China Scrambles Fighter Jets In Islands Row

Chinese fighter jets have reportedly been sent to patrol disputed air space over the East China Sea after Japanese and South Korean planes flew into the region.

The move, described as a "defensive measure" by an air force spokesman quoted by a state news agency, raises the stakes in the long-running row over a string of tiny islands.

The military is on "high alert and will take measures to deal with diverse air threats to firmly protect the security of the country's airspace", Xinhua reported.

The warning comes days after China laid claim to the islands, which it calls the Diaoyu but are known as the Senkaku in Japan.

It previously threatened "emergency" action would be taken against aircraft which do not comply with new identification rules.

The islands cover an area of just seven square kilometres - roughly 2% of the size of the Isle of Wight.

However, they are thought to be surrounded by energy-rich waters.

Chinese and Japanese boats have been patrolling the coastline and there have been several reports of military aircraft flying too close to each other.

In October, Chinese military aircraft flew near Japan for three days in a row.

Japan scrambled fighter jets each time in response.

Earlier this week, the US sent two unarmed B-52 bombers to the disputed region without telling China first.

US Vice President Joe Biden is visiting China, Japan and South Korea next month, when he is expected to attempt to diffuse tensions over the islands.

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Falklands Oil Row: Argentina's Threat To Firms

Argentina has threatened oil firms seeking to operate off the Falkland Islands with 15-year jail terms, huge fines and confiscation of assets.

It is just the latest chapter in the dispute with Britain over sovereignty.

Its London embassy announced that new laws have been passed by the Argentine Congress to punish exploration it claims is in breach of a UN resolution.

But the Foreign Office insisted the activities were "wholly legitimate and legal" and entirely under the control of the Government of the island - a British overseas territory.

A spokesman said: "The UK Government unequivocally supports the right of the Falkland Islanders to develop their natural resources for their own economic benefit.

"This right is an integral part of their right of self-determination, which is expressly contained in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

"Argentine domestic law does not apply to the Falkland Islands or South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, which are UK overseas territories."

Buenos Aires has issued repeated written legal warnings to firms that they face administrative, civil and criminal action for operating off the islands - which Argentina calls Las Malvinas.

In a statement, the embassy said the new law "provides for prison sentences for the duration of up to 15 years; fines equivalent to the value of 1.5 million barrels of oil; the banning of individuals and companies from operating in Argentina; and the confiscation of equipment and any hydrocarbons that would have been illegally extracted".

It added: "The Argentine Government has protested against and rejected all of the United Kingdom's attempts to promote and authorise such hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation activities in the area of the Argentine continental shelf."

Islanders voted by 1,513 to three to remain a British overseas territory in a referendum in March but Argentina has since stepped up its claim over the territory at the UN.

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Thailand Protesters Break Into Army HQ

Around 1,200 protesters have broken into Thailand's army headquarters, calling on the military to help topple the government.

The crowd broke the padlocked gate at the Royal Thai Army compound and forced their way inside, saying they wanted to submit a letter to the army chief, army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd said.

"We want to know which side the army stands on," one protester told Reuters.

The compound is next to the United Nation's Asia-Pacific headquarters in Bangkok.

The protesters gained access to the Royal Thai Army compound

"They are now gathering in the courtyard, but they have not entered buildings," Sansern said. "We will make them understand that this is a security area and we will ask them to leave."

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra survived a no-confidence vote in parliament on Thursday and urged the demonstrators to end their protests.

She has been reluctant to use force to evict the opposition-led protesters for fear of escalating a tense political crisis and sparking bloodshed.

Suthep Thaugsuban has refused to back down on his supporters' demands

Security forces have done little to stop protesters who have spent the week seizing government buildings and camping out at several of them in an effort to force a government shutdown and get civil servants to join their rally.

Crowds of protesters have occupied the Finance Ministry since Monday and others remain holed up at a sprawling government complex that houses the Department of Special Investigations, the country's equivalent of the FBI.

On Thursday, the demonstrators cut power at Bangkok's police headquarters and asked police to join their side.

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in recent days

The demonstrations that started Sunday have raised fears of fresh political turmoil and instability in Thailand and pose the biggest threat to Yingluck's administration since she came to power in 2011.

The protesters accuse Yingluck, 46, of serving as a proxy for her billionaire brother Thaksin Shinawatra - a former prime minister who was ousted in a 2006 military coup but retains strong support from the rural majority in Thailand.

Thaksin, who lives in Dubai to avoid serving a jail term for a corruption conviction he says was politically motivated, is a highly polarizing figure in Thailand.

Yingluck Shinawatra is accused of being a proxy for her exiled brother

An attempt to push a general amnesty law through parliament - which would have paved the way for his return - sparked the latest wave of protests earlier in November.

Crowd sizes peaked at over 100,000 and have dwindled in recent days to tens of thousands, but organizers are calling for bigger crowds over the weekend.

Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, who resigned as an opposition Democrat Party lawmaker to lead the protests, says he will not negotiate. He says his goal to rid the country of Thaksin's influence.

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Kickboxer Lee Aldhouse Jailed For Thai Murder

A British kickboxer has been sentenced to 25 years in jail in Thailand for the murder of a former US Marine on a resort island.

Lee Aldhouse from Birmingham pleaded guilty to stabbing to death 23-year-old Dashawn Longfellow in 2010, after being beaten up by the military veteran during a brawl at a Phuket bar.

The Phuket provincial court reduced Aldhouse's sentence from a life-term because of his guilty plea. He had initially denied the murder charge.

Aldhouse was a semi-professional kickboxer who fought under the nickname 'Pitbull'.

He had been living on-and-off in Phuket, where Mr Longfellow was also studying the sport.

Dashawn Longfellow was stabbed by Aldhouse after a brawl at a Phuket bar

Aldhouse was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport after fleeing Thailand.

He was held in the UK for almost two years before he became the first Briton to be extradited to Thailand under a century-old treaty.

Laywer Kampon Siriwatunyoo said Aldhouse was considering whether to appeal.

"He prefers to be in a Thai jail rather than serve his sentence in Britain because he said there is a royal pardon once or twice a year here," he added.

Mr Longfellow's mother said her son was in Thailand after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he was injured when a roadside bomb exploded under his vehicle.

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Thailand Protesters Cut Power To Police HQ

Protesters in Thailand have cut the electricity to the national poilice headquarters, ignoring a plea by embattled prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to call off their demonstrations.

The building in Bangkok was running on back-up power using an emergency generator, according to a spokesman.

Ms Yingluck easily survived a parliamentary no-confidence vote earlier on Thursday, but it has failed to defuse tensions or end the biggest anti-government protests since deadly political unrest three years ago.

The no-confidence motion was filed by the opposition Democrat Party, which alleges widespread corruption in government and accuses the prime minister of acting as a puppet for her brother, the ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Anucha Romyanan, deputy national police spokesman, said: "I confirm the protesters pulled down several electricity cables outside the police headquarters. We are now on back-up electricity, we are using a generator."

As well as the national police headquarters, protestors have also marched on the defence and education ministries, although police claim the number people taking to the streets had fallen.

Police say the number of anti-government protesters is falling off

Ms Yingluck, who has denied the opposition allegations, pleaded for demonstrators to "call off" their protests for the "country's peace".

"I'm begging you, the protesters, because this doesn't make the situation any better," she said.

"They want to rally until the end of this month. I think they have expressed their political stand enough."

Protesters are demanding the end of the "Thaksin regime" and want to replace the government with an unelected "people's council".

Ms Yingluck needed more than half, or 246 votes, out of the 492 votes in the lower house to prevail. She won 297, with 134 votes against her.

However, her party and its coalition partners were subjected to a three-day debate during which the Democrat Party grilled Ms Yingluck on a $100m water management project and financially troubled government rice intervention scheme.

The protests have triggered growing international concern, with UN leader Ban Ki-moon the latest world leader to voice alarm.

Ban "is concerned by the rising political tensions in Bangkok", said his spokesman Martin Nesirky.

"The secretary-general calls on all sides to exercise the utmost restraint, refrain from the use of violence and to show full respect for the rule of law and human rights."

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World Cup Stadium Delay After Crane Deaths

Brazil is holding three days of national mourning for the two construction workers killed at a World Cup stadium that will now be completed up to two months late.

The pair died when a crane at the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo collapsed as it was hoisting a 500-tonne structure.

It damaged the outer walls of the 70,000-seater venue - popularly known as the Itaquerao - and a giant LED screen.

Work on the stadium, which is due to stage the opening World Cup fixture, was due to be finished by December 31.

The competition's organisers Fifa say they expect a day of between 45 and 60 days.

The stadium was said to be very close to completion

Fifa, football's world governing body, had originally set December 31 as the deadline for the completion of all the stadiums for next summer's tournament.

The latest delay will increase worries over whether Brazil will be fully prepared for the June 12 kick-off.

Six venues have already been declared ready but there are concerns about three others in Cuiaba, Manaus and Curitiba.

Bosses at the Corinthians Arena said the "structure of the grandstand was not compromised" by the crane accident and that work will resume on Monday.

Two died when the crane "derailed" and dropped a 500-tonne structure

Andres Sanchez, operations director, said the two construction workers were crushed to death.

They have been named as Ronaldo Oliveira dos Santos, 44, a fitter, and driver Fabio Luiz Pereira, 42, who was inside his truck when it was hit by the falling structure.

Most of the 1,700 workers at the site were on lunch break when the crane toppled over.

In a statement, Corinthians said it was the 38th time the crane had performed the procedure and that a similar structure had been successfully installed a week ago.

Fifa had set a December 31 deadline for all stadium building work

The crane, which has a reach of 114 metres, can lift up to 1,500 tonnes.

Investigators are looking into the reason for the collapse.

Fifa said the safety of workers was a "top priority", while the organisation's' president, Sepp Blatter, said he was "deeply saddened by the tragic death of workers".

The incident is by no means the first to hit Brazil's World Cup preparations. One worker died last year during construction of a stadium in the capital, Brasilia, and another was killed at the Manaus stadium last March.

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Indian Dentists Who Slit Daughter's Throat Jailed

A couple who slit the throats of their daughter and a servant have been sentenced to life in prison by a court in India.

A judge handed the sentence to wealthy dentists Rajesh and Nupur Talwar who were convicted the previous day of murdering Aarushi, 14, and Nepalese servant Hemraj Banjade.

The killings happened at their home in the affluent New Delhi suburb of Noida in 2008.

"It's life," independent lawyer Naresh Yadav told reporters outside the court in Ghaziabad, a satellite city just outside the capital.

Judge Shyam Lal spared the couple the death penalty, which had been sought by the prosecution after their conviction on Monday.

"Life imprisonment is the basic sentence. We are satisfied with the judgement. The case has come to an end," prosecutor R.K. Saini said.

The sentence was the latest dramatic twist in the long-running case that has been awash with sexual rumour and charges of police bungling and media bias.

Rajesh Talwar was attacked outside court in 2011

Investigators allege the Talwars killed Aarushi in a fit of rage after finding her with the 45-year-old domestic servant in an "objectionable position", suggesting the double-murder was a so-called honour killing.

The couple - successful, middle-class dentists - have vowed to appeal, insisting that they are victims of police incompetence and a media witchhunt.

Aarushi was found on her bed with her throat cut "with clinical precision" one morning in May 2008.

Police initially blamed the missing servant - only to find his decomposing body on the roof a day later with a similar cut and head wounds.

Rajesh Talwar recently told the AFP news agency: "We loved Aarushi, we have no lives without her. This has been a never-ending nightmare."

Early in the investigation, police alleged Rajesh Talwar had murdered Aarushi and Hemraj in a rage after finding them in a compromising situation.

The prosecution had conceded there was no forensic or material evidence against the couple, and based its case on the "last-seen theory" - claiming the victims were last seen with the accused.

Defence lawyer Satyaketu Singh said after sentencing that "there is no evidence against them" and expressed confidence that "this judgment will be overturned."

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Haitian Refugees Cling To Capsized Freighter

The US Coast Guard is trying to rescue nearly 100 Haitian refugees whose overloaded vessel capsized off the Bahamas.

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force says at least 20 migrants may have been killed after the 40ft freighter grounded and capsized about 15 nautical miles southwest of Staniel Cay.

The vessel ran aground on Monday night. Pic: US Coast Guard

Interviews with migrants suggested the death toll could reach as many as 30 people.

Video and images released by the Coast Guard shows the migrants clinging to the hull of the boat.

Officials say at least 10 refugees have died. Pic: US Coast Guard

The Royal Bahamian Defence Force, which first reported the incident, is aiding in the rescue effort.

Helicopters hoisted 13 people from the water after deploying a mass rescue raft, the Coast Guard said.

Rescue teams have dropped rafts and supplies. Pic: US Coast Guard

Food, supplies and an additional eight life rafts were dropped to provide immediate relief for the refugees.

Staniel Cay is in the Exumas, a Bahamian island chain east of Nassau.

Haitian migrants have long passed through the archipelago east of Florida on overloaded vessels seeking to settle in the Bahamas or reach the US.

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Kenya: Two Britons Arrested By Terror Police

Two British citizens have reportedly been arrested by anti-terror police in Kenya.

Sky sources suggested the pair had been carrying hand grenades.

They were detained in Diani, a beach resort on the country's south coast.

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We're looking into reports of two British nationals detained in Kenya.

"We stand ready to offer consular assistance."

The arrests come two months after the Westgate shopping mall siege in the capital Nairobi in which 67 people, including six Britons were killed.

Briton Samantha Lewthwaite is wanted by Kenyan police

Earlier this month four men appeared in a Nairobi court charged with "supporting a terrorist group" in connection with the attack in September.

Kenyan police are hunting British-born Samantha Lewthwaite, the widow of a 7/7 suicide bomber Germaine Lindsay, who is said to have masterminded the Westgate massacre.

Interpol issued a warrant for her arrest shortly afterwards for terrorist offences in Mombasa, just along the coast from Diani, dating back to 2011.

Lewthwaite, who has two children by Lindsay and is known as the 'White Widow', is also wanted in connection with seven murders in Kenya.

The 29-year-old is a member of the Somali-based terror group al Shabaab and has been described by Kenyan security officials as an "incredible threat".

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Greeks 'Injecting HIV To Claim €700 Benefits'

An increasing number of Greeks are injecting themselves with HIV to claim hundreds of euros in benefits, a report has claimed.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), which investigated the impact of the economic downturn on countries across Europe, said HIV rates had risen "significantly" in the debt-ridden country.

It said about half of new HIV infections were self-inflicted, allowing people to receive benefits of €700 (£585) per month, as well as faster admission onto drug rehabilitation programmes.

Prostitution also increased, "probably as a response to economic hardship", it said, adding that Greeks were less likely than they were in 2007 to visit a doctor or dentist when they were feeling unwell.

Figures from the Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, also known as Keelpno, showed the HIV infection rate in Greece has nearly tripled in 10 years - up from 3.9 in every 100,000 people in 2003 to 10.9 in 2012.

There were 1,180 HIV infections last year compared with 434 in 2003, while the disease was transmitted through injections in around a tenth (8.9%) of cases in 2012.

The majority of infections (53%) occur among Greek men aged 25-39.

A spokesman for the WHO said: "These adverse trends in Greece pose a warning to other countries undergoing significant fiscal austerity, including Spain, Ireland and Italy.

"It also suggests that ways need to be found for cash-strapped governments to consolidate finances without undermining much-needed investments in health."

Professor Jenny Kourea-Kremastinou, the president of Keelpno, said there had been an "unprecedented increase" throughout 2011 and 2012 in the number of Greeks injecting themselves with drugs.

"It is widely known that HIV epidemics in the population of drug injectors are a complex phenomenon and any effort to stop them faces considerable difficulties, especially in an era of (large-scale) socio-economic changes," she said in the group's latest HIV/AIDS study.

"Taking into consideration this situation, public health surveillance and the evaluation of relevant prevention interventions are more crucial and necessary than ever."

Greece is going through its sixth consecutive year of recession amid brutal austerity cuts.

The country has twice been bailed out by the international community, although its draft budget for 2014 predicts economic growth of 0.6% next year.

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Afghanistan: Karzai Defiant Over US Deal Delay

Afghanistan's President has refused to sign a security deal which could see all US troops leave the country next year.

There are still 47,000 American forces in the country and there have been discussions about keeping a small residual force of about 8,000 troops there after it winds down operations in 2014.

But Hamid Karzai told National Security Advisor Susan Rice in Kabul the US must put an immediate end to military raids on Afghan homes and demonstrate its commitment to peace talks before he would sign a bilateral security pact.

Following the meeting a White House spokesman quotes Ms Rice as saying: "Without a prompt signature, the US would have no choice but to initiate planning for a post-2014 future in which there would be no US or Nato troop presence in Afghanistan."

Members of the Afghan National Police graduate

On Sunday an assembly of Afghan elders endorsed the security pact, but Mr Karzai suggested he might not sign it until after national elections next spring.

US troops have been in Afghanistan since leading multinational forces in ousting the Taliban regime in late 2001.

Officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, have said the bilateral security deal must be signed by the end of 2013 to begin preparations for a post-2014 presence.

Ms Rice told the Afghan president it was "not viable" to defer signing the deal until after the election.

The delay "would not provide the United States and Nato allies the clarity necessary to plan for a potential post-2014 military presence".

The Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) includes a provision allowing raids in exceptional circumstances - when an American life is directly under threat - but it would not take effect  until 2015.

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Sandy Hook Gunman Obsessed With Columbine

The gunman who carried out last year's Connecticut school shooting was obsessed with mass killings, investigators have said.

Twenty children and six adults were killed by Adam Lanza on December 14, but his motive may never be known conclusively.

State Attorney Stephen Sedensky III said there was no clear indication why the 20-year-old gunman chose Sandy Hook Elementary as his target other than the fact that it was close to his home.

Police at first thought there could have been several gunman

The summary of the investigation said Lanza had an obsession with mass murders, in particular the April 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado.

He also had significant mental health issues that affected his ability to live a normal life and interact with others, but did not affect his mental state for the crimes.

He "was undoubtedly afflicted with mental health problems", Mr Sedensky wrote.

The shooting rampage sent shockwaves around the world

"Yet despite a fascination with mass shootings and firearms, he displayed no aggressive or threatening tendencies.

"Some recalled that the shooter had been bullied, but others, including many teachers, saw nothing of the sort."

The mother of slain teacher Victoria Soto said in a statement that nothing could make sense of the shooting.

Donna Soto said: "Yes, we have read the report, (but) no, we cannot make sense of why it happened.

Twenty children and six adults were killed in the shooting at Sandy Hook

"We don't know if anyone ever will. We don't know if we will ever be whole again, we don't know if we will go a day without pain, we don't know if anything will ever make sense again."

Lanza killed his mother inside their Newtown home before driving to Sandy Hook Elementary and carrying out the killings.

He then committed suicide as police arrived.

A timeline released with the report indicated that nearly six minutes passed between the arrival of the first Newtown police officer and the time officers entered the school.

Demolition of the elementary school began in October

The report said law enforcement officers were operating under the belief there may have been more than one shooter.

Mr Sedensky released his report amid an ongoing court battle over the release of the 911 tapes associated with the shooting.

The withholding of the recordings, which are routinely released in other cases, has been the subject of a legal battle between The Associated Press and Mr Sedensky before the state's Freedom of Information Commission.

A Connecticut judge said on Monday he would listen to the tapes before ruling whether they could be publicly released.

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Sinabung: Thousands Flee Volcano Eruptions

Thousands of people have fled after a volcano in western Indonesia erupted eight times in a few hours, raining down rocks over a large area.

Mount Sinabung has been erupting on and off since September, but went into overdrive on Sunday, spewing out red-hot ash and rocks up to five miles into the air.

Several thousand people fled their homes overnight, bringing the total number who have left the area since the volcano rumbled into life to more than 12,000, local government official Robert Peranginangin said.

"People panicked as the eruption was accompanied by a loud thunderous sound and vibrations. Then it started raining down rocks," he said.

"They ran helter-skelter out of their homes and cried for help."

Residents living near the volcano have been urged to flee their homes

He said there were no known casualties from the latest eruptions.

Volcanology experts have raised the alert level for the volcano, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, to the highest point on a four-point scale, meaning a hazardous eruption is imminent or under way.

The government has urged people living within a three-mile radius of the volcano to leave their homes.

Sinabung is one of dozens of active volcanoes in Indonesia which straddle major tectonic fault lines known as the "Ring of Fire".

It erupted in September for the first time since 2010.

In August, five people were killed and hundreds evacuated when a volcano on a tiny island in East Nusa Tenggara province erupted.

The country's most active volcano, Mount Merapi in central Java, killed more than 350 people in a series of violent explosions in 2010.

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Israel Says Nuclear Deal Is 'Historic Mistake'

It's "an historic mistake" that will "make the world more dangerous" - the result of cosmetic concessions - and the consequences "threaten Israel". And: "We will not allow Iran to obtain military capability."

Benjamin Netanyahu's take on the interim deal to limit Iran's nuclear programme could not be more out of tune with how the US President plays it.

Barack Obama said the agreement "opened up a new path toward a world that is more secure".

That the two men don't get along could be a diplomatic understatement. But why the huge gulf over what is an historic turning point in Iran's relations with the outside world?

It's partly caused by policy, and partly by personality. The deal with Iran is less of a turning point - more a junction.

The Israelis contend the world's superpowers and global diplomats have been suckered and that Iran has taken a devious route. The Saudis probably agree - though may not say so out loud.

Israel sees an Iranian nuclear weapon as an existential threat - the Saudis fear Iran's Shi'a agenda which has already established an arc of influence from Iraq to Syria.

The US, Europe, Russia and China see Iran has opted for a different road - one that will lead it back into the community of nations - and one that will have checkpoints manned by the International Atomic Energy Authority.

It will only be clear which direction Iran has really chosen over the next six months. These are rational differences of difference of policy.

Mr Obama says the deal opens a path to 'a world that is more secure'

An objective analysis of the interim deal, which is intended to lead to a permanent end to Iran's nuclear weapons programme in return for the end of crippling sanctions in six months, it is pretty good.

Enrichment of uranium will be halted at 5% (well below the weapons threshold purity of 90%). Iran's stockpile of 30% enriched uranium will be neutralised.

Tehran's capacity to re-start its nuclear weapons programme is also being rolled back. Centrifuges for enrichment will be put out of action and no new ones built. The plutonium reactor at Arak will, effectively, be mothballed before its completion.

IAEA inspectors will be given regular and unrestrained access to the nuclear sites and even access to CCTV cameras to try to ensure that Iran isn't backsliding.

In return, Iran gets access to airplane parts, and partial lifting of sanctions on the oil and gold industry worth $1.5bn a year.

It will also get, in instalments, revenues from $4.2bn worth of oil revenues - and $400m will be allowed to be sent to Iranian students and other educational projects abroad.

Iran will still be losing out on $4bn a month in oil sales because of caps on its exports, and $100bn of its foreign exchange will remain in frozen bank accounts.

The nuclear talks in Geneva

These simply are not the "cosmetic concessions" that the Israeli Prime Minister claims.

It is true that many western intelligence agencies share the Israeli fear that the international community may be falling into an Iranian trap.

"They are world class liars," one senior spook said.

But there is no need to say so - yet.

"All Bibi (Benjamin Netanyahu) needs to do is say he reserves judgement on the interim agreement and hope that diplomacy will work - give the whole thing its six months and then if Iran is indeed cheating, Israel will have global support for more drastic action," said one western diplomat.

He risks being 'tuned out' by the international community - even if what he may say, in the end, is proved incorrect, the diplomat added.

Often belligerent Israel, led by Mr Netanyahu's personal style, is now being seen as petulant.

Behaviour that is trying the patience of its father figure -  the USA.

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Iran Nuclear Deal Reached At Talks In Geneva

An agreement has been reached between Iran and six world powers to curb Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for limited sanctions relief.

The deal, announced by European Union policy chief Catherine Ashton, is a first step towards resolving a decade-old stand-off between Tehran and the West.

The agreement between the Islamic state and the US, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia was nailed down after more than four days of negotiations in Geneva.

US President Barack Obama said it was an important first step towards a comprehensive solution to Iran's nuclear programme.

William Hague hailed the agreement as 'very important and encouraging'

He said Iran could not use its next-generation centrifuges under the deal and the limitations under the agreement "cut off Iran's most likely paths to a bomb".

He added that if Iran did not meet its commitments during a six-month period, the US would turn off sanctions relief and "ratchet up the pressure".

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the nuclear deal as an "historic mistake" and reserved his country's right to defend itself.

"Today the world became a much more dangerous place because the most dangerous regime in the world made a significant step in obtaining the most dangerous weapons in the world," he said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran's Mohammed Javad Zarif

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the agreement recognises Tehran's "rights" to maintain a nuclear programme, and it would "never" seek atomic weapons.

The country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said: "This can be the basis for further intelligent actions. Without a doubt the grace of God and the prayers of the Iranian nation were a factor in this success."

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron said the deal leaves Tehran further from getting a nuclear weapon and "demonstrates how persistent diplomacy and tough sanctions can together help us to advance our national interest".

Foreign Secretary William Hague said the agreement was "very important and encouraging", adding that it meant "the nuclear programme won't move forward for six months".

However, he acknowledged that "legitimate concerns" remained.

The Iranian foreign minister got a hero's welcome back in Tehran

He and US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the deal, as well as the latest developments in Syria, during talks in London on Sunday.

Speaking in London, Mr Kerry said: "This could not have happened if our friends had not come together to create sanctions and force sanctions and to press this agreement.

"Now the really hard part begins; the effort to get the comprehensive agreement in terms of verification, transparency and accountability.

"We are determined to work together. We will start today to continue the efforts out of Geneva. President Obama could not be more grateful for David Cameron's support."

High purity uranium stockpiles will be destroyed or diluted

Mr Kerry offered assurances to Israel over the nuclear agreement, saying it would make the Jewish state safer over the next six months because the world would have "insights" into Iran's nuclear programme.

President Obama also telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the deal, said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

He said the US was looking forward to consulting with Israel over ongoing negotiations with Iran.

Speaking on Iran's Press TV, Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the deal was an opportunity for the West to restore trust with the Iranian nation.

He said Tehran would expand co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog.

European Union policy chief Baroness Catherine Ashton and Javad Zarif

The easing of sanctions could boost Iran's economy by up to $7bn (£4.3bn).

In return, it has committed to stop uranium enrichment above a purity of 5% - enough for medical use and nuclear power, Iran's stated goal, but not enough for a weapon.

Any uranium it has above 20%, which is close to the level needed for weapons, will be destroyed or diluted. 

Equipment capable of enriching weapons-grade uranium will also be switched off and the deal calls for intrusive UN nuclear inspections.

The agreement has sparked fears in Israel, said Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sam Kiley.

"Israel's economy minister Naftali Bennett has said this deal could result in the use of suitcase nuclear devices five years down the line. It could be traced to this historic moment," he said.

"What they're really saying is that the international community, the world's diplomats, have been suckered by Iran in the same way that the international community was successfully suckered, let's face it, by the North Koreans who agreed to a similar deal to downscale their nuclear programme, and after a few months went by actually demonstrated that they had developed a nuclear weapon in secret.

"That is precisely what worries the Israelis."

Diplomacy was stepped up after the landslide election of Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, as Iranian president in June, replacing nationalist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

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