Abu Qatada Arrested For 'Breaching Bail'

Abu Qatada has been arrested for allegedly breaching his bail conditions, days ahead of a new Government attempt to have him deported.

The radical cleric, who has been convicted of terror charges in Jordan, was arrested by UK Border Agency officials on Friday following raids by the Metropolitan Police Service Counter Terrorism unit.

Searches at two residential homes and a business in northwest and west London began on Thursday, while a search on a third property in northwest London is ongoing, Scotland Yard said.

The searches were carried out in connection with ongoing inquiries by the Counter Terrorism Command, a spokesman for Scotland Yard said.

However, no arrests have been made in connection with the police investigation, he added.

The Home Office said: "The UK Border Agency arrested a 52-year-old man from north London for alleged breaches of his bail conditions imposed by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC)."

He added that the breach will be considered by SIAC at the earliest opportunity.

Qatada was reportedly arrested by officials outside his family home in London.

The Sun newspaper showed pictures of him being escorted out of his house with his hands hidden under a jacket.

Qatada is due to appear at the Court of Appeal on Monday for Home Secretary Theresa May's attempt to overturn a judge's decision to allow him to stay in the UK.

Ms May will challenge the decision in front of three Court of Appeal judges led by Lord Dyson, the Master of the Rolls.

Once described by a Spanish judge as "Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe", Qatada has used human rights laws to fight deportation for more than a decade.

SIAC decided last November that Qatada could not lawfully be deported to Jordan, where he was convicted of terror charges in his absence in 1999.

SIAC judges ruled there was a danger that evidence from Qatada's former co-defendants Abu Hawsher and Al Hamasher, said to have been obtained by torture, could be used against him in a retrial in Jordan.

He was granted bail following the ruling by three SIAC judges and released from Long Lartin prison in November last year, returning to his home.

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Falklands: Sky Poll Reveals Nations Divided

By Ian Woods, Senior Correspondent, on the Falkland Islands

Only 15% of Argentinians think Falkland Islanders should have a say in their own future, and a quarter still believe that the islands will one day be governed from Buenos Aires.

Those answers, in an opinion poll conducted by YouGov for Sky News come on the eve of a referendum in which Falklanders will be asked whether they want to remain British.

It is expected to result in an overwhelming Yes vote, but the islanders' enthusiasm for Britain doesn't seem to be reciprocated in the UK.

When asked what was the most important international issue affecting their country, only 1% of British respondents said the Falklands, while the figure was 24% in Argentina - just ahead of those worried about the economy.

Ballot boxes are prepared for Sunday's referendum

There was an even bigger divergence of opinion between the two countries over the rights of the people on the islands to have a say in their future. Nearly nine out of 10 (88%) British people who were surveyed thought the islanders should have a say on who ruled them, while six out of 10 (59%) Argentinians thought they should have no say on sovereignty.

Jan Cheek, one of the eight members of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly, told Sky News: "Sadly that says a lot about Argentina and their view of democracy. It's a populist theme. We saw it used by the military junta in '82 and it's being used in the same way by Christina Fernandez de Kirchner today."

The Argentine President has tried to buttonhole David Cameron on the issue and has raised it at the United Nations.

"We've seen a lot of propaganda going out from Argentina. Some of it entirely false, some of it a distortion of the facts," said Ms Cheek. "We would like people to recognise that we have the right to self-determination and we hope that democratic countries would wish to afford us the same right."

The Union Flag bunting is going up

It'll arguably be the most significant moment in the history of the Falkland Islands since British forces liberated them 10 weeks after they were seized by an Argentinian invasion force in 1982.

The result is not in doubt, only the precise number voting yes. And those who've organised the referendum acknowledge that they need a high turnout to send a clear message.

Dick Sawle, another member of the Legislative Assembly, said: "I think if we got 100%, people would think it was rigged. I think we will get a very high percentage, in the nineties, voting for yes."

There may be a few No votes, because while nobody is thought to favour Argentinian rule, there are a few who would prefer complete independence from Britain.

"One or two people might think that No means that they could have independence immediately," said Mr Sawle. "I don't think this country is ready for independence yet, I think we have a long way to go in terms of government structure, in terms of responsibility for elected members and so on. We're too small."

Liam Felton-Short is a typical voter. "I'm British. I'm a sixth generation Falklander," he said. "We are a British people. We're very much proud to be so."

The referendum result is a foregone conclusion

Sybie Summers owns a gift shop in Stanley and is angry about the detrimental effect the Argentinian government has had on her business which relies on tourism.

It's been a slow year because some cruise ships stayed away under pressure from Buenos Aires. They were told they would not be allowed to sail in Argentinean waters if they sailed into Stanley.

"It annoys me to think what they're trying to do to our islands," said Ms Summers. "They're trying to cut us off. And hopefully the rest of the world will realise that they just can't do that."

The anti-Falklands policy has become more inventive in recent years, with adverts being placed in British newspapers, and a video secretly shot in Stanley showing one of their Olympic athletes preparing for the London games by training on what the video said was Argentinian soil.

What angered islanders most was that the video showed deserted streets as if the people didn't exist.

They hope that the referendum will give them a voice which the world can't ignore, even if Argentina continues to deny their right to self-determination.

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Bin Laden Spokesman Abu Ghaith Due In Court

By Sky News US Team, in New York

Osama bin Laden's former spokesman and son-in-law has been captured and charged with conspiring to kill Americans and is hours away from appearing at a court in New York.

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith was captured in Jordan in the past few days and flown to the US by intelligence officials.

He is expected to appear for an initial hearing at a federal court later.

The case marks a legal victory for the Obama administration, which has long sought to charge senior al Qaeda suspects in American federal courts rather than military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Earlier on Thursday US Congressman Peter King credited the CIA and FBI with catching Ghaith within the past week.

Ghaith was handed over to US law enforcement officials under an extradition treaty.

Mr King, a Republican, said Ghaith took part in the September 11, 2001, plot against the World Trade Centre and Pentagon.

He said: "Definitely, one by one, we are getting the top echelons of al Qaeda. I give the (Obama) administration credit for this: it's steady and it's unrelenting and it's very successful."

Ghaith became an international name in late 2001 when he appeared on pan-Arab satellite television urging Muslims everywhere to fight the US and warning of more major attacks.

In one video, he was sitting with Bin Laden in Afghanistan. A teacher and mosque preacher in Kuwait, he was stripped of his Kuwaiti citizenship after 9/11.

Ghaith's trial will mark one of the first prosecutions of senior al Qaeda leaders on US soil.

Charging foreign terror suspects in American federal courts was a top pledge by President Barack Obama shortly after he took office in 2009 - aimed, in part, to close the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay.

Since September 11, 67 foreign terror suspects have been convicted in US federal courts, according to watchdog group Human Rights First, which obtained the data from the Justice Department through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Republicans in Congress have staunchly opposed bringing terror suspects to the US and fought the White House to keep Guantanamo open.

The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported that Ghaith was passing through Jordan, on his way to Kuwait, shortly after leaving Turkey.

The newspaper said that Ghaith was taken into custody more than a month ago at a luxury hotel in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

But Turkish officials decided he had not committed any crime in Turkey and released him, the newspaper reported.

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North Korea Leader Ready For 'All-Out War'

Quirky Kim Unnerving For West

Updated: 7:20am UK, Friday 08 March 2013

By Mark Stone, Asia correspondent

The language emerging from the North Korean government is alarming; there's no doubt about that.

"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) will make a strike of justice at any target, anytime as it pleases without limit.

"(We) have everything - including lighter and smaller nukes.

"The US imperialists and their allies should not forget even for a moment that they are standing at the crossroads of their life and death.

"(We) will exercise our right to a pre-emptive nuclear attack to destroy the strongholds of the aggressor.

"The world will see what tragic end awaits for the US imperialists … we can leave Washington engulfed in a sea of fire."

It's chilling stuff, if you take it seriously. And the problem is, Western governments are not entirely sure how to read it.

Is it just more rhetorical bluster albeit at a slightly higher level? Or is there a genuine threat?

In Washington last night President Obama's spokesman was asked how he could reassure Americans that North Korea won't drop a nuclear missile on American soil.

"I can tell you that the United States is fully capable of defending against any North Korean ballistic missile attack," Jay Carney said.

Reassuring. We hope.

The world seems to be agreed on one thing. Kim Jong-Un does not have the technological ability to create a nuclear armed ballistic missile. Yet.

His army does have hundreds of Nodong missiles that could reach American bases in Japan and South Korea. So a regional attack is entirely possible.

And here's the broader worry. The December rocket launch - under the pretext of putting a satellite into orbit - surprised the world. No one expected North Korea to manage it. It did.

The underground nuclear detonation last month was also more sophisticated than the previous two; the device used was smaller and yet more powerful.

North Korea wants to combine those two technologies - rockets and nuclear devices. If it can create a nuclear device small enough to put in the tip of a rocket then they have a missile and the world has a problem.

Just last week Mr Kim, who is only 28 years old, was hosting, joking and laughing with US basketball star Dennis Rodman. The two were apparently "getting wasted" together.

A week on and we're talking about that same man wanting to destroy the United States.

That just about sums up the nature of this problem. Mr Kim is quirky and unpredictable. And that is extremely unnerving.

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Lion Kills Keeper At California Cat Sanctuary

A lion has killed a volunteer at a big cat sanctuary in California after the worker climbed into the animal's cage.

The 26-year-old woman was attacked inside an enclosure at Cat Haven in Dunlap by an African lion which had been raised at the park since it was a cub.

Another park worker tried unsuccessfully to lure the lion - a four-year-old male named Couscous - into a separate pen.

The animal was shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy, California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Lt Tony Spada said.

Dale Anderson, who has run the zoo since 1993, cried as he read a short statement about the intern's death, extending his thoughts and prayers to the victim's family and friends.

Investigators are now trying to find out why the woman was inside the enclosure and what might have provoked the attack.

Nicole Paquette, vice president of the Humane Society of the United States, an animal welfare charity, said: "She should have never been in the enclosure with him. These are big cats that are extremely dangerous."

The sanctuary previously had a good safety record

Cat Haven, about 45 miles east of Fresno in the Sierra Nevada foothills, is a private sanctuary with two lions.

The park - which is home to about two dozen animals and has previously housed tigers, leopards and jaguars - has a good safety record, Lt Spada said.

An inspection by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in January 2011 found the sanctuary was in "good condition".

On its website, Cat Haven says it promotes conservation and preservation of wild cats in their native habitats. It offers tours and educational outreach.

Mr Anderson has described the zoo as one of only a handful of facilities in the US that has all the big cat species in one place.

Last year, another sanctuary, Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida, said that at least 21 people, including five children, have been killed and 246 mauled by exotic cats in the US since 1990.

Over that period, 254 cats escaped and 143 were killed.

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RBS Apology As Customers Hit By New IT Glitch

RBS, NatWest and Ulster Bank have apologised after many customers were unable to use their accounts online or withdraw cash for several hours.

The technical problems, which started on Wednesday evening, come less than a year after they were hit by a computer meltdown that left millions of people unable to access their money.

"We are disappointed that our customers have faced disruption to banking services for a period this evening, and apologise for that," the banks said in a message on Twitter.

The banks said their systems were back to normal around three hours after they admitted there was a problem - but not before hundreds of customers took to Twitter to voice their frustration.

Many said they had difficulties using cash machines or logging into online banking, while others complained their cards had been declined.

Steve Ireland, who lives in London, told Sky News he discovered the problem when he tried to pay with his card at a supermarket.

RBS boss Stephen Hester had to apologise for a glitch last June

"I was out shopping after a night out with my partner to celebrate a birthday," he said. "I went into a very big chain supermarket and got to the cash desk with all my shopping, only to be told the card was declined.

"It was a really bad experience and very embarrassing. You get evil looks from the cashier when you can't pay."

Stuart Keel, from Cornwall, said he tried to use a cash machine but it was not working.

"We went to the supermarket thinking we could use our cards in there, no problem," he said.

"While we were walking around I was using my NatWest (smartphone) app and it wasn't working at all."

He said his card was then declined at the checkout.

"I thought, 'There's something not right here'," he added.

In June last year, millions of people were affected when a software update failed at the banks.

Customers were unable to view up-to-date balances, while payments such as direct debits for bills were not made and some wages were not received.

Stephen Hester, the chief executive of the banks' parent company RBS Group, which is 80% state-owned, was forced to apologise for the problems at the time and £100m was put aside to compensate customers.

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Hugo Chavez Dies: Election In Four Weeks

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has died at the age of 58 after losing his battle with cancer.

Vice President Nicolas Maduro fought back tears as he announced the death in a national television broadcast.

He said Mr Chavez, who had been in power for 14 years, died at 4.25pm local time "after battling a tough illness for nearly two years".

Amid fears of unrest, Mr Maduro also said the army and police had been deployed "to accompany and protect our people and guarantee the peace".

Hundreds of Venezuelans poured into the streets of the capital Caracas, with many crying, hugging each other, or shouting slogans of support.

Clusters of women with tears streaming down their faces clung to each other and wept near the Miraflores presidential palace. Some wore T-shirts with slogans that read: "Go forward commander!"

Nearby, men pumped their arms in the air while shouting: "Long live Chavez! Long live Chavismo!"

Foreign Minister Elias Jaua declared seven days of national mourning and said a wake for Mr Chavez would be held until Friday, when his official funeral will take place.

He said Mr Maduro would take over the presidency until fresh elections can take place in around 30 days.

Emotional vice president Nicolas Maduro announced the death on national TV

Ideological allies across Latin America lined up to salute former paratrooper Mr Chavez, a standard bearer of the region's "anti-imperialist" left.

Cuba has declared three days of national mourning, with the government saying Mr Chavez had "stood by Fidel Castro like a true son".

Bolivia's socialist President Evo Morales said he was "crushed", while Argentinian Vice President Amado Boudou said "all of Latin America" was in mourning.

President Barack Obama responded by expressing hopes for improved relations with the oil-rich state, voicing American "support for the Venezuelan people and its interest in developing a constructive relationship with the Venezuelan government".

He added: "As Venezuela begins a new chapter in its history, the United States remains committed to policies that promote democratic principles, the rule of law, and respect for human rights."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was "saddened" by the death of a leader who had left a "lasting impression on the country and more widely".

Mr Chavez had been receiving cancer treatment in Cuba on and off since June 2011 - when he was first diagnosed with the illness.

Some Venezuelans in the US say they are glad the 'dictatorship' has ended

The announcement of his death came just hours after Mr Maduro announced the government had expelled two US diplomats from the country.

He had said Mr Chavez's illness had been induced by foul play by "the historical enemies of our homeland".

People have been gathering outside the military hospital where Mr Chavez died. Soldiers in riot gear stood shoulder to shoulder guarding the complex.

"I feel such big pain I can't even speak," said Yamilina Barrios, a 39-year-old office worker weeping at a street corner. "He was the best thing the country had ... I adore him. Let's hope the country calms down and we can continue the tasks he left us."

The government announced late on Monday that Mr Chavez's condition was "very delicate" due to a "new, severe" respiratory infection.

Mr Chavez had not been seen in public or heard since undergoing a fourth round of surgery in Cuba on December 11.

The government said he returned home on February 18, and had been confined to Caracas' military hospital ever since.

During his time in power, Mr Chavez routinely challenged the status quo at home and internationally.

Mr Chavez with daughters Rosa Virginia, right, and Maria

The fiery populist leader declared a socialist revolution in Venezuela, crusaded against US influence, championed a leftist revival across Latin America, and over time, gradually placed all state institutions under his personal control.

His death sets up a snap presidential election after his illness prevented him from taking the oath of office when he was re-elected last year.

Under the constitution, the head of Congress, Diosdado Cabello, would assume the interim presidency.

However, Mr Maduro is Mr Chavez's self-anointed successor and has been holding the reins since the president's health worsened.

The man Mr Chavez defeated in October's presidential elections, Miranda state Governor Henrique Capriles, is expected to represent the opposition in any new national polls.

He called for unity and offered his condolences to Mr Chavez's family and supporters.

Venezuela's defence minister pledged the military would remain loyal to the constitution in the wake of Mr Chavez's death.

Sky's Dominic Waghorn said Mr Chavez "used a mixture of brute force, persuasion, passion and charisma to keep himself in power".

"Such was the adoration and devotion that mainly the poor in Venezuela felt for him that he was seen as this almost sort of religious figure, and his loss now leaves a huge void in Venezuelan politics.

"A lot of people say he is irreplaceable."

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