Philippine Stand-Off: Dozens Dead In Battle

Philippine troops are battling their way into coastal villages where Muslim rebels have held scores of residents hostage in a six-day standoff.

The move sparked fierce clashes that have killed 56 people and displaced more than 60,000, officials said on Saturday.

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said government forces surrounding about 200 fighters from a Moro National Liberation Front rebel faction have started to advance and slowly retake rebel-held areas and clear roads in villages in the coastal outskirts of Zamboanga, a major port city.

Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala said the offensive was "calibrated" to protect the unspecified number of hostages still held by the rebels.

Evacuees sit in their wooden boats used also as temporary living quarters

Troops have not resorted to heavy artillery fire, rockets or launched airstrikes to protect the hostages and civilians.

Officials said that 47 of the 56 deaths were from the rebel ranks. The remaining nine deaths included four civilians, two soldiers and three policemen.

Aside from the hostages, the rebels have reportedly detonated bombs to set dozens of houses on fire to slow the troops' advance.

In rebel-held Santa Catalina village, the Associated Press reported that troops advanced behind armoured carriers to retake a road stretch only to be stalled by rebel fire, clusters of burning houses and apparent hostages yelling: "Don't fire, don't fire."
Several hostages have escaped but it remained unclear how many remained in rebel custody.

A Philippine soldier monitors the scene with binoculars

President Benigno Aquino III said more firefights were expected but assured more than 62,000 displaced villagers being sheltered at a sports complex in Zamboanga city that the rebels' capability to sow trouble has been degraded and the government was working to end the crisis soon.

Although the fighting has been contained in just three coastal villages by Saturday, Roxas said the danger to the trading city of nearly a million people remained serious and its international airport would have to remain closed, along with the main seaport.

The hostage standoff, the most serious security crisis Aquino has faced since rising to power in 2010, began on Monday when troops foiled an attempt by the rebels.

The rebels arrived by boat from outlying island strongholds, to march and hoist their flag at Zamboanga's city hall. They entered five coastal villages and took more than 100 hostages as human shields.

One of thousands of evacuees feeds her younger sister

The Moro insurgents, led by rebel leader Nur Misuari, signed a peace deal in 1996, but the guerrillas did not lay down their arms and later accused the government of reneging on a promise to develop long-neglected Muslim regions in the south of the predominantly Roman Catholic nation.

The government says Misuari kept on stalling and making new demands. He has not been seen in public since the standoff began.

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Syria: Nervous Children Return To School

By Sky Arthy, Sky News Producer, in Damascus

Five million pupils were due back in school on Sunday in Syria at the start of the new year.

It is a scene that is played out across the world and it looks no different in Damascus.

Excited five-year-olds with new backpacks clutching their parents' hands not knowing what to expect on their first day.

Teenage girls wearing the latest fashions walking arm in arm catching up on gossip after the long summer break. Young boys playing football before the bell goes for the start of classes.

The Assad regime watches over Syria's returning pupils

But it is different here.

Before  the conflict that has left 100,000 people dead, many children used to walk to school. Now most are dropped off by their parents. 

In a city where fighting is raging in the outer suburbs and the boom of shelling is heard in the background it is not hard to fathom why.

More than 2,000 of Syria's 22,000 schools have been destroyed in the war, according to the government. Unicef puts the figure at nearer 3,000.

One father, who lives six miles (10km) from Damascus said he had taught his children at home for a year because their school had been shelled.

This morning he arrived at the Dar es Salaam school in the centre of the capital with his two daughters. 

"This is the first time they have come to this school," he said.

"There is new hope now (following the deal in Geneva) ... American military strikes are not the solution. Dialogue is the only way."

Another father, who has been trying to emigrate to France, said: "There is some hope now. Last year the situation was bad. Now there is progress."

At least most children in Damascus still have the chance to go to school.

For the one million Syrian youngsters that are now refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt their education is far more precarious.

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Drug Suspects Face Harsh Reality In Peru

The harsh reality for those caught trying to smuggle cocaine out of Peru is that sooner or later the penny drops: plead guilty and get a reduced sentence or fight the case and risk decades behind bars - often up to 20 years.

It's a bit like that in many legal systems, including our own in Britain, where early guilty pleas are often rewarded with shorter sentences.

But in Peru, where they see a steady flow of young women from around the globe caught with cocaine at the airport, there is very little sympathy for the story of how they ended up there.

Michaella McCollum, from Dungannon, and Melissa Reid, from Lenzie near Glasgow, who are both 20, are accused of trying to smuggle some 11kg (24lb) of cocaine out of the country.

They say they were forced to by a Columbian gang who threatened their families if they didn't go through with it, but the Peruvian legal system seems to show little interest.

There is no trial by jury in Peru, no witnesses will be sought other than the arresting officers and there's very little opportunity for the defence's case to be scrutinised.

"All the girls (caught smuggling drugs) have the same story," a senior prison official told me as we walked around the recreation area of Ancon 2, one of Peru's most notorious prisons last month.

Ms Reid has reportedly chosen to plead guilty

"Many are naive to the system we have in this country. If you are caught with drugs then the system views it as a rather straightforward case.

"Why they did it, who made them do it, who threatened who - that's a wider issue. The fact remains, they still had drugs in their bag and they didn't tell anyone until they were caught by the drugs officers at the airport."

They talk tough in Peru.

According to the United Nations, Peru is now the number one producer of cocaine in the world.

A kilo of pure, refined cocaine is worth around $1,000 in Peru, by the time it reaches Europe that price has soared to around £80,000 while in Asia it can be worth $100,000 (£63,000) and in Australia that same $1,000 kilo bar is worth $120,000 (£69,900).

Mellissa Reid is now facing what the Peruvian system calls the 'six-and-eight'.

Six years and eight months for drug smuggling - a specific length because sentences under seven years entitle the prisoner to early release and transfer to their home nation.

The newspapers make it sound very simple today suggesting a release could happen as early as three years.

Police weigh some of the packets of cocaine found on the girls

When I filmed inside Ancon 2 prison in the desert north of Lima last month, I spoke to the prison's only British prisoner.

Sarah, a mother-of-two from Croydon in south London, was caught trying to smuggle two kilos of cocaine stuffed in a guitar.

"When I was caught, I couldn't believe it," said the 23-year-old.

"I was told a lawyer was coming to see me - a nun - and that she would fight my case.

"When she visited me in the Dirango police station she said I needed to find $7,000 (£4,400) and she would secure my release.

"My family back home raised the money and paid it to the lawyer. The next day she brought me a blanket and a pillow. I never saw her again."

It's impossible to confirm this ever happened, but Sarah's story is repeated throughout Peru.

Sarah got six-and-eight - she's already served three and a half years.

"They say you could be released after three years. But they string you along. They say 'you'll be out in two weeks' and the two weeks pass and nothing happens. It's torture."

It's expected Michaella McCollum will follow Mellissa Reid in admitting everything for the shorter sentence. The penny's dropped. But talk of early release is dangerous and premature because in Peru nothing is certain and nothing is promised.

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Indonesia Volcano Spews Ash Down On Sumatra

A volcano has erupted on Indonesia's Sumatra island, forcing thousands of villagers to flee the area.

The volcano had been dormant for nearly 100 years

Mount Sinabung erupted violently before dawn, spewing rocks and red-hot ash onto surrounding villages.

Asren Nasution, head of the North Sumatra disaster agency, said more than 3,000 people within a two-mile radius had been evacuated, with no casualties reported

Villagers are being housed in religious buildings outside the danger zone

They are being sheltered in five wooden halls used for religious ceremonies.

Several flights at Kualanamu airport, some 30 miles away in Medan, have been delayed because of the ash.

Paramedics hand out masks as the ash spreads

The volcano was dormant for nearly 100 years before it erupted in September 2010, forcing about 12,000 people to flee surrounding villages.

Last month, six people were killed and 3,000 evacuated when Mount Rokatenda, on Palue island, shot ash and smoke 2,000 metres into the air.

Many farmers choose to live near volcanoes because of the fertile soil

Indonesia has dozens of active volcanoes, more than any other country, and straddles major tectonic fault lines known as the "Ring of Fire" between the Pacific and Indian oceans.

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Peru Drugs: Melissa Reid To Plead Guilty

Peru Drugs Girl Plea

Updated: 2:15pm UK, Sunday 15 September 2013

The harsh reality for those caught trying to smuggle cocaine out of Peru is that sooner or later the penny drops: plead guilty and get a reduced sentence or fight the case and risk decades behind bars - often up to 20 years.

It's a bit like that in many legal systems, including our own in Britain, where early guilty pleas are often rewarded with shorter sentences.

But in Peru, where they see a steady flow of young women from around the globe caught with cocaine at the airport, there is very little sympathy for the story of how they ended up there.

Michaella McCollum, from Dungannon, and Melissa Reid, from Lenzie near Glasgow, who are both 20, are accused of trying to smuggle some 11kg (24lb) of cocaine out of the country.

They say they were forced to by a Columbian gang who threatened their families if they didn't go through with it, but the Peruvian legal system seems to show little interest.

There is no trial by jury in Peru, no witnesses will be sought other than the arresting officers and there's very little opportunity for the defence's case to be scrutinised.

"All the girls (caught smuggling drugs) have the same story," a senior prison official told me as we walked around the recreation area of Ancon 2, one of Peru's most notorious prisons last month.

"Many are naive to the system we have in this country. If you are caught with drugs then the system views it as a rather straightforward case.

"Why they did it, who made them do it, who threatened who - that's a wider issue. The fact remains, they still had drugs in their bag and they didn't tell anyone until they were caught by the drugs officers at the airport."

They talk tough in Peru.

According to the United Nations, Peru is now the number one producer of cocaine in the world.

A kilo of pure, refined cocaine is worth around $1,000 in Peru, by the time it reaches Europe that price has soared to around £80,000 while in Asia it can be worth $100,000 (£63,000) and in Australia that same $1,000 kilo bar is worth $120,000 (£69,900).

Mellissa Reid is now facing what the Peruvian system calls the 'six-and-eight'.

Six years and eight months for drug smuggling - a specific length because sentences under seven years entitle the prisoner to early release and transfer to their home nation.

The newspapers make it sound very simple today suggesting a release could happen as early as three years.

When I filmed inside Ancon 2 prison in the desert north of Lima last month, I spoke to the prison's only British prisoner.

Sarah, a mother-of-two from Croydon in south London, was caught trying to smuggle two kilos of cocaine stuffed in a guitar.

"When I was caught, I couldn't believe it," said the 23-year-old.

"I was told a lawyer was coming to see me - a nun - and that she would fight my case.

"When she visited me in the Dirango police station she said I needed to find $7,000 (£4,400) and she would secure my release.

"My family back home raised the money and paid it to the lawyer. The next day she brought me a blanket and a pillow. I never saw her again."

It's impossible to confirm this ever happened, but Sarah's story is repeated throughout Peru.

Sarah got six-and-eight - she's already served three and a half years.

"They say you could be released after three years. But they string you along. They say 'you'll be out in two weeks' and the two weeks pass and nothing happens. It's torture."

It's expected Michaella McCollum will follow Mellissa Reid in admitting everything for the shorter sentence. The penny's dropped. But talk of early release is dangerous and premature because in Peru nothing is certain and nothing is promised.

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Cop 'Devastated After Killing Unarmed Man'

Police say an unarmed man who may have been looking for help after a car crash has been shot and killed by an officer.

Randall Kerrick opened fire after the victim Jonathan A Ferrell ran towards police, a police statement said.

Mr Ferrell was pronounced dead at the scene in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Kerrick, 27, has been charged with voluntary manslaughter after an investigation found the shooting was "excessive".

Police said 24-year-old Mr Ferrell had apparently been seeking help by knocking on the door of a house early on Saturday.

The woman who lived there called 911 and when they arrived they found Mr Ferrell a short distance from the home.

He matched a description given by the homeowner, police said.

The statement claimed Mr Ferrell ran towards the officers and was hit with a Taser.

It added Ferrell continued to run towards police when Kerrick fired his weapon.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police chief Rodney Monroe said: "It's with heavy hearts and significant regrets it's come to this.

"Our hearts go out to the Ferrell family and many members of the CMPD family. This is never something easy," the Charlotte Observer reported.

Investigators said they think a wrecked car discovered down an embankment in nearby woods may have been driven by Mr Ferrell.

Mr Monroe told a news conference that he did not think Mr Ferrell was trying to rob the woman. He said: "I don't believe threats were made."

Mr Monroe also said he had spoken with Kerrick, adding: "He is pretty shook up. He's devastated."

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Costa Concordia Lift 'To Cause Huge Damage'

By Tom Kington, in Giglio

Salvage officials have warned the 950ft-long (290m) Costa Concordia will bend and suffer enormous internal damage as jacks hoist it off rocks with enough pressure to lift two Eiffel Towers.

But they remain confident the ship's hull will remain intact as 56 massive chains tighten around it on Monday, avoiding the nightmare scenario of the 114,000 tonne vessel shattering and spilling its contents into the waters around the Italian island of Giglio.

"The ship will probably bend during the operation and metal inside will buckle," said Sergio Girotto, project manager for Micoperi, the Italian firm which has teamed-up with US company Titan to raise the Costa Concordia.

The cruise liner capsized in shallow water 20 months ago after smashing into rock, causing the deaths of 32 passengers.

Salvage workers and local authorities confirmed on Sunday that good weather would allow the 10-12 hour operation to start just after 6am on Monday.

"We have 12,000 tonnes of pressure to use, which would lift two Eiffel Towers, but I hope we will only need five or six thousand," he said.

Some 500 engineers and divers are working on the project

That will depend how firmly the ship is wedged onto two pinnacles of underwater granite where it came to rest on the night of January 12, last year, prompting the panicked evacuation of 4,200 passengers and crew.

The two outcrops, which are embedded six metres into the hull of the ship, are the great unknown at the heart of the 600m euro, 'parbuckling' operation, which will see the ship hoisted by jacks on to a bed of 1,000 cement bags and six underwater platforms bigger than a football pitch.

Marine biologist Giandomenico Ardizzone, who has been monitoring the sea bed for the ship's operator Costa Crociere, said he had dived under the vessel on Saturday to fix cameras on the points where the rocks plunge into the hull.

"We have been told to get ready for loud noises during the lifting," said Mr Ardizzone.

The ship is currently wedged onto two pinnacles of rock under the water

Microphones placed throughout the ship will relay the sound of twisting metal to a command centre, where the pressure on the jacks will be controlled. The ship's huge marble spa could shatter during the lifting, added Girotto.

The ship, which is currently lying on its starboard side, it will be pulled onto a platform built at a depth of 31 metres.

"Everyone expects the ship to rise up, but it will appear the opposite," said Mr Ardizzone. "Once it is settled, the water will rise up to deck seven, which is almost at the bridge.

Measuring 55 metres high, the Costa Concordia was designed to sit in eight metres of water when floating.

Now punctured by holes, it will sink onto the platform and the water line will be 23 metres higher than normal, leaving only 24 metres of the ship visible until it is refloated next year and towed off for scrap using massive floatation tanks.

Engineers insist there will be little risk of pollution to the island

"What we will see for the first time are the decks on the starboard side from where people evacuated on the night," said mayor of Giglio Sergio Ortelli.

Mr Ardizzone said that as 29,000 tonnes of water pours out of the ship as it is pulled upright, an even greater amount, 43,000 tonnes, will enter the ship.

"That means less of the ship will be visible out of the water after the parbuckling," he said.

What does come out will be polluted water that has swilled inside the ship for months in a mix of residual fuels, heavy metals and rotten food, including over three tonnes of melon, 500 litres of olive oil, 14,000 packets of cigarettes, 18,000 bottles of wine, eight tonnes of beef and over 11 tonnes of fish.

How the ship will look in the water if the operation is a success

Mr Ardizzone said the quantities of heavy metals and fuels were too small to create concern for the surrounding protected marine park, a view shared by Maria Sargentini, the head of a public commission set up to monitor the operation.

"We have absorbent booms in place around the ship and we are really confident that pollution will be contained," he said.

"The food will likely smell, but it is harmless. After all the island already flushes its sewers into the sea."

Mr Girotto said that in the run up to the parbuckling, 4,000 cubic metres of water had already been removed from the food storage area of the ship and the laundry.

"Those were the two parts of the ship that our samples showed were the most polluted. Now the water down there is much cleaner," he said.

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India Rape Lawyer's 'Misogynistic' Comments

A lawyer for two men sentenced to death for the fatal gang-rape of an Indian student could lose his licence for "misogynistic" remarks.

AP Singh, the counsel for Akshay Thakur and Vinay Sharma, has angered the Bar Council of Delhi with his outbursts after death sentences were passed Friday on four men for the assault on the 23-year-old woman in New Delhi last year.

Singh told a section of the local media that he would have "burned my daughter alive" if she was having "premarital sex and moving around at night with her boyfriend".

He was apparently referring to the victim, who died of grievous internal injuries after being lured on to the private bus by a gang of six following a cinema trip with her male companion on December 16.

The only allegations against the character of the victim have been made by some of the defence lawyers, who have produced no evidence.

The attack sparked widespread anger at the treatment of women in India

The Bar Council said Singh's comments amounted to "professional misconduct", and it would consider cancelling his licence at a meeting on Tuesday.

"How can he say anything like this? His comments reek of misogyny," Surya Prakash Khatri, chairman of the council, told the AFP news agency.

"We can go to any extent. We can cancel his practice permit," he added.

Singh could also face a separate "contempt suit" for questioning the death sentence and shouting at the judge inside the courtroom, Khatri said.

"I stand by all my statements made inside and outside the court. I will not apologise. Let the notices come, I will file my reply," he told the Hindustan Times.

Clockwise from top left: Sharma, Pawan Gupta, Thakur and Mukesh Singh

Singh, as well as the lawyers for other convicts, have said they would appeal the convictions in the Delhi High Court.

The December attack, in which the student was repeatedly raped and assaulted with a metal rod, sparked widespread anger at the treatment of women in India.

The fifth suspect in the case, bus driver Ram Singh, died in prison in March in an apparent suicide.

A sixth member of the gang, who was a minor at the time of the assault, was sentenced last month to three years in a reformatory, the maximum penalty allowed under India's juvenile laws.

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LeBron James: Basketball Star 'Gets Married'

Basketball star LeBron James has reportedly got married in San Diego amid tight security.

The Miami Heat player, 28, and his fiancee Savannah Brinson are believed to have tied the knot in a ceremony at a hotel.

About 200 guests are thought to have been present including many of his team-mates.

Intense security measures surrounded the long-awaited wedding, and some guests were reportedly unclear about details in the days leading up to the event.

Guests were ushered into the wedding areas under the cover of tents.

The couple pictured with Jay-Z and Beyonce

TV footage taken by news helicopters showed that umbrellas were used to protect the identity of those arriving.

The wedding comes less than three months after James and the Heat won their second straight NBA title.

Heat owner Micky Arison, coach Erik Spoelstra and many of James' team-mates including Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were on the guest list.

Some who have ties to James, including Wade and his actress girlfriend Gabrielle Union, tweeted they were in the San Diego area for a wedding, but none of them released any details.

James and Brinson, 27, have been together since high school and have two sons.

He proposed just after midnight on January 1 2012 in Miami Beach, flanked by many fellow basketball players.

Brinson spoke about the wedding last spring, saying she was both excited and nervous.

James has only discussed the wedding in general terms, once describing his role as only to ensure "that Savannah gets whatever she wants on her day, the wedding day she always dreamed of".

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Syria Crisis: US Says 'Threat Of Force Is Real'

Obama: Syria Strike Threat Remains

Updated: 10:23am UK, Sunday 15 September 2013

US President Barack Obama has indicated that the threat of military action remains should Syria fail to comply with a plan to destroy its chemical weapons.

Mr Obama welcomed the newly-brokered US and Russian plan, calling it an "important, concrete step", but warned that "if diplomacy fails, the United States remains prepared to act".

In a statement, he said the diplomatic solution was working partly due to America's "credible threat" of military force.

Earlier he told the US public, in a television address, that the country would "maintain our military posture in the region to keep the pressure on the Assad regime".

The US and Russia have given Syria one week to submit a "comprehensive list" of its chemical weapons stockpiles - otherwise, the US will seek a UN resolution that could still authorise strikes.

On their final day of talks in Geneva, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that once the details had been handed over the Assad regime would have until November to allow UN inspectors access to the sites.

Destruction of the regime's chemical weapons must then be complete by mid-2014.

Syria has previously said it would need a month to hand over initial details of its weapons stash.

The disarmament plan - instigated by Russia - managed to avert a planned US Congress vote on potential military strikes earlier this week, which President Obama looked liked losing.

Speaking in Geneva, Secretary of State Kerry reiterated that he now expected no stalling tactics from Syria.

He said: "The world will now expect the Assad regime to live up to its commitments ... there can be no room for games. Or anything less than full compliance by the Assad regime ... Syria must allow immediate, unfettered access to chemical sites".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also hailed the US-Russia agreement as "excellent" and said its significance was "hard to overestimate".

The rapport between the two men is seen by many experts as having played a crucial part in getting a difficult deal done.

Russia has long backed away from sanctioning the Syrian regime and strongly resists the possibility of military action.

Mr Lavrov and Mr Kerry also told journalists their teams of experts had reached "a shared assessment" of President Bashar al Assad's existing stockpile.

The US has estimated that Syria possesses around 1,000 metric tonnes of various chemical agents, including mustard and sarin gas, sulfur and VX.

The Russian estimates were initially much lower, according to US officials, but Mr Kerry said the two countries had reconciled their different assessments.

A US official told reporters that Washington believed there were 45 sites across Syria linked to the country's chemical weapons programme.

"Roughly half have exploitable quantities of chemical weapons materials," the official said, adding that all of the sites were currently under the control of the government.

France, an important ally for the US in recent weeks, welcomed the chemical weapons deal.

"The draft agreement reached in Geneva about eliminating the Syrian regime's chemical weapons is an important step forward," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said.

Fabius said a Russia-U.S. deal to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapons was an important first step and called for a political solution to address the mounting death toll in Syria.

He made the comments to reporters in Beijing after meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Fabius will then hold more discussions on the plan's implementation on Monday, when Mr Kerry and British Foreign Secretary William Hague travel to Paris.

Mr Hague said the UK government was also firmly behind the plan.

He tweeted on Saturday: "Have spoken to Secretary Kerry. UK welcomes US-Russia agreement on #Syria chemical weapons. Urgent work on implementation now to take place."

He added: "The priority must now be full and prompt implementation of the agreement, to ensure the transfer of Syria's chemical weapons to international control.

"The onus is now on the Assad regime to comply with this agreement in full. The international community, including Russia, must hold the regime to account."

But influential US Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham said the agreement was a debacle.

In a joint statement, the two Republican lawmakers voiced fear that Washington's friends and foes alike will view the agreement as an "act of provocative weakness on America's part."

Syria's opposition also rejected the US-Russian initiative.

Speaking from Istanbul, the Free Syrian Army's chief said the move would not solve the crisis, claiming Assad's forces had been moving their chemical weapons stockpiles to Lebanon and Iraq over the last few days.

"We in the Free Syrian Army are unconcerned by the implementation of any part of the initiative ... I and my brothers in arms will continue to fight until the regime falls," General Selim Idriss said.

The alleged poison gas attack on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta on August 21 killed more than 1,400 people, according to the US government.

However, the Syrian regime has long denied the claims and says rebel forces were responsible.

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