News Headlines - 02 October 2013

▽Obama Cancels Trip to Philippines and Malaysia - NYTimes.com

The White House announced on Wednesday that President Obama had canceled his trip next week to the Philippines and Malaysia because of the budget standoff in Washington. Secretary of State John Kerry will lead delegations to both countries, instead of Mr. Obama.

▽BBC News - Italy crisis: Berlusconi U-turn on confidence vote

Ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi has performed a U-turn in an Italian no-confidence vote and says he will now support the government.

▽Britain is on the up, bullish David Cameron tells Tory Party conference - London Evening Standard

David Cameron declared that Britain is on the up today as he appealed for another five-year term to “build something better”. The Prime Minister said he needed to “finish the job” of mending the public finances but said his ambitions went beyond “just fixing the mess we inherited”.

▽BBC News - Roman skulls washed down lost London river

Archaeologists working with London's Crossrail project have uncovered 20 skulls believed to be from the Roman period. It is likely the bones were washed from a nearby burial site along one of London's "lost" rivers - the Walbrook.

▽Invasion of the mutant ninja hero turtles in Britain's waterways | Daily Express

A newborn baby terrapin has been found in a city canal near a colony of adults - which suggests that they have been breeding here for the first time. There are anecdotal reports that the terrapins - which can grow to be the size of a dinner plate and eat anything from frogs to ducklings - have also laid eggs.