MPs Defy Security Concerns After Jo Cox Shot

MPs have shown their defiance by pressing ahead with constituency advice surgeries following the death of their parliamentary colleague Jo Cox.

Politicians at Westminster have been advised to contact police about their security in the wake of the deadly attack on the Labour MP for Batley and Spen.

David Cameron, Jeremy Corbyn and John Bercow joined together to pay tribute to the Labour MP during a visit to her constituency.

52-year-old Tommy Mair has been arrested in connection with the killing

The 41-year-old mother-of-two was shot, stabbed and kicked in the street following a constituency surgery in Birstall, West Yorkshire.

Rachel Reeves, Labour MP for Leeds West, told Sky News: "The cornerstone of our democracy is that relationship between an MP and their constituents.

:: Live: Tributes To MP Jo Cox

"We are there not to serve our own interests but to serve the interests of the people who sent us to Parliament. Jo felt that very keenly.

"An MP could not do their job if they locked themselves up in their office in Westminster.

The actions of one individual, however violent and extreme they are, mustn't drive a wedge between MPs and their constituents.

am also determined, and I know that Jo would want this, that we continue to do the work that we were elected by our constituents to do and that is to serve them.

"You can't serve unless you are a part of that community."

Dan Jarvis, Labour MP for Barnsley Central, said: "I know MPs are scared. We'll be reviewing our security, but I'll walk through Barnsley today like every Friday."

Fellow Labour MP Jonathan Reynolds, who represents Stalybridge and Hyde, said: "I plan to keep to all my engagements today, including my surgery. I will ensure there is security present however."

Meanwhile, Downing Street has said the Conservative Party will not contest the by-election in Batley and Spen resulting from the death of Labour MP Jo Cox.

Cox was attacked by a man reportedly shouting "Britain first" or "put Britain first" at lunchtime on Thursday.

The alleged gunman arrested close to the scene has been named as Tommy Mair, 52.

:: Adam Boulton will present a Sky News Tonight special programme on Jo Cox at 7pm tonight.

Spreading 'Fire Tornado' Nears Oil Terminal

Hundreds of people have been forced to leave their homes in California over the threat from a huge wildfire to an oil processing terminal.

A fleet of aircraft has been dropping water and retardant on the wind-driven blaze which has been burning out of control in rugged coastal canyons west of Santa Barbara, California.

Hundreds of firefighters are employed tackling the fire which is said to be covering about 1,400 acres.

Some firefighters have told of a flame vortex - described as looking like a "fire tornado" - jumping across freeways and spreading the blaze rapidly.

California's famous coastal freeway Route 101 has been closed along a section west of Santa Barbara and several canyons, campsites and beaches have been closed.

Among the famous properties in the area is Rancho del Cielo, which was used by President Ronald Reagan as a holiday home.

The fire was about a mile from the ranch but was said to be moving away from it at midday on Thursday, officials said.

Strong gusts and rising temperatures across the dry western US have sparked a number of wildfires in other states.

Temperatures are forecast to reach triple figures in Fahrenheit (at least 37.7C) over the weekend in California.

About 1,000 homes are said to be at risk, including many used as ranches with livestock on the property.

The blaze has been nicknamed the Sherpa Fire after a ranch in the area where it started.

Clinton Condemns Killing Of 'Rising

US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has condemned Jo Cox's killing, calling it a "violent act of political intolerance".

Mrs Clinton led the international tributes saying she was "horrified by the assassination".

She said in a statement: "Her (Mrs Cox) maiden speech in Parliament celebrated the diversity of her beloved Yorkshire constituency, and passionately made the case that there is more that unites us than divides us.

"It is cruel and terrible that her life was cut short by a violent act of political intolerance."

:: Westminster In Shock At MP's 'Horrific' Death

"It is critical that the United States and Britain, two of the world's oldest and greatest democracies, stand together against hatred and violence.

"This is how we must honour Jo Cox - by rejecting bigotry in all its forms, and instead embracing, as she always did, everything that binds us together.

"My thoughts and prayers are with her friends, her family, and the British people."

Former US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, said she was "absolutely sickened".

tweeted that Mrs Cox was a "courageous, young and a hard-working public servant. She was a rising star, a mother and a wife."

Canadian MP Nathan Cullen, a friend of Mrs Cox's, broke down in tears as he paid tribute in parliament.

The country's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, tweeted a message in French and English saying: "On behalf of our Parliament and all Canadians, I offer my deepest condolences to the family and colleagues of British MP Jo Cox."

Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said he was "deeply shocked".

He added on Twitter: "Our condolences, prayers and solidarity are with her family & the people of the UK."

Ireland's prime minister Enda Kenny announced that, in light of the suspension of campaigning by the Leave and Remain groups, he would not be speaking on the EU referendum as planned.

He tweeted: "What an appalling tragedy. Jo Cox, a mother doing her public duty, her life taken away. My deepest sympathies to her family."

French prime minister Manuel Valls said he was "deeply sad for Mrs Cox's family and the British people".

added: "Through her it's our democratic ideals that were targeted. Never accept that!"

Danish prime minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen described the killing as "a true shock".

:: Adam Boulton will present a Sky News Tonight special programme on Jo Cox at 7pm tonight.

Disney To Post Alligator Signs After Boy's Death

install new signs warning of alligators following the death of a two-year-old boy who was dragged into a lake by one of the reptiles at a Disney resort in Florida, a source has said.

Toddler Lane Graves' body was recovered by divers on Wednesday from the manmade lake where he had been snatched by the alligator as he played at the water's edge the night before.

While Disney had posted "no swimming" signs at the Seven Seas Lagoon where the boy died, it did not have alligator warning signs, which are common around golf courses, ponds and public parks all over Florida.

It has raised questions about whether the company did enough to convey the potential danger to visitors.

A source with knowledge of the situation said the resort now plans to put up signs explicitly warning of the dangerous animals.

Lane Graves was drowned by the alligator

Earlier, Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahler said: "All of our beaches are currently closed, and we are conducting a swift and thorough review of all of our processes and protocols.

"This includes the number, placement and wording of our signage and warnings."

Lane was grabbed by the reptile while his family, on holiday from Nebraska, relaxed on the shore nearby, authorities have said.

His parents, Matt and Melissa Graves, tried to save the child but were unable to free him from the 7ft alligator's grip before it disappeared into the lagoon.

A post-mortem examination was carried out on Lane's body on Thursday, which was found intact underwater.

"The cause of death was ruled as a result of drowning and traumatic injuries," the Orange County Medical Examiner's Office said in a brief statement. It did not elaborate.

Rose Silva, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office, said an investigation into the toddler's death was ongoing, but was not criminal in nature.

The Graves family released a statement praising local authorities: "Words cannot describe the shock and grief our family is experiencing over the loss of our son.

"We are devastated and ask for privacy during this extremely difficult time."

Orlando Killer's 'I Love You' Text During Siege

Orlando killer Omar Mateen texted his wife to say "I love you, babe" during his rampage at a gay nightclub that left 49 people dead, according to US media reports.

CBS News said it had spoken to a police source who told them the 29-year-old and his wife Noor Salman communicated during the attack at Pulse on Sunday.

NBC News, citing someone close to Salman, reported that she received a call from Mateen's mother on the night of the shootings, asking if she knew where her husband was.

The source said Salman then texted her husband asking "Where are you?" at around 2.30am, midway through his rampage.

Mateen is said to have responded "Do you see what's happening?" and when Salman answered "no?", Mateen sent a text saying "I love you, babe".

NBC said she told investigators she tried to call her husband but failed to get through.

She was only told about the attack after officers raided the home she shared in Port St Lucie with Mateen, a US citizen of Afghan parentage.

Officials believe she had some prior knowledge of the attack and is likely to face charges, CBS said.

Another official told the station Mateen had been active on Facebook before and during the attack.

He is understood to have paused amid the carnage and searched online for "Pulse Orlando" and "shooting".

Earlier he had posted his "Alliance to (Islamic State leader) Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi".

An FBI source told Fox News Mateen made a total of 16 phone calls from inside the club, some to 911, others to media outlets.

Although Mateen has pledged allegiance to IS, CIA director Josh Brennan said on Thursday no direct link has been found between him and foreign militants.

Meanwhile, more has emerged about Mateen's erratic life and career before the massacre.

At school he was suspended for a total of 48 days between August 2000 and December 2002, had difficulty in almost every grade and while in his early years was reported to have been abusive, rude, aggressive and "lacked remorse".

After he started working at GNC, a food supplements store in Florida in 2006, his supervisor Margeret Barone told CBS he took steroids and "blew up", becoming "huge".

A colleague of Ms Barone's told her Mateen sometimes drank so much alcohol he would become "crazy and violent" and later black out

The employee told Ms Barone she thought Mateen was gay.

In 2013, a request was made by police to transfer Mateen out of a Florida courthouse after he made inflammatory remarks about women and Jews and praised the Foot Hood shooter.

Former Oxfam Activist Was A Labour 'Star'

Jo Cox was elected as Labour MP for Batley and Spen in the 2015 general election.

She secured a majority of 6,057, with fellow Labour MP John Mann saying: "She is one of the stars of the new intake."  

Ms Cox was born in Batley, West Yorkshire, grew up in Heckmondwike and studied at Cambridge University, graduating in 1995. 

The 41-year-old was married with two young daughters, and it would have been her 42nd birthday next Wednesday.   

She lived with her family on a converted barge, moored near London's Tower Bridge. 

Prior to entering politics she was head of policy for the charity Oxfam, which described her as a "passionate advocate on humanitarian issues". 

She was also an adviser to Sarah Brown and Baroness Kinnock, to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and to anti-slavery campaign group The Freedom Fund. 

Ms Cox was one of 36 Labour MPs who nominated Jeremy Corbyn for the party leadership last year. 

But she actually voted for Liz Kendall, saying last month that she had regretted nominating Mr Corbyn. 

Last October, she launched the All Party Parliamentary Friends of Syria group, becoming its chair.

Jo Cox was married with two children

In the same month, she co-authored an article in The Observer with the Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell, arguing that British military forces could help to achieve an ethical solution to the conflict in Syria. 

She abstained in the Commons vote last autumn on allowing British military action in Syria, insisting that any solution to the conflict needed to be more wide-ranging. 

Despite a keen interest in overseas issues, Ms Cox had spoken of the importance of her roots. 

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post last December, Ms Cox said that after a happy childhood, going to Cambridge University had unsettled her. 

"I never really grew up being political or Labour.

"It kind of came at Cambridge where it was just a realisation that where you were born mattered.

"That how you spoke mattered... who you knew mattered.

"I didn’t really speak right or knew the right people...

"To be honest my experience at Cambridge really knocked me for about five years."

Ultimately, though, it proved useful. 

She told the paper: "Having gone through that experience of being in a Cambridge college, surviving it and building myself up, meant that coming here (Westminster) was a walk in the park, and a lot of the same people are here!"

British opposition MP Jo Cox dies after being shot

Jo Cox, a member of the British parliament, died after being shot in northern England, UK police have said.

West Yorkshire Police said on Thursday a 52-year-old man had been arrested following the incident, which prompted the suspension of campaigning for next week's EU referendum

Local media reported that Labour party member Jo Cox, 41, had been shot at her advice surgery in Birstall, near the city of Leeds.

One witness told the Press Association that Cox had intervened in a scuffle between two men, one of whom pulled a gun from a bag and then fired twice.

"She was taken by air ambulance from Birstall library near the city of Leeds. Witnesses say she was shot and stabbed and taken by air ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary," Al Jazeera's Barnaby Phillips, reporting from London, said.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said, "the whole of the Labour Party and Labour family - and indeed the whole country - will be in shock at the horrific murder of Jo Cox today".

A mother of two, Cox was a leading campaigner for Britain to remain in the 28-member bloc and chaired the all-party parliamentary committee on Syria.

She became a Labour MP for Batley and Spen last year and was known for her work on women's issues.

Campaigning suspended

Following the attack, both sides in Britain's upcoming referendum on leaving or staying within the EU said they were suspending campaigning for the day, while Prime Minister David Cameron said he would pull out of a planned rally in Gibraltar.

The Stronger in Europe camp said it was "suspending all campaigning for the day", while a spokesman for the rival Vote Leave group, which is backing a so-called Brexit, said that their "battle bus" had stopped campaigning for the day.