California Suffers Worst Drought Since 1970s

By Greg Milam, US Correspondent

While most of the United States has been gripped by the polar vortex, one part of the country is suffering a very different weather extreme.

California, the most populous state in America, is experiencing its worst drought since the 1970s.

Last year was one of the driest on record and farmers across the state are warning of devastation and rising food prices unless rain arrives soon.

Water levels in reservoirs are down to around 20% of normal levels and officials say it is only conservation efforts that have prevented a state-wide catastrophe so far.

Water levels in California reservoirs are down to 20% of normal levels

The level has dropped so low at Folsom Lake reservoir in Northern California that a Gold Rush-era village, which was deliberately flooded in the 1950s, has re-emerged.

Tourists have flocked to see the foundations of Red Bank, close to an area called Mormon Island, and pick through remnants and debris scattered the now-exposed lake bed.

But the drought could have serious costs with farmers warning of rising food prices if it goes on.

The drought in California is the worst since the 1970s

Paul Van Leer, who farms land adjoining the Pacific Ocean near Santa Barbara, says the irony is not lost on farmers that the rest of the country has had more than their share of wet weather.

"It is a shame we just can't pipe it down here," he told Sky News.

"I have never seen it this bad. Everyone is feeling it. We're looking out of the window wondering when it is going to come.

"We're in the heart of a rainy season right now and if we don't get it in the 30 to 45 day window, we're pretty much done."

The drought may take a major toll on farmers and food prices

A third of the water for Californians comes from the snow pack in the Sierra Nevada mountains - measurements this winter have shown it to be at just 20% of the required level.

Even the state's famous vineyards have been affected. Growers have been forced to begin irrigating vines much earlier than normal, or face seeing them dying off.

Brad Goehring, who grows wine grapes in the San Joaquin Valley, said: "It is the same as real rain but it the best we can do."

Weather forecasters have little good news - there is no significant rain forecast for the weeks ahead, increasing the prospect of the drought worsening.

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Ariel Sharon Dead: Israel's Ex-PM Dies

Former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon has died following a long illness.

The 85-year-old's son was quoted as saying he had died, eight years since a stroke at the height of his powers left him in a coma.

Gilad Sharon said: "He has gone. He went when he decided to go."

Sheba Medical Centre, where he was being treated, said he died at around 2pm (midday UK time).

Mr Sharon's condition suddenly deteriorated on January 1 when he suffered serious kidney problems after surgery.

Nicknamed 'The Bulldozer', the veteran soldier fought in all of Israel's major wars before beginning a turbulent political career in 1973.

Long considered a pariah for his personal but "indirect" responsibility for the 1982 massacre of hundreds of Palestinians by Israel's Lebanese Phalangist allies in Beirut's Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, he was elected premier in 2001.

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Ex-Miss Venezuela: Funeral For Murdered Model

The funerals are taking place of a former Miss Venezuela beauty queen and her British ex-husband who were murdered as they returned from holiday.

Monica Spear and Thomas Henry Berry are being laid to rest a day after their families held a private wake in Caracas before allowing fans of the model-turned-actress to view her body.

The pair were killed in a robbery on an isolated stretch of highway while they were returning to the Venezuelan capital with their five-year-old daughter.

Mourners line up to pay tribute to the Venezuelan star

Although the weapon used in the robbery has not been found, it has emerged that a digital camera stolen during the attack led police to a criminal group which allegedly preyed on motorists on the stretch of road between Puerto Cabello and Valencia.

The camera was found at the home of one of seven people arrested over the killing and helped officers trace other suspects in the case.

According to Jose Gregorio Sierralta, chief of Venezuela's criminal police, at least 11 people were involved in the crime - four of whom remain on the run.

The pair had been returning to Caracas from holiday with their daughter

The commissioner claimed the 32-year-old alleged ringleader of the group, known as Fat Danilo, supplied younger men in the gang with guns and drugs.

The deaths of Ms Spear and her ex-husband provoked a national uproar over Venezuela's rampant violent crime.

Hundreds of mourners waited in long lines outside the Caracas chapel to pay their respects to the 29-year-old, who had a starring role in a popular TV soap series.

The former Miss Venezuela had become and actress

District mayor Ramon Muchacho said: "It is a crime that shakes the foundation of the country. And that puts in front of our eyes the awful reality we live in.

"Sometimes Venezuelans live in escapism, looking one way or the other, trying to forget what happens every day. But this crime reminds us that there are more than 20,000 families, who are left in mourning every year in Venezuela (due to violence)."

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Ukraine Protests: Ex-Minister Among 10 Injured

Ten people have been injured in early morning clashes between riot police and protesters outside a courthouse in Ukraine's capital, witnesses said.

Police used tear gas and batons to control the crowd of several hundred people who were protesting in Kiev against the sentencing of three activists.

Among those injured is former interior minister Yuri Lutsenko, who served under jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.

Police said they have no information about injuries in the protests

Despite witness accounts, police said in a statement they have no information about injuries during the protest.

Meanwhile, 10km away in central Kiev, several thousand people have set up camp to protest against President Viktor Yanukovich's decision to spurn a European Union trade deal and strengthen Ukraine's economic ties with Russia.

The demonstrations began when Ukraine suspended talks with the EU on November 21 and have grown in size and intensity after unsuccessful attempts by police to clear the protest camp.

Demonstrations began in November last year and have since escalated

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets on December 15 in a huge rally dubbed the 'day of dignity', where they demanded the resignation of the government and called for European human rights.

Ukraine remains deeply divided, between the European-leaning west, and Russian-speaking east.

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Cockroach Burrows Into Sleeping Man's Ear

A man in Australia had to be rushed to hospital in terrible pain after a large cockroach crawled into his ear as he slept, and an attempt to suck it out with a vacuum cleaner failed.

Medical treatment initially only caused the inch-long insect to burrow further into the head of Hendrik Helmer.

The unwelcome invader was eventually extracted by a doctor with forceps, but only after Mr Helmer had endured the unpleasant sensation of it being in the "throes of death-twitching".

His ordeal began in the early hours of Wednesday morning when he was woken by a sharp pain in his right ear, according to Australian TV.

He said: "I was hoping it was not a poisonous spider ... I was hoping it didn't bite me."

As the pain got worse, Mr Helmer said he tried to suck the insect out with a vacuum cleaner before squirting water in his ear.

"Whatever was in my ear didn't like it at all," he told the broadcaster.

With the pain now excruciating, his flatmate rushed him to hospital where a doctor put oil down the ear canal.

Friends of Mr Helmer, from Darwin, are now going to bed with headphones on

But this only forced the two centimetre cockroach to crawl in deeper.

Mr Helmer, from Darwin, said: "Near the 10 minute mark ... somewhere about there, he started to stop burrowing but he was still in the throes of death twitching."

The doctor then pulled the insect out of his ear.

"She (the doctor) said, 'You know how I said a little cockroach, that may have been an underestimate'," he said.

"They said they had never pulled an insect this large out of someone's ear."

Mr Helmer said he would not be taking any added precautions when sleeping, although friends of his said they were so concerned over his experience that they had begun going to bed with headphones on.

Cockroaches are among the hardiest insects on the planet.

They are capable of surviving for long periods on little food and can even tolerate high doses of radiation.

They will eat almost anything, and some species can produce over 20,000 young in their lifetime.

Famous for their hissing, cockroaches can reach nine centimetres in length, although most species are much smaller.

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Indian Diplomat's Family Slam 'Inhuman' US

The family of an Indian envoy whose arrest in the US has sparked a diplomatic crisis have slammed her "inhuman" treatment.

Uttam Khobragade, father of Devyani Khobragade, hit out after his daughter was strip-searched when arrested over allegations that she lied about how much she paid her maid.

He told a news conference in Delhi: "As a family, we would not like to touch the soil of the country which treats human beings in such an inhuman way, in an utter violation of human rights, an utter violation of the Geneva Convention."

Mr Khobragade said he expected his daughter to arrive in India with her husband and children "very soon" after she was ordered to leave the US, where she could not be prosecuted because of her diplomatic immunity status.

Ms Khobragade, India's deputy consul general in New York, was held in December on charges of visa fraud and underpaying a maid.

Delhi said it was "shocked and appalled" and demanded an apology after she was handcuffed and strip-searched at the time of her arrest.

Uttam Khobragade attacked the handling of his daughter's case as 'inhuman'

She left New York on a flight from JFK airport on Thursday night hours after she was indicted on criminal charges and India refused to waive her immunity.

Indian foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said: "At the time of her departure to India, Counsellor Khobragade reiterated her innocence of charges filed against her.

"She affirmed her gratitude to the government of India, in particular to the external affairs minister, and the people of India, as also the media, for their strong and sustained support during this period."

Ms Khobragade could be arrested and forced to answer the charges if she returned to the US without diplomatic immunity.

The row began when Ms Khobragade was arrested following a complaint by her maid Sangeeta Richard.

Ms Khobragade's arrest sparked street protests in India

She in turn accused her employee of theft and attempted blackmail.

The circumstances of her arrest prompted protests on the streets of India and diplomatic reprisals from Delhi.

Senior Indian politicians and officials snubbed a US delegation on a recent visit and security barricades around the American embassy in Delhi were removed.

On Wednesday, the US embassy was ordered to stop "commercial activities on its premises" and a club with a pool restaurant and tennis court was reportedly told to shut down.

The Indian government also said drivers of US diplomatic cars could be charged with traffic offences.

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Costa Concordia May Be Towed To Middlesbrough

The team leading the Costa Concordia salvage operation has revealed they will begin removing the stricken cruise liner from near the Italian island of Giglio in June - before it is demolished later this year.

Exactly where the wreck will be towed to and destroyed has not yet been decided, but some 12 ports are in contention including ABLE Middlesbrough Port on the River Tees, among others in Italy, Norway, Turkey, France and the Netherlands.

The job of dismantling and recycling the vessel has been put out to tender which is being overseen by London Offshore Consultants.

It is hoped the salvage team will have made a decision on the ship's final destination by early March.

Italian environment minister Andrea Orlando and experts disclosed the details of the next phase of the mammoth operation at a news conference in Rome.

A technique known as parbuckling was used to right the ship

The 114,000-ton ship was hauled upright from its partially submerged position in September last year in a complicated 19-hour operation.

More than 1,000 concrete stacks and six underwater platforms are being used to keep the vessel stable.

It is expected to be towed away from the Mediterranean holiday island by the summer and eventually broken up for scrap.

Franco Porcellacchia, who is in charge of removing the wreck, said: "We will start fitting in the systems and equipment that are needed to enable us to remove the ship from mid-April. It is a very complicated operation.

"If there are no unexpected events the whole operation will be completed by the end of June, probably by the middle of June.

"Then we will have to make the wreck float again, and this will take about seven to 10 days, so our reasonable goal is to refloat the wreck by the end of June."

Costa Concordia raised from the depths

Michael Thamm, chief executive officer of Costa Cruises, said: "We are very confident that we can remove this ship within the month of June. This is not very far away - and then a great job will be done."

He said the company would maintain ownership of the vessel "until the very last moment", until the wreck is demolished later this year.

The full cost of the completed salvage operation was expected to reach around €600m (£497m), he added.

Cabin owners of the safes recovered from the wreck are to be contacted soon and their contents returned to them.

The seven-day Mediterranean cruise turned to tragedy just hours after the vessel, packed with more than 4,000 passengers and crew had left the port of Civitavecchia in January 2012.

The Concordia's captain, Francesco Schettino, is on trial for alleged manslaughter, causing the shipwreck and abandoning ship during a confused and delayed evacuation.

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CAR President And Prime Minister Resign

The president of the Central African Republic has resigned over violence that has killed more than 1,000 people in the country.

Michel Djotodia agreed to step down alongside his prime minister, Nicolas Tiengaye.

The country has seen spiralling violence between the mainly Muslim rebels who brought him to power last year, and Christian militias.

More than 1,000 people have been killed in the last month alone.

The resignations came as the two men met African leaders in Chad to try to find a solution to the crisis.

Thousands of protesters in the CAR capital, Bangui, took to the streets on Friday calling for Mr Djotodia to resign.

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Brazil: Girl Dies After Bus Fire Attack

By Karine Mayer, Senior News Editor in Rio de Janeiro

Inmates of Brazil's most notorious jail are being blamed by police after a six-year-old girl was killed by a gang who torched a packed bus.

Ana Clara Santos Souza died three days after suffering 95% burns when armed men set fire to the vehicle while passengers were still on board.

Hundreds of people attended her funeral, demanding an end to a wave of gang-led terror that has swept the region since December.

Authorities in the northeastern city of Sao Luis believe the attack was ordered by gang leaders in revenge for a crackdown on violence in Pedrinhas prison.

CCTV footage shows a man board the bus and pull a handgun from his trousers.

As he orders people out of the vehicle, other armed gang members appear in the road and train their weapons on the terrified passengers.

The bus suddenly bursts into flames with people still on board, although at least one passenger manages to jump off.

But Ana appears to fall in the footwell of the bus before scrambling off engulfed in flames, which she desperately tries to put out.

Riot police have been deployed to control violence in the Pedrinhas jail

Her family said the gang had ignored her mother's pleas for mercy.

A relative told Brazil's O Globo newspaper: "Her mother asked the criminals not to harm the children, but they showed no mercy and set fire to the girl."

Four other people - including Ana's mother and older sister - were injured as four buses were set alight and a police station targeted in a drive-by shooting in the city on January 3.

The Maranhao state government says the attacks were ordered by criminals at the notorious Pedrinhas jail, where at least 62 inmates died last year.

Officials said in a statement: "The attacks are in reaction to recent measures to curb jail violence."

Brazil, which has the world's fourth-largest prison population, has been shocked by footage of the beheading of three Pedrinhas prisoners - apparently filmed on a mobile phone by other inmates.

The gruesome film is narrated by the killers, who gleefully display their victim's heads like trophies as they stand over pools of blood.

In October Maranhao asked for government help after several outbreaks of violence between rival gangs and military police were deployed after the beheadings in December.

Eight suspects have been arrested over the violence in Sao Luis and extra troops have been deployed across the city, state security secretary Aluisio Mendes said.

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Ex-SS Soldier, 88, Charged Over Nazi Massacre

An 88-year-old former member of Hitler's SS has been charged with taking part in a massacre of hundreds of French villagers.

It is nearly 70 years since one of the most infamous Nazi atrocities, in which Waffen-SS men took the small French village of Oradour-sur-Glane by surprise and killed nearly all of its inhabitants.

The death toll from the methodical slaughter in 1944 was 642 men, women and children.

The men were herded into barns and shot dead, while the women and children were burned alive in the village church.

Achim Hengstenberg, court spokesman for Cologne, said: "The prosecution charges an 88-year-old pensioner from Cologne with (joining in) the destruction of Oradour-sur-Glane in France.

French president Francois Hollande at the site with a survivor (C) in 2013

"He and another shooter are said to have killed 25 men in a barn with his machine gun. He is also said to have aided the burning down of the village church."

The accused denies the charges, saying he did not fire a single shot in Oradour, according to his lawyer Rainer Pohlen.

He said he even tried to save the lives of some of the victims.

Mr Pohlen said: "He could have fired. He says, however, 'I had the great luck of being deployed for something else'.

"He said 'I heard shots, I saw people shouting, I saw the village burning. It was terrible. It was absolutely awful. But I was not myself involved in any of the action'."

A memorial at Oradour-sur-Glane

Mr Hengstenberg said the charge lay with the young offenders chamber of the Cologne court because the suspect was only 19 years old at the time of the crime.

He was not named in the statement. The young offenders chamber will decide whether or not to open proceedings against the accused.

The SS massacre was meant to be an example to French Resistance guerrillas after a vehicle carrying an SS doctor was ambushed on a road leading to the village and its occupants abducted.

Among those killed were 207 children, the youngest eight weeks old. Only five men and a woman survived the massacre.

Robert Hebras, one of the survivors, said: "It's important that we find someone even if it's 70 years afterwards."

More than 600 people died in the massacre

Oradour is an example of a post-war failure to punish the perpetrators.

Heinz Lammerding, the Waffen-SS general in command of the unit that committed the massacre, was captured by Allied forces, but never extradited to France and was sentenced to death in absentia by a Bordeaux military court in 1951. He died in his bed in Bavaria in 1971.

Mr Hengstenberg said the new charge resulted from a fresh look at a previous investigation into the events.

In 1953, 12 Alsatian soldiers who took part in the massacre while serving in the SS unit were sentenced to life in prison and one to death, but France's parliament immediately pardoned them in the name of "national reconciliation".

Their province of Alsace had been annexed by Germany in 1940 and Alsatians were deemed to have been forced to join the German forces, even though some clearly enlisted voluntarily.

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Japan Chemical Plant Blast Kills Five

At least five people have been killed in an explosion at a chemical factory in central Japan, according to reports.

Twelve others were injured in the blast at the Mitsubishi Materials complex in Yokkaichi City, police said.

Ranko Hirai, a spokeswoman at Mitsubishi Materials, said: "We confirmed that there was an explosion at our plant in Yokkaichi, where we produce silicon materials." 

Maintenance crews were said to have triggered the suspected hydrogen blast shortly before 2pm local time while working on heat exchange equipment used in the production of silicon products. 

Television footage showed stretchers laid out for victims and a pipe and machinery parts on the ground.

Yokkaichi City lies roughly 220 miles (350 km) west of Tokyo

A worker at a nearby plant said: "I heard a boom and saw white smoke rising from the plant ... I don't remember there ever being such a serious accident in Yokkaichi before."

Authorities said the situation at the plant is now under control, although a detailed investigation into the cause of the accident could not begin while a danger of secondary explosions remained.

Meanwhile a Tokyo-based spokesman for the plant has confirmed reports that the factory was closed for several months in 2010 after inspectors found it had been generating high-pressure gas without the necessary authorisation.

Mitsubishi Materials makes a wide range of products including car parts, silicon wafers for memory chips used in consumer electronics and cement for road and bridge construction.

Thursday's explosion was the most deadly industrial accident in Japan since February 2012 when an undersea tunnel collapsed at an oil refinery, trapping five people.

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Man-Eating Tiger Hunted In India After Deaths

A search is on for a tiger who is believed to have killed four villagers in northern India over the past 12 days.

The beast attacked and killed a 40-year-old woman on Wednesday in a village in the state of Uttar Pradesh, its fourth victim since it is thought to have strayed from a tiger reserve, an official said.

State forest officials and police - with the help of two elephants - have been searching for the tiger in Moradabad district in the hope of driving it back to the Jim Corbett National Park, an area that is popular with tourists.

"We have identified four bodies that were killed by the tiger as they bore teeth and claw marks," a senior official from the district said.

"We have launched a thorough search and hope it will go back to its natural habitat."

The state government has also started "a process to declare the animal a man-eater as soon as possible" which means the protected tiger can be killed, the official said.

Frightened villagers have been protesting against the authorities' failure to capture the animal since the first death was reported at the end of last month.

Officials suspect the tiger has come from the Jim Corbett National Park - home to some 200 tigers - although the boundary is about 110km (68 miles) from Moradabad district.

India has around 1,700 tigers - half of the world's rapidly shrinking wild tiger population - but has been struggling to halt the big cat's decline in the face of poachers, international smuggling networks and loss of habitat.

The country's tiger population has plunged from the estimated 40,000 it had when it gained independence in 1947.

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Former New York City Cops Held Over 9/11 Fraud

Former New York police officers and firefighters, who falsely claimed they were disabled as a result of the September 11 attacks, have been arrested in a sweeping fraud investigation.

They are among more than 100 people charged over the "massive" social security fraud worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The accused allegedly collected tens of thousands of dollars a year in social security disability benefits by claiming they were completely incapacitated by serious psychiatric disorders and other ailments.

But, according to court documents, they were in fact living normal lives; one of the accused flew a helicopter while another played blackjack in Las Vegas.

One of the accused taught and performed mixed martial arts but was still claiming benefits of typically between $30,000 (£18,000) and $50,000 (£30,400) a year. In some instances, the total amount fraudulently obtained was nearly $500,000 (£305,000) per applicant.

More than 2,700 people were killed in the attacks in New York

Of the 106 charged in the decades-long scam, 80 were retired New York police officers or firefighters.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said: "Many participants cynically manufactured claims of mental illness as a result of September 11, dishonouring the first responders who did serve their city at the expense of their own health and safety."

As far back as 1988, the four main defendants - Raymond Lavallee, 83, Thomas Hale, 89, Joseph Esposito, 64, and John Minerva, 61 - conspired to help or make hundreds of applicants falsely claim disabilities in order to collect benefit payments in addition to their public pensions, court documents say.

Prosecutors said the applicants claimed they suffered from a psychiatric condition that prevented them from working, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety or depression.

Mr Vance said: "This alleged scam further depleted the already limited resources available for battling the real and complex conditions of PTSD and depression."

William Bratton called the alleged crimes were "disgraceful"

New York City Police Department commissioner William Bratton said: "The retired members of the NYPD indicted in this case have disgraced all first responders who perished during the search and rescue efforts on September 11, 2001, and those who subsequently died from 9/11 related illness, by exploiting their involvements that tragic day for personal gain."

Hale and Esposito, the latter a retired member of the NYPD, allegedly coached benefit applicants to falsely describe symptoms of depression and anxiety to doctors they had recruited.

They instructed applicants on how to fail memory tests with plausibility, how to dress, and on their demeanour.

For example, almost every claim included phrases such as "I nap on and off during the day" and "I have the TV on to keep me company".

More than 2,700 people were killed in New York on September 11, 2001, when two passenger planes, hijacked by Islamist militants, slammed into the World Trade Center.

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Polar Vortex: Deep Freeze Strikes East And South

The record-breaking polar air blast affecting more than half the US population has spread to the East and South, sending the mercury plunging into the single digits.

The polar vortex that started in the Midwest over the weekend covered about half of the country by Tuesday.

In New York City, the temperature fell to -12C (11F), slightly cooler than Boston's -8C (18F).

Across the South, records were shattered.

Freezing passengers wait for trains in Chicago

Birmingham, Alabama, dipped to a low of -14C, breaking the record of -12C set in 1970.

Atlanta saw a record low of -14C and Nashville, Tennessee, got down to -17C.

It was just -17C at Washington Dulles International airport, eclipsing the 1988 mark of -13C.

The crippling cold continued to impact the Midwest as well, with the mercury dipping to -24C overnight in the Chicago area.

More than 500 Amtrak passengers were stranded overnight on three Chicago-bound trains that were stopped by blowing and drifting snow in Illinois.

The waterfall frozen oustide a museum in Washington

In Kentucky, a fugitive who escaped a minimum security facility on Sunday, surrendered to authorities on Monday because of the cold when temperatures plunged to -29C with the wind chill.

The weather also has been blamed for a number of deaths across Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

They included a 48-year-old Chicago man who had a heart attack while shovelling snow on Sunday and an elderly woman who was found outside her Indianapolis home early on Monday.

The worst of the big freeze should be over in the next day or two.

A satellite image shows the polar vortex sweeping across the US. Pic: Nasa

Warmer weather - at least, near or above freezing - is in the forecast for much of the stricken part of the country.

On Tuesday, many schools and day care centres across the eastern half of the US were closed.

Officials opened shelters for the homeless and anyone else who needed a warm place.

With the bitter cold slowing baggage handling and aircraft refuelling, airlines cancelled more than 2,000 flights, bringing the four-day total to more than 11,000.

Pensacola, Florida - a Gulf Coast city better known for its white sand beaches than frost - saw its streets deserted as temperatures plummeted.

Nearly half of the US has been impacted by the freezing temperatures

Monica Anderson and Tommy Howard jumped up and down and blew on their hands while they waited for a bus.

"I'm not used to it. It is best just to stay inside until it gets better," said Ms Anderson, who added she could not recall it ever being so cold.

PJM Interconnection, which operates the power grid that serves more than 61 million people in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and South, asked users to conserve electricity because of the cold.

Across the South, the Tennessee Valley Authority said power demand in the morning reached the second-highest winter peak in the history of the Depression-era utility.

Temperatures averaged -15C across the utility's seven-state region.

In Chicago, it was too cold even for the polar bear at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Although polar bears can handle sub-zero temperatures in the wild, the zoo said Anana was kept inside on Monday because she does not have the thick layer of fat that bears typically get from feeding on seals and whale carcasses.

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Qatar World Cup Will Not Be In Summer Months

By Paul Kelso, Sport Correspondent

The 2022 World Cup will not be played in Qatar during June and July, Fifa Secretary General Jerome Valcke has said.

Speaking to French radio, Valcke ruled out holding the controversial tournament in the heat of the Gulf state's summer, when temperatures can reach 50C, saying a date between November and January 2023 is more appropriate.

"The dates for the World Cup will not be June to July," Valcke, the second most powerful man in international football's governing body, told Radio France.

"To be honest, I think it will be held between November 15 and January 15 at the latest.

The Lusail Stadium will host the tournament's opening match and final

"If you play between November 15 and the end of December that's the time when the weather conditions are best, when you can play in temperatures equivalent to a warm spring season in Europe, averaging 25 degrees.

"That would be perfect for playing football."

Valcke's comments appear to pre-judge a consultation he is leading on the instruction of the Fifa executive committee.

Last October, Fifa President Sepp Blatter said he would consult all those affected by a dramatic change to football's traditional calendar before making a definitive decision.

Fans in Doha, Qatar, celebrate winning the right to host the World Cup

Valcke has been speaking to football authorities around the world including the Premier League in order to find a solution to a problem of Fifa's own making.

The Premier League would prefer the tournament not to be moved but will find a November tournament easier to accommodate than one played in January, when the domestic calendar is busier.

Fifa's top inspector, Harold Mayne-Nicholls, said in October that a summer tournament in Qatar would be "impossible" - even with the cooling technology proposed by organisers.

Qatar surprised many when it secured the tournament in a 2010 Fifa vote

FA chairman Greg Dyke also told Sky News that the temperatures "would be impossible for the fans".

Fifa shocked many in the football world when it awarded the World Cup to the Arab state following a vote in December 2010, where it beat the likes of the US and South Korea.

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Schumacher Ski Accident Off 'Well-Marked' Slope

Prosecutors investigating Michael Schumacher's ski accident said examination of his helmet camera showed he had left a properly marked out trail at the time of his fall.

Albertville prosecutor Patrick Quincy said the two-minute film from the helmet camera was very clear and showed the former  Formula 1 driver lost his balance in the French resort of Meribel and struck his head on a rock.

The fall left him in a critical condition and he has been in a medically induced coma since December 29.

Investigators said they had established the signage on the slopes was in accordance with regulations, but the area where Schumacher was hurt was "virgin territory" so was not marked and could be dangerous.

"There are French standards setting rules on safety, signalling, demarcation ... The checks we have made show these standards had been respected," Mr Quincy said.

However, he said the investigation would take time to establish whether the area where he was skiing could be classed as an "official piste" in French law.

Investigators have visited the scene of the accident in Meribel

The video will now be examined by a police expert in mountaineering.

Problems with the rented skis Schumacher was wearing have also been ruled out.

Mr Quincy said Schumacher was "obviously a very good skier" but had not been able to slow himself down in the rocky area of the slope where he fell.

Describing the sequence of events after the former F1 driver went off-piste, he said: "At one point his skis touch a rock, he loses balance and falls forward and his head hits a rock which is 3.5 metres below.

"The rock he hit is eight metres from the edge of the piste and Mr Schumacher on the ground, inanimate, is nine metres from the edge of the piste. That's the information we have with regard to the inquiry."

Early viewings of the helmet camera footage appear to confirm this sequence of events.

Prosecutors said Mr Schumacher's wife Corinna had been 'very co-operative'

The inquiry has not yet been able to confirm reports that Schumacher - who was on a family holiday - was going to the aid of a relative when he fell or the speed at which he was travelling, Mr Quincy said. 

Police chief Stephane Bozon said Schumacher's speed increased when he entered the steeper off-piste section and he had tried to slow down but had difficulty because of the nature of the slope.

Mr Quincy said investigators have also spoken to emergency services and doctors and visited the scene of the accident.

The Albertville prosecutor's office carries out around 50 investigations into serious skiing and climbing accidents every year, he added.

On Monday, a source said he had made a "slight improvement" but remained in a stable but critical condition.

There was initially speculation that Schumacher was travelling up to 100kph (60mph) when he crashed, after it was revealed his helmet had split on impact.

But subsequent reports suggested he was travelling at a "leisurely pace" of up to 20kph (12mph).

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

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Iraq Gets US Military Boost Amid Rising Unrest

Iraq Violence Was 'Waiting Powder Keg'

Updated: 1:10pm UK, Monday 06 January 2014

By Tim Marshall, Diplomatic Editor

The fighting in the Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Ramadi threatens to hasten the disintegration of a country in chaos.

The upsurge of violence has simply highlighted a pattern of sectarian strife which emerged in early 2013 and shows no signs of ending.

Unlike during the violence of 2006/07, the Americans are no longer around to stand between the sectarian factions.

Fallujah and Ramadi are in Anbar province in the west of Iraq, which is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim and is the stronghold of al Qaeda in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). 

Under Saddam Hussein, the Sunnis dominated the country but that came to an end after the US led invasion of 2003.

The regional, ethnic, and sectarian tensions in Iraq were always present since its inception as a state in 1920, but the lid was taken off this simmering pot by the American invasion.

The subsequent botched attempts at nation building widened the sectarian divide.

The Americans fought the Shia and Sunni militia, the Sunni and Shia fought one another, and the Kurds in the north warned everyone to keep their distance.

The US forces struggled and only achieved a degree of relative stability during the 'Sunni Awakening'.

The Sunni tribes, realising they were losing control of Anbar province to al Qaeda, allied with the Americans. 

Al Qaeda may have been Sunni, but they were mostly foreign fighters and they had designs on the territory of Anbar. The temporary alliance worked and the violence receded.

In 2011 Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's government refused to allow the Americans even 'basing rights' for a skeleton force and so the US military pulled out completely.

There was now no one left to stand between the factions, or broker deals, if they began to fight again.

The Shia are the majority among the Arabs in Iraq, and under Maliki they have taken control of the main levers of power in the country; the military, the judiciary, the interior ministry, and the cabinet.

Sunnis felt increasingly disenfranchised and the victims of repression.

A year ago they began demonstrations in Ramadi and Fallujah calling for the freeing of tens of thousands of prisoners held without charge by Maliki's forces. The protests spread to other Sunni areas in the country. 

The Prime Minister said the demonstrations and protests camps were a front for al Qaeda and secessionists and ordered the security forces to break them up. Hundreds of people were killed in the ensuing violence and a campaign of terrorism across the country killed thousands.

Subsequent attempts at compromise were undermined by hardliners on both sides in parliament.

Anbar province was a powder keg waiting to explode.

Late last month, Maliki ordered a military raid on an ISIS camp in western Anbar, the arrest of a senior Sunni politician in Ramadi, and the clearing of a protest camp.

The backlash came almost immediately. The Sunni tribes rose up and quickly reformed their militias. They took on the government forces pushing them out of Ramadi and Fallujah.

Some, fearing that Al Qaeda would take revenge for the 'awakening', also targeted ISIS fighters.

Now the Iraqi army is poised on the outskirts of the two cities waiting to take them back. 

As the Americans found, the fighting will be hard, with no guarantee of success. The longer it goes on, the greater the chance that it will spread and the more it will undermine the national elections set for April 30.

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Spain: King Juan Carlos' Daughter In Court

The youngest daughter of Spain's King Juan Carlos has been ordered to appear in court for questioning as part of an investigation into alleged tax fraud and money laundering.

Palma de Mallorca court judge Jose Castro ordered 48-year-old Infanta Cristina to appear for questioning about her links to the business affairs of her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma.

The former Olympic handball player is under investigation for alleged embezzlement of public funds.

A court on the island of Majorca is looking into claims Mr Urdangarin and his former business partner, Diego Torres, embezzled six million euros (£5m) in public funds via the Noos Institute, a charitable foundation he created to organise sports events.

The princess was a member of the board of the foundation and jointly owned another company called Aizoon with her husband, which investigators suspect served as a front for laundering the money.

The three deny wrongdoing.

In a written ruling, the judge said he had decided to hear Cristina's testimony on March 8. Formal charges could follow. 

It is the first time a direct relative of the monarch has been ordered to appear in court accused of wrongdoing. 

The reputation of King Juan Carlos has been damaged by the affair

In November, a luxury villa and other properties belonging to Urdangarin were seized to cover the 6m euro bond for his liability in the case.

The investigations have damaged the reputation of 76-year-old Juan Carlos, who has been on the throne for almost 40 years and helped in the country's transition to democracy after the death of dictator General Francisco Franco.

A recent poll published in the daily newspaper El Mundo found that more than half of Spaniards wanted him to abdicate and let his son Prince Felipe take the throne.

Speaking at the weekend, the head of the royal household, Rafael Spottorno, said the investigation had become a "martyrdom" for the royal family and urged the judge to wrap up the investigation quickly.

He told public television channel TVE: "We have to trust in the justice system. We have always respected the judge's duties. But the only thing we ask is that he finish it soon."

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Polar Vortex: 187 Million Hit By Big Freeze

More than half the US population is under a wind chill warning as a blast of freezing Arctic air sweeps south and east across the country, bringing the coldest temperatures for decades.

The whirlpool of dense air known as the "polar vortex" has caused a number of deaths, closed schools and businesses, cancelled thousands of flights and left highly-populated cities facing colder temperatures than Siberia.

Around 187 million people could eventually feel the effects of the freezing temperatures - and Americans have been warned their skin could freeze within minutes if they go outside.

The US East Coast is preparing for the cold front moving in from the Midwest on Tuesday and areas as far south as Brownsville, Texas and central Florida are facing record low temperatures.

Temperatures were 11 to 22C (20 to 40F) below average in parts of Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nebraska and broke records in Chicago, Oklahoma and Texas, according to the National Weather Service.

A satellite image shows the polar vortex sweeping across the US. Pic: Nasa

The US saw colder temperatures than Almaty, Kazakhstan, where it was -22C (8F), Mongolia at -23C (-8F) and Irkutsk, in Siberia, at -33C (-27F).

The National Weather Service has issued life-threatening wind chill warnings for temperatures as low as -51C (-60F) in western and central Dakota and officials in Indiana - hit by high winds and more than a foot (30cm) of snow - urged residents to stay indoors.

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard asked schools and businesses to stay closed for another day and said: "The cold is the real killer here.

A tractor is used to clear snow from Woodward Avenue in central Detroit

"You could be dead in 10 minutes without the proper clothes."

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency, announcing that parts of the New York State Thruway in Western New York would be closed due to extreme winter weather conditions.

The weather has caused chaos for US business and industry, threatening to disrupt oil drilling and fracking and hit livestock and grain shipments across the farm belt, even in the Deep South.

Some 4,392 flights were cancelled and 3,577 delayed on Monday, according to FlightAware.com, which tracks airline activity.

Many airlines could not allow their ground crews to remain outdoors for more than 15 minutes at a time.

Birds gather on the partially frozen River Charles in Boston

There were hundreds of cancellations by airlines including United, Southwest and American at airports across the Midwest and Northeast as supplies of fuel and de-icer froze.

The weather has been blamed for a number of deaths across Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

They included a 48-year-old Chicago man who had a heart attack while shovelling snow on Sunday and an elderly woman who was found outside her Indianapolis home early Monday.

Some states are beginning to turn their focus to recovery, with Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Indiana Governor Mike Pence issuing disaster declarations, paving the way to request federal aid.

There were, however, some signs of things returning to normal in the affected areas.

A commuter wraps up warm in Chicago

JetBlue Airways, which stopped all scheduled flights to and from New York and Boston on Monday, plans to resume some flights on Tuesday morning.

Southwest Airlines operations in Chicago resumed on Monday night, even if it was, as a spokesman for the Texas-based airline called it, "a trickle".

The Minnesota Zoo announced it would reopen to the public on Tuesday and state lawmakers in Indiana plan to open their 2014 legislative session after a day's postponement.

Warmer temperatures - at least near or above freezing - are in store for the Midwest later in the week.

Indianapolis should reach -3C (27F) on Wednesday, and other parts of the central US could climb above freezing later in the week.

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Senkaku Islands: Japan Sends Jets in China Row

Japan has scrambled fighter jets to head off a Chinese government plane flying towards islands that are the source of tension between the two countries.

The Chinese Y-12 propeller plane went into Japan's air defence identification zone around 99 miles away from airspace surrounding the uninhabited Senkaku Islands, which Japan controls but Beijing claims as its own and calls the Diaoyu Islands.

A Japanese defence ministry official said the aircraft headed back towards China without entering the contested airspace after the jets became airborne.

The incident in the East China Sea is the first since China created its air defence identification zone (ADIZ) in November, a move which further strained relations.

Chinese government ships and planes have been spotted off the islands numerous times since Japan nationalised them in 2012.

Earlier this week, a Chinese chef crash-landed into the sea while trying to fly a hot-air balloon to the disputed islands.

There are fears an escalation in the row could have far-reaching repercussions, drawing in Japan's ally, the United States.

The islands are strategically important because they are close to international shipping lanes, offer abundant opportunities for fishing and could potentially lie close to rich oil and gas reserves.

Japan and China have also recently been involved in a diplomatic war of words, with ambassadors from both comparing the other country to Lord Voldermort, the Harry Potter villain.

In a Daily Telegraph article last week, the Chinese ambassador to the UK criticised Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to a controversial shrine seen as the repository of around 2.5 million souls of the country's war dead.

This includes several high-level officials who were executed for war crimes after the Second World War, which saw Japan invade China.

Liu Xiaoming wrote: "If militarism is like the haunting Voldermort of Japan, the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo is a kind of horcrux, representing the darkest parts of that nation's soul."

In the same newspaper his Japanese counterpart Keiichi Hayashi said that China risked becoming the "Lord Voldermort of East Asia".

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Polar Vortex: NFL Fans Brave -26C Wind Chill

Diehard fans have braved freezing temperatures and a wind chill of -26C (-14F) to watch an NFL playoff match in Wisconsin.

The Green Bay Packers took on the San Francisco 49ers at their home field on Sunday night, in one of the coldest American football matches ever played.

A phenomenon described as a polar vortex has plunged states in the north and northwest US into a deep freeze, causing transport chaos and school closures.

Some Packers fans - affectionately known as cheeseheads - wore costumes

Fans at the Packers' Lambeau Field swaddled themselves in multiple layers of thick clothing and covered themselves with blankets for the tie, which lasted around three hours.

The 49ers' stars - who are more used to balmy California temperatures - wrapped up on the touchline in signature red blankets.

Despite not being accustomed to the inclement weather, they won 23-20, putting them one step closer to February's Super Bowl.

Thick layers were necessary for the three-hour game

The weather phenomenon has seen super-chilled air from the Arctic sucked into North and South Dakota, the Great Lakes states and New England, sending temperatures plunging.

Washington DC has already seen its coldest temperatures for 20 years and several states in the Midwest have recorded their lowest mercury readings for more than a decade.

Icy weather is feared to have been a factor that led to a Delta Airways flight skidding off the runway at JFK Airport on Sunday.

None of the flight's 35 passengers was injured and the aircraft was safely towed to a gate.

Snow at JFK Airport in New York

The busy New York airport suspended operations for about two hours due to slick runways.

In Chicago, about 1,200 flights were cancelled at the city's O'Hare and Midway international airports after more than 11 inches of snow fell.

Weather Bell meteorologist Ryan Maue described the current weather conditions as a once-in-a-generation event.

"If you're under 40 (years old), you've not seen this stuff before," he said.

Scituate, Massachusetts, is among the places to have seen blizzards

With much of the northeast of the country already under thick snow and well below zero, a newly emerging weather system is threatening to cause further misery.

The "polar vortex" is an anti-clockwise rotating pool of cold, dense air that forms close to the North Pole, but typically hangs over Canada.

Meteorologists say that unusually, this year, it is heading south and moving towards the north and eastern United States.

Fargo in North Dakota is expected to dip to -31C (-25F), International Falls, Minnesota, is forecast to fall to -35C (-31F) and Indianapolis, Indiana, and Chicago, Illinois, to -26C (-15F).

The forecast prompted Minnesota public school officials to announce a statewide closure for Monday, marking the first such mass closing in 17 years.

The Wisconsin cities of Milwaukee and Madison have also announced school closures to start the week.

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard upgraded the city's travel emergency level to "red", making it illegal for anyone to drive except for emergencies or seeking shelter.

The last time the city issued such a travel warning was in 1978.

Temperatures are expected to dip close to freezing in parts of Florida on Tuesday.

In Canada, people have reported hearing loud booms which are thought to be "frost quakes" as temperatures dip to -20C.

The phenomenon, known as a cryoseism, is caused when water in the ground expands in extreme cold, causing it to crack and make the booming noise.

At least 16 deaths have been blamed on a snow storm that swept across the eastern half of the US at the end of last week.

Only a few thousand people have been left without power in the US despite heavy snowfalls, but in Canada, which has seen unusually heavy snow in a country used to cold winters, nearly 90,000 are without power in Newfoundland.

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Bangladesh Election 'Won' By Ruling Party

Bangladesh's ruling party has been declared the winner of parliamentary elections that have been marred by killings, an opposition boycott, and low turnout.

At least 18 people died in political violence on polling day alone, in a vote which saw fewer than half of the 300 seats being contested.

It meant the result was a foregone conclusion and the ruling Awami League took 232 seats - far more than the 151 needed to form a government.

But the chaos surrounding Sunday's election has plunged Bangladesh deeper into turmoil and fuelled fears of economic stagnation, amid the threat of further violence.

Police kick a protester after a polling booth was set on fire

International observers refused to attend the election, which was branded flawed.

Along with a low voter-turnout, it is set to put pressure on the Bangladesh government to hold talks with the opposition.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Khaleda Zia, who leads the Bangladesh National Party (BNP), are bitter rivals.

The country has been ruled by either of these women - both from powerful political families - for more than two decades.

The boycott was sparked after Ms Hasina refused to agree to opposition demands to step down and appoint a neutral caretaker government to oversee the election.

The poverty-stricken nation of 160 million people has been hit by political violence in recent months as opposition activists staged attacks, strikes and transport blockades.

This has caused disruption to the country's $22bn (£13bn) clothing industry, which accounts for 80% of exports.

More than 100 people were killed in the run-up to the ballot, mostly in rural areas, and fears of violence kept many voters away.

Soldiers line a street blocked by a tree that was cut down by activists

Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury, a BNP vice chairman, said: "The turnout is a clear indication that the common people rejected this election and it is almost an election without voters."

Law Minister Mohammad Quamrul Islam said the election was necessary for the democratic process, and repeated that another poll could be held anytime in agreement with the BNP.

"But they must stop violence before dialogue for the next elections could start," he said.

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Iraq: Militants Pledge To Fight Government

Al Qaeda-linked militants and tribal fighters who have taken over parts of the strategic Iraqi city of Fallujah have pledged to fight the government.

An unnamed commander of the anti-government Fallujah military council said: "The revolutionaries of Fallujah tribes are resolved to punish those, the covetous, who are linked to the sectarian government."

But, speaking on Monday on state television, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki urged the city's residents and allied tribesman to "expel" the militants to avoid a full scale battle.

He also called on Iraqi soldiers looking to retake control of the city to avoid strikes on Fallujah's residential areas.

Tribesman have taken up weapons in Fallujah

Al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) has been steadily tightening its grip in the vast Anbar province in recent months to try to create a Sunni Muslim state straddling the frontier with Syria.

But last week's capture of positions in nearby Ramadi and large parts of Fallujah was the first time in years that Sunni insurgents had taken ground in the province's major cities and held their positions for days.

Iraqi government forces battling an al Qaeda offensive near the Syrian border launched an air strike on Ramadi on Sunday, killing 25 Islamist militants, according to local officials.

In Fallujah, Isil's task has been made easier by disgruntled tribesmen who have joined its fight against the government.

Nouri Maliki called on Fallujah's residents to drive out the militants

The group currently controls the centre of the city, with its black flags being seen on captured police and government vehicles.

Dozens of families from Fallujah and Ramadi have fled to Kerbala to take refuge from Iraqi government bombardments.

Mohammed, a resident of Ramadi, said: "We are going to Kerbala to get food and cooking gas. We are displaced people, we thank the people of Kerbala."

Kerbala resident Abu Faris said: "We are providing the people of Ramadi with foodstuffs and flour. They were affected (by the violence) and they have nothing, so we are providing them with relief aid."

Al Qaeda-linked militants have gained a foothold in Anbar province

The situation in Anbar province ignited at the end of last month when militias formed following the arrest of a Sunni politician and the clearing an anti-government protest camp.

Iraq's government is mainly made up of Shia Muslims.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has made it clear that, although Washington would provide "assistance" to Iraqi security forces, it would not put American "boots on the ground".

Mr Kerry told reporters in Jerusalem: "We are not obviously contemplating returning, we are not contemplating putting boots on the ground, this is their fight.

"But we're going to help them in their fight ... we are going to do everything that is possible to help them."

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Angela Merkel Injured In Skiing Accident

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been injured during a cross-country skiing accident in Switzerland.

Mrs Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said the Chancellor suffered a fractured pelvis and must rest as much as possible over the next three weeks.

Mrs Merkel has been forced to cancel a number of official appointments, but will continue to lead the government and hold Cabinet meetings.

The 59-year-old politician will mainly work from home during her period of rest, Mr Seibert said.

Cross-country skiiers seen racing in Switzerland's Engadin region in 2011

She has cancelled a planned trip to Warsaw on Wednesday, as well as a visit to Berlin by Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel that had been scheduled for Thursday.

"It goes without saying that as chancellor, she is capable of acting as well as communicating fully," Mr Seibert said.

Mrs Merkel was skiing in the Swiss region of Engadin, which boasts top ski resorts such as St Moritz, when the accident occurred over the Christmas holidays.

The injury was initially thought to be just painful bruising, but after Mrs Merkel's return to Berlin doctors diagnosed a fracture in the pelvic area.

Mr Seibert said that Mrs Merkel's injury occurred "at low speeds", but was unable to say if another person was involved.

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Ashes: Australia Thrash England In 5-0 Sweep

England's cricket captain has apologised after Australia crushed England by 281 runs to claim a 5-0 Ashes series whitewash on the third day of the final Test in Sydney.

Mitchell Johnson (L) takes the wicket of England's Gary Ballance

Alistair Cook said sorry to England fans who had travelled to Australia only to see the team "hit rock bottom".

"It's tough knowing you've played in five games and been beaten badly in five games," he told the crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

England's Ben Stokes walks off the field after his dismissal by Australia

"We weren't good enough to turn it around.  When you hit rock bottom the only way is up. We have to look at ourselves, look at where we want to go.

"We have a huge amount of talent in England. We haven't shown it in these five games."

Australia's George Bailey catches out England's Kevin Pietersen

Addressing the England fans, he added: "I'm sorry we've let you down, we haven't played very well but we really do appreciate your support."

The 5-0 series sweep was only the third in the history of Ashes encounters after Australia's 1920-21 and 2006-07 triumphs.

Australia celebrate after taking the wicket of England's Scott Borthwick

The humiliating defeat for England is expected to have major ramifications for English cricket after they beat Australia 3-0 just months ago.

Sky's Australia correspondent Jonathan Samuels, in Sydney, said: "When England arrived here they were over-confident and they under-estimated how angry and determined Australia was going to be.

England's Michael Carberry goes for an unsuccessful catch off Ryan Harris

"England were riding high on the back of three Ashes wins, but their batsmen haven't performed; even Graham Gooch, who has been coaching the batsmen has been questioning the techniques he's been passing onto them.

"It wasn't the most exceptional side Australia put out, but their bowlers have been quite remarkable."

England's Michael Carberry broke his bat in the final throes of the game

England coach Andy Flower conceded his team "underperformed badly" throughout the Ashes series, but he paid tribute to the Australian team.

"We've underperformed in the first innings for quite a long period of time. We haven't scored many runs, haven't scored any first innings above 400 for a long time, and people lost confidence early on in this tour.

But he took a catch to dismiss Australia's Ryan Harris

"The pace rocked the batting order in the first Test and we never quite recovered.

"I would like to pay tribute to the Australia camp. Their bowling attack has been outstanding.

Australia's Mitchell Johnson after taking the wicket of Alastair Cook

"We've seen a sustained style of bowling, exceptional pressure and (Mitchell) Johnson's pace has been a huge difference between the two sides."

During the game England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow was caught by George Bailey off a ball from spinner Nathan Lyon for a three-ball duck and Scott Borthwick was magnificently caught by skipper Michael Clarke off another Lyon ball for just four runs.

Shane Watson of Australia is applauded as he leaves the field

England skipper Alastair Cook, Ian Bell,and Kevin Pietersen all fell in the middle session as England limped to tea on just 87-3.

Cook, who has endured a miserable series with the bat, was caught behind off Johnson for seven and was followed by Bell, who was snapped up the gully off Ryan Harris.

Australia's Brad Haddin is congratulated during a lap of honour

Things got worse after the interval as Australia took four wickets in just two overs, England despairing against inspired Australian bowling and fielding. 

Stuart Broad managed to hit four sixes and three fours to take 42 runs off 36 balls before he was bowled by Harris, and Boyd Rankin was the last man out, caught overhead by Clarke at second slip to complete the victory.

5-0: The Australian team salute their win

The tourists capitulated against the home side's attack by losing seven wickets in under an hour and were beaten for 166 in 31.4 overs; which was not even close to the 448 target they needed for a win.

It is the second time in three away Ashes series that  England has lost all five test matches. The last time was in 2006 to 2007 when Australia were considered a much stronger side.

Today's result also means Australia have overtaken England in the International Cricket Council rankings as the England team dropped to fourth place.

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