Teen Dies After Being Sucked Into Drainpipe

A teenage boy has reportedly died after being sucked down a drainpipe while he was collecting golf balls in floodwaters.

The body of Luke O'Neill, 17, was found by his friend while he was scouring reeds near the exit of the drain at the Kew Country Club in New South Wales, Australia, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Police said Luke was in waist-deep water scooping golf balls with some friends when he was suddenly dragged into the large drainpipe by the force of the water.

The area has been hit by heavy rain

A 16-year-old, who has not been named, was also pulled into the pipe as he tried to find Luke at the drainpipe entrance.

He travelled under water for the length of the 100m pipe but ended up in a dam at the other end where he was able to escape.

Inspector Kim Fehon, from the Mid North Coast local area command, said: "They were just looking for the golf balls, it was a regular thing they did."

Luke, who was a member of the Camden Haven Bombers AFL club, was described by a member as a very gifted and "wonderful boy".

Committee member Chris Wright said: "He was the type of kid who could turn his hand to anything."

Torrential rain and gales have battered the Mid North Coast region for the second time in a month.

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Pentagon Grounds Fleet Of F-35 Fighter Jets

The Pentagon has grounded the US military's entire fleet of F-35 fighter jets after discovering a cracked engine turbine blade in one plane.

The problem was discovered during what the Pentagon called a routine inspection of an F-35A Lightning II, the US Air Force's version of the new plane.

The US Navy and the US Marine Corps are buying other versions of the F-35, which is intended to replace older fighter jets like the Air Force's F-16 and the Navy and Marine Corps' F/A-18.

All versions - a total of 51 planes - were grounded on Friday pending an investigation.

The Pentagon said it was too early to know the full impact of the newly discovered problem.

It said: "On February 19, 2013, a routine engine inspection revealed a crack on a low pressure turbine blade of an F135 engine installed in a CTOL test aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

"Engineering teams are shipping the turbine blade to Pratt & Whitney's Engine Facility in Middletown, CT, to conduct a thorough evaluation and root cause analysis.

"It is too early to know the fleet-wide impact of this finding, however as a precautionary measure, all F-35 flight operations have been suspended until the investigation is complete and the cause of the blade crack is fully understood.

"The F-35 Joint Program Office is working closely with Pratt & Whitney and Lockheed Martin at all F-35 locations to assess the integrity of the engine, and to return the fleet safely to flight as soon as possible."

The F-35 is the Pentagon's most expensive weapons programme, with a total estimated cost of nearly $400bn (£262bn).

The Pentagon has planned to buy more than 2,400 F-35s, but some members of Congress are hesitant due to the hefty price tag.

The UK has ordered 48 F-35s to fly off the Royal Navy's new Queen Elizabeth carrier once it is built in 2018. Britain has also invested in the development of the jet.

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Italy: Briton Held Over Tour Guide Murder

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

A Briton has been arrested in Italy for the murder of a tour guide and the attempted killing of another man.

Jason Peter Marshall, 24, was held by police early on Saturday after they traced him through his mobile phone signal to a late night bus.

Police believe he met both men through gay internet chat rooms.

He was arrested after a 55-year-old man was found severely beaten in the bedroom of his apartment in central Rome, following calls to police when neighbours heard screams and calls for help.

When officers arrived on the scene, the victim identified Marshall as his attacker and described how he had been threatened with a gun, badly beaten with a telescopic cosh and smothered with a pillow.

Marshall is said to have fled the apartment with €400 (£348), credit cards and the victim's iPad as he allegedly tried to erase all traces of contact between him and the victim.

Marshall, who is originally from Greenwich, southeast London, is said to have arrived in Italy last month and police in Rome have confirmed he is also the prime suspect in the murder of tour guide Vincenzo Iale.

The 68-year-old was found strangled and stabbed to death in his flat at Torvajanica, on the outskirts of Rome, four weeks ago with his bank card missing.

Police said Marshall was being held in Rome's Regina Coeli jail on suspicion of murder, attempted murder, kidnap and possessing offensive weapons.

Sources said the victims had been targeted through gay internet chat rooms.

A Rome police source said: "This could easily have been a double murder investigation and the second victim - although badly hurt - can think himself lucky he is not dead."

No one from the British Embassy in Rome was immediately available for comment and Marshall is expected to be questioned further by prosecutors ahead of appearing before an investigating judge.

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US Snow: Storm Leaves Four Dead In America

At least four people have died after a massive snow storm blanketed much of central US, causing road accidents and disrupting travel.

The winter storm, which prompted tornado warnings, affected millions of people in 24 states before the system petered out over the Great Lakes.

Places in Kansas and Missouri saw a foot (30 centimetres) or more of snow, with emergency crews spending hours digging out and clearing miles of roadways.

Gusty winds and snow-covered roadways made commutes dangerous.

Local television cameras in Kansas City, Missouri, captured a large bus slipping in the snow and crashing into a large lamppost. No one was hurt.

A man stands next to his trapped car in Kansas City, Missouri

In Gladstone, also in Missouri, a dance studio's roof collapsed from the weight of snow.

Further north in Cincinnati, Ohio, slippery roads meant a dangerous situation many drivers. One lorry ended up partially hanging off an overpass of a busy road after the driver lost control.

In Cleveland, Ohio, a Continental Airlines plane skidded off runway, ending up resting on its nose, but no one was hurt.

A family attempts to clear a driveway in Overland Park, Kansas

Scattered power cuts were also reported as ice weighed down power lines and strong winds knocked down trees.

Roads and even major highways became completely impassable in some areas

The Minnesota State Patrol blamed the snow for over 500 accidents on Friday.

One driver was killed when she lost control, came to a stop in oncoming traffic and was broadsided by another vehicle in a St Paul suburb.

A 12-year-old boy died from injuries suffered in a collision on an icy highway in northern Nebraska.

A woman in Iowa was run over by her car, which had gotten stuck on her steep, slippery driveway. And a 70-year-old woman from Kansas died after her car slid and collided with a train.

Nobody was hurt when a plane skidded off the runway in Ohio

The National Weather Service said as much as 17 inches of snow had fallen in parts of Colorado and Kansas.

Over the weekend, a second system of winter weather is expected from the Gulf of Mexico - smothering parts of the East Coast with up to two feet of snow on Saturday and Sunday.

The governor of Missouri declared a state of emergency as the storm lashed the midwestern state with a dangerous mix of ice and snow.

A dance studio's roof collapsed under the weight of the snow in Missouri

"I urge all Missourians to keep a close eye on the weather and avoid unnecessary travel," Governor Jay Nixon said.

The state of Kansas shuttered government offices on Thursday to keep non-essential workers off the treacherous roads and scores of business owners and school officials followed suit.

The blizzard conditions were so intense in some areas that snow ploughs were getting stuck and ambulances had trouble getting patients to hospitals.

The storm comes after play at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson, Arizona, had to be postponed after a blizzard covered the course.

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Oscar Pistorius: Bail Decision Imminent

A judge is announcing whether he will grant athlete Oscar Pistorius bail.

The athlete is accused of shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead, and prosecutors have warned that the star has the "money, means and motive" to flee South Africa if he is given bail.

He sobbed loudly and shook as the judge read out his lengthy statement.

Sky's Alex Crawford said Pistorius' siblings Carl and Aimee looked "utterly bereft" at their brother's pain, as he cried.

The judge read out some of Pistorius' affidavit, in which he gave his version of the events on the night.

"During the early morning hours of 14 February 2013, I woke up, went onto the balcony to bring the fan in and closed the sliding doors, the blinds and the curtains," it read.

"I heard a noise in the bathroom and realised that someone was in the bathroom.

"I felt a sense of terror rushing over me. There are no burglar bars across the bathroom window and I knew that contractors who worked at my house had left the ladders outside."

Oscar Pistorius claims the death was a tragic mistake

"I fired shots at the toilet door and shouted to Reeva to phone the police. She did not respond and I moved backwards out of the bathroom, keeping my eyes on the bathroom entrance.

"Everything was pitch dark in the bedroom and I was still too scared to switch on a light. Reeva was not responding."

While trying to persuade the judge that Pistorius is a flight risk, Gerrie Nel compared the case to that of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

"His face is well-known all over the world and he's sitting in an embassy in London," he said.

He also suggested that Pistorius could also consider changing his facial appearance to avoid being recognised.

In a closing statement, Mr Nel said that Pistorius' version of events was "improbable" and that the level of violence used was "horrific".

He added that the athlete - who has often cried during proceedings - was feeling sorry for himself, and feared that his career was over.

His defence said the offence he faces should be culpable homicide, adding: "He did not want to kill Reeva."

He also said it was difficult for Pistorius to disappear because of his disability.

Earlier, his coach Ampie Louw said that if the athlete is granted bail, he will start training again next week.

Members of Miss Steenkamp's family are also in court for the hearing.

On Thursday, police were forced to pull their lead detective off the athlete's case after it emerged he himself faces attempted murder charges for shooting at a minibus.

Defence lawyers for Pistorius say the athlete shot dead his girlfriend by a terrible mistake, and deserves bail to prepare for his case.

They say the case has been marred by a bungled police investigation.

The 'blade runner', whose lower legs were amputated in infancy, is said to have killed model Reeva Steenkamp, 29, in the early hours of St Valentine's Day at his home.

Prosecutors have told the court it was a premeditated murder, with Pistorius firing four shots through a locked toilet door at Ms Steenkamp on the other side.

She was hit in the head, arm and hip.

Witnesses said they heard gunshots and screams from the home in a gated community surrounded by three-metre-high stone walls and an electric fence.

Pistorius contends he was acting in self-defence.

He says he mistook Ms Steenkamp for an intruder and felt vulnerable because he was unable to attach his prosthetic limbs in time to confront the threat.

The 26-year-old said he grabbed a 9-mm pistol from under his bed and went into the bathroom.

Pistorius described how he fired into the locked toilet door in a blind panic in the mistaken belief that the intruder was lurking inside.

Bail hearings in South Africa allow for prosecutors and defence lawyers to lay out their basic arguments, based on preliminary evidence.

The arrest of Pistorius stunned millions who watched in awe last year as the Olympic and Paralympic sprinter reached the semi-final of the 400m in the London Olympics.

The impact has been greatest in sports-mad South Africa, where Pistorius was seen as a rare hero who commanded respect from both blacks and whites, transcending the racial divides that persist 19 years after the end of apartheid.

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Three French Children Found With Throats Slit

Three French children - two brothers and their sister - have been found with their throats slit at their home near Paris.

A search has been launched for the missing mother of the children, aged nine, 11 and 17.

Their father, who is a doctor, raised the alarm after returning home in the morning from work, police and judicial sources said.

The authorities said: "The children had their throats slit but we are still awaiting forensic reports."

Forensic officers leaving the house after gathering evidence

The bodies of the nine-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother showed multiple stab wounds.

When the emergency services arrived the eldest brother was still alive but he later died of his knife injuries.

The killings took place in the suburban town of Dampmart, 30km (19 miles) east of Paris, in the Seine-et-Marne region.

The father was found in a state of shock and is now reportedly receiving medical help.

Police surround the crime scene

"We are actively looking" for the mother, a judicial source said, adding that she was in her forties.

The couple were having marital problems, investigators said.

The residential street where the drama unfolded has been closed off by police, according to local media reports.

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Oscar Pistorius: Live Pretoria Bail Hearing

1:11pm

More from Pistorius affidavit: "During the early morning hours of 14 February 2013, I woke up, went onto the balcony to bring the fan in and closed the sliding doors, the blinds and the curtains. I heard a noise in the bathroom and realised that someone was in the bathroom.
I felt a sense of terror rushing over me. There are no burglar bars across the bathroom window and I knew that contractors who worked at my house had left the ladders outside."

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Athens Floods: Woman Saved Amid Traffic Chaos

Hours of relentless rainfall have flooded roads and homes in Athens, causing gridlock across the Greek capital and forcing authorities to close a central metro station.

A woman was rescued after getting stuck with her car north of Athens

The Greek fire brigade has been inundated with more than 600 calls to pump out water in the greater Athens region.

No injuries have been reported, but a woman whose car was caught in the flooding in Chalandri suburb, north of the city, had to be pulled to safety. 

With muddy waters racing by, a man comes to her rescue

In some areas, ankle-high water filled the streets and parked vehicles were swept away by racing waters.

Police closed underpasses and motorways in low-lying parts of the city after they were submerged in floodwaters.

"There are cars immobilised on several Athens highways and we have dispatched tow trucks to clear the roads," Dimitris Papanagiotou, a senior traffic police officer, told state television NET.

A parliament employee narrowly avoided injury when a glass roof on the building's ceiling gave way as she tried to clear away rainwater from it.

The damage was quickly repaired, a parliament press officer said.

The city's tram system had to be shut down, while urban rail schedules were disrupted after a tree fell on the tracks.

"We have around 60 fire crews operating, we believe the rain will abate before midday," deputy fire chief Vassilis Papageorgiou told NET.

A flooded road in Athens following a severe thunderstorm

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Dubai Cops 'Tortured British Drug Suspects'

Three British men held for seven months without trial on drugs charges in Dubai have said they were tortured by police with beatings and electric shocks.

Grant Cameron and Karl Williams, both 25 and from London, and Suneet Jeerh, 25, from Essex, were arrested while on holiday on July 10 last year by police who claimed to have found a quantity of a synthetic cannabis known as "spice" in their car.

The men signed documents in Arabic - a language none of them understands - after being threatened by having guns put to their heads and in Williams' case, having electric shocks administered to the testicles, lawyer Marc Calcutt said.

Mr Calcutt, from human rights charity Reprieve, says they have denied charges of "consumption and possession with intent to distribute" and will appear at their first trial hearing on Thursday.

In a draft witness statement provided to Mr Calcutt, Williams said: "I remember that the police put a towel on my face so I could not see.

"They kept telling me I was going to die. I was so scared.

"Once I had been knocked to the ground, the police picked me up and put me on the bed. They pulled down my trousers, spread my legs and started to electrocute my testicles. It was unbelievably painful. I was so scared.

"Then they took off the towel and I could see that there was a gun pointed at my head. All I could think was that the gun in my face could go off if the policeman slipped, and it would kill me.

"I started to believe that I was going to die in that room."

The torture took place in the desert, it was claimed, where the men were initially taken after their arrest, and subsequently in a hotel room.

Williams and Cameron have been held at Port Rashid police station since their arrest, while Jeerh was moved and is now in Al Awir Central Jail.

Mr Calcutt said: "The idea that young British tourists on holiday can find themselves arrested and tortured in this way is truly appalling.

"Being electrocuted in the testicles is about as brutal a torture as can be imagined.

"The Dubai authorities need to immediately drop the charges against the men and conduct an independent investigation into how these terrible events occurred.

"If they do not, I am sure this story will linger in people's memories - particularly when it comes to booking their holidays."

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Syria: 'Dozens Killed' In Car Bomb Attack

At least 31 people have been killed in a car bombing near the headquarters of the ruling Baath party in Syria's capital, opposition activists say.

The UK-based group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said most of the dead were civilians but members of the Syrian security services were also killed in the Damascus attack.

Witnesses and opposition activists said the explosion targeted a security checkpoint in the central Mazraa neighbourhood.

State media also reported the blast, claiming a "large number" of civilians were killed and hurt in what it said was a suicide bombing.

It claimed the attack was carried out by "terrorists" battling President Bashar al Assad in a two-year uprising.

Syrian television broadcast footage of several bodies along a main street and firefighters dousing dozens of burning vehicles.

It reported that casualties included children at a nearby school.

Debris was spread over a wide area and black smoke billowed into the sky.

Eyewitnesses said a car had exploded at a security checkpoint between the Russian embassy and the HQ of Mr Assad's party.

President Assad's forces are battling Syrian rebels

The windows of the embassy were blown out by the blast but none of its staff were hurt, Russian news agencies reported.

And a police official at the scene told the AFP news agency: "It was a car bomb at the 16 November Square, near the Al Iman mosque."

One local resident said: "It was huge, everything in the shop turned upside down."

Damascus has so far mostly avoided the large-scale violence that has destroyed other Syrian cities.

But rebels who control districts to the south and east of the capital have been attacking Mr Assad's power base for nearly a month, and have carried out devastating bombings several times in the last year.

The United Nations has said around 70,000 people have died in the uprising since it began in March 2011.

Meanwhile, the opposition umbrella organisation, the Syrian National Coalition, is willing to negotiate a peace deal to end the war but Mr Assad cannot be a party to any settlement, a communique drafted for a major opposition meeting has said.

The communique, seen by Reuters, left out a direct demand for the president's removal, in a softening of tone from past positions that insisted he must go before there could be any talks.

The document, to be debated at a meeting of the opposition alliance's leadership, said Mr Assad and his chiefs must be held accountable for bloodshed and that any peace deal must be arranged by the United States and Russia.

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Oscar Pistorius: 'No Forensic Evidence For Murder'

There is no forensic evidence to prove that Oscar Pistorius murdered his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, the Olympian's lawyer has told the court.

Barry Roux, acting for Pistorius, today attempted to pick apart the prosecution's claims arguing that the athlete better known as Blade Runner should be granted bail.

He said that the quality of the police evidence against the 26-year-old was poor and exposed "disastrous shortcomings" in the case.

Mr Roux outlined his case on the third day of Pistorius' bail hearing as the sporting hero sobbed in the dock.

Speaking from the court in Pretoria, Sky's Alex Crawford said: "He (Mr Roux) has started going point-by-point through each of the charges, or points, that the state has made as to why he (Pistorius) should not get bail.

Oscar Pistorius holds a tissue as the defence outlines its case

"He has basically tried to steer the magistrate towards thinking that Oscar Pistorius has exceptional circumstances why he should be granted bail.

"The defence appears to be saying: this is not premeditated murder, there is no evidence of premeditated murder, there is no evidence of murder; the state cannot prove that Oscar Pistorius knew that his lover, Reeva Steenkamp, was in that toilet; that the state has produced an investigating officer, who has carried out a number of bungles, and not collated evidence properly; and that Oscar Pistorius is no flight risk."

Sky's Alex Crawford says lawyers claim Pistorius is "no flight risk"

The defence also pointed out that:

* Pistorius tried to save Miss Steenkamp's life by carrying her downstairs and calling Netcare.

* Pistorius didn't know the toilet door was locked when he shot - addressing the prosecution question over why a burglar would lock themselves in the bathroom.

* Lead investigating officer Hilton Botha "did not show honesty" when giving evidence.

* Botha tailored his evidence to incriminate Pistorius as much as possible.

* Pistorius and Miss Steenkamp had a loving relationship and the prosecution had not proved otherwise.

Detective Hilton Botha is facing charges of attempted murder

* If Pistorius had waited for police to arrive after Miss Steenkamp's death, why would he abscond now?

Magistrate Desmond Nair asked Mr Roux: "Do you think there will be shock if the accused is released?"

Mr Roux replied: "No, after hearing his defence I think there will be shock if he's not."

The defence laid out its case amid scenes of high drama as proceedings were halted because of a "threat outside the court". However, no threat emerged and the court reconvened with no explanation from the magistrate over the adjournment.

The family of Pistorius watch proceedings intently

Earlier in the morning it had emerged that Botha is himself facing seven charges of attempted murder.

He is alleged to have shot at seven passengers as he attempted to stop a minibus in October 2011 while drunk on duty.

The charges were initially dropped but the state prosecutor reinstated them in the days before Miss Steenkamp was killed.

Police said that they were only informed of the reinstated charges yesterday and had subsequently bolstered the team investigating the killing of Miss Steenkamp.

Botha, who will himself appear in court in May, denies that he had been drinking and said that the people he was shooting at were suspects in an investigation.

Nike has suspended its endorsement of Pistorius

The officer was summoned to the court by the magistrate this morning, however, the attempted murder charges were not addressed.

Instead Botha was asked about mobile phone records for Miss Steenkamp and Pistorius around the hours of the shooting.

Under cross-examination on Wednesday, Botha was accused of contaminating the crime scene in the Paralympic star's home and backtracked on key details, including the distance of witnesses from the house.

In his often confused testimony, Botha, who was described as a 24-year police veteran with 16 years experience as a detective, conceded that police had left a 9 mm slug from the shots that killed Miss Steenkamp inside a toilet at the scene.

Police also lost track of illegal ammunition found inside the house, Botha said, and the detective himself walked through the crime scene without wearing protective shoe covers, potentially contaminating the area.

He also claimed in court that police found boxes of testosterone and needles in Pistorius' bedroom following the Valentine's Day shooting last week, but then said later he wasn't sure what the exact name of the substance was.

Miss Steenkamp, 29, was hit by three bullets - one in the head, the hip and arm, Pretoria Magistrates Court heard.

Pistorius has admitted shooting the model with a 9mm pistol pulled from under his bed, but claims he did so thinking she was a burglar who was in the bathroom.

After realising his mistake, he said he broke down the door with a cricket bat and carried her downstairs.

As today's hearing started, Nike confirmed that it had suspended its endorsement contract with Pistorius.

A spokesman said: "We believe Oscar Pistorius should be afforded due process and we will continue to monitor the situation closely."

*The family of the athlete have devoted his official website to updates about the bail hearing and messages of support.

"We will issue at least two statements a day, in order to provide the media with the freshest news, taking into account the time differences," said Janine Hills, the chief executive of Vuma corporate reputation management.

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Pistorius Cop Facing Attempted Murder Charges

Prosecutors have called for the police officer leading the Oscar Pistorius investigation to be dropped from the case after it emerged he is facing attempted murder charges.

Hilton Botha and two other officers is alleged to have opened fire on seven passengers in a taxi mini-bus in an attempt to stop it. It is claimed that the officers, who were on duty at the time, were drunk.

They were arrested after the event in October 2011 and charges were initially dropped but were reinstated by the state prosecutor in the days before the shooting of Reeva Steenkamp.

Prosecutors have now said that he should no longer be allowed to carry on investigating the case against the Olympian.

Oscar Pistorius arrives at court for the third day of his bail hearing

Speaking outside the court in Pretoria on the third day of Pistorius' baily hearing, Bulewa Makeke, spokeswoman for the National Prosecuting Authority, said: "Is he going to be dropped from the case? I don't know. I think the right thing would be for him to be dropped.

"Obviously there will be consultations between the two (police and prosecutors) to determine what is the best course of action."

The South African Police Service has confirmed the charges against the detective and launched an investigation which may see Botha suspended.

Neville Malila said they had bolstered the investigation team

Spokesman Neville Malila said: "We were only informed yesterday that attempted murders charges against Hilton Botha have been reinstated."

He said that Botha remained on the Pistorius case and that the charges would not hamper the investigation into the circumstances of the Valentine's Day shooting at Pistorius' Silver Lakes home.

But he added that they had bolstered the team investigating the alleged murder of Miss Steenkamp.

Botha was summoned to the courtroom at the beginning of the third day of Pistorius' bail hearing, however, he was only asked to clarify why there had been delays in getting the mobile phone records of Pistorius and Miss Steenkamp in the hours surrounding the shooting incident.

Hilton Botha arrives at court to give evidence at Pistorius' bail hearing

The police only discovered the charges against Botha had been reinstated yesterday, although the decision was made before Miss Steenkamp's death. He is to appear in court in May.

Prosecutors admitted that the timing of the attempted murder charges had been "totally weird".

It is unclear why the charges against Botha were reinstated. He denies being drunk and has told a South African news channel that he was chasing suspects.

Oscar Pistorius is due to find out whether he will be granted bail

Under cross-examination during Pistorius' bail hearing, Botha was accused of contaminating the crime scene in the Paralympic star's home and backtracked on key details, including the distance of witnesses from the house.

In his often confused testimony, Botha, who was described as a 24-year police veteran with 16 years as a detective, conceded that police had left a 9 mm slug from the shots that killed Miss Steenkamp inside a toilet at the scene.

Police also lost track of illegal ammunition found inside the house, Botha said, and the detective himself walked through the crime scene without wearing protective shoe covers, potentially contaminating the area.

He also claimed in court that police found boxes of testosterone and needles in multiple Paralympic champion Pistorius' bedroom following the Valentine's Day shooting last week, but then said later he wasn't sure what the exact name of the substance was.

The lead defence counsel Barry Roux accused the police of oversights and mistakes on their initial investigation.

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North Korea Video Shows Obama In Flames

A new North Korean video shows President Barack Obama and American troops in flames and blames US hostility for its recent nuclear test.

The footage was uploaded on YouTube - two weeks after a separate video that showed New York City burning after an apparent missile attack.

Both videos were uploaded by the North's official website, Uriminzokkiri, which distributes news and propaganda from the state media.

The latest video came with a series of Korean-language captions, arguing that North Korea had been forced into conducting its latest nuclear test on February 12 because of US hostility.

"The North's high-level nuclear test aimed at US invaders, is the nuclear deterrent to safeguard our sovereignty," one caption read.

"The US practically guided the North towards conducting the nuclear test," it added.

The video showed images of Mr Obama waving and preparing to deliver his State of the Union address - all superimposed against a background of rising flames.

It ended with an animated sequence of a nuclear bomb being detonated in an underground bunker and the message: "The whole world is now watching. The US must answer now".

The North's latest test was its biggest yet in terms of explosive yield and, according to Pyongyang, marked a breakthrough in its efforts to develop a "miniaturised" warhead that could fit on a ballistic missile.

The earlier video posted by Uriminzokkiri had to be withdrawn, after it emerged that the footage of a burning New York was taken from the Call of Duty video game.

The makers of the game, California-based Activision, filed a copyright complaint.

The US is negotiating in the Security Council for stronger UN sanctions against Pyongyang following its nuclear test in the far northeast, the country's third since 2006.

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Dali Work Stolen And Then Returned By Mail

US authorities have charged a man with stealing a Salvador Dali painting from a Manhattan gallery – only to return it in the mail.

The 29-year-old suspect, Phivos Istavrioglou of Greece, called his own attempt "stupid", according to an account of a confession contained in court papers.

He left fingerprints that helped authorities track him down and was arrested for the theft of the work, called Cartel de Don Juan Tenorio.

Istavrioglou appeared in court on Tuesday.

As soon as he had stolen the work, he "was scared and couldn't believe what a stupid thing he did," the papers say, according to The Associated Press.

Prosecutors say Istavrioglou stole the painting in broad daylight while visiting the Upper East Side gallery in June.

After pulling it off the wall, he stashed it in a shopping bag and flew with it back to Athens, authorities said.

"It was almost surreal how this theft was committed - a thief is accused of putting a valuable Salvador Dali drawing into a shopping bag in the middle of the afternoon, in full view of surveillance cameras," District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said.

News reports say the work is valued at approximately $150,000 (£97,000).

After security video images of the man were widely circulated, Istavrioglou panicked, rolled up the watercolour in a cardboard tube and mailed it back to New York without a return address, prosecutors say.

After he was identified by police, investigator posing as an art gallery owner tricked Istavrioglou into returning to New York by offering him a possible position as a consultant.

Federal agents intercepted Istavrioglou at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday.

He pleaded not guilty to grand larceny during a brief court appearance in Manhattan where a judge set bail at $100,000 (roughly £65,000).

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Oscar Pistorius: What Police Found In His House

During the second day of Oscar Pistorius' bail hearing, police described what they found in his house after the death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Bedroom

:: Investigating officer Hilton Botha told the court police found two boxes of testosterone, needles and injections in the bedroom.

Defence lawyer Barry Roux said the box contained herbal medication called Testocompasutium co-enzyme, not the illegal substance testosterone.

:: Mr Botha said a gun holster was found on the left side of the bed where Ms Steenkamp's slippers and overnight bag were.

::  Pistorius illegally possessed .38-caliber ammunition in a safe in his bedroom, according to Mr Botha but the defence lawyer said it belonged to the athlete's father.

Bathroom

:: Mr Botha said he saw a firearm on the shower mat, one bullet cartridge in the passageway and three in the bathroom.

:: Mr Roux said there was a spent bullet inside the toilet bowl, which Mr Botha had failed to find.

:: An iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 were found on the shower mat, which Mr Botha said had not been used to call the ambulance. However, Mr Roux said Pistorius had called Netcare hospital at 3.20am and the housing complex manager received a call asking for help.

Ground Floor

:: Mr Botha found Ms Steenkamp's body lying on the ground floor at the bottom of the stairs. She was dressed in white shorts and a black top and covered in towels.

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Oscar Pistorius: Prosecution Outlines Case

Prosecutors have directly challenged two of Oscar Pistorius' key claims about the night he shot and killed his girlfriend.

Investigating officer Hilton Botha says a witness saw lights on after the shooting - despite the Paralympian earlier claiming he was too frightened to switch on the light fearing intruders were inside his home.

A statement on behalf of the 26-year-old athlete - read out in court on Tuesday - also said he was not wearing his prosthetic legs at the time and felt vulnerable.

But Mr Botha said that the trajectory of the shots was downward, suggesting that he was firing from a standing position.

The court also heard that "non-stop shouting" was heard coming from Pistorius' home before Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead.

A diagram of Oscar Pistorius' bathroom was shown to the court

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said the prosecution team has a witness who heard the shouting between 2am and 3am.

The details were revealed as the second day of the 26-year-old athlete's bail hearing began at Pretoria Magistrates' Court.

In an affidavit, Pistorius has denied murdering the model Miss Steenkamp, 29, at his home in the early hours of Thursday.

He has said the couple were in love and he fired through a closed toilet door within the bathroom, hitting the victim, thinking a burglar or burglars were inside.

Mr Botha described the moment he arrived at the athlete's house in the early hours of the morning and found Miss Steenkamp's body lying on the ground floor at the bottom of the stairs.

Miss Steenkamp's funeral was held in Port Elizabeth

He said she was dressed in white shorts and a black top, and covered in towels.

The officer told the court that he saw a firearm on the shower mat, and one bullet cartridge in the passageway and three in the bathroom.

He said unlicensed .38 calibre ammunition was found at his home, and he wanted the Olympian charged with unlawful possession.

Needles and testosterone were also found in his bedroom, the court heard.

Earlier the Paralympian arrived at the court in the back of a police car with a blue blanket covering his head. He entered the courtroom wearing a dark suit and tie just after 8am UK time.

The chances of Pistorius being given bail lessened at the first bail hearing on Tuesday after Magistrate Desmond Nair ruled the case a schedule six offence - meaning premeditated murder.

It means his lawyers now have to prove "exceptional circumstances" for him to be granted bail until he goes to trial.

Mr Botha told the court that Pistorius is a "flight risk" and could flee if given bail.

He said the athlete has offshore accounts and a house in Italy, and stresses that South Africa does not have extradition agreements with all countries.

Pistorius has said he had been a victim of crime and received death threats, but the court heard there were no records of this.

His father Henke and brother Carl - who have supported him in the two previous hearings - looked on from the public gallery.

The proceedings were delayed as more than 100 journalists squeezed into court to report the hearing.

There were chaotic scenes as one reporter fainted, an overflow room was set up to provide more space and courtroom screens had technical problems.

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Reeva Steenkamp Funeral: Family Pay Tribute

The family of shot Reeva Steenkamp have paid an emotional tribute following her funeral, as one mourner said her killer must "stay in jail".

They attended a private service in Port Elizabeth as her boyfriend, the athlete Oscar Pistorius, appeared in court charged with premeditated murder.

Ms Steenkamp died from gun wounds

Mike Steenkamp, her uncle, said they would remain positive about her life: "We have to keep Reeva in our hearts forever." 

He also thanked well-wishers in South Africa and around the world for their "tremendous" compassion.

Ms Steenkamp's brother, Adam, said: "There's a space missing inside all the people that she knew that can't be filled again. We'll miss her."

Mourners including her father Barry and mother June earlier comforted each other outside a crematorium in the city, in southern South Africa, before the 29-year-old's casket was carried inside.

Gavin Venter, who used to work for Barry Steenkamp, said: "Without a doubt (Pistorius) is a danger to the public ... He must stay in jail. He's already shown how dangerous he can be for what he did to Reeva."

The model and law graduate died from gunshot wounds on Thursday.

Hundreds of miles away from the funeral, prosecutors have been laying out details of the case against Pistorius, 26, at a bail hearing in Pretoria.

They say Paralympian and Olympian Pistorius, who denies murder, put on his prosthetic legs and walked seven metres before firing four times through a bathroom door at his luxury home in Pretoria, killing her.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel told the packed court that an unarmed Ms Steenkamp locked herself inside the cramped bathroom because she was scared after a row.

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Diamond Heist: Raid At International Airport

Armed robbers have pulled off an audacious heist at Brussels airport, making off with diamonds worth around $50m (£32.2m).

The robbery was "one of the biggest" ever, a spokeswoman for the Antwerp World Diamond Centre said, adding that the diamonds were "rough stones" being transported from Antwerp to Zurich.

Earlier reports had put the value of the shipment at about £300m.

The gang of eight  thieves hit a Brinks transport truck on the airport tarmac as its contents were being loaded onto a Swiss aircraft bound for Zurich, according to Belgian state TV.

An airport spokesman said the robbers cut a whole in a perimeter fence but was unable to explain why it had been so easy for them to avoid security.

"We abide by the most stringent rules," Jan Van Der Crujsse said.

Brussels prosecutor's spokeswoman Anja Bijnens said the masked men drove two vehicles up to the plane.

Reports said no shots were fired and no-one was injured as the heist was completed in a matter of minutes.

Police found a burnt-out van close to the airport on Monday night but are looking for further clues.

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Oscar Pistorius: 'I Did Not Mean To Kill Her'

Oscar Pistorius said he had no intention of killing his girlfriend and loved her deeply according to an affidavit read out in court by his lawyer.

Earlier in the hearing, prosecutors claimed Pistorius got up from bed, put on his prosthetic legs and walked seven metres before shooting Reeva Steenkamp through a closed bathroom door. 

Prosecutor Gerrie Nell said the details showed it was a premeditated murder, adding there was "a motive to kill".

But in a statement detailing his version of events, Pistorius said he woke up in pitch darkness to a sound in the bathroom believing an intruder had climbed the window and felt a sense of terror.

Oscar Pistorius is charged with murdering Reeva Steenkamp

The 26-year-old didn't realise Ms Steenkamp wasn't in bed and shot at the door on his stumps, feeling vulnerable without his prosthetics.

The Paralympian said he then put on his prosthetic legs and used a cricket bat to break open the bathroom door where the 29-year-old was alive, slumped over in the toilet. He called the paramedics before she died in his arms.

"I'm absolutely mortified at the death of my beloved Reeva," the statement said.

Pistorius added that he had previously received death threats, so kept a 9mm pistol under his bed.

:: How The Hearing Unfolded In Court

In an affidavit from close friends of the pair, Ms Steenkamp's best friend said the model told her she would marry Pistorius if he asked.

The magistrate had to stop the proceedings briefly as Pistorius sobbed uncontrollably as he listened.

Earlier, magistrate Desmond Nair ruled that, for the purpose of the bail hearing, the case was a schedule six offence or premeditated murder, which means it will be difficult for the sports icon to get bail. 

Outlining the prosecution case, Mr Nel said Ms Steenkamp fled to the small, cramped bathroom and locked herself in because she was scared after they'd had a row on Valentine's Day.

Ms Steenkamp was killed by "three shots" fired by Pistorius at his home in South Africa last Thursday. The family attended her funeral in Port Elizabeth this morning.

Mr Nel said the defence had a number of questions to answer, including:

:: Why did Pistorius carry Ms Steenkamp's body down a staircase after she was shot?

:: Why didn't Pistorius look for his girlfriend if he suspected there was a burglar in the house?

:: Why did Ms Steenkamp lock herself in the toilet - was she afraid of being shot or killed?

:: Why did he put on his prosthetic limbs and walk seven metres to the bathroom?

Mr Nel said: "If I arm myself, walk a distance and murder a person, that is premeditated. The door is closed. There is no doubt. I walk seven metres and I kill. The motive is 'I want to kill'. That's it."

Pistorius, who won two gold medals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, broke down in tears at the start of the hearing.

Sky's special correspondent Alex Crawford, inside the court in Pretoria, said the double amputee's "face was creased in pain" and he was "weeping" as he was formally charged with murder.

The prosecutor said Pistorius, nicknamed the Bladerunner, "killed an innocent woman".

At the start of proceedings, Pistorius, in a grey suit and tie, nodded after the chief magistrate asked if he was well. And he nodded his appreciation when his brother, Carl, pressed his shoulder in support.

Journalists jammed into the courtroom, which was full with almost 100 people, including Pistorius' father, Henke, and sister Aimee.

The hearing has been adjourned until Wednesday.

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Goal-Line Technology To Be Used At World Cup

Fifa has confirmed that goal-line technology will be in place for the 2014 World Cup.

Sepp Blatter, president of world football's governing body, had previously said he was committed to bringing in goal-line technology for the tournament in Brazil.

It was tried out at the Club World Cup in December, and Fifa will now roll it out for this summer's Confederations Cup and next year's World Cup.

"The aim is to use GLT in order to support the match officials and to install a system in all stadia, pending the successful installation, and pre-match referee tests," Fifa said in a statement.

"With different technologies on the market, Fifa has launched a tender today, setting out the technical requirements for the two forthcoming competitions in Brazil."

At present, only Hawk-Eye and GoalRef have been granted a licence by Fifa.

Both are likely to compete against each other - and possibly other manufacturers - for the World Cup rights.

Hawk-Eye is already used in tennis and cricket. The English company was bought by Sony Corp., a World Cup sponsor, during the testing process.

GoalRef uses magnetic sensors in the goalposts to track an "intelligent" ball, made by Danish company Select.

Both systems relay information within one second to the referee's wristwatch.

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British Worker Kidnapped In Nigeria

Armed men in northern Nigeria have kidnapped a group of foreign workers including one Briton, Sky sources have confirmed.

A picture purportedly showing the hostages kneeling on the ground in front of several masked men holding rifles was released to Nigerian media.

The armed men abducted the seven foreigners after attacking a construction company camp and killing a guard, police said.

"From the report we have received, the hostages are seven in all. They include four Lebanese, an Italian, a Briton and a Greek," Bauchi state police spokesman Hassan Auyo said.

This would make it the biggest kidnapping yet in a region that is under attack from Islamic extremists.

Greece, Lebanon and Italy have all said their citizens are involved. However, Britain's Foreign Office has not confirmed if a Briton is among them.

The kidnapping on Saturday night happened in Jama'are, a town in a rural portion of Bauchi state.

The gunmen attacked a local prison first, burning two police trucks, another Bauchi state police spokesman, Hassan Muhammed told the Associated Press.

Then they targeted a workers' camp for a construction company called Setraco, which is in the area building a road, Mr Muhammed said.

The gunmen shot dead a guard at the camp before kidnapping the foreign workers, he added.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office in Britain said: "We are aware of the reports and are making inquiries with local authorities."

Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north has been under attack by the radical Islamic sect known as Boko Haram in the last year and a half.

The country's weak central government has been unable to stop the group's bloody guerrilla campaign of shootings and bombings.

The sect is blamed for killing at least 729 people in 2012 alone, according to an AP count.

Foreigners have been frequently abducted by militant groups and criminal gangs for ransom in Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta and have become increasingly targeted in Nigeria's north as the violence has grown.

Sky News Special Correspondent Alex Crawford said: "Nigeria, particularly the north of Nigeria, has got a big problem. It's the scourge of the country and has been for many years now.

"Local Islamist groups called Boko Haram have been largely responsible for carrying out the kidnappings.

"This is one of the militant groups who have operating inside Mali. They are one of five extremist groups who are believed to have been running operations inside Mali and around the Sahel."

Gunmen who authorities say have links to Boko Haram also kidnapped an Italian and a British man last year in northern Kebbi State.

They were later killed during a rescue operation by Nigerian soldiers backed up by British special forces. The sect later denied taking part in that abduction.

Chinese construction workers have also been killed by gunmen around Maiduguri, the northeastern city in Nigeria where Boko Haram first began.

Setraco Nigeria, a construction and civil engineering company, is a subsidiary of Setraco International Holding group.

The Nigerian company, which was established in 1977, is currently working on expanding a major road in the north of the country.

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Oscar Pistorius Cancels All Future Races

Double amputee athlete Oscar Pistorius has been forced to cancel all future races and says his "key focus" is now defending himself against the charge he murdered his girlfriend, his agent says.

Peet Van Zyl said he had "no option" but to cancel Pistorius' track dates for the foreseeable future "to allow Oscar to concentrate on the upcoming legal proceedings".

Pistorius was arrested and charged on Valentine's Day with the premeditated murder of his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in Pretoria, South Africa.

Police allege that he shot 29-year-old Miss Steenkamp four times.

His family has issued a statement saying he denies the charges against him in the "strongest possible terms".

Pistorius, nicknamed the Blade Runner, is due to appear in court on Tuesday to face a bail hearing at which he will be told if he has to stay in jail.

Meanwhile, the athlete is being held at a police station in Pretoria, where his agent Mr Van Zyl and members of his family visited him on Sunday night.

Pistorius is accused of killing his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The agent spoke to reporters after leaving the police station and revealed the double-amputee Olympian's track career was now on hold.

One of the race meets he has been pulled from is the Manchester City Games on May 25.

However, Mr Van Zyl said Pistorius' sponsorship deals, including those with big-name brands Nike and Oakley, were safe for now.

"I can confirm that at this point in time all parties are supportive and their contractual commitments are maintained," he said.

"They have said they are happy to let the legal process take its course before making any change in their position."

It has been reported that Pistorius has contracts and deals worth £1.3m with Nike, as well as others with BT and Thierry Mugler.

Last week, BT and Nike signalled their intention to wait for further developments before making a decision on their relationship with him.

BT said in a statement: "Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy.  Given the ongoing legal proceedings, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further."

Nike said: "We're not making any comment at this stage other than to say that the incident is a police matter and we will continue to monitor the situation closely."

Despite its decision to stand by him for now, Nike last week pulled an advert featuring Pistorius with the strapline: "I am the bullet in the chamber."

On the track, Pistorius had agreed to take part in five races in the first half of 2013: two in Australia, two exhibition runs against fellow Paralympians Alan Oliveira, from Brazil, and Briton Jonnie Peacock, and an appearance in the US.

Prosecutors have said they will pursue a more serious charge of premeditated murder, but his lawyers are expected to argue the charge should be reduced to murder without premeditation. This would mean he could be allowed free on bail.

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Meteor: Space Rock Fragments In Russian Lake

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

Russian scientists believe they have recovered fragments of a meteor that exploded spectacularly near the Ural Mountains.

The tiny samples were found near a frozen lake in Chebarkul, where an eight-metre crater has formed in the ice.

Initial searches of the lake failed to find any traces, but a scientific expedition on Sunday recovered unusual rocks nearby, which appear to match the composition of meteorites.

Viktor Grokhovsky, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told the RIA Novosti news agency: "We confirm that the particles of a substance found by our expedition near Lake Chebarkul really do have the composition of a meteorite."

Mr Grokhovsky's Urals Federal University posted a photograph on its website of a person holding a tiny piece of porous black rock between his index finger and thumb.

"This meteorite belongs to the class of regular chondrites," a university statement said.

"Most likely, the find will be called Meteorite Chebarkul."

More than 1,200 people were injured on Friday, mostly by broken glass and damaged buildings caused by a pressure wave accompanying the meteor blast. It caused an estimated £21m worth of damage

Damage caused by the meteorite is repaired by workers

The meteor fragmented between 20 and 30 miles above the Earth's surface and may have scattered pieces over a large area of the industrial region.

Meteor rock that survives the journey through the Earth's atmosphere to reach the ground is known as meteorite.

Mr Grokhovsky said the fragments were approximately 10% metallic iron, combined with substances called chrysolite and sulphite.

Russian authorities have set up a cordon around the lake to deter meteorite-hunters and independent researchers, but Grokhovsky said he was confident their findings indicated a much larger meteorite was concealed within the lake.

He said they had found around 50 tiny fragments from the snow close to the lake.

"The lake is still cordoned off, but it is quite clear that a meteorite is buried there," he told the Interfax news agency.

"Since we found the fragments - traces of the upper layers of the meteorite - that means that its main mass is resting in the lake."

Mr Grokhovsky explained that his research team was not acting on the authority of the Russian government, but that he had felt compelled to take action because it was such a rare and scientifically important event.

"We decided to do this on our own," he said.

"As a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences committee, I simply could not stand idly by. So I decided to send our guys there."

Other meteorite-hunters may be less altruistically-motivated. Adverts have been posted on Russian websites offering as much as 300,000 rubles (£6,400) for an authentic piece of the Chebarkul meteorite.

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Marc Dutroux: Killer's Mother Against Release

The mother of serial paedophile child killer Marc Dutroux - one of Belgium's most notorious criminals - has warned he will re-offend if he is freed from prison early.

Speaking in an interview published just hours before a court decides on his parole, 78-year-old Jeannine Dutroux told Le Soir Magazine: "I am certain he will start again. He is a danger to society.

"Marc isn't ready to be released because he still wants to attribute to others the responsibility for what he did.

"He hasn't got any sense of reality. This is a repeat offender in his soul as he has already proved throughout his life."

Dutroux - dubbed the "monster of Charleroi" by the press - is serving a life term for kidnapping, torturing and abusing six young girls in 1995 and 1996, and murdering four of them, including two eight-year-olds.

Dutroux appeared in court on February 4 to request his release on parole

The 56-year-old, who has been in prison for 16 years, launched a bid earlier this month for early release.

He wants to be held under house arrest and monitored with an electronic tag.

Under Belgian law, criminals can be freed after serving a third of their sentences, or after 15 years in the case of those who have been jailed for life.

Dutroux, who was arrested in 1996, was convicted and sentenced to life in 2004.

He had already served two extra years under a separate charge, allowing him to request early release this year.

Dutroux's case sent shockwaves through Belgium, not only because of the horrific nature of the murders, but also the police blunders.

Police searched one of Dutroux's houses while two eight-year-old victims were being held there, but left the premises without finding them.

The pair later starved to death in a makeshift dungeon.

Dutroux's former wife, Michelle Martin - who let two girls starve to death in the cellar while her husband was in jail for theft - was approved for early release in July and now lives in a convent.

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Brit Backpacker: I Feel Lucky To Be Alive

A British backpacker missing in the scorching Australian outback for three days has told of how he did everything he could to survive - including drink his own urine and contact lens solution.

Sam Woodhead, 18, became lost after he set out for a jog from the remote Queensland cattle station where he had worked for less than two weeks.

But the chance discovery of packets of lenses in his rucksack - put there by his father, Peter - helped to keep him going for 72 hours in blistering temperatures of around 40C (104F).

Sam Woodhead was a keen long distance runner

The former Brighton College student, from Richmond upon Thames, London, also used his rugby shorts and other items of clothing to create an SOS sign that led to his rescue.

He was found about three miles away from the ranch by rescuers in a helicopter. He had lost two stones in weight and was just hours from death.

He told Sky News: "I feel very fortunate to be alive and to be standing here.

"I know that so many people helped out ... and I genuinely believe that if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here today.

"It was a really amazing feeling to be actually picked up and realise that I was actually going to make it through ... and it wasn't going to be the end."

His mother, Claire Derry, has visited him in hospital in Longreach, about 50 miles away from where he was discovered. She said he had lost weight and his kidneys were not working properly due to dehydration.

Mr Woodhead with his mother and sister Rebacca before the ordeal

She said: "His birth was one of the best moments of my life, and this is pretty close to it, getting him back again, because I was pretty convinced it was touch and go. I did an awful lot of praying during that flight.

"He looks fantastic, he's suntanned, his mouth isn't blistered, he looks great, he's thinner and questionably a lot thinner than when I last saw him.

"The only concern is that his kidneys are not quite functioning normally and his blood's not normal. But that, the doctor says, is completely typical of somebody who's been completely dehydrated."

Ms Derry added: "He  tried to drink his own urine. He said he'd run out of the contact lens fluid and the contact lens capsules said they were 69% water. But they'd all gone so the urine had become very, very concentrated.

"So he said he couldn't stomach it, so he had nothing, he had nothing to keep him going, by the time the helicopter crew got to him."

She told Sky News: "Sam is an amazingly cool guy and he said 'hi mum' and I said 'Sam I didn't think I would be holding you in my arms again frankly'.

Mr Woodhead is helped by medical personnel after his helicopter rescue

"But he didn't cry and didn't show very much emotion at all. He just said I'm really happy to see you."

Mr Woodhead, who is set on joining the Armed Forces and is a keen long distance runner, is expected to leave hospital on Sunday.

Mike Curtin from Queensland State Police said: "He was quite disorientated but, you know, his body seemed to bounce back fairly quickly once he knew that obviously he was located and so forth and he was quite happy of the fact that someone had found him."

Mr Curtin warned of the harsh Australian climate and called on young people to be careful when travelling or working in the remote Australian Outback.

He said: "It's one of those things and I think there's a lesson to be learned here from any of these young fellows who do take, or young boys and girls, who take jobs in areas like this isolated part of the state, to be careful, to be safe, and prepare.

"And never take the harshest Australian environment and our climatic conditions here for granted."

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Syria: The Growing Power Of Jihadist Groups

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent

The number of Jihadist groups flooding into Syria two years after the start of the uprising is threatening to eclipse the power of mainstream opposition groups as well as the authority of the Free Syrian Army.

One of the increasingly influential groups, Jabah al Haq (The Front for Justice), told Sky News that Jihad is spreading across North Africa and the Middle East and will not stop at Syria but will include Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and even Israel.

The frontline in the Battle for Aleppo is constantly changing. You know when you are there; the people disappear.

In these parts of the city only fighters are on the streets, in battered buildings and destroyed alleyways.

There is nothing left anymore. It is a frightening kill-zone. The sounds of rockets crunching into buildings, the whistle of high velocity rounds passing a few feet above your head, the scream of men shot by snipers never stops, or if it does, it is not for long.

The fighters on the rebel side are made up of a mish-mash of defected soldiers, the Free Syrian Army and a growing number of Jihadists; some are from Syria many are from abroad.

Jabah al Haq men took us to their front weaving their truck passed blown up cars, and homes; passed streets with huge tarpaulin sheets strung across to give protection from government snipers.

Jabah al Haq jihadist fighters insist Jihad will not stop at Syria

They were worried about us filming their positions and arguments caused by our presence rumbled on for the whole time we were there.

Abu Obaeda, a former soldier with a sniper rifle hung over his back, described the front as 'cold' with little real fighting. But even as he spoke machine gun fire drowned him out. A man was hit and his comrades were organising a truck to speed him away while attacking the government forces.

When I asked how far away they were he laughed.

"In which direction?" he said. "They are 25 metres in front and 20 metres on either side. We can only go back; but we wont," he added.

They wouldn't say how many men they had but said they were fighting 200 government soldiers supported by as many government militia, the Shabiha.

The chaos of the front lines is now reflected in the make up of the groups doing the fighting.

Sheik al Homan: 'The West should learn their lesson and not fight Muslims'

Jabah al Haq is led by a charismatic young cleric called Sheik Abu al Homan.

I was taken to a secret location where a school was being used as a court to adjudicate on the many problems caused by the war raging across the city.

It is a strict Sharia court and he is advised by clerics and lawyers. That said, his word is law.

He was quiet and pleasant and his organisation is doing what every Jihad organisation from the Taliban to Hamas and al Qaeda has done: they are providing law and order and they are feeding and providing medicine for the people.

It works every time.

Locals tell us that the Free Syrian Army, who largely live amongst the populace, are becoming a problem. They lack discipline, they take things and of course they attract government fire.

Jihad groups live together. They are religious and they fight hard against the government not the people.

There is a takeover happening as every commander I have met in covering all of this revolution from the start has always predicted.

Abu Obaeda and his men refuse to retreat from the front line

If the Syrian revolution were not ended quickly then it would become a Jihadist nightmare for the whole region. It has.

Sheik Homan is not just fighting for Aleppo, or Syria but predicts a greater Jihad is underway from North Africa to the Middle East.

"I am very surprised at France's reaction in Mali. They have seen what happened to the US in Afghanistan and Iraq," he told me.

"The West should learn their lesson and not fight Muslims. The war in Afghanistan and Iraq has led to an increase in resistance to the west.

"So you see all the Jihadists waiting to come here because of its value to Muslims," he said.

Indeed the foreigners are coming. I have seen a steady increase from Libya, Egypt, Yemen and Algeria. Even the Free Syrian Army accepts that like it or not the Jihadists will play a future role in the make up of post-Assad Syria.

"The Jihadists arrived after we were let down by the UN Security Council," Hajji Marea, the FSA's leader in Aleppo, told me in an underground bunker.

He shrugs his shoulders.

"The UN let the government kill innocent people. It is a disgrace. The Jihadists saw what was happening and came and now they are here."

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Pistorius Told Friend: 'I've Killed My Baba'

The best friend of Oscar Pistorius has told how the athlete rang him the night his girlfriend was shot and said: "I've killed my Baba. God take me away."

Justin Divaris, who introduced Reeva Steenkamp to the South African gold medallist, said Pistorius was crying down the phone and admitted he had shot the 29-year-old model.

Mr Divaris, 27, said: "Oscar called me at 3.55am saying that Reeva had been shot. I said to him, 'What are you talking about? I don't understand you'.

"He then repeated himself - 'There has been a terrible accident. I shot Reeva'."

Mr Divaris told the Sunday People that he then spoke to a neighbour who was also in the house, who warned: "She's not OK. You need to get here."

By the time he arrived at Pistorius' house on a gated estate in Pretoria, the double amputee was already being held by police.

He could see Miss Steenkamp's body inside the house at the bottom of the stairs, covered in blankets and towels.

Pistorius - nicknamed the Blade Runner due to his high-tech artificial limbs - was being detained in the garage, and was crying and repeating himself incoherently.

Reeva Steenkamp in Tropika Island of Treasure

The 26-year-old appeared in court on Friday accused of premeditated murder over the shooting on Valentine's Day.

He is being held in custody and his family has said he denies murder in the strongest possible terms.

Miss Steenkamp's father Barry has also now spoken publicly for the first time and said he does not hate Pistorius for what happened.

He told The Mail on Sunday he was struggling "to find some reason why this happened to our lovely daughter".

Talking about Pistorius, he said: "He must be going through things that we don't know about. There is no hatred in our hearts."

He said he and his wife June were "at a complete loss," adding: "June is inconsolable. We just need to find some answers.

"Reeva was the most beautiful, kind girl in the world. She had love for everyone and was loved by everyone who knew her."

Mr Steenkamp said he had never met Pistorius but his wife had occasionally spoken to him on the phone.

Henke Pistorius trying to comfort his son as he leaves court

The athlete's own father Henke has also spoken out, saying his son must have acted "on instinct".

Mr Pistorius said he has "zero doubt" that it was a tragic accident and said he believes she was mistaken for an intruder.

His family is behind him "heart and soul" and will do "whatever needs to be done" to help him clear his name, he told The Sunday Telegraph.

Their comments came after a reality show featuring Miss Steenkamp was broadcast despite controversy over its airing.

Tropika Island of Treasures showed the model laughing and joking with her fellow contestants and swimming with dolphins.

In an interview, the model - who was also the face of cosmetics giant Avon in South Africa - spoke about the importance of leaving a positive mark in life.

She said: "I think the way that you go out, not just your journey in life, but the way that you go out and the way you make your exit is so important.

"You either made an impact in a positive or a negative way, but just maintain integrity and maintain class and just remain true to yourself."

Pistorius became an international icon after becoming the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics last year. He also won a gold medal in the Paralympics.

He had both of his legs amputated below the knee when he was less than a year old and had campaigned for years to be allowed to compete on an equal level.

The athlete will be back in court on Tuesday when his lawyers are expected to attempt to get his charge downgrade and argue for his release on bail.

His girlfriend's funeral is scheduled for the same day.

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British Workers Feared Kidnapped In Nigeria

Gunmen in northern Nigeria have kidnapped a group of foreign workers including one Briton, according to the local authorities.

The group attacked a camp for a construction company, killing a guard and then abducting several foreigners, the authorities have said.

Local officials said those kidnapped include workers from Britain, Greece, Italy and Lebanon. Some reports suggested six in total had been taken but others said it was seven.

This would make it the biggest kidnapping yet in a region that is under attack from Islamic extremists.

The kidnapping on Saturday night happened in Jama'are, a town in a rural portion of Bauchi state.

The gunmen attacked a local prison first, burning two police trucks, Bauchi state police spokesman Hassan Muhammed told The Associated Press.

Then they targeted a workers' camp for a construction company called Setraco, which is in the area building a road, Mr Muhammed said.

The gunmen shot dead a guard at the camp before kidnapping the foreign workers, the spokesman said.

Adamu Aliyu, the chairman of the local government area that encompasses Jama're, identified those kidnapped as one British citizen, one Greek, one Italian and two Lebanese.

Officials originally said that four Lebanese had been taken but this was later corrected. The Italian foreign ministry has confirmed that one of its citizens is being held.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office in Britain said: "We are aware of the reports and are making inquiries with local authorities."

Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north has been under attack by the radical Islamic sect known as Boko Haram in the last year and a half.

The country's weak central government has been unable to stop the group's bloody guerrilla campaign of shootings and bombings.

The sect is blamed for killing at least 729 people in 2012 alone, according to an AP count.

Foreigners have been frequently abducted by militant groups and criminal gangs for ransom in Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta and have become increasingly targeted in Nigeria's north as the violence has grown.

Sky News Special Correspondent Alex Crawford said: "Nigeria, particularly the north of Nigeria, has got a big problem. It's the scourge of the country and has been for many years now.

"Local Islamist groups called Boko Haram have been largely responsible for carrying out the kidnappings.

"This is one of the militant groups who have operating inside Mali. They are one of five extremist groups who are believed to have been running operations inside Mali and around the Sahel."

Gunmen who authorities say have links to Boko Haram also kidnapped an Italian and a British man last year in northern Kebbi State.

They were later killed during a rescue operation by Nigerian soldiers backed up by British special forces. The sect later denied taking part in that abduction.

Chinese construction workers have also been killed by gunmen around Maiduguri, the northeastern city in Nigeria where Boko Haram first began.

Setraco Nigeria, a construction and civil engineering company, is a subsidiary of Setraco International Holding group.

The Nigerian company, which was established in 1977, is currently working on expanding a major road in the north of the country.

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