Ukraine Crisis Talks Between Russia And US

US Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in London for critical talks aimed at resolving the crisis in Ukraine.

It came as the West warned of sanctions including asset freezes and travel bans unless a planned vote on the southern region of Crimea breaking away to join Russia is called off.

Mr Kerry has warned of "very serious steps" from the US and European Union if the referendum goes ahead in the Black Sea peninsula, which has close links to Moscow.

The vote is expected to back the splitting off of the region, where the majority of people speak Russian.

A soldier, believed to be Russian, on guard at a Ukrainian military base

Western powers have already indicated they will not recognise the outcome of Sunday's Crimean vote, which they consider illegal.

But US President Barack Obama said he still hoped a diplomatic solution could be found to the crisis.

Speaking at the start of talks, the Russian Foreign Minister admitted the crisis over Crimea was a "very difficult situation."

Mr Lavrov said: "Many events have happened and a lot of time has been lost so now we have to say what can be done."

Mr Kerry said he hoped the talks being held in the US Ambassador's residence in Regent's Park would "resolve some of the differences between us".

He added: "Obviously we have a lot to talk about and look forward to an opportunity to dig in to the issues and possibilities that we may be able to find about how to move forward together to resolve some of the differences between us.

John Kerry met William Hague and David Cameron at Downing Street

"We look forward, I know, to a good conversation."

And tensions appeared to surface even during the introductory remarks when Mr Kerry's interpreter jumped in to provide a Russian translation of his comments to the obvious annoyance of Mr Lavrov's own translator.

Foreign Secretary William Hague has said it will be "formidably difficult" for Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov to make progress on defusing the Ukraine crisis.

Speaking after holding separate talks with both men, Mr Hague said he believed they were "seriously committed" to finding a way forward during face-to-face discussions.

"But the fact that so far Russia has not taken any actual action to de-escalate the tensions makes this a formidably difficult task today," Mr Hague said.

The Crimea vote on Sunday is "deeply unhelpful", and had set a "diplomatic deadline" he believed.

Mr Hague added: "This is a referendum which doesn't meet any international norms or standards."

A billboard urging people to vote in the referendum on the future of Crimea

EU foreign ministers will meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss sanctions.

Prime Minister David Cameron underlined the threat of sanctions as Mr Kerry arrived in Downing Street for a breakfast meeting.

Mr Cameron said: "We want to see progress, we want to see the Russians and Ukrainians talking to each other and if they don't there are going to have to be consequences."

It is understood that EU ambassadors are meeting in secret session where a list is being drawn up of individuals who could be targeted by sanctions.

However, the Russian state oil company Rosneft has said a visa ban on its chief executive would be "stupid" and hurt Western firms more.

Meanwhile, tensions continue to run high in Ukraine, with clashes in the divided east of the country which left at least on person dead.

Russia said it showed the Ukrainian authorities had lost control and that it reserved the right to protect its "compatriots" there.

Pro-Moscow authorities in Crimea says the region could join Russia within a year of the referendum.

It also said the Ukrainian energy firm Chornomornaftohaz could be sold to a Russian company "like Gazprom" once the regional authorities take control of it.

Moscow, which does not recognise the new interim administration in Kiev, has so far ignored the threat of sanctions designed to force it to pull back from Crimea, which is home to its Black Sea fleet.

The operation by Russia to seize Crimea began within days of Ukraine's pro-Kremlin president Viktor Yanukovych being forced from office, after three months of demonstrations against a decision to ditch closer ties with the European Union in favour of Russia.

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Missing Plane 'Flown Towards Andaman Islands'

Missing Plane: 13 Things You Need To Know

Updated: 7:33am UK, Thursday 13 March 2014

As the search for Flight MH370 continues, we answer 13 questions about the disappearance and what could have happened.

When did the plane disappear?

Flight MH370 vanished from radars early on Saturday local time, an hour into a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. When it last made contact, the jet was cruising at 35,000 feet over the South China Sea.

There are reports that the plane tried to turn around, but this would give rise to the question why didn't the pilot communicate this decision to air traffic control? Meanwhile, at an undisclosed time a relative reportedly managed to call one of the passengers. Investigators have repeatedly tried to call the same number without success.

Who was on board?

The plane's manifest contained 12 crew members from Malaysia and 227 passengers from 14 different countries.

There were 153 Chinese, 38 Malaysians, seven Indonesians, six Australians, five Indians, four French, three Americans, two each from Iran (both travelling on fake passports), New Zealand, Ukraine and Canada, and one each from Russia, Taiwan and The Netherlands.

Among the passengers was a 19-strong group of prominent artists returning from an exhibition in Malaysia. Five children - aged two to four - were on board. The oldest person on the plane was 79.

What are the main theories?

Mechanical error remains the most likely explanation. Poor conditions and strong turbulence always have to be considered, but weather conditions were good in this instance. Four areas of investigation are focused on the possibility of human involvement: hijacking, sabotage, psychological problems or personal problems with passengers or crew.

Could there have been a mechanical error?

Inquiries into Air France Flight 447 that dived into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009 en route from Brazil to Paris, killing 228 people, blamed both technical and human error.

However, in the event of engine failure, a plane such as the Boeing 777-200 could glide for 80-90 miles (128-145km), giving the pilot time to issue a distress signal. The descent would also have been traced by radars. The lack of any Mayday call makes an explosion a possibility.

Could the plane have broken up in the air?

The apparent lack of wreckage from MH370 does point to a high-altitude disaster. In such an event the debris would be spread far and wide, making it difficult to find.

A smaller debris field would indicate the plane probably fell intact, breaking up on impact with the water. In the event of a sudden loss of pressure due to a window blowing out the crew would dive the plane in order to lose altitude - but this would not cause the plane to disintegrate.

How about the plane's safety record?

Sudden, accidental, structural failures are considered extremely unlikely in today's passenger aircraft. This is especially so with the Boeing 777-200, which has one of the best safety records of any jet.

One of the missing plane's wingtips was clipped in an incident while taxiing in 2012, but it was repaired and certified as safe.

Could it have been a terrorist attack or hijacking?

In the event of a hijacker trying to enter the cockpit, a pilot can send a secret distress code - something that wasn't done on Flight MH370.

The profiles of all 239 passengers are being checked against databases worldwide, but the terrorism theory was weakened on Tuesday when Malaysian police confirmed it had identified the two passengers who were travelling on fake passports. Both were said to be seeking asylum in Europe.

In the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, claims of responsibility came soon after the disaster - but no one has come forward to claim the Malaysia incident as their attack.

Human error?

The 53-year-old pilot was experienced, having amassed more than 18,000 flying hours since being employed by the airline in 1981.

However, in Indonesia in 2007, Adam Air Flight 574 disappeared with 102 passengers during a domestic flight, where the authorities found the pilots lost control after becoming preoccupied with malfunctioning navigational equipment.

Former naval pilot Dr Simon Mitchell told Sky News: "We've expended billions of dollars on developing very sophisticated aids to make the life of the pilot safer and more straightforward, but there are still opportunities whereby mistakes can be made."

Why was there no distress signal?

One explanation is that the plane fell into a communications black spot. Former Boeing 777 instructor and United Airlines captain Ross Aimer explained: "These are very sophisticated (items of) equipment that should have been working under any conditions - in the water, in the jungle, after a fire, after an explosion - and none of them have talked to the outside world yet.

"There are spots in the world, however, that are called blind spots, where you cannot communicate for some reason. Unfortunately, that area near Vietnam, over the Gulf of Thailand, those are some of the black spots."

Where is the search taking place?

A number of aircraft and ships have been taking part in the search in the seas off Vietnam and Malaysia. Search teams from Australia, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, New Zealand and the US are assisting.

Officials said on Tuesday that the search was being conducted on both sides of Vietnam's Ca Mau peninsula. The search area has been expanded from 50 nautical miles from where the plane disappeared - over waters between Malaysia and Vietnam - to 100 nautical miles (115 miles; 185km).

This expansion was a result of a new report from the Malaysian military, which said it tracked the plane in the Strait of Malacca - a long distance from where it last made contact - in the hours following its disappearance.

Why has no wreckage been found?

Whatever caused the apparent crash, there would be some debris - but it could take a while to find. It took two years to find the main wreckage of Air France Flight 447 in 2009.

In 2007, in the case of the Adam Air flight, it was a week before an Indonesian naval vessel detected metal on the ocean floor. It was a further two weeks before the US Navy picked up signals from the flight data and cockpit recorders and seven months for the recorder to be recovered.

If the plane had crashed on land, chances are the wreckage would have been found by now. At sea, much of the plane would have sunk, but some debris should remain on the surface. But the longer the search takes the harder it becomes as the wind and tide spread any debris further from the initial crash zone.

Could the flight data recorder provide answers?

As well as wreckage, search teams are looking for the aircraft's emergency locator transmitter (ELT) - though these do not always work if a plane hits water. However, attached to the plane's "black box" is a device known as a pinger. This can emit radio signals deep underwater for up to 30 days - or 40 days in warm water.

Has a plane ever simply vanished?

Since the start of the jet age in the 1950s, nearly every major aircraft that disappeared was found - eventually - and the rare exceptions did not involve passengers.

In September 1990, a Boeing 727 plunged into the North Atlantic after running out of fuel. The accident was attributed to poor pilot planning and the wreck was never recovered.

Another Boeing 727 transporting diesel to diamond mines in Africa took off without clearance and with its transponder turned off. It is believed to have crashed in the Atlantic Ocean.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Max Clifford: Model Claims He Exposed Himself

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

A former model has accused Max Clifford of twice exposing himself to her in his office.

The woman, who was 19 at the time, says she had gone to the meeting in 1979 or 1980 to discuss a role in an upcoming film.

She told Southwark Crown Court how she showed him a portfolio of modelling pictures and then said: "He undid his flies and took it out and held it and talked about it."

The woman, who cannot be named, then stood out of the witness box and demonstrated to the jury how she says Mr Clifford had done it.

She told the court she was embarrassed and said Mr Clifford then went on to make more lewd comments.

She said: "I didn't stand up for myself, I was a very silly girl.

"When I was young I had no confidence, no voice, you have no idea how people could treat me and get away with it at the time."

Clifford is standing trial on 11 counts of indecent assault between 1966 and 1984 on seven girls and women. Friday was the sixth day of evidence.

The former model went on to claim that she received phone calls from a man who said he was an Italian film director who made more lewd comments about Mr Clifford's penis.

She said: "I just heard his voice through the accent. I said: 'It's you isn't it Max?'"

The prosecution case is that Max Clifford repeatedly made bogus phone calls to young women.

Richard Horwell QC, defending, challenged the witness about her account and said the indecent exposure had never happened.

The woman insisted that it had and said: "I saw it, I'm not lying, I'm not lying."

Mr Clifford denies all the charges he faces and is due to give evidence later in the trial, which continues.

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Tony Benn: Veteran Labour Politician Dies

Tony Benn: 'Controversial, But Courteous'

Updated: 1:18pm UK, Friday 14 March 2014

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

Harold Wilson famously said of Tony Benn: "He immatures with age."

And it's true that as he grew older Benn changed from a charismatic and dynamic minister in the mainstream of government to a divisive left-winger who split the Labour Party, before becoming the national treasure of his declining years.

He was controversial, but always courteous. I first met him in the late 1970s, when he came to speak at Southampton University Students Union while still a Cabinet minister.

He paid his own train fare and came alone, without the army of spin doctors that accompany Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet members today.

Throughout his long career, he would record interviews with journalists, for many years on an old-fashioned cassette recorder. He was quirky, but never tetchy.

Teetotal and famous for drinking tea from large mugs. And before smoking was banned he would smoke his pipe at party meetings and conferences.

In the early 60s, in terms of Labour Party presentation Benn was the Peter Mandelson of his day, a "moderniser" pioneering the party's use of television as a means of communicating with voters as Wilson swept the Tories out of office in 1964.

He leaves some historic legacies. As Postmaster General in the Wilson government he oversaw the opening of London's Post Office Tower and drove pirate radio stations off the air. Then, as Minister for Technology, he was in charge of the development of Concorde.

In those days, he was known as Antony Wedgewood Benn, until he declared in 1973 – when he was moving sharply left with Labour in Opposition – that he wanted to be known in future as Tony Benn.

For years, however, the Daily Mail continued to call him by his old name.

Of course, despite his claims to be a great hero of the working class, Benn was in fact as upper crust as they come and earlier, in 1960, had to fight a battle in Parliament to disown his hereditary peerage, Viscount Stansgate, so he could remain an MP.

In 1975, when Wilson was back in Downing Street and held a referendum on whether Britain should stay in the Common Market, Benn shared platforms with Right-wing Tory MPs opposed to Britain's membership.

But it was after Labour's crushing defeat by Margaret Thatcher in 1979 that he became the leader of Labour's hardline left wing in a civil war that led to the breakaway SDP formed by major Labour figures Roy Jenkins, Shirley Williams and David Owen.

In 1980 he stood against Denis Healey for the deputy leadership of the Labour Party, in one of the most bitter and divisive elections in the party's history. He lost by a whisker, but the party split deepened and within a year the SDP was on the march.

At Labour's low point, the crushing election defeat of 1983, Benn lost his seat in Bristol.

"Labour gain!" chanted Right-wing Labour MPs, appalled by Benn's destructiveness over the previous few years.

But he bounced back in a by-election in Chesterfield, selected on a snowy Sunday night – I was there! - and from the moment he returned to the Commons until he retired he was almost inseparable from his left-wing Derbyshire neighbour, "the Beast of Bolsover", Dennis Skinner.

In the 1984-85 miners' strike, Benn and Skinner were Arthur Scargill's strongest allies and loudest cheerleaders in Parliament, while Labour leader Neil Kinnock had a nightmare year because of Scargill's refusal to hold a ballot.

In 1999, he proudly introduced his son Hilary into the Commons after Hilary won a by-election in Leeds Central, campaigning on the slogan "a Benn, not a Bennite". And in 2001, the Benn dynasty in the Commons assured, he stood down claiming he was "leaving Parliament to spend more time on politics".

In his latter years, he became a leading opponent of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, becoming president of the Stop the War movement. And in his 80s he becamse more popular than at any time during his career, touring Britain with his one-man show and his diaries became best sellers.

At Westminster, he will be remembered as one of the best speakers in the House of Commons, highly respected by Conservative MPs who shared his anti-EU views.

But for many Labour MPs, he will be remembered as an aristocrat with a romantic view of the working class whose judgement was often flawed.

Many older Labour MPs will never forgive him for what they regarded as his destructive splitting of the party which came close to destroying it in the 1980s.

Those Labour MPs, critical too of his opposition to Tony Blair and the war in Iraq, would also agree with Harold Wilson's famous phrase about Tony Benn.

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Huge Python Swallows Pet Dog Tied To Kennel

A large python has eaten a pet dog that was chained to a kennel in northern New South Wales, Australia.

A bulge can be seen in the carpet snake. Pic: Wires

The owner of the chihuahua-maltese found the 8ft (2.5m) snake inside the kennel but no sign of the dog.

Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service (Wires) volunteers were called to the in home, in rural Caniaba, to find the carpet python with a bulge in its body and the dog's chain hanging from its mouth.

Wires spokeswoman Sue Ulyatt told Fairfax the dog owner realised she had made a "dreadful mistake".

"She hadn't thought about the possibility of a snake taking the dog," she said.

The python is said to be "very happy" after its meal. Pic: Wires

"The lady went out to let the dog off the chain, but instead of the dog being on the chain, it was a large carpet python.

"It's only the second incident like this we've had in over 10 years. Usually it's the other way around, the snake comes off second best."

The python, which is believed to be about 50 years old, is under observation at Currumbin Wildlife Hospital and may require surgery to remove the chain.

The snake may need surgery. Pic: Wires

Senior vet Michael Pyne has told the Northern Star that he snake is "very happy".

"The chain will stay in until the snake has digested it all. We have to let the food dissolve," he said.

"It's just a waiting game."

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Searching For Malaysian Jet: 'We Never Give Up'

Missing Plane: 13 Things You Need To Know

Updated: 7:33am UK, Thursday 13 March 2014

As the search for Flight MH370 continues, we answer 13 questions about the disappearance and what could have happened.

When did the plane disappear?

Flight MH370 vanished from radars early on Saturday local time, an hour into a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. When it last made contact, the jet was cruising at 35,000 feet over the South China Sea.

There are reports that the plane tried to turn around, but this would give rise to the question why didn't the pilot communicate this decision to air traffic control? Meanwhile, at an undisclosed time a relative reportedly managed to call one of the passengers. Investigators have repeatedly tried to call the same number without success.

Who was on board?

The plane's manifest contained 12 crew members from Malaysia and 227 passengers from 14 different countries.

There were 153 Chinese, 38 Malaysians, seven Indonesians, six Australians, five Indians, four French, three Americans, two each from Iran (both travelling on fake passports), New Zealand, Ukraine and Canada, and one each from Russia, Taiwan and The Netherlands.

Among the passengers was a 19-strong group of prominent artists returning from an exhibition in Malaysia. Five children - aged two to four - were on board. The oldest person on the plane was 79.

What are the main theories?

Mechanical error remains the most likely explanation. Poor conditions and strong turbulence always have to be considered, but weather conditions were good in this instance. Four areas of investigation are focused on the possibility of human involvement: hijacking, sabotage, psychological problems or personal problems with passengers or crew.

Could there have been a mechanical error?

Inquiries into Air France Flight 447 that dived into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009 en route from Brazil to Paris, killing 228 people, blamed both technical and human error.

However, in the event of engine failure, a plane such as the Boeing 777-200 could glide for 80-90 miles (128-145km), giving the pilot time to issue a distress signal. The descent would also have been traced by radars. The lack of any Mayday call makes an explosion a possibility.

Could the plane have broken up in the air?

The apparent lack of wreckage from MH370 does point to a high-altitude disaster. In such an event the debris would be spread far and wide, making it difficult to find.

A smaller debris field would indicate the plane probably fell intact, breaking up on impact with the water. In the event of a sudden loss of pressure due to a window blowing out the crew would dive the plane in order to lose altitude - but this would not cause the plane to disintegrate.

How about the plane's safety record?

Sudden, accidental, structural failures are considered extremely unlikely in today's passenger aircraft. This is especially so with the Boeing 777-200, which has one of the best safety records of any jet.

One of the missing plane's wingtips was clipped in an incident while taxiing in 2012, but it was repaired and certified as safe.

Could it have been a terrorist attack or hijacking?

In the event of a hijacker trying to enter the cockpit, a pilot can send a secret distress code - something that wasn't done on Flight MH370.

The profiles of all 239 passengers are being checked against databases worldwide, but the terrorism theory was weakened on Tuesday when Malaysian police confirmed it had identified the two passengers who were travelling on fake passports. Both were said to be seeking asylum in Europe.

In the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, claims of responsibility came soon after the disaster - but no one has come forward to claim the Malaysia incident as their attack.

Human error?

The 53-year-old pilot was experienced, having amassed more than 18,000 flying hours since being employed by the airline in 1981.

However, in Indonesia in 2007, Adam Air Flight 574 disappeared with 102 passengers during a domestic flight, where the authorities found the pilots lost control after becoming preoccupied with malfunctioning navigational equipment.

Former naval pilot Dr Simon Mitchell told Sky News: "We've expended billions of dollars on developing very sophisticated aids to make the life of the pilot safer and more straightforward, but there are still opportunities whereby mistakes can be made."

Why was there no distress signal?

One explanation is that the plane fell into a communications black spot. Former Boeing 777 instructor and United Airlines captain Ross Aimer explained: "These are very sophisticated (items of) equipment that should have been working under any conditions - in the water, in the jungle, after a fire, after an explosion - and none of them have talked to the outside world yet.

"There are spots in the world, however, that are called blind spots, where you cannot communicate for some reason. Unfortunately, that area near Vietnam, over the Gulf of Thailand, those are some of the black spots."

Where is the search taking place?

A number of aircraft and ships have been taking part in the search in the seas off Vietnam and Malaysia. Search teams from Australia, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, New Zealand and the US are assisting.

Officials said on Tuesday that the search was being conducted on both sides of Vietnam's Ca Mau peninsula. The search area has been expanded from 50 nautical miles from where the plane disappeared - over waters between Malaysia and Vietnam - to 100 nautical miles (115 miles; 185km).

This expansion was a result of a new report from the Malaysian military, which said it tracked the plane in the Strait of Malacca - a long distance from where it last made contact - in the hours following its disappearance.

Why has no wreckage been found?

Whatever caused the apparent crash, there would be some debris - but it could take a while to find. It took two years to find the main wreckage of Air France Flight 447 in 2009.

In 2007, in the case of the Adam Air flight, it was a week before an Indonesian naval vessel detected metal on the ocean floor. It was a further two weeks before the US Navy picked up signals from the flight data and cockpit recorders and seven months for the recorder to be recovered.

If the plane had crashed on land, chances are the wreckage would have been found by now. At sea, much of the plane would have sunk, but some debris should remain on the surface. But the longer the search takes the harder it becomes as the wind and tide spread any debris further from the initial crash zone.

Could the flight data recorder provide answers?

As well as wreckage, search teams are looking for the aircraft's emergency locator transmitter (ELT) - though these do not always work if a plane hits water. However, attached to the plane's "black box" is a device known as a pinger. This can emit radio signals deep underwater for up to 30 days - or 40 days in warm water.

Has a plane ever simply vanished?

Since the start of the jet age in the 1950s, nearly every major aircraft that disappeared was found - eventually - and the rare exceptions did not involve passengers.

In September 1990, a Boeing 727 plunged into the North Atlantic after running out of fuel. The accident was attributed to poor pilot planning and the wreck was never recovered.

Another Boeing 727 transporting diesel to diamond mines in Africa took off without clearance and with its transponder turned off. It is believed to have crashed in the Atlantic Ocean.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Fugitive Billionaire Playboy Urged To Surrender

The father of a 23-year-old student raped and murdered in London has issued a plea to the playboy police suspect of having carried out the attack.

Yemeni citizen Farouk Abdulhak, who is the son of a billionaire, is wanted for questioning over the 2008 death of Martine Vik Magnussen.

Mr Abdulhak left the UK in the hours after her death and ever since has remained in his home country, which refuses to extradite its citizens.

According to the Evening Standard, Abdulhak leads a normal life and spends most of his time at the Taj Sheba, a five-star hotel in Sana'a owned by his father, where he has a suite.

Martine's father Petter Magnussen wants him back in the UK in order to face justice

He said: "Farouk Abdulhak is denying our family any closure by not taking his responsibility seriously, choosing not to return to the UK where the crime took place.

"He seems to be untouched by the simple values of respect, dignity and tolerance that are expected in any civilised society.

"These past six years he has continued to build his life in the Yemen showing no remorse or common decency.

The Met Police website image of the appeal for Farouk Abdulhak

"Our daughter would have been 29 in February this year and not a day goes by where she isn't foremost in our thoughts. We miss her every hour of every day."

Miss Vik Magnussen was living in Westminster while studying at Regent's Business School and had been out with friends to the Maddox nightclub until the early hours of March 14, 2008.

She left in a cab with fellow student Abdulhak, but was reported missing the following day by her friends.

Police found her body on March 16 partially buried under rubble at a flat in Great Portland Street.

The results of a post-mortem examination showed that she had been strangled.

Abdulhak was found to have left the UK on a flight to Cairo on March 14, 2008, and from there travelled to the Yemen, where he has recently got married.

Detectives hunting Mr Abdulhak have launched a "most wanted" Facebook appeal in Arabic which they hope will "prick the conscience" of the people sheltering him.

Farouk Abdulhak is the only suspect in the investigation into the killing of Norwegian student Miss Magnessen. An international arrest warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Foreign Secretary William Hague is understood to have recently discussed the case with counterparts in Yemen, and last month detectives met with Mr Abdulhak's lawyers in London.

But diplomatic channels to force him to come back to Britain have so far failed.

The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Partridge, said: "We want to spark a conversation and prick the conscience of those people closest to Farouk Abdulhak."

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Man's Body Found On Beach With Sock In Mouth

Police are treating as suspicious the death of a man who was found washed up on a beach naked with a sock in his mouth.

Alan Eric Jeal's body was found at high tide on February 25 on Perranporth beach in Cornwall.

The 64-year-old was only wearing one walking shoe when his body was found by a dog walker.

A post-mortem examination found multiple injuries on Mr Jeal's body that were unlikely to have come from drowning.

Devon and Cornwall Police believe Mr Jeal may have been murdered, committed suicide or died as a result of an accident.

Alan Jeal as a child

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Thorne said he could not explain why the sock was in Mr Jeal's mouth.

"We can't think of an explanation as to why it would be there and this is one of the reasons we are treating Alan's death as suspicious," Mr Thorne said.

"Officers are keeping an open mind as to the cause of his death. Murder is one possibility we are considering, however his death may have been caused by accident or suicide."

Detectives have released a map and a series of CCTV images showing a man, believed to be Mr Jeal, in the centre of Truro in the early evening before his body was found.

The shoe Mr Jeal was found wearing

They want to find out where Mr Jeal, from Wadebridge, went after that and how he travelled to Perranporth.

"We are keen to speak to anyone who saw Alan on Monday, February 24, whether walking, on public transport or in a car," said DCI Thorne.

"We have traced his movements up until 6.36pm in Truro city centre but we need the public's help in establishing where he went after that."

Speaking after Mr Jeal's death, his family released a statement paying tribute to him.

"Alan was a mild-mannered, gentle man who was very interested in minerals, mining and surfing," they said.

We are shocked and deeply saddened that Alan's life has been cut short, and are desperate for answers as to what happened.

"We appeal for anyone with information about Alan's life and last movements to contact police."

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Couple Jailed For Lee Rigby YouTube Videos

A man has been sentenced to five years and four months for posting YouTube videos glorifying the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby.

Royal Barnes, 23, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, with his wife, Rebekah Dawson, getting a 20-month sentence.

The videos posted by the British Muslim couple were "offensive in the extreme", the court heard.

They published the clips shortly after the brutal murder of Fusilier Rigby in Woolwich last May.

Barnes filmed himself laughing as he passed flowers left for the soldier

The couple, from Hackney in London, made three videos - the first uploaded on the day after the attack, with Barnes calling it a "brilliant day".

It was edited together with pictures of a man holding a decapitated head, a scene from Woolwich, and images of the World Trade Center.

The second clip showed Dawson ranting about how British troops would be killed on London's streets.

Fusilier Rigby, 25, was hacked to death in broad daylight on May 22, 2013

A third video showed Barnes mocking the public's grief at Fusilier Rigby's murder and laughing uncontrollably as he and his wife drove past flowers at the murder scene.

Barnes pleaded guilty last month to inciting murder and three counts of disseminating a terrorist publication.

Dawson, 22, who insisted on wearing a full veil in court, also admitted charges of disseminating a terrorist publication.

Rebekah Dawson's video was posted shortly after the murder

Judge Brian Barker QC said the pair showed "a total and continuing disregard" for the effect it would have on the soldier's family and the wider public.

Fusilier Rigby's killers were jailed last month for the attack, which saw them hack the solider to death on the streets of southeast London.

Michael Adebolajo, 29, was given a whole-life term, and Michael Adebowale, 22, was jailed for at least 45 years.

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Photo Shows Oscar Pistorius Drenched In Blood

Pistorius Trial: Evidence Summary

Updated: 1:39pm UK, Friday 14 March 2014

A summary of the evidence heard in the first 10 days of the Oscar Pistorius murder trial.

:: Day 10

Photographs of Oscar Pistorius taken after Reeva Steenkamp's death are seen in court, showing him drenched in blood from the waist down.

An image of his girlfriend's injuries was again shown by mistake, forcing television screens in the courtroom to be blacked out.

Evidence from retired police colonel Schoombie van Rensburg dominated the day's proceedings.

He repeatedly denied tampering with evidence but admitted a white iPhone which was obscured by a towel when he first entered the room appeared to have been moved for a later photo, showing the handset lying in clear view on the bathroom floor.

During cross-examination by defence lawyer Barry Roux, he also failed to spot a door in Pistorius' home had been sealed in different ways in two photographs.

:: Day Nine

There were gasps in court as images of Ms Steenkamp's body, including close-ups of her various injuries, were accidentally shown.

Ms van Rensburg, who went to Pistorius' home after the shooting, used photographs to outline the route he took through the house.

The court was shown images of the blood-soaked bathroom where Ms Steenkamp was shot, as well as blood-stained towels and pools of blood on the floor.

Mr Roux grilled South African police forensic expert Johannes Vermuelen about missing splinters from Pistorius' bathroom door, through which he shot Ms Steenkamp.

He said he asked a colleague about the missing splinters but repeatedly said he "couldn't remember" who he spoke to.

:: Day Eight

Mr Vermuelen knelt down in court and swung Pistorius' cricket bat at the door as part of a reconstruction of the night in question.

He said the angle of the marks on the door suggest they could only have been made by someone much shorter than him.

It appeared to contradict his earlier affidavit in which he stated he had put on his prostheses before smashing down the door.

Mr Vermuelen said: "The marks on the door are actually consistent with him not having his legs on and I suspect they must be similar to the height that he was when he fired the shots."

But Mr Roux suggested that even with his legs on, Pistorius would not be swinging a bat at the same height as an able-bodied person.

:: Day Seven

Friend Darren Fresco told the court Pistorius "laughed" after firing his gun through the sunroof of a car.

Mr Fresco said he asked Pistorius if he was "******* mad".

"He just laughed about what had happened," he said, referring to the episode in late 2012. "It felt as if my ear was bleeding."

The court was told the athlete had a "big love for weapons" and Mr Fresco also recalled an occasion when Pistorius asked him to pass him his gun at Tasha's restaurant in Johannesburg on January 13 last year.

He said he warned Pistorius his Glock pistol was "one-up" - meaning it had a bullet in the chamber - and that he thought he saw the runner remove it.

The gun went off under the table, followed by a "deafening hush" and Pistorius "instantly" passed the weapon back to him and asked him to "take the rap for it" because there was "too much media hype" around him, Mr Fresco said.

Pathologist Gert Saymaan, who conducted a post-mortem examination on Ms Steenkamp, also finished giving his evidence as a court ban on tweeting during his account was lifted by Judge Thokozile Masipa.

The court heard the amount of urine in Ms Steenkamp's bladder at the time of her death amounted to the rough equivalent of a teaspoon, and that the model's last meal was consumed no more than two hours before her death.

Ms Steenkamp was shot after 3am, which means she must have eaten after 1am. Pistorius had said the couple were in the bedroom by 10pm.

Prof Saayman admitted he was not "an expert in this field" but his conclusions were based on scientific probability.

:: Day Six

Pistorius threw up in court as details of the post-mortem examination of Ms Steenkamp were read out.

A live video feed of the trial was cut while a pathologist gave "graphic" evidence of his examination.

Professor Gert Saayman said Ms Steenkamp had bullet wounds to her head, right hip and right arm.

He said the Ranger-branded bullets used were designed to "expand and mushroom" and cause substantial damage.

Prof Saayman said the head wound would have been incapacitating but added Ms Steenkamp may not have died straight away.

Earlier in the day, a security guard finished giving his evidence.

Pieter Baba says Pistorius told him all was fine when he called after receiving reports from other residents of gunshots.

But Mr Roux insisted to him it was Pistorius who phoned the security guard, rather than the other way round.

Mr Baba denied this.

:: Day Five

Prosecution witness Samantha Taylor, the ex-girlfriend of Pistorius, broke down in court as she told how the athlete cheated on her with Reeva Steenkamp.

Miss Taylor also told the court how Pistorius once fired a gun out of the sunroof of a car after being stopped by police.

The star's ex-lover described how Pistorius would sometimes "scream at her" and often carried a gun with him.

The court was told how Pistorius once woke Ms Taylor fearing there was an intruder in the house and got up to investigate with his gun.

Security guard Pieter Baba described the moment he saw a distressed Pistorius carrying Reeva down the stairs.

The guard said Pistorius assured him everything was "fine" after shots were reported. 

More evidence from Ms Taylor suggested Pistorius once feared he was being followed and waved his gun at the suspect car until it drove off near his home.

:: Day Four

Prosecution witness Dr Johan Stipp told the court how he went to Pistorius' residence after hearing shots fired on the night Ms Steenkamp was killed.

He said he saw her lying on her back and Pistorius by her side, frantically trying to resuscitate her.

It was clear Ms Steenkamp was mortally wounded, he said, and Pistorius was crying and praying she would survive.

During his evidence, Pistorius broke down in the dock, sobbing as he held his head in his hands.

Earlier, Pistorius' defence team said it would have been "impossible" for neighbours to hear screams on the night Ms Steenkamp died.

Mr Roux said neighbour Charl Peter Johnson's claim that he heard gunshots followed by a woman screaming was incorrect.

"You cannot hear it inside your house," he said. "At any distance, she was in a locked bathroom."

Mr Johnson also claimed to have heard five or six shots on the night of the killing.

But Mr Roux pointed out that in his initial notes he wrote he "did not count the number of shots fired".

:: Day Three

Mr Johnson was repeatedly challenged by Mr Roux, who at one point said: "You are saying all the evidence that your wife gave us yesterday."

He replied it was not unusual for two people to use the same words when describing an incident.

He mentioned some notes he had taken after the shooting, which are on his laptop and iPad. He was asked to end his evidence for the day and come back the next day, so the defence team had the opportunity to view his notes.

Pistorius' friend Kevin Lerena was then called and described an incident in January last year in which Pistorius allegedly discharged a firearm by mistake while eating with friends in a restaurant.

He said the athlete then asked Mr Fresco to take the blame.

The owner of the restaurant, Jason Loupis, and his wife, Maria, later confirmed the incident after taking the stand.

Mrs Loupis said there was a child nearby when Pistorius' gun went off in the restaurant.

:: Day Two

The evidence of Ms Burger continued.

Mr Roux said her evidence had been influenced by media coverage of the shooting but she denied this.

Mr Roux said evidence later in the trial would show Ms Steenkamp would not have been able to scream after the final shot hit her in the head.

Ms Burger stood by her initial statement, which said she heard Ms Steenkamp after the final shot.

Another neighbour then took the stand for a short time before Ms Burger's husband gave his evidence.

He told how he thought Pistorius and Ms Steenkamp were being held up in their house and said he looked at additional security measures for his own home the next day.

He backed up his wife's evidence, saying he heard screams after the final shot.

:: Day One

The first witness, university lecturer Michelle Burger, took the stand.

She says she woke on the night of the killing to the sound of gunshots and a woman screaming.

She described hearing "bloodcurdling screams" and four shots.

She is a key witness for the prosecution, as her evidence would appear to contradict Pistorius' claims that he thought he was shooting at an intruder.

The defence argued she is unreliable due to alleged discrepancies between her police statement and court testimony.

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