News Headlines - 19 December 2013
▽Crisis in South Sudan Deepens
The South Sudanese government has lost control of territory north of the capital, as fighting that already has split the armed forces threatens to further divide the country. Civilians are continuing to flee the violence.
MI6 agents in Afghanistan were told they were not obliged to intervene if they witnessed suspected terrorists being harmed by their American captors, an official inquiry into allegations Britain was complicit in torture has disclosed. It also concluded that UK operatives "may have become inappropriately" involved in some cases of rendition of captives who were believed to be al-Qa'ida fighters.
▽Prince William's messages to Harry and Kate 'hacked by News of the World' | The Guardian
The News of the World intercepted and recorded intimate phone messages left between Prince William, Prince Harry and Kate Middleton, the Old Bailey has heard. The voicemails included William using a pet name for his future wife and describing to her how he had nearly been shot during a training exercise, and a message for his brother in which he put on a high-pitched voice and pretended to be Prince Harry's then girlfriend, Chelsy Davy.
▽BBC News - London's Apollo Theatre's roof collapses
Part of a roof in the Apollo Theatre in central London has collapsed during a performance. The theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue was packed for a performance of the Curious Incident Of The Dog in the Night-time. An eyewitness said she heard "a crackling" noise before the collapse at about 20:15 GMT.
▽BBC News - Tokyo Governor Naoki Inose resigns over money scandal
The governor of Japan's capital, Tokyo, has resigned after admitting he received money from a scandal-hit hospital chain ahead of an election. Naoki Inose described the 50m yen ($500,000; ￡300,000) payment as a personal loan from operator Tokushukai. He said he would resign to avoid affecting preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
