Belfast Bomb Was 'Attempt To Injure Or Kill'

A bomb which exploded in the centre of Belfast where hundreds of people were packed into bars and restaurants had the potential to kill, police have said.

The blast in the city's bustling Cathedral Quarter has been blamed on dissident republicans opposed to the peace process.

Christmas partygoers were evacuated when the device detonated just before 7pm on Friday evening. There were no reports of any injuries.

Chief Superintendent Alan McCrum said the bombing had been a totally reckless attack that could have killed or maimed anyone nearby when the device went off.

"This was an attack on the people of Belfast going about their normal lives on a busy night for socialising in the city. This attack ruined the night out for these people., " he said.

"Those who carried out this attack have nothing to offer except disruption and destruction. Police would appeal for continued community support and vigilance on the run up to Christmas in seeking to disrupt or deter any further attack on the city."

A warning had been given about a device, however it was left at a different location to that named in a call to a newspaper.

It is understood the device was contained in a box that was left on a pavement in front of a busy restaurant.

Stormont's Justice Minister David Ford said the blast was an "attempt to kill or injure innocent people".

"The people carrying out these attacks have set out no reason and explained no cause for their acts of senseless violence. Their only aim seems to be to injure and disrupt. They ignore the strength of public support for normality and peace, especially at this Christmas season."

Security has been ramped up in the city since a man was forced by masked dissidents to drive a car bomb to a shopping centre that faces a police station last month. That 60kg (132lb) device only partially exploded and no-one was injured.

While the threat posed by the violent extremists has remained classed as severe, police have acknowledged a "surge" in activity has taken place in recent weeks.

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Shooting At Denver School Near Columbine

A gunman has killed himself after opening fire at a Denver high school near to the site of the Columbine High School massacre.

Two students were injured at the Arapahoe High School in Centennial including one who is in a critical condition, according to a hospital spokesman.

The suspect, who was a student, entered the school with a shotgun and was looking for an individual teacher who he identified by name, said Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson.

He added: "The teacher began to understand that he was being looked at and exited the school. One student confronted the armed student and was shot."

The shooter was later found with fatal self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Mr Robinson said a possible Molotov cocktail was also found at the scene.

Pupils were led out of the building with their hands in the air by police officers after the shooting, which began at 12.30pm local time. All the schools in the area are on lockdown as a result. 

One student told the Denver Post: "I was scared and shaking." She added that she heard, "bang, bang, bang" and by the third shot was on the ground.

Youngsters told the newspaper they hid in the corners of dark classrooms until police SWAT teams arrived.  

The school is about eight miles (13km) east of Columbine High School in Littleton, where two teenage shooters killed 12 classmates and a teacher before killing themselves in 1999.

Tracy Monroe, who had step-siblings who attended Columbine, was standing outside the high school looking at her phone, reading text messages from her 15-year-old daughter inside.

She said she got the first text from her daughter, Jade Stanton, at 12.41pm. The text read: "There's sirens. It's real. I love you."

A few minutes later, Jade texted "shots were fired in our school".

Ms Monroe rushed to the school and was relieved when Jade texted that a police officer entered her classroom and that she was safe.

Ms Monroe was friends with a teacher killed in the Columbine shooting, Dave Carpenter.

"We didn't think it could happen in Colorado then, either," she said.

Some 2,141 students attend the school, which has 70 classrooms.

The attack comes almost one year after 20 children and six adults were killed in a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown.

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North Korea Has Executed Leader's Uncle

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

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

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

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

Jang was removed from a party meeting by soldiers

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jang pictured with Kim Jong-Un

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Scraping By: 1.5m UK Pensioners In Food Poverty

By Ashish Joshi, Sky News Correspondent

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

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

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

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

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

Raina Barnes (R) says 'supermarkets are taking us for a ride'

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

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

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

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

Members describe the lunch clubs as a lifeline

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

"It's a very hard thing these days for people, the price of things. You go to one shop and the price might have been dropped and you go to another and the price goes up a little bit. You never know what to buy. All I do is look at the price and say 'too high' and I don't bother.

Danny Woolcott, 87, has been a regular at the lunch club for more than six years. The retired mechanic, from Southall, visits three times a week. He blames the Government for "letting pensioners down".

"I would like to see any government looking after the elderly people of this country. The people who brought this country along are being neglected badly and I think it's disgusting the way things have been left, honestly and truthfully."

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Dale Cregan: Police Call-Handler's 'Help'

A police call-handler fed secret information to her boyfriend during the manhunt for his friend Dale Cregan, a court has heard.

Kathryn Smith, 25, allegedly accessed files outlining the movement of firearms officers and confidential calls from the public concerning the case.

She is then said to have passed on the sensitive information to her boyfriend Sean Booth, 31, a close friend of Cregan.

At one point her information is said to have enabled Cregan's mother Anita to identify and confront a member of public who had called the police.

Smith was arrested in September 2012 after her mobile phone and computer records were examined by detectives.

Cregan had already murdered father and son Mark and David Short. Days after Smith's arrest he went on to murder Greater Manchester police officers Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone.

Manchester Crown Court has been told that the call handler frequently sent text messages to her boyfriend with details of police operations.

At the time Greater Manchester Police had mounted their biggest ever manhunt. A £50,000 reward had been offered for information leading to Cregan's arrest.

The court heard that after Smith passed information to her boyfriend, he in turn passed it to Cregan's family.

A microphone hidden by the police at Anita Cregan's house as part of their search for her son picked up conversations in which she discussed the confidential information.

In one she is alleged to have said: "I've just text somebody saying we've got a grass in the street ... it's surprising what fifty grand will solve innit. I can't f*****g believe it."

Booth is then said to have texted his girlfriend saying:  "U can't get in trouble don't worry. I would not put u in a position where u could b."

Smith allegedly replied: "Well I do worry how are u going to explain how u know things to anita? I'm scared, I hate it that you're an associate."

Smith denies a charge of misconduct in a public office. Cregan and Smith deny aiding and abetting the call handler.

The trial is expected to last six days.

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RBS Fined $100m For Breaking US Sanctions

The Royal Bank of Scotland has agreed to pay $100m (£61m) after US investigations into illegal transactions with Iran, Sudan, Burma and Cuba.

The bank has entered into agreements with the US Federal Reserve, the US Treasury Department and the New York State Department of Financial Services.

Earlier on Wednesday it emerged that Lloyds Banking Group has been fined £28m over a new mis-selling scandal.

In a statement, RBS said it "acknowledges and deeply regrets" the failings.

The bank also said it has committed almost $490m (£300m) since 2010 to improve its sanctions controls.

Several UK banks have entered into settlements in recent years over continuing financial transactions with Iran despite US laws against them, and for removing information from payments to get them processed.

Former City Minister Lord Myners told Sky's Jeff Randall Live that the breaches made by RBS and other UK banks were an embarrassment.

"It's embarrassing, to put it at its mildest, that the UK seems to be at the heart of so many of these failures," he said.

"It's not good that these problems arise in the UK, and reading this RBS statement it sounds very wilful and intentional.

"What was going on in these banks? How was this allowed to happen?"

Lord Myners said there are likely to be more fines to come for RBS.

"This isn't closure for RBS with the US regulators. This isn't the end of the story ... There's a lot more that's going to come over the next year or so."

RBS said criminal authorities at the US Justice Department and the District Attorney of New York have closed their related investigations and will not bring charges.

From 2005 to 2009, the bank removed references to sanctioned locations from payment messages to US financial institutions, the Treasury Department said.

RBS instructed employees to list the name of the Iranian financial institution rather than its identifying codes on wire transfers, the department said.

This prevented the bank's payment system from automatically including references to Iran in the cover messages sent to US clearing banks.

Lloyds TSB Bank Plc became the first bank to settle in the US, forfeiting $350m (£213m) in 2009.

Others to pay penalties include Credit Suisse, Barclays, Standard Chartered, and ABN Amro, now part of RBS.

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Nelson Mandela Memorial: World Leaders In SA

Nelson Mandela: Obituary Of An Icon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Match-Fixing: Sports Chiefs Called To Summit

Senior officials from five leading sports have been called to a summit meeting with the Government on match-fixing.

The talks have been called after it was confirmed six people had been arrested during an investigation into spot-fixing in football, including Blackburn striker DJ Campbell.

Executives from the governing bodies of football, tennis, cricket, rugby union and rugby league will meet Maria Miller, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, in London.

Representatives from the Premier League, the Football League, the Gambling Commission and the British Horse-Racing Authority will also be present.

A Government source said the meeting aimed to share best practices between the sports, and ministers would receive feedback on any changes the sports believe would help tackle match-fixing.

Former Portsmouth player Sam Sodje was filmed in undercover footage

"We want to make sure no stone is left unturned in the fight against match-fixing in sport," the source said.

Some officials believe changing the law to make match-fixing itself a criminal offence, rather than police having to use fraud or other related charges, would provide a greater deterrent.

Ministers are understood to be open to any suggestions and will be pushing for sports to share any intelligence they have on fixing with the Gambling Commission.

Campbell, 32, was one of six people detained in an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) after it acted on information passed to it by the Sun on Sunday newspaper.

Five people, including Campbell, have been bailed until April, and a sixth is still being questioned, the NCA said.

Detectives are likely to review a yellow card Campbell received for a tackle committed in the first half of Blackburn's league game against Ipswich last Tuesday.

According to the Sun on Sunday, an undercover investigator met former Portsmouth player Sam Sodje, who allegedly said he could arrange for footballers in the Championship to get themselves a yellow card in return for tens of thousands of pounds.

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Football Spot-Fixing Claims: Six In Custody

Six people are in custody and being questioned by police in connection over football spot-fixing allegations.

The  National Crime Agency, which is working closely with the Football Association and the Gambling Commission, confirmed it had launched its investigation after being contacted by the Sun on Sunday.

As part of its investigation, the Sun on Sunday recorded footage that appears to show players allegedly arranging spot-fixing.

Ex-Portsmouth defender Sam Sodje allegedly claimed he could arrange a yellow card booking in the Football League, in exchange for tens of thousands of pounds.

The former Premier League player and Nigerian international also allegedly told how he punched an opponent in the groin during a game earlier this year to get sent off in exchange for a £70,000 payout.

The Sun on Sunday

And he claimed he could rig Premier League games, and even said he was preparing to fix matches at next year's World Cup in Brazil.

Another player, Cristian Montano, for Oldham Athletic appears to explain in the video how he attempted to get booked during a match against Wolves, in return for cash.

The ex-West Ham player said: "From minute one I was hacking people down.

"People running past me and I would go clip.

"I run against one player and barged him."

Football League chief executive Shaun Harvey, said: "We treat any allegations of criminal activity in our competitions with the utmost seriousness.

"Given that there is an ongoing police investigation into this matter, we cannot comment further at this time.

"Although, we would encourage anyone with any evidence to report it to the police.

"We will be giving our full assistance to the police during their investigation."

The NCA said an active investigation is now under way.

The National Crime Agency is investigating separate fixing claims

A spokesman said: "The NCA can confirm that the Sun on Sunday has passed material from its own investigation to the National Crime Agency.

"An active NCA investigation is now under way and we are working closely with the Football Association and the Gambling Commission. Six people are in custody and are being questioned by NCA officers. We cannot comment further at this stage."

In a statement, Portsmouth Football Club said: "If these serious allegations are true, then we are extremely shocked and saddened by them, as match-fixing of any type goes to the heart of the integrity of the game.

"The player in question no longer plays for the club and we have not been contacted by the authorities, but of course we would cooperate fully with any inquiry."

The new probe comes after the NCA announced at the end of last month that it had launched a separate investigation into "a suspected international illegal betting syndicate".

Gambling on the matches is thought to have taken place on Asian-based betting services and so far investigators to do not believe British betting markets are involved.

That inquiry was launched after an undercover investigation by the Daily Telegraph newspaper, which recorded one alleged fixer offering to rig two games.

It is understood to involve clubs in the English Football Conference, the level below the Football League.

On Thursday, the NCA revealed that two footballers from Brighton-based Conference South team Whitehawk FC had been charged over match-fixing allegations.

Michael Boateng and Hakeem Adelakun, both 22 and from the Croydon area of south London, were charged with conspiracy to defraud contrary to common law.

The two men have been bailed to appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on December 11.

They are the third and fourth people charged to date in connection with the NCA investigation into the alleged international illegal betting syndicate.

Chann Sankaran, 33, from Hastings, East Sussex, and Krishna Sanjey Ganeshan, 43, from Singapore, were charged on November 28 with plotting to defraud bookmakers.

Both were remanded in custody to appear at Birmingham Crown Court on December 13.

Sky News sports presenter Charlie Thomas said both NCA investigations were being carried out separately.

He added: "This is a situation that football has been fearing and had hoped it had nothing to do with football at all, but now it appears it is encroaching on the league as well as the non-league."

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Thai Prime Minister To Dissolve Parliament

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

Yingluck Shinawatra said she would like to hold an election "as soon as possible".

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

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

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

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

The protests have left five people dead

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

"Today we will continue our march to Government House. We have not yet reached our goal. The dissolving of parliament is not our aim," he said.

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

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

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

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

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

More follows...

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Nelson Mandela: Day Of Prayer And Reflection

By Emma Hurd, Sky News Correspondent

South Africans are gathering in churches, synagogues and mosques across the country to observe a national day of "prayer and reflection" in honour of the late Nelson Mandela.

President Jacob Zuma will attend a service at the Bryanston Methodist Church in Johannesburg as part of the series of official events to mark the death of the icon.

The events will culminate in a state funeral next Sunday.

Mr Zuma has urged South Africans to head to their places of worship as well as halls and stadiums to celebrate the life of Mr Mandela. 

"We should, while mourning also sing at the top of our voices, dance and do whatever we want to do to celebrate the life of this outstanding revolutionary," President Zuma said.

Jacob Zuma has urged South Africans to celebrate the icon's life

On Saturday, Mr Mandela's family released their first public statement since the former statesman's death, expressing their deep sense of loss.

"It has not been easy for the past two days and it won't be pleasant for the days to come," the statement said.

"But with the support we are receiving from here and beyond in due time all will be well for the family."

Informal vigils are still being held outside Mr Mandela's home in Houghton, Johannesburg, and his former home in Soweto, where hundreds of people have been dancing and singing in the streets.

An impromptu shrine in Johannesburg

On Tuesday, a memorial service will be held at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, the place where Mr Mandela made his last public appearance at the World Cup final in 2010. 

At least 80,000 people are expected to attend, including several heads of state.

From Wednesday, crowds will line the streets in Pretoria as a funeral cortege carries the remains of the nation's first black president to lie in state at the Union Buildings.

People will be permitted to file past his body to pay their respects. 

The procession will be repeated for three days with the public urged to form a "guard of honour".

The focus will then switch to Mr Mandela's ancestral home of Qunu, in the Eastern Cape, where the state funeral will be held on Sunday.

Mourners outside Mr Mandela's home in in Johannesburg

US President Barack Obama will be among the many world leaders who will join the Mandela family in a public tribute before a private burial service.

Mr Mandela left it to the South African people to decide how to celebrate his life and legacy.

He said once when asked how he wished to be remembered: "It would be very egotistical of me to say how I would like to be remembered. I'd leave that entirely to South Africans. I would just like a simple stone on which is written, 'Mandela'."

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10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Air Traffic Control Glitch Finally Resolved

Technical problems that caused delays and cancellations at airports across the UK and Ireland have been resolved, the National Air Traffic Service (Nats) has said.

Airline passengers suffered a day of delays and frustration as a telephone system glitch at air traffic control caused major disruption.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed after the problem arose at the Nats centre in Swanwick, Hampshire.

Thousands of people were caught up in the chaos, which hit major airports including Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick. Passengers are also expected to be affected as knock-on effects hit flights today.

Passengers talk to Sky News from a stranded plane

Nats' night-time operating system, which combines sectors of airspace for when it is less busy, did not properly switch over to the daytime system, causing a communication problem with the centre's internal telephones.

They stressed that safety was not at risk at any time.

At 7.30pm last night, a Nats spokesman said: "The problem that arose this morning with the ground communications system in the area control operations room at Nats Swanwick has now been resolved and operations are returning to normal.

"The technical and operational contingency measures we have had in place all day have enabled us to deliver more than 80% of our normal operation.

"The reduction in capacity has had a disproportionate effect on southern England because it is extremely complex and busy airspace and we sincerely regret inconvenience to our airline customers and their passengers.

"To be clear, this is a very complex and sophisticated system with more than a million lines of software. This is not simply internal telephones, it is the system that controllers use to speak to other ATC agencies both in the UK and Europe and is the biggest system of its kind in Europe.

Dozens of flights were grounded at Heathrow

"This has been a major challenge for our engineering team and for the manufacturer, who has worked closely with us to ensure this complex problem was resolved as quickly as possible while maintaining a safe service."

The problem occurred when the 23 controllers on a night shift at Swanwick handed over to the 125 controllers on the day shift at about 6am. 

Nats said that by 4pm they had handled 2,576 flights compared with the 2,905 flights that were dealt with at the same time last week, meaning that they were operating at about 88% of normal capacity.

Ryanair called for action to prevent it happening again.

In a statement, the airline said: "Ryanair is calling on the Civil Aviation Authority to intervene and prevent further chaos for thousands of passengers affected by this ATC failure. While we acknowledge problems can occur, where is the contingency? It's simply not good enough and the CAA needs to act now."

Heathrow Airport was the worst affected, with 228 cancellations - 112 in arrivals, and 116 departures, with most being short-haul flights.

A spokesman for the airport said the cancellations represented 15% of their usual daily total of 1,300 flights going in and out of the airport.

Passengers queue at Heathrow

Some passengers at the airport dozed on the floor while others lined up in long queues to rebook their flights, with customers reporting they had to wait for up to five hours to speak to a representative from their airline.

Gatwick Airport said "there may be delays to flights this evening" and urged travellers to check with their airline.

The airport said there was spare capacity today however, which "allowed for flexibility and resilience within the schedule".

A spokesman for Stansted Airport said they had continued to experience delays throughout the day, which ranged in time from 10 minutes to four hours.

The average delay was two hours, he said, adding that flights were expected to operate as normal tomorrow.

Many passengers expressed their anger on Twitter and spoke of "chaotic scenes" at airports.

Danny O'Donoghue, lead singer with The Script and a judge on BBC talent show The Voice, wrote: "Stranded @ the airport , anyone got any suggestions on passing time ...."

Twitter user @simonhartley wrote: "Darn NATS. Stuck in Madeira airport with at least five hour delay home so far :(."

And @MMorrissey wrote: "My flight to NY delayed but chaotic scenes here. In 20 yrs of business travel, never seen Heathrow in this state when there's no snow!!"

In developments at airports around the rest of the UK:

:: A Manchester Airport spokesman said the airport had been "only minimally affected", with "a handful of flights" hit during the day. Operations there are now back to normal.

:: Leeds Bradford, Doncaster Robin Hood and Newcastle airports all reported some minor delays, with flights to London airports the worst affected.

:: Belfast International Airport and Dublin Airport reported disruption, with a number of cancellations.

:: A spokeswoman for Birmingham Airport said around 60 flights had been affected by the glitch during the course of the day, with the majority delayed by under an hour.

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: "This is an operational issue relating to Nats' own systems and we know they are working very hard to rectify the problem and to minimise the level of disruption to the aviation community and their customers."

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said: "The CAA is in close contact with Nats to ensure they are managing this operational issue effectively, and they are working to resolve the situation swiftly, while ensuring that the service remains safe at all times."

The authority said customers were entitled to assistance from their airline if they had been delayed for several hours, including being given food and drink, often provided in the form of vouchers.

For short-haul flights, passengers should receive help if the delay is more than two hours.

That rises to three hours for medium-haul flights of 1,500km to 3,500km, or of longer than 1,500km within the EU. For long-haul flights, passengers should receive assistance once the delay is over three hours.

 

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More