Litvinenko Death: Public Inquiry To Be Held

The widow of poisoned ex-KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko says she is "relieved and delighted" that there will be a public inquiry into his death.

Marina Litvinenko said the Government's announcement there would be a full investigation into the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death sent a message to his killers that "no matter how strong and powerful you are, the truth will win out in the end".

Home Secretary Theresa May outlined the terms of the public inquiry in a written statement.

Investigators will now be able to examine whether his killing was a Russian state-ordered assassination, as has been suggested.

Marina Litvinenko had been fighting for a public inquiry

Mr Litvinenko was poisoned by a cup of tea laced with the deadly radioactive element polonium-210 during a meeting at a London hotel in 2006 with two former Russian agents. He died three weeks later.

Mrs Litvinenko has fought for a public inquiry into his death ever since, but the Government refused on the grounds it wanted to wait for the outcome of an inquest into his death.

Mrs May said in her statement: "I very much hope that this inquiry will be of some comfort to his widow."

The Litvinenko affair has caused significant diplomatic ructions between Britain and Russia. Police have asked for the arrests of two prime suspects, Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitri Kovtun, but the Kremlin has refused.

The announcement of an inquiry could not have come at a worse time for Britain's increasingly frayed relationship with Russia as tensions between the two countries intensify over Vladimir Putin's handling of the Ukraine air disaster.

Andrei Lugovoi is now a Russian MP

Sky's political correspondent Anushka Asthana said: "Sources admit it is 'bad timing' but insist there is no conspiracy. They point to a High Court ruling back in February, following a judicial review by Mr Litvinenko's widow. It said there was a pressing need for an inquiry. So the Government had to act.

"But it did so slowly. Today was its final opportunity, according to the source, because it is the day that Parliament breaks up - and given the ruling it would be inappropriate to wait until after the summer."

Mr Litvinenko fled Russia in 2000 and was granted asylum in Britain. His widow claims he was working for MI6 at the time of his death after meeting Mr Lugovoi and Mr Kovtun at the Millennium Hotel in Grosvenor Square.

Last year, Sir Robert Owen, who was conducting the inquest and would now chair the inquiry, said he could not hold a "fair and fearless" investigation into Mr Litvinenko's death because the Government refused to release information on Russian and British intelligence involvement.

Alexander Litvinenko in 1998

He had said a public inquiry would be the best way to proceed.

Mr Lugovoi, who is now a Russian MP, withdrew his cooperation with the inquest in 2013, accusing the British Government of a cover-up.

He has always denied murdering Mr Litvinenko, but has admitted meeting him shortly before his death, however, traces of radiation at key locations on his route from Moscow to London were found.

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McDonald's And KFC Probe 'Rotten Meat' Supplier

McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut in China say they have suspended orders from a supplier amid claims it sold them out-of-date beef and chicken.

A television news report featured video footage of staff in white suits at a meat processing factory run by Shanghai-based Husi Food Company allegedly picking up and using meat and hamburger patties that had fallen onto the floor.

Packages of chicken wings and breasts showed a shelf life of six days, but the parts had been expired by almost half a month, the report claimed.

When an undercover journalist for Shanghai-based Dragon TV asked if the meat could still be used, a member of staff replied: "No worries. Move it up (the production line)."

The Shanghai Food and Drug Administration at Husi Food factory in Shanghai

The report showed the meat being sent to the production line and transformed into Chicken McNuggets.

The footage also showed one employee handling out-of-date beef and calling it "stinky meat".

Chinese authorities have ordered the company to suspend its operations while the claims are investigated.

Officials also seized products which allegedly had been made using expired meat, the Shanghai food and drug administration said in a statement.

Husi Food Company has been ordered to suspend its operations

McDonald's - and Yum Brands, which owns the KFC and Pizza Hut franchises - said they had immediately stopped using meat from the firm and were conducting their own probes.

"Food safety is a top priority for McDonald's," the company said in a statement, adding that it pursues "strict compliance" with consumer safety laws and regulations and has "zero tolerance for illegal behaviour".

China's Xinhua news agency cited a Husi manager, Yang Liqun, who said the firm has a strict quality control system and was co-operating in the investigation.

KFC, which is China's biggest restaurant chain with 4,000 outlets and has plans to open 700 more, has faced food safety issues in China before.

The international fast-food chains have halted orders from the supplier

In 2012, authorities found excessive levels of antibiotics in chicken it sourced from local suppliers.

Other customers of Husi Food include Burger King, Papa John's Pizza and coffee chain Starbucks, according to the the Shanghai Daily newspaper.

Furniture maker Ikea told the South China Morning Post it stopped using the company's products in August 2013, while sandwich maker Subway also denied using meat from the firm.

It is the latest product scandal to hit China. Infants, hospital patients and others have been killed by contaminated milk powder, drugs and other goods in the past decade.

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Ferry Sinking: Fugitive Billionaire Found Dead

Police have discovered the body of a fugitive billionaire who had been wanted in connection with a ferry disaster in South Korea.

They began a large manhunt for Yoo Byung-eun following the sinking of the Sewol vessel in April, in which more than 300 people, mostly schoolchildren, were killed.

The 73-year-old businessman, whose family own ferry operator Chonghaejin Marine Co, went on the run after the tragedy.

A heavily decomposed body found last month by police matched the DNA of his older brother.

More than 300 people were killed in the disaster

Authorities say they have now confirmed the corpse was that of Yoo, who was wanted for questioning on possible charges of embezzlement and criminal negligence.

Suncheon police chief Woo Hyung-Ho said the body was too decomposed to determine the cause of death, adding that several empty bottles of alcohol were found at the scene.

"We do not know yet whether it was a homicide or a suicide," Mr Woo said.

"We are hoping that more detailed forensic analysis will shed light on this and on the exact time of death."

The Yonhap news agency said the body was discovered on June 12 in a plum field in Suncheon, a city about 180 miles south of Seoul.

The corpse was lying face up and was clothed in a winter jacket and hat.

Prosecutors are investigating to what extent the disaster was caused by a lack of safety standards and regulatory violations.

Many of his Yoo's family members were arrested following the tragedy, among them his wife and his brother.

A daughter is fighting an extradition bid from Paris and his eldest son is still on the run.

The captain and 14 crew members are currently on trial for murder after the ship sank on a trip from the port on Incheon to the holiday island of Jeju on April 16. There were 172 survivors.

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Autistic Twin Sons 'Locked Up' In Basement

A couple have been arrested on charges they locked up their 22-year-old autistic twin sons in the dungeon-like basement of their home.

The Washington Post reported the basement had no furniture and no electricity, just a duvet on the floor. It said the room smelled of urine and had only a small window.

The newspaper cited police records in Montgomery County, Maryland, and identified the couple as 57-year-old John Land and 59-year-old Janice Land.

Reports said they were charged with abuse of vulnerable adult and attempted false imprisonment.

The door to the basement was reportedly locked with a deadbolt.

According to the Post and local TV station WJLA, the suspects said their sons were "non-verbal" and could only communicate by pointing at objects.

John Land reportedly told police that his sons would sometimes try to run away and that is why he and his wife started locking them up.

Police discovered the basement by chance as they went to the house on an unrelated matter.

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Women Filmed By Gynaecologist Get $190m

Thousands of women who were secretly filmed by a doctor during gynaecological exams are to share a payout of $190m (£111m).

Nikita Levy, who worked at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for 25 years, was accused of secretly filming and taking photos of more than 9,000 women, often using a camera hidden in a pen.

He killed himself last year as authorities decided whether to file criminal charges over what happened at one of the world's top medical centres.

A federal investigation led to roughly 1,200 videos and 140 images being discovered on computers in his home.

The lawyer representing the patients said the women were distraught when they found out they had been filmed.

"All of these women were brutalised by this," Jonathan Schochor said.

"Some of these women needed counselling, they were sleepless, they were dysfunctional in the workplace, they were dysfunctional at home, they were dysfunctional with their mates.

"This breach of trust, this betrayal - this is how they felt."

The settlement is among the largest on record in the US involving sexual misconduct by a physician.

Kim Hoppe, a spokeswoman for the hospital, said the settlement came after nearly a year of negotiations.

"It is our hope that this settlement helps those affected achieve a measure of closure," Ms Hoppe said.

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Orange Really Is The New Black In US County

A Michigan sheriff is changing prisoners' all-orange inmate jumpsuit - because they have become a popular fashion trend outside of jail.

Sheriff William Federspiel has decided to replace the orange garb with traditional black-and-white stripe uniforms for all inmates of Saginaw County.

"I don't ever want citizens of Saginaw County to wonder, if they see someone on orange, if it is an inmate or not," the sheriff told Saginaw News.

The orange is out, the stripes are in

"It's because as you see shows on television, like Orange Is The New Black, some people think it's cool to look like an inmate of the Saginaw County Jail with wearing all orange jumpsuits out at the mall or in public."

Sheriff Federspiel said he expects the inmates to be in the new uniform by year-end.

"Until black-and-white horizontal stripes becomes the new black, we are changing our uniforms," he said.

The popular Netflix series Orange Is The New Black is based on a woman's memoir of her year in a federal prison.

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Pregnant Woman And Child Among Airstrike Dead

A four-year-old girl and three women, one of them pregnant, were among those killed in the latest Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, according to medics.

It comes as the Israeli military confirmed one of its soldiers was missing, presumed dead, and diplomatic efforts were stepped up aimed at securing a ceasefire in the bloody conflict.

At least six people were killed in three separate aerial attacks in Bureij and Al-Maghazi in central Gaza, and Rafah in the south.

A Palestinian medic inspects damage at a hospital in Gaza

The missing Israeli soldier was one of seven personnel who had been inside an armoured vehicle hit by an anti-tank missile on Sunday.

The military has only been able to identify six of the dead, but a spokesman denied any possibility the unaccounted for soldier was still alive.

It follows claims by Hamas that it had captured a soldier, which was denied at the time by Israel's ambassador to the UN.

Israel is continuing its offensive to stop attacks by Hamas militants

Militants displayed a photo ID and army serial number raising fears they had seized his remains, which could be used to exchange for prisoners.

More than 600 Palestinians, many of them women and children, and 29 Israelis, including 27 soldiers, have been killed in the 15-day conflict as Israel tries to stop rockets being fired from Gaza.

The continued violence comes as diplomatic efforts intensify in Cairo, where US Secretary of State John Kerry has met Egyptian leaders including the country's president Abdel Fattah al Sisi.

As Mr Kerry arrived in Cairo, the US confirmed it would provide $47m (£27m) in humanitarian aid for Gaza.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Cairo to try and broker a ceasefire

He has urged Hamas to seek peace talks based on an Egyptian truce proposal, that the group has rejected.

Meanwhile, UN chief Ban Ki-Moon has held talks in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and was also due to meet Palestinian officials in the West Bank.

Mr Netanyahu said the international community should hold Hamas accountable, accusing the militant group of rejecting ceasefire moves, and comparing it to other terror organisations including Isis, al Qaeda, and Boko Haram.

The funeral of an Israeli soldier near Tel Aviv

He insisted Israel was targeting "terrorist targets" in Gaza, and accused the fighters of hiding behind civilians.

"We will do what we need to do to defend ourselves," Mr Netanyahu said.

Mr Ban said: "We condemn strongly the rocket attacks. They must stop immediately."

The bombardment of Gaza has led to an exodus of more than 100,000 civilians

He also condemned the use of civilian sites by Hamas militants.

He called on both sides to "stop fighting, start talking".

And Mr Ban also urged Israel to exercise restraint.

Israel's aerial bombardment has so far resulted in an exodus of more than 100,000 Palestinian civilians, according to the United Nations.

:: Delta Airlines and US Airways have cancelled all flights to Israel indefinitely amid reports of a rocket near Tel Aviv airport.

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MH17: Rebels 'Calm' As Search For Clues Begins

Russia Only Needs To Create Doubt Over MH17

Updated: 12:50pm UK, Tuesday 22 July 2014

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

From a cavernous situation room inside the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Lieutenant-General set out Russia's version of events.

The briefing was carried live on Russian state TV and handed out on DVDs by Russia's ambassador to Malaysia.

They claim to have detected a Ukrainian military aircraft within 3-5km of the Malaysian Airliner on Thursday.

"The SU-25 fighter jet can gain an altitude of 10km, according to its specification," Lt Gen Kartopolov explained (which happens to be the exact altitude at which MH17 was flying).

"It's equipped with air-to-air R-60 missile that can hit a target at a distance up to 12km, up to 5km for sure.

"We would like to get an explanation as to why the military jet was flying along a civil aviation corridor at almost the same time and at the same level as a passenger plane."

They also claim to have detected an unusual increase in Ukrainian radar activity leading up to the incident, and that the airliner came down "within the operating zone" of Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile defences.

He showed satellite images of a Ukrainian base close to Donetsk, pointing out that its surface-to-air missile units were missing on the day of the crash.

He then appeared to claim that one of the units had moved into rebel-controlled territory on the morning of the crash.

Finally, Russia categorically denied supplying the rebels with Buk surface-to-air missile systems, or indeed any other weaponry.

Now, firstly, it's worth saying there is a propaganda war in both directions here, which has been going on for several months, and that both sides are pursuing interests beyond the immediate tragedy of MH17.

But the questions Russia presents "that Kiev must answer" raise a few questions themselves.

The SU-25 "fighter jet" Russia claims to have identified close to the airliner is a ground attack aircraft - according to its manufacturer its maximum service height, without weapons, is 7,000m - 3km short of MH17.

As Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer pointed out, it's also too slow: "They should have at least claimed it was an SU-27," he said.

And if the rebels don't have the Buk missile system, or indeed any other Russian-supplied weaponry - how did they target the dozen Ukrainian military aircraft they have previously boasted of shooting down?

This included an Antonov-26 transport aircraft, flying at an altitude of 6,500m last week.

It is possible of course that the rebels have acquired weapons from Ukrainian military bases, although the government in Kiev insists it can account for all of its missile systems.

And what exactly is the case Russia is setting out? Is it suggesting the Ukrainian SU-25 (despite its technical limitations) shot down the passenger jet in mid-air?

And why? The plane would seem to have been travelling in the wrong direction for Ukrainian forces to have perceived it as a hostile aircraft coming from Russia, and the rebels don't have an air force.

So are they seriously suggesting the Ukrainians deliberately moved their missiles on to rebel-held territory and shot the airliner down as part of some sort of nefarious plan to frame the rebels and turn world opinion against them?

But then Russia doesn't need to prove its case - all it needs is to create one, to insist that there are different versions of events, that there is credible claim and counter-claim.

In much the same manner as a criminal defence barrister, Russia doesn't have to demonstrate that its alleged client is innocent - just to establish enough doubt in the minds of the jury - in this case the international community - that they can't be completely sure.

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British Experts To Examine MH17 Black Boxes

Air accident investigators based at Farnborough will examine the data from the black boxes of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

David Cameron confirmed the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), part of the Department for Transport, would take the lead in analysing the crucial black box data.

He tweeted: "We've agreed Dutch request for air accident investigators at Farnborough to retrieve data from #MH17 black boxes for international analysis."

Aleksander Borodai handed the boxes to Malaysia's Colonel Mohamed Sakri

Rebel leader Aleksander Borodai - prime minister of the self-styled Donetsk People's Republic - earlier handed over the boxes in front of a packed room of journalists.

Malaysian Colonel Mohamed Sakri said they were "intact, although a bit damaged".

The handover comes as Dutch foreign minister Frans Timmermans said the EU had agreed to impose sanctions on more Russia officials in the wake of the crash.

European ministers have been meeting in Brussels to discuss new measures against Moscow, which is accused of backing the rebels suspected of being behind the disaster.

Mr Timmermans said a "forceful decision" had been agreed that would impose further visa bans and asset freezes.

The train carrying the MH17 victims left rebel-held territory overnight

He did not specify names or say how many Russian officials were on the list.

Mr Timmermans added that EU foreign ministers were preparing more forceful sanctions against Russia's arms, energy and financial sectors if it continues to back the rebels in Ukraine.

Many of the victims of flight MH17 have now arrived in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, where the bodies will be handed over to Dutch officials.

Refrigerated train wagons made the 186-mile (300km) journey from Torez overnight, after armed separatists who had been guarding the carriages allowed them to leave.

Inside were up to 280 bodies, which will now be flown to the Netherlands where two-thirds of the 298 victims came from.

The bodies are expected to arrive in the country on Wednesday.

More follows...

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Police 'Puzzled' As Law Professor Gunned Down

Florida police investigating the shooting death of a prominent criminal law professor believe he was the intended victim.

Dan Markel, also a blogger, was gunned down in his home in an upscale neighbourhood in Tallahassee and died on Saturday.

His death shocked the community at Florida State University, where he taught.

Police went back to his home on Monday and said they did not believe the killing was random - rather Mr Markel was the intended target.

Officials said it not appear to be a burglary.

But they released little else information about the death that remains without an apparent motive.

"This is a puzzle and we need to get all of the pieces of the puzzle put together to bring this case to a close," police spokesman David Northway told CBS.

The Toronto-raised Mr Markel got his law degree at Harvard and joined Florida State University in 2005.

He was a contributor to The New York Times and USA Today and often commented on themes relating to the theory of retributive justice.

In a statement, Florida State University called Mr Markel "an outstanding teacher and extraordinary scholar".

Colleagues on his blog Prawfsblawg wrote: "The terrible, senseless nature of his loss makes it all the harder to bear."

CBS quoted a lawyer for his ex-wife as saying she is devastated and afraid following Mr Markel's death.

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