Angelina Jolie Receives Damehood From The Queen

The Queen has presented Angelina Jolie with an honorary damehood during a private audience at Buckingham Palace.

The Oscar-winning actress was recognised in the Diplomatic Service and Overseas Birthday 2014 Honours list and received the honorary damehood (DCMG) for services to UK foreign policy and the campaign to end war-zone sexual violence.

After the presentation, her husband Brad Pitt and their six children were presented to the Queen.

The award was first announced in June as Jolie co-chaired the End Sexual Violence in Conflict (ESVC) global summit in London with then foreign secretary William Hague.

At the time she said of the honour: "To receive an honour related to foreign policy means a great deal to me, as it is what I wish to dedicate my working life to.

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1. Gallery: Hollywood's Golden Couple - Pitt And Jolie

   Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt got married at a chateau in the south of France

2. Special UN envoy Jolie and Pitt attend the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in London on June 13, 2014

3. Jolie and Pitt attend the Bafta Awards at The Royal Opera House on February 16, 2014

4. The couple, accompanied by their children, arrive at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo in July 2013

5. Jolie poses with Pitt at the world premiere of his film World War Z in London in June 2013

6. Attending the Cinema For Peace Gala ceremony at the Konzerthaus Am Gendarmenmarkt at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2012

7. Jolie and Pitt with the actor's parents, Bill and Jane Pitt, at the after party for the premiere of In The Land Of Blood And Honey in December 2011 in New York

8. The look of love - at the world premiere of The Tourist at the Ziegfeld Theatre in December 2010 in New York

9. The couple visit refugees in the village of Medjedja, near the eastern Bosnian town of Visegrad, 70km (43 miles) east of Sarajevo in April 2010

10. At a screening of the Quentin Tarantino film Inglourious Basterds in May 2009

11. The stars at the Critics' Choice Awards in January 2009

12. Signing autographs at The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button premiere in Berlin in January 2009

13. Jolie and Pitt arrive at the screening of Kung Fu Panda in Cannes in May 2008

14. At the Screen Actors Guild awards in January 2008

15. Attending the premiere of God Grew Tired Of Us in January 2007 in Los Angeles

16. Pitt and Jolie arrive at the Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton in January 2007

17. Jolie holds daughter Zahara as Pitt carries son Maddox during a stroll on the seafront promenade at the historic Gateway of India outside their hotel in Mumbai in November 2006

18. The stars ride on a scooter on a busy street in central Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam in November 2006

19. Jolie and Pitt leave Hotel Belvedere in Davos in January 2006 while attending the World Economic Forum

"Working on the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative and with survivors of rape is an honour in itself."

The Tomb Raider and Maleficent star's work as a committed humanitarian runs parallel to her career as a leading actress who has been a huge box office draw for more than a decade.

US Secretary of State John Kerry praised her humanitarian efforts after news of the award in June, describing her as as a "fierce and fearless advocate'' and he said her dedication to campaigning could overtake her successful film career as her lasting legacy.

Video: June: Jolie Hosts War Rape Summit

Jolie is also special envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The leading lady joins the ranks of many acting greats who have received damehoods, including Diana Rigg, Judi Dench, Julie Andrews, Angela Lansbury, Helen Mirren and Maggie Smith.

The 39-year-old star has previously won an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, and was named Hollywood's highest-paid actress by Forbes in 2009, 2011, and 2013.

Video: May 2014: Jolie On World 'Horrors'

The actress will not be able to call herself a Dame as she is an American citizen but can use the initials of the award after her name.

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Malala 'Honoured' To Get Nobel Peace Prize

Schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai has said she is "honoured" after winning the Nobel Peace Prize for the championing of girls' rights.

The Pakistani schoolgirl said a teacher told her she had won the prize while in a chemistry lesson at school.

And she she said she completed the rest of her school day after learning she had won the accolade.

"When I found I had won the Nobel Peace Prize I decided I would not leave my school, rather I would finish my school time," she said.

"I went to the physics lessons, I learned. I went to the English lesson. I considered it like a normal day.

Video: Malala Shares Nobel Peace Prize

"I was really happy with the response of my teachers and my fellow students. They were all saying they were proud."

The teenager said it was "quite difficult" to express her feelings but she felt "really honoured".

She added: "I felt more powerful and more courageous because this award is not just a piece of metal or a medal you wear or an award you keep in your room.

"This is encouragement for me to go forward."

Malala came to prominence after surviving an assassination attempt in October 2012 when her calls for equal rights angered militants in her homeland of Pakistan.

Video: 12 July 2013: Malala Addresses UN

She said that her dream at the time she was shot was to become a doctor, but that now she had decided to become "a politician, a good politician".

The 17-year-old activist was jointly awarded the peace prize with Indian children's rights activist Kailash Satyarthi for her "heroic struggle" in favour of girls' access to education.

Speaking after finishing the school day at Edgbaston High School for Girls in Birmingham, she said: "My message to children all around the world is that they should stand up for their rights."

Explaining why she had campaigned against extremism despite the risks, she said: "At that time I stood up for my rights and I said 'I will speak up'. I did not wait for someone else.

"I had really two options, one was not to speak and wait to be killed, and the second was to speak up and then be killed.

Video: 18 October 2013: Malala Meets Queen

"And I chose the second one because at that time there was terrorism, women were not allowed to go outside of their houses, girls' education was totally banned, people were killed.

"At that time I needed to raise my voice because I wanted to go back to school. I was also one of those girls who could not get education.

"I wanted to learn and be who I can be in my future."

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Alice's Body Wrapped In Bag And Weighted Down

The inquest into murdered Alice Gross has heard the teenager's body was wrapped in a bag and weighted down in a river by logs.

Alice's mother Rosalind Hodgkiss attended the formal opening of the inquest, which also heard the 14-year-old was identified by dental records.

The inquiry at the West London Coroner's Court heard the cause of Alice's death remained unknown and further tests were ongoing.

Alice's mum attended the brief hearing

Coroner's officer John Chadwick told the court: "On September 30, as a result of a search of the River Brent, the body of Alice Gross was found by London Fire Brigade divers.

"The deceased was found submerged, wrapped in a bag and had been weighted down. Alice was pronounced life extinct at 22.45pm."

Video: 'You Have To Be Incredibly Careful'

The coroner signed forms to allow Alice's body to be released to her family.

The hearing lasted only a few minutes and was adjourned until 29 January.

Alice went missing from her home in Hanwell, west London, on 28 August.

Video: Alice: Body Found In Suspect Hunt

Just over a month later, her body was found hidden on the bed of the River Brent.

The Metropolitan Police's Deputy Commissioner, Craig Mackey, has defended the amount of time it took to find her body, saying it was a "colossal" investigation.

The body of the prime suspect, Arnis Zalkalns, was found in Boston Manor Park - a mile from where Alice's body was recovered - on October 4.

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1. Gallery: Parents 'Devastated' At Alice Death

   A post-mortem into the death of Alice Gross has proved inconclusive

2. The schoolgirl's body was found in a river in west London on October 1

3. A cordon had been put in place after the discovery of human remains in the River Brent

4. Forensic officers at the scene

5. Alice's father has changed his Facebook profile picture from a campaign poster to a field of wild flowers

6. Alice's family had made a heartfelt plea for the safe return of the missing teenager

7. Scotland Yard released new images of Alice as police staged a reconstruction of her last-known movements

8. The teenager disappeared on 28 August

9. Police received more than 1,000 calls from the public in response to appeals

10. Alice pictured with sister Nina

11. The 14-year-old had been missing for five weeks

12. Police had carried out a fingertip search around Alice's home in Hanwell, west London. This image shows officers searching the area on September 22

13. The hunt for the 14-year-old had been the biggest search operation since the 7/7 bombings in 2005

14. A dinghy was brought in to help in the search

15. Here, on September 18, forensics officers are seen in the garden of builder Arnis Zalkalns

16. Zalkalns, a Latvian national, was named as the main suspect by police after he, too, went missing from his home in Boston Manor Road, which runs between Hanwell and Brentford

17. September 8: a police diver enters the Grand Union Canal to search for the missing schoolgirl

18. September 7: Police search the River Brent, near Hanwell

19. A missing persons flyer is attached to a lamppost in central London

22. Alice was seen on CCTV at Brentford Lock

23. Arnis Zalkalns was seen on CCTV in the same area

The Latvian vanished from his flat in Ealing a week after Alice is thought to have been abducted and murdered while walking home along a canal towpath.

Zalkalns was filmed cycling along the same route behind Alice on the day she went missing.

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Funeral 'Party' Celebrates Hannah's Life

By Emma Birchley, East of England Correspondent

The funeral of a young woman murdered on the Thai island of Koh Tao has been held in the Norfolk village where she grew up.

Mourners listened via speakers in the churchyard as family and close friends said goodbye to Hannah Witheridge inside Hemsby's packed St Mary the Virgin Church.

The 23-year-old student was backpacking when she was killed along with David Miller, who was 24 and from Jersey.

Mourners watched silently as Hannah's coffin was carried into church

Their bodies were found on the beach in the early hours of 15 September.

On a sunny, cloudless morning, the horse-drawn hearse pulled by four white horses with purple plumes arrived at the church followed by Hannah's close family and friends.

Video: Suspects In Murder Reconstruction

The white coffin, covered with bright purple flowers, was carried into the church as mourners watched silently.

Hannah's parents were determined that it would be a "party" to celebrate her life and songs were performed including Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Little Things by One Direction and She's So Lovely by Scouting For Girls.

Tributes were paid by her father Tony, sisters Tania and Laura and brother Paul.

Hannah, described by her parents as "a fun, vibrant and beautiful young woman" was training to be a speech and language therapist.

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1. Gallery: Thai Murders Accused At Crime Scene

   Two workers from Burma (wearing helmets and handcuffs), suspected of killing two British tourists on the island of Koh Tao last month, stand near Thai police officers where the bodies of the tourists were found

2. The pair have admitted to killing David Miller and Hannah Witheridge on the island in southern Thailand

3. Actors were used in the staging of the reconstruction

4. One of the suspects wields a mock weapon

5. The case has threatened to further damage the country's already bruised tourism sector

6. The victims' bodies were discovered on a beach on the island of Koh Tao, or Turtle Island, on 15 September, close to where they were staying. Continue through for more pictures

They have described the last three weeks as "unbearably difficult", made harder they said by "unnecessary and senseless" photographs of the crime scene circulating on the internet.

Two Burmese migrant workers, both aged 21, are charged with murder, rape and robbery.

They allegedly admitted the killings, but are now said to have retracted their confessions with reports that they were "beaten out of them".

After the service, Hannah's coffin was carried from the church for a private burial accompanied by clapping and cheering as requested by her family.

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Kim Jong-Un Missing Due To 'Pulled Tendon'

Kim Jong-Un has missed celebrations of the anniversary of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, with one source suggesting he hurt himself taking part in a military drill.

Mr Kim has not been seen in public for over a month, leading to reports he was suffering from broken ankles, gout or diabetes.

His disappearance from public life - the longest since he came to power in 2011 - even sparked rumours he had been forced from power in a coup.

North Korean state media, which usually slavishly follows the leader's ever move on official visits, did not list Mr Kim among officials who made the annual pilgrimage to the mausoleum in Pyongyang housing the remains of his father and grandfather.

Instead, a floral tribute with his name on it was presented to the two statues of Kim Jong-Il and Kim Il-Sung in the Kumsusan Palace mausoleum.

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1. Gallery: Kim Jong-Un Inspecting Things

   Before recently disappearing from public view North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un was making regular public appearances across the country

2. The state media followed him as he enjoyed visits to factories, military installations and construction sites. Continue through for more pictures

Reuters news agency quoted a source inside North Korea saying Mr Kim was still in firm control of his government, but had hurt his leg taking part in a military drill.

"He ordered all the generals to take part in drills and he took part too. They were crawling and running and rolling around, and he pulled a tendon," the source said on condition of anonymity.

"He injured his ankle and knee around late August or early September while drilling because he is overweight.

Video: 8 July 2014: Kim Seems Unbalanced

"He limped around in the beginning, but the injury worsened." 

State television said last month that Mr Kim had an "uncomfortable physical condition". He was seen walking with a limp and appeared more overweight than usual.

North Korea strictly controls information about its government, so much of what happens in Pyongyang remains unknown by outsiders as well as North Koreans.

Video: Inside North Korea: Full Programme

But South Korea said Mr Kim appeared to remain in control of key affairs.

"It seems that Kim Jong-Un's rule is in normal operation," Unification Ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol was quoted by the Yonhap news agency as saying.

"With regard to his specific health conditions, our government has no information to confirm yet."

Video: The Defectors: A Special Programme

Mr Lim noted that a high-level North Korean delegation conveyed a greetings message to South Korean President Park Geun-hye during a surprise visit to South Korea last week.

Meanwhile, the North fired into the South after a group of activists sent up balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets.

The South Korean military returned fire across the border, according to the Yonhap news agency.

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Ebola Hospital Staff Throw Gloves At Spain PM

Angry staff have been filmed throwing medical gloves and shouting "go away" at the Spanish prime minister after his visit to a hospital where a nurse has ebola.

Teresa Romero, 44, caught the deadly disease while treating a missionary there. He had flown to Madrid after becoming infected in West Africa and later died.

Questions have been raised about safety measures at Carlos III hospital where Mrs Romero is in a stable but serious condition.

Teresa Romero is in a serious but stable condition in hospital

There have been complaints from medical staff that they did not receive the appropriate training.

Nurses' union representative Paloma Panillas said nursing staff "don't trust this situation".

Video: Ebola Crisis: On The Front Line

Health officials revealed Mrs Romero had twice entered the missionary's room - once to change an incontinence pad and then to retrieve items after he had died.

She then accidentally touched her face while still wearing gloves used during the clean up.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who was leaving in his convoy when the medical staff shouted at him, said it was extremely unlikely the disease would spread in Spain.

Speaking outside the hospital, the leader said: "Our first priority is Teresa Romero - she is the only person that we know has the illness."

Video: How Can The UK Stop Ebola?

Mr Rajoy said he had set up a committee headed by the deputy prime minister to handle the crisis.

Seven more people have been admitted to the hospital in relation to Mrs Romero's case - taking the total number under observation or being treated to 14.

The new admissions included two hairdressers who had given her a beauty treatment before she was diagnosed and hospital staff who had treated her after she was admitted on Monday.

All went voluntarily to be monitored for signs of the disease, although none of the 14, including her husband, has so far tested positive for the disease except Ms Romero.

Video: How Doctors Should Deal With Ebola

She said she did not tell doctors she had been in contact with the virus and only found out she had the disease after reading the news online.

The nurse is the first person known to have caught the disease outside of West Africa in the current outbreak, which has killed thousands of people.

Meanwhile, a British man who died in Macedonia after suffering symptoms similar to ebola has been named as Colin Jaffray, according to Sky sources.

Public Health England said it was "unlikely" the death was caused by the virus.

Video: Ebola 'Could Become Next AIDS'

Prime Minister David Cameron has defended the decision to introduce enhanced screening for ebola at Heathrow and Gatwick airports and the Eurostar rail terminals, saying it was taken on "medical advice".

Questions have been raised about the checks with a Gatwick spokesman saying the airport had not been given any instructions about how the screening should be carried out.

The move has also been criticised by health experts, with one describing it as a "complete waste of time".

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'We're After You': UKIP Claims First Elected MP

UKIP leader Nigel Farage has warned David Cameron and Ed Miliband "we're after you" after the party claimed its first elected MP by winning 12,404 votes in the Clacton by-election.

Elsewhere, the party slashed Labour's majority in Heywood and Middleton to just 617 votes, which Mr Farage hailed an "absolutely astonishing" result.

Former Conservative MP Douglas Carswell won a landslide victory in Clacton, Essex, by securing 21,113 of the 35,386 votes cast.

UKIP also forced a recount in Heywood and Middleton, where Labour's Liz McInnes narrowly defeated UKIP's John Bickley.

Mr Farage said the results showed UKIP was now "a truly national party - indeed we are the only party that can challenge in solid Tory and Labour areas".

Video: No Complacency From Labour

He went on: "I've no doubt we'll hear, 'it's just a protest vote'. It's nothing of the kind. People from across the spectrum are saying. 'we've had enough of career politics'. They want to have a proper voice in Westminster.

"From today with Douglas Carswell they have got one, and in a few weeks time I believe they will have another in the shape of Mark Reckless, with another by-election coming up in Rochester and Strood.

"What we saw last night was the biggest and best night in UKIP's history

Video: 'UKIP Vote Risks Labour Government'

"We will now take the people's army of UKIP to the Rochester and Strood, and we will give that absolutely everything we have got."

Mr Farage earlier told Sky's Faisal Islam the strong UKIP result showed the Eurosceptic party was "ripping lumps out of the old Labour vote in the north of England".

Asked if he had a message for both Mr Cameron, who turned 48 yesterday, and Mr Miliband, he replied, "we're after you", adding: "Happy Birthday to David Cameron, and Ed Miliband, you have underestimated us."

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1. Gallery: UKIP Surge In By-Election Results

   UKIP has its first elected MP after Douglas Carswell took almost 60% of the vote in the Clacton by-election.

2. Mr Carswell won the seat with a majority of 12,404 over the Tory candidate Giles Watling.

3. Liz McInnes won the seat for Labour in the Heywood and Middleton contest, but its majority of almost 6,000 in 2010 was slashed to just 617 votes.

4. On a turnout of just 36%, Ms McInnes won with 11,633 votes, defeating UKIP's John Bickley on 11,016.

5. Ed Miliband's party's majority had been almost 6,000 in 2010, but a UKIP surge saw a 17.65% swing to Nigel Farage's party.

6. A triumphant Mr Carswell said "there is nothing that we cannot achieve" after winning Clacton.

7. UKIP's first elected MP to Parliament forced the election after defecting from the Tories.

8. Mr Carswell was the favourite to win, but there were still nerves on the night.

9. Mr Carswell took almost 60% of the vote.

10. Mr Farage said: "Congratulations Douglas Carswell, a brave and honourable man who has a just reward."

11. Ms McInnes won with 11,633 votes in Heywood and Middleton, defeating Mr Bickley on 11,016.

12. Despite UKIP's loss in the Lancashire constituency, Mr Bickley told Sky News "the Labour vote had collapsed".

13. Mr Farage went on to tell Sky News: "We are ripping lumps out of the old Labour vote in the north of England. The truth of what has happened in the North today is that if you are anywhere north of Birmingham, if you vote Conservative you get Labour."

14. He added: "And the reason we haven't won up there, despite a fantastic campaign, is that too many people have stuck with the Conservatives, not recognising that UKIP is now the challenger to Labour in every urban seat in the north of England."

15. Turnout in Clacton was 51.2%, while in Heywood and Middleton it was just 36%.

Mr Cameron said UKIP's success in Clacton and better-than-expected showing in Heywood and Middleton both spoke to a "wider truth" that a vote for UKIP risked a Labour government.

"If you vote UKIP you are in danger of getting a Labour government with Ed Miliband as Prime Minister, Ed Balls as Chancellor, and you'll get no action on immigration, no European referendum, and most importantly you won't get a continuation of the plan that's delivering success for our economy and security for our people," the Prime Minister said.

"That is the wider lesson of last night and we have several months to demonstrate that only a Conservative government can give people the stability and security that we all want to see."

Video: UKIP Finally Makes The Breakthrough

Mr Miliband, who would not be drawn on the nail-biting recount at Heywood and Middleton, said: "There won't be a shred of complacency from us as we reach out to all of those voters who didn't vote Labour and those who didn't vote at all."

He said the 2015 election was a "fight against disillusionment and despair about politics" which he was determined to win.

Mr Carswell, who triggered the Clacton by-election when he defected from the Tories, said UKIP's success revealed a "profound change in British politics".

Video: What Does UKIP's Win Mean For 2015?

Ms McInnes, who gained 11,633 votes in Heywood and Middleton where voter turnout fell to just 36%, said the by-election result was a win for the NHS.

Analysts said Labour's vote was damaged by the low turnout. Voter turnout was higher in Clacton, where 51.2% of voters cast their ballot.

Sky's Jon Craig said the dramatic decline of Labour's majority in Heywood would trigger further debate about Ed Miliband's leadership.

Video: Inside The UKIP Party's Party

Concerns over the result have been raised by some Labour MPs, with one branding the vote "awful" and "terrible" and a member of the shadow cabinet describing it as "very worrying".

Sky's Joey Jones said one senior MP had warned Monday's gathering of the Parliamentary Labour Party "could be an absolute bloodbath". 

Voters in Heywood cast their ballot for a new MP following the death of Labour's Jim Dobbin last month, who held the seat from 1997 and was returned in 2010 with a significant majority.

Video: Interview: Labour MP

UKIP's next target is Rochester and Strood, where defector Mr Reckless is hoping to return to Parliament following his defection.

The by-election there is expected to take place early next month.

:: Watch full coverage and reaction throughout the day on Sky News - available on skynews.com, Sky News for iPad and on Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202 and Freeview 132.

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Gambaccini: No Charges After Sex Crime Arrest

Broadcaster Paul Gambaccini will face no further action after being arrested under sex crime investigation Operation Yewtree.

The 65-year-old had maintained his innocence since he was held on October 29 last year.

He was arrested on the same day as another man, now aged 75, over alleged sex offences during a two-year period in the early 1980s.

Baljit Ubhey, the Chief Crown Prosecutor of CPS London, said: "Having carefully reviewed this case, we have decided that there is insufficient evidence to prosecute in relation to allegations of sexual offences made by two males believed to be aged between 14 and 15 at the time of the alleged offending.

"Each allegation was considered on its own merits and we have concluded that the available evidence does not offer a realistic prospect of conviction for any of the alleged offences.

"The complainants have been informed and we will be writing to them to more fully explain our decision and offer a meeting should they wish to discuss the matter in more detail."

At the time of his arrest, Gambaccini released a statement to say: "On Monday night, October 28, I attended an excellent production of the Kander and Ebb musical, The Scottsboro Boys, at the Young Vic theatre.

"It concerned a group of black men in Alabama in the 1930s who were falsely accused of sexual offences. Within hours, I was arrested by Operation Yewtree.

"Nothing had changed, except this time there was no music."

After the announcement, Gambaccini's friends and colleagues expressed their relief.

Broadcaster Liz Kershaw said: "Delighted to hear my friend, mentor, music encyclopaedia and perfect gentleman #PaulGambaccini is a 'free man' after a whole year on bail."

Gambaccini and the second man were the 15th and 16th people to be arrested under Operation Yewtree, the national inquiry sparked by allegations against Jimmy Savile.

Ten people, including Jim Davidson and Freddie Starr, have been told they will face no further action after being questioned as part of the investigation.

Three have been convicted - performer Rolf Harris, PR expert Max Clifford and DJ Dave Lee Travis.

Former pop star Gary Glitter and ex-radio DJ Chris Denning are due to face trial.

Driver David Smith was charged but died before court proceedings could take place, and another man, aged 73, remains on bail after he was arrested in April.

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UKIP Near-Miss Will Send Biggest Shock Waves

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

As I left the count with UKIP's deputy leader Paul Nuttall after a nail-biting night at Heywood and Middleton, he said to me: "I need a pint of Guinness!"

The Guinness and the foaming pints of bitter favoured by the UKIP leader Nigel Farage will taste especially good today after a storming by-election victory in Clacton, and a photo-finish in the safe Labour seat of Heywood and Middleton.

Douglas Carswell's comfortable victory by 12,404 votes in Clacton was predictable, but is still an ominous warning to David Cameron and the Conservatives of the damage UKIP can potentially inflict on the Tories in next year's General Election.

But Labour's near-defeat in Heywood and Middleton, clinging on by just 617 votes after a recount demanded by UKIP, has already sent shock waves through the Labour high command and will reignite the criticism of Ed Miliband's leadership inside his party.

Bad tactics, bad strategy, bad leadership, his accusers will claim.

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1. Gallery: The UKIP History In Pictures

   1993: UKIP is founded by Alan Sked in response to the Maastricht Treaty, which set out the modern day EU and paved the way for the Euro. He left the party in 1997 saying it had become a "racist party for the far-right". He is now the leader of New Deal, which has been called UKIP of the Left.

2. 1999: The party takes its first three seats in the European Parliament, under the leadership of the millionaire businessman Michael Holmes. Nigel Farage is one of those MEPs.

3. 2000: Michael Holmes resigns and Jeffrey Titford takes over as leader of UKIP. He leads the party to field 420 candidates at the 2001 General Election and secure 1.5% of the vote.

4. 2002: Former Conservative Roger Knapman takes over at the helm.

5. 2004: The party wins 12 seats at the European Elections, among the UKIP MEPs is the chat show host Robert Kilroy Silk.

6. 2005: Growing speculation Robert Kilroy Silk will take on the leadership comes to nothing and he announces he is leaving the party, calling it a "joke", setting up his own party, Veritas.

7. 2006: In a radio interview David Cameron calls UKIP members "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists, mostly". It's the same year Nigel Farage is elected leader with 45% of the votes. Mr Farage drives an armoured vehicle to the Conservative Party Conference demanding an apology.

8. 2009: UKIP wins 13 seats at the European Elections but Mr Farage steps down as leader so he can concentrate on preparing for the General Election.

9. 2010: Nigel Farage decides to oppose House of Commons Speaker John Bercow in Buckingham - not the done thing. He fails to win the seat and goes on to reject the party's manifesto as "486 pages of drivel".

10. 2011: Ed Miliband hits the campaign trail at the Barnsley by-election (pictured) but UKIP candidate comes second to Labour, indicating the party presents a challenge to both Left and Right.

11. February 2013: Diane James wins UKIP's highest by-election showing with 27.8% of the vote at Eastleigh. The Liberal Democrats hold the seat.

12. September 2013: MEP Godfrey Bloom quits the party after provoking a row when he called women party activists, who didn't clean behind their fridges, "sluts". It came shortly after he made a reference to "bongo-bongo land".

13. May 2014: UKIP becomes the first party other than Labour or the Conservatives in more than a century to win the majority share of the vote in a UK election at the local and European elections. Mr Farage claims he delivered the "earthquake" he promised.

14. August 2014: Conservative MP Douglas Carswell announces he is defecting to UKIP triggering a by-election in Clacton.

15. September 2014: Conservative MP Mark Reckless follows Mr Carswell and defects to UKIP on the eve of the Tory party conference, triggering a by-election in Rochester and Strood.

16. October 2014: Nigel Farage announces he has parked his tanks on Labour's lawns as he joins the campaign trail in Heywood and Middleton, where a by-election is triggered by the death of the Labour MP Jim Dobbin, on the same day as the Clacton vote.

Until now, Labour has complacently assumed that UKIP could unseat Conservative MPs but merely eat into Labour majorities in its safe seats in the north of England. That assumption has now been shattered by the Heywood and Middleton result.

Make no mistake, Labour got a horrendous fright in this former northern stronghold. At the beginning of the night, senior Labour figures were confident of victory and expected to win with a comfortable majority, with UKIP in second place.

But after it was revealed that the turnout was just 36% and not in the mid-40s, as they expected, I watched as the colour drained from the faces of the Labour campaign team.

Video: Speech: Douglas Carswell MP

They stared at the bundles on the tables in the centre of the room and saw that they were virtually identical in size.

As UKIP successfully called for a recount, Mr Nuttall declared that the margin between the two parties was 620 votes. He turned out to be almost spot on.

Last week, I went to Clacton on the day Prime Minister David Cameron paid a brief visit and inspected the sea defences being built to protect the coastline against storm damage.

Video: Ed Miliband's Highs And Lows

But in a seaside constituency with an elderly electorate, the UKIP storm was always going to blow the Tories away.

Interviewed by Anna Botting on Sky News after his victory, Mr Carswell was gracious enough to admit that Heywood and Middleton was the more significant result.

After Clacton, though, the second UKIP defector, Mark Reckless, looks well placed to hold his Rochester and Strood seat in his by-election.

Video: Interview: Labour MP

But Mr Cameron's Tory conference gag: "Go to bed with Nigel Farage and wake up with Ed Miliband", looks mistaken now.

That's because these two by-elections, held on the Prime Minister's birthday, have shown that UKIP is capable of damaging Labour as well as the Conservatives.

The lesson for Labour is that just talking about the NHS, as its Heywood and Middleton candidate Liz McInnes did, isn't enough. Voters want to hear about the economy and immigration too.

Video: Interview: Nigel Farage MEP

The lesson for the Conservatives is that trying to out-UKIP UKIP doesn't do any good. Why vote for a party copying UKIP policies when you can vote for the real thing?

The beer and Guinness enjoyed by Mr Farage and Mr Nuttall will certainly taste better than ever now.

But Mr Cameron and Mr Miliband will need a stiff drink after these two results. And their by-election hangover will last seven months, all the way to the General Election in May 2015.

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Airstrikes Missing IS Front Line, Say Fighters

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent

We met Abu Ibrahim, a Free Syrian Army (FSA) Commander, and his two friends in a coffee shop in Urfa, Southern Turkey.

They had just returned from the Syrian border town of Kobane, where he told us the FSA had joined forces with Kurdish militias to fight the group calling themselves Islamic State (IS).

It was an uneasy alliance with the Kurds, Abu Ibrahim told us, but they had little choice - they had to unite against their common enemy and help defend the town.

Abu Ibrahim says he left Kobane to help carry injured fighters to hospitals in Turkey.

He and his two friends - an activist and a fighter - say they plan to smuggle back in to Kobane imminently.

Video: Airstrikes Target IS In Border Town

They are all originally from Eastern Syria but were forced out of their towns by IS militants. 

They made it to Kobane a few weeks ago but admit they are now running out of ammunition.

"Turkey needs to open the border for us to get ammunition, because now we are trapped between Turkey and IS.

"I was smuggled into Turkey illegally and I will go back the same way."

He continued: "If things stay the same way, frankly we'll have no other option but to fight with knives.

"There's no way to bring in weapons ... we would rather die than leave our land."

Abu Ibrahim also says IS has around 5,000 fighters in Kobane right now and admits his forces and the Kurds are less than half of that.

Abu El Majed has been fighting in Kobane against IS for months and says they are not only outnumbered but also outgunned.

"We have RPGs, machine guns, light weapons like Kalishnikovs ... and that's what we're using against IS who have tanks, canons, heavy weapons," he explained.

For the past few days, US- led airstrikes have focused on hitting the outskirts of Kobane, but the fighters say the strikes are having almost no effect because they're not targeting the IS front line.

Video: First RAF Airstrikes Against IS

Abu Jarrah is an FSA activist who says he watched the coalition strikes from a hilltop.

"I could see IS positions clearly, they had their flags raised, they weren't hiding.

"But the jets would hit a kilometre or two away from the target," he told us, throwing his hands up in disbelief

For these men and thousands like them from the FSA, Kobane is the last hope. 

They've been driven out of towns from Eastern Syria all the way to the Turkish border.

If they lose this battle with IS, they'll have nowhere else to go.

"I'm prepared to fight until the last drop of my blood. I know if I am killed in Kobane, that's it. I can't live in Turkey. So we will fight with everything we have," said Abu Majed.

But that may not be enough. 

US and Arab air power in Syria is not stopping the advance of the militants, while those fighting IS on the ground are being defeated and slowly driven out of their own country.  

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