Two Held After Children Killed In House Fire

Two people have been arrested on suspicion of murder by police investigating a house fire in which a woman and two children died.

A 20-year-old woman, a boy aged four and a two-year-old girl were pronounced dead by firefighters after the blaze broke out at a property in Maes Y Groes, Prestatyn, on Friday night, a North Wales Police spokeswoman said.

Her 23-year-old partner and her 15-month-old son were taken to hospital by ambulance in a critical condition, she added.

Police confirmed the two people in custody are a 45-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman, who live in a ground floor flat underneath the victims.

Neighbour Adele Gordon described the chaotic moments as the fire took hold: "There were people everywhere. This man came running up the street shouting 'my kids are in there, my kids are in there'.

Fire crews recovered five people from inside the property

"People started smashing the windows but the smoke was mad, I've never seen smoke like it. It was thick black smoke bellowing out of the house."

Another neighbour, Mike Foster said: "I can't believe it. I'm just in shock. I didn't even know them but I'm just so upset."

A joint investigation is being carried out by North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and North Wales Police.

A Welsh Ambulance Services spokeswoman said the man and baby were taken to Glan Clwyd Hospital.

The man was later transferred to Whiston Hospital, Merseyside, while the baby was moved to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool.

Both were said to be in a serious condition.

Detective Superintendent John Chapman said: "We would appeal for anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the Maes y Groes area of Prestatyn yesterday evening to get in contact as soon as possible by calling us on 101.

"We are deploying Family Liaison Officers to work closely with the next of kin at this difficult time.

"There is a team of dedicated officers working on specific lines of enquiry in relation to this incident."

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Lebanon: Protests After Beirut Bomb Blast

Protesters in Lebanon have burnt tyres and set up roadblocks amid growing anger over a car bomb that killed eight people, including one of the country's top security officials.

There are fears that the devastating attack threatens to bring Syria's civil war to Lebanon.

Lebanese troops stood guard at road junctions and official buildings in the capital, Beirut, as the Lebanese cabinet held an emergency meeting to decide on what, if any, action to take.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati later said the blast was linked to the civil war in neighbouring Syria and revealed that he had agreed to stay on as premier at President Michel Sleiman's request because of "national interest".

Among the victims of the Beirut blast was Brigadier General Wissam al Hassan, head of a Lebanese intelligence department and an opponent of Syrian President Bashar al Assad.

Politics in Lebanon and Syria are closely connected

Brig-Gen al Hassan, 47, headed an investigation over the summer that led to the arrest of former information minister Michel Samaha, one of Mr Assad's most loyal allies in Lebanon.

Mr Samaha, who is in custody, is accused of plotting a campaign of bombings and assassinations to spread sectarian violence in Lebanon at Syria's behest.

Also indicted in the August sweep was Syrian Brigadier General Ali Mamlouk, one of Mr Assad's highest aides.

Dozens were left wounded in the blast in Beirut's mainly Christian Achrafieh neighbourhood.

Lebanon's fractious politics are closely entwined with Syria's.

The countries share political and sectarian ties and rivalries, often causing events on one side of the border to have a "knock on" effect on the other.

Lebanon's opposition is an anti-Syrian bloc, while the prime minister and much of the government are pro-Syrian.

The civil war in Syria has laid bare Lebanon's sectarian tensions as well.

Many of Lebanon's Sunni Muslims have backed Syria's mainly Sunni rebels, while Shi'ite Muslims have tended to back Mr Assad.

Brig-Gen al Hassan was a Sunni whose stances were widely seen to oppose Syria and Shi'ite Hezbollah, the country's most powerful ally in Lebanon.

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Cardiff Hit-And-Runs: Police Hunt Mystery Car

Detectives investigating a hit-and-run rampage in which a mother of a disabled child was killed are appealing for information about a mystery car seen driving on the wrong side of the road shortly before the crashes.

Karina Menzies, 32, was killed yesterday and 13 people were injured when a driver brought terror to roads in Cardiff.

As it emerged today that Ms Menzies' child is on a "dream holiday" in Florida and does not know of the tragedy, police revealed new details of the investigation.

Police are continuing to question a 31-year-old man on suspicion of her murder as well as investigating reports that he deliberately knocked people down in the Welsh capital with a white Iveco van.

Detective Superintendent Paul Hurley confirmed reports that the suspect left his vehicle and physically assaulted people between the crashes and also carried a weapon.

Flowers outside the fire station in Ely where Karina Menzies was killed

The officer said: "We are aware the suspect assaulted people outside his vehicle," and he added police were "looking to identify and recover" the weapon.

He said no firearm was involved and there was no suggestion anyone had been stabbed.

Mr Hurley urged witnesses to get in touch and asked for information about a black Renault Clio seen driving on the wrong side of the road of Western Avenue, not far from Cowbridge Road West, where one crash happened.

The horrific events began when police received calls about an incident in Crossways Road in Ely at 3.30pm.

This was soon followed by other reports of hit-and-run collisions in several locations in the west of the city, including Grand Avenue, Cowbridge Road West and the Leckwith Retail Park.

The white van pictured after being stopped by police

There was no full registration details for the Clio but officers said it carried an 05 plate.

Fourteen people were injured in the crashes, nine remain in hospital. Five are children and two adults remain in a critical condition.

Seventy officers are working on the investigation.

Floral tributes were laid at the scene where Ms Menzies was killed.

Among those paying their respects was local Labour MP Kevin Brennan.

Police were called to five locations in Cardiff

He said: "Karina was a well-liked mother who had three children. One of her children is disabled and is currently on a dream holiday in Florida."

Ely sub-postmaster Shady Taha, 29, had just served two girls aged about 10 and a woman in her mid-20s moments before one of the hit-and-runs in Grand Avenue, immediately outside a row of shops.

He said: "All of a sudden I heard a bang. I looked out and across the road one girl was on the floor and the other girl was screaming. I heard a van speed off but I did not see it."

Lynda Paterson, who lives in Cowbridge Road West, described the scene outside her house as chaotic.

"I was going to pick my children up from school and I could see there were police and someone was lying on the floor, on the pavement."

Police examine the scene of one of the crashes

Other eyewitnesses said pedestrians were deliberately targeted by someone driving a white van.

The crime scenes included Ely fire station, an area near the Merrie Harrier pub in Llandough on the outskirts of Cardiff, where the suspect was arrested, and Leckwith Retail Park - next to the Cardiff City Stadium.

It is believed the suspect used a crook lock to assault witnesses.

There were also unconfirmed reports that officers were investigating whether the attacker was involved in a domestic incident before the rampage.

A key part of the inquiry is focused on establishing who owns the white van.

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Israeli Navy Boards Gaza-Bound Boat

The Israeli military says its navy boarded a boat carrying pro-Palestinian MPs and activists that was trying to break the naval blockade on Gaza.

The boarding happened after the passengers' "unwillingness to co-operate" and they "ignored calls to change course", the military added.

Soldiers went on to the Finnish-flagged Estelle in international waters and it was being led to the southern Israeli port of Ashdod, it continued.

The military said the troops boarded the boat peacefully, and there was no harm to the passengers who were offered food and drinks.

When the boat arrives at the Ashdod port, the passengers will be transferred to the custody of the police and immigration authorities.

Victoria Strand, a spokeswoman for Ship to Gaza in Sweden, which sent the Estelle, said armed, masked soldiers boarded the boat and cut their communications 30 miles from Gaza.

She said activists on board told her six naval boats surrounded their vessel. "This is a demonstration of ruthlessness," Ms Strand said.

The Estelle is the latest in a series of activist-manned boats challenging Israel's blockade on Gaza, which was imposed after the militant group Hamas seized power of the territory in 2007.

The boat left Naples, Italy, on October 7 with about 20 people from eight countries, carrying items like cement, basketballs and musical instruments.

An Israeli military statement said: "The boarding was carried out in accordance with international law, with directives of the Israeli government and after all attempts to prevent the vessel from reaching the Gaza Strip were made, both via direct contact and through diplomatic channels, but to no avail.

"The boarding was carried out only after numerous calls to the passengers onboard; as a result of their unwillingness to co-operate and after ignoring calls to change course, the decision was made to board the vessel and lead it to the port of Ashdod."

In 2010, an Israeli naval raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla killed nine Turkish activists on board.

The incident sparked international condemnation that forced Israel to ease much of its blockade, although it maintains restrictions on key exports and imports of raw materials.

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Iraq Soldiers' Families Win Damages Fight

Relatives of soldiers killed in Iraq have won the latest round in a fight for compensation from the Government.

The Court of Appeal said families could pursue damages claims on the grounds of negligence.

Relatives say the Ministry of Defence failed to provide armoured vehicles or equipment which could have saved lives and should pay compensation.

MoD bosses say decisions about battlefield equipment are for politicians and military commanders.

A lawyer representing the families described the ruling as "an important victory".

Private Phillip Hewett, 21, of Tamworth, Staffordshire, died in July 2005 after a Snatch Land Rover was blown up.

His mother, Susan Smith, told Sky News outside the court earlier: "Their argument's always been that they didn't really need to protect them because nobody could do anything about it.

"It's just been plodding on trying to get this where they recognise that soldiers have the right to life and the right to be safe in their jobs to the best of their ability.

"I think the MoD have known all along that it wasn't suitable but they just thought people would just leave it."

Legal action was started as a result of the deaths of a number of British soldiers following the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, judges heard.

Corporal Stephen Allbutt, 35, of Sneyd Green, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, was killed in a "friendly fire" incident in March 2003.

He died after a Challenger 2 tank was hit by another Challenger 2 tank.

Soldiers Dan Twiddy, of Stamford, Lincolnshire, and Andy Julien, of Bolton, Greater Manchester, were badly hurt in the incident.

Similar explosions claimed the lives of Private Lee Ellis, 23, of Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, in February 2006, and Lance Corporal Kirk Redpath, 22, of Romford, Essex, in August 2007.

The Court of Appeal announcement followed a ruling in June 2011 by a High Court judge, who said relatives could pursue claims on negligence grounds – but not under human rights legislation.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) appealed against Mr Justice Owen's ruling on negligence claims - while the relatives challenged his findings on the human rights issue.

Shubhaa Srinivasan, a partner with law firm Leigh Day & Co, which is representing the family of Cpl Allbutt and the surviving servicemen, said: "We await the verdict, having fought for many years to get these claims to court.

"We maintain that the MoD's position has been morally and legally indefensible, as they owe a duty of care to those who fight on behalf of this country.

"British troops should at the very least have adequate equipment and training, ranging from the very basic such as GPS devices, to sophisticated satellite tracker systems, which the Americans had available to them."

The MoD spokesman said: "Our thoughts and concerns remain with those that were injured and the families of those that sadly lost their lives.

"We are considering the judgment by the Court of Appeal and as this is likely to be subject to further legal action it would be inappropriate for us to comment further."

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Beirut Car Bomb: 'Eight Killed' In Explosion

At least eight people have reportedly been killed and 78 wounded by a car bomb in Lebanese capital Beirut.

The rising death toll - following the city's first such attack since 2008 - was reported by Lebanon's state-run National News Agency.

More follows...

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Taxi Driver Pleads Guilty To Clubber Murder

A taxi driver admitted has admitted killing nightclubber Sian O'Callaghan.

Father-of-three Christopher Halliwell, 48, from Swindon, pleaded guilty to the charge during a hearing at Bristol Crown Court.

Miss O'Callaghan, 22, disappeared after leaving Swindon's Suju nightclub in the early hours of March 19 last year.

Hundreds of volunteers turned out at Savernake Forest to help in the search for her but she was found dead in Uffington, Oxfordshire, on March 24.

Miss O'Callaghan left the nightclub at 2.53am to walk the short distance to the home she shared with boyfriend Kevin Reape.

Shortly after she walked past the Goddard Arms on the High Street in the Old Town area, she got into Halliwell's taxi.

He had signed off from work earlier that night but, instead of going home, he cruised the streets of Swindon in his green Toyota Avensis taxi looking for a victim.

The court heard that he took Miss O'Callaghan, an office worker, to Savernake Forest where he murdered her.

In the 24 hours after Miss O'Callaghan was abducted, Halliwell made four visits to the area where her body had been hidden.

Prosecutor Ian Lawrie QC told the court: "He had carried out a reconnaissance for a possible deposition site for Sian O'Callaghan."

By the early hours of March 21, Halliwell had moved Miss O'Callaghan's body from Savernake Forest to the spot where it was later found.

He then attempted to cover his tracks by cleaning his car and burning his seat covers.

Within three days Halliwell was the prime suspect for Miss O'Callaghan's kidnap.

He was detained at an Asda Walmart car park in Swindon where experienced detectives carried out an "urgent interview".

Mr Lawrie told the court: "He said he didn't know the whereabouts of Sian and requested to speak to a solicitor."

Miss O'Callaghan's body was discovered lying face down and naked from her waist to her ankles.

A post-mortem found she had died from the combined effects of two stab wounds to the head and neck, as well as compression to the neck.

There was further evidence of blunt trauma to the back of the head and areas of external deep bruising to her face.

Forensic examinations found Miss O'Callaghan's blood in the rear of Halliwell's car, Police also used CCTV to establish he was in the Old Town area when she vanished.

The court heard extracts of statements made by Miss O'Callaghan's loved ones.

Mr Reape said: "My heart was ripped out, my life has been destroyed. Sian was a beautiful, happy-go-lucky person who could cheer up the most miserable of people."

Her mother, Elaine O'Callaghan, said: "There is never total closure, just accepting my life has changed forever."

Mick O'Callaghan, her father, said: "My eldest daughter was the most lovely and fantastic daughter."

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Torched Car Did Belong To Missing Vet

Missing Irish Woman's Last Sighting

Updated: 6:16pm UK, Thursday 18 October 2012

CCTV footage of the last known sighting of a missing Irish woman feared to have been murdered in Wales has been released by police.

Catherine Gowing, 37, was captured on camera in an Asda store in Queensferry, Flintshire, at 8:06pm last Friday.

She had left the veterinary surgery in Mold where she worked at around 7pm wearing blue jeans, a light brown zip-up fleece top with white sleeves and white side panels and plain flat black shoes.

Ms Gowing was also carrying a bright brown saddle bag over her shoulder and was carrying an Asda plastic bag and a pizza-type box.

Her sister, Emma Gowing, appealed for help in finding her "beautiful sister", who is originally from Kinnity, Co Offaly.

In a statement, she said: "We are all so deeply shocked by the events that have unfolded in the last four days.

"Catherine's disappearance has left us all bereft. We are lost without her.

"Catherine is a kind sensitive beautiful person. She is passionate about animals and utterly devoted to her family. She is my best friend and the light of my life and my parents' lives."

Detective Superintendent John Hanson, of North Wales Police, said: "Co-ordinated searches continue at various locations in an attempt to find Catherine, her vehicle and personal items that appear to be missing from her home.

"Our priority is to trace Catherine and we would urge anyone who has seen her or her Renault Clio, bearing the Irish registration plates 00D 99970, to contact the North Wales Police incident room on 101.

"This is totally out of character for Catherine and the public's assistance in the search cannot be emphasised enough."

Ms Gowing is about 5ft 10in and of slim, athletic build. She speaks with an Irish accent.

Police believe that after finishing work, she drove home to Cae Isa, New Brighton, in her work car - a Vauxhall Corsa which has been recovered.

A 46-year-old man from Gwynedd is being held in connection with Ms Gowing's disappearance.

He appeared before Prestatyn magistrates on Thursday morning and a warrant for further detention was granted to North Wales Police, allowing him to be questioned until Friday evening.

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Missing Ben Needham: New Search In Greece

British police investigating the disappearance of Ben Needham are to search a mound of earth close to where he went missing in Greece 21 years ago.

Ben vanished on the island of Kos in July 1991 when he was 21 months old, after his mother and grandparents moved there from Sheffield.

How Ben might look in his early twenties

Despite a number of possible sightings and a range of theories about what happened to him, no trace of the youngster has been found.

A team of experts will begin examining the grounds of the farmhouse from which Ben disappeared tomorrow, before deciding whether any areas should be dug up.

The search, which is expected to last up to 10 days, will centre on a large mound near the house which is now grassed over.

One theory is that Ben could have been buried beneath building material which was dumped there at the time he went missing.

His mother, Kerry Needham, 41, told the Daily Mirror: "This is an elimination process and that's how I'm dealing with it.

"It's one of the most important things to happen in 21 years."

Mrs Needham has previously said she believes the mound was already there when Ben went missing.

Angela Smith, the MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, told BBC Radio Sheffield: "Hopefully they won't find Ben in that rubble and it closes down another line of inquiry and narrows down the possibilities.

"I know that she [Mrs Needham] will be very keen for this work to be undertaken and rock solid confident, I'm sure, that they won't find Ben there."

South Yorkshire Police, which is leading the operation, said the search, which follows a request from Greek police for extra support, would also involve a forensic archaeologist and search dogs.

A spokesman for the force said: "During the past 18 months, South Yorkshire Police has reviewed all material held by the Greek police in relation to Ben's disappearance in order to support the Greek enquiry.

"We have also obtained Ben's DNA from Sheffield Children's Hospital."

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'Lonely' Eton Boys Make Gangnam Style Video

A group of pupils from Eton College have posted a Gangnam Style-inspired video on YouTube, where the teenagers talk about their frustrations and insecurities.

Gangnam Style was a track released by South Korean rapper Psy in July. It is known for its catchy dance beats and has become an internet sensation, watched by hundreds of millions of people.

The schoolboys will be hoping their song, Eton Style, goes some way towards repeating the success of Psy.

Their lyrics include: "Awkward, frustrated, lonely, and insecure. We don't like conflict with other people.

"Coz if you push us then we'll just break down and cry."

They added: "We're not too social, can't talk to women, although we try, we're just too shy."

The video features some of the local landmarks including Windsor Great Park, Eton Bridge and Windsor's Long Walk.

The fees for the world-famous Berkshire school are among the highest in the country, and Princes William and Harry as well as Prime Minister David Cameron are among its former pupils.

A couple of weeks ago, Psy became the first South Korean artist to make it to number one in the UK singles chart with Gangnam Style.

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