iPad Mini Heist: JFK Airport Worker Held

A cargo worker has been arrested after the theft of thousands of iPad minis worth £1.2m ($1.9m) from New York's JFK airport.

Renel Rene Richardson was held by agents who are investigating the possibility that the crime was an inside job.

Thieves driving forklift trucks got away with about 3,600 of the sought-after gadgets - bound for China - on November 12.

Richardson allegedly had two helpers in the heist at the Cargo Air Services building, where he also worked, according to a criminal complaint filed in Brooklyn federal court and cited by the New York Post.

Some 3,600 iPad minis were stolen in the heist

Detectives believe Richardson acted as a lookout while the two unidentified individuals loaded pallets of iPad minis onto a truck.

Those responsible for the theft are believed to have arrived at building 261 at around 11pm, in a white tractor trailer marked with the name Ceva on the side.

They are reported to have pulled up to a side of the airport building which faces onto a street and has less security than the other side.

It is not known if the iPads have been recovered.

The thieves could have got away with more iPads, but were reportedly foiled by three other workers returning from a dinner break.

The cargo site where the theft took place is the same building where £3.1m ($5m) went missing in 1978, in a heist later made famous in the Goodfellas film.

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Jaguar Land Rover Launches China Expansion

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

Jaguar Land Rover is to manufacture cars outside the United Kingdom for the first time.

The company has entered into a joint venture with one of China's largest car makers Chery.

The two firms began work to build a factory near Shanghai today.

"For the first time one of the most famous names in the British automotive industry, Jaguar Land Rover, is poised to begin manufacturing in a market outside the United Kingdom," the company's CEO Dr Ralf Speth said at the stone-laying ceremony.

"It seems only fitting that this new venture will take place here, in the People's Republic of China, the world's fastest-growing market for premium vehicles."

Kay Francis, the company's director of global corporate communications, told Sky News: "This is our first ever manufacture plant outside the UK.

"The facility here in China will include research and development, engine plants and production lines. Start to finish, the cars will be made in China," Ms Francis added.

Executives at Jaguar Land Rover have been in complicated negotiations with their counterparts at Chery for months.

Chery is a state-owned company and Chinese government approval was required before any deal could be signed.

The joint venture project was approved by China's National Development and Reform Commission last month.

The first bricks of the new factory were laid at a ceremony in Changshu, Jiangsu Province, to the northwest of Shanghai.

Yin Tongyao, the president of Chery Automobile, and Dr Speth were both there.

"Soon, on this very site, will be a fully-fledged manufacturing plant, to create employment, stimulate the supply chain and develop game-changing environmental technologies for China. A total of 10.9bn renmimbi (£1bn) will be invested in this joint venture," Dr Speth said.

"In our shared vision with Chery, this partnership will offer Chinese customers the latest generation models from Jaguar and Land Rover, as well as vehicles designed specifically for Chinese customers," he said.

The company hopes that the first cars will roll off the production line in 2014.

It is understood the first vehicle to be built at the factory will be the Land Rover Freelander.

The company would not confirm that suggestion.

"We intend to build Jaguar and Land Rover branded products here... It's likely that a Land Rover badged vehicle will be the first to come out of the plant when it opens in 2014," Ms Francis said.

Volkswagen already manufactures VWs, Audis, Skodas and Seats in China

China has become Jaguar Land Rover's largest market and experts say it has not even begun to reach its potential.

Sales of the company's cars reached 53,000 there in the first nine months of this year - that's up 80 per cent from the year before.

The reason behind the boost is China's demand for luxury goods.

Jaguar Land Rover has sold 20,000 Range Rover Evoques this year alone.

The firm hopes to boost last year's record £1.5bn profits when the new Chinese factory begins work.

Building cars in China rather than importing them from the UK allows the company to avoid massive import duties.

Chinese-made vehicles can be sold for less and the hope is that more will be bought.

The company insists the expansion to China is in addition to their business in the UK and that no UK jobs will be lost as a result.

"Everything we do in China is in addition to our UK operation. We are not shifting production and it doesn't impact the head count and state of play of the plants in Britain," Ms Francis said.

Jaguar Land Rover does have a factory in Pune, India, but that acts simply as an assembly plant, constructing flat-packed cars which are manufactured in the UK.

Compared with other European car makers, Jaguar Land Rover is very late in expanding production to China.

Volkswagen began its first joint venture in China in 1984. Volkswagen Group China now manufactures VWs, Audis, Skodas and Seats in China with year-on-year record sales.

Ageing Volkswagens are a common sight in Beijing; a sign of just how long the company has been operating here.

Audi is now the favoured brand for the political elite in China. Black Audi A6 cars, manufactured in China, are seen all over Beijing.

Jaguar Land Rover says that as well as building cars identical to those built in the UK, it plans to build a new vehicle designed specifically for the Chinese market. 

"We may also build a brand of car that is a blend of the two: a car that is new and designed and developed entirely in China," Ms Francis said.

"Having Chinese research and development means we can tailor cars for Chinese tastes."

British brands are very popular in China. Combine that with the fact that China has an increasingly wealthy urban population and there are significant opportunities which could help strengthen the UK economy.

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Oil Rig Fire Search Called Off As Body Found

Divers hired by the owner of an oil platform that caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico have recovered a body in the waters near the site.

US Coast Guard spokesman Carlos Vega said the remains of the unidentified person were found by divers working for Houston-based Black Elk Energy, who were inspecting the platform.

Mr Vega said the Coast Guard would be turning over the remains to local authorities.

John Hoffman, the president and CEO of Black Elk Energy, wrote in an email late on Saturday that the body is apparently that of one of two crew members missing since an explosion and fire on the oil platform on Friday morning.

"Divers will continue to search for the second missing worker. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families," Mr Hoffman said.

Rescue crews work at the oil platform on Friday

He said the body was found close to the leg of the platform, near where the explosion occurred, in about 30ft of water.

The missing men were employees of oilfield contractor Grand Isle Shipyard, he added.

The news came shortly after the Coast Guard suspended a 32-hour-long search for the two missing workers that covered 1,400 square miles near the oil platform, located about 20 miles southeast of Grand Isle, Louisiana.

"We have saturated the search area several times - the 1,400-square-foot area," Mr Vega said.

"We saw no signs of life. We have suspended the search ... pending further development. If we receive any credible information that there are signs of life, we can resume the search at any time."

Four other workers who were severely burned remained at Baton Rouge General Medical Centre on Saturday night.

Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Bobby Nash said the guard's search was ended early on Saturday evening.

Helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft had been searching by air, while cutters and boat crews searched the sea.

The blaze erupted on Friday morning while workers were using a torch to cut an oil line on the platform, authorities said.

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Savita's Father Calls For Abortion Law Change

The father of an Indian woman who died after apparently being refused an abortion in Ireland has urged the country's prime minister to change the current abortion laws.

In an appeal to Enda Kenny, Andanappa Yalagi said altering the legislation would "save the lives of so many women in the future".

Mr Yalagi's daughter, Savita Halappanavar, 31, was 17 weeks pregnant when she died at Galway University Hospital on October 28 after suffering a miscarriage and septicaemia.

A woman holds a candle during a vigil held in Dublin on Saturday

Her husband Praveen alleged that his wife, who was a dentist, pleaded with doctors to perform a medical termination.

Doctors are said to have denied her requests because a foetal heartbeat was present - reportedly telling her: "This is a Catholic country."

In an interview with the Observer, Mr Yalagi added his voice to calls urging the Irish government to reform complex abortion laws.

Addressing Mr Kenny, he said: "Sir, please change your law and take consideration of humanity.

"Please change the law on abortion, which will help to save the lives of so many women in the future."

Mr Yalagi revealed he and his wife are considering legal action against the hospital and said no health officials or anyone from the Irish government had been in touch with them to express any remorse.

Speaking at his home in the southern Indian town of Belgaum, he added: "I want to take legal action against them over the inhumane way they treated my daughter."

He added: "They are doctors but they were not humane. If they had been humane, they would have treated her."

People gather in Dublin for a vigil and to support abortion reform

The Galway-Roscommon University Hospitals Group and the Health Service Executive's (HSE) national accident management team announced two separate investigations into Mrs Halappanavar's death.

The death has sent waves through the Irish parliament and caused a 2,000-strong protest on its doorstep when it emerged last week.

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John McAfee 'In His Compound In Belize'

Millionaire software mogul John McAfee, who is wanted for questioning over the death of his neighbour, claims he has been in his home in Belize all along.

Mr McAfee told CNBC he has been hiding in his compound for the last week - not on the run as previously believed.

"I am where I am most of the time. I am certainly inside my compound," he said.

Police want to question him as a "person of interest" about the murder of American expatriate Gregory Faull, who was shot last Saturday in the Central American country.

Belize Police Department spokesman Raphael Martinez told FoxNews.com the local police were aware of the latest claims from Mr McAfee and were investigating.

"That has been passed on to the police in San Pedro," Martinez said. "They are checking it out right now."

Police said McAfee has several buildings on his ocean front compound on Ambergris Caye, a stretch of island just off the Belizean shore dotted with resorts.

A Facebook page showing pictures of John McAfee

Mr McAfee earlier told Wired he hid out while police combed the property, burying himself in sand with a cardboard box over his head to breathe.

He denies killing Mr Faull whose body was found by his housekeeper in a pool of blood with a gunshot wound to the head.

A dispute between the neighbours apparently involved several dogs that Mr McAfee kept at his beachside villa and that drew complaints from neighbours.

Asked if he knew anything about the murder, he told CNBC, "I had absolutely nothing to do with it and I did know him but just barely. We'd spoken perhaps 50 words in five years."

The tech guru said his relationship with the government has "never been good" and believes he's being targeted by police for this reason. He said he refuses to hand himself to police for fear of being killed.

Police officers carry the body of Gregory Faull

"I simply refuse to play by the rules. I am a foreigner, a rich foreigner, and I am expected to pay my dues which is to contribute to campaigns and give my dues. I don't like extortion and refuse to do that," he said.

The Belizean prime minister Dean Barrow expressed doubt about the 67-year-old's mental state, saying he was "extremely paranoid, even bonkers".

Describing the last week in hiding, Mr McAfee said, "They've been OK. You know, I don't have a lot of freedom of movement. The food is not the best. I have no television, I would like a television."

The McAfee founder now plans to dodge police until Mr Faull's killer is found.

"The ultimate goal is they will figure out who killed the man, they will have nothing to do with me, they will leave me alone... "

He said he hadn't contacted the US embassy because he didn't want to follow the same track as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange who has been hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

"What would happen? They will offer me some type of sanctuary where I will spend my days living in the embassy like poor Julian Assange was. Or when I leave the embassy I will be nabbed by police."

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Twinkies Sold On eBay After Hostess Winds Up

Boxes of Twinkies are being auctioned for up to $1,000 after the firm behind the iconic American snack said it is going out of business.

Hostess Brands is to lay off all of its 18,500 workers after a national strike crippled its operations.

Chief executive Gregory Rayburn said the company had "no alternative" but to wind down its operations. He added that all employees will eventually lose their jobs, "some sooner than others".

Within hours, people flocked to supermarkets to fill their shopping baskets with the cream-filled sponge cakes.

Hostess Brands is to lay off all of its 18,500 workers

Boxes of the cakes later appeared for sale on websites such as eBay and Craigslist.

Greg Edmonds, 50, from Sherman, Texas, listed three boxes of the cakes for $300 (£189).

"I could really use the extra money since I'm unemployed. I figure I better sell them pretty quickly because I am not sure how long this novelty is going to last."

The retail price for a box of 10 Twinkies is roughly $5 (£3.10).

Lovers of the sweet snack are stocking up

John Stansel, 40, from Tampa, Florida, spent about $100 (£63) for 20 boxes of Twinkies, and plans to sell them on for $1,000 (£630).

The keep-fit enthusiast said he would put the money to good use: "Maybe I will hire a personal trainer for myself or go do some shopping at Whole Foods or donate the money to a charity to fight diabetes.

"No matter what, I figure I am getting sugar off the streets."

However while Hostess is closing down, it is still possible that Twinkies could make a comeback.

The firm's brands and other assets will be auctioned, and analysts believe a potential buyer could swoop.

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Musharraf Plans Pakistan Return For Elections

By Alex Rossi, Sky News Correspondent

Former Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf has told Sky News he will return to the country early next year to contest the upcoming general elections - even though he faces death threats, arrest and imprisonment.

General Musharraf - who led Pakistan as both dictator and democratically elected president - said the charges against him are "politically motivated".

He stands accused of conspiracy to murder Benazir Bhutto and treason. Ms Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007 while on the campaign trail.

"All the cases against me are absolutely politicised and therefore whatever warrants that are issued are not because the cases are proven because I have not appeared in the court. Legally and constitutionally there are no cases against me," he said.

The four-star General currently divides his time between London and Dubai where he is in self-imposed exile.

He claims though to still have a great deal of support in Pakistan and denies he is yesterday's man.

"Take my Facebook, today we have crossed 500,000 supporters. 92% of them are in Pakistan and out of these more than 50% are between the ages of 18 and 34," he said.

But General Musharraf will not confirm when exactly he will return.

There is scepticism about whether he will actually go back. A trip to Pakistan last January, to launch his second coming as a politician, was cancelled at the last minute.

His detractors say he is not prepared to face the very real risk of imprisonment and arrest.

The 69-year-old has been out of Pakistan for the last four years.

In that time the political landscape has changed dramatically with the former cricketer turned politician Imran Khan gaining a great deal of support. 

"Imran Khan is not a problem for me at all in fact my support base and his are almost the same," General Musharraf told Sky News.

"We are both popular with the youth and the women. We have popularity with the minorities so there is there is a commonality between us."

General Musharraf said if it was in the interests of Pakistan he would join forces with Mr Khan in a political alliance.    

But speaking to Sky's Murnaghan programme, Mr Khan said: "Allying ourselves with General Musharraf right now means that we'll be alienating a large part of the population.

"We at the moment are the party which has a seven million membership. So we feel pretty confident that we can go into this election coming next spring, and we think we'll do very well."

No date has been set for next year's election yet, but the current National Assembly must be dissolved on or before March 18 next year.

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Obama: Asia-Pacific Is Key Region For US Future

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

Barack Obama has stressed the "critical" importance of the Asia-Pacific region to the future of the US during his first foreign trip since his re-election.

The US President flew into Bangkok for the first stop of a three-country tour which will include Cambodia and Burma.

Speaking at a news conference with the Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Mr Obama stressed the important role the region will play in shaping US interests over the coming century.

"Asia is my first foreign trip since our election in the United States, and Thailand is my first stop," Mr Obama said.

"This is no accident. As I've said many times, the United States is and always will be a Pacific nation.

"As the fastest growing region in the world, the Asia-Pacific will shape so much of our security and prosperity in the century ahead, and it is critical to creating jobs and opportunity for the American people.

"That's why I've made restoring American engagement in this region a top priority as president."

Mr Obama also met the Thai King, Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is in hospital where he has been recovering from an illness since September 2009.

Mr Obama calls himself the "Pacific President" and has pledged to focus significant attention on the Asia-Pacific region.

It is therefore no surprise that his first foreign trip is here.

The US is seeking to counter China's increasing clout in the region. The US government has said that 60 per cent of the US naval forces will be based in the region by 2020.

As if to underline America's commitment to the region, the US Defence Secretary is currently on his fourth trip to Asia this year.

Thailand is the United States' longest standing ally in the region. The US sees it as vital in helping it pivot attention towards Asia and boost ties with the fastest growing region on the planet.

The main focus of the trip will be to Burma on Monday.

Mr Obama will become the first US president ever to visit the country. The visit is a key indicator that Washington believes Burmese government reforms are genuine and continuing.

During the news conference, Mr Obama defended his decision to go to Burma.

"This is not an endorsement of the Burmese government," he said.

"This is an acknowledgement that there is a process underway inside that country that even a year and a half, two years ago, nobody foresaw."

He will meet both President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. On Friday, Washington announced it had lifted a ban on the import of goods from the country.

The president's visit follows a trip by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the country in December 2011 and a visit by British Prime Minister David Cameron in April 2011.

The US President's Asian tour will end in Cambodia where he will attend a meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean).

The leaders of 16 southeast Asian countries will attend, as well as the Russian President Vladimir Putin, the outgoing Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, the Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In Burma, despite the recent reforms, sectarian clashes between Muslims and Buddhists have killed more than 180 people and destroyed the homes of more than 100,000.

The government has been criticised for not having done enough to stop the violence in the coastal Rakhine State.

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Gaza: Israel Prepares To Widen Offensive

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the country is ready to "significantly expand" its Gaza offensive.

"We are extracting a heavy price from Hamas and the terror organisations," Mr Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting on the fifth day of the conflict.

"The soldiers are ready for any activity that could take place."

On Friday, ministers doubled the current reserve troop quota set for the offensive to 75,000 in preparation for a possible ground invasion.

Some 30,000 soldiers have already been called up.

Israeli President Shimon Peres told Sky's Murnaghan programme that he does not see a ground invasion as an escalation of the conflict.

Some 30,000 Israeli soldiers have already been called up

"What we are doing is self defence," he said.

"What would you do in London if you would have 900 missiles aimed at your schools, at your homes, at your houses? Would you call it an escalation if you tried to stop it?

"We don't have any purpose to control Gaza or to go into Gaza.

"Basically our purpose is peace, their purpose is to destroy Israel. It is not an easy situation."

Foreign Secretary William Hague told Sky News Murnaghan that Britain has warned Israel against a ground invasion.

"The Prime Minister and I have both stressed to our Israeli counterparts that a ground invasion of Gaza would lose Israel a lot of the international support  and sympathy they have in this situation," he said.

"A ground invasion is much more difficult for the international community to sympathise with or support, including the United Kingdom."

But Mr Hague blamed Hamas for sparking the current conflict in Gaza.

"We call on Hamas again to stop the rocket attacks on Israel, it is Hamas that bears principal responsibility for starting all of this and we would like to see an agreed ceasefire - an essential component of which is an end to those rocket attacks."

US President Barack Obama said it was "preferable" for the crisis to end without a "ramping up" of Israeli military activity, but he blamed Hamas militants for causing the showdown.

A car is examined after a rocket attack in Holon, near Tel Aviv

"Israel has every right to expect that it does not have missiles fired into its territory," Mr Obama said, in Thailand.

Ten Palestinian civilians have been killed in an Israeli air strike on a house in Gaza, Palestinian medics said.

It is the highest civilian death toll in a single incident during five days of fighting.

An Israeli military spokesman said he was checking the report.

Israel's bombardment of Gaza entered a new phase overnight, with the military shelling the Palestinian territory from the sea, as well as continuing its airstrikes.

Earlier on Sunday, five Palestinian civilians were killed in airstrikes, including four children ranging in age from one to seven, according to Ashraf al-Kidra, a Gaza health official. 

In all, at least 66 Palestinians have killed since the operation began on Wednesday. More than 400 people have been wounded in the strikes.

On the Israeli side, three civilians have been killed and more than 50 wounded by rocket fire.

Israel pounded Gaza from the air and sea overnight

Gaza militants continued their barrage of rocket fire, firing more than two dozen at Israel on Sunday.

This included a longer-distance projectile that targeted Tel Aviv for a fourth straight day, but it was intercepted by Israel's defence system.

A Palestinian official told AFP news agency that a truce was possible "today or tomorrow", after Egypt's President suggested that there could be a ceasefire soon.

Mohamed Morsi said: "There are now intensive efforts through communication channels with the Palestinian side and with the Israeli side and there are now some indications that there is possibility of a ceasefire soon between the two sides."

Israel has said it is not prepared to enter into a truce without guarantees the rocket fire will stop.

The latest Israeli strikes also hit two Gaza media centres housing the offices of Al Quds TV and Al Aqsa, both seen as sympathetic to Hamas. 

A Gaza press association said six Palestinian journalists were wounded, including an Al Quds employee who lost a leg. 

The media buildings hit were also being used by foreign journalists, including Sky News and ITN.

Sky's Sam Kiley added: "I think that this demonstrates just how dangerous and complex aerial bombardment is."

An Israeli military spokeswoman said the strike had targeted a rooftop "transmission antenna used by Hamas to carry out terror activity". 

Palestinian girls in the northern Gaza Strip

Israel unleashed its massive air campaign on Wednesday, killing a leading militant of the Hamas Islamist group that controls Gaza and rejects Israel's existence.

Israel says it is trying to stop militants in the coastal enclave from launching rockets that have plagued its southern communities for years.

More than 500 rockets fired from Gaza have hit Israel since the recent violence flared on Wednesday.

The Jewish state has launched more than 950 air strikes since then.

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Gaza: Israel Denies Strikes Targeted Media

Israel has denied targeting foreign media in airstrikes in Gaza, saying it was aiming for Hamas communication sites.

The Israeli Defence Forces have released video footage of one of the media buildings, occupied by a team from Sky News and other international broadcasters, being hit.

No one was injured in the attack, which happened about 7.15am (local time).

About five hours earlier, another media building in Gaza, housing Hamas' al Aqsa television among others, was also hit in an Israeli airstrike on Sunday.

Six journalists were injured in that strike, including an employee of al Quds television station who lost his leg.

The Israeli military said in a statement it had "targeted two Hamas operational communication sites that were identified by precise intelligence".

Discussing the attack on the building used by Sky News, Israeli military spokeswoman Avital Leibovich said a Hamas antenna was the target of the strike.

The Shuruq building, which houses al Aqsa TV

"The media building was taken by Hamas to be used as human shields - we see this time after time, year after year," she told Sky News.

"Hamas chose, out of all the buildings in the Gaza Strip, to choose this building - the media, civilian building - to place its electronic infrastructure and communications on the rooftop.

"The target was on the roof and only that target was hit."

She added: "The entire building stayed safe. The entire floors stayed safe. Maybe there was some broken windows as a result of the explosion but no more than that.

"The target was the Hamas facility."

But she said: "I say this to any civilian in Gaza: stay away from Hamas sites.

"This is my recommendation to the journalists as well as others."

Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sam Kiley, who was in the building when it was hit, said there was reason to disbelieve Israel's reason for the attack.

"I think what happened to us just illustrates in a general sense that no one in Gaza can feel safe," he said.

Kiley said it is very hard for civilians to know what locations are being used by Hamas.

A Palestinian journalist inspects his work car

"It isn't easy for the 1.7 million Gazans to know what is considered a target by Israel and what is not," he said.

"Hamas don't put a flag on each of their firing positions. They are extremely well camouflaged. Large numbers of them are indeed hidden in built-up areas and on waste ground.

"There are known Hamas areas, but there are a lot of unknown areas and there are lots more subtle things, like radio transmission, relay stations and such, which is presumably what they were hitting on the building we were in.

"It was pretty much the tallest building in Gaza, and therefore it is pretty much inevitable that communications equipment is going to be put there."

Kiley said there is further confusion because Hamas is the government and a militia.

"Hamas is not just a militant organisation, it is also the government here. It runs the hospitals, the sewage collection, the trash collection, the education department.

"Therefore it is very troubling for Gazans to try to figure out where Israel is going to lay the distinction in terms of what is a crossover between military and civilian activity."

The Foreign Press Association issued a statement saying it was "concerned" by the attacks, adding that both buildings house or have been used by members of the association.

The statement pointed to a 2006 UN Security Council resolution condemning attacks on journalists in conflict zones.

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