US Marking 50 Years Since 'Dream' Speech

The United States has marked a turning point in its history with a rally held ahead of the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's March on Washington DC.

Tens of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall to re-enact the moving civil rights rally where King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech from the Lincoln Memorial.

On Wednesday, the anniversary of the speech, church bells will ring out across the US while President Barack Obama will speak from the same steps.

Martin Luther King III, the eldest son of the murdered civil rights leader, said at Saturday's event: "This is not the time for nostalgic commemoration.

"Nor is this the time for self-congratulatory celebration. The task is not done. The journey is not complete. We can and we must do more."

Kathleen Johnson at the Martin Luther King March on Washington in 1963

Among those in the crowd to hear Dr King's speech 50 years ago were Kathleen Johnson and Jean McRae. Both women returned to the site on Saturday.

Speaking about the address on August 28 1963, Ms Johnson told Sky News: "It was a beautiful day. It was white and black together. It was a united day."

The image of her stumble into Washington DC's Reflecting Pool made magazines and newspapers across the country. Since then she has spent decades mobilising her community.

She said: "Back then there was so much wrong that we needed to stand against. I had to be there I had to be apart of it and I still feel that way."

Dr King delivered his speech on August 28, 1963

Greg Ward and his 12-year-old son, Benjamin, kept cool by fanning themselves with their "Voting Rights" banners, brought from their home state of Florida.

The two stood among the thousands lining the Reflecting Pool under a brilliant blue sky, listening to a host of speakers with varying plights.

Florida is the state in which George Zimmerman was found innocent in the killing of black teenager Trayvon Martin, whose name and face adorns countless banners and T-shirts at Saturday's event.

Sky's US correspondent Amanda Walker said they want a repeal of the stand your ground law that they say allowed Zimmerman to walk free.

She added: "It's the most tangible sign of the census of the crowd: Martin Luther King's dream, shared on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, has yet to be fulfilled."

Tens of thousands take part in the reenactment of the historic march

Mr Ward echoes the words of America's first black president - 'Trayvon could have been my son'.

He said: "It was important for us to be here. What happened in Florida broke my heart - it took us back. It could have been Benjamin. We need to move forward and this march can help that."

Patricia Major sat in the fold up chair she brought on the train from Connecticut.

She carried a Trayvon Martin banner and said: "That verdict was important but it's not the only issue.

Reverend Al Sharpton joins hands with Congressman John Lews in the march

"Immigration reform, voting rights, poverty - we are not there yet. Sure we have a black president but that doesn't make US society postracial."

Many other events are planned around the country over the coming days, giving Americans a chance to reflect on race relations.

An estimated 250,000 people of all races descended on the Mall on August 28, 1963, chanting "Equality now!" and singing "We Shall Overcome," in what was officially billed as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Millions more watched on television, among them President John F. Kennedy, who until then had been dragging his feet on legislation to end racial segregation in conservative Southern states.

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Crocodile Suspected Of Snatching Swimmer

By Jonathan Samuels Australia Correspondent

A man is thought to have been taken by a crocodile at a popular tourist resort in northern Australia.

The 24-year-old was swimming with a friend in the croc-infested Mary River when he went missing, about 110km from Darwin.

Senior Sergeant Peter Lindfield says police received reports about 4pm local time on Saturday that the man had been attacked.

"Officers from the Water Police Section and Territory Response Group are currently at the scene of the attack and are searching for the man and the crocodile," Sgt Lindfield said in a statement.

Mary River Wilderness Retreat and Caravan Park employee Erin Bayard told news.com the man's friend was in shock.

"Two local boys decided to go swimming, we tell people to stay away from the water, they obviously went against this (and) a man was taken.

"We say to everybody it's full of crocs.

"It's one of the most populated rivers in the (Northern) Territory every couple of kilometres there is a large croc.'"

A crocodile warning sign at Mary River

News.com reports the last fatal crocodile attack in the Northern Territory was in December 2012, when a nine-year-old boy taken by a saltwater crocodile near the small community of Dhania.

Adults tried to save the boy but the crocodile dragged the youngster out to deeper water.

In November last year, a seven-year-old girl was taken by a saltwater crocodile at Gumarrirngbang outstation, near Maningrida.

Three other people, including two children, have been killed by crocodiles since 2009.

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Mumbai Gang Rape: Fifth Suspect Arrested

By Neville Lazarus, Sky News Producer in Mumbai

A fifth person accused of the gang rape of a 22-year-old photojournalist in Mumbai has been arrested by police.

Salim Ansari was detained in Delhi, three days after the alleged attack.

Police claimed they arrested the first accused within 18 hours of the incident, but it has taken them three days to detail the other four people accused of carrying out the attack.

The family of one of the accused said the boy is a juvenile and – if he faces charges – will be tried under the Juvenile Act.

If proven, the boy will face a maximum sentence of three years at a juvenile home.

The case will be one of the first major tests for new anti-rape laws that kicked in after a brutal gang rape on a bus in Delhi after which the 23-year-old victim died of her injuries.

Police released this sketch of the accused attackers

Under the new laws, those found guilty of gang rape would receive a 20-year prison term, which could be extended to life.

The guilty will also have to pay for the medical expenses and rehabilitation of the victim.

Two of the accused have faced court already and been remanded in police custody until August 30.

The other three are due to face court on Monday.

Police have collected samples from all the accused for chemical analysis.

There is on-going concern about the safety and security women in India.

A report published under the Right to Information Act showed the abysmal ratio of the number of police compared to people in India. 

The report says there is only one policeman for every 761 people in India.

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Drones Map Peru's Ancient Archaeological Sites

Peru has turned to drones to survey its vast wealth of archaeology sites and ancient ruins, thousands of which have yet to be mapped and excavated.

The unmanned aircraft typically smaller from the ones employed in military actions or anti-terror strikes.

Archaeologists say these small drones can help set boundaries to protect sites from squatters or miners.

They can also help produce three-dimensional models of Peruvian sites instead of flat maps, and dramatically speed-up the collection of images.

"We can convert the images that the drones provide into topographical and photogrammetry data to build three-dimensional models," archaeologist Luis Jaine Castillo said.

"By using the pictures taken by drones we can see walls, patios, the fabric of the city," added Mr Castillo, who is using drones to map the 1,300 year-old Moche civilisation around San Idelfonso and San Jose del Moro, two sites north of Lima.

The Inca city of Machu Picchu is among the world's most popular sites

Mapping sites is a crucial but often slow first step before major excavation work can begin.

In the past, researchers have rented crop dusters and strapped cameras to kites and helium-filled balloons, but those methods can be expensive and clumsy.

Now they can build drones small enough to hold with two hands for as little as $1,000 (£640).

"We see them as a vital tool for conservation," Ana Maria Hoyle, an archaeologist with the Culture Ministry, said.

Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs, have flown over at least six different archaeological sites in Peru in the past year.

The Latin American country is home to more than 13,000 sites, such as the spectacular Inca city of Machu Picchu, but only around 2,500 of them have been properly marked off, according to the Culture Ministry.

A US military drone launches from an aircraft carrier

In the US, the use of drones for military and surveillance operations has raised privacy and safety concerns.

But in Peru, archaeologists say it is only a matter of time before drones replace decades-old tools still used in their field, and stress the technology can be used for less destructive uses.

"So much of the technology we use every day comes from warfare," said Ms Hoyle.

"It is natural this is happening."

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3,600 Syrians Treated For 'Neurotoxic Symptoms'

Around 3,600 Syrians have been treated for "neurotoxic symptoms", and 355 of them have died, says the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

It comes as Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama discussed the situation in Syria in a telephone call.

Both leaders expressed their "grave concern" about the alleged use of chemical weapons outside the capital Damascus.

MSF said people flooded into three Syrian hospitals on the day that hundreds of people were reportedly killed in a chemical attack.

They all arrived within less than three hours of each other, said MSF director of operations Bart Janssens.

He said the pattern of events and reported symptoms "strongly indicate mass exposure to neurotoxic agent".

"Medical staff working in these facilities provided detailed information to MSF doctors regarding large numbers of patients arriving with symptoms including convulsions, excess saliva, pinpoint pupils, blurred vision and respiratory distress," he said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 54 children were among the dead.

A child victim of the alleged gas attack

Western leaders have accused President Bashar al Assad's forces of carrying out the alleged chemical attack.

The Syrian government has strongly denied the claims, and says it has evidence the attack was carried out by rebel forces.

MSF provides drugs, medical equipment and technical support to the three hospitals near Damascus, which its staff have not been able to access for security reasons.

"MSF can neither scientifically confirm the cause of these symptoms nor establish who is responsible for the attack," said Mr Janssens.

Millions of Syrians have fled the violence

"However, the reported symptoms of the patients, in addition to the epidemiological pattern of the events - characterised by the massive influx of patients in a short period of time, the origin of the patients, and the contamination of medical and first aid workers - strongly indicate mass exposure to a neurotoxic agent."

Earlier, Iran warned the West against "military intervention" in Syria and said it believes the alleged gas attack was carried out by rebel forces.

Abbas Araqchi, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, said: "There is evidence that this action was carried out by terrorist groups.

"The concurrence of the use of these weapons with the presence of UN inspectors is itself an indication that there are hands at work to accuse the Syrian government of using these weapons and help the conflict and crisis to continue."

He spoke out after Syrian state TV ran footage of "barrels filled with highly dangerous toxic and chemical agents" as well as gas masks, saying they were only a small sample of what had been unearthed in rebel positions.

Syria's opposition denied the charges, saying the government was attempting to divert attention from its own use of them.

"The National Coalition totally rejects the lies from the (President Bashar al-) Assad regime and considers them a desperate bid to divert attention from its repeated crimes and methods against Syrian civilians," the main opposition bloc said.

The UN's disarmament chief Angela Kane has arrived in the capital to push the Assad regime to allow weapons inspectors to visit the area to assess whether a chemical atrocity has been carried out.

Her visit comes as America boosted its military capacity in the region to give what it called "a range of options available".

The New York Times quoted a senior US administration official as saying Washington was looking at NATO's aerial strikes in Kosovo in 1999 as a blueprint for action against Syria without a UN mandate.

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Running Of The Bulls American-Style

More than 4,000 people, some dressed in superhero costumes, took to the dirt in America's inaugural version of Spain's famous running of the bulls festival.

Adrenaline junkies, many waving red flags, dodged 1,000lb bulls as they sprinted down a dirt track in rural Virginia on Saturday for the Great Bull Run.

It was the first stage of what promoters say will be a national, 10-city bull-running tour based on the annual stampede in Pamplona.

"I just didn't want to die, to get trampled by bulls and die," said Cat Jones, 22, who traveled from New York City for the run.

A man lies unconscious after being trampled in the stampede

"It was a rush...a shot of adrenalin," she said.

The first six runs had about 500 runners each, chased by 12 bulls, and the last featured 24 bulls chasing 700 runners.

Some 8,000 people came to watch the stampede, said Great Bull Run co-founder Rob Dickens.

Two runners were taken to hospital with concussion.

Every participant had to sign a legal disclaimer before taking part in the event at Virginia Motorsport Park, a drag strip south of Richmond.

50,000 tomatoes were used in a massive food fight

Mr Dickens said it was "doing something dangerous and living to tell the tale" that attracted participants.

Animals rights groups, such as PETA, have criticised the event, saying it puts stress on the bulls. But the organisers said no bulls were harmed.

The next Great Bull Run is scheduled for October 19 in Atlanta. Other cities on the nationwide tour include Houston, Tampa and Los Angeles.

The event had another Spanish twist when 50,000 tomatoes were used in a massive food fight in the Tomato Royale, a homage to La Tomtina held every August in the town of Bunol, near Valencia.

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Mugabe Threatens Western Firms Over Sanctions

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has threatened "tit for tat" retaliation against British and US firms over sanctions imposed by the West.

Mr Mugabe was sworn in last week for a new five-year term.

But Western powers have questioned his victory in last month's election after widespread allegations of vote-rigging.

"They should not continue to harass us, the British and Americans," Mr Mugabe told mourners at the funeral of a hero of the 1970s .

"We have not done anything to their companies here - the British have several companies in this country - and we have not imposed any controls, any sanctions against them, but time will come when we will say, 'Well, tit for tat, you hit me I hit you.'"

Robert Mugabe was sworn in on Thursday

British companies in Zimbabwe include banking groups Standard Chartered Plc and Barclays Plc.

The US and the EU have imposed travel and financial sanctions against Mr Mugabe and prominent members of his party.

Washington said recently it has no plans to loosen or lift them until there were signs of change in the country.

Mr Mugabe has rejected the fraud allegations following the July 31 vote, which was criticised by local observers but generally given a clean bill of health by the African Union and Southern African Development Community.

At 89, he is Africa's oldest leader and has ruled Zimbabwe since its independence from Britain in 1980.

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Bo Xilai Attacks 'Vile' Police Chief At Trial

By Lisa Holland, Foreign Affairs Correspondent, in Beijing

Disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai condemned his former police chief Wang Lijun as a "vile character" and a "liar" on the fourth day of a trial which is captivating China.

Bo, the former Communist Party Chief of the megacity of Chongqing, has robustly defended himself against allegations of bribery, corruption and abuse of power.

The latest evidence surrounded the allegation of abuse of power - and his alleged "cover-up" following the death of the British businessman Neil Heywood, who was found dead in his hotel room in November 2011.

Many see a guilty verdict as a foregone conclusion

Wang alleged he fled to the American consulate in Chengdu after Bo's furious response to his claim that Bo's wife had killed Mr Heywood.

Gu Kailai has already been given a suspended death sentence after admitting during a trial a year ago that she poisoned Mr Heywood.

Bo insists that Wang's version of events is not true. He told the trial in the Chinese city of Jinan that Wang was "continuing to lie", was "full of deception" and was "mouthing off".

He said Mr Wang was a "vile character".

In response to claims that he punched his former right-hand man, Bo said he just slapped him and that he had "never learned to box".

Mr Wang carried out Bo's high-profile crackdown on crime and gangs in Chongqing.

The trial was adjourned at lunchtime on Sunday and will continue into a fifth day on Monday - far longer than the two days the proceedings were expected to last for.

The trial was adjourned until Monday

The duration of the trial so far and the fact that Bo has not appeared as a humble and contrite man accepting the allegations against him has surprised watchers.

The Chinese authorities, it seems, want to be seen to be allowing him a "fair trial".

But it is still expected the verdict has been decided in advance of the case by the Communist Party, and it appears likely he will be found guilty and given a lengthy jail sentence.

Bo has denied the allegations though has said he "shamed his country". He called the testimony of his wife "the ravings of a mad woman" after a pre-recorded video statement was played to the court last week.

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Man Charged With 1993 Murder Of Ex-Girlfriend

A US man has been formally charged with the murder of his teenage ex-girlfriend who was strangled in Indiana 20 years ago.

The charges come five years after prosecutors say they got a breakthrough in the case that eventually led them to him.

A judge entered a not guilty plea on behalf of 38-year-old suspect Jason Tibbs over the killing of 16-year-old Rayna Rison and ordered he be held in custody.

Ms Rison went missing on March 26, 1993 and the same day her car was found in a rural area several miles north of her hometown of LaPorte.

A week later, her boyfriend's high school jacket, which she had been wearing, was found hanging from a tree.

About a month after she vanished, fishermen found Ms Rison's body in a pond a few miles from where her car was discovered.

The apparent breakthrough in the case came in 2008.

Prosecutors have revealed Rickey Hammons, an inmate at the Wabash Valley Correction Facility, came forward that year to say he saw his sister's boyfriend at the time, Eric Freeman, and Tibbs with Ms Rison's body right after she went missing.

Freeman, who was 14 at the time, said he was smoking pot in the loft of a barn when Tibbs and Freeman pulled up, driving his sister's Buick Century.

He said they opened the boot, revealing Ms Rison's body inside, and they argued, with Freeman asking Tibbs why he killed the girl.

According to prosecutors, police interviewed Freeman in 2008 and he denied Hammons' account and refused to talk to them again.

But they say that after being promised immunity from prosecution two months ago, Freeman told police he saw Tibbs kill Rison.

He said Tibbs was trying to get back together with her, and they got into an argument that escalated to blows and eventually to Tibbs strangling her.

Freeman said he and Tibbs then drove to the barn with the body and later disposed of it in the pond.

Prosecutors initially charged Ms Rison's brother-in-law, Ray McCarty, with killing her but the charge was dropped due to lack of evidence.

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Syria Allows UN Visit To 'Chemical Attack' Site

United Nations weapons experts will visit the site of an alleged poison gas attack in Syria to conduct investigations on Monday.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's office has said in a statement that Syria has promised to observe a ceasefire at the site in the suburbs of Damascus while the team begins "on-site fact-finding activities".

The UN experts arrived in Damascus three days before a mass poisoning killed several hundred people on Wednesday.

The announcement comes after Syria warned the US against taking military action against the regime, saying it would "create a ball of fire that will inflame the Middle East".

Prime Minister David Cameron and President Barack Obama say they are "gravely concerned" about signs that an alleged chemical weapons attack took place in Syria.

The two leaders spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper by telephone last night as calls increased for UN investigators to be allowed access to the site of the alleged attack.

Doctors Without Borders has said 355 people died in the attack

Mr Cameron also spoke to France's President Francois Hollande on Sunday to discuss the crisis in Syria.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "In a telephone call this morning, the Prime Minister and President Hollande reiterated their strong condemnation of the attack that took place in Damascus on Wednesday.

"They agreed that the failure of the regime to grant UN investigators immediate access to the area was extremely worrying and demonstrated that the regime was hiding the facts and evidence."

The US President and his top advisers are continuing to explore options for responding to the attack, with the White House saying there is "very little doubt" the regime has used chemical weapons against its citizens.

But in remarks released by Syria's official SANA news agency, Syrian Information Minister Omran Zoabi said that any US-led military action would be "no picnic".

The attacks took place in the Damascus suburbs of Zamalka and Ein Tarma

"US military intervention will create a very serious fallout and a ball of fire that will inflame the Middle East," Mr Zoabi said.

Iran has also warned the US not to cross the "red line" on Syria, saying it would have "severe consequences", according to the Fars news agency.

Meanwhile, the al Qaeda-linked Syrian jihadist group Al Nusra Front has also vowed to carry out strikes against villages from Assad's community as revenge for the chemical attacks.

"The Alawite villages will pay the price for each chemical rocket that struck our people in Damascus," Al Nusra front chief Abu Mohammed al Jawlani said in an audio message posted on his Twitter account.

Mr Jazayeri was reacting to statements made by Western officials regarding the possibility of military intervention in Syria, according to Fars.

Earlier, Iranian Press TV reported that Damascus had told Tehran it would allow inspectors to visit the site of the alleged chemical attack.

A boy recovers after the alleged toxic gas attack on Wednesday

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said the American military is ready to exercise "options" on Syria should force be called for, but he declined to say what that action might be.

He is under mounting pressure to act over the alleged use of chemical weapons, which humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders said had killed 355 people due to "neurotoxic" symptoms.

The group says it has treated more than 3,500 people showing symptoms of exposure to a "neurotoxic" agent.

Christopher Stokes from the charity told Sky News: "The situation (on the ground in Syria) is quite confusing.

"We've spent the last three to four days in contact with Syrian doctors that we've been working with for six months in and around Damascus to try and piece together what happened last Wednesday.

"Basically what they've reported to us are consistent signs of the same symptoms across a large number of patients that would indicate a large scale exposure to a neurotoxic agent."

Rebel groups have claimed the attack was carried out by Assad's forces and that more than 1,000 people had died. The Syrian regime has denied the allegations.

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