'White Widow' Lewthwaite's Ode To Bin Laden

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent

The British terror suspect sought by police following the Nairobi shopping mall massacre wrote a poem in praise of Osama bin Laden in which she warned that al Qaeda is "stronger and fiercer" than ever, Sky News can reveal.

Samantha Lewthwaite - known as the "White Widow" - pledged to continue the fight to bring terror to the West and suggested she was prepared to be a martyr for the Islamic cause.

In the 34-line Ode To Osama, which was found by police on a computer in her Kenyan home, Lewthwaite said her love for the mastermind of the September 11 attacks "is like no other".

She lamented his death in 2011 at the hands of American special forces and called on Muslims to follow his example.

Investigators found an "Ode to Osama" on Lewthwaite's computer

"Us we are left to continue what you started," she wrote.

"To seek the victory until we are martyred. To instill (sic) terror into kuffar (non-Muslims) …Your life an example of how we should be.

"Oh Muslims listen to our beloved sheik's words, Let not his struggle and efforts go unheard, Revive what he started and strive to success, Then maybe we can be raised with the best."

The British suspect rented an apartment overlooking the Junction mall

Lewthwaite was married to July 7 bomber Jermaine Lindsay and lived with him in Buckinghamshire before the 2005 attacks. They had two children together.

Last year it emerged she had left Britain for East Africa and had been linked to the al Qaeda terror group al Shabaab.

Despite her sorrow at bin Laden's death, she warned the West - and US President Barack Obama - that the jihad was not over.

Sky News gained access to a flat directly below the one Lewthwaite rented

"As for our enemies our words will be less," she wrote.

"You picked the wrong army to contest. Al Qaeda are stronger and fiercer than ever. Their (sic) was no victory for you Mr Obama The honour is his on martyred Osama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

As part of an investigation, Sky News has discovered that Lewthwaite, who is being hunted by Interpol in the aftermath of the Westgate Shopping Mall massacre, lived in a flat in the Kenyan capital overlooking a different shopping centre  for seven months in 2011.

Sky's Alex Crawford spoke to a block supervisor, who recognised Lewthwaite

She used her South African alias Natalie Faye Webb while she rented the apartment with her four children.

Sky News sources who are involved in the hunt for her have said this was one of three addresses she acquired in the capital.

It is the first time she has been specifically placed in the city where last month's attack, which left at least 67 people dead, took place.

Lewthwaite rented the apartment using her known alias, Natalie Faye Webb

Detectives examining the hard drive of a computer left at her house in Mombasa found several self-portraits of Lewthwaite, including one where she posed with two of her children.

They also discovered evidence which led them to an apartment block in Nairobi overlooking the Junction shopping mall, which British and Kenyan intelligence believe was a potential target for the al Shabaab terror group with which Lewthwaite has been linked.

She lived there with her four children and despite having no apparent income paid 60,000 shillings (nearly £500) a month for the three-bedroom flat.

The clean-up at the site of the Westgate mall attacks is ongoing

A man from the apartment block said she used to go shopping at the nearby mall - popular just like Westgate with wealthy expats - for up to four hours at a time.

Police also traced a flash drive back to her which showed the British woman who married a suicide bomber had spent eight years researching chemicals, explosive ingredients and how to make bombs.

One document she downloaded is entitled the Mujahideen explosives handbook.

The examination of her hard drive showed she had also Googled a significant number of dieting and fitness sites, including websites with workout routines to help you lose weight and makeover sites which demonstrated how to have hair like the singer Taylor Swift.

Out of nearly 2,000 files found, a vast number were about health and body image, and she had downloaded documents about getting started in bodybuilding and visited one site about self-defence.

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Dublin: 'Abused Child' Found Wandering Streets

Police fear a teenager who was found wandering the streets of Dublin may be the victim of sex trafficking after she drew them pictures of herself apparently being raped.

Interpol has been called in to try to identify the girl, who could be as young as 14.

She was found in a dazed state on O'Connell Street about 10 days ago and is yet to speak to officers.

However, she has reportedly drawn several pictures which apparently show her being raped, with one illustrating men around a bed handing over cash.

Plans are in place to move the girl from a Dublin hospital to a more secure location where she can also receive psychological treatment.

The Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) has secured a temporary care order for the girl, but police are considering getting permission from the courts to release her photo to try to identify her.

The girl is white, aged between 14 and 16 years, and is said to look Eastern European. She was dressed normally when she was found in daylight hours.

"We do not know who the child is because she has being unable to communicate with anybody," said an unidentified source.

"We have no child fitting her description reported to us in this country so we believe she came here from another country.

"Her welfare is our priority at the moment."

The Immigrant Council of Ireland said while the circumstances of this case were yet to be established, the trafficking of children was a reality in the country.

In 2012, some 23 of the 48 trafficking victims identified were children and most were sexually exploited.

Nusha Yonkova, an anti-trafficking co-ordinator, said: "The figures should alarm us all and underlines the need for urgent political action both nationally and at EU level.

"This week the European Parliament will hear that over 270,000 victims are trafficked for sexual exploitation in the EU each year with 'Mafia-type' criminal networks pocketing €25bn (£21bn).

"It is estimated that up to €250m (£212m) of that is from Ireland.

"Together, with the 68 Irish organisations which make up the Turn Off The Red Light Campaign, we believe the best way to end this evil trade is to target demand, in other words the buyers of sex."

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Syria: Ministers Meet Ahead Of Peace Talks

By Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor

The Friends of Syria group is meeting in London to try to keep next month's proposed Syria peace conference on track.

William Hague and his counterparts from 10 other countries will discuss how to support the Syrian opposition ahead of the summit due to take place in Geneva.

Failure to agree a united front could jeopardise the chances of the conference, scheduled for Switzerland on November 23, even taking place.

Geneva II is intended to build on last year's Geneva agreement in which most parties to the conflict, including Russia, signed up to a rough road map intended to lead to peace.

Representatives of the opposition Syrian National Coalition are also expected to attend.

But one of the most prominent factions within the coalition, the Syrian National Council, has said it has no faith in negotiations with Bashar al Assad's regime and won't be part of the Geneva process.

Mr Hague hopes to unite the Coalition but Mr Assad has cast doubt on talks

Some of the Arab countries are also concerned about the prospects for success next month.

One Arab diplomat told Sky News: "It is unclear who will attend and it is unclear what the agenda is." 

Invitations for Geneva will be issued by the United Nations and it has yet to say if the Iranians will be invited. 

Nor is it clear if the Assad government will attend as it wants more clarity on how London, Paris, and Washington interpret the first Geneva agreement.

That calls for a "transitional government".

The Western powers say that means one in which Mr Assad has no future. However, Russia  and the Syrian government point out that it says "by mutual consent".

Add to these problems that most of the opposition forces inside Syria no longer pay any attention to the council, and that those forces will not go to Geneva, and the prospects for peace are dim.

Mr Assad has cast doubt on the conference, brokered by the US and Russia, telling Lebanon's Al Mayadeen TV that "the factors that would help in holding it are not in place if we want it to succeed".

He added: "Who are the groups that will participate? What is their relation with the Syrian people? Do they represent the Syrian people or do they represent the country that made them?"

Foreign Secretary Mr Hague said the meeting was to "discuss preparations for the Geneva Conference, support for the Syrian National Coalition, and our efforts to achieve a political settlement to this tragic conflict".

Today's conference is to try and iron out some of those problems, then work on making Geneva II a success.

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Australia Battles Blazes To Stop 'Mega-Fire'

Firefighters are trying to tame an enormous bushfire in southeastern Australia which could merge with other blazes to create a "mega-fire" if weather conditions worsen.

Crews have been battling fires that flared in high winds and searing heat across the state of New South Wales last week, destroying 200 homes and leaving many others damaged.

While dozens of blazes have been contained, 58 were still alight and 14 of them out of control, enveloping Sydney in a thick white smoke haze that prompted warnings for people to stay indoors and avoid exercising.

The main area of concern was near the town of Lithgow, west of Sydney, where a huge fire that has already burned nearly 155 square miles (99,000 acres) was threatening the communities of Bilpin, Bell, Clarence and Dargan.

Tea cups sit on a letterbox at a home destroyed by bushfire

Officials fear intensifying heat and winds this week could push it into another blaze at nearby Mount Victoria in the Blue Mountains and then move towards the populated areas of Katoomba and Leura.

"I don't think I've ever used the word mega-fire," said New South Wales rural fire service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons.

"But the reality is that the modelling indicates that there's every likelihood that in the forecast weather conditions that these two fires, particularly up in the back end of the mountains, will merge at some point."

Lyndon Dunlop with his father among the ruins of his grandparents' home

The Australian military is investigating whether it was responsible for starting the blaze, northwest of Sydney.

The Australian Defence Force said its personnel were carrying out explosive ordnance training in the area on Wednesday, the day the blaze started.

Amid the worst fire disaster in the state for nearly 50 years, New South Wales declared a state of emergency on Sunday, which gives firefighters the power to forcibly evacuate people, with penalties for refusing.

Emergency Services Minister Mike Gallacher said every possible resource was being used, including firefighters being drafted in from interstate and the possibility that the military could also be deployed.

"Everything is being thrown at this, I can assure you," he said.

Sue Dunlop sits in front of her home of 41 years which was destroyed

With hundreds of people evacuated from their homes due to the encroaching flames, police have revealed they are dealing with reports of looting from victims, although the number of incidents is small.

State Premier Barry O'Farrell called looters "scumbags" and vowed to track them down.

"I'm just appalled that at these critical times, when people have been evacuated from homes or whether people have left homes because of fire dangers, that other scumbags in the community would front up and seek to rob them," he said.

Police, meanwhile, said a young boy, reportedly aged 11, was being questioned about deliberately lighting a fire on the New South Wales Central Coast last week that forced hundreds of people to flee their homes and saw the closure of Newcastle airport.

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Cairo Church Gun Attack: Girl, 8, Shot Dead

Three people, including an eight-year-old child, have been killed in a drive-by shooting at a wedding outside a church in Cairo.

Masked gunmen on motorbikes shot randomly at guests as they left the Coptic Christian church in the Waraa neighbourhood, in the north of the capital, on Sunday night.

Eyewitness Maged Hindy said: "There was a lot of traffic outside the church when a motorbike and a car approached the crowd outside the church. The car stopped and the gunmen on motorcycles started shooting and ran away."

The interior ministry confirmed that the eight-year-old girl, as well as a woman and a man were killed. It said nine others were wounded in the attack.

The church's priest, Father Dawoud, said: "What is happening is targeting all of Egypt and not only the Christians. This is enough, the people are getting sick and tired of this."

A wedding was taking place at the church when the gunmen attacked

The attack was the first such assault targeting Christians in Cairo since the military coup that ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected president, on July 3.

Islamists accuse Coptic Christians of backing the coup that toppled Mr Morsi, who belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Rights groups say that Copts, native Egyptian Christians who account for six to 10% of the country's 85 million people, have come under attack mainly in the central provinces of Minya and Assiut.

Earlier this month, Amnesty International said more than 200 Christian-owned properties were attacked and 43 churches seriously damaged across the country since the August 14 crackdown against Mr Morsi's supporters in Cairo.

Egypt's Copts have long complained of discrimination and marginalisation, particularly under Mr Morsi's one-year rule.

Mr Morsi is to go on trial on November 4 over deadly clashes between his supporters and opponents.

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Emile Louis: French Serial Killer Dies

A notorious serial killer who murdered seven young women, many with severe learning difficulties, has died at the age of 79, his lawyer has said.

Emile Louis, a former bus driver, died in a hospital in Nancy in the early hours of Sunday, according to Alain Fraitag.

He was transferred to hospital last Monday to undergo a neurological scan and a source told the newspaper Le Parisien that he had ​​repeatedly fallen and had sores on the back of the skull.

The father-of-four was jailed in 2004 for the 1970s killings as well as the rape and torture of his last wife and daughter.

Louis kidnapped the youngsters, who lived in homes for the disabled, while driving a bus meant to transport them.

The justice system came under heavy criticism for ignoring the disappearances in the Yonne region of Burgundy for so long and recording them as runaways.

The case was widely seen as one of the country's greatest postwar judicial scandals with speculation that the girls were victims of a high-level sex ring, which was covered up by the authorities.

An officer who submitted a report in 1984 calling Louis a prime suspect was found dead in 1997 but his death was ruled a suicide.

However, in 2004, it emerged that two bullets that entered the brain were from different angles and both should have been instantly fatal.

Several scholars have hypothesised about Louis' split personality, born of a painful childhood.

According to Le Parisien, during his trial many witnesses said he was a "good father", "a man without blemish" and was jovial, polite and very understanding.

However, there was a darker side in which Louis felt "real pleasure to establish dominance over the other," with a psychologist in 2006 saying he enjoyed "extreme perversion, cruelty and suffering".

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Mystery Blonde Girl 'Was Well Looked After'

A relative of a Roma Gypsy couple accused of abducting a girl found in their care said the child was given to them and that she was well looked after.

The youngster, known as Maria and aged about four, was found living in squalid conditions in a Roma camp near the central Greek town of Farsala on Wednesday.

She was with people who were pretending to be her parents, but DNA tests later proved they were not.

Kostas said the child was very loved

The couple, a 39-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman, were arrested and charged with abducting a minor.

But a man calling himself Kostas, the brother of the 39-year-old male, said Maria was very loved and cared for.

"We got this girl in a very nice way. We raised her. We got her. She was given to us and we raised her," he said.

"She had problems with her eyes. We took her to the doctor, we took her everywhere.

"We didn't take her to sell her. We loved her so much, with so much passion."

A Roma woman walks next to the house where the girl lived

Giorgos Tsakiris, the general secretary of the Roma association in Farsala, said the girl had a good life with the people who were raising her.

"I can tell you better than her other siblings, the biological ones," Mr Tsakiris said.

"She spent her days very well and that is why the little girl loves them and what they say about abductions is not true."

The girl is being looked after by The Smile of the Child charity

An international search is now under way to find Maria's real family.

Authorities say they have received enquiries from all over the world, including the UK.

The girl, who is now being looked after by The Smile of the Child charity, was found when police raided the camp in search of drugs and weapons.

A police officer became suspicious when he noticed Maria bore no likeness to her supposed family.

Members of the Roma community where the girl was found living

Further investigations into the couple raised even more suspicions.

Authorities allege the mother claimed to have given birth to six children in less than 10 months, while 10 of the 14 children the couple registered as their own are unaccounted for.

Maria's discovery has given hope to the family of Ben Needham, a British boy who disappeared from outside his grandparent's farmhouse on the Greek island of Kos in 1991.

A poster released in the search for Maria's real parents

Ben's sister Leighanna, 20, told Sky News: "Obviously, it's been a strong belief of myself and all my family that Ben was taken by gypsies for child trafficking or illegal adoptions and this case just shows that they can be found.

She added: "I believe that the camp the little girl was found in was looked at (during the investigation into her brother's disappearance).

Ben Needham disappeared in Greece

"But 22 years ago, the Greek police were scared of the gypsies and pretty much point-blank refused to go into the camps ... so our inquiries into these camps never fully got covered."

Ms Needham said the same technology could help find her long-lost brother.

"I think that would be a brilliant thing to get our DNA out there, even if it's not actually Ben but any siblings or any children maybe of Ben (that are found) then that could hopefully lead us to him," she said.

Maria's discovery has also buoyed the hopes of missing Madeleine McCann's parents.

Clarence Mitchell, a spokesman for Kate and Gerry McCann, said: "They have always maintained that until there is evidence to prove otherwise missing children can still be out there waiting to be found."

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Alps Murders: Brother Denies Involvement

The brother of a British-Iraqi businessman whose family were shot dead in the French Alps has again claimed he was not involved in the massacre.

Zaid al Hilli, whose brother Saad was found dead in a bullet-riddled BMW in September last year, admitted to The Sunday Times newspaper that they were engaged in a bitter inheritance dispute, but said he had nothing to do with the murders.

"I have told the police from the beginning that I am an open book. I have nothing to hide," he said.

The 54-year-old, who was arrested in June on suspicion of masterminding the killings, accused French police of failing to carry out a proper investigation.

Saad al Hilli was shot dead with his wife and mother-in-law

He said they should look at the possibility that the real target was Sylvain Mollier, a Frenchman who was shot dead near the family's car as he cycled through the hills above Lake Annecy.

"They are covering up for someone in France in that region and they know it," Mr Hilli told the BBC.

"Mollier was involved in family disputes and was an outsider to (his) rich family. There is something more to it locally ... most crime has local roots."

The scene of the shooting in France

Saad al Hilli, 50, was shot dead in his car parked in a lay-by on a mountain road. His wife Iqbal, 47, and her mother Suhaila al Allaf, 74, were also killed. Mr Mollier's body was found nearby.

The couple's daughter Zainab, seven at the time, recovered after being shot and pistol-whipped and her sister Zeena, who was four, was found unhurt hiding beneath her mother's body.

French investigators believe Mr Mollier was an innocent bystander who was killed because he stumbled upon the murder scene.

Their lead theory is that a family inheritance dispute was the motive for the killings.

Saad al Hilli's family home in Claygate, Surrey

Mr Hilli, who is due to answer police bail on Wednesday, also denied any involvement in the shooting when he was approached by Sky News last month.

He told The Sunday Times that the last time the brothers spoke, Saad had physically attacked him as they argued over the £1m house in Claygate, Surrey, they inherited from their mother.

"I was on the bed in my bedroom and he pinned me down," he said.

Mr Hilli, who works as a payroll manager for a leisure company, said he had given 25 hours of interviews to British police but has refused to go to France for further questioning.

The killings took place near Lake Annecy

"The French, I don't trust them at all," he told The Sunday Times. "My brother was killed there in that region and I am not going to take the risk."

He revealed that he had taken a day off work on the day of the murders and gone to Worthing, in West Sussex, with a friend.

He said the brothers, who were born to middle-class parents in Baghdad before the family moved to Britain in 1971, had enjoyed a close relationship but fell out over the house.

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Australia Bushfires: Fears Blazes Will Worsen

Firefighters battling bushfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes in Australia are braced for conditions to get worse in the coming days.

Higher temperatures and strong winds are expected to make the situation more dangerous this week after recent milder weather.

The bushfires are some of the most destructive ever to hit New South Wales - the country's most populous state.

Around 1,500 firefighters have been working to contain the blazes which have been very intense.

They have happened earlier than usual in an annual fire season that peaks in the Australian summer, starting in December.

The country's dry winter and hotter than average spring are believed to have resulted in perfect fire conditions.

A total of 208 homes have been destroyed, another 122 have been damaged, and there has been at least one death.

Among the worst-affected areas was in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, where 193 homes were razed and 109 damaged.

Many homes have been destroyed in the blazes

On Sunday, firefighters were focusing on a major blaze near the town of Lithgow that stretched along a 190-mile front.

The military is investigating whether it was responsible for starting the blaze, northwest of Sydney.

The Australian Defence Force said its personnel were carrying out explosive ordnance training in the area on Wednesday, the day the blaze started.

With 68 fires still burning, including 22 out of control, and dangerous weather conditions forecast until Thursday, authorities were expecting the worst.

New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell said: "The state is in for challenging days ahead not just with the three fires in and around the Blue Mountains, but also on the other two fire grounds where work is still continuing."

Shane Fitzsimmons, fire service commissioner, said: "There will be a significant impact on populated areas should all these forecasts materialise as is being suggested and indeed should the fire behaviour get to the point that we are contemplating."

On Thursday, a 63-year-old man died of a heart attack while protecting his home from fire at Lake Munmorah, north of Sydney.

At least five people - including three firefighters - have been treated in hospitals for burns and smoke inhalation, officials said.

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Australia Fires: Military Investigates Blaze

The Australian military is investigating whether it is responsible for starting a major bushfire, as firefighters battle blazes that have destroyed or damaged 300 homes.

The Rural Fire Service said some 85 fires were burning across New South Wales state, with about 20 of them uncontained despite Saturday's cooler weather conditions.

Among the major fires was one burning between the towns of Lithgow and Bilpin, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) northwest of Sydney.

The blaze, called the State Mine Fire, has so far burned through 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) and destroyed a number of properties.

There are around 85 fires burning across the state

The Australian Defence Force said its personnel were carrying out explosive ordnance training in the area on Wednesday, the day the fire started.

"The fire started on 16 October, the same day that Defence personnel were conducting an explosive ordnance training activity," it said in a statement.

"Defence is investigating if the two events are linked.

"Our thoughts are with those who have lost property or whose property is threatened by these devastating fires."

More than 130 firefighters are still battling the blaze.

The military said it will work with fire authorities to investigate the blaze once the fire is extinguished.

"The primary concern at this stage is for the safety of the communities in the vicinity of the fire, then the ongoing investigation which will review both the incident and Defence procedures," the statement said.

Arson investigators are examining the origins of several more fires that have threatened towns surrounding Sydney in recent days.

About 300 homes have been destroyed or damaged

The bushfires across the state could take weeks to fully overcome, particularly with more hot and gusty weather forecast for as soon as Sunday.

One man has already died while trying to protect his home on the Central Coast north of Sydney, possibly succumbing to a heart attack, but authorities are hopeful no other people are unaccounted for in the blazes.

The fires took hold in warm and windy conditions on Thursday and the worst affected areas have been in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, where some 193 properties were destroyed and 109 damaged in the towns of Springwood and Winmalee.

Yellow Rock resident Christine Senior lost her family home.

"I said to my husband, 'I remember when you carried me across the threshold'. I remember having all my babies here. All of that hard work that we put into everything for all years and it's just gone," she said.

NSW Rural Fire Service Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers said Saturday's conditions were a "pause" but that the fire perimeter stretched for more than 500 kilometres.

"We're by no means out of the woods," he told national broadcaster ABC.

"It's just calmed down a little bit and obviously we're bracing ourselves for these worsening conditions."

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