Schumacher Remains 'Critical But Stable'

Former Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher remains "critical but stable" in hospital after a skiing accident, his family says.

The racing star has been at Grenoble University Hospital in France in a medically-induced coma for six days following the accident in the French Alps.

Schumacher's wife Corinna arrives at hospital this morning

Schumacher's wife, brother and father arrived at the hospital this morning with FIA President Jean Todt.

No official statement has been made on the 45-year-old's condition, but friend and former Formula 1 driver Philippe Sttreiff told reporters yesterday that Doctor Gerard Saillant, a friend of the Schumacher family, said: "Michael's life in not in danger anymore".

Gerard Saillant (R) allegedly revealed Schumacher's life was not in danger

Speaking outside the hospital he said: "I'm repeating what Gerard Saillant told me. Gerard Saillant said it is a serious condition but his life is not in danger anymore now, thankfully."

But Schumacher's manager later responded to this, by confirming his condition remained "stable, but still critical".

The star's manager Sabine Kehm has played down rumour's about his condition

Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm also sought to play down media speculation about his health, and requested respect for the family's privacy.

Citing consultations with Schumacher's doctors, she said no press conferences were expected before Monday.

Meanwhile, a camera reportedly attached to Schumacher's helmet is being examined in the hope it will reveal more about the circumstances of his accident.

Authorities are checking the device while also questioning Schumacher's son, who was with him at the time of the accident.

Schumacher, known affectionately as Schumi by fans, is the most successful F1 driver in history, racking up a record 91 race wins. He retired in 2012.

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China: Falling Girl Saved By Air-Con Unit

A four-year-old girl fell from a fifth floor window of an apartment block in China - but was luckily stopped midway by an air-conditioning unit.

Video shows firefighters rushing to the scene in the Fuling District of Chongqing, in the southwest, and rescuing the girl within minutes.

The youngster was said to be in a state of shock, but her condition was described as "good".

The girl on the air-conditioning unit waits to be rescued

Authorities said the girl was with her grandfather in the apartment when the accident happened on Friday afternoon.

He was said to be watching television at the time.

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US Weather: 16 Dead As Snow Batters Eastern US

At least 16 people have died due to blizzard-like conditions battering the eastern half of the US, leaving nearly two feet of snow.

Around 1,900 flights have been cancelled across the country as howling wind and sub-zero temperatures wreaked chaos.

Governors in New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency and urged residents to stay at home, while hundreds of schools were shut down in Boston and New York.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said: "This is nothing to be trifled with. People should seriously consider staying in their homes."

The deaths include those caused by difficult traffic conditions in Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois.

A composite Nasa satellite image shows snow blanketing the Eastern seaboard

A massive pile of salt fell on a worker at a Philadelphia storage facility, killing him. And authorities say a woman with Alzheimer's disease froze to death after she wandered away from her rural New York home.

Forecasters say temperatures were plummeting to well below freezing, and wind chill readings could hit minus 10F (-23C).

Another wave of cold air was already blasting through the Midwest after moving down from Canada.

Outreach teams were searching streets in New York City and Boston for homeless people at risk of freezing to death.

Meanwhile, some major highways in New York state were shut down overnight, and some commuter trains around New York City were operating on a reduced schedule.

Amtrak planned to run trains on all of its Northeast lines on Friday but operate on a modified schedule, spokeswoman Christina Leeds said.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie ordered non-essential state workers to stay at home, with state offices and courthouses closed.

While many flights were cancelled, planes were taking off from Washington

The heavy weather began on Thursday, just a day after New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was sworn in to lead the nation's largest city and a few days before Boston Mayor Thomas Menino ends 20 years in office.

Mr De Blasio, who in 2010 criticised predecessor Mayor Michael Bloomberg for his handling of a post-Christmas storm, said 1,700 snowplows and 450 salt spreaders were hitting the streets in New York City.

"We have to get it right, no question about it," he said.

"We are focused like a laser on protecting this city."

The snowstorm worked its way east from the Midwest, where it dropped up to 17 inches of snow in parts of Chicago and prompted the cancellation of hundreds of flights at both of the city's airports.

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Goa Building Collapse Kills 7 And Traps Dozens

At least seven people have been killed and dozens more are trapped after a building collapsed in the Indian state of Goa.

Police Superintendent Shekhar Prabhudesai said authorities are still trying to determine how many people were on site when the five-storey structure, which was under construction, crumpled in Canacona, about 44 miles (70km) from the state capital of Panaji.

Rescuers are digging through the debris in search of survivors.

Witnesses said about 40 workers were on site.

"It was like an earthquake when the building fell," said Ramesh Naik. "You could not see what exactly had happened because of the dust."

Police and residents pulled seven bodies from the wreckage, while firefighters and rescue workers were sifting through the debris for survivors.

Ambulances took at least three seriously injured workers to a hospital for treatment.

The cause of the collapse is not yet known.

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China Drugs Raid Nets Huge Crystal Meth Haul

Helicopters, speedboats and armed police descended on a Chinese village in a massive drugs raid which seized three tonnes of crystal meth.

Security forces and thousands of police officers surrounded the village of Boshe in the south of the country on Sunday, a location notorious for producing drugs.

A total of 182 suspects alleged to be working for 18 drug rings were arrested, according to a statement from police in Guangdong province carried by Xinhua news agency.

Officials believe more than a fifth of households in the village are involved in trafficking or production, running a "clan-based, industrialised operation with local protection".

The statement said: "The offenders have for a long time been brazenly committing crimes, avoiding investigations and even ganging up to violently oppose law enforcement."

Villagers have put up resistance to raids before, using grenades and AK-47s

The raid was part of Operation Thunder, a crackdown in the province that was launched last summer. So far 11,000 suspects have been detained and eight tonnes of drugs seized.

The coastal city of Lufeng, close to Boshe, is the source of a third of China's crystal meth supply.

Villagers have put up fierce resistance to the authorities' attempts to curtail drug production in the past.

Homemade grenades and AK-47s have been used against officers, and villagers have put nail boards on roads and hurled rocks in an attempt to stop them getting in.

According to local newspaper The Yangcheng Evening News the first person to be captured in the raid was the village's party secretary, who was allegedly protecting the operation from the authorities. Others detained included the local police chief and police officers.

Crystal meth is the second most popular drug in China after heroin, according to a report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

It is estimated that sales of the two drugs in the country and South East Asia totaled more than $30bn (£18bn) in 2012. 

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Obesity Rates Triple In Developing World

The number of overweight and obese people has reached almost one billion in the developing world - overtaking rates in industrialised countries, a report has found.

The report by the UK's Overseas Development Institute said the number of obese people has more than tripled in the developing world since 1980.

In 2008, more than 900 million people in poor countries were classed as overweight compared with around 550 million in high-income countries - almost twice as many.

Steve Wiggins, the report's author, said: "The statistics are quite sensational, it is a tripling of the number of people who are considered overweight and obese in the developing world since 1980.

"That takes the number to more than 900 million and that is more than the number of overweight and obese people that we have in the high-income countries, which is probably around 570 million, something like that.

"It is a very rapidly emerging problem and it is now of a very large size."

Obesity rates in China have almost doubled since 1980

Rates of obesity are still rising in richer countries, but not at the same rate as in the developing world.

Two countries with particularly high obesity rates are China and Mexico, where the numbers of overweight people have almost doubled since 1980.

In South Africa, obesity has risen by a third and now has a higher rate than the UK.

North Africa, the Middle East and Latin America all have similar overweight and obesity rates to Europe.

Explaining the developing world's obesity epidemic, Mr Wiggins said: "It is associated with incomes and urbanisation and a more sedentary lifestyle, so it is those emerging countries which have done the best at raising their incomes.

"It's the middle-income countries, it is the Chinas, it is the Mexicos, which are the countries which are seeing the highest rates of overweight and obesity at the moment."

The report predicts that if current rates continue there will be a huge increase in people suffering certain types of cancer, diabetes, strokes and heart attacks.

It also warns that governments are not doing enough to tackle the crisis, partly due to politicians' reluctance to interfere at the dinner table, the powerful farming and food lobbies and "a large gap" in public awareness as to what constitutes a healthy diet.

Countries singled out for praise in tackling obesity are Denmark and South Korea.

In Denmark, laws against trans-fatty acids have made Danish McDonalds among the healthiest in the world, while in South Korea the government launched a large-scale public education campaign 20 years ago which has turned around obesity rates.

Mr Wiggins said: "A few decades ago the government of Korea said we must encourage our traditional foods, which are low in fats and oils, high in vegetables, high in sea food and so on.

"And there was a lot of public education, a lot of training and a sense that Korean food is good for you."

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Cambodia: Deadly Crackdown On Garment Workers

Three people have been killed in Cambodia as police opened fire to try to quell a protest by garment factory workers.

Workers armed with sticks, rocks and Molotov cocktails clashed with armed police in the capital Phnom Penh.

Deputy police commissioner Chuon Narin confirmed three people died and two others were injured.

The workers are part of a nationwide strike demanding a doubling of the minimum wage to £97 a month.

Prime Minister Hun Sen faces a growing challenge to his almost three-decade rule from protesting textile workers and opposition supporters demanding that he step down and call a new election because of alleged vote fraud.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy denounced the crackdown.

"It's an unacceptable attempt to break not only a worker strike but the whole worker movement as well as the democratic movement which is developing in Cambodia following the July elections," he said.

Human rights activist Chan Soveth, of local rights group Adhoc, who was at the scene of the clashes, said as many as 10 striking workers were badly injured.

Security forces "used rifles and other things to crack down on the strikers," he said. "They beat them on their heads."

Military police spokesman Kheng Tito said the crackdown came after nine policemen were injured by missiles.

"We were afraid about the security so we had to crack down on them," he said. "If we allow them to continue the strike it will become anarchy."

Disputes over wages and safety conditions are common in Cambodia's clothing industry which supplies brands like Gap, Nike and H&M.

The sector employs about 650,000 people and is a key source of foreign income for the impoverished country.

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Schumacher: Ferrari Mark F1 Driver's Birthday

Michael Schumacher fans have been holding a silent vigil to mark the Formula One legend's 45th birthday outside the hospital where he remains in a coma following a skiing accident.

The seven-times F1 world champion has been in Grenoble University Hospital since suffering critical head injuries in the French Alps on Sunday.

His father Rolf and brother Ralf arrived separately to visit him on Friday. His wife Corinna and children Gina-Maria, 16, and 14-year-old Mick are also at his bedside.

Fans show their support outside the hospital treating the injured driver

The Ferrari team, for which he spent many years racing, has bussed in scores of fans from Italy and France to the hospital.

It put a message on its website, saying "Forza Michael," or "Go Michael" in Italian.

"He is tackling the most important fight of his life and therefore we want to send him very special wishes," said Schumacher's old team, as similar messages poured in from around the world.

Rolf (left) and Ralf Schumacher arrive at the hospital

German former tennis ace Boris Becker wished his compatriot "Happy Birthday" on Twitter, adding "Fight Schumi" in a German hashtag.

Schumacher slammed his head against a rock on Sunday while skiing in the French Alps and has had two operations to remove bleeding and pressure on his brain.

He is being kept in an induced coma and in the latest health update given by his manager on Wednesday, his condition was described as stable but still critical.

New statements will be issued when there is a change in his condition.

His family has thanked the public for the support they have received.

A statement said: "Following Michael's skiing accident, we would like to thank the people from all around the world who have expressed their sympathy and sent their best wishes for his recovery.

Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik made this message

"We all know he is a fighter and will not give up."

Fans left a poster outside the Grenoble hospital saying: "Schumi, All our Thoughts for You and Your Family."

"Schumi has given us a lot in the past," said 47-year-old accountant Stefano Pini, who arrived from Milan to pay tribute.

"The least we could do is to come here and support him and his family on his birthday."

The German was injured while skiing off piste in Meribel, France

"He is one of my greatest idols. We want him to fight and to return to us," said French fan Gabriel Klose, who turned up with his 12-year-old son.

However, the Ferrari tribute has created controversy with some accusing the Italian racing giant - which asked fans to sport its trademark colour red and its insignia - of exceeding the limits of good taste.

The carmaker, which has 130 clubs in Europe, provided about 20 coaches across Italy to bus in fans for the vigil.

But Roberto Luongo, president of the Roma-Colesseo Ferrari club, said he did not want to be associated with an event linked to "a man who is suffering".

"It's very delicate and if I was among those who are close to Michael, such an initiative would not have pleased me," he said.

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South Sudan: Warring Factions Set For Talks

South Sudan's warring parties are gathering in Ethiopia for peace talks as the UN warns of continuing atrocities across the country.

Government and rebel negotiating teams are preparing to sit down at a luxury hotel in Addis Ababa, although it is unclear when meetings will start and what form they will take.

Thousands of people are feared to have been killed in the fighting, which has pitched army units loyal to President Salva Kiir against a loose alliance of ethnic militia forces and mutinous army commanders loyal to ex-vice president Riek Machar.

Fighting broke out on December 15 when Mr Kiir said there had been an attempted coup by his deputy, who in turn accused the president of conducting a violent purge of his opponents.

The fighting has since spread across the country, with the rebels seizing several areas in the oil-rich north.

Hundreds of people forced from their homes in Bor wait by the River Nile

The decision by the two sides to send delegations for initial ceasefire talks has been widely welcomed.

UN special envoy Hilde Johnson said it highlighted the need for "reconciliation and healing" after the violence.

Hilde Johnson said there had been 'terrible acts of violence'

She said: "We have seen terrible acts of violence in the past two weeks ... and as we know, if there is no one held accountable, there is a major risk that the violence can continue."

Conditions are deteriorating in Bor, the capital of Jonglei state that has changed hands three times since the fighting erupted and was seized again by the rebels on New Year's Eve.

The UN's South Sudan humanitarian chief Toby Lanzer warned that civilians in the town face "an increasingly dire situation - water, food and medicines are running out, sanitary conditions are worsening".

Close to 200,000 civilians have been forced to flee their homes, many seeking refuge with badly overstretched UN peacekeepers.

The conflict has also been marked by an upsurge of ethnic violence pitting members of  Mr Kiir's Dinka tribe against Mr Machar's Nuer community.

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said that "atrocities are continuing to occur" across the country.

Bangladeshi police officers will help the UN to control crowds of refugees

UNMISS reported "extra-judicial killings of civilians and captured soldiers" and the "discovery of large numbers of bodies" in Juba, Bor and Malakal, the main town in the oil-producing Upper Nile state.

Mr Kiir has described the war as "senseless", but has ruled out power-sharing with the rebels.

He also rejected rebel demands that a number of their loyalists, arrested shortly after the violence started, be released.

He said in an interview: "If you want power, you don't rebel so that you are awarded with the power."

South Sudan won independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of civil war.

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Pakistan: Musharraf Suffers 'Heart Problem'

Pakistan's former president, Pervez Musharraf, has been taken to hospital after reportedly suffering a heart problem on his way to court.

The country's ex-military ruler felt unwell while he was heading to a hearing in his treason case under heavy security, police said.

The 70-year-old man had been summoned to the special tribunal in Islamabad after failing to show up for two previous sessions due to security threats against him.

Police officers stand guard at the gate of the Special Court in Islamabad

Jan Mohammad, a senior police official, told the court: "He has been shifted to Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (in the nearby city of Rawalpindi) after he got heart problem."

An aide to Mr Musharraf, who is facing a series of criminal cases dating back to his 1999-2008 rule, said the retired general was in "bad shape".

Meanwhile, his lawyers walked out of court, complaining they were being threatened and harassed by the government.

Anwar Mansoor Khan, one of the lawyers, told the court he had been unable to sleep the previous night due to someone banging on his door.

Musharraf is accused over the death of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto

"I was under total threat," he told the court. "From 1am to five in the morning. Someone was banging on my door and ringing my bell."

When asked who was threatening him, Mr Khan answered: "This very government."

"This never happened in my 40 years of practice. I will walk out," Mr Khan said; which he did.

He had earlier told the court he had been attacked in his car while travelling to the eastern city of Lahore following a hearing.

Mr Musharraf's lawyers have previously claimed the treason case is an attempt by the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whom Mr Musharraf ousted in a coup in 1999, to settle old scores through the courts.

The treason allegations follow a series of criminal cases faced by Mr Musharraf since he returned to Pakistan in a failed bid to run in last May's general election.

The charges include murder, over the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007.

Mr Musharraf appeared briefly in court in August 2013 were he denied the charges.

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Ariel Sharon: Ex-Israeli PM 'Deteriorating'

Former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon's health is "deteriorating" with his "vital organs" failing, hospital officials have said.

The 85-year-old has been in a coma for almost eight years after suffering an incapacitating stroke from which he has never recovered.

Doctors at the Tel Hashomer hospital said his health has declined to a "critical" condition and his "life is in danger".

Zeev Rotstein, director at the facility, said: "In the last few days, we have seen a gradual decline in the functioning of Ariel Sharon's vital organs, which are essential for his survival."

"His state is classed as critical, meaning his life is in danger.

"The medical staff and Sharon's family are expecting a turn for the worse."

Mr Sharon's family were by his bedside, he added.

In an MRI scan in January last year, Mr Sharon showed "significant brain activity" and was found to be responding to family photographs.

His condition reportedly started to worsen on Wednesday when he suffered serious kidney problems after an operation.

The long-time leader and architect of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory was first elected prime minister in February 2001.

In a surprise move, he left the right-wing Likud four years later to set up a new party, Kadima, frustrated by hardliners opposed to his withdrawal of troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005, and to any further concessions in the occupied West Bank.

The iconic and controversial figure suffered a massive stroke on January 4, 2006, slipping into a coma at the height of his political power.

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Antarctica: Shokalskiy Passengers Rescued

Scientists and tourists on a research ship trapped by Antarctic ice since Christmas Eve have been airlifted to safety.

They were flown by helicopter from the MV Akademik Shokalskiy to an ice floe next to Australian icebreaker the Aurora Australis, and then taken by a small boat to the vessel.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Rescue Coordination Centre, which is overseeing the rescue, confirmed that 52 passengers had made it on to the Aurora.

Expedition leader Professor Chris Turney tweeted: "We've made it to the Aurora australis safe & sound. A huge thanks to the Chinese & @AusAntarctic for all their hard work!"

Expedition leader Chris Turney said the rescue operation was underway

A helicopter carried the passengers a dozen at a time in an operation that lasted for around five hours.

The Aurora will take them to Tasmania, arriving around mid-January.

A helicopter had been expected to airlift passengers to a Chinese icebreaker, the Snow Dragon, on New Year's Day with a barge then ferrying them to the Aurora.

A Chinese helicopter tested a makeshift helipad before taking passengers

However, before the operation could begin, sea ice had blocked the path of the barge that needed to make it to the Snow Dragon.

And because the Aurora is not built to handle a helicopter landing, the rescue was postponed.

The rescue operation for the scientists, tourists and crew on the Russian ship has been plagued by a number of problems.

Three icebreakers were initially dispatched to try to crack their way through the thick ice surrounding the ship, but all failed.

The boat has been trapped since Christmas Eve

The Aurora came within 12 miles (20km) of the ship on Monday, but fierce winds and snow forced it to retreat to open water.

The Akademik Shokalskiy is not in danger of sinking, and there are supplies for those on board, but the vessel cannot move.

The 22 Russian crew members are expected to stay on board for as long as it takes to free the ship from the pack ice surrounding it.

It became stuck after a blizzard pushed the sea ice around it, freezing it in place about 1,700 miles (2,700km) south of Hobart, Tasmania.

The scientific team on board had been recreating Australian explorer Douglas Mawson's 1911 to 1913 voyage to Antarctica.

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Michael Schumacher: F1 Star Remains 'Stable'

Schumacher's Injuries 'Dangerous'

Updated: 12:14pm UK, Monday 30 December 2013

A leading neurosurgery specialist has described Michael Schumacher's condition as "very dangerous", warning that his injuries may take several days to "reach their peak".

Christopher Chandler, of the London Neurosurgery Partnership, said the haematoma and bruising the F1 champion suffered could cause "ferocious swelling".

"An intra-cranial haematoma is a blood clot, which causes swelling and pressure on the brain," he said. "The scenario may be that he had a blood clot in his brain that required immediate removal, which would explain the surgery.

"By bilateral lesions, I suspect they mean contusions or bruising to the brain. That bruising of the brain, which you can see on a scan, causes ferocious swelling and that is really serious.

"(Cerebral) contusions are often the most significant injury. Once you remove the clot, the swelling carries on and bruising precipitates and propagates that swelling.

"If you have a brain injury with sufficient severity to cause a coma, that indicates a very serious situation. The longer a patient is in a coma, the less likely they are to make a full recovery.

"You can't say that they won't recover, and you can't say they won't be brain- damaged, but an injury such as bilateral bruising, which means on both sides of the brain, is very serious, and can be very dangerous."

The consultant continued: "Brain swelling takes a number of days to reach its peak. The brain has a rigid unyielding box around it - the skull - which allows no room for growth, making swelling very, very dangerous.

"And once that injury occurs it's a vicious circle where a little bit of swelling causes more pressure, which causes more swelling, more pressure, and it starts to accelerate and affect vital parts of the brain.

"When that happens, you are in really deep trouble, but this man received probably the best possible care that you could imagine in the circumstances.

"He had the brain injury and within minutes a team of medics were there and they airlifted him to hospital. Within half an hour he was assessed and being flown to the neurological unit in Grenoble."

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Kim Jong-Un: Uncle's Killing Removed 'Filth'

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has hailed the elimination of "factional filth" after the execution of his uncle last month.

In his New Year message, broadcast on state television, Mr Kim said: "Our party took resolute action to remove ... scum elements within the party last year."

He accused General Jang Song-Thaek, who was once considered the second most powerful individual in the North, of trying to build his own power base within the ruling party.

Jang (L) was seen as North Korea's second-most powerful man

"Our party's timely, accurate decision to purge the anti-party, anti-revolutionary elements helped greatly cement solidarity within our party," Mr Kim said.

General Jang's death was announced by state news agency KCNA on December 13.

Branding him a "traitor" it said General Jang had been executed after a special military trial for committing such a "hideous crime as attempting to overthrow the state by all sorts of intrigues and despicable methods with a wild ambition to grab the supreme power of our party and state".

South Korean media said they believed he was killed by machine gun, a relatively common form of execution in the North.

Kim Jong-Un was pictured at a newly-built ski resort this week

General Jang, who was seen as vital in helping Mr Kim secure power after the death of his father, had earlier been removed from regime posts because of allegations of corruption, drug use, gambling, womanising, and generally leading a "dissolute and depraved life".

He was shown being dragged from his seat at a meeting and arrested on state TV shortly before his execution was announced.

Mr Kim also used his New Year message to warn that another war on the peninsula would prompt a "massive nuclear disaster" and the US would not be safe.

"We are faced with a dangerous situation in which a small, accidental military clash can lead to an all-out war," he said.

Jang was shown on state television being arrested

South Korea worries instability in the North Korean regime could lead to attacks on the South. The two countries are still technically at war after the Korean War ended in a 1953 armistice.

Last week, Pyongyang sent Seoul a fax warning of a "merciless" strike after effigies of the North Korean leader and his father were set on fire by crowds in the South.

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Albinism: Model Thando Hopa Fights Taboos

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent

Thando Hopa is challenging all manner of perceptions.

She is a South African model with albinism - one of the very few in the world - and she's a young woman with a law degree, tackling male chauvinism as a prosecutor.

But it's smashing traditional notions of what is beauty that she is passionate about.

Having albinism means she has no pigment in her skin, hair or eyes due to an absence of melanin.

This means she is very prone to sunburn and her eyes are extremely sensitive to light.

She's officially classified as blind. But in Africa, it also means she stands a high risk of being hunted down and killed or tortured and used as "muti" or medicine.

Those with albinism are believed to have special healing powers in Africa.

Thando Hopa is fighting discrimination in African countries

Some also believe that if you kill a person with albinism this will bring you extraordinary riches.

Thando has never felt in danger, but she is acutely aware that many others like her are not so fortunate.

At the very least, those with albinism in Africa suffer discrimination and prejudice.

It's this knowledge which has prompted her desire to be a role model for those less fortunate.

She turned down three other modelling offers before she agreed to a request by Gert-Johan Coetzee, South Africa's rising fashion designer.

"Right now I'm known as Thando the model with albinism," she told Sky News.

"I want there eventually to be a day when I am known not as someone with albinism, but just as Thando.

"I want to make a difference, and not just one about perception.

Bellina Motsoahae says men have ulterior motives for sleeping with her

"I want practical help for those with albinism so they get help buying suncream and help with their eyesight."

She's certainly given others with albinism much more confidence - but their lives are tough.

Bellina Motsoahae, 23, has albinism, and has two children, one with albinism. She also has two sisters with albinism. 

They all live together in a tiny one-room house.

They are very stoic about their challenges, but the children have all been bullied and their father has deserted them.

Bellina believes the fathers of her two children only struck up a relationship with her because they believed sleeping with a person with albinism would somehow enhance their lot, maybe bringing them riches.

Neither of them have stayed with her.  

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Volgograd Bombings: Putin Meets Survivors

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been to the city of Volgograd, where two suicide bombings in two days killed dozens of people.

He placed flowers at a makeshift shrine to the victims and visited some of the wounded still being treated in hospital.

No group has yet said it carried out the bombings at the main railway station on Sunday and on a city tram on Monday, killing 34 people and wounding more than 100.

President Putin lays flowers at the shrine to the bomb victims

Opening a meeting of federal security chiefs in the city Mr Putin said: "Whatever motivated the criminals' actions, there's no justification for committing crimes against civilians, especially against women and children."

Mr Putin with senior federal security officials in Volgograd

The attacks come after the leader of an Islamic insurgency in Russia's south called for attacks in the run-up to February's Winter Olympics in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.

On Monday, Mr Putin said the games would be "safe and secure", but the attacks in Volgograd, which is 430 miles northeast of Sochi, have demonstrated the reach of the insurgents and the vulnerability of the public transport system.

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Doctor On Trial For Selling Baby She Delivered

A doctor has gone on trial in China accused of selling a newborn baby boy she had helped deliver.

Zhang Shuxia, an obstetrician at the Fuping County Maternal an Child Health Care Hospital in Shaanxi Province, has been charged with trafficking infants.

On July 16, 23-year-old Dong Shanshan gave birth to a baby boy, delivered by Dr Zhang.

According to police reports, she told the new mother that her son had congenital defects and would be better off in state care.

The baby was taken away before Mrs Dong or her husband even saw their child.

It is alleged that Dr Zhang sneaked the baby out of the hospital and sold him to traffickers for around £3,000.

His parents came to believe that he might have been abducted and reported his disappearance to police four days later.

The baby's parents were told their child had congenital defects

The child was eventually found in the neighbouring province of Henan a fortnight later at the home of a man who had three daughters, but wanted a son.

He was dramatically reunited with his grateful but emotional mother.

Dr Zhang and five other suspects involved in the case were detained on suspicion of human trafficking.

The case was widely reported in the Chinese media, leading to the parents of at least 10 other children to come forward.

All said that Dr Zhang told them their babies were already dead or seriously ill and it would be best if she took them away.

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Video Of North Dakota Train Crash Fireball

A huge explosion sparked by an oil train crash in North Dakota has been caught on camera, as hundreds of residents were urged to leave the area.

No injuries have been reported

There were fears of smoke overwhelming the town of Casselton after a number of carriages derailed, starting a series of blazes and sending an enormous fireball high into the sky.

Several explosions were reported and people said the blasts rattled the windows of properties in the area, including the town's City Hall.

Cass County sheriff's office said it was advising people in the town - which has 2,400 residents - to evacuate because of concerns about smoke being blown over their homes.

A shelter was set up in Fargo, about 25 miles (40km) away.

Investigators say they are still trying to work out what caused several of the carriages from the mile-long train to leave the tracks on Monday afternoon.

They said it appears to be the result of the train colliding with a grain carriage.

There were no reports of injuries as firefighters brought the scene under control on Monday evening.

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Schumacher Showing 'Slight Improvement'

Michael Schumacher has shown "slight improvement" after a surgical procedure but is not out of danger, doctors treating him have said.

The operation to remove the largest of a series of blood clots in the racing driver's brain took around two hours, and the coming hours are 'critical' according to medical staff in Grenoble, France.

Schumacher continues to be kept in an artificial coma after he suffered a severe head injury while skiing off-piste in the resort of Meribel on Sunday.

He was reportedly travelling at speeds of up to 60mph when the accident happened, and is thought to have been saved by his skiing helmet, which split on impact.

Rescuers were on hand within minutes and he was initially conscious after the fall before deteriorating into a critical condition.

Doctors have refused to give a prognosis for the 44-year-old Formula One champion.

Schumacher's family are being kept fully informed about his treatment.

Following the surgery, a new scan on Tuesday morning showed "a slight improvement" said the hospital's director general Jacqueline Hubert.

But Professor Emmanuel Gay, one of the specialists treating Schumacher, told a news conference: "The dangers are still there. We cannot say that we have won because there are still some highs and some lows, but it's better than yesterday.

"He is still in a very critical condition, this has not changed. And we still cannot tell how he will be, which state he will be in when he does wake up.

"We cannot speculate on the future because once again it would be too early to do so."

The seven-times F1 champion was admitted to hospital suffering from intracranial haematoma - blood clots - bruising and swelling of the brain.

Professor Gay warned: "There are still many haematomas in the brain, with little bits everywhere.

"That is what makes the situation critical and it needs to be looked at hour by hour, day by day.

"The situation can still evolve, but we won't be able to evacuate the other haematomas at the moment because they are not accessible. They are not as big as the one we removed yesterday."

Schumacher has received an outpouring of support from the racing world, with former and current stars urging him to pull through.

German chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "extremely shocked along with millions of Germans" to learn of the accident.

Schumacher retired from F1 for the final time in 2012 after a three-season comeback with Mercedes.

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Michael Schumacher: Hospital Press Conference As It Happened

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Child Killer Father Hangs Himself In Jail

A father who cut his children's throats after a custody battle with his French former wife has hanged himself in prison, according to legal officials in France.

Julian Stevenson was living in the French city of Lyon when he slit 10-year-old Matthew and five-year-old Carla's throats with a kitchen knife in May.

The 47-year-old, who had a history of violence and alcoholism, murdered his children in a fit of rage then fled the scene on rollerskates.

The flat block in Lyon where Julian Stevenson lived

He was discovered moments later walking the suburban streets covered in blood.

Stevenson had been embroiled in a bitter custody battle with his assistant accountant former wife and had been banned from having contact with his children without a third person present.

However, this order was partially reversed in the weeks before the murder, and Stevenson was believed to be having his first visit alone with his children when he killed them.

A murder notice was pinned to the door of the flat

In the hours before their deaths Stevenson, who was unemployed, was captured on CCTV in a bakery with them buying sweets – they were each carrying a balloon.

But Stevenson's former wife, Stephanie, whom he had badly beaten in 2005 and 2010, became anxious about the visit and arrived at his Lyon flat to find him in the stairwell of the four-storey block covered in blood.

Stevenson, who had been living in France for a decade, appeared briefly in court in May and was being held in prison where he was found hanged on Monday.

A source at the local public prosecutors' office told the news agency AFP: "He hanged himself  on Monday in a sports hall reserved for inmates held in solitary confinement."

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Schumacher Fighting For His Life, Say Doctors

Former motor racing world champion Michael Schumacher is in a coma following a skiing accident in France - and doctors say they "cannot predict his future".

The 44-year-old German is fighting for his life at a hospital in Grenoble and surgeons are working "hour by hour" to save him.

Michael Schumacher was skiing with his son at the time of the accident

At a press conference this morning, in Grenoble, doctors said he had suffered many lesions to his brain and his prognosis was unclear.

Surgeons operated to remove a blood clot in his brain and are now trying to reduce "dangerous swelling", meaning his condition could go either way. 

The hospital revealed that Schumacher was being kept in a state of hyperthermia by controlling his temperature to keep it at 34C-35C (93.2F-95F).

He is under general anaesthetic in an induced coma.

"He's in a critical situation - this is considered to be extremely serious," Chief Anaesthetist Jean-Francois Payen told journalists.

Michael Schumacher was staying at this exclusive chalet in Meribel

The doctor said that Schumacher's family were at his bedside and friends had flown in to the hospital to lend their support.

"We are working day and night at his bedside," Dr Payen said. "It is too early to say anything as far as prognosis is concerned," he added.

Neurosurgeon Stephan Chabardes said an emergency brain scan had revealed internal bleeding, and injuries including contusions and lesions.

The F1 racer was taken to hospital by helicopter

"On his arrival we examined him clinically and we realised he was in a serious condition, in a coma, with in fact cranial pressure," Dr Chabardes said.

"The brain scan showed a number of pieces of information, some intercranial haematoma but also some cerebral contusions and oedema.

"We operated urgently to try to eliminate the haematoma. After the operation we saw that we had been able to eliminate these haematoma but also sadly the appearance of various bilateral lesions.

Doctors could not give a prognosis at a press conference in Grenoble

"So therefore he was taken to intensive care to try to help.

"I am very worried just like his family, we are very worried about his condition. The doctors won't tell you more because they can't tell you more, they are working hour by hour." 

Schumacher was wearing a helmet when he hit his head on a rock while skiing in the French Alps resort of Meribel with his 14-year-old son.

"Someone who had suffered this accident without a helmet would not have made it this far," Dr Payen said

The lane to Schumacher's private chalet

The area where Schumacher was skiing is part of a web of trails that slice down through a vast and, in parts, very steep snowfield.

Although challenging, the runs are broad and neatly tended, and the off-piste areas - where Schumacher was found - is free of trees.

The motor-racing champion was conscious when first responders arrived on the scene, although agitated and in shock, according to a resort spokesman.

He was first airlifted to a local hospital and then later brought to Grenoble for more intensive treatment, when his condition deteriorated.

The German Formula One legend skiing in Italy in 2006

The French Mountain Gendarmerie had earlier said Schumacher's life was not in danger.

Fellow drivers, politicians and friends spoke of their alarm. Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "extremely shocked along with millions of Germans". 

Schumacher's family also released a brief statement. It read: "We would like to thank the medical team who we know do everything possible to help Michael.

"We like to also thank the people from all around the world who have expressed their sympathy and sent their best wishes for Michael's recovery."

The accident occurred in the resort of Meribel in France

A leading neurosurgery specialist in London has described Schumacher's condition as "very dangerous".

Christopher Chandler, of the London Neurosurgery Partnership, warned that his injuries may take several days to "reach their peak".

He said the haematoma and bruising could cause "ferocious swelling".

Schumacher made a comeback to Formula One for Mercedes in 2010

Schumacher, a seven-time world champion, first retired from Formula One in 2006.

He has been hurt seriously once before, in a motorcycling accident in February 2009 when he suffered neck and spine injuries.

Schumacher recovered sufficiently from those injuries to make a comeback to Formula One in 2010.

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Schumacher: Drivers Wish Him A Speedy Recovery

Michael Schumacher 'In Critical Condition'

Updated: 12:25pm UK, Monday 30 December 2013

Former motor racing world champion Michael Schumacher is in a coma following a skiing accident in France - and doctors say they "cannot predict his future".

The 44-year-old German is fighting for his life at a hospital in Grenoble and surgeons are working "hour by hour" to save him.

At a press conference this morning, in Grenoble, doctors said he had suffered many lesions to his brain and his prognosis was unclear.

Surgeons operated to remove a blood clot in his brain and are now trying to reduce "dangerous swelling", meaning his condition could go either way. 

The hospital revealed that Schumacher was being kept in a state of hyperthermia by controlling his temperature to keep it at 34C-35C (93.2F-95F).

He is under general anaesthetic in an induced coma.

"He's in a critical situation - this is considered to be extremely serious," Chief Anaesthetist Jean-Francois Payen told journalists.

The doctor said that Schumacher's family were at his bedside and friends had flown in to the hospital to lend their support.

"We are working day and night at his bedside," Dr Payen said. "It is too early to say anything as far as prognosis is concerned," he added.

Neurosurgeon Stephan Chabardes said an emergency brain scan had revealed internal bleeding, and injuries including contusions and lesions.

"On his arrival we examined him clinically and we realised he was in a serious condition, in a coma, with in fact cranial pressure," Dr Chabardes said.

"The brain scan showed a number of pieces of information, some intercranial haematoma but also some cerebral contusions and oedema.

"We operated urgently to try to eliminate the haematoma. After the operation we saw that we had been able to eliminate these haematoma but also sadly the appearance of various bilateral lesions.

"So therefore he was taken to intensive care to try to help.

"I am very worried just like his family, we are very worried about his condition. The doctors won't tell you more because they can't tell you more, they are working hour by hour." 

Schumacher was wearing a helmet when he hit his head on a rock while skiing in the French Alps resort of Meribel with his 14-year-old son.

"Someone who had suffered this accident without a helmet would not have made it this far," Dr Payen said

The area where Schumacher was skiing is part of a web of trails that slice down through a vast and, in parts, very steep snowfield.

Although challenging, the runs are broad and neatly tended, and the off-piste areas - where Schumacher was found - is free of trees.

The motor-racing champion was conscious when first responders arrived on the scene, although agitated and in shock, according to a resort spokesman.

He was first airlifted to a local hospital and then later brought to Grenoble for more intensive treatment, when his condition deteriorated.

The French Mountain Gendarmerie had earlier said Schumacher's life was not in danger.

Fellow drivers, politicians and friends spoke of their alarm. Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "extremely shocked along with millions of Germans". 

Schumacher's family also released a brief statement. It read: "We would like to thank the medical team who we know do everything possible to help Michael.

"We like to also thank the people from all around the world who have expressed their sympathy and sent their best wishes for Michael's recovery."

A leading neurosurgery specialist in London has described Schumacher's condition as "very dangerous".

Christopher Chandler, of the London Neurosurgery Partnership, warned that his injuries may take several days to "reach their peak".

He said the haematoma and bruising could cause "ferocious swelling".

Schumacher, a seven-time world champion, first retired from Formula One in 2006.

He has been hurt seriously once before, in a motorcycling accident in February 2009 when he suffered neck and spine injuries.

Schumacher recovered sufficiently from those injuries to make a comeback to Formula One in 2010.

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Forty Killed As Army Storms DRC Buildings

Forty gunmen have reportedly been killed in fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital Kinshasa a month after a peace deal with agreed with rebels.

The buildings, along with the army headquarters, in the capital Kinshasa were attacked in an apparent attempt to seize power by supporters of religious leader Paul Joseph Mukungubila.

Government spokesman Lambert Mende said 40 of the gunmen had been killed by security forces, adding: "We have total control of the situation."

The fighting is an attempt to seize power from President Joseph Kabila

Police had earlier put a security cordon around the state television building where gunmen had taken several hostages. Witnesses also reported shooting at the Tshatshi military camp.

There were also reports of clashes between the army and supporters of Mr Mukungubila in the eastern mining city of Lubumbashi.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has struggled to emerge from decades of violence and instability. It is home to a 21,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission.

Before transmission was shut down at state television, two gunmen appeared on camera to deliver a political message against President Joseph Kabila, who took office in 2001 after the assassination of his father Laurent.

The message said: "Mukungubila has come to free you from the slavery of the Rwandan."

Mr Mukungubila, who calls himself "the prophet of the Eternal", ran unsuccessfully for the president against Mr Kabila in 2006.

He has been an outspoken critic of a peace deal signed this month with the Tutsi-led M23 rebel group in eastern Congo.

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Volgograd: At Least 14 Dead In Bus Bombing

At least 14 people have reportedly died in an explosion on an electric bus in the Russian city of Volgograd in the second deadly attack in the city in as many days.

Investigators have described the blast, during the morning rush-hour on a trolleybus, as "an act of terror".

Russian investigators said the bus explosion was caused by a male suicide bomber.

A statement from the Federal Investigative Committee said: "It is now possible to preliminarily say that the explosive device was set off by a suicide bomber - a man whose body fragments have been collected and sent for genetic testing."

The death toll could rise further

It comes just a day after a female suicide bomber was blamed for killing 17 people and leaving dozens more injured at the city's main railway station.

Police identified that bomber as a Dagestan national called Oksana Aslanova - who had been married to two Islamists killed by Russian forces.

She apparently detonated a bomb in front of a metal detector inside the main entrance of the station. Russian television is suggesting there may have been two attackers.

That attack was the deadliest in Russia since January 2011, when a male suicide bomber from the North Caucasus killed 37 people in the arrivals hall of a busy Moscow airport.

Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for Russia's main investigative agency, said the latest explosion involved a bomb similar to the one used to target Volgograd railway station. The bomb contained 4kg of TNT equivalent explosive.

He said: "That confirms the investigators' version that the two terror attacks were linked. They could have been prepared in one place."

Security has been stepped up after the station blast

President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russia's counter-terrorism agency to step up security in Volgograd and nationwide in the wake of the two attacks, the Kremlin announced.

The explosions have put the city on edge and highlighted the terrorist threat that Russia is facing as it prepares to host the Winter Olympics in February.

Volgograd is about 400 miles northeast of Sochi, where the Games are to be held.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for either of the attacks.

In July, Doku Umarov, leader of an ongoing insurgency in the nearby North Caucasus region, urged militants to use "maximum force" to disrupt the Winter Olympics, a project close to Mr Putin's heart.

Russian authorities have pledged to make the event the "safest ever".

Sky's Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall said: "It's 39 or 40 days until the Winter Olympics open, this is the opportunity for the Islamic separatists in the Caucasus region to really put themselves on the world map.

"The more this sort of thing happens, if it is indeed them, the more that cause is going to get on the front pages around the world, spoil Putin's Olympics and, more seriously, the more lives it will take."

Known in Soviet times as Stalingrad, and previously as Tsaritsyn, Volgograd is a major industrial centre with a population of more than a million people.

The North Caucasus is the region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, bordered by Georgia and Azerbaijan to the south.

It includes the predominantly Muslim Krasnodar Kai, Stavropol Krai, Adygea, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan.

Insurgents have carried out attacks on Russian military and civilians following two wars against Chechnya in 1994-1996 and from 1999 to 2009.

The violence has spread into neighbouring republics and even Moscow as insurgents attempt to establish an Islamic state in the region.

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