US And Iran Leaders In Historic Conversation

The leaders of the US and Iran have spoken on the telephone - the first conversation between presidents of the two countries in more than 30 years.

The exchange between Barack Obama and Hassan Rouhani could reflect a major step in resolving global concerns over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme.

Mr Obama said he had a constructive conversation, adding: "While there will surely be important obstacles to moving forward and success is by no means guaranteed, I believe we can reach a comprehensive solution."

The fact it had been so long since American and Iranian presidents had spoken to each other reflected the "deep mistrust between our countries", the US leader said.

But it also indicated the opportunity for moving forward, he went on. "I do believe there is a basis for a resolution," he said.

Both leaders will now direct their teams to work quickly to find an agreement after the first direct verbal communication between the nations' presidents since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Earlier, Mr Rouhani said he hoped talks with the US and other world powers over its nuclear programme will lead to results in "a short period of time".

He said Iran would present its plan for a resolution to the nuclear issue at discussions with the six countries scheduled for Geneva on October 15 and 16.

The six are the five permanent UN Security Council members - Britain, China, France, the United States and Russia - and Germany, known as P5+1.

Iran has insisted its nuclear programme is a peaceful attempt to generate electricity but America and its allies including Israel have long demanded a halt to Tehran's uranium enrichment, fearing it could secretly build nuclear warheads.

Mr Rouhani addressed the UN General Assembly

Uranium enriched to low levels can be used as fuel for nuclear energy but at higher levels it can be used to make a nuclear weapon.

Mr Rouhani vowed his country would not build a nuclear bomb, adding his government would be transparent and had the backing of authorities at home to handle the nuclear issue.

And earlier this week, he said he would like to see a deal with world powers in three to six months.

In his latest comments, he said: "We say explicitly that we will be transparent; we say explicitly that we will not build a bomb. Through the P5+1 we want to provide even more assurances."

He added: "I think that any result this government reaches, it will have the support of other powers (power centres) in Iran. On the nuclear issue, the government has total discretion."

It comes after the highest-level talks between Iran and the US in a generation, and Mr Rouhani said the atmosphere was "quite different from the past".

Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met US Secretary of State John Kerry along with representatives from the other P5+1 powers. That was followed by a brief bilateral meeting between Mr Zarif and Mr Kerry.

The two sides said the tone was positive but they remained cautious about resolving the long-running stand-off over Tehran's nuclear programme.

John Kerry of the US meets Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif

The Iranian president, who came to power last month, said he hoped nuclear talks "will yield, in a short period of time, tangible results".

But he also slammed "illegal" sanctions crippling his country's economy, saying they were just a means by some nations to pursue a "short-sighted" foreign policy.

Mr Rouhani and Mr Zarif, both in New York this week to attend the UN General Assembly, have said they are eager to clinch an agreement quickly that could bring relief from sanctions.

The sanctions have slashed Iran's vital oil exports by more than half, restricted its international bank transfers, devalued its currency and sent inflation surging.

On Friday in separate talks, Iran and the UN nuclear agency IAEA held "constructive" discussions and made plans to meet again on October 28, adding to momentum for a negotiated end to the nuclear standoff.

The talks would be nearly two weeks after the P5+1 discussions, as European Union foreign policy chief Baroness Ashton called it an "ambitious timetable" to address Western concerns.

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Syria Chemical Weapons: UN Resolution Passed

A "historic" resolution to destroy Syria's chemical weapons has been passed unanimously by the United Nations Security Council.

All 15 members of the council voted in favour of the resolution, which was widely seen as a compromise between the US and Syria's key ally, Russia.

The vote after two weeks of intense negotiations marks a major breakthrough following two and a half years of paralysis that has gripped the council since the Syrian uprising began.

More than 100,000 Syrians have been killed during that time while millions have been displaced.

Russia's Sergei Lavrov votes in favour of the resolution

Russia and China previously vetoed three Western-backed resolutions pressuring President Bashar Assad's regime to end the violence.

Speaking immediately after the vote, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the council: "Today's historic resolution is the first hopeful news on Syria in a long time."

Foreign Secretary William Hague described the development as "ground-breaking".

"The failure of the council to tackle the crimes committed on a daily basis has resulted in a culture of impunity in which a brutal regime believed it could get away with murdering its own men, women and children," he said.

"So it is vital that the council now builds on the consensus we have reached today to make progress today towards a sustainable resolution of the crisis.

UN chemical weapons experts carried out inspections in Syria

"With renewed purpose and resolve, we need to achieve a political transition."

US Secretary of State John Kerry said the "strong, enforceable, precedent-setting" resolution showed diplomacy can be so powerful "that it can peacefully defuse the worst weapons of war."

He said the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile would begin in November and be completed by the middle of next year.

For the first time, the council endorsed the roadmap for a political transition in Syria adopted by key nations in June 2012 and called for an international conference to be convened "as soon as possible" to implement it.

Mr Ban said the target date for a new peace conference in Geneva was mid-November.

The resolution calls for consequences if Syria fails to comply, but those will depend on the council passing another resolution in the event of non-compliance.

That will give Assad ally Russia the means to stop any punishment from being imposed.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that the resolution does not automatically impose sanctions on Syria.

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Syria Chemical Weapons: UN Resolution Agreed

A draft resolution to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons arsenal has been agreed by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Britain's UN ambassador Mark Lyall Grant revealed the UK, France, the US, Russia and China had agreed on a "binding and enforceable draft ... resolution".

The US and Russia had been at odds on how to enforce the resolution and a senior American official described the deal as "historic".

It is understood the text contains no mention of military intervention and Mr Lyall said compromise was crucial.

"The United Kingdom would've liked a direct reference to the international criminal court," he said.

"We would've liked much stronger language on the abuse of human rights, human rights violations by the regime but what this resolution does do is for the first time for many months it brings together in a strong message of unity of the Security Council and for that it was worth making some compromises."

Mr Assad said Syria was prepared for a US attack irrespective of a deal

The agreement by the permanent members, whose differences have prevented action on Syria, represents a major breakthrough in addressing a conflict that began two and a half years ago and has killed more than 100,000 people.

The text of the draft resolution was due to be presented to the 10 other members of the Security Council at a meeting on Thursday night - with a vote expected on Friday.

A senior US official said: "This is a breakthrough arrived at through hard-fought diplomacy.

"This is historic and unprecedented because it puts oversight of the Assad regime's compliance under international control."

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed the accord without giving details of the text.

"We reached an understanding with the United States on a draft resolution," he said.

Meanwhile, Syria's President Bashar al Assad said in an interview with Venezuelan TV that the US may still attack despite an agreement on chemical weapons.

"Maybe we should put that possibility into consideration, in every place of the world (meaning of an outside military attack)," he said.

"We ask ourselves whether there is a possibility of an attack. There may not be one at the moment, but no one knows for sure when that possibility could become a reality. There will always be that possibility and we should not discard it."

The flurry of diplomatic activity is in response to a poison gas attack on August 21 that killed hundreds of civilians in a Damascus suburb, and President Barack Obama's threat of US strikes in retaliation.

US Secretary of State John Kerry subsequently said Mr Assad could avert US military action by turning over "every single bit of his chemical weapons" to international control within a week.

Russia, Syria's most important ally, agreed and Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov signed an agreement in Geneva on September 13.

Mr Assad's government quickly accepted the broad proposal, but there have been tough negotiations on how its stockpile will be destroyed.

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Global Warming '95% Certain', Say Scientists

By Thomas Moore, Science Correspondent

Climate scientists will today attempt to shore up flagging public confidence in measures to control greenhouse gases with a crucial assessment of global warming.

The International Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) is expected to warn that it is now 95% certain that global temperatures are rising and that human activity is to blame.

It says carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere will rise to double pre-industrial concentrations by the middle of this century, and that will result in a global temperature rise of between 1.5C (34.7F) and 4.5C (40.1F).

The report claims human activity is accelerating climate change

The report is a comprehensive analysis for policymakers, written and reviewed by some 900 scientists who looked at more than 9,000 studies on climate change. 

Dr Richard Allan, a climate scientist at Reading University who contributed to the report, told Sky News that unless there is action to curb carbon emissions, they would cause serious changes to the planet's climate

"It would mean an increase in the frequency of hot extremes," he said.

"In 2003, there were extreme temperatures and a lot of people died in France. We can expect a lot more of these events because of warming.

"We can also expect marked changes in rainfall patterns, with impacts on agriculture."

The report authors insist the planet is at risk of rising sea levels

The IPCC is under pressure from governments to explain why the rise in global surface temperatures has stalled over the last 15 years.

Sceptics argue it is evidence computer models of the climate are wrong.

But scientists counter that the planet warms in fits and starts. They point to evidence that an upwelling of cold water in the Pacific Ocean has absorbed heat from the atmosphere - but that is only temporary.

While scientists are increasingly confident in the evidence, some polls suggest the public is becoming less certain.

According to YouGov, the proportion of people who believe human activity is making the world warmer has fallen from 55% in 2008 to 39% in 2013.

Sceptics argue trends prove there is no evidence of global warming

Over the same period there was a sharp rise in people who believe there has been no global warming - up from 7% to 28%. 

Professor Chris Rapley, climate scientist at University College London, said the evidence is clear. Although the climate has always varied, human activity is accelerating the changes.

"This is unwelcome news so people want to shoot the messenger," he said.

"What people tend to do is look at some little piece of the jigsaw and say 'look this demonstrates that it's not real or it's not happening' and then they feel better because they don't have to worry about it.

"But the whole exercise that the IPCC is going through is to look at the whole picture and see the general patterns that emerge. It's the pattern in the reduction of snow and ice and increasing temperature that says there is something odd going on here."

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OFT: Children Pressured To Buy Online Games

Warning Over Smartphone Kids' Apps

Updated: 5:56am UK, Thursday 26 September 2013

By Niall Paterson, Media Correspondent

I've always tended to view video-gaming as something of a solitary pursuit, or at the very least one enjoyed with friends in my bedroom, out of sight of Mum and Dad.

This wasn't always necessarily to do with the violent or graphic content of the titles my parents unwittingly purchased - although if they'd seen the brutality of Speedball 2, the adult content of Leisure Suit Larry, or even the hundreds of mammals sacrificed as I attempted (in vain) to complete Lemmings, I imagine I'd have been shoved outside and back on the Space Hopper quicker than I could say "carpal tunnel syndrome". 

But at least the financial costs of my sweaty-palmed play were limited to the cost of the game itself (and, perhaps, the occasional copy of Computer & Video Games magazine).

Not so nowadays.

The Office of Fair Trading's investigation into in-game purchases of bolt-ons and bonus items makes for distressing reading if you've ever handed your iPad to an ankle-biter.

In essence, it concludes children are being encouraged or even made to feel pressurised into paying over and above the cost of the app, even in games which are specifically targeted at kids.

It also finds a blurring of the distinction between real-world and in-game currency; and unfair and aggressive commercial practices "to which children may be particularly susceptible".

There's also prima facie evidence consumer protection laws may already have been broken.

The industry will now mull over the OFT's eight key recommendations. But I imagine some will choose to resist.

After all, given the profusion of free apps and games, many people are increasingly unwilling to pay even a quid for what might, ultimately, only prove to be a couple hours of entertainment.

So, understandably, developers are seeking other revenue streams - and some will argue that encouraging kids to ask their parents for an in-game item is no different to the advertising campaigns that turn kids into pester-factories every Christmas.

And what of the parents in all of this? Isn't this just more evidence that mum and dad need to be a little more aware of what their kids are up to online?

There's a degree of validity in that argument, as there is when the case is made that parents need to educate their kids a lot better about when and where not to click.

But I know as well as any 1980s gamer that they can't always know what we're up to; nor are most sufficiently tech-savvy to educate their kids about the dangers, fiscal or otherwise, of life online.

But let's be clear - those behind these titles are savvy enough for all of us.

And, although not literally coin-operated, clearly many developers are so cash-motivated that they've chosen to turn a blind eye to the dangers of in-game purchasing.

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Kenya Survivor 'Smeared Herself In Blood'

A survivor of the Nairobi mall attacks has described how she smeared herself with a victim's blood to play dead and fool the terrorists.

Radio presenter Sneha Kothari Mashru said a teenage boy lying next to her died of his wounds as they hid from the gunmen at the Westgate shopping centre in the Kenyan capital.

"I realised he was shot, because he was bleeding," she said.

"So I pulled out (his) phone slowly and I tried to switch it off, it was all full of blood, and I tried to switch off the phone so that it could stop ringing (in case it alerted the attackers).

"So I took a lot of his blood, (as) much (as) I could and I tried to put it on myself. I put it on my arm, a lot of the teenager's blood, and while I was trying to put it on my hand I just realised that he had stopped breathing at that time.

"So I put it on my arm, as much as I could, and I covered my face with my hair, because my hair was let loose even then, just to pretend that I'm dead or probably badly injured.

"I would still love to know who he is and everything, because his blood probably protected me from getting probably more injured or attacked."

Meanwhile, terror group al Shabaab has claimed its militants carried out a "meticulous vetting process" to separate Muslims from non-Muslims before killing dozens of men, women and children in the mall.

Witnesses had described how the gunmen rounded up those inside centre before asking them questions about Islam.

The attackers then allowed those they deemed to be Muslims to leave the shopping complex.

In an email exchange with the Associated Press, the al Qaeda-affiliated terror group confirmed its fighters specifically targeted foreigners during the attack.

"The Mujahideen carried out a meticulous vetting process at the mall and have taken every possible precaution to separate the Muslims from the Kuffar (disbelievers) before carrying out their attack," the group said.

It added: "Our targets have always been disbelievers, invaders and the apostate governments officials/troops who are allied with them."

Miraculous tales of survival have emerged since the attack

The number killed in the attack is expected to rise from the current figure of 67, with speculation there could be additions to the six British dead.

Five terrorists were also killed in the four-day siege at the shopping centre, while 10 suspects remain in custody in relation to the incident.

Former prime minister Tony Blair told Sky News that terrorists are a "cancer" who will only be defeated by better education.

Speaking outside the United Nations headquarters in New York, the current envoy to the Middle East said Islamist ideology had created an enemy that was "insidious and venomous, but also difficult to beat".

"Unless we are educating people to a tolerant and respectful and open-minded approach to the world, then this cancer of these terrorist groups will continue," he said.

Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud has warned that such attacks may become more frequent as al Shabaab tries to reassert its dwindling power base.

"Some people sometimes mix the issues that Shabaab want an Islamic state in Somalia - that's not true. Shabaab want a unified state all over the world," he told Channel 4 News.

"They do not believe in borders, they do not believe in sovereignty, so their theme is global, it's not even regional. They may do this act again and again."

Experts from countries including the UK, the US and Israel are helping Kenyan authorities with the forensic investigation at the mall. Explosives experts and sniffer dogs are searching for booby traps in the wreckage.

Newly-released pictures show a gaping hole in the mall's roof and mounds of rubble.

The devastation was caused after soldiers fired rocket-propelled grenades and knocked out a support column.

A Kenyan government official said the soldiers fired to distract a sniper so that hostages could be evacuated.

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Kenya: Days Of Mourning For Terror Victims

Kenya has begun three days of mourning for the victims of Nairobi's shopping centre attack, as authorities prepare to retrieve the bodies of victims still trapped inside.

At least 67 people have been confirmed dead in the attack, including 61 civilians and six security officials.

Kenyan authorities say the number of dead may rise further, as bodies are feared to be trapped beneath rubble in the mall after three levels collapsed.

Six Britons - including an eight-year-old girl - are among the dead, and Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has warned there may be further British victims.

A Western embassy official said the number of additional dead could reach as high as 100. Morgue workers are preparing to receive further victims.

Smoke rises from the Westgate mall in Nairobi

"They're just seeing dead bodies. They've found no survivors, no live hostages," a Nairobi resident, who did not wish to be named, told The Associated Press.

About 175 people were also wounded when al Shabaab militants stormed the Nairobi mall on Saturday afternoon.

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta announced in a televised address that troops had "shamed and defeated" the militants following a four-day siege.

"Kenya has stared down evil and triumphed. These cowards will meet justice as will their accomplices and patrons, wherever they are," Mr Kenyatta said.

Some 11 suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack, and a further five died during the siege at the complex.

Kenyan troops stormed the shopping complex

Police have confirmed that the attackers are either dead or in custody.

The Foreign Office has confirmed the arrest of a Briton, and say they are making contact to offer standard consular assistance.

"Now it is for the forensic and criminal experts," said police spokesman Masoud Mwinyi.

Explosives experts are searching for possible booby traps in the wreckage.

"They are checking for any potential explosive devices left behind," a security source told the AFP news agency, adding that specialist remote-controlled demining robots were on hand.

Teams of sniffer dogs have been taken into the building to check for explosives and to find bodies.

Workers wore face masks and some soldiers wrapped scarves around their mouths to cover what they said was an overpowering stench inside the centre.

Sky's chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay said that police have come across a large number of booby traps, and a large explosion was heard at the centre on Wednesday morning.

"Any suspicious objects they'll blow up," he said. "There's a security fear here still that maybe some of the gunmen are still alive."

The attackers marched into the four-storey, part Israeli-owned mall at midday on Saturday, shooting dead shoppers with machine guns and tossing grenades.

Al Shabaab has claimed it carried out the attack in retaliation for Kenya's military intervention in Somalia.

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