Herman Cain to make White House campaign announcement

Herman Cain held talks with his wife Gloria (pictured left) on Friday

US Republican Herman Cain is expected to announce on Saturday whether his run for the White House will continue.

The Georgia businessman has been under mounting pressure to quit following an adultery allegation, which he denies.
He discussed with his wife, Gloria, on Friday whether to press on with his campaign, which has also been rocked by sexual harassment claims.
The former pizza executive has gone from obscure longshot to unlikely frontrunner to tabloid fodder.
While Mr Cain's ratings have slumped, support for former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich has surged.
Mr Gingrich has now overtaken Mitt Romney in some opinion polls on who should be the Republican candidate to challenge Barack Obama for the White House in November 2012.
'Sexual affair' Mr Cain's campaign said there would be a "major announcement" on Saturday from Atlanta, Georgia, where he is due to open a campaign headquarters at 11:00 (16:00 GMT).

At a town hall meeting in South Carolina on Friday, Mr Cain - who led the Republican race barely more than a month ago - dismissed the stories about him as "garbage".

But the 65-year-old also said: "I am reassessing because of all this media firestorm stuff.
"Why? Because my wife and family come first. I've got to take that into consideration."
Mr Cain then went to his suburban Atlanta home for his first face-to-face meeting with Gloria, his wife of 42 years, since the adultery allegations came to light.
An Atlanta woman, Ginger White, 46, came forward on Monday to claim she had a 13-year affair with him.
Speaking to MSNBC on Thursday, Ms White denied they had been in love, saying: "It was a sexual affair - as hard as that is for me to say."
While rejecting any suggestion of an affair with Ms White, Mr Cain has acknowledged helping pay her monthly bills and expenses, and that his wife did not know about the friendship.
New poll crash His crunch decision looms a month before Iowa holds the first of a series of state-by-state contests, known as primaries and caucuses, that will help pick the Republican nominee.

Ginger White claims Herman Cain paid for her flights to meet him

A new poll by the Des Moines Register newspaper in that state shows Mr Cain's support among Republican voters has plunged to 8%, from 23% in October.
The Cain campaign has been on damage-control mode since it emerged a little more than a month ago that a restaurant lobby group had paid settlements to two women who claimed he sexually harassed them while he was president of the organisation in the 1990s.
A third woman accused Mr Cain of making improper sexual advances, while another said he put his hand up her skirt in 1997 when she approached him for help finding work.
He has denied wrongdoing in all cases.
This week, his campaign unveiled a Women for Herman Cain webpage with testimonials from female supporters, led by Gloria Cain.
The former Godfather's Pizza chief executive - who has never won an election - was propelled by conservative Tea Party support to the front of the Republican field in October.
Portraying himself as a business-savvy, anti-establishment outsider, he captured the spotlight with his folksy charm and catchy 9-9-9 tax reform proposal.
But supporters were also alarmed when he made confusing comments about abortion and badly fumbled a question on Libya policy in a recorded interview.

Australia's governing Labor party backs gay marriage

Gillard opposes a policy her party now supports

Australia's ruling Labor party has backed gay marriage, although Prime Minister Julia Gillard is against it.

The party's national conference also endorsed Ms Gillard's amendment to allow a free vote on bills attempting to legalise same-sex marriage.
With Labor holding a thin majority over the opposition Liberals, who oppose same-sex marriage, it is unlikely such a bill would succeed.
Australia currently bans gay marriage alhough some states allow civil unions.
The Labor party vote came after an emotional debate from both sides of the issue.
The decision to change the party platform to support same-sex marriage has been hailed as a victory by gay rights campaigners.
"Never doubt how persistent the campaign for equality is," said Finance Minister Penny Wong, who is in a same-sex relationship.
Union leader Joe de Bruyn argued against changing the country's marriage law.
"The definition of marriage as set out in the legislation is that it is the union of one man and one woman, voluntarily entered into for life. It has always been that way since the dawn of humanity," he said.
A private member's bill is expected to be brought before parliament next year.
Ahead of the vote, there were rallies in Sydney, the site of the Labor conference, both for and against gay marriage.
Recent opinion polls indicate a majority of Australians favour allowing such unions.

Expelled Iran diplomats arrive home in Tehran

The diplomats were whisked out of sight before supporters waiting at the airport could greet them

A group of Iranian diplomats who were expelled from Britain have arrived back in Tehran, Iranian media have said.

A group of supporters chanting slogans such as "Death to Britain" were at the airport to greet them but the diplomats were hustled away by back corridors.
The 25 diplomats were expelled after hundreds of protesters attacked the UK embassy in Tehran on Tuesday.
British officials have said it is likely the attack had the tacit support of Iran's leaders.
It came after Britain levied new sanctions on Iran, banning financial transactions with Iran's financial sector, including its central bank.
The US and Canada adopted similar measures at the same time.
The EU has also tightened its Iran sanctions following a report by the UN's nuclear watchdog that said Iran had carried out tests "relevant to the development of a nuclear device".
Iran denies the accusations, saying its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes.
'State support' The Iranian diplomats flew out of Heathrow on Friday on a chartered Iran Air flight.
Their expulsion was ordered by Foreign Secretary William Hague after the British embassy in Tehran was stormed on Tuesday.

Dominick Chilcott, British ambassador to Iran: "This was a state-supported activity"

Iran said it regretted the incident, which it described as "unacceptable behaviour by a small number of protesters".
The expression of regret and the obstruction of the welcoming party reflect divisions within Iran's leadership, analysts say.
But Dominick Chilcott, the UK's newly appointed ambassador to Iran, told the BBC Iran was a country in which an attack on an embassy was conducted only "with the acquiescence and the support of the state".
Mr Hague said there had been "some degree of regime consent" in the attacks on the embassy and on another UK diplomatic compound in Tehran.
He also said all UK diplomatic staff in Tehran had been evacuated and the embassy closed.
The foreign secretary said relations between the UK and Iran were now at their lowest level, but the UK was not severing relations with Tehran entirely.
Germany, France and the Netherlands announced on Wednesday that they were recalling their ambassadors to Tehran for consultation, and Norway said it was temporarily closing its embassy there as a precaution.
The US, EU and UN Security Council also condemned the attacks.
Iran described those who attacked the British embassy as students, but Mr Hague said the majority of those who took part were members of a regime-backed Basij militia group.

US urges Israel to end 'isolation in Middle East'

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has urged Israel to "mend fences" with Turkey, Egypt and others in the Middle East to reduce its growing isolation.

In a speech in Washington, he said Israel was not entirely to blame, referring to an "international campaign" to isolate it.
Mr Panetta called on Israel to restart peace talks with the Palestinians.
He added that the US remained committed to Israel's security and would not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.
"Unfortunately, over the past year, we've seen Israel's isolation from its traditional security partners in the region grow, and the pursuit of a comprehensive Middle East peace plan has effectively been put on hold," he said.
Israel's concern over the Arab Spring revolts that have toppled several long-term authoritarian leaders in the region, including in peace partner Egypt, was understandable, he added.
But the changes in leadership offered an opportunity for Israel to improve regional security.
"For example, Israel can reach out and mend fences with those share an interest in regional security, countries like Turkey and Egypt, as well as Jordan," he said.

"And if the gestures are rebuked, the world will see those rebukes for what they are."

Egypt and Jordan are the only Arab nations to recognise Israel. Israel is closely watching the election process in Egypt, where Islamist parties have done well after the first round.
Relations with Turkey, which recognised Israel in 1949, have soured since Israeli soldiers boarded an aid convoy challenging the naval blockade of Gaza last year, resulting in the deaths of nine Turks.
'Last resort' The peace process with the Palestinians has been stalled for more than a year, bedevilled by continuing Israeli settlement construction in occupied territories and by the Palestinians' bid for full membership of the United Nations.
Mr Panetta said Israel should "lean forward on efforts to achieve peace with the Palestinians".
"Rather than undermining the Palestinian Authority, it is in Israel's interests to strengthen it by... continuing to transfer Palestinian tax revenues and pursuing other avenues of co-operation," he said.
When asked by an audience member after his speech what Israel could do to get the peace talks restarted, he said: "Just get to the damn table."
"The problem right now is we can't get them to the damn table."
He said a nuclear-armed Iran posed the greatest threat to the security and prosperity of the Middle East.
President Barack Obama had not ruled out using military action to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, but Mr Panetta said a strike would only delay its nuclear programme by one or two years.
He said military action was a "last resort".

Gas explosion kills 29 in Chinese coalmine

China's mining industry is the most dangerous in the world with a death rate of more than six a day.

A deadly blast at a coal mine in southern China has killed 29 people.

The gas explosion took place at a colliery in Hunan province, Chinese state media reported.
Six miners were being treated in hospital after being rescued from the Xialiuchong Coal Mine, owned by the Hengyang city government.
China's mines are the deadliest in the world, although the number of miners killed has been falling in recent years.
In 2010, 2,433 people died in coal mine accidents in China, although this was an improvement on the toll of 2,631 a year earlier.
The industry's safety record has improved in recent years as smaller, illegal mines have been closed, but labour rights groups say the actual death toll is likely much higher than official statistics, partly due to under-reporting of accidents as mine bosses seek to limit their economic losses and avoid punishment.
Annual fatalities are about now at about one-third of the high of nearly 7,000 who died in 2002.

Qantas strike: PM Gillard seeks end to dispute

Australian PM Julia Gillard: 'The government is seeking to bring industrial action to an end'

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has called for an end to industrial action which has seen Qantas ground all its international and domestic flights.

Qantas said 68,000 passengers were affected by its grounding of 108 aircraft in 22 cities worldwide.
The airline announced it would also lock out staff involved in industrial action, after months of strikes.
But the pilots union has threatened legal action against the move.
Ms Gillard said the government had applied to regulator Fair Work Australia, "the industrial umpire", to try to get planes back in the air.
The prime minister said she was concerned about damage that could be caused to the national economy.
"I believe Australians want to see this dispute settled. I want to see this dispute settled and we have taken the appropriate action to bring this before the industrial umpire," she told a news conference from the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (Chogm) being held in the western Australian city of Perth.
Among the stranded passengers were 17 world leaders attending the Commonwealth summit in Perth. Ms Gillard said they had found alternative flights.
Fair Work Australia reconvened an emergency panel at 1400 (0300 GMT) on Sunday, after an earlier hearing was adjourned in the early hours of the morning.
The tribunal can decide whether to order an end to industrial action by both unions and management.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said his planes could be in the air again by late Sunday if the panel ordered a termination of all industrial action, but he warned an order to simply suspend it - as the unions were seeking - would not be good enough.

The airline - the world's 10th largest - has been hit by a series of costly strikes and other industrial action, which the company said was costing A$15m ($16m) a week.
Pilots have been engaged in protracted talks with management over wages, conditions and outsourcing of jobs to Asia, but they have yet to walk off the job - unlike baggage handlers, engineers and ground staff.
Australian International Pilots Association (AIPA) vice-president Captain Richard Woodward said work stoppages were not in their plans.
"Pilots have made it clear from the start that we would not take industrial action that disrupts passengers. We have stuck to that to this day," he said.
"Alan Joyce, on the other hand, has opted to disrupt passengers in the most devastating way possible.
"Pilots have not been on strike and we are not seeking anything that would damage profitability."
Mr Woodward described Qantas's action as "a cynical act of insanity".
Lock out A statement by Qantas said all employees involved in industrial action would be locked out from Monday evening and flights grounded from 0600 GMT on Saturday.
Aircraft currently in the air would complete their flights, but there would be no further departures.

The airline issued a statement on its Facebook page saying customers booked on Qantas flights should not go to the airport until further notice. The airline said a full refund would be available to those affected.

Relations between the unions and Qantas management started deteriorating in August after the airline announced plans for restructuring and moving some operations to Asia.
Qantas has a 65% share of the domestic Australian market, but has been making heavy losses on its international flights.
The restructuring is expected to mean the loss of 1,000 jobs from its 35,000-strong workforce.
The disruption to flights has also affected a meeting of Commonwealth heads of government in Perth, with reports that members from 17 delegations have been stranded in the city because of the dispute. It comes on a busy travel weekend, just days before the country's biggest horse race, the Melbourne Cup.
'Unbelievable decision' Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce announced the grounding of the airline on Saturday: "The airline will be grounded as long as it takes to reach a conclusion on this."
He said that he would not take "the easy way out" and agree to union demands. "That would destroy Qantas in the long term."
"I'm actually taking the bold decision, an unbelievable decision, a very hard decision, to ground this airline."

Mr Joyce said he made the decision early Saturday and then gained the approval of the Qantas board.

"We are locking out until the unions withdraw their extreme claim and reach an agreement with us," Mr Joyce said. "This is the fastest way to ensure the airline gets back in the air."
"They are trashing our strategy and our brand," he said.
"They must decide just how badly they want to hurt Qantas, their members... and the travelling public."

Cameron threat to withhold UK aid to anti-gay nations

The Commonwealth must have strong values, David Cameron says

David Cameron has threatened to withhold UK aid from countries that do not reform legislation banning homosexuality.

The UK prime minister said he raised the issue with some of the states involved at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, Australia.
Human rights reform in the Commonwealth was one issue that leaders failed to reach agreement on at the summit.
Mr Cameron says those receiving UK aid should "adhere to proper human rights".
Ending the bans on homosexuality was one of the recommendations of an internal report into the future relevance of the Commonwealth.
British empire Mr Cameron told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show that "British aid should have more strings attached".
But he conceded that countries could not change immediately, and cautioned that it would be a "journey".
"This is an issue where we are pushing for movement, we are prepared to put some money behind what we believe. But I'm afraid that you can't expect countries to change overnight.
"Britain is one of the premier aid givers in the world. We want to see countries that receive our aid adhering to proper human rights.

"We are saying that is one of the things that determines our aid policy, and there have been particularly bad examples where we have taken action."

Mr Cameron said he had spoken with "a number of African countries" and that more pressure had been applied by Foreign Secretary William Hague, who deputised for him during parts of the summit.
Some 41 nations within the 54-member Commonwealth have laws banning homosexuality. Many of these laws are a legacy of British Empire laws.
The discussion in the Ugandan parliament of an anti-homosexuality bill in 2009 sparked particular controversy, and earlier this year Ugandan gay rights campaigner David Kato was beaten to death in a suspected hate crime.
Nigeria's Senate is currently discussing a bill banning same-sex marriage, that includes penalties for anyone witnessing or aiding a same-sex marriage.
Appointing a human rights commissioner to address this and other human rights issues was one of the 100-plus recommendations of the internal report, by the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group, which includes former UK foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind.
However, objections from a number of countries blocked adoption of the recommendation, according to Australia's prime minister Julia Gillard, speaking at the end of the three-day summit in Western Australia.
Besides the homosexuality rights issue, Sri Lanka's human rights conduct also came under scrutiny at the summit. The country will host the next head of government's meeting in two years' time.
Sri Lanka's army has been accused of war crimes during the civil war with the Tamil Tigers.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said he will boycott the 2013 summit unless there are major reforms in the country.
Succession question In earlier comments, Mr Cameron said there had to be a "proper, independent exercise to look into the whole issue of what happened, and whether there were war crimes, and who is responsible" in Sri Lanka.
BBC correspondent Nicholas Witchell said the summit had been seen as a "watershed" for the organisation as it "struggles to demonstrate its relevance, particularly on human rights".
Though the summit agreed to draw up a written charter and strengthen its ministerial action group, our correspondent said the outcome will be viewed by many "as a disappointing one and an opportunity missed".
Two other developments came from the summit - a reform of royal succession and action on polio.
It was agreed that sons and daughters of any future UK monarch would have equal right to the throne. They will also be allowed to marry Roman Catholics without giving up a claim to the throne.
The move was agreed by the 15 Commonwealth realms where the monarch is head of state.
And Mr Cameron joined the leaders of Canada, Australia and Nigeria, in committing tens of millions of pounds towards eradicating polio in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.
The campaign will be supported financially by Microsoft magnate Bill Gates.

Somali piracy: Armed guards to protect UK ships

A number of firms supply armed guards to escort ships through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

Ships sailing under a British flag will be able to carry armed guards to protect them from pirates, the prime minister has announced.

David Cameron says he wants to combat the risks to shipping off the coast of Somalia, where 49 of the world's 53 hijackings last year took place.
No ship carrying armed security has yet been hijacked, the government claims.
Up to 200 vessels flying the red ensign - the British merchant navy flag - regularly sail close to Somalia.
Officials estimate that about 100 of those would immediately apply for permission to have armed guards.
It is thought many British-registered ships already carry armed guards, taking advantage of a grey area in the law.
Allowing ships to carry armed guards may fall foul of laws in other countries, though. Egypt recently announced that armed guards would not be permitted on ships sailing through the Suez canal.
Shoot to kill? Mr Cameron said he wanted to legalise armed guards after talks in Australia with Commonwealth leaders from the region over the escalating problem faced in waters off their shores.
But armed guards would only be permitted while passing through dangerous waters, such as the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Asked if he was comfortable with giving private security operatives the right to "shoot to kill" if necessary, Mr Cameron told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "We have to make choices.
"Frankly, the extent of the hijack and ransom of ships round the Horn of Africa is a complete stain on our world.

"The fact that a bunch of pirates in Somalia are managing to hold to ransom the rest of the world and our trading system is a complete insult and the rest of the world needs to come together with much more vigour."

Peter Cook, director of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (Sami), said: "We welcome this carefully considered change of policy and we will continue with our accreditation programme to ensure that maritime security guards are of the highest standards."
He said the vast majority of ships passing through the Gulf of Aden are from "flag states" such as Liberia, Panama and the Bahamas, many of which already allow armed guards.
Ex Navy and Marines

Mr Cook said many armed guards were former Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel, and he added: "With the current redundancies it has provided them with an ideal place to go because their levels of professionalism are very high and they are doing something very worthwhile with their skills rather than selling the Big Issue."

Transport Secretary Justine Greening said: "Piracy is a very serious problem and it's sensible to allow ships to take the appropriate measures to protect their crew and cargo. The use of armed security guards can have a significant impact.
"The UK will allow the use of private armed security guards on our ships in exceptional circumstances and where it is lawful to do so."
Targeting assets Under the plans the home secretary will be given the power to license armed guards for ships.
Mr Cook said most armed guards would be using high velocity rifles, which were used to "deter pirates" from attempting to board a ship.

Use of armed guards would be restricted to voyages through particular waters in affected areas

He confirmed that no vessel with armed guards had been taken over by pirates, and said in several cases guards had fired shots at pirates.
France and Spain provide so-called military vessel protection detachments, while Italy is planning a similar measure.
In July the Foreign Office Minister Henry Bellingham said limited military resources meant it was not possible to free up Royal Marines for a ship protection role.
Other counter-piracy measures being taken include offering support from Treasury officials to Kenya to help its officials track down pirates' assets.
Mr Cameron also said help could be given to countries such as the Seychelles and Mauritius who were acting to bring pirates to court and imprison them.

Early snowstorm hits US East Coast

New York has seen unusually early snowfall

An unseasonable snowstorm has hit the US East Coast, with some areas of New Jersey and Massachusetts seeing around 15in (40cm) of snow.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a winter storm warning from Saturday into Sunday and says travel conditions may be hazardous.
More than 2.2 million people lost their electricity supply from Maryland to Massachusetts.
In 1979, southern New England received a record 7.5in of snow in October.
A region of low pressure brewing off the mid-Atlantic coast is expected to produce heavy, wet snow as it moves north-east, the NWS said.
The Massachusetts Berkshires, north-western Connecticut and southern New Hampshire are expected to see the heaviest snowfall.
"It's going to be wet, sticky and gloppy," said NWS spokesman Chris Vaccaro. "It's not going to be a dry, fluffy snow."
Winds along the coast could reach 45mph (75km/h), further damaging power lines, the NWS said.
Dangerous West Milford, New Jersey, about 45 miles (85km) northwest of New York, saw 15.5in of snowfall, and Plainfield, Massachusetts, saw 14.3in
In New York City, a new record for October snowfall was set when 1.3in fell in Central Park.
Flights have been delayed at Newark airport in New Jersey, which was being lashed by heavy rains and winds, with northern communities expecting 5-10in of snow.
Burst of snow and rain hit New York City. Flights for New York's Kennedy and LaGuardia airports and Philadelphia's airport were not allowed to depart until early afternoon, the Associated Press news agency reported.
In eastern Pennsylvania, snow has been falling in Allentown and Reading.
"This is very, very unusual. It has all the look and feel of a classic mid-winter nor'easter. It's going to be very dangerous," John LaCorte, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Pennsylvania told the Associated Press.
He added that the last time Pennsylvania saw a major storm so early was in 1972.
In New England it is usual for measurable snow to fall in early December.
NWS meteorologist Bill Simpson said temperatures could return to normal by the middle of next week.
"This doesn't mean our winter is going to be terrible. You can't get any correlation from a two-day event," he said.

Jimmy Savile death: Tributes roll in

Sir Jimmy Savile: 'Totally flamboyant, over the top, larger than life character'

Tributes are being paid to DJ, TV presenter and charity fundraiser Sir Jimmy Savile, who has died aged 84.

Sir Jimmy, one of the most famous names on British TV and radio in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, died on Saturday.
Tributes have come from such figures as the Prince of Wales, who said he was "saddened" to hear of Sir Jimmy death.
Details of how the broadcaster died are not yet known, but he was recently in hospital with pneumonia. His nephews said he died quietly in his sleep.

Alan Franey, former Chief Executive of Broadmoor Hospital

"I spent a lot of time with him and would say I knew him probably as well as anybody else knew him," Mr Franey told BBC 5 live.
"I spoke to him last Wednesday and asked him how he was, and he said he was feeling very tired and short of breath. Mentally, he was very alert. But he said to me: 'I'm coming to the end of the tunnel.'
Mr Franey ran marathons with Sir Jimmy to raise money for causes including Broadmoor, Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire and Leeds General Infirmary.
"Jimmy would spend time going round the hospital [at Broadmoor] talking to staff and talking to patients, and if he could do any fundraising he would do so," he said.
"He spent a lot of his life involved in raising [money for] charity and was passionate about helping people. Jimmy had a very normal upbringing but it was a tough upbringing and he never forgot his roots. He felt that he was in a situation where he could raise funds for people using his position in showbiz and he successfully did that."

David Hamilton, DJ

"We were together at Radio 1 in the '70s and the station was full of eccentric personalities, but he was certainly the most flamboyant of all," Hamilton told BBC 5 live.
"One of the essential things about Jimmy was that he was a man of the people. He knew his audience, he was very much in touch with his audience. I think the public were his family.
"Probably of all the DJs I worked with, I knew him less than any of the others. He kept himself very much to himself. He didn't drink so he wasn't the sort of man who would go down to the pub and have a bevvy with you."

Paul Bruce, who appeared on Jim'll Fix It

Sir Jimmy fixed it for Paul to drive an HGV lorry in 1979. "It was every child's dream to get on that programme," he said.
"It was fanstastic to meet the guy and go on the programme, and I had 15-17 million people watching me on a Saturday evening. He was A great guy."

Graham Smith from Harrogate, Yorkshire, neighbour and colleague

"I lived in the apartment directly below Sir Jimmy for a few years and worked as a documentary cameraman on Jim'll Fix It," Mr Smith said.
"I got to know him quite well as neighbours as well as professionally. I also worked with Sir Jim on a video for Leeds General Infirmary. I was always impressed with the way he was around the hospital.
"He would chat with everyone and spend time with everyone. He was never too busy, he really liked people and he was happy to spend time with them.
He added: "Margaret Thatcher asked him to look after the wives of the G7 leaders during a conference. He took them to Stoke Mandeville. They were confronted by a man in tracksuit and a jewellery but by the end of the day, they were eating out of his hand."

Mark Thompson, BBC director general

"I am very sad to hear of Sir Jimmy Savile's death," said Mr Thompson.
"From Top of the Pops to Jim'll Fix It, Jimmy's unique style entertained generations of BBC audiences. Like millions of viewers and listeners we shall miss him greatly."

Jeremy Hunt, Culture Secretary

"Sir Jimmy Savile was one of broadcasting's most unique and colourful characters," said Mr Hunt.
"From Top of the Pops to making children's dreams come true on Jim'll Fix It, a generation of people will remember his catchphrases and sense of fun.
"But his lasting legacy will be the millions he raised for charity, tirelessly giving up his time and energy to help those causes he was passionate about."

Dave Lee Travis, radio presenter

Lee Travis said Sir Jimmy could talk to anybody and "genuinely enjoyed" seeing the joy on the faces of the children on Jim'll Fix It.
But he was also a private man, he told BBC Radio 4's PM programme. "Deep down inside him there was a guy which was very hard to get to.
"I've known Jimmy Savile for over 50 years, that's a hell of a long period to know somebody, and I've never had an absolutely in depth straight conversation with him because he's constantly got a sort of invisible shield up.
"He likes to keep his distance from everybody, even friends. He'll joke his way out of something if he doesn't want to answer you... I think probably enigma is a good word for it."

Charles Kennedy MP

The former Liberal Democrat leader and MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber said Sir Jimmy was "a true and long-standing friend to the West Highlands over decades of diligence and decency".
"When not resident at his home in Glencoe, he made it available for mountain rescue use," he said.
"It was typical of the man that he never drew attention to such characteristic generosity. A sad loss indeed."

Councillor Keith Wakefield, leader of Leeds City Council

"Sir Jimmy Savile was Leeds born and bred and he remained a Leeds lad throughout his life," Cllr Wakefield said.
"He was a much-loved and well-known figure - a larger-than-life character and an inspiration to many, particularly the children of the city.
"His enormous contribution to charity will never be forgotten. We are proud to have someone like him, who did so much for so many, come from Leeds."

John Myers, chief executive of industry body the Radio Academy

Mr Myers said: "The sad death of Sir Jimmy Savile represents a great loss to the UK radio industry.
"He was one of the pioneers of modern pop-music radio. He made the smooth transfer from Radio Luxembourg to the BBC in the late 1960s and from 1997 moved his broadcasts to commercial radio where he continued to be successful and well respected by radio audiences around the UK.
"The UK radio industry meets for its annual festival in Salford next week. He will be fondly remembered and his death will be marked at a special session on Tuesday morning."

Syria's Assad warns of 'earthquake' if West intervenes

BBC's Jim Muir: 'The trend appears to be towards armed resistance rather than peaceful demonstrations'

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned of an "earthquake" if the West intervenes in his country.

In a rare interview with the UK's Sunday Telegraph newspaper, Mr Assad said involvement risked transforming Syria into "another Afghanistan".
His comments came after the UN secretary-general made a new call for the repression to end.
At least 50 civilians and members of the security forces were killed on Saturday, according to the two sides.
Activists said 21 civilians were killed and that army tanks had shelled a historic district in the city of Homs.
The government said 20 soldiers had been killed in Homs, and 10 members of the security forces killed during an ambush of their bus in Idlib province.
More than 3,000 people have died in the unrest since protests calling for the government of Mr Assad to step down broke out in March.
'Faultline'
In the Sunday Telegraph interview, Mr Assad said Western countries "are going to ratchet up the pressure, definitely".
"Syria is the hub now in this region. It is the faultline, and if you play with the ground you will cause an earthquake," he said, .
"Any problem in Syria will burn the whole region. If the plan is to divide Syria, that is to divide the whole region.

Tens of thousands rallied in Damascus on Wednesday in support of President Assad

"Do you want to see another Afghanistan, or tens of Afghanistans?"
President Assad admitted that "many mistakes" had been made by his security forces in the early part of the uprising, but the paper said he insisted that "only terrorists" were now being targeted.
He said he had responded differently to the Arab Spring than other, deposed Arab leaders.
"We didn't go down the road of stubborn government," he said. "Six days after (the protests began), I commenced reform.
Mr Assad described the uprising as a "struggle between Islamism and pan-Arabism.
"We've been fighting the Muslim brotherhood since the 1950s and we are still fighting with them," he said.
The latest statement from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Mr Assad must respond to demands for change with serious reform, "not repression and violence", and called for an immediate halt to military operations.
His calls echo those of members of the Arab League who on Friday sent an "urgent message" to the Syrian government, denouncing "the continued killings of civilians" taking part in protests.
The League's ministerial committee on the Syrian crisis also urged Damascus to "take the necessary measures" to protect civilians.
Soldiers killed On Saturday, two of the country's main activist groups, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Co-ordinating Committees, said shells slammed into the Baba Amr district of Homs.
Reuters news agency reported one person was shot dead by a sniper and two were killed during machinegun fire between Mr Assad's forces and defectors in the city. Activists said that 21 civilians had been killed on Saturday, including 12 in Hama and three in Homs.
Raids and arrests also were reported around the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, the Associated Press reports.
In another incident near Homs, up to 20 Syrian soldiers were killed and 53 wounded in clashes with presumed army deserters, according to Agence France Presse.
In a separate incident, 10 security agents and a deserter were killed in a bus ambush near the Turkish border, AFP reported, quoting activists.
The Observatory said the bus was transporting security agents between the villages of Al-Habit and Kafrnabuda in Idlib province when it was ambushed "by armed men, probably deserters".

Is the Church inside or outside the establishment?

This weekend, in light of the continuing protests at St Paul's, many in the Church will be asking themselves whether they side with the protesters or the authorities. But as author and Church historian Stephen Tomkins writes, the debate goes back at least 2,000 years.

Major national Churches are often the focus of protest. A homeless man, known to the authorities for his radical activism, once slipped into one with his supporters and wrecked it, overturning tables and lashing out with a homemade whip.
His point was that what should have been a place of prayer for all people had become an institution fleecing the poor. Those were tougher times than now, and he was executed a week later.
There are a lot of pictures of him in St Paul's Cathedral, where on Thursday the Reverend Giles Fraser, canon chancellor of St Paul's, resigned at the prospect of the Cathedral using force to clear protesters from its grounds.
Those pictures tend not to focus on Christ driving the money changers out of the Jerusalem temple, but outside the protesters made up for that. One of them dressed as Jesus carried the sign, "I threw out the money lenders for a reason."
The Christian Church seems to have come a long way from its radical origins. The magnificent St Paul's, reverberating with power and wealth, rehouses the homeless Messiah in a palace. It is in complete harmony with the financial centre that surrounds it and helps to finance it.
Then again, in many ways, it is as firmly outside the establishment as it ever was. The Church was among the protesters as well as towering over them, with various worship services being held in the camp, sermons on the steps and some Christian organisations having signed a statement of solidarity with them.
So is St Paul's betraying the true spirit of Christian radicalism, or is it an example of the establishment religion that Christianity genuinely is?

There is no doubt that when Christianity first appeared in the Roman Empire, it came as a radical challenge to it. Believing that all people are created in the image of God, the Church welcomed slaves and women as members in their own right, even as leaders and teachers, and it was such an affront to Roman family values that Christians were killed in vast numbers.

Yet right from the start, the most radical Christian leader - St Paul, of cathedral fame - told his followers, "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities… who are God's servants for your good."
The great political change came when Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in the Fourth Century, and suddenly bishops who had been ruling their Church hiding in barns, found themselves in robes reading from ornate Bibles in glorious basilicas. Church and state merged.
There was a huge reaction to this, though. Many Christians decided that truly following Jesus meant having no possessions or home and they went out to live in the desert, at first in isolation, later in communes. They were the first nuns and monks, and the heroes of normal Christians. If the Church was hardly on the fringe of society now, its saints were miles outside it.

Puritan Cromwell abolished the monarchy - along with the entire Church state

The same ambiguity has continued ever since. In England, the king or queen has always been crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, while Bishops make laws in the House of Lords.
And yet the one time the British monarchy was abolished - along with the lords, bishops and the entire Church state, in the 17th Century - it was by Christians, Cromwell's Puritans, eager to bring in true Christian government, as they understood it.
In South Africa, the Dutch Reformed Church shored up the racist state, while other Christians led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu campaigned against it.

The first great advocate for human rights was the Dominican priest Bartholomew de las Casas, protesting against Spanish treatment of Native Americans, but it was the Christian establishment he was taking on in doing so.

The Protestant reformer Martin Luther taught that "nothing is more poisonous, hurtful or devilish than a rebel", and that tyranny "is not to be resisted but endured." But at the same time more radical reformers raised peasant armies against the ruling classes, or formed pacifist socialist communes.
Clearly the Church is too diverse a phenomenon to be on one side or the other. There seem to be two reasons for this. One is the idea that unifies all varieties of Christians - that they owe ultimate obedience to God alone. This allows more conservative believers to obey God by obeying the authorities, while the more radical obey God instead of the authorities.
The other reason is that the Bible is a combination of so many voices and perspectives. Its heroes are kings and the prophets who violently condemned Kings, guerrilla rebels and civil servants, lawgivers and lawbreakers.
Even Christ is a penniless troublemaker in one book and judges the world from a throne in another. St Paul's, as Giles Fraser has said, gives you a better sense of the latter than the former. But in the camp outside it's different story.
Stephen Tomkins is the author of The Clapham Sect: How Wilberforce's circle changed Britain

Protests hit Sidi Bouzid after historic Tunisia poll

Rachid Ghannouchi has said his party will continue the aims of the Tunisian revolution

Violent protests have erupted in central Tunisia, after the results of the country's first democratic elections in decades were announced.

Police used tear gas against hundreds of people in Sidi Bouzid who were protesting against the cancellation of seats won by one of the parties.
The town is the birthplace of the unrest which erupted earlier this year, triggering the Arab Spring uprisings.
The moderate Islamist Ennahda party won last Sunday's elections.
Official results show that Ennahda secured more than 41% of the vote, which gives it 90 seats in the 217-member parliament.
Party leader Rachid Ghannouchi said his government would continue with the aims of the revolution, saying Tunisia was "for everyone".
Sunday's poll took place nine months after the ouster of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.
Burning tyres On Thursday evening, hundreds of people marched through Sidi Bouzid, protesting against the cancellation of seats won by the Popular List party in six electoral districts.

The electoral authorities said the party's candidate lists had been invalidated because of "financial irregularities".
The Popular List party, led by London-based businessman Hachemi Hamdi, had won a number of seats in Sidi Bouzid.
Reports say the protesters smashed doors and windows of the Ennahda headquarters in the town and also burned tyres on the streets.
Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds.
Ennahda pledges Earlier on Thursday, the electoral commission proclaimed Ennahda as the winner of Sunday's elections.
At a news conference in Tunis, election chief Kamel Jandoubi said that the party would have 90 seats in parliament.

Ennahda has already said it wants to form a new government within a month.

Mr Jandoubi said the Congress for the Republic (CPR) - the country's biggest secularist party - was the runner-up in the elections with nearly 14%, winning 30 seats in parliament.
The leftist Ettakatol party came third with almost 10%, giving them 21 seats.
Ennahda, which was banned under the former regime, says it has modelled itself on the governing AK party in Turkey, another Muslim-majority country which has remained a secular state.
After results were announced, Mr Ghannouchi pledged that the rights of every Tunisian would be protected by the new authorities.
"We will continue this revolution to realise its aims of a Tunisia that is free, independent, developing and prosperous, in which the rights of God, the Prophet, women, men, the religious and the non-religious are assured because Tunisia is for everyone," Mr Ghannouchi told a crowd of supporters, Reuters reports.
Ennahda has sought to reassure secularists and investors, nervous about the prospect of Islamists holding power in one of the Arab world's most liberal countries, by saying it would not ban alcohol, stop tourists wearing bikinis on the beaches or impose Islamic banking.
Foreign tourism is a major source of revenue for Tunisia.

Tunisia's Islamists promise there will be no bans on bikinis and alcohol

But despite the reassurances, Ennahda's victory is causing concern in some parts of Tunisia, who fear the party could later change their policies, the BBC's Chloe Arnold reports.
Ennahda has put forward its number two, Secretary General Hamadi Jebali, as the next prime minister. Coalition talks with the CPR and Ettakatol parties have already begun.
Mr Jebali, 62, is an engineer by training and a former journalist. He was a co-founder of Ennahda.
The polls were Tunisia's first democratic elections, and followed the fall of President Ben Ali, who was overthrown in January after mass demonstrations. He had been in power for 23 years.
Unlike its eastern neighbour Libya, Tunisia's transition from authoritarian rule has been largely peaceful.

Queen Elizabeth II opens Commonwealth summit in Perth

The Queen said the summit would bring "new vibrancy" to the Commonwealth

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has opened a Commonwealth summit in Perth, amid tight security in Australia's city.

The 54-nation organisation - which represents some 2bn people around the globe - will discuss economic growth, climate change and human rights.
There will also be a debate on reforms to the British monarchy and to the way the Commonwealth is organised to give it greater influence on world events.
Most Commonwealth leaders are attending the two-day gathering.
However, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has pulled out without giving a reason, according to the AFP news agency.
'Becoming irrelevant' Thousands of police have been deployed on the streets around the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre ahead of the summit in the western Australian city.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM) are held every two years, and present an opportunity for developed and developing nations with current or former ties to Britain to discuss a range of issues.
But already other a number of divisive subjects have come up at this year's gathering, the BBC's Duncan Kennedy in Perth reports.
They include the human rights record of Sri Lanka - which is due to host the next summit - and moves to get rid of laws in some member states which discriminate against gay men and lesbians, our correspondent says.
He adds that there will also be discussions on proposals to change the laws of succession to the British throne, to give females heirs the same status as males.
And the leaders will discuss a 200-page report on reforms to the Commonwealth itself, including the appointment of a commissioner for human rights.
The report says the organisation is in danger of becoming irrelevant, unless it becomes more visible on the world stage and more pro-active in global affairs.

Nicolas Sarkozy: Greece should have been denied euro

French President, Nicolas Sarkozy: "Greece got in with false figures"

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said allowing Greece into the eurozone in 2001 was a "mistake".

He said Greece was "not ready" at the time. But, he added, it could be rescued thanks to Wednesday's EU deal on the euro debt crisis
In response, Greece's foreign minister told the BBC that Athens was not the source of the crisis, and that no country should be made a scapegoat.
The agreement reached in Brussels has triggered a worldwide shares rally.
In a TV interview on Thursday, Mr Sarkozy said admitting Greece to the eurozone had been "a mistake" because the country had "entered with false [economic] figures. It was not ready".
He added that he was confident the current Greek government would emerge from the crisis and that Wednesday's deal had averted a "catastrophe".
"If Greece had defaulted, there would have been a domino effect carrying everyone away," Mr Sarkozy said.
Speaking to the BBC, Greek Foreign Minister Stavros Lambrinidis said: "Greece is in the middle of the storm, but it is not the source of the problems of European debt and deficits.
"We see this with Portugal, Ireland, Spain and Italy. So it doesn't help to scapegoat a particular country when you're dealing with a European problem."
The comments come after European leaders clinched a deal at marathon talks in Brussels. The main provisions are:

The agreement is aimed at preventing the crisis from spreading to larger eurozone economies, but the leaders said work still needed to be done.

BBC business editor Robert Peston says EU leaders have bought some time, and the markets will give them the benefit of the doubt for a few weeks or months.
On Friday, Klaus Regling, chief executive of the EFSF, held talks in Beijing, as the eurozone bloc continued its efforts to persuade China - and other emerging economies - to help rescue it from its crippling debt crisis.
Analysts say that a possible Chinese investment could be up to $100bn, the BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing reports.
But China is seeking guarantees from Europe that its investments will be safe, our correspondent adds.
Super-commissioner Hailing Wednesday's deal, European Commission President Manuel Barroso said: "Europe is closer to resolving its financial and economic crisis and to getting back on a path of growth. We are showing that we can unite in the most difficult of times."
He said the post of "super-commissioner" would be created to deal with the euro.
US markets joined Europe's share rally. The Dow Jones index ended the day up 2.86%.
London's 100 share index finished up 2.9%, France's Cac up 6% and Germany's Dax 5% higher.
The biggest gainers were banks, led by French institutions, which are the most exposed to Greek debt.
Fears about the state of the eurozone's finances and the threat of a break-up of the single European currency have been stalking markets for months.
The 50% debt write-off by banks means that Greece's debt burden could drop from 160% of GDP to 120% by 2020.
Eurozone leaders said the firepower of the EFSF would be boosted from the current 440bn euros to about 1tn euros - although details remain to be worked out.
The framework for the new fund is to be put in place in November. Germany, as the largest economy in eurozone, is expected to be the largest contributor.
Bank recapitalisation was agreed earlier.
The banks will now be required to raise about 106bn euros in new capital by June 2012, and governments may have to step in, despite the unpopularity of further bank bail-outs.

Croatia's ex-PM Ivo Sanader set for corruption trial

Ivo Sanader was extradited from Austria in July but denies wrongdoing

Croatia's former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader is due to go on trial in the capital Zagreb charged with corruption.

He is alleged to have received a kickback worth nearly $695,000 (£432,000; 491,000 euros) for arranging a loan from Austrian bank Hypo in 1995.
Serving as deputy foreign minister at the time, Mr Sanader is said to have facilitated Hypo's entry into the Croatian market.
Mr Sanader, who was extradited from Austria in July, denies any wrongdoing.
Croatia was still fighting its war of independence from Yugoslavia in the 1990s, meaning it had trouble accessing the international markets, the BBC's Mark Lowen in Zagreb reports.
The former prime minister is the most high-profile figure arrested in Croatia's recent anti-corruption drive, our correspondent says.
Other anti-corruption investigations Mr Sanader faces include one involving the Hungarian oil firm MOL. He denies wrongdoing.
Croatia is on the brink of European Union membership, hoping to join in July 2013. It is mainly pressure from Brussels that has driven the country to tackle its widespread corruption problem.
With Romania and Bulgaria deemed to have joined the bloc before dealing with the issue, the EU is taking a harder line with Croatia, our correspondent adds.

Turkey earthquake: Teenage boy found after four days

Rescuers pull the teenager from the collapsed building

A 13-year-old boy has been pulled alive from the rubble in south-eastern Turkey, 108 hours after an earthquake devastated his town.

The injured boy was rescued from a collapsed building in Ercis.
Just hours earlier a man was freed from a flattened apartment block and taken to hospital.
But officials say hopes are fading of finding more survivors after Sunday's 7.2-magnitude quake, which killed at least 523 people.
So far 185 people have been rescued but hundreds are still missing.
Rain and snow have been hindering the rescue and relief effort.
The rescued boy, named Ferhat Tokay, was found alive late on Thursday and pulled out by search teams early in the morning.
"He was taken to hospital in Sahra and his health appears good," said a rescue official.
Rescuers in some places are continuing to dig through the debris, but at other sites they have stopped work and attention is turning to the needs of the survivors.
More than 1,600 people were injured in the quake, which had its epicentre in Van province.
Waiting Tents and other aid supplies are being delivered after some initial criticism that the response was too slow.
People in Ercis, the hardest-hit town, have formed long queues to try to get hold of tents but many have been told there are none left.
"Everyone is getting sick and wet," said Fetih Zengin, 38, whose house was badly damaged.
"We have been waiting in line for four days and still nothing," he told Reuters news agency.
Another survivor, Zeki Yatkin, lost his father in the quake.
"They say we will get prefabricated houses in one-and-a-half months," he said, in an interview with Reuters.
"We can't tolerate the cold, but what else can we do?"
South-eastern Turkey was hit by another strong aftershock on Thursday of magnitude 5.2, but there are no reports of any further casualties.
The Turkish government had initially said it did not need any help from abroad, but later changed its mind.
Ankara accepted an offer of clothes, blankets and other supplies from Israel, despite the recent deterioration in their relationship.
Reports say prefabricated homes from Israel are currently on their way to Van province.
"Three more planes loaded with aid supplies will come to Turkey within two days," an official from the Israeli embassy in Ankara told the Anatolia news agency.
Aid from several other countries is starting to arrive in Turkey too.
The United Nations says it is sending thousands of tents as well as blankets and mattresses.

Asian markets rise on eurozone debt crisis deal

Asian shares have been hit hard by the European debt crisis due to fears of a slowdown in growth

Asian markets rose on Friday following gains in the US and Europe after eurozone leaders agreed a deal to help resolve the debt crisis.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index gained 1.5%, South Korea's Kospi added 1.7%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 1.9%.
This was after the Dow Jones index closed 2.86% higher and Germany's Dax jumped 6%.
There have been fears that the debt crisis may hurt growth in Europe and dent demand for Asian exports.
"The market received what it has long been hoping for, and the European agreement will definitely prompt a strong start," said Lawrence Kim, a market analyst at Woori Investment & Securities.
Double joy The EU leaders meeting in Brussels agreed to expand the eurozone's main bailout fund to 1 trillion euros ($1.4tn; £880bn).
At the same time, some banks also accepted a loss of 50% on their Greek debt. Banks must also raise more capital to protect themselves against losses resulting from any future defaults.
Under the deal, Greek debt would drop from 160% of GDP to 120% by 2020, raising hope that the country will not default on its payments.
Market sentiment was also buoyed by encouraging economic data out of the US.
According to the latest figures from the US Commerce Department, the US economy grew at an annualised rate of 2.5% in the third quarter of this year, boosted by consumer and business spending.
The figure was a significant improvement on 1.3% growth in the second quarter of the year.
The combination of these has helped allay fears of a slowdown in the key US and European markets for Asian exports.
"Fears about Europe had been the biggest concern, and now that news of the agreement has reassured investors, buyers might return", said Kenichi Hirano of Tachibana Securities
Millan Mulraine of TD Securities added "the [US] economy is now heading in the right direction and this is very encouraging, particularly given the heightened global uncertainties".

Irish presidential election: voters go to the polls

A record seven candidates have been vying for the office of president

Irish voters are to go to the polls on Thursday to elect the country's ninth head of state.

The campaign for the presidency has been beset by controversy with several of the seven candidates facing some controversy about their past careers.
The election comes as the country continues its bid to recover from the worst recession in living memory.
Polling stations in 43 constituencies open at 07:00 BST on Thursday and close at 22:00 BST.
The seven candidates are Fine Gael's Gay Mitchell, Michael D Higgins of the Labour Party, Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness as well as independents Sean Gallagher, Dana Rosemary Scallon, Mary Davis and David Norris.
Counting will begin at about 09:00 BST on Friday with the announcement of the winner due at the weekend.

Australian exchange resumes trading after tech glitch

It is the second time this year that the exchange has suffered technical problems

The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) has resumed trading after a technical glitch forced a halt just as the market opened.

The suspension, which lasted for almost four hours, applied only to equities and did not affect commodities or currency trading.
The halt came days before the launch of a rival exchange in Australia by Chi-X.
It is the second time this year that technical issues have closed the exchange.
In February, a glitch led to a suspension in trading that lasted just over an hour.
ASX spokeswoman Leeanne Bland declined to comment on whether this incident was related.
She said the exchange would now undertake a more detailed analysis of Thursday's glitch to ensure it does not happen again.
Ms Bland told the BBC the suspension went into effect five minutes after the market opened, when it became apparent that some brokers could not connect to the ASX trading system.
The exchange then worked with its technology supplier Nasdaq OMX to resolve the issue.
In the financial year ending June 2011, the ASX saw an average of 570,440 daily trades with a value of 5.3bn Australian dollars ($5.6bn; £3.5bn).
Trading on Thursday was halted after just 6,700 trades.