Panama ex-strongman, dies at 83

General Manuel Antonio Noriega, former military leader of Panama, has died aged 83, officials have announced.

Noriega recently underwent an operation after suffering a haemorrhage following brain surgery.

Noriega had been a key US ally but was forcibly removed when American troops invaded in 1989 and was later jailed in the US on drugs and laundering charges.

He spent the rest of his life in custody, latterly in Panama for murder, corruption and embezzlement.

But the former leader was released into house arrest in January to prepare for the operation in early March to remove a brain tumour.

Noriega, from US ally to convict

He underwent further surgery after cerebral bleeding but died late on Monday local time in Panama City's Santo Tomas hospital, Secretary of State for Communication Manuel Dominguez announced.

President Juan Carlos Varela tweeted: "The death of Manuel A Noriega closes a chapter in our history; his daughters and relatives deserve a funeral in peace."
Heavy metal music

Although he was never elected to office, Noriega became the de facto leader of Panama, serving a six-year tenure as military governor in the 1980s.

A strong supporter of the United States, he became a key ally in Washington's attempts to battle the influence of communism in central America.

But the US tired of his increasingly repressive role internally in Panama, and there were indications he was selling his services to other intelligence bodies, not to mention drug-trafficking organisations.

Noriega was indicted in a US federal court on drug-trafficking charges in 1988 and, after US observers declared he had stolen the 1989 election, President George HW Bush launched an invasion.

Noriega sought refuge in the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Panama City.

US troops flushed him out by playing deafening pop and heavy metal music non-stop outside.
Born in Panama City on 11 February 1934
Studies at a military academy in Peru. Begins a three-decade relationship with the CIA
Backs Gen Omar Torrijos in the coup that topples President Arnulfo Arias in 1968
Rises in influence after mysterious plane-crash death of Gen Torrijos in 1981, becoming de facto ruler in 1983
Plays key role in mid-1980s Iran-Contra affair, which involves smuggling weapons and drugs to aid US undercover efforts to support forces opposing the Sandinistas government in Nicaragua
Ousted in 1989 after US invasion and jailed in US
US trial reveals he wore red underwear to ward off the "evil eye"
In Panama's El Renacer prison in 2014, unsuccessfully sues company behind the video game, Call of Duty: Black Ops II for using his image without permission

By 3 January 1990, Noriega surrendered and was flown to the US to face drug-trafficking, money-laundering and racketeering charges, serving 17 years in jail there.

While in jail he was convicted in absentia in France of money-laundering and sentenced to seven years. After the US extradited him to France, a court there approved a request from Panama in December 2010 to send him back home, where he was convicted again.

In an interview on Panamanian TV two years ago, Noriega read out a statement of apology.

He said: "I apologise to anyone who feels offended, affected, harmed or humiliated by my actions or those of my superiors whilst carrying out orders, or those of my subordinates, during the time of my civilian and military government."

A US Senate sub-committee once described Washington's relationship with Noriega as one of the United States' most serious foreign policy failures.
The life and colourful times of Manuel Noriega

Kim Jong-nam murder case moves to Malaysian high court

Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong (L) and Indonesian Siti Aisyah [File: Police handout/EPA]

The case of two women charged in Malaysia with killing the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader was transferred to a higher court on Tuesday, as a defence lawyer complained of not getting all of the documents he had requested.

Indonesian Siti Aishah, 25, and Doan Thi Huong, 28, from Vietnam, face the death penalty if convicted of murdering Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur airport on February 13.

The two women are accused of smearing Kim's face with VX nerve agent, a chemical described by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction.

Aishah and Huong have told diplomats from their countries that they were unwitting pawns in what US officials and South Korean intelligence have said was an assassination orchestrated by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

WATCH: North Korea: The Death of Kim Jong-nam

Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, had spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic control of the isolated, nuclear-armed nation.

Aishah and Huong were charged on March 1 but the Sepang district magistrate court had twice deferred prosecutors' requests for the case to be moved to a higher court pending collection of documents.

On Tuesday, the district court judge moved the case to the Shah Alam High Court. No date was given for the first High Court hearing but prosecutor Iskandar Ahmad told reporters the court should notify them "within a month".

Aishah and Huong were present for the hearing, their third court appearance, both wearing bullet-proof vests.

Aishah's lawyer, Gooi Soon Seng, told the court the police and prosecution had yet to supply the defence with documents and other evidence needed for the case.

"The concept of a fair trial demands that all material documents should be supplied to the defence at the earliest opportunity," Gooi said.

Gooi said last month he feared a "trial by ambush" and said police had not responded to requests to provide evidence such as CCTV recordings and statements from other suspects.

READ MORE: Kim Jong-nam: N Korea accuses US and S Korea of murder

Three North Korean suspects - including a diplomat - were allowed to go home in March, along with the body of Kim Jong Nam, as part of a swap deal with North Korea, which had banned nine Malaysians from leaving there.

Four other North Koreans have been identified by Malaysia as suspects. Malaysian police have said the four left Kuala Lumpur for Pyongyang on the day of the killing.

North Korea has refused to accept the dead man was leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother, and has suggested the victim died of a heart attack. It has accused Malaysia of working with South Korean and other "hostile forces".

Manchester Victoria reopens for first time since terror attack

Manchester Victoria has reopened to the public - more than a week after a terror attack killed 22 people.

The train station, which is connected to the Manchester Arena targeted by suicide bomber Salman Abedi, had suffered structural damage in the explosion.

Investigators had also been performing a forensic search of the area in recent days.

On Monday night, hundreds of people gathered in pouring rain for a vigil to mark exactly one week since the attack targeting a sold-out Ariana Grande concert.

Holding candles, children and adults fell silent as the church in St Ann's Square struck 10.31pm. They then erupted into a round of applause to remember those who lost their lives.

Many of those who attended kneeled to read the many thousands of messages laid beside a sea of flowers.

Families huddled together, and strangers supported each other with a hug.

:: Bombing victim's family: Government must open its eyes

Image:Many knelt to read the thousands of messages left by mourners

Some of those who attended the vigil told Sky News why they felt they needed to be there.

One attendee said: "It's the first opportunity we've had as a family to come together. I think it's important to come and pay your respects.

"Manchester is where we are from and this is what Manchester is all about, coming together at times when we need to be and quite honestly there was nowhere else we were going to be tonight.

"The feeling of peace here is incredible. Despite the atrocity and the evil that's clearly gone on, the peace and love is just so evident and I just needed to take time to just pray for all the people that have been affected by it."

:: Police hunt for suitcase used by Manchester bomber

Image:Police are trying to find a suitcase used by Salman Abedi hours before his attack

At a vigil held earlier in the day, Trafford Youth Trust director Dan Kupusarevic said Monday's attack has brought unity.

He added: "The aim of terrorism is to divide us, to make us feel scared and hurt.

"But on Monday evening and in the days since, the city of Manchester and the citizens of Trafford have shown that it has done one thing alone - and that is unite us."

As the evening vigil came to an end, an impromptu rendition of Don't Look Back In Anger by Oasis broke out.

Lining the outside of the gathering, police - both armed and unarmed - watched on. About 1,000 officers are involved in this ongoing investigation.

Fourteen people are in police custody after being arrested in connection with the attack.

The Battle For Number 10: What we learned (and what we didn't)

 Here's a look at the key points from The Battle For Number 10, which saw Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn answer questions from a carefully selected studio audience before facing a one-on-one interview with Jeremy Paxman.

:: Jeremy Corbyn

1. In the wake of the Manchester bombing, Mr Corbyn said Labour's approach was not about "softening" Britain's foreign policybut about having a policy that "doesn't leave areas of the world without effective government".

2. He said he attended a "commemoration" of IRA members shot by the SAS because he wanted to "call for a peace and dialogue process in Northern Ireland".

3. The Labour leader told the audience it is necessary to increase corporation tax to 26% and introduce a £10 minimum wage because "we are all better off when everybody is better off".

4. Mr Corbyn admitted renewing Trident had been added to the Labour manifesto because it had been agreed by the party conference, adding: "I'm not a dictator who writes things to tell people what to do".

5. Under Labour, he said, immigration would probably "go down" but he did not "want to be held" to reducing the net flow of people into the country - arguing it is necessary to fill skill shortages.

6. He refused to be drawn on whether he would approve a drone strike on a militant in Syria planning attacks on UK soil and defended his description of Hamas as "friends" by saying he was "promoting the need for dialogue".

7. He also refused to say how much he would pay to get a Brexit deal but said Labour would secure a deal before allowing the UK to leave the EU.

:: Theresa May

1. When asked, the Prime Minister failed to state how many police officers she would recruit in the next parliament but said that "crime is changing" so it is necessary to put money into different things like cybercrime.

2. She reiterated that she was ready to walk away from Brexit negotiations without a deal if the agreement was not good enough.

3. Mrs May was heckled over Conservative plans to cut school funding despite saying it was necessary to look at distributing money "in a fair way" as children in some local education authorities receive twice the funding of those in other areas.

Nigeria University develops Ebola test kits

Scientists at the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases of Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, has developed and patented two rapid diagnosis test kits for the Ebola Virus Disease and Lassa Virus.

According to the university, the kits are able to detect the virus in human body fluids in 10 minutes.

The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Debo Adeyewa, said this on Friday during the signing of a memorandum of understanding on infectious disease surveillance and control between the ACEGID and the Lagos State Government.

Following the role of the university in the 2014 diagnosis and confirmation of the first index case of the EVD, Adeyewa said, the school had established a network of pathogens hunters in Nigeria and Africa in general by training scientists in the field of genomics.

He added that the partnership was to strengthen the capacity of the Lagos State Government in infectious disease diagnostics and epidemics preparedness.

He said, “Redeemer’s University ACEGID researchers discovered two novel Rhabdoviruses (EKV-1 and EKV-2). The centre also developed and patented two rapid diagnostic test kits for diagnosis of Lassa fever virus or Ebola virus in biological fluids. The World Health Organisation and the United States Food and Drug Agency have approved the Ebola virus RDT for use during epidemics.’’

Homeland Secretary Kelly considers laptop ban on all flights into US

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Sunday he’s considering a ban on passengers carrying laptop computers on all international flights in and out of the United States.

“I might,” Kelly said on “Fox News Sunday.” “There's a real threat -- numerous threats against aviation. That's really the thing that they are obsessed with, the terrorists, the idea of knocking down an airplane in flight, particularly if it's a U.S. carrier, particularly if it's full of mostly U.S. folks.”

Since taking over the agency in January, Kelly has already limited laptops in airplane cabins.

He instituted a ban in March on flights from 10 cities, mostly in the Middle East. Beyond laptops, the ban also covers tablets and other electronic devices and requires such equipment larger than a smartphone be checked in.

The ban applies to nonstop U.S.-bound flights from international airports in Amman, Jordan; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Cairo; Istanbul; Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Casablanca, Morocco; Doha, Qatar; and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. About 50 flights a day, all on foreign airlines, are affected.

Earlier this month, there were reports that the Trump administration would broaden the ban to include planes from the European Union, affecting trans-Atlantic routes that carry as many as 65 million people a year.

U.S. officials have said that the initial ban was not based on any specific threat, but on longstanding concerns about extremists targeting jetliners.

Kelly on Sunday also signaled that aviation security -- dramatically increased since the 9/11 terror attacks -- will get even tighter. And he hinted about soon getting help in such efforts from “new technology … not too far down the road.”

However, the Trump administration's spending plan for the budget year that begins Oct. 1 would make significant cuts to airport security programs.

Manchester attacks: Police issue new bomber photo

A new image showing bomber Salman Abedi on the day he attacked Manchester Arena has been released by police.

Officers are appealing for people who might have seen him carrying the blue suitcase between 18 and 22 May.

The BBC has also obtained CCTV footage which appears to show Abedi in a shop the day before the bombing, which killed 22 people.

Police are searching a landfill site on the outskirts of Bury, Greater Manchester.

The 22-year-old visited the Wilmslow Road area of Manchester and the city centre with the suitcase, police said.

Det Ch Supt Russ Jackson, from the North West Counter Terrorism Unit, said: "I want to stress that this is a different item than the one he used in the attack.

"We have no reason to believe the case and its contents contain anything dangerous, but would ask people to be cautious."

He added: "The public should not approach the case if they see it but contact police immediately on 999."
Manchester attack: Who were the victims?
What we know about bomber Salman Abedi
Special report: Manchester bombing

New CCTV footage has also emerged which appears to show Abedi shopping at a convenience store.

The footage was recorded in a store close to the flat where the suicide bomber was just hours before the attack.

Media captionCCTV footage appears to show the Manchester bomber walking around a shop

The BBC has passed the footage to investigating officers.

Greater Manchester Police have asked anyone with information to contact the Anti-Terrorist Hotline in confidence on 0800 789 321.

Media captionAerials of anti-terror search at a landfill site near Bury

Officers have been searching a landfill site in Pilsworth near Bury.

Footage of the search shows investigators in white boiler suits and blue helmets raking through the debris near a large red tent.

Earlier, there were searches in Whalley Range, Manchester and in Chester and Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, where a 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences.

Officers are also currently searching an address in the Rusholme area of Manchester.

In all, 14 men are now being questioned in connection with the investigation into the attack.

Meanwhile, Manchester City Council has announced there will be a vigil in St Ann's Square on Monday just after 22:30 BST - exactly one week after the attack took place.

Manchester Victoria station will also reopen on Tuesday, British Transport Police have said.

The station, which is connected to Manchester Arena where the bomb went off, suffered structural damage in the incident.

NHS England said 52 people injured in the attack were still being treated in hospital - including 19 in critical care.Image captionFlowers and tributes lined St Ann's Square in Manchester on Monday

Abedi detonated a bomb on 22 May at the end of a concert by US singer Ariana Grande.

MI5 said it would hold an inquiry into the way it dealt with warningsfrom the public that he was a potential threat.

The security service, which was alerted to his extremist views three times prior to last Monday's attack, will examine how it dealt with the warnings.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said it was right for MI5 to review its processes.

MI5 has launched a "post incident investigation" into how the Manchester bomber was overlooked, while a separate report is being prepared for ministers and those who oversee the work of the service.

A Whitehall official said previously that Abedi was one of a "pool" of former subjects of interest whose risk remained "subject to review" by the security service and its partners.

BBC Newsnight reported that at 16, Abedi - born in Manchester to Libyan parents - fought against the Colonel Gaddafi regime with his father during the school holidays.

It was while at Manchester College that two people who knew Abedi have confirmed they made separate calls to an anti-terrorism hotline to warn the police about his extremist views.