Kenya Massacre: Video Shows Gunmen In Mall

A video has emerged showing four of the gunmen involved in the massacre at a shopping centre in Nairobi, Kenya.

The footage shows four heavily-armed attackers walking through a storeroom in the mall, and searching other adjacent rooms. 

It is understood that the CCTV pictures captured the gunmen mid-way through the assault - as many of the victims remained trapped inside Westgate Mall.

The video has surfaced after a government official revealed that security cameras showed there may have been fewer gunmen than originally thought.

Two of the gunmen in one of the storerooms

Kenya's government initially said 10 to 15 attackers were involved in the assault, which left at least 67 people dead.

However, the official now believes only four people took part in the protracted siege. 

Dozens of youths have been detained in the Majengo slum area of Nairobi in recent days in police efforts to track down the mall attackers.

One of the gunmen holds a weapon in the storeroom

Al Shabaab has said it carried out the attack in retaliation for Kenya sending troops into Somalia nearly two years ago.

The group has promised more attacks inside Kenya unless those troops are withdrawn.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has vowed to continue the military mission inside Somalia despite the mall attack.

Mr Kenyatta ordered a commission of inquiry into the attack. The Red Cross says a further 39 people are still unaccounted for.

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Capitol Chase Woman's Family Speak Out

A sister of the woman shot dead by police in Washington after trying to ram her car through a White House barrier says there were no indications that her sister was unstable.

Miriam Carey's actions sparked a high-speed car chase on Thursday which ended with the 34-year-old mother, of Stamford, Connecticut, being shot by officers.

Carey's one-year-old daughter who was in the car with her at the time was unharmed and has been taken into protective custody.

The incident came at a time of high political tension in the US capital, with Congress debating how to resolve the shutdown of the federal government when shots rang out.

Miriam Carey was a dental hygienist. Pic: Facebook

Last night, Carey's sister Amy Carey-Jones said her sister "seemed OK" the last time they spoke more than a week ago.

She said her family had "a lot of questions" about her sister's death and why police opened fire.

"My sister was a loving mother, she was a law abiding citizen, she had no political agenda and she did not deserve to have her life cut down at the age of 34," she added.

A second sister, retired New York City police officer Valarie Carey, said police should not have used deadly force.

She said there was "no need for a gun to be used".

Speaking outside Valarie Carey's home in Brooklyn, both sisters said Miriam had been suffering from post-natal depression since the birth of her baby.

A federal law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Carey held the delusional belief that President Barack Obama was communicating with her.

Carey had made delusional "expressions about the president in the past" and "believed there was some communications to her", and concerns about her mental health were reported in the last year to Stamford police, the official said.

Carey's one-year-old daughter was unhurt

Carey, who worked as a dental hygienist, had no previous run-ins with the US Secret Service, which is responsible for White House security, a law enforcement official said.

Police said there appeared to be no direct link to terrorism, and there was no indication Carey was armed.

Capitol Police Chief Kim Dine called it an "isolated, singular matter".

The chase began shortly after 2pm when a black Toyota Infiniti attempted to smash through the barricade close to the White House.

Video footage showed officers with guns drawn attempting to get the driver out of the vehicle.

But Carey spun the car around and sped away, knocking a law enforcement official.

The car raced up Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol where Congress was in session.

Police chased and fired at the car, which came to a halt near the Capitol building, and she was shot dead.

By the end of the chase, two people were injured - a Secret Service member struck by the car outside the White House, and a Capitol Police officer whose vehicle hit a barricade during the chase.

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Prince Harry Celebrates Navy Centenary In Oz

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

Prince Harry is in Australia helping the country's navy celebrate 100 years since its first warships steamed into Sydney.

The prince, dressed in crisp white uniform, looked at home among the military personnel as he took part in the once-in-a-lifetime nautical extravaganza.

Harry took to the sparkling harbour on board HMAS Leeuwin as hundreds of thousands of onlookers filled the shoreline to watch the gathered warships and catch a glimpse of the prince.

The International Fleet Review is celebrating 100 years since seven warships arrived in Sydney harbour, the first fleet solely owned and operated by Australia's then fledgling navy.

The event is expected to draw 1.4 million spectators

About 40 warships, 16 tall ships and 8,000 sailors are participating in this weekend's celebrations, which will feature a light show and massive fireworks display over the harbour on Saturday night.

The event is expected to draw 1.4 million spectators.

Following a 100-gun salute, Governor-General Quentin Bryce, who represents Queen Elizabeth II in Australia, joined Harry on board the Leeuwin to officially review the ships.

The participating warships are from the US, China, Britain, Brunei, Micronesia, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Spain, Thailand and Tonga.

Harry is in Australia's largest city for just one day as part of a quick trip Down Under.

He greeted the public opposite the famous Sydney Opera House before attending a reception with Prime Minister Tony Abbott at Kirribilli House, Abbott's official residence in Sydney.

One young Sydney woman went to great lengths to get Harry's attention.

Victoria McRae, 20, got taken out of Sydney Harbour by the Water Police after she got on a kayak and waved a flag that read "I (heart) U Harry" and printed her phone number on it in big red letters.

The trip is Prince Harry's first official visit to Australia

"I just wanted to see Harry on the boat really, I thought we'd get up close," Ms McRae told AAP. "It didn't quite go to plan, we got towed away, but it was worth it.

"We were under the Harbour Bridge and they were worried we were going to get run over. He's an eligible bachelor, I thought I was in with a chance."

Ms McRae said she got her mum's boyfriend to navigate the kayak as she tried to look for the popular royal on the Leeuwin.

The prince flies to the Western Australia capital, Perth, on Sunday morning for a brief visit before leaving the country.

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Capitol Shooting: Woman Dead After Car Chase

A woman has been shot dead after she led police officers on a car chase that ended in gunfire near the US Capitol in Washington.

Witnesses said shots rang out after the woman driving a black Toyota Infiniti attempted to smash through a barricade close to the White House.

The woman then fled, and was pursued by police who caught up with her near the Capitol Building.

Video footage showed officers with guns drawn attempting to get the driver out of the vehicle on the west side of the Capitol Building before she then flees again, with officers in chase.

The car is then understood to have crashed near the Hart Senate Office Building, on Capitol Hill.

Police seen moving through US Capitol. Pic: Marc Schloss

Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier said a one-year-old child was pulled from the car after the woman was shot.

She was later pronounced dead. Police revealed in a press conference that shots occurred in two locations.

The first series took place at the junction of 15th Street and East Street, close to Pershing Park.

The second set happened on Maryland Avenue NW, close to the Hart Senate Office Building.

In between, the car went down Pennsylvania Avenue, to the US Capitol, before escaping along Constitution Avenue where it was stopped as it entered Maryland Avenue.

First responders are seen aiding a victim at the scene

Ms Lanier said two officers were injured and were taken to hospital. One was an officer with the Capitol Police Department. The other was with the Secret Service.

The Capitol police officer, said to be a veteran of 23 years, was recovering in hospital, but was "doing really well."

"He's going to be fine," said Capitol Police Chief Kim Vine.

It is understood he was injured when the vehicle he was in while chasing the suspect, hit a barrier in front of Capitol Hill.

No details were released about the Secret Service officer, other than he too was not badly hurt.

The woman was confirmed dead by Ms Lanier, but she said police were not releasing any details about the suspect.

She would not comment on whether the woman was of Somali origin. Capitol Police Chief Vine said it did not appear that terrorism was a motive, but Ms Lanier said nothing has been ruled out.

The child, believed to be girl, was later taken to hospital.

Witnesses said at least 20 police cars chased the Toyota toward Capitol Hill, where the car crashed outside the Capitol.

A lockdown was put in place at the Capitol and other federal buildings, but lifted about an hour after the shots rang out.

Sky News US correspondent Amanda Walker, who is in Washington, said she heard a series of shots within minutes of each other before police swarmed the area.

She said: "It was about 2.20pm local time and we heard a series of gunshots and then there was a brief pause for around five minutes.

"Then we heard further gunshots and that's when immediately we heard this cacophony of sirens, police cars and various units going around this area that is constantly so heavily-guarded."

Senator Bob Casey told reporters he was walking from the Capitol to the Senate Russell Office Building across the street when he noticed several police officers driving fast up Constitution Avenue on motorcycles.

He said: "Within seconds of that we heard three, four, five pops." He said he assumed they were gunshots.

Television footage showed at least one person being removed from the scene on a stretcher.

As a warning was sounded, the House of Representatives abruptly went into recess and lawmakers left the chamber floor.

The House had just finished approving legislation aimed at partly lifting the government shutdown by paying National Guard and Reserve members.

People standing outside the Supreme Court across the street from Congress were hurried into the court building by authorities.

The White House was quickly locked down after the incident at Capitol Hill and the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the compound was closed to pedestrians.

Secret Service said the procedures were precautionary.

In a notice distributed by email, the US Capitol Police advised everyone to "close, lock and stay away from external doors and windows".

The reports come two weeks after a deadly shooting at the nearby Navy Yard and amid a government shutdown.

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Lampedusa: Day Of Mourning For African Migrants

The Italian government has declared an official day of mourning after the tragedy of Lampedusa, where more than 100 African migrants died trying to reach the island.

Italy's Minister of Integration, Cecile Kyenge, said a minute's silence will be held in all schools across the country.

"We will work with all the ministers in order to tackle this emergency and to start making a long-term plan to cope with it," she said.

Divers have recovered another 18 bodies from the sea following the tragedy where the boat began taking on water before sinking on Thursday.

Italian officials visited at temporary morgue in Lampedusa airport

Giovanni de Leonardo, head of the diving team said: "Today we went underwater three times and we recovered 18 bodies, of which 10 were outside the ship at the bottom of the sea, and eight were recovered tonight from inside the ship."

Interior Minister Angelino Alfaro said he had seen 93 bodies in the morgue, including four children and two pregnant women.

"Unfortunately, dozens more will arrive tonight, and more tomorrow," he added.

At least 114 men, women and children died and at least 200 more are still unaccounted for after they were tipped into the sea when the vessel capsized. None were wearing lifejackets.

When the boat began to sink, some migrants set fire to a blanket to attract the attention of passing ships. But as the flames spread, some passengers panicked and surged to one side, causing it to overturn.

Lampedusa is the stopping-off point for migrants attempted to reach Italy

Smugglers charge thousands of dollars per person to take migrants to Europe on overcrowded boats that do not have life jackets.

Lampedusa, 70 miles (11km) off Tunisia and closer to Africa than the Italian mainland, has seen successive waves of illegal immigration.

Migrants who arrive in Lampedusa are processed in centres, screened for asylum and often sent back home.

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China: Couple Speak Of 'Forced Abortion'

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

A couple have told Sky News how they were physically forced into an abortion by the Chinese authorities, three months before their child was due to be born.

At 4am last Friday, a group of 20 officials from the Shandong Province Family Planning Commission forced their way into the home of Zhou Guoqiang and his wife Liu Xinwen.

The officials kicked down the door of the family's home. Mr Zhou was held down while his wife was pulled from her bed and taken away.

Liu Xinwen, 33, was taken to the People's Hospital of Fangzi District in Weifang City where she was injected with an abortion-inducing drug.

Liu Xinwen says she was forcibly removed from her bed

Her baby, which she would later discover was a boy, died a day later in her womb. It took a further day for the foetus to be delivered.

Her husband was not told where she had been taken. It took him five hours to find her at the hospital. By then, the injection had been given.

Sky News met the couple six days later. Mr Zhou had invited us to the family's modest home in a rural corner of the province to hear their story.

We found his wife lying in the bed she had been taken from a week earlier. She was sobbing quietly.

"I miss him." she said.

An image of Liu Xinwen in hospital

"I didn't get to see him. I would be even more upset if I had seen him.

"Baby, I'm sorry. We were not meant to be. You rest in peace in heaven. We will pray for you. We hope your next life is better."  

Her heartbreak is the most brutal consequence of China's one-child policy.

The law is designed to keep the country's population in check. It prevents couples from having more than one child with a few exceptions in some rural provinces.

The policy is supposed to be enforced through financial penalties and not forced abortions. But in some provinces, over-zealous local officials, keen to keep within their birth quotas, break the law and terminate pregnancies by force.

"They don't have any humanity. They are not humans." Liu Xinwen said.

"They must have children and parents too. But they don't have any conscience. This is how China is."

Mr Zhou told how the officials held him down on the sofa while others took his wife away. In all, there were 16 male officials and four females.

We then sit down to look at photos he had taken in the hospital room. They are almost indescribably graphic.

One photograph shows Liu Xinwen lying on the bed. Beside her, on the floor, is a bucket. Inside is her aborted child.

Several other images show the foetus. It is fully formed.

Mr Zhou broke down after discussing the abortion

"His nose, ears, mouth are all there." Mr Zhou said.

"It is a child that would have lived if not for the forced abortion. It's because of their cruelty. Look, his hand is very obvious."

Mr Zhou broke down as he recalled the moment he arrived in the hospital, just minutes after the injection had been administered.

"My wife was lying in bed. I asked her: 'Have you been injected?' She said 'yes'. I asked if the baby was still moving. She said 'not much'.

"After that, I didn't want my wife to see my crying. I went outside. I cried, but only for a while because I needed to return to comfort her. She was very sad. She cried, day and night.

"Every time I heard babies' voices from other wards, I could hardly control myself. I had to go out. I have lost my child. I am speechless, words can't describe my feelings."

A footprint on the front door of the couple's home

He claimed that his wife was forced to sign papers which said she had agreed to the abortion.

When she initially refused, he said they told her that if she did not sign the papers, they would arrest her husband and she would have nothing. We have not been able to independently verify this.

The couple already have one son. Zhou Junfeng is 10. As we talk to his parents, he runs around the house playing. He is oblivious to the grief around him.

After Zhou Junfeng was born his mother underwent a state-proscribed procedure to insert a contraceptive coil into her body.

She says that this "forced sterilisation" must have failed, allowing her to fall pregnant for a second time.

The couple had the option to tell the authorities about the pregnancy the moment they discovered it, four months after conception.

They decided not to come clean because they were concerned that an abortion may be forced on them.

Mr Zhou and his son cook together

Instead, they said they planned to tell the authorities after the birth and then offer to pay the fine. This is common in parts of China and is sometimes acceptable.

Mr Zhou offered to take us to the hospital to see the room where the abortion happened.

Inside the hospital, we saw the room which is part of a fully functioning maternity ward; it is not a backstreet abortion clinic.

We found just two members of staff. One refused to comment. The other, a young nurse, was reluctant and a little startled to find a foreign TV crew in her hospital. 

"I don't know if it's forced or not. And I don't know the reason for it," she said.

"This is a maternity ward; there are many reasons for abortions. I don't know the specific reason for this case and it's not my place to care."

Sky News has approached the Shandong Health and Family Planning Commission, the central government Family Planning Commission in Beijing and the Chinese Embassy in London for a response to this case.

To date, none has been forthcoming.

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Israel 'Will Not Let Iran Get Nuclear Bomb'

Israel is ready to act "alone" to stop Iran getting a nuclear bomb, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned.

He said the only way to peacefully stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons is to combine tough sanctions with a credible military threat.

Mr Netanyahu argued Israel's future is threatened by a "nuclear-armed" Iran seeking its destruction.

He told the UN General Assembly: "Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone. Don't let up the pressure (on Iran)."

He added that the only deal that could be made with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, was one that "fully dismantles Iran's nuclear weapons program."

Iran's Khodadad Seifi branded the Mr Netanyahu's remarks "inflammatory"

He was dismissive of President Rouhani's diplomatic overtures to the West, and his strong denials that the Tehran government was seeking a nuclear weapon.

Mr Netanyahu said: "Rouhani is a wolf in sheep's clothing. A wolf who thinks he can pull the wool over the eyes of the international community.

"But like everyone else, I wish we could believe Rouhani's words, but we must focus on Iran's actions."

He said Iran's "vast and feverish" effort to acquire nuclear arms has continued since President Rouhani's election.

"Iran wants to be in a position to rush forward to build nuclear bombs before the international community can detect it and much less prevent it," he claimed.

A nuclear-armed Iran would be a more dangerous threat than North Korea, Mr Netanyahu added.

"As dangerous as a nuclear armed North Korea is, it pales in comparison to the danger of a nuclear armed Iran," he said.

"A nuclear armed Iran in the Middle East wouldn't be another North Korea  - it would be another 50 North Koreas."

His speech drew a swift response from Iran, who accused the Israeli leader of "sabre rattling".

Khodadad Seifi, a deputy ambassador at Iran's UN mission, told the UN General Assembly that Netanyahu's remarks had been "inflammatory".

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US Shutdown Is 'Ideological Crusade' - Obama

President Barack Obama has urged Republicans in Congress to reopen the government, saying "one faction of one party" does not get to "hold the economy hostage over an ideological crusade".

Speaking from the White House Rose Garden more than 12 hours into a government shutdown, Mr Obama said the longer an impasse continues, the worse the impact will be.

America woke up to the shutdown after a deeply polarised Congress failed to agree a new budget in a dispute over Mr Obama's signature healthcare law.

Mr Obama blames the shutdown on the Republicans

The president said shutting down the government will not accomplish some Republicans' stated goal of "rolling back efforts to provide health insurance for those who don't have it".

Earlier Tuesday, Mr Obama sent federal workers a letter lamenting that they had become "punching bags" in Washington's partisan fiscal fights.

"This shutdown was completely preventable. It should not have happened," Mr Obama said in the letter.

As the shutdown entered into force, "closed" signs and barricades sprang up at the Lincoln Memorial, museums and federal workplaces across the country.

Some of America's most famous tourist attractions, such as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in New York, and Alcatraz Island near San Francisco were closed to the public.

Almost all of Nasa shut down, except for Mission Control in Houston. Even the National Zoo's popular panda cam went dark, shut off for the first time since a cub was born there in late August.

The shutdown affects national parks such as Yellowstone

Up to 800,000 government employees are furloughed, and more than a million others could be asked to work without pay.

Meanwhile, workers classified as essential government employees, such as air traffic controllers or Border Patrol agents, continue to work. 

Republicans in the House said on Tuesday they would push for a series of small funding bills aimed at reopening portions of the government, including national parks.

The White House rejected the plan, saying it showed an "utter lack of seriousness" on funding the federal government.

The government's return to full operation will depend on how long it takes politicians to bridge their differences - and there was no immediate sign of compromise on Capitol Hill.

For now, Democrats and Republicans keep blaming each other.

The Republicans had insisted on delaying the healthcare reform - dubbed Obamacare - as a condition for passing a bill.

But this approach was rejected by allies of the president in a series of back-and-forth moves between the Republican-controlled House and the Democrat-dominated Senate.

House Speaker John Boehner said Mr Obama refused to negotiate

The Democrats accused the Republicans of succumbing to the Tea Party hard-line conservatives and seeking to gain political advantage at the expense of citizens.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said: "The government is closed because of the irrationality of what's going on on the other side of the Capitol."

House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, said he did not want a government shutdown, but added the healthcare law "is having a devastating impact ... Something has to be done."

Meanwhile, Obamacare itself was unaffected and enrolment opened for millions of people shopping for medical insurance.

The House of Liberty can be seen only from a distance

Online insurance marketplaces at the heart of the healthcare overhaul struggled to handle the volume of consumers on Tuesday, resulting in some glitches.

The shutdown, meanwhile, is likely to further alienate citizens already largely disillusioned by their ruling class and for the most part disappointed with the president's performance, according to the latest polls.

The political dysfunction on Capitol Hill also raised fresh concerns about whether Congress can meet a crucial mid-October deadline to raise the government's $16.7trn debt ceiling.

This would force the country to default on its obligations, dealing a potentially painful blow to the economy and sending shockwaves around global markets.

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Berlusconi Faces Revolt Over Confidence Vote

By Robert Nisbet, Europe Correspondent

European leaders are watching nervously as Italy's government faces a confidence vote which could trigger fresh instability in the debt-wracked country.

At the weekend, Silvio Berlusconi ordered five ministers, drawn from his centre-right People of Freedom party (PdL), to resign from the cabinet, prompting a constitutional crisis.

Since inconclusive elections in February, Italy has been run by an unusual left-right coalition, headed by the centre-left Democratic Party leader Enrico Letta.

Prime Minister Letta has a majority in the lower house but has relied on the PdL in the Senate to reach a workable government majority.

Berlusconi detonated his political bomb as he prepares to face a vote to strip him of his seat in the upper house after Italy's highest appeal court upheld his conviction for tax fraud.

If the 77-year-old media billionaire is booted out of the Senate, he would lose immunity from prosecution in a number of other cases currently moving through the Italian court system.

But there are signs some within his own party are tiring of his relentless legal difficulties and may vote to support the current government.

Mr Letta has led Italy's coalition government since February

Fabrizio Cicchitto, a leading PdL politician, was quoted in the influential La Repubblica newspaper as saying: "Making the government fall would be a mistake."

Analysts believe a victory for Mr Letta could still create difficulties, with the PdL moving out of government to head a large opposition bloc, backed by the firepower of Berlusconi's sizeable media empire.

Alternatively, if the government loses the vote, fresh elections would be inevitable - but again, there is no certainty any party would emerge as a clear winner.

Italy is the Eurozone's third largest economy and is struggling with low growth, high unemployment - rising to 12.2% in August and 40% among the young - and worrying levels of private and public debt.

As a result, Italy is finding it more expensive to borrow money to pay its bills. Further uncertainty could drive costs still higher, further inflaming Europe's sovereign debt crisis.

Mr Letta has built on the work of his technocratic predecessor Mario Monti by trying to increase tax revenues and cut government bloat, and has received tacit support from other Eurozone governments and EU institutions.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, fresh from her own electoral endorsement, rang Mr Letta to say she hopes political stability will return to Italy and that the reform programme will continue.

With the Eurozone finally emerging from recession, the threat of more market turmoil is extremely unwelcome.

There is another, more optimistic, view.

Some suggest this latest crisis could precipitate the end of Berlusconi's 20-year dominance in Italian politics which, in turn, may usher in a calmer, less confrontational - albeit less colourful - period.

That would cheer many in Brussels and beyond.

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Kenya: Troops 'Looted Shops' In Attack Mall

Shop owners at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi have been returning to their stores after last week's terrorist attack to find displays ransacked and valuables stolen.

They say jewellery and mobile phones have been taken, cash tills plundered and restaurants emptied of alcohol.

Shopkeepers believe troops sent in to protect the complex are to blame, although they admit they have no proof.

One witness told the Associated Press he saw a Kenyan soldier take cigarettes out of a dead man's pocket.

Owners spent Monday removing merchandise and other valuables from their stores and restaurants to prevent any more thefts.

A family trapped inside the mall after the attack

Soon after the attack began on September 21, officials put a cordon around the mall, allowing only security forces and a few government personnel to pass through.

One business owner said money and mobile phones were taken from bags and purses left behind in the mayhem.

Employees of a book shop on the second floor returned to find cash registers yanked open and cash gone.

The store's laptops were also stolen, although none of the books were touched, said owner Paku Tsavani.

People giving blood for victims of the attack

It is the second time in two months that Kenyan security forces have been accused of robbery after an emergency.

There were also reports of looting during a huge fire at Nairobi's main airport in August.

Acknowledging the Westgate thefts, Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku promised: "Those responsible for looting will be prosecuted."

Meanwhile, Kenyan intelligence officials are to be questioned by the country's MPs about whether they had advance warning of the attack.

Soldiers about to enter the shopping mall

Almost no details have been released about what happened immediately after the terrorists moved in.

Mr Lenku has declined to give any information about them, saying: "We do not discuss intelligence matters in public."

Nine suspects are now in custody following the assault, which is thought to have been carried out by the Islamist Somali group al Shabaab.

Kenyan police assisted by US, Israeli and European experts are still examining the shopping centre, which was extensively damaged.

A candlelit vigil held for victims of the attack

The Red Cross says 39 people are still missing, although the government insists everyone is accounted for.

At least 50 Kenyans were killed in the raid, along with six Britons and citizens of France, China, Ghana, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Peru and the Netherlands.

A candlelit vigil was held for the dead at a makeshift memorial near the mall just before sunset on Sunday.

The attack, which al Shabaab claims was in retaliation for Kenyan military operations in Somalia, ended after a four-day siege by security forces.

Five of the attackers were killed.

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Athlone Child Sex Attack Claims: Man Charged

A man is due to appear in court in Ireland charged over an alleged attack on two girls who are understood to have been lured away from a party.

The man, who is in his 30s, was one of three people detained after the children, aged six and nine, were allegedly subjected to a serious sexual assault in Athlone, County Westmeath.

The suspect, who is originally from Ballinasloe, County Galway, will appear before a District Court.

Two men who were in the home where the attacks are said to have taken place have been released without charge.

The alleged assaults took place on Saturday afternoon while a group of children were celebrating a friend's birthday.

Members of the public gather outside the court house in Athlone

The girls were playing outside during the party and are believed to have been enticed to a house by a man who was not attending the celebration.

It is believed they managed to flee from their attackers by climbing out of a window.

They ran back to the house where the party was taking place and raised the alarm.

Around 150 people protested in the town centre near to where the man was being questioned.

The spontaneous gathering included parents who wanted to show support for the families of the girls.

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US Shutdown: Deadline Passes Without Approval

A bitterly divided Congress has plunged the US into a partial government shutdown – the first in almost two decades – that will put some 800,000 workers on unpaid leave and close national parks.

A deadline to fund government spending passed without agreement, and the shutdown went into force at 12.01am.

The Democrat-dominated Senate and Republican-controlled House of Representatives refused to back down in a clash over President Barack Obama's controversial healthcare law, known as Obamacare.

The deadlock means non-essential services, including some of America's most famous tourist attractions, will be forced to close.

Workers classified as essential government employees, such as air traffic controllers or Border Patrol agents will continue to work.

Shortly after midnight, Mr Obama tweeted: "They actually did it. A group of Republicans in the House just forced a government shutdown over Obamacare instead of passing a real budget."

It is the first US shutdown in 17 years, with analysts concerned about its potential impact on Wall Street and other global markets.

Some of America's most iconic landmarks will be affected by the shutdown

Mr Obama warned of the possible risks to the economy, saying a shutdown would have "very real economic impact, right away".

He said he had been willing to negotiate, and placed the blame on Republicans, especially hard-line Tea Party conservatives.

"One faction of one party, in one house of Congress, in one branch of government doesn't get to shut down the entire government just to refight the results of an election," Mr. Obama said.

"Keeping the people's government open is not a concession to me."

"Tourists will find every one of our national parks and monuments ... immediately closed and of course the communities and small businesses that rely on these national treasures for their livelihoods will be out of customers and out of luck."

New York's Statue of Liberty and the National Zoo in Washington, as well as Yellowstone and other national parks, are among the tourist attractions the shutdown will affect.

The Internal Revenue Service will suspend audits and taxpayer services, programmes for children will be halted and up to 800,000 government employees will be forced to take temporary leave, possibly without pay.

The military's 1.4 million active duty personnel will remain on duty and Mr Obama signed a law on Monday to ensure they would receive their pay on time .

Mr Obama's healthcare law was passed by Congress and signed into law in 2010, despite opposition by the Republican Party, especially Tea Party conservatives.

However, the scheme, which aims to provide greater access to affordable health insurance for poorer sections of society, has yet to be funded.

A protester voices her dissatisfaction outside the Capitol building

In March, the Republicans and Democrats failed to agree on a 2013/14 budget bill that would have funded Obamacare, although they reached a compromise that gave both sides an extra six months - until October 1 - to continue negotiations.

Market reaction was muted following stock market falls across the board on Monday in anticipation of the shutdown.

Japan's Nikkei rose slightly while in Europe the FTSE 100 share index was flat in early trading following the previous day's 0.8% drop.

Dow Jones Futures pointed to a rise on opening in New York.

The dollar dropped slightly against the pound while there was also a move towards safe havens as gold values rose by up to 0.5%.

London-traded Brent Crude fell by 0.4% to 107 dollars a barrel as the shutdown was seen as potentially damaging to US economic growth prospects.

Much of the shutdown's economic impact will depend on how long it takes politicians to find a solution.

The last shutdown, under the Clinton Administration, lasted 28 days between December 1995 and January 1996.

The political dysfunction at the Capitol also raised fresh concerns about whether Congress can meet a crucial mid-October deadline to raise the government's $16.7trn debt ceiling.

This would force the country to default on its obligations, dealing a potentially painful blow to the economy and sending shockwaves around global markets.

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Knox Back On Trial Over Meredith Murder

An Italian judge could order new DNA tests on evidence as Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito go back on trial in Florence for the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher.

Lawyers said the court may order tests on a tiny biological trace on a knife suspected of being used in the killing which was overlooked during earlier trials.

In 2009, American student Knox, and Sollecito, an Italian IT graduate, were convicted of killing Miss Kercher in her student flat in Perugia, only to be released from jail when an appeal court cleared them in 2011, citing weaknesses in DNA evidence.

But Italy's supreme court overturned the acquittal in March, suggesting Rudy Guede, a drifter also convicted for the murder, did not act alone, and describing "shortcomings, contradictions and inconsistencies" in the appeal court's verdict.

A new appeal verdict will now be reached, possibly by Christmas, before the case returns to the supreme court.

Sollecito at his appeal hearing in 2011

If Knox - who has said she will not attend the retrial - is found guilty and the supreme court upholds the verdict, she may face an extradition request, although the US would probably refuse to hand her over.

Francesco Maresca, a lawyer representing the Kercher family, said it was possible the new presiding judge would order a DNA test on a tiny biological trace found on the alleged murder knife alongside other traces, which was only discovered by appeal court-appointed experts.

"It was considered too small to test at the time, but there are new kits now," he said. "Let's see how well it was conserved."

Mr Maresca said the experts appointed by the appeal court who questioned DNA evidence found on the knife and on Miss Kercher's bra clasp, had been rightly challenged by the supreme court.

"They were unprepared for something that important and probably influenced by the defence," he said.

Meredith Kercher was murdered in Perugia in 2007

Carlo Dalla Vedova, a lawyer for Knox, defended the experts' work and said he would ask that they be summoned to defend their work at the new trial.

"The supreme court's criticisms of the acquittal are all wrong," he said.

Giulia Bongiorno, a lawyer representing Sollecito, said she would request an examination of a stain found on Miss Kercher's pillow, suspected to be sperm, which was never tested.

After giving a stream of interviews in recent weeks in which she has proclaimed her innocence, Knox, now 26, has said she will not travel from her home in Seattle for the trial, while Ms Bongiorno said Sollecito would attend later hearings.

"Knox's justification of her absence suggests she considers herself a victim of Italian justice, which is intolerable," said Mr Maresca.

Knox has said she would like to visit Miss Kercher's grave, but Miss Kercher's family said last week she should stay away from her former flatmate's final resting place.

Mr Maresca said Miss Kercher's sister Stephanie had planned to attend the hearing, but had decided to stay with her parents in Coulsdon, south London, because "they need her support".

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Kenya To Quiz Security Bosses Over Mall Failings

Kenyan intelligence officials are to be questioned by the country's MPs about whether or not they had advance warning of the deadly Westgate Shopping Mall attack.

Kenyans have become increasingly frustrated over their government's unwillingness to share information about the attack.

Almost no details have been released about what happened after the first hours of the siege on September 21.

Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku has declined to give any information about the suspected attackers, saying: "We do not discuss intelligence matters in public."

Nine suspects are now in custody following the gun and grenade assault, which is believed to have been carried out by Islamist militants from the al Qaeda-linked Somali group al Shabaab.

Mr Lenku also insisted no gunmen escaped in the chaotic scenes that followed the attack, despite some witnesses claiming one of the attackers joined the shoppers as they were fleeing.

A memorial service was held outside the shopping centre

Kenyan police assisted by US, Israeli and European experts are still poring over the partially wrecked building.

Investigators have also identified a car used by the gunmen and found in it an "assortment of illegal weapons".

The Red Cross has said 59 people remain missing, though the Kenyan government has said no one was unaccounted for.

Six British nationals were among the victims when gunmen stormed the upmarket Westgate shopping centre.

At least 50 Kenyans as well as victims from France, China, Ghana, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Peru and the Netherlands were also killed.

A candlelit vigil was held for the dead at a makeshift memorial near the shopping centre just before sunset on Sunday.

It had been thought that a number of attackers and hostages had been trapped under rubble when the roof the mall collapsed, but the Kenyan government has said it believes no hostages were left in the mall "unless forensic evidence shows otherwise".

What caused the collapse has not been revealed but a government official admitted on Saturday it happened as a result of action by Kenyan forces.

Shoppers fled as the gunmen began their rampage

The raid, claimed by al Shabaab in retaliation for Kenyan military operations in Somalia, ended after a four-day siege when security forces went in to flush out the gunmen.

Five of the attackers were killed.

Meanwhile, the East African country has asked the American government to remove a warning to US citizens, advising them to take extra care when travelling to Kenya, calling it "unnecessary" and "unfriendly".

Mr Lenku said he strongly objected to the advisory that urged Americans to "evaluate their personal security situation in light of continuing and recently heightened threats from terrorism" there.

He said: "We believe issuing the travel advisory is counter-productive in the fight against global terrorism.

"We request the United States, as a friend of Kenya, to lift the travel advisory."

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Baghdad Car Bombs 'Kill At Least 24'

A wave of car bombings in Shi'ite neighbourhoods in Baghdad has killed at least 24 people and injured 75, according to Iraqi officials.

Police said the parked car bombs hit outdoor markets and car parks.

The deadliest bombing was in the Sadr City neighbourhood where seven died.

Attacks in different parts of Iraq - including two suicide bombings in the country's relatively peaceful northern Kurdish region - killed 46 people on Sunday.

More than 4,500 people have been killed since April.

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Kenya: Somalis In Nairobi Fear Terror Backlash

Somalis living in Nairobi say they fear being targeted by Kenyans who blame them for the shopping centre massacre that left at least 67 people dead.

The Eastleigh area of the capital city is home to many from Somalia, the country where al Shabaab, the terror group thought to be behind the attack, is based.

Ahmed Mohammed, a security consultant in the area, said there were major concerns about a backlash against the community.

"People are worried about people coming and looting their businesses and they are also worried about authorities coming and doing a crackdown on Somalis," he told Sky News.

"Basically, when things like this happen, Somalis are the victims."

Poverty and unemployment make Eastleigh a fertile recruiting ground for al Shabaab.

Those who have glimpsed inside the organisation and witnessed its brutality are terrified of being hunted down for leaving or speaking out.

One man, who asked to remain anonymous, explained why.

Victims of the attack are honoured at a memorial in Nairobi

"What I am scared about is that Al Shabaab are beasts, they are not human beings," he said.

"If they see my face ... they will try to kill me. I have seen so many friends of mine who have been killed by al Shabaab."

Somali immigrant Farah Atosh, 25, has countless friends who have been recruited or approached by al Shabaab, but is determined to counter the terror group's propaganda.

"We are against them," he said.

"We are not supporting them. You might see or hear some people saying al Shabaab will not be able to carry out those attacks without the support of the Somali diaspora but honestly that is false information."

Many people who fled Somalia hoped they would find sanctuary and those who created new lives in Kenya want al Shabaab hounded out

One of them is Karim Muse, who told Sky News: "I would like to go to Somalia but (while) the al Shabaab are ... in Somalia, I don't want to go back.

"They have destroyed Somalia's people. They don't like Somalis, don't like other Christians, they don't like anyone, only themselves. Al Shabaab, they are cancer in the world."

It comes as forensic investigators continue to search the ruins of Westgate Mall - and after it emerged a sixth Briton had been confirmed dead following the attack.

Meanwhile, around 200 Nairobi residents, many of them of Indian descent, held a candlelit vigil on Saturday evening for victims the massacre.

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Italy In Chaos As Berlusconi Ministers Quit

Former Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi has withdrawn his ministers from the government, effectively bringing down the country's fragile ruling coalition.

The move leaves the eurozone's third-largest economy in chaos and was branded a "crazy and irresponsible act" by prime minister Enrico Letta.

Talks will now start to find a parliamentary majority to back a new cabinet and avoid another election - just seven months after the last one.

Berlusconi had earlier encouraged the five ministers in his centre-right People of Freedom (PDL) party to resign over an increase in sales tax.

He said they should not be "complicit in the latest vexation imposed on Italians by the left".

"The prime minister's decision yesterday to freeze government action, thus leading to the rise in the VAT, is a serious violation of the government pact," he said.

The move comes just days before a senate committee is expected to strip him of his seat over his conviction last October for tax fraud.        

Mr Letta hit back, saying: "To try to justify his crazy and irresponsible act, aimed fully at protecting his personal interests, Berlusconi is ... using the VAT as an alibi."

"Italians will recognise such a big lie... and return it to the sender."

The relentless political jockeying that has defined Mr Letta's five-month tenure has already thwarted efforts to push through important reforms Italy needs to emerge from a two-year recession, a decade-long economic lethargy, a 2-trillion-euro public debt and youth unemployment of around 40%.

The resignations will delay those reforms even further.

Italian Labour Minister Enrico Giovannini told Rai state television: "So many measures we were working on now risk being set back.

"On Monday our borrowing costs are going to rise by many points."

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Pakistan Police Station Bomb Kills At Least 29

A suspected car bomb has exploded near a police station in the city of Peshawar killing at least 29 people and injuring 70.

Police officer Zahid Khan said the Sunday explosion appeared to have been a bomb planted in a parked car and detonated by remote control.

It comes just a week after two suicide bombers killed 85 people in an attack on All Saints' Church, just 300 yards from the scene of Sunday's blast.

The explosion was detonated in an area crowded with shops and families.

Spokesman for the Lady Reading Hospital Jamil Shah said the dead included six children and two women as well as 70 wounded have been brought to the hospital from the blast site.

Scenes at the Anglican church bombing a week ago

The north western frontier city is the gateway to the troubled tribal regions, which are overrun by Taliban and al Qaeda-linked militants.

Islamist violence has been on the rise in Pakistan in recent months, undermining Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's efforts to tame the insurgency by launching peace talks with the Taliban.

The Taliban have repeatedly rejected Pakistan's constitution and have called for the full implementation of Islamic law and for war with India.

Mr Sharif was expected to meet Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly later on Sunday, only hours after Mr Singh described Pakistan as the "epicentre of terrorism in our region".

Last week's church attack was the deadliest attack on Christians in Pakistan.

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