Zimbabwe: Mugabe Warned About Election 'Theft'

Zimbabwe's opposition leader has warned of renewed unrest in the country if President Robert Mugabe attempts to "steal" this week's election and extend his 33-year grip on power.

Voters go to the polls on Wednesday, five years after the last national vote descended into violence as Mr Mugabe fought to avoid defeat. 

"I am sure there is the potential for unrest if people are not given the opportunity to vote and if the result does not reflect their national mood," Morgan Tsvangarai, the opposition leader and Zimbabwean Prime Minister said.

Mr Tsvangarai's party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has been governing in a tense power-sharing agreement with Mr Mugabe for the past four years.

He believes he has the support to oust the 89-year-old from office, but has flagged up irregularities in the voter registration rolls that could mar the credibility of the election.

Human rights organisations say the existence of up to a million "ghost voters" - people who have died but have not been removed from the electoral register - could be exploited by Mr Mugabe. 

Six hundred African observers, invited to monitor the vote, have reported no incidents of violence in the final days of campaigning.

President Mugabe promised a "free and fair" vote during his final campaign rally in front of a crowd of 40,000 people in the capital, Harare, on Sunday. 

"We are not forcing people to vote this way or that way," he told reporters. 

There are no official opinion polls in Zimbabwe, but Mr Mugabe - now the world's oldest leader - can still count on significant support across the country and the election is expected to be close.

He has shrewdly claimed the credit for the successes of the power-sharing government - while blaming any ongoing problems on the opposition. 

The country's crippled economy has started to recover since the MDC's Tendai Biti took over as finance minister, bringing an end to the food shortages that led to starvation in rural areas. 

The spiralling inflation rate - the Zimbabwean dollar was famously printed in 100 trillion dollar notes - has been tackled by abandoning the local currency in favour of the US dollar and South African rand.

Pakistan: Taliban Attack Prison To Free Inmates

Up to 40 armed men disguised as police officers have launched a major attack on a prison holding hundreds of militants in the Pakistani city of Dera Ismail Khan.

A series of explosions shook the complex before the attackers fired rocket propelled grenades and machine gun rounds at guards, according to district police chief Sohail Khalid.

Local resident Sharafat Khan said one of the blasts was so strong it rattled nearby houses.

Provincial prisons chief Khalid Abbas said the electricity supply to the jail had been blown up before the attack.

"It's completely dark in there. We don't know what's going on but there is fighting," he said.

The gunmen also reportedly took over a nearby house and hospital, holding those inside hostage as they fired on police from the rooftops.

Two policemen have reportedly been injured in the raid, with soldiers and extra security guards brought in to cordon off the area. A curfew has been imposed on the city.

An intelligence official said the attackers could be hearing shouting "God is great" and "Long live the Taliban".

Pakistani Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said 100 gunmen and seven suicide bombers had been sent to the prison to free the group's leaders.

He claimed they had freed around 300 prisoners, but that could not immediately be verified.

Mushtaq Jadoon, the town's civil commissioner, said dozens of prisoners had escaped.

"The Taliban have loudspeakers and they are calling the names of their friends," he said.

The prison, around 180 miles south of Peshawar, houses about 250 members of the Taliban, as well as militants from other banned sectarian groups.

A group of 10 prisoners escaped the jail during a raid earlier this month, although seven were later captured and returned to their cells.

Dera Ismail Khan is on the edge of Pakistan's tribal region, the main sanctuary for Taliban and al Qaeda militants.

Charles: 'New Prince Will Be Called Georgie'

Prince Charles has joked his one-week-old grandson George will be called Georgie "in no time".

The third-in-line to the throne was born last Monday in a London hospital and went home a day later.

Outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's, George Alexander Louis was photographed with his parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, in front of the world's media.

HRH Prince George of Cambridge is set to be known as King George VII when he one day becomes king.

As they attended the Whitstable Oyster Festival in Kent, Charles and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall were congratulated on the new arrival by throngs of well-wishers.

And Charles gave the newborn's name the Royal seal of approval, describing George as "very good".

But Sonia Rule, 38, whose partner works for the Whitstable RNLI Lifeboats crew said she heard Charles joke his grandson will "be known as Georgie in no time".

The Royal couple were showered with gifts for the baby including a tiny lemon T-shirt which they could pass on as a souvenir from their trip to the festival.

Shona Corcoran, 38, from Whitstable, and her three-year-old daughter Hannah gave Charles the gift.

"He said, 'Oh, that's fantastic, thank you. I'm sure he'll like to wear that'," she said.

Charles met a woman who also has a grandchild called George.

Margaret Quinney, 67, said: "He was talking about the grandchildren. He said there are lots of grandparents around."

It was after Charles met Mrs Quinney and her daughter Jo that he said: "George - a very good name."

Swiss Train Crash: 35 Passengers Injured

At least 35 passengers have been injured, five of them seriously, after two trains collided head-on just outside a station in western Switzerland.

Pictures of the scene showed the two trains still on the tracks with the cabs crumpled into each other. Broken glass lay on the floor of the carriages.

Public TV station SRF quoted state police spokesman Pierre-Olivier Gaudard as saying that one person had yet to be recovered from the wreckage.

News website 20min.ch quoted Patricia Claivaz of the Swiss rail company CFF as saying the trapped man, a driver of one of the trains, had been located. It was unclear if he was alive.

Several ambulances, fire engines and a helicopter were on the scene of the crash at Granges-pres-Marnand in the Vaud canton, around 31 miles southwest of the capital, Bern.

Police spokesman Jean-Christophe Sauterel said that rescue operations were still under way.

The head-on collision happened around 100m from a station at 7pm (local time) when one train bound for Lausanne left the station as another, travelling from Lausanne, arrived.

Earlier, Swiss media reported 44 people had been hurt in the accident.

Switzerland's rail system is considered among the safest in the world, but three years ago the Glacier Express tourist train derailed in the Alps, killing one person and injuring 42.

Seventy-nine people were killed in a train crash in Spain last Thursday, one of the worst in decades.

Todmorden Flooding: Police Warn 'Stay Out'

Torrential downpours and flash floods have led police to warn people to stay away from a small town in West Yorkshire.

Parts of Todmorden are under 1ft 6ins (45cm) of water following a day of heavy rain and officers fear that waves created by people driving through the town will cause significant damage to homes.

Three Day Flood Risk Forecast

They are also warning people should not cross a bridge in the town because they think it may have been damaged by the flood waters.

The latest flooding is fresh misery for the residents of Todmorden who are still struggling to recover from last year's severe flooding, which caused more than £3m of damage.

The Prime Minister David Cameron went to the area to visit flood victims.

The Environment Agency currently has three flood warnings in place, where flooding is expected, two in the North West and one in the North East.

There are also eight flood alerts, three for the Midlands, three for the South East, one in the North East and one in the South West.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of severe weather for rain in Northern Ireland.

However, Sky News Weather Producer Joanna Robinson said the heavy and thundery showers in the South East would fade overnight into Tuesday morning, leaving most places dry.

"South-west England will see more general heavy rain moving in later.

"It will be breezy and fairly warm for many."

She added: "Wednesday will bring rain, locally heavy, to much of Ireland, Wales and central England, but it will be largely fine elsewhere."

Ireland: Missing Boys 'Found Dead In Car Boot'

The bodies of two boys who went missing in Ireland are understood to have been found in the boot of their father's car after a crash.

Eoghan Chada, 10, and his five-year-old brother Ruairi disappeared from the family home in Bagenalstown, Co Carlow, on Sunday evening.

They were found by police attending a car accident during which their father Sanjeev was injured, although they are believed to have died beforehand.

Mr Chada, who is being treated in hospital, will be questioned by detectives.

The 43-year-old's two sons were the subject of a nationwide search amid fears he had abducted them after telling his wife Kathleen he was taking them bowling.

Gardai issued the first ever amber alert for missing children, triggering nationwide broadcasts, social media alerts and traffic and travel messages, after he failed to return home.

At the time of the alert, officers said they had no knowledge of any breakdown in relations in the family and insisted that the couple were not estranged.

Eoghan and Ruairi were described as extremely popular and "two little sports fanatics" who were members of their local junior hurling club.

Father Declan Foley, parish priest near their home in the tight-knit village, was with the Chada family when news of the car accident was broken to the boys' mother and other relatives.

"It was like an earthquake hit the place. It was devastating for all of us," he said.

"You can't put into words the shock and numbness and pain and grief of that news coming through."

Mr Chada's car crashed in Clooneen, Rosbeg, on the coast road to Louisburgh, around 185 miles from the family home.

Forensic examinations were carried out at the scene, while post mortems will be carried out on the boys' bodies in Mayo General Hospital, Castlebar.

Gardai appealed for anyone who witnessed the crash or saw Mr Chada's dark green Ford Focus, registration number 06 CW 238, in the hours after the boys' disappearance to contact the incident room at Westport Garda station.

Mairead Philpott Fails To Appeal Sentence

Mairead Philpott, who received 17 years for killing her six children in a Derby house fire, has failed in her first attempt to get her sentence cut.

The 32-year-old was jailed alongside her husband Mick at Nottingham Crown in April after being found guilty of the manslaughter of Jade Philpott and her brothers John, Jack, Jesse, Jayden and Duwayne.

A Judicial Office spokeswoman confirmed today that Mairead Philpott has had her application for permission to appeal against her sentence refused by a single judge considering it on the papers.

It is open to her to make a renewed application, which would then be considered by a panel of Court of Appeal judges in London.

At the sentencing hearing, Mrs Justice Thirlwall told Philpott she had ignored "obvious" risks to her children's lives by going along with a plan to set fire to her home in Allenton, Derby.

Mick Philpott was jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years after being branded a "disturbingly dangerous" man.

His wife, who is likely to be released after serving half of her 17-year term, took part in a plan to set fire to the couple's home in Victory Road in an effort to frame his former mistress.

The children were aged between five and 13.

Paul Mosley, 46, who was also found guilty of six counts of manslaughter and jailed for 17 years, had his sentence application rejected.

He can also make a renewed application if he wishes.

Double Yellow Parking Ban Set To Be Lifted

Drivers will be able to park on double yellow lines for 15 minutes under proposals to boost trade in high street shops.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles wants to introduce a "grace period" that would allow motorists to pop into local shops without being hit by hefty penalties, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Higher fines could be introduced outside London for motorists who park dangerously in order to secure support for the move.

A source close to Mr Pickles told The Daily Telegraph: "The high street is in danger of shrinking or dying off, and over-aggressive parking enforcement is part of the reason why.

"If people are worried about paying a fortune in parking fines, it will make them more likely to do their shop online or go to out of town shopping centres.

"For too long parking has been a revenue raiser. It's time to end that.

"There is room for a deal (with the Liberal Democrats). Dangerous parking is a menace to people, whereas if you're in the parking bay or just on the side of the road you're not presenting any risk."

It is understood the Lib Dems believe the Tory Cabinet minister's plans could prove "unworkable" and are keen to raise the current £70 cap on fines for all illegal parking outside London, according to the newspaper.

Lib Dem Transport Minister Norman Baker told the newspaper: "We are keen to ensure that the high street works for businesses by stopping people parking illegally for hours on end.

"I have been in discussions with other colleagues from government about how we can best take decisions on this forward.

"This is about tackling motorists who are parking illegally, not about raising charges for those who park legally."

But AA president Edmund King said: "Rather than just allow drivers to park on double yellow lines, a thorough review of the lines would be more effective.

"Many double lines are there for historical reasons and could be lifted. There is plenty of opportunity to ease back on the signs and lines in many places, giving drivers short-term waiting bays instead, so they can stop briefly to buy a paper or loaf of bread."

He added: "Local authorities should be encouraged to do what the Government does with regulations - 'one in one out' - so that yellow lines do not run out of control.

"Lifting restrictions on yellow lines should not be an excuse for hiking parking penalties outside London."

The Government has previously issued guidance to councils encouraging them to attract shoppers by setting competitive parking charges and urging them to improve the quality of parking in town centres.

Tory local government minister Brandon Lewis said: "This Government has scrapped Whitehall rules that previously told councils to hike up parking charges, adopt draconian enforcement and impose arbitrary limits on off-street parking spaces.

"Councils now need to play their part in reining back in the overzealous culture of municipal parking enforcement".

Manchester Stabbing: Girl Fights For Life

A 13-year-old-girl is fighting for her life after a stabbing attack in which a man believed to be her father died.

The man who is understood to have launched the knife attack in Moston, northeast Manchester, died of knife wounds a short time later after driving a car into the side of a nearby pub.

Police found the seriously injured girl after 10pm on Sunday at a house where the body of a 41-year-old man, who had been stabbed, was also discovered.

He has been named locally as Robert Jackson, while the girl said to be his daughter, Aisha, is also thought to have suffered knife wounds.

Less than three hours later, officers were called to Watfield Walk in Harpurhey, a two-mile drive away, after reports that a man had threatened a car owner with a knife and stole a vehicle.

The vehicle was then seen by police near Rochdale Road. The 34-year-old driver drove the car into the side of the Alliance Inn pub when officers approached.

He was taken to hospital suffering from a stab wound and injuries consistent with a crash but died a short time later.

No one else was injured.

Mr Jackson's neighbour Clare Calvert told Sky News: "He was the nicest bloke you'd ever meet ... he'd bend over backwards to help anybody, wouldn't hurt a fly."

She described Aisha as "lovely".

Forensics officers are at the scene of the attack in Moston, where an area around Delta Walk has been sealed off.

Detective Superintendent Simon Barraclough, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "We are in the very early stages of our inquiries and are piecing together the circumstances that led to two men losing their lives and a 13-year-old girl fighting for her life in hospital.

"Obviously the community will be shocked as to what has happened but we can say we do not believe anyone else was involved and are not looking for anyone else in relation to this incident."

Anyone with information can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Muslim Brotherhood Marches On Military HQ

Several thousand supporters of Egypt's ousted Islamist president have begun marching on a military facility in Cairo in defiance of an army warning to stay away.

A spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood said the marchers had set off from the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in northern Cairo, where they have been manning a vigil to demand deposed President Mohamed Mursi's reinstatement.

At least 72 Mursi supporters were shot dead by security forces on Saturday near the vigil, deepening the turmoil convulsing the country since the army shunted Egypt's first freely elected president from power on July 3.

The marchers are reportedly chanting: "Our blood and souls we sacrifice for Mursi." The military intelligence building is several miles from the site of the vigil.

The army, saying it was aware of the planned march, issued a statement urging protesters "not to come close to military facilities in general, and the headquarters of military intelligence specifically."

Thousands of Brotherhood supporters are defying a threat by Egypt's army-backed authorities to clear them from the site of the vigil.

Saturday's killings at dawn, following a day of rival mass rallies, fuelled global anxiety that the Arab world's most populous nation - a bridge between the Middle East and North Africa - risked broader conflagration.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, was due to meet on Monday with the army's General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led the overthrow of Mursi, and officials of the Freedom and Justice Party, the Brotherhood's political wing.

Weather: Scotland still the raining champion

SCOTS have been warned to expect further downpours after heavy rain caused flooding and made roads hazardous yesterday.

Rail passengers were faced with lengthy delays after a fallen tree blocked a major rail route and, elsewhere, signalling was knocked out by a power failure.

Forecasters say most of Scotland will continue to have wet weather but that while temperatures had dipped, they are expected to remain slightly above the July average.

The Met Office warned of rain for at least the next four days, with heavy and frequent showers in western Scotland today, and prolonged and heavy rain over much of the country on Thursday.

Among the heaviest rainfall yesterday was Dumfries and Galloway, where Eskdalemuir recorded 32mm (1.3in) in the 12 hours to noon. Leuchars in Fife also endured wet conditions, with 31mm recorded yesterday.

The Clanranald Trust for Scotland, a heritage group, was forced to cancel an event at Carron Valley and Duncarron, west of Falkirk, after all the roads leading to the area were flooded. Dozens of gardens in nearby Camelon were under water.

There were eight flood alert warnings in place for a time yesterday, covering most of Scotland.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency had warned of potentially “intense” rain in some areas.

Officials also reported that parts of Cumbria and Derbyshire received around their entire average July rainfall – four inches – within 12 hours.

The Scottish Government’s Traffic Scotland information service warned drivers yesterday: “A lot of surface water on the roads so remember to keep your distance from the car in front and reduce your speed.”

Routes affected by excess surface water included the M8, M74, and A90 between Edinburgh and Fraserburgh.

Traffic Scotland said wet and windy weather and gusts around 45mph had made driving difficult across the north east, Caithness and northern Sutherland.

It also warned of the danger of mist and fog patches reducing visibility on roads overnight and in the early morning, especially around Perth and Stirling, and across southern Scotland.

On the railways, a tree was blown down onto the Glasgow to Inverness line near Dunblane, which also carries services from Edinburgh.

The incident halted trains for some time as Network Rail engineers removed the tree from the approach to the Kippencross tunnel.

Rail officials were also investigating whether a power failure which knocked out signalling at Pitlochry, further north on the line, was connected with the weather.

A Network Rail spokeswoman said: “Work is ongoing on the power failure issue.

“We are working with Scottish Hydro, who supply power to that part of the network. Trains are running but with delays.”

Further disruption was caused by thieves stealing one mile of cable from the Aberdeen-Inverness line at Huntly, disruption which Network Rail said would continue today while cable is replaced.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: “Should those responsible be identified, we will push for the stiffest penalty possible. Cable theft is not only stupid and dangerous, it severely disrupts the network and the travelling public.”

Heavy downpours cause flooding in Scotland

Heavy rain hit a number of areas, including Camelon, near Falkirk

Heavy downpours have caused flooding in parts of Scotland after the country experienced the hottest July in seven years.

Earlier, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued eight flood alerts covering much of Scotland.

However, only one alert - for Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City - remains in place.

Weather forecasters said a band of heavy rain would remain in Scotland and continue overnight.

The wet spell comes after July had the longest spell of hot weather across the whole of the UK since July 2006.

Forecasters say there are likely to be more showers at the start of next week.

Temperatures are expected to be close to the average for the time of year, ranging between 18C in northern parts of the UK and 23C in the south.

Seven Drown Off South Of France Coast

Seven men have drowned off France's Mediterranean coast, police and rescue services have said.

The deaths, off the coast of the Herault region, have been attributed to the dangerous conditions caused by high winds and strong currents.

The authorities said a total of nine people have died in the sea since Friday.

A 50-year-old woman was taken to Montpellier Hospital, where she remains in a coma, after getting into difficulties in the water.

A fire department official said: "People venture out to sea and can't make it back. We experience this type of event at least once per summer, but this weekend's toll is heavy, above the norm.”

The official said the drownings were caused by strong southeast winds of up to 70 knots - around 81 miles per hour - which produced strong currents.

Four of the victims died in the water or on the beach after being pulled from the sea, and three others died in hospital, they were aged between 40 and 70. One of the victims was a 42-year-old man who was taken to hospital on Friday but died on Sunday.

The seven men were aged between 40 and 70, and died on six different beaches in the area.

A policeman said that swimmers were routinely ignoring warnings put into place by the authorities.

"We are dealing with people who defy swimming bans. Not only do they go swimming while the flags are red, but they also can clearly see that the sea is dangerous".

The entire coast of the Herault region has been afflicted by the combination of high winds and currents, which had led local authorities to warn against swimming in such conditions on Friday after the death of a 47-year-old man.

Pope Francis Holds Rio Mass For Three Million

Pope Francis has ended an historic trip to his home continent with a Mass on Copacabana Beach that drew a reported three million people.

Nearly the entire 4km (2.5 mile) crescent of Copacabana's famous beach overflowed with people, some of them throwing T-shirts, flags and football shirts into the pontiff's open-sided car as he drove by.

Even the normally stern-faced Vatican bodyguards smiled as they jogged alongside his vehicle.

Many of the crowd had spent the night on the beach, with pilgrims wrapped in flags and sleeping bags.

The Vatican has said more than three million people were expected to attend the Mass, based on information from World Youth Day organisers and local authorities. World Youth Day was on Saturday.

That was far higher than the one million at the last World Youth Day vigil in Madrid in 2011.

Among the crowds were presidents Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, Argentina's Cristina Kirchner and Evo Morales of Bolivia.

Pope Francis also held a Mass on the beach on Friday.

The 76-year-old pontiff will later meet bishops from Latin America and the Caribbean before leaving for Rome on Sunday night.

During his visit, he criticised the "intellectual" message of the church and told Brazil's bishops that people needed to hear simpler messages of love, forgiveness and mercy.

He said: "At times we lose people because they don't understand what we are saying, because we have forgotten the language of simplicity and import an intellectualism foreign to our people

"Without the grammar of simplicity, the church loses the very conditions which make it possible to fish for God in the deep waters of his mystery."

In a speech outlining the kind of church he wants, Francis asked bishops to reflect on why hundreds of thousands of Catholics have left the church for Protestant and Pentecostal congregations that have grown exponentially in recent decades in Brazil, particularly in its favelas.

According to census data, the number of Catholics in Brazil dipped from 125 million in 2000 to 123 million in 2010, with the church's share of the total population dropping from 74% to 65%.

During the same time period, the number of evangelical Protestants and Pentecostals skyrocketed from 26 million to 42 million, increasing from 15% to 22% of the population in 2010.

Israel Palestine Talks After Prisoner Deal

The US has announced peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine, which halted in 2010, will begin again on Monday.

It comes after Israel agreed to release 104 long-held Palestinian prisoners as part of a US-brokered deal to get both sides to the negotiating table after a three-year diplomatic standstill.

The list of the prisoners has been provided by the Palestinians, who have made their release a condition of participating in Washington-based discussions.

The US State Department announced on Sunday that the two sides had accepted invitations from Secretary of State John Kerry to come to Washington "to formally resume direct final status negotiations."

In a statement, department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Mr Kerry had called both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday and said they agreed that the talks would "serve as an opportunity to develop a procedural work plan for how the parties can proceed with the negotiations in the coming months."

"Both leaders have demonstrated a willingness to make difficult decisions that have been instrumental in getting to this point," Mr Kerry said in the statement. "We are grateful for their leadership."

The prisoner release decision, which is highly contentious in Israel, will see the release of prisoners who have served between 19 and 30 years for taking part in deadly attacks on Israel in four stages over nine months.

The vote saw 13 ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 22-strong cabinet vote in favour of the wide-scale release. Seven voted against and two abstained, according to a government official.

A statement released by the prime minister's office following the vote said: "The government approved the opening of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians ... and mandated a ministerial committee for the release of prisoners during the course of the talks."

As part of the deal, brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry, they agreed to talks despite Israel's refusal to stop settlement building on land the Palestinians consider should be theirs.

The chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erakat, hailed the vote and said: "We welcome the Israeli government's decision to release the prisoners.

"We consider this an important step and hope to be able to seize the opportunity provided by the American administration's efforts."

The talks between the two sides, the first since discussions stalled in September 2010, are due to begin on Tuesday.

The Palestinians want to establish a state which comprises the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, lands which the Israelis captured in the 1967 six-day war.

Late last year, the UN General Assembly recognised the State of Palestine within those 1967 borders.

In an attempt to secure talks as a precursor to the restarting of proper peace negotiations, Mr Netanyahu wrote an open letter to the Israeli public.

In it he said: "I agreed to release 104 Palestinians in measured stages, after the start of the negotiations and in accordance with their progress.

"This is an incredibly difficult decision. It's painful to the bereaved families, it pains the entire people of Israel, and it's very painful to me."

Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners' Club which tracks the well-being of Palestinians in Israeli jails, said there would be no talks unless all 104 prisoners returned to their homes.

"If they don't free all of them, there will be no negotiations," he told public radio.

In past deals, Israel has expelled some freed prisoners from the occupied West Bank or annexed east Jerusalem to the Gaza Strip or abroad, but Fares said that would not be acceptable this time.

"Expulsion is punishment," he said. "These people, who are now over 50 years old, all of them sick, need to be released to their homes."

Around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners are held in Israeli jails, according to the latest figures at the end of June. 

Spain Accused Over Gibraltar Border Delays

The Government has complained to Spanish counterparts after traffic was "deliberately" held up for up to six hours at the border with Gibraltar.

Images showed long queues at the border into the mainland from Gibraltar, which Spain claims as its own sovereign territory.

Authorities searched "practically every vehicle", triggering the tailbacks and affecting thousands of people who commute to and from Gibraltar for work.

A statement from the government of Gibraltar said: "It is disgraceful that EU nationals have been made to wait for nearly six hours to cross the border from Gibraltar to Spain.

"The Spanish Government has inflicted these unnecessary delays on the elderly, children and the infirm in up to 30 degrees of heat.

"This torture has resulted in an ambulance being deployed to treat people with medical conditions.

"The irony is that most of the victims are Spanish nationals in Spanish registered vehicles."

Foreign Secretary William Hague spoke to the Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo on Sunday to express "serious concerns".

Britain's Ambassador in Madrid also raised concerns with the Spanish Deputy Foreign Minister and a protest was registered with the Spanish Ambassador in London.

A spokesman from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said: "Our main concern is to restore people's basic right to freedom of movement and enable a return to normal operations at the border.

"A speedy solution is essential to address the very difficult situation there and consequent humanitarian issues."

Spain disputes UK sovereignty over Gibraltar, an outcrop on the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula which has been ruled by Britain since 1713.

People in Gibraltar have rejected Spanish sovereignty in two referendums - in 1967 and 2002 - and for the last seven years have governed most of their own affairs apart from defence and foreign relations.

It comes after Spanish police fired plastic or rubber bullets at a British jetskier off Gibraltar last month.

Dale Villa, 32, said he was left "shaken" after a Spanish police patrol boat fired shots at his jetski and chased him through Gibraltar's territorial waters.

Earlier this week, Guardia Civil vessels entered Gibraltar territorial waters as contractors attempted to create an artificial reef in the sea.

Ohio Kidnap Victim Makes Surprise Appearance

One of three women held captive in a Cleveland home for a decade appeared at a public event for the first time since her rescue.

Amanda Berry made a surprise appearance at the RoverFest concert in Cleveland on Saturday night, a day after her abductor pleaded guilty in the case.

She walked on stage with her family and waved at the cheering crowd.

Wearing sunglasses and dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, Ms Berry smiled broadly while acknowledging the applause, but she didn't address the crowd.

The rapper Nelly called her back to the stage after his music set.

Ariel Castro, a former school bus driver, pleaded guilty to 937 counts in a deal that will send him to prison for life without parole, plus 1,000 years.

Ms Berry, now 27, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight disappeared between 2002 and 2004 when they were 14, 16 and 20 years old.

They escaped in May when Ms Berry kicked out part of a door and called to neighbours for help.

She told a police dispatcher in a dramatic 911 call: "Help me. I'm Amanda Berry. I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for 10 years, and I'm, I'm here, I'm free now."

Castro, 53, who was arrested and jailed shortly afterward, was accused of raping and beating the three repeatedly.

The women did not attend the court proceeding but said in a statement that they were relieved by the conviction and looking forward to the end of the legal case.

The three recently appeared in an online video thanking the public for their support. They otherwise have tried to stay mostly out of sight and have appealed for privacy.

Thirty Dead In Italian Bus Plunge

Thirty people have been killed after a coach came off a flyover and plunged down a 98ft slope, according to the ANSA news agency.

Children were said to be among the passengers on the bus that crashed at Avellino in southern Italy.

The 40 passengers were said to have been returning to Naples following a pilgrimage.

A police spokesman said: "I cannot yet confirm the number of victims, we are still pulling people from the vehicle. Our priority now is to free the wounded."

A spokesman for the fire service said rescue operations were continuing and that four young children had been pulled alive from the stricken coach.

"The situation is dramatic," he said, adding that several other vehicles had also been involved in the accident.

Rescue workers at the scene said the bus had hit several cars before coming off the road and added that some of the passengers could have been flung from the vehicle as it fell.

Witnesses claimed it appeared the coach may have had braking problems, although officials had yet to confirm any cause of the accident. The driver is said to be among the dead

The Naples-Bari highway has been closed to traffic.

Hamilton Wins First Race For Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton converted pole position into a first race victory for Mercedes as he dominated the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Despite having claimed his fourth pole for his new employers on Saturday, the Brit had suggested it would be a "miracle" if he triumphed around the Hungaroring.

However, despite the hot weather, Hamilton's car showed no obvious signs of tyre degradation and he controlled the race from the front to beat Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen by 10.9 seconds.

The Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber claimed third and fourth respectively, with Fernando Alonso fifth and Romain Grosjean sixth.

McLaren's Jenson Button was seventh, with fellow Briton Max Chilton last of the finishers in 17th.

Hamilton's team mate Nico Rosberg was a late retirement but it meant Williams finally got their 2013 points account up and running as Pastor Maldonado took advantage to snatch tenth.

"This is surely one of the most important wins of my career. To move to a new team and win for Mercedes-Benz is a real privilege. I couldn't be happier," a beaming Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.

"We have to work hard, but if we can come here and make our tyres work then we ought to be able to do it anywhere."

Hamilton heads into the four-week summer break 48 points down on Sebastian Vettel but could launch a late assault on the title.

Spain Train Crash: Driver Due In Court

A judge is preparing to question the driver of a train that hurtled off the tracks killing 78 people in Spain.

Francisco Jose Garzon Amo is being held on suspicion of "negligent homicide" and is due to appear before Judge Luis Alaez, who is heading the judicial investigation into the crash.

Judge Alaez will decide whether to press formal charges at the hearing, which must happen by 6.40pm BST on Sunday.

Garzon, 52, is suspected of driving too fast on a dangerous section of the line near the city of Santiago de Compostela.

Reports suggest the train was travelling at around 190km per hour (120mph), more than twice the 80km per hour (50mph) speed limit when it entered the bend.

Garzon, who was pictured staggering from the wreckage with blood pouring from a head wound, has refused to make a statement or answer questions about the crash.

His court appearance will be closed but the judge will decide whether to remand the driver as an official suspect, free him on bail or release him without charge.

The hearing comes as authorities said forensic experts have identified the last three bodies of the 78 people killed when the intercity train derailed and smashed into a concrete wall.

They did not reveal the victims' names but said their families had been informed.

A resident of the town where the train crashed has claimed Garzon admitted going fast and said he "wanted to die" in the aftermath of the crash.

In a television interview broadcast on Spain's Antena 3, Evaristo Iglesias said he and another person accompanied Garzon to a stretch of flat ground where other injured people were being laid out, waiting for emergency services to arrive.

Mr Iglesias said: "He told us that he wanted to die."

He added that Garzon said he "had been going fast" and "he said he had needed to brake but couldn't".

An American passenger, Stephen Ward, said he was watching the train's speed on a screen in the carriage, which indicated it was going at 194km per hour (121mph) moments before derailing.

Officials have so far not said how fast the train was going when it derailed and it is not clear whether the brakes failed or were never used.

The "black box" that records journey data is with the investigating judge.

All eight carriages of the train, packed with 218 passengers, careered off the track on the express route between Madrid and Ferrol on the Galician coast.

The train cut through electricity lines and leaking diesel fuel burst into flames in some carriages.

At least 130 people were taken to hospital after the crash, with dozens remaining in a critical condition.

Five US citizens and one Briton were among the injured and one American was among the dead.

Two separate investigations are being carried out into the catastrophe - one to look into possible failings by the driver and the other to examine the train's in-built speed regulation systems and see if it was a technical malfunction that meant the driver was not warned of the reduced speed limit around the bend.

The train crash is the worst Spain has experienced since a three-train accident in a tunnel in the northern Leon province in 1944.

Due to heavy censorship at the time, the exact death toll for the Torre del Bierzo disaster has never been established.

The official figure was given as 78 dead, but it is thought that as many as 250 could have been killed.

One Thousand Inmates Escape From Libya Prison

Inmates have staged a major jailbreak at a prison in the east Libyan city of Benghazi as the facility was also attacked from the outside.

Security official Mohammed Hejazi said the prisoners staged a riot inside Koyfiya prison as an attack took place outside the facility.

Gunmen fired into the air outside the prison as inmates began setting fires inside, suggesting the escape was pre-planned.

Special forces later arrested 18 of those who escaped, while other returned on their own, according to security officials.

It was unclear if the jailbreak was part of protests taking place at the offices of Islamist-allied parties in Libya's main cities.

Those who escaped either face or had been convicted of serious charges.

Protesters have massed across the country angry over the killing of an activist critical of the country's Muslim Brotherhood group.

Hundreds gathered in the capital Tripoli to denounce the shooting of Abdul Salam al Musmari, setting fire to tyres and demanding the dissolution of Islamist parties.

Al Musmari, who publicly criticised the Brotherhood, was killed by unknown attackers in a drive-by shooting in Benghazi.

Benghazi's security situation is among the most precarious in post-revolution Libya.

Last year, the US ambassador and three other Americans were killed in an attack there.

Libyan prime minister Ali Zeidan said he would reshuffle the cabinet and reorganise the government to cope with the "urgent" situation.

He added: "What is happening is an attempt to obstruct the state's progression."

The country's government is struggling to assert its authority over armed groups that helped topple Colonel Gaddafi in 2011 during the Arab Spring uprisings.

It comes after Iraq's prime minister Nouri al Maliki ordered the detention of several senior security officials in connection with a major jailbreak that saw hundreds of inmates escape from the notorious Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad.

A statement from his office said those detained included the chief of staff of the federal police's fourth division.

Al Qaeda's Iraq branch claimed responsibility for the attack and a simultaneous raid on Taji prison. Members of the terror organisation were among the prisoners thought to have escaped.