Peru Two Jailed For Six Years And Eight Months

Why Peru Became The Cocaine Hotspot

Updated: 10:37am UK, Monday 21 October 2013

By Pete Norman, Sky News Online

Peru has overtaken Colombia as the world's leading source for cocaine production, according to the United Nations.

Home to the ancient Inca civilisation, Peru is rugged, remote and the ultimate source of the mighty Amazon river.

It is also home to a long-running guerrilla campaign by the leftist Shining Path group.

While urban and coastal inhabitants have benefited greatly from market-focused economic development since the early 1980s, when military rule ended, the rural poor have gained little.

Its hilly, isolated and fertile regions are home to the guerrillas, who rely on cocaine production, hostage-taking and corruption for funds.

In September the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (Undoc) said that in 2012 Peru surpassed Colombia in farm acreage of coca leaves, the raw material for cocaine, for the first time in two decades.

Undoc said the survey showed that Peru last year cultivated 156,250 acres of coca bushes compared with Colombia's 120,000 acres.

US-supported efforts to reduce or eradicate coca leaf in Colombia have tipped the scales of production towards Peru.

According to the CIA, Peru was the world's largest coca leaf producer until 1996, when neighbouring Colombia took the lead.

It said that in 2009 Peru had 100,000 acres under coca leaf production compared to Colombia's 286,000 acres - with the potential to produce 225 metric tons of pure cocaine.

Aerial spraying of herbicide in Colombia has affected coca crops covering 250,000 acres while manual eradication has been done on another 150,000 acres.

Undoc said Colombia reduced its area under coca cultivation by 25% in 2012 - the biggest annual reduction since the international body began monitoring it in 2001.

Meanwhile, around 30 Britons are now in Peruvian prisons on drug-related convictions, according to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

While Colombia still supplies virtually all of North America's cocaine, the CIA said much of the drug exported from Peru through land, air and sea routes is destined for Europe and other markets.

North America and Europe cocaine consumption has stabilised in recent years while growth has increased in Oceania and Asia Pacific regions.

It said: "Finished cocaine is shipped out from Pacific ports to the international drug market, (while) increasing amounts of base and finished cocaine, however, are being moved to Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia for … trans-shipment to Europe and Africa."

Smaller quantities are carried through air routes by so-called drug mules, while larger loads travel by sea to west Africa prior to distribution throughout Europe.

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Syria: Sky News Gains Access To UK Jihadists

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent

Sky News has gained the first access to a previously unknown brigade of exclusively British jihadists fighting in Syria.

Until now, the existence of this UK brigade has been kept a secret, but it reveals that British security services have hugely underestimated the scale of UK nationals involved in the bloodshed.

In a series of wide-ranging and frank interviews, the jihadists, who have asked Sky News to protect their identities for fear of a backlash against their families in the UK, reveal that hundreds of young men from Britain have joined the fight against Bashar al Assad's government and that "at least" four die each month.

They also claim that the UK remains the largest single source of private fundraising for jihadi fighters, outdoing countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.

In the interviews, carried out by US journalist and Muslim convert, Bilal Abdul Kareem, exclusively for Sky News, the Islamic fighters insist they have no intention of attacking UK targets or waging jihad on British soil.

One of the men, identified as Mustafa, is asked directly if he is part of al Qaeda and why he insists on hiding his identity.

"I'm not part of al Qaeda, and I've never been a part of al Qaeda - ever,"  he says.

UK jihadists say they are no threat to Britain

"I'm not a terrorist in any way. If people could see how much goodness we have in our hearts, how much mercy we have for people and how much you know we are driven by compassion to help other people they wouldn't think that we were terrorists.

"But this is a line that they have been fed and there are people that benefit from pushing that narrative about us, so I protect my identity."

This denial follows warnings from the heads of the UK's security services that young men travelling to Syria risk being radicalised before returning home to carry out terror attacks in Britain.

Fighting on a mountain top in the northeast of the country, these men look like hardcore jihadists, but when they speak they are pure Brits.

They joke and laugh between themselves, sometimes comparing the now ubiquitous "selfies".

But they hardly speak any Arabic and are dependent on one of their number to give orders on the battlefield.

Like British soldiers, they discuss kit and the best things to buy for jihad. In one exchange a young man, advised to buy new binoculars, naively asks if eBay will deliver.

"No man," one of the more seasoned fighters laughs in reply, shaking his head, "eBay won't deliver here man."

It is pure comedy. The men insist they have a moral obligation to help in Syria because of the outside world's refusal to intervene in the near three-year-old civil war, and deny they are terrorists.

"When you see atrocities carried out like what you see from the images that you see from Syria, then really as a human being, you know morally there should be an obligation just being part of the human race to defend such people," one of the brigade's leaders told Sky News.

The Britons say they were angered by the lack of international intervention

"But if morals can't, if that's not enough to motivate you, our religion demands for us that people that cannot defend themselves, that somebody needs to get up and respond to their call. Ethically, it's the only right thing to do," he said during a pause in the fighting.

The armed opposition to President Assad in the north of the country is now being waged almost exclusively by a myriad of jihadist groups supported by a significant number of foreign fighters from the USA, Canada, Northern Europe, North Africa and the former Soviet republics of Chechnya and Dagestan.

The British contingent say their numbers are increasing daily and social networking sites are helping to organise the influx into Syria.

They know that returning to their families in the UK will be extremely difficult from now on, but in reality they probably won't get the chance - the fighting footsoldier's life expectancy in Syria is very short once serious combat begins.

This committed group buck many stereotypes used to describe the Islamist fighters in Syria.

Whether anyone agrees or disagrees with them is not in itself relevant, not yet at least, as this is the first time we have ever heard them speak.

In response to Sky's exclusive report, the Foreign Office issued a statement saying: "Some people who travel from the UK to Syria for jihadist fighting will pose a security threat when they return."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602 and Freeview channel 82.

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China's Illegal Detention Of Christian Pastor

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent, in Henan Province

A Chinese Christian pastor and 23 members of his congregation have been held at an unknown location illegally and without access to lawyers since mid-November.

The case of Pastor Zhang Shaojie is evidence that in parts of China the violent suppression and unlawful arrests of the faithful by local government officials continues.

China's poor record on religious tolerance has been showing signs of improvement in recent years.

The Communist government had pledged to improve the rights of religious groups but this case suggests challenges remain.

Our research led us first to a small town on the border of Hebei and Henan Provinces.

We arrived at 1am to meet the daughter of Pastor Shaojie. Her name is Zhang Yunyun and she is a mother on the run.

We meet her in the hotel room she is hiding in for the night with her 11-month-old daughter Jessie.

Yunyun is on the run because she fears the arrest of her father could lead to her own detention.

She has received repeated threats on the phone from officials. One caller threatened to "wipe out her family" if she talks to reporters. But she is undeterred.

It is nearly a month since she last saw her father. Speaking in whispers, she explains what happened.

The pastor's daughter Zhang Yunyun and her 11-month-old daughter Jessie

"My father went to work (in the church) as usual, it was a Saturday.

"Suddenly a dozen police came, they forcefully took my father away.

"There was no paperwork at all, they just took him away. we haven't seen him since."

We look at photographs she took of the government men who turned up at the church on November 16.

"Government," she says, pointing at a group of plain-clothed men. They look threatening.

She describes how they tied up her father and took him away with some of his parishioners.

She selects another photograph and points to some of those who have disappeared.

"Her, her, him, her," she says. In all, 24 people were taken away.

This is a case that pits a Christian community, which had been growing in numbers and influence, against a local government that has seized the land bought for a new church.

Our conversation with Yunyun wakes Jessie, who begins to cry. It is time for us to leave.

A man defends himself with makeshift barricades

She shows us the location of her church on a map. It is in a town 20 minutes' drive away, over the border in Henan Province.

We arrive at Nanle County Church at dawn. It is a rundown building in centre of the town. The front door is closed but a side door is ajar. We go inside.

It does not resemble a European Christian church. It looks more like a theatre: 600 or so seats and a large stage with a pulpit in its centre.

This is where Pastor Zhang and his worshipers were dragged from a month ago.

There are two types of church in China: some are sanctioned and authorised by the state and others are not.

Nanle County Church is sanctioned and so, in theory, its worshippers should face no problems from the authorities.

As we are looking around, some of the parishioners emerge from a side room. They recall the day of the arrests.

"Pastor Zhang was negotiating with our local government here. Suddenly a dozen people arrived, and they took Pastor Zhang away," one woman says.

"We did some charity work, perhaps some of that was too much? They always discriminate towards religions."

"We are very worried about my dad," another says.

"My mother was arrested here too, at the church. No arrest warrant, no evidence, just arrested."

I ask whether it is hard to practise their religion in China.

"I think it's really unsafe here and there's no freedom. Whenever we come to services there are always restrictions."

The parishioners then receive a phone call. It is from one of a group of lawyers who have taken up the case and who have just arrived at the prosecutor's office across town.

We drive over to meet them. For 10 minutes we chat to them about the case.

A child seen inside the Nanle County Church in China

"Christianity in the Chinese system does not have any real standing," one lawyer explains.

The lead attorney for the detained Christians is Xia Jun. "Our rights as lawyers to meet our client have been blocked," he says.

"I've been in Nanle for more than 20 days, I'm representing Pastor Zhang Shaojie. We went to the detention centre to see him five times, but all been denied.

"Four times I went to the Public Security Bureau to report about it, all been rejected. Then I was followed, every day. I drive around the roundabout three times, the car following me drove three times too."

They explain the complexity of the case. It combines a number of themes: intolerance of religious groups, land-grabs for financial gain, and rampant local corruption by officials who operate above their own laws.

"The key problem is the power of officials in our country. They behave like uncaged monsters ... out to harm us all. For them, the law doesn't exist," Mr Xia says.

Moments later we all discover what he means. A coach pulls up next to us. We assume those who disembark are more Christian supporters, but they're not. They are just the opposite.

In a split second, our civilised chat with the lawyers turns into a melee of chaos. The coach-load of women backed by some men attack the lawyers, the Christians and us.

One of the lawyers is beaten and kicked in front of us. Our camera is then pulled from the Sky News cameraman's shoulder and damaged.

We retreat inside the prosecutor's office, which turns out to be deserted. One of the lawyers puts a chair leg through the door to stop the mob from entering the building. It doesn't work.

The mob move into the lobby and we retreat with the lawyer and one of the Christians into another room: a dead end.

The lawyer barricades us all inside the small room using a sofa, a chair, a desk and a drawer to wedge the door handle. Inches away on the other side of the door the determined mob are trying to get to us.

"Who are they? I ask.

"They are paid and backed by the local government. They come and go as required. All this is organised behind the scenes by the government," Mr Xia explains.

Xie Jun, the lawyer for Pastor Zhang Shaojie

The same group had attacked him the previous day.

We watched through the barred window as another lawyer, stuck outside, is struck on the head with a small rock.

"This case is for pure religious causes," Mr Xia says.

"More than 20 people were arrested. Pastor Zhang Shaojie and most of them are church staff: the core leaders of the church.

"When they are arrested, all the activities like worshiping and services, can't take place as normal."

For four hours, the local government rent-a-mob did their best to get inside. We watched a police car pull up outside and then drive away again.

The violent spectacle is a demonstration of a determined intolerance of religion incited by a corrupt local government.

The lawyers tell us that they believe the government seized the church land because it can be used for their own lucrative construction projects.

We call the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing, who "handle" foreign reporters in China, to explain the situation.

Eventually, the same authorities who refuse to tell anyone why they are holding Pastor Zhang and his congregation escort us out of the building and out of the town.

They have given us safe passage out but continue to intimidate the Christians within their town.

"I miss my father very much," Zhang Yunyun had told me the previous night. It is exactly a month since she last saw him.

I ask if she thinks he will be home for Christmas.

She pauses: "I don't think so."

She and her baby daughter Jessie remain on the run, in hiding and frightened.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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NSA Considers Edward Snowden Amnesty Deal

The US National Security Agency is considering offering an amnesty to Edward Snowden if he agrees to stop leaking top secret documents, a top agency official has said.

The fugitive intelligence analyst - currently in Moscow - has been charged with espionage by US authorities for divulging reams of secret files, which have been published by news organisations across the globe. 

Mr Snowden has insisted he spilled the secrets to expose the NSA's far-reaching surveillance and spark public debate.

Rick Ledgett, who heads the NSA taskforce in charge of assessing the Snowden leaks, told CBS News' 60 Minutes that he would be open to the possibility of a deal.

He said: "My personal view is, yes, it's worth having a conversation about." 

Mr Snowden is thought to have access to around 1.5 million NSA files

But NSA chief General Keith Alexander has rejected the possibility of an amnesty.

He told the programme: "This is analogous to a hostage-taker taking 50 people hostage, shooting 10 and then say 'You give me full amnesty and I'll let the other 40 go'."

Gen Alexander also said suggestions that the agency was routinely eavesdropping on the phone calls of Americans were false.

He said: "NSA can only target the communications of a US person with a probable cause finding under specific court order," he said, referring to the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

"Today, we have less than 60 authorisations on specific persons to do that."

NSA chief General Keith Alexander says there will be no deal

Mr Ledgett warned that Mr Snowden effectively stole the "keys to the kingdom" when he took more than 1.5 million of the agency's files.

He said of particular concern was Mr Snowden's theft of around 31,000 documents the NSA official described as an "exhaustive list of the requirements that have been levied against the National Security Agency".

He said: "What that gives is, what topics we're interested in, where our gaps are. Additional information about US capabilities and US gaps is provided as part of that."

He said the information could potentially offer a rival nation a "roadmap of what we know, what we don't know, and give them, implicitly, a way to protect their information from the US intelligence community's view. It is the keys to the kingdom."

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Nelson Mandela Funeral Blog: As It Happened

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3:12pm UK, Sunday 15 December 2013

Nelson Mandela guided South Africa from the shackles of apartheid

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Mandela Funeral: End Of 'Extraordinary Journey'

Nelson Mandela, hailed as "Africa's greatest son" at an emotional state funeral, has been laid to rest near his childhood home.

The burial of the anti-apartheid icon followed a service attended by 4,000 mourners from across the world, at which South African President Jacob Zuma declared Mr Mandela's "extraordinary journey" was now over.

"It is the end of 95 glorious years of this freedom fighter, a dedicated and humble servant of the people of South Africa," he said during a poignant speech.

Mr Mandela's coffin is carried along a hilltop overlooking Qunu village

"He was a fountain of wisdom, a pillar of strength and a beacon of hope for all those fighting for a just world order."

In contrast to the funeral, held in a huge tent at Mr Mandela's ancestral home of Qunu, in South Africa's Eastern Cape, the burial service was a smaller affair.

Several hundred of Mr Mandela's family and closest friends gathered at the grave site, as military jets and helicopters performed a fly past.

Television cameras cut away as officials lowered his body into the ground.

Earlier, Mr Mandela's coffin was carried to the funeral on a military carriage and covered with the South African flag, as a 21-gun salute echoed around his childhood home.

It was placed in front of a stage, on which 95 candles - one for each year of his life - were lit and a huge portrait of the smiling former president was displayed.

Mourners heard from political leaders, Mr Mandela's family and some of his closest friends during an emotional service that brought both tears and laughter.

Mr Mandela's family and South Africa's president sit beside his coffin

Ahmed Kathrada, who was imprisoned on Robben Island for 26 years with Mr Mandela, gave a memorable speech, recalling a man he described as his "elder brother".

Speaking directly to his friend, he said: "What can we say ... in these, our last, final moments together?

"Your abundant reserves of love, simplicity, honesty, service, humility, care, courage, foresight, patience, tolerance, equality and justice continually serve as a source of enormous strength to millions."

Mr Kathrada said his close friend was an "enormous" source of strength

Holding back tears, he added: "My life is in a void and I don't know who to turn to."

Hailemariam Desalegn, the Ethiopian Prime Minister and chairman of the African Union, said: "His was a life of struggle in the face of unparalleled odds. A life of suffering in the hands of malicious perpetrators of injustice. A life of perseverance in the face of challenge.

"But we are not mourning. We are celebrating humanity at its finest. We should find consolation that his legacy will live on for eternity."

Mr Mandela's ex-wife Winnie Mandela (left) and widow Graca Machel (centre)

Jakaya Kikwete, the President of Tanzania, described Mr Mandela as "our leader, our hero, our icon and our father", while Kenneth Kaunda, the former president of Zambia, added: "As we go on without Madiba ... let us remember the love he had for us all. Without that, we cannot succeed."

High-profile guests included businessman Sir Richard Branson, TV chat show host Oprah Winfrey and actor Idris Elba, who plays Mr Mandela in a forthcoming film about his life, while prominent US civil rights activist Reverend Jessie Jackson and Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams also made the journey.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu was in the audience after earlier claiming he had not received an invitation, while the Prince of Wales attended on behalf of the Queen.

Oprah Winfrey and Sir Richard Branson attended the service

During his speech, Mr Zuma described his predecessor as a man "so great and yet so humble".

"We wish to express two simple words," he said. "Thank you. Thank you for being everything we wanted and needed in a leader during a critical period in our lives."

He added: "We'll cherish every moment we spent with you.

"You were an exceptional human being and you will remain our guiding light as we continue our journey to build the South Africa of your dreams."

Archbishop Desmond Tutu initially thought he had missed out on an invite

As the funeral was beamed to specially erected big screens on hillsides around Mr Mandela's home, warriors, dressed in their colourful tribal outfits, gathered to sing, dance and clap.

Sky News' Special Correspondent Alex Crawford, in Qunu, said: "The authorities and the Mandela family have always insisted this should be a coming together of a huge, important state funeral with all its pomp and ceremony, and the traditions of Mr Mandela's tribe.

"These past 10 days have been a chance not just for local people to grieve and to mourn, but also to remember how much of a colossus this man was, both in world politics and South African history."

Members of the armed forces marched alongside Mr Mandela's coffin

Mr Mandela's body arrived in South Africa's Eastern Cape on board a military plane, escorted by two fighter jets.

Tens of thousands of people lined the roads as the funeral procession made the short journey from Mthatha airport to Qunu, although some were angry the cortege did not stop to allow them time to pay their respects.

Preparations for service - the first ever state funeral in South Africa - were also marred by a public spat between the country's government and Mr Tutu, one of the most prominent survivors in the long struggle against apartheid.

A 21-gun salute heralded the arrival of Nelson Mandela's coffin

Mr Tutu, a Nobel laureate who has been critical of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, initially said he was not invited - an apparent snub denied by the government.

More than 100,000 people saw Mr Mandela's body lying in state in Pretoria over the last three days, but some had to be turned away.

The former leader, who was imprisoned for 27 years for opposing racist apartheid before emerging in 1990 to forge a new democratic South Africa, died on December 5.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Desmond Tutu 'Will Attend Mandela's Funeral'

Desmond Tutu will attend the funeral of Nelson Mandela after he was apparently left off the guest list, according to reports.

"Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu will be traveling to Qunu early tomorrow to attend Tata's funeral," the Anglican cleric's office said in a brief statement.

"Tata", meaning father in Xhosa, is a term by which Mandela is affectionately known.

The 82-year-old retired archbishop earlier said he received "no indication" he had been invited to the burial service and was "heartbroken" at not being able to attend.

Contradicting President Jacob Zuma's claim that he was "definitely" on the guest list, Mr Tutu added: "Had I or my office been informed that I would be be welcome, there is no way on Earth that I would have missed it."

Minister in The Presidency Collins Chabane said: "We didn't send an invitation to Archbishop Tutu because we did not send an invitation to anyone.

Mr Tutu had been "heartbroken" not to have been asked to attend

"The accreditation for people who were accredited for the National Memorial Service is still valid. This matter was clarified in the first stage of accreditation," he said.

Mr Chabane added that those who had been accredited were welcome to attend the funeral. As long as their names were on the accreditation list, they would be accommodated.

Mr Tutu worked closely with the former South African president in his long struggle against apartheid and welcomed Mr Mandela into his home after his fellow campaigner's release from jail.

The apparent exclusion of the Nobel Peace Prize winner led to speculation he was being punished for vocal criticism of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party.

Some 4,000 people are expected to attend the funeral of the anti-apartheid hero including family members, African leaders and several heads of state.

The Prince of Wales will attend in place of the Queen and prominent US civil-rights activist Jessie Jackson is also expected to be there.

More follows...

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Mandela Funeral: Mourners Angry At Procession

Tribal Traditions At Mandela Burial

Updated: 11:05am UK, Saturday 14 December 2013

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, in Qunu

He is Qunu's most famous son and the return of Nelson Mandela's body to his ancestral homeland is not just for sentimental reasons - it is part of Xhosa tradition that those who pass away are returned to the soil from where they came.

This weekend sees a stark shift in tempo, organisation and ceremony as the state funeral meshes with the centuries-old traditions of Mr Mandela's countrymen and women in the rural Eastern Cape.

"We feel very represented by Nelson Mandela," Mandisi Tshaka, a young Xhosa man, resplendent in his traditional robes and big beaded necklace, told me.

"Everyone in the world knows the Xhosa tribe because of him and we're saluting him."

The South African government has announced the former president's state funeral is a "first for the country" and means full military ceremonial honours will be laid on and led by the armed forces.

There will be 21-gun salutes and a fly-over by the South African Air Force.

But there is a strong importance being put on performing the Xhosa rites as Mr Mandela is laid to rest.

There will be a ritual slaughtering of an ox in the early hours before receiving his body at Mthatha airport in the Eastern Cape.

The AbaThembu king, Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, is expected to lead a group of traditional leaders as well as Mandela elders in welcoming him home to the village of Qunu, where he spent much of his childhood.

Xhosa custom dictates a welcome ritual is performed to ensure the ancestors are informed of the arrival of Mr Mandela's remains.

Mr Mandela will be called on by his praise name Dlibhunga and the AbaThembu king will shout this three times as he greets the body when he arrives home.

Despite the pomp and ceremony of the state funeral, there will be equal, if not more, importance put on the traditional Xhosa burial rituals to ensure the man they call Madiba has an easy transition into the afterworld.

The Xhosa king, Zwelonke Sigcau, told Sky News: "The Xhosa people believe Nelson Mandela is not leaving us. It is just his body which is going into the ground. His spirit will remain."

In the African culture many believe a dead person's spirit lives on beyond death and joins other ancestors who guide, help and protect the living.

It is a belief which greatly helps alleviate the pain felt by the loss of a loved one - and Mr Mandela may assume even greater importance amongst his people because of his exalted status as a spiritual ancestor now.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Nelson Mandela Returns To Homeland For Funeral

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, in Qunu

He is Qunu's most famous son and the return of Nelson Mandela's body to his ancestral homeland is not just for sentimental reasons.

It is part of Xhosa tradition that those who pass away are returned to the soil from where they came.

This weekend sees a stark shift in tempo, organisation and ceremony as the state funeral meshes with the centuries-old traditions of Mr Mandela's countrymen and women in the rural Eastern Cape.

"We feel very represented by Nelson Mandela," Mandisi Tshaka, a young Xhosa man, resplendent in his traditional robes and big beaded necklace told me.

"Everyone in the world knows the Xhosa tribe because of him and we're saluting him."

The South African government has announced the former president's state funeral is a "first for the country" and means full military ceremonial honours will be laid on and led by the armed forces.

There will be 21 gun salutes and a fly-over by the South African Air Force.

But there is a strong importance being put on performing the Xhosa rites as Mr Mandela is laid to rest.

There will be a ritual slaughtering of an ox in the early hours before receiving Mr Mandela's body at Mthatha airport in the Eastern Cape.

The AbaThembu king, Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, is expected to lead a group of traditional leaders as well as Mandela elders in welcoming him home to the village of Qunu where he spent much of his childhood.

Xhosa custom dictates a welcome ritual is performed to ensure the ancestors are iinformed of the arrival of Mr Mandela's remains.

Mr Mandela will be called on by his clan name Dlibhunga and the AbaThembu king will shout this three times as he greets the body when he arrives home.

Mr Mandela's body lay in state for three days

Despite the pomp and ceremony of the state funeral, there will be equal, if not more, importance put on the traditional Xhosa burial rituals to ensure the man they call Madiba has an easy transition into the afterworld.

The Xhosa king, Zwelonke Sigcau, told Sky News: "The Xhosa people believe Nelson Mandela is not leaving us. It is just his body which is going into the ground. His spirit will remain."

In the African culture many believe a dead person's spirit lives on beyond death and joins other ancestors who guide, help and protect the living.

It is a belief which greatly helps alleviate the pain felt by the loss of a loved one - and Mr Mandela may assume even greater importance amongst his people because of his exalted status as a spiritual ancestor now.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Shooting At Denver School Near Columbine

A gunman has killed himself after opening fire at a Denver high school near to the site of the Columbine High School massacre.

One 15-year-old student was injured at the Arapahoe High School in Centennial and is in a critical condition, according to authorities.

Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson identified the shooter as 18-year-old Karl Halverson Pierson.

Pierson entered the school with a shotgun and was looking for an individual teacher who he identified by name, said Mr Robinson.

Armed police at the school

He added: "The teacher began to understand that he was being looked at and exited the school. One student confronted the armed student and was shot."

Mr Robinson did not elaborate on any possible motive except to say Pierson had had a "confrontation or disagreement" with the teacher.

The teenager was later found with fatal self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Mr Robinson said a possible Molotov cocktail was also found at the scene.

Pupils were led out of the building with their hands in the air by police officers after the shooting, which began at 12.30pm local time. All the schools in the area are on lockdown as a result. 

One student told the Denver Post: "I was scared and shaking." She added that she heard, "bang, bang, bang" and by the third shot was on the ground.

Youngsters told the newspaper they hid in the corners of dark classrooms until police SWAT teams arrived.  

A student is reunited with her father after the shooting

The school is about eight miles (13km) east of Columbine High School in Littleton, where two teenage shooters killed 12 classmates and a teacher before killing themselves in 1999.

Tracy Monroe, who had step-siblings who attended Columbine, was standing outside the high school looking at her phone, reading text messages from her 15-year-old daughter inside.

She said she got the first text from her daughter, Jade Stanton, at 12.41pm. The text read: "There's sirens. It's real. I love you."

A few minutes later, Jade texted "shots were fired in our school".

Ms Monroe rushed to the school and was relieved when Jade texted that a police officer entered her classroom and that she was safe.

Ms Monroe was friends with a teacher killed in the Columbine shooting, Dave Carpenter.

"We didn't think it could happen in Colorado then, either," she said.

Some 2,141 students attend the school, which has 70 classrooms.

The attack comes almost one year after 20 children and six adults were killed in a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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