Mexico gang 'admits student deaths'

8 November 2014 Last updated at 09:44

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Mexican Attorney General Jesus Murillo: ''I know that the information we have obtained causes great pain in the families''

Suspected gang members have confessed to killing more than 40 students missing for six weeks, Mexican Attorney General Jesus Murillo has said.

He said three alleged gang members claimed the students were handed over to them by police.

They said some were already asphyxiated and they shot the others dead, before setting fire to all the bodies.

A total of 43 students went missing after clashing with police on 26 September in the town of Iguala.

A spokesman for their families said they would not accept they were dead until it had been officially confirmed by Argentine forensic scientists working on the case.

Bags found near river

The suspects from the Guerreros Unidos drug gang were recently arrested in connection with the disappearances.

Relatives of the missing said they had been told that six bags of unidentified human remains had been found along a river near where the students vanished.

Mr Murillo warned that it would be difficult to identify the charred remains and that authorities would continue to consider the students as missing until DNA tests confirmed the identities.

Previous searches have uncovered mass graves in the area, but initial tests suggested they did not contain the remains of the students.

Mr Murillo showed videotaped confessions by the suspects who said they had loaded the students into dumper trucks and taken them to a landfill site in Cocula, a city near Iguala.

About 15 of the students were already dead when they arrived and the rest were shot, according to the suspects.

Mr Murillo said the bodies were then burned with petrol, tyres, firewood and plastic in an inferno that lasted for 14 hours.

"The fire lasted from midnight to 2pm the next day. The criminals could not handle the bodies (for three hours) due to the heat," he said.

He said that the suspects then crushed the remains, stuffed them into bags and tossed them in a river.

Mr Murillo showed videos of investigators combing through small pieces of burned remains that were found in black plastic bags.

The suspects said they were not sure how many students they had taken but one said there were more than 40, Mr Murillo added.

"The high level of degradation caused by the fire in the remains we found make it very difficult to extract the DNA that will allow an identification,'' he added.

At the scene: Will Grant, BBC News Mexico correspondent

In what was at times a very graphic press conference, Attorney General Jesus Murillo laid out his office's findings into the disappearance of the students.

When they were handed over to the gang, around 15 of the students had already died from asphyxiation, he said. The remaining students were shot dead near a rubbish dump.

At that point, members of the gang - according to their own testimony, video clips of which were shown by the attorney general - burnt the students' bodies in a pyre.

Human remains from the river are now to be identified by experts in Austria, but Mr Murillo said it wasn't clear how long the process would take.

However, relatives of the missing remained sceptical. The families have been highly critical of the investigation into the students' disappearance.

"As long as there are no results, our sons are alive," Felipe de la Cruz, the father of one of the disappeared, said in a statement.

"Today they're trying to close the case this way... a blatant way to further our torture by the federal government."

The case has shocked Mexico. Thousands have staged protests over what they say is collusion between officials and organised crime, along with government inaction.

President Enrique Pena Nieto has faced widespread criticism and on Friday he vowed to hunt down all those responsible for the "horrible crime".

The students from a teacher training college in Ayotzinapa, in Guerrero state, had travelled to nearby Iguala to protest against what they said were discriminatory hiring practices, and to collect funds for their college.

But they went missing after clashes with the police.

Six people were also killed after police opened fire and witnesses described seeing the students being bundled into police cars.

More than 70 people have been arrested in connection with the disappearances, including the Mayor of Iguala, Jose Luis Abarca, and his wife, Maria de los Angeles Pineda, who were detained in Mexico City on Tuesday.

Mexican officials accused Mr Abarca of ordering police to confront the students to prevent them from disrupting a public speech given by his wife.

Timeline: Iguala disappearance

26 Sept: Students from a teacher training college in Ayotzinapa travel to Iguala to protest and raise funds

Night of 26 Sept: Police stop the students, 6 people are shot dead, 43 students disappear

30 Sept: Iguala mayor Jose Luis Abarca asks for leave from his post, which is granted

4 Oct: Mass graves are found near Iguala containing 28 bodies

19 Oct: Federal police are deployed to Iguala and replace the municipal force

22 Oct: Mexico's prosecutor general says an arrest warrant has been issued for Mr Abarca, his wife and the town's police chief

23 Oct: Guerrero state governor Angel Aguirre resigns

29 Oct: President Enrique Pena Nieto meets the relatives of the missing students and promises a "renewed search plan"

4 Nov: Mr Abarca and his wife are arrested in Mexico City

7 Nov: Three gang members confess to killing students and burning their bodies, according to Mexico's attorney general

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Extension for parts of poppy display

8 November 2014 Last updated at 03:45

Key parts of the World War One poppy display at the Tower of London are to be extended until the end of November, Prime Minister David Cameron has said.

The installation of ceramic poppies is to be dismantled on 12 November.

But the Weeping Willow and the Wave segments will now stay in place until the end of the month before being sent on a tour across the UK until 2018.

Huge demand from the public sparked a campaign to keep the installation in place longer.

Floodlights are already being used to ensure more people get to see the piece created to mark the centenary of the the start of the First World War.

The prime minister said the display had "in a very short space of time become a much loved and respected monument".

The touring segments will eventually go on permanent display at the Imperial War Museums in London and Manchester.

Up to 4m people are expected to have visited before 12 November, when there will be 888,246 ceramic poppies - one for each British and Commonwealth death during WW1.

Entitled Blood Swept Lands And Seas Of Red, the installation is the work of ceramic artist Paul Cummins, from Derbyshire.

Mr Cameron also said the government wanted to ensure that as many people as possible had the opportunity to view the poppies.

"By displaying parts of the installation around the country and then permanently in the Imperial War Museum, we have ensured that this poignant memorial will be saved for the nation," he added.

The Royal British Legion has said it hopes the sale of the poppies, after the installation has been dismantled, will raise in excess of £15m.

All net proceeds plus 10% of every £25 poppy sold will be shared between six service charities, including Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion.

'Stunning memorial'

Chancellor George Osborne has previously agreed to waive the £1.1m VAT from the poppy sales, also using money from Libor fines.

"It's only right that fines from those who have demonstrated the very worst of values should go to support those who have shown the best of British values," he said.

Culture Secretary Sajid Javid, who leads the government's programme to mark the centenary of WW1 said: "The poppies at the Tower are a stunning memorial to those who died in the First World War.

"For me this is public art at its most powerful and moving."

The tour of the poppies is being supported by donations from two charities, the Backstage Trust and the Clore Duffield Foundation, together with government funding.

More than £500,000 is being paid by the government to cover the cost of storing, transporting and installing the poppy sculptures in towns and cities across the UK. The funding will come from fines accrued from the Libor banking scandal.

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Military widows win pension change

8 November 2014 Last updated at 07:57

Rules which denied about 4,000 war widows and widowers a military pension are to be changed next year.

From April 2015, those who "remarry, cohabit or form a civil partnership" would be entitled to the pension for life, the Ministry of Defence said.

Under current rules some have to surrender their survivor's pension.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said he was putting right an issue that had caused "upset and disappointment for many years".

The War Widows' Association had been due to hand a petition to Downing Street calling on the government to address what it said was an injustice.

Analysis

By Jonathan Beale, BBC defence correspondent

The government's U-turn is timely. The War Widows' Association had been due to hand in a petition to Downing Street against what it calls an injustice this morning, before they hold their annual Remembrance Service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall.

Now they say they'll be sending the prime minister a thank you letter instead. Around 4,000 people - mostly widows - will benefit from the changes. They are those who lost loved ones serving between 1973 and 2005 - women whose partners died or were killed during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, or the wars in the Falklands and Iraq.

The cost of service pensions to those who remarry or find new partners will be about £120m over the next 40 years - a small price to pay for putting right an anomaly ministers now recognise has caused "upset and disappointment for years".

'Logical arguments'

The charity said that under the current system, some of those whose spouses died or left military service between April 1973 and April 2005 stopped receiving their survivor's pension once they remarried, cohabited with a new partner or formed a civil partnership.

But those whose spouse died or left military service before 1973, and those who were widowed after 2005, already kept their survivor's pension through other schemes.

The association said this meant some widows and widowers were effectively left "disadvantaged" because of the date their spouse died, calling it the "wrong time to die".

As of 1 April next year, those who already receive a survivor's pension will be allowed to keep their pension for life if they do remarry, cohabit or form a civil partnership.

War Widows' Association chairman Irene Willis said: "After campaigning for this amendment, which will benefit a small number of war widows whose partners died in service to their country, we are delighted that the government has decided to provide pensions for life."

'Fair and just'

Maj Gen John Moore-Bick, general secretary of the Forces Pensions Society, told BBC Breakfast: "One of the aspects of armed forces service in the past, in the present and in the future is a degree of turbulence.

"If you move house 10, 15, 20 times as a military spouse, you haven't any chance of building up any sort of pension entitlement."

He added: "To make this ruling is only fair and just and I'm very pleased the prime minister has done it."

Veterans' minister Anna Soubry told BBC Breakfast it was "the right time to do it".

She said: "The money is not actually very much in the overall scheme of things, it's the principle that's important and it's important that we've done it under the covenant.

"I think that's the first time anything like this has been done under the covenant and it shows the power of it."

The Armed Forces Covenant states that personnel and veterans as well as their families should be "sustained and rewarded" for their service.

Labour said it had pressed the government to "address this anomaly". Shadow defence secretary Vernon Coaker said he was "glad it has now been resolved".

The change will coincide with the launch of the new armed forces pension scheme, the MoD added.

Are you a war widow or widower that did not receive a military pension? What do you think about the proposed changes to the rules on receiving a military pension for life? You can share your experiences my emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk Please leave your contact details if you are happy to talk to a BBC journalist.

Have your say

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No drugs in Robin Williams suicide

7 November 2014 Last updated at 21:38

Robin Williams was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of his suicide, authorities in California have revealed.

The actor, 63, was found dead in his California home on 11 August in what authorities soon ruled a suicide.

A Marin County coroner's report released on Friday found Williams died from asphyxia due to hanging.

Williams, famed for roles in such films as Mrs Doubtfire and Good Will Hunting, had been treated for depression.

The entertainer was last seen alive by his wife on 10 August, and was found dead the following day.

On the morning he was found, the actor's personal assistant became concerned when he did not respond to knocks on the door, authorities say. The assistant entered the room and found Williams dead.

Williams won an Academy Award for his role in Good Will Hunting and starred in films including Good Morning Vietnam and Jumanji.

In the past Williams had talked, and even joked, about his struggles with alcohol and drugs. After his death, his representative said he had also been "battling severe depression".

He had earlier returned to a rehabilitation centre to "fine-tune" his sobriety, the Los Angeles Times reported in July.

In a statement following his death, Williams' wife Susan Schneider said she was "utterly heartbroken" and asked for privacy for the family.

"As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin's death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions," she said.

US President Barack Obama paid tribute to Williams, saying he "made us laugh. He made us cry."

"He gave his immeasurable talent freely and generously to those who needed it most - from our troops stationed abroad to the marginalised on our own streets."

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Alleged terror plot four questioned

8 November 2014 Last updated at 04:29

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The BBC's Daniel Sandford: The arrests were due to "suspicions about a possible attack... with Remembrance Sunday the most immediate worry"

Police investigating an alleged Islamist terrorism plot targeting the UK are continuing to question four men arrested on Thursday and Friday.

The men were detained in west London and High Wycombe by counter-terrorism police.

The four, aged between 19 and 27, were all taken to police stations in central London after their arrests.

The BBC's Daniel Sandford said one official pointed out the arrests came two days before Remembrance Sunday.

Police said one of the men was arrested in a car in a street in Southall, with armed officers assisting, but no shots were fired.

The arrest of a 27-year-old man in a car in Southall happened at 20:30 on Thursday.

A 22-year-old man was arrested in Hounslow at 20:45, the same time that a 19-year-old was arrested in High Wycombe. Firearms officers assisted with both arrests.

A 25-year-old was arrested in Uxbridge at 02:55 on Friday.

They were all held on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

Analysis By Danny Shaw, BBC home affairs correspondent

Last month, Scotland Yard warned that police were dealing with an "exceptionally high" number of investigations into Islamist-related terrorism - and so it's proving.

It's understood this investigation centres on an alleged plot to attack the UK. The arrests came just a few days before Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day, heightening fears that people attending services may be at risk.

The fact that the arrests came at night, with one suspect detained in a car in the street, suggests there was some last-minute information or a trigger event that sparked police into action. Usually suspects are detained at dawn.

Did that information relate to events this weekend? At the moment that's speculation - police are giving little away.

The Metropolitan Police said a number of homes in Hounslow, High Wycombe, Uxbridge, Southall, Greenford and Hayes were being searched by specialist officers as part of the investigation.

In a statement, the force said the arrests and searches were "part of an ongoing investigation into Islamist related terrorism".

Officers from the Met's SO15 counter terrorism command are working with the south-east counter-terrorism unit and MI5.

The arrests come after the UK national terror threat level was raised from "substantial" to "severe" in August.

This means a terrorist attack is considered "highly likely".

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Osborne accused of EU budget 'spin'

8 November 2014 Last updated at 08:22

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"This is smokes and mirrors", says shadow chancellor Ed Balls

Chancellor George Osborne's claim to have halved the UK's £1.7bn EU budget surcharge is "smoke and mirrors" and "spin", Labour and UKIP have said.

The UK will pay two interest-free sums next year totalling £850m, instead of a larger lump sum by 1 December, after a rebate from Brussels due in 2016 appeared to have been brought forward.

Labour's Ed Balls said the deal had not saved UK taxpayers "a single penny".

Other European finance ministers said Britain had not received a discount.

The chancellor said the deal he had secured went "far beyond what anyone expected us to achieve".

'Straw man'

But Mr Balls, the shadow chancellor, said: "By counting the rebate Britain was due anyway, they are desperately trying to claim that the backdated bill for £1.7bn has somehow been halved.

"But nobody will fall for this smoke and mirrors. The rebate was never in doubt and in fact was confirmed by the EU Budget Commissioner last month."

The BBC's Europe correspondent Chris Morris said rebates were normally paid a year in arrears, but that Britain had won a concession meaning the money will now be paid in the same year it is due.

Writing on Twitter, UKIP leader Nigel Farage said Mr Osborne was "trying to spin his way out of disaster", saying the UK was still going to pay the full £1.7bn.

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"Instead of footing the bill we have halved the bill", George Osborne said

Eurosceptic Tory MEP Daniel Hannan suggested the deal achieved by the chancellor may not represent any reduction in the total amount.

"The EU sticks us with a bill. Ministers double it, apply the rebate, return to the original figure and claim victory. We're meant to cheer," he said.

"Britain is worse off in absolute terms, but a straw man has been knocked down."

Continue reading the main story

The surcharge follows an annual review of the economic performance of EU member states since 1995, which showed Britain had done better than previously thought.

The demand sparked anger across the political spectrum, with Prime Minister David Cameron insisting the UK would pay nothing by the original 1 December deadline and calling for the overall sum to be renegotiated.

After a four-hour meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels, Mr Osborne hailed an agreement which he said meant the UK would pay a lower sum in two interest-free instalments in July and September 2015.

Analysis

By Gavin Hewitt, BBC Europe editor

How has the UK reached this figure of £850m?

It has included the figure of the UK rebate which is calculated on the gross national income figures.

The Treasury argues that it was not at all clear that the rebate would have been applied in full and they gained that assurance after intensive discussions with the Commission.

Others argue that the UK rebate for next year was never in doubt and that a rebate which the UK would have got anyway is, in effect, being used to reduce this surcharge payment.

It is the case that these figures were never discussed at the finance ministers' meeting on Friday so the announcement that the UK bill has been halved has been met with some surprise.

EU budget: Devil's in the detail

Dutch finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem said the Britain's rebate would apply to the new contribution being asked for.

"So it's not as if the British have been given a discount," he added.

Mateusz Szczurek, the Polish finance minister, told Radio 4's Today programme that he understood the amount Britain would pay could be counterbalanced by its rebate.

He said the talks on Friday did not concern the "actual amounts" each country would have to pay.

'Result for Britain'

Following the Brussels meeting, Mr Osborne said: "Instead of footing the bill, we have halved the bill, we have delayed the bill, we will pay no interest on the bill, and if there are mistakes in the bill we will get our money back.

"We have also changed permanently the rules of the European Union so this never happens again.

"This is far beyond what anyone expected us to achieve and it's a result for Britain."

Asked how this had been achieved, Mr Osborne said the UK's annual rebate from Brussels would be applied in full next year to partially offset the surcharge.

'Good progress'

The UK rebate is a system dating back to 1984, negotiated by Margaret Thatcher, that provides the UK with a refund on a part of its contribution to the EU budget. It is calculated on the basis of changes in national income.

Under the initial plan, the UK was due to get a 1bn euros rebate in 2015-6 but it will be allowed to bring that forward to the second half of 2015 to reduce the surcharge.

But its 2016 rebate will be 1bn euros smaller as a result.

Mr Cameron said reducing the amount paid to Brussels was "good progress, and the chancellor has done well".

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Obama to double US forces in Iraq

8 November 2014 Last updated at 09:26

The US is to send 1,500 more non-combat troops to Iraq to boost Iraqi forces fighting Islamic State (IS) militants, nearly doubling the US presence.

The Pentagon said the troops would train and assist Iraqi forces.

President Barack Obama authorised the deployment following a request from Iraq's government, the Pentagon added.

IS militants control large areas of Iraq and Syria but have been targeted by hundreds of air strikes by a US-led coalition since August.

The 1,500 additional US troops will join the 1,600 military advisers that are already in Iraq to assist the country's army.

A statement from the Pentagon said the troops would be establishing several sites to train nine Iraqi army and three Kurdish Peshmerga brigades.

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Rear Admiral John Kirby says the troops will be in a "non-combat role"

The US military would also be setting up two "advise and assist operations centres" outside Baghdad and the northern city of Irbil, the statement added.

"US troops will not be in combat, but they will be better positioned to support Iraqi security forces as they take the fight" to IS, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters.

He said President Obama would also be asking Congress for $5.6bn (£3.5bn) to support the ongoing operations against IS fighters in both Iraq and Syria.

The announcement came hours after Mr Obama met congressional leaders in Washington for the first time after the Republicans won control of the Senate in Tuesday's elections.

Analysis: Tom Esslemont, Washington Correspondent

In the eyes of the Pentagon, the Iraqi armed forces are responding well to the training they have already been given.

Its spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said they had "stiffened their spine". So the expansion of the training programme to the north, south and west of Iraq is designed to build on what is being labelled as progress.

But others may see this deployment differently. There are those who recall how, earlier this year, the US-trained and equipped Iraqi armed forces simply crumbled in the face of Islamic State militants.

Rear Adm Kirby blamed the previous Iraqi government for that, and said that the Iraqis were now making gains and that the situation was completely different this time.

The Obama administration has said its aim was to "degrade and ultimately destroy" Islamic State militants, who control large parts of the country after launching an offensive in the north in June.

A US-led coalition has launched more than 400 air strikes on the group in Iraq since August, and more than 300 across the border in Syria.

The strikes have destroyed hundreds of the group's armed vehicles and several of its bases, but Islamic State has continued its campaign to establish a caliphate.

Last week, officials in Iraq's western Anbar province said IS militants had killed at least 322 members of a Sunni tribe who had tried to resist the jihadists.

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Osborne: I'll get 'deal' on EU bill

7 November 2014 Last updated at 09:25

Chancellor George Osborne is arguing the UK's case for not paying the EU an extra £1.7bn in a meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels.

Ahead of the talks, Mr Osborne said the sum being asked for was "unacceptable" and he would get a "better deal".

David Cameron has repeatedly said the UK will not hand over any money by the 1 December deadline.

A senior EU official has warned of opening a "Pandora's Box" if the surcharge is not paid.

Amid reports that the UK could be allowed to pay the bill in interest-free instalments, Treasury sources said Mr Osborne would continue to demand a cut in its size.

'On the agenda'

Speaking ahead of the Ecofin meeting, Mr Osborne said: "The demand that Britain should pay £1.7bn by the 1st December is unacceptable. I wanted this on the agenda. It is on the agenda. I will make sure we get a better deal for Britain."

However, a final agreement is not expected to be reached at Friday's meeting.

But BBC political editor Nick Robinson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that a compromise based on phasing in interest-free payments over a given time is one that "David Cameron will not be able to sell back home".

He added that "after the stance he has taken", Mr Cameron "needs the total figure cut rather than phasing in payments.

"If he doesn't get an offer of that, or George Osborne doesn't get it face-to-face in Brussels today, there will have to be more talks to get more concessions."

'Practical solution'

The surcharge follows an annual review of the economic performance of EU member states since 1995, which showed Britain had done better than previously thought.

Elements of the black economy - such as drugs and prostitution - have been included in the calculations for the first time.

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Lord Hill: We need "practical solution" over tax bill

Last month, David Cameron reacted angrily to the bill presented to the government by the EU for £1.7bn (2.1bn euros).

Italy, Greece and Cyprus were also asked to make extra contributions, while France and Germany are set for refunds.

Lord Hill told the BBC: "It seems to me that this is one of those classic examples you get from time to time, where something that a group of people think are technical matters suddenly, and in this case for perfectly understandable reasons, become highly political.

"The sensible thing now is to try to calm the situation down, and to look at the facts, and to look at a practical solution to the challenges that various member states face."

The former leader of the House of Lords, who was appointed as European Commissioner for financial services last month, said the meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Ecofin), would go some way to finding a "practical solution".

Losers	Additional sum to pay
Source: Leaked EU Commission document
United Kingdom	£1,676m
Netherlands	£506m
Italy	£268m
Greece	£70m
Cyprus	£33m
Winners	Reduction
France	£801m
Germany	£614m
Denmark	£253m
Poland	£249m
Austria	£232m

Speaking last week, the European Commissioner for Budgets, Jacek Dominik, said EU members had approved the process by which the figures were calculated and it would be "extremely difficult" to change it.

"Never in the past was there a situation that such a decision was changed and implementation regulations have been changed because one of the member states has contested," he said, adding that "if you open this act for future negotiations you open up a Pandora's box".

'Synthetic anger'

Conservative MP Ken Clarke, who served as chancellor in the 1990s, told the Today Programme on Friday that although it was "quite reasonable" not to pay a lump sum of £1.7bn by the 1 December, the UK did not default on its debts and a compromise will "depend on how good our case is".

He expressed confidence that Mr Osborne would negotiate a solution at the meeting of European finance ministers today, after there has been "a look at how the £1.7bn figure was arrived at".

Mr Clarke also said a lot of the anger about the bill was "synthetic", saying "it's all politics getting in the way of commons sense".

He added that if the EU was to be kept together as an economic entity "you have to pay your contribution and you have to have free movement of labour".

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Inquiry into alleged rape victim case

7 November 2014 Last updated at 09:41

An investigation has been launched into the case of a woman who was prosecuted over an alleged false rape claim - and then killed herself.

Eleanor De Freitas, 23, had bipolar disorder, and left notes saying she was frightened of going to court.

She said she had been raped but later faced trial for allegedly perverting the course of justice.

Her father, David, said she had not been able to cope with this. He called the situation "tragic, tragic, tragic."

Director of public prosecutions Alison Saunders said she was personally asking officials for answers.

Mental breakdown

An inquest into Ms De Freitas' death is due to open on Friday, but her family want it to be treated as a special type of legal case where a jury can consider whether public bodies could have done more to prevent a fatality.

Ms De Freitas suffered a mental breakdown during her first year at Durham University. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had received medical treatment.

In early 2013 she made a rape complaint to the Metropolitan Police.

The force told her there would not be a prosecution because of some inconsistencies in her evidence.

The man she had accused of rape then launched his own private prosecution, accusing her of perverting the course of justice.

Ms De Freitas' solicitors asked the Crown Prosecution Service to halt the private action but the CPS decided to take it over and continue it.

Three days before Ms De Freitas was due to stand trial in April, she took her own life.

'Soul destroying'

David De Freitas told BBC Radio 4's Today programme his daughter feared the prospect of testifying at trial.

He said: "I saw a quarter of the Eleanor that used to be there. It was soul destroying and it ground her down.

"She masked really what she was going through because she seemed on the surface to have been coping quite well, but clearly she wasn't.

"I personally think that it was because she feared being sectioned under the Mental Health Act that she took strenuous efforts to mask her feelings and what she reported to her medical team and to us."

"In the end, she couldn't cope with it and it was tragic, tragic, tragic."

He added that while he was grateful the investigation was taking place, "it very much falls into the category of too little too late".

In a statement, Ms Saunders said she wanted to meet the De Freitas family after she had completed her investigation.

"I am very saddened by the tragic death of Eleanor de Freitas," she said.

"I have asked the team which dealt with this case for a full explanation which addresses all of the De Freitas family's concerns.

"I appreciate the family's unease which is why I am looking at this personally in order to satisfy myself of the detail surrounding all the stages of the case.

"Prosecuting cases of perverting the course of justice in connection with an alleged false rape allegation is rare, extremely difficult and always complex and sensitive.

'Serious concerns'

"This case was one of the most difficult I have seen. To say any more at this stage would be inappropriate until I can answer the De Freitas family's concerns fully and directly."

Under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, public bodies must account for their actions if they were either involved in a death or there is a question over whether they could have done something to prevent it from happening.

In practice, this usually means holding an inquest before a jury so that it can decide whether or not the state had any role in what happened.

Deborah Coles, of campaign group Inquest, said: "This case raises serious issues of concern regarding the prosecution of rape complainants."

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Nordic PMs warn Cameron over EU

7 November 2014 Last updated at 08:46 By Nick Robinson Political editor

David Cameron has faced warnings from three leaders of Nordic countries over his plans to limit immigration from the European Union.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said a change of rules on free movement could "ruin" the 28-member group.

And Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said freedom of movement was "very important" to her people.

Mr Cameron has promised to set out his next steps on curbing immigration before Christmas.

It has been reported that the UK could seek to apply an "emergency brake" to reduce net migration - the difference between those entering and leaving - after it reached a certain level, or to limit the number of National Insurance numbers issued to new arrivals.

And Chancellor George Osborne has insisted this week that the country will pursue its "national interest".

'Rather holy'

But Mr Lofven told the BBC: "The fact that one country believes that one thing is wrong does not mean that we can change because every country might have its own priorities and that may just ruin the European Union.

"I think it's wrong because that means that every country can find their own solutions on different issues. If you first create a common market with common rules and then if the individual countries are supposed to change that on their own, then, I mean, soon, we do not have a European common market."

Mr Cameron is attending a summit of northern European leaders in Finland, whose Prime Minister Alexander Stubb said the principle of freedom of movement was "rather holy", adding that the UK "should be rewarded with an EU medal for bringing forward the holy grail" by opening the borders to Eastern Europe.

Asked for his message to Mr Cameron, he replied: "Thank you for having opened your borders and let's see what we can do about the whole situation to try to alleviate it and facilitate it."

Analysis BBC political correspondent Robin Brant

David Cameron would consider himself to be among friends at this, the most informal of formal prime ministerial gatherings.

But even when you've shared roast fillet of reindeer - as they did at a private dinner last night - it doesn't mean you agree on everything.

This time round, the other eight leaders are less sympathetic to his cause, and it was the host who said so.

Finland's Prime Minister Alexander Stubb toned down his language a little. He didn't repeat last week's jibe that Mr Cameron's rage over the £1.7bn payment was "mountains out of molehills".

Instead he told the BBC he could understand why it had become a problem.

Mr Stubb has long been seen as a friend of the UK and a political ally of the Conservatives, having studied at the London School of Economics and married a British woman.

He said: "I have three Brits at home - a wife and two children and, of course, my in-laws. My mother-in-law and father-in-law are retired teachers and my sister-in-law is a teacher in a school which has a lot of Central and East European students, so I have seen it close up."

Norway's Ms Solberg said the free movement of people was "extremely important to Norway" and the principle was "ideologically important as a conservative".

Norway is not a member of the EU, but the country is a participant in the single market and therefore allows the free movement of EU citizens.

But former UK Chancellor Ken Clarke, one of the most pro-European voices in the Conservative Party, said the UK would lose all influence if it left the EU and accused eurosceptics of "synthetic anger" on a wide range of issues.

"If you want to keep the EU intact as an economic entity, you have to pay your contributions and you have to have free movement of labour," he told the BBC. "Norway pays a contribution, Norway has free movement of labour.

"But we are in the EU, we can go the Council of Ministers, negotiate and argue about these things. Poor Norway has to be told what was decided afterwards."

Are you an EU migrant? Send your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

Have your say

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US row over who shot Osama Bin Laden

7 November 2014 Last updated at 06:05

A public row has arisen over which US commando fired the shot that killed Osama Bin Laden, more than three years after the al-Qaeda leader's death.

Ex-Navy Seal Robert O'Neill, 38, has told the Washington Post in an interview that he fired the fatal shot.

This contradicts the account of Matt Bissonnette, another former Seal involved in the raid, in a 2012 book.

The al-Qaeda leader was killed in a 2011 Navy Seal raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

Navy Seals usually abide by a code of silence that forbids them from publicly taking credit for their actions.

Mr O'Neill, who retired in 2012, had previously told his story anonymously to Esquire magazine.

He was scheduled to reveal his identity in a television interview later this month, but news of the interview angered other former Seals.

A website run by ex-special forces personnel published his name pre-emptively, apparently in protest at his decision to claim credit for the shooting.

Mr O'Neill said he and another member of the team - whose identity remains secret - climbed the stairs to the third floor of the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and saw Bin Laden poke his head outside the door of one of the rooms.

The unnamed commando, at the "point position" leading the column, fired at him but missed, according to Mr O'Neill.

An instant later, Mr O'Neill went into the room and killed the al-Qaeda leader with shots to the head, he says.

Seal Team 6 (ST6)

• Elite group of US Navy's Sea, Air, Land (Seal) Teams trained to carry out top secret operations
• Part of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DevGru) based in Virginia
• Led the 2009 rescue of US Captain Richard Phillips, kidnapped by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean
• In 2012, several ST6 members were disciplined for working as paid consultants on a video game

However, in the book No Easy Day, Mr Bissonnette claimed it was the point man who killed Bin Laden.

On Thursday, Mr Bissonnette did not directly dispute Mr O'Neill's claim, in an interview with NBC News.

"Two different people telling two different stories for two different reasons," Mr Bissonnette told the broadcaster.

"Whatever he says, he says. I don't want to touch that."

Mr Bissonnette is scheduled to appear on the CBS news magazine programme 60 Minutes ahead of the publication of his second book, No Hero, about his service with the Seals.

Meanwhile, he is under investigation for potentially disclosing classified information in his first book, which is about the Bin Laden raid.

The official account of what happened is unlikely to be disclosed by the US government for many years.

Pentagon officials have neither confirmed nor denied Mr O'Neill's account, but senior special operations leaders sent a letter last week to all Navy Seals urging them to comply with their code of silence about operational details, including avoiding taking "public credit".

"We do not abide wilful or selfish disregard for our core values in return for public notoriety and financial gain," they wrote.

Bin Laden was confirmed killed in the raid and his body was buried at sea.

Darkness and close quarters inside the compound have made some Navy Seals question whether it is possible to determine whose bullets killed the al-Qaeda leader.

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Cannibal murder probe continues

7 November 2014 Last updated at 08:50

Investigations are continuing after a woman was murdered in an act of cannibalism and the suspect died after Gwent Police fired a Taser at him.

Matthew Williams, 34, was found attacking the 22-year-old in the Sirhowy Arms Hotel in Argoed, Blackwood - a bed and breakfast for the homeless.

He was shot and arrested at the scene during the early hours of Thursday but later died.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is probing his death.

Gwent Police said Williams was local to the area and the woman was from Blackwood.

The pair are believed to have been in a relationship and the force said it is not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

'Grotesque'

The property where the murder took place is used as temporary accommodation for homeless people.

IPCC Commissioner for Wales, Jan Williams, said: "I would like to express my sincere condolences to the families of the deceased at this sad and difficult time.

"Our investigators are gathering all relevant evidence to understand the full circumstances of what happened."

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Forensic teams have been searching for clues at Sirhowy Arms Hotel in Argoed

BBC Wales reporter Stephen Fairclough in Argoed

People living in the small village of Argoed just north of the town of Blackwood have reacted to the disturbing events at the hotel with shock and disbelief.

The three-storey building where Williams is believed to have murdered the young woman sits in the middle of the village and the centre was a hive of police activity on Thursday as the investigation got under way.

One resident said the murder "is hard to believe in a small, quiet community village like this".

Another described the police scenes as "chaotic" with emergency services vehicles "everywhere".

One woman said: "It's all very upsetting."

Leon Gardiner, a councillor who has lived in the village for more than 80 years, said the killing has "hit the village for six".

Argoed councillor Garry Lewis described the nature of the killing as "grotesque".

Argoed Baptist Chapel secretary June Trace told BBC Wales that the Sirhowy Arms was converted into accommodation for vulnerable people several years ago.

She said it had a "fluctuating population" of people, often aged in their 30s or 40s, who would stay there for a time before moving on.

Despite concerns of some villagers when the plans were first put forward to convert the building, she said there had never been any trouble there.

However, other people living in Argoed said there had been issues at the hostel and police had been called to resolve problems there frequently.

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Labour 'must pull together' to win

7 November 2014 Last updated at 09:30

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Douglas Alexander warned Labour MPs that "divided parties lose elections"

The Labour Party's general election co-ordinator has urged his party to "pull together", warning that "divided parties lose elections".

Douglas Alexander's remarks came after party leader Ed Miliband was forced to dismiss as "nonsense" claims that some Labour MPs wanted him to resign.

It is understood Mr Miliband's leadership was questioned at a meeting of Labour MPs from north-west England.

But Labour MP Diane Abbott said Mr Miliband was "not going anywhere".

Recent polls have suggested Labour is on course to lose seats to the Scottish National Party, and that Mr Miliband is now less popular than his Liberal Democrat counterpart Nick Clegg.

Sources say MPs from north-west England discussed moving to a defensive strategy in a bid to hold on to their seats, rather than an offensive one aimed at winning the election.

The BBC has learned that the leadership was discussed on Wednesday, at a regular social gathering of Labour MPs from the 2010 intake.

Analysis BBC political correspondent Chris Mason

While accurately measuring gloom is impossible, there is rather a lot of it about among Labour MPs - and more than there was.

It is six months to the day until the general election, and, as opinion polls suggest Labour's lead is narrowing and Ed Miliband is less popular than his party, some fret this could not just stunt Labour's progress at the election, but cost them their seats.

But Labour does take comfort from not being the sole home of political gloom. The atmosphere's sufficiently febrile, the polls sufficiently in flux, to mean the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats are not immune from nervy bouts of worry either.

The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith said there was a "wide degree of disillusionment" about Mr Miliband's leadership.

"But there is no way anyone can see of doing anything about it," he added.

"If they could have a magic wand and just wave Ed Miliband away I'm sure they would love it. But they don't."

Labour backbencher John Mann, a critic of the leadership in the past, said Mr Miliband needed a "cutting edge" if the party was to win back power.

Asked if Mr Miliband could turn things around, he said yes but added: "He needs to be doing the right thing. We do not need more policies... We need him out and about, literally on the doorstep, listening to people and reflecting on what they are saying."

Labour leadership rules

• In order to depose a sitting Labour leader a challenger would need to be backed by 20% of Labour MPs.
• There are currently 257 Labour MPs, so any potential candidate needs the formal support of 52 of them.
• If a nominee secures this level of support they must then write to Labour's general secretary Iain McNicol announcing their intention to run.
• The contest would then be decided at annual conference in the autumn.
• There is no mechanism to call an emergency conference before this.

But former Cabinet minister Ben Bradshaw, who backed Mr Miliband's brother David in the 2010 leadership contest, said he was "optimistic" that the Labour leader would be in Downing Street in six months time.

"I didn't support Ed Miliband but I have been massively impressed by what he's achieved," he told BBC Breakfast.

"He's held the Labour party together, he's correctly identified the challenges facing this country, in that we have an economy that doesn't work for most people.

"He's developed a very good policy programme on energy, on housing, on jobs and growth and I think he will win the election."

Ms Abbott, who has been a MP for more than 20 years, dismissed the doubt cast on Mr Miliband's leadership as Labour MPs "whingeing", while veteran former Cabinet minister Peter Hain said it was "Westminster bubble nonsense".

He added: "If people are feeding this stuff they should stop because what the country is desperate for is change."

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Digital mosaic of fallen WW1 private

7 November 2014 Last updated at 09:41

A digital mosaic of a British Army private killed during World War One has been created using more than 30,000 images.

Photographs of thousands of people taken at BBC World War One at Home Live events were used to make the image of 23-year-old Pte James Ernest Beaney.

The mosaic, which can be viewed online, allows users to zoom in and explore the faces of those who took part.

Pte Beaney's great niece said the family were "proud and honoured".

The artwork also includes hundreds of original images from World War One.

Artist, Helen Marshall, 43, said she looked through hundreds of World War One images before choosing Pte Beaney.

"This portrait image was selected not only because of its important historical context, being sited clearly in its own time, but because it is a face that could also exist in the here and now, in our time.

"It could easily be a portrait of our father, brother or friend, taken yesterday.

"I knew his image would work, because he's looking directly at the camera and he looks like your average man."

Pte Beaney's great niece Irene Ingles, who lives in Gosport in Hampshire, said her family were "very proud and honoured" his image was chosen for the project.

"It's like having a long-lost relative we never really knew, suddenly come in to our lives. It's affected us all emotionally."

The man behind the mosaic

• Pte Beaney was born on 16 April 1893 in Battersea, London.
• Before joining The Queen's Regiment (Royal West Surrey Regiment) in August 1914, he worked as a plumber's mate.
• He was sent to France in May 1915 and was serving with D Company, 6 Battalion near Martinsart Wood, France, when he was killed on 8 August 1916.
• He was buried nearby in Bouzincourt Communal Cemetery Extension.
• His mother Maria chose the following inscription for his headstone: "He bravely answered Duty's call and died so nobly for us all."

Source: The Imperial War Museums

iWonder: Watch how the picture of remembrance was made

Ms Marshall said creating the image was "pushing the technology to its limits".

"It's a bit like a painting, we produced 30 versions of it until we were happy."

She said creating a digital mosaic was "unpredictable because you're trying to control the results visually which takes time and experience".

Ms Marshall, who lives in London and has a photography background, said: "I'm happy with the artwork. It's unassuming and is quite an enjoyable piece which also commemorates the past.

"I'm hoping it will have a life of its own."

The image can also be seen at IWM North in Manchester on 8 and 9 November with an accompanying film. It has also been recreated on the floor outside the BBC's New Broadcasting House offices in London.

In 2008, Ms Marshall and thousands of people from across the West Midlands succeeded in an attempt to break the world record to create the biggest ever photo mosaic, which was the size of three tennis courts.

She also created a giant mosaic featuring two images of the Queen, which marked her Diamond Jubilee and was made up of thousands of photos sent into BBC South East.

Mosaic in numbers

More than 30,000 photographs were used to make the image of Pte Beaney which included:

• 20,000 photographs from the BBC's World War One at Home Live Events
• 800 original World War One portrait images from The Imperial War Museums
• 240 public submissions of World War One images
• Some of the images in the mosaic have been repeated

David Holdsworth, Controller of English Regions who commissioned the mosaic on behalf of BBC English Regions, said: "We always aim to put audiences at the very heart of what the BBC does and on this occasion we have been able to achieve that literally.

"The WW1 at Home tour has been a huge success as these 20,000 pictures of people who came along show.

"The mosaic represents the spirit of WW1 At Home, our landmark UK wide project to tell powerful, fascinating and moving stories about the impact of WW1 in local areas right on our doorsteps."

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Minister to call for fuel price cut

6 November 2014 Last updated at 00:01

The chief secretary to the Treasury is to urge petrol and diesel distributors to cut prices further after recent declines in the cost of oil.

Oil has fallen from about $115 (£72) per barrel in June to about $84 per barrel, a decline of about a quarter.

In comparison, petrol prices in the UK have fallen from a high of about 131.7 pence per litre in the summer to 124.22 pence - a decline of about 6%.

Danny Alexander is to demand assurances price cuts will be passed on.

Mr Alexander will use a speech in Aberdeen to warn people would "rightly be angry" if they felt prices were not coming down as much as they should.

For diesel the drop is from 136.37 pence per litre to 128.58 pence.

Continue reading the main story

"I believe it's called the rocket and feather effect," he will say, in prepared remarks seen by the BBC for a speech to the Highlands & Islands Branch of The Energy Institute in Aberdeen.

"The public have a suspicion that when the price of oil rises, pump prices go up like a rocket. But when the price of oil falls, pump prices drift down like a feather."

While no research supports this, the thought of this effect creates ill feeling, he will say.

During the period, the pound has weakened against the dollar. Whereas a pound bought $1.7165 at its height in the summer, it now buys $1.598 - a drop of 6.9%

Continue reading the main story

Because oil is traded in dollars, the weaker pound has reduced the effect of the drop in oil for UK consumers.

Out of the 124.22 pence average paid for a litre of petrol, about 65% of the price is accounted for by tax, according to analysis by the AA.

As well as being charged Value Added Tax (VAT) at 20%, 57.95 pence per litre is charged in fuel duty.

In September, three major UK supermarkets said they would cut the prices of petrol and diesel.

Sainsbury's and Tesco both announced a drop of up to five pence per litre, while Asda said it would reduce petrol by up to one penny and diesel by two.

The motoring organisations AA and the RAC welcomed the move.

However the group representing independent fuel retailers said the announcements would further endanger local petrol stations.

Continue reading the main story

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Complete the fields and select Calculate to see how much more - or less - you are paying for fuel

To fill your tank you pay:

Is the cost of fuel affecting your driving habits? How much is petrol in your area? Should retailers be made to cut fuel prices? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

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Apple malware affects Chinese users

6 November 2014 Last updated at 04:14

New malware targeting Apple products is mostly affecting Chinese users, warned an online security researcher.

US-based Palo Alto Networks said "WireLurker" which is infecting Apple's desktop and mobile operating systems appears to have originated in China and is mostly infecting devices there.

The malware spreads through apps uploaded from a third-party store and can steal information.

More than 400 infected apps have been downloaded over 350,000 times, it said.

"WireLurker is unlike anything we've ever seen in terms of Apple iOS and OS X malware," said Ryan Olson, the company's intelligence director.

"The techniques in use suggest that bad actors are getting more sophisticated when it comes to exploiting some of the world's best-known desktop and mobile platforms."

WireLurker has the ability to transfer from Apple's Mac computer to mobile devices through a USB cable.

The security firm said the malware was capable of stealing "a variety of information" from mobile devices it infects and regularly requested updates from the attackers' control server.

"This malware is under active development and its creator's ultimate goal is not yet clear," the company added.

Under attack

News of the attack comes after tech giant Apple's iCloud storage service in China was attacked by hackers trying to steal user information just last month.

Chinese web monitoring group Greatfire.org said that hackers intercepted data and potentially gained access to passwords, messages, photos and contacts. They believed the Beijing government was behind the move.

But, the Chinese government denied the claims and was backed by state-owned internet provider China Telecom, which said the accusation was "untrue and unfounded".

China is home to the world's biggest smartphone market and Apple saw its iPhone sales there jump 50% in the April to June quarter from a year earlier.

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Senior judges back EU Arrest Warrant

6 November 2014 Last updated at 04:45

The UK risks becoming a "safe haven" for foreign criminals if it votes to opt out of the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) system, senior judges have said.

In a letter to the Daily Telegraph 40 legal figures said voting for the EAW "was a vote for security" and "effective criminal justice".

The UK has opted out of all 133 EU justice laws, but ministers want to retain 35, including the EU warrant.

The EAW allows police to quickly extradite suspects between EU states.

The letter - which is signed by Lord Phillips, who served as president of the Supreme Court - said: "There is no credible alternative to the EAW."

The UK has to decide by 1 December whether to continue to adhere to the EU criminal justice and law enforcement measures under the terms of the 2009 Lisbon Treaty.

Liberty 'threatened'

A vote on whether the UK should retain the arrest warrant policy is due next week, but Prime Minister David Cameron - who has promised a vote on the subject before the Rochester and Strood by-election on 20 November - is facing a potential backbench rebellion over the issue.

Some Tory MPs reportedly feel uneasy about the issue, and believe the warrant is a threat to the liberties of Britons and the sovereignty of the UK.

They argue there are other ways around the extradition issue, which under the EAW means UK suspects are often extradited on spurious grounds, they claim.

But the letter to the newspaper puts forward a different view.

It says: "Britain can only lead reform of Europe's criminal justice co-operation by being part of the system.

"Britain also risks becoming a safe haven for fugitives from justice, a handful of them British citizens, but the vast majority foreign nationals wanted for crimes elsewhere in Europe."

European Arrest Warrants

• The European Arrest Warrant operates EU-wide and replaced separate extradition arrangements between the EU member states
• It was introduced in January 2004, and was prompted by the international anti-terror drive after the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States
• A national judicial authority, such as a court, can issue an EU warrant to get a suspect extradited
• For a warrant to be valid, the suspect must be accused of an offence incurring a maximum penalty of at least a year in prison, or must have been already sentenced to at least four months in prison

Q&A: European Arrest Warrant

The letter also references the cases of Hussain Osman, who was convicted after trying to repeat the July 7 terror attacks in London, and Jeremy Forrest, a teacher who was jailed for abducting a schoolgirl.

"Without the EAW other EU members may be unable speedily to extradite suspects like Hussain Osman or Jeremy Forrest to Britain - both in jail after use of the EAW. Unsurprisingly, the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) believes we cannot afford to lose it," the letter says.

Law Society president Andrew Caplen and Sir David Edward, a former European Court of Justice judge, have also signed the letter along with Lord Justice Sir Henry Brooke.

BBC political correspondent Chris Mason said Labour and the Liberal Democrats will support the warrant at the vote, and therefore it is likely to pass despite any rebellion from backbench Tories.

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US leaders pledge to work together

6 November 2014 Last updated at 04:51

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President Barack Obama: "It is time for us to take care of business"

The US Senate's new Republican leader and President Barack Obama have both promised to end the political gridlock that has so frustrated American voters.

Republicans made historic gains in the mid-term elections and now control both legislative chambers.

Incoming Senate leader Mitch McConnell said he would make the ineffective Senate function and pass bills.

Mr Obama said he was "eager to work with the new Congress to make the next two years as productive as possible".

The election campaign was characterised by widespread frustration expressed by voters about the inability of Congress to work together.

To the Americans who voted for change, the president said: "I hear you."

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"We're going to go back to work and actually pass legislation"

He told a White House news conference that both parties must address those concerns, but he admitted that as president he had a "unique responsibility to try to make this town work".

On Friday, he will host a meeting at the White House with Democratic and Republican leaders.

"We can surely find ways to work together," Mr Obama said. "It's time for us to take care of business."

But he warned he would act on his own to reduce deportations and improve border security - action he had delayed until after the election, to the fury of some Latino voters.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr McConnell pledged to make the Senate more productive.

"The Senate in the last few years basically doesn't do anything," he said. "We're going to go back to work and actually pass legislation."

He also vowed to "work together" with Mr Obama on issues where they can agree, such as trade agreements and tax reform.

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Rajesh Mirchandani explains what the results mean for Obama presidency

Working within a two-party political system did not mean "we have to live in perpetual conflict", he added.

Also on Wednesday, the chairman of the Republican National Committee called resounding Republican mid-term victories a "direct rejection of the Obama agenda".

"[Americans] want nothing to do with the policies of Barack Obama," Reince Priebus told reporters.

Analysis, Jon Sopel, BBC North America editor

Barack Obama's unpopularity in the run-up to these mid-term elections is hard to exaggerate. One of the things that is lost in the big picture of the night is some of the sidebar poll findings - the American people are fed up with all their politicians. It's not just the occupant of the White House, though as Harry Truman most famously noted, the buck stops with the president.

Mitch McConnell will be conscious of that, and will know that in two years' time, when it is not just the Senate but the presidency in play, the American people could be venting their spleen on him. Be fearful of the blame game.

That leaves the Kentucky senator with some important tactical decisions to make.

Sopel: Obama's mid-term headache

Mitch McConnell: DC insider with a mission

Throughout the campaign, Republicans focused on voter dissatisfaction with Mr Obama, a Democrat, describing the vote as a referendum on his presidency.

As the first results came in late on Tuesday, it became clear they had made the six gains they needed to win control of the Senate.

The Republicans won in Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia. The party now controls 52 seats, and is tipped to win at least one more as votes are counted in other states.

Continue reading the main story

Their victory came on the back of a wave of discontent expressed by voters on the campaign trail - unhappy with an economic recovery they fail to feel the benefits of, and frustrated by political gridlock in Congress, which has already reached historic levels.

But echoing his successor's sentiment of unity, current Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid congratulated Mr McConnell in a short statement.

"The message from voters is clear - they want us to work together," said Mr Reid of Nevada, whose role in the soon-to-be Democratic minority remains uncertain.

"I look forward to working with Senator McConnell to get things done for the middle class."

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Winners and losers: "We are going to make them squeal"

The Republicans are also projected to increase their majority - by at least 10 seats - in the House of Representatives to levels not seen since before World War Two.

They also made gains among the 36 governorships up for re-election.

The Republicans will now have the power to complicate, if not block completely, Mr Obama's agenda in the last two years of his tenure in the White House.

Control of the Senate will also enable the Republicans to stymie his ability to name new federal judges, cabinet members and senior government officials.

Explore interactive results map

In the governor's races, Republican incumbents survived some tough re-election battles and scored some surprising victories, cementing their success across several levels of government.

Voters approved ballot measures legalising cannabis in Oregon and Washington DC.

And three states - South Dakota, Arkansas and Nebraska - approved increases in the minimum wage.

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UN 'lacks resources' to fight Ebola

6 November 2014 Last updated at 09:00

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Tony Banbury: "We definitely do not have the response capability on the ground now from the international community...to defeat this disease"

The head of the UN mission charged with fighting Ebola in West Africa has told the BBC he does not yet have the resources necessary to defeat it.

Tony Banbury said more help was urgently needed, despite significant contributions from the UK, China, Cuba and the US.

But he was hopeful of achieving the target of 70% bed space for new cases and 70% safe burials by December.

The confirmed death toll is now 4,818, says the World Health Organization.

All but 27 of the deaths have been in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea - the three nations worst affected by the outbreak.

In other developments:

• West African heads of state are due to meet on Thursday in Ghana for a special meeting to review the regional response to the crisis.
• The International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank, has announced an initiative to provide at least $450m (£281m) in commercial financing to enable trade, investment, and employment in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

'Mixed picture'

Mr Banbury was speaking at the UN headquarters for Ebola response in Ghana, which has not been affected by the epidemic, at the end of a regional tour

He said told the BBC it was difficult to say if spread of the disease is slowing as it was a "very mixed picture".

In Liberia's capital, Monrovia, there was a decline but there was "significant acceleration" elsewhere.

Bed space was still a huge issue , Mr Banbury said, but he hoped that by reducing the numbers of people becoming infected the UN would eventually be able to reach its targets.

But he said his organisation did not yet have the capacity to defeat the disease.

"It's not here yet. There are still people, villages, towns [and] areas that not getting any type of help right now and we definitely don't have the response capability on the ground now from the international community," he said.

At the same time he mentioned contributions from the UK, which opened a new Ebola centre in Sierra Leone on Wednesday.

Mr Banbury said the US, China and Cuba which had all sent significant numbers of soldiers or medics.

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On the ground in Sierra Leone, body collectors like Mariatu Kagbo face a difficult task

Earlier, US officials said President Barack Obama would ask Congress for $6.2bn (£3.9bn) to fight Ebola in West Africa and to avoid it spreading in the US.

They said he was requesting $4.5bn in immediate response funds and more than $1.5bn for a contingency fund.

The request comes as the WHO released its latest report, putting the number of cases at 13,042 and the deaths at 4,818.

US and international treatment centres

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'Ethical duty' to cut NHS waste

6 November 2014 Last updated at 09:01 By Adam Brimelow Health Correspondent, BBC News

Doctors have an ethical duty to prevent waste in the NHS, argues a report by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.

Its authors point to potential savings of nearly £2bn. Examples include better use of medication, tests, hospital beds and operating theatres.

The British Medical Association said doctors were ideally placed to identify savings, but patients must come first.

The health secretary said he was determined to tackle avoidable waste in healthcare.

Unnecessary scans

The report is based on the premise that one doctor's waste is another patient's delay, and may even mean treatment is withheld.

The authors argue it is better to develop a culture of finding the best way to do something, and then do it right across the health service.

Continue reading the main story

We need to be innovative to tackle the huge financial challenges we are facing"

End Quote Sir Bruce Keogh NHS England Medical Director

There are 16 examples of changes to clinical practice which have saved money and benefited patients.

They include medication reviews to prevent adverse drug reactions, which account for 6% of all hospital admissions. The report says eradicating this problem would save £466m.

It also suggests more than £200m could be saved by stopping unnecessary scans.

Other ideas include more frequent consultant ward visits to ensure patients can be discharged promptly, and more efficient use of operating theatres.

The report does not provide a definitive total of potential savings, but indicates what a change in culture - where doctors resolve to eradicate waste - could potentially deliver.

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Consultant Jeremy Lavy explains how his team reduced the number of tools they needed in surgery

Surgeons at the Royal Throat Nose and Ear Hospital in London have reduced the number of instruments required for cochlear implant operations, from 96 to 28.

This has saved money on cleaning and wear and tear. And it has reduced the risk of cancellations or costly delays caused by incomplete equipment.

A surgeon at the hospital, Jeremy Lavey, said doctors were well placed to identify savings.

"We have a responsibility because we're in the best position to say I can use this one, I don't need to use that. A manager can't make that decision whereas we are ideally positioned and we have a responsibility to make sure we do that properly," he said.

Professor Terence Stephenson, chairman of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, said: "Maintaining NHS services in the future depends on doctors ensuring the best use of resources today. Quality of care is a doctor's prime concern. But delivering quality care and promoting value are really two sides of the same coin," he said.

'Improve efficiency'

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS England Medical Director, welcomed the report.

"We need to be innovative to tackle the huge financial challenges we are facing, but there are also some more everyday changes that we can make to improve efficiency. This report neatly embodies some practical ideas for more efficient practice," he said.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "We have launched a safety campaign aiming to halve avoidable harm and recently published a report showing the costs of unsafe care may be as high as £2.5 billion a year.

"Today's report builds on this and underlines the potential for savings."

Dr Ian Wilson from the British Medical Association said doctors had already played a leading role in helping to find more efficient ways of delivering patient care.

He added a note of caution: "While staff and management should work closely to maximize the use of the NHS's very limited resources, a doctor's primary duty is to their patient, and it is vitally important that decisions around patient care are around clinical value."

Are you a doctor or NHS worker? Are you a patient? Is enough being done to prevent waste in the NHS? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

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