U.S. Warns Russia Over Military Support for Assad

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State John Kerry told his Russian counterpart on Saturday that the United States is deeply concerned by reports that the Kremlin may be planning to vastly expand its military support for President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, the State Department said.

Mr. Kerry called Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov “to discuss Syria, including U.S. concerns about reports suggesting an imminent enhanced Russian military buildup there,” the State Department said in a statement.

“The secretary made clear that if such reports were accurate, these actions could further escalate the conflict, lead to greater loss of innocent life, increase refugee flows and risk confrontation with the anti-ISIL Coalition operating in Syria,” the State Department said, using an acronym for the Islamic State.

The statement did not say if Mr. Lavrov responded to Mr. Kerry’s concerns or provided any indication of Russia’s intentions. But it noted that the two diplomats planned to continue their discussions in New York later this month, when the United Nations General Assembly meets.

Russia has sent a military advance team to Syria and has transported prefabricated housing units for hundreds of people at an airfield near Latakia, according to American intelligence analysts. Russia has also delivered a portable air traffic station to the airfield and has filed military overflight requests through September.

While American officials have said they are not sure of Moscow’s intentions, they say the airfield could be used to transport military supplies for the Assad government or to carry out Russian airstrikes to help Syrian government troops.

The prefabricated housing could accommodate as many as 1,000 Russian military advisers and other personnel, according to American officials, and some warned that the eventual Russian deployment might be even larger.

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How to Make Easy Money

Are you looking to make money with little to no work, and as quick as possible? Have no fear - doing so is easy! Look into selling products or services, picking up odd jobs, and other miscellaneous tasks as ways of getting cash quick.

1  Sell your things to local stores. There are many stores, local and chain, who buy products from the public at a reduced rate and then resell them in their stores. Sort through your home to find things you no longer need, want, or use and make a visit to these stores in your area.

If you consider yourself quite the avid reader with a library to match, consider sorting through your archives to find old books you no longer want. Books in good condition can be bought for several dollars apiece at used-bookstores.

Clothing is something everybody has, and often something we have too much of. If your wardrobe is overflowing with clothes, take a pass through and find the things that you can’t fit or aren’t in style anymore. You will get the best price for clothing that doesn’t have holes, stains, or wear-and-tear.

If your library is full of music rather than books, consider selling some of your CDs. CDs with their cases intact and without scratches or blemish can be sold for a few dollars each. Find a local music or record store in your area and see if they buy used CDs.

If gaming is your thing, try sorting through all your old video games. Many video game stores will take your used games if they are brought without any scratches or blemishes in the original case. Although you may only get a fraction of the price you originally bought the games for, making a few dollars on something you no longer use is better than nothing.


Try taking miscellaneous things to a local pawnshop. This allows you to resell anything from a blender you never used to your old motorcycle jacket.

2  Sell your things directly. If you would rather be responsible for selling what you own instead of taking it to a store, consider having a garage sale or advertising your items online. Although these involve much more planning than simply making a drop-off at your favorite secondhand store, you can make much more money by doing the work yourself.

Throw your own yard or garage sale. At most, you can expect a brand-new item to sell for 50% of it’s original price, but you will be making money back on something you’re not currently using. Be sure to plan ahead by placing ads in your local newspaper and putting up signs for your sale on nearby busy streets with directions.


Place big-ticket items on sites like Craigslist or eBay to advertise to a wider audience. If you have something worth a lot more money than just some used clothes and garage tools, then open an ad for it online. Craigslist is a great option for selling something right away to locals without the hassle of shipping it across country.

3 Sell bodily materials. Now, as strange as that may sound, you can actually sell parts of your body for a lot of money. We’re not talking organs, but rather things like plasma, genetic material, and long hair.

If you hair is long (over ten inches) and in good health, consider cutting it off and selling it to a company that makes wigs. Untreated hair that has never been colored or relaxed gets the best price, especially if it is a unique color or texture. The longer your hair is, the more money you can make off of it!

Sell your plasma at a local blood bank. Plasma is a part of your blood that is given in infusions to patients with certain medical disorders. You can donate your plasma multiple times over a few weeks, and earn on average $50 per donation.

Sell your sperm. Although not every guy is comfortable with giving up his genetic material to strangers, if you are short on cash and willing to help some unknown couple have a baby then sell your sperm. You can earn up to $100 per visit.


Sell your eggs. This is much more timely than selling sperm, but for any ladies who want to make a lot of money and don’t mind selling their eggs, you can earn up to $10,000 for a single treatment. The process of selling eggs takes several weeks of injections and a minor outpatient procedure, and may be slightly uncomfortable. The upside is that you make a lot of money in a relatively short amount of time.

7 Gaza rockets hit Israel

GAZA CITY: Palestinian Territories, Oct 29, 2012 (AFP) - Seven rockets fired from Gaza crashed into southern Israel on Sunday without harming anyone, police said, hours after an Israeli air strike killed a Hamas militant.

October 29, 2012 - From Web Edition

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP two rockets fell in open areas within the Eshkol district which flanks the southern sector of the Gaza border, while another two landed in and around Beersheva, a city of 194,000 people. None of them caused any injuries or damage.

An army spokeswoman later said that three more rockets had hit Israeli territory during the day, also without causing any harm.

In Gaza, militants from the Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility for the two rockets fired at Beersheva.

Late Sunday the Israeli air force carried out two raids on the Gaza Strip, destroying one home but causing no casualties, Palestinian security sources said. The army spokesman confirmed the raids which he said were aimed at "the rocket launcher sites and terrorist activities."

New York transport halted ahead of storm

NEW YORK: All New York subways, buses and regional trains came to a halt late Sunday ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy, officials said.

October 29, 2012 - From Web Edition

Authorities ordered the transport suspension because of the feared flooding and wind damage from the hurricane which is expected to hit the coast in the northeast United States late Monday.

Thousands of flights in and out of east coast airports have also been cancelled and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs five airports in the New York region, said it expected airlines to halt all flights on Sunday night.

The transportation suspension is expected to last at least through Monday and Tuesday with major disruption continuing on Wednesday.

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg told people to stay at home through the storm and city streets were noticably empty on Sunday night.

Sandy hits Virginia, low areas submerged

NEW YORK: Hurricane Sandy has finally hit the Virginia coast submerging many low-lying areas according to the latest report received here, Geo News reported.

October 29, 2012 - From Web Edition

 

Three major public transportation systems in three big cities -- New York, Washington and Philadelphia -- will be closed as Hurricane Sandy threatens the East Coast.

Close to 11 million commuters will be without service.

The New York Stock Exchange will close its trading floor Monday as Hurricane Sandy barrels its way up the Northeast, but Big Board trading will continue electronically. NYSE Euronext said Sunday it is putting in place its contingency plans beginning Monday and will announce later when the trading floor will reopen.

The New York Mercantile Exchange, a commodity futures exchange, also will be shutting on Monday its trading floor which is located in a mandatory evacuation zone.

The moves come as Hurricane Sandy causes the shutdown of transportation systems throughout the region. Governor Andrew Cuomo said New York City's subways and buses will shut down Sunday evening. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered residents to evacuate some low-lying areas Sunday and said city public schools will close Monday.

Even if Hurricane Sandy knocks out power for lower Manhattan, the NYSE can switch to its backup power generators for electricity. The servers that handle the exchange's transactions are housed in Mahwah, NJ.

Airlines hastily canceled flights in the Northeast Sunday as Hurricane Sandy moved up the coast. The massive storm threatens to bring a near halt to air travel for at least two days in a key region for both domestic and international flights.

Major carriers such as American Airlines, JetBlue and Delta planned Sunday night to cancel all flights into and out of three area airports in New York, the nation's busiest airspace. Delays rippled across the US and the Atlantic, affecting travellers in cities such as San Francisco, Chicago and Paris.

Cancellations are mounting. According to the flight-tracking service FlightAware, more than 6,800 flights had been canceled for Sunday and Monday as of Sunday evening. Both Philadelphia International Airport and Newark International Airport, a hub for United Airlines, each had more than 1,200 cancellations for the two days.

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are hastily rearranging their campaign schedules as hurricane Sandy sweeps up the US east coast, introducing unpredictability into an already razor-tight election battle. Mr Obama left Sunday evening for Florida for rallies with Bill Clinton and then Ohio Monday, but has cancelled a third in Virginia to return to Washington to oversee the response to the "superstorm".

Mr Romney, his Republican challenger, also cancelled a Monday rally in Virginia, south of Washington, and will campaign instead in Ohio, the swing state likely to decide the election. Hurricane Sandy, with winds as high as 75mph, was moving north, parallel to the coast Sunday and was expected to make landfall in the New Jersey and New York areas this evening.

The political fallout from the storm is impossible to measure, offering a chance for Mr Obama to display leadership but potentially disrupting the investment his campaign has made in getting supporters to the polls. "Obviously, we want unfettered access to the polls because we believe that the more people come out, the better we're going to do," David Axelrod, a senior Obama adviser, told CNN.

Clinton arrives in Algeria for talks

ALGIERS: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Algeria on Monday, with the political crisis in neighbouring Mali a central focus of her scheduled talks with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

October 29, 2012 - From Web Edition

Clinton's plane touched down shortly before 0530 GMT at Algiers international airport at the start of her second visit to the Algerian capital following a trip last year.

Also on the agenda, according to the US State Department, is the general issue of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Clinton is to meet Bouteflika and other top officials in Algeria, which shares a long border with Mali, where extremists and rebel groups took over large swathes of the country's north after a March coup.

Mauritania and Algeria have called for dialogue in a bid to reach a political solution to the crisis.

"Algeria being the strongest Sahel State became a critical partner in dealing with AQIM," a state department official said aboard the plane carrying Clinton in.

"In the context of what happened in North Mali when the government forces up there collapsed and the coup happened, Algeria's importance has become ever more important and it will really be a central focus in the talks between the secretary and president," the diplomat added.

"There is a strong recognition that Algeria has to be a central part of the solution," the official stressed.

Algeria, with its powerful army, was at first opposed to any military intervention in Mali, with which it shares a 1,400-kilometre (870-mile) border, fearing a destabilisation of its territory.

Now Algiers is not ruling out military action, though without its participation.

Ban condemns failure of Syria ceasefire

SEOUL: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday voiced bitter frustration at the failure of the Syria ceasefire and stressed the need for international unity to end the violence.

October 29, 2012 - From Web Edition

"I am deeply disappointed that the parties failed to respect the call to suspend fighting," Ban said in the South Korean capital Seoul, where he received a peace prize from his home country. "This crisis cannot be solved with more weapons and bloodshed," Ban said, calling on the UN Security Council, regional countries and all parties "to live up to their obligations and promote a ceasefire".

The four-day truce proposed by UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi collapsed amid clashes, shelling and car bombings hours after it had been due to take effect with the start of Eidul Azha holidays on Friday morning. The Syrian army and opposition forces blamed each other for breaking the ceasefire.

Although Ban did not seek to apportion blame in his speech, he noted the bombings of "densely populated" cities by the Assad regime. Rights groups say more than 35,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which began as an anti-regime uprising. It is now a civil war pitting mainly Sunni rebels against President Bashar Assad's regime dominated by his minority Alawite sect.

Brahimi is expected to go to the Security Council in November with new proposals for talks between Assad and the opposition, and will head to Russia and China this week to discuss the crisis. Russia and China have three times used their powers as permanent Security Council members to block resolutions that could have led to Syria sanctions. As long as the international community "remains at odds", the suffering of the Syrian people will only deepen, Ban said in Seoul.

Past winners of the Seoul Peace Prize include former International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.

Serena Williams beats Sharapova in WTA Championships final

Serena Williams won her third WTA Championships title with a 6-4 6-3 win over Maria Sharapova in Istanbul.

Williams did not drop a set all week and Sharapova was unable to make much impact on the American's serve.

"Maria won the last time we played in the Championships final [in 2004] and she's ranked ahead of me so I had nothing to lose," she said.

World number three Williams, 31, has won seven titles in 2012, including the US Open, Wimbledon and the Olympics.

The 15-time major winner leads Russian world number two Sharapova 10-2 in head-to-heads and has won her last 13 matches against top-four players.

"The Turkish crowd were fantastic. I have never seen so many signs with my name on them before.""It feels great to have achieved my dream," added Williams.

Williams is back to the top of her game after battling career-threatening injury and illness in 2010 and 2011.

And she said 2012 was every bit as good as 2002 and 2003, when she held all four Grand Slam titles at once - the so-called 'Serena Slam'.

"It's awesome. To come back after being in the hospital, I feel so happy whether I win or lose," she said.

Williams finished the year with a 59-4 win-loss record and since her first-round defeat at the French Open, which Sharapova won, the American is 31-1.

"She had another great serving day against me, " said Sharapova. "I don't think I even had a break point.

"Maybe it was partly me not doing enough on the returns and partly she was serving well, but that's one of the reasons she's such a great champion and has had a tremendous amount of success in her career."

There was better news for Russia in the doubles final as qualifiers Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova beat second seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka.

Luis Suarez took centre stage as Liverpool and Everton shared the points after a pulsating 90 minutes in the 219th Merseyside derby.

The Uruguayan was controversially denied an injury-time winner after Everton had fought back from 2-0 down, but it was an earlier goal celebration which is likely to prove the game's enduring image.

Having played a key role in Liverpool's opener with a shot that deflected in off Leighton Baines, Suarez ran to celebrate with a swallow dive in front of David Moyes - a reference to claims by the Everton manager before the game that he went down too easily.

Suarez added Liverpool's second with a deft header four minutes later only for Everton to score twice before half-time through Leon Osman and Steven Naismith. The result leaves Everton in fifth and extends Liverpool's unbeaten run to four matches.

At the final whistle, they could give no more. Everton and Liverpool had fought each other to a standstill, matching each other step for step and, ultimately, goal for goal.

If the clocks had not quite gone back 25 years to the days when Peter Reid and Steve McMahon slugged it out in midfield, Steven Gerrard and Marouane Fellaini, an adopted Scouser, still refused to give each other the time to exhibit their playmaking skills.

Much of the talk before the game had centred on Everton's best start to a Premier League campaign since they qualified for the Champions League places in 2004-05, but Moyes had made the headlines by claiming Suarez consistently went down too easily

Suarez turned for the dugouts to celebrate, pointing in Moyes's direction before throwing himself into the air in a swallow dive and landing on the touchline in front of the Everton manager.In the 14th minute, the Reds striker pounced on a loose ball to the right of the Everton penalty box and sent in a low shot that deflected in at the near post off Baines's leg.

The Scot stormed out of his seat and a number of items were thrown on to the field in the minutes after the goal, but more drama was to come.

Five minutes later, Suarez scored a second Liverpool goal. Sterling won a disputed free-kick, Gerrard curled a delightful ball onto the head of his striker and Suarez applied the glancing blow that took the ball beyond Blues keeper Tim Howard into the net.

The celebration was more traditional this time but Goodison was stunned. The home support had no time to catch its breath, however, as Everton surged forward driven on by their manager. Nikica Jelavic combined with Fellaini to win a corner, and Brad Jones could only punch it to the edge of his penalty area where Osman thumped it back across the Liverpool goalkeeper and into the net.

Everton drew hope, and with it purpose and penetration, as Phil Neville and Osman started to dominate the midfield battle. Kevin Mirallas was tormenting Andre Wisdom down the Everton left, creating one chance for Fellaini and another for himself as Goodison now bounced with optimism.

It was no surprise when the equaliser arrived shortly after the half-hour. Mirallas surged forward again, but his cross hit Fellaini. The Belgian gathered the loose ball and sent another cross into the middle where Naismith arrived to score his first goal for Everton.

Liverpool were being overrun and Rodgers required a major reshuffle at the break. A switch to three at the back allowed his side the spare man in midfield but it was the decision to thrust Sterling into a central attacking role alongside Suarez that caused Everton a bigger problem.

Suarez was never far from the action in his role as pantomime villain, receiving a booking for treading on the back of Sylvain Distin's leg.The 17-year-old's pace was an immediate issue, as he broke beyond Phil Jagielka only to skew his shot wide with just Howard to beat. But Everton kept coming too. Fellaini headed wide and Jelavic came within a big toe of an Everton third as he stretched to reach Seamus Coleman's low cross, before inexplicably heading Baines's free kick-wide from six yards.

Liverpool came again and thought they had snatched a winner when Gerrard's free-kick was headed down by Sebastian Coates and prodded in by Suarez.

The red half of Merseyside began to celebrate but the linesman's flag was raised, replays showed incorrectly, and the points were shared.

Indian GP

Indian GP: Sebastian Vettel denies signing for Ferrari

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel has denied that he has signed any agreement to join Ferrari in the future.

BBC Sport reported two weeks ago that Ferrari already have a deal in place with the German, with an option for the 25-year-old to join them in 2014.

Vettel said: "There is nothing to tell, nothing I have signed. It is amusing. I don't know where it came from."

Vettel was dismissive of the claim and said he was concerned it could have caused problems at Red Bull.

"There is nothing to report and I am very happy at Red Bull Racing," he said.

His response was to a question as to whether he had any arrangement, or had had any talks, with Ferrari about his future.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says the team have a binding contract with Vettel to the end of 2014 and told BBC Sport: "Sebastian Vettel without a shadow of doubt, will be part of the Red Bull Racing team in 2014."

Play media

India win was not easy - Vettel

Ferrari sources continue to insist that there is an arrangement in place between the Italian team and Vettel with a view to him joining them.

They are not clear on the exact details but they say Vettel's long-term future will be at Ferrari.

On Sunday, Vettel beat Alonso to win the Indian Grand Prix to take his fourth victory in a row and extend his championship lead over the Spaniard to 13 points.

Horner said afterwards: "Sebastian and the team have a very strong relationship. We both know exactly where we stand now and for the future.

"Of course all members read the media, they read the internet, so it was important to dispel any speculation that he may be going elsewhere. I did that on the day the rumours were circulated.

"Sebastian has been with Red Bull since he was 12 or 13 years of age. He has achieved all his grand prix victories in Red Bull-designed cars.

"He is very happy being part of this team and he is an important part of this team and hopefully that will continue for many years to come."

Asked if he expected Vettel's next contract to be with Red Bull, Horner said: "I can't think of any driver that wouldn't want a contract with Red Bull at the moment."

Sydney Sixers win Champions League T20

Michael Lumb stars as Sydney Sixers win Champions League T20

Champions League T20 final, Wanderers

Sydney Sixers 124-0 (12.3 overs) beat Highveld Lions 121 all out (20 overs) by 10 wickets

Match scorecard

The Sydney Sixers beat the Highveld Lions by 10 wickets to win the Champions League Twenty20 final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.

Nottinghamshire and England opener Michael Lumb scored 82 not out from 42 balls as Sydney chased down the Lions' 121 all out with 45 balls to spare.

Lumb, who was born in South Africa, hit eight fours and five sixes.

New Zealand spinner Nathan McCullum (3-24) and paceman Josh Hazlewood (3-22) were the pick of the Sixers' bowlers.

The Johannesburg-based Lions were sent in to bat in front of a sell-out crowd and soon crashed to 9-4.

Only a knock of 51 from Jean Symes saved the Lions from complete humiliation and they lost their final wicket from the last ball of the innings.

Lumb and fellow opener Brad Haddin (38 not out) were dropped during their innings but the result was never in doubt.

Sydney, who went through the tournament unbeaten, receive $2.5m (£1.55m) for winning the fourth instalment of the event while the Lions claim $1.3m (£806,000).

Chelsea make complaint against referee

Mark Clattenburg: Chelsea make complaint against referee

Chelsea have made a formal complaint against referee Mark Clattenburg after accusing him of using "inappropriate language" to two of their players in the defeat by Manchester United.

Part of the allegation is that Clattenburg used racial language, BBC Sport has learned.

It is also understood midfielder John Mikel Obi is involved in the complaint.

"We have lodged a complaint to the Premier League match delegate," said a Chelsea spokesman.

"The match delegate will pass the complaint to the Football Association."

Play media

Referee got it wrong - Di Matteo

Referees' organisation Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) later issued a statement which said: "PGMO is aware of the allegations and they are being treated with the utmost seriousness.

"Mark will co-operate fully and welcomes the opportunity for the facts to be established."

All four officials - the referee, his two assistants and the fourth official - wear microphones and ear pieces that allow them to hear what each other is saying throughout the match, although what is said between them is not recorded.

The news that Chelsea had made the complaint rounded off a dramatic day which saw the Blues lose their unbeaten top-flight record after Javier Hernandez struck 15 minutes from time.

Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres were both given red cards in the space of five minutes in United's 3-2 win, with the Spaniard's dismissal for diving disputed by Chelsea.

"It is a shame a game like this had to be decided in that manner by officials," said Chelsea manager Roberto di Matteo.

"Surely when the referee watches it he will realise he has made big mistakes."

In addition, Chelsea are to investigate reports that a steward was injured by objects thrown from the crowd at Stamford Bridge.

Hernandez appeared to be pelted as he celebrated scoring United's winner in front of Chelsea fans in the Matthew Harding Stand.

Egypt's Copts vote for successor to Pope Shenouda III

A blindfolded child will pick the name of the next Pope from a shortlist of three on 4 November

Continue reading the main story

A council of Coptic Christians in Egypt is set to vote for a successor to Pope Shenouda III, who died in March.

Two bishops and three monks are short-listed to become the 118th head of the region's largest Christian minority.

The council will pick three, writing their names on separate pieces of paper that will be placed in a box on the altar of St Mark's Cathedral in Cairo.

A blindfolded child will be asked to draw out one of the names on 4 November, thereby picking the new Pope.

The individual chosen will become the new Coptic Pope who will be enthroned in a ceremony on 18 November.

The five candidates are:

• Fr Pachomios al-Syriani - a monk from the Paromeos Monastery in Wadi al-Natrun; currently lives in Italy; aged around 49
• Bishop Raphael - an auxiliary bishop in Cairo; a former aide to the late Pope; a member of the Church's Holy Synod, the Coptic Church's highest authority; aged around 58
• Fr Raphael Ava Mina: A monk at St Mina Monastery near Alexandria; aged around 60
• Fr Seraphim al-Syriani: A monk from the Paromeos Monastery; currently lives in the US; aged around 53
• Bishop Tawadros - an auxiliary bishop to acting head of the Coptic Church, Bishop Pachomios; member of the Holy Synod; aged around 60

The Coptic Church has about 16 million members worldwide, and Copts make up 10% of Egypt's population of 80 million.

Pope Shenouda III led Egypt's Coptic Christian Church for four decades

Pope Shenouda III died at the age of 88 on 17 March, reportedly after suffering cancer.

He had urged officials to do more to address Coptic concerns after numerous attacks on churches in recent years.

He had led the Church, one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, for four decades.

His successor faces the task of reassuring the Coptic community during the Islamist resurgence of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, correspondents say.

Many younger Copts will be looking for a leader who can help redefine their community's role in a rapidly changing post-Mubarak Egypt, they add.

Jimmy Savile scandal

Jimmy Savile scandal: Inquiry begins into BBC culture

Police have described the former BBC presenter and DJ as a "predatory sex offender".

Former appeal court judge Dame Janet Smith will also consider whether the BBC child protection and whistleblowing policies are fit for purpose.An inquiry is to begin into the culture and practices at the BBC in the era of alleged sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile.

Police are investigating allegations TV star Savile sexually abused some 300 young people over a 40-year period.

As part of the police inquiry, ex-pop star Gary Glitter has been arrested and bailed on suspicion of sex offences.

Glitter, 68, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was arrested at home and questioned at a London police station on Sunday before being released on bail until mid-December.

The former glam rock star is the first person to be arrested in connection with the Metropolitan Police's Savile abuse investigation.

Scotland Yard has said it is following about 400 lines of inquiry as part of the investigation into claims that Savile, who died last year aged 84, abused hundreds of young girls and some boys.

Inquiries have also been set up by the BBC in the wake of the scandal.

Dame Janet previously led the Shipman Inquiry, which examined the activities of serial killer GP Dr Harold Shipman.

In addition to her investigation, former Sky News head Nick Pollard is already examining whether there were BBC management failings over a Newsnight investigation into Savile abuse claims that was shelved last year.

Another review will examine sexual harassment policies at the BBC.

'Dark side'

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten said the corporation's reputation was on the line over the scandal.

"Like many who work for the BBC, I feel a sense of particular remorse that abused women spoke to Newsnight, presumably at great personal pain, yet did not have their stories told as they expected," he said.

Lord Patten went on: "Can it really be the case that no-one knew what he was doing? Did some turn a blind eye to criminality?

"Did some prefer not to follow up their suspicions because of this criminal's popularity and place in the schedules?"

Allegations of sexual abuse against Savile have continued to mount since claims were first made public in an ITV documentary at the beginning of October.

Savile's nephew Roger Foster has told the BBC that he did not believe the allegations at first, but that so many have surfaced he is now "convinced that the vast majority of them are true".

He said he could not understand how his uncle, who did so much charity work, "could have such a dark side to him".

Ukraine election

Ukraine election: President Yanukovych party claims win

Supporters of the Party of Regions have been celebrating their anticipated win in Kiev

Continue reading the main story

The party of Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych has claimed victory in the country's parliamentary election.

Officials from the Party of Regions said the poll showed Ukrainians had confidence in their leader.

However, initial counts varied widely from exit polls and the complicated electoral system means a final result is some way off.

Thousands of observers are in Ukraine for the vote, which Mr Yanukovych hopes will boost his democratic credentials.

Western governments have criticised Mr Yanukovych over the jailing of opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.

Officials said the election had passed off smoothly, with a turnout of some 45%, about average for Ukraine.

Ukraine 'united'

Ukrainians were voting for 450 MPs, half of whom are selected from party lists, and the other half from single-seat constituencies.

Exit polls based only on party-list voting showed the Party of Regions winning 28%, followed by Ms Tymoshenko's United Opposition Fatherland bloc on 24.7%.

Less than half the population turned out to vote, amid high levels of disillusionment

However, a count of 14.6% of ballots gave the Party of Regions 38%, compared to just 20% for the United Opposition Fatherland.

Party of Regions MP Borys Kolesnikov, a deputy prime minister, said his party was likely to dominate the single-seat constituencies.

"There are 225 single-seat constituencies and we see our candidates winning two-thirds of them," he said.

Prime Minister Mykola Azarov told a news conference it was clear that the Party of the Regions had won.

"These elections signal confidence in the president's policies," he said.

Continue reading the main story

“en

Exit polls suggested a strong showing for other parties - the far-right Freedom party (12.5%), the Communists (12.5%) and the anti-corruption Udar party (15.4%) of boxing champion Vitali Klitschko.

But the early 14.6% counting figures were different, putting the Communists on 15.6%, Freedom on 6.7% and Udar on 12%.

Neither the exit polls nor the early counting may fully reflect the final official result, which is expected on Monday.

During voting, Mr Yanukovych said he had cast his ballot for "stability and economic development".

"I believe that this election will move Ukraine towards unity," he said.

After casting his vote in the capital, Kiev, Mr Klitschko said he was "going to parliament to fight".

He listed his "five key punches" as corruption, indifference of the authorities, lack of local governance, inequality and poverty.

Ms Tymoshenko voted from her jail cell, where she is serving a seven-year sentence for abuse of power.

The BBC's David Stern in Kiev says the election was one of the most closely watched in Ukraine's history, with 3,500 accredited foreign observers, including more than 600 from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Campaigning concerns

Earlier, Western officials expressed concerns over campaigning.

In a New York Times editorial, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton cited "worrying trends" in the interim election report from the OSCE (of which Ukraine is due to take over the rotating chair in January).

The jailing of Ms Tymoshenko has severely strained relations with the West.These included government resources being used to favour ruling-party candidates, media restrictions, vote-buying and lack of transparency on the electoral commissions.

Opposition supporters say Ms Tymoshenko was prosecuted and imprisoned last year in order to prevent her running in the election.

The EU indefinitely postponed its association agreement, including a free trade pact, after the jailing.

Mr Yanukovych, who has been president for three years and faces re-election in 2015, has rejected calls to free his rival.

He says she was sentenced by an independent court.

He insists European integration is one of his government's main goals and will hope his pro-business party can hold on to the parliamentary majority it enjoys.

Ukraine, with a population of 46 million, has been hit by the global economic downturn and unpopular pension and tax policies.

The Party of Regions recently attempted to assuage public opinion by boosting public-sector salaries and pensions.

But the reforms exacerbated a $2bn (£1.25bn) budget deficit and called into question the likelihood of securing IMF lending, correspondents say.

Ukrainian authorities hope a good assessment by 3,500 international election observers will reopen the door to the association agreement.