Nelson Mandela's Body Flown Home For Funeral

Nelson Mandela's body has arrived in South Africa's Eastern Cape ahead of a funeral service for the former president.

His coffin, draped in the country's national flag, was carried from a farewell service in Pretoria and onto a military plane, accompanied in clear blue skies by two fighter jets.

Less than two hours later, the plane landed in Mthatha, where huge crowds lined the streets to watch the anti-apartheid hero's final journey.

Officers carrying Mr Mandela's coffin march slowly towards the plane

Thousands of people, many waving flags and carrying posters of Mr Mandela, gathered to see his coffin taken towards his childhood home of Qunu, where he will be given a state funeral.

It comes after Desmond Tutu, the former archbishop, revealed he will miss his close friend's burial after receiving "no indication" he had been invited.

President Jacob Zuma claimed the 82-year-old, who also missed a memorial service in Sowetto earlier this week, was "definitely" on the guest list.

Retired archbishop Desmond Tutu said he 'loved and treasured' Mr Mandela

However, there is speculation he was excluded from the event for political reasons, following his open criticism of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party.

In a statement, Mr Tutu said: "Much as I would have loved to attend the service to say a final farewell to someone I loved and treasured, it would have been disrespectful to Tata to gatecrash what was billed as a private family funeral.

"Had I or my office been informed that I would be be welcome, there is no way on earth that I would have missed it."

The mostly sombre event in Pretoria was punctuated by song and dance, as the ANC paid tribute to its former leader.

Mr Zuma recalled the political achievements of his predecessor, saying he brought discipline and vision to the anti-apartheid movement.

"He did something that is not easy to do," he said.

Mr Mandela's grandson Mandla, who sat with his grandfather for three days while he lay in state in Pretoria, also attended the service.

South African President Jacob Zuma pays tribute to his predecessor

He told the audience: "I have witnessed his army, I have witnessed his people, I have witnessed ordinary South Africans who walked this long walk to freedom with him.

"I can assure the ANC that today, the future of this country looks bright."

Mr Mandela's state funeral is a first for South Africa and means full military ceremonial honours will be laid on, led by the armed forces.

Mr Mandela's coffin is surrounded by well-wishers at a farewell ceremony

A 21-gun salute will ring out and the South African Air Force will perform a fly pass.

The centuries-old traditions of the Xhosa tribe will also be observed, with a ritual slaughtering of an ox before Mr Mandela's body arrives at Mthatha airport.

A group of traditional leaders and Mandela elders, led by Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, the AbaThembu king, will welcome him home to Qunu.

Crowds have gathered in Mthatha ahead of the arrival of Mr Mandela's coffin

According to his memoirs, the village, with its rolling hills and dusty tracks, was where he spent "the happiest days" of his childhood.

Zwelonke Sigcau, the Xhosa king, told Sky News: "The Xhosa people believe Nelson Mandela is not leaving us. It is just his body which is going into the ground. His spirit will remain."

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Shooting At Denver School Near Columbine

A gunman has killed himself after opening fire at a Denver high school near to the site of the Columbine High School massacre.

One 15-year-old student was injured at the Arapahoe High School in Centennial and is in a critical condition, according to authorities.

Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson identified the shooter as 18-year-old Karl Halverson Pierson.

Pierson entered the school with a shotgun and was looking for an individual teacher who he identified by name, said Mr Robinson.

Armed police at the school

He added: "The teacher began to understand that he was being looked at and exited the school. One student confronted the armed student and was shot."

Mr Robinson did not elaborate on any possible motive except to say Pierson had had a "confrontation or disagreement" with the teacher.

The teenager was later found with fatal self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Mr Robinson said a possible Molotov cocktail was also found at the scene.

Pupils were led out of the building with their hands in the air by police officers after the shooting, which began at 12.30pm local time. All the schools in the area are on lockdown as a result. 

One student told the Denver Post: "I was scared and shaking." She added that she heard, "bang, bang, bang" and by the third shot was on the ground.

Youngsters told the newspaper they hid in the corners of dark classrooms until police SWAT teams arrived.  

A student is reunited with her father after the shooting

The school is about eight miles (13km) east of Columbine High School in Littleton, where two teenage shooters killed 12 classmates and a teacher before killing themselves in 1999.

Tracy Monroe, who had step-siblings who attended Columbine, was standing outside the high school looking at her phone, reading text messages from her 15-year-old daughter inside.

She said she got the first text from her daughter, Jade Stanton, at 12.41pm. The text read: "There's sirens. It's real. I love you."

A few minutes later, Jade texted "shots were fired in our school".

Ms Monroe rushed to the school and was relieved when Jade texted that a police officer entered her classroom and that she was safe.

Ms Monroe was friends with a teacher killed in the Columbine shooting, Dave Carpenter.

"We didn't think it could happen in Colorado then, either," she said.

Some 2,141 students attend the school, which has 70 classrooms.

The attack comes almost one year after 20 children and six adults were killed in a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown.

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Mandela To Return To Homeland For Funeral

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, in Qunu

He is Qunu's most famous son and the return of Nelson Mandela's body to his ancestral homeland is not just for sentimental reasons - it is part of Xhosa tradition that those who pass away are returned to the soil from where they came.

This weekend sees a stark shift in tempo, organisation and ceremony as the state funeral meshes with the centuries-old traditions of Mr Mandela's countrymen and women in the rural Eastern Cape.

"We feel very represented by Nelson Mandela," Mandisi Tshaka, a young Xhosa man, resplendent in his traditional robes and big beaded necklace, told me.

"Everyone in the world knows the Xhosa tribe because of him and we're saluting him."

The South African government has announced the former president's state funeral is a "first for the country" and means full military ceremonial honours will be laid on and led by the armed forces.

There will be 21-gun salutes and a fly-over by the South African Air Force.

But there is a strong importance being put on performing the Xhosa rites as Mr Mandela is laid to rest.

There will be a ritual slaughtering of an ox in the early hours before receiving his body at Mthatha airport in the Eastern Cape.

The AbaThembu king, Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, is expected to lead a group of traditional leaders as well as Mandela elders in welcoming him home to the village of Qunu, where he spent much of his childhood.

Xhosa custom dictates a welcome ritual is performed to ensure the ancestors are informed of the arrival of Mr Mandela's remains.

Mr Mandela will be called on by his praise name Dlibhunga and the AbaThembu king will shout this three times as he greets the body when he arrives home.

Despite the pomp and ceremony of the state funeral, there will be equal, if not more, importance put on the traditional Xhosa burial rituals to ensure the man they call Madiba has an easy transition into the afterworld.

The Xhosa king, Zwelonke Sigcau, told Sky News: "The Xhosa people believe Nelson Mandela is not leaving us. It is just his body which is going into the ground. His spirit will remain."

Mr Mandela's body lay in state for three days

In the African culture many believe a dead person's spirit lives on beyond death and joins other ancestors who guide, help and protect the living.

It is a belief which greatly helps alleviate the pain felt by the loss of a loved one - and Mr Mandela may assume even greater importance amongst his people because of his exalted status as a spiritual ancestor now.

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Space Monkey: Iran Claims Second Success

Iran claims a second monkey it has sent into space has survived - nearly a year after questions were asked over an earlier attempt.

State TV said the monkey had travelled in a rocket dubbed Pajohesh, or Research in Farsi, which was the country's first craft to use liquid fuel.

It said the monkey, named Fargam or Auspicious, reached a height of 72 miles (120km) before being returned to Earth safely.

President Hassan Rouhani congratulated the scientists involved in the mission, in a message carried by Iran's official IRNA news agency.

"The launch of Pajohesh is another long step getting the Islamic Republic of Iran closer to sending a man into space," the official IRNA news agency said.

Pre-recorded footage, shown on state TV, showed the rocket blasting off and then showed the monkey, strapped snugly into a seat, staring at people clapping to celebrate its safe return.

The report said Fargam's capsule parachuted safely to Earth after detaching from the rocket in a mission that lasted 15 minutes.

In January, Iran said it had successfully brought a live monkey back to Earth from orbit.

But the experiment's success was disputed, when a different monkey was presented to the media after the landing.

An earlier attempt had failed in September 2011.

Doubts were cast on Iran's last claim after it presented a different monkey

Iran's space programme has prompted concern among Western governments which fear Tehran is experimenting in an attempt to master the technology required to deliver a nuclear warhead.

But for Iranians, the country's aerospace programme is a source of national pride.

Iran is keen to show itself as a technological hub for Islamic and developing countries.

In the January mission, one of two official packages of photos depicted the wrong monkey, causing some international observers to wonder whether the monkey had died in space or that the space flight had in fact failed.

But Iranian officials later said one set of pictures showed an archive photo of an alternative monkey, which was not used.

They said three to five monkeys are simultaneously trained for such a flight but only one is chosen.

The Islamic Republic has not revealed where the rocket launch took place, but it has a major satellite launch complex near Semnan, about 125 miles (200km) east of Tehran.

Analysts say putting a monkey into space without putting it into orbit is similar to the achievements of the superpowers during the late 1950s.

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North Korea Purge Sparks China And US Concern

The Rise Of Jang Song-Thaek

Updated: 10:52am UK, Friday 13 December 2013

While hereditary leader Kim Jong-Un is the unquestioned ruler of North Korea, his uncle Jang Song-Thaek was thought to be the country's second most powerful figure.

The 67-year-old had occupied a privileged and yet precarious spot within the inner circle, and his ties to Mr Kim were more than political.

He was the son-in-law of the founder of North Korea, Kim Il-Sung, and was married to Mr Kim's aunt, Kim Kyong-Hui, the younger sister of the former leader, Kim Jong-Il.

A native of the far northeastern border city of Chongjin who hailed from humble roots but was sharp enough to gain entry to prestigious Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang, he rose from municipal bureaucrat to vice chairman of the National Defence Commission and member of the Political Bureau.

These posts put him second in power only to Mr Kim.

He started his career as instructor for the Pyongyang City Committee of the Workers' Party, and rose post-by-post reaching the top ranks.

Despite not being a career military man, he was made a four-star general, and helped engineer a campaign to bring the once-powerful military into the party's fold.

He was purged and sent to a labour camp for two years in the mid-2000s, according to Kim Young-soo, a North Korea expert at Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea. That purge was widely seen as a move to clip his wings.

It was after Kim Jong-Il's stroke in 2008 that he was assumed to be serving in a regency role while the young heir Mr Kim, then in his late 20s, was being groomed to succeed his father.

Gen Jang would accompany Mr Kim on guidance trips, often dressed in a trim white general's uniform and standing within arm's length of the young heir on field visits and at state events.

That rise to the inner circle gained speed after Kim Jong Il's death from a heart attack in December 2011.

A well-travelled diplomat with a network that spread to China, Gen Jang was considered the chief architect of economic policy that focused on partnering with the neighbour and ally.

He had recently added a new title to his portfolio - chairman of the State Physical Culture and Sports Guidance Commission - one of Mr Kim's pet projects. Mr Kim is a basketball fan and famously invited US basketball star Dennis Rodman for a rare official visit to the country.

Last seen publicly in early November meeting a sports delegation from Japan, rumours of Gen Jang's dismissal began surfacing in Seoul last week.

On Sunday, he was fired from all posts at a special party meeting and dragged away by the arms by soldiers - his ordeal broadcast on North Korean television.

Four days after his dramatic public arrest, Gen Jang was tried for treason by a special military tribunal.

On Friday, North Korea's official news agency KCNA announced he had been executed. He confessed, according to state media.

He was described as "a traitor to the nation" and "worse than a dog".

The list of crimes against Gen Jang was long, with plotting to overthrow the leadership the most serious of the allegations.

Subsequently, pictures showing both Mr Kim and Gen Jang were doctored to remove the uncle - a technique notoriously used by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in the 1930s.

Gen Jang's demise offers an intriguing and revealing glimpse into the murky, feudalistic world of politics in the secretive country.

The fall from grace, accompanied by allegations from corruption to womanising and capped by his arrest at the party meeting on Sunday, has suggested to some analysts that Mr Kim is still trying to consolidate the power he inherited from his father two years ago.

For North Koreans, the shocking public humiliation of a man seen as a father figure to Mr Kim was designed to send a clear message about the intolerance of opposition in a totalitarian state that demands absolute loyalty to the leader.

It was a humiliating end to a complicated career.

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North Korea Executes Leader's 'Traitor' Uncle

The Rise Of Jang Song-Thaek

Updated: 10:52am UK, Friday 13 December 2013

While hereditary leader Kim Jong-Un is the unquestioned ruler of North Korea, his uncle Jang Song-Thaek was thought to be the country's second most powerful figure.

The 67-year-old had occupied a privileged and yet precarious spot within the inner circle, and his ties to Mr Kim were more than political.

He was the son-in-law of the founder of North Korea, Kim Il-Sung, and was married to Mr Kim's aunt, Kim Kyong-Hui, the younger sister of the former leader, Kim Jong-Il.

A native of the far northeastern border city of Chongjin who hailed from humble roots but was sharp enough to gain entry to prestigious Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang, he rose from municipal bureaucrat to vice chairman of the National Defence Commission and member of the Political Bureau.

These posts put him second in power only to Mr Kim.

He started his career as instructor for the Pyongyang City Committee of the Workers' Party, and rose post-by-post reaching the top ranks.

Despite not being a career military man, he was made a four-star general, and helped engineer a campaign to bring the once-powerful military into the party's fold.

He was purged and sent to a labour camp for two years in the mid-2000s, according to Kim Young-soo, a North Korea expert at Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea. That purge was widely seen as a move to clip his wings.

It was after Kim Jong-Il's stroke in 2008 that he was assumed to be serving in a regency role while the young heir Mr Kim, then in his late 20s, was being groomed to succeed his father.

Gen Jang would accompany Mr Kim on guidance trips, often dressed in a trim white general's uniform and standing within arm's length of the young heir on field visits and at state events.

That rise to the inner circle gained speed after Kim Jong Il's death from a heart attack in December 2011.

A well-travelled diplomat with a network that spread to China, Gen Jang was considered the chief architect of economic policy that focused on partnering with the neighbour and ally.

He had recently added a new title to his portfolio - chairman of the State Physical Culture and Sports Guidance Commission - one of Mr Kim's pet projects. Mr Kim is a basketball fan and famously invited US basketball star Dennis Rodman for a rare official visit to the country.

Last seen publicly in early November meeting a sports delegation from Japan, rumours of Gen Jang's dismissal began surfacing in Seoul last week.

On Sunday, he was fired from all posts at a special party meeting and dragged away by the arms by soldiers - his ordeal broadcast on North Korean television.

Four days after his dramatic public arrest, Gen Jang was tried for treason by a special military tribunal.

On Friday, North Korea's official news agency KCNA announced he had been executed. He confessed, according to state media.

He was described as "a traitor to the nation" and "worse than a dog".

The list of crimes against Gen Jang was long, with plotting to overthrow the leadership the most serious of the allegations.

Subsequently, pictures showing both Mr Kim and Gen Jang were doctored to remove the uncle - a technique notoriously used by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in the 1930s.

Gen Jang's demise offers an intriguing and revealing glimpse into the murky, feudalistic world of politics in the secretive country.

The fall from grace, accompanied by allegations from corruption to womanising and capped by his arrest at the party meeting on Sunday, has suggested to some analysts that Mr Kim is still trying to consolidate the power he inherited from his father two years ago.

For North Koreans, the shocking public humiliation of a man seen as a father figure to Mr Kim was designed to send a clear message about the intolerance of opposition in a totalitarian state that demands absolute loyalty to the leader.

It was a humiliating end to a complicated career.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Klitschko Agrees To Talks On Ukraine Crisis

Ukrainian opposition leader Vitali Klitschko is attending talks with President Viktor Yanukovych.

The move from the former boxing champion's party has raised hopes of an end to the crisis gripping the eastern European country.

Mr Klitschko has been a visible presence at protests in Kiev in recent weeks which has seen clashes between thousands of demonstrators and riot police over Ukraine's possible closer links with the EU, which the opposition wants but the government has been resisting.

Police have become more violent towards protesters

He earlier told protesters on Independence Square that he, nationalist leader Oleg Tyagnybok and Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the head of the party of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, would be attending the talks.

"We have the impression that he (Yanukovych) is not listening to us, maybe his television is not working, maybe he is not being given the information," Mr Klitschko said.

"We want to look him in the eye and say our main demands and hear the answer."

There have been angry scenes in Independence Square

Mr Yanukovych's refusal to sign the agreement for closer ties set off the protests - his deputy said the government intended to sign it but there were issues that still needed to be worked out.

"Today we're renewing preparations for the signing of an agreement," deputy PM Sergiy Arbuzov said on Thursday after talks with EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fuele.

Opposition parties accuse the government of bowing to pressure from Russia's President Vladimir Putin who, they say, is against Ukraine getting close to the EU.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian court has released all those arrested during a violent police dispersal of demonstrators near the presidential administration building, one of the demands of the opposition.

The US has threatened sanctions unless police stop their actions

An appeals court spokeswoman, Olga Chaplya, said the last of nine people arrested in the December 1 clash has been released, although the criminal cases against them continue.

The opposition had set the releases as a condition for entering talks with the government and President Yanukovych has now proposed an amnesty for the protesters.

A pro-EU protester walks a fine line near riot police earlier in the week

"My point of view is that we have to turn this page, announce an amnesty," he was quoted by his office as telling students.

"People who were arrested now, they should be freed. Some of them have even been convicted - they should be freed too."

Experts had earlier said time was running out for Mr Yanukovych to make a decision on a future direction for his politically volatile nation, which is split between a Ukrainian-speaking, pro-EU west and a Russian-speaking, Moscow-leaning east.

His choices are to either sign a deal with the EU that would put his ex-Soviet nation on track to eventually joining the bloc, or join a Moscow-led Customs Union, which Russia sees as a future alternative to the EU.

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Bangladesh Execution Leads To Violent Clashes

At least four people have been killed in violent clashes following the execution of Islamist leader Abdul Quader Mollah for war crimes committed more than four decades ago.

The decision to hang Mollah, dubbed the 'Butcher of Mirpur' in Bangladesh for his part in hundreds of killings during the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan, drew widespread condemnation from political allies and international human rights groups.

But many people celebrated the first ever execution of a Bangladesh war criminal, which took place at the Dhaka Central Jail in the capital late on Thursday.

Mollah, a senior figure in the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party, was buried in the early hours of Friday in his home village in the southern district of Faridpur.

In the latest violence, his supporters set fire to vehicles and houses, looted shops, set off crude bombs and blocked roads in several parts of the country.

Describing the violence in Dhaka, resident Mohammad Khokon said: "They (the protesters) came with boxes full of bombs and they wore helmets and started throwing many handmade bombs on the street and ran away."

Police said two people were hacked to death in Satkhira, in the southwest, early on Friday.

One person died in clashes with police in the southern district of Noakhali, and a driver was killed after being chased down by protesters.

Mollah's execution has added to tensions that were already running high, threatening to cripple Bangladesh's economy, most notably its £13.5bn clothing industry.

There has been almost daily unrest in the poverty-stricken country of 160 million people since last month's announcement of parliamentary elections on January 5.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her ruling Awami League are determined to go ahead with the vote, but the opposition says it will not participate unless an interim government is installed and she steps down.

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Govt Admits Mistake Over Mandela Signer

Hiring a sign language interpreter who claims to have had a schizophrenic episode while translating at the Mandela memorial was a mistake, the government has said.

Thamsanqa Jantjie, who was criticised for apparently making "meaningless gestures" while interpreting the speeches of world leaders on stage, said he takes medication for the condition.

Mr Jantjie says he started hearing voices and hallucinating

He said he did not know whether it was the scale of the event or the happiness he felt about being involved that triggered the episode.

The 34-year-old, who was pictured signing next to the likes of US President Barack Obama, claimed he suddenly lost concentration and started hearing voices and hallucinating.

He also had visions of angels coming into the stadium and was trying not to panic because there were "armed policemen around me".

Mr Jantjie said the episode impaired his ability to hear things properly and interpret what was being said, but he did not feel able to leave so continued to sign words and phrases that did not make sense.

He apologised and was quoted by South Africa's Star newspaper as saying: "There was nothing I could do. I was alone in a very dangerous situation.

"I tried to control myself and not show the world what was going on. I am very sorry, it's the situation I found myself in.

"Life is unfair. This illness is unfair. Anyone who doesn't understand this illness will think that I'm just making this up."

The interpreter pictured next to President Barack Obama

Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, deputy minister of women, children and people with disabilities, accepted the government had made a mistake and apologised to deaf people around the world.

She said an investigation into how Mr Jantjie came to be hired was under way - but said the owners of the company which provided his services had "vanished into thin air".

Concerns over the interpreter had been raised by deaf people watching the service at Johannesburg's FNB Stadium.

Bruno Druchen, the national director of the Deaf Federation of South Africa, said he "was moving his hands around but there was no meaning in what he used his hands for".

South African parliament member Wilma Newhoudt, a member of the ruling party, also said the interpreter communicated nothing with his hand and arm movements.

Both Mr Druchen and Ms Newhoudt are deaf.

Mr Jantjie has been called an 'embarrassment'

Three sign language experts said the man was not signing in South African or American sign languages.

South African sign language covers all of the country's 11 official languages, according to the federation.

Nicole Du Toit, an official sign language interpreter who also watched the broadcast, said the man on stage was an "embarrassment".

Mr Jantjie, who was accused of being an imposter, which led to security concerns, claims he is a genuine interpreter and a "champion of sign language" who was paid 850 Rand (£50) for one day's work.

Asked about his interpreting skills, he said: "It is very sad at this present moment because I believe that it was an issue that had to be dealt with earlier.

"If the Deaf Federation of South Africa​ have an issue with my interpreting they should have clarified it a long time ago, not at this crucial time for our country."

He says he has photographs of him working next to various people including President Jacob Zuma in the past.

He said felt honoured to be part of the historic event on Tuesday, but the president's office has contacted him to find out who recommended him for the job.

Meanwhile, the South African government has said it will not release photographs of Mr Mandela lying in state, and has urged people to avoid a picture posted on the internet which purports to show his body.

An official statement said: "If this content exists, government calls on people not to view it and to delete it from their timelines."

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Six-Year-Old Suspended For Kissing Schoolmate

The suspension of a six-year-old boy for kissing a girl at school is raising questions about whether the peck should be considered sexual harassment.

The boy's mother said officials at Lincoln School of Science and Technology in Canon City, Colorado, are overreacting.

Jennifer Saunders said her son was suspended once before for kissing the girl and had other disciplinary problems, and she was surprised to find out that he would be forced out of school again for several days.

Hunter Yelton said he has a crush on a girl at school and "she likes him back".

"It was during class, yeah. We were doing reading group, and I leaned over and kissed her on the hand. That's what happened," he said.

Ms Saunders said she saw nothing wrong with her son's display of affection.

She said she punished him for other problems in school, including "rough-housing", but was shocked when the school's principal brought up the term "sexual harassment" during a meeting.

"This is taking it to an extreme that doesn't need to be met with a six-year-old. Now my son is asking questions. 'What is sex mommy?' That should not ever be said, sex. Not in a sentence with a six-year-old," she said.

District superintendent Robin Gooldy said the boy had been suspended because of a policy against unwanted touching.

"The focus needs to be on his behaviour. We usually try to get the student to stop, but if it continues, we need to take action and it sometimes rises to the level of suspension," he said.

David Welsh, a school psychologist, said some policies that bar bullying, harassment and weapons on public school campuses may go too far.

But he said school boards are being forced to develop strict policies because of a large number of complaints being reported by students and teachers who face consequences if they keep silent.

"If you have a policy and procedure and you don't follow it, it's hard to defend," Mr Welsh said.

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Kenya: Grenade Thrown At British Tourists

Attackers hurled a grenade at British tourists in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, but it failed to explode.

Mombasa's police chief Robert Kitur told the AFP news agency: "The grenade was detonated safely by experts.

"We are investigating the incident and looking for the man who threw the grenade at the tourists and fled."

The tourists, who were in a vehicle in the Likoni district, were travelling from the popular Indian Ocean resort of Diani on the way to a wildlife safari at the Masai Mara national park.

Tourism is a key source of foreign currency for Kenya.

The British High Commission in Kenya said it had "heard the reports and was investigating", but gave no further details.

Kenya has seen a wave of grenade attacks since it invaded southern Somalia in October 2011 to try to oust al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgents. 

Explosives have been thrown into restaurants in Mombasa and crowded areas in the capital Nairobi, and there has been a string of attacks in the remote northeast region bordering Somalia.

Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the assault on Nairobi's Westgate mall in September, in which at least 67 people died during a four-day siege.

In September 2011 gunmen killed Briton David Tebbutt and kidnapped his wife Judith. She was held for six months before being freed.

Three weeks later, disabled Frenchwoman Marie Dedieu was kidnapped from her home on Kenya's Manda island and later died in captivity in Somalia.

Mombasa police say they have strengthened security.

Mr Kitur said: "We are appealing to everybody to exercise caution, especially over this festive season, and to share information with security agencies to win the war on terror.

"We have intensified security at tourist hotels and other vital installations to avert terrorism attacks."

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Australia: Details Emerge Of Farm Incest Case

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

A dozen children, some unable to read or write or brush their teeth, have been removed from a remote farm in Australia after suffering years of sexual abuse and incest.

The victims, all aged under 16, had been living in a group of around 40 people in New South Wales (NSW).

Social workers responded in July 2012 to complaints that the children were failing to attend school and that when they did attend, they were thin, dirty and suffering from a lack of even basic hygiene.

Genetic testing revealed only one of the removed children had parents who were not related.

The testing also revealed a range of disabilities among the children including deafness and blindness.

They also displayed sexualised behaviour towards one another and strangers, and had disturbing stories of sexual acts in the commune involving children.

Some were unable to wash themselves, use a toilet or brush their teeth. Others had developmental issues, were malnourished and unable to read or write.

The NSW Children's Court took the rare step of publishing its judgement - originally made in September - this week, saying "there is no realistic possibility of restoration of any of the children" to their parents.

Court documents said the victims were either developmentally delayed or cognitively impaired, with seven of the group "unable to speak intelligibly".

One child had died when she was two months old due to a genetic condition.

The commune lived in "very dirty and hazardous" conditions in two caravans, two sheds and two tents without running water or sewage.

Evidence pointed to "inter-generational incestuous relationships and intra-familial sexual abuse", the judgement said.

The children were ordered to remain in state care until they are 18 years old.

The abuse is believed to have taken place over three generations, with the victims later becoming abusers.

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US Off-Piste Skier Survives Avalanche Fall

An off-piste skier who was caught on video being dragged into a ravine in Utah and buried in snow has miraculously survived the ordeal.

The unnamed woman lived because she deployed a special air bag in her backpack and other skiers were able to dig her out quickly, witnesses said.

Joe Campanelli was filming the sun-covered Wasatch mountains with his smart phone when the skier descended into a steep gully filled with loose snow in Grizzly Gulch, a short distance from the Alta ski area near Salt Lake City.

"That is not a good slope to ski," Mr Campanelli is heard to say on the recording. Moments later, the slope cracked and he says: "You're in a slide, bud!"

He abruptly stopped recording to go to her help.

The woman was "very lucky" - Pic: Drew Hardesty/Utah Avalanche Centre

His friend, Aaron Rice, said he used an avalanche beacon and a probe to track her down, then dug her out with help from others. She was buried in several feet of snow.

"She was breathing, talking," Mr Rice said. "She said, 'Thank you. I can't believe you got here so quickly.' She was completely shaken up."

The woman was swept about 100 feet down the gully at an angle of about 40 degrees, according to a report on the Utah Avalanche Centre's website.

She was lucky to be alive and escape injury, the centre's Bruce Tremper said, adding that Utah averages about four avalanche deaths a year.

Slopes can be deceptive - Pic: Drew Hardesty/Utah Avalanche Centre

"It's a crapshoot - a game of Russian roulette," he said. "People may perceive a slope to be safe, but there are booby traps all around."

The skier's descent into the gully was so steep and short there was not enough time for the air bag to keep her above the roiling snow.

However, it might have helped keep her from being buried for longer, and under much deeper snow, officials said.

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Mandela Memorial: Deaf Signer Was 'Fake'

South Africa's deaf federation has claimed that an interpreter using sign language during the Mandela memorial was a "fake".

Concerns over the male interpreter had been raised by deaf people watching the service at Johannesburg's FNB Stadium on Tuesday.

Bruno Druchen, national director of the Deaf Federation of South Africa, said the unidentified man, who was on stage alongside world leaders including US President Barack Obama, "was moving his hands around but there was no meaning in what he used his hands for".

Sign language experts have said there was no meaning to the man's gestures

South African parliament member Wilma Newhoudt, a member of the ruling party, also said the man communicated nothing with his hand and arm movements.

Both Mr Druchen and Ms Newhoudt are deaf.

The revelation also raises concerns over security for world leaders

Three sign language experts said the man was not signing in South African or American sign languages.

South African sign language covers all of the country's 11 official languages, according to the federation.

Nicole Du Toit, an official sign language interpreter who also watched the broadcast, said the man on stage was an "embarrassment".

The man has not been identified

She said: "It was horrible, an absolute circus, really really bad.

"Only he can understand those gestures."

Delphin Hlungwane, an official South African sign language interpreter with DeafSA, said authorities were trying to track the man down.

The man also failed to indicate that the crowd was booing Jacob Zuma

She said: "There was zero percent accuracy. He couldn't even get the basics right. He couldn't even say thank you.

"You're supposed to indicate with your facial expressions, even if it's not an exact sign. He didn't indicate that (booing of Jacob Zuma) at all. It just passed him by.

"Nobody knows who he is. Even at this hour we still don't have his name."

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World Leaders Pay Final Respects To Mandela

Winnie Mandela, ex-wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela, has viewed his body as it lies in state at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

Hundreds of other dignitaries including his widow Graca Machel, Jacob Zuma, Robert Mugabe and Naomi Campbell are also lining up to pay their respects to the iconic South African anti-apartheid campaigner.

Ms Mandela (L) and Ms Machel say goodbye to the former leader

Thousands of South Africans had lined the streets of Pretoria to pay their respects as Mr Mandela's body was taken to lie in state in a glass-topped coffin.

Members of the public formed a guard of honour as his coffin passed by fronted by a fleet of police outriders, at the start of what will be three days of mourning in the executive capital.

President Zuma is followed by Graca Machel (in black) Mandela's widow

The coffin was draped in the multi-coloured South African flag as it arrived at the grand setting of the Union Buildings, seat of power in the country's capital and the place where the former leader was sworn in as president.

The same procession around Pretoria will take place each morning until Friday, with the coffin being returned to the military hospital each evening.

As the procession passed, mourners sang tributes to the former South African leader, who died last week at the age of 95.

President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe files past to pay his respects

Mandela's grandson Mandla and Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula led mourners into the viewing area. Soldiers set down the coffin and removed the flag.

Members of Mr Mandela's family and VIPs are paying their respects before the public are allowed in to view the body.

South African apartheid-era president FW de Klerk bids farewell

With worries about crowds, three sites have been set up in Pretoria from where mourners will be shuttled in to the Union Buildings and back.

People making their way to the sites told Sky's Alex Crawford they thanked Mr Mandela for their freedom.

Model Naomi Campbell (L) after paying her final respects to Mr Mandela

"South Africa is mourning for the greatest icon that ever lived," one mourner said. "We are sad, we are crying; today we are going to witness him, we are going to see him and we are going to pray for him."

People have been told their mobile phones will have to be switched off and be put out of sight before they will be allowed to file past the body. No photos will be allowed.

A public memorial service was also held at St Martin-in-the-Fields church in London at the request of the South African High Commission.

The two share strong links and were the scene of freedom vigils for Mr Mandela during his incarceration.

Irish band U2's lead singer Bono (2L) and his wife Alison Hewson

Speakers at the service included Sir Sydney Kentridge QC and Lord Joffe of Lidington, who both represented Mr Mandela at his treason trials, and campaigner and African National Congress veteran Mama Thembi Nobhadula.

Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the founder of South Africa's Inkatha party, said there was something "unique" about his friendship with Mr Mandela.

The Union Building's amphitheatre where Mr Mandela's coffin lies in state

Despite the Inkatha party being at virtual war with Mr Mandela's African National Congress, Chief Buthelezi said he campaigned tirelessly for Mr Mandela's release.

Speaking to Sky's Jeremy Thompson, he said: "That was the mischief of many politicians who separated us. But I thank God they did not succeed because our friendship existed up until this point.

People lined the streets as the hearse made its way through Pretoria

"There was something very unique about our friendship. I campaigned for his release more than anyone else in this country. I challenge anyone to prove to the contrary."

The lying in state will end with Mr Mandela's remains being transported to the Eastern Cape and his ancestral home of Qunu at the weekend ahead of his funeral.

Women sing tributes to Mr Mandela as the cortege passes by

Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the Queen will be represented by the Prince of Wales at the funeral which will take place on Sunday December 15.

Nelson Mandela left it to the South African people to decide how to celebrate his life and legacy.

Mandela: "I would just like a simple stone on which is written, 'Mandela'."

He said once when asked how he wished to be remembered: "It would be very egotistical of me to say how I would like to be remembered.

"I'd leave that entirely to South Africans. I would just like a simple stone on which is written, 'Mandela'."

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Pope Francis Named Time Person Of The Year

Time magazine has named Pope Francis as its Person of the Year.

The US magazine chose the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church as the most influential figure of the year in its annual review.

The 76-year-old Argentinian was picked from a varied shortlist that included Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, NSA leaker Edward Snowden, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and twerking superstar Miley Cyrus.

Time called the Pope a "septuagenarian superstar" and said he had taken "the name of a humble saint and then called for a church of healing".

Francis became 266th leader of the world's Roman Catholics in March this year, following the surprise abdication of Benedict XVI.

Time managing editor Nancy Gibbs said Pope Francis had changed the tone, the perception and focus of one of the world's largest institutions in an extraordinary way.

Former NSA contractor Snowden, whose leaks caused a media sensation worldwide, was named the runner-up. 

The other names on the shortlist were Texas senator and darling of the Tea Party Ted Cruz; US president Barack Obama; Iran's new president Hassan Rouhani; US health secretary Kathleen Sebelius; and gay rights activist Edith Windsor.

More follows...

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Central African Republic: French Troops Killed

Two French soldiers have been killed in the Central African Republic, officials in Paris have confirmed.

The deaths represent the first French casualties since President Francois Hollande deployed 1,600 troops to restore order there.

A statement from the Elysee Palace said: "With much sadness, the president learned of the deaths in combat of two French soldiers last night in Bangui.

"They lost their lives to save many others.

"The president expresses his profound respect for the sacrifice of these two soldiers and renews his full confidence in the French forces committed - alongside African forces - to restoring security in the Central African Republic, to protecting the people and guaranteeing access to humanitarian aid."

Mr Hollande, who is in South Africa to attend the memorial for Nelson Mandela, was due to visit French troops in the Central African Republic later along with foreign minister Laurent Fabius.

The French troops are part of a UN-mandated effort to restore order in the CAR, a former French colony and one of the world's poorest countries.

The African Union is due to boost the existing peacekeeping mission to 6,000 men.

On Monday, peacekeeping troops began disarming fighters after a wave of sectarian violence in the capital left nearly 400 people dead.

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PIP Breast Implant Boss Jean-Claude Mas Jailed

The founder of a company that made substandard breast implants has been jailed for four years.

Jean-Claude Mas of Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) was found guilty of fraud after using industrial-grade silicone in thousands of breast implants sold worldwide.

The 74-year-old, dubbed "the sorcerer's apprentice of implants" by prosecutors, plans to appeal, according to his lawyer.

The scandal first emerged in 2010 after doctors noticed abnormally high rupture rates in PIP implants.

A global health scare erupted in 2011 with some 300,000 women in 65 countries believed to have received the faulty implants.

Jean-Claude Mas arriving in court for the verdict

Mas was also ordered to pay a €75,000 (£45,638) fine and has been permanently banned from working in medical services or running a company.

Four other former PIP executives were also convicted by the court in Marseille and given lesser sentences.

During a month-long trial in April, the defendants admitted using the industrial-grade silicone but Mas, who spent eight months in pre-trial detention, denied the company's implants posed any health risks.

More than 7,500 women have reported ruptures in the implants and in France alone 15,000 have had the PIP implants replaced.

But health officials in various countries have said they are not toxic and do not increase the risk of breast cancer.

More than 7,000 women had declared themselves civil plaintiffs in the case.

Mas, a one-time travelling salesman who got his start in the medical business by selling pharmaceuticals, founded PIP in 1991 to take advantage of the booming market for cosmetic implants.

He built the company into the third-largest global supplier of implants, but came under the spotlight when plastic surgeons began reporting an unusual number of ruptures in his products.

Health authorities later discovered he was saving millions of euros by using industrial-grade gel in 75% of the implants.

PIP's implants were banned and the company eventually liquidated.

PIP had exported more than 80% of its implants, with about half going to Latin America, about a third to other countries in western Europe, about 10% to eastern Europe and the rest to the Middle East and Asia.

In a similar case, a commercial court last month ordered the German company TUeV, which cleared PIP for certification, to pay damages to more than 1,600 women and six distributors.

The implants were filled with industrial-grade silicone and were prone to leaking.

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Nelson Mandela Memorial: World Leaders In SA

Nelson Mandela: Obituary Of An Icon

Updated: 6:30am UK, Friday 06 December 2013

Nelson Mandela's long but ultimately successful struggle to liberate South Africa's oppressed black majority made him a figure of hope and inspiration for millions of people around the world.

Feisty young lawyer, determined founder of the ANC's youth movement, militant commander, prisoner, president - his role in the fight for freedom was constantly evolving throughout his life.

Alongside mentor Walter Sisulu and great friend Oliver Tambo, he brought focus to the anti-apartheid campaign where it was needed, but became an enemy of the state in the process.

In 1963, already behind bars and facing the death penalty during a sabotage trial, Mr Mandela gave his famous "speech from the dock".

The words - combative, but measured and full of hope - signalled the emergence of the statesman who would become an icon of the 20th century.

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He said: "I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination.

"I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.

"It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

The apartheid government jailed Mr Mandela and his comrades for life in 1964 but they could not lock away the ideas he embodied and the righteousness of his cause.

To allies of South Africa's racist regime - including some in Britain - Mr Mandela remained for many years a "terrorist".

But for campaigners Mr Mandela's 27-year ordeal behind bars, often in a cramped cell on Robben Island or in solitary confinement, represented all that was wrong with apartheid.

Pressure to free "prisoner 46664" went hand-in-hand with diplomacy and sanctions as the world set its sights on ending the injustice of South Africa's racial rule.

The beaming smile and joyful raised fist as he walked free from Paarl's Victor-Verster Prison with his wife Winnie on February 11, 1990, proved beyond doubt to most South Africans that a dark chapter in the country's history was coming to a close.

As President from 1994, Mr Mandela sought to build his "Rainbow Nation" - feted by world leaders as he crossed the globe outlining his vision of a non-racial democracy.

His campaign to unite the nation - black and white - behind the victorious Springboks rugby team during the 1995 World Cup in South Africa made many believe that vision could really be achieved.

An often troubled and traumatic personal life - including the split from Winnie following her kidnapping and assault trial - was never allowed to eclipse the greater goal of guiding South Africa into a new era.

After retiring in 1999, Mr Mandela - fondly known by his tribal name "Madiba" - settled into the role of "Father of the Nation".

Passing on the presidency to Thabo Mbeki, he was happy taking a step back from the political frontline, but always there to reassure his people  - a symbol of hope until the end.

Nelson Mandela was born in 1918 into the Madiba tribal clan, part of the Thembu people, in a small village in the eastern Cape of South Africa.

Born Rolihlahla Dalibhunga, he was given his English name by a teacher, Miss Mdingane, at his first school. It was customary for all children to be given English names.

His father, a counsellor to the Thembu royal family, died when Mr Mandela was a child, and he was placed in the care of the acting regent of the Thembu people, chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo.

He joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944, first as an activist, then president of the ANC Youth League.

Mr Mandela married his first wife, Walter Sisulu's cousin Evelyn Mase, in 1944 and the couple went on to have four children during a 14-year marriage.

In 1952, he and friend Oliver Tambo opened South Africa's first black law firm, using their offices to take on many civil rights cases and mount challenges to the apartheid system.

Mr Mandela was first charged with high treason in 1956 following the adoption of the Freedom Charter in Soweto - a document with demands including multi-racial, democratic government and equal rights for blacks - but was cleared when the prosecution failed to prove he was using violence.

In 1958 he divorced Evelyn and married Winnie Madikizela, who later became prominent in the ANC and the campaign to free her husband.

He was convinced to take up arms against the government following the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre - when police shot dead 69 peaceful demonstrators who were protesting against the segregationist Pass Law, which limited the freedom of the black population.

The government followed the massacre by banning the ANC, cracking down on strikers and protesters and applying apartheid restrictions even more severely as a state of emergency was declared.

As commander-in-chief of the ANC's armed wing from 1961, Mr Mandela secretly left the country to raise money and undergo military training in Morocco, Algeria and Ethiopia.

He returned in July 1962, but was arrested at a road block after briefing the ANC leadership on his trip.

Mr Mandela stood trial for incitement and leaving the country without a passport and this time there was no chance of an acquittal as he was jailed for five years and sent to Robben Island Prison for the first time.

He was behind bars when a group of his comrades were arrested in 1963. They were charged with sabotage in what became known as the Rivonia Trial - named after the farm raided by police.

In June 1964 - following a lengthy trial condemned by the UN Security Council - Mr Mandela and seven other activists were sentenced to life in prison.

He remained imprisoned on the infamous Robben Island for 18 years before being transferred to Pollsmoor jail on the mainland in 1982.

In the space of 12 months between 1968 and 1969, his mother died and his eldest son was killed in a car crash, but he was not allowed to attend their funerals.

In 1980, Oliver Tambo, who was in exile in London, launched an international campaign to win Mr Mandela's release. International resolutions and rock concerts alike were harnessed to highlight the cause.

As the world community upped the pressure against South Africa, with the US approving tough economic sanctions in 1986, secret talks began between Mr Mandela and PW Botha's government.

In 1990, President FW de Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC - paving the way for Mr Mandela's release on February 11.

The ANC and ruling National Party began talks about forming a new non-racial democracy for South Africa.

Relations between Mr Mandela and Mr de Klerk grew tense against a backdrop of violence between ANC supporters and Chief Buthelezi's Inkatha movement.

But the two leaders continued to meet and in December 1993 they were both awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Five months later, for the first time in South Africa's history, all races voted in democratic elections and Mr Mandela became president - having himself voted in an election for the first time in his life.

As president, Mr Mandela entrusted much day-to-day government business to his deputy Thabo Mbeki.

While his time in office was hailed as a triumph in terms of building the new South Africa, there was criticism for a failure to tackle the Aids epidemic and conditions in the country's slum townships.

Mr Mandela divorced Winnie in 1996 and married 52-year-old Graca Machel two years later, on his 80th birthday.

Mr Mandela stepped down as president after the ANC's landslide victory in the national elections in the summer of 1999, in favour of Mr Mbeki.

After his retirement he continued travelling the world, meeting leaders, attending conferences and raising money for good causes.

With thousands of requests every year, his problem was fitting everything in and not exhausting himself.

In June 2004, aged 85, Mr Mandela announced he would be retiring from public life as he wanted to enjoy more time with his family.

But he did make an exception to speak out about his son Makgatho's death from Aids in 2005 - challenging the taboo that surrounds the disease in Africa.

The 2010 World Cup closing ceremony in Johannesburg was the world's last glimpse of the iconic leader in a public role.

He may have been looking frail, wrapped up against the cold and not speaking, but the famous smile as he basked in South Africa's success underlined how far his country had come.

In recent years he battled bouts of ill health, with South Africans struggling to come to terms with the reality that he could not go on forever.

Mr Mandela had hospital treatment in early 2012 for abdominal pain and then endured another 18-day stay at the end of the year suffering from gallstones and a chest infection.

A picture taken on February 2 at his Johannesburg home - showing him holding great-grandson Zen Manaway on his lap - proved to be the last time Nelson Mandela's millions of admirers saw the world's most famous smile.

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Obama And Castro Handshake At Mandela Tribute

Barack Obama has shaken hands with Cuban President Raul Castro at a memorial service for Nelson Mandela.

The handshake between the leaders of the two Cold War enemies came during a ceremony in Johannesburg that is largely focused on Mr Mandela's legacy of reconciliation. 

Mr Castro smiled as the US leader shook his hand on the way to the podium to pay tribute to the late South African president, a global symbol of peace.

It was an unprecedented gesture between the leaders of two nations that have been at loggerheads for more than half a century.

It was Mr Obama who offered the handshake in a new sign of his willingness to reach out to US enemies, a US official told the AFP news agency.

The US and Cuba have recently taken small steps toward rapprochement, raising hopes the two nations could be on the verge of a breakthrough in relations.

The ceremony in memory of Mr Mandela, who died on Thursday at age 95, gathered heads of state from around the world.

Mr Obama was also shook hands with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who has clashed with the US over alleged National Security Agency spying.

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Snow Storm Brings Misery To Much Of US

A powerful storm has dropped snow, freezing rain and sleet on the Mid-Atlantic and the East Coast, blanketing some NFL playing fields and forcing thousands of flights to be cancelled.

The storm coated parts of Texas in ice, and struck the East Coast with unexpected force.

It left travellers stranded, slowing traffic on roads and leading to a number of accidents, and caused some power outages.

Arctic air plunged temperatures in much of the country, with the record low of -42F (-41C) reported in Jordan, Montana, on Saturday.

The storm turned NFL playing fields in Pennsylvania into winter wonderlands.

In Texas, the storm caused power outages and scrapped flights

The snow fell so heavily in Philadelphia on Sunday that yard markers at Lincoln Financial Field - where the Eagles beat the Detroit Lions - were completely obscured.

"Twenty-seven years I've been a season-ticket holder, I've never seen snow at the game like this," Philadelphia fan Dave Hamilton said.

"It just kept coming down."

It was almost as bad in Pittsburgh, where the snow intensified after kick-off.

Highways that ground to a halt over the weekend might be treacherous today, and travel problems were expected to linger for commuters.

More than 1,000 flights scheduled for today have already been scrapped, many from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

On Sunday, more than 2,500 were cancelled with thousands more delayed, according to estimates from the website Flightaware.com.

The forecast for today remains up in the air for the northeast, depending on how quickly the system moves and temperatures rise, according to the National Weather Service.

Much of Dallas was covered in ice

A winter storm warning was in effect in the morning for Washington DC and Baltimore, where freezing rain could cause power outages.

Slippery conditions were reported overnight in the New York City area, where a crash involved about 20 vehicles. No injuries were reported.

So far, one person has died in North Texas after a pick-up truck went off an icy bridge while four people have died of hypothermia in the San Francisco Bay area of California.

Heavy snow in the Philadelphia area has led to a fatal crash that involved some 50 vehicles.

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Mandela: South Africa Awaits World Leaders

By Emma Hurd, Sky News Correspondent

South Africa is preparing for the arrival of scores of world leaders as the official mourning continues for Nelson Mandela.

Some 60 heads of state have confirmed their attendance at this week's memorial events, including US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

They will be joined by former US presidents George W Bush, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and their wives.

Prime Minister David Cameron will attend the main memorial service on Tuesday, while Prince Charles will represent Britain at Sunday's state funeral.

The leaders of France, Australia, Germany, Canada, Spain, Brazil and a host of other nations will also fly into the country.

A large structure used for ceremonies is built at Mr Mandela's former home

Celebrities, including Bono, Oprah Winfrey and Sir Richard Branson are also expected to head to South Africa to pay their personal tributes to the man they considered a friend.

Later today, a special joint session of parliament will be held in Cape Town to allow South African politicians from all political parties to mark the passing of the nation's first black president.

President Jacob Zuma has urged the country to remember the values of peace and forgiveness that Mr Mandela lived by and uphold them.

His sentiments were echoed by the anti-apartheid icon's family, who released a statement calling for South Africans to "keep the dream alive".

On Tuesday, the focus will shift back to Johannesburg where a huge memorial service is due to take place at the FNB Stadium, the scene of Nelson Mandela's last public appearance ahead of the 2010 World Cup Final.

A child lays flowers in Cape Town

Some 80,000 people are expected to attend the event, including President Obama, his wife Michelle and other visiting dignitaries.

From Wednesday, Mr Mandela's body will "lie in state" in Pretoria at the Union Buildings where he governed as president between 1994 and 1999.

A funeral cortege carrying the icon's remains will pass through the capital daily until Friday, with South Africans being urged to line the streets to form a "guard of honour".

The state funeral will take place in Mr Mandela's ancestral homeland of Qunu in the Eastern Cape on Sunday.

It is still not clear whether President Obama will still be in the country, but many other world leaders are expected to travel to the usually sleepy rural village to join Mr Mandela's family, friends and former comrades in bidding farewell to the revered statesman as he makes his final journey home.

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Brazil: Football Fans In Violent Clashes

At least three people have been seriously injured after a fight in the stands at a football match in Brazil.

Riot police fired rubber bullets to stop hundreds of supporters charging each other, before a helicopter landed on the pitch to airlift those hurt to hospital.

Play was halted for more than an hour in the Brazilian championship match between Atletico Paranaense and relegation-threatened Vasco da Gama.

Television pictures from the southern city of Joinville showed at least two fans being kicked and stamped on by a mob of rival supporters.

At one point, a group of around 20 Paranaense fans could be seen kicking a man who was lying on the ground.

A Paranaense fan was attacked in a similar manner by Vasco supporters, with one stamping on his neck and head, even though he already appeared to be unconscious.

There were no police inside the stadium at kick-off as a private security firm was being used, and pictures showed rival fans in the half-empty venue were not segregated.

A fan is attacked by rival supporters

Before the match resumed, Vasco da Gama goalkeeper Alessandro told Brazilian television: "For a country that is hosting the World Cup next year this is very sad.

"The stadium isn't safe. We're a bit worried."

The game was held in the small Arena Joinville because Paranaense's ground is being modernised to host four matches in the World Cup.

Reports in Brazil said the three people taken to hospital were in a serious, but not life-threatening condition.

Paranaense, who were ahead 1-0 at the time, went on to win 5-1, condemning former South American champions Vasco to relegation.

Paranaense finished third to qualify for next year's Libertadores Cup.

The incidents completely overshadowed the rest of the final day of the Brazilian championship during which Vasco's Rio de Janeiro neighbours Fluminense were also relegated.

They became the first defending champions to be relegated the following season, despite a 2-1 win over Bahia in their final game.

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Thai Prime Minister To Dissolve Parliament

Thailand's Prime Minister has said she will dissolve parliament and hold an election, following a wave of anti-government protests.

Yingluck Shinawatra had said an election would be held "as soon as possible" - before the country's ruling party announced she would be a candidate in the vote.

Jarupong Ruangsuwan, head of Ms Yingluck's Puea Thai Party, said: "She will definitely run as she has worked with the party all along.

Protesters want to oust Ms Yingluck and eradicate her brother's influence

"We dissolved parliament because we are confident.

"We want the Democrat Party to take part in elections and not to play street games."

The vote will probably be held on February 2 next year, an Election Commission official said.

Ms Yingluck said in a nationally televised speech: "After consultation with many parties, I have submitted a royal decree requesting parliament be dissolved.

Thousands marched on Bangkok's Government House

"At this stage, when there are many people opposed to the government from many groups, the best way is to give back the power to the Thai people and hold an election.

"So the Thai people will decide."

The announcement came as Democratic Party politicians resigned from parliament over what it called "the illegitimacy" of the elected government.

The leader of the anti-government protesters, Suthep Thaugsuban, had called for a final demonstration today in an attempt to force Ms Yingluck out.

Mr Suthep said he would continue with the demonstration despite Ms Yingluck's dissolving of parliament and the promise of an early general election.

"Today we will continue our march to Government House," he said.

The protests have left five people dead

"We have not yet reached our goal. The dissolving of parliament is not our aim."

He has repeatedly said he does not want a new election, but some form of unelected "people's council" to run the country.

Protesters have been on the streets of the capital Bangkok for weeks, vowing to oust Ms Yingluck and eradicate the influence of her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The demonstrations are the latest eruption in nearly a decade of rivalry between forces aligned with the Bangkok-based establishment and those who support Mr Thaksin.

During recent days, tensions have been raised during street clashes where police have used tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets against rock-throwing demonstrators.

The unrest has left five people dead and more than 200 injured in Bangkok.

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Thailand: PM Offers Referendum To End Protests

Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has proposed a referendum on her future as anti-government protesters prepare for a final push to force her from power.

Demonstrators have been on the streets of Bangkok for weeks, vowing to oust Ms Yingluck and eradicate the influence of her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The demonstrations are the latest eruption in nearly a decade of rivalry between forces aligned with the Bangkok-based establishment and those who support Mr Thaksin.

Underscoring the divide, the pro-establishment Democrat Party has announced that its members in the House of Representatives will give up their seats because they are unable to work with the ruling party.

Thai riot police walk inside Government house as a rally is held outside.

The leader of the anti-government protesters, Suthep Thaugsuban, has called for a final demonstration on Monday in an attempt to force Ms Yingluck out.

Ms Yingluck said in a televised statement on Sunday that her government is searching for ways to end the conflict.

"We should conduct a referendum so that people can decide what we should do," she said.

Mr Suthep has been calling for the establishment of a "People's Council" of appointed "good people" to replace the government.

But Ms Yingluck has dismissed the idea as unconstitutional and undemocratic. She has not spelt out the specifics for any referendum, but said it would be in line with the constitution.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has proposed a referendum

"I'm willing to listen to proposals from the protesters. I'm not addicted to this title," she said.

"I'm ready to resign and dissolve parliament if that is what the majority of the Thai people want."

Tensions have run high in Thailand following several days of street clashes. Police have used tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets against rock-throwing demonstrators.

The unrest has left five people dead and more than 200 injured in Bangkok.

Demonstrators and police have observed a temporary truce since Wednesday for the 86th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is treated as a near-deity by many in Thailand.

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Jailed Kiev Opposition Leader's Daughter Speaks

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent in Kiev

The daughter of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko has urged her country to unite against the rule of Ukraine's president Victor Yanukovich.

Eugenia Tymoshenko told Sky News her mother was being held as a political hostage and fears she could soon be transported from a prison hospital - where she has been on hunger strike in solidarity with protesters - to a penal colony.

"At the moment she is a hostage of the regime," she said.

"She is in the hospital in the prison part. They keep her in isolation there, but there are many police movements and cars around the hospital, they are trying to surround the building.

"They can do anything to her in terms of moving her to a different jail, and we will not be able to know.

"The regime can play with this and depending on the situation can increase their repression against her, which they have already done with their trials and criminal cases."

Yulia Tymoshenko rose to prominence as the heroine of Ukraine's peaceful Orange Revolution in 2004, which saw the current president, Mr Yanukovich, forced from power in a popular uprising sparked by anger over fraudulent election results.

She became prime minister shortly afterwards, governing alongside her fellow revolutionary Viktor Yushchenko, but the coalition was plagued by infighting and economic problems in the fallout from the global financial crisis, which hit Ukraine hard.

Yulia Tymoshenko is in a prison hospital

The pair were voted out of office, to be replaced once again by the ousted Mr Yanukovich in 2010. The revolution was reversed.

Yulia Tymoshenko was arrested and put on trial, where she was convicted of abuse of power for signing allegedly unfavourable gas contracts with Russia. She was sentenced to seven years in prison, and turned 53 in custody last month. She now faces further charges.

Her supporters maintain she is a political prisoner, locked up for daring to challenge the leadership of Mr Yanukovich.

His government insists she has been justly convicted of a serious crime.

The president denies any involvement in the cases against her.

Eugenia Tymoshenko called for her fellow citizens to stand together against their president as mass street protests continued for a second week despite freezing temperatures in the capital Kiev.

"We need to stand strong, we need to be patient with the forces that we have," she urged.

"No government can stand up to the people's power, my mother really believes in the power of people.

"We believe in our victory. People here are tired of three years of repressions introduced by Yanukovich. We have to win this."

Protesters are still in Kiev's Independence Square

The EU made Tymoshenko's release a condition of the now scuppered trade deal with Ukraine.

A German clinic had offered to provide treatment if Yanukovich would allow her to leave the country.

But the parliament, which is controlled by his party, refused to pass legislation that would have set her free.

She has suffered chronic back pain in jail and is held in a cell in a prison hospital.

Her daughter urged European leaders to intervene.

"She has been a political hostage since day one when Yanukovich's court moved her to prison and convicted her. The whole world now knows and world leaders understand the truth is behind her.

"The European Union needs to get involved in this and start action against this regime, because we will one day soon wake up in Belarus."

Julia Tymoshenko ended a 12-day hunger strike on Friday after pleas from her supporters.

Her daughter said she was now very weak, and could barely get up from her bed.

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Kiev Protesters In Show Of Determination

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent in Kiev

Standing by the barricades under the national flag in Independence Square, two men beat out a steady rhythm on an oil drum.

It's bitterly cold, the air thick with wood smoke from the fires all around, and they're watching every face that comes past.

They're looking for undercover police officers, members of the security services, or people they believe are working as government provocateurs.

The authorities have vowed to "act harshly, decisively" to stop the blockades - they don't know when that action will come.

For now the protesters feel they are in control here, and they are determined to stand their ground.

They've built barriers across the roads leading in to the square, rudimentary defences made from pallets, concrete posts and whatever they could find.

Sections of the barricades are lined with the branches of a huge artificial Christmas tree that had been under construction in the centre of the square - city officials tried to claim at first that protecting the tree was the reason they had to forcibly clear the square.

Protesters wave flags as they take part in an opposition rally

It has become a public symbol of dissent.

What remains of the structure has been draped with Ukrainian flags, homemade posters and caricatures of the president.

This movement started as a reaction to his refusal to sign an EU trade deal last month.

It has evolved into a concerted effort to force Victor Yanukovich and his government out, galvanised by allegations of police brutality against protesters.

The first wave of demonstrations had been dwindling last weekend, when police moved in to retake control of the square in the early hours of Saturday morning.

What happened next brought tens, then hundreds of thousands, back onto the streets in response.

Human Rights Watch accuse police of using "excessive force" against protesters and journalists, beating people, including the elderly, even after they had fallen to the ground.

The NGO said Ukraine was going through "serious civil unrest".

Protesters greet former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili

According to the Health Ministry, 248 people have been injured since the protests began, 139 needed hospital treatment.

Near the barricades we found a Ukrainian priest holding a bible and an old soviet gas mask.

He said he was one of 50 men who would join arms and form a human chain if the police came back, to give them time to get the women and children out and do their best to protect the square.

He had added an orthodox cross to the top of their defences.

An old man, sitting with his friends around a fire nearby, raised his fist and shouted: "Until victory, we'll stand until the end!"

The protesters are still occupying several administration buildings, including the mayor's office in the heart of the capital.

We were welcomed in to "Revolution HQ", formerly known as Kiev City Hall, past guards with respirators and helmets on the door.

Inside, a couple of windows have been smashed and the smell is none too fragrant, but otherwise the new system seems to be working well.

Volunteers are handing out food and hot drinks, and distributing donations of warm clothes.

Flags are left attached to a statue by protesters

Beneath the chandeliers of the grand, Stalin-era function hall, people are camped out on the floor, sleeping wherever they can on roll mats and blankets, a selection of hard hats strewn around.

They've set up a basic clinic,staffed by shifts of doctors, nurses and medical students.

A poster says a psychologist is on hand.

"If police comes back, people will stand here and protect this building, protect this idea," one young man told us.

"Before, we thought we were just a small group, but now we think we can do this. I hope we can do it," a smartly-dressed female student said.

The authorities have given protesters five days to vacate the building, but they have no intention of moving out and handing it back without a fight.

Leaders of the protest have called for a massive turnout today and are hoping to draw in around a million people. Its size threatens to eclipse earlier rallies in Kiev and western Ukraine that brought several hundred thousand out on the streets on December 1.

In the high street immediately outside occupied City Hall, life is carrying on pretty much as normal.

Supporters of Ukrainian EU integration at an earlier protest in Kiev

The Christmas decorations are up, the shops are busy, children were taking turns to ride a fairground carousel.

This movement does not represent all of Ukraine, or even all of Kiev. The country remains deeply divided between East and West.

But the protesters here feel they are gathering momentum - the vast majority are peaceful, but they are determined and they show no sign of backing down.

The question is how long the authorities will allow this to go on.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602 and Freeview channel 82.

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