India: Survivor Found Day After Tower Collapse

Rescuers have pulled out alive an injured woman from the wreckage of a Mumbai tower block - 36 hours after it collapsed leaving as many as 72 dead and 70 injured.

The 65-year-old was dragged from the building on Saturday morning after rescue workers heard her voice and used camera equipment to pinpoint her location under the rubble. She is said to be in a stable condition in hospital.

It came as the search for further survivors was called off after more than 40 hours and the rescue of 126 people in total.

A 10-month old infant was pulled from the debris on Friday.

Dozens are still missing, while some 36 of the injured remain in hospital.

A 10-month-old child rescued from the rubble

Most of the dead and missing are migrant construction workers who were living on the site in Thane, on the outskirts of the city, with their families.

At least 17 of those killed are children.

The building collapsed "like a pack of cards within three to four seconds," one witness said on Thursday night.

As rescue teams combed the rubble for survivors immediately after the collapse, two young children were plucked out alive to cries of "God is great".

A toddler is pulled out alive from the wreckage

Rescue workers with sledgehammers, gasoline-powered saws and hydraulic jacks struggled to break through the tower of rubble in their search for possible survivors. Six bulldozers were brought to the scene.

An investigation has now been launched into what has been described as one of the worst incidents of its kind in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.

The collapse is being blamed on shoddy construction and unstable foundations.

The building was only supposed to be four storeys high but three extra levels had been illegally constructed on top and an eighth was being added when it collapsed, said police.

Rescue workers search for survivors in the rubble

Police said they have arrested the builder and his associates. They face a number of charges including manslaughter.

A local resident who gave his name as Ramlal said: "The building collapsed like a pack of cards within three to four seconds.

"Only labourers used to stay there. No rich person or well-to-do family stayed here. Only poor people stayed here."

The neighbourhood where the building collapsed was part of a belt of more than 2,000 illegal structures that had sprung up in the area in recent years, said Malvi, the town spokesman.

"Notices have been served several times for such illegal construction, sometimes notices are sent 10 times for the same building," he said.

A crowd watches the rescuers at work

GR Khairnar, a former top Mumbai official, said government officials who allowed the illegal construction should be tried along with the builders.

"There are a lot of people involved (in illegal construction) - builders, government machinery, police, municipal corporation - everybody is involved in this process," he told CNN-IBN television.

As the economy has grown, so has the appetite for property and the quick profit that comes from unauthorised construction.

In one of the worst collapses, nearly 70 people were killed when an apartment building in a congested New Delhi neighbourhood crumbled in November 2010.

That building was two floors higher than legally allowed and its foundations appeared to have been weakened by water damage.

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North Korea: US Deploys Spy Plane To Japan

Tensions remain high on the Korean Peninsula amid reports the US has deployed an unmanned spy plane to Japan to boost its surveillance after North Korea readied missile launchers on its east coast.

The Global Hawk will be stationed at the US airbase in Misawa, northern Japan, in the first ever deployment of the aircraft in the country, the Sankei Shimbun reported, quoting government sources.

The US military informed Japan last month about plans to deploy the plane between June and September but has brought the date forward.

It comes after North Korea warned foreign diplomats they may not be safe in the country if war breaks out.

The spy plane will be stationed at the US airbase in Misawa, northern Japan

Pyongyang asked foreign embassies whether they were considering evacuating staff, saying the government could not guarantee their safety in the event of conflict from April 10.

The British Foreign Office dismissed the warning as "rhetoric".

However, an urgent international effort to defuse the situation is under way.

The heads of EU missions are to meet to hammer out a common position on the crisis, while the US works its diplomatic channels to resolve the stand-off with Pyongyang.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has been holding talks with officials in South Korea, as well as China - historically North Korea's ally - to see if the Chinese can put any more pressure on North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to back down.

Kim Jong-Un holding up a pistol as he supervises firing drills

Reporting from the South Korean capital Seoul, Sky's Asia Correspondent Mark Stone, said: "In the skies above the Korean Peninsula there are spy planes operating.

"There will be drones - American drones - operating before long from a base in Japan.

"They are trying to get as much of a sense as possible of what it is that Kim Jong-Un is doing on the ground with his weaponry.

"We know he has some pretty sophisticated weaponry.

"There are artillery rounds just over the border. They could in theory hit Seoul. That's a big concern for South Korea.

"That's why they are trying to put these intelligence reports together, as well as the diplomacy behind the scenes, to try and work out what Kim Jong-Un might be up to."

A South Korean soldier looks to the north at a border observation post

He continued: "The diplomats were warned by Pyongyang to leave by April 10 - no one quite knows why that date should be significant.

"It seems pretty clear, certainly speaking to western diplomats based in Pyongyang, their belief is this is just the latest round of rhetoric from North Korea.

"You would assume that if North Korea was planning some sort of war, it would actually want the diplomats from foreign countries to remain there so that they could be used as some sort of a bargaining chip - not kicked out of North Korea.

"I think it is alarming, but I think it's also probably just more rhetoric," he added.

Most governments have made it clear they have no immediate plans to withdraw personnel from the area.

A rally in support of Kim Jong-Un's order to put missiles on standby

Western tourists returning from organised tours in Pyongyang - which have continued despite the crisis - said the situation on the ground appeared calm, with life going on as normal.

"We're glad to be back but we didn't feel frightened when we were there," said Tina Krabbe, from Denmark, arriving in Beijing after five days in North Korea.

The embassy warning on Friday coincided with reports that North Korea had loaded two mid-range Musudan missiles on mobile launchers and hidden them in underground facilities on its eastern coast.

The Musudan have never been tested but are believed to have a range of around 3,000km (1,860 miles), which could theoretically be pushed to 4,000km (2,485 miles).

That would cover any target in South Korea and Japan, and possibly even reach US military bases located on the Pacific island of Guam - which Pyongyang has threatened to strike.

Tensions have soared on the Korean peninsula since December, when the North test-launched a long-range rocket. In February, it conducted its third nuclear test and drew fresh UN sanctions.

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India: British Woman Murdered In Kashmir

A second man is being questioned after a British woman was found murdered on a houseboat in Indian-administered Kashmir, police have confirmed.

The son of the owner of the houseboat where Sarah Groves, 24, had been staying for up to two months is helping police with their inquiries, according to Sky sources.

The victim, from Guernsey, had apparently been stabbed and police said she was found in a pool of blood on the vessel at Srinagar's Dal Lake, a popular tourist destination.

A police officer at Dal Lake, a popular tourist destination

Senior police officer Abdul Ghani Mir said the first arrested man - a Dutch national - was picked up as he tried to flee the valley with only his passport.

The woman's body is being sent for medical examination to determine whether she was sexually assaulted before being killed.

Speaking to Sky News India correspondent Alex Rossi, Irfan Shoda confirmed his brother Samir was being questioned and described finding the victim's body in the early hours.

Onlookers gathered near the scene of the murder

Superintendent Tahir Sajjad told AFP: "We walked into a pool of blood in her room. We found a sharp-edged knife close to her body. The young lady had multiple stab wounds."

The attacker smashed the latch on the cabin door, according to AFP.

The Dutchman was held at Qazigund, in south Kashmir's Anantag district, around 100km (62 miles) from the lake where the woman's body was found.

He had allegedly fled in a small boat which capsized as he was trying to reach the shore, forcing him to swim.

The woman was killed in Indian-administered Kashmir

Speaking near the murder scene, Deputy Inspector General of Police for central Kashmir Syed Afadul Mujtiba said: "There is one houseboat over here in which there were two tourists living.

"She has been living here, an English tourist, and a Dutch tourist arrived two days ago, and now today in the morning the dead body of the female tourist has been found with incision wounds, sharp-edged weapon wounds, and the Dutch tourist has tried to escape.

"It appears that he has murdered this female tourist."

The weeping owner of the Kashmir houseboat, named Hafeeza, said she was shocked by the tourist's murder.

She said: "She was very dear to me, she was just like my daughter."

The Foreign Office says it is in touch with local authorities and the victim's family have been informed.

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Nelson Mandela Discharged From Hospital

Former South African president Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital after being treated for pneumonia.

The 94-year-old has been allowed to leave hospital this afternoon "following a sustained and gradual improvement in his general condition".

President Jacob Zuma's office said Mr Mandela would return to his residence to receive "home-based" care.

The statement said: "President Zuma thanks the hard working medical team and hospital staff for looking after Madiba so efficiently."

He also extended his gratitude to all South Africans, friends of the nation and to people around the world for their support.

It has been the third health scare in four months for the anti-apartheid leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who became South Africa's first black president in 1994 and became a global symbol of tolerance and the struggle for equality.

More follows...

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India Building Collapse: At Least 45 Dead

By Alex Rossi, Sky News India Correspondent

Rescuers have pulled out alive two toddlers from the wreckage of a Mumbai tower block after it collapsed leaving as many as 45 dead and 50 injured.

Most of the dead and missing are migrant construction workers who were living on the site in Thane, on the outskirts of the city, with their families.

Eleven of the dead are children.

As rescue teams combed the rubble for survivors two young children were plucked out alive to cries of "God is great".

A toddler is pulled out alive from the wreckage

Rescue workers with sledgehammers, gasoline-powered saws and hydraulic jacks struggled to break through the tower of rubble in their search for possible survivors.

More than 20 people remained missing and three floors of the building still needed to be searched, said R S Rajesh, an official with the National Disaster Response Force who was at the scene.

"All the three floors are sandwiched ... so it is very difficult for us," he said, adding that rescuers were continuing to pull survivors from the wreckage.

An investigation has now been launched into what has been described as one of the worst incidents of its kind in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.

Rescue workers search for survivors in the rubble

The collapse is being blamed on shoddy construction and unstable foundations.

The building was only supposed to be four storeys high but three extra levels had been illegally constructed on top.

Police said they have arrested the builder and his associates. They face a number of charges including manslaughter.

A local resident who gave his name as Ramlal said he could only watch as the disaster unfolded because it happened so quickly.

A crowd watches the rescuers at work

"The building collapsed like a pack of cards within three to four seconds," he said.

"Only labourers used to stay there. No rich person or well-to-do family stayed here. Only poor people stayed here."

Building collapses happen often in India.

As the economy has grown, so has the appetite for property and the quick profit that comes from unauthorised construction.

In one of the worst collapses, nearly 70 people were killed when an apartment building in a congested New Delhi neighbourhood crumpled in November 2010.

That building was two floors higher than legally allowed and its foundations appeared to have been weakened by water damage.

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Jill Meagher Murder: Accused Changes Plea

A man has pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of an Irish woman who was attacked and killed as she walked home from a bar in the Australian city of Melbourne.

Adrian Ernest Bayley pleaded guilty to rape and murder of Jill Meagher, 29, last September.

The 41-year-old father of four - who originally denied the charge - faces life in prison.

Jill Meagher's husband Tom

Bayley lived near inner-suburban Brunswick where he randomly abducted Ms Meagher only a few hundred yards from the apartment she shared with her husband.

Ms Meagher's murder shocked Australia, with some 30,000 people attending a rally against violence near the lane where she was strangled.

CCTV footage of the last sighting of Ms Meagher

The woman, who was working for national broadcaster ABC, went missing in the early hours of September 22 after a night out with friends.

She had been walking the short distance home to the flat she shared with her husband Tom.

Her body was found five days later in a shallow grave in a rural area about 31 miles from the city.

Jill Meagher on her wedding day

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China Slaughters Birds As Flu Deaths Mount

A sixth person has died in China from a new strain of bird flu, prompting the slaughter of over 20,000 birds at a poultry market in Shanghai.

The city's authorities shut down the Huhuai market for live birds and ordered the culling of 20,536 birds after the H7N9 virus was detected in samples of pigeons that are sold for meat in the market.

State media ran pictures of animal health officials in protective overalls and masks working through the night at the market, taking notes as they stood over piles of poultry carcasses in plastic bags. The area was guarded by police and cordoned off with plastic tape.

Other live poultry markets in Shanghai, which has a population of 23 million people, are due be closed down from Saturday.

Police cordoned off the area as birds at the wholesale market were culled

The bird cull is the first so far as the Chinese government responds to the new strain of bird flu, which has left 16 people ill, many critically, in the east of the country in its first known infections of people. The first cases were announced on Sunday.

At least four of the deaths were in Shanghai. The latest fatality was a 64-year-old farmer in the eastern city of Huzhou.

In Shanghai, some residents are staying away from markets with live chickens and ducks.

Shao Linxia, 38, who has stopped buying poultry since news of the bird flu surfaced, said: "I'm only getting my groceries at the large supermarkets now because I don't think it is safe to visit the wet markets anymore.

A technician carries out a test on a suspected H7N9 infected sample

"We all remember Sars and how quickly it could spread, so we are obviously worried."

Health officials believe people are contracting the virus through direct contact with infected fowl and say there has been no evidence so far that the virus is spreading easily between people.

Guidelines issued by the national health agency identify butchers, breeders and sellers of poultry, and those in the meat processing industry as at higher risk of infection.

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North Korea Warns Foreign Embassies Of Risks

By Mark Stone, on the South Korea border

The Foreign Office says it has no intention of evacuating its embassy in Pyongyang after North Korea warned foreign diplomats they may not be safe if war breaks out.

The North Korean government asked foreign embassies whether they were considering evacuating staff, saying it cannot guarantee their safety in the event of conflict from April 10.

Tensions in the region are high after reports that North Korea has now moved two missiles to its eastern coast and loaded them on mobile launchers.

The Foreign Office says it "has no intention of evacuating embassy in Pyongyang".

Earlier, a spokesperson said: "The DPRK (The Democratic People's Republic of Korea) has responsibilities under the Vienna convention to protect diplomatic missions, and we believe they have taken this step as part of their continuing rhetoric that the US poses a threat to them.

"We are considering next steps, including a change to our travel advice."

It was not immediately clear why the date of April 10 had been mentioned, but there has been speculation that Pyongyang might schedule a firing to coincide with the birthday of the country's late founder Kim Il-Sung in mid-April.

Russia intends to "clarify the situation" before making a decision on any possible evacuation, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported earlier in the day that two North Korean intermediate-range missiles had been moved by train to the country's eastern coast.

North Korea's young leader Kim Jong-Un has escalated his rhetoric

The move fuels fears of an imminent firing.

"It has been confirmed that North Korea, early this week, transported two Musudan mid-range missiles by train to the east coast and loaded them on vehicles equipped with launch pads," the agency said, quoting what it said was a top government official.

The  mobile launchers had since been hidden in special underground facilities, according to the report.

Intelligence officials from the US, Japan and South Korea are monitoring the movement of the weapons.

The Musudan missile is a mid-range weapon, meaning it is capable of reaching South Korea and Japan and perhaps also the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean.

US soldiers give a demonstration of their chemical equipment in South Korea

"The range is between 3,000 to 4,000km (1,864 to 2,485 miles). There are major US military forces in Guam and a fixed number of troops to deal with the Korean peninsula, so I think these facts can reduce the possible danger there," said Kim Min-seok, South Korea's Defence Ministry spokesman.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said daily reports from Pyongyang were "really alarming and troubling" and urged North Korea to ease tensions.

"Nuclear threat is not a game, it is very serious," he said, adding that any misjudgement or miscalculation could have "very serious implications".

Speaking to Sky News, a security adviser to the South Korean government said there is no doubt that North Korea's capability is concerning.

"The technological level of North Korean weapons has become much improved and better - especially their missile capability and their long-range artilleries," Kim Byungki said.

The South Korean military during an exercise near the border

"It is more uncertain, it is less predictable, there are more ways for them to destabilise us and there are more ways for us to respond ... so it is more complex."

North Korea which, incensed at fresh UN sanctions and South Korea-US military drills, has issued a series of apocalyptic threats of nuclear war in recent weeks.

America says it is taking "all necessary precautions" to respond to the daily threats from the North Korean leadership.

President Barack Obama's spokesman, Jay Carney, said the barrage of rhetoric fitted a "regrettable but familiar" pattern of North Korean behaviour.

The Musudan, which is manoeuvrable on the back of a specially designed mobile launch pad, is untested and its accuracy is unknown. Most experts believe the North Koreans lack the technological ability to mount a nuclear warhead into its tip.

However, it can carry a significant load of conventional explosives which could cause considerable damage.

The US is preparing to move an advanced missile defence system to Guam

It is not clear whether military commanders in North Korea have been given orders to fire the weapon in anger or as a test.

Given the recent level of rhetoric delivered by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and the number of US and South Korean military assets that are now in the region, the missile would be shot down within minutes of any launch.

The concern is that this could then lead to an uncontrollable escalation in military action by both sides.

Sky News' Asia correspondent Mark Stone says South Korean people are "remarkably unconcerned about the threats that are coming from the North. Why? Because they're used to it. They've heard it for so many decades now.

"They don't believe he'll press the button."

He added that governments are, however, concerned because Mr Kim, North Korea's new young leader, "is very unpredictable".

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Argentina Floods: Dozens Die As Rain Continues

At least 52 people have drowned in their homes and cars, or were electrocuted as floods swamped Buenos Aires.

Thousands have been evacuated from their homes

At least 46 died on Wednesday in and around the city of La Plata. Six deaths were reported a day earlier in Argentina's capital.

Many people climbed onto their roofs in the pouring rain after storm sewers flooded forcing water into houses.

"It started to rain really hard in the evening, and began to flood," Augustina Garcia Orsi, a 25-year-old student, said.

"I panicked. In two seconds I was up to my knees in water. It came up through the drains - I couldn't do anything."

Many claim officials have not done enough

The rains also flooded the country's largest oil refinery, causing a fire that took hours to put out.

The La Plata refinery suspended operations as a result, and Argentina's YPF oil company said an emergency team was evaluating how to get it restarted.

"Such intense rain in so little time has left many people trapped in their cars, in the streets, in some cases electrocuted," Governor Daniel Scioli said.

"We are giving priority to rescuing people who have been stuck in trees or on the roofs of their homes."

The region of Buenos Aires has been worst affected

President Cristina Fernandez visited Tolosa, a La Plata neighbourhood where she grew up and where her mother was among those evacuated.

She announced security measures to combat vandalism, help for identifying the dead, and three days of national mourning for the victims.

At least 2,500 people were evacuated from their homes to about 20 centres in the La Plata area, which is about 37 miles (60km) southeast of Argentina's capital.

The rains are expected to ease later

The flooding threatened to ruin food supplies across La Plata's metropolitan area, which has nearly one million people.

National Planning Minister Julio de Vido estimated that 280,000 people remain without power across the city and surrounding province of Buenos Aires, where most Argentines live.

"Our job is focused on restoring service, but we're going to wait until the equipment dries to guarantee the safety of the electricity workers, because we don't want any deaths," he said.

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Rogue Trader Admits $8.3bn Goldman Sachs Fraud

A rogue trader has pleaded guilty to defrauding Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs with unauthorised trades totalling $8.3bn (£5.5bn).

Matthew Taylor admitted that he exceeded internal risk limits and lied to Goldman supervisors to cover up his activities involving futures trade in 2007.

Taylor, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in a United States federal court in lower Manhattan after voluntarily turning himself in to authorities.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate pleaded guilty some four months after the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed a civil complaint against him.

The CFTC accused Taylor of fabricating trades to conceal a huge, unauthorised position in e-mini Standard & Poor's futures contracts, which bet on the direction of the S&P 500 index.

The court heard that Taylor's trading position at the firm exceeded risk guidelines set by his supervisors "on the order of 10 times."

He also admitted to making false statements to Goldman Sachs personnel who questioned him about the position.

In total, Taylor's actions led to a $118m (£78m) monetary loss for Goldman Sachs.

"I am truly sorry," he told the court.

Taylor outside court in Manhattan on April 3

Taylor, who joined Goldman in 2005, worked in a 10-person group called the Capital Structure Franchise Trading (CSFT), and was responsible for equity derivatives trades.

After his trading profits plunged in late 2007, his supervisors told Taylor his bonus was going to be cut and instructed him to reduce risk-taking.

Instead he "amassed a position that far exceeded all trading and risk limits set by Goldman Sachs, not only for individual traders ... but for the entire CSFT desk," court documents said.

He subsequently attempted to hide his actions by putting false information into a manual entry system.

When supervisors and other employees confronted him about discrepancies compared with his actual positions, Taylor repeatedly lied, the court heard.

Taylor said he covertly built the position in an effort to restore his reputation and increase his bonus.

At the time he earned a $150,000 (£100,000) salary and expected a bonus of $1.6m (£1m).

Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of 33 to 41 months and a fine of up to $75,000 (£50,000), based on his remuneration and not the actual loss suffered by the bank.

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North Korea Army: 'War Could Break Out Today'

By Mark Stone, in Seoul, South Korea

The North Korean military says it has ratified a "merciless" attack against the United States, potentially involving a "cutting-edge" nuclear strike.

"The moment of explosion is approaching fast," the army said in a statement on state news agency KCNA.

War could break out "today or tomorrow", the statement said, quoting a spokesman for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army.

"The merciless operation of (our) revolutionary armed forces in this regard has been finally examined and ratified.

"The US had better ponder over the prevailing grave situation."

The North's rhetoric has been met by a display of US military strength

The North's Committee for Peaceful Reunification of Korea was later quoted by KCNA as threatening to withdraw its 53,000 workers from the joint industrial zone it shares with the South.

Pyongyang informed Seoul on Wednesday that it was stopping the daily movement of South Koreans to the Kaesong complex, the last real surviving point of contact between the two countries.

And the committee said: "If the South Korean puppets and conservative news media keep badmouthing (us), we will order all our workers to pull out from Kaesong."

North Korea's latest pronouncements came as Washington scrambled to reinforce its Pacific defences, preparing to move an advanced missile defence system to the island of Guam.

Mr Hagel said North Korea posed a "real and clear danger"

The land-based weapon, which is primed to shoot down short and medium-range missiles, will be sent to the US territory to defend its bases there.

The Pentagon has already sent bombers, stealth aircraft and ships.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the North had moved a mid-range Musudan missile to its east coast.

The missile is believed to have a range of 1,875 miles (3,000km) or more, which would put all of South Korea and Japan in range and possibly also the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean.

North Korea is not believed to have tested these missiles, according to most independent experts.

Tensions have been soaring on the Korean peninsula since the North launched a long-range rocket in December and conducted its third nuclear test in February.

A military checkpoint linked to the Kaesong joint industrial complex

North Korea has threatened missile and nuclear strikes against the US and South Korea in response to UN sanctions and joint military drills.

European diplomatic sources speaking to Sky News from the North Korean capital have said there is nothing there to suggest war is imminent: no sign of conscripts being signed up or unusual troop movements.

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Wednesday that North Korea's "bellicose, dangerous rhetoric" posed a "real and clear danger" to America and its allies South Korea and Japan.

"They have nuclear capacity now, they have missile delivery capacity now," he said.

"We take those threats seriously, we have to take those threats seriously.

"We are doing everything we can, working with the Chinese and others to defuse that situation on the peninsula.

"I hope the North will ratchet its very dangerous rhetoric down."

The UK Government said it was not warning of an immediate risk to British citizens travelling to or living in South Korea.

In a statement to Sky News, the UK Embassy in Seoul said: "We have noted North Korea's most recent statement, we are monitoring the situation and are in close contact with allies.

"We have been clear to North Korea that its long-term interests will not be served by threatening the international community and increasing regional tensions.

"We have updated our Travel Advice, advising British nationals in Korea and those travelling here to follow the advice of local authorities and subscribe to our travel advice, Twitter feed and Facebook page. We currently assess there is no immediate risk to British nationals in or travelling to Korea."

The tensions surrounding Kaesong - established in 2004 and a crucial source of hard currency for North Korea - carry enormous significance.

Neither of the Koreas has allowed previous crises to significantly affect the complex, which is the only surviving example of inter-Korean cooperation and seen as a bellwether for stability on the Korean peninsula.

China, the North's sole major ally, appealed for "calm" from all sides, repeating Beijing's oft-declared position.

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Long-Lost 'Twins' Raise $35k Online To Meet Up

Two potential long-lost twin sisters, who first got in touch thanks to a YouTube video, have managed to raise more than $35k online to finally meet up.

Anais Bordier, 25, a French fashion student living in London, initially saw Los Angeles-based Samantha Futerman, also 25, in a short film clip last December.

Her resemblance to her YouTube lookalike was striking.

Anais, who grew up as the only child of French parents, soon made some more startling discoveries.

Both women were adopted soon after they were born on the same day - November 19, 1987 - and in the same town in South Korea.

Anais, finally decided to get in touch with her American doppelganger via Facebook. 

"About 2 months ago, my friend was watching one of your videos with Kevjumba on YouTube," she wrote.

"And he saw you and thought that we looked similar ... like ... VERY REALLY SIMILAR".

The twins "grew up" thousands of miles apart. Pic: Kickstarter.com

Samantha grew up in New Jersey and now lives and works as an actress in California.

"At first glance, I only saw my face staring back from her profile picture," she said.

"After just a few clicks and a personal message from Anais … I was positive that this girl was in fact my biological twin sister."

However, both acknowledge the coincidences might be just that. 

So they turned to crowdsourcing fundraising website Kickstarter.com to fund getting together in person.

They also plan to take DNA tests to prove their connection once and for all. 

The project has attracted donations from over 800 people and good wishes from many more.

But not everyone is convinced, with some expressing outright scepticism and others calling the whole thing a fake. 

While there may not be a fairytale ending to the story, the two "possible sisters" intend to use some of the money to film a documentary about their journey either way.

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South Korea Warns Military Action An 'Option'

South Korea's defence minister, Kim Kwan-jin, has said that military action is an "option" to protect its citizens in its stand off with North Korea.

The news comes as the United States has said it will "not accept" North Korea as a nuclear state, after Pyongyang raised tensions by refusing the South entry to a joint industrial complex.

The North says it will restart all nuclear facilities including its mothballed Yongbyon reactor, which is able to produce bomb-grade plutonium.

Standing firm: Kerry stated he will not accept N Korea as a nuclear state

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un insisted it was only seeking a deterrent and did not repeat recent threats to attack South Korea and the US.

But the North delayed the daily opening of its Kaesong industrial zone with South Korea on Wednesday morning, in a move that could represent a sharp escalation of tensions between the two countries.

The North had previously threatened to close the joint complex as part of a stand-off with Washington and Seoul.

"We are waiting for access from the North Korean authorities," a Unification Ministry official said.

More than an hour after the time the daily entry clearance is normally granted, the ministry said 861 South Korean workers were in the industrial complex while 179 workers awaited access.

The complex is a rare lucrative source of income for the impoverished North since it was established as a form of joint-Korean cooperation in 2002.

Sky News Asia Correspondent Mark Stone said the site was the only place where relations between the two countries existed.

"As with everything, it's hard to know whether this is more game playing or whether they plan to keep it closed for a while," he said.

Face off: South Korea's Kim Kwan-jin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

"But a number of analysts who have studied the Korean problem for some time said last week that while the park remained open, the situation was not overly worrying. Now it appears to be shut."

Both Washington and Seoul stressed their countries' military readiness and said de-nuclearisation was the only way forward for North Korea.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said: "What Kim Jong-Un has been choosing to do is provocative, it is dangerous, reckless and the United States will not accept (North Korea) as a nuclear state."

America's deployment of advanced aircraft and warships to South Korea was a signal that "the United States will defend our allies and that we will not be subject to irrational or reckless provocation," he said.

Vehicles wait to cross the border to the Kaesong complex

The parading of US air and naval power with nuclear capability within view of the Korean peninsula, is as much about psychological war as real war.

The US is keen to discourage North Korea's unpredictable leader from starting a fight that could get out of control.

Mr Kerry, who will visit South Korea next week, reminded the North Koreans that "they have an option, and that option is to enter into negotiations for de-nuclearisation ... and to begin to focus on the needs of their people".

Meanwhile, China has expressed "serious concern" over the escalating situation on the Korean peninsula.

South Korean trucks return after they were refused entry to the facility

An official from China's Foreign Ministry met ambassadors from the US, North Korea and South Korea, following the closing of Kaesong.

China hopes the differences can be resolved through talks and diplomacy, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appealed for dialogue and negotiation to resolve the crisis.

South Korean soldiers after a military drill near the demilitarised zone

"Nuclear threats are not a game," he said. "Aggressive rhetoric and military posturing only result in counter-actions, and fuel fear and instability."

Meanwhile, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Igor Morgulov, has expressed concern that even a simple human error could cause the crisis to escalate.

The country shares a short border with North Korea south of Vladivostok. In the current crisis, Moscow has steered clear of openly criticising North Korea.

"Russia has to be worried as we are talking about an explosive situation in the immediate vicinity of our Far East borders," he said.

US and South Korea Navy ships in formation west of the Korean peninsula

"In the current tense atmosphere, it would only need an elementary human error or technical problem for the situation to go out of control and plunge into a critical dive.

"We urge all sides to refrain from any comments or actions which could further complicate the situation," said Morgulov.

A speech by the North's young leader, Kim Jong-Un, given on Sunday but published in full by the Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday, appeared to dampen any prospect of a direct confrontation with the US by emphasising that nuclear weapons would ensure the country's safety as a deterrent.

"Our nuclear strength is a reliable war deterrent and a guarantee to protect our sovereignty," Mr Kim said.

"It is on the basis of a strong nuclear strength that peace and prosperity can exist and so can the happiness of people's lives."

The crisis flared after Pyongyang was hit with US sanctions for conducting a third nuclear test in February, before America and South Korea staged military drills that North Korea viewed as "hostile".

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'Innocent' Man Freed After 42 Years In Jail

A man who was locked up for more than 40 years for starting a deadly fire at an Arizona hotel has walked free from prison after years of doubt about his conviction.

Louis Taylor was just 16 when he was arrested following the inferno which killed 29 people at the Pioneer Hotel in Tucson in December 1970.

"It's a tale of two tragedies: the Pioneer Hotel fire and my conviction," he told reporters gathered outside the prison.

Taylor, who turns 59 on Saturday, had faced a difficult choice in court in Tucson earlier in the day.

He could have continued his fight to fully clear his name or have entered a plea and got out of prison straightaway.

Louis Taylor chose not to press for a new trial. Pic: CBS News

He chose to plead "no contest", rather than wait another two to three years.

However, the deal negates his ability to sue the state for compensation.

That could have happened only if he had been exonerated at a new trial.

Taylor was sentenced to 28 consecutive life sentences but continually professed his innocence.

He contends he was wrongly convicted by an all-white jury, alleging police failed to investigate other suspects.

Fire engulfed the Pioneer Hotel in Tucson in December 1970. Pic: CBS News

Reports at the time indicated Taylor was actually helping people escape the blaze before being arrested later that night.

Even the presiding judge expressed scepticism about the conviction. 

Taylor's lawyers believe they would have prevailed eventually at a new trial, but the process could have taken a long time.

Prosecutors still believe he is guilty, but said they would not be able to pursue a new conviction due to a lack of evidence and living witnesses.

The hotel fire was one of the worst in Arizona history.

Many guests were trapped in their rooms as the blaze engulfed the building.

The fire truck ladders were too short to reach the upper floors.

Some people jumped to their deaths while others burned in their rooms.

Most victims died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

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Spain's Princess Ordered To Appear In Court

A court has named Spain's Princess Cristina as a suspect in a corruption case involving her husband, the Duke of Palma.

The court in Palma, on the island of Mallorca, said that the 47-year-old daughter of King Juan Carlos, is to be called for questioning on April 27.

The case centres on claims that her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, and his former business partner, Diego Torres, funnelled around 5 million euros (£4.25m) of public funds to companies they controlled.

Princess Cristina with her husband Inaki Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma

They are accused of syphoning off money paid by regional governments to stage sports and tourism events to the non-profit Noos Institute, which Urdangarin was chairman of from 2004 to 2006.

Princess Cristina, the youngest daughter of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, is seventh in line to the throne.

The princess, who was a member of the Spanish Olympic sailing team at the Seoul games in 1988, married her husband, a former handball player, in 1997 and together the couple have four children.

The Spanish royal family

A spokesman for the palace said: "The royal household does not comment in any way on judicial decisions."

More follows...

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Umbrella Fall: Child Leaps From Factory In China

A five-year-old girl is fighting for her life after she jumped out of a six-storey window holding an umbrella in China.

The youngster leapt from a factory window after apparently watching cartoons showing children floating through the air, aided by brollies.

The drama was captured on a security camera and shows the youngster, dressed in pink, crashing to the ground, holding the yellow umbrella.

Her fall was witnessed by several employees at the printing company factory in Shenzhen city, Guangdong Province, where the girl's father worked.

According to reports in Shenzhen News, the girl's father worked as a security guard at the plant and had taken her to the factory after picking her up from school.

She was apparently in a locked common room when she leapt from the window, factory staff said.

The paper reported that the girl had been living with her father who was divorced.

According to doctors, she suffered multiple bone fractures and her condition is unstable.

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China: Drunk Man Dangles From Power Cables

A drunk man found himself dangling nine metres (30ft) above the ground from high-tension cables after climbing up a utility pole in China.

The man moved along the cables for 15 minutes - unaware of the danger - while one firefighter climbed up the pole to persuade him to get down.

The power supply to the area had been cut off to prevent him from being electrocuted.

The man continued to the middle of two poles on the cables, then loosened his hands and legs before dropping onto another layer of cables.

As shocked onlookers watched from below, he eventually fell onto a net set up by firefighters. He later told a reporter that he drank a lot in a bad mood.

Medical staff said the man sustained no injuries except the excessive alcohol in his body.

The incident happened in downtown Linfen, in north China's Shanxi Province.

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North Korea To Restart Nuclear Reactor

North Korea will restart all nuclear facilities including its shuttered Yongbyon reactor, the official KCNA news service has said.

It will rebuild and resume its mothballed uranium enrichment facility and the 5 MW Yongbyon reactor, which was closed in 2007 as part of a disarmament-for-aid talks that have since stalled.

When it is fully running the reactor is capable of churning out one atomic bomb worth of plutonium - the most common fuel in nuclear weapons - a year.

A nuclear energy spokesman said the move was being made in line with a policy of "bolstering the nuclear armed force both in quality and quantity" as well as solving "acute" electricity shortages.

Kim Jong-Un has said the North is at war with South Korea

It wasn't immediately clear if North Korea had already begun work to restart facilities and experts estimate it could take anywhere from three months to a year to reactivate the reactor.

In response, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned that "nuclear threats are not a game".

"The current crisis has already gone too far. Things must begin to calm down. There is no need for the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) to be on a collision course with the international community," he said at a press conference.

China, Pyongyang's only major supporter, unusually described the north's plans as "regrettable".            

The step will boost fears in Washington and among its allies about North Korea's push for nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the US, technology it is not currently believed to have.

A cooling tower being demolished at Yongbyon nuclear plant in 2008

The North's leader Kim Jong-Un has been issuing daily war-like threats in recent weeks, including one to launch missile attacks on American targets in the region. He also claims the North is in a "state of war" with South Korea.

The rising rhetoric has been met by a display of US military strength including flights of nuclear-capable bombers and stealth jets at annual South Korean-US military drills.

Pyongyang conducted its third nuclear test in February, prompting UN sanctions that have angered its leaders and led to the current tensions.

The country has since declared that making nuclear arms and a stronger economy are the nation's top priorities.

The country added the 5 MW graphite-moderated Yongbyon reactor to its nuclear complex in 1986 after seven years of construction, adding the operation is aimed at generating electricity.

It takes about 8,000 fuel rods to run the reactor. Reprocessing the spent fuel rods after a year of reactor operation could yield about seven kilogrammes of plutonium - enough to make at least one nuclear bomb, experts say.

North Korea began building a 50 MW and a 200 MW reactor in 1984, but their construction was suspended under a 1994 nuclear deal with Washington.

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Brazil: CCTV Catches Police 'Ignoring' Murders

Eight Brazilian police officers have been arrested after security camera footage showed two teenagers being murdered as officers in a police car parked metres away apparently did nothing.

The footage, which was shown on Brazilian television, showed two men on a motorcycle gunning down two youngsters in the popular Bras neighbourhood of Sao Paulo.

Images from a separate camera show that at the time of the murders, a military police vehicle was parked around 50m away from where the victims were shot.

Police on patrol in a shantytown in Rio

After the shooting it was seen simply driving off in scenes that the Civilian Police Director of Sao Paulo described as "shocking".

She said: "We are working to find the third youth who was seen in the images and managed to flee."

The arrests came as police in Rio de Janeiro arrested three men in connection with the rape of an American student on a minibus.

The 21-year-old, who was studying in the city, was subjected to a horrific six-hour sex attack on the vehicle as her French boyfriend was forced to look on.

The couple boarded the bus in Copacabana and headed to Lapa, a trendy area home to popular bars and dance clubs.

Police in riot training preparation for the World Cup in 2014

Two men who also boarded the minibus ordered the rest of the passengers to get off and handcuffed their victims.

They then proceeded to beat the young man with a metal bar and rape the young woman as they rode around the city.

The incidents will be a damaging blow to Brazil, which is seeking to improve its image on crime, ahead of the World Cup next year and the Olympic Games, which will be hosted in Rio in 2016.

Sao Paul has seen a surge in violent crime in recent years and police in the country have been accused of excessive use of force and taking bribes from drugs gangs.

Reconstruction works at the Maracana stadium in Brazil

In December, Brazilian authorities arrested 61 police officers accusing them of taking bribes from drug traffickers to turn a blind eye to criminal activity in Rio.

The country had to reassure soccer fans on Saturday after rioting erupted before a match at a 2014 World Cup venue among angry fans in the northeastern city of Salvador.

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Burma Fire: Boys Killed In Mosque Dormitory

At least 13 boys have been killed after a fire ripped through their makeshift home at an Islamic school in Burma.

Officials said the blaze in Rangoon was started by an electric fault "and not due to any criminal activity".

"The fire, caused by the overheating of the transformer placed under the staircase, spread, trapping the boys sleeping in the attic. As a result, 13 twelve-year-old boys died of suffocation after inhaling smoke," a fire service officer said in a statement.

However, many Burmese Muslims voiced concerns the mosque had been targeted in a sectarian attack following violence between Buddhists and Muslims in the central city of Meikhtila in March.

"The whole country is worried now for Yangon (Rangoon), and is wondering whether this was a crime," Ye Naung Thein, secretary of Muslim organisation Myanmar Mawlwy federation, said.

Prayers are held for the 13 victims of the fire

The violence, which Rangoon largely avoided, has killed dozens of people and displaced more than 10,000.

A teacher who helped evacuate survivors said he had smelt petrol during the blaze, a claim repeated by several other witnesses.

"I think someone started the fire intentionally," Khin Maung Hla said.

A police cordon was set up around the mosque after the fire

Police officer Thet Lwin said the mosque in eastern Rangoon sheltered about 75 orphans, and most escaped unharmed by running out of a door after police knocked it open.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze and the two-storey building was charred but intact.

The fire service said it was setting up a team to investigate the blaze with the police, the electricity company and representatives of Muslim groups.

At least 5,000 people attended a funeral service for the victims

Colonel Win Naing, chief of Rangoon Division police, said a case had been opened that could lead to action for negligent homicide being taken against those responsible for the mosque.

An official at the mosque where the surviving children were now being housed said that an imam had been taken in for questioning.

Neighbours and witnesses said the doors to the dormitory may have been locked due to security concerns following the sectarian violence.

At least 5,000 people attended a funeral service for the victims on Tuesday afternoon.

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