An autopsy shows that cocaine use contributed to the heart disease that suddenly killed boisterous TV pitchman Billy Mays in June, officials announced Friday. (Aug. 7). _ Hyperactive pitchman Billy Mays used cocaine days before his heart attack - and it killed him, officials said Friday. _ Mays, 50, suffered from heart disease but his drug use contributed to his June 28 death, the Hillsborough County medical examiner said.
Two British hostages in Iraq are believed to be dead. _ Security guards Alan McMenemy, from Glasgow, and Alec Maclachlan, from south Wales, were kidnapped in 2007 along with three other Britons. _ The bodies of two of the other men were found last month with gunshot wounds. _ The condition of the fifth man, Peter Moore, is not known. The Foreign Office says all efforts are being made to secure the hostages' release.
Michael Jackson will be bigger in death than he was in life, according to his father Joe.
In an interview with Fox News, Mr Jackson said he wished his son was around to see the public outpouring of affection towards him.
He also said it was unlikely stress about his upcoming concert tour killed the King of Pop.
Mr Jackson told Geraldo Rivera that the Jackson family is "pretty strong" and coping with their loss.
As for Jackson's children, he said: "My grandchildren are fantastic."
The Jacksons have gathered at the home of Michael's brother Jermaine to make funeral arrangements and discuss the future of the singer's three children.
In a statement issued by Mr Jackson earlier, they said: "Our beloved son, brother and father of three children has gone so unexpectedly, in such a tragic way and much too soon.
"It leaves us, his family, speechless and devastated to a point, where communication with the outside world seems almost impossible at times.
"We miss Michael endlessly, our pain cannot be described in words."
And then they told fans: "Michael would not want us to give up now. Please do not despair, because Michael will continue to live on in each and every one of you.
"Continue to spread his message, because that is what he would want you to do. Carry on, so his legacy will live forever."
The family is believed to be planning a series of simultaneous global celebrations to honour the star.
And they are continuing their efforts to discover the truth about what caused Jackson's death by requesting a second post-mortem examination.
Family friend Rev Jesse Jackson said: "We have called for an independent autopsy, we cannot just depend on the state.
"It should be independent and verifiable and it should be done quickly.
"The longer we wait the more anxiety there is about the matter. It deserves real priority."
Police in Los Angeles have now had the chance to speak to Jackson's personal doctor Dr Conrad Murray.
He was with the star when he collapsed but said he was not responsible for his death.
Police have said they are not conducting a criminal inquiry into the death of the pop superstar.
Fox News reported that investigators found Jackson's body to be healthier and stronger than they had expected, with some scarring on the face.
Energy companies are being accused of failing to pass on billions of pounds worth of savings made because of falling gas and electricity prices.
Suppliers have not passed on cuts in wholesale prices, watchdog claims
The watchdog Consumer Focus states the fall in wholesale prices has saved energy companies around £1.6bn but this has not been reflected in average domestic bills.
Witnesses say protesters and riot police are clashing in the streets around Iran's parliament.
Three witnesses told The Associated Press hundreds of protesters have gathered in a square next to the parliament building in defiance of government orders to halt demonstrations demanding a new presidential election.
The police beat the protesters with batons, released tear gas and fired gunshots in the air, the witnesses said.
Some demonstrators reportedly fought police while others fled to another of the city's squares about one mile to the north.
Another witness told Reuters news agency police and protesters clashed in Baharestan Square but said there were no casualties.
However, a woman who said she witnessed the violence told CNN: "This is a massacre."
Amateur video posted on the internet purportedly shows the chaos on the streets amid the renewed violence.
Young men and women can be seen throwing rocks and pushing barricades, one blazing, in the street.
Others shout: "Death to the dictator!"
It is not possible to verify the video because of government reporting restrictions.
Iran has ordered journalists for international news agencies to stay in their offices, barring them from reporting on the streets.
But Twitter users, who claim to be in Tehran, are also saying police are beating people on the streets and shooting "people like animals".
"I see many ppl with broken arms/legs/heads - blood everywhere - pepper gas like war," persiankiwi writes in English.
"They were waiting for us - they all have guns and riot uniforms - it was like a mouse trap - ppl being shot like animals."
Sky News does not know who this user is but they have supplied information over the last week which appears to suggest they are messaging from inside Iran.
Twitter user persiankiwi also reported seeing seven or eight militia using batons to beat a woman on the ground.
"She had no defence nothing - sure that she is dead."
The user goes on to say people are fleeing into alleys where militia are waiting for them, writing: "From 2 sides they attack ppl in middle of alleys."
Two bodies feared hostage in Iraq in 2007 are feared dead after bodies were handed to British officials in Iraq.
Mr Miliband said forensic tests were being carried out on the remains to see if they were of two of the five Britons who were captured in Iraq in May 2007.
He said his thoughts were with the families of the men and "they will fear the worst for their loved ones".
Iran's supreme leader has ordered a partial recount of presidential election votes if required as thousands of protesters rallied for another day in Tehran.
In what appeared to be a first concession by authorities to the biggest street demonstrations since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the election supervisory body to probe the vote-rigging claims.
"I am asking the Guardians Council and the interior ministry to examine the said issues so there is no doubt left," he said, state television reported.
"If the examination of the problems require recounting of some ballot boxes, it should be definitely done in the presence of the representatives of candiates so that everybody is assured."
Hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the runaway winner after Friday's vote.
His opponent Mirhossein Mousavi then called for an annulment, claiming irregularities in the count.
But the powerful council rejected the plea, sparking political turmoil.
Mr Mousavi's supporters are outraged at what they see as a victory that has been stolen from them by fraud.
Some have used the internet messaging service Twitter to express their frustration, and Sky News Online has been following their updates to find out about the changing situation on the ground.
When asked by Sky News' US political analyst Jon-Christopher Bua whether the White House was also monitoring Twitter for information, press secretary Robert Gibbs said he would check - both with the White House and the National Security Council.
Supporters of Mr Mousavi said they planned to rally on Tuesday despite the deaths of seven people a day earlier on the fringes of a huge march through the streets of the capital, Tehran.
Video images have since been released of a man, believed to be a member of a pro-government militia, firing a machine gun from the window of a compound as crowds surround the building.
Dramatic footage showing Iran shooting
Corroboration of the claims has been prevented by an official ban on foreign media from covering such events.
Sky's foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall, in Tehran, said: "Most of the demonstrators have been peaceful, but it is clear there are some among them ready to make a fight of it.
"The crisis in this country is not just about the election. Behind the anger of the alleged vote theft lies something much deeper - frustration at living in a theocracy."
Iranian state television said on Tuesday the "main agents" in the post-election unrest had been arrested with explosives and guns.
Further protests would be a direct challenge to the authorities who have kept a tight grip on political dissent since the 1979 overthrow of the US-backed Shah after months of demonstrations.
Despite protests and upheaval in Iran, Mr Ahmadinejad has gone to Russia for talks on his first foreign trip since official results showed he secured a second four-year term.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which includes Russia and China, congratulated him on his win.
US President Barack Obama said the protests reflected the fact that many people in Iran were unhappy with their government's "antagonistic postures" towards other countries.
"There are people who want to see greater openness, greater debate, greater democracy," he said.
"I stand strongly with the universal principle that people's voices should be heard."
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An autopsy shows that cocaine use contributed to the heart disease that suddenly killed boisterous TV pitchman Billy Mays in June, officials announced Friday. (Aug. 7).
Two British hostages in Iraq are believed to be dead.
Michael Jackson will be bigger in death than he was in life, according to his father Joe.
And then they told fans: "Michael would not want us to give up now. Please do not despair, because Michael will continue to live on in each and every one of you.
Thousands of fans have gathered in public to mourn the death of Prince of Pop Michael Jackson.
Energy companies are being accused of failing to pass on billions of pounds worth of savings made because of falling gas and electricity prices.
Witnesses say protesters and riot police are clashing in the streets around Iran's parliament.
Italy's prime minister has told a gossip magazine he never paid for sex amid scandalous claims about women at his parties.
Two bodies feared hostage in Iraq in 2007 are feared dead after bodies were handed to British officials in Iraq.
Iran's supreme leader has ordered a partial recount of presidential election votes if required as thousands of protesters rallied for another day in Tehran.
