Chaparrastique Volcano Spills Smoke And Ash

Authorities in El Salvador have evacuated an area near the Chaparrastique volcano after the mountain fired hot ash and gas three miles into the air.

Civil Defence Director Jorge Melendez said a yellow alert had been issued and investigators had been sent to the area to look for signs of fresh lava.

The Chaparrastique volcano rises some 7,025 feet into the sky

"We have implemented emergency measures to evacuate villages located within three kilometres of the volcano," he said.

Shelters have been set up for the evacuees but some locals have refused to leave their homes.

Assistant Health Minister Eduardo Espinoza said two people had been treated at hospitals for respiratory problems apparently linked to the eruption

There were no reports of serious injuries caused by the eruption

But he said there were no serious cases.

"We are providing assistance to people evacuating, and we are asking them to protect themselves against the gases, which can affect the respiratory tract," he said.

A spokesman for El Salvador's Red Cross, Carlos Lopez Mendoza, described the eruption as a "quite strong explosion".

The volcano, which rises some 7,025 feet into the air, last erupted in 1976. It is about 90 miles east of San Salvador.

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Reports: At Least 10 Dead In Russia Bus Blast

At least 10 people have been killed in an explosion on an electric bus in the Russian city of Volgograd, according to reports.

It comes just a day after a female suicide bomber was blamed for killing 15 people and leaving dozens more injured the city's main railway station.

Police identified the bomber as a Dagestan national called Oksana Aslanova - who had been married to two Islamists killed by Russian forces.

Security has been stepped up at train stations and airports

She apparently detonated a bomb in front of a metal detector inside the main entrance of the station. Russian television is suggesting there may have been two attackers.

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YouTube Videos Add To Missing Doctor Mystery

YouTube videos of a doctor who disappeared three weeks ago talking to an unidentified love interest are being examined by investigators searching for her.

Teleka Patrick, who was serving her residency in Michigan, was last seen on December 5.

After completing a shift, the 30-year-old tried unsuccessfully to rent a hotel room in Kalamazoo before being dropped off by the hotel shuttle driver in the car park of the medical centre where she worked, according to the FBI.

"The shuttle driver said she seemed nervous, even ducking down between vehicles, as if she was afraid of being seen by someone," Carl Clatterbuck, a private investigator hired by the family, said.

"I would say she was agitated, but if she was worried about something or someone, she never told anyone about it."

Later that night, Dr Patrick's car was found about 100 miles away, abandoned in a ditch in Indiana with a possible flat tyre, the FBI said.

Her belongings were in the car, including clothing, a wallet that contained her driver's licence, credit cards, and a small amount of cash.

The YouTube videos, which show Dr Patrick singing and speaking to the unidentified love interest, were uploaded in early November.

In one of them she addresses someone as "baby" and "love" while in the other she shows two plates of breakfast.

But her parents said their emergence created more confusion about the situation. 

"We are aware of the YouTube videos that have surfaced today. However, their relevance to her disappearance remains a mystery," they said.

"These videos have led to more questions than answers. To our knowledge, Teleka was not in a romantic relationship and it is unclear to whom she is making reference in the videos."

Dr Patrick has bought an airline ticket to Florida to visit her parents for Christmas and was supposed to join them on December 23.

Her disappearance is being investigated by police in two states as well as the FBI.

A Facebook page has been created in an attempt to help track her down.

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Canada Ice Storm: Thousands Without Power

Thousands of households have been left without power in Toronto after a severe ice storm blanketed much of Canada.

Power companies have been working around the clock to restore electricity, moving from house to house and clearing broken branches and wires.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said crews from outside Toronto had been called in to help clean up after the storm.

"This has been a very unusual situation," she said.

"I understand there are 250 of the Toronto Hydro and other hydro service bucket trucks out right now working with back-up crews, and as you all know there are crews from other jurisdictions.

Workers restore power to homes in suburban Toronto

"I've met people from Kingston who have come here, people from Manitoba who have come in order to help with the clean-up."

Local media has reported that some 30,000 households in Ontario and New Brunswick remain without electricity, including 18,000 homes in Toronto alone.

There are concerns that warmer temperatures and gusty winds could cause fresh power outages as melting ice and falling branches threaten to snap power lines.

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India Gang Rape Victim Was Attacked Twice

A young woman was kidnapped and raped by two gangs in India - a year after a fatal rape shook the nation.

Police have arrested 10 people and charged six of them with raping the a 21-year-old victim in southern India.

Officer Monika Bharadwaj said the woman was abducted and raped while visiting a friend in Karaikal, a port city in Pondicherry state.

Ms Bhardwaj said that the woman had been hospitalised but that she did not suffer serious injuries.

Police have also detained a juvenile male for not informing the police about the crime.

There were protests after the gang rape of a student on a bus last year

Police said the woman was first kidnapped by three of the accused around midnight on Tuesday and released after nearly three hours of captivity.

As she called her friend to pick her up after she was freed, another group of seven people came in a vehicle and took her away, Ms Bhardwaj said.

Police were questioning the accused to find out whether they knew each other or belonged to two separate groups.

The assault came days after India marked the anniversary of the fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus in New Delhi.

That rape and murder sparked nationwide protests.

The outrage spurred the government to adopt more stringent laws that doubled prison terms for rape to 20 years.

Fast-track courts have been created for rape cases.

Four attackers in the New Delhi case were sentenced to death and a juvenile was sent to a reform centre for three years.

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Thailand Protests: Gunman Shoots One Dead

A gunman has opened fire at opposition protesters in Bangkok, killing one person and wounding several others.

The shooting follows weeks of anti-government protests in Thailand as demonstrators seek to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

The protests have triggered bloody clashes between police and demonstrators.

A protester died after he was shot in the torso and three others were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds, a spokesman for the city's Erawan emergency centre said.

The protests have triggered bloody clashes across Thailand

Police have confirmed the shooting, but said its forensic team was unable to access the scene of the incident.

The shooting occurred where a group of protesters had camped overnight close to Government House.

Local media reports said the shots were fired from a passing car by more than one gunman.

Ms Yingluck has called February elections in the hope of bringing an end to the demonstrations.

But the protesters have vowed to block the vote, saying it will only return the Shinawatra clan to power.

A second round of registration for constituency candidates is due to begin around the country on Saturday, raising fears of further clashes.

Eight people, including a policeman, have been killed and about 400 wounded in several outbreaks of street violence.

The government has said it will ask the army to provide security for election candidates and voters.

A policeman and a civilian died of gunshots fired by unknown assailants while 153 people were injured after violence erupted on Thursday when demonstrators tried to force their way into an election registration venue.

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China Condemns Japan PM's Visit To War Shrine

Japan's nationalist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has paid an inflammatory visit to the controversial Yasukuni war shrine.

China immediately condemned the move as glorification of Japan's past "militaristic aggression" and warned Tokyo must "bear the consequences".

Mr Abe described his visit, which comes days after he caused consternation by giving Japan's military its second consecutive annual budget increase, as a pledge against war and said it was not aimed at hurting feelings in China or South Korea.

The Yasukuni shrine is seen as the repository of around 2.5 million souls of Japan's war dead, including several high-level officials executed for war crimes after World War II who were enshrined in the 1970s.

South Korea and China see it as a symbol of Tokyo's lack of repentance for the horrors of the last century.

Mr Abe said in a statement: "Some people criticise the visit to Yasukuni as paying homage to war criminals, but the purpose of my visit today is to report before the souls of the war dead how my administration has worked for one year and to renew the pledge that Japan must never wage a war again.

"For 68 years after the war, Japan created a free and democratic country, and consistently walked the path of peace. There is no doubt whatsoever that we will continue to pursue this path.

A Shinto priest leads Shinzo Abe to the altar

"It is not my intention at all to hurt the feelings of the Chinese and Korean people. It is my wish to respect each other's character, protect freedom and democracy, and build friendship with China and Korea with respect."

The visit came exactly 12 months after he took power, a period in which he has met neither Chinese President Xi Jinping nor South Korean President Park Geun-Hye.

Ties with Beijing were bad before Mr Abe took office, with the two countries crossing diplomatic swords over the ownership of a string of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, controlled by Japan, but claimed by China.

The dispute has been ratcheted up further this year, with the involvement of military aircraft and ships, leaving some observers warning of the danger of armed conflict between the world's second and third-largest economies.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said: "The essence of Japanese leaders' visits to the Yasukuni shrine is to beautify Japan's history of militaristic aggression and colonial rule."

South Korean culture minister Yoo Jin-Ryong said: "We can't help deploring and expressing anger at the prime minister's visit to the Yasukuni shrine despite concerns and warnings by neighbouring countries."

The United States said: "Japan is a valued ally and friend. Nevertheless, the United States is disappointed that Japan's leadership has taken an action that will exacerbate tensions with Japan's neighbours."

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Acid Attacks: India Victims Demand Action

By Neville Lazarus, Sky News producer, Delhi

Sapna, 20, considers herself lucky to have escaped with just a few burns on her face and upper body. She's one of the latest victims of an acid attack in India.

A spurned relative threw industrial acid when she rejected his advances.

There are no exact figures because these attacks are not recorded separately - but campaigners fear they are increasing.

In a landmark judgement the Supreme Court has ordered the government to regulate the sale of acid, compensate the victims and impose stiffer sentences.

For example, the government now has to pay for the medical treatment of the victims.

But Sapna is yet to receive any money for her treatment.

Preeti Rathi, framed, died from an acid attack in Bombay

She said: "The government does not care for us victims. They may arrest the man and keep him in jail for a few years but our lives have been ruined.

"The men should be punished so badly that no one will ever think of attempting to ruin a girl's life."

The Rathi family grieve for their 24-year-old daughter who died after an acid attack six months ago.

She had got a coveted job with the Indian navy. Her father says she was looking forward to her new life in Mumbai.

But when she arrived at the train station in Mumbai, a masked man threw acid on her.

Preeti was blinded and the liquid she swallowed burned her insides. She died in hospital a month later.

Her father says: "I want the culprit to go through the suffering that my daughter went through.

Laxmi was attacked six years ago and still has problems with her sight

"Hanging will give him instant death but he will not experience the hell he inflicted on her. I want an eye for an eye."

The culprit is yet to be traced - the grainy CCTV images cannot identify him.

Preeti's parents have been petitioning authorities for an investigation by the central government.

They even door-stepped the home minister of India in charge of the police.

The minister, Sunil Kumar Shinde, told them he's directed the relevant state department of Maharashtra to look into the case.

Preeti's mother is unconvinced with his reply and told Sky News such ministers just make statements but can't give justice.

"My daughter fought for her life for a month - we want a proper investigation and that they can't give us," she said. 

Campaigners are pressing for harsher sentences for attacks on women

India's deputy home minister RP Singh told Sky News the government has made laws and taken action against acid attacks.

"We have made it a different category in our bill which we amended and the government has made it more difficult for its sale," he said.

But many, like Laxmi, believe the government is still doing very little.

She survived an acid attack six years ago when a man threw the liquid when she spurned his advances.

It burned her face and upper body - her eyes were seriously damaged. She is now an active campaigner for the rights of victims.

It was her petition to the Supreme Court that initiated the changes in law.

But she's dismayed the government is doing nothing to help rehabilitate victims - one of her key demands.

She says she will challenge the government for not doing enough.

"We are not to blame for what happened to us. We are just not survivors. Only we know what we go through when walking down the streets," she said.

"Relatives and friends stop meeting us, our careers are destroyed. Society, the laws and the government don't care if we are living or dead."

India is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman.

The horrific gang rape of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student in Delhi in December 2012 has stirred the nation's soul.

Unprecedented protests took place in the national capital and across the country.

The brutality of the crime pressurised the government and the judiciary to frame new laws and make changes in the older ones to protect women. 

Fast track courts were established to deal with such cases and stricter punishment enforced.

But until the regulation in the sale of acid is strictly enforced, and these crimes are severely and swiftly punished, such attacks will continue.

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Egypt Names Muslim Brotherhood A Terror Group

Egypt's military-backed government has declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group, criminalising all of its activities.

The interim government also banned any financing of the Muslim Brotherhood and membership to it.

The announcement is a dramatic escalation of the fight between the government and the group, from which the ousted president hails.

The Brotherhood has waged near-daily protests since the military coup that toppled President Mohamed Morsi on July 3.

A man surveys the damage caused by Tuesday's bomb attack

Hossam Eissa, the Minister of Higher Education, read out the Cabinet statement after a long meeting.

He said: "The Cabinet has declared the Muslim Brotherhood group and its organisation as a terrorist organisation."

He said that the decision was in response to Tuesday's bombing of police headquarters in a Nile Delta city which killed 16 people and wounded more than 100.

"Egypt was horrified from north to south by the hideous crime committed by the Muslim Brotherhood group," Mr Eissa said.

"This was in context of dangerous escalation to violence against Egypt and Egyptians (and) a clear declaration by the Muslim Brotherhood group that it still knows nothing but violence.

Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi was ousted in July

"It's not possible for Egypt the state, nor Egypt the people, to submit to the Muslim Brotherhood terrorism," he added.

Mr Eissa offered no evidence in his speech linking the Brotherhood to Tuesday's attack.

The Brotherhood, founded in 1928, denounced violence in the late 1970s.

Ibrahim Elsayed, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's political group, the Freedom and Justice Party, said the government announcement will have no impact on the work or the beliefs of the group.

"This decision is as if it never happened. It has no value for us and is only worth the paper it is written on," he said.

"It won't impact us from near and far. Ideas won't be impacted by false accusations. We uphold this call only for the sake of God."

Ahmed el-Borai, the Minister of Social Solidarity, told reporters in a news conference that the decision means "all activities of the Muslim Brotherhood group are banned including the demonstrations."

The declaration gives the armed forces and the police the right to enter universities and prevent protests, as "protection to the students," Mr el-Borai said.

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Israel Defends 'Racist' Bedouin Removal Policy

By Sam Kiley, Middle East Correspondent, in Umm al Hiran

Israeli government officials have rushed to defend the forced removal of up to 40,000 Israeli citizens of Arab descent from their homes in the Negev to new towns amid a growing clamour of protest and accusations that the policy is racist.

A bill that would enshrine the removal of thousands of Bedouin from their traditional lands and end a rural way of life dating back centuries is currently before the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.

But the removals have already begun.

Dozens of homes built in what the government calls "unrecognised villages" have been bulldozed over the last few years.

Ami Tesler: 'There is no racism here ... it's an opportunity'

And the village of Umm al Hiran has been served notice that it will be flattened, its 500 residents forced out, and a Jewish development built in its place.

Such events are commonplace on the Israeli-occupied West Bank where Palestinians face severe construction limitations while illegal Jewish settlements continue a concrete march across Palestinian lands.

But the Negev plans in the Prawer-Begin Bill affect Bedouin who are ethnically Arab - but also full Israeli citizens.

Rabi Arik Ascherman, President of Rabbis for Human Rights, an Israeli human rights organisation said: "We are without a doubt treating the Bedouin in a way that we would not treat Jews in this country.

"The fact that the government has decided to build a Jewish community right where we're standing, that Jewish community will get all of the services, all of the infrastructure, and there will be no question about it."

The Israeli plan is to move some 90,000 Bedouin from 36 villages into seven existing towns and another 11 which will be given recognition.

These Bedouin, who have a long history of loyalty to the Jewish State and send some 300 volunteers to the Israel Defence Force every year, will be given plots in planned areas with connections to water and electricity plus a grant of about £20,000 to build a home.

A Bedouin boy leans over tarpaulin in the Bir Mshash in Israel

Those who leave behind a tent or house may receive additional compensation of about £10,000.

The controversial plan is being run directly from the offices of Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister.

Ami Tesler, the head of the community relation department in the PM's "headquarters for Economic and Community Development of the Negev Bedouin" insist that most Bedouin would accept the "generous formula for compensation".

He admits, though, that the grant and compensation payments would not be enough to build a home "probably a caravan type place but if they work hard they can do much better".

"There is no racism here. On the contrary it's an opportunity for the Bedouins who were neglected because of many things. Now is the time to change this. It is the time to bring them to the 21st century.

"I think that what we are doing today is for the benefit of the Bedouins and especially for the young generation ... We want to give them an opportunity.

"And looking forward 20 years from now we want the babies of the Bedouin to have more education, more skills for life, so at the age of 18 they will have the same opportunities as my kids."

Bedouins ride donkeys in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim

In Uma al Hiran, children have a long bus ride and a dusty walk each way to and from a school in a "recognised" village.

But when they get home they are part of a tight-knit community rich in goats and sheep which was settled on this hill-top spot close to the West Bank when their ancestors were forced out of another Negev area by the Israeli army in 1956.

"We've done everything and now the state wants to bring Jews to replace us, and I say we should live here together.

"This is unacceptable, enough with the racism, enough with the hate," says Salim Abu Khian.

His son served in the IDF until recently.

"The townships are full of crime and I don't want to bring my children up in that way of life," he said.

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South Sudan: 'Thousands Dead' In Ethnic Clashes

Mass graves have been uncovered in South Sudan amid evidence ethnic clashes have left thousands dead.

Dozens of bodies were discovered at a burial site in the country's oil rich Unity State and there were reports of two other mass graves elsewhere.

Violence has flared in a power struggle between President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and his ex-deputy Riek Machar, an ethnic Nuer.

The bodies in the grave are thought to be among 75 Dinkas who have gone missing.

A displaced woman lies on her belongings

Meanwhile, a journalist in the capital, Juba, quoted witnesses as saying more than 200 people, mostly Nuers, had been shot by security forces.

UN humanitarian chief Toby Lanzer said there was "absolutely no doubt"  that thousands of people had been killed.

His comments are the first clear indication of the scale of conflict engulfing the young nation.

Britain has sent a senior diplomat to South Sudan to assist efforts to restore peace, as the UN voted to boost the size of its force from 7,000 to 12,500.

South Sudan is the world's newest nation

Reports suggest that British nationals are among an estimated 3,000 foreigners trapped in the city of Bor, which was seized by rebels last week.

President Kiir said that government troops had now retaken control of the city.

UN spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said the victims discovered in the grave were reportedly members of the Sudan People's Liberation Army.

UN soldiers on guard to protect the displaced people

She said there were unconfirmed reports of least two more mass graves in Jebel-Kujur and Newside, near Juba.

Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have fled to the countryside, leading to warnings of an imminent humanitarian disaster.

Tens of thousands more civilians have sought protection at badly overstretched UN bases.

At least 20,000 are sheltering at two bases in Juba, and another 17,000 in Bor, capital of the precarious eastern Jonglei state.

"The estimated number of people displaced in the current crisis in South Sudan has risen to 81,000," a UN report said.

"Given the limited access to civilians outside population centres, the number is likely to be significantly higher."                 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned warring factions that reports of crimes against humanity will be investigated.

Fighting started more than a week ago when President Kiir accused his former deputy of attempting a coup.

Mr Machar has denied the claim and has in turn accused Mr Kiir of carrying out a vicious purge of his rivals.

The country has been blighted by ethnic divisions, corruption and poverty since it won independence in 2011.

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Pope Francis Warns Of 'Anti-Christian' Violence

Pope Francis has delivered his first Christmas Eve mass and called on Catholics to open their hearts and struggle against the "spirit of darkness".

As thousands flocked to the site of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, the leader of the world's Catholics also highlighted the role played by humble shepherds in the Nativity, saying they were "among the last, the outcast."

At the service in St Peter's Basilica, in the Vatican, Pope Francis said: "If our heart is closed, if we are dominated by pride, deceit, self-seeking, then darkness falls within us."

Pope Francis holds a statue of Jesus at Christmas night mass at the Vatican

Pope Francis has repeatedly warned about rising rates of anti-Christian violence, and he spoke at a time when Christians from ancient communities in Syria are fleeing its bloody civil war.

The Vatican unveiled a traditional Nativity scene in St Peter's Square by Naples artisan Antonio Cantone, who named it after Francis and the mediaeval Italian saint who has inspired him, St Francis of Assisi.

Cantone said the scene was intended to highlight the role of ordinary people in witnessing Jesus' birth - homage to the "simplicity" shown by Pope Francis.

In the West Bank town of Bethlehem, the Archbishop of Jerusalem Fouad Twal celebrated a midnight mass attended by Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas.

Thousands gathered at Manger Square near the Church of the Nativity

Thousands of pilgrims and tourists made their way past Israel's controversial separation wall to reach the Palestinian hilltop town, where snow remains on the ground from a rare winter blizzard this month.

In his homily, Archbishop Twal called for a "just and equitable solution" to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

For Christians "the answer lies neither in emigration nor in closing in on ourselves. It consists in staying here," said the 73-year-old patriarch.

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Egypt: 14 Dead In Police Headquarters Explosion

At least 14 people have been killed in an explosion at a police headquarters in the Egyptian city of Mansoura, officials have said.

The powerful blast, believed to have been caused by a car bomb, injured around 100 others, state media reported.

The explosion took place just after 1am at the regional security headquarters in the Nile Delta province of Daqahliya, collapsing part of the five-floor building.

The blast damaged surrounding buildings and wrecked nearby cars

Most of those killed are understood to be police officers who were inside the building at the time of the blast. 

The explosion reportedly damaged surrounding buildings and wrecked dozens of vehicles.

Security forces cordoned off the area, closed major entrances and exits to the city and set up checkpoints. State TV called on residents to rush to hospitals to donate blood.

Egypt's interim government accused the Muslim Brotherhood of orchestrating the attack, branding it a "terrorist organisation".

Prime Minister Hazem el Beblawi expressed condolences to the families of the victims and vowed the perpetrators would "not escape justice".

The attack comes a day after an al Qaeda-inspired group called on police and army personnel to desert or face death at the hands of its fighters.

It was the first major attack in the Nile Delta, spreading the carnage to a new area and bringing it closer to Cairo.

Previous violence that has killed scores of people has taken place in Sinai or in Suez Canal-area cities such as Islamilia.

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Archbishop To Condemn Israel At Midnight Mass

By Tom Rayner, Middle East editor

One of the most influential Catholic Bishops in the Middle East is expected to criticise Israel during the Christmas Eve midnight mass in Bethlehem.

It is thought the Latin Patriach of Jerusalem, Archbishop Fouad Twal, will label Israel's continued construction of illegal settlements in the Palestinian Territories an obstacle to regional stability.

Thousands of pilgrims across the world will gather to hear the mass, delivered at the Church of the Nativity, built on the site where Jesus is believed to have been born in a stable more than 2,000 years ago.

The Archbishop will also call for an immediate end to conflict in Syria and to the persecution of Christians in the region.

But with negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority now resumed after years of stagnation, he is expected to take the opportunity to address the talks directly.

An Israeli Jewish settlement on disputed land near Jerusalem

At a news conference last week, Archbishop Twal said the efforts of US Secretary of State John Kerry to find a peaceful resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict were being "hampered by the continuous building of Israeli settlements".

Archbishiop Twal added: "As long as this problem is not resolved, the people of our region will suffer.

"While the attention has shifted from the situation in the Holy Land to the tragedy in Syria, it must be stated that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains crucial to the region and is a major obstacle in the development of our society and stability in the middle east."

Israel's approval of new settlement housing units since August, when the latest round of talks began, has been criticised by many western diplomats, including John Kerry.

Father Jamal Khader, Director of the Catholic Seminary in Bethlehem, who is close to the Patriach, told Sky News he expects the message to be reiterated later today.

"What we need is freedom," he said. "What we need is independence and what we need is an end to the occupation. I think the Patriarch will call for an end to the occupation."

Bethlehem, which lies around 10km (six miles) south of Jerusalem, is governed by the Palestinian Authority but is surrounded by Israel's separation wall, check-points and numerous West Bank settlements, which are deemed illegal under international law.

US Secretary of State John Kerry

Construction of the separation wall began in 2002 as a security measure in response to waves of suicide bombings in Israel during the Second Intifada. But critics say it is also being used as a means of extending Israel's borders and confiscating Palestinian land.

While more than a million tourists have visited the town in 2013, the movement restrictions faced by those resident in the Palestinian Territories can make it difficult for Palestinian Christians to visit the Church in normal circumstances.

Over the Christmas period these restrictions have been eased, with Israel putting in place measures to allow Christians from elsewhere in the West Bank and Gaza to join the celebrations.

This will include permits for 500 residents of Gaza, aged under 16 or over 35, who will be authorised to travel to Bethlehem until the end of January.

Lt Col Eyal Zeevi, Head of the Israel Defence Forces' Bethlehem District Coordination Office, said: "Israel is making a significant effort to safeguard freedom of religion in the area, facilitate participation in religious ceremonies and ensure that Christians in the region enjoy the holiday spirit."

Similar measures are also likely to be implemented in May 2014 when Pope Francis is due make a brief visit to both Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

The visit is being seen as an attempt by the Catholic Church to draw attention to the growing persecution of Christians in countries across the region.

But for Bethlehem's tourism-dependent economy, it also promises to be a blessing, with the likelihood of thousands more pilgrims heading to the town, where the Pope will hold the only public mass of his visit.

In his Christmas message, President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, said he welcomed the visit and hoped the Pope would "spread the message of justice and peace for the Palestinians".

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Khodorkovsky Vows To Help Political Prisoners

Former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky has vowed to help get other political prisoners released from Russian jails after he was freed.

The Kremlin critic says people should not see him as a "symbol" that there are no other such detainees behind bars in the country.

The 50-year-old ex-inmate said he would do "all I can" to ensure they win their freedom.

He said Western governments should "remember I am not the last political prisoner in Russia" and he will not shy away from public activity.

But he cautioned he would not be "involved in the struggle for power" in Russia.

The former chief executive and founder of the Yukos oil giant said he had no plans to return to business but he claimed to be in a good financial situation.

Mr Khodorkovsky wears headphones to get translations

He had earlier told a Russian magazine, The New Times, that he would not be looking for a return of his enormous stake in the now-defunct oil company.

Once Russia's richest man, Mr Khodorkovsky spent 10 years in jail on what many in the West considered trumped-up political charges by President Vladimir Putin's government.

He was pardoned by the president on Friday and released from a prison camp in Segezha, northwest Russia, before immediately flying to Berlin.

At a packed news conference, he spoke at the Berlin Wall museum in the symbolic Cold War location of Checkpoint Charlie.

He revealed he had no choice about his end destination, saying he only learnt he would be going to Germany during his transfer.

The prison camp in northwest Russia where Mr Khodorkovsky was held

The ex-tycoon thanked German Chancellor Angela Merkel for working on his release.

Due to a lawsuit for hundreds of millions of pounds in damages stemming from his first 2005 conviction, there was "no guarantee" that if he returned to Russia he would be allowed to leave again.

Asked about his relationship with Mr Putin, Mr Khodorkovsky refused to be drawn into expressing hatred towards the leader.

He said that while he had been treated harshly "my family had never been touched".

He added that he was against a boycott of the Sochi Olympics next February, saying a "festival of sport should not be spoilt" amid claims it could be targeted over Russia's anti-gay laws. It should not, however, become a "festival of Vladimir Putin", he said.

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South Sudan: US Sends Special Envoy Booth

Special envoys from the United States and Nigeria are flying to South Sudan as world leaders step up efforts to avert an all-out civil war.

The US envoy for Sudan and South Sudan Donald Booth was expected in the capital Juba on Sunday.

It follows a mission by foreign ministers from east Africa and the Horn and an appeal by UN chief Ban Ki-moon to end the violence that has gripped the country.

The fighting started a week ago when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of attempting a coup.

Mr Machar denies this, and has in turn accused Mr Kiir of carrying out a vicious purge of his rivals.

The clashes have left hundreds dead and sent tens of thousands of people fleeing to UN bases for protection or to safer parts of the country.

The United Nations compound in Juba

South Sudan has been blighted by ethnic divisions, corruption and poverty since it won independence in 2011.

Foreign governments, including the US, Britain, Uganda, Kenya and Lebanon, have been organising special evacuation flights to pull out their nationals.

On Saturday, four US servicemen were wounded when their aircraft came under fire as they approached the rebel-held town of Bor on an evacuation mission.

America says its citizens and others from "partner" nations have now been flown safely from Bor to Juba in consultation with the South Sudanese government.

The US aircraft incident underlined the increasingly dangerous situation in South Sudan, where at least one UN base has been attacked in recent days, with two Indian peacekeepers and civilians killed.

South Sudan gained its independence from the north two years ago

President Barack Obama has warned against continued fighting.

"Any effort to seize power through the use of military force will result in the end of longstanding support from the United States and the international community," the White House said.

South Sudan's government has acknowledged that much of Unity State, the country's main oil-producing area, is in the hands of rebels.

Forces loyal to Mr Mahar are also still in control of Bor, the capital of Jonglei state and about 125 miles (200km) north of Juba.

However, South Sudan's army spokesman Philip Aguer said government troops were advancing to retake it.

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Lockerbie 25th Anniversary: Victims Remembered

Special memorial services to mark the 25th anniversary of the Lockerbie bombing have taken place in England, Scotland and the US.

Pan Am flight 103 was on its way from London to New York when it exploded above Lockerbie, in southern Scotland, on the evening of December 21 1988, killing 270 people - everyone on board and 11 on the ground.

Simultaneous remembrance services took place in Lockerbie, Westminster Abbey in London and Arlington National Cemetery in the US - where most of the victims were from.

The names of those killed were read out at Westminster Abbey

Relatives read the names of the victims following a minute's silence at 7.03pm (2.03pm EST in the US), marking exactly a quarter of a century since the tragedy.

Another service also took place at Syracuse University in New York state, from where 35 students were killed in the bombing as they returned from studies in Europe.

British Prime Minister David Cameron described the bombing as "one of the worst aviation disasters in history and the deadliest act of terrorism" ever committed in the UK.

He said: "Though 25 years have passed, memories of the 243 passengers, 16 crew and 11 Lockerbie residents who lost their lives on that terrible night have not dimmed.

Family members look for the names of loved ones on the Arlington memorial

"Today our thoughts turn to its victims and to those whose lives have been touched and changed by what happened at Lockerbie that night."

Dr Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora died in the disaster, told Sky News: "Anniversaries aren't in a sense that big a deal for the families of victims because we have to live with the lovely memories of those that we lost all that time ago, every day of every year.

"Bereavement in itself is sometimes a life sentence."

Graham Herbert, former rector at Lockerbie Academy which lost three students in the atrocity, said the market town "has always tried to move forward".

A speaker during the service at the national cemetery in Virginia

He told Sky News: "I know today there will be a lot of closed doors. A lot of people will not go out of their houses. The memories are just too bitter, there are still open wounds there."

Jane Schultz lost her 20-year-old son Thomas, who was part of the Syracuse University group on board the flight.

She told Sky News: "In my heart, to me this is home and there was no other place I felt I should be on this very sad and special occasion.

"I wanted to be here to honour my son as well as the 269 other victims and I wanted to stand in the place where my son took his last breath and say a small prayer."

Eleven people were killed on the ground in Lockerbie

Libyan Abdelbaset al Megrahi was found guilty of the bombing in January 2001 and given a life sentence.

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008, leading to a decision to free him under compassionate release rules.

Scotland's Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill took that decision on August 20 the following year, sparking a row among politicians on both sides of the Atlantic.

Megrahi died in Tripoli, Libya in May last year. His family is considering lodging a fresh appeal to clear his name.

Abdelbaset al Megrahi was the only person to be convicted of the bombing

British relatives of victims who believe he was wrongfully convicted of the bombing are also planning another appeal against the conviction when they meet with lawyers in the new year.

A joint statement from the UK, US and Libyan governments said they remained committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice.

It said: "We want all those responsible for this most brutal act of terrorism brought to justice, and to understand why it was committed. We are committed to cooperate fully in order to reveal the full facts of the case."

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South Sudan Conflict: Last UK Airlift Mission

The UK is to charter its third and final flight to evacuate British nationals from the troubled East African state as fighting spreads.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said the plane would be sent to the capital city of Juba on Monday afternoon and warned that the government would struggle to help anyone who chose to stay behind.

An FCO spokesman said: "We strongly advise all British nationals in South Sudan to leave the country if they can do so safely. You may have difficulty leaving in the event of a further deterioration in security."

It comes as US President Barack Obama said any effort in South Sudan to seize power through military force will lead America and others to cut off support.

"This conflict can only be resolved peacefully through negotiations," the White House said in a statement.

Two previous planes have provided an escape route for British nationals

"Any effort to seize power through the use of military force will result in the end of longstanding support from the United States and the international community."

British military transport planes have been used to evacuate two groups of UK nationals over recent days.

On Saturday, a US rescue plane was hit by incoming fire leaving four American service personnel injured.

Officials said the aircraft was heading for an evacuation site in Bor, the capital of the state of Jonglei and the scene of some of the country's worst violence in the past week.

After being fired at it reportedly turned around and headed to Kampala in Uganda. From there the wounded service personnel were flown to Nairobi, Kenya, for medical treatment.

Some of South Sudan's worst violence has taken place in Bor

South Sudan blamed the attack on renegade troops.

Fighting broke out in the South Sudanese capital Juba between rival army factions last weekend following a reported coup attempt against President Salva Kiir Mayardit by soldiers loyal to his former deputy.

The violence has since spread to other regions and has claimed at least 500 lives, according to the United Nations.

Kenya said on Saturday it was sending troops to South Sudan to evacuate some 1,600 citizens. Many are trapped in Bor, which has been taken by rebels.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has "ordered the KDF (Kenya Defence Force) to commence immediate evacuation of the 1,600 Kenyans stranded in South Sudan", a spokesman said in a statement.

Up to 500 people are thought to have been killed since the reported coup

"Despite the relative calm in Juba, a number of other South Sudan towns have come under fire," he added, saying that Kenyans "are mainly in the town of Bor".

Others, in the towns of Rumbek, Ayod, and Panyabol "will also be airlifted to safety."

"The president has also ordered the immediate delivery of food, water and medicine to South Sudan (to help) tackle the emergency," the spokesman added.

"The delivery of these emergency supplies started this morning. Kenyan military aircraft are delivering consignments to South Sudan."

Kenya, which hosted the peace talks that ended the 1983-2005 civil war in Sudan, and which paved the way for South Sudan's independence two years ago, is also supporting efforts to end the latest crisis.

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Obama: NSA Spying Sweeps May Be Reviewed

President Barack Obama has suggested that surveillance methods used by US intelligence services may be reviewed following further spying revelations.

According to documents leaked by the whistleblower Edward Snowden, Britain and America monitored EU officials and the Israeli Prime Minister.

Speaking at a press conference at the White House, Mr Obama suggested that he may be ready to make some changes to the way phone records are collected.

Among dozens of recommendations he is considering, he hinted that he may strip the National Security Agency of its ability to store data in its own facilities and instead shift that storage to private phone companies.

"There are ways we can do it potentially, that gives people greater assurance that they're checks and balances, that there is sufficient oversight, sufficient transparency," Mr Obama said.

The new documents leaked by Mr Snowden reveal heads of state and international organisations were the focus of US and British spies.

The agents targeted a senior European Union official, German government buildings, and the office of a former Israeli prime minister, according to the papers published on Friday.

Other targets from 2008 to 2011 included foreign energy companies and aid organisations, according to The Guardian and The New York Times, citing secret documents from the former NSA contractor.

Mr Snowden's leaks have exposed the reported surveillance activities of the NSA and its British counterpart GCHQ, the alleged extent of which has upset many US allies and fuelled a heated debate about the balance between privacy and security.

Former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert

He is living in Russia under temporary asylum.

The newspapers reported that in January 2009, GCHQ and the NSA had targeted an email address listed as belonging to the Israeli prime minister, who at the time was Ehud Olmert.

Spies also monitored email traffic between then-Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak and his chief of staff, Yoni Koren, the newspapers said.

Other targets were said to include the United Nations Children's Fund, French aid organisation Medecins du Monde, French oil and gas firm Total, and French defence company Thales Group.

An NSA spokeswoman said the agency did not use espionage to help US businesses.

"We do not use our foreign intelligence capabilities to steal the trade secrets of foreign companies on behalf of - or give intelligence we collect to - US companies to enhance their international competitiveness or increase their bottom line," the spokeswoman said.

The European Commission said if it was true one of its senior officials had been targeted it would be "unacceptable".

"This piece of news follows a series of other revelations which, as we clearly stated in the past, if proven true, are unacceptable and deserve our strongest condemnation," a spokesman said.

The Guardian said the disclosure that GCHQ had targeted German government buildings in Berlin was embarrassing for British Prime Minister David Cameron since he had signed an EU statement condemning the NSA's spying on Chancellor Angela Merkel.

GCHQ said it was aware of the reports but did not comment on intelligence matters.

A spokesman said: "Our work is carried out in accordance with a strict legal and policy framework which ensures that our activities are authorised, necessary and proportionate."

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Russia's Khodorkovsky 'Glad' To Be Free

A Russian oil tycoon has denied that he had admitted guilt in his request for a presidential pardon after being released from a prison camp.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was once the richest man in the country, was freed within an hour of the Kremlin publishing a decree and boarded a flight to Berlin, where his ill mother is being treated.

In the first statement since his release, Mr Khodorkovsky said: "On November 12, I turned to the president of Russia with a request for a pardon associated with family circumstances, and am glad about the positive decision. The issue of my guilt was not addressed."

Mr Khodorkovsky has been in prison since 2003 after being convicted in two trials on charges including fraud and embezzlement.

Mr Khodorkovsky spent a decade behind bars

He previously said he would not request a presidential pardon because he would be seen to be admitting guilt.

However, the newspaper Kommersant reported that he changed his mind after a meeting with Russian security services, who raised the possibility of a third trial and warned him that his mother's health was deteriorating.

"This conversation, which was conducted without lawyers, forced Mr Khodorkovsky to turn to the president," the article said.

He also thanked former German foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, who was the top diplomat of West Germany and then Germany from 1974-1992, for aiding his release.

Mr Putin meets Mr Khodorkovsky at the Kremlin in May 2001

Berlin worked "behind the scenes" for Mr Khodorkovsky release, said German chancellor Angela Merkel.

Mr Putin surprised journalists at the end of his annual end-of-year news conference on Thursday by announcing that he was planning to pardon Mr Khodorkovsky.

"Guided by humanitarian principles, I decree that Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky ... should be pardoned and freed from any further punishment in the form of imprisonment," his decree said.

The circumstances surrounding the pardon remained unclear.

Mr Khodorkovsky has been held at a prison camp in Segezha, northwest Russia

A Russian government source said freeing his best-known and potentially most powerful critic could deflect international complaints about Vladimir Putin's human rights record as Russia prepares to host the Winter Olympics at Sochi in seven weeks.

He fell out with Mr Putin as the president clipped the wings of wealthy oligarchs who had become powerful during the chaotic years of Boris Yeltsin's rule following the collapse of Soviet communism.

Mr Khodorkovsky has given no indication of his future plans, saying only he wanted to meet his loved ones.

"I am very much looking forward to the minute when I will be able to embrace my loved ones and personally shake hands with all my friends and associates," he said.

"First of all I am going to repay my debt to my parents, my wife and my children, and I am very much looking forward to meeting them.

"I will welcome the opportunity to celebrate this upcoming holiday season with my family."

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Putin To Pardon Jailed Tycoon Khodorkovsky

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

Russia's president Vladimir Putin says jailed former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky will soon be pardoned after more than a decade in prison.

Once Russia's richest man, Khodorkovsky has become its most famous political prisoner.

He was arrested at gunpoint on board his private jet in 2003 and convicted on charges of tax evasion and fraud.

But many believe his real crime was to challenge Mr Putin, publicly questioning him during a televised Kremlin meeting, and emerging as a potential political rival.

Khodorkovsky was sent to a prison camp in Siberia, before being transferred to a remote penal colony in Russia's far north.

Amnesty International considers him a prisoner of conscience.

Mr Putin has previously singled Khodorkovsky out for bitter personal attacks, saying, "A thief should sit in jail".

But as he left his annual press conference, he casually mentioned to reporters that he was minded to pardon him soon.

The Russian leader said: "He has been in jail already more than ten years, this is a serious punishment.

"He cites humanitarian reasons. His mother is ill." 

"I decided that with these circumstances in mind, it is necessary to take a decision, and in the near future a decree pardoning him will be signed."

It was not clear why he had not mentioned it in the previous four hours' questioning, despite being asked directly about the Khodorkovsky case.

The president said the ex-tycoon had been through 'serious punishment'

Khodorkovsky has vehemently maintained his innocence over the last decade, refusing to ask for a pardon that could be construed as an admission of guilt.

One of his legal team initially denied that a pardon had been sought, and a spokesperson said he could not confirm whether the report was true.

He said: "Until his legal team can meet with Mikhail Khodorkovsky, it cannot be commented on whether a request on a pardon was made, by whom and for what reasons.

"All of his family and supporters would of course be elated to see him finally free after 10 years of imprisonment."

His son, Pavel Khodorkovsky, tweeted: "Very happy news.  Waiting to speak with my father to learn more."

Russian stocks rose 1.3% after Mr Putin's announcement.

Investors have long viewed the treatment of the former oligarch as evidence of the weakness of property rights and rule of law in Russia.

But critics said the move, which follows a high-profile amnesty announced on Wednesday, was part of a concerted PR exercise, attempting to sanitise Russia's human rights record ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February. 

Charges have been dropped against 30 Greenpeace crew arrested after a protest in the Russian Arctic, and Russian punk band Pussy Riot, jailed for an anti-Putin stunt inside a Moscow Cathedral are due to be released from prison.

Putin said he hoped Russia's response would 'serve as a lesson' to Greenpeace and that the country would take tough steps to defend its interests in the region in future.

He said he felt pity for the jailed Pussy Riot band members, not because they were in prison, but because they had "started to engage in activities which are degrading and humiliating for women".

Reacting to Mr Putin's comments, Khodorkovsky's mother, who will turn 80 next year, said she had only just heard the reports and was not aware that her son had asked for a pardon.

Khodorkovsky is held in Penal Colony No. 7

She said: "I want to believe he will pardon him. I want to believe Putin is not totally lost."

Khodorkovsky answered Sky News' questions from inside his prison camp earlier this year.

Responding via his legal team, he said: "Jail is a great leveller. I lost much when I came into jail, many people arrive having had so little, they barely notice the difference."

"It makes it equal in a funny sort of way."

We asked him to describe his daily life in Penal Colony No. 7 - a dilapidated camp in the remote Karelia region, notorious for its Stalin-era gulag.

He said: "We are held in barracks with 100-150 people in a barrack; the sleeping quarters are two square metres per person; it is warm in the barrack, this is very important.

"Overnight it is quiet, the light remains on, and an inspector walks inside the facility once every two hours. But this does not bother me.

"Clothing is issued and laundered.  There is a common toilet, but it is clean.  I shower once a week. I can see traces of meat in the food regularly; fresh vegetables - sometimes in the prison shop.

"I receive a parcel once every two months from home; 20kg.  I ask for nuts, dried fruits and coffee. After 10 years you get experienced looking after your health."

Khodorkovsky turned 50 in prison earlier this year and was due to be freed in August 2014, despite rumours of a third case being prepared against him.

Asked about his prospects for release in October, he replied: "Over 10 years I have become convinced that in my case nothing is impossible.

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South Sudan Evacuations Amid Deadly Violence

A second flight will be sent to evacuate Britons fleeing fighting in South Sudan, after three United Nations peacekeepers were killed amid escalating violence.

The three Indian soldiers were killed when armed youths breached a UN compound in the country's Jonglei state.

The government says it has lost control of the region's capital, Bor, and fighting continues to spread through the newly-formed East African state following a reported coup attempt in national capital Juba on Sunday.

An estimated 20,000 people have sought refuge at two UN compounds in Juba, and another 14,000 in Bor.

President Salva Kiir, above, blamed the coup on his ousted vice president

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has strongly advised all remaining British nationals to leave the country as fears grow that it may prove difficult to get out if the situation continues to deteriorate.

One group of British nationals has already left on a Foreign Office flight and a second is due to leave from the city.

An FCO spokesman said: "The UK plans to send a second flight to South Sudan to evacuate British nationals who wish to leave from Juba airport on Friday December 20, following the evacuation of some British nationals on December 19.

"We strongly advise all British nationals in South Sudan to leave the country if they can do so safely. You may have difficulty leaving in the event of a further deterioration in security."

US President Barack Obama has deployed 45 military personnel to help bolster security at the US Embassy. Non-emergency government personnel were ordered to leave earlier this week.

In a written statement, he said: "South Sudan stands at the precipice. Recent fighting threatens to plunge South Sudan back into the dark days of its past."

The United Nations has estimated that up to 500 people have been killed in fighting between rival factions following the coup attempt against the president by soldiers loyal to his former deputy, Riek Machar.

South Sudan's numerous ethnic groups have battled each other for decades.

On Sunday, violence broke out when the presidential guard splintered along ethnic lines.

Guards from the president's majority Dinka tribe tried to disarm guards from the Nuer ethnic group, triggering violence in the capital which has extended out into the country.

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Paul Walker Porsche Crash Down To 'Speed Alone'

The Porsche Carrera GT that crashed killing Fast & Furious actor Paul Walker had no mechanical problems, according to investigators.

A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the car lost control due to "speed, and speed alone".

The investigation also ruled out debris in the road as causing the car in which Walker was a passenger to smash into a street light and a tree.

The actor and driver, his friend and financial adviser Roger Rodas, were both killed in the accident on November 30.

Scene of the crash in Santa Clarita, California

Investigators have refused to set a firm speed at which they think the car was travelling until Porsche engineers come to California next month to extract information from on-board data collectors.

According the reports in the US, three black boxes have been recovered from the vehicle.

One will be able to tell the last speed recorded and whether the airbags were deployed and the other two will give information on the throttle and engine readings.

Tributes are left at an unofficial memorial for the star

As a result of 40-year-old Walker's death, Universal Pictures has announced it is putting the filming of Fast & Furious 7 on hold indefinitely.

More than half the movie has reportedly been made and it was slated for release on July 11, 2014.

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NSA Spying Sweeps 'Have Gone Too Far', Report

A panel has recommended curbing the secretive powers of the National Security Agency, warning its mass spying sweeps in the war on terror had gone too far.

The report, commissioned by President Barack Obama, said the NSA should halt the mass storage of domestic phone records, and called for new scrutiny on snooping on world leaders.

It also called for privacy safeguards for foreigners and fresh transparency over US eavesdropping.

The 300-page report unveiled 46 recommendations to reshape US surveillance policy following explosive revelations by fugitive intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.

There is no guarantee the president will accept the non-binding recommendations but he will consider his next move ahead of a public statement in January.

The panel urged reforms of a secret national security court that oversees clandestine surveillance operations.

It also called for the NSA to be stripped of its ability to store telephone records - instead handing that duty to phone companies or a third party.

The report said the intelligence and security infrastructure launched after the September 11 attacks had perhaps gone too far.

"It is now time to step back and take stock," it said.

Fugitive intelligence contractor Edward Snowden

"We conclude that some of the authorities that were expanded or created in the aftermath of September 11 unduly sacrifice fundamental interests in individual liberty, personal privacy, and democratic governance."

Review board member Richard Clarke, a former White House counterterrorism aide, called for mechanisms that were more transparent and have more independent oversight to give the public a new "sense of trust".

Throughout, the report argued that a new equilibrium needed to be found between national security, and privacy and individual Constitutional rights.

It steered away from calling for outright curbs on gathering intelligence on foreign leaders, following embarrassing revelations that US spies had snooped on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone.

But it said US spy chiefs should be forced to justify surveillance on world leaders to the president and his aides.

The release of the report comes amid deepening political pressure on the White House for significant reforms in the massive NSA telephone and internet data mining operations across the world.

A federal judge in Washington this week ruled that NSA programmes, which have scooped up millions of details on telephone calls and Internet traffic on Americans and foreigners, were probably unconstitutional.

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South Sudan: Hundreds Killed In Army Clashes

Hundreds of people have been killed in clashes between rival army factions in South Sudan's capital.

UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous added that another 800 people have been wounded in battles between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and an opposition leader.

Between 15,000 and 20,000 people have sought refuge in UN compounds around Juba since the troubles started on Sunday, according to officials.

A tanks patrols a street in Juba

The death toll is based on reports given by Juba hospitals but the UN has not yet confirmed the figure because of new clashes on Tuesday.

Security Council president Gerard Araud, France's UN ambassador, would not confirm the toll after the briefing by Mr Ladsous.

"There is a heavy toll, it is obvious," he said.

"There are dozens and scores of casualties, it is really not a minor incident."

President Salva Kiir (L) and Riek Machar

Mr Araud added that fighting had also been reported outside of the capital in Pibor, in Jonglei state, which has a history of clashes between rival ethnic groups.

Juba remains "extremely tense" and it appeared the clashes were being carried out on ethnic lines, he told the 15-member council.

Mr Kiir has accused troops loyal to former vice president Riek Machar of staging a coup attempt in the impoverished nation.

The government said 10 key figures including ex-ministers have been arrested, but that Mr Machar was on the run.

A child is treated in a Juba hospital

Mr Kiir is an ethnic Dinka while Mr Machar is a Nuer.

UN leader Ban Ki-moon spoke with Mr Kiir on Tuesday and urged him to offer "dialogue" with the opposition. Mr Ban also spoke with the president of neighbouring Uganda, Yoweri Musseveni, about the unrest.

The Security Council meeting was called at the request of the US which has ordered non-essential diplomatic staff out of South Sudan.

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