Palace Denies Prince Andrew Sex Claims

Buckingham Palace has issued a strongly worded denial of allegations that Prince Andrew was involved in "impropriety with underage minors".

The statement was released after the Duke of York was named in a US lawsuit.

The woman who has made the allegations claims the disgraced US banker Jeffrey Epstein loaned her out to his friends, including Prince Andrew.

Papers filed by her lawyers say she was held as a "sex slave" by Epstein from 1999 through 2002 after he "became enamoured" with her.

In the motion filed in a court in Florida, she claims she was "forced to have sexual relations with this prince when she was a minor" in London, New York and on a private Caribbean island. She is believed to have been 17 at the time - underage according to US law.

The document continues: "Epstein instructed Jane Doe #3 that she was to give the Prince whatever he demanded and required Jane Doe #3 to report back to him on the details of the sexual abuse."

Epstein spent 13 months in jail after admitting sex with a 14-year-old

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous and is referred to as Jane Doe 3 in documents, says Epstein, who has been jailed for having sex with a 14-year-old, forced her to have sexual encounters against her will between 1999 and 2002.

In the papers, she claims she was effectively recruited for Epstein's use by Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of the late media tycoon Robert Maxwell, when she was 15 years old.

And it is claimed in the court document that Ms Maxwell "was one of the main women whom Epstein used to procure under-aged girls for sexual activities".

The document also claims Epstein's "purposes in 'lending' Jane Doe to such powerful people were to ingratiate himself with them for business, personal, political and financial gain, as well as to obtain potential blackmail information".

Buckingham Palace said: "This relates to long-standing and ongoing civil proceedings in the United States, to which the Duke of York is not a party. As such we would not comment in detail. However, for the avoidance of doubt, any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue."

Prince Andrew's friendship with Epstein is well-documented and in an interview in 2011 he denied any sexual contact with any of the young women connected to the multi-millionaire banker.

The Prince visited Epstein in New York in 2010 after he was released

Sky News Correspondent Rhiannon Mills said: "It's important to point out that we have in the past seen Prince Andrew criticised for spending time with Epstein, including in December 2010 after he was released from prison."

Epstein was jailed in 2008 and spent 13 months in jail after admitting to having sex with a 14-year-old.

He had been investigated for paying underage girls to have sex with him at his luxury Palm Beach home - and 40 women had come forward as victims.

However, he cut a deal with federal prosecutors and the charges were not progressed.

Two of his victims have now brought a case against the prosecutors claiming their rights were violated because they were not consulted on the secret deal.

Jane Doe 3 has applied to the court to be included in the lawsuit against the federal prosecutor and it is in the legal document to join the case that she makes the allegations against the Duke of York.

Sky News has attempted to reach Ms Maxwell for a response to the latest allegations.

When claims about the nature of her relationship with Epstein were reported in 2011, her lawyers issued a statement describing them as "entirely false".

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'Big Objects Found' In AirAsia Plane Search

Two "large objects" have been spotted in the Java Sea around 90ft (30m) underwater, says the man leading the hunt for the AirAsia plane that crashed six days ago.

Fransiskus Bambang Soelistyo, chief of Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency, told reporters: "I'm confident this is part of the AirAsia plane."

He said the agency was trying to get images of the objects for confirmation using remotely operated underwater vehicles, but high waves and strong currents were hampering efforts.

One of the objects measured at 31ft by 15ft (9.4m by 4.8m), Mr Soelistyo said. The second, found nearby, was 24ft (7.2m) by 20ins (0.5m).

Flight QZ8501 disappeared from radar screens over the Java Sea while en route from Indonesia's second-biggest city Surabaya to Singapore with 162 people on board.

Video: AirAsia - First Bodies Recovered

So far, the bodies of 30 victims have been recovered from the sea. No survivors have been found.

Some of the bodies were discovered still strapped into their aircraft seats, officials involved in the search said.

Among the victims recovered were two children, according to reports. Only four have been identified and their bodies returned to their families.

There are now 65 ships, 14 planes and 19 helicopters involved in the search and rescue mission.

The Singaporean defence minister Ng Eng Hen posted pictures of window panels recovered from the sea on his Facebook page on Friday morning.

He wrote: "RSS Supreme recovered a piece of an aircraft this morning, likely to be a window panel. They have informed the Indonesian search authorities and will be handing over the item."

Sonar equipment and metal detectors are being used to try to discover the black box, which will help investigators establish what caused the plane to smash into the sea.

Video: Tuesday's Search For AirAsia Jet

Bad weather is known to have contributed to the disaster, which came half way through the short haul flight.

The pilot had asked air traffic control for permission to climb the Airbus A320 to a higher altitude to avoid storm clouds but heavy air traffic meant this request was denied.

The black box data recorder contains crucial information such as engine temperature, vertical and horizontal speed.

The search team is also hunting for the voice recorder, which will have captured conversations between the pilot and others in the cockpit.

Mr Soelistyo estimated the fuselage would be lying at a depth of between 80ft-100ft (25m and 30m)

The victims identified and returned to their families are Hayati Lutfiah Hamid, flight attendant Khairunisa Haidar Fauzi and passengers Kevin Alexander Soetjipto and Grayson Herbert Linaksita.

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35 Killed In New Year's Stampede In China

Thirty-five people have been killed in a stampede at a New Year's event in Shanghai, city officials have said.

A statement from the Shanghai government confirmed another 43 people were injured in the chaos.

The stampede happened at the city's riverfront Bund area, which is usually jammed with spectators for major events, at 11.35pm (local time), according to the Xinhua news agency.

Victims' families clash with security personnel at a Shanghai hospital

Photographs on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, show one person doing chest compressions on a shirtless individual, while other people lay on the ground nearby.

Another image shows the area ringed by police.

It was not immediately clear what triggered the stampede, but state media and a witness said the incident was caused when people tried picking up fake money thrown from a building.

A man who brought one of the injured to a local hospital for treatment said fake money had been thrown down from a bar above the street as part of a New Year's celebration.

People rushed to pick up the money, triggering the stampede, said the man, who declined to be identified.

Angry family members clashed with security guards at a hospital where some of the victims were taken.

Authorities had shown some concern about crowd control in the days leading up to New Year's Eve.

They had cancelled an annual 3D laser show on the Bund that last year attracted around 300,000 people.

The historic riverfront strip runs along an area of narrow streets surrounded by restored old buildings, shops and tourist attractions.

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Millions Across UK Welcome 2015 With A Bang

Millions of people around the UK have celebrated the arrival of 2015, including with spectacular fireworks displays in London and Edinburgh.

In the capital, hundreds of thousands of people lined the River Thames for an 11-minute display timed to the midnight bongs of Big Ben.

The show featured a commemoration of the WW1 centenary, with bursts of red fireworks representing poppies and the world's highest ever New Year countdown beamed from the 87-storey Shard.

Tickets were introduced for the first time for the event on the South Bank, with numbers kept to 100,000.

Revellers enjoy New Year's celebrations in central London

They were first made available to the public in September, with a staggered release to ensure multiple opportunities to secure a place on the night.

The scheme was brought in following consultation with the Metropolitan Police, emergency services, and local authorities, to help manage crowd numbers which have been growing each year - with 500,000 flooding the streets last year.

Video: Edinburgh Fireworks

London mayor Boris Johnson said on Twitter: "London's dazzling fireworks were a wonderful way to welcome in the new year. Thanks to all who made it such a safe & fun event."

Emergency services braced themselves for a busy night, with London Ambulance Service expecting up to 600 calls an hour, operations director Jason Killens said on Twitter.

He said: "Over 100 emergency calls in the first 15 minutes since midnight - its getting busy this London NYE."

Scotland Yard said officers had made 54 arrests by around 2am, with the majority for alcohol-related offences, while Greater Manchester Police said nine people had been arrested at the city's main New Year event.

Video: Celebrating 2015 With A Bang

Up to 75,000 revellers packed into Edinburgh's streets for Hogmanay, one of Europe's biggest New Year's celebrations.

Lily Allen was the headline act at the Concert In The Gardens, with Soul II Soul and Twin Atlantic among acts performing on five live stages throughout the city.

Wilson Peery, 33, from Oregon, USA, travelled to Scotland especially to attend Edinburgh's street party.

He said: "I came here in 2008 and made a split second decision to come back this year with a group of friends. We all just decided to come.

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1. Gallery: New Year Celebrations Across UK

   Fireworks explode around the London Eye on the South Bank as 2015 is ushered in

This year was the first time the fireworks show on the South Bank was ticketed, with 100,000 tickets sold

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Search Officials: 'Debris Is Missing Plane'

Items resembling a plane door and an emergency slide found in the search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 are probably from the missing plane, officials have said.

At least 10 large objects have been found in the Java Sea, around six miles from where the plane lost contact with air traffic control, the Indonesian air force said in a statement.

Djoko Murjatmodjo, Indonesia's director general of air transportation, said: "For the time being it can be confirmed that it's the AirAsia plane and the transport minister will depart soon to Pangkalan Bun."

Yusuf Latif, spokesman for Indonesia National Search and Rescue, said an Indonesian military aircraft saw white, red and black objects, including what appears to be a life jacket, off the coast, about 105 miles (170 km) south of Pangkalan Bun.

The agency has sent at least one helicopter to pick up at least 10 pieces of debris which will be taken to the search and rescue co-ordination post on Belitung Island.

Video: Air Asia Plane Crashed Off Coast

"This is the most significant finding, but we cannot confirm anything until the investigation is completed," said Mr Latif.

On Tuesday, the search for the lost aircraft was expanded off the coast of Indonesia, with the US deploying a warship to assist the operation.

It has been more than 36 hours since the aircraft, with 162 passengers on board, communicated with air traffic control over the Java Sea - and officials fear the jet has crashed into shallow waters.

Hull-born businessman Chi Man Choi and his two-year-old daughter Zoe are among the missing.

Some 30 ships and 21 aircraft from South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and Indonesia are scouring 10,000 nautical miles in hope of tracking down the Airbus A320.

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1. Gallery: The Search For Missing AirAsia Plane

   Indonesian air force CN295 crew members look from plane windows during a search and rescue operation for missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 over waters near Pangkalan, Central Kalimantan

This aerial view taken from an Indonesian search and rescue aircraft over the Java Sea shows floating debris spotted in the same area as other items being investigated by Indonesian authorities

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Patient Assessed For Ebola Symptoms In Truro

A patient is being assessed for possible symptoms of Ebola at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.

The person is being kept in isolation and the result will be known in around 24 hours.

The patient had recently been in a high-risk Ebola area, although the exact location has not been revealed.

The tests are thought to be precautionary - more than 100 patients have tested negative in similar circumstances over the last few months.

Symptoms of Ebola are very similar to other tropical diseases, such as malaria. 

It comes as the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the UK - a Scottish nurse - is transferred to London for specialist medical care.

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Flight QZ8501: The Search Operation Explained

The disappearance of Flight QZ8501 has sparked a major search and rescue operation, with Indonesian authorities resuming their spotter flights after earlier bouts of bad weather.

Five planes, three helicopters, 12 navy ships and several warships have been deployed so far, and are currently searching the waters surrounding Belitung island in Indonesia, where the AirAsia passenger plane last made contact.

Other countries have also offered their resources to help recover the jet. Singapore has sent three naval vessels to scour the Java Sea, in addition to a C-130 Hercules plane.

:: Follow live updates with Sky News here

An Orion surveillance plane from the Royal Australian Air Force has also left Darwin to join the search effort. Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott pledged his country would do "whatever we humanly can to assist".

Video: Search Teams Prepare To Deploy

The US and India have also expressed a willingness to help, along with officials from Britain and South Korea - two countries which have nationals on board the missing plane.

Any investigation into the disappearance of the AirAsia plane will focus on the aircraft's black box, which has a homing beacon that helps search teams find the jet.

Cockpit voice recorders and flight data will also provide clues about what happened after the flight lost contact with air traffic control just 42 minutes into the journey.

Although the plane was bound for Singapore, Flight QZ8501's last-known location was in Indonesian territory, prompting transport officials to confirm they would lead the investigation.

Stressing it has the expertise to develop an effective search strategy, a spokesman for the Indonesian Transport Ministry said: "Our primary task is to find the plane. We are cooperating with every possible department and relevant countries."

Video: What We Know So Far

AirAsia's chief executive, Tony Fernandes, added: "We don't want to speculate. By now, of course, the plane has been missing for more than 12 hours and there is a deep sense of depression here.

"But we stay strong and our first priority now is to look after the families and do whatever we can."

The search effort has drawn comparisons to that of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which has not been found since it went missing in March.

There were 239 passengers and crew on board the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, and it is feared that the plane crashed in the remote Indian Ocean, far off the west coast of Australia.

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Objects Spotted In Sea In Missing Plane Search

An Australian plane has spotted objects in the sea during the hunt for the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501, officials have said.

Indonesian officials said the search team had made the discovery while searching for the jet which stopped communicating with air traffic control over the Java Sea in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Earlier, the chief of Indonesia's search effort said  that the missing AirAsia passenger plane "is likely at the bottom of the sea".

Bambang Soelistyo added that an initial investigation into the disappearance had revealed that the "estimated crash position is in the sea".

More than a dozen ships have been sent to the area to try to find the aircraft.

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