Oprah Winfrey 'Victim Of Racism' In Swiss Shop

Oprah Winfrey has said she recently became a victim of racism when a shop assistant in Switzerland refused to show her a £24,477 handbag saying it would be "too expensive" for her.

The US chat show host, who is one of the richest women in the world, was in Zurich for Tina Turner's wedding when she decided to go shopping alone.

Winfrey told Entertainment Tonight: "I was in Zurich the other day, in a store whose name I will not mention. I didn't have my eyelashes on, but I was in full Oprah Winfrey gear. I had my little Donna Karan skirt and my little sandals. But obviously The Oprah Winfrey Show is not shown in Zurich.

"I go into a store and I say to the woman, 'Excuse me, may I see the bag right above your head?' and she says to me, 'No. It's too expensive.'"

The bag was apparently in the shop window behind a security wall.

When Winfrey insisted again, the woman replied: "No, no you don't want to see that one, you want to see this one because that one will cost too much. You will not be able to afford that."

Trudie Goetz arriving at Turner's wedding. Pic:Tinaturnerblog.com

The assistant then started to show the media owner smaller bags before she asked for a third time and was refused again.

"She said, 'Oh I don't want to hurt your feelings' and I said, 'Ok thank you so much you're probably right I can't afford it.'" said the 59-year-old.

Winfrey, who is the world's only African-American billionaire, then walked out of the shop calmly.

She said: "I could've had the whole blow-up thing and thrown down the black card but why do that but that clearly is you know … it (racism) still exists, of course it does."

Blick newspaper reported that Trudie Goetz, the owner of the boutique Trois Pommes, had apologised for the incident.

Ms Goetz, who is believed to have also attended Tina Turner's wedding, said there had been a "misunderstanding" caused by the assistant's failure to recognise Winfrey.

"We don't have any facial recognition here," Blick quoted Ms Goetz as saying.

Oprah had been asked on the US TV show whether anyone had ever called her the 'N- word'.

She said no one in their right mind would call her that to her face, but that racism showed itself in other ways.

"It shows up for me this way. Sometimes I'm in a boardroom or I'm in situations where I'm the only woman, I'm the only African American person within a 100-mile radius and I can see in the energy of the people there, they don't sense that I should be holding one of those seats.

"I can sense that. But I can never tell is it racism, is it sexism, because often it's both. I mean the sexism thing is huge. The higher the ladder you climb it gets huge, because men are used to running things."

Oprah has just been awarded America's highest civilian honour - the Presidential Medal of Freedom - which she will receive from President Barack Obama at the White House later in the year.

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Vietnam: 'Jungle Men' Found Hiding From War

A father and son have been found living in the jungle more than 40 years after they fled US bombing during the Vietnam War.

Ho Van Thanh left his home village with his baby son Ho Van Lang in 1971 after a mine blast killed his wife and two of his children.

The pair apparently survived by foraging for fruit, lived in a timber treehouse and wore loin cloths made from tree bark.

The authorities were alerted after locals searching for firewood spotted the men deep in the forest in Quang Ngai province's Tay Tra district.

A team was set up to look for the pair - now aged 82 and 41 - and found them after a five hour search.

82-year-old Ho Van Thanh was too weak to walk. Pic: Sax Rohmer Ltd

When found, Ho Van Thanh was too weak to walk and had to be taken out of the jungle on a stretcher.

The father could speak a little of the region's Cor language but the son only knew a few words.

The pair have been checked by doctors and a decision must now be made on how to reintegrate them to society.

Ho Van Thanh is believed to have lived a normal life in the hamlet of Tra Kem, but fled into the jungle after the explosion that decimated his family.

The two men were checked out by doctors. Pic: Sax Rohmer Ltd

The men are thought to have grown their own food and even cultivated tobacco during their time in the wilderness.

Another son, Ho Van Tri, told Vietnamese newspaper VnExpress that he found them hiding out around two decades ago but could not convince them to return home with him.

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era conflict that claimed millions of military and civilian lives and left surviving soldiers and victims traumatised.

The US dropped millions of tonnes of bombs on Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia during the war, which ended in 1975 with the fall of Saigon to North Vietnamese forces.

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Zanzibar Acid Attack Teens Back Home In UK

Two girls from London who had acid thrown in their faces on the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar have arrived back in Britain.

:: WARNING: This story contains a graphic image depicting acid burns

A medevac plane carrying Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup, both 18, landed at RAF Northolt at lunchtime and the pair were taken away in two ambulances.

They were then transferred to the specialist burns unit at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and reunited with their families.

An ambulance meets the plane carrying the teenagers

The teenagers were attacked by two men on a motorbike as they walked through the historic capital Stone Town on Wednesday night.

The acid was splashed over their faces, chests, backs and hands.

Their arrival back in Britain came as a Zanzibar police chief told Sky News that five people have been questioned over the acid attack.

Regional police commander Mkadam Khamis said two of the suspects are being detained for further interrogation while the other three have been released.

The horrific burns suffered by Katie Gee

Police on the island have also offered a reward of 10 million Tanzanian shillings (£4,000) for information leading to any arrests. 

Sky News Foreign Affairs Correspondent Lisa Holland said there were some suggestions that one of the people held was a local shopkeeper who had been in an altercation with one of the girls a few days before.

But she added that the motive remained unclear - with other reports of eyewitnesses saying the acid was not intended for the British teenagers but someone else walking down the road.

The pair, who had been volunteering at an orphanage on the island, were taken to hospital in Dar es Salaam on the Tanzanian mainland, before being flown home.

The terrified girls were taken to hospital on the mainland

Miss Gee's mother Nicky Gee told Sky News her daughter had suffered burns to her "whole face and her whole body" in the "vicious attack".

A photograph released by the girls' families showed the injuries Miss Gee of them suffered in the attack.

The girl is shown wearing an open striped shirt and a silver necklace. What appear to be acid burns are clearly visible on her chin, neck and upper chest.

Miss Trup also reportedly received horrific burns and was said to be "inconsolable".

Katie Gee's mother, Nicky, told Sky News her daughter was badly burned

The young women, who are from north London and were planning to start university in the autumn, were enjoying the last week of a trip as volunteer teachers to the predominantly Muslim island when a corrosive substance was thrown at them.

The trip had been organised by i-to-i Travel, which is based in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and runs gap year trips to parts of Africa, Asia, central and South America and Australia.

Trips to teach in Zanzibar, based in Stone Town, start at £669 for two weeks, according to its website.

In its latest statement, i-to-i Travel confirmed the girls had been repatriated to the UK and said: "We welcome the proactive investigations being carried out by local authorities in Zanzibar and continue to liaise with them.

One of the girls is escorted at the airport in Zanzibar

"We wish the girls a fast and full recovery and our thoughts are with them and their families at this difficult time."

The organisation added that it had advised all its customers still in Zanzibar "to remain vigilant" and anyone due to fly out there this weekend had been given the option to volunteer at a different project, but all had chosen to continue to travel to Tanzania.

The Foreign Office travel advice for Tanzania warns that although most visits to the country are trouble-free, "violent and armed crime is increasing".

The advice, available on its website, says: "Mugging, bag snatching (especially from passing cars) and robbery have increased throughout the country."

The family home of Kirstie Trup in north London

It adds: "In Zanzibar, incidents have taken place in Stone Town and on popular tourist beaches."

Jakaya Kikwete, Tanzania's president, is reported to have visited the women at the Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam and promised that the men responsible for the "shameful" attack would be found.

Zanzibar is an archipelago of islands in the Indian Ocean around 22 miles off the mainland.

The semi-autonomous region of Tanzania is predominantly Muslim and has been the scene of some religious violence in recent years.

Earlier this year two Christian leaders were killed and in November a cleric was treated in hospital after an acid attack. This is the first such assault on foreigners in the popular tourist destination.

A further announcement from the police in Zanzibar regarding the case is expected later today.

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Cornwall Snorkeller Dies Looking For Lobster

A holidaymaker snorkelling for lobster has died after being pulled from the sea, police said.

A beach-goer found Peter Ivimey, 52, unconscious in the water at Prussia Cove, near Cudden Point, west Cornwall.

The man pulled Mr Ivimey, who was on holiday from London, out of the sea and attempted CPR.

A coastguard team and police arrived at the scene after 4pm on Thursday.

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said the emergency services continued to try to resuscitate Mr Ivimey.

He was airlifted to Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro and was pronounced dead on arrival.

"His next of kin have been informed in London and police are not treating the death as suspicious at this time," the police spokesman added.

"The coroner has been informed."

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Liverpool's Raheem Sterling Denies Assault

Liverpool footballer Raheem Sterling has denied allegations he assaulted his model girlfriend.

The 18-year-old winger is said to have attacked 19-year-old Shana Halliday.

Sterling entered a not guilty plea as he appeared at Liverpool Magistrates' Court.

He spent Thursday night in a police cell after being arrested at 10.30pm following an incident in Page Moss, Huyton, Liverpool.

Sterling was granted conditional bail and will stand trial at the same court on September 20.

Earlier, a Merseyside Police spokesman said: "Raheem Sterling, 18, of Woolton, was charged with Section 39 common assault."

Miss Halliday, from Liverpool, was crowned the winner of England's Top Model of the World beauty pageant earlier this year.

She went on to contest the pageant's world final in Egypt and reportedly works as a sales assistant for the Hollister clothing chain.

Sterling has played 39 games for Liverpool and has scored two goals.

He represented England at various youth levels before earning his first senior call up in September 2012 where he was an unused substitute in a World Cup qualifying match against Ukraine.

Two months later, on November 14, he made his senior debut, starting in a friendly away to Sweden.

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Zimbabwe's Opposition Appeals Mugabe Poll Win

Zimbabwe's main opposition party has gone to the country's top court to challenge the result of last month's election which gave President Robert Mugabe another five years in power.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) claims the poll on July 31 was a "farce" riddled with fraud and voters were allegedly intimidated by Mr Mugabe's ZANU-PF party.

Lawyers for the MDC have lodged papers with the constitutional court in the capital Harare arguing the result was rigged, should be annulled and a new election held.

Zimbabwe's electoral commission had declared veteran politician Mr Mugabe the winner with 61% of the votes in the presidential election, against MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai with 34%.

"We want a fresh election within 60 days. The prayer that we also seek is to declare the election null and void," MDC spokesman Douglas Mwonzora told journalists outside the court.

Morgan Tsvangirai served as Mr Mugabe's PM in a fractious unity government

Zimbabwe's constitution says the court must rule on the case within 14 days.

Most analysts believe the MDC's legal challenge to Mr Mugabe's victory will not be successful given ZANU-PF's dominance over the judiciary and state institutions in the country.

Mr Mugabe, who has been president since 1987, will be sworn in only after the case is decided.

ZANU-PF has denied any vote-rigging in the election, which Mr Tsvangirai, who has served as Mugabe's prime minister in a fractious unity government, has called a "coup by ballot".

Election observers from the African Union and the Southern African Development Community broadly approved the presidential and parliamentary elections as orderly and free.

But the vote result has been questioned by the West.

The United States, which maintains sanctions against Mr Mugabe, has said it does not believe his re-election was credible.

The European Union, which has been looking at easing sanctions, has also expressed concerns over alleged serious flaws in the vote.

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Federal Reserve Bomb Plotter Jailed For 30 Years

A 22-year-old man who admitted plotting to blow up the Federal Reserve Bank in New York has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, from Bangladesh, begged for leniency during his sentencing, having pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in February.

"I'm ashamed. I'm lost. I tried to do a terrible thing. I alone am responsible for what I've done. Please forgive me," he told Manhattan federal court, as he apologised to the judge, the United States, New York City and his parents.

The defendant said in a five-page typed letter to Judge Carol Bagley Amon that he no longer believed in radical Islam.

"My actions are inexcusable and cowardly," he wrote.

The Federal Reserve Bank Of New York

"After giving a deep thought I truly hate my actions and I know that I will never pursue such behaviour again that is not only un-Islamic, but also destroyed my family and my life."

He was charged in October 2012 with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide material support to al Qaeda.

The court heard that Nafis became radicalised at his university in Bangladesh and came to the US with aspirations of jihad.

Authorities said Nafis adopted increasingly more radical views once in the US and began using Facebook and other social media to seek support for a terror attack.

One of his contacts turned out to be a government informant who notified authorities.

While under investigation, Nafis spoke of his admiration for Osama bin Laden and talked of writing an article about his plot for an al Qaeda affiliated magazine.

He also talked about wanting to kill President Barack Obama and bomb the New York Stock Exchange, officials said.

As the plot progressed, Nafis selected his target, drove a van loaded with dummy explosives to the door of the bank and tried to set off the bomb from a hotel room using a cell phone he thought had been rigged as a detonator, authorities said.

No one was ever actually in danger because the explosives were fakes provided by the government.

"Nafis's goals of martyrdom and carnage were thwarted by the vigilance of law enforcement," said US district attorney Loretta Lynch after the sentencing.

"He will now spend the next 30 years where his own actions have landed him -- in a federal prison cell," she said.

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Plane Hits Connecticut Homes: Three Missing

Three people are missing, including two children, after a small plane crashed and set two houses on fire near a Connecticut airport.

The crash occurred on Friday morning near East Haven as the aircraft was approaching Tweed New Haven regional airport.

East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo said the missing include the one person on the plane and two children who were in one of the houses, ages one and 13.

The city's fire chief, Douglas Jackson, said officials "presume there is going to be a very bad outcome".

Smoke was seen rising from the scene and photographs showed the houses on fire.

A neighbour, David Esposito, said he heard a woman screaming that her children were inside the burning home. He added that he went into the house but had to leave because of the fire.

Ambulances and emergency crews are at the scene.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the multi-engine propeller-driven aircraft flew out of Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and crashed as it approached the Tweed New Haven Airport at 11:25 am local time on Friday.

More follows...

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Probe Into Government's 'Go Home' Poster Van

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is investigating the Home Office poster van campaign targeting illegal immigrants.

The ASA said it had received 60 complaints, which expressed concerns that the ads were "reminiscent of slogans used by racist groups to attack immigrants in the past".

The poster van carried the slogans: "In the UK illegally? Go home or face arrest." A second line on the advert claimed: "106 arrested in your area". It then encouraged illegal immigrants to text "home" to the number 78070.

The campaign attracted widespread criticism, including censure from the Business Secretary Vince Cable, who called it "stupid and offensive".

However, Downing Street insisted that it was working and that immigrants were volunteering to leave, although the Home Office did not provide figures.

The van travelled through Barnet, Hounslow, Barking and Dagenham, Ealing, Brent and Redbridge as part of a £10,000 pilot scheme, which ended at the end of last month.

Liberty's response to the Home Office 'Go Home' van

Responding to criticism, Downing Street pointed out that the scheme was cheaper than the £15,000 cost of forcibly removing illegal immigrants from the country.

They suggested the scheme could be rolled out across the country.

An ASA spokesman said: "I can confirm that the Advertising Standards Authority has launched a formal investigation into the Home Office 'Go Home' ad campaign following 60 complaints.

"Complainants have expressed concerns that the ad, in particular the phrase 'Go Home', is offensive and irresponsible because it is reminiscent of slogans used by racist groups to attack immigrants in the past and could incite or exacerbate racial hatred and tensions in multicultural communities.

A suspected illegal immigrant is arrested in Swansea in a crackdown

"Separately, some complainants have challenged whether the claim '106 arrests last week in your area' is misleading.

"They've also challenged whether it is misleading because it implies arrest is the automatic consequence of remaining in the UK without permission."

Chris Bryant MP, Labour's shadow immigration minister, said: "This is another embarrassing blow to a Government which continues to fail to deal with immigration.

"With more people absconding at the border and fewer illegal immigrants being returned, David Cameron and Theresa May can't even get the basics right, stumbling from one shambles to another.

"You've got to question the Government's competence. We need effective action on immigration not offensive stunts."

A Home Office spokesman said: "We can confirm that we are in contact with the Advertising Standards Authority over this investigation and will respond in due course."

The ASA's probe is in addition to another investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) into a wave of immigration checks across the country.

The EHRC launched the probe after it was claimed that the spot checks - conducted at transport hubs up and down the country - were being carried out by border officials purely on the basis of ethnicity.

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Mafia Boss Rancadore Remanded In Custody

By Nick Pisa, Sky Reporter

An on-the-run Mafia boss arrested in Britain after fleeing Italy 20 years ago has been remanded in custody after appearing in court.

Domenico Rancadore, 64, was captured by Scotland Yard officers after authorities in Italy issued a European Arrest Warrant.

Rancadore had been living quietly in Uxbridge, west London, since fleeing Italy in 1993 and he was initially arrested at his home earlier this week, but not before trying to escape.

At an initial hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court it emerged there were discrepancies in the European Arrest Warrant and it was suggested he may well be released.

But at a further hearing today, a new European Arrest Warrant was issued.

It was signed just minutes earlier by judge Roberto Scarpinato in Palermo, Sicily, enabling Rancadore to be rearrested in the cells below the court.

The court heard how he had been convicted to seven years imprisonment by a court in Palermo for Mafia association.

He was said to be the head of a powerful crime family which ruled with an iron grip the suburbs of Caccamo and Trabia.

Rancadore's wife Anne Skinner and daughter, Daniela, were at court

Benjamin Seifert, for the CPS, described how Rancadore was a member of an organisation that "spread terror throughout Sicily, imposing rules and controlling the area, murdering systematically people who didn't agree with its rules".

Father-of-two Rancadore has not been convicted of any violent offences but Mr Seifert said he "collected bribes" and was the "leader of an organisation that ensured strict compliance of its rules, through giving orders instructions and securing illicit building contracts".

He added that Rancadore was a "man of honour", which means a senior Mafia member and was in charge of his territory.

As this was being said the smartly dressed Italian raised his eyebrows and puffed out his lips.

The court heard how he also had no formal identity documents and had been using the name Marco Skinner - his wife's maiden name - and that as a result he had evaded arrest for almost 20 years.

In his defence, Euan Macmillan said his client was suffering from a heart condition and was also unaware of proceedings in Italy that had resulted in a seven-year jail sentence in his absence in 1999.

The court heard that he had been convicted of Mafia association between 1987 and 1995.

It is known that during this period he was said to have ordered a severed lamb's head be sent to a prison priest.

Father Gino Sacchetti had campaigned against the Mafia and had his car firebombed and besides the grim lamb's head was also sent a letter containing bullets with the message: "The first is for your head, the second for your head and the third for the coup de grace. No more warnings."

In asking for bail Mr Macmillan said Rancadore's wife, Anna, who was in court and held hands with their daughter Daniela, was able to provide £10,000 to secure his release at and that point the Italian blew a kiss to her.

However District Judge Quentin Purdy refused to grant him bail.

He told Rancadore the fact he had no formal identity documents in his name and had evaded capture for so long meant "if you were released you would adopt same stance and find success as you have over the past few decades".

Police sources in Rome told Sky News they were "delighted" at Rancadore's detention.

"Justice will now be served on Rancadore and it will be a warning to other criminals on the run - we will catch up with you. The judge had no real option but to send him to prison."

The hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court was adjourned until later this month for technical matters, before a full extradition hearing on November 25.

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Expendable Willis Replaced By Ford For Film

Harrison Ford has reportedly joined The Expendables 3 cast, while original star Bruce Willis is out of the production, according to Sylvester Stallone.

The Rocky actor has taken to Twitter to announce the cast changes and made his feelings clear about the new line-up.

"WILLIS OUT… HARRISON FORD IN !!!! GREAT NEWS !!!!! Been waiting years for this!!!!" Stallone said to his followers.

Die Hard actor Willis appeared in the first two Expendables films, but has apparently left the successful franchise.

Harrison Ford is said to be taking on a role in the franchise

Stallone went on to vent his frustration at his former co-star, saying: "GREEDY AND LAZY …… A SURE FORMULA FOR CAREER FAILURE."

Stallone's representative reportedly confirmed to The Huffington Post that the tweet was indeed made in reference to Willis.

Directed by Patrick Hughes, The Expendables 3 is due to begin filming later this month and will be released in 2014.

Jackie Chan, Wesley Snipes, Nicolas Cage and Milla Jovovich are all part of the star-studded cast who play a band of highly skilled mercenaries.

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Britain's Longest-Serving Police Officer Retires

The country's longest-serving police officer is retiring after 47 years in the job.

PC Mick Mountain, 66, from Morden in south London, said he joined the Metropolitan Police Service after taking "the best piece of advice my Dad could have given me".

But he said the role of a modern police officer was "totally different" to when he joined, because they have to do "more or less twice the work" due to increased admin.

And PC Mountain, who for the past 18 years has been attached to the Palace of Westminster - which takes in the House of Commons and House of Lords - said crime was down only because people have "too many problems" reporting it nowadays.

Although he has had "the most fantastic career", PC Mountain expressed frustration at how advances in technology had led to officers having to spend more time ensuring information is electronically filed.

When asked if he thought more time was being spent on admin than on fighting crime, PC Mountain said: "Well I'm finding it is.

He became a policeman after a suggestion from his father

"I don't actually work in a police station obviously any longer. I work at the Palace of Westminster on security, so I don't get as much work as they do.

"From what I gather, yes it is the case, because I've tried to report crimes myself like any other citizen and it's a little more difficult than it used to be. 'Oh yes, could you call in? Or could you send us an email?'.

"I'm a policeman, I want to report it to a police officer, basically. And I think that is one of the reasons recently crime's gone down. People won't report it. Too many problems. But that's another issue."

PC Mountain also said that while people are still as violent as they were in the past, the public expects police officers to "behave in a different manner" now.

Despite the changes he has witnessed throughout his career, PC Mountain, who has arrested thousands of criminals, said: "I've had a great time."

He recalled one frightening arrest when the man, who was holding a hand grenade, threatened to pull the pin.

PC Mountain ripped the grenade from him before throwing it into open space.

Although he feared for his life, he said it is not until after that sort of scenario is over that you realise the danger you were in, and "that's what police do".

PC Mountain, who is married with two children, is looking forward to enjoying travelling more in his retirement.

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Bristol Zookeeper Suspended For 'Punching' Seal

A zookeeper has been suspended after allegedly punching a seal.

Bosses at Bristol Zoo Gardens have launched an investigation into what happened.

It has been alleged that a senior animal keeper lashed out at the South American fur seal, which belongs to the same family as sea lions, when handlers tried to weigh it and it refused to co-operate.

A source told The Sun: "The keepers were weighing the sea lions. The senior keeper had taken one off the scales and put the next sea lion on - but the junior keeper forgot to recalibrate the scales.

"As he went to take it off the sea lion then put its flipper on the scales and it is alleged the senior keeper hit it."

The zoo's head vet has examined all of the seals at the popular tourist attraction and they remain on public show in their enclosure.

A Bristol Zoo Gardens spokeswoman said: "A senior animal keeper at Bristol Zoo Gardens has been suspended pending further investigation of an alleged animal welfare incident that has recently come to light.

"As this is an ongoing investigation, Bristol Zoo is currently unable to discuss the details of the incident.

"However, the zoo has acted rapidly and comprehensively by instigating an immediate, formal and extensive investigation in line with its internal policies and legal welfare requirements.

"Michelle Barrows, head of veterinary services, has examined the seal family and all individuals are behaving normally, engaging happily and playfully with keepers and guests in their enclosure.

"The animal has been, and continues to be, on full public show.

"Bristol Zoo would like to make it very clear that it has a zero tolerance towards such behaviour and takes its commitment to the highest standards of animal welfare and conservation seriously."

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Ariel Castro's Dungeon Home Is Torn Down

One of Ariel Castro's kidnap victims said she hoped the demolition of the home in which she was held captive for more than a decade would act as a symbol of hope.

Michelle Knight, 32, watched as the house on Seymour Avenue in East Cleveland, in which she was held against her will and repeatedly raped by the 53-year-old, was razed to the ground.

Miss Knight, along with two other women who were kidnapped by Castro, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, endured years of cruelty and brutality behind the suburban facade.

Michelle Knight addressed the crowd of onlookers

They were kept behind locked doors and chained by their ankles.

It took about 20 minutes to tear down the property as part of a plea deal that spared Castro a possible death sentence and allowed him to be jailed for life, plus 1,000 years, instead.

Speaking at the scene, Miss Knight, who last week made a powerful and moving statement to the court sentencing Castro, said she did not want to be defined by the horrors that had gone on at the house.

She said: "Nobody was there for me when I was missing, and I want the people out there to know, including the mothers, that they can have strength, they can have hope, and their child will come back.

A crowd of onlookers cheered and clapped as the demolition began

"They will ... just have the love in God and you'll see they'll come back."

Prosecutors said Castro cried when he signed over the house deeds and mentioned his "many happy memories" there with the women.

As the house was being demolished, Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty told the crowd: "This was one evil guy."

Giving her statement in court last week, Miss Knight told Castro: "You took 11 years of my life away and I have got it back. I spent 11 years in hell. Now you're hell is just beginning. I will overcome all this has happened, but you will face hell for eternity."

The three women, who were snatched aged 20, 16 and 14, escaped from the house on May 6 when Miss Berry and her six-year-old daughter managed to break free after removing part of the front door and calling to a neighbour for help.

The demolition and clearing of the site was expected to be completed swiftly and the building materials will be shredded to prevent rubble being sold online as so-called "murderabilia", although no one was killed at the home.

Google Earth has already blurred out a satellite image of the house, before the demolition even began.

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One Of UK's Most Wanted Captured In Restaurant

Armed police swooped on and arrested a wanted fugitive while he was dining at a restaurant in North Wales.

Police in Spain want to question Darren O'Flaherty over the murder of Dublin holidaymaker John O'Neill in the Costa del Sol in 2010.

And officers in the UK want to speak to him in relation to a 2006 knifepoint kidnap of a lorry driver in Yorkshire.

O'Flaherty, 39, from Merseyside, was arrested at around 7.15pm on Tuesday in a restaurant in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, by North Wales Police, in a joint operation with Merseyside Police.

Chief Inspector Jeff Moses, of North Wales Police, said: "This is a significant arrest following close working between ourselves and Merseyside Police.

"Due to the nature of the offences and the circumstances, it was necessary to utilise highly trained armed officers from North Wales Police to effect the arrest."

Mr O'Neill was in Coco's Bar, in the resort of Benalmadena, near Torremolinos, with friends for a wedding when he was killed in July 2010, according to the Liverpool Echo.

Witnesses said a man in the bar grew increasingly angry over having to wait to use the toilet and began kicking the cubicle door, which led to an argument.

It is understood Mr O'Neill intervened, acting as peacemaker. The man stormed out of the bar, only to return a short time later with a gun, which he used to shoot the plasterer - who had a three-year-old son and a nine-month-old daughter.

O'Flaherty was one of the suspects identified as part of Operation Captura - a campaign targeting British criminals thought to be hiding in Spain.

The operation was launched in October 2006 and, to date, 52 of the 65 people featured have been arrested.

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Kenya Airport Fire: Reopened After Huge Blaze

Kenya's main international airport has reopened after a large blaze in the arrivals area.

Inbound flights were earlier re-routed to other Kenyan airports following the fire at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.

Eyewitnesses said the billowing smoke could be seen from miles away and stranded passengers were left standing on pavements outside the airport holding their luggage.

"It was huge, the smoke billowing, and it didn't seem to be stopping," said Barry Fisher, who had hoped to fly to Ethiopia but was turned away.

Stranded passengers are standing on the pavement outside the airport

A British passenger, Martyn Collbeck, said he was surprised that the airport wasn't shut down sooner so that emergency vehicles could respond.

"When I arrived there were one or two fire engines parked outside the international arrivals, it spread very fast," said Mr Collbeck, who had been scheduled to fly back to London on an early morning KLM flight.

"There were a couple of explosions which I think were a couple of gas canisters. I would have expected more fire engines to respond faster."

The country's largest newspaper, The Daily Nation, reported last month that Nairobi County doesn't have a single working fire engine, and that three fire engines were auctioned off in 2009 because the county hadn't paid a $1,000 (£650) repair bill.

The fire happened at an airport in Nairobi

The fire burned for four hours before it was contained.

Transport secretary Michael Kamau said: "The fire started at a very central part of the airport and this made access difficult. But we have closed the airport indefinitely as we try to contain the fire."

It is the busiest airport in East Africa, and its closure affected flights throughout the region.

The fire comes less than 48 hours after a fuel jet pump failure caused huge delays at the airport, forcing some flights to be re-routed to the airport in the coastal town of Mombasa, Uganda and Rwanda.

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Obama Cancels Putin Talks Amid Snowden Row

US President Barack Obama has cancelled plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin next month amid heightened tensions.

The move appears to be retribution for Russia's decision to grant temporary asylum to US whistleblower Edward Snowden.

It also reflects growing US frustration with Russia on several other issues, including missile defence and human rights.

A top White House official said Mr Obama still plans to attend the G20 economic summit in St Petersburg, Russia, but has no plans to meet Mr Putin there one-on-one.

Instead of visiting the president in Moscow, the Mr Obama will add a stop in Sweden to his early September travel itinerary.

The Kremlin expressed its disappointment but said it remains ready to work with the United States on a variety of issues.

Mr Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters the move reflected the inability of the US to develop relations with Moscow on an "equal basis."

He said the invitation to Obama to visit Moscow next month still stands.

"This decision is clearly linked to the situation with former agent of U.S. special services (Edward) Snowden, which hasn't been created by us," Mr Ushakov said.

Snowden has been granted a year's asylum in Russia

White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said Russia's decision to defy the US and grant Snowden temporary asylum only worsened an already troubled relationship.

"We'll still work with Russia on issues where we can find common ground, but it was the unanimous view of the president and his national security team that a summit did not make sense in the current environment," Mr Rhodes said.

Mr Obama, who is travelling in California, said in an interview on Tuesday that he was "disappointed" by Russia's move to grant Snowden asylum for one year. But he said the move also reflected the "underlying challenges" the US faces in dealing with Moscow.

"There have been times where they slip back into Cold War thinking and a Cold War mentality," he told Jay Leno in an interview on NBC's The Tonight Show.

Snowden, 30, is wanted by the US on felony charges after leaking details of vast surveillance programmes.

He first fled from the US to Hong Kong, then made his way to Russia. He was stuck in the transit zone of a Moscow airport for more than a month before Russia granted him asylum.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel are still preparing for meetings in Washington on Friday with their Russian counterparts. Snowden's status is expected to be a main topic of conversation.

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Borrowers Boost: Interest Rates Tied To Jobs

The Bank of England plans to keep the base rate of interest at its record low level until unemployment falls to 7% - unlikely for another three years.

The announcement was made by new governor, Mark Carney, at his first Inflation Report news conference where he outlined sweeping changes to monetary policy in a bid to provide more clarity to the public and financial markets.

The bank said it would keep the base rate at 0.5% unless inflation threatened to spiral out of control or there was a danger to financial stability.

Policymakers said they stood ready to buy more government bonds if additional stimulus was needed and would not reverse existing purchases while unemployment was too high.

It meant there would be no scaling back on the bank's £375bn programme of quantitative easing (QE) for at least three years.

The bank expects economic recovery to accelerate

Mr Carney said unemployment falling to 7% would mean more than 750,000 UK jobs are created, which, combined with rising wages, would represent "real improvements in the lives of people across the nation".

But the Bank suggested that growth was likely to be "weak by historical standards", even though economic recovery was "taking hold."

Inflation, the report said, was forecast to stay above its 2% target until the second half of 2015 based on market rate expectations though it was now not expected to rise above 3% this year.

The forward guidance on the likely movement of bank rate - while welcome news for borrowers - means savers face more years of weak interest on their money.

A growing number of major central banks, including the US Federal Reserve, are providing so-called forward guidance to help nurse their economies back to health.

The BoE also forecast that the economy would grow by 0.6% during the current quarter - the same as between April and June, and that growth would reach an annual rate of 2.6% in two years' time.

The Chancellor welcomed the introduction of forward guidance by the Bank in a letter to Mr Carney.

George Osborne said: "Given the exceptional economic challenges continuing to face the UK economy, I agree with you that forward guidance can play a useful role in enhancing the effectiveness of monetary policy and thereby supporting the recovery."

Vicky Redwood, chief UK economist at consultancy Capital Economics, said the Bank's guidance was a "clear steer that interest rates will stay on hold until the end of 2016 or even 2017.

"Although financial markets already expected rates to stay low for a long time, this probably exceeds their expectations," she added.

But the Bank's interest rate pledge did little to boost market confidence as the FTSE 100 Index fell as much as 1% after the announcement, although the pound gained some strength.

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'Bongo Bongo Land': MEP Apologises For Jibe

A UK Independence Party politician has issued a public apology after saying Britain should not send foreign aid to "bongo bongo land".

In a statement, MEP Godfrey Bloom said he regretted any offence or embarrassment caused by the remark.

He said: "At a public speech in the West Midlands in early July I used a term which I subsequently gather under certain circumstances could be interpreted as pejorative to individuals and possibly cause offence.

"Although quite clearly no such personal usage was intended, I understand from UKIP Party Chairman Steve Crowther and leader Nigel Farage that I must not use the terminology in the future, nor will I and sincerely regret any genuine offence which might have been caused or embarrassment to my colleagues.

"My aim, successful as it appears, was to demonstrate the immorality of sending £1bn per month abroad when we are desperately short of money here."

It comes just hours after the MEP for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire told Sky News he did not regret the words he used and insisted he had sparked a vital debate about foreign aid.

He told Sky: "Out here in Hull and Yorkshire, where we tell it like it is, they don't feel it's racist at all.

"How can you get yourself into such a state about something which doesn't even exist? There is no such country so how can anyone be offended."

He added: "It would be disingenuous of me to regret having said it having got this debate going ... If I've achieved that, I think I have done my country some good."

Mr Bloom was filmed questioning the payments in a speech in July, as well as appearing to back the return of hanging.

"How we can possibly be giving a billion pounds a month, when we're in this sort of debt, to bongo bongo land is completely beyond me," he said in the video.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage asked Godfrey Bloom not to repeat the phrase

"To buy Ray-Ban sunglasses, apartments in Paris, Ferraris and all the rest of it that goes with most of the foreign aid. F-18s for Pakistan.

"We need a new squadron of F-18s. Who's got the squadrons? Pakistan, where we send the money."

Later in the speech, Mr Bloom railed against the European Court of Human Rights for ruling that full life sentences could not be handed down.

He said: "You can torture people to death, but you jolly well can't give them a full life sentence because that's against their human rights.

"We can't hang them because we're now a member of the European Union and it's embedded in the Treaty of Rome. It's a personal thing, but I'd hang the b******s myself."

He added: "I do hope they would ask me to throw the rope over the beam because I'd be delighted to do so."

Mr Bloom denied to The Guardian, who obtained the video, that his comments were racist and declared: "What's wrong with that? I'm not a wishy-washy Tory."

But he was later asked by UKIP not to repeat the words "bongo bongo" to avoid causing offence.

Party chairman Steve Crowther said: "We are asking Godfrey not to use this phrase again as it might be considered disparaging by members from other countries.

"However, foreign aid is an extremely important debate that needs wider discussion."

Quizzed before the party's statement about what he would do if he was asked to mind his language, Mr Bloom said: "I'd say 'Righto, sorry, sorry everybody'."

But he then repeated the controversial phrase, saying: "If I've offended anyone in bongo bongo land, I shall write to the ambassador at the Court of St James's and apologise to him personally."

He insisted he was right to argue that Britain should be keeping taxpayers' money at a time of austerity - and shrugged off the prospect his language could lose him votes.

"We live in a free country. I'm a libertarian. Please don't vote for me if you don't agree with me. I wouldn't expect you to," he told BBC's Radio 4 Today programme.

"But if you're fed up with £1bn a month going abroad with no audit trail when we're cutting our police and hospitals, vote for me."

He added: "I think I'm standing up for ordinary people at the pub, the cricket club, the rugby club."

Laura Pidcock, from campaign group Show Racism The Red Card, called the comments "highly offensive" and said the intention behind them was irrelevant.

"These crude stereotypes that see Britain as a civilised place and overseas as tribal is an extremely homogenising sentiment and I think it's incredibly damaging," she said.

Shadow international development secretary Rushanara Ali added: "These are an offensive and narrow-minded set of remarks.

"The British are among the most generous in the world and recognise that Britain's commitment to international development is both morally right and key to securing our future prosperity.

"If Nigel Farage is serious about getting rid of racism and intolerance in his party, he should take action against UKIP politicians who think it's acceptable to refer to developing countries as bongo bongo land."

Mr Bloom has previously had to defend his controversial views after suggesting that no "self-respecting small businessman" would employ a "woman of child-bearing age".

In April, a leaked email from the MEP also suggested he was concerned about excessive "political correctness" among new recruits to UKIP.

And he had complained that forging UKIP's policy platform was like "herding cats" and suggested the party could buy its policies "off the shelf" from think-tanks.

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CPS Suspends Lawyer From Sex Abuse Cases

A prosecutor reported to have called a teenage sex attack victim "predatory" has been suspended from working on other cases involving sexual offences.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had already called the comment about the 13-year-old girl apparently made during a court case in London "inappropriate".

Following an outcry from children's charities and campaigners, it has now started looking at Mr Colover's overall involvement in sexual offence prosecutions.

The CPS, which has received several formal complaints, said he would not be instructed on any ongoing or future cases involving sexual offences while it investigates.

Neil Wilson, 41, was given an eight-month suspended sentence at Snaresbrook Crown Court in London on Monday after admitting sexual activity with a child.

Judge Nigel Peters also called the girl 'predatory' as he passed sentence

Mr Robert Colover reportedly told the court: "The girl is predatory in all her actions and she is sexually experienced."

Passing sentence, Judge Nigel Peters then said he had taken into account that the girl looked and behaved "a little bit older" than she was.

"The girl was predatory and was egging you on. That is no defence when dealing with children but I am prepared to impose a suspension," he said.

Wilson, now living in York, had watched the girl strip out of her school uniform at his home in Romford, Essex, before she performed a sex act on him.

Police also found images of child abuse and bestiality at his home.

He admitted two counts of making extreme pornographic images and one count of sexual activity with a child.

Judge Peters told him: "Allowing her to visit your home is something we have to clamp down on and in normal circumstances that would mean a significant term in prison."

The Office for Judicial Complaints has also received a number of complaints about his remarks and says they will be considered.

The Attorney General is already looking at the case and will decide if it should ask the Court of Appeal to consider whether the punishment was unduly lenient.

A petition started by the founder of EveryDay Victim Blaming, who is known only as Jo, calling for a review of the sentence has received 15,000 signatures. 

'Completely appalling': Caroline Criado-Perez

She wrote on the Change.org website: "I'm a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I could have been that 13-year-old girl who the judge and prosecutor described as 'predatory'.

"I have seen first-hand how this kind of victim-blaming prevents women from coming forward and protects men who commit these crimes."

Earlier, the CPS had admitted the language used by its prosecutor was "inappropriate".

A spokesman said: "The transgressor in this case was the defendant and he bears responsibility for his criminal acts."

David Cameron said the CPS was "absolutely right". "It isn't appropriate. We need a criminal justice system that stands up properly for victims," he said.

"The victims of crime should always be at the centre of our thinking and I am pleased the CPS has made that statement.

"I am also pleased that the Attorney General has said he is personally going to look into this case."

The NSPCC warned that the case was part of a wider pattern about how child sex abuse cases are treated in the courts.

Alan Wardle, head of corporate affairs, said: "It was quite clear in the case the predator was the man who was in the dock, not a 13-year-old child, and it is quite clear that a 13-year-old child cannot be complicit in her own abuse.

"Making sure that judges and barristers in all these cases are properly trained and understand the nature of child sexual abuse and how children are groomed in these sort of cases is important."

A spokesman for Barnardo's added: "It is plain wrong to imply in any way that the experiences of sexually exploited children are something they bring on themselves."

Victim Support's chief executive Javed Khan said: "Victims of sexual abuse should be praised for their bravery in coming forward, not censured and have their credibility called into question - least of all by the prosecution.

"It is traumatic enough for anyone who is brought to court to face their abuser, but particularly so when this is a young vulnerable person. It is completely unacceptable for victims to be blamed in any way for the abuse they have suffered."

Caroline Criado-Perez, who received rape threats following her calls for Jane Austen to be the face on the £10 bank note, called the judge's decision "completely appalling".

She told Sky News: "It's really worrying that we're in the 21st century and we're still suggesting victims can be complicit in their abuse which is basically what calling a 13-year-old child a sexually predator is.

"I don't think you can ever call a child a sexual predator because they are a child. They are below the age of consent. We have laws specifically because of this kind of thing so that you can't say a child is responsible for her abuse.

"This adds to the horror that has happened to her. She has been abused and now we are blaming her for it. It's just unconscionable."

The Attorney General said a decision on whether the case is referred to the Court of Appeal will be made within 28 days.

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