Ferry Firm Rescues 'Too Fat To Fly' Frenchman

A ferry company has stepped in to help a 32-stone Frenchman who was told he was too heavy to board a plane or a Eurostar train.

Kevin Chenais was left stranded in Britain after being banned from travelling through the Channel Tunnel on the grounds he posed a safety risk.

But ferry firm P&O said it would transport the 22-year-old back across the English Channel on its Spirit of Britain vessel.

A P&O spokesman said: "We're delighted to help. It's not difficult for us.

"We're used to carrying ambulances across the Channel, so we're set up for this type of thing.

"It's difficult to imagine the frustration that this gentleman has gone through. But for us, it's very straight-forward as we're set up to carry people who have medical needs."

Mr Chenais' travel problems began when he was left stuck in the United States after British Airways refused to carry him on his return ticket. In the end, Virgin Atlantic flew him into London.

P&O said it was "delighted" to help Mr Chenais

But Mr Chenais, who uses a mobility scooter, then encountered more difficulties when trying to travel to France when Eurostar declined to transport him because of safety regulations.

A spokesman for Eurostar said: "This is a terrible situation.

"Our heart goes out to Mr Chenais and his family who are understandably desperate to return home after being stranded in America.

"Unfortunately, there was no question that he would have been able to travel with Eurostar as we must observe very strict safety rules which govern travel through the Channel Tunnel.

"Those provisions require that all passengers are able to be evacuated into the Channel Tunnel in the event of an emergency.

"As a consequence of Mr Chenais's immobility, this would simply not have been possible and would have posed a safety risk to himself, our crew and all of the other passengers on board.

"We simply cannot ignore these safety regulations, nor would we want to."

A British Airways statement said: "We will always try to accommodate someone if it's possible and safe to do so.

"Our customer service team worked diligently to find a solution and have exhausted all options."

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Egypt: 10 Soldiers Killed In Car Bomb Attack

At least 10 Egyptian soldiers have been killed and 35 wounded in a car bomb attack in Sinai.

A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into one of two buses carrying off-duty soldiers between Rafah and el-Arish, the regional capital of North Sinai, where security forces are battling Islamists.

The blast was one of the deadliest attacks in the Sinai since al Qaeda-inspired militants began stepping up assaults following the army's ousting of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Although no group has claimed responsibility, suicide car bombings are a signature method used by militant groups linked to or inspired by al Qaeda. 

Sky News' Middle East producer Tom Rayner said: "This area has seen unrest for some time, but that unrest, lawlessness and insurgency the army are trying to fight has increased in intensity since the coup against former president Morsi in July.

"What we've seen since then is an increase in attacks against soldiers at checkpoints in the Sinai, but also in Egypt itself there have been repeated attacks on army checkpoints.

Supporters and opponents of the military regime clash in Tahrir Square

"The anger is based around the fact they are trying to control this area where there are tunnels going into Gaza. This will be a serious omen for the Egyptian army in their attempts to control insurgency in the north of the Sinai."

The attack came after one person was killed and dozens more injured during clashes between opponents and supporters of Egypt's military-backed regime in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Tuesday.

Police backed by armoured vehicles used tear gas and fired shots to drive protesters out the square after they gathered to mark the anniversary of the 2011 demonstrations against the military which took power after Hosni Mubarak was overthrown.

More than 40 protesters were killed in fighting with security forces during protests which lasted several days.

Activists deface a monument dedicated to the protesters killed in 2011

Tuesday's rally was aimed against people the protesters felt had "betrayed" the revolution - Mubarak loyalists, the military council that ruled for 17 months after his fall and the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood which won subsequent elections but was ousted by the military in July.

The military handed power to Mr Morsi in June 2012, after he won the country's first free election, but overthrew him a year later following mass protests demanding his resignation.

Some protesters threw rocks and fireworks but left the square shortly after the security forces moved in.

Hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood members have been killed in clashes since Mr Morsi was removed from power.

Thousands more have been arrested and the group has been outlawed.

The new military-backed government of General Abdel Fatah al Sisi is pushing ahead with a transition plan, aiming for presidential and parliamentary elections early next year.

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Paris Shootings: Police 'Have Gunman's DNA'

French police have said they have the DNA of a gunman suspected of carrying out shootings at two media organisations and a bank.

A massive manhunt is under way in Paris, a day after the shooter critically wounded a photographer at the offices of major daily newspaper Liberation.

Sky's Europe Correspondent Robert Nisbet, in Paris, said: "We're still not entirely sure how they (police) managed to get the DNA. 

"We think that it may be because he touched an object inside the car where he took that hostage to drive from the outskirts, the town of Puteaux, into the centre of Paris, the Champs-Elysees where he then melted into the crowd and the metro system."

A CCTV image of the gun-wielding intruder at BFMTV

After fleeing the newspaper's offices in the east of Paris, the gunman is believed to have crossed over to the western edge of the city, where he fired several shots outside the main office of the Societe Generale bank. No one was hurt.

He then reportedly hijacked a car driven by a priest and forced him to drop him off close to the Champs-Elysees in the centre of the city.

Le Parisien newspaper earlier reported that the suspected shooter was arrested in the seventh arrondissement of the city, but prosecutors on the case swiftly denied this.

The photographer, who was arriving for his first day of freelance work at the newspaper, suffered wounds to his chest and stomach in the shooting on Monday.

Police also believe the gunman was behind an incident on Friday in which staff members at news television station BFMTV were threatened by a gun-wielding intruder.

Paris is on high alert after the shootings

In that incident, the gunman emptied several cartridges on the floor, while warning a senior editor: "Next time, I will not miss you."

Investigators have so far been unable to identify the gunman - described as white and aged between 35 and 45 - and branded as a "real danger" by Interior Minister Manuel Valls.

Investigators have issued a new photograph of the suspect taken by a CCTV on Monday in Paris' central Concorde Metro station, near the Champs-Elysees.

Liberation executive Nicolas Demorand said the photographer was "still critical", although he was "in a slightly better state".

The newspaper devoted four pages to the unprecedented attack and an employee described the moment the gunman walked in.

"The guy pulled out a gun from his bag and fired twice at the first person he saw," the staff member said.

"It lasted no more than 10 seconds, and anyone of us could have been hit. The shooter said nothing and left immediately."

France's President Francois Hollande warned that the gunman "could still kill tomorrow or at any time".

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Iran Nuclear Talks With West Resume In Geneva

PM's Key Call To Iran President

Updated: 12:02am UK, Wednesday 20 November 2013

David Cameron has become the first British Prime Minister to call an Iranian president in more than a decade.

The Prime Minister spoke to Hassan Rouhani by telephone on Tuesday afternoon ahead of negotiations over Tehran's nuclear ambitions in Geneva this week.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "The two leaders discussed the bilateral relationship between Britain and Iran welcoming the steps taken since President Rouhani took office, including the appointment of non-resident Charges d'Affaires last week.

"They agreed to continue efforts to improve the relationship on a step by step and reciprocal basis.

"On Iran's nuclear programme, both leaders agreed that significant progress had been made in the recent Geneva negotiations and that it was important to seize the opportunity presented by the further round of talks which get under way on Wednesday.

"The Prime Minister underlined the necessity of Iran comprehensively addressing the concerns of the international community about their nuclear programme, including the need for greater transparency."

Dr Rouhani also gave details of the phone call on his Twitter feed, saying they discussed "way to create a positive atmosphere to address concerns on both sides on the nuclear issue".

Three days of high-level talks between representatives from Iran and the P5+1 group of nations earlier this month failed to achieve a breakthrough.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said Iran had been unable to accept a deal "at that particular moment", but Tehran blamed divisions between Western powers.

Some reports suggested France had wanted to place restrictions on the heavy-water reactor being built at Arak.

Iran stresses that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only, and has warned world powers against making "excessive demands" when trying to negotiate a deal.

In September, US president Barack Obama spoke with Mr Rouhani, the first such top-level conversation in more than 30 years.

Mr Obama said it was a "unique opportunity" to make progress with Iran's new leadership.

On the eve of next round of Geneva talks, the President urged Congress against imposing news sanctions on Iran during the negotiations.

He said such measures "would be most effective as a robust response, should Iran not accept the P5+1 proposal, or should Iran fail to follow through on its commitments," according to White House spokesman Jay Carney.

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Virginia Senator Creigh Deeds Stabbed By Son

The son of a Virginia state senator stabbed his father multiple times before committing suicide by shooting himself in the politician's home, police have said.

Democratic Senator Creigh Deeds was hospitalised in a critical condition, later upgraded to fair, after sustaining stab wounds to his head and chest in an apparent attack by his 24-year-old son Gus.

Virginia police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said authorities were still investigating the attack, but it appeared to be an attempted murder and suicide.

She said Mr Deeds had been able to walk away from his home to a nearby road where a cousin who was driving by happened to spot the senator.

Creigh Deeds and his son Gus embrace at a rally in 2009

They then drove to the cousin's home and called 911.

Police sent to the senator's house found the body of his son, Gus Deeds, with a gunshot wound.

Ms Geller said investigators were still trying to figure out a motive for the attack and the sequence of events.

"It's a very complex investigation," she said.

"We are still piecing together the exact circumstances that led up to the altercation and then followed afterwards, but based on the evidence we have right now we are looking into this as an attempted murder and suicide."

She said police had spoken to the senator, but would not reveal what he said.

Ms Geller added authorities were not looking for any suspects.

Gus Deeds, one of the senator's four adult children, had reportedly been evaluated for a mental health issue on Monday.

But he was sent home after the clinic was unable to find a bed at a psychiatric facility.

President Barack Obama joins Mr Deeds for a 2009 campaign rally in Norfolk

Gus Deeds dropped out of the College of William and Mary last month, where he had been enrolled on and off since 2007, a school spokesman said.

He took a semester off in 2009 to join his father on the campaign trail.

Mr Deeds, 55, was elected to the House of Delegates in 1991 and to the state Senate in 2001.

The former Bath County prosecutor ran for attorney general in 2005, but lost to Republican Bob McDonnell, who defeated him a second time in the race for governor in 2009.

Mr Deeds and his wife Pam divorced shortly after the 2009 campaign.

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Gold Bars Worth £620k Found In Plane Toilet

Cleaners working on an aircraft in India have found 24 gold bars worth more than $1m (£620,000) stuffed into a toilet compartment, officials have said.

The plane, belonging to Jet Airways, was being cleaned at Kolkata airport on Tuesday after a trip from the eastern city of Patna.

It had previously been flying on international routes.

Airport director BP Mishra said the 1kg bars were found inside two bags that were left in the toilets of the plane.

An airport official added: "They have not been claimed by anyone. No arrest has been made as yet."

India, which rivals China as the world's biggest gold consumer, has witnessed a recent spike in smuggling.

Import duties have been hiked three times this year to try to dampen demand for the precious metal.

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Kill Switch: US Carriers Resist Security Feature

Mobile phone carriers in the US have been accused of "shaking down" customers for billions of dollars after refusing to install "kill switches" on devices.

Lost and stolen mobile devices cost consumers more than $30bn (£18bn) last year, according to a recent study.

However the biggest carriers - AT&T, Verizon Wireless, US Cellular, Sprint Corporation and T-Mobile - have rejected Samsung's offer of installing its anti-theft technology.

They say a kill switch would allow a hacker to disable someone's phone.

Almost one in three US robberies involve phone theft, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), leading law enforcement officials to demand a solution.

San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon claims to have seen an email between a senior Samsung official and a software developer.

It said Samsung had pre-installed kill switch software in some smartphones ready for shipment, but carriers ordered their removal as a standard feature.

A national stolen phone database is scheduled for launch this month

"These emails suggest that the carriers are rejecting a technological solution so they can continue to shake down their customers for billions of dollars in (theft) insurance premiums," Mr Gascon said.

"I'm incensed. This is a solution that has the potential to end the victimisation of their customers."

The Wireless Association, a trade group for wireless providers, said it has been working with the FCC, law enforcement agencies and elected officials on a national stolen phone database scheduled to launch on November 30.

It says a permanent kill switch has serious risks, including potential vulnerability to hackers who could disable mobile devices and lock out not only individuals' phones, but also phones used by entities such as the Department of Defence, Homeland Security and law enforcement agencies.

"The problem is how do you trigger a kill switch in a secure manner and not be compromised by a third party and be subjected to hacking," said James Moran, a security adviser for a UK-based trade group.

Currently Samsung Galaxy smartphones are shipped across the US without its LoJack security software as a standard feature. Users can pay a subscription fee for the service.

And a new activation lock feature, designed to prevent thieves from turning off the Find My iPhone application, has been installed on Apple devices in a recent software release.

Both these security features are now being tested by federal and state security experts.

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Indonesia Halts Relations With Australia

Indonesia has frozen military co-operation with Australia amid claims its neighbour tried to eavesdrop on the mobile phone conversations of top Indonesian officials.

The announcement by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono marks the lowest point in relations between the pair in 14 years.

It follows increasingly tense exchanges between the countries since Tony Abbott became Australian Prime Minister in September.

Australian officials have yet to comment.

"It's clear that this is a logical step Indonesia must take," said Mr Yudhoyono.

He repeated his demands for an official explanation from Australia over media reports, quoting documents leaked by former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, that its spy agencies tried to tap his mobile phone and those of his wife and senior officials.

Indonesia had previously cooperated with Australia's border control force

Some analysts said the allegations that the snooping involved his wife, Ani Bambang Yudhoyono, may have fuelled Indonesian anger in the latest upset in often prickly relations.

The very public display of anger comes ahead of Indonesia's general and presidential elections next year, with the president's ruling party slipping badly in recent opinion polls.

Among the measures Indonesia will take is a suspension of military co-operation and intelligence exchanges, including over the politically charged issue of asylum seekers, which has long been a thorn in relations.

An Indonesian military spokesman said these would take effect from the beginning of next year.

Mr Abbott has been pressing Jakarta over the issue of boat people who frequently head to Australia via Indonesia.

Mr Yudhoyono said he wanted to return to good relations with Australia once the issue of phone-tapping had been resolved.

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South Africa Building Site Collapse Traps Dozens

As many as 50 people are still thought to be trapped under a collapsed roof at a building site in South Africa.

One person is known to have died when the shopping centre, which was under construction, caved in.

At least 26 people have so far been pulled from the rubble in Tongaat, some 25 miles from Durban, police spokeswoman Mandy Govender said.

"Most of those still trapped inside the building were construction workers," she said.

Emergency paramedics at the scene used sniffer dogs and specialist equipment to find survivors under the vast broken plinth of concrete and reinforcement mesh.

"An estimated 50 are underneath the rubble," said paramedic Neil Powell at the scene.

The paramedic said most of the injuries were "broken bones, multi-fractures and crush injuries ... some are in severe condition, others are mild".

It is not known what caused the collapse. Pic: Crisis Medical.

The cause of the roof collapse has not been established.

Tongaat is around 25 miles (40kms) north of the Indian Ocean city of Durban.

Cheap labour means it is not unusual to see hundreds of construction workers toiling away at a site in South Africa.

Sky News' Correspondent Alex Crawford said the building did not have planning permission.

"This is a site, according to the local people, the community leaders, that was not actually meant to go ahead. 

"...They're now saying they had serious doubts about this right from the start.

"They felt the building was going up far too quickly, it was too unsteady, they were never allowed to see the detailed plans.

"And certainly, according to the minister of health for KwaZulu-Natal, they believed they had taken legal action to show that the building did not have the required planning permission to go ahead."

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Greenpeace Protest: Britons Released On Bail

Three Britons have been freed on bail after they were arrested following attempts by Greenpeace to occupy an oil platform in the Arctic.

Activist Alexandra Harris was the first to be given the news at a court in St Petersburg after spending two months in custody following the protest at the Prirazlomnaya platform in September.

Journalist Keiron Bryan was released about an hour later and a second British activist Anthony Perrett was told he could go free just before 3.30pm UK time.

Journalist Kieron Bryan shows his relief at the news

It is not immediately clear what will happen next, but it is understood that it is unlikely any of the group will be allowed to leave Russia.

All still face charges relating to the initial protest, during which the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise engaged in a non-violent attempt to disrupt Arctic drilling activities by a Russian oil company.

Mr Perrett was given the news as the first of the so-called Arctic 30 - 28 activists and two journalists who were arrested by Russia two months ago - walked free from jail.

British activist Iain Rogers was denied bail at a hearing in October

As she heard the news, Ms Harris skipped for joy and said: "This has been the hardest experience of my life. I'm really happy. It's not over yet but there's light at the end of the tunnel.

"It's nice the Russians made the right decision. I love my parents and look forward to speaking to them soon."

Ms Harris' father Chris said: "We're incredibly proud of how she has conducted herself throughout this ordeal.

Russian special forces arrested the protesters at gunpoint in September

"I can see when she came into court she was smiling and happy as she'd heard the news the others had been granted bail, but as the hearing progressed she became emotional.

"I think she'll make her own mind up what she does in life. She's always been passionate about the Arctic and we're proud of her.

After his release Mr Bryan said: "This has been really difficult and it has been made a lot easier hearing how much support I have in the UK. To my family, 'I love you and I hope to see you soon'."

The ship's Captain, Pete Willcox, was also freed on bail

Speaking of his detention, he said: "I had a couple of phone calls with my girlfriend and that's it. It's the worst possible isolation.

"The conditions were terrible in Murmansk. I think we're very lucky in the UK. Things were better in St Petersburg because they decorated my cell and made it look nice."

Mr Bryan said the moment of his arrest when Russian special forces abseiled onto the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise was like something out of a Hollywood movie.

Anthony Perrett before he learned that his bail application was successful

"They didn't declare who they were they just pointed their guns at us and took over the ship. I had no idea it was going to carry on like this. If I knew that was the beginning of this nightmare I would have behaved differently."

The group were initially charged with piracy but are now accused of hooliganism, which carries a maximum jail term of seven years.

Greenpeace spokeswoman Birgitte Lesanner said she was "proud" of the protesters, including six Britons, and said their resilience had been "amazing".

Earlier, as she was led into the courtroom by police, Ms Harris told supporters she felt "trapped inside a political game".

Brazilian Greenpeace activist Anna Paula as she is freed from jail on bail

Speaking from inside a metal cage, she told Sky News correspondent Katie Stallard: "I will not dishonour Greenpeace or my country by trying to flee Russia or the investigation."

Ms Harris, whose bail was set at two million rubles (£38,098), said she was nervous and that the past two months had been "horrible".

"When I talk about the last two months, it's hard not to get emotional," she said.

"The conditions (in prison) at first were awful and the food was disgusting.

"They're better now but it's still prison. I'm still trapped, I can't speak to anyone (and I'm) cut off from the world. It's no better."

Ms Harris' father said her family were overjoyed at news of her release

All 30 people aboard the Arctic Sunrise were detained after the protest in September. Six of them were British.

A fourth Briton, Iain Rogers, the Arctic Sunrise engineer, was refused bail at a hearing in October.

Russian courts have granted bail this week to a total of 17 of the detainees and hearings are scheduled for another 12.

Brazilian Ana Paula Alminhana Maciel was the first to leave detention, walking out of a St Petersburg pre-trial jail holding a sign reading "Save The Arctic."

However, Australian activist Colin Russell was denied bail at an earlier hearing and will be kept in detention until February.

:: Watch Sky News for live coverage of the hearing.

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