World Cup Stadium Delay After Crane Deaths

The deaths of two construction workers at a Brazilian World Cup stadium mean the venue may now be completed up to two months late.

Fifa is expecting a delay of 45 to 60 days after a crane hoisting a 500-tonne structure collapsed, causing damage to the outer walls of the venue and a giant LED screen.

Football's world governing body had originally set a December 31 deadline for the completion of all stadiums for next summer's tournament.

The delay will increase existing worries over whether Brazil can get all its building work done in time for the June 12 kick-off.

The stadium was said to be very close to completion

Six stadiums have already been declared ready but there are concerns the venues in Cuiaba, Manaus and Curitiba may not meet the deadline.

Stadium bosses at Sao Paulo's Arena Corinthians said the "structure of the grandstand was not compromised" in the incident and that work on the 70,000-seat venue will resume on Monday, after a three-day period of mourning.

Andres Sanchez, operations director at the stadium, which is due to host the World Cup opener, said the two workers were crushed to death.

Fifa had set a December 31 deadline for all stadium building work

They have been named as Ronaldo Oliveira dos Santos, 44, and Fabio Luiz Pereira, 42, who was reportedly inside his truck when it was hit by the falling structure.

Most of the 1,700 workers were on a lunch break when the incident took place.

In a statement, Corinthians said it was the 38th time the crane had performed the procedure and that a similar structure had been successfully installed a week ago.

Investigators are looking into the reason for the collapse.

Two died when the crane "derailed" and dropped a 500-tonne structure

Fifa said the "safety of workers is the top priority" of World Cup organisers, while the organisation's president, Sepp Blatter, said he was "deeply saddened by the tragic death of workers".

"Our heartfelt condolences are with the families," he said

The incident is not the first to hit the country's World Cup preparations however.

One worker died last year during construction of a stadium in the capital, Brasilia, and one was killed at the Manaus stadium last March.

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Thai PM Shinawatra Survives No-Confidence Vote

Thailand's embattled prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has easily survived a parliamentary no-confidence vote against her.

The vote is unlikely to defuse tensions or end the biggest anti-government protests since deadly political unrest three years ago.

The motion was filed by the opposition Democrat Party, which alleges widespread corruption in government and accuses the prime minister of acting as a puppet for her brother, the ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Protesters plan to march to the national police headquarters and defence ministry later.

Ms Yingluck has pleaded for demonstrators to "call off" their protests for the "country's peace".

"I'm begging you, the protestors, because this doesn't make the situation any better," she said before the vote.

Ms Yingluck needed more than half, or 246 votes, out of the 492 votes in the lower house to prevail. She won 297, with 134 votes against her.

She denies the allegations against her and urged demonstrators to end their occupation of a number of key government buildings.

"They want to rally until the end of this month. I think they have expressed their political stand enough," she said.

Protesters are demanding the end of the "Thaksin regime" and want to replace the government with an unelected "people's council".

The protests have triggered growing international concern, with UN leader Ban Ki-moon the latest world leader to voice alarm.

Ban "is concerned by the rising political tensions in Bangkok", said his spokesman Martin Nesirky.

"The secretary-general calls on all sides to exercise the utmost restraint, refrain from the use of violence and to show full respect for the rule of law and human rights."

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Kickboxer Lee Aldhouse Jailed For Thai Murder

A British kickboxer has been sentenced to 25 years in jail in Thailand for the murder of a former US Marine on a resort island.

Lee Aldhouse from Birmingham pleaded guilty to stabbing to death 23-year-old Dashawn Longfellow in 2010, after being beaten up by the military veteran during a brawl at a Phuket bar.

The Phuket provincial court reduced Aldhouse's sentence from a life-term because of his guilty plea. He had initially denied the murder charge.

Aldhouse was a semi-professional kickboxer who fought under the nickname 'Pitbull'.

He had been living on-and-off in Phuket, where Mr Longfellow was also studying the sport.

Dashawn Longfellow was stabbed by Aldhouse after a brawl at a Phuket bar

Aldhouse was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport after fleeing Thailand.

He was held in the UK for almost two years before he became the first Briton to be extradited to Thailand under a century-old treaty.

Laywer Kampon Siriwatunyoo said Aldhouse was considering whether to appeal.

"He prefers to be in a Thai jail rather than serve his sentence in Britain because he said there is a royal pardon once or twice a year here," he added.

Mr Longfellow's mother said her son was in Thailand after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he was injured when a roadside bomb exploded under his vehicle.

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Israel Says Nuclear Deal Is 'Historic Mistake'

It's "an historic mistake" that will "make the world more dangerous" - the result of cosmetic concessions - and the consequences "threaten Israel". And: "We will not allow Iran to obtain military capability."

Benjamin Netanyahu's take on the interim deal to limit Iran's nuclear programme could not be more out of tune with how the US President plays it.

Barack Obama said the agreement "opened up a new path toward a world that is more secure".

That the two men don't get along could be a diplomatic understatement. But why the huge gulf over what is an historic turning point in Iran's relations with the outside world?

It's partly caused by policy, and partly by personality. The deal with Iran is less of a turning point - more a junction.

The Israelis contend the world's superpowers and global diplomats have been suckered and that Iran has taken a devious route. The Saudis probably agree - though may not say so out loud.

Israel sees an Iranian nuclear weapon as an existential threat - the Saudis fear Iran's Shi'a agenda which has already established an arc of influence from Iraq to Syria.

The US, Europe, Russia and China see Iran has opted for a different road - one that will lead it back into the community of nations - and one that will have checkpoints manned by the International Atomic Energy Authority.

It will only be clear which direction Iran has really chosen over the next six months. These are rational differences of difference of policy.

Mr Obama says the deal opens a path to 'a world that is more secure'

An objective analysis of the interim deal, which is intended to lead to a permanent end to Iran's nuclear weapons programme in return for the end of crippling sanctions in six months, it is pretty good.

Enrichment of uranium will be halted at 5% (well below the weapons threshold purity of 90%). Iran's stockpile of 30% enriched uranium will be neutralised.

Tehran's capacity to re-start its nuclear weapons programme is also being rolled back. Centrifuges for enrichment will be put out of action and no new ones built. The plutonium reactor at Arak will, effectively, be mothballed before its completion.

IAEA inspectors will be given regular and unrestrained access to the nuclear sites and even access to CCTV cameras to try to ensure that Iran isn't backsliding.

In return, Iran gets access to airplane parts, and partial lifting of sanctions on the oil and gold industry worth $1.5bn a year.

It will also get, in instalments, revenues from $4.2bn worth of oil revenues - and $400m will be allowed to be sent to Iranian students and other educational projects abroad.

Iran will still be losing out on $4bn a month in oil sales because of caps on its exports, and $100bn of its foreign exchange will remain in frozen bank accounts.

The nuclear talks in Geneva

These simply are not the "cosmetic concessions" that the Israeli Prime Minister claims.

It is true that many western intelligence agencies share the Israeli fear that the international community may be falling into an Iranian trap.

"They are world class liars," one senior spook said.

But there is no need to say so - yet.

"All Bibi (Benjamin Netanyahu) needs to do is say he reserves judgement on the interim agreement and hope that diplomacy will work - give the whole thing its six months and then if Iran is indeed cheating, Israel will have global support for more drastic action," said one western diplomat.

He risks being 'tuned out' by the international community - even if what he may say, in the end, is proved incorrect, the diplomat added.

Often belligerent Israel, led by Mr Netanyahu's personal style, is now being seen as petulant.

Behaviour that is trying the patience of its father figure -  the USA.

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Sinabung: Thousands Flee Volcano Eruptions

Thousands of people have fled after a volcano in western Indonesia erupted eight times in a few hours, raining down rocks over a large area.

Mount Sinabung has been erupting on and off since September, but went into overdrive on Sunday, spewing out red-hot ash and rocks up to five miles into the air.

Several thousand people fled their homes overnight, bringing the total number who have left the area since the volcano rumbled into life to more than 12,000, local government official Robert Peranginangin said.

"People panicked as the eruption was accompanied by a loud thunderous sound and vibrations. Then it started raining down rocks," he said.

"They ran helter-skelter out of their homes and cried for help."

Residents living near the volcano have been urged to flee their homes

He said there were no known casualties from the latest eruptions.

Volcanology experts have raised the alert level for the volcano, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, to the highest point on a four-point scale, meaning a hazardous eruption is imminent or under way.

The government has urged people living within a three-mile radius of the volcano to leave their homes.

Sinabung is one of dozens of active volcanoes in Indonesia which straddle major tectonic fault lines known as the "Ring of Fire".

It erupted in September for the first time since 2010.

In August, five people were killed and hundreds evacuated when a volcano on a tiny island in East Nusa Tenggara province erupted.

The country's most active volcano, Mount Merapi in central Java, killed more than 350 people in a series of violent explosions in 2010.

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Iran Nuclear Deal Reached At Talks In Geneva

An agreement has been reached between Iran and six world powers to curb Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for limited sanctions relief.

The deal, announced by European Union policy chief Catherine Ashton, is a first step towards resolving a decade-old stand-off between Tehran and the West.

The agreement between the Islamic state and the US, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia was nailed down after more than four days of negotiations in Geneva.

US President Barack Obama said it was an important first step towards a comprehensive solution to Iran's nuclear programme.

William Hague hailed the agreement as 'very important and encouraging'

He said Iran could not use its next-generation centrifuges under the deal and the limitations under the agreement "cut off Iran's most likely paths to a bomb".

He added that if Iran did not meet its commitments during a six-month period, the US would turn off sanctions relief and "ratchet up the pressure".

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the nuclear deal as an "historic mistake" and reserved his country's right to defend itself.

"Today the world became a much more dangerous place because the most dangerous regime in the world made a significant step in obtaining the most dangerous weapons in the world," he said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran's Mohammed Javad Zarif

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the agreement recognises Tehran's "rights" to maintain a nuclear programme, and it would "never" seek atomic weapons.

The country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said: "This can be the basis for further intelligent actions. Without a doubt the grace of God and the prayers of the Iranian nation were a factor in this success."

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron said the deal leaves Tehran further from getting a nuclear weapon and "demonstrates how persistent diplomacy and tough sanctions can together help us to advance our national interest".

Foreign Secretary William Hague said the agreement was "very important and encouraging", adding that it meant "the nuclear programme won't move forward for six months".

However, he acknowledged that "legitimate concerns" remained.

The Iranian foreign minister got a hero's welcome back in Tehran

He and US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the deal, as well as the latest developments in Syria, during talks in London on Sunday.

Speaking in London, Mr Kerry said: "This could not have happened if our friends had not come together to create sanctions and force sanctions and to press this agreement.

"Now the really hard part begins; the effort to get the comprehensive agreement in terms of verification, transparency and accountability.

"We are determined to work together. We will start today to continue the efforts out of Geneva. President Obama could not be more grateful for David Cameron's support."

High purity uranium stockpiles will be destroyed or diluted

Mr Kerry offered assurances to Israel over the nuclear agreement, saying it would make the Jewish state safer over the next six months because the world would have "insights" into Iran's nuclear programme.

President Obama also telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the deal, said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

He said the US was looking forward to consulting with Israel over ongoing negotiations with Iran.

Speaking on Iran's Press TV, Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the deal was an opportunity for the West to restore trust with the Iranian nation.

He said Tehran would expand co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog.

European Union policy chief Baroness Catherine Ashton and Javad Zarif

The easing of sanctions could boost Iran's economy by up to $7bn (£4.3bn).

In return, it has committed to stop uranium enrichment above a purity of 5% - enough for medical use and nuclear power, Iran's stated goal, but not enough for a weapon.

Any uranium it has above 20%, which is close to the level needed for weapons, will be destroyed or diluted. 

Equipment capable of enriching weapons-grade uranium will also be switched off and the deal calls for intrusive UN nuclear inspections.

The agreement has sparked fears in Israel, said Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sam Kiley.

"Israel's economy minister Naftali Bennett has said this deal could result in the use of suitcase nuclear devices five years down the line. It could be traced to this historic moment," he said.

"What they're really saying is that the international community, the world's diplomats, have been suckered by Iran in the same way that the international community was successfully suckered, let's face it, by the North Koreans who agreed to a similar deal to downscale their nuclear programme, and after a few months went by actually demonstrated that they had developed a nuclear weapon in secret.

"That is precisely what worries the Israelis."

Diplomacy was stepped up after the landslide election of Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, as Iranian president in June, replacing nationalist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

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