Australia Fires: Military Investigates Blaze

The Australian military is investigating whether it is responsible for starting a major bushfire, as firefighters battle blazes that have destroyed or damaged 300 homes.

The Rural Fire Service said some 85 fires were burning across New South Wales state, with about 20 of them uncontained despite Saturday's cooler weather conditions.

Among the major fires was one burning between the towns of Lithgow and Bilpin, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) northwest of Sydney.

The blaze, called the State Mine Fire, has so far burned through 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) and destroyed a number of properties.

There are around 85 fires burning across the state

The Australian Defence Force said its personnel were carrying out explosive ordnance training in the area on Wednesday, the day the fire started.

"The fire started on 16 October, the same day that Defence personnel were conducting an explosive ordnance training activity," it said in a statement.

"Defence is investigating if the two events are linked.

"Our thoughts are with those who have lost property or whose property is threatened by these devastating fires."

More than 130 firefighters are still battling the blaze.

The military said it will work with fire authorities to investigate the blaze once the fire is extinguished.

"The primary concern at this stage is for the safety of the communities in the vicinity of the fire, then the ongoing investigation which will review both the incident and Defence procedures," the statement said.

Arson investigators are examining the origins of several more fires that have threatened towns surrounding Sydney in recent days.

About 300 homes have been destroyed or damaged

The bushfires across the state could take weeks to fully overcome, particularly with more hot and gusty weather forecast for as soon as Sunday.

One man has already died while trying to protect his home on the Central Coast north of Sydney, possibly succumbing to a heart attack, but authorities are hopeful no other people are unaccounted for in the blazes.

The fires took hold in warm and windy conditions on Thursday and the worst affected areas have been in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, where some 193 properties were destroyed and 109 damaged in the towns of Springwood and Winmalee.

Yellow Rock resident Christine Senior lost her family home.

"I said to my husband, 'I remember when you carried me across the threshold'. I remember having all my babies here. All of that hard work that we put into everything for all years and it's just gone," she said.

NSW Rural Fire Service Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers said Saturday's conditions were a "pause" but that the fire perimeter stretched for more than 500 kilometres.

"We're by no means out of the woods," he told national broadcaster ABC.

"It's just calmed down a little bit and obviously we're bracing ourselves for these worsening conditions."

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Greece Charity In Appeal Over Mystery Girl

An international search is under way to identify the parents of a blonde girl found in the care of a couple on a Roma camp in Greece.

DNA tests have shown the four-year-old is not related to the couple - and their accounts of how she came to be living with them differ.

Police found the girl, who recognises the name Maria, during a raid on the camp, in Farsala, central Greece, on Wednesday.

She has now been taken into the care of a Greek charity called The Smile Of The Child, which has put out a Europe-wide alert.

A poster released to help find the girl's parents

A statement from the charity said: "The features of the girl and the controversial claims of the persons who claimed to be the parents of the child led the authorities to collect a DNA sample test.

"The results of DNA testing proved that these people are not the biological parents of the child.

"The Smile of the Child in co-operation with national police authorities is taking all necessary steps to inform the competent actors at national and international level."

The director The Smile Of The Child praised an observant prosecutor who went on the camp raid along with dozens of police.

Costas Giannopoulos told Greece's Skai TV: "She saw a little blond head poking out from under the bedclothes. It struck her as odd, and that's how it all started."

The girl recognises the name Maria

Apparently, the couple's various excuses included that the girl was found in a blanket and that she was handed to them by strangers. They later claimed she had a foreign father.

Maria is described as: born around 2009, white, with blue eyes, long blonde hair, 100cm tall and weighing 17kg.

The couple - a 39-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman - have been arrested and are now under investigation for abduction and falsifying identity and family certificates.

The couple claimed to have a total 14 children, police said, and had registered different numbers with authorities in three different parts of Greece. Including Maria, the couple only actually had four.

The woman is also said to have claimed to have given birth to six children within a space of less than 10 months.

Police say they also found drugs and unregistered firearms in other parts of the camp, which is about 170 miles (280km) north of Athens.

Officers are now working on the theory that, because of her appearance, Maria may be northern or eastern European.

The case, which some people have likened to the Madeleine McCann disappearance, has raised concerns about how easy it appeared to be for people to get official documents for children who are not their own.

A spokesman for Madeleine's family last night last night told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "This gives Kate and Gerry great hope that Madeleine could be found alive."

The Smile Of The Child director Costas Giannopoulos said Maria was being examined by doctors.

"We are shocked by how easy it is for people to register children as their own," he told the Greek TV station Skai.

"There is much more to investigate ... and I believe police will unravel a thread that doesn't just have to do with the girl."

Greece has only acquired a central system of registration for births in the last five months.

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Obama: Budget Impasse 'Damaged' US Credibility

US Fiscal Deal Timeline

Updated: 5:43pm UK, Thursday 17 October 2013

Key moments during Congress' battle over the partial government shutdown and expiring federal borrowing authority:

:: Sept 20 - Republican-run House ignores White House veto threat, votes to keep government open through Dec 15 but only if President Obama agrees to halt money for his health care law.

:: Sept 24-25 - Tea party Sen Ted Cruz and other conservatives speak on Senate floor for more than 21 consecutive hours about using shutdown bill to weaken health care law.

:: Sept 27 - Democratic-led Senate removes House-approved provision defunding Obamacare, and sends bill keeping agencies open through Nov 15 back to House.

:: Sept 29 - House shifts demands on health care law, votes to delay implementation for a year and repeal tax on medical devices.

:: Sept 30 - Senate rejects revised House provisions curbing health care law.

:: Oct 1 - Government's new fiscal year begins, partial federal shutdown starts, around 800,000 workers furloughed.

:: Oct 2 - House approves first of more than a dozen bills restarting popular programmes, reopening national parks and National Institutes of Health medical research.

Over the next two weeks, Democrats mostly vote "no", saying entire government must reopen, and Senate ignores the measures.

:: Oct 4 - Republicans increasingly tie shutdown fight to need for Congress to renew federal borrowing authority by Oct 17 or risk economy-rattling government default.

:: Oct 5 - Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel says he is bringing most of his department's 350,000 furloughed workers back to work immediately.

:: Oct 10 - Speaker John Boehner proposes six-week debt limit extension, conditioned on Mr Obama bargaining over spending cuts and reopening government.

:: Oct 11 - A bipartisan Senate group works on a measure that would reopen the government and prevent the US from defaulting on its bills.

:: Oct 12 - Mr Boehner tells House Republicans that negotiations with White House have stalled. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell begin talks.

:: Oct 14 - Mr Reid and Mr McConnell say they have made progress toward a deal extending debt limit and reopening government.

:: Oct 15 - House GOP effort to craft its own plan collapses after Mr Boehner fails to gain enough Republican support for two alternatives that are more conservative than evolving Senate plan.

:: Oct 16 - Senate and House hold a late-night vote to approve a deal announced earlier by Mr Reid and Mr McConnell, reopening government through Jan 15 and extending the debt limit to Feb 7.

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Kenya Mall Attack: New Gunmen Video Released

New CCTV footage has emerged from inside the Nairobi shopping mall showing how the attackers calmly shot people before taking time out to pray.

The video shows shoppers running away from the gunmen and dropping to the floor as bullets fly through the air.

At one point an injured man, who is bleeding heavily, is seen trying to pull himself to safety before apparently being shot again and then dying.

The silent video is taken from a number of CCTV cameras around the upmarket Westgate Mall in Kenya's capital and was obtained by CNN.

It appears that the footage was taken on September 21, the first day of a four-day siege, which left at least 67 people dead.

The attackers are also shown taking in turns to pray in what appears to be a store room.

Another section shows two militants casually walking through a supermarket while firing their guns and then talking on their mobile phones.

A woman with two children and pushing another in a shopping trolley are seen walking past a line of tills before a teenage girl follows them with a gunman behind her pointing the way.

It is believed they were all eventually released.

The al Qaeda-linked group al Shabaab claimed the attack was in retaliation for Kenyan military operations in Somalia.

Five of the attackers were killed by security forces.

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Stocks Soar Over US Debt Deal But Trouble Looms

Stocks soared on Wall Street as the markets got wind of a deal in Washington.

By the end of the day, the Dow Jones had climbed over 200 points, or 1.4%, the S&P 500 had gained 1.4%, pushing it close to a record high, and the Nasdaq gained 1.2%.

The volatility index, or VIX, which is considered one of the best measures of fear in the markets, experienced its biggest daily drop since August 2011.

Portfolio manager at Evercore Wealth Management Judy Moses described it as a "relief rally", and a welcome "reprieve" from the uncertainty surrounding the debt ceiling row.

But the market's expectation was always that the United States, the issuer of the world's reserve currency, would not default on its debt.

That would be too catastrophic to contemplate.

It would have pushed America into unchartered territory.

Even the most experienced analysts and bankers struggled to predict what might have happened had US government debt, considered one of the word's safest investments, suddenly become risky.

Billionaire businessman Warren Buffet said in a television interview with financial news channel CNBC that a default was "unthinkable", and that the debt ceiling row was a "political weapon of mass destruction".

To a certain extent then, the markets displayed a degree of immunity to the chaos on Capitol Hill.

Senior portfolio manager at US bank Eric Wiegand said: "Investors have become, unfortunately, accustomed to some of the dysfunction.

"It's become more the norm than the exception."

In 2011, when legislators wrangled over the debt limit, markets plunged and ratings agency Standard & Poor's cut America's credit rating.

This time, although volatility was up, Fitch put the US credit rating on negative watch, and treasury debt became less popular, the widely predicted market mayhem failed to materialise, and there was no panic or large-scale sell off.

Some suggest it is good that Wall Street doesn't appear to be so tied to the ups and downs of a bitterly divided political system, but others warn of a lasting negative effect.

Chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial David Joy said: "To me the market has yet to reflect the economic damage and the psychological damage this has done."

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Shutdown: Congress Passes Bill To Stop Default

America looks set to avoid a financial catastrophe after Congress voted to pass a bipartisan deal to end the fiscal impasse.

A last-minute agreement to avert a threatened US default and reopen the Government was reached on Wednesday.

After the details were finalised it was put to the US Senate and later the House of Representatives, before being signed by President Obama.

Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell struck a deal with Democrats

Speaking at the White House he said: "There's a lot of work ahead of us. We need to earn back the trust of the American people that's been lost over the past few weeks."

The deal was struck by Senate majority leader Harry Reid and GOP leaders Mitch McConnell, and calls for the Treasury to have authority to continue borrowing through February 7, and reopen the Government through January 15.

It means a fresh round of negotiations ahead of those dates, and Mr Obama said: "Hopefully next time (a deal) won't be in the 11th hour."

The agreement comes just a day before the deadline to raise the Government's $16.7tn (£10.5tn) borrowing limit. Had no deal been reached, the Government would have started to default on its planned payments.

Notably absent from the fresh agreement is a long-held Republican demand to defund aspects of President Obama's signature health care law.

The Senate deal makes only one modest change in the programme that requires individuals and families seeking subsidies to verify their incomes before qualifying.

Republican House speaker John Boehner said: "We fought the good fight, we just didn't win."

He gave a fist pump in front of photographers as he left late talks before the vote.

The agreement sent the stock market soaring on Wednesday, pushing the Standard & Poor's 500 index close to a record high.

Most traders had expected some sort of deal, given that a failure to reach a deal could have pushed the US into another recession.

Eric Wiegland, a senior portfolio manager, said: "Investors have become, unfortunately, accustomed to some of the dysfunction. It's become more the norm than the exception."

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Al Libi Denies Terrorism Charges In NY Court

By Sky News US Team, in New York

A Libyan charged in the 1998 al Qaeda bombings of US embassies in Africa has pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges in New York.

Abu Anas al Libi entered the plea in a federal court in Manhattan.

Al Libi, who has a thick grey beard, kept his hands folded on his lap as the judge read the charges.

The 49-year-old was captured during an October 5 special forces raid in Libya.

Al Libi allegedly helped plan the 1998 embassy bombing in Kenya

Al Libi, whose full name is Nazih Abdul-Hamed al Ruqai, was handcuffed and led out of court after the judge ordered him to be detained because he is a flight risk.

The suspected al Qaeda leader is accused of helping plan and conduct surveillance for the bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people, including a dozen Americans.

A prosecutor said it is not a death penalty-eligible case.

Al Libi was put on the FBI's most wanted list following the 9/11 attacks

Al Libi's family and former associates have denied he was ever a member of al Qaeda and said he has lived an ordinary life after living in Afghanistan and Pakistan and coming home in 2011.

His capture angered the Libyan government, which labelled the secret US forces raid a "kidnapping".

Al Libi was interrogated aboard a US Navy warship for a week before being brought to New York on Saturday.

His prosecution in the United States continues a policy of bringing suspected al Qaeda sympathisers and operatives to civilian courts rather than military tribunals.

Al Libi had been on the FBI's most wanted terrorists list since it was introduced shortly after the September 11 attacks.

A reward of $5m (£3.1m) was offered for his capture.

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Girls, 14 And 12, Held Over 'Bullying Death'

Two girls have been arrested in Florida after one admitted online that she harassed a 12-year-old girl who killed herself last month, police have said.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said officers arrested a 14-year-old girl because they were worried she would continue cyberbullying other girls.

She is accused of bullying Rebecca Sedwick, who was found dead at an abandoned concrete plant on September 9.

Sheriff Judd said the 14-year-old was arrested after she posted online on Saturday that she had bullied Ms Sedwick and did not care that she had died.

He said: "We decided that we can't leave her out there.

"Who else is she going to torment, who else is she going to harass?"

Police also arrested a 12-year-old girl who is accused of bullying Ms Sedwick. Both have been charged with felony aggravated stalking.

Mr Judd said the bullying began after the 14-year-old began dating a boy that Rebecca had been seeing.

She "didn't like that and began to harass and ultimately torment Rebecca," he added.

The 12-year-old girl was Ms Sedwick's former best friend, but had been turned against her by the older girl.

Authorities claim Ms Sedwick was "terrorised" by as many as 15 girls who ganged up on her and tormented her for months through online message boards and texts.

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Al Libi In New York To Face Terrorism Charges

By Sky News US Team, in New York

A suspected al Qaeda leader captured in Libya has arrived in New York following a week-long interrogation aboard a US warship.

Nazih Abdul-Hamed al Ruqai, better known by his alias Abu Anas al Libi, has been under federal indictment in New York for more than a decade on terrorism charges.

Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara confirmed that al Libi was transferred to law enforcement custody over the weekend.

The alleged senior al Qaeda figure was expected to be arraigned on Tuesday, Mr Bharara said.

Al Libi allegedly helped plan the embassy bombing in Nairobi, Kenya

Al Libi is accused of planning and conducting surveillance for the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Africa.

He was detained during a US special forces raid in Libya on October 5.

His capture heightened tensions with Tripoli, with the Libyan government upset that it had not been informed about the raid, labelling it a "kidnapping".

Al Libi is accused of involvement in the bombings of the US Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, which killed more than 220 people.

Intelligence officials interrogated him for a week aboard the USS San Antonio in the Mediterranean.

Court documents say al Libi's ties to al Qaeda date back to its early years, making him a potentially valuable source of information about the group's history.

The computer specialist is believed to have spent time in Sudan, where Osama bin Laden was based in the early 1990s.

Al Libi has long-standing health issues and will get medical testing while in custody to determine whether he needs treatment, US officials said.

Where exactly al Libi is being held and where that testing would take place is unclear.

President Barack Obama's administration took criticism years ago when it decided to prosecute admitted 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York, rather than at the naval prison at Guantanamo Bay.

After reversing course, however, the government has successfully prosecuted several terrorism cases in civilian courts.

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Philippines Earthquake: At Least 20 Dead

At least 20 people have died after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit the Philippines.

Fifteen of the fatalities were in Cebu, the political and economic hub of the central Philippines, civil defence office spokesman Reynaldo Balido told reporters.

Five other fatalities were reported on neighbouring Bohol and Siquijor islands.

The quake struck at 8.12am local time near Balilihan, a town of about 18,000 people on Bohol, at a depth of 12 miles (20km), the United States Geological Survey reported.

The town lies across a strait about 37 miles (60km) from Cebu island.

The earthquake ripped up roads

Janet Maribao, a receptionist on Cebu, said: "I was fast asleep when suddenly I woke up because my bed was shaking. I was so shocked, I could do nothing but hide under the bed."

Residents and tourists reported extensive damage to old churches and modern buildings, including a university, while major roads had also been torn apart.

Neil Sanchez, head of the Cebu's disaster management office, said: "Communication lines are quite difficult here.

"Even the disaster risk reduction management office has been damaged. We had to move elsewhere."

Cebu hosts the country's busiest port and largest airport outside of the capital Manila. It also has a major ship building industry.

The earthquake was followed by at least four aftershocks measuring more than 5.0 in magnitude.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre did not issue a Pacific-wide tsunami threat.

The Philippines lies on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a chain of islands that are prone to quakes and volcanic eruptions.

The deadliest recorded natural disaster in the Philippines occurred in 1976, when a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake devastated the Moro Gulf on the southern island of Mindanao.

Between 5,000 and 8,000 people were killed, according to official estimates.

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Seven Red Cross Workers Kidnapped In Syria

Seven International Committee of the Red Cross workers have been kidnapped after gunmen attacked their convoy in northern Syria.

Spokesman Saleh Dabbakeh said gunmen abducted the team after stopping their convoy near the town of Saraqeb in Idlib province on Sunday morning.

He said six of the people are ICRC workers and one is a volunteer from the Syrian Red Crescent.

It was unclear what nationalities the workers were.

Syria's state news agency said the gunmen opened fire on the ICRC team's four vehicles before seizing the Red Cross workers. It blamed "terrorists", a term the government uses to refer to opponents of President Bashar al Assad.

The team had been in the field since October 10 to assess the medical situation in the area, described as a "difficult area to go in".

Magne Barth, head of the ICRC delegation in Syria, said: "We call for the immediate and unconditional release of the seven colleagues abducted this morning.

"Both the ICRC and SARC work tirelessly to provide impartial humanitarian assistance for those most in need across Syria on both sides of the front lines, and incidents such as these potentially undermine our capacity to assist those who need us most."

Much of the countryside in Idlib has fallen into the hands of rebels over the last year, and kidnappings have become rife.

It comes after Syrian rebels claimed they had shot a government warplane on Sunday near the southern city of Deraa.

Fighters used anti-aircraft machine guns to hit the plane, but it was able to make an emergency landing at nearby Thala military airport.

Syrian state media has not confirmed the incident.

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Temple Stampede Kills Over 100 Worshippers

At least 109 people have been killed in a stampede at a Hindu temple in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, officials has said.

Some reports said the stampede occurred when police used batons to control a huge crowd that had gathered at the Ratangarh Temple near the village of Chand Pur, in Datia District.

As the devotees attempted to flee, hundreds of people ran towards a bridge across the Sindh river and an unknown number are believed to have fallen in.

At least 130 people were injured in the incident on Sunday.

A map showing the location of Datia

Others claimed the stampede happened when a rumour swept through a crowd of 20,000 crossing the bridge that it was about to collapse.

Many of those who drowned did so while trying to save the lives of others, India's News Tribe website reported.

The true cause of the stampede, which happened about 200 miles southeast of the capital Delhi, has yet to emerge.

The incident happened at a spot on the Sindh river where more than half-a-million pilgrims have gathered to take part in rituals.

The body of one of those who died in the stampede

Local Deputy Police Inspector General D K Arya denied that a baton charge had taken place.

He said: "More than 100 others have been injured ... There was no baton charge."

Rescue teams have been combing the water to pull out bodies and in an attempt to find survivors.

The worshippers were gathering at the temple as part of the celebrations for the Navratri festival.

The 10-day festival includes an event marking the victory of the Goddess Durga over the buffalo demon in Hindu mythology.

The death toll has risen to over 100

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan announced he had ordered a judicial probe into the incident.

Madhya Pradesh's government said it was offering Rs150,000 (£1,540) to the families of those who were killed and Rs50,000 (£513) to those who were seriously injured.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tweeted: ''On this day of festivities, our hearts and prayers are with the victims and their families.''

In 2006, at least 35 devotees died at the same spot after they were washed away when a dam in a neighbouring province opened its sluice gates causing a deluge.

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Madeleine McCann Timeline Of Events 'Wrong'

British detectives working on the Madeleine McCann investigation have revealed that key details in the timeline that led to her disappearance were wrong.

The revised details will be documented in a new Crimewatch appeal on the case to be broadcast on Monday.

Speaking ahead of the BBC programme, senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, of the Metropolitan Police, said: "The timeline we have now established has given new significance to sightings and movements of people in and around Praia da Luz at the time of Madeleine's disappearance.

"Our work to date has significantly changed the timeline and the accepted version of events that has been in the public domain to date.

"It has allowed us to work with Crimewatch to build the most detailed reconstruction as yet, and highlight very specific appeal points.

"I hope that when the public see our investigative strands drawn together within the overall context of that appeal, it will bring in new information that moves our investigation forward."

The timeline of Madeleine's disappearance has 'significantly changed'

The full reconstruction of the events six years ago when Madeleine went missing starts with a scene of Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry playing tennis.

Madeleine, dressed in pink shorts, T-shirt and hat, then runs across the court, holding a batch of tennis balls.

In another clip, the McCanns are asked how often they think of their daughter, who went missing when she was three years old on May 3, 2007 from a holiday apartment as her parents dined at a nearby tapas restaurant with friends.

Mr McCann says: "When it's a special occasion, when you should be your happiest and Madeleine's not there, that's when it really hits home. Obviously, Madeleine's birthday goes without saying."

Mrs McCann adds: "It's when you have big family occasions really. That's it isn't it? 'Family occasion' and you haven't got your complete family."

During the programme, DCI Redwood discusses how the police have approached the inquiry.

Gerry and Kate McCann tell Crimewatch their anguish is undiminished

He says: "Primarily what we sought to do from the beginning is try and draw everything back to zero if you like. Try and take everything back to the beginning and re-analyse and reassess everything, accepting nothing."

He adds: "The careful and critical analysis of the timeline has been absolutely key.

"Primarily, we're focused on the area between 8.30pm and 10pm. We know at 8.30 that was the time Mr and Mrs McCann went down to the tapas area for their dinner and we know that around at 10pm that was when Mrs McCann found that Madeleine was missing."

A number of e-fits are also to be shown in the appeal in a bid to "identify the men and eliminate innocent sightings".

Scotland Yard detectives, who have interviewed 442 people as part of their review-turned-investigation, hope to track down as many people present in the Portuguese town at the time.

Since launching its own investigation, 41 people of interest have been identified by the Met Police, including 15 UK nationals.

Madeleine seen on the day before she went missing in May 2007

Detectives have issued 31 international letters of request to mostly European countries in relation to some of the persons of interest as well as accessing phone records.

A large but "manageable" list of phone numbers identified as being present in Praia da Luz - though not necessarily used to make phone calls - has been drawn up by detectives with a "significant" number unattributed to any named person.

British detectives launched a fresh investigation in July this year - two years into a review of the case.

The Met Police now has a team of six Portuguese detectives based in Faro who are carrying out inquiries on its behalf.

The Portuguese investigation is officially closed but authorities there are backing the Scotland Yard inquiry and officers from both countries are working together in pursuing new leads.

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Cyclone Phailin Slams Into India's East Coast

A powerful cyclone has ripped through India's east coast, killing at least five people and forcing more than half a million into shelters.

Cyclone Phailin, with winds up to 130mph, made landfall on Saturday night near the town of Golpalpur in Orissa state and is moving inland.

The storm, covering an area larger than France, lost some of its strength before hitting the coast, but it remains India's strongest since a typhoon killed 10,000 people in the same region 14 years ago.

Four people were killed by falling trees, while another died when the walls of her home collapsed.

Officials said the storm has already caused cause large-scale power and communications outages and shut down road and rail links.

A satellite image of the cyclone

The evacuation of around 450,000 people in Orissa and 100,000 in Andhra Pradesh state is one of the biggest exercises in the country's history.

Many people have fled low-lying villages for shelters, but others have refused to leave their homes.

"My son had to stay back with his wife because of the cattle and belongings ... I don't know if they are safe," said 70-year-old Kaushalya Jena, who has taken refuge in a makeshift shelter.

In Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa, government workers and volunteers have been putting together hundreds of thousands of food packages for relief camps.

Floods have already ripped down power lines

The state's top official, chief minister Naveen Patnaik, said: "I request everyone to not panic. Please assist the government. Everyone from the village to the state headquarters have been put on alert."

The army's National Disaster Response Force said 1,700 of its troops have been sent to both states.

"As soon as the fury of the cyclone abates our boys will start their work," said the force's director general Krishna Chaudhary.

"The teams have medical first responders (for first aid), heavy cutting equipment, life-saving equipment that responds to breathing and even to warmth. In the case of cyclones there is a likelihood of collapsed buildings."

People walk among debris from a broken wall brought down by a wave

While the full extent of the damage cannot yet be measured, India's meteorological department said the cyclone posed a danger to a 95-miles stretch of coastline.

Forecasters have likened its size and intensity to Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the US Gulf coast and New Orleans in 2005.

Dr Liz Bentley from the Royal Meteorological Society told Sky News: "This particular part of the coastline is very low-lying so it (Phailin) will penetrate quite well in land.

"It is like a mini-tsunami hitting that - not caused in the same way as a tsunami but it's the same effect."

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