Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 20 Desember 2014 | 10.03
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after an off-duty police constable was beaten to death in Liverpool.
Neil Doyle was attacked by a group of men during a Christmas night out with colleagues from Merseyside Police.
The 36-year-old got married in July and was due to go on honeymoon next month.
Two other off-duty officers suffered facial injuries in the attack, which took place near the Aloha nightclub in Colquitt Street at around 3.15am on Friday.
Officers are investigating the possibility they were targeted because of their jobs.
The 28-year-old suspect walked into a police station on Friday evening and is being interviewed by detectives.
Police at the scene of the killing in Liverpool
Mr Doyle, who joined the force in May 2004, was taken to the Royal Liverpool Hospital, but died a short time later.
A post-mortem examination concluded he died from fatal bleeding around the brain, consistent with an assault.
Chief Constable Sir Jon Murphy described the investigation as being at a "very early stage".
He said: "On behalf of everybody connected with Merseyside Police I extend our heartfelt and sincere condolences to his wife Sarah and the rest of his family.
"Constable Doyle was enjoying a Christmas night out with his work colleagues.
"At around 3.15am Neil left the Peacock bar and walked with two colleagues along Colquitt Street in the city centre.
"The three officers were subjected to an apparently unprovoked and vicious attack by a group of males."
Mr Doyle had received a commendation for his actions in arresting three men after a violent robbery.
Peter Singleton, chairman of Merseyside Police Federation, said the police community was "devastated" by his killing.
"He exemplified the British bobby. He was a solid, good, hard-working, honest copper," he said.
The two other officers required hospital treatment. One suffered a fractured cheekbone.
A woman has been arrested for murder over the killings of eight children at a house in Australia.
The 37-year-old is the mother of seven of the children, who had all been stabbed to death. The eighth child was her niece.
The unnamed suspect is currently under guard at a hospital, where she is recovering from stab wounds to the chest.
Queensland Police Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar said she has not yet been formally charged with killing the youngsters, who were aged from 18 months to 15 years old.
Police have not said how they died, but are examining several knives in the Cairns home that may have been the murder weapon.
Police at the scene of the killings in Cairns
Mr Asnicar said the woman is lucid and talking to police.
"We're not looking for anybody else - we're comfortable that the community at large is safe," he said.
Officers were called to the suspect's home in the suburb of Manoora on Friday after reports of a woman suffering from stab wounds.
The bodies were discovered during a search of the house.
Mr Asnicar dismissed rumours the family had received calls from the Department of Social Services.
"It's not a problem house as has been speculated," he said.
"This is an ordinary neighbourhood - a lot of good people, a lot of kids in the area.
"This is something that has caught everybody by surprise. It's just an absolutely tragic thing."
Residents held a candlelight vigil for the children on Friday evening and laid flowers and toys outside the home.
The family were members of the Torres Strait Islander community, a group of indigenous Australians viewed as distinct from the broader Aboriginal community due to their origins on islands off the Queensland coast.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott described the deaths as "heartbreaking".
He added: "All parents would feel a gut-wrenching sadness at what has happened.
"This is an unspeakable crime. These are trying days for our country."
The deaths came as Australia was reeling from a deadly siege in a Sydney cafe.
Written By Unknown on Kamis, 18 Desember 2014 | 10.03
Sony Pictures has cancelled the release of controversial film The Interview, which depicts an assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
The company said the decision was made after major US theatre chains pulled out of showing the film following threats from hackers.
"In light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film The Interview, we have decided not to move forward with the planned December 25 theatrical release," a Sony Pictures statement said.
The studio added it was "deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company".
US investigators have now linked the Sony hacking incident to North Korea and will reveal more details later.
The film stars James Franco and Seth Rogen
Sony Pictures said it stands by the makers of the film, which tells the fictional story of two journalists recruited by the CIA to assassinate the North Korean leader.
A hacker group calling itself the Guardians of Peace attacked Sony Pictures and released internal emails by senior company executives.
Video:2 Dec: Did North Korea Hack Sony?
The group said audiences would face a "bitter fate" and people living close to cinemas showing the film should leave their homes.
"We will clearly show it to you at the very time and places The Interview be shown, including the premiere, how bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to," they said.
"Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made. The world will be full of fear.
"Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time. (If your house is nearby, you'd better leave.)"
New York's Landmark's Sunshine Cinema earlier confirmed that the film's Thursday premiere would not go ahead.
An official at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said there was "no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theatres within the United States".
However, police in New York and Los Angeles sad they were taking the threats "very seriously".
A police force has apologised for letting prolific sex offender Jimmy Savile slip through their net by not properly investigating him while he was alive.
North Yorkshire Police has admitted it missed opportunities to act and let down people who reported abuse by the disgraced entertainer and another man in Scarborough.
Assistant Chief Constable Paul Kennedy apologised to 35 people who say they were abused in Scarborough between 1958 and 1998 by Savile or his friend Peter Jaconelli, a former mayor of the town.
Two of the alleged victims say both men attacked them.
"On behalf of North Yorkshire Police I am sorry, I am truly sorry we did not respond more effectively, we did not investigate those allegations early on," he said.
Savile's headstone was removed after his abuses were revealed
ACC Kennedy said if Savile and Jaconelli were alive they would be arrested on suspicion of child sex offences ranging from indecent assault to rape.
Savile died in 2011 before being exposed as a prolific offender who abused at least 500 children and Jaconelli died in 1999.
After Savile's crimes were made public campaigners and bloggers on the Yorkshire coast pressured the police over their claims that they had no knowledge of complaints against either Savile or Jaconelli when they were alive.
When several men came forward in March 2014 to say they had been abused by Jaconelli the force referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission and began an investigation.
Nigel Ward from the North Yorks Enquirer website welcomed the apology but said more needs to be done.
"The only way to get to the bottom of this now is to have a full scale public enquiry and I would welcome that because I think there are a lot of people who have been culpable in terms of covering up and making it possible for these terrible people to get away with these offences," he said.
The IPCC has recently quizzed an unnamed serving detective sergeant from North Yorkshire Police as part of an ongoing investigation into potential misconduct over how information about Savile and Jaconelli was handled.
Both men are buried in Scarborough's Woodlands Cemetery, where Savile's grave is unmarked after his headstone was removed in 2012 while Jaconelli's prominent headstone records him as Alderman Peter Jaconelli.
Scarborough Council, which is led by Tom Fox, a former Scarborough police commander, stripped Jaconelli of his civic honours when the extent of the complaints against him were acknowledged earlier this year.
Written By Unknown on Rabu, 17 Desember 2014 | 10.03
Children. Herded down the corridors of their own school in a battery farm slaughter. More than 120 young lives cut short by a team of murderers under orders to spare only the younger kids.
Even by the standards of Pakistan's Taliban, this was an atrocity of unprecedented scale. But it cannot be seen as coming out of the blue.
The Taliban has a reputation for extreme brutality and for hating schools. According to a report from the Pakistani intelligence agencies in 2013, the movement had destroyed 1,030 schools in the west of the country over the previous four years.
The mainly Pashtun movement has its roots in rebellion against the Soviet invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan in 1979. But it has mutated, turning on its original sponsors in Islamabad and now violently pursues the drastic further Islamisation of Pakistan.
In 2010, it killed 105 spectators at a volleyball match. Dozens were killed by gunmen who swept through a church in Peshawar three years later.
Video:Why Did Taliban Target Children?
But they have been driven back lately. And this has spurred their atrocities to greater levels.
A military campaign ordered by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif earlier this year is intended to wipe the Taliban out altogether. Lately it has, from the government's perspective, been going well.
Hundreds of militants have been killed as the army has driven them back towards their heartland in the Swat valley.
The Taliban's long campaign against the central government was beginning to weaken. So it sought invigoration in horror.
Video:Schoolchildren Rushed To Hospital
Perhaps in an effort to appeal to younger recruits who may have been tempted by the propaganda coming from the Middle East, from the death cult known as Islamic State (IS).
In October, the Pakistani Taliban issued a statement that it supported IS. It did not join it.
"Oh our brothers (in IS), we are proud of you in your victories," Pakistani Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said.
"All Muslims in the world have great expectations of you ... we are with you, we will provide you with Mujahideen (fighters) and with every possible support."
1/22
Gallery: Taliban In Deadly School Raid
Pakistani men help an injured student to a hospital following an attack by Taliban gunmen on a school in Peshawar
Rescue workers and family members carry the coffin of a student, who was killed during the attack
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Video:School Massacre in Pakistan
Taliban gunmen have killed 141 people, including at least 132 children, in a school attack in Peshawar, Pakistan.
Nine men stormed the army-run school while around 500 children and teachers were believed to be inside, with many students taking exams at the time.
Most of the victims of the country's deadliest terror attack were killed in the first few hours as the gunman fired bullets indiscriminately at pupils and teachers.
A local hospital said the dead - and the more than 120 who were injured - were aged from 10 to 20 years old.
"One of my teachers was crying, she was shot in the hand and she was crying in pain," Shahrukh Khan, 15, who was shot in both legs, said.
1/22
Gallery: Taliban In Deadly School Raid
Pakistani men help an injured student to a hospital following an attack by Taliban gunmen on a school in Peshawar
Rescue workers and family members carry the coffin of a student, who was killed during the attack
]]>
Ambulances, carrying schoolchildren, make their way from the school
]]>
]]>
Students have told of their terror as the school was stormed
]]>
"One terrorist then walked up to her and started shooting her until she stopped making any sound. All around me my friends were lying injured and dead."
Teachers and pupils were held hostage by the Tehreek-e-Taliban gunmen before the army stormed the building in a bid to end a battle which raged for almost nine hours.
As darkness fell, a military source said "the operation is complete," adding that all nine militants were dead.
Local media reported that the men managed to slip past the school's tight security because they were wearing Pakistani military uniforms.
The Taliban said the militants were equipped with suicide vests and there were fears of more casualties when three explosions were heard inside the school.
Video:Teacher Describes Taliban Siege
"We selected the army's school for the attack because the government is targeting our families and females," said Taliban spokesman Muhammad Umar Khorasani.
"We want them to feel our pain."
Police struggled to hold back distraught parents trying to break past a cordon and get to the school as the loud explosions went off inside.
"My son was in uniform in the morning. He is in a casket now," wailed one parent, Tahir Ali, as he came to the hospital to collect the body of his 14-year-old son Abdullah. "My son was my dream. My dream has been killed."
Video and photos showed other young children in their green uniforms being led away from the school by soldiers and an army helicopter flying overhead.
Video:Students' Terror In Taliban Raid
A school bus driver said: "We were standing outside the school and firing suddenly started and there was chaos everywhere and the screams of children and teachers."
The school is located on the edge of a military cantonment in Peshawar, but the majority of the students are civilian.
One of the wounded students, Abdullah Jamal, said that he was with a group of 8th, 9th and 10th graders who were getting first-aid instructions and training with a team of Pakistani army medics when the violence began for real.
When the shooting started, Abdullah, who was shot in the leg, said nobody knew what was going on in the first few seconds.
"Then I saw children falling down who were crying and screaming. I also fell down. I learned later that I have got a bullet," he said, speaking from his hospital bed.
Video:Schoolchildren Rushed To Hospital
"All the children had bullet wounds. All the children were bleeding," Abdullah added.
Pakistan's prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who has arrived in the area, called the massacre a "national tragedy".
Education campaigner and Nobel peace prize winner Malala Yousafzai, who left Pakistan after being shot by the Taliban, said: "I am heartbroken by this senseless and cold-blooded act of terror in Peshawar that is unfolding before us."
The 17-year-old said she and millions of others "mourn these children, my brothers and sisters but we will never be defeated".
British Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the attack and called it "deeply shocking".
Video:Why Did Taliban Target Children?
"It's horrifying that children are being killed simply for going to school," he said.
Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain
Top Stories
Taliban Aims For Relaunch With Bloodbath
Boxer Hurt After Tackling Pair Of Burglars
'Bitter Fate' Warning For Kim Movie Viewers
Prosecutor Decides Not To Charge Bill Cosby
Festive Cheer On Forecourt As Petrol Prices Fall
Pakistan Militants Kill 141 In School Massacre
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Video:School Massacre in Pakistan
Taliban gunmen have killed 141 people, including at least 132 children, in a school attack in Peshawar, Pakistan.
Nine men stormed the army-run school while around 500 children and teachers were believed to be inside, with many students taking exams at the time.
Most of the victims of the country's deadliest terror attack were killed in the first few hours as the gunman fired bullets indiscriminately at pupils and teachers.
A local hospital said the dead - and the more than 120 who were injured - were aged from 10 to 20 years old.
"One of my teachers was crying, she was shot in the hand and she was crying in pain," Shahrukh Khan, 15, who was shot in both legs, said.
1/22
Gallery: Taliban In Deadly School Raid
Pakistani men help an injured student to a hospital following an attack by Taliban gunmen on a school in Peshawar
Rescue workers and family members carry the coffin of a student, who was killed during the attack
]]>
Ambulances, carrying schoolchildren, make their way from the school
]]>
]]>
Students have told of their terror as the school was stormed
]]>
"One terrorist then walked up to her and started shooting her until she stopped making any sound. All around me my friends were lying injured and dead."
Teachers and pupils were held hostage by the Tehreek-e-Taliban gunmen before the army stormed the building in a bid to end a battle which raged for almost nine hours.
As darkness fell, a military source said "the operation is complete," adding that all nine militants were dead.
Local media reported that the men managed to slip past the school's tight security because they were wearing Pakistani military uniforms.
The Taliban said the militants were equipped with suicide vests and there were fears of more casualties when three explosions were heard inside the school.
Video:Teacher Describes Taliban Siege
"We selected the army's school for the attack because the government is targeting our families and females," said Taliban spokesman Muhammad Umar Khorasani.
"We want them to feel our pain."
Police struggled to hold back distraught parents trying to break past a cordon and get to the school as the loud explosions went off inside.
"My son was in uniform in the morning. He is in a casket now," wailed one parent, Tahir Ali, as he came to the hospital to collect the body of his 14-year-old son Abdullah. "My son was my dream. My dream has been killed."
Video and photos showed other young children in their green uniforms being led away from the school by soldiers and an army helicopter flying overhead.
Video:Students' Terror In Taliban Raid
A school bus driver said: "We were standing outside the school and firing suddenly started and there was chaos everywhere and the screams of children and teachers."
The school is located on the edge of a military cantonment in Peshawar, but the majority of the students are civilian.
One of the wounded students, Abdullah Jamal, said that he was with a group of 8th, 9th and 10th graders who were getting first-aid instructions and training with a team of Pakistani army medics when the violence began for real.
When the shooting started, Abdullah, who was shot in the leg, said nobody knew what was going on in the first few seconds.
"Then I saw children falling down who were crying and screaming. I also fell down. I learned later that I have got a bullet," he said, speaking from his hospital bed.
Video:Schoolchildren Rushed To Hospital
"All the children had bullet wounds. All the children were bleeding," Abdullah added.
Pakistan's prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who has arrived in the area, called the massacre a "national tragedy".
Education campaigner and Nobel peace prize winner Malala Yousafzai, who left Pakistan after being shot by the Taliban, said: "I am heartbroken by this senseless and cold-blooded act of terror in Peshawar that is unfolding before us."
The 17-year-old said she and millions of others "mourn these children, my brothers and sisters but we will never be defeated".
British Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the attack and called it "deeply shocking".
Video:Why Did Taliban Target Children?
"It's horrifying that children are being killed simply for going to school," he said.
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 16 Desember 2014 | 10.03
A brilliant female barrister and a 34-year-old cafe manager have been named as the two victims of the siege in Sydney.
Mother-of-three Katrina Dawson, 38, and Tori Johnson, 34, died along with hostage-taker Man Haron Monis during a 16-hour siege at the Lindt cafe in Sydney's financial district.
At a press conference today, police revealed that three female hostages were also shot during the siege, as well as one police officer.
The three women are in a stable condition in hospital, while the officer has been treated and released.
Deputy Commisioner Catherine Burn said: "I spoke to the police officer as he was going home. His only words to me were 'I'll be back at work tomorrow'."
Video:Police Confirm: 3 Dead, 6 Injured
Ms Burn said another two women were treated for "health and welfare purposes". Reports suggested that those women were pregnant.
Monis was shot dead when specialist officers threw flash grenades into the building in the Martin Place premises at around 2.10am.
The 50-year-old Iranian refugee - who was facing charges in Australia including accessory to murder and sexual assault - was confirmed dead after being taken to hospital.
Deputy Commissioner Burn said police did not know what had motivated Monis. She declined to detail his demands.
"This is a man who had serious history of criminal offences and a history of violence," she said.
Video:Sydney Siege Victims Remembered
"This was a man that we do believe had some extremist views and we also believe that he was unstable."
Ms Dawson's brother told The Australian newspaper that the family is devastated by her death.
She was looking forward to a joint family holiday with another colleague and her children later this year.
Friends described her as beautiful and highly-intelligent.
Ms Dawson was held hostage alongside one of her barrister colleagues, with whom she had been having a coffee.
"Katrina was one of our best and brightest barristers who will be greatly missed by her colleagues and friends at the NSW Bar.
"She was a devoted mother of three children, and a valued member of her floor and of our bar community."
Flags were lowered to half-staff on the landmark Harbour Bridge as Australians awakened to the surreal conclusion of the crisis.
The state's premier Prime Minister Tony Abbott expressed disbelief that the attack could happen in Australia - a place he dubbed "a peaceful, harmonious society which is the envy of the world."
Video:Sydney Siege: Special Report
The siege ended in dramatic scenes, as a group of panicked hostages ran from the building into the arms of waiting police in the early hours of Tuesday morning local time.
Specialist police then swooped on the gunman, who was armed with a pump-action shotgun.
A series of loud explosions were heard at the scene before glass shattered onto the pavement from a nearby window.
NSW Premier Mike Baird described the incident as "a vicious, horrendous attack in the heart of our city".
Speaking at a news conference in Canberra, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the gunman had an infatuation with extremism.
1/9
Gallery: Sydney Mourns Cafe Siege Victims
A man sobs as he lays flowers in Sydney, near to the scene
Dozens of bouquets of flowers were laid at the scene
The man who took up to 20 people hostage in a Sydney cafe has been named as Iranian refugee Man Haron Monis, aged 50.
Sydney police said the self-styled Sheikh - who raised a flag with the Islamic declaration of faith in Arabic written on it and placed human shields in the window before police officers moved into the building - was well-known to them.
It was later revealed he had died in the confrontation with police after shooting one of his hostages.
Channel Nine reporter Airlie Walsh told Sky News charges against him included accessory to murder and sexual assault.
"The list of charges against the Sheikh are extremely long and extremely worrying," she said.
Monis wrote to the relatives of Australian servicemen who died
He is believed to be currently on bail for 47 sexual assaults he is accused of carrying out while operating as a spiritual healer.
Monis moved to Australia in 1996 from Iran. The country's foreign ministry said his actions were "not in any way justifiable".
Video:Map - Sydney Siege Location
He is notorious in Australia for sending abusive letters to family members of soldiers killed in Afghanistan and was sentenced to 300 hours of community service for his campaign.
Among those targeted in his hate mail was the widow of Sergeant Brett Till, who was killed while defusing a bomb on 12 March 2009.
At the time of the conviction, Bree Till said: "We sat reading these letters (which) made out to be something supportive but then the juxtaposition of this man accusing my husband of being a child-killer while dictating how I should raise my children. It was scary."
Last year, Monis said last year that he wanted to send a "very nice condolence letter" and 237 baskets of flowers to the families of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan but failed to overturn a court order banning him from using the postal service to contact relatives of military personnel.
He was later charged with being an accessory in the murder of his ex-wife.
Monis operated a website which was taken down shortly after he was named as the hostage-taker in the media.
1/49
Gallery: Latest Images From Australia
A bomb disposal robot moves towards Sydney's Lindt Cafe after armed police moved in to end the seige in a barrage of gunfire.
A woman is carried out of the cafe after armed police stormed the building where a gunman was holding up to 20 hostages
Written By Unknown on Senin, 15 Desember 2014 | 10.03
By Sophy Ridge, Political Correspondent
The head of the UK's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) is demanding to see material documenting any British links to the CIA's use of torture.
Sir Malcolm Rifkind, chair of the Commons committee, is seeking any intelligence relating to the UK that was redacted from the explosive Senate report into the CIA.
It concluded that the CIA lied over its torture and interrogation programme developed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
Sir Malcolm told Sky's Murnaghan programme: "This is a major United States' report and so we are requesting, both our colleagues on the Senate Intelligence Committee ... but also it will ultimately be the United States government, that will decide whether some of the material that has been redacted in the American report can be shown to us.
"We don't need to see everything that's been redacted, what we need to see are the bits that might refer to the UK government."
Video:MP Demands Torture Report Material
Asked whether that information would be made public, he said the ISC would only agree for it to be withheld "if the Prime Minister was able to convince us that there were legitimate national security reasons why it shouldn't be published".
He said there had been "justified" criticism of the ISC in the past, but it had new powers to order intelligence agencies to hand over requested files and for its staff to go to MI5, MI6 and GCHQ to "personally inspect files to make sure nothing's been left out".
He said once the ISC had looked through the written material, "we will come to a judgement as to which people, first of all who in the intelligence agencies we wish to take evidence from, secondly either current ministers or former ministers who have intelligence on these matters".
Video:Former CIA Officer Michael Scheuer
Sir Malcolm said he does not think a judge-led inquiry into any British involvement in the CIA's rendition and torture programme is necessary.
He agreed the ISC does not have the power to compel ministers to give evidence, "but, of course, it would be huge scandal if they did refuse to".
The British Government has admitted requesting the deletion of references to Britain's intelligence agencies for national security reasons.
Video:UK Bid To Access CIA Torture Report
UK Government representatives had 24 meetings with members of the US committee responsible for the findings.
Some of the deletions are believed to relate to the British Overseas Territory of Diego Garcia.
There is escalating pressure on the British government not to extend an agreement allowing the US to use the territory in the Indian Ocean as a military base.
Video:MI5 And MI6 Involvement Questioned
Andrew Tyrie, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on rendition, said any negotiations should address allegations that it was used by the CIA to render terror suspects around the world.
"The negotiations on the lease can focus minds on establishing the scope and limits of Britain's involvement, direct or indirect, in extraordinary rendition," Mr Tyrie said.
"We are talking about kidnap and taking people to places where they may be maltreated or tortured."
Video:UK Involvement in CIA Torture
The former Home Office minister, Lib Dem MP Norman Baker, who has taken a close interest in the atoll, said: "As it comes up for renewal, we need a full explanation of what happened in our name on that island."
It comes amid reports former foreign secretary Jack Straw was questioned by police investigating the abductions of two Libyans who say they were handed to Colonel Gaddafi and tortured by his regime.
Mr Straw was interviewed as a "witness" by Scotland Yard following claims the Government was complicit in the rendition of the two men and their families, the Sunday Times said.
A huge police operation is under way in Sydney's financial district, with reports that up to 40 hostages are being held in a cafe.
Part of Martin Place - home to the Reserve Bank of Australia, commercial banks and close to the New South Wales state parliament - has been closed off and up to 100 heavily armed police are surrounding the area.
Live television footage showed patrons inside the Lindt Chocolate Cafe standing with their hands pressed against the windows.
A black flag with white Arabic text, similar to those used by Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria, was also visible.
A man seen at the window of the Lindt Chocolate Cafe. Pic: Channel 7
According to media reports, at least one gunman walked into the cafe just before 10am local time.
Witnesses reported hearing loud bangs that sounded like gunshots.
Video:Eyewitness at Sydney Hostage Scene
A reporter at Australia's Channel Nine News said: "We are dealing with an extremely serious situation.
"There are people inside the cafe who have been placed at the window with their hands up to show the world that they have been taken hostage."
A Lindt executive said there were about 10 staff and "probably 30 customers" in the cafe before the operation started.
Sydney Opera House has been evacuated after a suspicious package was reportedly found not long after the police operation in the financial district began.
New South Wales police confirmed authorities were dealing with an "incident" there, but it is not known whether they are linking it to events at the cafe.
1/14
Gallery: Latest Images From Sydney As Hostage Situation Develops
An apparent hostage situation has been reported inside a chocolate shop and cafe in central Sydney
Streets in the area were closed and offices have been evacuated, with the public told to stay away
Written By Unknown on Minggu, 14 Desember 2014 | 10.03
Thousands March Against US Police Killings
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Video:Anti-Police March In Washington
By Sky News US Team
Tens of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of cities across the US to protest at the killings of unarmed black men by police and call on politicians to act.
Organisers expected the rallies to be among the largest seen over the lethal actions of officers in New York, Cleveland and Ferguson, Missouri.
Protesters in Washington carried placards reading "Black Lives Matter" and "Who do you protect? Who do you serve".
Marchers shouted "No justice, no peace, no racist police" and "Hands up, don't shoot".
Among those who took part in the march on the Capitol Building were the families of Eric Garner, killed by an officer using a chokehold position in New York, Michael Brown, who was fatally shot in Ferguson, Trayvon Martin, who was shot by a neighbourhood watch volunteer in Florida, and Tamir Rice, who was fatally shot in Cleveland, Ohio.
1/13
Gallery: Protests Over US Police Killings
Thousands of people have marched in several US cities including Washington and New York to demand justice for black men who have died at the hands of white police
It is part of a growing protest movement sparked by the fatal August shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by a white policeman
]]>
Protests continued after 43-year-old Eric Garner died in New York when he was put in a chokehold by a police officer
]]>
Several thousand people have massed on the streets, shouting "No justice, no peace!" - a signature chant of the nationwide demonstrations
]]>
The families of Michael Brown and Eric Garner were among the protests
]]>
Esaw Garner, the widow of the 43-year-old, who died in July after officers arrested him in Staten Island on suspicion of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes, told marchers: "Let's keep it strong, long and meaningful."
"Wow, what a sea of people," said Mr Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden.
"If they don't see this and make a change, I don't know what we're going to do."
The lack of criminal charges brought by grand juries in the New York and Ferguson cases has fuelled protests across the US.
Civil rights leader the Rev Al Sharpton, whose National Action Alliance headed the Washington protest, said in a statement: "We need more than just talk - we need legislative action that will shift things both on the books and in the streets."
Video:Dec 4: Chokehold Decision
He called for legislation that would allow federal prosecutors to take over cases involving police.
Local prosecutors who work with police regularly and then must investigate officers faced a conflict of interest, he argued.
Protesters in Washington were expected to arrive by bus from as far away as Florida, Connecticut and Pittsburgh.
Organisers estimated the crowd at 40,000 to 50,000.
The rally blocked Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and the US Capitol.
Video:Riots And Racial Tension: A History
The march in New York, a city which has seen a series of protests after a grand jury failed to indict the officer who killed Mr Garner, was estimated by observers to have drawn a crowd of more than 10,000.
The crowd headed north up Manhattan's Fifth Avenue from Washington Square Park and was due to end at the city's police headquarters.
Some chanted "How do you spell racist? NYPD" and some taunted police guarding the route.
New York march co-organiser Umaara Elliott said in a statement: "It's open season on black people now.
"So we demand that action be taken at every level of government to ensure that these racist killings by the police cease."
1/8
Gallery: Unarmed Michael Brown Was Shot By A White Officer
Michael Brown, 18, was shot dead on 9 August by officer Darren Wilson. Family described Mr Brown, known as Big Mike, as a gentle giant. He was unarmed
CCTV footage appeared to show Mr Brown conducting a strong-arm robbery at a convenience store minutes before his encounter with Officer Wilson
]]>
Hundreds of protesters also gathered in Boston, Massachusetts.
The state police said "several demonstrators who failed to comply with the law despite orders to do so have been taken into custody".
Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain
Top Stories
Glitch Causes Items To Be Sold On Amazon For 1p
Failure That Led To Plane Chaos 'Unprecedented'
Prince George: New Photos Of Young Royal
Top MP's Demand Over CIA Torture Report
Hundreds Of British Troops To Be Sent To Iraq
Thousands March Against US Police Killings
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Video:Anti-Police March In Washington
By Sky News US Team
Tens of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of cities across the US to protest at the killings of unarmed black men by police and call on politicians to act.
Organisers expected the rallies to be among the largest seen over the lethal actions of officers in New York, Cleveland and Ferguson, Missouri.
Protesters in Washington carried placards reading "Black Lives Matter" and "Who do you protect? Who do you serve".
Marchers shouted "No justice, no peace, no racist police" and "Hands up, don't shoot".
Among those who took part in the march on the Capitol Building were the families of Eric Garner, killed by an officer using a chokehold position in New York, Michael Brown, who was fatally shot in Ferguson, Trayvon Martin, who was shot by a neighbourhood watch volunteer in Florida, and Tamir Rice, who was fatally shot in Cleveland, Ohio.
1/13
Gallery: Protests Over US Police Killings
Thousands of people have marched in several US cities including Washington and New York to demand justice for black men who have died at the hands of white police
It is part of a growing protest movement sparked by the fatal August shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by a white policeman
]]>
Protests continued after 43-year-old Eric Garner died in New York when he was put in a chokehold by a police officer
]]>
Several thousand people have massed on the streets, shouting "No justice, no peace!" - a signature chant of the nationwide demonstrations
]]>
The families of Michael Brown and Eric Garner were among the protests
]]>
Esaw Garner, the widow of the 43-year-old, who died in July after officers arrested him in Staten Island on suspicion of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes, told marchers: "Let's keep it strong, long and meaningful."
"Wow, what a sea of people," said Mr Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden.
"If they don't see this and make a change, I don't know what we're going to do."
The lack of criminal charges brought by grand juries in the New York and Ferguson cases has fuelled protests across the US.
Civil rights leader the Rev Al Sharpton, whose National Action Alliance headed the Washington protest, said in a statement: "We need more than just talk - we need legislative action that will shift things both on the books and in the streets."
Video:Dec 4: Chokehold Decision
He called for legislation that would allow federal prosecutors to take over cases involving police.
Local prosecutors who work with police regularly and then must investigate officers faced a conflict of interest, he argued.
Protesters in Washington were expected to arrive by bus from as far away as Florida, Connecticut and Pittsburgh.
Organisers estimated the crowd at 40,000 to 50,000.
The rally blocked Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and the US Capitol.
Video:Riots And Racial Tension: A History
The march in New York, a city which has seen a series of protests after a grand jury failed to indict the officer who killed Mr Garner, was estimated by observers to have drawn a crowd of more than 10,000.
The crowd headed north up Manhattan's Fifth Avenue from Washington Square Park and was due to end at the city's police headquarters.
Some chanted "How do you spell racist? NYPD" and some taunted police guarding the route.
New York march co-organiser Umaara Elliott said in a statement: "It's open season on black people now.
"So we demand that action be taken at every level of government to ensure that these racist killings by the police cease."
1/8
Gallery: Unarmed Michael Brown Was Shot By A White Officer
Michael Brown, 18, was shot dead on 9 August by officer Darren Wilson. Family described Mr Brown, known as Big Mike, as a gentle giant. He was unarmed
CCTV footage appeared to show Mr Brown conducting a strong-arm robbery at a convenience store minutes before his encounter with Officer Wilson
]]>
Hundreds of protesters also gathered in Boston, Massachusetts.
The state police said "several demonstrators who failed to comply with the law despite orders to do so have been taken into custody".
Businesses are furious after a piece of software used by retailers on Amazon went wrong, causing hundreds of items to be sold at 1p.
Some firms which use RepricerExpress say they risk going bankrupt because the problem has resulted in them losing so much money.
The software is designed to keep businesses competitive by automatically repricing items of stock so they are cheaper than others in the digital market.
The firm states on its website: "We are here to increase your sales on Amazon and Rakuten's Play.com and make your efforts as profitable as possible."
For an hour on Friday, between 7pm and 8pm, a problem with RepricerExpress led to hundreds of items being sold on Amazon at a fraction of their normal price. At the same time, some customers said, Amazon charged its usual fees for every item sold.
One of the sellers, Judith Blackford of Kiddymania, told Sky News she could be forced out of business as result of the error.
She said: "I started using Repricer Express - a repricing tool as did a lot of other businesses a few months ago.
"Last night through an error in their programme they listed my stock on amazon at 1p per item including delivery.
"I have lost about £20,000 overnight. Having asked Amazon to cancel the orders they are still sending them out and charging me horrendous fees.
"Surely someone has to be accountable for this. I will be bankrupt at this rate by the end of January."
Amazon uses automated pricing software created by RepricerExpress
Another retailer affected, Discount Discs, told Sky News: "We are yet to quantify the amount of stock we have lost but we are aware of other sellers losing around £100k of stock.
"This has happened on probably the busiest trading weekend of the year for many sellers."
As a result of the error, several buyers commented on Twitter at how pleased they were to have bought the items for so little.
One person wrote: "Amazon are having a glitch on their site and loads of stuff is selling for 1p. I just bought an incense holder, don't even need it."
An email to some customers from the CEO of RepricerExpress, Brendan Doherty, said the problems with the software caused incorrect pricing to be sent to Amazon.
A statement on the company's website from Mr Doherty said: "I am truly sorry for the distress this has caused our customers.
"We have received communication that Amazon will not penalise sellers for this error. We are continuing to work to identify how this problem occurred and to put measures in place to ensure that it does not happen again.
"Everyone here is devastated and disappointed that you have experienced this problem.
"We understand that you are angry and upset and we will endeavour to work to make good on this issue."
