Father In Court Over Daughter's Murder

The father of an 11-year-old girl found strangled at her home has appeared in court charged with her murder.

Rebecca Thompson was discovered at the house in Holmefield Road, Bushey, Hertfordshire, on Saturday, June 22.

Her father Simon Thompson, 52, was taken to hospital after being involved in a car crash in the early hours of the same day.

He has now appeared at Hatfield Magistrates' Court, where he was remanded in custody.

Rebecca's headteacher paid tribute to the schoolgirl.

In a statement, Rita Cooper, head of Sacred Heart Primary School, said: "It is with great sadness that we heard of the death of Rebecca who was in Year Six at Sacred Heart.

"Rebecca was a lovely girl who was hard-working and did well in her learning. She was looking forward to secondary school.

"The whole school is very distressed by this tragedy and our thoughts are with her family and friends."

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Islamic Militants Kill 30 In Nigeria School Attack

Armed Islamic militants have killed 29 students and an English teacher in an attack on a boarding school in northeastern Nigeria.

Survivors being treated for burns and gunshot wounds said some students were burned alive in the attack on Saturday which has been blamed on a radical terror group.

Gunmen, believed to be from Islamist sect Boko Haram, stormed the premises of Government Secondary School in the town of Mamudo in Yobe state at around 3am, setting fire to parts of the complex.

Dozens of children from the 1,200-student school escaped into the bush and have not been seen since.

Parents rushed to the school and screamed in anguish as they tried to identify the charred and dead bodies of the victims.

Mohammed Musa, who taught English at the school, died after he was shot in the chest.

One 15-year-old, who survived the attack, told of how he awoke to find one of the attackers pointing a gun at him.

Speaking at Potsikum General Hospital, Musa Hassan said: "We were sleeping when we heard gunshots. When I woke up, someone was pointing a gun at me."

Nigerian soldiers on patrol in a village

He put up his hands in defence and was shot in his right hand, the one he uses to write with, and lost four fingers.

The child said the gunmen came armed with jerry cans of fuel that they used to torch the school's administrative block and one of the hostels.

"They burned the children alive," he added.

Farmer Malam Abdullahi found the bodies of two of his sons, a 10-year-old shot in the back as he apparently tried to run away, and a 12-year-old shot in the chest.

He said he planned to withdraw his three remaining sons from another school nearby.

"That's it, I'm taking my other boys out of school," he said.

He complained there was no protection for students despite the deployment of thousands of troops since the government declared a state of emergency mid-May in three northeastern states.

"It's not safe," he said. "The gunmen are attacking schools and there is no protection for students despite all the soldiers," he added.

A poster offers a reward for the capture of Boko Haram head Abubakar Shekau

It is the deadliest of three attacks on schools since the military launched its offensive to try to crush Boko Haram. The group's nickname translates as "Western education is sinful" in the northern Hausa language.

Suspected Islamist militants opened fire on a school in Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri last month, killing nine students, and a similar attack on a school in the city of Damaturu killed seven just days earlier.

Dozens of schools have been torched and unknown scores of students killed among more than 1,600 victims slain by extremists since 2010.

Militants have increasingly targeted civilians, including health workers on vaccination campaigns, teachers and government workers, while farmers have been driven from their land.

President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency on May 14, and deployed thousands of troops to halt the insurgency, acknowledging that militants had taken control of some towns and villages.

Nigerian forces say they have wrest back control of the remote northeast from Boko Haram, destroying key bases and arresting scores of suspects.

However, the military crackdown has pushed many militants into hiding.

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9/11: Remains Of Firefighter Identified

New York officials have identified the remains of a firefighter who was killed in New York in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Jeffrey Walz has now become the 1,637th victim to be identified among the thousands of remains found in and near the rubble of the World Trade Center.

Nearly a dozen years after the terror attacks, authorities are painstakingly testing and retesting the material as technology becomes more refined.

Nearly 350 firefighters were killed at the World Trade Center

Mr Walz's family recalled how he had called his wife and parents on the morning of the attacks to tell them he had been called into action.

His relatives would never see him again, and now that his remains have been found they have expressed relief.

"We're just very relieved, in some respects, to be finally bringing him home to where he grew up and to put him to rest there," said his brother, Raymond Walz.

"That's some peace.

"We kind of knew this day would come. I guess when it does come, though, it kind of sucks the wind out of your sails," he told the AP news agency.

"You have to absorb something new, and old feelings resurface."

Mr Walz, who had joined the Fire Department of New York in 1992, died in the World Trade Center's north tower. He was 37.

His remains were collected during the initial recovery effort in 2001 and 2002, but they were retested and identified just recently, the medical examiner's office spokeswoman said.

Mr Walz died at the north tower

Altogether, 2,753 people perished in the attacks at the World Trade Center, with 343 firefighters among the victims.

New identifications are made periodically but are not always made public.

It was Mr Walz's family's decision to let his name be revealed.

"Maybe it'll give other families hope," his mother Jennie Walz said.

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Lions Beat Australia To Win Rugby Test Series

The British and Irish Lions have won their first Test series in 16 years after beating Australia 41-16 in the third and deciding match.

The Lions, who claimed the series 2-1, got an early lead at Sydney's Olympic Stadium when prop Alex Corbisiero crossed the line for a second minute try.

And fullback Leigh Halfpenny kicked 12 points to put them 19-3 up after 26 minutes.

Australia fought back as James O'Connor scored a try just before half-time and inside centre Christian Leali'ifano kicked the home side to within three points at 19-16 with 25 minutes remaining.

But the Lions, who last won a Test series in 1997 in South Africa, then found the attacking rhythm that they lacked in the second Test defeat.

Fly-half Jonny Sexton, winger George North and centre Jamie Roberts crossed for second-half tries as the Lions were comfortable winners.

Alun-Wyn Jones captained the side for the decider in the absence of the injured Sam Warburton.

He said he was pleased that rugby had taken over as the main talking point after the debate about Brian O'Driscoll not being picked for the final game.

Jamie Roberts scored one of the Lions' four tries

Jones told Sky Sports: "It's a pretty indescribable feeling.

"A lot has been said about the selections but we just want to thank the fans. I think we proved, despite the selections, that the northern hemisphere is doing pretty well.

"On Wednesday and Thursday we had the two worst training sessions of the seven weeks we've been here, but we fronted up today.

"We represented our four countries with pride. We wanted to win the collisions and the breakdown and it came down to that today."

Jones' fellow Welshman Warbuton joined him on the field at the end to collect the trophy for the series win.

"Unlucky to you Australian boys," Warburton said.

"It's been an immense Test series. To our boys, a massive well done. We worked hard for this.

"To the fans, who spent thousands of pounds to come here, you've made our tour."

Australia skipper James Horwill said: "We just weren't good enough tonight. The better team on the night won."

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Canada Explosion: Oil Train Derails In Quebec

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

A fireball has engulfed a Canadian town after a train carrying crude oil derailed and damaged dozens of buildings.

The crash happened as the freight train travelled through the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic, a lakeside town with a population of 6,000, on Saturday morning.

Massive flames and thick smoke could be seen, locals have reported that many buildings have been destroyed.

More than 1,000 residents were told to leave the area but officials have not yet said if there are any fatalities.

"I can say absolutely nothing about victims," police spokesman Michel Brunet said.

More than 1,000 residents were told to leave the area (Pic: Quebec police)

"We've been told about people who are not answering their phones, but you have to understand that there are people who are out of town and on holiday."

Mayor Colette Roy-LaRoche was nearly in tears as she addressed the media, according to the Montreal Gazette. 

"When you see the downtown of your city almost destroyed you think, how are we going to get through this? But I can assure everyone here that all the authorities and ministries have been very supportive," she said.

"We've deployed all the resources possible."

Four tanker cars blew up after the train, which had 73 cars in all, came off the rails shortly after 1am local time.

Fire officials said they feared more of the tanker cars were at risk of exploding.

A train wagon burning after the explosion

Environmental experts have also arrived in the town to assess how much oil may have spilled into local waterways.

Environment Quebec spokesman Christian Blanchette said: "Right now, there is big smoke in the air, so we have a mobile laboratory here to monitor the quality of the air.

"We also have a spill on the lake and the river that is concerning us.

"We have advised the local municipalities downstream to be careful if they take their water from the Chaudiere River."

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Snowden Offered Asylum In Three Countries

US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has been told he could be welcomed in Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela after applying to another six countries for asylum.

Declaring that Bolivia has "no fear" of the United States and its European allies, the country's President Evo Morales said he would be willing "to give asylum to the American, if he asks."

Speaking at a public event, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said his government was also willing to grant political asylum to the former NSA contractor "if circumstances permit it".

He added: "We are open, respectful of the right to asylum, and it is clear that if circumstances permit it, we would receive Snowden with pleasure and give him asylum here in Nicaragua.

"We have the sovereign right to help a person who felt remorse after finding out how the United States was using technology to spy on the whole world, and especially its European allies."

Mr Ortega said his government had received an asylum application at its embassy in Moscow.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro made the same promise during a speech marking the anniversary of Venezuela's independence.

He said: "As head of state, the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela decided to offer humanitarian asylum to the young American Edward Snowden so that he can live (without) ... persecution from the empire."

It was not immediately clear if there were any conditions to Venezuela's offer.         

A demonstration in support of Snowden in Berlin

Snowden is believed to be holed up at a Moscow airport looking for a country that will give him safe haven as the US wants to extradite him to face espionage charges.

The 30-year-old initially asked 21 countries for asylum but most said he must be on their soil for his application to be accepted.

WikiLeaks revealed he has since applied to more countries.

A tweet from the anti-secrecy website said: "Edward Snowden has applied to another six countries for asylum.

"They will not be named at this time due to attempted US interference."

The message appeared to be an allusion to the drama surrounding the flight of Bolivian President Evo Morales, whose plane was recently abruptly rerouted to Austria over suspicions Snowden was aboard.

Washington has revoked the passport of Snowden, who is seeking to evade US justice for leaking details about a vast US electronic surveillance programme to collect phone and Internet data.

He also revealed evidence of the spying activities of British eavesdropping agency GCHQ - including its scanning of vast amounts of emails and other internet traffic by tapping cable networks.

A bid by Snowden for Icelandic citizenship failed when the country's parliament voted not to debate it before the summer recess.

Russia has shown signs of growing impatience over his stay in the country.

Its deputy foreign minister said on Thursday Snowden had not sought asylum there and needed to choose a place to go.

Moscow has made clear that the longer he stays, the greater the risk of lasting damage to relations with Washington.

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First 'Boris Bike' Death As Woman Killed

A woman cyclist has been killed following a collision with a lorry - the first death involving one of London's "Boris Bikes".

The 20-year-old died in the accident on Whitechapel High Street in east London on Friday just before 6.20pm.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said traffic officers were appealing for witnesses to the collision.

The driver of the heavy goods vehicle, who stopped at the scene, was not arrested.

London Ambulance Service took the woman to Royal London Hospital where she was later pronounced dead. Her next of kin have yet to be informed.

Officers from the road death investigation unit are investigating the circumstances of the collision.

Leon Daniels, from Transport for London (TfL), said: "Our thoughts go out to the friends and family of the female cyclist who tragically died ... following a collision with a heavy goods vehicle on Whitechapel High Street.

"We understand she was riding a Barclays Cycle Hire bike.

"TfL has a range of measures already under way to further reduce the number of collisions involving cyclists across London and we will be assisting the Metropolitan Police with their investigation into this tragic incident."

The hire bicycles were dubbed "Boris Bikes" after being launched by London Mayor Boris Johnson in 2010.

The accident is believed to have occurred on Cycle Superhighway 2 outside Aldgate East underground station.

The Barclays cycle routes run from outer London to the centre and are designed to provide "safer, faster and more direct journeys into the city", according to TfL.

Four have been opened so far, with a further eight to be introduced by 2015.

Any witnesses to the fatal collision are asked to call police on 0208 597 4874.

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Wimbledon: Bartoli Wins Women's Singles Final

Marion Bartoli has defeated Sabine Lisicki 6-1, 6-4 in the women's singles final at Wimbledon.

Six years after losing to Venus Williams in the Wimbledon final, Bartoli returned to Centre Court and ended her long wait for a major crown.

By finally winning her maiden major title in the 47th Grand Slam appearance of her career, Bartoli surpassed the previous record set by Jana Novotna, who won Wimbledon in 1998 after 45 appearances at the majors.

The Frenchwoman took the first set comfortably against an out of sorts Lisicki on the sun-drenched Centre Court.

Lisicki, the 23rd seed, broke Bartoli's serve in the opening game of the match.

But Bartoli broke straight back and took advantage of unforced errors by the German to secure the set in 31 minutes.

Bartoli (l) holds her trophy alongside Lisicki after the Wimbledon final

Lisicki's booming serve never functioned smoothly and Bartoli, seeded 15th, kept the ball away from her dangerous forehand throughout the match.

Throughout the match, Lisicki was a shadow of the bold stroke-maker who stunned defending champion Serena Williams in the fourth round.

Bartoli took the second set 6-4 to win the title.

The 28-year-old is the fifth oldest women to become a first-time Grand Slam winner in the Open era.

Bartoli will climb to seventh when the latest world rankings are released on Monday.

She did not drop a single set in her seven matches to win the title.

The women's final came as British men's hopeful Andy Murray was gearing up for his own shot at the title when he plays Novak Djokovic on Centre Court on Sunday.

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Weather: Britain Sizzles As Temperatures Soar

Britain is basking in some of the hottest temperatures of the year so far as summer finally arrives across the country.

Sun worshippers were set to enjoy highs of up to 28C (82F) to 29C (84F) on Saturday in London, with temperatures soaring to 30C (86F) in parts of southern England on Sunday, while most of the UK will feel the heat in the mid to high 20s.

Crowds gathering in Hyde Park to watch The Rolling Stones later can expect to swelter in the sunshine, and Britain's Andy Murray will feel the glare of more than just the eyes of the Wimbledon faithful on Sunday.

The weather is much hotter than usual for the time of year - the average maximum temperature for July in England is 20.9C (69.5F).

Many parts of the country can expect to enjoy temperatures on par with popular Spanish holiday resorts.

Sunb lovers flock to Fistral Beach in Newquay

On Saturday the soaring temperatures sparked a run on the staples of a British summer, with retailers reporting a spike in sales of disposable barbecues, fresh meat and strawberries.

Waitrose said its burger sales are up nearly 90% this week, with sales of sausages and their vegetarian equivalents also surging. 

"The 'Pimmsometer', our internal barometer of good weather, is starting to move up a gear with sales up by 90%," a supermarket spokesman added.

Tesco meanwhile expects to sell 1.5 million cucumbers, 250,000 disposable barbecues and a million tubs of ice cream over the weekend.

And the heat wave gripping Britain this July shows no signs of letting up, according to Sky News Weather Presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar, with the good weather expected to last throughout next week and beyond.

The Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park, central London

It means the UK is on course to enjoy its longest spell of hot weather since 2006, when temperatures were above 28C in many areas for around a fortnight.

She said: "Finally it seems the summer weather has arrived and is set to stick around for a while.

"This weekend the mercury could rise up to 30C (86F) in the south-east of England, elsewhere will be very warm as well with temperatures into the mid to high 20s.

"This time of the year the average maximum temperature in England is 20.9C so most areas will be above that.

"However, not everywhere will bask in the sunshine. Most of Scotland and Ireland will have cloudier skies with rain across the far north-west on Saturday, slowly spreading south and eastwards bringing a few showers to northern England by Sunday.

The sun rises over a ship off the coast near Tynemouth, in the North East

"Although the north-west of the UK and Ireland will be mostly cloudy, there will be some sunny spells at times and in the sunshine it will still feel quite warm."

"Coastal areas will be another exception to the sunshine and warmth. Throughout the weekend and into next week it will feel cooler around the coasts with onshore breezes. Mist or low cloud may plague some coasts too.

"Although most people will enjoy this sunny period, for some it will be too hot, especially across the south this weekend. UV levels will be very high on Sunday and Monday as will pollen levels for the next few days."

More recently, temperatures peaked at 30.7C (87F) between July 23 and 26, last year.

The previous highest temperature of 2013 so far has been 27C (80F) on June 30, but recent years have seen Britons endure wet and overcast summers.

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Egypt Names Interim PM After Deadly Clashes

An opposition spokesman says pro-reform leader Mohamed El Baradei has been named Egypt's interim prime minister.

Khaled Dawoud of the National Salvation Front, the main opposition group, said the interim president Adly Mansour will swear Mr El Baradei in on Saturday night.

Mr El Baradei has led the opposition to autocrat Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled by a popular uprising in 2011, and later to the Islamist president Mohammed Morsi.

Mr Morsi was forced out by the military earlier this week in a move that has led to a new round of chaos in Egypt.

Mr El Baradei is a Nobel peace Laureate and a former director of the UN nuclear watchdog.

More follows...

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