Latvia Supermarket Collapse: 50 Killed

Rescue teams are searching among the rubble of a Latvian supermarket which collapsed and killed at least 50 people.

Fire trucks and ambulances remain at the Maxima shopping centre in the capital Riga, and rescue workers are using mechanical cutters and cranes to clear debris from the single-storey building.

Among the dead are three firefighters.

The roof of the supermarket collapsed at around 6pm on Thursday evening when the store was busy with shoppers on their way home from work.

Firefighters were injured by a second collapse shortly after their arrival on the scene.

People gathered to await news of the rescue operation

It is unclear how many people remain trapped in the ruined store but Latvian television has said it could be as many as 40.

"I don't know what happened to the cashiers - if you were sitting down, there is no way you could have got out in time," a witness named Jana told Latvia's LNT television.

The cause of the collapse has not been confirmed but police said a winter garden, involving large amounts of soil, was being built on the roof.

Soil, grass and parts of a new walkway can be seen dangling from the edges of the collapsed rooftop.

Rescuers have been periodically silencing their equipment and asking relatives to call their loved ones so anyone trapped can be pinpointed.

Rescue teams have been working slowly, fearing a further collapse

Work is continuing slowly, as remaining sections of the roof are unstable and rescuers believe another collapse could occur.

"In the past hours no survivors have been found," said rescue service spokeswoman Viktorija Sembele on Friday morning.

Thirty eight people were injured in the collapse, according to latest police figures, and sniffer dogs are helping in the search.

More than 60 soldiers are also involved, the army said.

Visiting the scene, Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis said police had launched a criminal investigation into the cause of the incident.

Emergency services worked through the night but lost three of their own

Council official Juris Radzevics confirmed that the roof of the supermarket, built in 2011, was in the process of being turned into a green area.

"The project was submitted in accordance with all regulations but of course we will be looking at whether materials and works were carried out to the proper standards," Mr Radzevics told Latvian television.

Three days of mourning, starting on Saturday, have been announced as the country marks its worst accident since regaining independence in 1991.

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Iran Nuclear Talks: Kerry Expected In Geneva

US Secretary of State John Kerry will join talks in Geneva today as world powers push to clinch a historic deal over Iran's nuclear programme, officials have confirmed.

The arrival of Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov had heightened speculation that Mr Kerry might also attend the crucial final stages of the latest round of talks aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

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

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.

British Foreign Minister William Hague and his French counterpart Laurent Fabius are also expected to travel to Geneva to take part in negotiations.

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

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

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.

Tehran suggested there had been an improvement after an hour-long meeting on Friday between Zarif and the powers' chief negotiator Catherine Ashton.

Mr Zarif said on Facebook: "The negotiations are progressing well but we still have differences of opinion over a limited number of issues."

"God willing we will reach a result," he told Iranian media.

Baroness Ashton's spokesman said that the meeting was "useful", without giving details.

Good relations between Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov were key to Syria talks

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

Both sides say they want a deal but getting an accord palatable to hardliners in the United States, Iran and Israel has proved difficult.

According to a draft proposal hammered out on November 9, the United States, 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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Freed Greenpeace Activists Hit Out At Detention

The latest British Greenpeace activists to be granted bail by a court in Russia have welcomed the decision - but say it should have happened sooner.

Frank Hewetson, 45, and 37-year-old Iain Rogers were among 30 people arrested by Russian security forces after an oil rig protest in the Arctic in September.

Father-of-two Mr Hewetson, from London, said: "I'm happy but it should have happened two months ago.

"i think our detention in prison has been unwarranted. We are a peaceful organisation, we are not hooligans."

His partner, Nina Gold, said: "It is a massive relief to know that Frank has been granted bail and that we can see him and talk to him soon.

"But it is not over yet - Frank and the others are still facing absurd charges carrying the threat of a long jail sentence."

When asked by Sky's Katie Stallard if he had a message for his family, Mr Rogers, from Exeter, joked: "Tell my mum I'm saving loads of money!"

Three other Britons, Alex Harris, Anthony Perrett and journalist Kieron Bryan, are also due for release after winning their bail applications on Wednesday.

(L to R) Ms Harris, Mr Bryan and Mr Perrett

Five of the six Britons in detention have now been given bail. The sixth, Philip Ball, will have his application heard on Friday.

More than 20 of those on the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise have now been allowed bail by courts in St Petersburg.

It follows international condemnation over Russia's treatment of the so-called Arctic 30.

Brazilian Ana Paula Maciels, 31, was the first to be released from custody on Wednesday after Greenpeace paid her £38,000 bail.

She was followed on Thursday morning by three Russians - activist Andrei Allakhverdov, photographer Denis Sinyakov and the ship's doctor Yekaterina Zaspa.

Ms Maciels after she was released from detention

The 'Arctic 30' were taken into custody after their vessel entered Arctic waters despite Russian warnings.

Some of the activists had tried to scale an offshore drilling platform owned by the state gas giant Gazprom.

The protesters were initially charged with piracy but this was changed to the less serious offence of  hooliganism, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years.

No date has yet been set by for their trials.

Greenpeace denies any wrongdoing and is demanding that all the activists -  who come from 18 different countries - and their ship are freed.

Protesters climb the Prirazlomnaya oil platform

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appealed to Russia to be lenient with the activists, saying environmentalists play a key role in society.

"They (Russia) may have their own domestic rules and regulations but I would hope that they would have some favourable and sympathetic considerations for this case," he said.

"In this world the civil societies ... play a very important role. It is not only the government or business communities who make this world move. A very significant part is now shared by civil society, including Greenpeace."

Meanwhile, Greenpeace has unveiled giant portraits of the 'Arctic 30' as part of its campaign against drilling in the Arctic.

Vivienne Westwood at the Arctic 30 exhibition

The black and white photographs were put up outside the London offices of oil giant Shell.

Greenpeace said it was drawing attention to Shell and Gazprom's planned oil venture in the Arctic.

Entitled Thirty Acts of Courage, the "exhibition" was officially opened by fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood, who said: "I'm delighted to be able to open this exhibition celebrating the bravery of the Arctic 30.

"Their audacious efforts to protect one of the world's last remaining wildernesses from exploitation by the oil industry are an example to us all."

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Senate Votes To Change Rules On Filibusters

The US Senate has voted to change its rules to allow executive and lower court nominees to be approved by a simple majority vote.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid invoked the move, known in Washington as the "nuclear option," to end what he considered long-standing abuses of blocking procedures that for more than two centuries have required a 60-vote threshold - instead of a simple majority vote - to overcome.

The so-called filibuster would remain intact for Supreme Court nominations and for all legislation.

On a nearly party-line vote of 52-48, Democrats changed the Senate's balance of power by reducing from 60 to 51 the number of votes needed to end procedural roadblocks known as filibusters against presidential nominees, except those for the US Supreme Court.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, led the charge on the rules change, accusing Republicans of obstructionism and saying the American public is right to believe that "Congress is broken".

Mr Reid said of the 168 filibusters against presidential nominees in US history, half were held against Obama's picks.

"It's time to change," Mr Reid said.

Mitch McConnell accused Democrats of trying to divert attention

President Barack Obama voiced his support of the move.

"I realise that neither party has been blameless for these (blocking) tactics. But today's pattern of obstruction just isn't normal. It's not what our founders envisioned. For the sake of future generations we can't let it become normal," he said.

"I support the steps a majority of senators took to change the way Washington is doing business."

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell insisted that there was no reason for a rule change, saying Republicans had confirmed the vast majority of Mr Obama's judicial nominees.

Mr McConnell also accused Democrats of taking the action to divert attention from the botched launch of Mr Obama's new healthcare law known as Obamacare.

"On this point, the similarities between the Obamacare debate and the Democrat threat" to change Senate rules "are inescapable," McConnell said just before the vote.

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Algeria's World Cup Celebrations Turn Deadly

At least 12 people have been killed and 240 injured as Algerians celebrated the national football team securing a place in the 2014 World Cup.

The casualties came during nationwide festivities in the wake of Algeria's 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso, which will take the team to Brazil next year on the away goals rule after an earlier 3-2 defeat in Ouagadougou.

All across Algeria people poured into the streets to celebrate the so-called Desert Fighters' qualification for the World Cup finals, with young men driving their cars down the streets and honking their horns.

Five fans were killed when a van slid off the road into a ravine in the mountain town of Bejaia, east of Algiers, while four others died in the southern city of Biskra in a car accident, officials said.

Three more died in other towns, although no further details were provided.

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Iran Nuclear Talks Are A 'Historic Opportunity'

By Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor

As negotiators from Iran and six world powers sit down for a second day of talks in Geneva they still face major hurdles if there is to be a breakthrough interim agreement on Tehran's nuclear programme.

Last night senior a American administration official here at the talks agreed progress has been made since the previous round of talks ended without success 10 days ago, but urged caution about the prospects of an agreement by Friday.

Speaking in Istanbul, British Foreign Secretary William Hague was more upbeat.

"The differences that remain between the parties are narrow and I believe that they can be bridged with political will and commitment.

"So this is an historic opportunity to build agreement on how to curb nuclear proliferation in the Middle East and potentially to set our relations with Iran on a different path."

If there is to be an agreement it will require compromises on all sides.

Iran insists on its right to enrich uranium despite numerous UN Resolutions calling on it to halt. The compromise on this could be that Iran stands by its claim, but does not insist other countries recognise that claim.

Another possible compromise could be for Iran to agree to stop enriching to levels close to weapon grade material, but continue to enrich at lower levels.

The French would have to drop their insistence that Iran reduces its stockpile of uranium already enriched to the high level of 20%.

Perhaps the most difficult issue is Iran's plutonium reactor due to open next year.

It's thought France insists it must not open as that would be another route to a nuclear bomb, but Iran insists on its sovereign right to operate such a plant.

Here the compromise could be for France to agree the facility can open, and Iran to accept limits to what it can do within the facility.

If there is an agreement the US and EU will relax some of the sanctions currently hurting the Iranian economy. About ten billion dollars belonging to Iran which is currently in foreign bank accounts would be unfrozen.

The talks are scheduled over three days ending tomorrow. However, in reality the negotiations have dragged on for ten years. If there is no breakthrough the voices asking 'what is the point of continuing them' will grow louder.

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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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Egypt: Rivals Clash On Uprising Anniversary

One person has been killed and dozens more injured in clashes between opponents and supporters of Egypt's military-backed regime.

Activists deface a monument dedicated to the protesters killed in 2011

Police backed by armoured vehicles fired tear gas and shots to drive protesters out of Cairo's Tahrir Square.

They gathered to mark the anniversary of the deadly 2011 demonstrations against the military, which took power after President Hosni Mubarak's overthrow, and graffitied a state memorial dedicated to slain protesters hours after it was inaugurated.

The memorial is reduced to a lump of concrete covered in graffiti

More than 40 protesters were killed during the fighting with security forces over several days in Mohamed Mahmud street.

Tuesday's rally was 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.

Supporters and opponents of the military regime clash in Tahrir Square

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

Mahmoud Hisham, a 21-year-old student, said: "The revolution is still not over.

A mural dedicated to the activists killed during the Egyptian uprising

"In three years we had three systems and three traitors -- Mubarak, the military and the Brotherhood."

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

Security forces have killed hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood members since Mr Morsi was removed from power.

Supporters of Ehypt's military chief General Abdel Fatah al Sisi

Thousands 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 new presidential and parliamentary elections early next year.

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Paris Shootings: Manhunt After Newspaper Attack

A manhunt is under way in Paris after two separate shootings, including one at a newspaper that left a man fighting for his life.

A photographer's assistant was seriously injured at the offices of the Liberation newspaper before another shooting about two hours later outside the headquarters of Societe Generale bank.

In a third incident, a man was taken hostage close to the bank and forced to drive to the Champs-Elysees before being released.

Police said descriptions of the car-jacker matched that of the gunman. Shotgun cartridges found after both attacks also match up.

There are unconfirmed reports that the lone suspect may be carrying grenades.

The hostage was released on the Champs-Elysees

Officers are guarding media offices across Paris and are investigating a link with an incident on Friday when a man with a shotgun threatened journalists at a French news channel.

Police said that CCTV images of the shooter suggested he was the same man who had stormed into the headquarters of BFMTV on Friday.

In that attack the man brandishing a shotgun warned a senior editor: "Next time, I will not miss you."

Police stand guard outside the Liberation newspaper office

The victim at the Liberation newspaper was shot in the chest and arm, according to police union spokesman Christophe Crepin.

The shooter reportedly entered the lobby of the building wearing a bulletproof vest just before 10.15am, fired several shots with a pump-action shotgun and then fled.

Liberation said the 27-year-old victim is in a critical condition at the city's Pitie-Salpetriere hospital.

Liberation journalist Anastasia Vecrin said she saw a man "lying on the ground, holding his stomach and with blood everywhere" as she arrived at work.

"I met two of the reception staff who were completely white and who told me: 'We've just been shot at'," she said.

The second shooting was outside the Societe Generale headquarters

No one was injured at the bank shooting, according to a Societe Generale spokesperson.

Police confirmed three shots were fired outside the building, located in La Defense district, which is about six miles (10km) from the newspaper's office.

Francisco Alvarez, who witnessed the shooting at La Defense, said: "I saw this guy with a cap and a shotgun, a pump-action shotgun, in his hand.

"I don't think he was necessarily targeting anyone, he shot in the air then into a window. T

"he first shot shocked everyone into silence and then the second caused a general panic. Then he ran away down the steps to the street."

France's Interior Minister Manuel Valls speaks to media after the attack

Freelance journalist Peter Allen, who is on the Champs-Elysees, said: "The hunt is on for this man.

"He has been described as between 40 and 45 years old, stout, shaven headed, wearing a cap and jeans.

"Rather disturbing reports say he is actually brandishing hand grenades as well as a shotgun.

"No one has seen him for a while and there are reports that he disappeared down into the Metro system - specifically line one - a hugely popular line full of tourists at all times of the day."

French President Francois Hollande said in a statement he had ordered authorities to "mobilise all means to clarify the circumstances of these acts and arrest the perpetrator or perpetrators".

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Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Knocks Over Councillor

Toronto's city council has voted to strip its scandal-plagued mayor Rob Ford of many of his powers after a heated debate where he knocked over a female councillor.

The council voted to cut his office budget by 60% and allow mayoral staff to join the deputy mayor.

Members of the public chanted "Shame! Shame!" at the mayor.

In chaotic scenes caught on camera Mr Ford is shown running across the council chamber straight into councillor Pam McConnell, who falls to the ground.

Another councillor asked him to apologise and Mr Ford said he was rushing to the defence of his brother, city councillor Doug Ford.

"I picked her up," Rob Ford said.  "I ran around because I thought my brother was getting into an altercation."

Visibly shaken after being run over, Ms McConnell, a petite woman in her 60s, said she never expected the chaos that broke out.

Mr Ford now effectively has no legislative power as he will no longer chair the executive committee.

But he keeps his title and ability to represent Toronto at official functions.

Mr Ford has vowed to take the council to court

Mr Ford, 44, has admitted smoking crack and buying illegal drugs over the past two years.

Outbursts caught on camera and claims he verbally abused his aides and entertained a prostitute have added to the controversy.

Defending himself in an interview with CNN, he said: "If someone would have said, came up to me and said, 'Have you ever smoked crack? Have you ever smoked weed? I would have said, 'Yeah, I have'.

"But when you come and accuse me of being a crack addict and say, 'Do you smoke crack?' No I don't. Have I? Yeah, OK. Have I drank, have I acted like an idiot when I drank? Yeah, I did."

The latest council motion is the strongest possible measure it can adopt against Mr Ford since it does not have the power to remove a mayor unless there is a criminal conviction.

Mr Ford has vowed to take the council to court and insists he will seek re-election next year.

"It's a coup d'etat - that's all this is," he said as he arrived at City Hall on Monday.

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Russia Plane Crash: Briton Among The Dead

A Boeing 737-500 airliner has crash landed in the Russian city of Kazan, killing all 50 people on board - including a British national.

The Tatarstan airlines flight from Moscow was trying to abort its landing in order to make a second approach, but it exploded when it struck the runway.

Some 44 passengers and six crew members on board were killed, according to emergency officials.

The UK Foreign Office confirmed the death of a British national in the crash.

The plane took off from Moscow's Domodedovo airport at 6.25pm local time and crashed just over an hour later.

According to eyewitness reports, the Boeing lost altitude quickly and its fuel tank exploded on impact.

The aircraft was making a second attempt to land at Kazan airport

There were high winds and cloudy skies over the airport in central Russia at the time of the crash.

Boeing officials at the Dubai Airshow declined to comment on the crash.

The flight was operated by the regional Tatarstan airline, according to a spokeswoman from Russia's Emergencies Ministry.

Kazan, which is 500 miles east of Moscow, is the capital of the oil-rich region of Tatarstan.

A new runway was built at the airport ahead of the World Student Games, held in the city earlier this year.

A spokesman for state aviation oversight agency Rosaviatsia said authorities would search for the flight recorders.

"The plane touched the ground and burst into flame," Sergei Izvolsky said.

"The cause of the crash as of now is unknown."

Russia and the former Soviet republics combined had one of the world's worst air-traffic safety records in 2011, with a total accident rate almost three times the world average, according to the International Air Transport Association.

IATA said last year that global airline safety had improved but that accident rates had risen in Russia and the ex-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States.

In April 2012, at least 31 people were killed when a Russian passenger plane crashed shortly after take-off in Siberia.

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US Midwest Hit By Severe Tornadoes: Three Dead

At least five people have been killed as powerful tornadoes sweep through the US Midwest, tearing through communities and destroying homes.

An elderly man and his sister were killed when a tornado hit their farmhouse in the town of New Minden, in rural southern Illnois.

And a third person was killed when a tornado struck the city of Washington in Illnois, and authorities confirmed two other deaths.

The devastation left behind by a tornado in Washington, Illnois

Tornadoes and damaging winds have already hit and caused extensive damage in a number of communities in Illnois, Kentucky, Indiana and Missouri, but authorities say as many as 10 states could be affected.

Homes have been flattened, cars overturned, trees uprooted and dozens of people injured.

One hospital in Peoria, Illinois, reported 24 patients in the emergency room. Eight of those patients were trauma victims, some with head injuries and broken bones.

The storm caused major damage

Forecasters warned of a "very dangerous" and fast-moving weather system across the US Midwest threatening 53 million people.

"We obviously have a very dangerous situation on our hands and it's just getting started," said Laura Furgione, deputy director of the National Weather Service.

They said there was a possibility of intense tornadoes, large hail up to two inches in diameter, and damaging winds reaching speeds of more than 80mph.

Anthony Khoury described what happened where he lived in Washington, Illnois, as a twister ripped through the city.

A car stands crushed beneath a fallen tree in Pekin, Illnois

He told Sky News: "Most of my neighbourhood is completely destroyed, everything has been demolished.

"Families have lost their homes, people don't have anywhere to sleep and the electricity has gone."

A large tornado struck outside Peoria, Illinois, meteorologists said, and the community of Washington in central Illinois has also been particularly hard-hit. 

One resident said his neighbourhood was wiped out in a matter of seconds by what appeared to be a tornado.

Ten states may be affected by the storms (Pic: National Weather Service)

"I stepped outside and I heard it coming. My daughter was already in the basement, so I ran downstairs and grabbed her, crouched in the laundry room and all of a sudden I could see daylight up the stairway and my house was gone," Michael Perdun said.

"The whole neighbourhood's gone, (and) the wall of my fireplace is all that is left of my house."

Jeff Leeman was working in his backyard when a tornado struck Pekin, Illnois, south of Peoria.

He said: "My son said, 'there it is', and in a matter of seconds we turned around and it was right on top of us. We hustled in the house and before we knew it, it was gone. It was that fast."

The Baltimore Ravens' game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field was temporarily suspended in the first quarter due to lightning in the area.

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Afghanistan Bomb: Car Blast Near Talks Venue

A suicide bomber has detonated an explosives-packed car in west Kabul near a compound where Afghan elders will debate a security pact with the US next week.

At least six people were killed and 22 wounded in the blast, said Sediq Sediqqi, an Interior Ministry spokesman. He said the casualties included soldiers and civilians.

Around 2,500 tribal elders and civil leaders are expected to take part in an assembly known as a "loya jirga" next Thursday, to decide whether to accept the draft Bilateral Security Agreement between Afghanistan and the US.

Nasrullah, a witness, said: "I heard a big bang near the jirga site, later saw ambulances carrying people in blood. I saw at least three wounded in army uniforms."

Firefighters clear the area around where the car exploded

A statement issued by the Afghan interior ministry said the attacker was being pursued by security forces shortly before the explosion.

"The attacker driving a vehicle had been identified and was being pursued by security forces. He detonated himself after police opened fire on his vehicle."

Earlier in the day, President Hamid Karzai called on the Taliban and their allies to join the assembly.

He said: "We invite them, please come to this national jirga of Afghanistan, raise your voice, raise your objection, and share your views."

The draft pact was hammered out in Kabul last month during a visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry.

But he left without a final deal as Afghan President Hamid Karzai said only a jirga had the authority to decide the contentious issues.

The car blew up in west Kabul

These include a US demand to retain legal jurisdiction over its troops in Afghanistan, which would give them immunity from Afghan law. The request emerged as the main sticking point after Mr Kerry's visit.

The Taliban, whose government was toppled by a US-led invasion in 2001, has rejected the jirga and warned members that they would be punished as "traitors" if they endorsed the deal.

If the agreement is passed by both loya jirga and parliament, between 5,000 and 10,000 US troops would stay in Afghanistan to help fight al Qaeda remnants and train the national army.

Washington had been pushing for the agreement to be signed by the end of October to allow the US-led Nato coalition to plan the withdrawal of its 75,000 combat troops by December 2014.

The collapse of a similar security agreement with Iraq in 2011 led to the US pulling all its troops out of the country, which is currently suffering its worst sectarian violence since 2008.

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Sri Lanka President: 'We Have Nothing To Hide'

Sri Lanka's leader has said his government is ready to investigate any allegations of war crimes and human rights abuses against his forces.

It comes after Prime Minister David Cameron called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa to conduct an independent inquiry by March into claims of war crimes - a deadline set by UN human rights chief Navi Pillay.

The PM said he would press for an international investigation if the regime fails to hold a credible probe by then.

The UN and rights groups say as many as 40,000 civilians may have been killed in the final stages of the 25-year civil war against the rebel Tamil Tigers in May 2009.

But Mr Rajapaksa has denied any civilians were killed.

And he has blocked all calls for an independent probe into claims of war crimes committed by government forces against the Tamil population in the northern Jaffna region.

He told reporters there had already been a series of measures including a commission looking into missing people.

The PM's visit is the first by a foreign leader to the region since 1948

He said: "We will take our time and we will investigate into nearly 30 years of war."

He added: "If there are any allegations we are ready to inquire into it. We have nothing to hide. It's a free country. We need time to settle these things."

Mr Cameron is pressing the regime to do more to improve conditions for the Tamil minority.

He met Mr Rajapaksa, who has been hosting a Commonwealth summit in Colombo, on Friday to discuss the human rights issue and they had more talks on Saturday.

The PM said he was committed to keeping up the pressure over the longer term. He said: "These issues are not solved by one visit, this is not a flash in the pan, it's a dialogue, a conversation."

During his trip to Sri Lanka, Mr Cameron went to the war-scarred north of the island - the first visit by a foreign leader to the region since 1948.

David Cameron pits his batting skills against Muttiah Muralitharan

He met families still unable to return to their homes after spending 20 years in refugee camps and was mobbed by protesters who claim relatives were murdered by the state.

The PM insisted he had given a "fair reflection" of the need for improved human rights after cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan suggested he had been given a false picture of his country.

The spin bowling great, who is a Tamil, said Mr Cameron had been "misled" about the latest situation in the north.

Mr Muralitharan said: "I'm a sportsman and we don't think about politics. My opinion is, there were problems in the last 30 years in those areas.

"Nobody could move there. In wartime I went with the UN, I saw the place, how it was. Now I regularly go and I see the place and it is about a 1,000% improvement in facilities."

Mr Cameron said: "The Sri Lankan government needs to go further and faster on human rights and reconciliation.

"I accept it takes time but I think the important thing is to get on the right track. This issue is not going to go away, it's an issue of international concern."

In response to Mr Cameron's comments, a senior Sri Lankan minister reaffirmed that the country's government would "definitely" not allow it.

Economic development minister Basil Rajapaksa, who is the president's brother, said: "Why should we have an internal inquiry? We will object to it ... Definitely we are not going to allow it."

Mr Cameron acquitted himself well when he pitted his batting skills against some "Murali" deliveries at a cricket ground in Colombo.

They were there to talk about the sportsman's initiative to bring together youngsters from Tamil and other communities through cricket as part of post-war reconciliation efforts.

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