Newtown Principal Dawn Hochsprung Among Dead

A headteacher and a school psychologist went to the aid of their pupils after hearing gunshots at a Connecticut school, according to reports.

Dawn Hochsprung and therapist Diane Day were in a meeting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown on Friday morning when the gunman, thought to be the son of a teacher at the school, began shooting at around 9.30am.

The pair leaped out of their seats after hearing gunshots and ran to see what was going on, according to Ms Day.

She told the Wall Street Journal: "We were there for about five minutes chatting, and we heard Pop! Pop! Pop!

"I went under the table. They didn't think twice about confronting or seeing what was going on."

Ms Hochsprung is believed to have switched on a loudspeaker system in the school to alert students and staff to the danger.

Fourth-grade teacher Theodore Varga said: "You could hear the hysteria that was going on.

"Whoever did that saved a lot of people. Everyone in the school was listening to the terror that was transpiring."

He added that a school caretaker also ran out warning people there was a gunman on the premises.

A candlelit vigil was held for the victims

Ms Hochsprung was confirmed to be among seven adults and 20 children killed during the rampage. The school psychologist was also reported to have been killed.

The masked gunman - reportedly armed with a Glock and a Sig Sauer handguns as well as a .223-calibre rifle - has been named as 20-year-old Adam Lanza.

Robert Licata, whose six-year-old son was in one of the classrooms when the gunman burst in and opened fire, said he told him the shooter did not say anything.

He said: "That's when my son grabbed a bunch of his friends and ran out the door.

"He was very brave. He waited for his friends."

First-grade teacher Kaitlin Roig barricaded her 15 students inside a tiny bathroom with a bookshelf and told them to be "absolutely quiet".

She told ABC News: "I said, 'there are bad guys out there now. We need to wait for the good guys'.

"They asked, 'Can we go see if anyone is out there? I just want Christmas. I don't want to die, I just want to have Christmas.'"

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Emotional Obama Responds To School Shooting

US President Barack Obama wept as he addressed the nation in the aftermath of the school shootings in Connecticut.

Mr Obama paused repeatedly as he struggled to keep his composure while speaking of the children who had been killed and the milestones in their lives they would never have - birthdays, graduations, weddings.

"Our hearts are broken today," he said, at times using a finger to wipe tears at the corners of his eyes.

Mr Obama said he had reacted to news of the elementary school shooting first as a parent.

He added that he and First Lady Michelle would do what any other parent in America would do - "hug our children a little tighter".

"There is not a parent in America who does not feel the same overwhelming grief I do," he said.

Mr Obama called for "meaningful action" regardless of politics.

"As a country, we have been through this too many times," he said in the televised address from the White House.

Many of those killed in the rampage were between the ages of five and 10.

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US School Shooting: Gunman Kills 27

The United States is in shock after a man murdered his mother at home before gunning down 20 children and six adults in a Connecticut school.

The heavily armed gunman, named as 20-year-old Adam Lanza, shot the children - aged between five and 10 years old - at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where his mother had worked as teacher.

Dawn Hochsprung, the head teacher at the school in Newtown, was among those killed in the shooting, which began at around 9:30am - just after school day started.

After storming through several classrooms, Lanza, who was wearing a bullet-proof vest and carrying two handguns, turned one of the guns he was carrying on himself.

An emotional US President Barack Obama wiped tears from his eyes as he told a stunned country: "Our hearts are broken today."

A young boy weeps after learning of the elementary school massacre

Mr Obama hinted at possible gun law reform, declaring that the latest atrocity signals that the country should come together to take meaningful action, "regardless of the politics".

Of the children killed, Mr Obama said: "They had their entire lives ahead of them - birthdays, graduations, wedding, kids of their own." 

Children told their parents they had heard bangs and, at one point, a scream over the intercom. Teachers ordered them to hide in closets or corners.

"I was going back to my classroom and I heard like a person kicking on the door and I turned around I smelled smoke," an eight-year-old boy told NBC.

Reports said Lanza killed his mother, Nancy Lanza, and then drove to the school in her car.

At least three guns were found - a Glock and a Sig Sauer, both pistols, inside the school, and a high-powered rifle in the back of the car, authorities said.

Lanza's older brother Ryan was questioned

A law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity said some of the guns used in the attack may have belonged to Lanza's mother, who had legally purchased five weapons.

The attack, just two weeks before Christmas, was America's second-deadliest school shooting, exceeded only by the Virginia Tech university massacre in 2007 that left 32 dead.

Authorities offered little clue as to the motive for the shootings in the picturesque small town northeast of New York City.

The gunman was believed to suffer from a personality disorder and lived with his mother in an affluent part of Newtown.

State police Lt Paul Vance said just one person suffered an injury and survived, indicating that the gunman was unusually accurate or methodical in his fire.

Frantic parents rushed to the school to find out if their children were OK

Lanza's older brother Ryan, 24, of Hoboken, New Jersey, has been questioned by police but a law enforcement official said he was not believed to have had any role in the shooting and was "extremely cooperative".

Ryan Lanza told law enforcement he had not been in touch with his brother since about 2010.

Hours after the shooting, hundreds of people gathered for a vigil, the crowd filling the church to capacity and spilling outside its doors.

Some lit candles while others joined hands to sing Christmas songs.

The shooting happened at a school in the town, 60 miles from New York

"Evil visited this community today," State Governor Dan Malloy said earlier.

David Connors, whose triplets were at the school during the shooting but were unharmed, said he was still horrified.

"It's hard. I've never imagined a thing like that could happen here."

Police said they expected to be able to make public the identities of the victims later on Saturday.

US flags were flown at half mast over the Capitol and White House

Prime Minister David Cameron said: "It is heartbreaking to think of those who have had their children robbed from them."

The Queen sent a message to Mr Obama in which she said she was "deeply shocked and saddened".

UN chief Ban Ki-moon wrote to Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy to give his "deepest condolences at the shocking murders," a statement said.

"The targeting of children is heinous and unthinkable," he added in condemning the "horrendous" crime.

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Serbian FA Fined For Racist Behaviour Of Fans

The Serbian Football Association has been fined £65,000 over the improper conduct of fans involving racist chanting during a match against England's Under-21s.

UEFA, the governing body of football in Europe, also ordered Serbia to play their next Under-21 international fixture behind closed doors, following the violent scenes during and after the game at the Mladost Stadium in Krusevac in October.

But the FA, which complained of the racism to UEFA after the incident, said the sanctions were not tough enough.

FA General Secretary Alex Horne said: "We are disappointed with the sanctions levied by UEFA with regards to the racist behaviour displayed towards England's players.

"Let's be clear, racism is unacceptable in any form, and should play no part in football.

"The scenes were deplorable and we do not believe the sanction sends a strong enough message."

FA General Secretary Alex Horne says he is "disappointed" by the sanctions

The control and disciplinary body also banned six players for varying terms, including English duo Thomas Ince and Steven Caulker, as well as two Serbian coaches, after ugly scenes marred the end of the European Championship play-off which England won 1-0.

It means defender Caulker will play no part in the ties against Italy and Norway in June next year, while midfielder Ince will miss just the first fixture.

They have three days to lodge an appeal against the decisions.

A charge against the Football Association of failing to control their players was dismissed by UEFA.

Serbian midfielder Goran Causic was handed a four-match ban, teammates Ognjen Mudrinski and Filip Malbasic were suspended for three games, and Nikola Ninkovic for two.

Serbia fitness coach Andreja Milunovic, who attacked England officials, was banned for two years, the second of which has been suspended for three years.

Assistant coach Predrag Katic was also banned for two years, the final six months of which were suspended for three years.

Disciplinary proceedings against Serbian defender Aleksandar Pantic were dismissed.

Ninkovic (L) and England's Danny Rose (R) clash during the October 16 match

The FA had reported the racist abuse to UEFA plus a number of other incidents.

Full-back Danny Rose, who was dismissed after the final whistle for kicking the ball away in anger, complained he had been particularly targeted.

He claimed he was subjected to monkey chants throughout the match - and as he left the pitch.

Players from both sides were charged with misconduct after the game and an investigation launched into the incidents.

Mr Horne added: "It is the FA's vehement belief that its players and staff acted correctly in the face of provocation, including racist abuse and missiles being thrown.

"We are therefore surprised to see that two of our players have been given suspensions.

"We shall await UEFA's reasoning but it is our intention, at this stage, to support our players and appeal these decisions."

Head Coach Stuart Pearce said: "I am concerned to see our players suspended by UEFA and we will continue to support them.

"I maintain that our players played no part in the aggression. From what I witnessed our players and staff were forced to protect themselves in the violent scenes that followed the game."

Rose will still face a one-match suspension from UEFA for his sending off after the final whistle.

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Barcode Co-Creator N Joseph Woodland Dies

Norman Joseph Woodland, the co-creator of the barcode, has died aged 91.

He was a graduate student when he teamed up with classmate Bernard Silver to create the thick-and-thin line system in the 1940s.

Mr Woodland is said to have come up with the Morse code-inspired idea while sitting on a chair surrounded by sand.

He told Smithsonian magazine in 1999: "I poked my four fingers into the sand and for whatever reason - I didn't know - I pulled my hand toward me and drew four lines.

Norman Joseph Woodland pictured in 1947 (Drexel University Archives)

"I said: 'Golly! Now I have four lines, and they could be wide lines and narrow lines instead of dots and dashes'."

The idea was patented in the US 60 years ago and sold to battery storage company Philco for $15,000 (£9,300), a figure that today would be worth $130,000 (£80,000).

When the patent expired in the 1960s IBM - where Mr Woodland was working - tweaked the design into the one we recognise today.

The first item scanned was a packet of chewing gum in an Ohio supermarket in 1974.

Known as the universal product code (UPC), it is now printed on millions of devices around the world and scanned billions of times every day.

Mr Woodland's family said he died on Sunday at his home in Edgewater, New Jersey.

In 2011 both Mr Woodland and Mr Silver were inducted into the US National Inventors Hall of Fame.

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North Korea Rocket: Mass Rally Staged

Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans have gathered for a government-staged rally to celebrate a long-range rocket launch, state TV has shown.

Below a grey sky and with flags flying high, the huge crowd of soldiers and civilians stood in neat ranks and applauded various speeches from officials.

State media released footage of the launch

Military and party figures praised the country's young leader Kim Jong-Un and hailed the success of Wednesday's launch, which has been condemned by the international community.

Jang Chol, president of the State Academy of Sciences, said: "This was achieved thanks to the Great Marshall Kim Jong-Un's endless loyalty, bravery and wisdom."

North Korea has said the launch was designed to place a satellite in orbit for peaceful research. Critics say it amounted to a banned ballistic missile test.

The communist state is not thought to have a nuclear warhead small enough to mount on a missile, but the launch has been seen by many as an advance in its weapons programme.

South Korea's navy has retrieved rocket debris that fell into sea and it will be studied to determine the North's rocket-launching capabilities.

The rally in Pyongyang came hours after state media published a statement by Mr Kim ordering more launches in spite of global outrage.

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Argentina Sex Slavery Court Ruling Sparks Riots

Riots have broken out in Argentina after 13 people were acquitted over the disappearance of a young woman who was allegedly kidnapped and forced into sex slavery.

The court ruling has also prompted calls by political leaders to impeach the three judges who delivered the verdict.

Many have called the ruling a setback for Argentina's efforts to combat sex trafficking.

When Maria de los Angeles "Marita" Veron vanished in 2002, her mother, Susana Trimarco, launched a one-woman campaign to find her - and rescued hundreds of women from sex slavery along the way.

Ms Trimarco's search exposed an underworld of organised crime figures who operate brothels with protection from authorities across Argentina.

Maria Veron went missing in 2002

The 13 people on trial - seven men and six women - faced up to 25 years in prison if convicted on charges they abducted Ms Veron and made her work as a prostitute.

The three-judge panel delayed for more than four hours on Tuesday night before reading their unanimous verdict: not guilty of any of the charges.

The courtroom erupted at the news, with the defendants sobbing and spectators shouting expletives.

President Cristina Fernandez personally called Ms Trimarco to express her surprise and outrage.

"I thought I would find her destroyed, but I found her more together than ever, more committed to keep fighting," she said.

Susana Trimarco has helped free many sex trade victims

Ms Fernandez also said that while she cannot prove it, she is sure that judicial corruption influenced the verdicts.

Security minister Nilda Garre called the verdict "a tremendous slap in the face for the prospect of justice".

The judges later explained from the bench that despite the testimony of more than 130 witnesses, including a dozen former sex slaves who described brutal conditions in brothels, there was no physical evidence linking any of the defendants to Ms Veron, and no trace of her whereabouts.

Prostitution is legal in Argentina, but managing brothels and trafficking in people have been federal crimes since 2008.

Last year 938 people were saved from trafficking, 215 people from the sex trade and 723 from other workplace exploitation. More than 800 have been rescued so far this year.

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Brussels: Deal On ECB Banking Supervision

European finance ministers have taken a major step towards full banking union by agreeing to create a single supervisor for Eurozone banks.

The deal reached just before dawn in Brussels follows months of negotiations and will be put before European Union leaders later on Thursday.

The political agreement will give the European Central bank oversight for banks in the 17 EU countries that use the Euro and any other country in the union that wants to opt in.

It will give the ECB sweeping powers and pave the way for Europe's bailout fund to give direct aid to ailing banks - a measure seen as vital to helping the Eurozone break free of its debt crisis.

"Piece by piece, brick by brick, the banking union will be built on this first fundamental step today," said EU Commissioner Michel Barnier.

The EU had promised markets to have an outline deal by New Year, and the finance ministers delivered - after yet another all-night emergency session.

Herman van Rompuy's plans aim to prevent another Eurozone debt crisis

"We stick to what we promised," said German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble.  "Painstakingly, we advance the cause of Europe."

But markets seemed to largely shrug off the deal, perhaps because the broad strokes have been known for some time.

Under the deal, banks with more than €30bn (£23bn) in assets or those that represent 20% of gross domestic product of their national economies will be placed under the direct oversight of the European Central Bank.

The ECB can also decide to supervise any other bank it wants when it gains supervisory powers - which could be in place by 2014.

The deal marks a compromise for France and Germany, who had been at loggerheads on the structure of banking union.

EU leaders believe this first step towards banking union can be put in place without having to change current treaties - but the UK's House of Lords EU Committee has said it does not believe effective banking union can happen without new agreements.

David Cameron has vowed to fight hard for British interests

Other issues are on the agenda at the summit of EU leaders, including how to enforce fiscal discipline in the Euro area and a push for implementation of the so-called "two-pack", which would involve Eurozone governments showing their budgets to EU officials before submitting them to their own parliaments.

So-called "out" countries which have retained their currencies, including the UK, are concerned that any move towards tightening the inner core could distort the single market.

David Cameron and the Swedish PM Fredrik Reinfeldt, want to ensure they retain their voice at the top table on financial matters and that the London-based European Banking Authority is not usurped by the new proposals.

A senior EU official has also indicated that Britain wants to ensure there is not a rush to amend the EU treaties, which is a long and often divisive process.

Any significant power-shift from London to Brussels could automatically trigger a referendum. The UK government knows a vote on Britain's involvement with the EU is perhaps unavoidable, but would rather wait until the next parliament.

The issue of the UK's budget spat with the European Union will not be discussed - that is waiting for another summit in the New Year.

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McAfee Back In US After Release From Jail

Anti-virus software pioneer John McAfee has arrived in the US after being deported from Guatemala.

The 67-year-old, who is wanted for questioning in Belize over the murder of his neighbour, had spent a week in a cell after arriving in Guatemala illegally.

A short time after the jet carrying Mr McAfee landed in Miami, a posting on his website announced he was at a hotel in the city's upscale South Beach area.

"I have no phone, no money, no contact information," the post says. Earlier, as he prepared to board the plane in Guatemala he told reporters he felt "10 years older".

British-born Mr McAfee, who travelled home in economy class, frequently blogged and spoke to reporters as he spent nearly a month in hiding.

John McAfee taking a taxi to his Miami hotel

Reached by telephone at his hotel, Mr McAfee told an Associated Press reporter that he was unable to talk because he was waiting for a call from his 20-year-old Belizean girlfriend, who did not travel with him.

The former tycoon has been described as a "person of interest" by the Belizean authorities following the killing of Gregory Faull.

Mr McAfee and Mr Faull are understood to have had several arguments over the behaviour of Mr McAfee's dogs.

Mr McAfee acknowledges his pets were unruly, but denies any involvement in the fatal shooting of Mr Faull.

He has previously told Sky News he went on the run for his own "safety" because the authorities wanted to silence him.

After three weeks in hiding, he crossed into Guatemala with his girlfriend Samantha Vanegas to evade the Belizean authorities. He was arrested on December 5 for illegal entry.

Samantha Vanegas remained in Guatemala

Mr McAfee sold his stake in the anti-virus software company that is named after him and moved to Ambergris Caye in Belize three years ago.

He told The New York Times in 2009 he had lost all but $4m (£2.5m) of his $100m (£62.4m) fortune in the US financial crisis.

However, a story on the Gizmodo website quoted him as describing that claim as "not very accurate at all".

US officials have said there is no active arrest warrant for him in America.

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Obama: US Recognises Syrian Opposition

Syria: A War Tearing Apart Families

Updated: 8:59am UK, Wednesday 12 December 2012

By Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor, in Damascus

At night the Rizak extended family come together in one room and listen to the sounds of shelling, gunfire, and explosions.

They are from Jaramana in Damascus, close to the road leading to the international airport which continues to see fierce fighting between Syrian troops and opposition fighters.

It is a mixed district, but the majority of residents are from the minority Druze and Christian communities.

They mix freely with Alawites and some Sunni Muslims who also live there.

It is a microcosm of Syrian society, one which is slowly being destroyed as people cleave to their own amid the violence pushing them apart from others.

The Rizaks gather in a room away from the windows in case a stray shell hits their building.

Tragedy has already struck them.

Two weeks ago, two car bombs exploded in the street next to their home. Some 68 people were killed and 130 injured. Annan Rizak, 20, was killed alongside his uncle Haldoon.

Annan's father Salim, an engineer, invited us into their front room, reserved for guests, and now adorned with a large photo of the deceased.

Over small cups of Arabic coffee, Salim told me of the hopes he had that Annan would have a successful life.

"He was very clever, he always had good grades," he said.

"Now in the evenings, we are all in one room. We sit very close so we can help each other. There is too much noise, too many explosions coming down."

Two floors up, in the same building, Ghias Rizak lies in bed, his leg shattered in the same explosion that killed Annan and Haldoon.

The attack was blamed on the then Jihadist al Nusra Front, which has carried out a number of such attacks including suicide bombings. Other victims included Iraqis who had fled the violence in Baghdad.

As we talked Ghias' wife, Malak, bustled in tidying up because of the presence of a TV crew. She insisted we have coffee and eat some fruit and told of how she had heard the first explosion and rushed out onto her balcony to see what was happening.

"I looked down and there was Ghias, and then there was the second bomb, and I saw him thrown several metres by the blast," she said.

Ghias and Malak have two children who join Salim and others in the evenings.

Ghias, who will be off work for three months because of his injuries, said their two children are always asking questions: "Will we go to school tomorrow? Can I see my friends? What is going to happen?"

On the ground floor the family's patio is crowded with bags of candles brought by neighbours of other religions to help them light the house during the frequent electricity cuts, and to remember their loss.

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Syria: How War Is Tearing Apart Families

At night the Rizak extended family come together in one room and listen to the sounds of shelling, gunfire, and explosions.

They are from Jaramana in Damascus, close to the road leading to the international airport which continues to see fierce fighting between Syrian troops and opposition fighters.

It is a mixed district, but the majority of residents are from the minority Druze and Christian communities.

Residents inspect the scene of a car bomb explosion in Jaramana

They mix freely with Alawites and some Sunni Muslims who also live there.

It is a microcosm of Syrian society, one which is slowly being destroyed as people cleave to their own amid the violence pushing them apart from others.

The Rizaks gather in a room away from the windows in case a stray shell hits their building.

Tragedy has already struck them.

Two weeks ago, two car bombs exploded in the street next to their home. Some 68 people were killed and 130 injured. Annan Rizak, 20, was killed alongside his uncle Haldoon.

Annan's father Salim, an engineer, invited us into their front room, reserved for guests, and now adorned with a large photo of the deceased.

Over small cups of Arabic coffee, Salim told me of the hopes he had that Annan would have a successful life.

"He was very clever, he always had good grades," he said.

"Now in the evenings, we are all in one room. We sit very close so we can help each other. There is too much noise, too many explosions coming down."

Two floors up, in the same building, Ghias Rizak lies in bed, his leg shattered in the same explosion that killed Annan and Haldoon.

The attack was blamed on the then Jihadist al Nusra Front, which has carried out a number of such attacks including suicide bombings. Other victims included Iraqis who had fled the violence in Baghdad.

Sky's Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall talks to Ghias Rizak

As we talked Ghias' wife, Malak, bustled in tidying up because of the presence of a TV crew. She insisted we have coffee and eat some fruit and told of how she had heard the first explosion and rushed out onto her balcony to see what was happening.

"I looked down and there was Ghias, and then there was the second bomb, and I saw him thrown several metres by the blast," she said.

Ghias and Malak have two children who join Salim and others in the evenings.

Ghias, who will be off work for three months because of his injuries, said their two children are always asking questions: "Will we go to school tomorrow? Can I see my friends? What is going to happen?"

On the ground floor the family's patio is crowded with bags of candles brought by neighbours of other religions to help them light the house during the frequent electricity cuts, and to remember their loss.

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Vigilante Cop Executed Over Killing Spree

A former police officer who murdered nine people during a 1986 crime spree has been executed.

Manuel Pardo was pronounced dead at Florida State Prison about 16 minutes after being given the lethal injection.

The 56-year-old's lawyers had tried to prevent the execution by arguing he was mentally ill.

Reporters could not hear his final statement because of an apparent malfunction in the death chamber's sound system.

During a 92-day period in early 1986, Pardo committed a series of robberies, killing six men and three women.

He took photos of the victims and recounted some details in his diary, which was found along with newspaper cuttings about the murders.

He was linked to the murders after using credit cards stolen from the victims.

Officials said most were involved with drugs. Pardo contended he was doing the world a favour by killing them.

"I am a soldier, I accomplished my mission and I humbly ask you to give me the glory of ending my life and not send me to spend the rest of my days in state prison," he pleaded at his trial.

He was dubbed the "Death Row Romeo" after he corresponded with dozens of women and persuaded many to send him money.

The former US Navy veteran joined the Florida Highway Patrol in the 1970s but he was fired in 1979 for falsifying driving tickets.

He then joined the police department in Sweetwater, a small city in Miami-Dade County.

In 1981, Pardo was one of four Sweetwater officers charged with brutality, but the cases were dismissed.

He was fired four years later after he flew to the Bahamas to testify at the trial of a Sweetwater colleague accused of drug smuggling.

Pardo falsely told the court they were both international undercover agents.

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Egypt: Morsi Orders Army In Ahead Of Protests

President Mohamed Morsi has ordered the Egyptian army to "preserve security" and help police tackle protesters ahead of a mass demonstration over the new constitution.

A new decree compels the army to "co-operate" with police, orders it to "protect vital institutions" and gives it powers to make arrests until after a controversial referendum on the constitution on Saturday.

The order, which comes into force today, says: "Armed forces officers participating in missions to preserve security and protect vital state institutions ... all have powers of legal arrest."

The opposition to Mr Morsi has called for another day of protest on Tuesday over the new constitution and further outbreaks of violence are widely anticipated.

Tanks and armed troops have surrounded the presidential palace in Cairo since Thursday following running street battles between Mr Morsi's supporters and his opponents, which left seven dead and 700 injured.

Despite their presence they have not confronted the thousands of protesters who remain gathered there.

The army took control of the country following the downfall of Hosni Mubarak's regime but has since sought to remain a neutral force.

Tanks have been deployed outside the presidential palace

Mr Morsi attempted to quell the violence in the country on Saturday by surrendering the decree which gave him sweeping new powers and which triggered the recent unrest in the country.

Instead he said there would be a referendum on the new constitution, which opponents claim does not guarantee basic rights to Egyptians with its emphasis on Islam and Sharia law.

Opponents rejected the referendum. They view the draft constitution, largely drafted by Mr Morsi's Islamist allies, as undermining human rights, the rights of women, religious minorities, and curtailing the independence of the judiciary.

Mr Morsi has pushed on with the new charter, saying it is necessary to secure democratic reform.

The spokesman for the National Salvation Front opposition, Sameh Ashour, said: "We do not recognise the draft constitution because it does not represent the Egyptian people."

Hundreds have been injured and seven killed in running battles

He said that going ahead with the referendum "in this explosive situation with the threat of the Brothers' militias amounts to the regime abandoning its responsibilities".

The Muslim Brotherhood, Mr Morsi's party, has responded to the call for the new day of protest by organising a rally of support.                  

If the new charter is rejected, Mr Morsi has promised to have a new one drawn up by 100 officials chosen directly by the public rather than appointed by the Islamist-dominated parliament.

However, analysts say it is unlikely that the new constitution will not win support in a referendum.

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Nelson Mandela Faces More Medical Tests

Nelson Mandela is to undergo more medical tests today, the South African government has announced.

A statement from President Jacob Zuma's office said: "Mandela had a good night's rest. The doctors will still conduct further tests today. He is in good hands."

The 94-year-old has been in hospital in Pretoria for three days - and has been receiving military medical care since 2011. The exact nature of his illness has not been revealed.

Defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula spoke to journalists after visiting Mr Mandela.

"He's doing very, very well," she said.

"And it is important to keep him in our prayers and also to be as calm as possible and not cause a state of panic because I think that is not what all of us need."

An earlier statement from Mr Zuma's office had said Mr Mandela was receiving care that was "consistent for his age".

Mr Mandela has suffered a series of health problems in the past and underwent seven weeks of radiation therapy for prostate cancer in 2001.

After spending 27 years in prison for fighting racist white rule, he became South Africa's first black president in 1994 and served one five-year term.

The Nobel laureate later retired from public life to live in his remote village of Qunu, in the Eastern Cape area, and last made a public appearance when his country hosted the football World Cup in 2010. He has grown increasingly frail in recent years.

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HSBC To Pay £1.2bn In Money Laundering Case

Record Fine: HSBC's Statement

Updated: 8:39am UK, Tuesday 11 December 2012

HSBC released the following statement after confirming it will pay $1.9bn (£1.2bn) to the US Department of Justice over money-laundering.

HSBC has reached agreement with United States authorities in relation to investigations regarding inadequate compliance with anti-money laundering and sanctions laws.

This includes a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with the US Department of Justice. HSBC has also reached agreement to achieve a global resolution with all other US government agencies that have investigated HSBC's past conduct related to these issues and anticipates finalising an undertaking with the United Kingdom Financial Services Authority shortly.

Under these agreements, HSBC will make payments totaling $1.921bn, continue to cooperate fully with regulatory and law enforcement authorities, and take further action to strengthen its compliance policies and procedures.

Stuart Gulliver, Group Chief Executive, said: "We accept responsibility for our past mistakes. We have said we are profoundly sorry for them, and we do so again. The HSBC of today is a fundamentally different organisation from the one that made those mistakes. Over the last two years, under new senior leadership, we have been taking concrete steps to put right what went wrong and to participate actively with government authorities in bringing to light and addressing these matters.

"While we welcome the clarity that these agreements bring, ensuring the highest standards wherever we do business is an ongoing process. We are committed to protecting the integrity of the global financial system. To this end we will continue to work closely with governments and regulators around the world."

In the past several years, the Board of HSBC Holdings plc has taken decisive action to direct management to fix past shortcomings as they have come to light. Since 2011, with new senior leadership teams in place at both HSBC Group and HSBC North America, HSBC has taken extensive and concerted steps to put in place the highest standards for the future.

The Department of Justice has recognised these efforts in the DPA: "Management has made significant strides in improving 'tone from the top' and ensuring that a culture of compliance permeates the institution. The efforts of management have dramatically improved HSBC Bank USA's and HSBC Group's Bank Secrecy Act / Anti-Money Laundering and Office of Foreign Assets Control compliance programmes."

As noted in the DPA, HSBC Bank USA already has, over the past several years, undertaken the following voluntary remedial measures:

• increased its spending on anti-money laundering (AML) approximately nine-fold between 2009 and 2011;
• increased its AML staffing nearly ten-fold between 2010 and 2012;
• revamped its Know Your Customer programme, including treating non-US HSBC Group Affiliates as third parties subject to the same due diligence as all other customers;
• exited 109 correspondent relationships for risk reasons;
• clawed back bonuses for a number of senior officers, and
• spent over $290m on remedial measures.

HSBC Group has also undertaken a comprehensive overhaul of its structure, controls, and procedures. A number of these improvements is included in the DPA. Among other measures, HSBC Group has:

• simplified its control structure, allowing the Group to manage risks worldwide more effectively;
• elevated the role of Group Compliance and given it direct oversight over every compliance officer globally, so that both accountability and escalation now flow directly to and from HSBC Group Compliance;
• created the new role of Head of Group Financial Crime Compliance and Group Money Laundering Reporting Officer, who will help to establish a Global Financial Intelligence Unit;
• made other new senior hires with extensive experience handling relevant international legal and regulatory issues, including a new Chief Legal Officer and a new Global General Counsel for Litigation and Regulatory Affairs;
• adopted a set of guidelines limiting business in those countries that pose a high financial crime risk;
• issued a new global sanctions policy using a more extensive and consistent set of lists to screen all cross-border payments;
• commenced a review of all Know Your Customer files across the entire Group - the first phase of this remediation will cost an estimated $700m over five years, and
• undertaken to implement single global standards shaped by the highest or most effective anti-money laundering standards available in any location where the HSBC Group operates.

Over the five-year term of the agreement with the Department of Justice, an independent monitor will evaluate HSBC's progress in fully implementing these and other measures it recommends, and will produce regular assessments of the effectiveness of HSBC's compliance function.

The agreement notes that HSBC Bank USA and HSBC Group have "provided valuable assistance to law enforcement." HSBC conducted multiple extensive internal investigations, voluntarily made employees available for interviews, and collected, analysed and organised voluminous evidence and information.

HSBC is firmly committed to putting in place robust standards that will help promote the integrity of the global financial system. 

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Egypt: Opposition Rejects Referendum

Egypt's main opposition group has rejected a constitutional referendum set by President Mohamed Morsi, saying it risked dragging the country into "violent confrontation".

The opposition coalition has vowed to oppose a referendum scheduled for December 15, despite Mr Morsi apparently backing down on a decree which gave him sweeping new powers.

The National Salvation Front said in a statement read by its spokesman: "Holding a referendum now in the absence of security reflects haste and an absence of a sense of responsibility on the part of the regime, which risks pushing the country towards violent confrontation."

The Front, an umbrella opposition group of liberal and leftist parties, called for mass protests on Tuesday against a draft constitution shaped by Islamists that it said lacked consensus.

"The Front calls for demonstrations in the capital and in the regions on Tuesday as a rejection of the president's decision that goes against our legitimate demands," the coalition spokesman said.

The statement also condemned "militias" from the Muslim Brotherhood backing Mr Morsi and "terrorist gangs".

Pro-Morsi supporters with 'I support the President's decisions' banners

Hundreds of protesters milled around Mr Morsi's palace, despite tanks, barbed wire and other barriers installed last week.

With the president's decision on Saturday to retract a controversial decree awarding himself wide powers failing to placate his opponents, the call for a mass protest on Tuesday extends Egypt's political crisis.

The demonstrations could lead to more violence, as occurred on Wednesday when seven people were killed and hundreds injured in vicious clashes outside the presidential palace.

The referendum plan has sparked some of the bloodiest clashes between Morsi supporters and opponents since he came to power in June.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which propelled the president to power, urged the opposition to accept the referendum's verdict.

Islamists say the vote will seal a democratic transition that began when a popular uprising toppled ex-president Hosni Mubarak 22 months ago after three decades of military-backed one-man rule.

Their liberal, leftist and Christian adversaries say the document being fast-tracked through could threaten freedoms and fails to embrace the diversity of Egypt's 83 million people.

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Syria: Homs Scarred By Guerilla Warfare

With a Syrian fighter jet overhead, bombing rebel positions, we made our way through the wrecked streets of the Bab Sbaa district of Homs and to the front lines.

Bab Sbaa borders the Old City and Khaldia districts. The Syrian Army unit we were with said they believed there are 4,000 opposition fighters in these districts, many of them foreign jihadists, and that they have them surrounded. We could not verify the claims.

What was clear, from experience of previous visits to the city, is that the rebels have lost ground in Homs.

A destroyed Syrian army tank in Homs

We saw no evidence they hold any other districts. When we went to the Bab Amr area, the building formerly used as the Free Syrian Army headquarters had a large poster of President Bashar al Assad on its front.

On the front line we crossed from street to street using the holes rebels had punched through houses when they first arrived in force, but now being used by the army.

At one point we filmed through a sniper hole at opposition positions just 100 yards away.

The air force dropped three bombs while we were in Homs, but it is the brutal low-tech urban guerilla war fought at street level that has caused most of the extensive damage to large areas of the city.

The catapult that was used to launch bombs toward army positions

We came across a remarkable contraption - an industrial sized catapult, left behind during a rebel retreat, which had been used to launch homemade bombs towards army positions. Had it not been partially made from what looked like car parts, it could have been from the times of the Crusades.

There appears to have been a change in the government's tactics. They may have abandoned large swathes of countryside containing small towns, and are concentrating on holding the big cities, notably, Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, and coastal towns such as Tartus and Latakia.

As a long-term strategy for victory it leaves a lot to be desired, especially as the opposition fighters are already using its territory to regroup, resupply, train, and formulate their own long-term plan.

However, holding the urban areas means the government does not lose, and, at the moment, that seems the best they can hope for.

Syria's agony still looks set to be a tragedy played out over many more months.

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John McAfee Asks For 'Normal Life' In US

John McAfee has said he wants to return to the US and live a "normal life" during an internet broadcast from Guatemala, where he is fighting deportation to Belize.

The 67-year-old anti-virus software guru, who is wanted for questioning in Belize over the death of his neighbour, had been in hiding for three weeks before crossing into Guatemala, where he was arrested.

Speaking from a detention centre, he said: "I cannot ever return to Belize ... there is no hope for my life if I am ever returned to Belize."

"If I am returned bad things will clearly happen to me," he added.

During answers to what he claimed were journalists' questions supplied via email, he said: "I simply would like to live comfortably day by day, fish, swim, enjoy my declining years."

British-born McAfee said that returning to the US "is my only hope now". But he later added: "I would be happy to go to England, I have dual citizenship."

McAfee also said he had fainted and hit his head last week after not eating, and smoking "almost non-stop".

The former technology tycoon was rushed to a hospital for what his lawyer said were two mild heart attacks just hours after his arrest at a hotel in Guatemala City last week.

Mr McAfee was admitted to hospital soon after his arrest

Police in Belize want to question McAfee about the fatal shooting of neighbour Gregory Faull, a fellow American who lived near his island home.

The pair are understood to have had several arguments over the behaviour of McAfee's dogs. McAfee acknowledges his pets were unruly, but denies killing Mr Faull.

He had been in hiding for three weeks before crossing into Guatemala with his 20-year-old girlfriend to evade authorities.

He was arrested on Wednesday for illegally entering the country and authorities said they would seek to deport him to Belize.

After Guatemala rejected a request for asylum, his lawyers filed several legal appeals in an effort to block his deportation.

It could take months to resolve the matter.

Fredy Viana, a spokesman for Guatemala's immigration department, said that before the agency looks into the request to allow McAfee to stay, a judge must first deal with the appeal asking that authorities make sure McAfee's physical integrity is protected.

"We won't look into (allowing him to stay) until the other appeal is resolved," Mr Viana said. "The law gives me 30 days to resolve the issue."

McAfee sold his stake in the anti-virus software company that is named after him and moved to Belize about three years ago.

He told The New York Times in 2009 he had lost all but $4m (£2.5m) of his $100m (£62.4m) fortune in the US financial crisis.

However, a story on the Gizmodo website quoted him as describing that claim as "not very accurate at all".

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Italy's Silvio Berlusconi Says He Will Run For PM

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said he will run for the office again in next year's general election.

Speaking near the northern city of Milan, the leader of the right-wing People of Freedom party said: "I'm returning sadly to public service.

"And again, I'm doing it out of a sense of responsibility."

Mr Berlusconi, 76, stepped down in disgrace last year as Italy was on the brink of financial disaster.

His resignation paved the way for a government of unelected technocrats led by current PM Mario Monti.

Mr Berlusconi has since been convicted of tax fraud and now faces plunging poll numbers.

He is also on trial on charges of paying for sex with underage prostitute Karima El Mahroug - an allegation he has denied.

But the ever-combative conservative leader was not deterred. "I am running to win," he said. "The campaign is already on."

His centre-right camp has been in disarray recently, weakened by corruption scandals and infighting over who might succeed Mr Berlusconi as leader.

Karima El Mahroug is at the centre of Mr Berlusconi's sex case

Italy is to hold a general election in 2013, though the date has not been set.

Mr Berlusconi has been increasingly critical of the government's austerity measures, and this week his party pulled parliamentary support for Mr Monti's government, increasing the likelihood of a snap election.

It will be the sixth national election that Mr Berlusconi contests since he stepped into politics in the mid-1990s on the back of a business empire that includes the country's largest private broadcaster, publishing interests and a football team, AC Milan.

He has won three times and is already the longest-serving Prime Minister in post-war Italy.

Mr Berlusconi will be up against Pierluigi Bersani of the Democratic Party, who has just won a strong endorsement in primary votes held among centre-left voters across Italy.

Mr Bersani is widely seen as a front-runner, though Mr Berlusconi is a formidable campaigner with a history of comebacks.

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Nelson Mandela: Ex-SA President In Hospital

Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been admitted to hospital for tests.

The country's government said Mr Mandela, 94, had been taken to hospital in Pretoria for routine checks, adding that there was no cause for alarm.

The anti-apartheid icon is known to be in frail health and has not made public appearances for some years.

He was last taken to hospital in February after suffering from persistent abdominal pain. He was released the following day after a keyhole examination showed there was nothing seriously wrong with him.

A statement from President Jacob Zuma's office about his re-admittance to hospital in South Africa's administrative capital gave no details of the condition of the former leader.

"Mandela will receive medical attention from time to time which is consistent with his age," said Mr Zuma's office.

Hillary Clinton met Nelson Mandela at his home in August

"President Zuma assures all that Madiba is doing well and there is no cause for alarm," it added, referring to Mr Mandela by his clan name.

Mr Mandela spent 27 years in prison for his fight against white minority rule under apartheid, becoming the country's first black president in 1994 at the end of white minority rule.

He turned 94 in July and has not appeared in public since South Africa's Football World Cup Final in 2010 because of his frail health.

However, in the last few months he has continued to receive high-profile visitors, including former US President Bill Clinton and Mr Clinton's wife Hillary, the US Secretary of State.

Since retiring from public life, Mr Mandela has spent most of his time in his ancestral home in Qunu, a village in the impoverished Eastern Cape province.

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Egypt: President Morsi Backs Down On Powers

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has annulled a decree he issued last month expanding his powers, an official has said.

But a referendum on a draft constitution would still go ahead as planned on December 15, Islamist politician Selim al Awa added.

He explained that constitutionally President Morsi was unable to change the date, as Mr al Awa spoke to reporters after talks between the President and political leaders.

The two issues -  the decree and the referendum - have been at the heart of anti-Morsi protests that have rocked Egypt in the past two weeks.

But the initial signs are that Mr Morsi's concession will not satisfy an increasingly fierce opposition which is calling for the vote on the new constitution to be cancelled as well.

Overnight, protesters continued to gather in Cairo's Tahrir Square, which has become a focal point for anti-Morsi activists, and news of the annulled decree sparked no celebrations.

"This will change nothing," said Mohamed Shakir, 50.

"Even if they offered us honey, it would not be enough," added Hisham Ezzat.

Over the past seven days, the demonstrations have left seven people dead and hundreds injured.

Mohamed Morsi is abolishing an unpopular decree

The main opposition bloc, the National Salvation Front, has said it is ready for "serious and objective dialogue" as soon as Mr Morsi met its demands to scrap both the decree and the referendum.

It had rebuffed his offer on Thursday to open talks because he failed to give way on those two points.

On Saturday the Front spoke of the possibility of organising a general strike in protest.

However Islamist groups supportive of Mr Morsi have categorically refused to consider even delaying the constitutional referendum.

Egypt's military has said it will not allow violence and has called on rival political groups in the country to talk.

The controversial decree, issued on November 22, had put the president's decisions beyond judicial review - a measure fiercely denounced as dictatorial by the opposition.

Opposition leaders demanded it be rescinded and the referendum be scrapped before they entered into any dialogue with Mr Morsi to calm a crisis which led to street clashes this week that left seven people dead and hundreds injured.

Egypt's powerful military warned Mr Morsi and the opposition to sit down for talks, otherwise it would take steps to prevent a "disastrous" degradation of the situation.

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