9/11 Plane Part Found Between NYC Buildings

A part from one of the commercial planes that was flown into the Twin Towers on 9/11 has been found between two buildings, police say.

New York Police Department Spokesman Paul Browne said the piece of landing gear, discovered on Wednesday wedged between a mosque site and another lower Manhattan building, has a clearly legible Boeing identification number.

The twisted and rusted equipment features cables, levers and giant bolts. It measures 5ft high, 3ft wide and 1.5ft deep.

"The odds of this being wedged between there is amazing. It had to have fallen just the right way to make it into that space," Browne said.

A plane can be seen before it flies into one of the Twin Towers on 9/11

He added that other wreckage has been found nearby in the years since the terrorist attack.

The part was found by surveyors who had been hired to inspect the site of a planned Islamic community centre at 51 Park Place, about three blocks from ground zero.

The surveyors spotted the debris as they looked down between the buildings from the roof, quickly called 911, and the scene was secured and police documented the findings with photographs, Mr Browne said.

The ruins of the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attack

The National Transportation Safety Board and police will work to determine whether the wreckage belongs to American Airlines Flight 11, which struck the North Tower, or to United Airlines Flight 175, which crashed into the South Tower. Both planes were Boeings.

Police are awaiting a determination from a medical examiner on whether to sift the soil around the building to search for human remains.

The medical examiner's office is in the middle of a 10-week sifting operation as it attempts to identify additional human remains in debris unearthed at the World Trade Center site during construction of a new skyscraper.

If the landing gear's origin is authenticated, it would mean it sat undisturbed for nearly a dozen years.

Patricia Riley, the sister of 9/11 victim Lorraine Riley, called the discovery "very strange."

"Twelve years later we are still finding remnants of the attack on our country," she said.

"For years to come we'll continue to find things that we didn't see before. Hopefully, they'll serve as a reminder that we have to stay vigilant."

More than 2,750 people were killed at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, when terrorists hijacked the two commercial passenger planes and flew them into the upper floors of the Twin Towers, then the tallest buildings in the world.

Hijackers also took over two other planes that day, crashing one into the Pentagon in Washington DC.

The fourth plane went down in a field in rural Pennsylvania.

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Bangladesh Factory Owners Arrested

Police in Bangladesh have arrested two clothing factory owners based at the eight-storey building near the capital Dhaka that collapsed killing 304 people.

It comes after police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at thousands of clothing workers who took to the streets on the outskirts of Dhaka to protest over the deaths.

Dhaka police deputy chief Shyaml Mukherjee said: "We've arrested Bazlus Samad, the chairman of New Wave Buttons and New Wave Style factories, and Mahmudur Rahaman Tapash, a managing director of one of these plants, after midnight."

He added that police have filed a case against them for "death due to negligence", after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the owners forced the workers to return to work after cracks appeared in the building.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association had also asked the factories to shut down on Wednesday morning, hours before the building came down.

"After we got the crack reports we asked them to suspend work until further examination, but they did not pay heed," said association president Atiqul Islam.

Survivors described hearing a loud crack just before the eight-storey building collapsed, with each level pancaking on top of those below.

The building housed at least four factories producing clothes for leading Western retailers.

High street giant Primark confirmed one of its suppliers occupied the second floor of the building.

A Primark spokesman said: "The company is shocked and deeply saddened by this appalling incident at Savar, near Dhaka, and expresses its condolences to all of those involved."

Elsewhere in Bangladesh, hundreds of thousands of workers walked out of their factories in solidarity with their dead colleagues.

Some workers' leaders attacked Western firms, whom they accused of turning "a blind eye" while using Bangladeshis as "money-making machines".

With time running out to save workers still trapped in the collapsed building, rescuers have been digging through mangled metal and concrete to find more survivors.

By Friday evening, more than 80 survivors had been rescued, according to officials.

But more dead were also discovered. Shamim Islam, a volunteer who entered the collapsed building along with rescue workers, said he saw "many bodies inside".

Officials said the search will continue today.

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Boston Marathon Bombings 'Triggered By Remote'

The Boston Marathon explosions that killed three people and wounded more than 260 were triggered by a remote-controlled detonator.

The bombs were not very sophisticated and were set off within several streets away because the detonator was a "close-controlled" device, according to two US officials who spoke to AP news agency on condition of anonymity.

It was not immediately clear what the detonation device was.

A criminal complaint outlining the charges against surviving 19-year-old bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev described him as holding a mobile phone minutes before the first explosion.

Bombing suspects Tamerlan Tsarnaev (L) and Dzokhar Tsarnaev (R)

The two sources, one reportedly briefed by the FBI and the other close to the investigation, also told AP that Dzhokhar had told interrogators that he and his brother were angry about US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

They also said a 9mm pistol, believed to have been used by suspects in a gun battle with police last Friday had been recovered. Its serial number had been scratched off.

Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis has said more than 250 shots were fired in the first shootout in Watertown during which explosives were thrown at police and 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev died.

His younger brother, who escaped, was captured some time later hiding in a boat in the same residential suburb of Boston after a gun battle with police.

He remains in hospital and is being questioned about the marathon attacks. He has been charged with using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction.

Thousands gathered to pay their respects to Sean Collier

It has also emerged the Russian government was in touch with the CIA with concerns about Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Until now, only contact with the FBI had been acknowledged by US officials.

Details of the ongoing investigation into the bombings emerged as a memorial service was held for Sean Collier - a university police officer who authorities say was killed by the Boston Marathon bombing suspects.

Up to 10,000 Massachusetts Institute of Technology students, faculty and staff as well as law enforcement officials from across the US gathered at Briggs Field to pay solemn tribute to the campus officer.

Vice President Joe Biden, as well as members of Mr Collier's family, also attended the event which was not open to the public.

Mr Biden, who grew up in the same neighbourhood as the Collier family, said the tragedy had brought him to "tears" after relatives painted "a vivid picture" of their loved one.

The casket of the slain polcie officer is carried by colleagues

He told the congregation: "Of all the things I've read, not knowing Sean, what struck home the most to me was that a student was quoted as saying, 'he loved us and we loved him'. What a remarkable son, what a remarkable brother."

Mr Biden described the Tsarnaev brothers, the only suspects in the Boston attack, as "two twisted, perverted, cowardly, knock-off jihadis".

In an emotional and passionate speech, he added: "What makes me so proud to be an American is that we have not yielded to our fears.

"The irony is, we read about these events, we experience them, but the truth is, on every frontier, terrorism as a weapon is losing. It is not gaining adherents, and what galls them the most is America does remain that shining city on the hill."

Mr Collier had only been in the job for a year when he was fatally shot in his squad car at the beginning of the dramatic manhunt for the suspects, four days after the twin blasts at the Marathon.

The 26-year-old was well-respected by his colleagues and was popular with students, and often went on hikes with the MIT student outing club.

MIT police chief John DiFava said: "What made Sean good? There are many reasons. But I believe the most important is the fact that he was the same person in uniform that he was when he wasn't wearing the uniform.

"His care and compassion was genuine ... and because of his depth of character he was able to achieve a level of trust with people of all backgrounds that was truly remarkable. I am sure his love of life and that mischievous grin added to his ability to connect with students."

He added: "Sean, we love you and we'll never forget you."

Wednesday's gathering followed a private funeral mass for Mr Collier on Tuesday.

Parents Anzor Tsarnaev and Zubeidat Tsarnaeva

Meanwhile, US diplomats have travelled to Russia's Dagestan region, a largely Muslim area on the Caspian Sea, to interview the parents of the bombing suspects.

Their father Anzor Tsarnaev and mother Zubeidat Tsarnaeva have reportedly said they will be travelling to the US on Thursday to visit their surviving son and bring his dead elder brother's body back to Russia.

They have refuted the allegation that their sons carried out the last Monday's bombings and have said their sons were framed.

Some relatives have claimed Tamerlan fell under the influence of a mystery Muslim convert - a red-bearded man known to the family only as Misha - and was steered towards an extreme form of Islam.

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Bangladesh: Cracks In Building Were Ignored

Cracks were noticed two days ago in a building that collapsed in Bangladesh, killing at least 145 people and injuring more than a thousand others, it has been claimed.

Survivors say they were made to carry on working in the eight-storey block despite concerns about its safety.

The building, in Savar on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka, housed at least four factories producing clothes for leading Western retailers.

The high street giant Primark has confirmed that one of its suppliers occupied the second floor of the building.

Bosses at the retailer say they were "shocked and saddened" by the collapse.

In a statement released on the company's website, a Primark spokesman said: "The company is shocked and deeply saddened by this appalling incident at Savar, near Dhaka, and expresses its condolences to all of those involved.

Thousands gathered on the streets where the building collapsed

"Primark has been engaged for several years with NGOs and other retailers to review the Bangladeshi industry's approach to factory standards. Primark will push for this review to also include building integrity."

Army Brigadier General Mohammed Siddiqul Alam Shikder said late on Thursday that many people were still trapped in the building.

The disaster came less than five months after a factory fire killed 112 people and underscored the unsafe conditions faced by Bangladesh's garment workers.

Workers said they had hesitated to enter the building on Wednesday morning because it had developed such large cracks a day earlier that it even drew the attention of local news channels.

Just hours later the building came tumbling down.

Hundreds of factory workers were trapped inside the building

Tens of thousands of people have gathered at the site, weeping and searching for family members.

Searchers worked through the night to get through the jumbled mess of concrete with drills or their bare hands, passing water and flashlights to those pinned inside the building.

"I gave them whistles, water, torchlights. I heard them cry. We can't leave them behind this way," said fire official Abul Khayer.

Abdur Rahim, who worked on the fifth floor, said a factory manager gave assurances that the cracks in the building were no cause for concern, so employees went inside.

"After about an hour or so, the building collapsed suddenly," Mr Rahim said.

The next thing he remembers is regaining consciousness outside.

On a visit to the site, Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir told reporters the building had violated construction codes and that "the culprits would be punished."

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Libya: French Embassy In Tripoli Attacked

The French embassy in Libya has been damaged after a car bomb attack in the capital of Tripoli.

Officials have confirmed that two French security officers on the premises were injured, one seriously, in the attack.

"There was an attack on the embassy. We think it was a booby-trapped car," a Libyan official said.

The blast happened at 7am in an upmarket residential area of the city

"There was a lot of damage and there are two guards wounded."

The blast destroyed a security wall and severely damaged the building when the blast occurred at about 7.10am local time.

The French mission is located in a two-storey villa in the uptown Gargaresh area of Tripoli.

Journalist William Crisp, who arrived at the scene, told Sky News: "The engine block of the car landed quite a way from the embassy so it was quite a strong blast.

The unprecedented attack occurred in Tripoli

"The attack was in a sleepy, wealthy part of town. It was a middle-class neighbourhood."

Buildings opposite the embassy were also damaged in the attack and two cars parked near the embassy were destroyed.

Jamal Omar, who lives across the street and whose face was slightly injured, said the car must have been parked only minutes before the explosion.

"I was sweeping outside my house, and there wasn't any car in front of the embassy. The explosion happened less than five minutes after I went back inside," he said.

The bomb appeared to have been detonated directly outside the embassy

"In liaison with the Libyan authorities, the services of the state will do everything to establish the circumstances of this odious act and rapidly identify the perpetrators," Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement.

The motive for the attack, the first assault launched on an embassy in the Libyan capital, was not immediately clear.

Libyan foreign minister Mohammed Abdel Aziz condemned the attack on the embassy, calling it a "terrorist act".

"We strongly condemn this act, which we regard as a terrorist act against a brother nation that supported Libya during the revolution" of 2011 that ousted the regime of Moamer Kadhafi, Abdel Aziz told AFP news agency at the scene of the blast.

The embassy was daubed in anti-French graffiti in 2011

President Francois Hollande said: "France expects the Libyan authorities to shed light on this unacceptable act so that the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice."

In Paris, French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said his ministry was "in liaison with the Libyan authorities" and that France will "do everything it can to shed light on the circumstances of this abhorrent act and to quickly identify the perpetrators".

Mr Fabius is making a visit to Tripoli to discuss the situation with both Libyan officials and French diplomatic staff.

Sky News Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall added: "It is another indication of how things are not doing well in Libya.

"The French would be a target, along with Britain, as they spearheaded regime change from the Gaddafi era."

Two years after the country's civil war, Libya has struggled to maintain security, build a unified army and reign in its militias.

The sprawling desert state has been awash with weapons and roving armed bands but violence in Tripoli has not targeted diplomats before in the way Western envoys have been shot at and bombed in the east of the country.

On the anniversary of the September 11 US attacks last year, armed men launched an assault on the US consulate in Benghazi, killing four US citizens including the ambassador to Libya.

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France: Historic Vote Legalises Gay Marriage

By Robert Nisbet, Europe Correspondent

The French parliament has become the 14th in the world to pass a law extending marriage to same sex couples.

After a fractious and sometimes violent public debate, MPs voted by 331 to 225 in favour of the measure, which also allows gay couples to adopt children.

Minutes before the historic vote, a protester dressed in pink - the colour adopted by those opposed to the measure - was forcibly removed from the chamber.

President Francois Hollande made changing the law an electoral priority, much to the anger of religious groups. Catholic, Muslim and Jewish leaders in France all opposed the legislation.

They formed a loose protest coalition with the fractured UMP conservative opposition party, which had been languishing in the polls after Nicolas Sarkozy's defeat in the 2012 elections.

But French polls revealed a gradual shift in public opinion. In a recent survey 58% said they supported same-sex marriage, while 53% opposed adoption by gay parents.

The debate has led to violent clashes on the streets of France, which organisers of the opposition coalition blamed on far-right extremists infiltrating their marches.

A threatening letter was even sent to the speaker of the Assemblee Nationale which contained traces of gunpowder and the message: "You wanted war and you've got it."

Human rights groups say the language of the movement, known as "A Protest For Everyone" has been so toxic it has led to a spike in homophobic attacks.

Protesters mounted last ditch efforts to prevent the law being passed

A Dutch man was attacked by a gang as he walked with his male partner in Paris, while gay bars in Lille and Bordeaux were targeted by skinhead gangs.

Despite the vote there are two hurdles to overcome before the measure can be passed into law.

Its legality has to be reviewed by a constitutional court before it can be signed by Mr Hollande.

France becomes the latest country to approve marriage for everyone, after New Zealand and Uruguay.

A bill in the United Kingdom is progressing through Parliament. It won overwhelming support in a free vote in the House of Commons and now moves to the report stage and a third reading.

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Boston Bombings: Emotional Silent Tribute

Boston has held a minute's silence to remember the victims of the marathon bombings, after hundreds of people packed a church for the funeral of Krystle Campbell.

Later in the day, a memorial service was held at Boston University for another victim, Lu Lingzi, a graduate student from China.

Ms Campbell, 29, died with Ms Lu, 23, and Martin Richard, eight, last Monday when the devices exploded near the finish line of the race in the heart of the city.

Ms Campbell, a restaurant manager, died in Monday's blasts

People across the city had been asked to take part in the silent tribute at 7.50pm local time - exactly a week after the first of the deadly blasts went off.

At one spot near the scene of the attacks, hundreds lowered their heads and many prayed.

Hundreds of Ms Campbell's friends and family paid their respects earlier at St Joseph's Church, in her home town of Medford, north of Boston.

Dozens had to be turned away from the church and stood outside because the venue was full.

One mourner, Marishi Charles, said Ms Campbell's parents were too distraught to talk, so pastor Chip Hines spoke for them during the service, saying: "Krystle was always there for people."

Hundreds of people lined the streets to honour Ms Campbell

At a wake on Sunday, well-wishers waited in a line lasting up to an hour to view photographs from throughout the young restaurant manager's life.

In the confused aftermath of the attacks, Ms Campbell's parents had been mistakenly told that their daughter - who had gone to watch a friend finish the race - was one of those being treated by medics. They later learned she was in fact among the dead.

Her mother, Patty, paid an emotional tribute last week, saying: "She was a wonderful person and everyone who knew her loved her.

"She was always smiling and was such a hard-worker in everything she did. This just doesn't make any sense."

Later in the day, Ms Lu's memorial service was held where she was described as a sweet-hearted woman who was passionate about piano, her studies and loving life.

Ms Lu was remembered for her love of life

Hundreds of people including Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick attended the service hosted by the university on Monday.

Speakers including Ms Lu's father and her flatmate said they will never forget the brightness she brought to their lives.

Ms Lu, from Shenyang in northeast China, studied statistics at the university. Friends and faculty say she was an exceptional student with a bubbly personality.

Boston University has launched a scholarship fund in Ms Lu's name.

More than 180 others were hurt in the attacks, at least 14 of whom lost all or part of a limb. Doctors have said all of those injured now appear likely to survive.

There are 51 people in hospital, with three in a critical condition - including a police officer who nearly bled to death in a shoot-out with the suspects.

Martin Richard was the youngest to die in the bombing

Sky's Mike McCarthy, close to the scene of the blasts in Boston, reports messages of support and floral tributes have been left by visitors from all over the world.

Law enforcement officials say two brothers, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev - ethnic Chechens from Russia - planted the devices among spectators at the race before they were tracked down later in the week.

After Tamerlan, 26, was killed in the gunfight in the early hours of Friday, 19-year-old Dzhokhar escaped, triggering a manhunt that brought Boston grinding to a halt.

It ended with the teenager's capture in a boat parked next to a house. He had suffered a gunshot wound to the neck.

The motive for the bombings remains unclear but Tsarnaev, who is unable to talk because of the throat injury, has been able to write responses to questions from his hospital bed and has now been charged over the attacks.

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Boston Bomb Suspect Charged In Hospital Bed

The surviving Boston marathon bomb suspect has been charged with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction - as he and his brother are accused of bragging about the attacks to a car-jacking victim.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his dead brother Tamerlan said to the motorist they abducted while on the run: "Did you hear about the Boston explosion" and "I did that", court papers revealed.

The allegations emerged after Dzhokhar, 19, was charged over the deadly attacks while in his hospital bed.

He remains in a serious condition after being detained on Friday.

He will also face a charge of malicious destruction of property resulting in death, the Justice Department said. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

Dzhokhar leaves the boat he was hiding in

Court papers also revealed Dzhokhar had apparent gunshot wounds to his head, neck, legs and hand when he was arrested at the end of a major manhunt, hours after escaping police in a shoot-out that left his 26-year-old brother dead.

Dzhokhar is being treated at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, where some of those wounded in the blasts are also being treated.

Earlier reports said he was unable to speak because of an injury to his throat, but that he was able to respond to questions from investigators by writing down the answers.

Three people died and more than 180 others were injured in the twin blasts at the marathon, the worst bombing to take place in the US since 9/11.

Family photos have emerged showing Tamerlan here with his parents and uncle Tamerlan is seen here with little brother Dzhokhar and their sisters

After Tamerlan was killed early on Friday, Dzhokhar escaped, triggering an hours-long manhunt that shut down Boston.

It ended with the teenager's capture in a boat parked in a back yard late on Friday night.

It has also emerged police chiefs believe the Tsarnaev brothers were planning further attacks.

Commissioner Ed Davis said officers found a large stockpile of weapons and more than 250 rounds of ammunition at the scene of the earlier gun battle.

"They had IEDs," he said, referring to improvised explosives devices. "They had homemade hand grenades that they were throwing at the officers.

A forensics team examines the boat on Monday

"The scene was loaded with unexploded improvised explosive devices that actually we had to point out to the arriving officers and clear the area."

He said one IED was found in the car-jacked Mercedes the brothers had abandoned. Court papers also revealed a "large pyrotechnic" and white cap matching surveillance footage near the scene of the attacks were found in Dzhokhar's dormitory room.

Meanwhile, a lawyer for Tamerlan's wife, Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, has said US authorities have also asked to speak with his client.

Amato DeLuca said Mrs Russell Tsarnaev did not suspect her husband of anything, and nothing seemed amiss after the explosions.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev died in a gunfight - his wife apparently knew nothing

The Tsarnaevs were ethnic Chechens who had been living in the US for a decade.

Dzhokhar became a US citizen in 2012, while his older brother's application was reportedly held up.

Tamerlan began posting militant videos on social media sites in recent years, and travelled to Dagestan, which borders Chechnya, in 2012. Both Russian regions host separatist rebel groups.

The brothers' social media pages appeared to express sympathy with the struggle in Chechnya, which has been ravaged by two wars since 1994 between Russia and increasingly Islamist-leaning separatist rebels.

Three people were killed in the twin bombings

The White House has said that as a naturalised US citizen, Tsarnaev will not be treated as an "enemy combatant", which would have involved a military tribunal. Instead he will be prosecuted through the criminal court system and is expected to appear in court on May 30.

Many in Boston have observed a moment of silence exactly a week after the first of two bombs went off near the marathon finish line.

A private funeral has been held for Krystle Campbell, a 29-year-old restaurant worker who was among the dead, on Monday.

Later in the day, a memorial service was held at Boston University for another victim, Lu Lingzi, 23, a graduate student from China.

The youngest person to die was eight-year-old Martin Richard, while police officer Sean Collier was killed during a confrontation with the suspects in the early hours of Friday.

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China Quake: Over 11,000 People Injured

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

The death toll in the Chinese earthquake is expected to rise above 200 today as rescuers find more bodies under rubble.

More than 11,000 people are confirmed to have been injured after the earthquake struck China's Sichuan province.

The Chinese news agency Xinhua said the quake, measured at varying magnitudes between 6.6 and 7.0, struck at 8.02am local time on Saturday close to the city of Ya'an in Lushan county.

The epicentre had a depth of a little less than eight miles (13km).

The quake triggered landslides and destroyed buildings. A major rescue operation involving emergency services and more than 6,000 troops has worked through the night to reach trapped people in various communities across the region.

The rescue effort is understood to have been hampered by aftershocks. Some of the tremors that followed the main quake have been almost as strong.

In one area, about 50% of buildings have been destroyed

According to local media reports, a vehicle carrying 17 soldiers fell off a cliff and into a river as it travelled to the epicentre. One soldier was killed and seven more injured, three seriously.

But extraordinary stories of survival are already emerging. According to one local media report, a mother managed to lift concrete weighing 50kg to rescue her son from the rubble.

Another report described how a woman gave birth at a bike shelter just a few hours after the quake hit.

And remarkable TV footage from one collapsed building shows rescue workers pulling a tiny baby alive from the rubble. The child's mother was also saved.

Tremors were felt in neighbouring provinces and in the provincial capital city of Chengdu. Users of Weibo, China's microblogging service, have posted images of damaged buildings and described scenes of panic as residents rushed outside.

Local seismologists registered the quake at magnitude 7.0 while the US Geological Survey (USGS) put it at 6.6.

The USGS said "significant" casualties were likely and "extensive damage is probable and disaster is likely widespread."

A Chinese general, flying over the region in a helicopter, told local media that as many as 50% of buildings in one area had collapsed.

Thousands of rescuers have been deployed

China's new Premier Li Keqiang has visited the region to survey the damage.

The quake is the first big test for the new Chinese leadership. Their ability to respond to it is likely to be scrutinised on an ever growing social media forum.

The epicentre is close to the location of the 2008 earthquake which killed 68,000 people. That quake had a greater magnitude of 7.9 but its epicentre was further underground.

The 2008 disaster destroyed large swathes of the province along with areas of neighbouring Shaanxi and Gansu. The government faced significant criticism for allowing badly constructed buildings to be erected and for covering up their failings.

This time, early indications suggest a much better level of preparedness.

Cai Jing, the Deputy Secretary-General of Sichuan's Provincial Government, attempted to reassure people at a late news conference last night.

"The main road sections in Lushan County have been reopened," he said.

"Hospitals in the province are ready to receive and transport the injured. A total of 28,971 rescuers from 95 professional rescue teams with 933 sets of equipment have been dispatched," he told reporters at the briefing in Chengdu City.

"At present, about 13,466 rescuers have arrived at the epicentre and 2,058 others are heading to the area. In addition, 13,547 rescuers are put on standby."

Better technology is also helping the authorities. For the first time, unmanned drones are being used over the disaster zone to send back pictures and assess damage.

But new technology is also putting increased pressure on the authorities. This is the first natural disaster in China in the "Weibo era". The twitter-like social media phenomenon has allowed "netizens" to openly criticise the government for failings.

International offers of assistance have already been received.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague sent the condolences of the nation.

"My thoughts are also with the Chinese authorities and the emergency services as they continue their rescue efforts. We are in contact with local authorities through our Consulate-General in Chongqing and will continue to follow the situation closely," he said.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin sent China's President Xi Jinping a telegram expressing his condolences and offering help.

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Boston Bombs Suspect 'Awake And Responding'

The surviving Boston marathon bomb suspect is beginning to respond to questions from investigators, reports say.

Dzokhar Tsarnaev remains in critical but stable condition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, where some of the 180 people wounded in the blasts are also being treated.

The 19-year-old is said to have a wound to his throat - reportedly caused by a gunshot through his mouth that exited the back of his neck - which prevents him from speaking.

Tamerlan died in a gunfight

But major US news networks say he is responding to questions in writing.

Dzokhar is also reported to have been shot in the leg during a shootout with law enforcement the night before his arrest.

His older brother and fellow suspect Tamerlan, 26, died in that gunfight.

A lawyer for Tamerlan's wife, Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, said US authorities have also asked to speak with his client.

Amato DeLuca said Mrs Russell Tsarnaev did not suspect her husband of anything, and nothing seemed amiss after the bombings.

He said she had been working 70 to 80 hours a week as a home health care aide while her husband cared for their daughter.

Mr DeLuca said on the day he died, Tamerlan was home when his wife left for work.

After Tamerlan was killed early on Friday, Dzhokhar escaped, triggering an hours-long manhunt that shut down Boston.

It ended with the teenager's capture in a boat parked in a backyard late on Friday night.

It has also emerged that police chiefs fear the Tsarnaev brothers were planning further attacks.

Dzhokhar leaves the boat he was hiding in

Commissioner Ed Davis said police found a huge stockpile of weapons.

"They had IEDS," he said, referring to improvised explosives devices.

"They had homemade hand grenades that they were throwing at the officers.

"The scene was loaded with unexploded improvised explosive devices that actually we had to point out to the arriving officers and clear the area."

He said one IED was found in a Mercedes the brothers had abandoned.

"This was as dangerous as it gets in urban policing," Commissioner Davis said.

He said federal authorities were trying to track down how and where the two suspects obtained the firearms and explosive devices.

The two were ethnic Chechens who had been living in the United States for a decade.

Dzhokhar became a US citizen in 2012, while his older brother's application was reportedly held up.

Tamerlan began posting militant videos on social media sites in recent years, and travelled to Dagestan, which borders Chechnya, in 2012. Both Russian regions host separatist rebel groups.

The brothers' social media pages appeared to express sympathy with the struggle in Chechnya, which has been ravaged by two wars since 1994 between Russia and increasingly Islamist-leaning separatist rebels.

Three people died in the twin blasts at the marathon, the worst bombing to take place in the US since 9/11.

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Syria: US Offers Rebels $123m Non-Lethal Aid

The United States is providing Syrian rebels with $123m (£80m) in new non-lethal aid that may include body armour and other supplies.

The money will double the amount of non-lethal assistance to the Syrian opposition, as well as increase humanitarian aid.

The aid could include armoured vehicles, night vision goggles and advanced communications equipment.

Foreign ministers from the main supporters of the rebels trying to topple the Syrian government were meeting in Istanbul over the weekend to increase pressure on Syrian President Bashar al Assad.

The United Nations estimates that the fighting in Syria has killed more than 70,000 people.

"The stakes in Syria couldn't be more clear: chemical weapons, the slaughter of people by ballistic missiles and other weapons of huge destruction, the potential of a whole country ... being torn apart into enclaves, the potential of sectarian violence," US Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement.

"This bloodshed needs to stop and that's what brought us here tonight on Saturday and a very early Sunday morning to talk about the possibilities for peace and transition."

John Kerry meets Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers said they welcomed the Syrian National Coalition's "firm rejection of extremism and its commitment not to use chemical weapons" and cited those commitments in agreeing to enhance and expand support for all coalition institutions.

The foreign ministers said they recognised the "need to change the balance of power on the ground" and, in looking at the current flow of military assistance, welcomed the additional pledges and commitments to further increase the support to the Supreme Military Council.

The head of the council provided a military briefing during the meeting.

Syrian opposition leader Moaz al Khatib said in a statement: "Our revolution is for the entire Syrian people."

President Barack Obama has said he has no plans to send weapons or give lethal aid to the rebels, despite pressure from Congress, some administration advisers and appeals from the Syrian opposition leadership.

Since February, the US has shipped food and medical supplies directly to the Free Syrian Army, but Mr Obama recently expanded that include defensive military equipment.

Mr Kerry's announcement on Saturday was the first under that new authorisation.

So far, the US has provided an estimated $117m in nonlethal aid to the Syrian opposition, according to the White House.

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China: Sichuan Earthquake Kills At Least 179

By Mark Stone, China correspondent

At least 179 people are believed to have been killed and more than 6,700 injured after an earthquake struck China's province of Sichuan.

Chinese news agency Xinhua said the quake, measured at varying magnitudes between 6.6 and 7.0, struck at 8.02am local time close to the city of Ya'an in Lushan county and the epicentre had a depth of a little less than eight miles (13km).

It started landslides, destroyed buildings, and triggered a major rescue operation involving emergency services and more than 2,000 troops.

Residents take shelter in a public square in Chengdu

The rescue effort is understood to have been hampered by aftershocks and landslides. Some of the tremors which followed the main quake have been almost as strong.

According to local media reports, a vehicle carrying 17 soldiers fell off a cliff and into a river as it travelled to the epicentre. One soldier was killed and seven more injured, three seriously.

But extraordinary stories of survival are already emerging. According to one local media report, a mother managed to lift concrete weighing 50kg to rescue her son from the rubble.

Another report described how a woman gave birth at a bike shelter just a few hours after the quake hit. 

According to the People's Daily newspaper, fire-fighters dug out a mother holding her baby in her arms from the rubble. She survived, but her baby sadly died.

Tremors have been felt in neighbouring provinces and in the provincial capital city of Chengdu. Users of Weibo, China's microblogging service, have posted images of damaged buildings and described scenes of panic as residents rushed outside.

Lushan was hit just after 8am local time

A resident in Chengdu said he was on the 13th floor of a building when he felt the quake. The building shook for about 20 seconds and he saw tiles fall from nearby buildings.

Local seismologists registered the quake at magnitude 7.0 while the US Geological Survey (USGS) put it at 6.6.

The USGS said "significant" casualties were likely and "extensive damage is probable and disaster is likely widespread".

"Past events with this alert level have required a national or international-level response," it added.

Collapsed houses on a road leading from Ya'an city to Luzhou county

A Chinese General, flying over one area in a helicopter, told local media that as many as 50 percent of buildings in one area had collapsed.

China's new Premiere Li Keqiang is flying to the region to survey the damage. The quake is the first big test for the new Chinese leadership. Their ability to respond to it is likely to be scrutinised on an ever growing social media forum.

The epicentre is close to the location of the 2008 earthquake which killed 68,000 people. That quake had a greater magnitude of 7.9 but its epicentre was further underground.

Rescuers try to remove rocks blocking a road in Lushan county

The 2008 disaster destroyed large swathes of the province along with areas of neighbouring Shaanxi and Gansu. The government faced significant criticism for allowing badly constructed buildings to be erected and for covering up their failings.

International offers of assistance have already been received.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague sent the condolences of the nation.

An aerial view of damaged houses Lushan county

Mr Hague said: "Today's events will no doubt bring back terrible memories of the catastrophic earthquake in the same province in 2008.

"My thoughts are also with the Chinese authorities and the emergency services as they continue their rescue efforts. We are in contact with local authorities through our Consulate-General in Chongqing and will continue to follow the situation closely." 

The Russian President Vladimir Putin sent China's President Xi Jinping a telegram expressing his condolences and offering help.

Twin tremors in neighbouring Yunnan province last September triggered landslides that left at least 80 people dead.

A 5.5 magnitude quake in Yunnan last June killed four people and injured more than 100.

Another 5.4 tremor the year before near the border with Burma left 25 people dead and injured 250.

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