Danczuk: 'I'm Sorry For Letting My Family Down'

The Labour MP for Rochdale told The Sun on Sunday newspaper that he was "lonely" and "drunk" when he sent the messages while on a holiday in Spain.

"I have a drink problem, and that is a major contributory reason why I sent the messages," he said.

"I've seen a psychiatrist about it and he's told me to stop drinking for six months.

"I feel awful about what happened. I don't know what came over me. I'm so embarrassed that I've been such an idiot.

"I'm sorry for letting my family down and I'm already dreading my young sons finding out when they are older."

The 49-year-old was suspended from the Labour Party pending an investigationinto the messages, which were sent to teenager Sophena Houlihan.

Ms Houlihan, who is now aged 18, said Mr Danczuk sent her numerous messages after she contacted him about a job.

The pair exchanged messages for nearly a month before Mr Danczuk asked how old she was, according to a report in The Sun.

Mr Danczuk earlier responded to the claims on Twitter, saying: "Today's Sun story, while not entirely accurate, refers to an extremely low point in my life."

He also tweeted: "My behaviour was inappropriate & I apologise unreservedly to everyone I've let down. I was stupid & there's no fool like an old fool."

Mr Danczuk has previously spoken about how his work to expose child sex abuse had left him depressed and he was receiving psychiatric treatment.

Mexico mayor killed less than a day after taking office

Cartels seeking to control communities and towns have often targeted local officials and mayors in Mexico [EPA]

The mayor of a city south of Mexico's capital was shot to death less than a day after taking office, officials said.

Gunmen opened fire on Mayor Gisela Mota on Saturday at her house in the city of Temixco, said the government of Morelos state, where Temixco is located.

Mourners gather near Mota's home after the killing [Margarito Perez/Reuters]

Two presumed assailants were killed and three others detained following a pursuit, said Morelos security commissioner Jesus Alberto Capella. He said the suspects fired on federal police and soldiers from a vehicle.

On his Twitter account, Morelos Governor Graco Ramirez attributedMota's killing to organised crime, without citing a particular drug cartel or gang.

Cartels seeking to control communities and towns have often targeted local officials and mayors in Mexico.

Mota's leftist Democratic Revolution Party released a statement describing her as "a strong and brave woman who on taking office as mayor, declared that her fight against crime would be frontal and direct."

'No impunity'

Temixco is a city of about 100,000 people neighboring Cuernavaca, a resort and industrial city which has been suffering kidnappings and extortion linked to organised crime groups.

Though Cuernavaca is the capital of Morelos, Temixco is the seat of several state institutions including the Public Security Commission, which coordinates state and local police forces. Morelos also neighbours drug cartel-plagued Guerrero state.

Mota, who had been a federal congresswoman in her early thirties, was sworn into office on New Year's Day. She was killed the following day.

Morelos Governor Ramirez vowed there "would be no impunity" in her killing and promised that state officials would not cede to what he described as a "challenge from criminals."

Federal and state forces are deployed in Cuernavaca and municipalities near the Guerrero state border in what is called operation "Delta."

Capella did not provide more details about the attack on Mota, but said that when the suspects were detained, authorities found a 9-millimeter gun, an Uzi, ski masks and an SUV with Mexico State license plates.

Morelos Attorney General Javier Perez Duron said the detained suspects have been tied to other crimes, but declined to provide more details.

Hundreds evacuated after 'huge' London gas leak

All three emergency services and the Red Cross remain at the scene following the leak in the Penge Lane and Queen Adelaide Road area of Penge.

It was reported shortly after 22:30 GMT on Saturday.

Residents were moved to four reception centres in a "large" evacuation, but some have started to return home. Road closures were also put in place.

@MPSBromley tweeted: "Huge Gas Leak Penge Lane / Queen Adelaide Road. Houses being evacuated. Please avoid this area." 

A second tweet from the MPS Bromley account at about 02:00 said: "Road closures remain in place in #Penge .. 4 reception centres housing evacuee's. Community spirit pulling through. Updates to follow."

Sgt Lance Chenery tweeted: "On scene with @MPSBromley dealing with a serious gas leak in #Penge #SE20 large evacuation of residents."

Sgt Gareth Starr added some residents were moved from reception centres to hotels, with others escorted home by police officers from about 05:00

Saudi-led coalition announces ending of Yemen ceasefire

A Saudi-led coalition that has been bombing the Houthi movement in Yemen for nine months announced Saturday the end of a ceasefire that began on Dec. 15, the Saudi state news agency SPA said.

The ceasefire began in tandem with peace talks sponsored by the United Nations, but it was repeatedly violated by both sides. Nearly 6,000 people have been killed since the Saudi coalition entered the conflict in March, almost half of them civilians.

The coalition began its military campaign in an attempt to prevent the Houthis, whom it sees as a proxy for Iran, from taking complete control of Yemen after seizing much of the north last year. The Houthis accuse the coalition of launching a war of aggression.

"The leadership of the coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen announces the end of the truce in Yemen,” the news agency said. "The coalition has been and still is keen to create the right conditions to find a peaceful solution," the statement said. But the ceasefire could not be maintained because of "the continuation of the Houthi militias and Saleh forces in violating it."

The statement charged that Houthis and Yemeni troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh had fired ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia, targeted its border posts and shelled civilian areas where the Houthis are fighting pro-Saudi Yemeni forces.

The U.N. talks have failed to find a political solution that would end the conflict. Negotiations are set to resume on Jan. 14. It is unclear how the resumption of full-scale fighting will affect the peace process.

Protests as Saudi Arabia executes 47 on terror charges

Iranian protesters have broken into the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran after Riyadh announced the execution of Shia religious leader Nimr al-Nimr, one of 47 men killed on terrorism charges.

The Saudi interior ministry announced the executions on Saturday, listing the names of the 47 killed, all of whom had been convicted on charges of terrorism. 

The government said those convicted had plotted or participated in attacks against residential compounds and government buildings.

Nimr, who led anti-government protests in the country's east, was previously convicted of sedition, disobedience and bearing arms. Nimr did not deny the political charges against him, but said he never carried weapons or called for violence.

Faris al-Zahrani had been in custody ever since his detention near the Yemeni border in 2004 [YouTube]

Many of the other men executed had been linked to attacks in the kingdom between 2003 and 2006, blamed on al-Qaeda.

Faris al-Zahrani, described by Saudi media as al-Qaeda's top religious leader in the kingdom, was one of those executed.

An Egyptian citizen and a Chadian citizen were also among the executed, the ministry said. The rest were all Saudis.

Despite calls for calm from Nimr's brother following the announcement of the executions, a number of protesters gathered at the Saudi embassy in Iran's capital Tehran, to protest the religious leader's death.

Several of the protesters gained access to the embassy building and started fires, before eventually being removed from the compound by police late on Saturday night. 

Iran’s foreign ministry called for calm following the incident, after earlier condemning Nimr's execution, calling it "the depth of imprudence and irresponsibility" on the part of the Saudi government.

"The Saudi government will pay a heavy price for adopting such policies," Hossein Jaber Ansari, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency.

Later, the Saudi government summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest against Iran's reaction to the execution.

Elsewhere, dozens of people marched through Bahrain's capital to protest the executions, while in London, people gathered outside the Saudi embassy, voicing their support for Nimr. Other protests were held in Pakistan and Yemen.

There were also protests within Saudi Arabia, with people taking to the streets in the eastern town of Al-Awamiya. 

The US state department said in a statement that Nimr's execution risked "exacerbating sectarian tensions at a time when they urgently need to be reduced", while UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was "deeply dismayed" by the executions.

Nimr spent more than a decade studying theology in predominantly Shia Iran [EPA]

Saudi Arabian authorities, however, defended the executions.

Ministry of Justice spokesman Mansour al-Qufari said: "The judiciary is objective and we deal objectively with the cases on merit.

"There is no difference between what a person does regardless of his ethnic origin or affiliation, or what he believes. We deal with facts and criminal intent."

Hussain al-Shobokshi, a prominent Saudi columnist, told Al Jazeera that Saudi authorities did not differentiate between "Shia source of terror and Sunni source of terror".

"[Saudi Arabia] made sure it saw no difference between any form of terror, as long as it was threatening its people and its economy," he said.

Nimr spent more than a decade studying theology in predominantly Shia Iran.

He had called for Eastern Province, an oil-rich region where about two million Shia live, to be separated from the rest of Saudi Arabia.

He also criticised the government for what he said was the marginalisation of the Shia minority in the country.

Saudi Arabia said some of those convicted had participated in attacks in Riyadh in 2003 [EPA]

Medicine in Aleppo, the world's 'most dangerous city'

Fighting and air strikes have caused major damage throughout Aleppo [Jawad Kurabi/Al Jazeera]

Aleppo, Syria - Abu Bakr begins making his rounds inside the intensive care unit at Syria's al-Quds hospital, in the rebel-held part of Aleppo, at 8am each morning, and he often works late into the night. Although he specialises in internal medicine, he had to cut his studies in that field short due to Syria's war.

"This isn't working as a doctor under normal circumstances," Abu Bakr told Al Jazeera. "It's the most dangerous city in the world."

Aleppo, Syria's largest city, is split between pro-regime and rebel forces. Gripped by fighting and regular air strikes, the city has managed to maintain a functioning health sector, but there is a dire need for resources and additional manpower, health workers say.

We've had to put sandbags outside to fortify [the hospital] in case of any future strikes. Abu Bakr, doctor based in Aleppo

There are currently 10 hospitals operating in Aleppo, although many have been damaged in the war. Another hospital, Dar al-Shifa, has been bombed nearly a dozen times and has since ceased operating, while the Shawki Hilal hopsital closed at one point due to bombing damage but has since reopened.

Health workers and patients say conditions in the city's hospitals and ambulances are less than ideal. Abu Bakr says there is no one available to fix equipment, such electrical power converters, that gets damaged in the war.

"We have enough [equipment] to fulfill our necessary requirements… but it's not at an ideal level," he said, adding that the lack of available engineers and technicians throughout Syria has created a serious problem. "When something gets damaged, it will sometimes cease working for two months or longer, until a specialist can be called in to fix it."

Abu Qusay, an ambulance driver in Aleppo, says that working in a war zone has made his job exceptionally challenging.

"Work conditions are difficult, especially during bombings… We need to get [victims] out from under the rubble quickly," Abu Qusay told Al Jazeera, noting that ambulances have also been targeted. "One time we were in the ambulance when it was hit by [the regime's] barrel bombs. Thank God we weren't injured."

Al-Quds hospital has been hit twice by bombs, both times from regime planes - including a recent strike during the holy month of Ramadan, Abu Bakr said. The attack damaged the hospital's second floor, causing it to close for 10 days, he said.

"We've had to put sandbags outside to fortify it in case of any future strikes," Abu Bakr said.

The lack of qualified medical professionals remaining in Aleppo poses additional problems for the city's hospitals.

"We suffer from a shortage of nurses and paramedics because so many have left due to the bad conditions," Abu Bakr said, noting the turnover has compelled the hospital to "regularly re-train its ambulance workers and physicians to make up for the shortage of qualified workers".

Patients told Al Jazeera they have been satisfied with the care they have received in local hospitals, despite the chaotic situation and the chronic lack of resources. Majd, a taxi driver who was admitted to al-Quds after shrapnel injured his head and feet this summer, said "the nurses and doctors were great".

But being inside a hospital while war rages outside is an unpleasant experience, he added. "The sound of bombs outside was terrible and caused a panic in the hospital due to the presence of women and children," said Majd, who did not provide a last name.

Khalid, who was hospitalised at al-Quds for two months earlier this year after suffering a heart attack, agreed that the "service was very good, considering the circumstances". But he acknowledged the extra strain on Aleppo's medical workers.

"The doctors and paramedics have a lot of responsibilities, as patients are admitted daily… and some of the medicine was not always available," Khalid told Al Jazeera. "I was afraid that the planes would target the hospital at times, but the paramedics always took us to shelters."

Twitter faces backlash over its new diversity lead

It's safe to say that Twitter has a bit of an image problem when it comes to diversity -- and a recent hire to address those problems seems to be backfiring on the firm.

In recent months, the company has become a go-to example of the lack of diversity in the technology industry. Sixty percent of the company's employees are white; that jumps to 72 percent when looking at leadership roles. Overall, fewer than 2 percent of Twitter's employees are black, and none are in leadership roles. While it's true that many major tech companies have similar diversity statistics, but Twitter's numbers stand out because so many of its users are black. And the disparity between the company and its users has not gone unnoticed.

To address some of those issues, Twitter announced that it has hired a new vice president for diversity and inclusion, Jeffery Siminoff. The fifty-year-old replaces Janet Van Huysse, and comes from a similar role at Apple. He is known for his extensive work with Out Leadership -- a group dedicated to demonstrating how equality in general makes for good business, with a particular focus on LGBT executives. He was also named in a TechCrunch piece identifying "10 Men Making Waves for Women in Tech."

But he's also a white man — something that hasn't been lost on those who've repeatedly criticized the tech industry at large for its lack of diversity. Many argue that Twitter's largely white and male workforce keep it from seeing community issues with its product.

For example, Twitter has faced the issue of harassment of women on its service, and has reacted to outside criticism from women's groups — the company, in fact, updated its guidelines Wednesday to strongly decry such behavior.

When it comes to racial diversity, however, the company had made fewer visible efforts to answer criticism. Siminoff's appointment has not sat well with many, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson and others who have repeatedly highlighted the need for a greater focus on racial diversity at the company. "Blacks and Latinos over-index on using Twitter, but their board of directors and C-suite leadership remain all white," Jackson told USA Today. "Jeff has a big mountain to climb, a tough task ahead. We hope he and Twitter’s leadership is up to the challenge."

And Mark Luckie, a former Twitter employee who has criticized the firm, said on Twitter that while Siminoff may be qualified for the position, his hiring doesn't communicate that Twitter is listening to criticisms about its racial diversity. (Luckie also used to work at The Post.)

Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

But others welcomed the appointment.

“Members of underrepresented groups in tech are tired of being the only advocates of cultural change in the field,” said Lucy Sanders, co-founder of the National Center for Women in Information Technology. “We encourage those who think otherwise to become more informed and consider the complexities.” She added that the industry needs more white men in diversity and inclusion roles advocating for more underrepresented groups.

Diversity and inclusion, of course, can mean many things to many people. Twitter's own goals for improving diversity include hiring more women and more "underrepresented minorities" into technical and leadership roles. Doing so, the company has said, will help it better understand its own community of users.

"We want the makeup of our company to reflect the vast range of people who use Twitter," Van Huysse  wrote in an August blog post outlining the company's diversity goals. "Doing so will help us build a product to better serve people around the world."