UK Police To Probe Thailand Tourist Murders

British police officers are to travel to Thailand to help investigate the murders of tourists David Miller and Hannah Witheridge.

Detectives from the UK were cleared to work on the case after Thailand's military ruler dropped objections to their involvement.

The agreement came after David Cameron and General Prayuth Chan-ocha discussed controversy surrounding the Thai-led investigation of the killings at a summit in Milan.

The British officers are expected to seek independent checks of DNA samples seen as key to the case against two Burmese men accused of the crime.

There has been concern over the treatment of two Burmese suspects

They are also expected to examine claims by the two migrant workers that they have been mistreated by the Thai authorities.

Mr Miller, 24, and Ms Witheridge, 23, were found dead last month on a beach on Koh Tao, an island in Thailand's Surat Thani province.

Video: Sept 19: CCTV Of Murder Victim

Court proceedings have reportedly started against the two suspects amid international concern about the investigation, including from the Foreign Office and human rights groups.

The Thai leader had previously rejected offers of help and insisted the UK no longer had "any more doubts" about the quality of the investigation following ambassador-level talks.

But sources said he agreed to a British police delegation when pressed on the issue by the Prime Minister at the Asia Europe Meeting in Italy.

A diplomatic source said: "Obviously it is for the Thai authorities to lead and carry out that judicial process. 

"But it is important that it is fair and transparent and that both of the families can be reassured that it is the murderers that have been brought to justice.

Video: Oct 3: Thai Murder Suspects Paraded

"What the PM secured this morning was agreement from the Thai PM that we can send some British police investigators to Koh Tao to work with the Royal Thai Police on this."

The Burmese men who have been charged with the killings were paraded in front of the media after apparently making confessions which were later withdrawn.

The pair have reportedly been charged with three offences - conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to rape and robbery.

Thai police denied reports that the Burmese embassy had formally retracted their confessions amid claims the pair were tortured.

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Cameron Presses EU Leaders On Ebola Fund

David Cameron has called for European Union leaders to double their contribution to help tackle ebola, demanding a combined 1bn euro (£800m) pledge.

The Prime Minister has written to the other 26 leaders and European Council president Herman van Rompuy calling for agreement to an "ambitious package of support" at a Brussels summit next week.

He made clear his frustration that other countries are failing to shoulder their share of the burden of international efforts to deal with the epidemic in West Africa which has killed more than 4,500.

Britain has committed £125m to its contribution - the second highest sum after the US. Downing Street said the total contribution from the EU is 500m euros (£400m).

More money is needed to train at least 2,000 workers to go out to the affected regions, Mr Cameron suggested - appealing also for a "duty of care package" to be established for any that contracted ebola while working at a European-run or funded medical facility.

Video: Paying The Price For Ebola

In his letter, the Prime Minister said: "The rapid spread of the disease and recent cases outside the West African region demonstrate the magnitude of the task at hand.

"The World Health Organisation forecast 20,000 cases in West Africa by November 2014. I believe that much more must be done."

The demand comes after the head of the World Bank warned the battle against the ebola outbreak is being lost.

Video: No UK Checks On African Passengers

Speaking after the United Nations revealed it had received less than 40% of the nearly $1bn ($600m) it had requested to fight the deadly disease, World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim blamed a lack of international solidarity for the failure to stop its spread.

"We are losing the battle," he told reporters in Paris.

"Certain countries are only worried about their own borders," he told reporters in Paris. 

Video: HMS Argus in More Detail

International anxieties over the spread of ebola were highlighted as a cruise ship carrying a lab technician who worked with samples taken from an infected nurse in Dallas was stopped from docking in Belize and Mexico

"It is the first time that this has happened, and it was decided the ship should not dock as a preventative measure against Ebola," Erce Barron, port authority director in Quintana Roo, said.

As part of European efforts to stop the spread, France will start screening air passengers for ebola today.

Video: Ebola Victims' Families Shunned

Air France flight attendants have also called for a halt to all flights from Guinea, one of the three hardest-hit countries.

The US, Britain and Canada have already launched screenings at airports for passengers from ebola-hit areas.

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Fears For Britons Caught In Nepal Snowstorms

Fears are growing for the safety of a number of British trekkers who have not contacted their families since a series of deadly blizzards and avalanches in Nepal.

The Foreign Office has confirmed it has spoken to concerned families who have not heard from their relatives since unseasonably bad weather caused at least 29 deaths earlier this week.

A friend of Lizi Hamer posted a message on Facebook to say she was safe

A spokeswoman said they had been in close touch with authorities in Nepal but had not been informed of any British casualties.

More than 230 trekkers - most of them foreigners - have been rescued since Wednesday and search teams continue to scour the Annapurna range looking for more survivors, who may be sheltering in lodges and huts.

The blizzards hit mountains along Nepal's Annapurna trail

An unofficial list of trekkers suggests more than a dozen Britons may have been in the area at the time of the storms, although some of them have since been confirmed as safe or rescued. 

Officials believe some people may be stranded in waist-deep snow in remote locations where mobile phone signal is poor.

Meanwhile, a British survivor has told how he escaped the disaster - on course to be the worst trekking and climbing tragedy Nepal has seen.

A rescued trekker is stretchered to safety

Paul Sheridan said walkers were left stumbling through "an abyss of nothing" as dense snow left them unable to get their bearings on the slopes of the mountain range in northern Nepal.

Mr Sheridan said that trekkers should have been prevented from going up the mountain, but were "herded to their deaths" by guides who he alleged were not carrying the correct emergency equipment.

Some British trekkers remain unaccounted for despite the rescue effort

The Nepalese government has announced a high level committee with two senior ministers to monitor and co-ordinate rescue efforts.

For two days this week, Nepal was lashed by heavy rain brought by the cyclone that also battered neighbouring India.

The 150-mile (240km) Annapurna circuit offers spectacular views of jagged peaks and Buddhist villages.

It takes almost three weeks to complete and is nicknamed the "apple pie" circuit because of the teahouses lining the route that offer cold beer and home baking.

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Girl Bitten By Shark Posts Pictures On Facebook

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

A 13-year-old girl bitten by a shark in Australia has lived to tell the tale, posting pictures of her injuries on Facebook.

Kirra-Belle Olsson was surfing off Avoca Beach, 60 miles (95km) north of Sydney, when she was bitten on the left ankle by a one-metre (3ft) shark, police said.

The accomplished competition surfer told how the shark tried to drag her off her board after biting her ankle, causing puncture wounds to her calf and foot.

"It just swung me around and tried to pull me under and I saw the tail and ... I really didn't know what to do so I just started screaming," Kirra-Belle told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at Gosford Hospital.

"I paddled ... in shock (I) just started laughing, I was like, 'Whoa, what the hell, I just got bitten by a shark,'" she told Seven Network television.

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1. Gallery: Oz Girl Posts Pics Of Shark Wounds

   Warning: This gallery contains some graphic images of shark bite wounds suffered by a 13-year-old girl in Australia. She has posted pictures of her injuries on Facebook

2. Kirra-Belle Olsson was surfing off Avoca Beach, 60 miles north of Sydney, when she was attacked by a 3ft shark, police said

3. Kirra-Belle was treated on the beach by bystanders who then drove her to hospital

4. She told how the shark tried to drag her off her board after biting her ankle, causing puncture wounds to her calf and foot

5. "I really didn't know what to do so I just started screaming," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corp

Kirra-Belle then took to Facebook, posting simply "Got attacked by a shark", accompanied by a series of shocking photos of the bite marks on her body.

Friends and relatives were quick to leave messages.

One read: "All our love to you for a speedy recovery, we are still thanking God that it wasn't worse - Love you darling girl from Nana & Pop Garry."

Another posted: "Such a brave strong girl and you'll have some awesome battle scars! Hoping for a quick recovery!"

Kirra-Belle was treated on the beach by bystanders who then drove her to the hospital.

Two weeks ago, a surfer had part of his arm torn off by a suspected four-metre (13ft) great white shark while surfing off the coast of Western Australia near the town of Esperance.

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'Hundreds' Of UK Terror Arrests This Year

Police have foiled several potentially deadly attacks and arrested hundreds of suspected terrorists so far this year, Britain's counter-terrorism chief has claimed.

Mark Rowley - the UK's National Policing Lead for Counter Terrorism - said officers were dealing with "exceptionally high" numbers of investigations and had been contacted by "dozens" of families concerned that loved ones may be planning to join jihadists in Syria or Iraq.

Amid widespread fears over the influence of Islamic State terrorists, he revealed police have been taking down more than 1,000 pieces of extremist material from the internet each week, including videos of beheadings, torture and suicides.

It comes as the Foreign Secretary said British jihadists returning from Syria or Iraq could be tried for treason.

Britons have been joining IS, currently fighting over Kobani in Syria

Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Rowley said: "So far this year we have made 218 arrests and are running exceptionally high numbers of counter-terrorism investigations, the likes of which we have not seen for several years.

"Against an increasing operational tempo we are disrupting several attack plots a year.

Video: Hundreds Of Terror Threats In 2014

"These plots are of varied sophistication, from individuals planning to carry out spontaneous yet deadly attacks to more complex conspiracies, almost all seemingly are either directed by or inspired by terrorism overseas."

Asst Comm Rowley said 16 people had been charged with terrorist offences after returning to the UK from Syria.

He added: "The volume, range and pace of counter-terrorism activity has undergone a step-change.

Video: 'Thousands Of Terror Suspects'

"Public safety is our number one priority and we will always focus our disruption activity against those posing the greatest and most imminent threat.

"Sometimes this means intervening very early - essential to prevent attacks, but presenting enormous challenges in securing sufficient evidence to charge."

He added that more than 80% of the material removed from the internet was related to Iraq and Syria, where the success of Islamic State has prompted fears the group's influence may be growing abroad.

Video: Social Media Terrorism

Asst Comm Rowley said 66 people who have been reported missing to police are feared to have travelled to Syria.

"The growing problem of young, impressionable, and in some cases vulnerable individuals being radicalised online is an increasing risk," he said.

"Extremist groups are using social media in highly sophisticated ways in order to recruit or persuade individuals towards their violent and warped ideologies.

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1. Gallery: The Battle for Kobani Continues

   Smoke rises from the Syrian town of Kobani. American-led forces conducted 21 airstrikes near the border town in the last two days to slow the advance of Islamic State militants, the US military said

2. The US warned the situation on the ground is fluid as militants try to gain territory

3. A US-led coalition aircraft flying over Kobani

4. Smoke rises from a village on the outskirts of Kobani

5. Unidentified armed men run in Kobani

6. Photographers and journalists watch Kobani from a hill

7. Kurdish refugees from Kobani stand in an abandoned village near the Turkish-Syrian border

8. A black flag belonging to the Islamic State is seen in Kobani. The airstrikes appear to have done little to blunt the group's onslaught on the town

9. Unidentified people gather in Kobani

10. A Turkish Kurd watches Kobani near the border crossing in Turkey. Continue through for more images

22. Cundi Minaz, one of four female Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Unit (YPG) who were killed during clashes with Islamic State fighters in Kobani, is buried in a cemetery in the southeastern town of Suruc

23. People attend the funeral of Cundi Minaz

"Dozens of families have contacted us concerned about loved ones or information when they believe someone is travelling abroad.

"It is only through courageous action like that that we can help and we have been supporting such families in every way we can."

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'He Lost Everything': Pistorius Sobs In Court

Oscar Pistorius has cried in court as his lawyer claimed the runner "lost everything" after shooting dead his girlfriend.

The Paralympian athlete admitted killing Reeva Steenkamp and said he mistook her for an intruder, thinking he and the model were in danger.

Lawyer Barry Roux said since the tragedy, Pistorius had lost his sponsors, lost all his money and had not got enough to pay for legal expenses.

He said he was an icon, in the eyes of South Africans, who had "lost everything" and "has nothing".

Mr Roux said his client sold his last asset - his car - to give money to the Steenkamp family.

The lawyer added he will have to live with "excruciating pain which will never go away" - that he killed his girlfriend.

Video: Oscar Pistorius 'Lost Everything'

And he argued the disabled athlete should not be sent to jail but should be put under house arrest and have correctional supervision.

Mr Roux also criticised "wildest speculations" when he was first arrested on suspicion of pre-meditated murder.

He said the claims included how Pistorius allegedly crushed her head with a cricket bat, had roid (steroid) rage, took acting lessons and pretended to have feelings for her.

Mr Roux said his client's actions when he killed her in his bathroom were "dominated by vulnerability and anxiety".

He said the double amputee was a "compromised person" when he opened fire on Ms Steenkamp.

Mr Roux told the court his client "did not consciously act unlawfully", though he admitted the runner had "acted excessively".

Closing statements are being made as the defence and prosecution teams put their final arguments to Judge Thokozile Masipa in Pretoria, South Africa.

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1. Gallery: Reeva Steenkamp's Life In Pictures

   Reeva Steenkamp, 29, was born in Cape Town and grew up in Port Elizabeth. She went to a convent school and studied law. She was a keen horse rider until she broke her back.

2. She moved to Johannesburg from Cape Town to model for Avon cosmetics. In 2012, Reeva was voted number 45 in the South African FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll.

3. She featured as a celebrity contestant on BBC Lifestyle show Baking Made Easy in 2012.

4. The model was a keen Twitter user, and had more than 34,000 followers. She used the site to promote women's rights and empowerment.

5. Her former fashion editor, Barbara Robertson, described the model as being "sweet, and down-to-earth" with the "it factor". She compared her to an "early Kate Moss".

6. Reeva Steenkamp on the set of reality TV show Tropika Island of Treasure (Pic: Stimulii)

Pistorius, 27, could face a fine and a suspended jail sentence or up to 15 years in prison after he was found guilty of culpable homicide, the equivalent of manslaughter in the UK.

On Thursday, Ms Steenkamp's family told the judge that they expect the man who killed her to be sent to jail.

The model's cousin Kim Martin told the court that the alternative sentence of community service while under house arrest did not seem to fit the crime.

She said Pistorius needed "to pay for what he'd done".

She said: "My family is not seeking revenge, but to shoot someone behind a door who's unarmed and harmless needs sufficient punishment."

Ms Martin warned that a lenient sentence would send the wrong message out to society.

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Ebola No Longer A Joke For Dallas Residents

By Mike McCarthy, News Correspondent in Dallas, Texas

In the leafy Dallas suburb where Amber Vinson lives the neighbour out walking his dog and the woman out jogging are still relaxed about the arrival of ebola in Texas.

But not as relaxed as they were a few days ago.

Both live within minutes of the apartment now vacated by the latest ebola victim.

As we talk the decontamination team are cleaning out Miss Vinson's rooms just yards away. 

"Last week it was kind of a joke," says Terry Van Der Heyden.

Video: Obama Warns Of Global Ebola Spread

"It was like 'hey, one of those cases got through here to the US'. Living right here ... that was, like, 12 blocks away.

"Then a few days ago the nurse gets it and that was, like, nine blocks that way. And then now this one yesterday ... this is right across the street."

Ebola - for many months an apparently distant threat - is visiting a real American neighbourhood.

It's not just confined to a hospital anymore. It's not about isolation units ... it's among the everyday people. Or that's how some in nurse Vinson's community see it.

Allison Prange isn't afraid to go out for her regular evening stroll. Why should she be?

You can't get ebola by passing someone in the street. You're safe to shake a stranger's hand.

Video: Dallas Turns To Brit Ebola Expert

Yet living so close to the block where the disease's latest patient lives plays strange tricks on the mind.

"It does make you think about what can I do, how do I keep myself safe?" says Allison.

"I did have the thought of maybe I shouldn't go to the local grocery store. Maybe I'll go to the one a couple of miles away ... just a little extra precaution here and there."

And so the fear factor begins to grow despite even President Obama himself reassuring an edgy American public by telling them he's hugged nurses at the Atlanta hospital treating ebola patients and he's OK.

And they believe him. But for how long?

Conflicting versions are emerging of what the protocol is in US hospitals and exactly what advice has been given to those who come into direct contact with ebola patients.

Questions are even being raised about whether some health officials have been entirely truthful in their accounts of how the disease has been handled in American hospitals.

The figures are still very much in favour of the US eradicating ebola on its soil in the not too distant future.

But if those odds even started to look less favourable it's unlikely that ordinary Americans would continue to feel relaxed about the threat of ebola.

The more cases there are - the closer it feels.

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Second Ebola Nurse Told She Could Fly By CDC

A nurse with ebola who was able to board a flight in the US despite suffering from a fever did tell officials she was running a temperature, it has emerged.

Amber Vinson was able to travel from Cleveland, Ohio, to Dallas, Texas, on a commercial plane even though she was showing the early symptoms of the killer disease.

She has now had to be transferred to a specialist unit in Atlanta, Georgia, where she will be treated in isolation and monitored.

It was previously not known that she had told authorities she was not feeling well before taking the flight on 13 October.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been forced to track down 132 other passengers who were on the plane at the same time in case they too have been infected.

Video: Unprotected Man Helps Ebola Victim

Federal officials were forced to admit on Thursday that the CDC cleared the nurse to fly, heaping further pressure on an organisation that has been criticised for the speed of its response to the ebola crisis in America.

CDC spokesman David Daigle said 29-year-old Miss Vinson reported that her temperature was below 100.4 degrees (38C) and had no symptoms. Ebola sufferers are not contagious until they show symptoms.

As a result, the nurse was told she could travel on Frontier Airlines Flight 1143.

Video: Why Is The Ebola Virus So Deadly?

The plane's crew said Miss Vinson did not exhibit any symptoms of ebola during the flight on Monday.

Miss Vinson caught ebola after being one of several nurses to treat a man who came down with the virus and died after travelling to the US from Liberia.

She is the second nurse who treated Thomas Eric Duncan to test positive for ebola after he died in Dallas on 8 October.

Video: Obama Warns Of Global Ebola Spread

The fact that two nurses caught the disease have also raised questions about how ready the US has been to cope with the virus.

More than 4,400 people have died in the West African states of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea in the disease's worst ever outbreak.

The nurse has been transferred to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, where two Americans who contracted ebola while working in West Africa were successfully treated and released.

Video: Dallas Turns To Brit Ebola Expert

CDC director Dr Tom Frieden had earlier said that Miss Vinson should not have been allowed to travel by plane, but added that "the level of risk to people around her would be extremely low".

The other infected nurse, 26-year-old Nina Pham, remains in isolation at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas and is said to be in stable condition after receiving a plasma transfusion donated by ebola survivor Dr Kent Brantly.

President Barack Obama has cancelled a scheduled trip to Rhode Island and New York to remain at the White House to monitor the government's response.

On Tuesday, Mr Obama reiterated that an ebola epidemic in the US was "highly unlikely", but added that even one case "is too many, and we've got to keep on doing everything we can".

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Pistorius 'Needs To Pay For What He's Done'

Reeva Steenkamp's cousin has told Oscar Pistorius' sentencing hearing that the athlete "needs to pay for what he has done".

Kim Martin, who is giving evidence at the High Court in Pretoria, said "everybody has suffered" since the athlete shot dead his girlfriend on Valentine's Day 2013.

She said: "I feel Mr Pistorius needs to pay for what he's done for taking Reeva's life, for what he's done to my uncle and to my aunt, what he's done to the rest of my family but also what he's done to his family."

Pistorius, 27, could receive a fine and a suspended jail sentence or up to 15 years in prison after he was found guilty of culpable homicide, the equivalent of manslaughter in the UK.

He was acquitted of murder last month after he said he had mistaken Ms Steenkamp, 29, for an intruder in his home.

Ms Martin, the first prosecution witness at the sentencing hearing, was completing her evidence to the court after speaking on Wednesday for the first time about how the death of the model and law graduate affected her family.

Video: Cousin Wants Justice For Reeva

The next witness was Zacharira Modise, acting national director for South Africa's prison service, who has been discussing its ability to accommodate double amputee Pistorius.

He said that although some prisons are "very old", every region has a "facility where we are able to cater for people with disabilities".

Pistorius' defence lawyer Barry Roux asked Modise about reports that threats had been made against Pistorius by inmates, but Modise said he was not aware of any threats.

Video: Reeva's Family Devastated By Loss

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said this week that anything but a prison sentence for the athlete would be "shockingly inappropriate".

The hearing is expected to continue to a fifth day on Friday. If Judge Thokozile Masipa is unable to deliver a sentence by the end of the day the court will not resume until November 10.

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Drone Stunt Sparks Mass Brawl At Euro Qualifier

A European qualifying match between Serbia and Albania had to be stopped after a fight broke out when a drone was flown over the pitch carrying a flag.

A brawl erupted on the playing surface between players and some officials when one of the Serbian players caught the flag which featured Albanian symbols.

British referee Martin Atkinson was forced to suspend play in the Euro 2016 game in Belgrade in the 41st minute as the unrest spread.

As the fighting continued on the pitch, Serbian fans who had already clashed with riot police after burning a NATO flag, began hurling smoke bombs and other objects.

At one point, some of the players were hit by a plastic stool brought on to the pitch by a fan.

Video: Drone Sparks Brawl At Football Game

The Albanian players ended up having to retreat into the tunnel after a hail of objects rained down on them.

Earlier, the Group I tie had only been allowed to go ahead if no Albanian fans were allowed in the ground.

Relations between Albania and Serbia have been fraught since the civil war fought over the former Yugoslav region of Kosovo, which is made up mostly of ethnic Albanians but was claimed by the Serb state.

The flag flying from the drone featured an image of so-called Greater Albania, a part of the Balkans where a substantial proportion of the population are Albanian.

Some in Belgrade have seen Tirana's interest in Kosovo as part of a plan to create Greater Albania, which ultimately would require the uniting of Albanian communities in Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and southern Serbia.

Kosovo's independence has received recognition from more than 100 countries including the UK and the US, but its status remains disputed by more than 70 states in the United Nations.

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Ebola: Second Texas Health Worker Tests Positive

A second health worker at a Texas hospital where a man died of ebola has tested positive for the diseases.

The unnamed member of staff reported they had a fever on Tuesday and was immediately isolated at at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.

"Health officials have interviewed the latest patient to quickly identify any contacts or potential exposures, and those people will be monitored," a statement from the Texas Department of State Health Services said.

"The type of monitoring depends on the nature of their interactions and the potential they were exposed to the virus."

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Pistorius: 'Society Wants A 'Heavy Punishment'

Anything but a prison sentence for Oscar Pistorius for shooting dead his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp would be "shockingly inappropriate", prosecutor Gerrie Nel has said.

Resuming his relentless cross examination of probation officer Annette Vergeer, a defence witness, who on Tuesday told the athlete's sentencing hearing that Pistorius would be "broken as a person" if he was jailed, Mr Nel said to place the runner under house arrest and sentence him to community work for three years as she had recommended would be "too light" a punishment.

The prosecutor also raised the prospect of a public backlash if the sentence for the double-amputee Olympian was not harsh enough, saying the court had to guard against people "taking the law into their own hands".

Pistorius arriving at court earlier this morning

"Our courts and society value human life," he told Ms Vergeer, and asked her: "Don't you think society wants a heavy punishment?"

"You're recommending house arrest... but the accused could pursue his athletics, train, find a job..."

Video: Pistorius' 'Blood Money' Rejected

Pistorius was back in court on Wednesday for the third day of his sentencing hearing after being found guilty of culpable homicide, the equivalent of manslaughter in the UK.

The 27-year-old was convicted last month killing Ms Steenkamp on Valentine's Day, 2013.

Ms Vergeer, who was paid by the defence to produce her report, said Pistorius would be vulnerable to violence and placed in highly stressful situations because of his disability.

"The death of the deceased and the period since have been a far bigger punishment than incarceration," she said.

Mr Nel said people in wheelchairs in prison were more vulnerable than those with prosthetics, and accused Ms Vergeer, who insisted she had almost three decades of experience, of being "irresponsible" for coming to court and not being as knowledgeable as he said she should be.

Sky's Alex Crawford, at the hearing at the High Court in Pretoria, said: "The prosecutor appears to be trying to portray Ms Vergeer as a slapdash ignoramus with unreliable and biased conclusions."

The court also heard yesterday that Pistorius offered Ms Steenkamp's family 375,000 rand (£21,305) as compensation after already making a number of monthly payments to them.

Mr Nel said the Steenkamps rejected the lump sum - which they called "blood money" - and had decided to hand back the other payments.

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Oscar Pistorius Sentencing Hearing Under Way

Oscar Pistorius has arrived in court in Pretoria for the second day of his sentence hearing for killing Reeva Steenkamp.

The athlete arrived at the North Gauteng High Court 50 minutes being the hearing was due to start and without the usual phalanx of police or family minders.

Pistorius, 27, was cleared of murdering his former girlfriend but found guilty of culpable homicide - the equivalent of manslaughter in the UK.

The athlete arrived without his usual phalanx of police and minders

He was also found guilty of discharging a firearm in public, an offence relating to him firing a gun in a restaurant.

Judge Thokozile Masipa has appeared in court flanked by six armed guards, a move South African legal expert Llewelyn Curlewis says is is very unusual.

The prosecution are pushing for him to serve a prison sentence for killing his former girlfriend while his defence team, who are currently putting their witnesses on the stand, are saying he should serve no more than house arrest or community service.

A proponent of the death penalty brandishes a noose outside court

Reporting from outside court, Sky's Alex Crawford said: "Yesterday was very much the defence day and his team spent the whole day trying to paint a picture of a man who had spent a huge amount of his time doing charity work and that prison was not the place for him.

"His agent said he wanted to give something back to society if he was allowed to and the social worker for the Correctional Services Department suggested that community service would be a good punishment."

How South Africa's papers are covering the hearing

Today, Pistorius' agent will be cross-examined and there is a suggestion some of Reeva Steenkamp's friends, including a possible former girlfriend, may also be called upon to testify, this time for the prosecution.

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Ebola Crisis: UN Worker Dies In Germany

A United Nations employee infected with ebola while working in West Africa has died in a German hospital.

The aid worker was taken to Germany after contracting the disease in Liberia and was being treated in hospital in Leipzig.  

He was the third patient to be taken to the country and arrived five days ago. One of the others has been released from hospital and the other is still receiving treatment.  

In a statement the hospital said: "The patient sick with ebola fever died during the night in St Georg Clinic in Leipzig. Despite intensive medical measures and maximum efforts by the medical team, the 56-year-old UN employee succumbed to the serious infectious disease."

The man had tested positive for ebola on 6 October and was put into a special isolation unit when he arrived in Germany three days later.

The latest ebola outbreak has so far killed more than 4,000 people, mainly in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called it the "most severe acute health emergency in modern times". 

The death in Germany comes as the UK began screening passengers for the virus at airports and a plane travelling from Dubai to Boston was quarantined after fears that some sick passengers had ebola.     

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Ebola: Enhanced Screening Starts At UK Airports

Britain is to start enhanced screening today of passengers coming to the UK from the countries worst affected by the ebola outbreak.

Checks will begin at Heathrow's Terminal 1 and will then be expanded to Gatwick airport and the Eurostar rail terminals by the end of the week.

The move is designed to halt the spread of a disease which has killed more than 4,000 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Previously British Airways was the only airline that operated a direct service to the UK from the affected area.

Although it stopped flying to Liberia and Sierra Leone in August, there are fears that people who have picked up infections in those countries may try to reach the UK by another route.

Video: Ebola: Infected Dallas Nurse Named

About 1,000 passengers a month are said to travel to the UK from the three countries.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said that it is "likely" that ebola will be seen in the UK with around 10 cases expected to be confirmed in the next three months.

He said the screening measures being put in place should ensure 89% of people travelling to the UK from the affected region on tickets booked directly to the UK are checked.

Video: New UK Measures To Tackle Ebola

In a statement to the House of Commons on Monday, Mr Hunt said: "Whilst there are no direct flights from the affected region, there are indirect routes into the UK.

"In the next week, Public Health England will start screening and monitoring UK bound air passengers identified by the Border Force coming on to the main routes from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

"This will allow potential ebola virus carriers arriving in the UK to be identified, tracked and given rapid access to expert health advice should they develop symptoms."

Video: Fear And Panic Over Ebola Calls

Anyone found to have ebola will be moved to the Royal Free Hospital in north London, the UK's specialist centre for treating the most dangerous infectious diseases, Mr Hunt said.

Other facilities may be made available in Newcastle, Liverpool and Sheffield, to make a total of 26 beds available, he added.

Mr Hunt said screening at airports could be extended to Birmingham and Manchester if the threat level increases, but in the meantime people manning the NHS' non-emergency 111 phoneline will also be taught to look out for potential ebola.

Video: Can UK Be Protected From Ebola?

Britain's latest ebola aid flight delivering equipment to help tackle the outbreak arrived in Freetown on Monday. It includes materials to help build a 92-bed unit being constructed by a UK team.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned the epidemic is the "most severe... health emergency in modern times".

A nurse who became the first person to contract the disease in the United States, after treating a sufferer who had flown into the country from the affected area, is still in a stable condition in isolation.

Video: Ebola Crisis: On The Front Line

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Pistorius 'Traumatised' By Shooting Flashbacks

Oscar Pistorius has been left a "broken man" by his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp's death and "flashbacks of the shooting will be mental images he always carries with him", a court has heard.

The double-amputee athlete is in court for sentencing - and could make a personal plea to the judge in an effort to avoid jail.

He was cleared of murdering the model, but was found guilty by Judge Thokozile Masipa of culpable homicide - the equivalent of manslaughter in the UK.

The sentencing process is likely to take a week, both the defence and prosecution teams told the court in Pretoria.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who is looking for a lengthy jail term for Pistorius, having failed to secure a murder conviction, said he would call two witnesses.

Pistorius' lawyer Barry Roux said he would call three witnesses, plus one from the correctional services department.

Video: Pistorius: The Full Story

The first of these, psychologist Dr Lore Hartzenberg, told the court how Pistorius  was referred to her for grief therapy.

She said he was traumatised by Ms Steenkamp's shooting, and the sessions sometimes had to be abandoned "due to retching".

Under cross-examination, Mr Nel asked her about the Steenkamp family, saying: "Haven't they suffered?"

She agreed: "I have no doubt they are a broken family."

Mr Nel said he will bring evidence that Ms Steenkamp's father Barry suffered a stroke because of his daughter's death.

Dr Hartzenberg said "Mr Pistorius' remorse was unabated during the therapy sessions" and concern for her parents was an "unremitting theme".

Video: Pistorius Bailed Following Verdict

"I can confirm his remorse and pain to be genuine," she added. "We are left with a broken man who has lost everything: his love, his reputation, his career, his friends."

She said "flashbacks of the shooting will be mental images he always carries with him" and he is "unlikely to ever fully recover from the events that happened on 14 February 2013".

Pistorius shot Ms Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year, but Judge Masipa concluded he had not intended to kill her.

He was negligent when he raced down the corridor towards his bathroom armed with a gun - then fired four bullets through the locked toilet door, she said.

But essentially she believed what he told the court - that his actions were a mistake.

Pistorius said he believed there was an intruder in his Pretoria home.

Video: Pistorius Verdict: Families React

If he is sent to jail, the longest sentence Judge Masipa is expected to dish out would be 15 years.

But many believe Pistorius could avoid prison altogether with alternative forms of punishment including a suspended sentence or a fine.

Both the prosecution and Pistorius have the option to appeal once the trial is finally over.

More follows...

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No Murder Trial For Mum Who Killed Kids

A mother who admitted suffocating her three young disabled children before trying to kill herself will not face trial for murder, a court has heard.

Tania Clarence, 42, had pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Olivia, four, and three-year-old twins Ben and Max by diminished responsibility - but denied murder.

At a hearing at the Old Bailey, judge Mr Justice Sweeney accepted her plea so she will no longer face trial in the New Year.

Prosecutor Zoe Johnson QC said: "It is clear on the evidence Mrs Clarence killed her three children because she wanted to end their suffering and at the time she committed the act she could not see any alternative or any other way out of their joint suffering."

Clarence, who was not in court, will be sentenced on 14 November when she is likely to face a hospital order.

The three children all had spinal muscular atrophy, a life-limiting genetic condition also known as floppy baby syndrome which leaves children with little or no control of their movement.

They were found dead by their nanny at the family's five bedroom home in New Malden, south London, on 22 April.

The children's father, investment banker Gary Clarence, was in his family's native South Africa with their eldest child, who is not affected by the illness, when he heard about the deaths.

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News Organisations Reveal Leaders' Debate Plan

By Jason Farrell, Political Correspondent

Sky News, the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 have announced joint plans for a series of party leader debates across TV and the internet in the run-up to the 2015 General Election.

The news organisations describe the debates as "vital in engaging voters with the political process" and have written to David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage inviting them to take part. 

It follows the first ever leader debates in 2010, which were watched by 22 million people.

April 2010: the Sky News leaders' debate

The format for 2015 would see three different styles of debate – one of which will include the UKIP leader. The broadcasters say they are "responding to the changes in the political landscape".

Sky News and Channel Four intend to host a straight head-to-head contest between the two leaders, who could become Prime Minister.

Video: 13 May 2014: Public Expects Debates

The debate between David Cameron and Ed Miliband would be chaired by former Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman with Sky News' Kay Burley introducing the programme and presenting the post-debate analysis.

The BBC would broadcast a similar debate to the 2010 format where the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat leaders are pitted against each other. This would be presented by David Dimbleby.

ITV would have a four-way contest between the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat and UKIP leaders. This would be chaired by ITV presenter Julie Etchingham.

The Head of Sky News John Ryley said: "There are only 24 weeks to go before the start of the General Election Campaign.

"Sky, Channel Four, the BBC and ITV have put together a clear compelling proposal; three debates during the election campaign. It's now critical that the political parties engage and start negotiating for the debates seriously."

The leaders have agreed in principle to the debates, but the Prime Minister has resisted pinning down the detail. Privately, some senior Conservatives believe it was the 2010 debates that cost David Cameron a majority and they want him to try and wriggle out of Round Two.

Video: 22 Apr 2010: Sky Leaders' Debate

Previously, the debates were at weekly intervals in the last three weeks leading up to polling day. Mr Cameron has suggested they should happen before campaigning gets under way.

Last year he said: "I want the debates to take place. They were good in the last election." But he added: "I thought they took up too much of the campaign, so I think we could start them a bit earlier."

In May this year it was reported the Prime Minister was ready to sign up for three debates, including one with Nigel Farage. The Conservative Party Chairman Grant Shapps said "all options are on the table."

The proposal addresses Mr Cameron's concerns by suggesting the three debates take place at fortnightly intervals beginning in early April.

They propose this happens within the six-week campaign period "at a time when the parties will be setting out their policies - to help further engage the audience with the election."

The suggested dates are April 2, April 16 and April 30.

Video: 23 Apr 2010: Leaders' Debate Review

Live debates have now become a normal part of the political landscape. Nick Clegg and Mr Farage clashed over Europe, and the bitter battles between Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling energised the Scottish independence fight. 

However, while 2010 was the television election – 2015 will engage more widely with voters online and using social media.

As well as live studio audiences, comprising members of the general public, questions will also be provided to the leaders using social media including Twitter and Facebook to ensure the widest possible audience engagement. Each broadcaster will make their debate available live to all other media outlets.

In a joint statement, the news organisations said: "All four broadcasters believe televised party leader debates are vital in engaging voters with the political process. The broadcasters intend to transmit the leaders debates live for all their extensive audiences, on air, online and on social media, which together have a mass reach amongst the British population."

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Hagel Expects 'Long-Term Battle' Against IS

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has said the embattled Syrian city of Kobani is a "difficult problem", but insisted that airstrikes had made some progress in driving back Islamic State fighters.

Kurdish forces fighting IS militants on the streets of city, at the border with Turkey, say they are struggling to hold on to the city and have urged the US-led coalition to escalate airstrikes on IS.

Speaking in Santiago, Chile, Mr Hagel said: "We are doing what we can do through our airstrikes to help drive back ISIL (IS)."

He admitted the battle against the militants, who have seized swathes of Iraq and Syria, was a long-term fight.

"It is a long-term effort. This is difficult, it is complicated. It's going to require many factors. And we are working now (with) coalition partners," he said.

Video: Calls For Ground Forces In Kobani

Asked about the situation in Iraq, Mr Hagel said Iraqi security forces were in full control of Baghdad and continue to strengthen their positions there.

"We continue to help them with airstrikes, with our assistance and advisers."

The US-led coalition escalated airstrikes on IS in and around Kobani four days ago, but a Kurdish military official, speaking to Reuters from Kobani, said street fighting was making it harder for the warplanes to target IS positions.

Video: IS Fights In The Streets Of Kobani

"We have a problem, which is the war between houses," said Esmat al Sheikh, head of the Kobani defence council.

"The airstrikes are benefiting us, but Islamic State is bringing tanks and artillery from the east. We didn't see them with tanks, but yesterday we saw T-57 tanks."

Meanwhile, IS militants have released footage of themselves fighting in the streets of Kobani.

Video: US Warns IS Could Take Kobani

The footage, which could not be verified, showed masked men walking through deserted streets firing machine guns and rocket launchers at unseen targets.

Sky's Middle East correspondent Sherine Tadros, reporting from the Turkey-Syria border, said: "(IS fighters) have been pushing in and pushing back the militias back right to the border with Turkey.

"That is where we understand the militias are holding their front line.

Video: Sam Kiley On The Battle For Kobani

"We can the sound of heavy machine gun fire. It has been near constant for the last few hours.

"I think it is too early to say the militants are in full control of Kobani but certainly the next few hours seem decisive."

Most residents of the predominantly Kurdish town have fled since the IS assault on Kobani began in mid-September, but the UN has warned more than 500 people still trapped there could be massacred.

Video: IS Footage Shows Kobani Onslaught

More than 200,000 people are believed to have fled over the border to Turkey but thousands of others are said to be unable to cross.

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British Troops Back In Iraq To Help Beat IS

The Ministry of Defence has said a "small specialist team" of UK soldiers are in Iraq and working near the front line of the fight between the Islamic State (IS) and Kurdish fighters.

Based near the Kurdish capital of Irbil in the north, they are training peshmerga forces in the use of heavy machine guns the UK supplied to them in September.

The Sunday Times reported that the soldiers were from the 2nd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment, which is based in Cyprus.

An MoD spokeswoman said: "The Government has previously made clear its intention to provide training to the peshmerga as part of the continued effort to assist in the fight against Isil (IS).

UK troops are training Kurdish peshmerga forces in the use of UK arms

"The Defence Secretary has approved the deployment of a small specialist team of non-combat Army trainers which is now in the Irbil area providing instruction on operating, employing and maintaining the heavy machine guns that were gifted by the UK last month."

British troops invaded Iraq in March 2003 to overthrow Saddam Hussein.

1/10

1. Gallery: The Moment RAF Jet Attacks IS Truck

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

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

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

4. The targets were in the northwest of Iraq

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

6. A plume of smoke rose above the area

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

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

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

10. The aircraft began their combat missions on Saturday

The last British combat troops from the war left in April 2009, with a small number staying on to train Iraqi forces until 2011.

RAF Tornado fighter jets have been involved in US-led bombing raids on IS fighters for the past two weeks.

But there is strong resistance among British politicians to any ground troop involvement in fighting against the Islamist group, which controls vast areas of Iraq and Syria.

Video: RAF Jets Attack Targets In Iraq

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Revenge Porn Offenders To Face Prison

By Harriet Hadfield, Sky News Reporter

Publishing sexually explicit pictures of former partners is to be made a criminal offence - and could carry up to a two-year prison sentence.

It is known as revenge porn and involves uploading private images with the intention of embarrassing or shaming an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend.

The issue was brought into sharp focus after celebrities including pop stars Rihanna and Tulisa Contostavlos fell victim to the cruel craze.

In the last two and a half years 149 cases of revenge pornography were reported to eight police forces in England and Wales and figures reveal the victims include children as young as 11.

An anonymous victim of revenge porn told Sky News: "I felt humiliated, I was shocked that someone had stooped to that level to try and humiliate me because I didn't think that I had disrespected someone enough for them to do something like that to me.

Video: Revenge Porn Victim Tells Her Story

"It makes you feel dirty, it makes you feel unconfident and if something can be done about it, I think it should be."

There is currently no law in the UK that deals directly with the issue but proposed changes to legislation would apply to online and offline images and those convicted could face a maximum sentence of two years in prison.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said the distribution of such images was "almost beyond belief".

"We want those who fall victim to this type of disgusting behaviour to know that we are on their side and will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice," he said.

Video: Revenge Porn Police Stats

"That is why we will change the law and make it absolutely clear to those who act in this way that they could face prison."

The change in the law would be made via an amendment to the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill.

Adam Pemberton, assistant chief executive for the charity Victim Support, said: "This type of behaviour can be extremely distressing for its victims causing them significant psychological harm.

"We are pleased that people who commit these gross violations of privacy will now face prosecution and victims of revenge porn know they have the full backing of the law."

Video: Revenge Porn Victims As Young As 11

But some experts are questioning whether a specific revenge porn offence will work.

Lawyer Myles Jackman told Sky News: "It is very difficult as there are a number of different scenarios in which revenge porn might be created and not all of them will fit this one scenario.

"Creating an offence that catches all is almost impossible."

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