Mali: French Air Strikes Drive Back Militants

Mali's army has driven back Islamist rebels from a strategic central town after France intervened with air strikes to stop militants controlling the country's desert north from advancing.

One French pilot has been killed in the military action and hundreds of French soldiers have been deployed in the West African country.

French President Francois Hollande took action at the request of interim President Dioncounda Traore, who has declared a state of emergency.

Western governments expressed alarm on Thursday after an al Qaeda-linked rebel alliance captured the town of Konna, a gateway towards the capital Bamako 600km (375 miles) south.

The Malian army has said it was attacking the "last pockets of resistance" by insurgents in Konna after they recaptured it with the help of the French.

It said as many as 100 Islamist fighters had been killed in the battle for Konna.

The UN's Sahel envoy Romano Prodi, left, and President Dioncounda Traore

Mr Hollande said the "terrorist groups, drug traffickers and extremists" in northern Mali "show a brutality that threatens us all." He vowed that the operation would last "as long as necessary".

The West African regional bloc ECOWAS has now authorised the immediate deployment of troops to Mali.

The bloc's commission president Kadre Desire Ouedraogo said it made the decision "in light of the urgency of the situation".

For the past nine months, the Islamic militants have controlled a large swathe of northern Mali, a lawless desert region where kidnapping has flourished.

Mr Hollande said the operation was aimed in part at protecting 6,000 French citizens in Mali, including seven who are being held captive.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Senegal and Nigeria also responded to an appeal from Mali's president for help to counter the militants.

Late last year, the 15 nations in West Africa, including Mali, agreed on a proposal for the military to take back the north, and sought backing from the UN.

The Security Council authorised the intervention but imposed certain conditions, including the training of Mali's military, which has been accused of serious human rights abuses since a military coup last year sent the nation into disarray.

Al Qaeda's affiliate in Africa has been a shadowy presence for years in the forests and deserts of poverty-stricken Mali.

Most Malians adhere to a moderate form of Islam, but in recent months the terrorist group and its allies have taken advantage of political instability, taking territory they use to stock weapons and train forces.

The Islamists have insisted they want to impose Sharia only in northern Mali, though there long have been fears they could push further south.

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China Landslide Leaves Dozens Dead

A landslide sweeping through a village in the snow-dusted mountains of southern China has killed 46 people, including many children.

The last three bodies were pulled out of the debris on Saturday morning, after a night of rescue efforts by more than 1,000 workers.

The landslide smashed into the remote village of Gappo, in Zhenxiong County, on Friday morning, leaving 16 homes in complete ruin.

Those buried included 27 adults and 19 children, the official Xinhua news agency said. Two other people have been taken to hospital.

Rescue crews used construction machinery to sift through piles of mud and earth, but efforts were hampered by the unusually cold temperatures that have hit the country.

Soldiers, police and firefighters joined the rescue efforts.

Li Yongju, 50, said she had heard the crash of the landslide while cleaning her yard, and immediately rushed with other villagers to the disaster site with shovels and hoes.

"We pulled out several people, one of whom was breathing weakly. But after a while he died," Xinhua quoted Ms Li as saying.

Rescuers carry the body of a victim after a landslide hit Zhenxiong county

Another resident wept as she recounted hearing the rumble of the landslide and how her relatives had been killed.

"My grandma, brother, uncle and my aunt's family members died," Zhou Benju told the agency.

A preliminary investigation blames saturation from more than 10 days of rain and snow for the disaster, the local county government of Zhenxiong said in a statement posted on its website.

Premier Wen Jiabao travelled to the scene overnight to comfort survivors, many of whom had taken shelter in tents erected on a public square.

Zhenxiong County, in northeast Yunnan, is a mountainous area prone not just to landslides but also earthquakes.

Two quakes in September - one of magnitude 5.7 - left 81 people dead and hundreds injured.

A month later, a neighbouring county was hit by a landslide that left 18 children dead.

As a relatively impoverished area of China, Yunnan's rural houses are often cheaply constructed and easily demolished when natural disasters strike.

Zhenxiong County is best known for tobacco and Pu'er tea production.

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Costa Concordia To Be Removed By September

The stricken ship Costa Concordia will be removed from the Italian coast between June and September, officials have said.

The vessel has been resting on its side off the Tuscan coast since it capsized last year killing 32 people.

Franco Gabrielli, the chief of Italy's Social Defence Department, spoke to reporters on the eve of the first anniversary of the disaster.

He highlighted the difficulties of the salvage operation, saying the ship would be removed between June and September depending on weather conditions.

The Concordia slammed into a reef off the island of Giglio on January 13, 2012 after its captain took it off course in a stunt to bring the ship closer to the island. As it took water in, she ship rolled onto its side.

Captain Francesco Schettino has been accused of multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and leaving the ship before all passengers were evacuated.

Since the tragedy, the Costa Concordia has turned into a macabre tourist attraction, with hundreds of sightseers catching a ferry from Porto Santo Stefano to Giglio so they can look at the 300ft ship and take pictures before returning to the mainland.

The Concordia sinking shortly after it struck rocks

Sunday's anniversary commemorations in Giglio include a ceremony to honour rescue teams and a mass held in the island's tiny church, where many of the injured were treated. A memorial in honour of the 32 dead will also be unveiled.

But the commemorations have been marred by controversy over a letter reportedly sent by ship owner Costa Crociere to survivors, telling them not to bother attending the ceremonies.

The company cited logistical difficulties on the tiny island and the desire for privacy expressed by the families of the victims, according to news reports.

Some 4,200 people between passengers and crews survived the tragedy.

More follows...

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Somalia Hostage Raid: French Agent 'Killed'

France has said one of its soldiers and an intelligence agent have been killed in a failed hostage rescue attempt in Somalia.

The agent, who is code-named Denis Allex and was captured by militants in 2009, died in the fighting with Islamists overnight, the French government said.

However, the Al Shabaab militia is reported to have said he is still alive.

Another special forces soldier is missing following the fighting, France's defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.

He said 17 Somali Islamists had been killed and that the operation was not linked to a separate military operation in Mali aimed at quashing a push by Islamist fighters.

Al Shabaab has reportedly said Mr Allex remained in their captivity and was being held far from the base where French helicopters attacked in the early hours of Saturday.

The al Qaeda-linked insurgents also said they were holding an injured French soldier.

Both sides described a fierce firefight during the raid on the Horn of Africa country that French said was carried out by the intelligence agency that Mr Allex worked for.

The raid happened in Bula Marer, a town around 75 miles south of Mogadishu

Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sam Kiley said questions remained about whether the raid was planned because France feared repercussions from its operation in Mali.

He said: "It seems a long way away but ideologically - and, according to some intelligence agencies, physically - the Shabaab have been linked into a network of radical Islamist groups (in countries including Mali).

"There may have been some sense among French decision-makers that because they were getting involved in Mali, they ought to trigger this operation."

However, Kiley said it was more likely that France had received local intelligence in Somalia that there was a threat to the hostage.

The French government said: "Faced with the intransigence of the terrorists, who refused to negotiate for three-and-a-half years and who were holding Denis Allex in inhumane conditions, an operation was planned and carried out."

Authorities in Bula Marer, a town about 120km (75 miles) south of Mogadishu, said helicopters attacked at around 2am local time.

France said Mr Allex was kidnapped - along with another agent who later escaped - when he was carrying out an official aid mission with the Somalian government.

France has previously said the two men were in the Somali capital to train local forces.

After his abduction Al Shabaab issued a series of demands, which included an end to French support for the Somali government and the withdrawal of African Union peacekeepers, whose 17,600-strong troops are helping battle the rebels.

A video of Mr Allex pleading with French President Francois Hollande to negotiate his release appeared on a website in October.

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Batman Cinema Shootings Suspect To Face Trial

A judge has ordered that the man suspected of killing 12 people in a cinema shooting in Aurora, Colorado, should stand trial.

Judge William Sylvester found that prosecutors had established there was "probable cause" to believe James Holmes committed the crimes.

"Therefore the court orders that defendant shall be bound over for trial on all counts," he wrote in a 61-page ruling posted online.

The 25-year-old has been charged with 166 offences following the shooting during a showing of The Dark Knight Rises in July.

Holmes will be formally charged, alhough his lawyers have said he is not ready to enter a plea.

He could face the death penalty if convicted.

A promising neuroscience student, Holmes began to stock up on weapons, ammunition, explosives and combat gear in the spring of last year.

He began to see a university psychiatrist and then dropped out of his course.

The Aurora rampage was one of a number of mass shootings in the US last year, culminating with the killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, which have raised the issue of gun control.

A review ordered by President Barack Obama is due to report back within weeks, but the gun lobby has signalled it will oppose new restrictions.

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Japan Ups Defence Spending Over China Tension

Japan has announced plans to increase its defence budget for the first time in a decade as tensions with China continue to increase.

As part of a broad stimulus package announced by Shinzo Abe, Japan's new prime minister, the military budget will be boosted by more than 100bn yen (£695m) from the 4.6trn yen (£30bn) budget in 2012.

A defence ministry spokesman said the funds were needed "to prepare for the changing security environment surrounding Japan".

Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing are at their highest in decades over a small group of islands in the East China Sea.

Both countries claim the five islands and three reefs which are located due west of Okinawa and to the northeast of Taiwan.

American and British diplomatic sources have told Sky News they are very concerned about the tensions.

Protests have occurred in both Japan and China over the islands

One source said an accidental clash between the two countries' militaries which are increasingly active in the region could spark conflict.

Known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan and as the Diaoyu Islands by China, the uninhabited outcrops were 'officially' bought by the government of Japan from their private Japanese owner last year.

It was an attempt by the Japanese government to prevent the nationalist and right-wing governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara, from buying them himself - a move which would have sparked even greater tensions.

However, the government purchase caused huge anger in China with protests at Japanese institutions across the country. An unofficial but widespread boycott of Japanese goods in China hit an already struggling Japanese economy.

The governments of both countries have been accused of stoking nationalism to ramp up tensions and deflect from their own domestic political struggles.

There have been clashes between vessels

An increased military presence in the East China Sea, a vital international shipping lane, is also causing some concern in the region and beyond.

On Thursday, the Japanese media said Tokyo had scrambled fighter jets in response to a sighting of Chinese 'military' planes near the disputed islands.

The Chinese planes were not within Japanese airspace but were within a Japanese designated 'air defence identification zone'.

It is the second time in two months that Japan has scrambled jets in response to Chinese aerial activity.

In December, Japanese F-15 fighter jets were dispatched from an air base in Okinawa after a light-aircraft belonging to China's Maritime Surveillance Organisation was spotted over the islands.

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Japan Unveils Huge Economic Stimulus Package

Japan Increases Defence Spending

Updated: 10:54am UK, Friday 11 January 2013

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

Japan has announced plans to increase its defence budget for the first time in a decade as tensions with China continue to increase.

As part of a broad stimulus package announced by Shinzo Abe, Japan's new prime minister, the military budget will be boosted by more than 100bn yen (£695m) from the 4.6trn yen (£30bn) budget in 2012.

A defence ministry spokesman said the funds were needed "to prepare for the changing security environment surrounding Japan".

Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing are at their highest in decades over a small group of islands in the East China Sea.

Both countries claim the five islands and three reefs which are located due west of Okinawa and to the northeast of Taiwan.

American and British diplomatic sources have told Sky News they are very concerned about the tensions.

One source said an accidental clash between the two countries' militaries which are increasingly active in the region could spark conflict.

Known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan and as the Diaoyu Islands by China, the uninhabited outcrops were 'officially' bought by the government of Japan from their private Japanese owner last year.

It was an attempt by the Japanese government to prevent the nationalist and right-wing governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara, from buying them himself - a move which would have sparked even greater tensions.

However, the government purchase caused huge anger in China with protests at Japanese institutions across the country. An unofficial but widespread boycott of Japanese goods in China hit an already struggling Japanese economy.

The governments of both countries have been accused of stoking nationalism to ramp up tensions and deflect from their own domestic political struggles.

An increased military presence in the East China Sea, a vital international shipping lane, is also causing some concern in the region and beyond.

On Thursday, the Japanese media said Tokyo had scrambled fighter jets in response to a sighting of Chinese 'military' planes near the disputed islands.

The Chinese planes were not within Japanese airspace but were within a Japanese designated 'air defence identification zone'.

It is the second time in two months that Japan has scrambled jets in response to Chinese aerial activity.

In December, Japanese F-15 fighter jets were dispatched from an air base in Okinawa after a light-aircraft belonging to China's Maritime Surveillance Organisation was spotted over the islands.

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Dreamliner Hit By Fifth Fault This Week

A fifth Boeing Dreamliner fault has been discovered in as many days, raising more fears over the aircraft's safety.

Oil was discovered leaking from the left engine of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight operated by All Nippon Airways (ANA) on Friday.

An ANA spokeswoman said the leak was found after the domestic flight landed safely at Miyazaki airport in southern Japan.

It came on the same day another Japanese 787 suffered a cracked cockpit window while in flight on a domestic route.

ANA said crew noticed a spider web-like crack in a window in front of the pilot's seat about 70 minutes into Friday's flight, which was close to its destination.

The Dreamliner, the world's first carbon-composite airliner, which has a list price of $207m (£128m), has been beset by problems this week.

Boston fire crews attend the JAL plane after it filled with smoke

According to Reuters, US transportation officials will hold a news conference at 2.30pm GMT to discuss issues related to recent problems on the new plane.

Other reports said aviation officials would review the engine systems and reliability on long-haul transocean routes.

The Dreamliner was designed to use power plants made by General Electric and Britain's Rolls-Royce.

On Wednesday, a domestic flight was halted by ANA because brake parts to the rear left undercarriage needed replacing, a spokesman at Yamaguchi Ube Airport said.

A Japan Air Lines (JAL) jet was also grounded at Boston Logan International airport in the US following an engine fuel leak.

About 40 gallons of fuel spilled from the jet that was supposed to be bound for Tokyo.

That event followed the first incident of the week, which also occurred at Boston, on Monday.

Emergency services had been called after another JAL 787 filled with smoke shortly after passengers and crew had disembarked.

An investigator in the US examines a Boeing 787

Firefighters used infrared cameras to locate the fire in a battery pack in the belly of a different Boeing 787 and extinguished the blaze within 20 minutes.

The 787 Dreamliner made its first commercial flight in late 2011, after a series of production delays put deliveries more than three years behind schedule.

By the end of last year, Boeing had sold 848 Dreamliners, and delivered 49. JAL and ANA operate 24 of the planes.

After the Boston events, British carriers including BA, Virgin Atlantic and Thomson Airways reaffirmed their plans to integrate 787s into fleets this year and next.

In India - where state-owned Air India has taken delivery of six Dreamliners and has more on order - a senior official at the aviation regulator said there was concern at the recent spate of 787 glitches.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has not ordered any Dreamliner checks for now, but is waiting for a safety report from the US National Transportation Safety Board, the official said.

Meanwhile, an Air India spokesman said the airline's debut Dreamliner flight from India to Paris on Thursday went without a hitch.

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Saudi Arabia Beheads Young Sri Lankan Maid

A young Sri Lankan housemaid has been beheaded in Saudi Arabia for killing a baby who was in her care.

Rizana Nafeek had denied strangling the four-month-old baby in 2005 and the execution came despite global appeals to call it off because she was only 17 at the time.

Rights groups said the death sentence was a violation of international codes governing the rights of minors.

Appeals by the Sri Lankan government were also rejected and Nafeek was executed in the town of Dawadmy, near the capital Riyadh, on Wednesday morning.

A Sri Lankan woman protesting against the death sentence

In a statement the Saudi interior ministry said she had been found guilty of smothering the infant to death after an argument with the child's mother, her employer.

Sri Lanka's President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, had made a series of personal appeals to try to stop the execution and grant a pardon to the maid.

Afterwards, the president said he and his government "deplored" the beheading.

Saudi households are highly dependent on housemaids from African and South Asian countries.

There have been reported cases of domestic abuse in which families mistreat their maids, who have then attacked the children of their employers.

Condemning the execution, Human Rights Watch senior women's rights researcher Nisha Varia said: "Saudi Arabia is one of just three countries that executes people for crimes they committed as children.

"In executing Rizana Nafeek, Saudi authorities demonstrated callous disregard for basic humanity as well as Saudi Arabia's international legal obligations."

Saudi is an absolute monarchy that follows the strict Wahhabi school of Islam and applies Sharia (Islamic) law. Judges base decisions on their own interpretation of Sharia rather than on a written legal code or on precedent.

In a statement Amnesty International said that it appeared Nafeek had had no access to lawyers either during her pre-trial interrogation or at her trial in 2007.

Hers was the second execution in Saudi Arabia this year after a Syrian man was beheaded on Tuesday for drug trafficking.

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Half Of All Food Produced Is 'Thrown Away'

As much as half of all the food produced in the world - two billion tonnes worth - ends up being thrown away, a new report claims.

The waste is caused by poor infrastructure and storage facilities, over-strict sell-by dates, "get-one-free" offers, and consumer fussiness, according to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Each year countries around the world produce some four billion tonnes of food.

But between 30% and 50% of this total, amounting to 1.2 to 2 billion tonnes, never gets eaten, says the report Global Food; Waste Not, Want Not.

In the UK, up to 30% of vegetable crops are not harvested because their physical appearance fails to meet the exacting demands of consumers.

Half the food purchased in Europe and the US is thrown away after it is bought, the report adds.

Vast quantities of water are also wasted in global food production, it is claimed.

Around 550 billion cubic metres of water is used to grow crops that never reach the consumer, according to the report.

Producing one kilogram of meat is also said to take 20 to 50 times more water than producing the same weight of vegetables.

The report hits out at supermarkets for encouraging over-buying

The demand for water in food production could reach 10 to 13 trillion cubic metres a year by 2050, the institution said.

This is up to 3.5 times greater than the total amount of fresh water used by humans today, raising the spectre of dangerous water shortages.

Dr Tim Fox, head of energy and environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: "The amount of food wasted and lost around the world is staggering.

"This is food that could be used to feed the world's growing population - as well as those in hunger today.

"It is also an unnecessary waste of the land, water and energy resources that were used in the production, processing and distribution of this food."

He blamed the situation on poor engineering and agricultural practices, inadequate transport and storage infrastructure, and supermarkets demanding cosmetically perfect foodstuffs and encouraging consumers to overbuy through buy-one-get-one free offers.

By 2075 the United Nations predicts that the world's population will reach around 9.5 billion, resulting in an extra three billion mouths to feed.

Added stresses on the ability of the world to feed itself include global warming and the growing popularity of meat, which requires around 10 times more resources than staple plant foods such as rice or potatoes.

Dr Fox called on governments, development agencies and organisations like the UN to "work together to help change people's mindsets on waste and discourage wasteful practices by farmers, food producers, supermarkets and consumers".

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Sandusky To Argue He Did Not Get Fair Trial

Lawyers for Jerry Sandusky are due to argue he did not get a fair trial ahead of his sentencing to 30 years in prison.

The former Penn State assistant football coach contends his defence team did not have enough time to prepare for the case in June when he was found guilty of child sex abuse charges.

The hearing on Thursday in Bellefonte - in front of the original trial judge John Cleland - will be told Sandusky's lawyers were swamped by prosecution materials.

They will point to a Supreme Court ruling that defence attorneys must undertake "reasonable investigations".

"Given the vast amount of material the prosecution turned over at the 11th hour, it is clear counsel could not come close to fulfilling this obligation," wrote attorneys Joe Amendola and Norris Gelman.

In addition, the defence lawyers are challenging hearsay testimony by a janitorial supervisor who told jurors that a co-worker had seen Sandusky raping a boy known as Victim 8, who has never been identified by the authorities.

They argue that the judge should have issued jury instructions on how long it took victims to report their abuse.

They also claim some charges were so general and nonspecific that they should have been dismissed.

Sandusky's lawyers say he has waived other challenges, including whether the statute of limitations had run out on some of the charges, whether his sentence was excessive and whether jurors should have been sequestered.

Sandusky arrived on Wednesday at the Centre County Correctional Facility in Bellefonte. He is serving his sentence at Greene State Prison in the state's southwest corner, nearly 200 miles away.

The 68-year-old maintains his innocence.

Judge Cleland can either rule from the bench or issue a written decision later.

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India Gang Rape: Men 'Beaten For Confessions'

A lawyer for three of the men charged with murdering and gang-raping a student in Delhi has accused the police of brutality.

Speaking before a hearing at the city's Saket District Court, ML Sharma claimed the men had been beaten while in custody.

He said: "They (the police) have used the third degree to extract the statement that suits the evidence they have collected.

"My clients have been forced to confess to crimes that they did not commit."

A police spokesman refused to comment on the allegations.

Mr Sharma represents three of the five men accused of raping a 23-year-old medical student on a bus in Delhi on December 16.

She died in hospital in Singapore 13 days after the attack, which sparked mass protests across India.

Mr Sharma's clients are expected to plead not guilty to the charges they face.

All five men are due in court later, when the case is expected to be transferred to a fast-track trial court.

If convicted, they could face the death penalty.

A sixth accused, who is 17, will be tried in a separate court for juveniles.

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Four Children Die In Georgia House Fire

Four children, including a baby, have been killed in a house fire in the Atlanta area of Georgia.

The other victims were aged three, five and seven.

The fire broke out late on Tuesday night on the second floor of a duplex in Conyers.

 Police Major Mike Waters told Atlanta television station WAGA-TV that the children's mother rushed upstairs but was only able to save her 5-year-old son by throwing him out of a window.

The boy suffered a broken collar bone and was transported to a local hospital.

The mother who suffered 40% burns, also jumped out of the window.

A grandmother managed to get out of the building unharmed.

The fire broke out at a home on Pinedale Circle, Conyers. Pic: WSB-TV

Major Waters told reporters that a neighbour tried to help.

"There was one neighbour that tried his best to get in a rear window but the flames were too strong, and there was no way he could get in," he said.

Police officers arrived on the scene quickly after the fire was reported. 

Flames were already coming down the stairs, as they tried unsuccessfully to put it out with handheld fire extinguishers.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

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Wedding Balloon Crash Captured On Video

A sunset wedding ceremony on board a hot air balloon ended in terror after a gust of wind forced the pilot to make a crash landing.

One of the 14 people in the balloon suffered a minor back injury after it was dragged over a wall and into the garden of a home in San Diego, California.

The newly-weds, Kerin and Jonathan Narcisse, told a local TV station the gust hit the balloon just after they exchanged their vows.

A member of the wedding party captured the moment the balloon landed on a hillside fence behind the house.

Footage then showed the blue and yellow balloon draped over nearby trees.

The couple went on to their reception after the crash.

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Bobcat In Garage Mauling Had Rabies

The bobcat that attacked a man and his nephew in their garage had rabies, officials in Massachusetts have confirmed.

"The bobcat has been proven to be rabid," announced Stephen Comtois, Brookfield town board chairman.

He warned local people to be "on high alert for wildlife", according to the Worcester Telegram.

Roger Mundell Jr had described how all he heard on Sunday evening was a hiss before the wild cat pounced on him.

It sank its teeth into his face and its claws in his back.

The bobcat then ran out of the garage in Brookfield and bit Mr Mundell's 15-year-old nephew on the arms and back.

"It only took a split second for him to be on me," Mr Mundell told Boston's WHDH-TV. "I didn't have time to process it."

Mr Mundell and his wife eventually pinned the cat to the ground with a walking stick and shot it dead with a handgun.

His wife was not bitten but she came into contact with the animal's blood.

All three were already being treated for rabies as a precaution, given the bobcat's unusual behaviour.

Health officials said the positive result was expected.

"We were not surprised because the animal was so aggressive," they said.

Bobcats are generally twice the size of an average domestic house cat.

They can grow to more than a metre (40ins) in length and can weigh up to 14kg (30lb).

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Kashmir: Pakistan Troops 'Behead' Indian Soldier

One of the two Indian soldiers killed in a clash along the disputed Kashmir border was beheaded by Pakistani troops who then carried away his head, India's chief military spokesman has claimed.

"We can confirm that one of the Indian soldiers was beheaded by the Pakistani army in Kashmir," J Dahiya said.

"They have taken away the head."

Indian military chiefs said one of their army patrols was attacked byPakistani troops who crossed the so-called Line of Control dividing the region and violated a ceasefire.

Their deaths followed another disputed incident on Sunday, when Pakistan said Indian army troops attacked one of their bases and killed a soldier.

Each sides disputes the others description of events in recent days.

Checkpoints along the disputed Line of Control in Kashmir

However, Dahiya accused the Pakistanis of being "in a state of denial".

"We are absolutely convinced Pakistan army regulars were involved because it was a surgical strike with high-calibre weapons," he said

The countries have fought two full-scale wars over Kashmir, which is claimed by both of them and is divided between them.

A 2003 ceasefire ended the most recent round of fighting, though each side occasionally accuses the other of violating it by using mortars or shooting across the border dividing the Indian and Pakistani sides of Kashmir.

It had been hoped that the relationship between the two countries was improving after new visa rules were announced in December, designed to make cross-border travel easier.

They have also been taking steps to improve cross-border trade.

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Australian Bushfires: 'Catastrophic' Conditions

The Australian state of New South Wales is experiencing one of the highest-risk fire days in its history, with temperatures climbing above 40C.

Firefighters are battling over 100 wildfires raging across the southeast of the country, with more than 20 deemed out of control.

Officials have evacuated national parks, warning that blistering temperatures and high winds are causing "catastrophic" fire conditions in some areas.

All state forests and national parks have been closed as a precaution and total fire bans are in place with temperatures expected to reach as high as 45C in some places.

Strong winds are also forecast, which could fan the flames in unpredictable directions.

There are warnings across New South Wales

Thousands of firefighters are on standby across the nation's most populous state of New South Wales.

NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said: "We are shaping up for one of the worst fire danger days on record.

"You don't get conditions worse than this. We are at the catastrophic level and clearly in those areas leaving early is your safest option."

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard urged people to stay safe as she warned the nation to prepare for possibly its worst day of bushfires.

She told Australian television: "This is a very dangerous day.

The Boomer Bay area was devastated by flames earlier in the week

"We of course are very concerned about these extreme weather conditions in New South Wales. The word catastrophic is being used for very good reason, So it is very important that people keep themselves safe."

One of the worst uncontained fires on Tuesday was around Cooma, about 100km (62 miles) south of the capital city Canberra.

The fire danger in the state of Victoria is also high. The main concern is about a blaze in the southwest, which has already burnt out more than 7,000 hectares of bushland.

No deaths had been reported, although officials in Tasmania were still trying to find around 100 residents who have been missing since a fire tore through the small town of Dunalley, east of the state capital of Hobart, last week, destroying around 90 homes. No bodies were found during preliminary checks of the ruined houses.

Wildfires have scorched 20,000 hectares of forests and farmland across southern Tasmania since Friday.

Bushfires are common during the Australian summer. In February 2009, hundreds of fires across Victoria killed 173 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.

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Afghanistan: Green On Blue Attacks Rising

The central role of the foreign forces deployed in Afghanistan is to train the national army and police to a level so they can maintain order in the country and counter the threat of the Taliban when Nato withdraws by the end of 2014.

Given the scale of the task and the speed with which it has to be completed, many have always doubted it could be achieved to anything but a mediocre level.

The advent and increasing growth of so-called "Green on Blue" attacks, where Afghans turn their weapons on their foreign mentors, is in danger of making even that mediocre goal seem almost impossible.

The bulk of the training and mentoring is carried out by British and American forces based in Helmand and Kandahar.

These are the two most deadly provinces, where the Taliban are strongest and where the production of opium-providing poppies gives them an unstoppable revenue stream.

The latest attack happened in Nar-e Saraj in Helmand Province

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the latest attack that killed a soldier from 28 Engineer Regiment. That may or may not be true, but they have promised to infiltrate for years and the poppy revenue gives them the ability to pay would-be converts far more than the Afghan government pays its armed forces.

Isaf force commanders have attempted to introduce protocols to protect their people.

On patrol and in remote camps soldiers regularly appoint a colleague, a so-called Guardian Angel, to watch their backs while they work, soldiers always carry loaded weapons, counter-intelligence has been boosted and recruitment procedures have been tightened to better assess who is signing up.

The effect: Relations between Nato personnel and their Afghan colleagues have worsened and the Green on Blue attacks have actually got worse.

Nato commanders and the Afghan government have continued to maintain that these attacks are largely a clash of cultures.

It is claimed Afghan soldiers angered by a perception of Western decadence and lack of respect, or angered at carrying out orders from foreign mentors, "snap" and attack unexpectedly.

Certainly this has happened. I have been on many joint patrols where relations between the two forces have been terrible. But in my experience the British soldiers do almost all the hard work; manually stacking water and food, lighting fires and - oh yes - actually doing all the fighting.

I have witnessed many instances where young British soldiers have slept outside in freezing conditions rather than risk being sexually molested by Afghan soldiers and thereby avoiding an understandable and likely confrontation.

However, there have been some well documented atrocities by American soldiers on civilians and also stories about the desecration of the Koran and the bodies of dead Taliban fighters. Those, and the policy of night raids (now greatly controlled and reduced) on villages that have led to civilian casualties, certainly acted as a recruiting sergeant for the Taliban.

But in reality, having realised they couldn't defeat the Western forces, the Taliban have moulded their war of attrition to suit their strengths. Persuading men to turn against the army, the police and their mentors is certainly part of their plan.

The Taliban know that the war is unpopular in the West. They know that more deaths, when the withdrawal is imminent, seem a pointless waste to much of the population in the coalition countries.

The decision to announce a timetable for the withdrawal, and sticking to it, means the Taliban have no desire to negotiate anything. They can bide their time and undermine the credibility of the whole Afghan project.

When the withdrawal happens the Taliban will strengthen its grip on the south of the country and use its opium revenues to fund a potential civil war with the cities where the government clings to power.

President Karzai travels to the US this week to meet President Obama for talks about future troop levels. He can be certain that the Green on Blue issue will be at the top of the agenda.

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Ivory Poachers Kill Elephant Family In Kenya

A family of 11 elephants has been killed by poachers in Kenya in what officials describe as the biggest single mass shooting of the animals on record in the country.

A gang of about 10 attackers hacked off the elephants' tusks in Tsavo East National Park on Saturday, officials said - the latest sign of a rise of mostly Asian demand for ivory jewellery and ornaments.

"It shows the great lengths these criminal cartels are ready to go to get ivory. It's really tragic," Kenya Wildlife Service spokesman Paul Udo said.

He said it was the worst single incident of its kind recorded in the East African country.

Smuggled elephant tusks recovered from Nairobi airport last year

Elephant poaching in Kenya fell sharply after 1989 when the government banned trade in ivory.

But there has been a rise in the illegal practice in recent years.

Demand for ornamental ivory is rising fast in Asia in tandem with growing Chinese influence and investment in Africa.

The Kenya Wildlife Service said foot, dog and aerial units were hunting the gang.

"The entire family of 11 elephants have been confirmed poached and tusks chopped off. All the carcasses had bullet wounds," the service said in a statement.

In May last year, 359 tusks weighing 1.6 tons impounded in Sri Lanka were found to have come from Kenya's Mombasa port.

Then, last October, police found 214 tusks worth £820,000 hidden in a coffin and fertiliser bags in neighbouring Tanzania.

Smugglers had planned to transport the ivory to Kenya for onward shipment to Asia, police said.

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British Soldier Shot Dead In Afghanistan

Green On Blue Attacks Worsening

Updated: 12:19pm UK, Tuesday 08 January 2013

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent

The central role of the foreign forces deployed in Afghanistan is to train the national army and police to a level so they can maintain order in the country and counter the threat of the Taliban when Nato withdraws by the end of 2014.

Given the scale of the task and the speed with which it has to be completed, many have always doubted it could be achieved to anything but a mediocre level.

The advent and increasing growth of so-called "Green on Blue" attacks, where Afghans turn their weapons on their foreign mentors, is in danger of making even that mediocre goal seem almost impossible.

The bulk of the training and mentoring is carried out by British and American forces based in Helmand and Kandahar.

These are the two most deadly provinces, where the Taliban are strongest and where the production of opium-providing poppies gives them an unstoppable revenue stream.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the latest attack that killed a soldier from 28 Engineer Regiment. That may or may not be true, but they have promised to infiltrate for years and the poppy revenue gives them the ability to pay would-be converts far more than the Afghan government pays its armed forces.

Isaf force commanders have attempted to introduce protocols to protect their people.

On patrol and in remote camps soldiers regularly appoint a colleague, a so-called Guardian Angel, to watch their backs while they work, soldiers always carry loaded weapons, counter-intelligence has been boosted and recruitment procedures have been tightened to better assess who is signing up.

The effect: Relations between Nato personnel and their Afghan colleagues have worsened and the Green on Blue attacks have actually got worse.

Nato commanders and the Afghan government have continued to maintain that these attacks are largely a clash of cultures.

It is claimed Afghan soldiers angered by a perception of Western decadence and lack of respect, or angered at carrying out orders from foreign mentors, "snap" and attack unexpectedly.

Certainly this has happened. I have been on many joint patrols where relations between the two forces have been terrible. But in my experience the British soldiers do almost all the hard work; manually stacking water and food, lighting fires and - oh yes - actually doing all the fighting.

I have witnessed many instances where young British soldiers have slept outside in freezing conditions rather than risk being sexually molested by Afghan soldiers and thereby avoiding an understandable and likely confrontation.

However, there have been some well documented atrocities by American soldiers on civilians and also stories about the desecration of the Koran and the bodies of dead Taliban fighters. Those, and the policy of night raids (now greatly controlled and reduced) on villages that have led to civilian casualties, certainly acted as a recruiting sergeant for the Taliban.

But in reality, having realised they couldn't defeat the Western forces, the Taliban have moulded their war of attrition to suit their strengths. Persuading men to turn against the army, the police and their mentors is certainly part of their plan.

The Taliban know that the war is unpopular in the West. They know that more deaths, when the withdrawal is imminent, seem a pointless waste to much of the population in the coalition countries.

The decision to announce a timetable for the withdrawal, and sticking to it, means the Taliban have no desire to negotiate anything. They can bide their time and undermine the credibility of the whole Afghan project.

When the withdrawal happens the Taliban will strengthen its grip on the south of the country and use its opium revenues to fund a potential civil war with the cities where the government clings to power.

President Karzai travels to the US this week to meet President Obama for talks about future troop levels. He can be certain that the Green on Blue issue will be at the top of the agenda.

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Costa Concordia: 'Stupid' Tourists Rescued

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

Coastguards have criticised five German cruise ship passengers who hired an inflatable boat to get a close-up look at the wrecked Costa Concordia liner.

The group, including two children, had to be rescued after their tiny boat was swamped by waves, whipped up by storm force winds. All were suffering from the effects of the cold.

Officials said the party were holidaymakers from the Costa Magica, a cruise liner from the same Costa Cruises fleet as the ill-fated Concordia, which struck rocks last year leaving 32 people dead off the Italian island of Giglio.

The Germans had arrived at Civitavecchia and made their way to Porto Santo Stefano where they hired the boat so they could take a look at the stricken Concordia which is still lying on rocks just outside the entrance to Giglio harbour.

Although they managed to sail the 10 miles from Porto Santo Stefano without any problem, on the return leg the weather suddenly changed and the boat got into difficulties.

But it managed to stay afloat and they were picked up by a coastguard vessel which took them back to the mainland.

The Concordia continues to lie on its side off the Italian coast

Once on dry land, they were given hot drinks and wrapped in thermal blankets and after being given the all-clear by paramedics they were taken back to Civitavecchia where they resumed their cruise ship holiday.

A coastguard spokesman in Porto Santo Stefano said: ''It was a pretty stupid thing to do. They were lucky that it ended as it did - they could have quite easily sank.

"The strong wind created high waves and they were having trouble controlling their inflatable boat. They were all cold and wet but grateful for the fact we were on hand.

"They suffered no lasting effects but we did tell them not to try anything similar in the future.''

Since it crashed into the rocks last year, the Costa Concordia has turned into a macabre tourist attraction with hundreds of sightseers catching a ferry from Porto Santo Stefano to Giglio so they can look at the 300ft ship and take pictures before returning to the mainland.

The ship had just left Civitavecchia and was on a seven-day cruise with more than 4,000 passengers and crew on board when captain Francesco Schettino is said to have altered the course so he could carry out a sail-by salute of Giglio to show off to passengers and islanders.

He is now facing charges of multiple manslaughter as well as abandoning his ship while passengers and crew were still on board and needing to be rescued.

A trial is expected to start later this year and the operation to remove the vessel is not expected to be completed until the summer - 18 months after the disaster.

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Shanghai Market Fire Kills Six People

Six people have been killed after a fire tore through a wholesale market in Shanghai.

The blaze broke out at around 8.30pm on Sunday, but firefighters were unable to control it for several hours.

Rescuers are still searching for casualties inside the gutted market, located in the city's Pudong district.

People injured in the blaze were being treated at Changhai Hospital in Shanghai, many with severe burns.

Among those in hospital was a nine-year-old girl.

The Shanghai agricultural products market is the city's largest wholesale market for farm produce.

An investigation has been launched into the cause of the blaze.

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China Journalists On Strike Over Censorship

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent in Beijing

More than 100 journalists at one of China's most respected newspapers have gone on strike in a rare protest against censorship.

The strike has won huge support on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter

The staff at Southern Weekend, based in the southern city of Guangzhou, walked out after a New Year editorial article written by them was altered on the orders of the Communist Party's local propaganda boss.

The workers accuse Tuo Zhen, Guangdong's provincial propaganda chief, of having their words changed into a message of praise for China's Communist Party.

The original article, which was an end-of-year editorial, was titled "China's Dream: the dream of constitutionalism". According to those who saw the original piece, it had argued that "only by realising rule by constitution, effectively checking power, can citizens vocally criticise authority".

However, the article which appeared in the paper was markedly different. There was no mention of political reform within it and it claimed that the people of China are "closer than ever to their dream of renaissance".

The authorities have tried to block any mention of the story

It is understood the staff decided to strike after a disagreement over who controls the newspaper's micro-blogging account. A statement had been issued on the account denying that the editorial had been altered.

Outside the newspaper's offices, protesters held hand-written signs that said "freedom of expression is not a crime" and "Chinese people want freedom".

The journalists' stand has attracted huge support on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, despite attempts by the authorities to block any mention of the story. Sky News staff in Beijing monitoring the Weibo website watched posts which mentioned the story being deleted by the censors as quickly as they appeared.

Among the posts seen by Sky News were some by prominent Chinese journalists in support of their striking colleagues.

Censors delete any mention of the strike on Weibo

Columnist Li Qing compared China's undemocratic rise with the introduction of democracy in neighbouring Burma.

Mr Li wrote: "Imagine when you standing in front of a small country like Burma and speak to him arrogantly: 'I have the tallest building in Asia, do you have it?' He shakes his head; you say: 'I have the aircraft carrier, do you have it?' He shakes again. When you are thinking what to say the next, he suddenly asks: 'I have the newspaper with freedom, do you have it?' Then how undignified you would be?!"

Magazine editor Lin Tianhong posted: "All these years, all of us, our articles were killed, our mouth was forced to shut, we were forced to keep silent. So we started to get used to it, start to confirm ourselves, start to get familiar with the borders and lines between brightness and darkness, start to self-inspect, just like the frogs being cooked in warm water …

Another Chinese paper covered the strike but the article was also censored

"Then we went too far, seem to have forgotten why we entered this business at the first place. Why do we protect our colleagues in Southern Weekly? For me, just one sentence, life is short, how can we forget who we originally are?!"

Predictably, news of the row and the strike is not being covered on any Chinese media outlet. An article about it did appear in the online edition of China Daily, an English language state-run paper, but within an hour it had been removed.

China's TV News and printed press is entirely state-run and controlled by the Communist Party.

A clash on this level between editorial staff and party chiefs is unprecedented. The handling of the case will be a test for the incoming Chinese leadership.

The new Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will take office in March, had promised less censorship within Chinese media.

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India Gang Rape: Five Appear In Delhi Court

An Indian court hearing the case of five men accused of gang-raping and murdering a 23-year-old student was cleared as chaotic scenes forced the hearing to be held behind closed doors.

The suspects were being presented for the first time since the attack which took place on a bus on December 16, sparking protests in India and abroad about violence against women.

But the court was closed after noisy protests from lawyers objecting to the suspects being given defence counsels, and a crush of local and foreign journalists straining to hear proceedings in the tiny room.

"People who have assembled and are present in the court not connected with the case have been asked to wait outside," magistrate Namrita Aggarwal said in a written order to reporters.

"It has become completely impossible for the courtroom proceedings to proceed."

Two of the accused, hiding their identity

The five men, aged 19 to 35 and mostly residents of Delhi slums, were later produced before the magistrate, police officers said outside the courtroom.

After the hearing, which lasted around 45 minutes, the case was referred to a fast-track court.

Earlier, several blue Delhi Police buses believed to be holding the men were seen driving into the Saket court complex in south Delhi.

The accused, who could face the death penalty if convicted, are charged with kidnap, robbery and conspiracy over the attack. A sixth accused, who is 17, is to be tried in a separate court for juveniles.

Though gang rapes are commonplace in India, the case has touched a nerve, leading to three weeks of sweeping introspection on India's attitudes to women, its often insensitive police force and dysfunctional justice system.

Protests have spread across India since the rape and murder of the woman

It normally takes months for the prosecution to assemble such a case, but the legal proceedings are getting under way barely a week after the victim died of her injuries in a Singapore hospital.

She had been out to watch a film with her boyfriend when they were lured onto a bus where the gang are accused of repeatedly raping and violating her with an iron bar, causing horrific internal damage.

The defendants have been named as Ram Singh, Mukesh Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur and Pawan Gupta.

Police pledged "maximum security" during the hearing at the court amid fears for the defendants' safety. A man was arrested last week as he allegedly tried to plant a crude bomb near the home of one of the men.

In the order clearing the court room on Monday, the magistrate said there was "apprehension" about the safety of the accused.

Outlining their case on Saturday, prosecutors said there was DNA evidence to tie the defendants to the crime scene, as well as testimony from the boyfriend who witnessed the assault.

"The blood of the victim tallied with the stains found on the clothes of the accused," said Rajiv Mohan, part of the prosecution team.

There have been widespread calls for the attackers to be hanged, including from the victim's family.

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South Africa: Women Drinking To Harm Babies

By Alex Crawford in Port Elizabeth, Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape

Mothers in one of South Africa's poorest areas are drinking heavily to deliberately damage their unborn babies - just so they can claim disability benefit.

Life is so tough with unemployment high and crime rampant in South Africa's Eastern Cape, that a newborn baby represents a form of income for the mothers.

State benefits mean 250 South African rand (£20) per child per month for an impoverished family. But disability allowance is a far more lucrative 1200 rand a month (£85).

It has led to a spike in the numbers of babies born with disabilities.

Mothers who drink heavily during pregnancy run a far higher risk of giving birth to a child born with what is known as Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). The condition is usually irreversible and can mean speech problems, physical deformities, learning difficulties and behavioural issues.

More than three-quarters of the children at the Miracle Kids Centre in Helenvale suffer from FASD.

South Africa has the highest prevalence of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

The centre manager Genevieve Hendricks says the children struggle at school, end up dropping out and then many turn to crime to get by.

"It's so sad to see," she says cradling one of her young charges. "But we need to educate these mothers to know they are causing a lifetime of difficulties."

The Eastern Cape Liquor Board has now been prompted to launch a campaign to educate young mothers about the dangers of drinking heavily whilst pregnant.

South Africa has had the highest number of FASD cases in the world since 2002, according to the World Health Organisation.

Many of the problems link back to the prevalence of illegal shebeens, or drinking houses, where homemade, highly addictive and damaging alcohol is sold cheaply. For about two rand (14p), you can buy a litre of kah-kah as the locals call it.

"If I don't drink this, I'm like someone who is sick," Ruth tells us swigging from a transparent bottle containing kah-kah. "I can't sleep, and I cant think straight but when I have this then I am better and I can do anything."

Within two sips Ruth (not her real name) was slurring and dribbling. She staggered up to the door to try to change her baby's nappy before plonking the child on her lap, letting the baby breastfeed while she carried on drinking the toxic liquid.

She told me she drank about "five or six bottles a day" and that this started from "about nine o'clock" in the morning.

"I don't drink through the day because I have things to do," she said.

I'm afraid to say I didn't believe her and when we dropped by her house the following morning, her eight-year-old twins were at home alone with her 15-year-old daughter.

"She's at the shebeen," we were told.

Homemade alcohol is available in illegal drinking houses

The police continually conduct raids on the shebeens, closing them down and throwing away the illegal alcohol. But no sooner one is shut down, another springs up.

"It's cheap to produce and this represents an income to these people," Colonel Abdoerahgmaan Humphries told Sky News.

We are with the Gelvendale police team as they raid one of the shebeens.

The filthy shed is packed full of people, including at least two women cuddling tiny babies. Most appeared intoxicated.

The police move onto what appears to be a small concrete room opposite. Against the wall is a brown wooden panel and when the police pull it down, it reveals a small hole, just big enough for an adult to crawl through. It opens out into another room which is the brewery. There are three barrels half filled with a milky brown liquid - the kah-kah. There are also numerous crates of bottles - all filled and ready to be sold.

"Asse blief  bass (please boss)!" the man pleads. He wants to at least finish his own drink. Most of the brewers are themselves addicts.

The police take the crates out and pour the liquid away in front of the assembled residents, many of whom are drunk and now angry.

"Leave them! Leave us! It makes us happy," one of the women screams at them.

There are several attempts to try to snatch bottles before they are poured on the wasteground.

The police move off to attend to a shooting elsewhere in the area.

"They'll be back brewing some more right now," one says to me as we speed off.

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Gerard Depardieu Receives Russian Passport

The French actor Gerard Depardieu has received his passport after being granted Russian citizenship, saying he was leaving France to avoid proposed tax increases.

"There was a short meeting and Depardieu was handed his passport," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

But the Russian leader did not personally hand over the document when the two met at Putin's residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Russians reportedly reacted with amusement to news of their new citizen

The actor is opposing proposed tax increases for French citizens earning more than €1m (£818,000).

President Putin surprised many at his end-of-year news conference in December by saying he was ready to offer the 64-year-old a Russian passport to resolve the row.

The Cyrano de Bergerac and Green Card star has become a frequent face on the Moscow celebrity circuit and is well known after appearing in a number of advertising campaigns.

He worked in the country in 2011 on a film about the eccentric Russian monk Grigory Rasputin.

But French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has called Depardieu unpatriotic at a time when the French are being asked to pay higher taxes to reduce a large national debt.

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iPhone Thief Caught In Dating Sting

A New York musician who had his iPhone stolen on New Year's Eve created a fake dating profile and arranged a romantic rendezvous with the thief.

 trombonist trombonist trombonist TromTomTTTrombonist Nadav Nirenberg, 27, accidentally left his phone in the back of a taxi while on his way to a gig in Brooklyn. But despite repeatedly calling the phone and leaving messages offering a reward, he heard nothing.

He then discovered the person who had his phone had logged in to his OKCupid dating account and was sending "weird" messages from his profile to girls on the site.

"Not only had he stolen my phone, he was creepy and disturbing," said Mr Nirenberg. "So I created another OKCupid account as 'Jennifer Gonzalez' a ficticious 24-year-old girl who just moved to Brooklyn. Then I chatted him up".

Mr Nirenberg confronted the thief with $20 and a hammer (pic: Glasspiegel)

'U wanna meet?' the thief said in a message posted on the site.

'Yeah I kinda do,' Mr Nirenberg wrote back, suggesting that they meet at 'Jennifer's' place that night.

A few hours later the thief was on his way while Mr Nirenberg armed himself with a hammer and waited.

"Little did he know that on his way up the stairs I would pop out behind him, calmly give him $20 for my phone and tell him the cops were on the way," he said.

"I saw through the peephole that he was a small Indian dude. When he realised what had happened the look of shame on his face was priceless. He must have felt like an idiot. He was all dressed up, he was carrying a bottle of wine and he stank of cologne.

"I had the hammer in case he was insane or huge. I was scared but I never threatened him in any way.

"The $20 was because I wanted to lead with a peace offering instead of a confrontation. I could easily have kept the $20, his wine and probably his wallet, but I wanted it to be over as quickly as possible".

Mr Nirenberg has little sympathy for the thief, whom he believes was the taxi driver in whose cab he left his phone.

"The dude thought that a 24-year-old girl who lives alone would invite a complete stranger over for wine. He also believed 'Jennifer' wouldn't care about the message she received from him: 'Hay the pic u see on my profile it not my pic it my friend pic'.

'Jennifer' got messages from 30 men on OKCupid in the five hours she existed. "My apologies to the girl whose picture I used," said Mr Nirenberg.

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Syrian President Assad Gives Live TV Address

Syria's president has blamed Islamic extremists and "outside forces" for orchestrating the conflict in his country in a rare public address to the nation.

The embattled leader, who appeared before cheering crowds at an opera house in the capital Damascus, struck a defiant tone and was frequently interrupted by supporters chanting: "With our soul with our blood we sacrifice ourselves for you O Bashar."

With insurgents fighting their way closer to the seat of his power, President Bashar al Assad spoke about the latest developments and "suffering" in Syria.

He said the conflict was not between the state and opposition, but the "nation and its enemies".

"We are now in a state of war in every sense of the word," he said.

"This war targets Syria using a handful of Syrians and many foreigners. Thus, this is a war to defend the nation."

An opposition fighter during an air strike in Taftanaz, near Idlib

"We meet today and suffering is overwhelming Syrian land. There is no place for joy while security and stability are absent on the streets of our country.

"The nation is for all, and we must all protect it," he said to rapturous applause inside a packed House of Arts and Culture.

"There are those who seek to partition Syria and weaken it. But Syria is stronger ... and will remain sovereign ... and this is what upsets the West."

Mr Assad called for a "full national mobilisation" to fight against the rebels, whom he branded al Qaeda "terrorists" and "murderous criminals".

While outlining proposals for what he described as a peace plan including a new constitution and amnesty, there was no suggestion of him relinquishing his power.

He asserted the government and army would continue military operations against opposition groups.

Mr Assad said change must come through constitutional means and appealed for dialogue once the fighting had ended.

"Regional and international countries must stop funding the armed men to allow those displaced to return to their homes ... right after that our military operations will cease," he said.

"We will not have dialogue with a puppet made by the West."

A protest against the Assad regime in Kafranbel, near Idlib, on Friday

They were his first public comments since he dismissed suggestions that he might go into exile to end the civil war, telling Russian television in November that he would "live and die" in Syria.

According to Sky sources, the internet in Damascus was shut down during his address - at the end of which Mr Assad needed to be ushered away by security officials when he appeared to be mobbed by jubilant supporters.

The hour-long live broadcast came as fighting between Syrian rebels and government forces continued to rage across the country.

Mr Assad's appeals for a reconciliation are likely to be rejected by opposition forces and rebels, who insist he must step down.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague dismissed the calls "empty promises".

Responding to the address, he tweeted: "#AssadSpeech beyond hypocritical. Deaths, violence and oppression engulfing #Syria are his own making, empty promises of reform fool no one."

Sky's chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay said: "Whatever the support he had inside Damascus there, it's not reflected nationally.

"There are a huge number of people now who obviously want him to leave. As he said, they are in a midst of a very nasty war, and there is nothing to indicate, especially after this speech, that's going to change at all."

The 21-month uprising against Assad has become a civil war that the United Nations says has killed 60,000 people.

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