Man Sets Himself On Fire Near To US Capitol

A man set himself on fire in a part of Washington DC close to the US Capitol, local officials have said.

A fire official said a man has been flown to the hospital after suffering major burns.

Witnesses said they saw the man dump a red canister of petrol on his head and then set himself on fire.

One witness Vanessa Sink, wrote on Twitter: "Just witnessed the craziest thing ever... a man set himself on fire and danced down the Mall.

"A runner and passerby put the flames out. I didn't see him light the match, but I saw the flames engulf his body. It was incredible."

She said the man was picked up by a helicopter and transported to a medical facility.

A dog checking the scene afterwards. Pic Vanessa Sink/@LiveMusicGirl

The incident happened just after 4.20pm EST (9.20pm BST) in a part of Washington DC called the National Mall, between Capitol Hill and the White House.

It comes at a period of heightened tensions in the capital, a day after a women was shot for trying to ram her way into the White House and Capitol grounds and weeks after 12 people were shot at a city navy yard.

DC police spokeswoman Saray Leon said: "We have a report of a man on fire at 7th and Independence."

She said the man was "conscious and breathing" when firefighters responded.

It is believed a police officer with the city's Metro Police attempted to help put out the blaze.

Fire Department spokesman Tim Wilson said the man has life-threatening injuries.

His name and age were not immediately known.

A dog was seen checking the seen with a police handler afterwards.

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Prince Harry Inspects Warships In Sydney

Prince Harry has carried out an inspection of a fleet of Australian and international warships in Sydney Harbour.

Thousands of spectators lined the harbour shore as the Prince joined the Queen's representative in Australia, Governor-General Quentin Bryce, in touring the fleet.

He was greeted by a large crowd as he embarked on the survey ship HMAS Leeuwin at Sydney's Garden Island naval base.

Harry wore a white British Army tropical dress uniform with the sky blue beret of the Army Air Corps as he took the salute.

The Prince arrived in Sydney on Friday as the city prepared to celebrate the centenary of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The trip is Harry's first official visit to Australia.

Seven cruisers and destroyers sailed into the harbour accompanied by warships from 17 nations - including the United States and China - as part of the celebrations.

The event involves some 8,000 naval personnel and Royal Australian Air Force aircraft, and will finish with a firework display over Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Britain has sent one of its latest and most advanced ships, Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring, to represent the Royal Navy.

RAN spokesman Commodore Paul Kingshorne said the force was pleased Harry had come to mark the event.

"It is his first official visit here representing the Queen. The fact he is here on such a significant day for the navy and for Australia is fantastic for us," he said.

Harry is in Australia's largest city for just one day as part of a quick trip Down Under. He flies to the Perth, in Western Australia, on Sunday before leaving the country.

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China: Couple Speaks Of 'Forced Abortion'

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

A couple have told Sky News how they were physically forced into an abortion by the Chinese authorities, three months before their child was due to be born.

At 4am last Friday, a group of 20 officials from the Shandong Province Family Planning Commission forced their way into the home of Zhou Guoqiang and his wife Liu Xinwen.

The officials kicked down the door of the family's home. Mr Zhou was held down while his wife was pulled from her bed and taken away.

Lui Xinwen, 33, was taken to the People's Hospital of Fangzi District in Weifang City where she was injected with an abortion-inducing drug.

Liu Xinwen says she was forcibly removed from her bed

Her baby, which she would later discover was a boy, died a day later in her womb. It took a further day for the foetus to be delivered.

Her husband was not told where she had been taken. It took him five hours to find her at the hospital. By then, the injection had been given.

Sky News met the couple six days later. Mr Zhou had invited us to the family's modest home in a rural corner of the province to hear their story.

We found his wife lying in the bed she had been taken from a week earlier. She was sobbing quietly.

"I miss him." she said.

An image of Liu Xinwen in hospital

"I didn't get to see him. I would be even more upset if I had seen him.

"Baby, I'm sorry. We were not meant to be. You rest in peace in heaven. We will pray for you. We hope your next life is better."  

Her heartbreak is the most brutal consequence of China's one-child policy.

The law is designed to keep the country's population in check. It prevents couples from having more than one child with a few exceptions in some rural provinces.

The policy is supposed to be enforced through financial penalties and not forced abortions. But in some provinces, over-zealous local officials, keen to keep within their birth quotas, break the law and terminate pregnancies by force.

"They don't have any humanity. They are not humans." Liu Xinwen said.

"They must have children and parents too. But they don't have any conscience. This is how China is."

Mr Zhou told how the officials held him down on the sofa while others took his wife away. In all, there were 16 male officials and four females.

We then sit down to look at photos he had taken in the hospital room. They are almost indescribably graphic.

One photograph shows Liu Xinwen lying on the bed. Beside her, on the floor, is a bucket. Inside is her aborted child.

Several other images show the foetus. It is fully formed.

Mr Zhou broke down after discussing the abortion

"His nose, ears, mouth are all there." Mr Zhou said.

"It is a child that would have lived if not for the forced abortion. It's because of their cruelty. Look, his hand is very obvious."

Mr Zhou broke down as he recalled the moment he arrived in the hospital, just minutes after the injection had been administered.

"My wife was lying in bed. I asked her: 'Have you been injected?' She said 'yes'. I asked if the baby was still moving. She said 'not much'.

"After that, I didn't want my wife to see my crying. I went outside. I cried, but only for a while because I needed to return to comfort her. She was very sad. She cried, day and night.

"Every time I heard babies' voices from other wards, I could hardly control myself. I had to go out. I have lost my child. I am speechless, words can't describe my feelings."

A footprint on the front door of the couple's home

He claimed that his wife was forced to sign papers which said she had agreed to the abortion.

When she initially refused, he said they told her that if she did not sign the papers, they would arrest her husband and she would have nothing. We have not been able to independently verify this.

The couple already have one son. Zhou Junfeng is 10. As we talk to his parents, he runs around the house playing. He is oblivious to the grief around him.

After Zhou Junfeng was born his mother underwent a state-proscribed procedure to insert a contraceptive coil into her body.

She says that this "forced sterilisation" must have failed, allowing her to fall pregnant for a second time.

The couple had the option to tell the authorities about the pregnancy the moment they discovered it, four months after conception.

They decided not to come clean because they were concerned that an abortion may be forced on them.

Mr Zhou and his son cook together

Instead, they said they planned to tell the authorities after the birth and then offer to pay the fine. This is common in parts of China and is sometimes acceptable.

Mr Zhou offered to take us to the hospital to see the room where the abortion happened.

Inside the hospital, we saw the room which is part of a fully functioning maternity ward; it is not a backstreet abortion clinic.

We found just two members of staff. One refused to comment. The other, a young nurse, was reluctant and a little startled to find a foreign TV crew in her hospital. 

"I don't know if it's forced or not. And I don't know the reason for it." she said.

"This is a maternity ward; there are many reasons for abortions. I don't know the specific reason for this case and it's not my place to care."

Sky News has approached the Shandong Health and Family Planning Commission, the central government Family Planning Commission in Beijing and the Chinese Embassy in London for a response to this case.

To date, none has been forthcoming.

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Capitol Shooting: Woman Dead After Car Chase

A woman has been shot dead after she led police officers on a car chase that ended in gunfire near the US Capitol in Washington.

Witnesses said shots rang out after the woman driving a black Toyota Infiniti attempted to smash through a barricade close to the White House.

The woman then fled, and was pursued by police who caught up with her near the Capitol Building.

Video footage showed officers with guns drawn attempting to get the driver out of the vehicle on the west side of the Capitol Building before she then flees again, with officers in chase.

The car is then understood to have crashed near the Hart Senate Office Building, on Capitol Hill.

Police seen moving through US Capitol. Pic: Marc Schloss

Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier said a one-year-old child was pulled from the car after the woman was shot.

She was later pronounced dead. Police revealed in a press conference that shots occurred in two locations.

The first series took place at the junction of 15th Street and East Street, close to Pershing Park.

The second set happened on Maryland Avenue NW, close to the Hart Senate Office Building.

In between, the car went down Pennsylvania Avenue, to the US Capitol, before escaping along Constitution Avenue where it was stopped as it entered Maryland Avenue.

First responders are seen aiding a victim at the scene

Ms Lanier said two officers were injured and were taken to hospital. One was an officer with the Capitol Police Department. The other was with the Secret Service.

The Capitol police officer, said to be a veteran of 23 years, was recovering in hospital, but was "doing really well."

"He's going to be fine," said Capitol Police Chief Kim Vine.

It is understood he was injured when the vehicle he was in while chasing the suspect, hit a barrier in front of Capitol Hill.

No details were released about the Secret Service officer, other than he too was not badly hurt.

The woman was confirmed dead by Ms Lanier, but she said police were not releasing any details about the suspect.

She would not comment on whether the woman was of Somali origin. Capitol Police Chief Vine said it did not appear that terrorism was a motive, but Ms Lanier said nothing has been ruled out.

The child, believed to be girl, was later taken to hospital.

Witnesses said at least 20 police cars chased the Toyota toward Capitol Hill, where the car crashed outside the Capitol.

A lockdown was put in place at the Capitol and other federal buildings, but lifted about an hour after the shots rang out.

Sky News US correspondent Amanda Walker, who is in Washington, said she heard a series of shots within minutes of each other before police swarmed the area.

She said: "It was about 2.20pm local time and we heard a series of gunshots and then there was a brief pause for around five minutes.

"Then we heard further gunshots and that's when immediately we heard this cacophony of sirens, police cars and various units going around this area that is constantly so heavily-guarded."

Senator Bob Casey told reporters he was walking from the Capitol to the Senate Russell Office Building across the street when he noticed several police officers driving fast up Constitution Avenue on motorcycles.

He said: "Within seconds of that we heard three, four, five pops." He said he assumed they were gunshots.

Television footage showed at least one person being removed from the scene on a stretcher.

As a warning was sounded, the House of Representatives abruptly went into recess and lawmakers left the chamber floor.

The House had just finished approving legislation aimed at partly lifting the government shutdown by paying National Guard and Reserve members.

People standing outside the Supreme Court across the street from Congress were hurried into the court building by authorities.

The White House was quickly locked down after the incident at Capitol Hill and the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the compound was closed to pedestrians.

Secret Service said the procedures were precautionary.

In a notice distributed by email, the US Capitol Police advised everyone to "close, lock and stay away from external doors and windows".

The reports come two weeks after a deadly shooting at the nearby Navy Yard and amid a government shutdown.

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Fifa Meets To Debate World Cup Date Switch

Heat On Fifa Over World Cup Switch

Updated: 3:03am UK, Thursday 03 October 2013

By Paul Kelso, Sports Correspondent

Of all the questions raised by Qatar's World Cup, the one most in need of an answer is the least likely to be addressed when Fifa's executive committee convenes in Zurich this week.

According to the short note in the agenda under the heading "sports politics", discussion will be limited to the timing of Qatar 2022.

If Fifa President Sepp Blatter gets his way, the committee will agree in principle to move the tournament away from its traditional - but in Qatar potentially dangerous - date of June and July, to a more temperate slot in the autumn or winter.

There will then follow a period of consultation in which all the stakeholders affected are talked round or persuaded through compromises that could yet involve financial compensation.

There will be much debate about when the tournament should take place, with everyone from the Premier League to the NFL canvassed and conciliated.

That is Blatter's plan, although he will face resistance from Michel Platini.

The Uefa president is proving just as elusive in a blazer as he was as player.

Having voted for Qatar and then been the first to call for a move to winter, he is now in favour of deferring a decision.

Whatever the outcome, expect far more to be said about when the World Cup should take place, rather than whether it should be held in Qatar at all.

From the moment the tiny Gulf state was chosen, it was as clear as the Zurich mountain air that it would be problematic at best and a catastrophic folly at worst.

It should not have needed experts to explain that playing the world's greatest football tournament in the desert in summer was lunacy, but Fifa commissioned some anyway.

They concluded it was a major challenge and ranked Qatar fourth out of five bidders.

That did not stop 14 of the wise men on the executive committee from voting Doha.

Several of them have since been stripped of their Fifa blazers, ejected for corruption or resigned before they could be pushed.

Those that remain, and their successors, will attempt to prevent the entire deal unravelling.

We can speculate as to why Blatter lacks the stomach to do the obvious and re-run the 2022 race with Qatar transparently bidding for a winter tournament. But it is clear that is not his immediate priority.

Self-preserving instincts to the fore, he is hoping to engineer a grand compromise that keeps legal challenges at bay and allows him to run for a fifth term as president in 2015, something he once promised he would not do.

Europe's professional leagues will complain long and loud but as long as Fifa retains the backing of a rump of national associations, they will have little choice but to follow suit.

A November tournament that avoids a clash with the Winter Olympics remains the likeliest outcome, should Blatter play his hand right.

But there is one joker left in the pack - Michael Garcia, attorney-at-law and independent ethics investigator of Fifa's myriad alleged sins.

After nine months at bay, next week he embarks on a world tour of 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidders, pledging, I am told, to "make waves".

If he turns up something new, or makes any of the many alleged abuses of bidding rules stick, Qatar's World Cup may not happen at all.

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Michael Jackson: Family Lose AEG Court Case

'Brutal Truths' In Jackson Trial

Updated: 11:55pm UK, Wednesday 02 October 2013

By Greg Milam, US Correspondent

The behind-the-scenes world of "King of Pop" Michael Jackson was laid bare during five months of evidence and "ugly" testimony in the civil trial between his family and final concert promoter.

The star's son Prince, ex-wife Debbie Rowe and mother Katherine took the stand during a brutal examination of his life and death.

Jackson's constant physical pain, his insecurities and struggles to perform, his use of prescription drugs and his relationship with his children were all picked over in forensic detail.

Jackson's family launched the wrongful death suit against AEG Live, alleging they were negligent in hiring and supervising Dr Conrad Murray.

The physician was convicted of involuntary manslaughter over the death of Jackson at his Los Angeles home in June 2009. He died from an overdose of the surgical anaesthetic Propofol.

Jackson had been due to start a series of 50 comeback concerts in London.

AEG Live maintained it never hired Dr Murray - and that Jackson himself chose and employed the doctor.

In court, one AEG executive described the Jacksons' claim as "nothing more than a shakedown".

Lawyers for the Jacksons claimed the promoter had put profit ahead of the star's health. They produced emails which they said showed AEG believed it did employ Dr Murray.

They showed the jury a clip of a Sky News interview with AEG chief Randy Phillips, conducted in the days immediately after Jackson's death, in which he said "so we hired him(Murray)".

In one email read to court, an AEG employee referred to Jackson as a "freak".

Jackson's 16-year-old son Prince told the jury about seeing his father as he lay dying in his bedroom. He said Murray told him: "Sorry kids, dad's dead."

Prince said his father had tried to give his children as humble an upbringing as possible. He also said his father predicted the comeback tour was "going to kill" him.

Debbie Rowe gave her first ever public insight into the couple's marriage, including Jackson's joy at having children.

But she also revealed much about the star's history of using drugs to control pain.

But AEG said it would never have financed the "This Is It" comeback if it knew Jackson was using Propofol, "playing Russian roulette in his bedroom every night".

It told the jury it should not be held responsible for what Jackson did in private, in his own bedroom at night.

At times the trial descended into open hostility between the two sides. The judge was forced to warn the lawyers about their behaviour after a shouting match in the court corridors.

At the heart of the trial - which has racked up legal fees running into the millions - was the question of how much Jackson's legacy is truly worth.

And one friend of Jackson, who cared for his children during recording sessions, told Sky News it was wrong for the family to put the children through the court ordeal.

Melissa Vardey said: "He didn't want his children to have that pressure. He just wanted them to grow up as natural kids.

"I loved Michael Jackson, I love his children and I want people to know that he was a completely authentically beautiful parent."

Dr Murray refused to give evidence at the trial.

He is still appealing his conviction although he is due to be released from prison later this month.

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Cameron: 'We'll Boost Aspiration With Reforms'

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

David Cameron will round off the autumn party conference season with a pledge to create a "land of opportunity" in Britain.

The Prime Minister will vow that the Conservatives will "finish the job" the coalition has started in "clearing up the mess" created by Labour.

In his speech at the end of the Tory conference in Manchester, he will promise to boost aspiration with sweeping reforms of education, welfare and the economy.

After major announcements this week on Help-to-Buy, welfare, GPs' hours and a petrol price freeze, Mr Cameron will call for a second term with a Tory majority.

"This party at its heart is about big people, strong communities, responsible businesses, a bigger society - not a bigger state," he will say.

Mr Cameron at the conference in Manchester

"It's how we've been clearing up the mess. And it's how we're going to build something better in its place. So let's stick with it and finish the job we've started."

Mr Cameron will begin his speech by declaring: "Our dreams are about helping people get on in life, aspiration, opportunity. These are our words, our dreams.

"I believe it is the great Conservative mission that as our economy starts to recover we build a land of opportunity in our country today."

But he will say finishing the job is about more than clearing up the mess, adding: "It means building something better in its place.

"In place of the casino economy, one where people who work hard can actually get on.

"In place of the welfare society, one where no individual is written off.

"In place of the broken education system, one that gives every child the chance to rise up and succeed.

"Our economy, our society, welfare, schools, all reformed, all rebuilt - with one aim, one mission in mind: to make this country, at long last and for the first time ever, a land of opportunity for all."

Mr Cameron will say it makes no difference whether you live in the North or the South, are black or white or a man or a woman, what school you went to, what background you have or who your parents were.

"What matters is the effort you put in, and if you put the effort in you'll have the chance to make it," he will say. "That's what the land of opportunity means. That's what finishing the job means."

On aspiration, Mr Cameron will say: "You don't help children succeed by dumbing down education. You help them by pushing them hard.

"Good education is not about equality of outcomes but bringing the best out of every single child.

London Mayor Boris Johnson giving his speech at the conference

"You don't help people by leaving them stuck on welfare, but by helping them stand on their own two feet.

"Why? Because the best way out of poverty is work - and the dignity that brings."

In a strongly pro-business message, Mr Cameron will say: "We know that profit, wealth creation, tax cuts, enterprise - these are not dirty, elitist words, they're not the problem.

"They really are the solution because it's not government that creates jobs, it's businesses.

"It's businesses that get wages in people's pockets, food on their tables, hope for their families and success for our country."

Mr Cameron will say there is no short cut to a land of opportunity, no quick fix and no easy way to do it.

"You build it business by business, school by school, person by person, patiently, practically, painstakingly," he will say. "And under-pinning it all is that deep, instinctive belief that if you trust people and give them the tools, they will succeed."

And in a rallying call to his party to fight for an outright Tory victory in 2015, he will say: "It requires a strong government, with a clear mandate, that is accountable for what it promises and yes, what it delivers.

"And let me tell everyone here what that means. When the election comes, we won't be campaigning for a coalition.

"We will be fighting heart and soul for a majority Conservative Government - because that is what our country needs."

:: Watch David Cameron's speech live on Sky News from 11am.

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PTSD Fears Over Plan For More Army Reservists

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

Ministers' plans to replace tens of thousands of full time soldiers with reservists risks creating a new wave of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, campaigners have warned.

In an interview with Sky News, Andrew Cameron, chief executive of Combat Stress, said members of the Territorial Army (TA) who serve on the front line are at far greater risk of developing the condition than ordinary troops.

Last year, as part of cost-cutting measures, the Government announced plans to double the size of the TA from 15,000 soldiers to 30,000, while reducing the number of regular servicemen by 20,000.

But reservists returning home from conflicts do not have the same level of support afforded to full time soldiers, Mr Cameron warned.

"The preponderance of post-traumatic stress disorder amongst veterans who are reservists is 50% higher than it is for regular servicemen," he said.

"The reason for that is they don't get the level of support from their regiment, their ship or their squadron that they might have done if they were a regular.

"If we double or treble the number and if we continue with high-intensity warfare then I think society has got a big challenge because we will see a lot more reservists who need help."

Combat Stress said that since 2009, it had seen a large rise in the number of veterans seeking help after returning from Afghanistan.

Combat Stress CEO Andrew Cameron says reservists do not have the support

In 2008/9, the charity were approached by 56 Afghan veterans. This had risen to 271 in the last year, a fivefold increase.

Mr Cameron, whose intervention comes just days after Defence Secretary Philip Hammond was heckled at the Conservative party conference by veterans over cuts, said he expected veterans to need help for another decade.

He said: "I'm planning for services at or above the level we are providing for at least the next five years and I don't expect to see a tail-off in very much less than 10."

Soldiers' families, friends, colleagues and employers need to be more aware of what they have gone through, he added.

Jake Wood, 40, an investment bank analyst, was a Lance Sergeant in the TA in Afghanistan from April to October 2007.

He told Sky News he suffers from what he calls "Survivor Guilt" and "Killer Guilt", leading to nightmares and sleepless nights, after discovering a member of the Taliban had died in a firefight he had been involved in.

He said: "I didn't feel anything at the time. I couldn't. I was immersed in the normality of Afghanistan.

"But it's when you come home and you're re-immersed in the different normality of home, the cosiness of home life, that you can remember things differently.

"And I just remember playing my part in killing an extremely terrified, dying man."

Mr Wood said he also struggled to recover from a Taliban attack in which his commanding officer was blown up. Returning to work, he said, was a very difficult experience.

"On a moral level it didn't fill me with glee going back to that environment," he said.

"As a soldier on the ground, you look after the guy next to you and he looks after you. It's a cliché but it's a cliché for a reason because it's what happens.

"It's a completely unselfish, black and white existence.

"Then when you're suddenly re-immersed in an investment bank after just a few weeks leave, there can be this profound sense of sudden isolation, and also alienation as well, where you're just completely and utterly alone.

"It's basically a hangover from the past, which in my experience does not go away. And now I'm not expecting it to either. This isn't defeatism.

"I've had years of intensive treatment and I've no doubt it has helped me, and the reason I know it has helped me is that I haven't killed myself."

A recent study of thousands of servicemen and women in Iraq and Afghanistan by King's College London found 6% of reservists suffered from PTSD compared with 3% in a control group.

When studied again five years later, they were still found to have greater levels of PTSD and marital instability than regular soldiers.

The Ministry of Defence is set to release new figures detailing the number of servicemen suffering from mental health conditions on Thursday.

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US Shutdown: Senate Rejects Budget Changes

The Senate has rejected conditions imposed on the federal budget by the House of Representatives, paving the way for a partial shutdown of government services.

Senators in the Democrat-dominated upper house refused to support a bill by their colleagues in Congress which delayed the introduction of the controversial Obamacare.

The rejection of the bill means there is no agreement on how federal money should be spent in the coming budgetary year.

If the Democrats and Republicans fail to find a solution before the deadline at midnight on Monday, the shutdown goes into force at 12.01am EST on Tuesday (5.01am BST).

President Obama addressed the nation on Monday afternoon (US time), frankly setting out what a shutdown would mean for the people of the United States.

"Vital services that seniors and veterans, women and children, businesses and our economy depend on will be hamstrung.

"Tourists will find every one of our national parks and monuments ... immediately closed and of course the communities and small businesses that rely on these national treasures for their livelihoods will be out of customers and out of luck.

Senator Ted Cruz has been among the most ardent critics of Obamacare

"These Americans are our neighbours, their kids go to our schools, they worship where we do ... they are the customers of every business in this country. A shutdown will have a very real economic impact, right away.

"The idea of putting progress at risk, is the height of irresponsibility. One faction, of one party, in one House of Congress, in one branch of government, does not get to shutdown government just to refight the results of an election.

"My hope and expectation, is in the 11th hour once again, Congress will choose to do the right thing, once again."

His comments came after the Senate's 54-46 vote refusing to accept the House of Representative's spending plans.

Although there have often been spats over the amount federal government should be spending or gathering in tax, the federal funding bill is usually considered routine business.

This time, however, the spending plans are tied to the highly controversial health care law promoted by President Obama.

Assuming no compromise is reached before midnight EST, it will be the first shutdown in 17 years.

The last shutdown was under President Bill Clinton in 1995

While essential services such as mail delivery would remain in place, up to about 800,000 government employees could be forced off work, possibly without pay.

National parks, some museums and such tourist attractions as the Statue of Liberty would be closed. While Social Security and Medicare benefits would keep coming, there could be some delays in certain cases.

The healthcare law was previously passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2010, despite opposition by the Republican Party, especially Tea Party conservatives.

Although Obamacare has become a legal entity, it still has to be funded.

Funding for the scheme was due to be in this year's federal budget, which was due to start on October 1.

A number of the most hardline Republicans in the House of Representatives have sought to frustrate the introduction of Obamacare by finding a way to stop it being funded.

Their latest move was to introduce conditions to the federal funding bill that would have delayed the start of the health care scheme and altered Obama's plans to tax medical devices.

The Senate rejection of the House's bill, leaves federal funding in a stalemate. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have to agree before a budget can be approved.

The fear that a shutdown could occur had an immediate effect on Wall Street, which was down 150 points, or 1%, at the start of the day.

With a solution looking increasingly elusive, both sides have been blaming the other.

Markets in other countries also fell in response to the fears. In Japan the Nikkei closed 2% lower while the FTSE 100 was almost 1% lower on the day.

The last time the federal government shutdown was under President Bill Clinton, when services ground to a halt for 28 days between December 1995 and January 1996.

It nearly happened again in April 2011.

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Extended GP Opening Hours Pilot Unveiled

A £50m trial to encourage longer GP surgery opening hours has been unveiled by the Prime Minister in an attempt to cut the pressure on overstretched A&E departments.

Up to half a million patients are expected to be covered by the pilot project in areas across England which could see surgeries open from 8am to 8pm seven days a week.

Almost one in five patients in a recent NHS survey said inconvenient appointments were a concern, with more than 70% backing weekend and after office opening hours.

The scheme, which is being unveiled at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, will offer extra cash to groups of GPs proposing the most effective ways to improve patient access.

As well as extended surgery hours, ministers hope they will pioneer more effective use of technology, such as consultations with patients via video calls, email and by telephone.

Electronic prescriptions, online appointment booking and allowing people to visit a number of different surgeries across an area are among other measures which could be introduced.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will outline the plans at the Tory conference

David Cameron said: "Millions of people find it hard to get an appointment to see their GP at a time that fits in with their work and family life.

"We want to support GPs to modernise their services so they can see patients from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.

"We also want greater flexibility, so people can speak to their family doctor on the phone, send them an email or even speak to them on Skype."

The first pilot projects are due to be operating by April 2014.

Similar initiatives are already being tried in some parts of the country, including parts of Manchester, where some surgeries will move to seven-day opening.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who will talk about the initiative in his speech to the conference, said: "We live in a 24/7 society and we need GPs to find new ways of working so they can offer appointments at times that suit hard-working people.

"Cutting-edge GP practices here in Manchester are leading the way, and we want many more patients across the country to benefit."

Professor Steve Field, Chief Inspector for General Practice, said: "This move towards seven day services is great news for patients and should be embraced by GPs.

"I want to see brilliant access to GP services for patients across the country and will be assessing this in each practice I inspect."

However, shadow health secretary Andy Burnham accused Mr Cameron and his Conservative party of "taking the NHS backwards".

"This announcement is a major admission of failure and a U-turn of fairly epic proportions," he said.

"Patients are also finding it harder to get appointments, and turning to A&E instead, after he removed Labour's guarantee of an appointment within 48 hours."

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Thames Duck Boat Fire: 30 Pulled From River

Around 30 people have been rescued from the River Thames after their tour boat caught on fire.

The passengers were forced to jump overboard when flames took hold on the London Duck Tours amphibious vessel on a stretch of water close to Lambeth Bridge.

Some 28 tourists and two crew members were hauled to safety by passing tour barges after the fire broke out shortly before midday on Sunday.

A woman and a child were taken to hospital with suspected smoke inhalation.

The blaze on the amphibious vessel is being investigated

Further tourists were treated for smoke inhalation at the riverside, opposite the Houses of Parliament.

All passengers have been accounted for, but London Fire Brigade group manager Neil Withers said they were "cold, wet and in shock".

"Fortunately at this stage it doesn't look like anyone's been seriously injured," he said.

The cause of the fire is not yet known

"People are clearly cold, wet and in shock but they were pulled from the water really quickly and that's testament to the work of our firefighters, other emergency rescue teams and others who rushed to the scene to help.

"The casualties, who are tourists, are being looked after by the London Ambulance Service and firefighters, who are keeping them warm and making them cups of tea."

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

"The damaged boat was pulled away from the scene by our fire boat and a full investigation into exactly what happened will now be taking place," Mr Withers said.

The Port of London Authority is also expected to investigate the blaze.

Around one-third of the beleaguered boat was damaged by the blaze, according to the fire brigade.

It is the third time this year that a Duck Tours vessel has run into difficulty.

In June, 22 people were taken to hospital after the Yellow Duckmarine amphibious tour bus sunk in Liverpool.

Another Yellow Duckmarine tour bus reportedly sank in the city dock in March. Nobody was injured in that incident.

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Chancellor: 'Jobless Must Work For The Dole'

The long-term unemployed will have to earn their benefits by doing full-time unpaid community work from next year.

Chancellor George Osborne is to give details of tough new conditions being attached to unemployment handouts - pledging to end the "something for nothing" culture.

Claimants who go through the coalition's flagship Work Programme but still fail to find a job will be required either to do community work, report to a job centre daily, or undergo intensive treatment to tackle problems such as illiteracy or mental illness.

Those who break the rules of the Help to Work scheme, for example by failing to turn up for duty without a good reason, could lose their benefit for four weeks.

A second offence would see them lose it for three months.

The Chancellor wants the jobless to earn their benefits

Mr Osborne will announce the US-style initiative, which is due to come into force in April, in his speech to the Tory conference in Manchester today.

He will promise that the Government will not "abandon" the long-term unemployed.

"For the first time, all long-term unemployed people who are capable of work will be required to do something in return for their benefits to help them find work," he will say.

"They will do useful work to put something back into their community making meals for the elderly, clearing up litter, working for a local charity. Others will be made to attend the job centre every working day.

"And for those with underlying problems, like drug addiction and illiteracy, there will be an intensive regime of help.

"No one will be ignored or left without help. But no one will get something for nothing.

"Help to work - and in return work for the dole. Because a fair welfare system is fair to those who need it and fair to those who pay for it too."

Potentially, around 200,000 long-term Jobseeker's Allowance claimants could be eligible for the new initiative.

But ministers believe that the numbers on it will be significantly lower, as many of those working covertly will decide it is no longer worth trying to claim benefits and drop out.

The scheme, devised by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, will cost around £300m to implement - with the money likely to be found from departmental underspends.

Sky's chief political correspondent Jon Craig described the new conditions as "a tough crackdown".

He said: "Mr Osborne will say 'work for the dole' will mean having to undertake community work, for example cleaning up litter and cooking meals for old people - doing work that is beneficial for the local community.

"If they refuse to do that, Mr Osborne will say they will have to turn up at job centres every day, not just once a week at present, to continue claiming benefits."

During his set piece speech later, Mr Osborne is not expected to unveil specific action on living standards, despite pressure to respond to Ed Miliband's energy price freeze pledge last week.

Instead, the Chancellor will stress the need to stick with the coalition's economic plans, warning that the UK still has not fully recovered from the credit crunch.

:: The Chancellor's speech to the Conservative party conference in Manchester will be broadcast live from 11.30am on Sky News.

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Kenya Attack: Sixth Briton Confirmed Dead

A sixth Briton has been confirmed dead following the Kenya shopping centre attack, as officials say the number of British casualties may rise further.

Some 67 people were killed in the attack on the Westgate shopping mall and dozens of people are still reported missing.

The number of British deaths had earlier been revised from six down to five, but on Saturday the Foreign Office revealed that another UK national had been identified among the fatalities.

The identity of the sixth victim has not been revealed.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We have no information at this time that any further British nationals have been killed although we cannot rule out the potential for further British casualties and we continue to stay in close contact with the Kenyan authorities as their investigations continue."

It comes as Sky News filmed new footage from the rear of the Nairobi mall which shows the extent of the damage following the attack.

New images filmed by Sky News show the extent of the damage

Hundreds of tons of masonry, debris and metal fell down several floors after part of the roof collapsed.

Sky News filmed from a private property of resident Sukhbir Singh, who said he heard "really loud blasts" and "several gunshots".

He said at the part of the roof which has now fallen down he saw two or three gunmen opening fire towards children, adding "it was really, really bad".

"They just came in and sprayed bullets without talking," he added.

The Islamist group al Shabaab said it carried out the massacre to punish Kenya for sending its troops into Somalia to fight the al Qaeda-linked organisation.

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Kenya Attack: New Video Shows Aftermath

Sky News has filmed pictures from the rear of the Nairobi shopping mall showing the devastating aftermath of last Saturday's terror attack.

Hundreds of tons of masonry, debris and metal fell down several floors after part of the roof collapsed where the car park was.

The scene has been described as a 'mini Ground Zero' by one forensic expert who spoke to Sky News.

It comes as the Foreign Office said a sixth British national had been confirmed dead following the atrocity. The figure had earlier been reduced to five.

Burned-out cars were filmed hanging precariously over the edge of the pit and the tin roof of the supermarket atrium was severely damaged.

The air conditioning system on the left of the picture was burnt out

Some people said the roof collapse was caused by the terrorists starting a fire, others said it was the military that detonated explosives or fired rocket propelled grenades which set off the blaze.

The pictures were filmed from a private property of resident Sukhbir Singh who told Sky News he heard "really loud blasts" and "several gunshots".

He said at the part of the roof which has now fallen down he saw two or three gunmen opening fire towards children, adding "it was really really bad".

On Saturday night Kenyans laid flowers in memory of the victims at a vigil organised by staff at the shopping centre.

A mourner lights a candle during a vigil at the Westgate shopping mall

Members of the public came to light candles and express their sorrow at the events of last weekend.

Seven days after the attack which left at least 67 people dead, there is still no clear word on the fate of dozens who have been reported missing and no details on the gunmen who carried it out.

Al Shabaab said it carried out the massacre to punish Kenya for sending its troops into Somalia to fight the al Qaeda-linked militant group that had seized large parts of that country for years before being dislodged from the capital, Mogadishu.

The Kenyan Red Cross has said 59 people are unaccounted for, raising fears of bodies in the debris.

The Kenyan government is facing questions after the reported leaking of an intelligence report dated September 13 which warned of an elevated risk and which some top officials said was treated too casually.

Resident Sukhbir Singh witnessed the terror attack

Three Kenyan newspapers have reported that the country's intelligence service was warned a year ago that al Shabaab militants were in the capital and were planning attacks against the Westgate mall.

David Ohito, the online editor at Kenya's the Standard newspaper, told Sky News:  "There's evidence that there was intelligence provided, which has been consistently provided for a couple of years.

"Kenyans are very annoyed by how their security services handled this matter, and they are saying somebody must take responsibility."

Senior security officials told the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity that an intelligence report warning of an attack had been sent to the treasury, interior, foreign affairs and defence ministers, as well as the army chief.

Sky News filmed from the rear of the shopping centre

"Briefs were made to them of increasing threat of terrorism and of plans to launch simultaneous attacks in Nairobi and Mombasa around September 13 and 20, 2013," according to the report, quoted in the Nation newspaper.

The report also apparently said Israel, which has close security ties with Kenya, had warned of plans to attack Israeli property in September, a month which included several Jewish holidays.

Meanwhile, new footage from the Kenyan Red Cross shows the organisation's staff helping shoppers as they emerged from Westgate Mall during last week's terror attack.

The video was filmed on September 21 - the first day of the siege and just hours after gunmen attacked the mall with assault rifles and grenades.

Shoppers were told to leave the mall with their hands up

The organisation's secretary general, Abbas Gullet, is a prominent figure in the footage, not just overseeing the medical care of the injured, but also providing direct medical assistance himself at times.

Mr Gullet's team of medics regularly risked their own lives to bring people out of the shopping centre.

One man can be seen with is hand on a body covered with a red blanket weeping, while medical teams look on.

Stretchers were repeatedly run in and out of the mall despite the ongoing attack by gunmen.

The Red Cross also helped to transport those who lost their lives in the deadly assault.

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