Boris Johnson Tells Opponent To Get Stuffed

Boris Johnson has told a Labour opponent to "get stuffed" during a heated discussion about fire services in London.

The Mayor of London lost his temper with London Assembly member Andrew Dismore during a debate at City Hall about cuts.

Mr Dismore asked him to explain how the closure of fire stations and loss of fire fighter posts in the capital would not reduce fire cover.

Andrew Dismore asked the mayor to justify fire station closures

Mr Johnson replied: "Because we are improving fire cover, as I have said several times."

Interrupted and asked how, he continued: "By continuing to reduce deaths from fire and continuing to reduce the incidence of fire. That is the name of the game."

Mr Dismore accused him of lying to the people of London during his election campaign.

The Mayor shot back: "Oh get stuffed," prompting a series of "oohs" around the chamber.

He was immediately asked to withdraw the remark and said: "I am sorry, I am sorry. It just popped out."

Mr Johnson, who is renowned for his colourful turns of phrase, has form in expressing his anger at the London Assembly.

In February, he called them "great supine protoplasmic invertebrate jellies" for deciding not to quiz him about his budget.

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Golf Ad Commemorating 9/11 Sparks Outrage

A Wisconsin golf course owner has said he received death threats after he advertised nine holes of golf for $9.11 to mark the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Tumbledown Trails Golf Course near Madison advertised the special in the Wisconsin State Journal newspaper on Monday, saying it was intended to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

The discount, which also included 18 holes for $19.11, was valid for the anniversary on Wednesday only.

News of the offer spread on social media and the golf course's Facebook page was overrun with negative comments.

Course owner and general manager Marc Watts said he received death threats and threats to burn down the family-operated public golf course.

An apology posted by Mr Watts on Facebook said: "We would first like to apologise to everyone that we have upset or feels we have disrespected in anyway. By no means did we mean to do this."

One World Trade Center has been built on the site

He added that anyone who booked a tee off time under the offer would receive the deal, but that the course would donate the difference between the special rate and the normal daily rate to the 9/11 Memorial.

"We hope that everyone will now see this as a positive as we really meant it to be," he said. "Again we do sincerely apologise for offending anyone and hope that you do accept our sincere apology."

Mr Watts said he considered closing the 20-year-old golf course on Wednesday because of safety concerns but decided to keep it open.

The sheriff's department sent a deputy to the course on Tuesday, and Mr Watts said another officer will be back on Wednesday.

"We're a little hurt by the fact that people are putting such a negative context on this," Mr Watts said. "I thought people would appreciate it."

Mr Watts said he began running the promotion two years ago, and until now it had been warmly received. 

But this year, after the newspaper ad circulated on social media, Mr Watts said the club's phone has been ringing off the hook.

It is not the first time that promotions tied to 9/11 have drawn criticism.

Last year the Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel in Worley, Idaho, offered hotel rooms for $91.11 and a food voucher for $9.11 as a "Thank you to our heroes".

Two years ago New York Sports Club offered 9/11 first-responders cheap memberships, drawing outrage from some who were targeted for the discount who said it a shameless use of a national tragedy to make money.

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Apple iPhone 5C Launched In California

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

Apple has revamped the iPhone by launching two new handsets at its California headquarters - including one that has a fingerprint reader.

The California launch was streamed to a parallel event in Berlin last night and played at another launch in the Chinese capital Beijing this morning.

The firm's chief Tim Cook confirmed rumours that the high-end iPhone 5S would be equipped with a fingerprint scanner to unlock the device and put an end to the days of passwords.

He promised the cheaper iPhone 5C would come with "all the great technology that customers have loved" on its previous models - but analysts said it was "nowhere near" as cheap as some had predicted.

The "budget" version - launched at a time when Apple arguably faces stiffer global competition than ever - will be an obvious rival to some of the low-cost gadgets sold by the firm's major competitors.

The iPhone 5C costs $99 (£63) over a two-year contract, or $736 (£469) as a one-off payment.

However winning over the Chinese consumer is, according to analysts, key to Apple's continued success.

The 5C, with its bright colours and lower price tag, is designed to attract buyers in China who currently favour cheaper android smartphones.

However, it is still far more pricey than alternative models. The iPhone 5S in China will cost 5,288 RMB (£549) according to Apple's China website.

Initial polls suggest that means the battle in China isn't won.

The iPhone 5C

In a survey on Sina.com.cn, a Chinese web provider similar to Yahoo!, 88.4% of those polled said the price for the iPhone 5C was too high. Only 2.6% said they would buy one.

The new flagship mobile, the iPhone 5S - dubbed the "gold standard in smartphones" by the tech giant - will come in the traditional Apple colours of silver and slate grey as well as a new golden hue.

But the 5C is billed as "more fun" than any iPhone yet. It will be plastic and come in a range of five vivid colours - blue, white, pink, yellow and green.

For young Chinese consumers who seem to buy increasingly gaudy plastic covers for their phones, this should be attractive.

However, Apple still faces one considerable problem in China. It currently only has a deal with two out of the three Chinese mobile networks.

The company has, so far, failed to sign a deal with China's largest mobile network, China Mobile.

With 745 million customers in China, it is the world's largest mobile communications provider and yet none of those customers can use an iPhone.

A deal is rumoured to be very close, but until it comes, Apple's growth in China will remain limited.

Tein Hee, from Stuff.tv in Singapore, told Sky News: "The iPhone 5C was not what most of us expected. Believed to be an affordable alternative to the iPhone 5S, its price tag for the 16GB version is even more expensive than Nokia's Lumia 925.

Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed the 'colourful iPhone' rumours

"Apple's greatest contender for the Chinese market isn't its bitter rival, Samsung, or other Android makers. It's China's homegrown brand Xiaomi, which has gained a cult status akin to Apple's, that will put up a strong fight against the Cupertino-based company.

"Just last week, it has also unveiled the Mi3, which costs a mere RMB 1,999 and features hardware and sleek aesthetics that will put the iPhone 5C to shame."

The two new devices were finally shown to the world after a series of images leaked online claimed to show the 5S while the web was awash with speculation that Apple would also branch out with a budget device.

Mr Cook raised a laugh as he told the audience: "A couple of you may have been expecting this."

He added: "The business has become so large that this year we are going to replace the iPhone 5, and we are going to replace it with not one but two new designs.

"This allows us to serve even more customers."

Apple's marketing chief Phil Schiller revealed the phone's US price plans

Apple marketing executive Philip Schiller told the audience: "iPhone 5S is the most forward-thinking smartphone in the world, delivering desktop class architecture in the palm of your hand."

He received a massive round of applause as he introduced the fingertip scanner - named Touch ID - which, he said, would provide a "simple and secure way to unlock your phone with just a touch of your finger".

The security feature is built into the home button and uses a laser cut sapphire crystal along with a sensor to take a high-resolution image of a user's fingerprint.

According to Apple, the technology can "intelligently analyse" the print to provide accurate readings from any angle.

All fingerprint information is encrypted and the firm has insisted it will never be stored on Apple servers.

Beyond unlocking the phone, the feature can be used as a secure way to approve purchases from the iTunes Store, App Store or iBooks Store, Apple said.

It has promised customers that all actions on the device would be faster than on previous handsets, from launching apps and editing photos to playing graphic-intensive games.

The phone will be available in the UK for a suggested retail price of £549 for the 16GB model, £629 for the 32GB model and £709 for the 64GB model.

Investors seemed unimpressed with Apple's latest gadgets. The company's shares closed down $11.53 at $494.64 after briefly surging to $507.45 on anticipation of the launch.

Price correct at 13.58 BST On Wednesday September 11

Jason Jenkins, editor of technology site CNET, said Apple has made a play for the "geeks it lost" to Android with the 5S.

He said: "Android phones like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One are known for containing very fast processors, while iPhones have been left behind."

:: The market value of FTSE 100 chip designer ARM Holdings jumped in trading on Wednesday on confirmation the 5S would use a 64-bit processor based on the British firm's design.

Analysts expected the A7 processor to result in a higher royalty rate to ARM compared to the current generation 32-bit design.

Shares rose 6% in early trading - adding £600m to ARM's market capitalisation.

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Mark Bridger: Prisoner Admits Knife Attack

A prisoner has admitted slashing child killer Mark Bridger across the face at one of Britain's most secure jails.

Bridger, who was jailed earlier this year for abducting and murdering five-year-old April Jones, needed hospital treatment after he was attacked with a makeshift blade on July 7.

Bridger was sentenced on May 30 and was sent to HMP Wakefield, a category A prison where some of Britain's most dangerous offenders are held.

Juvinai Ferreira, 22, admitted attacking Bridger as he appeared via videolink for a short hearing at Leeds Crown Court.

On screen in court, Ferreira, originally from Gambia, looked bored and propped his head up with his hand for most of the proceedings.

At one point, he could be heard asking his guards: "I thought this was going to be quick?"

After judge Christopher Batty told him the case was going to be adjourned until sentencing on October 2, Ferreira said to him: "Can you just not sentence me? I can't keep coming back. Just give me anything and move on."

Ferreira is serving a life sentence for the murder of Elaine Walpole in Dereham, Norfolk, in April 2008.

Bridger was attacked by a fellow prisoner at HMP Wakefield

At the time police said Ferreira moved to Dereham in 2007 with a relative after escaping civil war in Africa.

He befriended Miss Walpole, an alcoholic who lived alone, after they met at a shop and she bought him cigarettes.

A post-mortem examination showed the 47-year-old mother-of-three had been stabbed three times and bitten.

Prosecutors in the case described Ferreira as "sex-crazed".

Father-of-six Bridger, 47, abducted April as she played near her home in Machynlleth in Powys before murdering the schoolgirl.

A judge at Mold Crown Court sentenced the former slaughterhouse worker to a whole-life tariff in May.

The five-year-old's body has never been found.

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Le Vell Trial: Prosecutor Denies 'Witch-Hunt'

One of Britain's top prosecutors has denied actor Michael Le Vell was subjected to a celebrity "witch-hunt", as the debate about whether to give anonymity to those accused of sex crimes continues to rage.

Nazir Afzal, the Crown Prosecution Service lead on child sexual exploitation, insisted "nobody should be above the law" and said he would not shy away from high profile cases.

It comes after Mr Le Vell, who plays Kevin Webster in the ITV soap Coronation Street, was cleared of all 12 charges against him by a jury at Manchester Crown Court.

"I absolutely detest this word witch-hunt. It is not a witch-hunt," Mr Afzal said.

"We look at the evidence. We follow the evidence. We present the evidence."

He said it "does not matter" if, when looking at the evidence, "it takes us to someone who might have drawn attention to themselves publicly in some way, shape or form".

Mr Afzal says evidence against celebrities will continue to be investigated

Defence lawyer Nick Freeman told Sky News that Mr Le Vell's acquittal "urgently highlights" the need for anonymity for those accused of sexual offences until they are convicted.

"These heinous allegations carry a terrible social stigma and a revulsion that transcends most other criminal offences," he said.

"These don't die with an acquittal - they stay with a person for the rest of their life."

However, Mark Williams-Thomas, a child protection expert, argued that under the current system victims feel "more confident" in coming forward and speaking to the police.

"We need to look at the detrimental effect not naming individuals could have," he said.

"We know that as a result of the (Jimmy) Savile investigations, people came forward and made allegations.

Ex-broadcaster Hall is serving a 30-month jail sentence for sexual assault

"Stuart Hall was then prosecuted, having initially vehemently denied the allegations ... and is now in jail."

Mr Le Vell's legal team argued it was a "strange case of child rape" without any DNA evidence or injuries to the alleged victim, who claimed she had been raped and abused when she was younger.

Jurors were told to decide whether the girl was telling the truth or had set out to "quite literally destroy" the actor's life.

Sky News Correspondent Nick Martin, outside the Manchester studios of ITV, which is in talks with Mr Le Vell about a return to Coronation Street, said the debate about anonymity had divided opinion.

"In the past, it's been very difficult for people who have been acquitted to move on," he said.

"Many people think the slur and the stigma can go on to ruin people's lives.

"On the other side of the argument ... other victims see that person going through the court. It's claimed they are then encouraged to come forward and that their evidence can bolster cases."

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Vince Cable Raises Help-To-Buy Doubts

Vince Cable has called for the Government's flagship help-to-buy property scheme to be reconsidered in comments likely to anger George Osborne.

The Business Secretary told Sky News there was a risk of a "new housing bubble" because of recent changes in the market.

Mr Osborne's plans were a key plank of his Budget last year but prompted fears of a price surge because they do not address property availability.

Under the first stage, an equity loan scheme allows buyers with only a 5% deposit to buy a new-build property worth up to £600,000.

In January, the scheme will be extended to include a mortgage guarantee for buyers of any home up to the same value with deposits of 5-20%.

It is due to last for three years.

Asked if it should be rethought, Mr Cable said: "We should certainly think about how it should come into effect, indeed whether it should come into effect in the light of changing market conditions.

"We don't want a new housing bubble."

He cited warnings from experts including from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors this week about the "real risk" involved.

George Osborne recently hailed the change in economic fortunes

"I think in many parts of the country it clearly isn't a problem. If you are in Northern Ireland or Wales or indeed the East Midlands you would wonder what all this is about," he said.

"But certainly in London and the South East, in the north east of Scotland, in other areas, there are serious housing inflationary pressures."

Despite the warning, Treasury sources confirmed the Government's commitment to the policy and its launch next year.

Government sources added there were no plans for a rethink but that Mr Cable wants the Bank of England to keep a close eye on the scheme's effects.

His comments came shortly before he had been due to warn about "complacency" over Britain's economic recovery, insisting ministers cannot "rest on our laurels".

The keynote speech in Warwick was set to be a stark contrast to an address by Mr Osborne on Monday, in which the Chancellor declared the economy was finally "turning a corner".

But Mr Cable ended up toning down his remarks while still making clear the recovery was not yet assured and further Government action was needed to address the skills shortage and boost exports.

"The kind of growth we want won't simply emerge of its own volition. In fact, I see a number of dangers. One is letting up just because we have had a few quarters of good economic data," he said.

"Recovery will not be fully established until we see strong and sustained business investment."

In a separate interview, he also stressed that he supported Mr Osborne's comments but said the economy remained in a "long, dark tunnel".

"I don't want the public debate about this to become obsessive about a few weeks' data, when what really matters is the long-term change we're trying to achieve, getting Britain more outward looking, avoiding a return to the boom-bust psychology," he said.

"The point I am trying to make is that this is a long-term haul. We have got a marathon not a sprint here."

Before Mr Cable altered his speech, shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna said he had delivered an "embarrassing slap-down" to Mr Osborne.

However, he insisted the Lib Dems could not distance themselves from the Chancellor's economic strategy.

"It also reminds everyone that you can't trust a word the Lib Dems say. Vince Cable has supported the Chancellor's policies which choked off the recovery in 2010," he said.

"Three wasted years of flatlining that has left families worse off and done long term damage to our economy is his record and he should take responsibility for it."

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Princes Trade Baby Banter For 9/11 Charity

By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent

Princes William and Harry cracked jokes and ribbed each other as they closed multi-billion pound deals in the City to raise money for charity.

As the brothers helped broker record-breaking deals, they shouted across the trading floor, with Prince Harry mocking his brother for being preoccupied with "baby chat".

In remarks to traders, Prince Harry said: "He's on the phone, and it's all baby chat."

The younger brother then turned to Prince William and ordered him to: "Stop flirting, and get on with it!"

Prince William was in an equally mischievous mood telling one person on the end of the phone "It's all a wind-up, I'm Gary".

At the conclusion of one trade, Prince William was heard to remark: "Bloody hell, was that a billion?!"

Sky Sports presenter Charlie Webster interacts on the trading floor

The last deal the brothers made was for €25bn (£21bn), a world record for a forward foreign exchange.

The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry took to BGC Partners' trading floor in Docklands to raise money in memory of those who lost their lives in the September 11 attack on the World Trade Centre.

Among the celebrities on hand to help raise money was England rugby captain Chris Robshaw and British actor Idris Elba, who plays the lead role in TV crime series Luther.

BGC broker Nick Thompson, who mentored Harry through the deal he made, said: "Prince Harry was far more confident. Prince William was too busy with the baby chat, rather than the numbers."

After the deal was struck, William conceded: "I'm much better at helicopters."

BGC lost 658 employees in the attack on the World Trade Centre 12 years ago, and its annual Charity Day, now in its ninth year, has so far raised more than £65m.

All profits from the trades during the day are this year donated William's SkillForce and Harry's WellChild charities.

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Philadelphia Girl Found Starved To Death

The parents of a three-year-old girl who starved to death in Philadelphia have been charged with murder.

Nathalyz Rivera, a girl with special needs, weighed only 11 pounds (5kg) when she was found in a filthy home. That is the average weight of a three-month-old.

Her mother took the girl to hospital, wrapped in a dirty blanket, but she was already dead, local news reports say.

The Philadelphia home where the girl was found

When crime scene investigators went to the scene, they wore bio-hazard suits and masks to search the squalid apartment, which was strewn with garbage.

At one point they called the fire department to use their ladder so they could take pictures from the window of the home. 

The girl's parents, Carmen Ramirez and Carlos Rivera, have been charged with third-degree murder.

The Philadelphia homicide captain called it one of the worst cases of child malnutrition he has ever seen.

"I saw the photos, they were extremely disturbing," said homicide captain James Clark.

Nathalyz showed signs of bruising and bites on her body.

Forensic investigators at the scene

"That may have been from fleas or insects or rodents biting her," said Mr Clark.

The couple's four other children - aged nine, eight, seven, and a twin of the three-year-old girl who died - were placed in the custody of children's welfare services.

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Turkey Shooting: British Family 'Shocked'

The family of three British people shot, including one fatally, in Turkey have said they were "lovely people who would never harm anybody".

Catherine Anne Bury, who was known as Anne, died after she was attacked at the family villa allegedly by her gardener.

Her son Alex, 24, and mother Cecilia, who is in her 80s, were injured in the shooting in the resort of Dalyan on Monday.

The family of 56-year-old Ms Bury thanked people for their "warm wishes and condolences at this very sad time".

Alex Bury was shot in the leg

They added: "Although our family are still deeply shocked and grieving for Anne, we are pleased to say that both Anne's mother and son are recovering from their injuries.

"Both have been given wonderful care, treatment and support by hospital and consulate staff and many other local people."

Mr Bury has described how he pleaded with the alleged gunman Veli Acar to stop the attack, trying to reason with him before he opened fire on his mother.

Speaking from his bed in Mugla University Hospital, Mr Bury told The Times he recognised the gunman as Acar, their gardener who was said to have been in a relationship with his mother.

Mr Bury is recovering in hospital after the shooting

Acar had apparently threatened the family earlier that weekend, but was later released by the police and returned with a pump-action shotgun to the Bury's villa.

Mr Bury, who was shot in the leg, said: "I tried to reason with him. I told him it didn't have to be this way.

"He lifted the gun to his shoulder and gestured for me to go through to my mother and grandmother's room. They had heard me talking and had locked themselves in the room."

Acar is alleged to have gunned down Ms Bury as she cowered in the villa bathroom.

The family added: "It appears that the person that Anne employed as a general gardener/handyman, to look after her holiday villas, has committed this terrible crime.

"We cannot comprehend the mentality of somebody who would do this to three lovely people who would never harm anybody.

"We would like once again to thank everyone for their kindness and offers of help - they are a great source of strength to us."

The alleged gunman was the gardener at the villa

The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism confirmed the death of Ms Bury, who lived in the North Yorkshire village of Swainby.

Ms Bury, who trained as a midwife, had been working for an oil company in Dubai in a health role.

Her son worked at a North Yorkshire hotel, the Cleveland Tontine, after taking a year out of university, but is hoping to restart his studies in medicine.

Ms Bury's mother has been discharged after treatment.

Acar is said to have given himself up after the shooting and is due in court.

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Syria: UN Accuses Assad As Obama Backtracks

Russia has given the United States its plan for placing Syria's chemical weapons under international control, after President Barack Obama delayed a vote on air strikes.

Russia's Interfax news agency reported that the proposals had been handed over ahead of the meeting in Geneva on Thursday between the country's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and US Secretary of State John Kerry.

It followed an address to the nation from Mr Obama, who said he had asked Congress to postpone any decision on military action so a diplomatic solution could be pursued.

It came ahead of the release of a UN report that confirmed at least eight massacres had been carried out in Syria by President Bashar al Assad's regime and one by rebels over the past year and a half.

The UN commission investigating human rights abuses in Syria described the country as a battlefield where "massacres are perpetrated with impunity," and said it was looking into nine more suspected mass killings since March.

Towns and cities across Syria have been destroyed

Despite Mr Obama's decision to postpone the Congress vote, he said he remained cautious about Russia's plan for Syria to declare its chemical weapons - saying it was "too early to tell" if an agreement could be reached.

He said the images and videos of men, women and children dying in the suspected gas attack by the Assad regime were sickening and demanded a response.

But speaking from the East Room in the White House, he said he had asked Congress to postpone a vote on action in Syria while the possibility of a diplomatic solution is pursued.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al Moallem said the regime was ready to co-operate fully with the Russian proposal to put its chemical weapons under international control, and would stop producing more.

But Mr Obama has ordered the US military to maintain its current posture to keep the pressure on Mr Assad's regime should diplomacy fail.

"It is too early to tell whether this offer will succeed," he said. "And any agreement must verify that the Assad regime keeps its commitments. But this initiative has the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force."

Poison gas canisters

Mr Obama once again ruled out putting American "boots on the ground", but added that with "modest effort and risks", limited strikes could make Syria safer.

"A targeted strike can make Assad - or any other dictator - think twice about using chemical weapons," he said.

He accepted that many Americans were weary of military action after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr Obama said the limitations he was imposing on the potential strike would ensure against the US sliding down a slippery slope into another prolonged war.

"The purpose of this strike would be to deter Assad from using chemical weapons, to degrade his regime's ability to use them and to make clear to the world that we will not tolerate their use," he explained.

Mr Obama insisted the US was not the "world's policeman", but said when ideals, principles and security are at stake, his country must act.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted by state TV as saying: "We hope that the new US attitude toward Syria would be a serious policy and not a media campaign.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he hoped the US was serious about its stance

"The latest developments, if they can be taken seriously, show that they (US and its allies) have stepped back from the inconsiderate and mistaken actions that they had taken in the past few weeks."

At the United Nations, Britain, France and the US discussed elements of a draft Security Council resolution that would include a timeline for Syria to declare the full extent of its poison gas arsenal and to cede control of it to the UN.

An official close to French president Francois Hollande, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said tense negotiations had begun on a proposed resolution.

They said Russia objected not only to making the resolution militarily enforceable, but also to blaming the Syrian government for the chemical attack on August 21 that sparked the recent crisis.

The official said Russia also refused to agree on a demand that those responsible for the attack be taken before an international criminal court.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously insisted the handover of weapons would only work if the US rejected a use of force against Syria.

Sky Moscow Correspondent Katie Stallard said: "Russia would be quite content for this now to get bogged down at the UN Security Council, because they are keenly aware here that there's a clock ticking down all the while, that President Obama is making his case for military action now.

"As long as the perception remains that there is a peaceful solution available, whether or not in the long term that is enforceable, they will be satisfied that it is taking the wheels off his argument and the momentum behind the calls for military action."

It comes after the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Syrian government forces and rebel fighters were preventing medical assistance from reaching the wounded.

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