Elizabeth Kinston: Body Found In GP Search

A woman's body found in grassland is believed to be that of missing GP Elizabeth Kinston - in what police said was a "tragic conclusion" to their investigation.

The 37-year-old mother, who had been suffering from postnatal depression, was last seen on November 1 after leaving her home in Beeston, Nottinghamshire.

The body was discovered near Enterprise Way in the Dunkirk area of Nottingham on Thursday afternoon by officers searching for her.

A post-mortem examination has taken place but the results are expected to take several weeks.

Police released CCTV images in an attempt to trace her

The death is not being treated as suspicious at this time, a police spokesman said.

The discovery came after emotional appeals were made by Mrs Kinston's husband David and her sister Charlotte for her to return home.

Police also released CCTV images of Mrs Kinston's movements on the day she went missing in an attempt to trace the missing doctor.

The 37-year-old woman had been on maternity leave after her second child was born in January.

Police have said she was known to have been battling with postnatal depression since the birth.

Detective Inspector Kev Broadhead, from Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Formal identification has yet to be confirmed, but at this stage we do believe we have found Elizabeth.

The 37-year-old woman had been on maternity leave since January

"It's a tragic conclusion to the inquiry and one we were all desperately hoping we would not have to face.

"On behalf of the force and of Elizabeth's family I would like to thank the hundreds, if not thousands, of people who helped in the search for Elizabeth, whether by sharing appeals on social media, distributing posters or getting out on the streets to search.

"It's been an unprecedented response and something I know her family would like to give heartfelt thanks for.

"It has given them incredible strength through these difficult days.

"David's priority will be his two little girls and getting them through this. We are supporting them during this difficult time."

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Body Found In Well: Seven Held In Murder Probe

Seven men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a body was found in a well 7ft below ground in several feet of water.

Police were called to the scene - in the front garden of a large house in Warlingham, Surrey - on Friday afternoon.

The body was discovered by two gardeners who were doing clearing work at the property, which is in an acre of grounds in an affluent area.

A senior Metropolitan Police detective said the body of the white adult remained in the well and the recovery operation may take some time.

Detective Chief Inspector Cliff Lyons said: "The body presents a number of logistical challenges.

"The well is 2ft in diameter, it is 7ft deep to the water line, and the water is approximately 4ft deep.

"We need a police marine diving team, with breathing apparatus, and we need to recover the body intact to preserve forensic evidence.

"The process of recovery is likely to take some time."

He declined to speculate on how long this might be, but said it was not going to be a quick recovery.

DCI Lyons told Sky News: "It is clear to me the body has been placed in the well as opposed to falling in the well and therefore it is a murder investigation."

He added: "It is not possible to ascertain with accuracy the gender of the body but, judging by the size, it is most likely to be an adult, not a child. The person is white.

"It's not been there for an extended period of time, it will be a matter of weeks at the most."

He appealed for anyone who had concerns about a person who has gone missing, especially if they had connections to that area, to come forward.

Anyone with information is urged to call police on 020 8721 4961 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

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

But the country's president Mahinda Rajapaksa has denied any civilians were killed.

And up to now 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.

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

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

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 things".

Mr Cameron is pressing the regime to do more to improve conditions for the Tamil minority and he met Mr Rajapaksa on Friday to discuss the human rights issue.

The PM said Mr Rajapaksa wanted more time to address the claims, but put him on notice to deliver by March or he would push for an international investigation through the auspices of the UN human rights council.

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.

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.

David Cameron pits his batting skills against Muttiah Muralitharan

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."

At a news conference at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in Colombo, Mr Cameron said the human rights issue would remain high on the international agenda.

He 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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Typhoon Haiyan: Cameron Pledges Extra £30m

The UK Government is to give an extra £30m in aid to help the relief effort after the devastating typhoon in the Philippines.

Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain had already pledged £23m to help the relief effort but he added it was clear more aid was needed after "watching appalling scenes of mass destruction".

A man tries to repair his roof in a village south of Tacloban

During a news conference in Sri Lanka ahead of the Commonwealth summit, Mr Cameron said: "Today I can announce we are providing another £30m to support the UN and the Red Cross emergency appeals and we are also supplying an RAF C-130 Hercules aircraft to help ensure aid workers can move between the worst affected areas and get aid to those who need it."

It brings the total amount of aid donated by the Government to £50m.

Mr Cameron's pledge comes on the day another RAF cargo plane carrying heavy duty vehicles and medical supplies arrived in the Philippines as part of Britain's emergency response.

The RAF C17 aircraft prepares to unload in Cebu Province

The huge C17 transport plane, carrying two JCB diggers, two Land Rovers and a forklift truck emblazoned with stickers reading "UK aid from the British people", landed in Cebu province on Saturday morning.

Sky's Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall, who was onboard the plane, said: "The flight stopped off en route in the Middle East and Singapore and needed three flight crews to make the journey.

"It will now return to the Philippines with more aid in the next few days."

A Land Rover hits the tarmac at Cebu airport

UK ambassador to the Philippines Asif Ahmad told Sky News: "The C17 load is being handed over to the UN immediately so it can be taken to where the need is most.

"I've just been talking to the commander here of the (air) base, who is facilitating the movements, and his reaction on hearing of the Prime Minister's commitment is, 'You bring tears to my eyes every time I speak to you, tears of joy'."

The devastated town of Tanuan, south of Tacloban

Squadron Leader David Blakemore, who flew the plane from Singapore added: "Hopefully there will be a few more missions and we'll be able to support the Philippine people over the coming weeks with the aid effort."

A 12-strong team of British doctors, surgeons and paramedics are already in the devastated country helping to treat survivors.

Mr Cameron said: "A week after Typhoon Haiyan hit, the scale of the disaster is becoming clearer every day - over 3,600 dead, nearly 12 million affected.

Sunlight catches a religious monument in the demolished town of Tanauan

"They are going to need sustained help from the international community as they start to rebuild their lives.

"I'm proud of the fact that the UK has taken the lead in international relief with rapid response of warships, aircraft and equipment."

Authorities in the Philippines have put the official death toll at 3,633, with 1,179 people missing and nearly 12,500 injured.

The UN has put the number of dead at 4,460 and said that 2.5 million people still "urgently" required food assistance.

Mr Bembridge with his partner and daughter. Pic: Channel 4 News

At least 600,000 people have been displaced with many homeless, and large numbers of survivors are struggling without food, water and shelter.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office is looking into reports that a British man may have been killed in the wake of the typhoon.

Colin Bembridge, 61, was staying with his Filipino partner Maybelle, 35, and their three-year-old daughter Victoria near Tacloban when the storm struck.

The Philippines government has defended its efforts to deliver aid, with interior secretary Mar Roxas saying: "In a situation like this, nothing is fast enough."

Residents talk near a fire in a central area of Tacloban City

Workers in Tacloban have been burying scores of unidentified bodies in a mass grave as desperately needed aid begins to arrive.

Charity organisation Save the Children said three lorries carrying household and family hygiene kits will set off in convoy from Manila to reach Tacloban and will benefit 5,000 people.

Additional fuel, which has been in very short supply in the area, will also arrive and enable further distributions to take place over the coming days.

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Spy In Bag: MI6 Man Probably Locked Himself In

Spy Death: The Evidence Behind The Theories

Updated: 11:31am UK, Wednesday 13 November 2013

Three general theories have been put forward to explain the death of MI6 spy Gareth Williams, with evidence to support each one.

:: Suicide

The theory that Mr Williams' chose to take his own life is perhaps the most prosaic explanation for his death and the inquest has heard evidence that suggested he was unhappy with his work.

He had passed an exam to become fully operational with MI6 just months before his death but his sister said he disliked office culture and the rat race - and had spoken of friction among colleagues.

One common theme throughout the inquest has been Mr Williams' prodigious intelligence, which saw him secure a first-class mathematics degree at the age of 17 before his eventual fast-tracking through the ranks at GCHQ.

Correlations have often been drawn between depression and the high levels of perfectionism evident in Mr Williams - an impression his intense fitness regime and pristinely tidy flat did little to dispel.

Irrespective of his state of mind, however, no-one has been able to fully explain how he would have been able to lock the bag his body was found in from the outside.

Stephen Gale, his boss at GCHQ's Cheltenham base, said Mr Williams stunned fellow intelligence specialists with his codebreaking talents when he landed his first job at 21.

"He was considered something of a prodigy and it was quite remarkable that he had achieved those levels of qualifications at such a young age," he said.

It could be argued that such outstanding achievement at such an early age could lead to the kind of listlessness later in life that can eventually develop into suicidal thoughts.

But Mr Williams' reputation as a "world-class" codebreaker may also give rise to the more outlandish theory that he took his own life while deliberately leaving an apparently inextricable riddle.

:: Accident

Mr Williams' interest in women's clothing - on which receipts showed he spent around £20,000 during 2008 and 2009 - has been among the most prominently-reported details of the case.

His curiosity with drag queen culture has also been a focus for the media, as has his apparent interest in bondage footage.

The inquest heard that in 2007, Mr Williams' landlord and landlady had to rescue him in the middle of the night after he apparently tied his wrists to the headboard of his bed to see if he could "get free".

Such revelations could contribute to a theory that Mr Williams' death was an accident, even the result of a sex game gone-wrong.

However, close friends say he never mentioned cross-dressing and he is only known to have been to see a drag act once.

Detective Constable Simon Warren also moved to quell speculation around the 31-year-old's private life, saying his interest in bondage footage on his computer was "an isolated (incident) among a sea of other data".

And it is not entirely inconceivable that a third party may have manufactured an image of someone with flamboyant personal habits in order to distract from a more sinister truth.

Indeed, this possibility was acknowledged by the coroner in her summing up, when she questioned whether leaks to the media about Mr Williams' cross dressing were attempts to manipulate evidence.

She pointed out that most of the women's clothes found would have been too small for him and said the lack of female underwear was "inconsistent".

Mr Williams was described as a cautious risk assessor by his sister, which the coroner said did not "square" with the suggestion of an interest in bondage.

:: Murder

Despite having no suspects, the police have said from the outset that they believe a third party was involved in Mr Williams' death.

Found naked, curled up in a padlocked North Face holdall in the bath of his flat in Pimlico, central London, bag experts have said that even renowned escapologist Harry Houdini would have struggled to lock himself in the bag.

One even tried and failed to carry out the task more than 300 times before saying they were "unbelievable scenarios".

Lawyers for his family have suggested "dark arts" of the secret services were responsible.

The recent emergence of the news that MI6 failed to hand over nine computer memory sticks from Mr Williams' office to Scotland Yard has done little to confound such claims.

Conspiracy theories are fuelled by the fact that the force's counter-terror SO15 branch, which has specialist security clearance and acted as a conduit between MI6 and the investigation team, only took three items from Mr Williams' office - his phone, some notes and a copy of his birth certificate.

Detective Superintendent Michael Broster, who was the main liaison from SO15, said: "I have seen no information or evidence that someone is involved. I am not saying that a member of SIS is not involved. I don't know."

Poisoning and asphyxiation are the "foremost contenders" in causing Mr Williams' death, pathologists said.

But experts believe there would have been signs of damage to his fingers and hands if he had struggled to get out of the bag within the three minutes it would have taken to suffocate.

The fact that Mr Williams was dead for up to 10 days before his post-mortem examination meant many poisons and/or bruise marks could have disappeared from his body.

Another matter to have attracted suspicion is MI6's failure to report his absence for more than a week after his disappearance.

Forensic experts hope ongoing DNA tests on a green towel discovered in his kitchen may still yield a breakthrough.

But given the assumed capabilities of MI6, the fact that no physical evidence has yet been found to establish the involvement of a third party is unlikely to halt speculation that secret service agents were to blame.

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India's Top Cop Under Fire For Rape Remarks

India's top police chief is facing calls for his resignation after he said: "If you can't prevent rape, you might as well enjoy it."

Ranjit Sinha, director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) - India's equivalent of the United States' FBI - apologised for the remark.

However, his comment has sparked outrage across the country, which in the past year has seen widespread protests following the fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old woman on a bus in New Delhi.

Mr Sinha made the comment during a CBI conference about illegal sports betting and the need to legalise gambling.

"Do we have the enforcement?" Mr Sinha said at the event in New Delhi on Tuesday about whether sports betting should be legalised.

There have been widespread protests demanding tougher penalties for rape

"It is very easy to say that if you can't enforce it, it's like saying if you can't prevent rape, you enjoy it."

He insisted his comments were taken out of context and were misinterpreted, but angry activists called for his resignation.

"I regret any hurt caused," Mr Sinha said. "I gave my opinion that betting should be legalised and that if the laws cannot be enforced, that does not mean that laws should not be made.

"This is as erroneous as saying that if rape is inevitable one should lie back and enjoy it. I reiterate my deep sense of regard and respect for women and my commitment for gender issues."

But civil rights campaigners and opposition politicians said his remarks risked trivialising the issue of rape and raised questions over the CBI's ability to investigate serious sexual assaults.

Kavita Krishnan, an activist with the All India Progressive Women's Association, called for Mr Sinha to step down.

"How can he remain the head of India's premier investigation agency?" she said.

There were more than 24,000 reported rapes in India in 2011

Nirmala Sitharaman, spokeswoman for the main opposition group, the Bharatiya Janata Party, described the remarks as "shocking".

"Wonder if his colleagues in the Bureau, his family and well-wishers approve of his view," she wrote on Twitter.

Communist Party of India leader Brinda Karat condemned Mr Sinha's comments as offensive to all women.

"It is sickening that a man who is in charge of several rape investigations should use such an analogy," she said. "He should be prosecuted for degrading and insulting women."

The New Delhi bus attack last December caused nationwide outrage and forced the government to change rape laws and create fast-track courts for rape cases.

New laws introduced after the attack make stalking, voyeurism and sexual harassment a crime.

They also provide for the death penalty for repeat offenders or for rape attacks that lead to the victim's death.

There were more than 24,000 reported rapes in India in 2011, but activists say the real number is many times higher.

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Typhoon Haiyan Survivors' Fear And Desperation

Gunshots have reportedly forced the delay of a mass burial of victims of the huge typhoon that smashed into the Philippines.

The mayor of Tacloban, the provincial capital of Leyte province where 16ft waves flattened nearly everything in their path, made the claim on Wednesday.

Soldiers carry young children on to evacuation flights at Tacloban airport

Alfred Romualdez said: "We had finished digging the mass burial site. We had the truck loaded with bodies but there was some shooting. They could not proceed."

Locals in Tacloban also reported seeing members of the army firing guns, as well as armed civilians in the street.

An injured typhoon survivor is carried by members of the military

Meanwhile it has been reported that a 13-year-old boy who was walking alone through the city at night was slashed across the neck and stabbed in the stomach.

Jonathan Salayco said he was attacked by two men he did not know late on Tuesday, who then disappeared without a trace.

Red Cross nurse Mina Joset said: "He was still holding his toy car.

The remains of an orphanage

"For a boy like him, this is a serious injury."

Five days after Typhoon Haiyan ripped apart entire coastal communities, the situation in Tacloban is becoming ever more dire with essential supplies low and increasingly desperate survivors jostling for aid.

Eight people were crushed to death after a huge crowd of typhoon survivors rushed a government rice warehouse, causing a wall to collapse.

Supplies of rice are loaded on to a truck, but food remains scarce

The incident in Alangalang town, 10 miles from Tacloban, underlined the increasing sense of fear and desperation setting in among those battling to survive the aftermath of the typhoon.

Sky News Asia Correspondent Mark Stone said: "Those who survived desperately need help. There is nothing like enough supplies or aid here and there is a depressing lack of co-ordination."

The Disasters Emergency Committee appeal has reached £13m just 24 hours after it was launched, it was announced on Wednesday.

Tacloban's infrastructure was devastated by the typhoon's impact

UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos has praised the international community's reaction but said much more needed to be done in a disaster of such magnitude.

The international relief effort is building momentum with many countries pledging help. The United States and Britain are sending warships carrying thousands of sailors to the Philippines.

The aircraft carrier USS George Washington, which has 5,000 sailors and more than 80 aircraft on board, is heading from Hong Kong with five other US warships, while three amphibious vessels are also being deployed.

A sense of fear and desperation is growing in the stricken city

The carrier group is expected to reach the Philippines later this week, the Pentagon said, bringing much needed supplies.

The UK's first flight delivering urgently needed humanitarian aid has now arrived, the Government has said.

A chartered Boeing 777 carrying 8,836 shelter kits from UK Government stores in Dubai landed in the city of Cebu and was met by Department for International Development (DFID) humanitarian workers.

A school in Cebu was reduced to rubble

President Aquino has declared a "state of national calamity", allowing the government to impose price controls and quickly release emergency funds.

The latest official government death toll stands at 1,798, although authorities have said they have not come close to accurately assessing the number of bodies lying amid the rubble or swept out to sea.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona admitted authorities were struggling to deal with the sheer numbers of the dead.

He told radio station DZMM they had delayed the retrieval of bodies because "we ran out of body bags".

He said: "We hope to speed it up when we get more body bags."

The UN estimates more than 11.3 million people have been affected with 673,000 made homeless, since Haiyan smashed into the nation's central islands on Friday.

Haiyan's sustained winds when it hit Samar island, where it first made landfall, reached 195 miles an hour, making it the strongest typhoon in the world this year and one of the most powerful ever recorded.

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Video Charts Mars' Four-Billion-Year Evolution

Nasa has released a video revealing what Mars may have looked like as a young planet billions of years ago.

It appears to have had a thick atmosphere that was warm enough to support oceans of liquid water - a crucial ingredient for life.

The animation, created by Nasa's Conceptual Image Lab, shows how the surface of Mars might have developed over four billion years.

The artist's concept is based on evidence that Mars was once very different.

It shows vast Martian lakes surrounded by mountain ranges, beneath Earth-like blue skies and rapidly moving clouds.

The shift from a warm and wet climate to a cold and dry one is shown as the animation progresses.

Nasa's Curiosity rover has been exploring Mars since 2011

The lakes dry up and transform into a rocky landscape with canyons, volcanoes and craters.

The atmosphere gradually turns to the dusty pink and tan hues seen on Mars today.

Red dust - from the iron in its soil - now covers almost all of the surface of the Red Planet, which has an average temperature of -27C (-80F).

Nasa's Curiosity rover has been exploring the surface of the planet since August 2011 and has made several discoveries to support the theory that Mars was once able to support life.

These include pebbles providing evidence that a stream once flowed on the planet, and more recently, Martian dust, dirt and soil suggesting a "substantial" amount of water on Mars.

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Typhoon Survivors Expect Long Wait For Help

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, in Cebu

For hour after hour, driving into the heart of typhoon-stricken northern Cebu, it was the same picture.

Hundreds of families, picking through the remains of their destroyed homes, hoping to find some treasured keepsakes; and children lining the roadside, for mile after mile, pleading for water, food and money.

It has been four days since Typhoon Haiyan - or Yolanda as it is known in the Philippines - swept across the centre of the country, destroying homes and livelihoods in its path.

So far, in northern Cebu at least, very little aid has reached those who need it most.

Stephen was born a month early during the storm

Supplies of water and rice are trickling through from independent charities but as we drove north, the scene of destruction worsening the further we went, there was no evidence of any food convoys and no airstrips are operational in the area.

Thankfully there was no storm surge in northern Cebu, but the winds struck with a savagery which stunned residents well used to typhoons, believed to have been in the region of 250 miles per hour.

Bonifacio Reviero said: "We hid in the house with our grandchildren but we could hear the telephone and electricity poles snapping like twigs outside, and branches smashing into the roof. It lasted hours.

"When it was over, the roof was gone and the house was ringed by huge trees, which had crashed down but not on us. I don't know how we were so lucky."

One village lost 12 fishermen when four boats capsized in the storm.

In the hills, miles of banana trees have been uprooted or ripped in half. The coconut trees stand bare and broken. There will be no harvest here for a very long time.

Bonifacio Reviero sits outside what remains of his home

More than 90% of the homes in northern Cebu, an area hundreds of miles square, have sustained considerable damage; many pancaked, storey on storey. 

No one expects help to come any time soon, hence the pleading with passing motorists for money, to buy new building materials as soon as possible. The remnants of their old walls and roofs are spread across the nearby fields.

The injured line the walls of the only medical facility in Bogo City, many of them young children.

In one jam-packed ward of the tiny Severo Verallo Memorial District Hospital the very youngest patients lie four to a bed. Since Saturday the hospital has delivered 40 newborns.

Curled up around them on the beds are their hollow-eyed parents, who know they should be celebrating one of the happiest moments of their lives but are unable to amid the chaos and destruction outside; worries about injured relatives, and the knowledge for many that they have no home to take them to. 

Two-day-old Stephen's mother, Maria Janairo, who went into labour a month early during the storm, said it would be a very strange feeling when so many children in the town were celebrating their birthday together every year.

"On the one hand I will be happy that we survived for them to be born, but on the other it will be a haunting reminder of everything we lost."

:: To make a donation to the DEC Philippines Crisis Appeal visit www.dec.org.uk, call the 24-hour hotline on 0370 60 60 900, donate over the counter at any high street bank or post office or send a cheque.

You can also donate £5 by texting the word SUPPORT to 70000.

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Typhoon Haiyan: Appeal For £190m In Aid

Aid agencies have launched a joint emergency appeal to get food, water and shelter to victims of the devastating Philippines typhoon.

The United Nations estimates that $301m (£190m) will be needed in aid.

"We've just launched an action plan focusing on the areas of food, health, sanitation, shelter, debris removal and also protection of the most vulnerable with the government and I very much hope our donors will be generous," humanitarian chief Valerie Amos told reporters in the capital Manila.

Police stand next to body bags near Tacloban

"That plan is for $301m."

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), made up of 14 aid charities, said its members were already responding to the crisis but the scale of the destruction meant there was "huge unmet need".

A "huge injection" of funds is needed to get aid through to victims after the typhoon, known locally as Yolanda, made roads impassable and put airports out of action, the DEC said.

Although the official death toll stands at 1,774, around 10,000 people are thought to have been killed in the city of Tacloban alone.

The UN said 673,000 people have lost their homes while a further 11.3 million could be affected after the typhoon, said to be the strongest ever to make landfall, hit the southeast Asian nation.

Homes on a hillside in Tacloban have been obliterated by the storm surge

Sky's chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay is in Hagnaya in Cebu where he said people are begging on the streets because supplies from NGOs have not yet reached them.

He said nearly 100% of the buildings in the town have been damaged.

"There's concern that there is another weather front likely to hit the area with a lot of rain forecast in the next couple of days."

Authorities said they had evacuated 800,000 people ahead of the typhoon, but many evacuation centres proved to be no protection against the wind and rising water.

People in the devout Philippines still try to use a badly-flooded church

The Philippine National Red Cross, responsible for warning the region and giving advice, said people were not prepared for a storm surge.

Although weakened, the typhoon, has also killed eight people and devastated farmland since making landfall in southern China. 

DEC chief executive Saleh Saeed said: "The destruction in Tacloban city, on the east coast, is said to be reminiscent of the Boxing Day tsunami.

"There is currently no food, water or electricity. We can only imagine how much worse the situation will be for families living in towns and remote villages.

"DEC members are doing all they can to get aid through but they need a huge injection of funds in order to do so.

"The priorities are getting food, water and shelter to people in desperate need."

Sky's Asia correspondent Mark Stone, on the island of Leyte, said up to 20 people had been killed by falling bags of rice in the scramble to get to aid supplies from a warehouse.

Stone said he had travelled to the island with people who did not know if their family members were alive or not: "There's no mobile phone network here, no way of communicating."

The DEC includes the British Red Cross, Christian Aid, Oxfam and Save the Children.

Typhoon Haiyan has made landfall in southwest China, killing eight people

All of its members will support the appeal and 13 of the 14 are responding either directly or through partner organisations.

The UK is deploying a Royal Navy warship, HMS Daring, and donating £10m of humanitarian assistance in aid for the victims, Prime Minister David Cameron said.

The ship carries equipment to make drinking water from seawater.

Britain will also deploy RAF military transport aircraft in aid of recovery efforts, earmarking at least one C-17 cargo plane to move humanitarian aid and large equipment.

And a 12-strong team of British surgeons and paramedics is being sent to help with the aid effort.

Meanwhile, Australia announced assistance of £5.8m and the US government has pledged $20m in immediate aid and has ordered the aircraft carrier USS George Washington to the sail to the Philippines.

Japan said it will fly a relief team over to the ravaged country and Taiwan is sending £125,000 in aid.

The United Nations World Food Programme has also allocated $2m (£1.25m) and Unicef is sending emergency supplies.

:: To make a donation to the DEC Philippines Crisis Appeal visit www.dec.org.uk, call the 24-hour hotline on 0370 60 60 900, donate over the counter at any high street bank or post office or send a cheque.

You can also donate £5 by texting the word SUPPORT to 70000.

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Breastfeeding: New Mums To Get Shop Vouchers

Vouchers for Matalan, John Lewis, Mothercare or supermarkets are to be dished out to new mothers if they feed their babies with breast milk.

Researchers from the University of Sheffield are examining ways to boost low rates of breastfeeding in parts of the UK.

Mothers will be given shopping vouchers worth up to £120 if their babies receive breast milk until they are six weeks old, and a further £80 if their babies are still breastfed at six months.

If the "feasibility" project is successful, the authors will conduct a national research project into the scheme.

But midwives have warned that financial reward should not be the main motivation for women to breastfeed.

The Department of Health has admitted it is funding the project, however, Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter stressed that he did not believe "financial incentives" were the best way of encouraging mothers to breast feed.

He said: "Breastfeeding has huge health benefits, and it helps to promote a strong bond between mum and baby. But it should be a woman's choice to breastfeed and we know not all mothers are able to. 

"Latest figures show nearly 74% of mums start breastfeeding and we have seen a general increase in recent years.

"We believe the main way to promote breastfeeding is not financial incentives, but to make sure women have all the information they need to make an informed decision."

The new study is to be trialled in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire - in areas where breastfeeding uptake rates are low.

Only 34% of UK babies are breastfed at six months with only 1% exclusively breastfed at this stage, said Dr Clare Relton, senior research fellow at the University of Sheffield.

She said: "Breast milk is perfectly designed for babies and provides all they need for the first six months of their life.

"The scheme offers vouchers to mothers who breastfeed as a way of acknowledging both the value of breastfeeding to babies, mothers and society, and the effort involved in breastfeeding."

The NHS recommends mothers breastfeed exclusively for the first six months of a child's life.

The preliminary study will focus on up to 130 mothers who give birth between November and March.

If the mothers breastfeed their children for a full six months they will receive £200 shopping vouchers - half for supermarkets and half for high street stores.

The vouchers will be paid in five instalments of £40 each.

The initiative is being funded by the National Prevention Research Initiative, a group made up of government departments, medical charities and research companies. 

The initiative will not be rigorously policed and will simply require the participating mother and their health visitor or midwife to sign off to say they are breastfeeding.

Dr Relton said the test would not only look at whether or not the payment improves uptake rates, but also at whether women think they are being "bribed or rewarded" after they receive the vouchers.

Janet Fyle, professional policy adviser at the Royal College of Midwives, said: "Whilst we are not against financial incentives for the right reasons, there is a much bigger social and cultural problem here that needs to be tackled instead of offering financial incentives for mothers to breastfeed.

"In many areas, including those in this study, there are generations of women who may not have seen anyone breastfeeding their baby, meaning it is not the cultural norm in many communities.

"The motive for breastfeeding cannot be rooted by offering financial reward.

"It has to be something that a mother wants to do in the interest of the health and well-being of her child."

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Energy Prices: Customers 'Not Cash Cows'

The Energy Secretary has warned that customers are not "cash cows" to be squeezed for profits by the shareholders of energy companies.

Liberal Democrat Ed Davey delivered the warning in a speech to Energy UK's annual conference today.

Energy Secretary Ed Davey

He urged the industry to "open up your books" to show how it is trying to keep tariffs low but accused them of behaving like bankers and reaching their "Fred the shred" moment.

His speech came amid warnings that gas prices could soar this winter if the national supply runs short during another cold snap.

Average price rises of 9.1% had been announced by four of the UK's six main energy companies. However, EDF today became the fifth energy firm to announce a price increase significantly unveiling a far lower rise - just 3.9% - than the other companies.

It said it was not passing on the rising cost of the Government's green schemes, which it claims would have added an extra £50 to the average household bill.

The move will put pressure on David Cameron to come good on his pledge to roll back green energy levies - the charges on a customer's bill used to pay for environmentally friendly energy production schemes.

The sixth energy firm, E.ON, is reportedly poised to increase its prices by 6.6%.

Responding to the EDF increase Mr Davey said in a statement: "Any price rise is disappointing but I'm encouraged that EDF have kept their price rise much closer to inflation than some of their competitors.

"The competition we've introduced to the energy market means people have a choice. They can look for the best deal available; including from smaller suppliers, with the confidence that switching will make an immediate difference to their bills and force the Big 6 to compete on price."

In his speech Mr Davey said that power companies have to make profits to invest in infrastructure, secure supplies, and develop more energy efficient technologies.

He warned: "Those profits cannot come at the expense of the elderly, the vulnerable, and the poorest in our society.

"Customers are not just cash cows to be squeezed in the pursuit of a higher return for shareholders.

"Trust between those who supply energy and those who use it is breaking down. It is so difficult for people to work out what exactly they are paying for that they fear the big energy companies are taking them for a ride when bills go up."

He will say that some customers see a reflection of the greed that consumed banks, and this is a "Fred the Shred" moment for the industry, a reference to former RBS boss Fred Goodwin.

He said the Government was looking at how it could reduce the impact of its policies on bills, which would include backing any "necessary" regulations recommended by electricity and gas prices regulator Ofgem.

"But our commitment must be matched by a commitment in industry to open up your books and set out exactly how you are bearing down on your own costs to make bills as low as possible," he added.

Energy UK, he organisers of the conference at which Mr Davey spoke, said: "The energy industry is already working hard to ensure everyone can keep the lights on and stay warm this winter. The best way to do this is for everyone to work together which is why this tit for tat Punch and Judy show of insults is so unproductive.

"The energy industry is vital to the UK. It is a major employer, a serious investor and a significant taxpayer. As analysis form UBS shows about 95 per cent of rising energy costs are out of the hands of the energy companies and can be attributed to government policies and other network, social and environmental costs."

Industry analyst Peter Hughes told Sky News that a "perfect storm" last March of extreme weather and the shutdown of two major pipelines caused prices to double.

He added that could happen again because the Government has refused to support the storage of more gas.

"It foreshadows things to come," he said. "The situation in terms of the risks will only get worse as North Sea production runs down and demand rises."

Sky's Nick Martin, on a gas platform in the North Sea, said: "North Sea gas won't last forever, the harder-to-reach wells cost tens of millions of pounds to drill.

"Somewhere in the middle of this complex equation, the customer still expects value for money."

:: Watch a day of special coverage on energy costs all day on Sky News - on Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 82, Skynews.com and Sky News for iPad.

There will also be a special programme on the energy industry on Jeff Randall Live this evening at 7pm.

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Acts Of Remembrance Around UK For War Dead

The UK has stopped to remember its war dead on Armistice Day, pausing for the traditional two-minute silence at events across the country.

Acts of remembrance included a service at the national Armed Forces Memorial in Staffordshire, with Dorothy Ellis, the last surviving First World War widow, among the guests at the outdoor event.

Senior representatives of the Government and the armed forces also attended the service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, near Burton-on-Trent.

Dorothy Ellis (L) looks on as wreaths are laid at the Armed Forces Memorial

The Portland stone memorial bears the names of more than 16,000 fallen service personnel.

Designed to complement the Cenotaph in London, which commemorates the victims of the First and Second World Wars, it honours those who have died in the line of duty since 1948.

It is designed so a shaft of sunlight shines onto its central sculpture to mark the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, in remembrance of the end of the First World War.

An event was held to mark Armistice Day in London's Trafalgar Square

Events held in London included one at the Lloyd's of London market in the City attended by the Chelsea Pensioners, and another in Trafalgar Square, featuring musical performances and readings.

Also at 11am, the funeral service took place of Harold Percival, a wartime airman who died in October aged 99 with no close family or friends.

Following an internet campaign, hundreds of people attended the service at Lytham Park Crematorium in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire.

The funeral of Harold Percival was held in Lancashire

The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Rev Justin Welby, visited the Cenotaph in Whitehall, as well as the Ministry of Defence, where he was updated on military operations.

"At this time of year it's essential that we remember and give thanks for all those who gave their lives for the sake of freedom in the two World Wars, and also remember those who still risk their lives as servicemen and women in our Armed Forces," he said.

"It's a time to recommit ourselves to the cause of peace and to seek to play our own small part as agents of reconciliation."

Big Ben strikes the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month

The Duke of Edinburgh travelled to Belgium to honour troops who fell at some of the First World War's deadliest battles.

The 92-year-old took part in the Last Post ceremony in Ypres, where he collected soil from Flanders Fields for a memorial garden at Wellington Barracks in London.

In neighbouring France, President Hollande was jeered by protesters as he laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Paris during a ceremony marking the end of World War One.

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Typhoon Haiyan Devastation: New Storm On Way

Rescuers are struggling to get desperately needed aid to areas of the Philippines devastated by Typhoon Haiyan - as a new storm approaches.

Aid workers are being held back by blocked roads and damaged airports as they try to deliver tents, food and medicines to the worst affected areas.

Troops have been sent to the city of Tacloban to restore law and order after reports of looting, with Philippines President Benigno Aquino declaring a state of calamity and considering whether martial law is necessary.

Hundreds of thousands have been left homeless Pic: Save The Children

Looters have reportedly broken into supermarkets, while a Red Cross aid convoy was raided. Consumer goods such as televisions and washing machines have also been stolen.

At least 10,000 people are thought to have been killed by the typhoon, officials believe.

Corpses hung from trees in the city and were scattered in the streets. Many were buried in flattened buildings.

Looters break a shop's butter to make it easier to get food supplies

One UN official said he was told there had been a three-metre (10ft) water surge through the city.

A further 300 are confirmed dead with 2,000 missing on the neighbouring island of Samar.

Water has been cut off in many areas, making the relief effort more difficult.

A woman mourns next to the body of her husband and others

Threatening to further hamper relief efforts is a new storm approaching the southern and central Philippines.

Government weather forecasters said the tropical depression could bring fresh floods to typhoon-affected areas.

The depression is expected to hit land on the southern island of Mindanao late Tuesday and then move across the central islands of Bohol, Cebu, Negros and Panay, which all suffered typhoon damage, forecaster Connie Dadivas said.

It could bring "moderate to heavy" rains, or about five to 15 millimetres (0.2 to 0.6 inches) per hour, he said.

Sky's Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay, in Manila, said: "The relief operation is only just getting going, it's fairly piecemeal at the moment.

"They really don't have the volume of aircraft they need to either get aircraft in or people out in sufficient quantities to try and control what has become, day-by-day, a more difficult situation."

Survivors make their way through the rubble of destroyed buildings

At least six people have also been killed in Vietnam after the typhoon made landfall near the Chinese border.

Some 600,000 people were evacuated from at-risk areas in the north of the country before Haiyan - downgraded to a weaker Category One storm - battered the coast with 98mph (157kmph) winds.

All schools in the capital Hanoi were closed on Monday, and extra police were dispatched to redirect traffic in flood-prone areas.

The aid effort could be hampered by an approaching storm

In the Philippines millions of people are said to have been directly affected by the typhoon's path and the death toll is expected to rise further as rescuers reach cut-off areas.

"This area has been totally ravaged", said Sebastien Sujobert, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Tacloban.

"Many lives were lost, a huge number of people are missing, and basic services such as drinking water and electricity have been cut off."

The winds felled trees and homes across swathes of the country

Haiyan hit the east coast of the Philippines on Friday and smashed through its central islands, with winds of 147mph (235 kmph) and a storm surge of 20ft (six metres).

Video from Eastern Samar province's Guiuan township - the first area where the typhoon made landfall - also showed a trail of devastation. Many houses were flattened and roads were strewn with debris and uprooted trees. 

Witnesses reported seeing looting and violence with President Aquino admitting it was a major concern.

Survivors now face the prospect of rebuilding their lives

Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala told AFP news agency that 100 soldiers had been sent to help police restore law and order in Tacloban.

The United Nations said it was sending supplies but access to the worst hit areas was a challenge.

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has directed the military's Pacific Command to deploy ships and aircraft to support search-and-rescue operations and airlift emergency supplies.

The European Commission has released €3m (£2.5m) in emergency funds, while the UK is providing £6m in aid and Prime Minister David Cameron has telephoned President Aquino to offer his support.

:: Sky News will run a special live programme on the story of the typhoon at 7pm tonight.

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'Burglar' Suffocated In Derby Office Chimney

A suspected burglar died after he got stuck in the chimney of a solicitor's office and was unable to breathe, an inquest has heard.

The body of Kevin Gough, 43, was discovered at Moody & Woolley Solicitors in St Mary's Gate, Derby, on May 1.

An inquest at Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner's Court heard staff and builders working on the property had noticed a bad smell and a pest control company had been contacted.

Police were called and officers found Mr Gough's badly decomposed body stuck inside the chimney.

The inquest heard Mr Gough would have been lost consciousness quickly

The chimney breast and fireplace had been completely bricked up from the inside.

Mr Gough was identified by his fingerprints. His cause of death was found to have been caused by postural asphyxiation.

It was unclear why he had gone into the chimney, but coroner Dr Robert Hunter said he was satisfied he had made his way there of his own volition and no one else was involved.

Detective Constable Tom Bentley told the inquest Mr Gough was wanted in connection with a burglary at a business on The Strand in Derby.

He was arrested on March 13 because he was found to be in possession of prescribed meditation not in his own name and was last seen alive two days later at the Padley Centre, an organisation that helps homeless people.

A post-mortem found he had brick marks across his back and chest due to the confined space, which would not allow his chest to expand. His t-shirt had drawn up around his neck and another item of clothing had blocked the top of the chimney.

Dr Hunter said: "There would have been a rapid loss of consciousness and death within a manner of minutes.

"This would be why he did not call for help and the people working within the building had not heard him."

He added that Mr Gough would have realised there was no way out when he got to the bottom. He recorded a verdict of misadventure.

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Typhoon Haiyan: Locals 'Were Not Worried'

Local people were "nonchalant" in the hours before Typhoon Haiyan hit Taclaban, a storm chaser in the Philippines has said.

Josh Morgerman said his impression was that people "were not worried" about the typhoon, which went on to kill thousands of people as it tore across the Philippines.

The professional storm chaser spoke of the moment fierce winds of up to 147mph (235kmph) hit the city as pictures emerged of the enormous scale of the damage.

Before: The built-up coastline at Anibong After: A scene of devastation

"On Friday morning, as the centre of the typhoon approached, it just went crazy and the wind got really violent," he said.

"We were in a thick concrete building that was trembling from the force of flying debris hitting it. All the windows were exploding and everything, glass flying everywhere.

Before: The Anibong area of Tacloban seen before the typhoon After: Cargo ships are seen washed ashore after the storm passed

"Then the deadly thing happened, which is that the storm surge just swept into the city and the entire downtown area was under water."

Mr Morgerman said the first floor of his hotel was under water, and he entered "rescue mode" to help those who were in danger of drowning.

"It was a small typhoon and it moved very quickly but it was extremely severe and it did its work quickly," he added.

Before: Eastern Samar province's Guiuan township before the storm After: An aerial photograph shows the devastation in Guiuan after the storm

Once the storm had passed, the shoreline and streets were unrecognisable.

"It was just piles of rubble and you couldn't even tell what had been there," Mr Morgerman added.

Before: Guiuan township After: Homes appear completely destroyed

"There were just dead bodies in the street. People just seemed shell-shocked - almost like zombies - walking around and trying to understand what happened."

:: Sky News will run a special live programme on the story of the typhoon at 7pm tonight.

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