a key role in cementing the leadership of the inexperienced new leader.

But analysts say the 67-year-old's power and influence had become increasingly resented by his nephew, who is aged around 30.

Gen Jang - seen as Mr Kim's political regent and the country's unofficial number two - had earlier been stripped of all posts and titles, with the regime accusing him of corruption and building a rival power base.

Kim Jong-Un is seen looking suspiciously at his uncle in July

State TV this week showed photos of Gen Jang being dragged out of his seat at a meeting by two officers, in an extremely rare public humiliation of a figure who was then demonised as a drug-taking womaniser.

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye on Tuesday accused Mr Kim of resorting to extreme violence to cement his leadership.

"North Korea is now engaged in a reign of terror while carrying out a massive purge to consolidate the power of Kim Jong-Un," she told a cabinet meeting, according to her office.

The Kim family has ruled the North for six decades with an iron fist, regularly purging those showing the slightest sign of dissent. Most are executed or sent to prison camps.

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Chicago: Everyday Violence In US Murder Capital

By Amanda Walker, US Correspondent

An anonymous room in a quiet wing of a Chicago hospital - a dimly lit room is slowly filling up. Couples arrive holding hands. Others come alone, looking tentative and lost. None of them want to be here.

The sign on the door reads "Parents of Murdered Children Support Group". Over the next two hours they share their stories. They are shocking and heart-breaking.

Talk of gunshots, blood, violence, anger and revenge swirls around the room. What they're all bound by is a deep sense of loss. This is the seldom-seen side of an epidemic of violence.

The Windy City has plenty to brag about - pristine skyscrapers, a celebrated basketball team, Kanye West and another local guy who became president. Less illustrious are the latest FBI figures, which earned Chicago the title of America's murder capital.

A few miles from the gleaming architecture is Chicago's Southside - home to some of the most deadly gangs in America. A total of 506 people were murdered here in 2012 - more than in any other city in the United States.

The Bulls and the President are among Chicago's sources of pride

For a nation overwhelmed by gun violence, daily shootings have become unremarkable. But for those who call these streets home, the cry for the killing to stop has rarely been louder.

During several trips to Chicago's Southside we tried to unravel the "murder capital" headline. Why are people killing each other at such a rate? How are the people left behind dealing with this American tragedy?

Bad traffic and lost lunchboxes are the chief worries on most school runs, but for Curtis Elementary parents the concerns are far graver.

At the end of the school day the school dean does a perimeter check. He's looking for that suspiciously parked car, the row in the street that could boil over - any sign whatsoever of gang activity.

Only when he's satisfied things look OK are the children allowed to leave. The streets they spill onto are some of the most dangerous in the country.

It is then up to the armed police to see the children home safely. Patrol cars cruise the area and officers line the way home.

Fluorescent-jacketed volunteers tell the children to button their coats or tie their shoelaces. What they are actually trained to do is spot a situation that could and has extinguished a carefree life.

This daily operation is called Safe Passage. It's the city's attempt to stop children as young as five from being shot.

Mother-of-two Susan Mace says guns are a constant worry.

"Sometimes you will hear gunshots early in the morning and I'll be like 'oh my god'," she said.

"In the morning time, before school hours for them. I worry something will happen to them. So that's a big issue for me."

Armed police help some Chicago children home from school

Chicago's violence touches all ages, but overwhelmingly the victims are young black men in their late teens and early 20s. Not all of them are involved in gangs.

Dionte Maxwell was a bright boy with a promising future. His 23-year-old uncle, Chris, has to face the spot where his nephew was killed every single day.

They were at a party in his back yard when an armed gang tried to force their way in. Dionte's family know his killers because they live on the next block. I ask Chris if he ever feels like seeking revenge:

"Of course," he says.

"The easy way out was like to go and shoot them back, kill them in a worse way, like in their face, so their parents can't have an open-casket funeral. You think those thoughts."

His mother, Dionte's grandmother, Brenda interrupts.

"We don't want to retaliate and the reason is what good does that do?" she says.

"It might make you feel good for a few minutes, but you've got to think about this every day, like if we went back and killed his mother, and every day we have to live with that? And when does it stop?"

Local unsigned rap group the Loud Pack Team say their lyrics are about real life. For them, that includes drugs and guns.

Their reluctance to admit carrying a gun disappears in their music videos in which they proudly display their weapons. They rap about getting their first gun and the age of 12.

"We nicknamed it Chiraq, like Iraq, all that shooting and killing, a lot of guns out here," one member says.

"We call it Chiraq because that's how we feel, like we're in a war zone right now. People (are) dying every day."

Chicago's streets are dominated by a mind-boggling number of warring gangs and cliques.

They inhabit a world where standing on the wrong street corner can get you killed, where petty personal disputes are waged with guns.

Everyone is constantly watching their back. Insult someone on Facebook and you could wind up dead the next day.

We're repeatedly told it's easier to get a gun than a computer. Every year Chicago's Police recover more guns than any other city in the country: three times more than Los Angeles, nine times more than New York.

But there's no official way of tracking how so many guns are getting onto Chicago's streets.

Current laws allow straw purchases, which means one person could walk into a gun shop, buy 10 guns and then hand them out to their friends.

Church offers a sanctuary away from violence. Father Michael Pfleger is known and respected by pretty much everyone in this community, mainly because he isn't afraid to speak out.

A shrine to one of the Windy City's many murder victims

"Guns are easy to come by," he says.

"I go to a grammar school and ask people who could get a gun and every hand goes up. So, if you don't find your self-esteem from school, from a job, from family, or from your neighbourhood, then you look for ways to feel valued, respected and important on the street.

"So what's one thing everyone can be? It's a shooter. So you don't need a job, you don't need an education to be a shooter. So you're out here and you're a shooter, you've got a name on the street.

"Maybe for a week, you've got a name on the street - 'you bad, you shot somebody'."

Father Pfleger runs an initiative called Peacemakers basketball, where rival gangs come together and play on the same team.

A year ago this was unthinkable, but now players say that on the street they will nod at guys they once would have pointed a gun at.

The programme is given kudos by the involvement of former gang members like Curtis, who used to lead the notorious Black P Stones.

"I try to tell them you only get one chance," he says.

"What I do is try to go to that inner part of their heart and ask them who is that one person in the world that you would give your life for. How would if feel for them to see you dead?

"You can't live your life like Black Ops. It's not a videogame. You don't get an extra life. Once you're dead, you're dead. Once you kill someone, they don't come back to life.

"And once you go out on that retaliation mission you only get that sense of fulfilment for a small amount of time."

As America remembers the shooting that shocked the nation - which saw 20 pupils and six staff members massacred at Sandy Hook Elementary School - the man who runs this league says the plight of Chicago's Southsiders is being ignored.

"Newtown was horrific," he says.

"My problem was we were suddenly confronting violence in America after 20 white babies get killed. Five hundred and six children in Chicago get killed (and) it's just another day in Chicago, so race is definitely a part of it.

"If white children were being killed as much as black and brown children are getting killed, then we wouldn't be sat here talking about this violence."

This is a national problem. So far no one has a solution.

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GP Failings Exposed As Maggots Found In Surgery

Sin Doctors: Bad Surgeries Summary

Updated: 2:47am UK, Thursday 12 December 2013

Here is a summary of what inspectors found in a number of surgeries that have been subject to enforcement action by the CQC:

Dr Harira Syed's practice in Rochdale, Lancashire:

:: No equipment available, such as oxygen, to use in the case of a patient emergency.

:: Most staff had not been trained in safeguarding, and some were unaware there was a safeguarding policy in place.

:: There were not enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to safeguard people's health, safety and welfare. T

Norris Road Surgery, Sale, Cheshire:

:: Staff had not undergone criminal record checks.

:: Confidential records left unattended or not securely stored in a number of areas of the practice.

:: A number of medicines used to treat patients in emergency situations were past their expiry date and also found some vaccines stored in the fridge that were six months out of date.

Wolds Practice, Horncastle, Lincolnshire:

:: Inspectors found "a number of recent errors relating to medicines being supplied incorrectly to patients due to errors when medicines are bagged up and handed to them".

:: There were also problems relating to the management of controlled drugs.

Kingshurst Medical Practice, Kingshurst, Birmingham:

:: Conditions were so bad that the surgery has now voluntarily opted out of registration with the CQC and services are being run by a new provider.

63 Lincoln Road Surgery, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire:

:: Practice was "visibly dusty, poorly maintained and there were inadequate systems in place to prevent and control the spread of infections.

:: There were no risk assessments and staff were not familiar with the fire alarm system.

:: In the main treatment room, where minor surgical procedures were performed, they found "dusty fixtures and fittings which included an examination light and a wall-mounted fan".

:: Reuseable instruments were not stored properly.

Northfield Surgery, Thorne, Doncaster, South Yorkshire:

:: Shortfalls in prescribing had resulted in one patient receiving medicine they were not supposed to have been prescribed.

:: Staff had access to training but there were some gaps in the training plan and appraisal system. There were also shortfalls in systems to monitor the quality

of the service provided to patients.

Dr Satish Patel's surgery, Newtown, Reading, Berkshire:

:: Was clean and tidy but did not follow guidance for infection control.

Long Street Surgery, Wigston, Leicestershire:

:: There were problems with staff training, including on protecting patients from abuse. Appointment processes had improved.

:: Personal information found on a desk and in folders on an open bookcase.

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Mandela: 'Fake' Signer Blames Schizophrenia

A "fake" sign language interpreter at Nelson Mandela's memorial service has reportedly said he suffered a schizophrenic episode.

Thamsanqa Jantjie, who was criticised for apparently making "meaningless gestures" while interpreting the speeches of world leaders on stage, said he takes medication for the condition.

Mr Jantjie says he started hearing voices and hallucinating

He does not know whether it was the scale of the event or the happiness he felt about being involved that triggered the episode.

The 34-year-old, who was pictured signing next to the likes of US President Barack Obama, claimed he suddenly lost concentration and started hearing voices and hallucinating.

Mr Jantjie said it impaired his ability to hear things properly and interpret what was said, but he did not feel able to leave so continued to sign words and phrases that did not make sense.

He has apologised and was quoted by South Africa's Star newspaper as saying: "There was nothing I could do. I was alone in a very dangerous situation.

"I tried to control myself and not show the world what was going on. I am very sorry, it's the situation I found myself in.

"Life is unfair. This illness is unfair. Anyone who doesn't understand this illness will think that I'm just making this up."

Concerns over the interpreter had been raised by deaf people watching the service at Johannesburg's FNB Stadium.

The interpreter pictured next to President Barack Obama

Bruno Druchen, national director of the Deaf Federation of South Africa, said he "was moving his hands around but there was no meaning in what he used his hands for".

South African parliament member Wilma Newhoudt, a member of the ruling party, also said the interpreter communicated nothing with his hand and arm movements.

Both Mr Druchen and Ms Newhoudt are deaf.

Three sign language experts said the man was not signing in South African or American sign languages.

South African sign language covers all of the country's 11 official languages, according to the federation.

Nicole Du Toit, an official sign language interpreter who also watched the broadcast, said the man on stage was an "embarrassment".

Mr Jantjie has been called an 'embarrassment'

Mr Jantjie, who was accused of being an imposter, which led to security concerns, claims he is a genuine interpreter and was paid 850 Rand (£50) for one day's work.

He says he has photographs of him working next to various people including President Jacob Zuma in the past.

He felt honoured to be part of the historic event on Tuesday, he said, but the president's office has contacted him to find out who recommended him for the job.

The South African government is to investigate what happened.

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Nelson Mandela's Coffin Goes On Public View

Mandela: Obama Lightens A Rainy Day

Updated: 6:58am UK, Wednesday 11 December 2013

By Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor

They came, they saw, they spoke, and spoke, and spoke, and most of them bored people, and then Barack Obama arrived.

He lifted spirits, captured the moment, and reminded us that, no matter the stadium was half full, the world was watching.

The dignitaries made speech after speech. Many of the approximately 50,000 people in the stadium, which holds 90,000, appeared not to listen. Until Mr Obama took the stage.

Most speakers were dull, some seemed unable to end their speeches, a few were inspiring, but Mr Obama showed us all how it can be done and it was no surprise that when he left halfway through the ceremony, so did thousands of other people.

In South Africa, it is an honour if it rains at an occasion such as this. So the heavens opened and poured a deluge on the crowds who sang and danced under a panoply of colourful umbrellas. The weather may explain a turnout far lower than the authorities expected.

Large sections of the FNB stadium near Soweto were empty and thus vividly displaying the orange seats not taken by South Africans. The three overflow stadiums in nearby Orlando, Dobonsville, and Rand had at best a few hundred people in total present.

The government had planned for another 90 screens to be set up around the country for people to gather and watch the first stage of the long goodbye - it seems most preferred the privacy of their own homes, television sets and thoughts.

Those who did brave the conditions at the FNB were treated to the sight of Mr Obama, who arrived to huge cheers. That was in contrast to the arrival of their own President. Jacob Zuma was soundly booed when introduced and an embarrassed Cyril Ramaphosa, deputy head of the ANC, had to ask the crowd for "discipline".

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon stepped up to the podium to loud cheers, which is not something the shy but friendly South Korean is used to.

Francois Hollande, of France, was ignored, and in turn mostly ignored the man he was sitting next to, his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy. They sat together but had apparently - because they dislike each other so much - flown to South Africa in different planes.

Various former British prime ministers and current EU dignitaries showed up to add to the security and traffic chaos, but no one appeared to notice them very much. 

Mr Obama shook hands with Raul Castro of Cuba, the British didn't go anywhere near Mr Mugabe, and no one recognised the Israeli delegation as it appeared to be comprised of deputy vice foreign ministers, deputy second secretaries from the ministry of agriculture, and the driver from the embassy who was dragged in on his day off. 

Former US president Bill Clinton still had star quality though and drew people to him like a magnet.

Mr Obama does the same, and there's a reason why. Like Mr Clinton before him, he knows the right thing to say, when to say it, and how to say it.

He used the Bantu word 'Ubuntu' saying Mr Mandela recognised its meaning - that we are all bound together in ways that can be invisible to the eye.

There was a jab aimed at some of his fellow leaders when he said: "There are too many leaders who claim solidarity with Madiba's struggle for freedom, but do not tolerate dissent from their own people."

He ended with what from some people could sound formulaic, but from the American president sounded like a man on form: "What a great soul it was. We will miss him deeply. May God bless the memory of Nelson Mandela. May God bless the people of South Africa."

The great speech maker rose to the occasion and the crowd rose to him and the memory of a great man.

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Fog Causes Heathrow Flight Cancellations

Heavy fog in the southeast of England is causing flight delays and hazardous driving conditions for commuters.

Forty incoming and outgoing flights have already been cancelled this morning, a Heathrow Airport spokeswoman said.

The Met Office has warned the public of travel disruption, with visibility of less than 50 metres in places causing some dangerous driving conditions.

Sky News' Harriet Hadfield, in west London, said there were reports of "almost no visibility" on some motorways such as the M25.

London's City Airport is also experiencing disruption to inbound and outbound flights, with eight out of 10 flights cancelled or delayed.

Among the services axed are British Airways flights to Zurich, Glasgow and Dusseldorf.

Visibility on some roads in the southeast is less than 50 metres

Gatwick is operating without any problems but there are delays at Southampton Airport.

Today's flight problems follow last Saturday's major disruption at all airports after difficulties at the  headquarters of air traffic control company Nats.

Ferry services have also been affected by the fog, with delays to Wightlink Ferries - which operates routes between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Customers are advised to check company websites before travelling.

The fog, which extends towards the Midlands and the east of England, is expected to clear at about 10am.

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Ukraine Protests: Police Move In On Kiev Camp

Ukrainian riot police have entered Kiev's City Hall to try to force out protesters who have occupied the building, the activists claimed.

The protesters, demanding President Viktor Yanukovich's resignation, said police had entered the building after a night of scuffles and a tense stand-off, Reuters reported.  

Live footage from the Espreso TV channel showed the protesters appearing to fire water back at the police from hoses after officers blocked the building off with buses.

Activists linked hands and sang the national anthem as police gathered

But interior minister Vitaly Zakharchenko said there would be "no storming of the square" as he appealed for calm.

He said: "No-one will violate your rights to protest peacefully, but do not ignore the rights... of other citizens."

Thousands of officers had moved in on the anti-government protesters' camp in the centre of Ukrainian capital at around 1am on Wednesday.

There were clashes as the protestors put up fierce resistance for hours, pushing back at the police lines to keep them away from key sites in the camp.

Protesters shouted "Shame!", ''We will stand!" and sang the Ukrainian national anthem. Ukrainian singer Ruslana, who is with the protesters, was heard appealing to police through a loud hailer: "Don't hurt us."

By dawn the police had regained control of a large section of the square, using heavy equipment to bulldoze tents and put them in a rubbish truck.

Police appeared to receive hundreds of reinforcements

Sky Correspondent Katie Stallard, in Kiev, said: "The protesters on their side are coming to their defensive positions and looking out.

"The police, for their part, are formed up and seem to be waiting for the order to go in.

"We saw protesters earlier today reinforcing their positions with whatever they could find, with oil drums, with timber. They've strung barbed wire along some of the sections of the barricades."

Ukrainian opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk called for a millions-strong protest, predicting the regime of President Viktor Yanukovych would fall.

"We will not forgive this," he said.

"Here there will be millions and his regime is going to collapse."

US Secretary of State John Kerry voiced the country's "disgust" at Ukraine's repression of demonstrators.

"(Washington) expresses its disgust with the decision of Ukrainian authorities to meet the peaceful protest in Kiev's Maidan Square with riot police, bulldozers, and batons, rather than with respect for democratic rights and human dignity," he said.

"This response is neither acceptable nor does it befit a democracy."

Opposition leader Vitali Klitschko, who is a reigning world heavyweight boxing champion, urged Ukrainians to rush to the centre of the capital to defend democracy.

"We will say no to a police state, no to a dictatorship," he told protesters in the square.

The storming of the camp comes despite a visit by two top Western diplomats to try to defuse a weeks-long stand-off between the opposition and Mr Yanukovych.

Protesters have been demonstrating against the government's decision to pull out of negotiations on a trade pact with the European Union and rebuild economic ties with Russia.

European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton had earlier visited the camp after first meeting Mr Yanukovych and then opposition leaders.

She issued a statement in response to the police's actions, saying: "I observe with sadness that police use force to remove peaceful people from the centre of Kiev.

"The authorities didn't need to act under the coverage of night to engage with the society by using police.

"Dialogue with political forces and society and use of arguments is always better than the argument of force."

Mr Yanukovych had previously attempted to calm the situation by calling for the release of the demonstrators arrested in the protests and vowing that Ukraine is still interested in integrating with Europe.

His efforts, however, stopped far short of opposition demands that his government resign, and the two sides appeared no closer to a resolution that would chart out a secure future for their economically troubled nation.

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Central African Republic: French Troops Killed

Two French soldiers have been killed in the Central African Republic, officials in Paris have confirmed.

The deaths represent the first French casualties since President Francois Hollande deployed 1,600 troops to restore order there.

A statement from the Elysee Palace said: "With much sadness, the president learned of the deaths in combat of two French soldiers last night in Bangui.

"They lost their lives to save many others.

"The president expresses his profound respect for the sacrifice of these two soldiers and renews his full confidence in the French forces committed - alongside African forces - to restoring security in the Central African Republic, to protecting the people and guaranteeing access to humanitarian aid."

Mr Hollande, who is in South Africa to attend the memorial for Nelson Mandela, was due to visit French troops in the Central African Republic later along with foreign minister Laurent Fabius.

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Antarctica Sets -95C Record Low Temperature

The coldest ever recorded temperature on Earth has been reported by scientists in East Antarctica.

Newly analysed data showed the temperature plunged to -94.7C (-135.8F) in August 2010.

The review of Nasa satellite data also revealed it came close again in July this year, with -92.9C (-135.3F).

Both beat the previous record of -89.2C (-128.6F).

Ice scientist Ted Scambos at the National Snow and Ice Data Centre announced the record at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco on Monday.

"It's more like you'd see on Mars on a nice summer day in the Poles," he said.

The news comes as the US shivers in record temperatures as low as -41C

"I'm confident that these pockets are the coldest places on Earth."

However, Mr Scambos said the temperatures would not be in the Guinness Book of World Records because they were measured by satellite, not thermometers.

"Thank God, I don't know how exactly it feels," he said, of the record temperature.

He added that scientists routinely made naked dashes in the South Pole during temperatures of 73C below zero (-100F) as a stunt, so people can survive such extreme cold for about three minutes.

Mr Scambos said researchers needed to breathe through a snorkel that brings air into the coat through a sleeve and warms it up "so you don't inhale (the cold air) by accident".

Waleed Abdalati, an ice scientist at the University of Colorado and Nasa's former chief scientist, said the new record was likely to be an unusual random reading in a place that has not been measured much before.

He added that it may have been colder or hotter in the past, but that we would not know.

"It does speak to the range of conditions on this Earth, some of which we haven't been able to observe," he said.

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Nelson Mandela Memorial: World Leaders In SA

Nelson Mandela: Obituary Of An Icon

Updated: 6:30am UK, Friday 06 December 2013

Nelson Mandela's long but ultimately successful struggle to liberate South Africa's oppressed black majority made him a figure of hope and inspiration for millions of people around the world.

Feisty young lawyer, determined founder of the ANC's youth movement, militant commander, prisoner, president - his role in the fight for freedom was constantly evolving throughout his life.

Alongside mentor Walter Sisulu and great friend Oliver Tambo, he brought focus to the anti-apartheid campaign where it was needed, but became an enemy of the state in the process.

In 1963, already behind bars and facing the death penalty during a sabotage trial, Mr Mandela gave his famous "speech from the dock".

The words - combative, but measured and full of hope - signalled the emergence of the statesman who would become an icon of the 20th century.

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He said: "I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination.

"I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.

"It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

The apartheid government jailed Mr Mandela and his comrades for life in 1964 but they could not lock away the ideas he embodied and the righteousness of his cause.

To allies of South Africa's racist regime - including some in Britain - Mr Mandela remained for many years a "terrorist".

But for campaigners Mr Mandela's 27-year ordeal behind bars, often in a cramped cell on Robben Island or in solitary confinement, represented all that was wrong with apartheid.

Pressure to free "prisoner 46664" went hand-in-hand with diplomacy and sanctions as the world set its sights on ending the injustice of South Africa's racial rule.

The beaming smile and joyful raised fist as he walked free from Paarl's Victor-Verster Prison with his wife Winnie on February 11, 1990, proved beyond doubt to most South Africans that a dark chapter in the country's history was coming to a close.

As President from 1994, Mr Mandela sought to build his "Rainbow Nation" - feted by world leaders as he crossed the globe outlining his vision of a non-racial democracy.

His campaign to unite the nation - black and white - behind the victorious Springboks rugby team during the 1995 World Cup in South Africa made many believe that vision could really be achieved.

An often troubled and traumatic personal life - including the split from Winnie following her kidnapping and assault trial - was never allowed to eclipse the greater goal of guiding South Africa into a new era.

After retiring in 1999, Mr Mandela - fondly known by his tribal name "Madiba" - settled into the role of "Father of the Nation".

Passing on the presidency to Thabo Mbeki, he was happy taking a step back from the political frontline, but always there to reassure his people  - a symbol of hope until the end.

Nelson Mandela was born in 1918 into the Madiba tribal clan, part of the Thembu people, in a small village in the eastern Cape of South Africa.

Born Rolihlahla Dalibhunga, he was given his English name by a teacher, Miss Mdingane, at his first school. It was customary for all children to be given English names.

His father, a counsellor to the Thembu royal family, died when Mr Mandela was a child, and he was placed in the care of the acting regent of the Thembu people, chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo.

He joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944, first as an activist, then president of the ANC Youth League.

Mr Mandela married his first wife, Walter Sisulu's cousin Evelyn Mase, in 1944 and the couple went on to have four children during a 14-year marriage.

In 1952, he and friend Oliver Tambo opened South Africa's first black law firm, using their offices to take on many civil rights cases and mount challenges to the apartheid system.

Mr Mandela was first charged with high treason in 1956 following the adoption of the Freedom Charter in Soweto - a document with demands including multi-racial, democratic government and equal rights for blacks - but was cleared when the prosecution failed to prove he was using violence.

In 1958 he divorced Evelyn and married Winnie Madikizela, who later became prominent in the ANC and the campaign to free her husband.

He was convinced to take up arms against the government following the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre - when police shot dead 69 peaceful demonstrators who were protesting against the segregationist Pass Law, which limited the freedom of the black population.

The government followed the massacre by banning the ANC, cracking down on strikers and protesters and applying apartheid restrictions even more severely as a state of emergency was declared.

As commander-in-chief of the ANC's armed wing from 1961, Mr Mandela secretly left the country to raise money and undergo military training in Morocco, Algeria and Ethiopia.

He returned in July 1962, but was arrested at a road block after briefing the ANC leadership on his trip.

Mr Mandela stood trial for incitement and leaving the country without a passport and this time there was no chance of an acquittal as he was jailed for five years and sent to Robben Island Prison for the first time.

He was behind bars when a group of his comrades were arrested in 1963. They were charged with sabotage in what became known as the Rivonia Trial - named after the farm raided by police.

In June 1964 - following a lengthy trial condemned by the UN Security Council - Mr Mandela and seven other activists were sentenced to life in prison.

He remained imprisoned on the infamous Robben Island for 18 years before being transferred to Pollsmoor jail on the mainland in 1982.

In the space of 12 months between 1968 and 1969, his mother died and his eldest son was killed in a car crash, but he was not allowed to attend their funerals.

In 1980, Oliver Tambo, who was in exile in London, launched an international campaign to win Mr Mandela's release. International resolutions and rock concerts alike were harnessed to highlight the cause.

As the world community upped the pressure against South Africa, with the US approving tough economic sanctions in 1986, secret talks began between Mr Mandela and PW Botha's government.

In 1990, President FW de Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC - paving the way for Mr Mandela's release on February 11.

The ANC and ruling National Party began talks about forming a new non-racial democracy for South Africa.

Relations between Mr Mandela and Mr de Klerk grew tense against a backdrop of violence between ANC supporters and Chief Buthelezi's Inkatha movement.

But the two leaders continued to meet and in December 1993 they were both awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Five months later, for the first time in South Africa's history, all races voted in democratic elections and Mr Mandela became president - having himself voted in an election for the first time in his life.

As president, Mr Mandela entrusted much day-to-day government business to his deputy Thabo Mbeki.

While his time in office was hailed as a triumph in terms of building the new South Africa, there was criticism for a failure to tackle the Aids epidemic and conditions in the country's slum townships.

Mr Mandela divorced Winnie in 1996 and married 52-year-old Graca Machel two years later, on his 80th birthday.

Mr Mandela stepped down as president after the ANC's landslide victory in the national elections in the summer of 1999, in favour of Mr Mbeki.

After his retirement he continued travelling the world, meeting leaders, attending conferences and raising money for good causes.

With thousands of requests every year, his problem was fitting everything in and not exhausting himself.

In June 2004, aged 85, Mr Mandela announced he would be retiring from public life as he wanted to enjoy more time with his family.

But he did make an exception to speak out about his son Makgatho's death from Aids in 2005 - challenging the taboo that surrounds the disease in Africa.

The 2010 World Cup closing ceremony in Johannesburg was the world's last glimpse of the iconic leader in a public role.

He may have been looking frail, wrapped up against the cold and not speaking, but the famous smile as he basked in South Africa's success underlined how far his country had come.

In recent years he battled bouts of ill health, with South Africans struggling to come to terms with the reality that he could not go on forever.

Mr Mandela had hospital treatment in early 2012 for abdominal pain and then endured another 18-day stay at the end of the year suffering from gallstones and a chest infection.

A picture taken on February 2 at his Johannesburg home - showing him holding great-grandson Zen Manaway on his lap - proved to be the last time Nelson Mandela's millions of admirers saw the world's most famous smile.

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Landlords: 'No Homes For Benefit Claimants'

Sky News has obtained figures which suggest a rising number of landlords are steering clear of benefit claimants over fears of non-payments.

The data from the National Landlords' Association shows the number of landlords letting to people on benefits has halved to just one in five.

And 52% of landlords say they would not even consider letting to someone on benefits because of those who do, seven out of 10 have experienced rent arrears in past 12 months averaging £3,000 each.

Sky's political correspondent Anushka Asthana said: "The Government's flagship welfare reform forces people to budget by paying their benefits in one monthly lump sum.

"It has been dogged by difficulties amid accusations of weak management and a timetable that keeps on slipping.

"Now fears are rising about the human consequences of this massive reform."

The implementation of the scheme has been branded 'inadequate'

Ministers claim the initial roll-out of Universal Credit - which combines six means-tested benefits into one monthly payment designed to ensure people are better off working than on benefits - has been a success.

They point to figures suggesting it is encouraging more people to look for jobs in what Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith described as a "cultural shift".

But critics say the limited implementation of the scheme - which has been plagued by IT and other problems - only involve the least challenging cases.

And it was branded "inadequate" and open to fraud in a scathing report by a cross-party committee.

The Commons public accounts committee found that at least £140m had already been wasted on the project, which was blighted by "alarmingly weak" management.

Mr Duncan Smith will be grilled by the work and pensions select committee

Mr Duncan Smith has admitted the 2017 target for the full introduction of Universal Credit is set to be missed - with around 700,000 claimants facing a longer wait.

He will face fresh questions from MPs this afternoon over the scale of delays to the welfare reform.

Labour said official figures from the Office for Budget Responsibility showed that only a tiny fraction of the numbers due to be using the new system by the time of the next general election would be transferred on time.

It added that only a "handful" of the promised 1.7 million would be switched by 2014/15 and only 400,000 by the following year - less than 10% of the original target.

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Brazil: Football Fans In Violent Clashes

At least three people have been seriously injured after a fight in the stands at a football match in Brazil.

Riot police fired rubber bullets to stop hundreds of supporters charging each other, before a helicopter landed on the pitch to airlift those hurt to hospital.

Play was halted for more than an hour in the Brazilian championship match between Atletico Paranaense and relegation-threatened Vasco da Gama.

Television pictures showed at least two fans being kicked and stamped on by a mob of rival supporters.

At one point, a group of around 20 Paranaense fans could be seen kicking a man who was lying on the ground.

A Paranaense fan was attacked in a similar manner by Vasco supporters, with one stamping on his neck and head, even though he already appeared to be unconscious.

There were no police inside the stadium at kick-off as a private security firm was being used, and pictures showed rival fans in the half-empty venue were not segregated.

A fan is attacked by rival supporters

Before the match resumed, Vasco da Gama goalkeeper Alessandro told Brazilian television: "For a country that is hosting the World Cup next year this is very sad.

"The stadium isn't safe. We're a bit worried."

The game was held in the small Arena Joinville because Paranaense's ground is being modernised to host four matches in the World Cup.

Reports in Brazil said the three people taken to hospital were in a serious, but not life-threatening condition.

Paranaense, who were ahead 1-0 at the time, went on to win 5-1, condemning former South American champions Vasco to relegation.

Paranaense finished third to qualify for next year's Libertadores Cup.

The incidents completely overshadowed the rest of the final day of the Brazilian championship during which Vasco's Rio de Janeiro neighbours Fluminense were also relegated.

They became the first defending champions to be relegated the following season, despite a 2-1 win over Bahia in their final game.

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Thai Prime Minister To Dissolve Parliament

Thailand's Prime Minister has said she will dissolve parliament and hold an election, following a wave of anti-government protests.

Yingluck Shinawatra had said an election would be held "as soon as possible" - before the country's ruling party announced she would be a candidate in the vote.

Jarupong Ruangsuwan, head of Ms Yingluck's Puea Thai Party, said: "She will definitely run as she has worked with the party all along.

Protesters want to oust Ms Yingluck and eradicate her brother's influence

"We dissolved parliament because we are confident.

"We want the Democrat Party to take part in elections and not to play street games."

The vote will probably be held on February 2 next year, an Election Commission official said.

Ms Yingluck said in a nationally televised speech: "After consultation with many parties, I have submitted a royal decree requesting parliament be dissolved.

Thousands marched on Bangkok's Government House

"At this stage, when there are many people opposed to the government from many groups, the best way is to give back the power to the Thai people and hold an election.

"So the Thai people will decide."

The announcement came as Democratic Party politicians resigned from parliament over what it called "the illegitimacy" of the elected government.

The leader of the anti-government protesters, Suthep Thaugsuban, had called for a final demonstration today in an attempt to force Ms Yingluck out.

Mr Suthep said he would continue with the demonstration despite Ms Yingluck's dissolving of parliament and the promise of an early general election.

"Today we will continue our march to Government House," he said.

The protests have left five people dead

"We have not yet reached our goal. The dissolving of parliament is not our aim."

He has repeatedly said he does not want a new election, but some form of unelected "people's council" to run the country.

Protesters have been on the streets of the capital Bangkok for weeks, vowing to oust Ms Yingluck and eradicate the influence of her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The demonstrations are the latest eruption in nearly a decade of rivalry between forces aligned with the Bangkok-based establishment and those who support Mr Thaksin.

During recent days, tensions have been raised during street clashes where police have used tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets against rock-throwing demonstrators.

The unrest has left five people dead and more than 200 injured in Bangkok.

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