FBI Director Fears 9/11-Style Attack On US

The outgoing head of the FBI fears another 9/11-style attack on the US, saying the fallout from the Arab Spring has bred a number of "violent extremists".

Robert Mueller, who leaves his post on September 4, said that he fears terrorists will target planes, or attack America using a weapon of mass destruction.

He warned that the US does not have the capability to defend a cyberattack on the country's energy sector.

Mr Mueller said: "I always say my biggest worry is ... an attack on a plane. And secondly, it's a weapon of mass destruction in the hands of a terrorist and that includes a cyber capability that trumps the defences that we have."

The underpants bomber's plot was foiled during Mr Mueller's tenure

The FBI director said terrorism has shifted from Osama bin Laden's global brand in the aftermath of the 2001 attacks to splintering threats arising in the fallout from Middle East uprisings.

He said: "Every one of these countries now has cadres of individuals who you would put in the category of extremists, violent extremists, and that will present threats down the road."

Mr Mueller, who started as FBI head a week before 9/11, has been credited as the architect of the bureau's transformation into a terrorism-fighting agency in his 12 years at the helm.

He said: "I had in my own mind some ideas about where the bureau needed to go and then a week later we had September 11.

"I did not expect I would be spending my time preventing terrorist attacks." 

During Mr Mueller's time at the bureau US authorities have had dealt with significant terror threats and attacks, including the underpants flight bomber in 2009 and the cargo plane printer bomb threat in 2010.

Authorities capture a suspect after the Boston Marathon bombings

He has also dealt with the Boston Marathon bombing, and the 2009 shooting that killed 13 and injured more than 30 at Fort Hood, Texas.

Speaking to reporters at the FBI headquarters, Mr Mueller also defended the National Security Agency's classified surveillance programmes, exposed by whistle-blower Edward Snowden.

He said it was "tremendously important to the protection, not only from terrorist attacks, but from other threats to the United States".

Mr Mueller made the comments on the same day that a new round of revelations about the surveillance showed that the NSA scooped up as many as 56,000 emails and other communications annually over three years by Americans not connected to terrorism.

The director's last day on the job is September 4. His successor, former Justice Department official James Comey, will be on hand next week for the transition.

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Microsoft Boss To Leave Amid 'New Direction'

Microsoft Revamp Amid PC Decline

Updated: 3:28pm UK, Friday 23 August 2013

By Thomas Moore, Sky News Science Correspondent

Microsoft has struggled as the PC market has declined.

Five years ago more than 90% of computers ran a version of the Windows operating system, according to tech analysts Forrester.

By 2012 - with Apple and Google dominating mobile computing - it was found on just 30% of devices.

In an effort to revamp its image for the touchscreen era, the company launched Windows 8 late last year.

But the lack of the iconic 'start' button and the new interface of tiled apps irritated users tied to a keyboard and mouse.

It's now done a U-turn and a soon-to-be-launched update - Windows 8.1 - will restore the start button.

Microsoft will hope the tweaks will breathe life into the operating system.

It has failed to convince PC users to upgrade so far, despite a marketing budget that's estimated to top $1bn  (£600m).

Eight months old and Windows 8 is still only found on 5.4% of computers, according to data from Net Applications.

Windows 7 still dominates, with a share of 44.5%.

The malaise is affecting PC makers.

HP recently reported that sales of desktop and notebook computers had slumped by 8% in a year.

So the stakes are high for Microsoft and the industry that relies on its software.

If the new-look Windows fails to stop the slide in sales many will ask whether the PC has a future.

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Hague: Syria Massacre 'Was A Chemical Attack'

Foreign Secretary William Hague has said for the first time that the "atrocity" in Syria "was a chemical attack" carried out by Assad forces.

Mr Hague said that the chances of the attack being a conspiracy by opposition forces was "vanishingly small" and that the only "plausible explanation" for the mass deaths was an attack by the regime.

He said it was essential to get UN inspectors already in the country to the site outside Damascus and that "time was of the essence".

If inspectors were not allowed in, the evidence, he said, would deteriorate.

Girls who survived the apparent attack take refuge in a mosque

Syria's opposition said it was "critical that the UN inspectors [get to the site] within 48 hours".

Forces loyal to President Bashar al Assad have been carrying out air strikes on the area, which could already have considerably damaged any proof of the use of nerve gas.

And Mr Hague warned the Assad regime that if they did not comply with the UN request to carry out inspections at the scene of the attack then Britain would be prepared to go back to the UN Security Council for a mandate "for the world to speak more forcefully about this".

A child receives treatment in a make-shift hospital

He stressed that inspectors were just 20 minutes away from the site where 1,300, including scores of children, are said to have perished on Tuesday.

Mr Hague said: "The only possible explanation of what we have been able to see is that it was a chemical attack and clearly many, many hundreds of people have been killed, some of the estimates are well over 1,000.

"There is no other plausible explanation for casualties so intense in such a small area on this scale.

"I know some people in the world would like to say this is some kind of conspiracy brought about by the opposition in Syria - I think the chances of that are vanishingly small.

Activists inspect the bodies of the victims of the alleged gas attack

"So we do believe this is a chemical attack by the Assad regime on a large scale but we would like the United Nations to be able to assess that so those who don't believe that, those who doubt that, the evidence can be gathered.

"But that is certainly our opinion."

He said it "seems the Assad regime has something to hide" and questioned why it had refused to allow the UN inspectors, who are staying in a hotel in Damascus, to investigate.

A map showing the area targeted in the apparent chemical attack

Footage and images released by the opposition has showed scores of children lying dead, some seemingly gassed as they slept in their beds.

Other pictures appear to show adults foaming at the mouths from the effects of gas and row upon row of corpses, some being loaded into vans.

The images, Mr Hague said, were "something that a humane or civilised world cannot ignore".

UN chemical weapons inspectors have been in the country since Sunday on a mission to investigate sites where previous gas attacks are alleged to have been carried out.

The chemical weapons inspectors arrive in Damascus

Activists said on Friday they were smuggling body tissue samples from victims to the UN inspectors in their hotel but that it had been a struggle because they were heavily guarded by government forces.

One activist, Abu Nidal, said: "The UN team spoke with us and since then we prepared samples of hair, skin and blood and smuggled them back to Damascus with trusted couriers."

In his first comments since the footage of the attacks emerged, US President Barack Obama said it was a "big event of grave concern" and that " this is something that is going to require America's attention".

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that the use of chemical weapons would constitute "a crime against humanity".

Significantly, Syria's key ally Russia has joined international calls for the inspectors to be given access to the site of the alleged massacre.

Moscow suggested the attack could be a "premeditated provocation" by opposition forces but urged Mr Assad and the UN to agree to a visit to the site in the Damascus suburbs of Ein Tarma and Zamalka.

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Death Toll In Lebanon Explosions Rises To 42

At least 42 people are believed to have been killed and hundreds injured in two powerful explosions in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.

The blasts occurred outside two mosques on the Muslim day of prayer, when the buildings are likely to have been packed.

The first explosion happened near Taqwa mosque, close to the home of outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati, although his office said he was not in the city at the time.

It was followed minutes later by a second blast outside Salam mosque, near the home of former police chief Ashraf Rifi.

Television pictures showed a column of thick, grey smoke rising over the city, with reports suggesting the blasts caused significant damage.

Speaking to local TV channel al Jadeed, Lebanese health minister Ali Hassan Khalil said 42 people were killed and another 352 injured.

A number of children were among those killed, according to the AFP news agency.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the explosions, which come a week after a suicide car bombing in Beirut killed 27 people.

The bomb ripped through a stronghold of the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hizbollah, which is fighting in Syria alongside forces loyal to President Bashar al Assad.

In July, another car bomb exploded in the nearby Beir al Abed district, wounding more than 50 people.

Tripoli, a mostly Sunni Muslim city, has seen frequent clashes between Sunnis and Alawites, a Shi'ite group to which Mr Assad belongs, although explosions are relatively rare.

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Dave Lee Travis Faces Sex Charges In Court

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

Broadcaster Dave Lee Travis has appeared in court over 12 alleged sexual offences.

The 68-year-old is charged under his real name of David Patrick Griffin and faces 11 indecent assault charges and one of sexual assault.

As he arrived at court he rebuffed repeated questions from journalists and said that if he wanted to elaborate he could talk for "three hours about it".

He sat in the dock during the short hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London, where he confirmed his name and address.

Travis was again faced by a media scrum as he left court, and said little apart from a reference to the blood sport of hare-coursing.

He said: "I am supported by my wife and my friends.

"My wife is not here today, and the reason she's not here today is because I detest hare-coursing."

The charges Travis faces span from 1977 to 2007 - the youngest of the nine alleged victims was 15-years-old.

The DJ has consistently denied any wrongdoing since he was first arrested at his home near Leighton Buzzard in November 2012.

During a long career in broadcasting, Travis was perhaps best known as the host of the BBC Radio One breakfast show between 1978 and 1980.

The broadcaster famously resigned from the station while on air in 1993.

Recently, he worked for the Magic network of radio stations but has not been on air while the police investigation has been taking place.

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Ibiza: Brit John Sharp Found Dead In Sea

A British man has been found dead in the sea off Ibiza after a night of partying on the holiday island, reports say.

John Sharp, 31, died last Thursday, and his body was reportedly found in the ocean on Saturday morning.

Mr Sharp had taken several drugs including cocaine, ecstasy and speed, according to a post-mortem examination, it was reported.

Witnesses also reported seeing Mr Sharp drinking heavily.

Police believe he was dead for at least 24 hours before his body was pulled from the sea near the Playa d'en Bossa resort, reports say.

Mr Sharp's parents are said to have arrived on the island to identify him after being contacted by the Foreign Office.

The FCO said it is providing consular assistance to his family.

The Spanish island has long been seen as a mecca for clubbers, with some of the venues drawing crowds of thousands in peak season. 

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Taste Map Of The Tube Gives Capital Flavour

Travellers on the London Underground may be well-acquainted with the sights, sounds and smells of the capital's busy transport network but taste is unlikely to be one of them.

However, for one man the Tube offers a smorgasbord of flavours from roast lamb and tomato soup to jelly tots and minstrels.

That is because James Wannerton can taste words due to a neurological condition called synaesthesia.

And the 54-year-old systems analyst from Blackpool has now completed a "flavour map" of the Tube, showing what each station tastes like.

These range from the good - fruit cake and ice cream - to the bad - hairspray.

Mr Wannerton told the Telegraph that the map was the realisation of a 49-year quest, having first noticed as a child each station created a distinct taste when travelling to school.

He told the newspaper: "It is incredibly consistent. These tastes and textures never change. All I did was traverse the underground lines. It was very natural and involuntary; when the taste popped up I made a note of it."

Mr Wannerton who is the president of the UK Synaesthesia Association, describes his experience of the condition on his website.

He writes: "I get these tastes whenever I verbalise a written word or hear a spoken one - even in my dreams. I get taste after taste after taste, one after another.

"It could, if I let it, take over completely, causing a sort of sensory overload or slowdown. A little like I've been told a proper drug trip is to experience."

And his taste sensations do not stop at the Tube.

He says: "I live in a house that tastes of mashed potato in a fruit gum town.

"My next door neighbours are a mix of yoghurt, jelly beans and a subtle hint of a waxy substance."

There are also the less palatable sides of life. "I have a friend whose wife tastes of vomit - I've never told them."

And: "If you are called Virginia, Denise, Donna, Helen or Christine, my brain unfortunately places you at a disadvantage. Sorry. I can't help it."

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Spain: Police Hunt For Roaming 'Black Panther'

Spanish authorities are using night vision equipment to hunt for a panther-like big cat that has been spotted by residents.

More than half a dozen people have reported seeing the black "large feline" in farmland around Berja, just inland from the south coast.

Several cages containing meat and image intensifying cameras have been set up in an attempt to catch the beast.

Search coordinator, Jacinto Navarro, said on Friday: "From all the witnesses' descriptions it seems it is a black panther but we're not sure.

"This very morning, almond farmers called us saying they were stunned to see this animal walking around.

"They are worried because we are dealing with an animal that is dangerous in the wild.

"We guess that someone who had the animal as a pet let it loose in this area."

The area where the beast has been seen lies about half way between Granada and Almeria, about ten miles inland from the Costa Tropical and not far from the Costa del Sol.

Mr Navarro, an environmental officer for the Andalusia regional government, said there had been no reports of such an animal going missing in the area.

But the authorities were having to take it seriously as it was feared it could be roaming around the Sierra Nevada National Park.

The park is popular with walkers and the local government feels it cannot take any risks.

The "absolute priority" of the team of three environmental officers and three police was to catch the feline alive, he said.

Earlier, despite setting up two cages in the area with large chunks of meat inside, they trapped no more than a domestic cat and a fox, both of which were released.

On Friday, two more cages and two night-vision cameras were added.

If the animal is trapped, officers hope to shoot it with a tranquiliser gun and hand it over to a zoo in the neighbouring town of Tabernas which has offered to take it in.

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Debenhams Recalls Steam Irons Over 'Fire Risk'

Debenhams is recalling thousands of steam irons as a "precautionary measure" after one of the products caught fire.

The department store said one of its customers reported an electrical fault when using the iron, which caused the power cable to ignite.

"A flame came from the cord area where it enters the iron," a company spokesman said.

The potentially dangerous fault involves Debenhams' Best Buy Value Steam Iron Model S13WH.

More than 4,200 of the £12 irons were sold in stores in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland or online between June 2011 and April 2013.

People who bought one are urged to check the batch number on the rating plate, which is located on the heel at the back of the iron.

Products with batch numbers MIC161031/0411, MIC161103/1111 and MIC161174/1212 should not be used but returned to store for a full refund.

"If you cannot reach a Debenhams store, please contact our customer services department and dispose of the iron by taking it to a recycling dump or placing it in your domestic recycling bin," the spokesman added.

It is the second major recall issued by Debenhams in the last six weeks.

Last month, the store asked customers who bought some of its electric blankets to return them after it found a possible electrical fault.

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Fort Hood Shooting: Major Nidal Hasan Guilty

Major Nidal Hasan has been found guilty of killing 13 people and wounding more than 30 others at the Fort Hood military base.

More follows...

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