Syria: Kerry Arrives In UK For Talks With Hague

US Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in the UK, as he continues a European tour aimed at increasing support for military action in Syria.

He will hold talks with Foreign Secretary William Hague in the wake of the vote by MPs against the action.

Mr Kerry, speaking in Paris, told a press conference before he left for London that 12 countries were now prepared to take military action against Syria. Those states would make their own announcements within 24 hours, he said.

He did not rule out returning to the UN Security Council to secure a Syria resolution once UN inspectors complete their report on the chemical weapons attack in Damascus that Washington says killed some 1,400 on August 21.

The French president, François Hollande, who is increasingly under pressure to seek a UN mandate before any military intervention in Syria, suggested that he could seek a resolution at the security council despite previous Russian and Chinese vetos.

Mr Kerry said: "On President Hollande's comments with respect to the UN, the president (Barack Obama), and all of us, are listening carefully to all of our friends. No decision has been made by the president."

It comes as Syrian President Bashar al Assad denied he was behind the chemical attack in a rare interview to US television network CBS.

London is in John Kerry's sights as he seeks support for Syria strikes

CBS correspondent Charlie Rose, who interviewed Mr Assad in Damascus, said: "The most important thing, as he says, is that 'there's no evidence that I used chemical weapons against my own people.'"

After meeting Arab leaders this morning, Mr Kerry said both the US and the Arab League were agreed that there was no military solution to the crisis in Syria but the Assad regime had crossed a "global red line".

He said: "What the United States is seeking to enforce is the standard with respect to the use of chemical weapons."

France has made no secret of its desire to play Washington's supporting partner after the US accused Syria of gassing its own people with sarin.

"We have more countries prepared to take military action than we actually could use in the kind of military action being contemplated," Mr Kerry said earlier.

Meanwhile, speaking on Sky News' Murnaghan programme former Defence Secretary Liam Fox said there was a case for another Commons vote "in the light of the wider evidence that is now available".

He said the debate had been about the consequences of intervention "but there wasn't enough debate, I don't feel, about the consequences of non-intervention."

"If we believe the regime in Syria still has chemical weapons and if, as many of us think, the opposition may also have access to chemical weapons and we send the signal that they can use them with impunity what does that mean for the safety ... of the ordinary people of Syria?"

Mr Kerry held talks with 28 EU foreign ministers in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Saturday before travelling to Paris. He is due to meet Arab leaders, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said there was agreement that all indications point to the Assad regime being responsible for a gas attack in Damascus that may have killed more than 1,400 people.

But in a joint statement member states stopped short of endorsing any US-led strike, stressing "the need to move forward with addressing the Syrian crisis through the UN process".

Later, Mr Kerry held further talks with Mr Fabius in Paris and spoke in French and English as he outlined the case for military action.

He said the world should not be "spectators to slaughter", but said President Obama had not yet decided whether to wait for the UN inspection report before taking action.

EU High Representative Catherine Ashton called for "a clear and strong response" to the attack but officials said the European Union has agreed that any potential strike against Syria should wait until after UN inspectors publish their report.

It is reported that the experts could submit their initial findings by the end of next week.

President Barack Obama will address his nation on Tuesday as he battles to secure the backing of Congress for the use of the American military for a punishment strike on Mr Assad's government.

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RAF Scrambles Typhoons Amid Syria Tensions

Two RAF Typhoon jets were scrambled from their base in Cyprus to investigate unidentified aircraft in international airspace amid mounting tensions over Syria, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

Reports suggest the rogue aircraft, which were spotted on radar by the British and Turkish air forces on Monday, came from Syria.

An MoD spokesman said: "Typhoon Air Defence Aircraft operated from RAF Akrotiri on Monday, 2nd September 2013, to investigate unidentified aircraft to the east of Cyprus; the aircraft were flying legally in international airspace and no intercept was required."

The Sunday Mirror quoted a military source as saying: "This is a clear sign of the tension boiling over because of Syria. Everyone is on edge.

"It is a pretty serious move to send up Typhoons - one of their roles is to intercept any possible enemy strike."

A week ago, six RAF Typhoon jets were sent to Cyprus in what the MoD called a "prudent and precautionary measure".

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the number of countries ready to take military action against Syria was now in the "double digits" after holding talks in Lithuania with EU foreign ministers.

Mr Kerry met French foreign minister Laurent Fabius on Saturday

Following the meeting on Saturday, the EU ministers issued a call for action against Syrian President Bashar al Assad's regime.

The EU did not explicitly back military action, but Mr Kerry said he was encouraged by the "very powerful statement" made by the bloc.

"There were a number of countries, in the double digits, who are prepared to take military action," he said.

"We have more countries prepared to take military action than we actually could use in the kind of military action being contemplated."

The US accuses the Assad regime of gassing to death 1,429 people, including 426 children, in an August 21 attack outside Damascus.

In his weekly address, US President Barack Obama warned of the dangers of "turning a blind eye" to chemical attacks.

"I call on members of Congress, from both parties, to come together and stand up for the kind of world we want to live in," he said on his return from a deadlocked G20 summit in St Petersburg.

My Kerry says support for airstrikes is mounting

Mr Obama has asked for Congress to authorise strikes on Syria. Congress reconvenes on Monday and the president is set to address the nation on Tuesday about the US response.

Mr Kerry said Mr Obama had made no decision about whether to wait for the release of a UN investigation into the alleged August attack before taking action.

Prime Minister David Cameron has ruled out bringing the issue of intervention back to the Commons and he has the support of the public, according to a new poll.

The ICM survey found voters opposed MPs voting again on British involvement - even if the UN inspectors concluded chemical weapons were used, by 46% to 36%.

But almost a quarter (24%) accepted that the decision to stay out would encourage other dictators to use chemical weapons, the poll for The Sunday Telegraph showed.

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Olympics 2020: Tokyo Wins Bid To Host Games

By Enda Brady, Sky News Reporter

Tokyo is celebrating a stunning victory in the race to host the Olympic and Paralympic games in 2020.

The Japanese capital saw off strong competition from Madrid and Istanbul on a night of high drama at the International Olympic Committee vote in Buenos Aires.

Madrid was eliminated in round one after initially finishing level on votes with Istanbul. A vote-off between the two cities saw the Turkish bid go through and the Spanish crash out. But the night predictably belonged to Tokyo.

Japan's strong track record of successfully hosting major sporting occasions - one summer Games, two Winter games and a football World Cup in 2002 - undoubtedly helped push votes their way.

The IOC's Evaluation Commission visited each city in March of this year and left Japan hugely satisfied with what it had seen.

Japan has pledged to spend a fraction of the cost of the London games

Anti-government riots and protests across Turkey this year did not help Istanbul's bid, while economic uncertainty hung over Madrid's efforts from the outset.

Tokyo also had the emotional pull of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, showing that triumph can emerge from tragedy.

Their bid team were frequently asked questions about the Fukushima nuclear reactor and recent concerns about contaminated water leaking from it, but they dealt with them. The reactor is 155 miles away from the host city and their prime minister was on hand in Argentina to reassure the IOC in person.

None of the bids had a 'wow factor' delegate like London 2012 had when it landed the Games in July 2005 with David Beckham in attendance, but Tokyo can be rightly proud of what it has achieved.

For Madrid (four unsuccessful bids) and Istanbul (five defeats) this will have been a particularly bitter blow.

For Tokyo the party may be in full swing, but the hard work starts tomorrow.

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Brazil: Rubber Bullets Fired At Protesters

Police have clashed with protesters who took to the streets in several Brazilian cities to demonstrate against political corruption.

In Rio de Janeiro, officers used tear gas and rubber bullets to scatter activists.

Rubbish was burned on the streets to block traffic, and some businesses reported damage and theft.

There were at least 10 arrests, and several people were injured in the unrest which disrupted Independence Day celebrations.

Unions, students and anarchists have demanded drastic improvements to public services such as health and education.

In Sao Paulo, people gathered outside the Museum of Modern Art to call for reforms.

Ecton Almeida, a demonstrator who painted his face with Brazil's national colours, said: "My country has resources to be the richest nation in the world.

"I come to the streets to protest with other people so that this country becomes the best in the world."

Police also fired tear gas at protesters in Sao Paulo as well as in the capital Brasilia, where about 1,000 demonstrators gathered in front of the congress building.

Saturday's disturbances were not as large as those in June when more than one million people took to the streets on a single night.

And there were violent clashes with police in scores of cities.

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US Spy Agency Can 'Access Smartphone Data'

The US National Security Agency is reportedly able to access users' data on all major smartphones.

The German news magazine Der Spiegel cites internal documents from the intelligence agency and its British counterpart GCHQ in which the agencies describe setting up dedicated teams to crack protective measures on iPhones, BlackBerry and Android devices.

This data includes contacts, call lists, SMS traffic, notes and location data about where a user has been.

A 2009 NSA document states that it can "see and read SMS traffic".

It also notes there was a period in 2009 when the NSA was temporarily unable to access BlackBerry devices when it changed the way it compresses its data.

But in March 2010, an NSA department regained access to BlackBerry data and celebrated with the word, "champagne!".

Der Spiegel says the documents do not indicate that the NSA is conducting mass surveillance of phone users but rather that these techniques are used to eavesdrop on specific individuals.

The article published on Sunday does not say how the magazine obtained the documents.

But one of its authors is Laura Poitras, an American filmmaker with close contacts to NSA leaker Edward Snowden.

The latest revelations come after documents handed to The Guardian by Snowden showed the NSA had developed the capability of breaking encryption codes protecting millions of websites.

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Man, 107, Killed In Shootout With SWAT Team

A 107-year-old man has been killed in a shootout with a SWAT team after police responded to a complaint of aggravated assault at a house.

Suspect Monroe Isadore was found by officers allegedly pointing a gun at two people at a home in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, on Saturday, according to Fox News.

The two victims were led out of the house before police approached the bedroom where the elderly man was holed up. He fired one shot through the door but no one was hurt.

A Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) team was then called in to negotiate with Isadore who was found to be armed with a handgun after a camera was placed into the bedroom.

When negotiations failed the SWAT pumped gas into the room, which caused Isadore to start firing at the SWAT team.

He was shot dead by officers after they threw a "distraction device" into the room and breached the door.

According to CBS, a police statement said: "SWAT. inserted gas into the room, after it was evident negotiations were unsuccessful, in hopes Isadore would surrender peacefully.

"When the gas was inserted into the room, Isadore fired rounds at the SWAT officers that had inserted the gas from outside a bedroom window.

"Shortly afterwards, a SWAT entry team, inside the residence, breached the door to the bedroom and threw a distraction device into the bedroom. Isadore then began to fire on the entry team and the entry team engaged Isadore, killing him."

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Australia: Man Gatecrashes Election Party

Questions are being asked after a man gatecrashed the newly-elected Australian Prime Minister's victory celebrations.

Tony Abbott stepped onto the stage to join his wife and three daughters when he noticed the intruder.

The man - named by local media as Twiggy Palmcock - stepped forward to shake the bemused PM's hand and then posed for photos with him and his family.

The intruder (far right) is dragged off the stage

He was tackled by security staff moments later when he moved behind the group and dragged off the stage.

The whole episode was shown live on television, but oddly the commentator made no reference to the gatecrasher.

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9/11 Museum: Terror Artefacts Go On Display

Artefacts recovered from the World Trade Center attacks have gone on display in a 9/11 underground museum at the site.

Steel columns that rose from the base of the North Tower

Several pieces of mangled steel and metal - telling different stories of the 2001 terror attacks - are on show at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum ahead of its completion next spring.

The first relics that visitors will see are two massive pieces of structural steel that rose from the base of the North Tower.

Now the rusty red columns soar above ground into the glass atrium that encloses the entrance to the museum.

Steel facade segments, also known as "Impact Steel", that were torn apart.

Joseph Daniels, president of the memorial and museum, said: "They're so large - about 70ft tall - that we built the museum around them."

The last piece of steel removed from ground zero in 2002, which sits inside a gaping silvery chamber that drops to the lowest level of the museum, is also on show.

Visitors will also see a piece of the building, called "impact steel", which was destroyed by the impact of Flight 11 slamming into the North Tower.

The Survivors Staircase, which hundreds escaped down

Mr Daniels said: "You can see how, at the bottom, the columns are bent back. That's because Flight 11's nose, when it pierced the building, it bent steel like that."

A "Survivors Staircase", which hundreds of people used to escape from the towers, will perhaps be the most chilling part of the showcase.

Museum director Alice Greenwald said: "You're literally following the same pathway that hundreds followed on 9/11 to survival, to safety.

The exterior of the museum

"In some respects, what we're saying to our visitors is, we all live in a world now that was defined by this event. And in that sense, we're all survivors of 9/11."

Nearly 3,000 people died in the twin tower attacks.

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Italy: British Couple In Drowning Tragedy

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Producer

A British man and his fiancée have drowned after getting into difficulty off the coast of Sicily.

Andrew Sturgess, 34, and Carmen Spiridon, 25, died despite the efforts of lifeguards to pull them from the sea.

Officials said the two were non swimmers but had still gone into the water, which was calm at the time. However, there are said to be strong currents in the area where they died.

The alarm was raised after a woman on the beach at Tre Fontane near Campobello in southwest Sicily saw the body of Mr Sturgess floating in the water face down.

Her screams alerted three other people on the beach who dived into the sea and pulled Mr Sturgess onto the sand. They tried to resuscitate him but it was too late.

Minutes later Ms Spiridon's body was also spotted in the water but she was also dead. A doctor at the scene confirmed the deaths.

The couple were due to fly back to their home in Stoke on Trent after spending a week in Italy at the home of Romanian-born Ms Spiridon's mother.

Mr Sturgess was a director with a hydraulic company in the town while his fiancée worked as a waitress. According to police in Italy they were engaged to be married.

Police said they were working on the theory that one of them had got into trouble and then both of them.

Captain Fabio Manzo said: "We were called to the scene by passers-by who had pulled the bodies from the water but a doctor confirmed they were both deceased and nothing could be done.

"We are investigating the circumstances of their deaths and the bodies are now in the mortuary of a local hospital. We have contacted next of kin and the British authorities as well.

"The woman's mother lived locally and they were on holiday with her for the week. I have been to see her and she is obviously very upset. She told me they were engaged and due to be married."

He added: "The water was not rough at the time but from what we have established neither was a strong swimmer and there are awkward currents in the area.

"They had been spotted playing around in the water just a few minutes beforehand. That area of coastline has a strange current and the sand is also very soft there.

"We think that perhaps one of them had got into trouble and that they had tried to save the other but sadly in the end both died.

"An initial examination of the bodies shows they both drowned and did not suffer from any cramp which resulted in them drowning."

Capt Manzo said there was difficulty identifying the couple as they had no documents, although they did recover a medicine bottle with Mr Sturgess's name on it as well as his home town printed on a label.

It was only when Ms Spiridon's mother came into the local police station to report her daughter and her fiancé missing that the connection was made.

The deaths were the third case involving Britons off the coast of Sicily this summer. Last month a 60-year-old man lost his life at Siculiana Marina on the east coast of the island.

An Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are aware of the death of a British National in Italy. We are providing consular assistance to the family at this difficult time."

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Brain-Eating Amoeba Girl Faces Fear Of Water

A 12-year-old girl has faced her fears and returned to the water after apparently contracting a rare infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba at a water park.

Kali Harding, from Arkansas, who was diagnosed with the illness in July, went swimming in a hospital pool for an hour alongside her mother and three therapists, a rehabilitation physician told ABCNews.com.

Kali's mother said she has been afraid of entering the water after health officials suspect she became sick after swimming in a sandy bottomed lake at Willow Springs Water Park in Little Rock.

The amoeba called Naegleria fowleri that caused her infection is often found in warm freshwater.

Esther Tompkins, Kali's doctor, told ABC: "Her mom noticed that she was somewhat fearful of water, which is obviously where she got the ameoba from.

An image of the disease. Pic: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

"Her mom wanted her to work through her fear of water and the perfect place to do that was the pool at the hospital.

"She always enjoyed swimming before she got sick and her mom would like to have her enjoy that again."

The girl prepared for her swim by going into the hospital's pool room to feel the water and get acclimatised with the pool's surroundings, Ms Tompkins said.

She added that Kali has made a significant recovery and may be released from the hospital as soon as next month.

Ms Tompkins said: "She's a go-getter and a hard worker: She just improves daily.

"She's still a little slow in her speech, and her memory is a little slow but that's improving. She needs to wear braces to walk and she has a little problem with balance, which produces ataxia. It makes her gate kind of unsteady."

Kali began to show signs of recovery in August, uttering her first words and taking her first steps since the harrowing diagnosis.

Only two people in North America are known to have survived the rare infection, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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