Latvia Supermarket Collapse 'Was Murder'

Rescuers are still searching for 10 people who may have been killed in the collapse of a supermarket which Latvia's president has described as "murder".

Fifty-two deaths have been confirmed after the roof of the Maxima store caved in in the capital Riga on Thursday.

Meanwhile a third section of the roof collapsed on Saturday, but rescue workers said no one was injured.

President Andris Berzins said: "This case must be treated as the murder of many unprotected people."

The rescue operation has been dangerous for firefighters

He called for the disaster to be "investigated at maximum speed", adding: "This is a case where we need to say clearly that an enormous number of defenceless people were killed, and that's how we should proceed."

Some 40 people were wounded, including 13 firefighters, and 23 people remained in hospital as of Saturday afternoon.

It was the worst accident in the Baltic country since it regained independence in 1991. The government has declared three days of mourning and thousands of floral tributes and candles have been placed at the scene.

Laila Rieksta-Riekstina, head of the state's child welfare department, told Latvia Radio that 16 children lost parents in the accident. Three of them lost both parents.

Antons Ryakhin said "about 100 people" had been inside the building with him.

At least 52 people were killed

The 19-year-old said: "I was queuing at the cash desk when the roof suddenly caved in. It all happened within a few seconds.

"It was dark but still light enough to see the exit. I ran out. The doors were open, but a lot of rubble fell in front of them - I think that's why some people couldn't get through."

The rescue operation has been hampered by the risk of further collapses.

Preliminary reports indicate the roof caved in due to either faulty construction or building activities on the roof, where workers were creating a garden area and children's playground for a new high-rise residential building adjacent to the supermarket.

Pictures show that a large amount of building materials, including bags of soil, were left in areas of the roof that, according to Riga city officials, could have been vulnerable to heavy loads.

The police investigation could take several weeks to complete.

The central government, Riga's city council and the Maxima retailer have promised compensation to victims, while charities are also raising cash.

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Sir Bruce Forsyth: I'm Living On Borrowed Time

Television presenter Sir Bruce Forsyth has said he believes he is living "on borrowed time" but has no plans to retire yet.

The 85-year-old said the relentless schedule of hosting Strictly Come Dancing "can drag you down" and hinted that this year might be his last on the show.

Sir Bruce, who first appeared on Sunday Night At The London Palladium in 1958, said he has a number of projects lined up for next year, but did not mention Strictly as one of them.

"I've got three one-man show dates fixed for next year and I'm doing another thing for TV in April that I can't talk about yet," he told The Sun.

"So if I was to leave Strictly Come Dancing, I wouldn't retire. That's the furthest thing from my mind at the moment. While I'm able to walk and play golf I'll still work."

The entertainer plays golf to stay fit and healthy

Sir Bruce admitted the punishing schedule for Strictly was difficult, despite him having a break during the run, saying: "The constant week-after-week can drag you down, especially when you are getting older."

And he was pragmatic about the inevitability of his own mortality.

"I know I'm on borrowed time," he said. "There's no getting away from it. When I look at all my friends that have gone - Eric Sykes, Frankie Howerd, Sammy Davis Jr - I know I'm on borrowed time.

"How I'm still here I just don't know. I don't know how, why or wherefore. But I'm not really questioning it that much. The day will come and it could be tomorrow, who knows?

"It's no good saying it's never going to come. You've got to be able to accept it. I'm conditioning myself so it's not going to be a big surprise. It will just be, 'OK, time to go'.

Sir Bruce and his wife Wilnelia Merced

"When the time is up I'll be ready for it. I probably won't be very happy about it. But I'll know it's time to go."

The veteran star also explained how he still has ambitions for his career.

"The other thing I'd like to do is a small part or cameo in a wonderful film like Harry Potter," he said. "I would be a terrible old man. Scrooge maybe.

"The trouble with Britain is they tend to cubbyhole you. To most people in this business, I'm a game show host. I can go to Glastonbury and prove all that wrong but people still think of me as the guy from The Price Is Right and The Generation Game.

"In America it's completely different. You can present a game show and have a part in Law And Order or a film."

Sir Bruce also took a gentle swipe at Strictly's main Saturday night TV rival, The X Factor, calling it "boring" and suggesting it may have run its course.

"(Simon Cowell) may wave a magic wand and make The X Factor a completely different show," he said.

"But I don't know how you can revamp a show which is a singer, followed by judges, followed by a singer, followed by a singer, followed by judges, followed by a singer, maybe a guest star, followed by another singer.

"And after two hours, what happens? Another singer. He has done marvels in the past, but I think the end has got to come.

"I just think people have stopped watching it. It's the kind of show that can get boring. For those kind of shows, the days are numbered."

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Fresh Details In London 'Slavery' Probe

Police have released new details about the investigation involving three women allegedly held as slaves for at least 30 years.

The Metropolitan Police said the two 67-year-old suspects, a man and woman who have been released on bail, are of Indian and Tanzanian origin and came to the UK in the 1960s.

A 69-year-old Malaysian woman, a 57-year-old Irish woman and a 30-year-old Briton were taken from a property in Brixton, south London, last month after one of the women called a support group asking for help.

She told the Freedom Charity she had been held against her will for more than 30 years.

Officers said two of the women met the male suspect in London "through a shared political ideology" and that they lived at an address which could be called a "collective".

Commander Steve Rodhouse said: "Somehow that collective came to an end and the women ended up continuing to live with the suspects.

"How this resulted in the women living in this way for over 30 years is what are seeking to establish, but we believe emotional and physical abuse has been a feature of all the victims' lives."

Police are carrying out house-to-house enquiries near the property where the suspects were arrested.

Investigators believe the youngest of the alleged victims may have spent her entire life as a domestic slave.

Cmdr Rodhouse said: "The 30-year-old woman does have a birth certificate; however that is all the official documentation we can find.

"We believe she has lived with the suspects and the other victims all her life, but of course at this early stage we are still seeking out evidence."

Scotland Yard revealed that part of the agreement when the women were removed from the address on October 25 was that police would not at that stage take any action.

None of the women was reported missing after they were rescued.

The exact location of the property where the women had been living has not been revealed and police say they are "taking every step" to protect the "emotionally fragile and highly vulnerable" victims.

Aneeta Prem, founder of Freedom Charity, said: "We have seen an extraordinary rise in calls to our helpline since the rescue of the three women came into the public domain.

"We received five times as many calls in 24 hours as we normally do in one week and are needing to increase our resources to cope with this extra demand.

"These women have had traumatic and distributing experiences, which they have revealed to us.

"What needs to happen now is that the three victims, who have begun a long process of recovery, are able to go through their rehabilitation undisturbed, without being identified."

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Man Sought After Schoolgirl 'Touched' On Bus

Police have released CCTV pictures of a man who sat next to a 12-year-old schoolgirl on a bus and allegedly put his hand on her knee.

The youngster, who is said to have been left shaken and upset by the incident, got on the bus in St Mary's Row, Moseley, Birmingham, and sat near the back.

The suspect boarded at the same time and sat next to her and allegedly asked for her mobile phone number before touching her. He then left the bus near Springfield Primary School.

The girl, who was dressed in her school uniform, immediately told her mother when she arrived home. The incident happened on the afternoon of October 9 but the images have just been released.

The man left the bus and walked along Grove Road, Sparkhill. (Pic: Google)

Detective Constable Natalie Adkins, from West Midlands Police's public protection unit, said: "The girl was shaken by the incident and did the right thing by telling her mum, who then contacted the police."

She added: "We've scoured hours of CCTV footage in the area to track the man's movements, as well as conducting a number of police checks.

"I would ask anyone who can name the man in the CCTV to call me.

"I would also urge the man himself to contact me. This is his chance to explain what happened and why."

The man is described as Asian, in his 20s, about 5ft 7ins, with short black hair and short trimmed facial hair. He was wearing a black jacket and cream-coloured jeans.

Anyone with information is urged to call DC Adkins at Castle Vale police station on 101. Crimestoppers can be reached anonymously on 0800 555 11.

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Iran Nuclear Talks: Hague Arrives In Geneva

Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague has arrived for talks in Geneva amid hopes an historic deal may be signed on Iran's nuclear programme.

Mr Hague joined counterparts including US Secretary of State John Kerry and foreign ministers from Russia, France and Germany, and the presence of senior ministers has raised expectations that an agreement could be close.

He told reporters: "They remain very difficult negotiations, I think it's important to stress that. We're not here because things are necessarily finished, we're here because they're difficult and they remain difficult.

John Kerry arrives in Geneva earlier

"There are narrow gaps but they are important gaps. It's very important that any agreement is thorough, that it is detailed, that it is comprehensive, and that it is a deal in which we can all - the whole world - have confidence that it can work and it will be observed."

Iran warned it would not bow to "excessive demands" as talks aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear ambitions entered a fourth day.

The arrival of Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov had heightened speculation that Mr Kerry would also attend.

Mr Kerry's goal is to "help narrow differences and move closer to an agreement," a State Department spokeswoman said.

Mr Lavrov joined the talks as negotiators said there had been some progress on the third day of meetings and the White House said the US remained "hopeful" that agreement could be reached.

This third meeting since President Hassan Rouhani's election in June is seen as the biggest hope in years to resolve the decade-old stand-off over Iran's nuclear programme.

Failure might mean Iran resuming the expansion of its atomic activities, while Washington and others could toughen already painful sanctions and the possibility of Israeli military action would draw nearer.

At the last gathering, foreign ministers including Mr Kerry flew to Geneva but three days of talks failed and they went home empty-handed.

Iran's Foreign Minister said talks were 'progressing well' on Friday

Sky's Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall, in Geneva, said: "They've spent the last 12 days talking to each other via the phone at political director level and I think they've got so close.

"They're burning political capital here, the foreign ministers. If they come in again and leave empty handed again, they've burned a lot of capital and the voices that say 'what is the point of this' will grow ever louder.

"And I think if they don't get a deal, you might see extra sanctions coming from the US Congress next week and that will scupper the whole deal."

According to a draft proposal hammered out on November 9, the US, Britain, China, France, Russia, and Germany - the so-called P5+1 nations - want Iran to freeze key parts of its nuclear programme for six months.

In return Iran would get minor and, Western officials insist, "reversible" sanctions relief, including unlocking several billion dollars in oil revenues and easing trade restrictions on precious metals and aircraft parts.

This hoped-for "first phase" deal would build trust and ease tensions while negotiators push on for a final accord that ends once and for all fears that Tehran will get an atomic bomb.

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Xbox One: Million Consoles Sold In 24 Hours

Microsoft has sold more than one million Xbox One consoles in less than 24 hours, despite some users saying they have been plagued by technical problems.

The next-generation gaming console is now sold out at most retailers after going on sale in 13 countries across the world on Friday, the US firm said.

Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of marketing and strategy for Xbox, said: "We are humbled and grateful for the excitement of Xbox fans around the world.

"Seeing thousands of excited fans lined up to get their Xbox One and their love for gaming was truly a special moment for everyone on the Xbox team.

Gamers queuing for the new console in Paris

"We are working hard to create more Xbox One consoles and look forward to fulfilling holiday gift wishes this season."

But the launch has not been without problems after some gamers complained their £429 machines have been "bricked" - rendered useless by a fault - after downloading a day one update.

In some cases, those reporting the update issue have been faced with an E100 error message, which does not seem to have an easy fix.

When contacted by Sky News, a Microsoft spokesman was unable to say how many users have been affected.

"If a user is experiencing a stall for more than 10 minutes when connecting to Xbox Live to take the day one update they should contact Xbox customer support and we will work with them to troubleshoot and get them up and running," he said.

Eager gamers queued for hours to get their hands on the console, which is expected to go head-to-head in a Christmas sales battle with PlayStation 4 when the Sony machine is released in the UK on November 29.

Microsoft said that in the 24 hours after the Xbox One's launch, gamers killed over 60 million zombies in Dead Rising 3, drove more than 3.6 million miles in Forza Motorsport 5 and defeated 8.5 million foes in Ryse: Son of Rome.

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Stabbing: Mother Died From Multiple Wounds

Police have confirmed that a woman found dead in her home in Manchester died of stab wounds.

Officers called to a house on Mayford Road, Levenshulme on Friday discovered the body of 49-year-old Aisha Alam following reports a woman had been killed.

A Home Office post-mortem examination established that Ms Alam, who reportedly had lived at the address for 25 years and had four children, died from multiple stab wounds.

Neighbour and friend Saima Baber said that Ms Alam was "a very, very nice person".

"She was quite quiet and kept herself to herself but was such a lovely lady," Ms Baber told the Manchester Evening News.

"I would always stop and say hello and chat and I would do the same with her daughters as well who are lovely.

"We are all very shocked and scared by what's happened. I saw her daughter at about 8am and everything seemed fine."

Detective Chief Inspector Colin Larkin, from Greater Manchester Police, said: "A woman has been killed and our thoughts are with her family and friends at what is obviously a totally devastating time for them.

"I want to reassure her loved ones as well as those in the local community that we have a team of highly skilled detectives already working on this case but if anyone has any information please call us."

A 52-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody for questioning.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0161 856 4032 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Comparison Websites Investigated By Watchdog

Fourteen price comparison websites are to be investigated following concerns that some of them could be misleading customers.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is looking into potential conflicts of interest, examining whether any sites are promoting deals they want them to buy and focusing too much on price rather than customer service.

They will also look into cases where comparison sites are owned by insurers themselves.

FCA spokesman David Cross said: "If insurers happen to own a particular price comparison website there is a concern that could create a conflict of interest whereby their products are promoted over others.

"When someone searches for something; are they necessarily getting the best deal for them, or are they just getting the deal the website want to give them?"

The review will question company heads about whether the customer or profit is really at the heart of a business model and examine the "expectation gap" for customers who may  money on insurance premiums only to face problems when claiming on their policy.

The FCA is looking at whether customers are getting the best deal

Mr Cross said: "Price isn't necessarily the best marker of an insurance deal. When you come to claim, if you find out that you can't, then obviously that money's been spent for nothing."

The FCA stressed that comparison sites "perform a valuable service for millions of people" and said almost half of all internet users had used them to research motor insurance, with four in five going on to buy it through the same site.

MoneySupermarket said it was an independent company with no ties to insurance groups.

The company said: "MoneySupermarket gives customers the information they need to save money on the products that suit them. If a policy doesn't offer breakdown insurance, for example, we'll show the extra cost of that."

The company added it received no commissions for its services, simply receiving a flat fee every time a customer buys a policy, and that these fees are "completely independent" of policy price.

Richard Lloyd, executive director of consumer group Which?, said: "We welcome the Financial Conduct Authority's review into price comparison sites.

"We found they claim to do all of the work for you but they don't always guarantee people the best deal or even the right one.

"We want comparison sites to treat customers fairly by being upfront that they don't cover the whole market and more transparent about what is and isn't included in the policies they're selling."

The customer watchdog Consumer Futures said PCWs vary in their transparency and quality of customer service and pushed for a voluntary accreditation scheme.

Insurance group Admiral owns Confused.com, while Esure has a 50% stake in GoCompare.com.

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Family's Facebook Appeal Over 1994 Taxi Murder

The family of a man shot dead as he sat in his taxi nearly 20 years ago have launched a Facebook page in a renewed bid to trace those responsible.

Ethsham Ul-Haq Ghafoor, known to his friends and family as Shami, was shot twice in his Ford Sierra while waiting in a car park in Gedling, Nottingham, at 4.30am on November 22, 1994.

Police branded the killing "cold-blooded, pre-meditated murder" but no-one has ever been charged over the 26-year-old's death.

Now, Mr Ghafoor's family have launched the Justice for Ethsham Shami Ghafoor page in the hope someone with key information will come forward.

In a statement on the website, Mr Ghafoor's 76-year-old mother Walayat Begum said her only remaining wish was "to see those responsible for my son's death brought to justice, in my lifetime".

She added: "I am a mother who has suffered greatly for her loss for which you cannot begin to imagine.

"I need to know ... why my son was so evilly ripped away from me.

"I plead to anyone with information to make my suffering lighter. My pain is never-ending. As long as we are here, we will demand justice."

Detective Chief Inspector Tony Heydon, of Nottinghamshire Police, said there may be people who know who is responsible for Mr Ghafoor's death but have never come forward.

He said: "Now is the time to put Shami's family first and help them find closure. Their Facebook group shows just how desperate for justice they are, and if you know anything, you could help them."

In 2005, officers and family members revisited the scene to launch a public appeal on what was the 11th anniversary of the killing.

The appeal page has had more than 350 likes since it was set up.

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Grieve Warns Of 'Ethnic Corruption' In UK

Politicians need to "wake up" to the problem of corruption in ethnic minority communities, the Government's senior law officer has warned.

Attorney General Dominic Grieve has faced criticism from political opponents after the comments, in which he said he was referring "mainly to the Pakistani community".

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, the Tory MP pointed out that it could also be found in the "white Anglo-Saxon" community but he said it was a growing problem "because we have minority communities in this country which come from backgrounds where corruption is endemic".

"It is something as politicians we have to wake up to," he added.

The MP for Beaconsfield said: "I can see many of them have come because of the opportunities that they get. But they also come from societies where they have been brought up to believe you can only get certain things through a favour culture.

"One of the things you have to make absolutely clear is that that is not the case and it's not acceptable."

Asked if he was referring to the Pakistani community in his remarks, Mr Grieve told the newspaper: "Yes, it's mainly the Pakistani community, not the Indian community. I wouldn't draw it down to one. I'd be wary of saying it's just a Pakistani problem."

Baroness Warsi said electoral fraud also affects the Asian community

Mr Grieve highlighted electoral fraud as an area of concern, echoing comments made in 2010 by senior Tory Baroness Warsi.

Lady Warsi told the New Statesman magazine there were "at least three seats where we lost, where we didn't gain the seat, based on electoral fraud" and said the problems were "predominantly within the Asian community".

Labour MP Khalid Mahmood told Sky News that Mr Grieve was political point scoring.

"What's his statistical evidence?" he said.

"He's the Attorney General, he's the law officer, what more prosecutions has he made since 2008 and why does it come up now? 

"Is it because it's coming up to the general election and because the Tory party wants another immigration issue or community-based issue they want to move on? I feel this is what he's doing in pushing that."

John Hemming MP and Khalid Mahmood MP both questioned Mr Grieve's comments

The Liberal Democrat MP for Birmingham Yardley, John Hemming, told Sky News that corruption should be dealt with generally rather than on ethnic grounds.

"It shouldn't be made as an issue for one particular ethnic community," he said. "We should deal with corruption more generally.

"I worry about the complacency in this country about white Anglo-Saxon Protestant corruption because I see situations on a day-to-day basis where things are going very seriously wrong.

"You see things deteriorating and that shouldn't be made into an ethnic thing, it should be focused on as something we should deal with and have the right checks and balances on."

Mr Grieve also said that the UK's infrastructure could be put under strain if significant numbers of Bulgarians and Romanians come to the UK when controls expire in January.

He acknowledged that "the volume of immigrants may pose serious infrastructure issues".

Shabana Mahmood, the MP for Birmingham Ladywood, said: "The Attorney General should apologise. His wild extrapolation is based on a few flimsy facts and smears the entire UK Pakistani community.

"He should think again and come back to the table when he has had a chance to consider the facts more carefully."

Later in a statement, Mr Grieve said: "I am very clear that integration between ethnic communities in the UK has worked well and has delivered great benefits for all of us.

"This is a point I clearly made in my interview with the Telegraph, and I'm disappointed that this has not been reflected in their front page story.

"The point I was making is that, as a law officer, it's my duty to ensure the rule of law is upheld, and one of the issues that I feel requires close attention is any potential for a rise in corruption to undermine civil society.

"I believe this is an issue which needs to be addressed calmly and rationally.

"I am absolutely clear that this problem is not attributable to any one community, as I know very well from my many years promoting community cohesion."

Sky News political reporter Darren McCaffrey said Mr Grieve's comments are likely "to prove controversial".

"We have to remember he is an elected politician and he is also the Government's top lawyer, he is someone that we don't usually hear from a lot and this is why his intervention is unusual," he added.

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