Nigeria's finance minister says West blocking power development

Nigeria's Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun has accused the West of blocking the development of power infrastructure in her country because of environmental concerns.

She was speaking on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund.

She said that boosting Nigeria's power supply was a priority of her government, but its efforts were being hindered.

Nigeria's Premium Times quotes her as saying:

We want to build a coal power plant because we are a country blessed with coal, yet we have a power problem. So it doesn’t take a genius to work out that it will make sense to build a coal power plant.

However, we are being blocked from doing so, because it is not green. This is not fair because they have an entire western industrialisation that was built on coal-fired energy."

Russia threatens to reopen military bases in Cuba and Vietnam

Russia is considering reopening military bases in Vietnam and Cuba in another sign of its deteriorating relationship with the US.

Moscow had bases in both countries until 2002 when it lowered its flags in a scaling back of its global military presence.

The threat to reinstate the bases comes after Russia suspended a nuclear disarmament agreement with the US over economic sanctions imposed following the annexation of Crimea.

Moscow is also concerned by the presence of NATO troops in Eastern Europe, while the two countries have recently clashed over their respective actions in Syria.

Russian deputy defence minister Nikolai Pankov confirmed the ministry was "rethinking" past decisions on the closures.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added: "The global situation is not static, it is in flux, and the last two years have made significant changes to international affairs and security.

"Therefore, it's quite natural that all countries assess these changes in line with their national interests and take certain steps in the way they consider appropriate."

Meanwhile, Moscow has warned the US not to carry out airstrikes against the Syrian army while Russia goes to the aid of President Bashar al Assad's forces.

Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov issued a statement on Thursday saying any US strikes on areas controlled by Mr Assad could jeopardise the lives of Russian servicemen.

The statement said: "I would recommend our colleagues in Washington to carefully weigh possible consequences of the fulfilment of such plans."  

In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby responded: "We're looking at the full range of options here and those comments notwithstanding, we still have a responsibility as a government to consider all those options.

"I don't find them (comments like the warning) helpful to moving forward, to reach some sort of diplomatic solution here. But the Russians should speak for themselves and why they're saying that kind of thing." 

Tensions have increased since the US-led coalition's air raid on Syrian army positions near Deir al Zour that killed 60 Syrian soldiers.

Russia rejected the US explanation that the attack was a mistake. 

Since Russia launched its air campaign in Syria in support of Mr Assad's forces in September 2015, both super powers have kept in contact to prevent any mid-air incidents.

The Russian general warned, however, that Russian forces would not have time to use the hotline if it spotted missiles on their way to targets in Syria.

The US, meanwhile, wants a war crimes investigation into Russia's actions in Syria.

Tony Blair hints at return to frontline politics

Tony Blair has hinted he may return to frontline politics in an interview with a men's magazine.

He told Esquire it was "a tragedy" that the only two choices facing the electorate were the Tories pursuing a hard Brexit and "an ultra-left Labour Party".

He described Labour under Jeremy Corbyn as pushing "a set of policies that takes us back to the Sixties".

The former Prime Minister, who many in his party regard as toxic because of the Iraq war, recently announced that he would be scaling back his business empire in order to focus on charity work.

But he also refused to rule out a return to politics.

Mr Blair said: "It's a tragedy for British politics if the choice before the country is a Conservative government going for a hard Brexit and an ultra-left Labour Party, that believes in a set of policies that takes us back to the Sixties.

"In the UK at the moment you've got a one-party state.

LIVE: Labour's new shadow cabinet appointments

"When you put it all together (taking into account that the Conservative leader wasn't elected), there's something seriously wrong.

"I don't know if there's a role for me ... there's a limit to what I want to say about my own position at this moment.

"All I can say is that this is where politics is at. Do I feel strongly about it? Yes, I do. Am I very motivated by that? Yes.

"Where do I go from here? What exactly do I do? That's an open question."

When Sky's Jason Farrell took a cardboard cut out of Tony Blair to the Labour conference and some of its supporting events, there were few words of praise for the former leader who had won the party three elections.

At a festival held by Momentum, whose members make up many of those who have joined the Labour Party in the last few years, Farrell and the cutout were escorted out through the back entrance.

It is not exactly clear what role he could take as many of those who are regarded as Labour's Blairites are now on the backbenches and have little ability to influence the direction the party is taking.

Mr Blair said Labour had shifted from a party of government to an "ultra-left" culture "which believes that the action on the street is as important as the action in Parliament".

He added: "It's a huge problem because they live in a world that is very, very remote from the way that broad mass of people really think.

"The reason why the position of these guys is not one that will appeal to an electorate is not because they're too left or because they're too principled - it's because they're too wrong.

"The reason their policies shouldn't be supported isn't because they're wildly radical, it's because they're not.

"They don't work. They're actually a form of conservatism. This is the point about them. What they are offering is a mixture of fantasy and error."

In the interview, which is believed to have been carried out before Theresa May talked of taking the centre ground for the Conservative, Mr Blair said he believed there was still a future for views similar to his.

He said: "There's been a huge reaction against the politics I represent, but I think it's too soon to say the centre has been defeated. Ultimately I don't think it will. I think it will succeed again.

"The centre ground is in retreat. This is our challenge. We've got to rise to that challenge."

Zoe Tate: Ex-Emmerdale actress has terminal cancer

The actress who played Emmerdale's Zoe Tate has announced she has terminal lung cancer.

Leah Bracknell starred in the ITV series, set in the Yorkshire Dales, from 1989 to 2005.

Her character was known for storylines which raised awareness about mental health and LGBT issues.

Ms Bracknell, who is now a yoga instructor, shared her diagnosis on an internet fundraising page set up to raise money for treatment in Germany.

On the fundraising page 52-year-old Leah, who is known to her family as Ali, said she had been teaching yoga workshops and starting rehearsals for a comedy play before she received the news.

"It turns out that the universe had other plans. Life was about to be unexpectedly turned on its head," she said.

"I began to feel breathless climbing stairs... I just put it down to a bit of stress.

'Bleak diagnosis'

"My abdomen suddenly ballooned - and within a matter of a few days I looked heavily pregnant. I could barely walk or breathe." 

After an emergency procedure to remove excess fluid from around her heart, Ms Bracknell said she was told she had stage four lung cancer, which she described as "a fairly brutal and bleak diagnosis, but one I am determined to challenge".

Her partner Jez Hughes explained the funds will be used for "immunotherapy and integrative medicine, which are seeing previously 'incurable' cancers going into complete remission".

Ms Bracknell played vet Zoe Tate, sister to Chris Tate and daughter of Frank Tate, one of the main families in the soap.

During her years on the show Zoe Tate came out as lesbian and later suffered from schizophrenia.

She made a dramatic exit when she left the village, blowing up Home Farm where the family had lived.

She won the 'Best Exit' award at the British Soap Awards in May 2006 for her performance in the scene.

What is immunotherapy?

It is one of the most exciting avenues of cancer treatment which uses the body's own immune system to fight off cancer.

Our immune system is like a police force, protecting us from diseases.

Normally our immune system spots and destroys faulty cells - like cancer ones - but sometimes these can escape detection and develop into tumours.

Instead of targeting the cancer cells themselves, as many traditional cancer drugs do, immunotherapy re-awakens the immune system so it can 'remember' the cancer the cancer and stop it in its tracks.

A number of immunotherapy treatments are already showing considerable promise.

Nobel Peace Prize 2016: Colombia's Santos named winner

Efforts by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos to end five decades of war in his country were recognised with the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.

The award came despite voters' shock rejection of the terms of a historic deal he reached last month with FARC chief Rodrigo Londono, alias Timoleon "Timochenko" Jimenez, after nearly four years of talks.

"The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2016 to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos for his resolute efforts to bring the country's more than 50-year-long civil war to an end," said committee chairwoman Kaci Kullmann Five. 

"There is a real danger that the peace process will come to a halt and that civil war will flare up again. This makes it even more important that the parties, headed by President Santos and FARC guerrilla leader Rodrigo Londono, continue to respect the ceasefire," she said.

Santos won in a competitive year, with a record 376 candidates vying for the award.

Of the candidates, 228 were individuals and 148 were organisations. The previous record was set in 2014, with 278 nominations.

Congratulations to the President of Colombia for the @NobelPrize and we wish the people of Colombia peace

— The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) October 7, 2016

Santos beat competition from individuals and groups including: Pope Francis; The Syrian White Helmets; German Chancellor Angela Merkel; doctor Denis Mukwege, Jean Nacatche Banyere, Jeannette Kahindo Bindu - a DRC group working with survivors of sexual violence; Russian activist Svetlana Gannushkina; the people who negotiated the Iranian nuclear deal; whistleblower Edward Snowden; and Greek islanders who work to help refugees when they arrive from perilous journeys across the Mediterranean.

Underlining the difficulty of predicting the winner, last year's prize  went to four Tunisian groups who were instrumental in the country's transition to democracy - none of whom had been mentioned in any of the pre-announcement speculation. 

Santos joins a list of 129 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates including US President Theodore Roosevelt; three-time recipient International Committee of the Red Cross; US civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr; South African President Nelson Mandela and Yemeni activist Tawakkul Karman.

The prize was first awarded in 1901.

Emergency declared as 'monster' 120mph hurricane nears Florida

President Obama has declared a state of emergency in Florida and South Carolina as deadly Hurricane Matthew bears down.

More than 1.5 million people living in low-lying areas and on the barrier islands have been told to "evacuate, evacuate, evacuate" by Florida Governor Rick Scott, who has warned: "This storm will kill you."

Describing the hurricane as a "monster", he added: "Matthew is likely to produce devastating impacts."

It has already claimed hundreds of lives in the Caribbean. At least 339 were killed as Matthew swept across Haiti, which has so far been the hardest hit area.

:: Cholera fears in Haiti after deadly hurricane

The eye of the "extremely dangerous" hurricane has been bearing down on Freeport, in the Bahamas, and is now moving parallel to the Florida coast.

The western edge of Matthew's "eye wall" is approaching Cape Canaveral.

The latest predictions are that the hurricane might not actually make landfall in the US, and the most powerful winds may remain just off shore, but 500 miles of coastline are still under threat.

Matthew has weakened slightly from a Category 4 to a Category 3 storm, but The National Hurricane Center says it is expected to remain a powerful hurricane..

Image Caption:Businesses are doing their best to prevent storm damage in Delray Beach, Florida

Tourist attractions including Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal Studios have been temporarily closed as a precaution, with Disney World saying the park would be closed throughout Friday.

British tourist Will Jenkins, who is on holiday at Disney World with his wife Victoria, said: "We were prepared to accuse Disney of overreacting, until they put all their guests on lockdown - advising us not to leave our rooms at all tomorrow - and issuing everyone with a torch."

:: A history of hurricanes - Florida's worst storms

At the Kennedy Space Center in central Florida, NASA and the private company SpaceX are taking precautions to protect capsules and rockets.

More than 270,000 people are without power in Florida.

Image Caption:How Hurricane Matthew is expected to develop over the next five days Pic: US National Hurricane Center

In Georgia, more than 500,000 people are being moved from the state's six coastal counties, along with more than 175,000 residents in parts of South Carolina.

Forecasters have warned that large waves pushed by the storm could threaten lives and buildings even before the eye reaches or even nears the shore.

Even if it does not make landfall, it is still expected to get close enough to wreak havoc along the lower part of the coast.

Hurricane Matthew: Death toll soars in Haiti

The number of people killed in Haiti by Hurricane Matthew has risen sharply into the hundreds, as coastal villages and towns began making contact with the outside world two days after being hit by the fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade.  

Bodies started to appear late on Thursday as waters receded in some places after Matthew's 235 kilometres-per-hour winds smashed concrete walls, flattened palm trees and tore roofs off homes, forcing thousands of Haitians to flee.

With the numbers increasing quickly, different government agencies and committees gave contrasting death tolls. Earlier on Thursday, officials had said the number of dead stood at 283, but a later Reuters news agency tally of deaths reported by civil protection officials showed the storm killed at least 339 people.

Most of the fatalities were in towns and fishing villages around the western end of Tiburon peninsula in Haiti's southwest, with many victims killed by falling trees, flying debris and swollen rivers.

At least 50 people were reported to have died in coastal Roche-a-Bateau, which local officials described as "devastated".