Al Libi In New York To Face Terrorism Charges

By Sky News US Team, in New York

A suspected al Qaeda leader captured in Libya has arrived in New York following a week-long interrogation aboard a US warship.

Nazih Abdul-Hamed al Ruqai, better known by his alias Abu Anas al Libi, has been under federal indictment in New York for more than a decade on terrorism charges.

Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara confirmed that al Libi was transferred to law enforcement custody over the weekend.

The alleged senior al Qaeda figure was expected to be arraigned on Tuesday, Mr Bharara said.

Al Libi allegedly helped plan the embassy bombing in Nairobi, Kenya

Al Libi is accused of planning and conducting surveillance for the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Africa.

He was detained during a US special forces raid in Libya on October 5.

His capture heightened tensions with Tripoli, with the Libyan government upset that it had not been informed about the raid, labelling it a "kidnapping".

Al Libi is accused of involvement in the bombings of the US Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, which killed more than 220 people.

Intelligence officials interrogated him for a week aboard the USS San Antonio in the Mediterranean.

Court documents say al Libi's ties to al Qaeda date back to its early years, making him a potentially valuable source of information about the group's history.

The computer specialist is believed to have spent time in Sudan, where Osama bin Laden was based in the early 1990s.

Al Libi has long-standing health issues and will get medical testing while in custody to determine whether he needs treatment, US officials said.

Where exactly al Libi is being held and where that testing would take place is unclear.

President Barack Obama's administration took criticism years ago when it decided to prosecute admitted 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York, rather than at the naval prison at Guantanamo Bay.

After reversing course, however, the government has successfully prosecuted several terrorism cases in civilian courts.

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Afghan Governor Killed by Microphone Bomb

An Afghan provincial governor and close ally of President Hamid Karzai has been killed while making a speech at a mosque after Eid prayers in Logar, close to the capital Kabul.

Logar provincial governor spokesman Din Mohammad Darwish said Arsala Jamal was killed by a bomb planted in the microphone he had been using.

He said: "The governor wanted to speak and congratulate everyone on the occasion of Eid. At least 18 other people have been wounded, including civilians and government employees."

Mr Jamal was appointed by the president and only took up the Logar job in April after serving as governor of Khost, on the border with Pakistan.

Volatile Logar, which lies to the south of the Afghan capital, is seen as a key strategic region, often described as a "gateway to Kabul" for Taliban militants based in strongholds across the south and east.

No group has said it was responsible for the blast, although Taliban militants often target provincial government officials as well as Afghan soldiers and police.

Security in Logar has deteriorated in recent years with the Taliban holding sway in some areas despite sustained Afghan and US military pressure.

Village-based Afghan Local Police (ALP) forces have also been trying to wrestle back control of Taliban-held territory.

The Taliban have vowed to step up attacks as Afghanistan prepares for presidential elections in April and the withdrawal of 87,000 Nato troops by the end of next year.

Taliban supremo Mullah Omar on Sunday said he "rejected" the elections, which he alleged were being manipulated by foreign powers, and called on Afghans not to participate.

The hardline Islamist Taliban regime was driven from power by a US-led coalition in 2001 for sheltering the al Qaeda leaders behind the 9/11 attacks.

Eid ul Adha is a major public holiday across the Muslim world, with mosques packed with devotees marking the prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son when God ordered him.

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Philippines Earthquake: At Least 20 Dead

At least 32 people have died after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit the Philippines.

Fifteen of the fatalities were in Cebu, the political and economic hub of the central Philippines, civil defence office spokesman Reynaldo Balido told reporters.

Sixteen other fatalities were reported on neighbouring Bohol island.

The quake struck at 8.12am local time near Balilihan, a town of about 18,000 people on Bohol, at a depth of 12 miles (20km), the United States Geological Survey reported.

The town lies across a strait about 37 miles (60km) from Cebu island.

The earthquake ripped up roads

Janet Maribao, a receptionist on Cebu, said: "I was fast asleep when suddenly I woke up because my bed was shaking. I was so shocked, I could do nothing but hide under the bed."

Residents and tourists reported extensive damage to old churches and modern buildings, including a university, while major roads had also been torn apart.

Neil Sanchez, the head of Cebu's disaster management office, said: "Communication lines are quite difficult here.

"Even the disaster risk reduction management office has been damaged. We had to move elsewhere."

Cebu hosts the country's busiest port and largest airport outside of the capital Manila. It also has a major ship building industry.

The earthquake was followed by at least four aftershocks measuring more than 5.0 in magnitude.

However, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre did not issue a Pacific-wide tsunami threat.

The Philippines lies on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a chain of islands that are prone to quakes and volcanic eruptions.

The deadliest recorded natural disaster in the Philippines occurred in 1976, when a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake devastated the Moro Gulf on the southern island of Mindanao.

Between 5,000 and 8,000 people were killed, according to official estimates.

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Seven Red Cross Workers Kidnapped In Syria

Seven International Committee of the Red Cross workers have been kidnapped after gunmen attacked their convoy in northern Syria.

Spokesman Saleh Dabbakeh said gunmen abducted the team after stopping their convoy near the town of Saraqeb in Idlib province on Sunday morning.

He said six of the people are ICRC workers and one is a volunteer from the Syrian Red Crescent.

It was unclear what nationalities the workers were.

Syria's state news agency said the gunmen opened fire on the ICRC team's four vehicles before seizing the Red Cross workers. It blamed "terrorists", a term the government uses to refer to opponents of President Bashar al Assad.

The team had been in the field since October 10 to assess the medical situation in the area, described as a "difficult area to go in".

Magne Barth, head of the ICRC delegation in Syria, said: "We call for the immediate and unconditional release of the seven colleagues abducted this morning.

"Both the ICRC and SARC work tirelessly to provide impartial humanitarian assistance for those most in need across Syria on both sides of the front lines, and incidents such as these potentially undermine our capacity to assist those who need us most."

Much of the countryside in Idlib has fallen into the hands of rebels over the last year, and kidnappings have become rife.

It comes after Syrian rebels claimed they had shot a government warplane on Sunday near the southern city of Deraa.

Fighters used anti-aircraft machine guns to hit the plane, but it was able to make an emergency landing at nearby Thala military airport.

Syrian state media has not confirmed the incident.

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Illegal Immigration In US Now Hard To Ignore

By Greg Milam, US Correspondent

The United States is locked in a fierce debate over immigration, with an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants.

But frustration is growing at the lack of political action to answer the big immigration questions.

Earlier this month, thousands of people rallied in 150 cities in 40 of the 50 states to put pressure on Washington to deliver an overhaul to the country's immigration rules.

They fear the momentum for change is fading after almost unprecedented co-operation between Republicans and Democrats towards reaching agreement earlier this year.

The results of last year's presidential election demonstrated, particularly to Republicans, that the fast-growing immigrant population in states like Colorado meant the issue could not be ignored.

But a plan that would have offered a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants already living in the US appears to be in jeopardy with renewed wrangling between the parties.

Some believe the US border is way too porous

Immigration has often fallen behind other issues like guns, the economy and international concerns like Syria.

Reshma Shamasunder, executive director of California Immigrant Policy Centre, said: "People are fed up with inaction, they're fed up with Congress every year promising they're going to do something and then not doing it.

"We haven't had an immigration overhaul in this country for decades and our immigration laws are so outmoded and outdated that not only are they not serving immigrants well, they're not serving the American people well.

"So I think there is a huge appetite among Americans to do something."

Without an overhaul, she says, the problem is going to get worse.

Sky News spoke to a man, originally from Central America and now living legally in the US, who had sent $2,000 (£1,255) to a nephew waiting just across the border in Mexico. He will pay a so-called "coyote" to smuggle him into America.

Critics of immigration reform point to cases like that and say the government needs to urgently address border crossings that are way too porous.

California recently reached the landmark moment when whites were no longer the majority. By the middle of next year, Latinos will make up a greater proportion of the population.

The state's governor, Jerry Brown, recently signed into law a raft of new bills that increase protections for immigrants and campaigners say the rest of the US needs to follow suit.

But it remains an emotive issue and one it is increasingly hard to ignore.

:: Immigration UK: A week of special coverage on Sky from October 14 to 18 - watch on Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 82, Skynews.com and Sky News for iPad

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Temple Stampede Kills At Least 109 Worshippers

At least 109 people have been killed in a stampede at a Hindu temple in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Some reports said the stampede occurred when police used batons to control a huge crowd that had gathered at the Ratangarh Temple near the village of Chand Pur, in Datia District.

As the devotees attempted to flee, hundreds of people ran towards a bridge across the river Sindh and an unknown number are believed to have fallen in.

At least 130 people were injured in the incident on Sunday.

A map showing the location of Datia

Others claimed the stampede happened when a rumour swept through a crowd of 20,000 crossing the bridge that it was about to collapse.

Many of those who drowned did so while trying to save the lives of others, India's The News Tribe website reported.

The true cause of the stampede, which happened about 200 miles southeast of the capital Delhi, has yet to emerge.

The incident happened at a spot on the river Sindh where more than half a million pilgrims had gathered to take part in rituals.

The body of one of those who died in the stampede

Deputy Police Inspector General DK Arya denied a baton charge had taken place.

He said: "More than 100 others have been injured. There was no baton charge."

Rescue teams have been combing the water to pull out bodies and find any survivors.

The worshippers were gathering at the temple as part of the celebrations for the Navratri festival.

The 10-day festival includes an event marking the victory of the Goddess Durga over the buffalo demon in Hindu mythology.

The death toll has risen to over 100

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan announced he had ordered a judicial probe into the incident.

Madhya Pradesh's government said it was offering Rs150,000 (£1,540) to the families of those who were killed and Rs50,000 (£513) to those who were seriously injured.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tweeted: ''On this day of festivities, our hearts and prayers are with the victims and their families.''

In 2006, at least 35 devotees died at the same spot after they were washed away when a dam in a neighbouring province opened its sluice gates, causing a deluge.

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Cyclone Phailin Slams Into India's East Coast

A powerful cyclone has ripped through India's east coast, killing at least five people and forcing more than half a million into shelters.

Cyclone Phailin, with winds up to 130mph, made landfall on Saturday night near the town of Golpalpur in Orissa state and is moving inland.

The storm, covering an area larger than France, lost some of its strength before hitting the coast, but it remains India's strongest since a typhoon killed 10,000 people in the same region 14 years ago.

Four people were killed by falling trees, while another died when the walls of her home collapsed.

Officials said the storm has already caused cause large-scale power and communications outages and shut down road and rail links.

A satellite image of the cyclone

The evacuation of around 450,000 people in Orissa and 100,000 in Andhra Pradesh state is one of the biggest exercises in the country's history.

Many people have fled low-lying villages for shelters, but others have refused to leave their homes.

"My son had to stay back with his wife because of the cattle and belongings ... I don't know if they are safe," said 70-year-old Kaushalya Jena, who has taken refuge in a makeshift shelter.

In Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa, government workers and volunteers have been putting together hundreds of thousands of food packages for relief camps.

Floods have already ripped down power lines

The state's top official, chief minister Naveen Patnaik, said: "I request everyone to not panic. Please assist the government. Everyone from the village to the state headquarters have been put on alert."

The army's National Disaster Response Force said 1,700 of its troops have been sent to both states.

"As soon as the fury of the cyclone abates our boys will start their work," said the force's director general Krishna Chaudhary.

"The teams have medical first responders (for first aid), heavy cutting equipment, life-saving equipment that responds to breathing and even to warmth. In the case of cyclones there is a likelihood of collapsed buildings."

People walk among debris from a broken wall brought down by a wave

While the full extent of the damage cannot yet be measured, India's meteorological department said the cyclone posed a danger to a 95-miles stretch of coastline.

Forecasters have likened its size and intensity to Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the US Gulf coast and New Orleans in 2005.

Dr Liz Bentley from the Royal Meteorological Society told Sky News: "This particular part of the coastline is very low-lying so it (Phailin) will penetrate quite well in land.

"It is like a mini-tsunami hitting that - not caused in the same way as a tsunami but it's the same effect."

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US-Afghan 'Progress' In Security Talks

By Alistair Bunkall, Sky's Defence Correspondent

Significant progress has been made in negotiations for a Bilateral Security Agreement between the US and Afghanistan.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Afghan President Hamid Karzai held 28 hours of talks over two days in Kabul.

The BSA, if agreed, will allow a contingent of American troops to remain in the country post-2014.

Negotiations have been ongoing for a number of months.

Last week, it appeared they had reached an impasse over various conditions set down by Mr Karzai, including a request that Washington hand over intelligence documents concerning Afghanistan.

Mr Karzai had also wanted America to commit to military support if Pakistan attacked Afghanistan - a Nato-style solidarity pact.

But speaking at a news conference after the latest discussions, Mr Kerry told reporters that there had been movement but no deal yet.

"One issue that is outstanding is the issue of jurisdiction (immunity)," he said.

"We need to say that if the issue of jurisdiction cannot be resolved, unfortunately there cannot be a bilateral security agreement."

America has agreed not to carry out security operations unilaterally after 2014, one condition demanded by Mr Karzai, but insists troops must be immune from local prosecution.

Although Mr Kerry promised the US military would deal with disciplinary issues in a robust way, Washington does not want any of its soldiers facing trial in Afghanistan for acts they might have committed in their duty as a deployed soldier.

"The BSA has a lot of items. One is about immunity for foreign and US soldiers - we didn't have a united opinion on this issue," said Mr Karzai.

Washington wants the agreement to be made before the end of the month to avoid the issue becoming a part of political campaigning by candidates running for the presidency in Afghan elections next spring.

As such there has been much political brinkmanship from both sides, although few doubted a deal would be done in the end.

Although exact numbers have not been announced, it is thought between 5,000 and 10,000 US troops would remain in Afghanistan.

The deal is important for Afghanistan's future because foreign troops will stay to give mentoring and training to Afghan soldiers in the hope the security situation improves.

Without an agreement Afghanistan could see international funding withdrawn, and that accounts for around 80% of the country's expenditure.

The lack of such an agreement led to an early withdrawal from Iraq by US troops.

Once agreed, the BSA should pave the way for a European equivalent known as a "Statement of Force Agreement" or SOFA.

The UK government is then expected to formalise and announce how many British troops will stay in Afghanistan after the end of next year.

That figure will probably be in the low hundreds.

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Madeleine McCann Timeline Of Events 'Wrong'

British detectives working on the Madeleine McCann investigation have revealed that key details in the timeline of her disappearance were wrong.

The revised details will be documented in a new Crimewatch appeal on the case to be broadcast on Monday.

Speaking ahead of the BBC programme, senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, of the Metropolitan Police, said: "The timeline we have now established has given new significance to sightings and movements of people in and around Praia da Luz at the time of Madeleine's disappearance.

"Our work to date has significantly changed the timeline and the accepted version of events that has been in the public domain to date.

"It has allowed us to work with Crimewatch to build the most detailed reconstruction as yet, and highlight very specific appeal points.

"I hope that when the public see our investigative strands drawn together within the overall context of that appeal, it will bring in new information that moves our investigation forward."

The timeline of Madeleine's disappearance has 'significantly changed'

The full reconstruction of the events six years ago when Madeleine went missing starts with a scene of Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry playing tennis.

Madeleine, dressed in pink shorts, T-shirt and hat, then runs across the court, holding a batch of tennis balls.

In another clip, the McCanns are asked how often they think of their daughter, who went missing when she was three years old on May 3, 2007 from a holiday apartment as her parents dined at a nearby tapas restaurant with friends.

Mr McCann says: "When it's a special occasion, when you should be your happiest and Madeleine's not there, that's when it really hits home. Obviously, Madeleine's birthday goes without saying."

Mrs McCann adds: "It's when you have big family occasions really. That's it isn't it? 'Family occasion' and you haven't got your complete family."

During the programme, DCI Redwood discusses how the police have approached the inquiry.

Gerry and Kate McCann tell Crimewatch their anguish is undiminished

He says: "Primarily what we sought to do from the beginning is try and draw everything back to zero if you like. Try and take everything back to the beginning and re-analyse and reassess everything, accepting nothing.

"The careful and critical analysis of the timeline has been absolutely key.

"Primarily, we're focused on the area between 8.30pm and 10pm. We know at 8.30pm that was the time Mr and Mrs McCann went down to the tapas area for their dinner and we know that around at 10pm that was when Mrs McCann found that Madeleine was missing."

A number of e-fits are also to be shown in the appeal in a bid to "identify the men and eliminate innocent sightings".

Scotland Yard detectives, who have interviewed 442 people as part of their review-turned-investigation, hope to track down as many people present in the Portuguese town at the time.

Since launching its own investigation, 41 people of interest have been identified by the Met Police, including 15 UK nationals.

Madeleine seen on the day before she went missing in May 2007

Detectives have issued 31 international letters of request to mostly European countries in relation to some of the persons of interest as well as accessing phone records.

A large but "manageable" list of phone numbers identified as being in Praia da Luz - though not necessarily used to make phone calls - has been drawn up by detectives with a "significant" number unattributed to any named person.

British detectives launched a fresh investigation in July this year - two years into a review of the case.

The Met Police now has a team of six Portuguese detectives based in Faro who are carrying out inquiries on its behalf.

The Portuguese investigation is officially closed but authorities there are backing the Scotland Yard inquiry and officers from both countries are working together in pursuing new leads.

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Iraq Hangings 'Obscene', Says United Nations

The United Nations has condemned the "obscene" execution of 42 people in Iraq this week, saying the country's justice system is too flawed to use the death penalty.

Iraq's justice ministry claimed those hanged on Wednesday and Thursday had been convicted of terrorism charges.

But Rupert Colville, the UN human rights spokesman, said the country was not in a position to carry out executions.

"The justice system in Iraq is too seriously flawed to warrant even a limited application of the death penalty, let alone dozens of executions at a time," said Mr Colville.

"Large-scale executions of the sort that have been carried out on a number of occasions over the past two years in Iraq are not only obscene and inhuman, they are most probably in contravention of international law."

Iraq also executed 23 people during two days in September, 20 of them convicted on "terrorism" charges, with Justice Minister Hassan al Shammari claiming their actions had led to civilian deaths.

The UN spokesman did not go into specific cases but said concerns remained over the use of torture to extract confessions, as well as flawed court hearings.

It now wants Iraq to stop the executions and commute the sentences of the hundreds of other people believed to be on death row.

The number of people being executed in Iraq has risen from 18 in 2010 to 67 in 2011, 123 in 2012 and 140 so far this year, Mr Colville said.

At least 5,740 civilians have been killed in violence in Iraq from January to September this year, according to UN figures.

It represents the worst violence in the country since 2008, when the country was emerging from civil war.

Sectarian attacks and suicide bombings by al Qaeda Sunni Islamists have become a regular occurrence.

In one attack last week, bombers drove a truck packed with explosive into a school playground, killing 12 students and their headmaster.

The UN human rights spokesman added: "In our view, the claim that using the death penalty can help deter terrorism is clearly exposed as a fallacy, given the soaring casualty rate in Iraq, which has occurred over roughly the same period as the dramatic and shocking increase in the use of the death penalty."

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