Mandela: Funeral Announced As Life Celebrated

Nelson Mandela: Obituary Of An Icon

Updated: 6:30am UK, Friday 06 December 2013

Nelson Mandela's long but ultimately successful struggle to liberate South Africa's oppressed black majority made him a figure of hope and inspiration for millions of people around the world.

Feisty young lawyer, determined founder of the ANC's youth movement, militant commander, prisoner, president - his role in the fight for freedom was constantly evolving throughout his life.

Alongside mentor Walter Sisulu and great friend Oliver Tambo, he brought focus to the anti-apartheid campaign where it was needed, but became an enemy of the state in the process.

In 1963, already behind bars and facing the death penalty during a sabotage trial, Mr Mandela gave his famous "speech from the dock".

The words - combative, but measured and full of hope - signalled the emergence of the statesman who would become an icon of the 20th century.

:: Watch Sky News HD for all the latest news and reaction to Nelson Mandela's death

He said: "I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination.

"I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.

"It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

The apartheid government jailed Mr Mandela and his comrades for life in 1964 but they could not lock away the ideas he embodied and the righteousness of his cause.

To allies of South Africa's racist regime - including some in Britain - Mr Mandela remained for many years a "terrorist".

But for campaigners Mr Mandela's 27-year ordeal behind bars, often in a cramped cell on Robben Island or in solitary confinement, represented all that was wrong with apartheid.

Pressure to free "prisoner 46664" went hand-in-hand with diplomacy and sanctions as the world set its sights on ending the injustice of South Africa's racial rule.

The beaming smile and joyful raised fist as he walked free from Paarl's Victor-Verster Prison with his wife Winnie on February 11, 1990, proved beyond doubt to most South Africans that a dark chapter in the country's history was coming to a close.

As President from 1994, Mr Mandela sought to build his "Rainbow Nation" - feted by world leaders as he crossed the globe outlining his vision of a non-racial democracy.

His campaign to unite the nation - black and white - behind the victorious Springboks rugby team during the 1995 World Cup in South Africa made many believe that vision could really be achieved.

An often troubled and traumatic personal life - including the split from Winnie following her kidnapping and assault trial - was never allowed to eclipse the greater goal of guiding South Africa into a new era.

After retiring in 1999, Mr Mandela - fondly known by his tribal name "Madiba" - settled into the role of "Father of the Nation".

Passing on the presidency to Thabo Mbeki, he was happy taking a step back from the political frontline, but always there to reassure his people  - a symbol of hope until the end.

Nelson Mandela was born in 1918 into the Madiba tribal clan, part of the Thembu people, in a small village in the eastern Cape of South Africa.

Born Rolihlahla Dalibhunga, he was given his English name by a teacher, Miss Mdingane, at his first school. It was customary for all children to be given English names.

His father, a counsellor to the Thembu royal family, died when Mr Mandela was a child, and he was placed in the care of the acting regent of the Thembu people, chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo.

He joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944, first as an activist, then president of the ANC Youth League.

Mr Mandela married his first wife, Walter Sisulu's cousin Evelyn Mase, in 1944 and the couple went on to have four children during a 14-year marriage.

In 1952, he and friend Oliver Tambo opened South Africa's first black law firm, using their offices to take on many civil rights cases and mount challenges to the apartheid system.

Mr Mandela was first charged with high treason in 1956 following the adoption of the Freedom Charter in Soweto - a document with demands including multi-racial, democratic government and equal rights for blacks - but was cleared when the prosecution failed to prove he was using violence.

In 1958 he divorced Evelyn and married Winnie Madikizela, who later became prominent in the ANC and the campaign to free her husband.

He was convinced to take up arms against the government following the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre - when police shot dead 69 peaceful demonstrators who were protesting against the segregationist Pass Law, which limited the freedom of the black population.

The government followed the massacre by banning the ANC, cracking down on strikers and protesters and applying apartheid restrictions even more severely as a state of emergency was declared.

As commander-in-chief of the ANC's armed wing from 1961, Mr Mandela secretly left the country to raise money and undergo military training in Morocco, Algeria and Ethiopia.

He returned in July 1962, but was arrested at a road block after briefing the ANC leadership on his trip.

Mr Mandela stood trial for incitement and leaving the country without a passport and this time there was no chance of an acquittal as he was jailed for five years and sent to Robben Island Prison for the first time.

He was behind bars when a group of his comrades were arrested in 1963. They were charged with sabotage in what became known as the Rivonia Trial - named after the farm raided by police.

In June 1964 - following a lengthy trial condemned by the UN Security Council - Mr Mandela and seven other activists were sentenced to life in prison.

He remained imprisoned on the infamous Robben Island for 18 years before being transferred to Pollsmoor jail on the mainland in 1982.

In the space of 12 months between 1968 and 1969, his mother died and his eldest son was killed in a car crash, but he was not allowed to attend their funerals.

In 1980, Oliver Tambo, who was in exile in London, launched an international campaign to win Mr Mandela's release. International resolutions and rock concerts alike were harnessed to highlight the cause.

As the world community upped the pressure against South Africa, with the US approving tough economic sanctions in 1986, secret talks began between Mr Mandela and PW Botha's government.

In 1990, President FW de Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC - paving the way for Mr Mandela's release on February 11.

The ANC and ruling National Party began talks about forming a new non-racial democracy for South Africa.

Relations between Mr Mandela and Mr de Klerk grew tense against a backdrop of violence between ANC supporters and Chief Buthelezi's Inkatha movement.

But the two leaders continued to meet and in December 1993 they were both awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Five months later, for the first time in South Africa's history, all races voted in democratic elections and Mr Mandela became president - having himself voted in an election for the first time in his life.

As president, Mr Mandela entrusted much day-to-day government business to his deputy Thabo Mbeki.

While his time in office was hailed as a triumph in terms of building the new South Africa, there was criticism for a failure to tackle the Aids epidemic and conditions in the country's slum townships.

Mr Mandela divorced Winnie in 1996 and married 52-year-old Graca Machel two years later, on his 80th birthday.

Mr Mandela stepped down as president after the ANC's landslide victory in the national elections in the summer of 1999, in favour of Mr Mbeki.

After his retirement he continued travelling the world, meeting leaders, attending conferences and raising money for good causes.

With thousands of requests every year, his problem was fitting everything in and not exhausting himself.

In June 2004, aged 85, Mr Mandela announced he would be retiring from public life as he wanted to enjoy more time with his family.

But he did make an exception to speak out about his son Makgatho's death from Aids in 2005 - challenging the taboo that surrounds the disease in Africa.

The 2010 World Cup closing ceremony in Johannesburg was the world's last glimpse of the iconic leader in a public role.

He may have been looking frail, wrapped up against the cold and not speaking, but the famous smile as he basked in South Africa's success underlined how far his country had come.

In recent years he battled bouts of ill health, with South Africans struggling to come to terms with the reality that he could not go on forever.

Mr Mandela had hospital treatment in early 2012 for abdominal pain and then endured another 18-day stay at the end of the year suffering from gallstones and a chest infection.

A picture taken on February 2 at his Johannesburg home - showing him holding great-grandson Zen Manaway on his lap - proved to be the last time Nelson Mandela's millions of admirers saw the world's most famous smile.

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Merrill Newman: North Korea Frees War Veteran

North Korea has released an American war veteran detained for more than a month for "hostile acts" against the country.

Merrill Newman, 85, was freed because he had apologised for his crimes during the Korean War and because of his age and medical condition, the country's official KCNA news agency said.

He has not yet spoken publicly and it was unclear from the report where he had been deported to.

The US State Department said it welcomed North Korea's decision, but called for the release of another American, Kenneth Bae, who has been held for over a year.

A four-page apology said to have been written by Mr Newman

The move came as US Vice President Joe Biden visited South Korea, the last stop on a three-country Asia tour that has already taken him to Japan and China.

Pyongyang admitted last week that it was holding Mr Newman, saying he was detained after entering the country "under the guise of a tourist".

Mr Newman, from California, was detained on October 26 shortly before take-off from Pyongyang following a 10-day tour.

KCNA said he had committed crimes both as a tourist and during his participation in the Korean War six decades ago, and published an apology running to nearly 600 words in which he allegedly confessed to his crimes.

Mr Newman is seen signing his apology with a thumbprint

There was speculation his alleged confession shown on state TV was coerced.

Pyongyang has been accused of previously coercing statements from detainees, and it was riddled with stilted English and grammatical errors, such as "I want not punish me".

North Korea has detained at least six Americans since 2009 and five of them have either been released or deported after prominent Americans like former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter travelled to Pyongyang.

It is still holding Mr Bae, a 45-year-old tour operator, who was sentenced to 15 years' hard labour on charges of seeking to topple the government.     

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Nelson Mandela Dies: Obituary Of An Icon

Nelson Mandela's long but ultimately successful struggle to liberate South Africa's oppressed black majority made him a figure of hope and inspiration for millions of people around the world.

Feisty young lawyer, determined founder of the ANC's youth movement, militant commander, prisoner, president - his role in the fight for freedom was constantly evolving throughout his life.

Alongside mentor Walter Sisulu and great friend Oliver Tambo, he brought focus to the anti-apartheid campaign where it was needed, but became an enemy of the state in the process.

Nelson Mandela with Oliver Tambo

In 1963, already behind bars and facing the death penalty during a sabotage trial, Mr Mandela gave his famous "speech from the dock".

The words - combative, but measured and full of hope - signalled the emergence of the statesman who would become an icon of the 20th century.

:: Watch Sky News HD for all the latest news and reaction to Nelson Mandela's death

He said: "I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination.

"I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.

"It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

The apartheid government jailed Mr Mandela and his comrades for life in 1964 but they could not lock away the ideas he embodied and the righteousness of his cause.

To allies of South Africa's racist regime - including some in Britain - Mr Mandela remained for many years a "terrorist".

But for campaigners Mr Mandela's 27-year ordeal behind bars, often in a cramped cell on Robben Island or in solitary confinement, represented all that was wrong with apartheid.

Pressure to free "prisoner 46664" went hand-in-hand with diplomacy and sanctions as the world set its sights on ending the injustice of South Africa's racial rule.

The beaming smile and joyful raised fist as he walked free from Paarl's Victor-Verster Prison with his wife Winnie on February 11, 1990, proved beyond doubt to most South Africans that a dark chapter in the country's history was coming to a close.

As President from 1994, Mr Mandela sought to build his "Rainbow Nation" - feted by world leaders as he crossed the globe outlining his vision of a non-racial democracy.

His campaign to unite the nation - black and white - behind the victorious Springboks rugby team during the 1995 World Cup in South Africa made many believe that vision could really be achieved.

An often troubled and traumatic personal life - including the split from Winnie following her kidnapping and assault trial - was never allowed to eclipse the greater goal of guiding South Africa into a new era.

Mr Mandela in 1961

After retiring in 1999, Mr Mandela - fondly known by his tribal name "Madiba" - settled into the role of "Father of the Nation".

Passing on the presidency to Thabo Mbeki, he was happy taking a step back from the political frontline, but always there to reassure his people  - a symbol of hope until the end.

Nelson Mandela was born in 1918 into the Madiba tribal clan, part of the Thembu people, in a small village in the eastern Cape of South Africa.

Born Rolihlahla Dalibhunga, he was given his English name by a teacher, Miss Mdingane, at his first school. It was customary for all children to be given English names.

His father, a counsellor to the Thembu royal family, died when Mr Mandela was a child, and he was placed in the care of the acting regent of the Thembu people, chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo.

He joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944, first as an activist, then president of the ANC Youth League.

Mr Mandela married his first wife, Walter Sisulu's cousin Evelyn Mase, in 1944 and the couple went on to have four children during a 14-year marriage.

In 1952, he and friend Oliver Tambo opened South Africa's first black law firm, using their offices to take on many civil rights cases and mount challenges to the apartheid system.

Mr Mandela was first charged with high treason in 1956 following the adoption of the Freedom Charter in Soweto - a document with demands including multi-racial, democratic government and equal rights for blacks - but was cleared when the prosecution failed to prove he was using violence.

In 1958 he divorced Evelyn and married Winnie Madikizela, who later became prominent in the ANC and the campaign to free her husband.

Mr Mandela with his second wife Winnie

He was convinced to take up arms against the government following the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre - when police shot dead 69 peaceful demonstrators who were protesting against the segregationist Pass Law, which limited the freedom of the black population.

The government followed the massacre by banning the ANC, cracking down on strikers and protesters and applying apartheid restrictions even more severely as a state of emergency was declared.

As commander-in-chief of the ANC's armed wing from 1961, Mr Mandela secretly left the country to raise money and undergo military training in Morocco, Algeria and Ethiopia.

He returned in July 1962, but was arrested at a road block after briefing the ANC leadership on his trip.

Mr Mandela stood trial for incitement and leaving the country without a passport and this time there was no chance of an acquittal as he was jailed for five years and sent to Robben Island Prison for the first time.

He was behind bars when a group of his comrades were arrested in 1963. They were charged with sabotage in what became known as the Rivonia Trial - named after the farm raided by police.

In June 1964 - following a lengthy trial condemned by the UN Security Council - Mr Mandela and seven other activists were sentenced to life in prison.

Mandela spent 18 years in Robben Island Prison

He remained imprisoned on the infamous Robben Island for 18 years before being transferred to Pollsmoor jail on the mainland in 1982.

In the space of 12 months between 1968 and 1969, his mother died and his eldest son was killed in a car crash, but he was not allowed to attend their funerals.

In 1980, Oliver Tambo, who was in exile in London, launched an international campaign to win Mr Mandela's release. International resolutions and rock concerts alike were harnessed to highlight the cause.

As the world community upped the pressure against South Africa, with the US approving tough economic sanctions in 1986, secret talks began between Mr Mandela and PW Botha's government.

In 1990, President FW de Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC - paving the way for Mr Mandela's release on February 11.

The ANC and ruling National Party began talks about forming a new non-racial democracy for South Africa.

Relations between Mr Mandela and Mr de Klerk grew tense against a backdrop of violence between ANC supporters and Chief Buthelezi's Inkatha movement.

But the two leaders continued to meet and in December 1993 they were both awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Mr Mandela casts his first-ever vote

Five months later, for the first time in South Africa's history, all races voted in democratic elections and Mr Mandela became president - having himself voted in an election for the first time in his life.

As president, Mr Mandela entrusted much day-to-day government business to his deputy Thabo Mbeki.

While his time in office was hailed as a triumph in terms of building the new South Africa, there was criticism for a failure to tackle the Aids epidemic and conditions in the country's slum townships.

Mr Mandela at the closing ceremony of the 2010 World Cup

Mr Mandela divorced Winnie in 1996 and married 52-year-old Graca Machel two years later, on his 80th birthday.

Mr Mandela stepped down as president after the ANC's landslide victory in the national elections in the summer of 1999, in favour of Mr Mbeki.

After his retirement he continued travelling the world, meeting leaders, attending conferences and raising money for good causes.

With thousands of requests every year, his problem was fitting everything in and not exhausting himself.

In June 2004, aged 85, Mr Mandela announced he would be retiring from public life as he wanted to enjoy more time with his family.

But he did make an exception to speak out about his son Makgatho's death from AIDS in 2005 - challenging the taboo that surrounds the disease in Africa.

The 2010 World Cup closing ceremony in Johannesburg was the world's last glimpse of the iconic leader in a public role.

He may have been looking frail, wrapped up against the cold and not speaking, but the famous smile as he basked in South Africa's success underlined how far his country had come.

In recent years he battled bouts of ill health, with South Africans struggling to come to terms with the reality that he could not go on forever.

Mr Mandela had hospital treatment in early 2012 for abdominal pain and then endured another 18-day stay at the end of the year suffering from gallstones and a chest infection.

A picture taken on February 2 at his Johannesburg home - showing him holding great-grandson Zen Manaway on his lap - proved to be the last time Nelson Mandela's millions of admirers saw the world's most famous smile.

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Nelson Mandela Tributes From Around The World

David Cameron has led dozens of international tributes to Nelson Mandela, who has died in South Africa aged 95.

The Prime Minister said: "A great light has gone out in the world. Nelson Mandela was a towering figure in our time: a legend in life and now in death - a true global hero.

"I believe that his inspiration for the future will be every bit as powerful as the extraordinary things he achieved in his remarkable life."

MPs will be given the opportunity to pay their tributes to Mr Mandela in the House of Commons on Monday.

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US President Barack Obama said he had achieved "more than can be expected by any man".

"Today he has gone home and we have lost one of the most inspirational, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth," he said.

Bill Clinton was in office at the same time as Mr Mandela

"He now no longer belongs to us, he belongs to the ages."

South African President Jacob Zuma made the emotional announcement live on television, in which he said Mr Mandela was now at peace.

He added: "Our nation has lost its greatest son."

FW de Klerk, South Africa's last white president, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Mr Mandela in 1993, said he was a "great unifier".

He added: "This emphasis on reconciliation was his greatest legacy."

South Africa's archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu said South Africa was "drowned by grief".

Mr Mandela with FW de Klerk, with whom he shared a Nobel Peace Prize

He said: "He was a unifier from the moment he walked out of prison."

French President Francois Hollande added: "Nelson Mandela's message will not disappear. It will continue to inspire fighters for freedom, and to give confidence to peoples in the defence of just causes and universal rights."

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said: "He spent much of his life standing against the injustice of apartheid.

"When that fight was won, he inspired us again by his capacity to forgive and reconcile his country.

"While the world may never see another Nelson Mandela, he has inspired countless men and women throughout the world to live more courageous and honest lives."

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond described him as a "towering statesman" whose influence "transcended ideology, race and creed".

Desmond Tutu has said South Africa is 'drowned by grief' at his death

Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny said a "great light has been extinguished".

He said: "The boy from the Transkei has finished his long walk. His journey transformed not just South Africa, but humanity itself."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said: "Only because of such a great man like Nelson Mandela is it possible that particular people in Africa and elsewhere are able to enjoy freedom and human dignity.

"We have to learn the wisdom and determinations and commitment of Mr Mandela to make this world better for all."

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge also paid tribute at the Royal premiere of the new Nelson Mandela film, Long Walk To Freedom, in Leicester Square, London.

The Duke of Cambridge said: "It is extremely sad and tragic news. We are just reminded of what an extraordinary and inspiring man Nelson Mandela was."

Leading figures from around the world have also been joining in with praise for the anti-apartheid icon.

People listen to a radio as the news is announced in South Africa

Former US president George W Bush said: "He bore his burdens with dignity and grace, and our world is better off because of his example."

Former prime minister Tony Blair described him as the world's "most powerful symbol of reconciliation, hope and progress".

Former US president Bill Clinton called Mr Mandela a "true friend".

He said: "History will remember Nelson Mandela as a champion for human dignity and freedom, for peace and reconciliation."

US Secretary of State John Kerry said: "Now that his long walk has ended, the example he set for all humanity lives on. He will be remembered as a pioneer for peace."

Labour Party leader Ed Miliband said: "Above all, he showed us the power of people, in the cause of justice, to overcome the mightiest obstacles. He moved the world and the world will miss him deeply."

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "The hope he offered was enough to unite races; it bridged cultures and transcended generations; and it could heal the deepest divides."

Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "An international icon and inspiration to millions, his appeal transcended race, religion and class. His courage, humility and sense of forgiveness have secured his place in history."

London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "When the definitive history of our time is written, the name Mandela will stand taller than most - perhaps tallest of them all."

A joint message from President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, and President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, said: "We mourn the death of one of the greatest political figures of our times.

"Nelson Mandela represents the fight against racism, political violence and intolerance. Only a person with his profound humanity, moral integrity and authority and clear vision for the future of his country, could have achieved this."

American civil rights leader Jesse Jackson said Mr Mandela has left an "everlasting imprint".

He said: "Nelson Mandela was a giant of immense and unwavering intellect, courage and moral authority. He chose reconciliation over retaliation. He challenged the course of history."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was the "father of his people", adding: "He will be remembered as the father of new South Africa and as an outstanding moral leader."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: "Nelson Mandela's shining example and his political legacy of non-violence and the condemnation of all forms of racism will continue to inspire people around the world for many years to come.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said: "Humanity has lost a tireless champion of peace, liberty and equality."

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Royal Prank DJ Mel Greig Quits Radio Company

One of the Australian DJs at the centre of the royal prank call controversy has quit her job and dropped legal action against her employer.

In July radio host Mel Greig filed a claim against Sydney station 2Day FM's parent company Southern Cross Austereo, accusing it of failing to maintain a safe workplace.

The Fair Work Australia legal action followed a media storm over a prank phone call that linked Greig and her co-host Michael Christian to the death of British nurse Jacintha Saldanha.

Southern Cross Austereo has said the dispute arising from the hoax has been "amicably resolved" and Greig had resigned, effective December 31.

Greig and co-host Christian, who has returned to the airwaves

In December last year, Greig and Christian called London's King Edward VII Hospital, where the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for severe morning sickness.

In the call, Greig pretended to be the Queen and Christian posed as Prince Charles.

They were put through to the Duchess's ward by Ms Saldanha, who took her own life after the hoax was widely publicised in the media.

In the statement about Greig's departure from the company, Southern Cross Austereo reiterated its position that recording and broadcasting the call was "not unlawful".

It also said 2Day FM decided to broadcast the call despite suggestions from Greig that it should be changed.

The statement said Greig intended to provide a statement to the UK coroner's inquest and Southern Cross Austereo would co-operate fully.

The DJs apologised for their actions after Ms Saldanha's death, and Greig remained at the company but did not return to broadcasting.

Christian was back on air in February and a few months later Southern Cross Austereo named him "next top jock".

Greig and Christian apologised after Ms Saldanha died

After winning the award, Christian said: "Regardless of all that's happened in the past few months, I'm still at the top of my game. So it felt good to see my name at the top of the final leader board."

But then-federal communications minister Stephen Conroy criticised the prize, saying: "I think there's a bit of bad taste involved there."

"There were some very serious consequences of what was a prank, and to be seen to be rewarding people so soon after such an event, I think, is just in bad taste."

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Rob Ford May Have Offered $5k For 'Crack Video'

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford may have offered $5,000 (£2,900) and a car to buy a video allegedly showing him using crack cocaine, according to notes from police wiretaps.

Details of the alleged offer were included in a 450-page police document released by an Ontario Superior Court judge.

According to police notes of a recorded phone conversation involving two suspected gang members, Mr Ford was aware of the video's existence in March, and offered to buy it.

One alleged gang member is heard telling another that he rejected the offer for the tape and planned to meet the mayor and ask for "150," meaning $150,000.

In one recording on April 20, an alleged gang member is heard saying "Rob Ford was smoking his rocks today" and that he would post a picture on Instagram.

On Wednesday Mr Ford laughed off the claims and ignored questions as he left his office.

Mr Ford, who has become an international media sensation, acknowledged last month that he smoked crack in a "drunken stupor" about a year ago. He previously denied the existence of the video.

Mr Ford has refused to resign as mayor of Canada's largest city and financial capital, despite mounting pressure after a string of incidents that have embarrassed Canadians.

They include public drunkenness as well as appearing in another video that showed him threatening "murder" in an incoherent rant.

Toronto's city council has stripped him of most of his powers.

Mr Ford has said he has quit drinking and adopted a healthier lifestyle.

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Sandy Hook Massacre: 911 Tapes To Be Released

By By Dominic Waghorn, US Correspondent

Parents of 20 children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting are bracing for the release of recordings of emergency service calls made in its immediate aftermath.

The tapes will be released mid afternoon after the town of Newtown lost a legal battle to block their publication.

"We have been preparing emotionally for this possibility," Newtown councillor Pat Llodra told Sky News.

"We know they will be played over and over again on television and radio and YouTube."

Lawyers for the town argued there was minimal public good to gain from releasing the tapes.

They record the harrowing moments after gunman Adam Lanza burst into the school and began shooting his victims, all aged six or seven as well as six adults, after shooting his mother dead at home.

Residents will mark the anniversary of the shootings this month

But a judge ruled there was no grounds for keeping them secret.

The 911 recordings are unlikely to reveal new details that have not emerged in subsequent investigations.

There is no controversy about the speed of the police response. The first officers were on the scene within minutes of shots being fired.

Their release is a second blow at this hugely difficult time of year. Last week an official investigation recorded in gruesome detail the event that became America's worst school shooting but failed to find a motive to explain why it happened.

"Every time there's an event that drags us back to that day, it's incredibly painful for all of us and exponentially so for the families," Cllr Llodra said.

Newtown shooter Adam Lanza

The looming anniversary of the shooting on December 14 only makes matters worse.

"The pressure of these three things at the same time is difficult, and especially at a time of year when the atmosphere is meant to be celebratory," she added.

Newtown will be marking the anniversary of the shooting in a deliberately low key manner. 

There will be no public community wide events remembering the victims, just family and church based commemorations not least to avoid creating a magnet for the media to descend once again onto the small rural town.

Much of the news media has already agreed to stay away for that week to allow families to grieve in private.

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Ukrainian PM Warns Protesters Of More Force

By Katie Stallard, Sky News Correspondent, in Kiev

Opposition leaders in Ukraine have vowed to continue mass street protests and blockades of government buildings, as the country's prime minister threatened to respond with force.

During a raucous parliamentary session, at times shouted down by opposition cries of "shame" and "revolution", Mykola Azarov apologised for the riot police action, but warned against continued protests, which he said bore signs of a coup d'etat.

In a pointed speech to the chamber he said: "We have extended our hand to you, but if we encounter a fist, I will be frank, we have enough force."

What started as a reaction to the president's refusal to sign an EU trade deal last week, has evolved into a concerted attempt to overthrow the government, fuelled by allegations of police brutality against protesters.

The country's notorious 'berkut' riot police moved in on what had been a dwindling protest camp in the early hours of Saturday morning, beating protesters and journalists.

Hundreds of thousands have surged onto the streets since in the biggest display of mass discontent since the 2004 Orange Revolution, which forced the current president, Victor Yanukovich, from power.

Protesters, particularly from the younger generation, see President Yanukovich's action as a fundamental shift away from a path towards a modern, European Ukraine, back into the hands of their former soviet masters in Russia.

Boxer Vitali Klitschko walks past police outside parliament

In short, they believe they are fighting for the future of their country.

Mr Yanukovich has insisted that he remains open to negotiation with the EU, but that Ukraine's battered economy cannot afford the deal in its current form, particularly given the likely punitive trade and gas sanctions that would follow from Russia as an immediate consequence.

Mr Yanukovich left for China on Tuesday in pursuit of much-needed finance agreements, with aides denying it was a strategic mistake as the country descended deeper into political and financial turmoil.

His government survived a no-confidence vote in parliament, but the vast majority of pro-government deputies either abstained or did not vote, in an implicit warning of discontent in the ranks.

At least two members of Mr Yanukovich's Regions Party have already defected over the handling of the protests.

Outside, riot police squared up to protesters who continue to mass outside parliament and the presidential administration buildings.

They have already taken control of Kiev's City Hall, which they have re-named 'Revolution HQ' and the capital's symbolically-important Independence Square, heart of the 2004 Orange Revolution.

Protesters have been involved in clashes with police

Volunteers have built barricades and parked vans draped with the national flag across roads leading to the square, in an attempt to stop police advancing towards it.

Protesters have set up tents and are distributing donations of food, water and warm clothes, in a sign they are digging in for the long haul despite freezing December temperatures.

"The Orange Revolution laid the foundation for this," said self-employed businessman Yegor Kitov, 45. "But this movement is stronger because, while then it was political parties that were organising the people, now we are organising ourselves."

Ukraine's Central Bank, meanwhile, has been forced to reassure people that their savings are safe, as the country's currency, bonds and share prices come under severe pressure.

Ukraine faces gas bills and debt repayments next year of more than $17bn. The cost of insuring its debt against default rose to its highest level since January 2010.

The finance minister issued a recorded message via state television insisting the country could continue to meet its debt repayments.

"Ukraine is a reliable borrower and is flawlessly fulfilling, and will fulfil, all of its obligations on time," Yuri Kolobov said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry declined a visit to Kiev for a ministerial conference this week, but urged Ukraine's government to "listen to the voices of its people".

These protests do not represent all of Ukraine - the view in the Russian-speaking industrial regions to the east is very different - but they have nevertheless exposed a faultline, in a country still deeply divided between east and west.

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Thailand Protests: Man Shot Dead In Bangkok

A man has been shot dead and several others wounded during increasingly violent political protests in the Thai capital.

Thaweesak Photkaew, a 21-year-old protester, was killed "by two bullets to his left side", police said.

The violence flared near Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium which was hosting a rally by thousands of Red Shirts, who support embattled Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

The Red Shirts - who also back Ms Yingluck's brother, ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra - had gathered en masse to ward of any coup attempt against the government.

A Red Shirt is attacked by anti-government protesters

At least five people were also wounded by gunshots and five others were injured by knives or rocks, officials at the nearby Dr Panya General Hospital said.

It was not immediately known who fired the shots or whether the victims were supporters or opponents of the government.

Those seeking to topple the government also attacked several people they believed were going to the rally.

Yingluck Shinawatra is accused of being a puppet for her brother

Two people were badly beaten and two buses attacked, their windows smashed.

One protester used an iron rod with a Thai flag wrapped around it to smash the driver's side window of one bus.

The buses and one taxi appeared to have been targeted because they carried people wearing Red Shirts.

Police claimed soon afterwards they had the situation under control.

But after dark, attacks continued on individual Red Shirts, and the crowds on both sides grew.

With a Sunday deadline set by demonstrators for the ousting of the government, police called for military backup to protect parliament and Ms Yingluck's office, Government House.

Protesters there tore down stone and razor-wire barriers ahead of a planned move to occupy it.

Demonstrators briefly occupied the headquarters of the army on Friday, urging it to join them in a complex power struggle centred on the enduring political influence of Ms Yingluck's billionaire brother.

Protesters tear down barricades outside Government House

The tension heightens a nearly decade-long conflict that broadly pits Thailand's traditional establishment of top generals, royalists and the urban middle class against the mostly rural, northern supporters of Mr Thaksin.

Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban told supporters late on Friday to surround the headquarters of the national and city police, along with Government House and even a zoo on Sunday.

"We need to break the law a little bit to achieve our goals," said Mr Suthep, a deputy prime minister in the previous government, ousted by Ms Yingluck in a 2011 election.

A crowd of about 2,000 people massed outside state-owned telecommunications companies on Saturday and Mr Suthep has urged his followers to move on the ministries of labour, foreign affairs, education and interior.

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Sacred Shrines Become 'Ticking Time Bomb'

By Sam Kiley, Middle East Correspondent in Jerusalem

The supreme leader of the Palestinian Muslims and guardian of Islam's most sacred shrine in the Old City of Jerusalem has warned of an uprising and regional war if Jews attempt to take greater control of the al Aqsa Mosque complex.

The warning came amid advancing efforts in the Israeli parliament to try to take administrative control of the sacred Islamic site which Jews also lay claim to as it sits on the remains of their Second Temple.

For now "sovereignty" of the Haram al Sharif, as the complex is traditionally known, lies with Jordan.

But several Knesset members, led by deputy speaker Moshe Feiglin, a member of the Likud Party, are pressing for greater access to Jews for prayer on the site and administrative control of it.

"It is the hard core of our identity ... those places that represent the basis for our existence here altogether. Should we insist on [access to] these places or not?" Mr Feiglin told Sky News.

"Because if we cannot insist on our legitimacy on our basic rights to pray in the most holiest place for the Jews in the land of Israel -  under Israeli sovereignty in the middle of Jerusalem - then we're losing our legitimacy not just in Jerusalem, in Tel Aviv, but everywhere else."

The Dome of the Rock is part of the al Aqsa complex under Muslim control

The Knesset member is a forceful rejectionist of talks with the Palestinians aimed at establishing an independent state on the West Bank and in Gaza.

He believes that Israel is a threat to itself by ceding territory it captured in 1967 and has occupied since then. On the issue of what Jews call the Temple Mount, he is equally unbending.

"I don't need to prove anything, history says it all. Any honest person who learned a bit of history knows the truth - Jerusalem belongs to the Jews and to the Jews only, that's a fact. And by the way the Temple Mount never really interested Muslims before the Israelis came back."

The Mohammed Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, issued a stark warning against any attempts to replace the Muslim administration of the Haram al Shari/Temple Mount in an exclusive interview with Sky News.

The Grand Mufti says if Israelis push the issue the region will be at war

"If the Israelis come here it will be more than an intifada," he said.

What do you mean more than an intifada?

"The whole region will be engulfed by war," the Grand Mufti insisted.

Such threats are not idle.

In 2000, Ariel Sharon triggered the Second or "al Aqsa" Intifada which led to the deaths of 4,000 people and many more wounded over the next half decade by insisting on his right to visit the shrine.

He did so at a time of heightened tension when 10 years of talks aimed at ending the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza appeared to Palestinians to be going nowhere - and when they were also frustrated at the ineptitude and corruption of their own leadership.

In 2000, 4,000 people died in the Second or 'al Aqsa' Intifada

Today, peace talks are going nowhere. The Palestinians have been letting Jewish settlements chew into their lands on the West Bank. Their leadership remains corrupt and incompetent - and are increasingly being seen as collaborators.

The tinder box that Mr Sharon, then leader of the Israeli opposition, lit in 2000 is just as dry now.

"It's a huge and dangerous issue - taking the place from Muslims where they believe they have the right to pray is very dangerous," Grand Mufti Hussein said.

Jews are banned from praying on the holy site by the Israeli police, although the courts have found that they should be able to exercise this right.

They are also forbidden, when they do visit, from removing so much as a leaf or a grain of soil.

Sky News joined a small group who were escorted by an Israeli policeman, who monitored their progress on a pre-set route around the outer edge of the 35-acre complex.

Religious tensions are high

They prayed by talking to themselves as they walked, or by pretending to be in conversations and instead reciting invocations.

They were led by Rabbi Yitzchak Reuven, assistant director of The Temple Institute which is dedicated to restoring the temple to its third incarnation and is collecting the sacred vessels that one day it hopes will be used there.

A model of the Third Temple has pride of place in the Temple Institute Museum just 100 yards from the Western Wall - all that remains of the Second Temple since its destruction by Rome in 70AD.

Rabbi Reuven said: "It's not a fantasy at all because we have the instructions of what needs to be done, we have the information, we have the technology to achieve all these things.

"In terms of arriving at the moment that's a historical process, we don't expect a metaphysical change in the world, we don't expect a divine intervention that's going to set things right."

His ambition may have a purely theological intent, but it also poses an explosive political reality.

He is sanguine.

"We're hoping by increasing awareness we will be closer to achieving the dream of the Jewish people and one that we have for the entire world because as Isaiah says this shall be a house of prayer for all nations."

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