Ohio Rape Case: Charges Possible Over Silence

Teenagers who failed to come forward after two high school footballers raped a 16-year-old girl could be charged, Ohio's top prosecutor has said.

Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, broke down in court on Sunday when they were found guilty of raping the girl at an alcohol-fuelled party in the small town of Steubenville in August.

Immediately after the verdict, attorney general Mike DeWine said a grand jury would investigate whether other people, including students, the school's principal, coaches and parents, broke the law by not speaking up after the attack.

The case was made notorious when a video of boys laughing about the assault on the drunk girl went viral.

"Many of the things that we learned during this trial that our children were saying and doing were profane, were ugly," said Judge Thomas Lipps.

Mays is hugged by his father after the verdicts were read out

In one video, high school boys laughed about watching the rape, saying the girl "deserved to be peed on".

Other videos and photos showed Mays and Richmond lifting the unconscious and nearly naked victim by her hands and feet.

"They treated her like a toy," prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter said.

Mays and Richmond were sentenced to at least a year in juvenile prison. Mays was ordered to serve an additional year for photographing the girl naked.

They can be held until they turn 21.

"My life is over," Richmond struggled to say through his sobs.

The crime shocked many in Steubenville because of the seeming callousness with which other students took out their mobile phones to record the attack and gossiped about it online.

Richmond (L) and Mays can be held until they turn 21

In fact, the case came to light via a barrage of text messages, social media posts and online photos and video.

It also led to allegations of a cover-up to protect the celebrated Steubenville High Big Red team.

Noting that 16 people refused to talk, many of them underage, Mr DeWine said possible offences to be investigated include failure to report a crime.

"This community desperately needs to have this behind them, but this community also desperately needs to know justice was done and that no stone was left unturned," he said.

Among those who have been interviewed are the owners of one of the houses where parties were held that night, the high school principal and the football team's 27 coaches, many of them volunteers.

Text messages introduced at the trial suggested the head coach was aware of the rape allegation early on.

Mr DeWine said coaches are among officials required by state law to report child abuse.

The coach and the school district have repeatedly declined to comment.

Mays (L) and Richmond in court on March 14

Prosecutors argued that the victim was so intoxicated she could not consent to sex that night, while the defence contended the girl realised what she was doing and was known to lie.

The girl testified she could not recall what happened but woke up naked in a strange house after drinking at a party.

"It was really scary," she said. "I honestly did not know what to think because I could not remember anything."

She said she believed she had been assaulted when she later read text messages among friends and saw a photo of herself naked, along with a video that made fun of her and the alleged attack.

Three other boys, two of them on the football team, saw something happening that night and did not try to stop it but instead recorded it with their mobile phones.

Granted immunity to testify, they confirmed the girl was assaulted and said she was so drunk she did not seem to know what was happening.

Harding Stadium, home of the Steubenville High Big Red football team

In court Mays and Richmond apologised to the victim, her family and the community.

The 16-year-old victim was not in the room, but her mother addressed the court, telling the boys: "You displayed not only a lack of ... compassion, but a lack of any moral code.

"You were your own accuser through the social media that you chose to publish your criminal conduct on. I have pity for you both."

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Snow Warning: New Cold Snap Brings More Misery

Another cold snap is on its way, with parts of the country facing more snow and freezing temperatures, forecasters say.

Scotland and the north of England are expected to see up to 20cm (eight inches) of snow build up from today into Wednesday morning, with temperatures dropping as low as minus 15C (5F) overnight.

The cold weather also meant more misery for road and rail travellers on Monday morning with serious disruption on a number of key commuter routes.

The Met Office has issued a yellow severe weather warning for today and tomorrow, urging those in the regions likely to be affected by snow to be aware.

The Grampians, eastern parts of the Southern Uplands, the Lake District and the Pennines are expected to be hit hard.

A man takes a walk through the grounds of Bowes Castle in County Durham

Wales, the Midlands, East Anglia and parts of the South East may also wake to a covering of up to one inch of snow on Wednesday morning and overnight frost is expected throughout the country.

The frost has caused problems for some south-east England train companies were hit by a build-up of ice on the "third rail" from which trains get their power.

Services in Hampshire, Surrey and Kent were particularly affected, with a number of trains being delayed and cancelled.

On the main line in Kent, the third rail problem meant there were delays of up to 50 minutes to trains between Sevenoaks and Orpington, while trains were unable to run between Havant in Hampshire and Guildford in Surrey.

There were also problems on the Tube where late-running engineering work meant a closure of a large section of the Metropolitan line at the start of the rush hour.

Services did resume later, but with severe delays.

Meanwhile, flights in and out of Leeds-Bradford Airport were halted on Monday morning after about 3cm of snow fell. Passengers were asked to check with their airline or tour operator before heading to the airport.

The A66 across the Pennines between Bowes, County Durham, and Stainmore, Cumbria, was also closed because of heavy snow.

Yellow: Be aware; Orange: Be Prepared (Met Office)

A Durham Police spokeswoman said: "There are currently tailbacks of traffic while this process is under way."

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said the wintry weather would continue even as the spring equinox takes place.

"Snow and strong, cold east winds will cause disruption across eastern Scotland later on Monday and into Tuesday," she said.

"Over 10cm to 20cm (4in to 8in) of snow is forecast, with the highest accumulations over hills. It will feel freezing cold.

"Snow is likely in other areas too, for example across the Cumbrian Fells and Pennines today, and perhaps across eastern England later on Tuesday too.

"Drier, clearer weather midweek will lead to some widespread sharp frosts with lows of minus five to minus 10 Celsius."

Lang said the current conditions are in marked contrast to those last year when high pressure brought a settled and sunny period to much of the UK.

She explained: "Temperatures popped up to 22.8C at St James' Park at the end of the month, and broke Scottish records for March when Aboyne in Aberdeenshire hit 23.6C on March 27."

The third rail difficulties also meant delays for passengers travelling between Reading and Wokingham in Berkshire and there were no services between Alton in Hampshire and Farnham in Surrey and delays between East Grinstead in West Sussex and Oxted in Surrey.

The problem also led to delays of up to 45 minutes for passengers travelling between Horsham and Three Bridges in West Sussex, while similar-length hold-ups were hitting services between Tonbridge in Kent and Redhill in Surrey.

To add to passengers' woes, over-running engineering works caused disruption at Norwich, with trains between Norwich and Cromer/Great Yarmouth/Lowestoft delayed.

London Midland, which has suffered staff problems over recent months, had to replace trains with buses between Nuneaton and Coventry due to a shortage of train crew.

London Midland, and Virgin Trains, also suffered delays between Northampton/Rugby and Milton Keynes Central due to a signalling problem.

Another signalling problem near Glasgow meant trains could not run between Paisley Canal and Glasgow Central, while passengers were warned of possible delays and cancellations to trains East Kilbride and Glasgow Central.

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Egypt Vigilantes Kill Two Men As Crowd Watches

Two Egyptian men accused of stealing a rickshaw and trying to kidnap a girl were beaten and hung by their feet while some in a crowd of thousands chanted "kill them!".

Both men died in the vigilante attack in the town of Samanod, about 90km (55 miles) north of Cairo.

The lynchings come a week after the attorney general's office encouraged civilians to arrest criminals and hand them over to police.

State-run newspaper Ahram reported the two men were killed after being caught "red-handed" trying to steal the motorised rickshaw.

Witnesses said they were also accused of kidnapping a girl inside the rickshaw, but she escaped unharmed.

The two men were beaten and were still alive before they were strung up from the rafters of an open-air bus station, a witness said.

Both were stripped down to their underwear.

Graphic photos and recordings of the lynchings taken by people in the crowd quickly circulated on social media websites.

The images show one of the men hanging with deep, bloody lacerations covering his back.

Another shows a man's face completely covered in blood. Other shots show both hanging by their feet, bruised, cut and bleeding.

Mamdouh al-Muneer, spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood in Gharbiya, the province where the attack happened, said the lynchings followed a spate of rapes in the area.

Both men were stripped down to their underwear

He told the Associated Press (AP) there have been a number of cases in recent months where girls were abducted while leaving school.

"Unfortunately, the police are completely out of the picture in Gharbiya," he said.

A photographer who witnessed the killings told the AP that women and children were in the crowd of about 3,000 watching the killings.

Some were on balconies overlooking the scene, while some joined chants of "kill them!", he said.

The photographer, who was not named, said some in the crowd threatened to kill him if he took pictures of the lynchings with his professional camera.

Security officials said some people tried to help free the two men but were pushed back by others.

Afterward, residents took their bodies and dumped them on the doorstep of a nearby police station, according to witnesses.

Ahram said police could not reach the scene because angry drivers had cut off all the major roads nearby to protest a fuel shortage, another big problem in Egypt.

Witnesses said they were bracing for possible feuds between residents of Samanod and the nearby village of Mahallahit Ziyad, where the two men were from.

The lynchings are symptomatic of the chaos sweeping Egypt and a massive security breakdown.

People have increasingly taken matters into their own hands following the 2011 uprising that ousted authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak.

The country's once powerful and feared police force was left weakened after the revolt and thousands of  police officers are now on strike over working conditions.

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Frank Thornton: Are You Being Served? Actor Dies

Comedy actor Frank Thornton, famous for his portrayal of Captain Peacock in Are You Being Served?, has died aged 92, his agent has revealed.

Thornton died in his sleep in the early hours of Saturday, David Daly announced.

"Frank was a much loved British actor who played mainly comedy roles and is perhaps best known for his role as Captain Peacock in Are You Being Served? and latterly as Truly in Last Of The Summer Wine," he said.

"Frank is survived by Beryl, his wife of 67 years, daughter Jane and their three grandchildren."

Thornton (2nd left) with the cast of Are You Being Served?

Thornton was the last of the original main members of the cast of Are You Being Served?

The successful sitcom ran from 1972 to 1985 and often attracted audiences of more than 20 million.

He also went on to appear in its successor series, Grace & Favour.

He specialised in comedy and over the years took roles in many popular TV shows, including Hancock's Half-Hour, Sykes and Steptoe And Son, as well as movie spin-off Steptoe And Son Ride Again.

Thornton also appeared in a number of racy British movies including No Sex Please, We're British and Up The Chastity Belt.

Thornton with Are You Being Served? co-star Wendy Richards

Mr Daly said: "I have been Frank's agent since 1986 and he has been the most wonderful client as well as being a great friend.

"He will be sorely missed."

In 2001, Thornton was among the cast for the Julian Fellowes-scripted period drama Gosford Park.

His last credit was in the poorly-received British film Run For Your Wife, alongside Richard Briers, who died last month.

Are You Being Served? co-creator Jeremy Lloyd said he was "very sad to hear this news".

"He was a great friend and consummate performer who was the glue who really held Are You Being Served? together," he said.

"He will continue to give people enjoyment."

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Gossip Singer: Beth Ditto Charged By Police

Beth Ditto, a singer in the US indie rock band Gossip, has been arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, police have said.

The star, real name Mary Beth Patterson, was reportedly detained after being denied service at the Bungalo Bar in Portland because she appeared to be drunk.

She left the bar and then "walked out in the middle of the street, threw off her shoes and purse and screamed Obama! Obama!", a source told Willamette Week.

This alleged behaviour reportedly alerted officers, up to 12 police cars arrived and she was arrested.

A Reddit website user described the singer as being "completely blackout drunk challenging people to fights" when she was in the bar.

Ditto has since been released from a Portland police station pending a future court date. No bail was posted.

She faces a charge of second degree disorderly conduct, a Class B misdemeanour punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500 (£1,600).

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Hacking: 'Hundreds Of Victims' In New Plot

Police have found a new conspiracy to intercept voicemails with "potentially hundreds more victims" the Law Courts have been told.

The revelation came during the 14th case management conference relating to civil damages actions brought by scores of people from all walks of life over the phone hacking scandal.

At the beginning of proceedings, Hugh Tomlinson QC told the High Court that there had been "substantial developments" since the previous case management hearing.

He said a number of further arrests had been made "in what the Metropolitan Police Service have characterised in their public statement as a new conspiracy to intercept voice mail messages".

Shane Richie is among the new victims

He added that it involved "potentially hundreds of victims".

Mr Tomlinson, who represents claimants in the action, said it was "not known at the moment how many more claims may be issued".

Sky correspondent Rachel Younger, who was in court, said: "Only one of the new victims has been named - TV star Shane Richie - who has made his application to the court."

During the proceedings Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh accepted "very substantial" damages and a public apology over phone hacking. 

In October 2010 her private mobile telephone was stolen from her car in south west London.

David Sherborne, representing the MP for Mitcham and Morden, told Mr Justice Vos that in June last year police notified her they had "obtained evidence that The Sun newspaper had accessed her text messages from about October 2010 and therefore appeared to have accessed and/or acquired her mobile phone".

A QC told the court on behalf of the newspaper that it was accepted that her mobile phone "should not have been accessed and used and furthermore accept that there has been a serious misuse of her private information".

Mr Sherborne said the defendants, the publishers and/or owners of The Sun, had agreed to pay Ms McDonagh "very substantial damages" and her legal costs.

:: Retired boxer Chris Eubank told the court that he was looking forward to a "gargantuan battle" in the phone-hacking litigation.

The former world champion told Mr Justice Vos he was confident that evidence relating to his case would get in the public domain shortly and he looked forward to the "gargantuan battle" ahead of him.

"I know that Mrs Murdoch has a pretty good left hook so I am going to ask her to be gentle with me," he joked.

Despite interruptions by the judge - who said that his case was at a preliminary stage and it was not appropriate to try to negotiate in the face of the court - Eubank persisted in holding the floor, saying he was not accepting News Group Newspapers' "derisory offer" of £21,000 as they had taken everything away from him.

He said he was fighting on, alleging they had destroyed his marriage and he had been unable to care for his children.

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Derby Fire: Philpott Was 'Guardian Angel'

By Darren Little, At Nottingham Crown Court

A mother accused of the manslaughter of her six children in a fire at the family home has described her husband as her "guardian angel".

Mairead Philpott told the jury at Nottingham Crown Court she was at "rock bottom" when she met her husband and co-accused Mick.

On her first day giving evidence in her own defence, Mairead Philpott explained that prior to meeting her husband she had been abused as a child, raped as a schoolgirl and was in an abusive relationship where her head was shaved to stop her going out.

At the start of her evidence Philpott was asked if she started the fire at her family home, saw her husband and co-accused Paul Mosley starting the fire or was aware of any plan to start a blaze at the house in Victory Road, Derby.

Philpott also talked about her relationship with her husband and his mistress Lisa Willis, who had shared the family home.

Back (L-R) Duwayne and John, Front (L-R) Jack, Jessie, Jade and Jayden

Philpott told the court she was initially "hurt" when her husband began a relationship with Ms Willis, but consented to him having a sexual relationship with her because she was "scared of losing what I had" and did not think it would last.

Once Ms Willis had moved in to the family home Mrs Philpott said she had accepted the situation and that they were all "happy". 

Even when Mick Philpott asked her for a divorce so he could marry his mistress, Mrs Philpott said she had never thought about leaving because she "loved him".

Mrs Philpott described to the jury how she came to sleep with other men, including Mosley.

She said the initial idea to go "dogging" was hers, although her husband encouraged it.

Mairead's husband Mick (L) and Mosley, with whom she slept with

She said it was Philpott's idea for her to sleep with Mosley. She said she felt "disgusted every time" they had sex but she did it to "make Mick happy".

Earlier Mrs Philpott described the characters of her six children who died in the house fire.

She said Duwayne was "quiet and caring", Jade was her "little princess", while Jesse was an "Irish stamper", because he had a temper.

She continued that Jack was "my blue eyed boy" and Jayden was her "miracle baby" because he was born six weeks' premature.

All three defendants deny manslaughter. The trial at Nottingham Crown Court continues.

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Cyprus Bailout: Savings Shift Amid Russia Offer

Cyprus has ordered its banks to stay shut until Thursday as the government seeks to alter the terms of a controversial EU bailout that taxes savings.

The uncertainty comes as Russia's finance minister said his country would consider restructuring its loans to Cyprus.

Russian energy giant Gazprom has also reportedly offered financial assistance to Cyprus in exchange for access to the island's gas reserves.

Eurozone countries across the region have seen markets shudder as a result of the weekend bailout offer, which includes a one-off tax on bank deposits, with many losing more than 2% and the FTSE dropping 1.6%.

Officials in southern Cyprus, which does not include the Turkish north of the island, have now delayed the parliamentary vote until Tuesday in order to soften the impact of a levy on smaller savers.

Sky News will have Budget coverage throughout Wednesday, starting from 9am

Banks stayed closed on Monday due to a long weekend and will remain closed on Tuesday to prevent a run on the banks.

Yiannakis Omirou, the speaker of parliament, said the delay is needed to give the government time to amend the deal agreed late last week.

Authorities had planned a 6.7% tax on deposits under 100,000 euros (£85,000), triggering queues at cash machines as people in Cyprus rushed to withdraw their money on a bank holiday weekend.

But the country's government is thought to now want a 20,000-euro (£17,000) minimum to the levy, with the tax set at 6.7% on the next 80,000 euros (£68,000) and 9.9% above that figure.

In exchange for the levy which would raise 5.8bn euros (£5bn), Cyprus would receive another 4.2bn euros (£3.6bn) in aid to help recapitalise its banks.

Meanwhile, eurozone ministers planned a conference call to discuss the issue, as Germany insisted it was not behind the extraordinary weekend bailout proposal.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed the proposed tax in Cyprus, where some 30,000 of his compatriots live.

"(Mr) Putin said that this decision, in case of its adoption, will be unfair, unprofessional and dangerous," Russian news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.

The Cypriot government discussed the bailout deal offer from the EU

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, who was elected just three weeks ago, had earlier said the island must accept a painful compromise or face bankruptcy.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) boss Christine Lagarde added: "The IMF has always said that we would support a solution that is sustainable, that is fully financed, and that appropriately allocates the burden sharing."

Depositors in the eurozone's weaker economies have been unnerved by the levy, with investors fearing it will set a precedent that could reignite market turmoil.

But the European Central Bank (ECB) moved to soothe investor nerves, saying Cyprus is a special case and other countries should not fear contagion from its bailout deal.

ECB governing council member Ewald Nowotnytold Austria's ORF radio: "For other countries, there is absolutely no reason to fear contagion."

He said Cyprus' banking system accounted for an above-average proportion of national output, and that the island nation had a particularly high share of foreign depositors.

Savers have queued to withdraw their money from cash machines across Cyprus

The British Government said staff and military personnel in Cyprus will be protected from any levy on their bank deposits.

Foreign Secretary William Hague told Sky News that Britain had been "separated" from contributing towards the bailout, adding that 3,000 Britons in the country would not suffer in the proposed raid on bank savings.

The tax on deposits in Cyprus, which accounts for only 0.2% of the eurozone's economy, is expected to raise up to 6bn euros (£5bn) and affect rich Russians with deposits in Cyprus and domiciled European retirees, as well as Cypriots themselves.

The levy will apply to all deposits held in banks within Cyprus, including an estimated 2bn euros (£1.75bn) of British money, according to the ECB.

It will not affect deposits held in the UK branches of Cypriot banks, such as Bank of Cyprus, whose UK subsidiary is regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

However, Laiki Bank UK said on its website: "Your eligible deposits with Laiki Bank UK are protected up to a total of 100,000 euro by the Cyprus Deposit Protection Scheme and are not protected by the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

"Any deposits you hold above the 100,000-euro limit are not covered."

Cypriot banks lost 4.5bn euros (£3.8bn) - equal to a quarter of the island's gross domestic product - when eurozone leaders decided to write off Greek debt last year.

As part of its bailout deal, corporate tax will rise from 10% to 12.5%, while state assets will be sold off to help balance the public finances. Cuts to government workers' salaries and pensions have already been approved.

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Leveson: Parties Reach Deal But Row Over Clause

The three main political parties have reached a deal on how to regulate the press - but Labour and the Tories have become embroiled in a war of words over who has emerged on top from the fraught negotiations.

The details are emerging in a House of Commons debate, but it appears a Royal Charter - rather than legislation passed by Parliament - will be used to create an independent regulator which will have more powers to deal with the press if it breaks the rules.

Prime Minister David Cameron, who applied for an emergency debate on the reforms, has been clear he is very uncomfortable with the idea of setting anything down in law because it could be seen as politicians meddling with the press.

However, it is understood a compromise has been reached to include three lines of statute - a clause in the legislation to ensure that any Royal Charter cannot be amended in the future without two-thirds majorities in both Houses of Parliament.

There will be no industry veto of who sits on the regulator, and judges will have the power to direct newspapers on apologies.

But the main point of contention - whether or not it should be underpinned by law - seems to be a matter of interpretation, and has triggered a dispute about the degree of statutory regulation.

The row centres on a clause being inserted into the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill in the Lords later.

It does not explicitly refer to the Royal Charter that will establish the new press arrangements - but Labour and the Liberal Democrats argue the effect would be the same.

David Cameron insists all parties have accepted his blueprint

Labour leader Ed Miliband and Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg claim the deal is based on their plans for a Royal Charter underpinned by law, so that it cannot be watered down or changed.

But Mr Cameron, who addressed Conservative MPs ahead of the Commons showdown - disagrees.

He told a meeting of his parliamentary party in Westminster that he had "called the bluff" of Mr Miliband, according to a senior Downing Street source.

The PM insisted that dramatically pulling the plug on the talks last week had forced Labour and Lib Dems to "flesh out their positions".

He has denied the new press regulations will have "statutory underpinning", and insists the agreement on a Royal Charter, struck in the early hours of this morning, avoids the need for a law to control newspapers.

He said: "It's not statutory underpinning. What it is, is simply a clause that says politicians can't fiddle with this so it takes it further away from politicians, which is actually, I think, a sensible step.

"What we wanted to avoid and we have avoided is a press law. Nowhere will it say what this body is, what it does, what it can't do, what the press can and can't do. That, quite rightly, is being kept out of Parliament.

"So no statutory underpinning but a safeguard that says politicians can't in future fiddle with this arrangement."

Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg claim they have got what they wanted

He added: "What's happened is that everyone has accepted my argument for a Royal Charter. Why does that matter? Well I thought it was important to avoid a press law, a law that said the press can do this, the regulator's got to do that. That would be dangerous, that's not going to happen and that's what we secured and that's why this is a good deal."

But Mr Miliband said: "What we have agreed is essentially the Royal Charter that Nick Clegg and I published on Friday. It will be underpinned by statute ... because it stops ministers or the press meddling with it, watering it down in the future.

"It will be a regulator, a system of complaints where the regulator has teeth, can direct apologies ... and it is independent of the press.

"For too long we have had a system where the press have been marking their own homework. There has been a lot of tough negotiation in this process, but I genuinely believe this upholds the freedom of the press ... at the same time as protecting the victims.

"People who revealed MPs' expenses, people who revealed phone hacking have nothing to fear from what has been agreed."

The Conservatives, Labour and the Lib Dems are understood to have held talks for more than five hours.

Mr Cameron was not present but was represented by Oliver Letwin, who has been the key figure for the party in recent negotiations.

Mr Clegg told Sky News that in his opinion "everybody" was a winner. "We have secured the cherished principle of the freedom of the press, but also given innocent people reassurance that they won't be unjustifiably bullied or intimidated by powerful interests in the press without having proper recourse when that happens," he said.

Hacked Off, the group campaigning for victims of phone hacking, also welcomed the cross-party deal.

London bombing hero Paul Dadge told Sky News: "This isn't to stop stories in the newspapers in the future. This is to ensure that things that happened to me, the Dowler family, the McCanns, don't happen again in the future."

But Neil Wallis, former executive editor of the News Of The World, disagreed. "What these people want to do is to control what the public is told. And if you give the state legislation, what you have not got any longer is a free press." he said.

"You can't put those words in the same sentence - 'state regulation' and 'free press'. It simply stops."

Trevor Kavanagh, former political editor of The Sun, added: "Until we've examined the fine print we will have to hold our fire, but it's a little worrying when the three political parties get together and their final verdict is welcomed so enthusiastically by Hacked Off, which is definitely seeking to shackle and gag the free press."

Mr Cameron, who last week pulled out of talks about implementing Lord Justice Leveson's recommendations, previously warned that legislation would endanger press freedom.

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Falklands: Pope Asked To Intervene In Row

Argentine President Cristina Kirchner says she has asked her fellow countryman Pope Francis to promote dialogue between their country and Britain.

"I asked his intervention to promote dialogue between the two sides," Ms Kirchner told a news conference after meeting Pope Francis ahead of his inaugural mass on Tuesday.

Port Stanley, Falklands

She noted that Pope John Paul II had mediated in a similar conflict between Argentina and Chile in 1978 over the Beagle channel and adjoining islands - which prevented a full fledged armed conflict.

According to media reports, in 2011 the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires said: "The Malvinas (Falklands) are ours".

Last week, 99.8% of Falkland Islanders voted to stay under British rule in a referendum - with Prime Minister David Cameron warning that Argentina should take "careful note" of the result.

But Argentina insisted the vote was illegal and pointless because the people had no role in deciding a dispute between two sovereign states.

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