Mexico: Riot Police Break Up Teacher Protest

Riot police have fired tear gas and water cannon at thousands of angry teachers to end their weeks-long occupation of Mexico City's Zocalo square.

They swept into the historic heart of the capital city to re-take control of the iconic square and its surrounding streets, the culmination of weeks of demonstrations where the teachers had set up a massive protest camp.

Although many teachers had acted upon an eviction notice calling for the removal of their camp in time for Independence Day celebrations, a group of protesters vowed to stay on.

Armed with metal pipes and wooden clubs, they tried to defend themselves but were quickly overwhelmed by the police.

Protesters accused the authorities of using excessive force to clear their camp.

"With a lot of viciousness, they grabbed me and (put me) on the ground, holding my feet. They caused injury on my septum and hit my body," said one teacher called Alejandro.

President Nieto is due to deliver a speech to the nation

In keeping with tradition, President Enrique Pena Nieto is scheduled to deliver Mexico's Cry of Independence from a balcony of the National Palace that looks over the Zocalo.

The striking teachers are angry at Mr Nieto's reforms to introduce a universal evaluation system and change the way they would be hired, evaluated and promoted.

They had marched through the capital at least 15 times over the last two months.

Mexico's record on student achievement is one of the worst among countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development despite dedicating more than a fifth of its budget to education.

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Syria: Sides 'Close' On Chemical Stash Size

Syria: How Crisis Has Developed

Updated: 2:13pm UK, Friday 13 September 2013

:: March 2011 - Protesters stage demonstrations in Damascus and security forces in Daraa shoot dead several campaigners, leading to unrest and violence.

:: May - The Syrian military deploys tanks in a bid to quash demonstrations.

:: July 19 - The UK freezes £100m of Syrian assets.

:: August 18 - US President Barack Obama calls on Bashar al Assad to step down. The US freezes all assets of the Syrian government.

:: November 16 - The Free Syrian Army attacks a military base near Damascus.

:: February 4, 2012 - A UN Security Council resolution on Syria is rejected for a second time by Russia and China.

:: March 1 - Government troops seize the Baba Amr district of Homs after an intense battle lasting for several weeks.

:: April 12 - A UN-brokered ceasefire comes into force after fierce fighting in the country.

:: May 23 - Dozens of people, many of them women and children, die in Houla, near Homs. Foreign Secretary William Hague says they were "massacred at the hands of Syrian forces". The UN later accuses the Syrian military of committing war crimes.

:: August - Barack Obama says the use of chemical weapons against civilians would represent the crossing of a "red line".

:: March 6, 2013 - Foreign Secretary William Hague says Britain will provide opposition forces with "non-lethal equipment for the protection of civilians".

:: April-May - Britain says there is credible evidence to suggest Syrian forces have used chemical weapons in Adra, Darayya and Saraqiq and calls for an investigation by the UN.

:: April 29 - Syrian prime minister Wael Nader al Halqi survives an assassination attempt as a car bomb explodes in Damascus.

:: May 14 - Footage of a Syrian rebel commander apparently cutting out a soldier's heart is condemned by the country's National Coalition.

:: June 6 - Syrian forces, backed by Hizbollah fighters, recapture the strategic border town of Qusair.

:: June 6 - Human Rights Watch releases footage which it claims shows Syrian troops shelling school buildings.

:: July 25 - The UN says the number of people killed in the civil war has reached 100,000.

:: August 21 - An alleged chemical attack in Damascus kills 1,300 people, according to the opposition. Doctors Without Borders says 335 people died from "neurotoxic" symptoms.

:: August 25 - Foreign Secretary William Hague says a chemical attack by the Syrian government is the only "plausible explanation" for the deaths.

:: August 26 - UN inspectors brave sniper fire to gather "valuable" evidence from one site of the alleged chemical attack, as the US Secretary of State John Kerry says the Assad regime would face action over the "moral obscenity".

:: August 27 - The UK recalls Parliament to hold a vote on August 29 on the use of chemical weapons in Syria. David Cameron and Barack Obama agree there is "no doubt" the Assad regime is responsible for the alleged attack.

:: August 28 - Britain tables a draft UN resolution condemning the alleged attack and "authorising all necessary measures".

:: August 29 - David Cameron is forced to rule out military action after narrowly losing a Commons vote on the principle of intervention.

:: August 31 - President Obama says the US "should take military action" in Syria but confirms he will seek authorisation from Congress before launching any strikes against the Assad regime. He says the US is "prepared to strike whenever we choose".

:: September 2 - a French intelligence reports claims the Assad regime was responsible for a "massive and coordinated" chemical attack in Damascus.

:: September 3 - Israel says it has carried out a joint missile test with the US in the Mediterranean.

:: September 4 - The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approve a draft US resolution authorising the use of military force in Syria. Meanwhile, MPs in France debate whether to join any possible military intervention, although they do not vote on the subject.

:: September 5 - World leaders meet at the G20 summit in Russia, with the crisis in Syria high on the agenda.

:: September 6 - Britain pledges £52m in aid to Syria, as David Cameron hits back at a reported jibe from Russia that Britain is a "small island".

:: September 8 - The RAF sends up two Typhoon jets in Cyprus as warplanes, thought to have come from Syria, enter international airspace. Meanwhile John Kerry says more nations than his country can use are prepared to join military action against Syria.

:: September 9 - Russia urges Syrian President Bashar al Assad to hand over his chemical weapons to avert a US-led military strike on Damascus.

:: September 10 - President Barack Obama delays a Congress vote on air strikes as Russia gives the US its plan for putting Syria's chemical weapons under international contral.

:: September 11 - A UN report confirms at least eight massacres were carried by the Assad regime and one by rebels over the past 18 months.

:: September 12 - Syria formally applies to join the Chemical Weapons Convention. Russia and US hold two days of talks on the issue.

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Damascus: Syria's Urban Warfare At Its Worst

US Rejects Syria's Weapons Deadline

Updated: 10:55pm UK, Thursday 12 September 2013

US Secretary of State John Kerry has rejected Syria's pledge to hand over information on its chemical weapons in 30 days.

Speaking at a news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, he noted that it was standard procedure for a country to submit its weapons data a month after signing an international chemical weapons ban.

But he said: "There is nothing standard about this process. The words of the Syrian regime in our judgement are simply not enough."

He warned that the US could still launch a military strike if Syria's President Bashar al Assad reneged on his promises, and said the US was wary of any stalling process.

"There ought to be consequences if it doesn't take place," he warned.

Mr Lavrov, who addressed the briefing first, said: "The solution of this problem makes unnecessary any strikes on Syria. I am sure that our American partners ... are strongly in favour of a peaceful way to regulate chemical weapons in Syria."

Earlier, Mr Assad agreed to sign up to an international agreement that would put his weapons under UN supervision - and said he would hand over information on them in 30 days.

"Syria is placing its chemical weapons under international control because of Russia. The US threats did not influence the decision," he said in the interview with Russian state TV.

Mr Kerry is in Geneva for high-stakes talks with Mr Lavrov to discuss Russia's four-point plan to place Syria's chemical stockpile under international control.

He arrived some hours ago before Mr Lavrov.

Sky's Robert Nisbet, in Geneva, said Mr Lavrov's delay was "embarrassing" for the US and showed Russia has the diplomatic upper hand in the talks.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the plan faced "immense practical difficulties", although obstacles could be overcome "with sufficient international unity and goodwill".

He warned the initiative would require a "complete change of approach" by the Assad regime.

The Russian plan was met with a "definitive rejection" by Salim Idriss, head of the rebel Supreme Military Council, while Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said the Syrian regime had "won time for new massacres".

The first stage of the four-point plan has already been fulfilled - with Syria sending a letter to the UN signing up to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which bans the development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons.

The second stage is for Syria to declare what chemical weapons it has. The third is for UN inspectors to visit the country and verify Mr Assad's declaration, and the last stage is for the weapons to be destroyed - either in Syria or abroad.

Meanwhile, Russia's Moskva missile cruiser has reportedly passed through the Straits of Gibraltar and is now heading toward the eastern Mediterranean to assume command of the seven-strong Russian naval force there.

Another two vessels, the landing ship Nikolay Filchenkov and the guard ship Smetlivy, will join the naval unit later, Russia Today added.

The recent deployments are aimed at "complex monitoring" of the situation around Syria, military sources told the Interfax news agency.

The talks between Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov follow Russian President Vladimir Putin's warning that a US attack on Syria without UN approval would result in more innocent victims and an escalation in violence in the Middle East.

Writing in the New York Times, he said there is "every reason to believe" it was rebel forces, not the Assad regime, who used sarin nerve gas in an attack that killed more than 1,000 people in Damascus on August 21.

He said a strike would "increase violence and unleash a new wave of terrorism" and claimed America would increasingly be seen "not as a model for democracy but as relying solely on brute force".

White House spokesman Jay Carney said there was "great irony" in Mr Putin placing his opinion piece in the New York Times. He said it reflected a freedom of speech in the US that Russia lacks.

Dr Anna Neistat, an associate director of Human Rights Watch, said: "There is not a single mention in Mr Putin's article ... of the egregious crimes committed by the Syrian government ... (including) deliberate and indiscriminate killings of tens of thousands of civilians, executions, torture, enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests."

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UN: Syria Applies To Join Chemical Convention

Russia and the US are preparing for a second day of tense discussions over how Syria will give up its chemical weapons.

It comes as the United Nations confirmed it had received an application from Syria to join the Chemical Weapons Convention - the first stage of a four-point plan.

Syrian President Bashar al Assad said the process of surrendering the stockpile would begin when he hands over information on the weapons in 30 days.

However, the US has firmly rejected that timetable and wants more immediate action.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said despite 30 days being normal procedure, Syria's words were "simply not enough".

"There is nothing standard about this process," he added.

America's top diplomat is wary of any stalling tactics and said there could still be military strikes if the Syrian regime reneged on its promises.

"There ought to be consequences if it doesn't take place," Mr Kerry warned at a news conference.

The Syrian leader said US threats must stop if he is to give up weapons

Mr Kerry is in Geneva for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss the Russian plan to place Syria's chemical weapons under international control.

President Assad managed to avert potential US strikes by agreeing to the deal, but denied being influenced by the military threat.

"Syria is placing its chemical weapons under international control because of Russia. The US threats did not influence the decision," the Syrian leader told Russian state TV.

Supporters of President Assad celebrated his birthday earlier this week

He also said the deal was a two-sided process.

"We are counting, first of all, on the United States to stop conducting the policy of threats regarding Syria," said President Assad.

Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil also suggested the Russian proposal would only succeed if the US and its allies promised not to attack Syria in the future.

After agreeing to the Chemical Weapons Convention - which bans the development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons - Syria must then declare exactly what weapons it has.

The third stage of the plan is for UN inspectors to visit the country and verify Mr Assad's declaration.

The final stage is for the weapons to be destroyed.

The plan faces 'immense practical difficulties', says William Hague

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the plan faces "immense practical difficulties", although obstacles could be overcome "with sufficient international unity and goodwill".

The US claims a chemical gas attack on August 21 killed 1,429 people, but other estimates of the deaths are lower.

Syria and Russia blame the country's rebel forces for the atrocity.

UN weapons inspectors, who took samples from the scene in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta, are due to report next week.

The political wranglings come as conventional fighting - such as rocket attacks and gun battles - continues in many of Syria's devastated towns and cities.

Fierce conventional warfare continues in Damascus

For those on the ground it is this type of warfare that is ripping the country apart.

"The reality is conventional weapons killed hundreds of thousands and made many millions of refugees," one soldier told Sky correspondent Alex Rossi, who is in Damascus.

"Nobody talks about that - only the use of chemicals."

Fighting in the northern city of Aleppo also remains as fierce as ever.

Government forces, bolstered by Hizbollah troops from neighbouring Lebanon, are ramping up their attack on the opposition stronghold.

The two-and-a half-year civil war has claimed more than 100,000 lives and created more than two million refugees, according to recent UN figures.

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Syria: Putin Warns Obama Against 'Brute Force'

Vladimir Putin's Letter To America

Updated: 3:58am UK, Thursday 12 September 2013

By Vladimir Putin, Russian President, For New York Times

Recent events surrounding Syria have prompted me to speak directly to the American people and their political leaders. It is important to do so at a time of insufficient communication between our societies.

Relations between us have passed through different stages. We stood against each other during the cold war. But we were also allies once, and defeated the Nazis together. The universal international organization - the United Nations - was then established to prevent such devastation from ever happening again.

The United Nations' founders understood that decisions affecting war and peace should happen only by consensus, and with America's consent the veto by Security Council permanent members was enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The profound wisdom of this has underpinned the stability of international relations for decades.

No one wants the United Nations to suffer the fate of the League of Nations, which collapsed because it lacked real leverage. This is possible if influential countries bypass the United Nations and take military action without Security Council authorization.

The potential strike by the United States against Syria, despite strong opposition from many countries and major political and religious leaders, including the pope, will result in more innocent victims and escalation, potentially spreading the conflict far beyond Syria's borders. A strike would increase violence and unleash a new wave of terrorism. It could undermine multilateral efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear problem and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and further destabilize the Middle East and North Africa. It could throw the entire system of international law and order out of balance.

Syria is not witnessing a battle for democracy, but an armed conflict between government and opposition in a multireligious country. There are few champions of democracy in Syria. But there are more than enough Qaeda fighters and extremists of all stripes battling the government. The United States State Department has designated Al Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, fighting with the opposition, as terrorist organizations. This internal conflict, fueled by foreign weapons supplied to the opposition, is one of the bloodiest in the world.

Mercenaries from Arab countries fighting there, and hundreds of militants from Western countries and even Russia, are an issue of our deep concern. Might they not return to our countries with experience acquired in Syria? After all, after fighting in Libya, extremists moved on to Mali. This threatens us all.

From the outset, Russia has advocated peaceful dialogue enabling Syrians to develop a compromise plan for their own future. We are not protecting the Syrian government, but international law. We need to use the United Nations Security Council and believe that preserving law and order in today's complex and turbulent world is one of the few ways to keep international relations from sliding into chaos. The law is still the law, and we must follow it whether we like it or not. Under current international law, force is permitted only in self-defense or by the decision of the Security Council. Anything else is unacceptable under the United Nations Charter and would constitute an act of aggression.

No one doubts that poison gas was used in Syria. But there is every reason to believe it was used not by the Syrian Army, but by opposition forces, to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons, who would be siding with the fundamentalists. Reports that militants are preparing another attack - this time against Israel - cannot be ignored.

It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States. Is it in America's long-term interest? I doubt it. Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan "you're either with us or against us."

But force has proved ineffective and pointless. Afghanistan is reeling, and no one can say what will happen after international forces withdraw. Libya is divided into tribes and clans. In Iraq the civil war continues, with dozens killed each day. In the United States, many draw an analogy between Iraq and Syria, and ask why their government would want to repeat recent mistakes.

No matter how targeted the strikes or how sophisticated the weapons, civilian casualties are inevitable, including the elderly and children, whom the strikes are meant to protect.

The world reacts by asking: if you cannot count on international law, then you must find other ways to ensure your security. Thus a growing number of countries seek to acquire weapons of mass destruction. This is logical: if you have the bomb, no one will touch you. We are left with talk of the need to strengthen nonproliferation, when in reality this is being eroded.

We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement.

A new opportunity to avoid military action has emerged in the past few days. The United States, Russia and all members of the international community must take advantage of the Syrian government's willingness to place its chemical arsenal under international control for subsequent destruction. Judging by the statements of President Obama, the United States sees this as an alternative to military action.

I welcome the president's interest in continuing the dialogue with Russia on Syria. We must work together to keep this hope alive, as we agreed to at the Group of 8 meeting in Lough Erne in Northern Ireland in June, and steer the discussion back toward negotiations.

If we can avoid force against Syria, this will improve the atmosphere in international affairs and strengthen mutual trust. It will be our shared success and open the door to cooperation on other critical issues.

My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust. I appreciate this. I carefully studied his address to the nation on Tuesday. And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States' policy is "what makes America different. It's what makes us exceptional." It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord's blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.

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Life Goes On In Aleppo Despite Violence

Arguably the most dangerous crossing point in the world today, perhaps the most dangerous place, is where rebel Syria meets government Syria.

It can be found in central Aleppo. The sniper threat in this part of the city is absolutely awful.

The chance of fighting breaking out at any moment adds a sense of dramatic theatre to an otherwise mundane scene.

Thousands upon thousands buying and selling the goods of life. But all with a tragic background of scarred buildings and a scared population. It's quite remarkable.

There is a sort of ceasefire here - through gaps in walls next to Free Syrian Army checkpoints thousands of Syrians from the government side cross through to buy food, gas, oil, building materials; just about anything that is unavailable to them now.

Syrian people cross into Aleppo to buy essential goods

It is a melting pot of pure trade in the midst of a bitter civil war. It could be thousands of years old.

A heaving mass of humanity, co-existing under the threat of terrible violence at any time. All victims of this war. Almost none of them ever wanted it.

This is a single population divided.

Right now the government side, short of everything, is feeling pretty good.

The opposition side, with access to lush farmlands, has pretty much everything, but feel pretty bad. It is very strange in Aleppo today.

The Free Syrian Army is spitting pins over what they see as a "dirty" deal between Russia and the US.

They argue there should be international intervention in Syria regardless of the alleged chemical weapons attacks.

One FSA fighter told me: "How many have to die from weapons of mass destruction they are already using?

"Tank rounds, scuds, barrel bombs or gas, is there any difference."

Refugees and displaced people on the border with Turkey feel just the same.

For the last two weeks I have been approached time and time again by men and women who feel the international community has abandoned them.

The director of aid and relief supplies to the whole Aleppo region voiced the feelings of many.

He said: "Your governments only care about chemical weapons because you fear they will be used against you.

"You just don't care about what is happening, you just don't care."

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Syria: Rebels Give US Targets To Defeat Regime

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, on the Syria-Turkey border

The Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the United States intelligence services are working together on targets that will bring about regime change in the country, according to FSA commanders.

Senior FSA members in Aleppo have confirmed they have provided five specific targets that will degrade the Syrian army, will not impact on the civilian population and will give them the upper hand in the coming months.

It is widely acknowledged in northern Syria that this type of information is being passed to US "handlers" across the battlefield that is now Syria.

It means that rebel groups are passing on a picture of Bashar al Assad's force position throughout the country to the CIA.

It is an open secret that the US is training, and heavily linked to, the FSA and rebel groups in Turkey and Jordan.

British advisors are assisting rebel groups on a variety of levels but the Government continues to insist that it is "non-military".

FSA sources tell Sky News that is true, but only in the "broadest sense" of non-military assistance.

Proposed US attacks on Syria have divided the population

The key question for rebel fighters is how significant the US attacks, if they come, will be.

In an Aleppo Christian church they have taken over a 3D model of the entire city. It is now covered in marker pins identifying rebel and government positions.

This is part of their planning meetings and indicates a new level of sophistication in their thought processes. They have been hopeless at times.

"We have targets and we have passed them onto our American contacts and we hope they will follow our advice," the number two commander for the FSA's Ahrar Souria Brigade, Abu Nabhan, told me.

Rebel fighters say they would join up with Jihadi groups to fight Mr Assad

"I wont tell you the targets but they are specific and they will help us," he said.

The FSA say 13 of its brigades will join as one in the aftermath of "substantial" US attacks and will co-operate with Jihadi groups in a push on Damascus and to the west towards the Alawite strongholds in Latakia on the Mediterranean seaboard.

Inside northern Syrian though, daily life gets grimmer by the day.

Whole villages, repopulated in recent months, are deserted once again.

Government jets and helicopters are destroying whole streets at a time with enormous bombs.

Sky News spent the last few days driving through towns and villages that are almost completely empty and finding groups of internally displaced camping by the border with Turkey, undecided if they should become refugees or return home and see if there is anything left of their former lives.

On the border Nato's second largest army is mobilising. Turkish hardware is being deployed everywhere.

This is a region preparing for a major escalation in fighting.

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Syria: Obama May Halt Attack Over Weapons Deal

Syria: 'Chemical Weapons Freelancers Used'

Updated: 7:53pm UK, Monday 09 September 2013

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent

Not a single person I have met in northern Syria has even the slightest doubt that Bashar al Assad's military has used chemical weapons against them on multiple occasions.

Many now in the border areas are there exactly because they witnessed the attacks and decided not to stick about for another.

The Damascus incident last month and who did it can be argued about of course, but chemical weapons experts working with Sky News are in no doubt that chemicals were used and have been on multiple occasions in the past.

The experts, using evidence available to them, advise that the delivery of these weapons was unorthodox; the Syrian regime has proper delivery systems for chemicals.

But, setting aside the Damascus incident, they conclude that someone was "freelancing" their use in other attacks.

They suspect it was militia working in tandem with the government.

Part of their reasoning is that the purchasing, handling and preparation of chemical weapons is extremely difficult and dangerous.

In one incident that they have specific knowledge of, Syrian soldiers and chemical experts working with them were all killed when a chemical bearing warhead was accidentally dropped.

One can conclude from this that the Syrian government, at the very least, is actively involved in preparation of chemical weapon use.

It is reported in Turkish media that jihadists have been arrested either in possession of chemicals or attempting to buy them.

One can conclude from that, if it is true, that some extreme elements of the rebel movement would like chemical weapons as well.

But there is not a single piece of evidence indicating that rebels have used chemicals or practised using them.

Nobody from Sky News or any other broadcaster or journalist, as far as I am aware, has witnessed chemical weapons or their use by the rebels throughout this war.

But is this really the point here? Few Syrians really draw a distinction between 100,000 dead from conventional fighting and between 400 and 1,000 dead from chemicals.

They are all dead and most because of Mr Assad's determination to ignore calls for change and the end of his dictatorship.

Right now Assad planes are attacking villages across the north of the country. I saw the jets and heard the explosions.

The Free Syrian Army, the civilian leadership of northern Syria and the vast numbers of internally displaced and refugees want the United States to bomb the Syrian military.

The FSA says 13 brigades in northern Aleppo will become one and will lead the fight to Damascus.

They are confident that the myriad of Jihadi groupings will set aside differences and join them.

All accept that the regime will retaliate and probably at a terrible cost to those who have stayed behind.

But as the governor of Aleppo said to me: "We fight on."

While Moscow plots to undermine action against its ally and Washington decides to plot or not against its President, there is one absolute fact beyond all sceptical analysis: the Syrian government continues to kill its own people. Every day.

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Syria: US Politicians To Debate Military Action

US politicians are set to discuss backing for military action against Syria as President Barack Obama prepares to make a series of TV appearances to push his case.

Congress will start debating the issue today and are expected to vote later this week on whether to authorise force in Syria in retaliation for an alleged chemical weapons attack that killed more than 1,400 civilians in Damascus.

While the White House believes an endorsement from the Senate could be within reach, Mr Obama faces a wall of opposition from both Republicans and from many of his Democratic allies in the House of Representatives.

The White House has refused to state whether Mr Obama, elected in 2008 promising to end foreign wars, would order a strike even if Congress votes "no".

In a determined final effort for authorisation, Mr Obama is due to appear on several US TV networks today, ahead of delivering a live address to the nation on Tuesday.

London is in John Kerry's sights as he seeks support for Syria strikes

Secretary of State John Kerry is also looking to boost support for action when he holds talks with Foreign Secretary William Hague in London this morning.

Speaking in Paris at a news conference before he left for London, Mr Kerry said 12 countries were now prepared to take military action against Syria. Those states would make their own announcements within 24 hours, he added.

He did not rule out returning to the UN Security Council to secure a Syria resolution once UN inspectors complete their report on the alleged chemical weapons attack on August 21.

The French president, Francois Hollande, who is increasingly under pressure to seek a UN mandate before any military intervention in Syria, suggested that he could seek a resolution at the security council despite previous Russian and Chinese vetos.

Mr Kerry said: "On President Hollande's comments with respect to the UN, the president (Barack Obama), and all of us, are listening carefully to all of our friends. No decision has been made by the president."

Congress will vote on whether to launch military action in Syria

Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al Assad has denied he was behind the alleged chemical attack in an interview to US television network CBS.

CBS correspondent Charlie Rose, who interviewed Mr Assad in Damascus, said: "The most important thing, as he says, is that 'there's no evidence that I used chemical weapons against my own people'."

The Speaker of Syria's parliament, Mohammad Jihad al Laham, has also told Sky News that a US attack would result in the country retaliating with "all available force".

In the UK, former defence secretary Liam Fox told Sky's Murnaghan programme on Sunday that there was a case for another Commons vote "in the light of the wider evidence that is now available".

He said the debate had been about the consequences of intervention "but there wasn't enough debate, I don't feel, about the consequences of non-intervention."

"If we believe the regime in Syria still has chemical weapons and if, as many of us think, the opposition may also have access to chemical weapons and we send the signal that they can use them with impunity what does that mean for the safety ... of the ordinary people of Syria?"

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Syria: Historic Damascus In 'Grave Danger'

By Andrew Wilson, Sky News Presenter, in Damascus

The only real sign that Damascus is under siege is the traffic; line upon line of frustrated drivers hemmed in by the city's seemingly endless army checkpoints.

That and the bang of artillery shells fired out into the suburbs to keep the rebels at bay.

But Damascus, the oldest and most continually inhabited city in the world is in grave danger; on land from an increasingly violent collaboration of militia, funded and motivated by a bewildering mix of agendas.

From within by the most complicated and unpredictable regime on the planet.

And from further afield by the most powerful armed force on the planet whose commander-in-chief has decided once and for all to take a stand and wade in with the frightening technological arsenal at his disposal.

Even worse, it is not entirely clear who of these three has the least understanding of the situation.

Boys search for belongings in a Damascus suburb

Two years ago the rebellion in Syria was, if not coherent, at least a popular representation of the hopes and fears of a disenfranchised sector of the Syrian people. Not any longer; when the people of Damascus tell you that it is al Qaeda knocking at the gates of their city they are not far wrong.

And when the Syrian generals failed to bomb those popular uprisings into submission, also two years ago, they haven't really produced any kind of Plan B since. They remain in their bases and the capital probably wondering more about their own eventual survival than any strategic way forward.

And now that President Obama has finally identified a war crime on the wrong side of his own red line, it seems that a cartoon-like over-simplification of what he should do next is the only narrative he can take to Congress.

Syrians are now sandwiched in the most unfair and ugly way between the forces of chaos on the top and the immovable stubbornness of an outdated regime on the bottom.

For the most part their plea to the West is that of a multi-ethnic secular society that embraces the peace and harmony of living together that no other Arab nation has come close to matching. And they have a point.

But when vast swathes of the country took to the streets to call for a better way of life they chose to ignore them.

That mistake has ushered in the potential for chaos that could sweep aside the missile strikes of the world's policeman and drag the Middle East into a much darker place than anyone yet has cared to really consider.

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Abbott Wins: Australia 'Under New Management'

Tony Abbott has declared victory in Australia's general election after defeating prime minister Kevin Rudd.

Mr Abbott, the British-born leader of the Liberal Party-led coalition opposition has ended six years of Labor rule.

In his victory speech Mr Abbott said: "I can inform you that the government of Australia has changed. For just the seventh time in 60 years the government of Australia has changed.

"I declare that Australia is under new management and is once again open for business.

Abbott and Rudd on election posters in Sydney

"I now look forward to forming a government that is competent, that is trustworthy, and which purposely and steadfastly and methodically set about delivering on our commitments."

Earlier, in Brisbane, Mr Rudd conceded defeat. "A short time again I telephoned Tony Abbott to concede defeat at this national election," he said. "As prime minister of Australia, I wish him well in the high office of prime minister of this country."

With 80% of the votes counted, the Australian Electoral Commission showed Mr Abbott's party was leading in 88 seats in the House of Representatives, to Labor's 56.

Mr Rudd said Labor had "fought the good fight".

Voters cast their ballot in Sydney

He added: "Tonight is the time to unite as the great Australian nation.

"Because whatever our politics may be we are all first and foremost Australian and the things that unite us are more powerful than the things that divide us, which is why the world marvels at Australia."

He added: "I will not be recontesting the leadership of the parliamentary Labor Party. The Australian people I believe deserve a fresh start with our leadership." 

Defence minister Stephen Smith told the ABC broadcaster: "Pessimistically, I'm looking at a result which will be a 1996-type result, a heavy defeat for the government," he added, referring to the election which brought Liberal leader John Howard to power.

Mr Abbott casting his vote with his family beside him

Labor has been marred by relentless infighting - which saw Mr Rudd oust Australia's first female prime minister Julia Gillard in June - leaving the public frustrated and disillusioned.

Health Minister Tanya Plibersek said: "The clear take-out from this definitely is that disunity is death and we are not disciplined enough. I don't think the division or the pain was justified at any stage."

Former Labor prime minister Bob Hawke said personality politics had been allowed to overtake the party's message and policies.

"The personal manipulations and pursuits of interest have dominated more than they should and in the process the concentration on values has slipped.

"I really believe this was an election that was lost by the government rather than one that was won by the opposition."

Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard

Early poll numbers suggested big swings against the government in the key states of New South Wales and Queensland after more than 14.7 million electors took part in the mandatory ballot across the country.

During the five-week campaign, Mr Abbott gradually overtook once-popular Mr Rudd.

The growing number of asylum seekers has been a major theme in the election. Labor promised that every bona fide refugee who attempts to reach Australia by boat would be settled on Papua New Guinea or Nauru.

The Liberals promised new policies requiring the navy to turn asylum seeker boats back to Indonesia, where they launch, and the government to buy back ageing fishing boats from Indonesian villagers to prevent them falling into the hands of people smugglers.

Mr Abbott has also vowed to scrap a controversial carbon tax and instead introduce taxpayer-funded incentives for polluters to operate cleaner.

Mr Abbott was born in London and moved with his parents to Sydney at the age of two. Later, he returned to England to study at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.

Mr Abbott has been in Parliament for almost two decades, and for a time was health minister.

He trained briefly as a priest, is a fitness fanatic famous for wearing tight swimming trunks and also volunteers for Australia's Rural Fire Service.

Deeply religious, some of his more conservative views on issues such as abortion and gay marriage have not pleased some.

Questions have also been asked about his attitude towards women with Ms Gillard famously labelling him a misogynist in a heart-felt speech in Parliament.

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Olympics 2020: Tokyo Wins Bid To Host Games

By Enda Brady, Sky News Reporter

Tokyo is celebrating a stunning victory in the race to host the Olympic and Paralympic games in 2020.

The Japanese capital saw off strong competition from Madrid and Istanbul on a night of high drama at the International Olympic Committee vote in Buenos Aires.

Madrid was eliminated in round one after initially finishing level on votes with Istanbul. A vote-off between the two cities saw the Turkish bid go through and the Spanish crash out. But the night predictably belonged to Tokyo.

Japan's strong track record of successfully hosting major sporting occasions - one summer Games, two Winter games and a football World Cup in 2002 - undoubtedly helped push votes their way.

The IOC's Evaluation Commission visited each city in March of this year and left Japan hugely satisfied with what it had seen.

Japan has pledged to spend a fraction of the cost of the London games

Anti-government riots and protests across Turkey this year did not help Istanbul's bid, while economic uncertainty hung over Madrid's efforts from the outset.

Tokyo also had the emotional pull of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, showing that triumph can emerge from tragedy.

Their bid team were frequently asked questions about the Fukushima nuclear reactor and recent concerns about contaminated water leaking from it, but they dealt with them. The reactor is 155 miles away from the host city and their prime minister was on hand in Argentina to reassure the IOC in person.

None of the bids had a 'wow factor' delegate like London 2012 had when it landed the Games in July 2005 with David Beckham in attendance, but Tokyo can be rightly proud of what it has achieved.

For Madrid (four unsuccessful bids) and Istanbul (five defeats) this will have been a particularly bitter blow.

For Tokyo the party may be in full swing, but the hard work starts tomorrow.

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