Supernova In Nearby Galaxy Stuns Astronomers

The explosion of a star in a nearby galaxy is causing amateur astronomers around the world to rush to their telescopes.

Designated SN 2014J the blast was caused by the complete destruction of a white dwarf - a small, incredibly dense star the size of a planet.

The stellar explosion, or supernova, was discovered in the M82 galaxy just 12 million light years away and was photographed by Nasa's Swift space observatory in low orbit around the Earth.

This makes the blast the nearest optical supernova to Earth in 20 years.

Such supernova blasts happen in one of two ways. Either the white dwarf pulled mass from another star until it reached a critical point and exploded, or it simply collided with another star, including possibly a second white dwarf.

Photographs sent back to scientists show a superheated shell of gas expanding outwards into space at tens of millions of miles per hour. The brightness of the shell depends on its size, transparency and how radioactive it is.

Astronomers expect SN 2014J to continue to brighten into the first week of February, by which time it may be bright enough to be visible from Earth using binoculars.

M82, also known as the Cigar Galaxy, can be located in the Ursa Major, or Great Bear, constellation and is a popular target for small telescopes.

The galaxy is undergoing a powerful episode of star formation that makes it many times brighter than our own Milky Way galaxy.

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Bomb Blast Near Cairo Police Academy

Egypt Bombings Bear The Mark Of Al Qaeda

Updated: 8:35pm UK, Friday 24 January 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Not unprecedented, not unpredicted, the Cairo bombings blamed on radical Islamist groups do have a new distinctive signature - al Qaeda.

The global Jihadi movement has specialised for years in what the military call "complex attacks" - the assault of several targets in close chronological order.

The Egyptian capital was rocked by three explosions in one morning.

They were mostly targeting the organs of the state but, by hitting a metro station, they also signalled to the Arab world's most populous state that violence is going to continue to be a way of life.

Ironically, the terror attacks suit the military-dominated government of Egypt as much as it furthers the agenda of the violent groups who want to bring it to its knees.

The massive car bomb outside the state security building in Cairo, which left a gaping hole in the street and at least four dead, was easily predicted.

It flows directly from the massacre of supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi during July and August last year as they protested against the military coup that deposed him.

The former president's Muslim Brotherhood has foresworn the use of violence, and continues to insist that this is its position.

But the scale of the killing of Egyptian citizens by their own military last year inevitably led to a violent backlash.

This started in the Sinai where local tribes have been infiltrated by al Qaeda agitators, and further radicalised through violent Islamist groups from neighbouring Gaza, a Palestinian territory.

It has been inflamed by the banning of the Brotherhood late last year and the arrest of many of its leaders who have, therefore, been denied a peaceful platform.

Poor, disenfranchised, youth across the Middle East have been easy prey for the radicalising messages of al Qaeda-style groups who offer a simple means - violence - to a simple solution to their many woes - the establishment of an Islamic caliphate.

By launching attacks on the capital, the terrorists have played into the narrative of the military - that ridding the country of the Brotherhood is part of a necessary fight against terrorism.

The bombs are likely to signal greater attacks on personal freedoms by the government which have already resulted in the rounding up of non-Islamic pro-democracy activists and even the extended detention of foreign journalists.

The military calculation, which has the support of many Egyptians, is that it can crack down on radical Islamic groups so hard that it can crush them - much as it did for decades before the revolution which ended military rule in January three years ago.

The difference today is that al Qaeda-style violence is a global phenomenon which is tearing into the Middle East in Iraq, Syria, the Lebanon, and parts of the Palestinian territories.

It is ultimately self-sustaining, but it is fuelled by oppression.

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Ukraine: Barricades Burn As Concessions Fail

Sporadic clashes between police and protesters have spread across Ukraine despite President Viktor Yanukovych announcing concessions to demonstrators to try to restore calm to the country.

Mr Yanukovych offered to reshuffle his government and to grant an amnesty to dozens of activists arrested during weeks of rioting that has left four protesters dead and dozens of police injured.

But within hours of his offer, the sky in Kiev was filled with black smoke as protesters set fire to barricades built with bags of ice, car tyres and furniture as opposition leader and former heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko said only Mr Yanukovych's resignation would mollify the protests.

President Viktor Yanukovych and opposition leader Vitali Klitschko

Protesters wearing ski masks and armed with sticks hurled firebombs, rocks and fireworks at riot police while officers retaliated with tear gas and baton charges in a repeat of violent scenes earlier in the week that subsided after Mr Yanukovych began talks aimed at a truce.

"We will force the authorities to respect us," 27-year-old protester Artur Kapelan said. "Not they, but we will dictate the conditions of a truce."

The rallies in Kiev began in November last year after Mr Yanukovych scrapped a treaty with the European Union in favour of a bailout loan from Russia, following lobbying by Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Political activists began by calling for stronger unification with Europe rather than a new alliance with Russia but the protests have since evolved to call for Mr Yanukovych's resignation and the scrapping of harsh anti-protest legislation.

The fighting stopped earlier in the week after opposition and religious leaders began talking with Mr Yanukovych to find a political solution to the unrest.

The protest map tweeted by Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt

The president had offered to meet some of their demands as thousands of protesters laid siege to government buildings in several cities in the country.

But Mr Klitschko declared the protests would continue until Mr Yanukovuch offers to resign.

Reporting from Kiev, Sky's Katie Stallard said the protesters intend to hold their ground.

"The protesters insist the police fired first, they say that means this truce is off and they're returning fire with whatever they can find.

"They're sending fireworks up to the police lines and throwing Molotov cocktails towards them. The police lines are 40 metres in front of them, (the protesters) are up on top of burnt-out buses and waving the national flag.

"All the time tyres are being taken through to put on these flames. They're trying to build up as much smoke as they can to obscure their view.

"Behind them there are hundreds more here cheering them on behind the barricades, beating on whatever they can find. They're shouting 'glory to Ukraine' and they're determined to hold their ground."

Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt suggested Mr Yanukovych was losing control over his country. He posted a map of Ukraine on Twitter showing which regions had succumbed to protests.

"If Kiev regime tries a military solution to this situation, it will be very bloody and it will fail," he tweeted.

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Syria Peace Talks Get Under Way in Geneva

The two sides in Syria's bloody civil war have met for the first time at peace talks in Geneva.

The negotiations have been dogged by delays with both factions blaming each other for a lack of progress.

Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told Sky News he was to propose the best way for the country to move forward is to hold fresh elections.

Both sides sat at a U-shaped table and the international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi addressed delegates.

The talks are being overseen by the special envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi

The two sides entered and left the room through separate doors following the 30-minute session.

The talks are seen by many diplomats as the best hope for an eventual end to Syria's three-year conflict, which has left at least 130,000 people dead.

Sky's Sam Kiley said: "It's going to be a long, slow process."

Opposition spokesman Monzer Akbik said the regime had had to listen to them and the 'voice' of the Syrian people.

"The Syrian people want transition from dictatorship to democracy," he said.

He also revealed there had been no handshake.

Both sides shelved the major stumbling block regarding the future of President Bashar al Assad, to allow the talks to proceed.

Initial discussions will focus on local ceasefires and gaining access for humanitarian aid.

The major sticking point, however, remains demands for the formation of a transitional government, which had threatened to scupper the talks on Friday.

It led  the Syrian government delegation to issue an ultimatum that it would leave the summit if "serious" discussions did not start within 24 hours.

But diplomats have said even getting the sides to the same table could be considered an achievement.

More follows...

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Ukraine: 'Very High' Chance Of Ending Violence

One of Ukraine's main opposition leaders has said there is a "very high" chance of finding a way to end the violence and political unrest in the country.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk, leader of the Fatherland party, made the comment after four hours of talks with President Viktor Yanukovych in Kiev.

Former boxing champion Vitali Klitschko, leader of the Punch party, and nationalist leader Oleg Tyagnybok were also at the discussions.

Riot police and protesters in the Ukrainian capital have been locked in a tense standoff following days of street battles which protesters say have left five people dead.

"We had the task of halting the bloodshed. The chance (of this) is very high," said Mr Yatsenyuk as he emerged with the other two leaders after the talks.

President Yanukovych has also called an emergency parliamentary session - likely to be held on Tuesday - which will discuss the protesters' demands, which include the government's resignation and the scrapping of a new anti-protest law.

Street battles have raged for days

Prime Minister Mykola Azarov earlier accused opponents of attempting to stage a coup and dismissed demands for a snap election as "unrealistic".

"A genuine attempt at a coup d'etat is being carried out," he said, while attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Opposition leaders had urged "calm" ahead of Thursday evening's talks, but warned of fresh clashes if early elections were not called.

Earlier in the day, Mr Yatsenyuk told a crowd of around 40,000 people in Kiev's Independence Square that he was ready to die for the cause.

"If he does not go down that path then we will go forwards together and if it means a bullet to the head, then it is a bullet to the head," he said.

"Viktor Yanukovych, you have 24 hours. Take a decision. I have taken my decision."

Mr Klitschko added: "Early elections will change the situation without bloodshed and we will do everything to achieve that."

Opposition leaders address the protesters

Activists claim that of the protesters killed in recent days, four were shot and one died in a fall.

One of the dead was named locally as Serhiy Nihoyna.

Prime Minister Azarov has said police are not carrying live ammunition and that opposition leaders should be held responsible for the deaths.

Police and protesters have been turning an area at the heart of the city into a virtual war zone with demonstrators setting fire to barricades, hurling stones and Molotov cocktails, and police using tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets.

Sky's Katie Stallard, in Kiev, said: "Protesters also burned tyres, mattresses, whatever they could find to keep going, and reinforcing barricades too.

"They have made homemade shields out of planks of wood and are rehearsing their tactical formations - how they plan to stand together and how they plan to protect themselves."

Image said to show one of the dead, Serhiy Nihoyna (Pic: Serhiy Proskurnia)

The Interior Ministry said 73 protesters had been arrested and 53 of them were being investigated for "mass riots". It is a charge that was recently introduced and carries a jail sentence of up to eight years.

The US State Department has threatened to impose sanctions against the Ukraine in response to the continued use of violence against protesters.

The rioting intensified when some 200,000 took to the streets at the weekend in a show of anger over the new anti-protest laws rushed through by Mr Yanukovych.

The laws allow for jail terms of up to five years for those who blockade public buildings. They also ban protesters from wearing masks or helmets.

Discontent in Ukraine began last year when Mr Yanukovych refused to sign up to closer ties with the European Union in favour of a new accord with Russia.

Meanwhile, Russia said it would not intervene in the crisis, according to President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

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Massive Pile-Up As 'Three Die' In Bad Weather

At least three people are reported to have died and more fatalities are feared after a massive pile-up involving over a dozen trucks and several cars in Indiana.

The crash happened as drivers battled snow and poor visibility on Interstate 94 near Michigan City.

Aerial footage fromthe scene showed several trucks crunched together on the highway, about 60 miles south-east of Chicago.

Heavy equipment was apparently brought in to try to free motorists believed trapped in the wreckage.

Between 15-20 drivers were reportedly taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries.

A section of the eastbound side of the I-94 was closed and several other roads were either shut or blocked in what was called a "critical disruption" of traffic.

The crash was blamed on snowy conditions from a storm blowing through the region.

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Three Bomb Blasts Kill At Least Five In Cairo

Three bombings just hours apart in Egypt's capital have killed at least five people and wounded dozens.

The bombings came on the eve of the anniversary of the start of the 2011 uprising that toppled Egypt's ruler Hosni Mubarak.

A suicide car bomber rammed a vehicle into the fence surrounding Cairo's police headquarters, killing four people and badly damaged a nearby Museum of Islamic Art.

Egyptian security officers stand at the scene of a bomb attack

Policeman Mahmud Mushref, his head bandaged, said: "The car crashed into the fence, and the explosion happened." 

Several floors of the high-rise building were wrecked, with air conditioning units dangling from broken windows. The pavement outside was covered with piles of shattered glass, pieces of bricks and rocks. 

The explosions happened in the Egyptian capital

The front of the nearby museum was also badly damaged.

State television quoted witnesses as saying gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on buildings and guards after the explosion.

An injured police officer sits on the ground

Interior ministry spokesman Hany Abdel Latif said: "Casualties were relatively small given the size of the blast."

Friday is the Muslim day of prayer and rest and so relatively few people were on the streets.

The police headquarters was hit by a car bomb

The suicide attack was followed by two more, smaller explosions - one at a metro station which killed one person, and another at a police station near the pyramids.

Sky's Tom Rayner said the explosion by the pyramids was possibly caused by a grenade.

A crowd of Egyptians chant pro-military slogans

Militants have escalated attacks since the military overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July.

The president's office vowed to "avenge our martyrs" following the bombings.

A statement read: "Whoever planned, participated, financed, or incited (the attack) will be punished with the worst form of punishment."

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Gang Rape Villagers Flee India Police Inquiry

India's Supreme Court has ordered an investigation into the alleged gang rape of a young woman on the orders of a village council.

The woman told police that the rape by people she "knew as neighbours, as uncles and brothers" carried out the attack in West Bengal as punishment for her falling in love with a man from a different ethnic group.

Thirteen suspects, including the head of the village council, have already been arrested.

Other local men were reported to have fled, fearing arrest. Women and children left behind in the village were reluctant to talk about the events.

Police near the village of Subalpur, about five hours drive from the state capital Kolkata, said locals tried to prevent the alleged victim from reporting her ordeal by surrounding her house and threatening her with further violence.

"Members of the village council threatened her with dire consequences if she lodged a complaint with the police," police officer Kazi Mohammad Hossain said.

"The villagers surrounded her house but on Wednesday afternoon she managed to escape and came to the police station to file the complaint.

"She was limping and bleeding when she came to the police station."

The woman was reportedly raped through the night

Some neighbours described the victim as a charming woman and said she planned to marry her partner, who is Muslim.

The rape has rekindled the outrage in India over the treatment of women and brought fresh scrutiny to the role of village councils, which are common in rural India.

The councils decide on social norms in the village, and in some cases they dictate the way women can dress or who they can marry.

Those who flout the councils risk being ostracised.

Relationships remain an extremely sensitive subject in rural areas, where pre-marital sex is taboo and marriages are usually arranged within the same community, caste or religious group.

Punishments outside of India's law and justice system are common with regular reports of women being forced to parade naked or being flogged publicly for "disobeying" local laws.

The gang rape and murder of a young woman on a bus in December 2012 highlighted the issue of violence against women in India.

Unprecedented protests took place in the national capital and across the nation, and the government brought in new laws to protect women.

According to India's National Crime Records Bureau, rape is the singular fastest-growing crime in India.

From 1971 to 2012 the number of reports has grown by 900%. The conviction rate is just 1%.

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Australia Raid On Drugs Linked To Terror

Australian authorities have seized more than Aus $580m (£300m) worth of drugs and assets as part of an investigation into money laundering that could be linked to terrorist activities.

The haul included $26m (£13.5m) in cash.

The Australian Crime Commission (ACC), which has tracked a global network of criminals in more than 20 countries for a year through special covert taskforce Eligo, says funds were syphoned off to groups such as Hizbollah.

Paul Jevtovic, acting chief executive of the ACC, said: "This money, we need to be very clear, was destined to facilitate further criminal activity such as drug importations and drug trafficking which affects our nation both in a harm context of our citizens and of course, our economy.

"The reality is - and it's well-recorded - that terrorist groups have relied on these exchange houses located all over the world and are involved with them.

"What our operation has indicated to date is that the monies that we have been following do go to these very same exchange houses."

Police stand guard over the seized cash

The operation has disrupted 18 criminal syndicates and resulted in the arrest of 105 people, the commission said.

Mr Jevtovic said that criminal groups are using new methods such as money transfer services to launder their money and send it around the world.

Authorities allege that the groups are made up of motorcycle gangs, drug cartels, people smugglers and other criminals.

One of those arrested was a 58-year-old US citizen who appeared in court on Wednesday in connection with a record haul during the past week of $5.7m (£3m) found in cash in suitcases in an apartment in Sydney.

The man, who has not been named, arrived in Australia from Costa Rica two days before his arrest on Saturday at an apartment near Sydney airport, police said.

The Australian authorities have been working with the US Drug Enforcement Administration to try to disrupt the illegal flow of money internationally.

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Gang Rape Ordered By Indian Village Elders

By Neville Lazarus, Sky News India Producer

A woman in India has been allegedly gang-raped by 13 men on the order of village elders.

The 20-year-old was reportedly attacked by the men in Subalpur village in West Bengal's Birbhum district.

She told the police she was gang-raped through the night so many times that she lost count.

"People from the village, men my father's age, and those who I knew as neighbours, as uncles and brothers raped me," she said.

She was accused of breaking tribal rules by having an affair with a man from a different tribe.

The pair were found by the villagers who set up a kangaroo court and levied a fine of 50,000 Indian rupees (£500) on the couple.

The girl's family could not afford to pay the crime and as punishment ordered the gang rape.

The following day the family sneaked out of the village and reported the matter to the police.

The woman was accused of an affair with a man from another tribe

Birbhum's police superintendent PC Sudhakar said: "Our preliminary investigation has revealed that the villagers held a meeting and the morol  (village headman) ordered that the girl be gang-raped.

"Family members took her to the block hospital in Labhpur and after preliminary treatment, the girl went to the police station with her mother and lodged the complaint."

All of the accused, including the village head man who allegedly ordered and led the assault, have been arrested.

The village is the home district of the Indian President Pranab Mukherjee.

A few years ago a tribal teenager was paraded naked on the orders of a similar medieval-style village court in the same district.

The government of West Bengal is facing immense anger over atrocities against women.

In October last year a woman was gang-raped twice by the same men for complaining to the police. She was set ablaze and died of burn injuries.

All suspects have since been arrested.

Large protests took place in Kolkatta over the handling of the case by the police and government and now the courts have set up a separate investigation into the matter.

The gang rape of a woman on a Delhi bus sparked protests across India

India has been reeling under the problem of violence against women.

The horrific Delhi bus gang rape and murder in December 2012 brought the issue into the lime light.

Unprecedented protests took place in the national capital and across the nation, and the government brought in new laws to protect women.

Fast-track courts were established to try cases of violence against women and punishments were made more severe.

Even with the changes there has been a spate of sexual violence against women.

Last week a 51-year-old Danish tourist was gang raped in the heart of Delhi.

She had asked for directions to her hotel before five men took her to an isolated spot near the New Delhi railway station and gang-raped her.

Last year a British tourist jumped off her balcony out of fear that she would be raped by the hotel manager where she was staying.

According to India's National Crime Records Bureau, rape is the singular fastest-growing crime in India.

From 1971 to 2012 the number of reports has grown by 900%. The conviction rate is just 1%.

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Ukraine Protesters 'Ready For Bullet To The Head'

Police and protesters in the Ukrainian capital Kiev were locked in a tense standoff early on Thursday, as the US threatened to impose sanctions over street battles which have claimed three lives.

Opposition leaders called for "calm" and an eight-hour truce ahead of fresh talks with President Viktor Yanukovych, which witnesses said appeared to be holding.

Police and protesters clashed again overnight, turning an area at the heart of the city into a virtual war zone with demonstrators setting fire to barricades, hurling stones and Molotov cocktails and police using tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets.

Sky's Katie Stallard, in Kiev, said: "Protesters also burned tyres, mattresses, whatever they could find to keep going, and reinforcing barricades too.

Fires continue to rage in central Kiev

"They have made homemade shields out of planks of wood and are rehearsing their tactical formations - how they plan to stand together and how they plan to protect themselves."

Earlier, opposition leaders had told them to go on the offensive on Thursday. They said Wednesday's peace talks had proved useless.

Vitali Klitschko said if this involved going onto the streets under bullets - that is what he and they were prepared to do.

They have on Mr Yanukovych to announce early elections within 24 hours or face more violence on the streets.

And have demanded he dismiss the government and scrap harsh anti-protest legislation.

Demonstrators have made their own shields out of wood to defend themselves

The leader of the opposition Fatherland party Arseniy Yatsenyuk said he was ready to die for the cause.

"If he does not go down that path then we will go forwards together and if it means a bullet to the head, then it is a bullet to the head. Viktor Yanukovych you have 24 hours. Take a decision. I have taken my decision," he said to cheers, speaking to around 40,000 people in Kiev's Independence Square.

Mr Klitschko added: "Early elections will change the situation without bloodshed and we will do everything to achieve that."

Medical staff in Kiev told Sky News that three people have been killed during the clashes.

Two protesters died after being shot, while another died from injuries sustained in a fall. One of the dead protesters was named locally as Serhiy Nihoyna.

Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said the police did not have live ammunition and that opposition leaders should be held responsible for the deaths.

Opposition leaders have told protesters to go on the offensive on Thursday

Police have thrown stun grenades and broken through protesters' barricades, made from burnt-out buses.

Protesters have also lobbed petrol bombs at police during ferocious clashes in the city's snow-covered streets.

During confrontations on Wednesday, riot police beat and shot at protesters, volunteer medics and journalists. The Interior Ministry said 70 protesters have been arrested.

The US State Department has threatened to impose sanctions against the Ukraine in response to the continued use of violence against protesters.

Spokeswoman Marie Harf said the US would continue to call upon Mr Yanukovych "to protect the democratic rights of all Ukrainians, including the rights of peaceful protest".

Image said to show one of the dead, Serhiy Nihoyna (Pic: Serhiy Proskurnia)

"I don't have more details on what those sanctions might look like, but we will continue to consider additional steps, as I said, including sanctions, in response to the use of violence," she said.

The rioting intensified when some 200,000 took to the streets at the weekend in a show of anger over the new anti-protest laws rushed through by Mr Yanukovych.

The laws allow for jail terms of up to five years for those who blockade public buildings. They also ban protesters from wearing masks or helmets.

Meanwhile, Russia said it would not intervene, according to President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

"We consider we do not have the right to intervene in any way in the internal affairs of our brother Ukraine. That's unacceptable and Russia has not done this and will not do it," he said in an interview published on the website of Komsomolskaya Pravda.

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Justin Bieber Arrested In Miami Beach

Justin Bieber has been arrested for driving under the influence and drag racing, according to Miami Beach police.

NBC in South Florida reports that the singer was stopped early on Thursday morning while driving a rented yellow Lamborghini.

The 19-year-old, who failed a sobriety test, is understood to still be in custody and a police statement is due shortly.

Miami Dade-Police spokesman Sergeant Bobby Hernandez told WSVN in South Florida that officers saw two cars racing at 4.09am.

Bieber posted this graffiti photo on Instagram just hours before his arrest

Mr Hernandez said two vehicles apparently had been used to block off an area on Pine Tree Drive and 26th Street for the drag race.

He said the second car was a red Ferrari, and that driver was also arrested. Both cars were towed.

Bieber was taken to the Miami Beach police station to be breathalysed and processed. 

Mr Hernandez said the star will be transported to the Miami-Dade County jail.

The teenager has been in Florida for the past few days and has been spotted in nightclubs and at a skate park.

He posted photos on Instagram of him performing tricks on his skateboard and spraying his initials onto a wall at the park.

Bieber performing in France last year

He is also alleged to have spent thousands of dollars at a strip club called the King of Diamonds.

Bieber's arrest comes just a week after the singer's California home was raided by police over claims he pelted his neighbour's house with eggs, causing thousands of dollars of damage.

In that case, authorities arrested one member of Bieber's entourage, rapper Lil Za, on suspicion of drug possession.

More follows ...

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Boy Dies Saving Relatives From New York Fire

An eight-year-old boy has saved six relatives from a fire at a trailer home in New York, but died trying to rescue a disabled uncle.

Tyler Doohan's body was found in the bedroom of his grandfather's small trailer in Penfield, a suburb of Rochester.

Nine people were inside the trailer when a fire broke out shortly before 5am on Monday.

Tyler managed to wake six people up, including his grandmother, aunt and two children aged four and six.

He then went back inside to help the remaining occupants of the trailer.

The scene of the fire in Penfield

Tyler was found near the bed of his uncle Steve Smith, a wheelchair-user, and investigators believe he was trying to wake him up.

Mr Smith and Tyler's grandfather Louis Beach also died.

The family's pets - cats, a dog and hamsters - were also killed in the blaze, according to local newspaper Democrat & Chronicle.

Tyler had gone to his grandfather's trailer on Monday, the Martin Luther King Day holiday, because he did not have school.

Penfield Fire Chief Chris Ebmeyer said the death toll would likely have been much worse were it not for the boy's bravery.

"He saved those other six people," he was quoted as saying by USA Today.

The boy was hailed as a hero by neighbours and officials at his school.

"The kid has more guts than I know of," an uncle, Joseph Bereyette, told Rochester-based station WHEC.

"I mean, to run back in there and go through what he went through to try to save his uncle - what can you say for the kid?

"He was a great kid."

A statement released by East Rochester Central School District said: "It is extremely important to remember that according to emergency personnel, (Tyler) was the person who discovered the fire and tried to wake the eight other people in the residence at the time.

"In bravely and selflessly giving his own life, he was able to save the lives of six others, and he is truly a hero."

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Syria: Clash Ends 'Constructive' Start To Talks

The Syrian foreign minister and the UN Secretary-General have clashed at the start of crucial peace talks aimed at ending the country's bloody civil war.

Walid al Muallem ignored Ban Ki-moon's appeal for him to end an opening speech that lasted more than 30 minutes, saying: "You live in New York. I live in Syria. I have the right to give the Syrian version here in this forum."

He also launched a blistering attack on the Syrian opposition, asking them: "Where is your vision for this great country? Where are your ideas? Where is your political programme? What are the tools on the ground? I am quite sure you have nothing."

Mr Ban said the "constructive mood" with which the talks began had been shattered and warned: "I hope this will not be repeated."

Earlier, the US Secretary of State said world leaders have an "opportunity and an obligation" to find a way to end a conflict that has killed more than 100,000 people and created an estimated 2.3 million refugees.

The city of Montreux, Switzerland, is hosting the Geneva II talks

John Kerry said millions of Syrians "are relying on the international community to find a solution to save their lives and their country".

He said it had taken "a lot longer than many of us wanted" for world leaders to attempt to thrash out a resolution but said he was "as determined as ever" to end what he described as the "horrors of human catastrophe".

The conference on the banks of Lake Geneva is going ahead despite a last-minute dispute over the UN's decision to withdraw an invitation to Iran, after it refused to endorse a plan for a transitional governing body in Syria.

Groups fighting the rule of Bashar al Assad, who counts Iran as one of his closest allies, had threatened to pull out of the so-called "Geneva II" talks unless the invitation was rescinded.

In his opening exchange, opposition leader Ahmed Jarba accused the Syrian president of war crimes comparable to those committed by the Nazis during World War Two.

Mr Kerry and Mr Ban meet ahead of the Syrian peace conference

He demanded Mr Assad stand down as president and called on the government to commit to a transition of power - an issue expected to be central to the success of the talks.

However, Mr al Muallem has rejected any discussion of Mr Assad quitting his post.

"The subject of the president and the regime is a red line for us and the Syrian people and will not be touched," he said on the eve of the talks, according to the Sana news agency.

The conference also begins in the shadow of allegations of large-scale torture and execution of prisoners by government forces.

The day before the talks, a group of international lawyers published allegations of the "systematic torture and killing" of up to 11,000 people by the Syrian regime.

Smoke rises after a bomb blast in the Syrian city of Aleppo

Foreign Secretary William Hague urged both sides in Syria to "seize the chance" to end the civil war as he arrived in Switzerland.

"Opposition has been tested and has come. Now regime must be tested on willingness to seek a political solution," he wrote on Twitter.

Mr Hague added that it was a "great shame" that Iran, which has enjoyed a thawing of relations with the West in recent months, had failed to endorse the principles of the talks.

US President Barack Obama and Russia's Vladimir Putin had a "business-like" conversation about the Syrian conflict by phone on Tuesday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also met Mr Kerry in Montreux ahead of today's opening of negotiations.

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Sochi Olympic Teams Receive 'Terror Threats'

A number of countries say they have received terrorist threats against their athletes ahead of the Winter Olympics in Russia.

Italy and Germany are among countries whose Olympic Committees have confirmed they have received threatening emails.

Slovenia's Olympic Committee said it had been sent a terrorist threat letter written in Russian.

"We've had it translated and have forwarded it to the police," spokesman Brane Dmitrovic told Reuters.

Germany said it had received the same emails threatening attacks against its athletes as the Hungary committee and believed the same message had been circulated widely.

"We take all tips on security questions seriously and are in close contact with the relevant German authorities" said spokesman Christian Klaue.

Hungary said the messages it received had since been investigated and declared "non-threatening".

The Hungarian committee's international relations director Zsigmond Nagy said a letter written in Russian and English had been investigated by both the International Olympic Committee and the Russian organising committee.

He said: "Both the IOC and the Sochi organising committee... officially declared after the analysis of the letter that this threat is not real, and this person has been sending all kinds of messages to many members of the Olympic family."

The British Olympic Association said it was not aware of any credible threat against its athletes or delegation.

The suspected threats come after Russian security officials said they were hunting three potential female suicide bombers ahead of the games.

One of the suspects, 22-year-old Ruzanna Ibragimova - the widow of a suicide bomber - was reported to be at large in Sochi itself.

The other two suspects were identified as Zaira Aliyeva, 26, and Dzhannet Tsakhayeva, 34.

Police information states that all three women have been trained "to perpetrate acts of terrorism".

Last month, the southern city of Volgograd was rocked by two suicide bombings, which killed 34 and injured dozens more.

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Dieudonne Questioned Over 'Bailiff Assault'

The controversial French comedian behind a gesture that critics claim is anti-Semitic has been questioned by police after allegedly assaulting a bailiff.

Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala owes thousands of euros in unpaid fines for a range of offences, including discrimination and hate speech because of his sketches.

Bailiffs arrived at Dieudonne's home in the centre of France on Monday to demand payment and tried to get in by climbing over a fence, his lawyer Sanjay Mirabeau said.

Mr Mirabeau added that they were asked to leave.

Sources close to the investigation quoted by AFP said the bailiff claimed he was assaulted by Dieudonne and targeted with rubber bullets. Investigators said the search found a "bullet-launching device".

Dieudonne went to a police station voluntarily along with his girlfriend Noemie Montagne to answer questions for several hours. The couple also filed a complaint accusing the bailiff of breaking into their home.             

Mr Mirabeau said: "Dieudonne wants to be left alone or at least to be treated in a normal manner, that is to say for the bailiffs to turn up at his house during regular hours."

His 'quenelle' gesture, which involves pointing one arm downwards and touching the shoulder with the other arm, has been defended by his supporters as an anti-establishment gesture.

But critics say it is a Nazi salute in reverse, and Dieudonne has been banned from performing in France.

Fans have performed the quenelle outside the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and at Holocaust memorials.

The name comes from the French word for dumpling. It gained widespread exposure when Premier League footballer Nicolas Anelka performed it during a goal celebration in December.

Anelka, who plays for West Brom, was charged by the Football Association for the gesture on Tuesday and will face a minimum five-match ban if he is found guilty. He has previously claimed he performed the salute simply to show support for Dieudonne.

The striker has until 6pm on Thursday to respond to the charge.

In light of the controversy, West Brom's sponsor Zoopla decided not to renew a lucrative sponsorship deal with the club when it expires at the end of the season. The property website was co-founded by a Jewish-American businessman.

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Nippon Airways Pulls 'Racist' Big Nose Advert

A Japanese airline has pulled the plug on an advertising campaign which saw an actor apparently dressed as a white European with a fake pointy nose and blonde wig.

The All Nippon Airways (ANA) campaign - supposed to showcase international routes from Tokyo's Haneda Airport - features two Japanese pilots discussing their trips to new destinations and pledging to change foreign impressions of Japanese people.

In one advert, one of the pilots turn to his companion mid-conversation to find he is now wearing the blonde wig and a pointy fake nose - a frequent stereotype of Westerners in Japan.

The first man also attempts to hug the other but is rebuffed, alluding to the Japanese disinclination to display affection in public.

ANA, the country's largest carrier, initially apologised for causing offence, but refused to recall the English-language commercial.

However, it seemed to have underestimated the scale of the furore as some customers threatened to cancel loyalty cards and took to social media to lambast the advert.

All Nippon Airways ran the ad to promote new international routes

"It's ironic that the #ANA ad is about changing Japan, when in fact it's the epitome of old school Japanese racism. LOL," tweeted one critic, JKen.

Others, however, were more generous.

The Times' Asia Editor, Richard Lloyd Parry, tweeted: "#ANA's new ad: clumsy racism, or an innovative work of surrealism on a par with Bunuel, Dada and Warhol?"

The airline itself acknowledged that many customers had not interpreted the ad in the way it was intended.

"Our intention was to show Japanese becoming more active and essential in the world," an ANA spokeswoman said, adding the airline had received complaints that it was in fact discriminatory.

"There were people who took it that way, so we are paying attention to this and cancelling the ad."

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Sochi: US To Deploy Warships During Olympics

The US is preparing plans to have two warships on standby in the Black Sea during the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

The warships would be used to evacuate Americans in case of a terror attack or other emergencies, according to government officials quoted in US media.

The US is also looking to have helicopters and other transport aircraft ready in nearby bases, such as Germany, which is about two hours away.

American officials stressed  that under the plan, first reported by CNN, the ships or aircraft would be used only in coordination with Russian officials.

Thousands of police will be deployed under Russia's massive security plan

"Air and naval assets, to include two Navy ships in the Black Sea, will be available if requested for all manner of contingencies in support of - and in consultation with - the Russian government," said Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby.

Concerns over security have heightened after Islamist militants threatened attacks during the Games, which start in Sochi on February 7.

A video posted online claimed responsibility for deadly suicide bombings in the southern city of Volgograd in December and threatened further attacks.

The attacks at Volgograd railway station and on a city tram last month killed 34 people and injured more than 100.

Russian President Vladimir Putin insists the event will be safe. His government has prepared a huge security plan, including 40,000 police officers, to protect Olympic venues and other potential targets.

The State Department has warned Americans planning to attend the Games to be vigilant about their security because of potential terrorist threats.

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Syria: Brutal Photos 'Are Evidence Of Torture'

Syria is facing fresh war crimes allegations after "clear evidence" of the "systematic torture and killing" of up to 11,000 people was published.

The claims were made by a group of top international lawyers, who were handed 55,000 images of dead prisoners.

The lawyers, who are all former war crimes prosecutors, said the photographs showed emaciated corpses with severe injuries and would support findings of crimes against humanity by Bashar al Assad's regime.

Some detainees appeared to have been beaten, strangled or electrocuted, they claimed.

Sir Desmond De Silva, one of the report's co-authors, described the photographs as "very harrowing" and said victims had suffered the "most awful" injuries.

Photos appeared to show Syrian detainees with ligature marks on their necks

"These killings were clearly methodical, daily and systematic as a consequence," he told Sky News. "They could certainly underpin a charge of crime against humanity."

He added: "This industrial killing of people in detention is clearly the work of the Syrian government."

The report draws on evidence smuggled out of Syria by an ex-military policeman, known only as Caesar.

He was described as a "truthful and credible witness" by the inquiry team, who said he was "carefully interviewed" and showed "no signs of being sensational".

Caesar told the inquiry team he was asked to take photographs of numbered corpses - a demand that is "wholly consistent with the need of the regime to ensure that orders for the killing of persons in detention facilities had been carried out", according to the report.

Syrian President Bashar al Assad denies his regime has massacred civilians

"The need to photograph those who were killed is a strong pointer to the fact that the killings were systematic, ordered and directed from above," it added.

Mr Assad, who describes opponents to his regime as "terrorists", previously rejected claims that his troops have killed civilians.

"These organisations do not have a single document to prove that the Syrian government has committed a massacre against civilians anywhere," he said.

"The army does not shell neighbourhoods. The army strikes areas where there are terrorists."

The report, which was commissioned by Qatar, one of the main supporters of the Syrian opposition, was released the day before crucial peace talks are due to get under way.

Officials from around 40 countries are due to meet, although Iran will not be present after its invitation was withdrawn by the UN.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was forced to act after the opposition threatened to pull out of the talks.

At the launch of its annual report, Human Rights Watch said a peace accord remained a "distant prospect".

It said the United States' focus on bringing warring factions to the table had been at the expense of putting "real pressure" on the Assad regime, which it claimed had been shielded from UN action by its Russian and Chinese allies..

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China Executes Man Who Murdered Sex Slaves

A Chinese man who killed two of six women held as sex slaves in his basement has been executed.

Former clerk Li Hao, 36, from the central province of Henan was put to death after being convicted of "murder, rape, illegal detention, organised prostitution and manufacturing pornography for profit", the state news agency Xinhua reported.

In 2009, Li dug a "dungeon" in his basement where he imprisoned and repeatedly raped the six women for periods ranging from between two and 21 months.

Seven metal doors had been installed to stop them escaping.

Five of the women were prostitutes whom he had tricked into his prison by soliciting their services, and one was selling birth control products, the People's Daily website reported.

The victims were aged between 16 and 23. One, who was 20 at the time of kidnap, became pregnant, the website revealed.

Li forced three of the women to kill two of the others - one was strangled and another died after being repeatedly beaten, the reports said.

One woman who participated in both murders was sentenced to three years' prison while the rest were put on probation.

In 2011 Li had his surviving captives make obscene videos online and have sex with customers.

He spent two weeks a month with the women while telling his wife he worked nights as a guard, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported in 2011.

Li was caught in September that year after one captive escaped and went to the police.

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Syria Peace Talks: Storm Over Iran Invite

Syria's opposition has said it will not attend this week's peace talks in Switzerland unless the United Nations withdraws an invitation for Iran - a key backer of President Bashar al Assad - to attend.

UN leader Ban Ki-moon said Iran had pledged in talks to play a "positive and constructive role" in efforts to end Syria's civil war, which broke out in March 2011.

But the Syrian National Coalition threatened on Twitter to withdraw from the negotiations, which are due to start on Wednesday in Montreux, unless the invitation is retracted.

The warning came just hours after international leaders had hailed the coalition's decision to take part in negotiations.

The United States also said Mr Ban should withdraw the invitation unless Iran gives "explicit" support to the conference's aim of setting up a transitional government in Syria.

Mr Ban told a news conference on Sunday he had extended a late invitation after intense talks over two days with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

"Foreign Minister Zarif and I agree that the goal of the negotiations is to establish, by mutual consent, a transitional governing body with full executive powers," Mr Ban said.

"He assured me again and again that Iran, if they are invited, then they will play a very positive and constructive role."

The Syrian government has already committed itself to attending the talks

If Iran does go, there will be 40 countries and a group of regional bodies at the opening meeting, which will be the most intensive diplomatic effort yet to end a war that the UN says has left well over 100,000 dead.

Mr Ban said that, as host of the peace conference, he also extended last-minute invitations to Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Greece, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Korea and the Vatican.

He said the additional countries would be "an important and useful show of solidarity in advance of the hard work that the Syrian government and opposition delegations will begin".

The US and Russia played key roles convincing the opposition and Mr Assad to send delegations to the conference, which has been pushed back several times.

They will attend alongside the other permanent members of the UN Security Council - China, Britain and France - and additional countries suffering fallout from the war, including Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon.

More than 2.3 million people have fled the country and some 6.5 million are displaced inside Syria.

At least 30 people died in violence in Syria on Sunday, including 15 killed when government planes dropped bombs on rebel zones in the northern province of Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

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Sochi Olympics: Militants Issue Attack Threat

Islamist militants have issued a terror threat to organisers of next month's Winter Olympics, warning: "If you hold the (Games) you will receive a present from us."

A video posted online claims two men - named as Suleiman and Abdurakhman - carried out deadly suicide bombings in the southern city of Volgograd in December.

It also threatened further attacks to coincide with the Games, which start in Sochi on February 7.

Police are patrolling major transport hubs, including Sochi airport

"It will be for all the Muslim blood that is shed every day around the world - be it in Afghanistan, Somalia, Syria, all around the world," a man says in Russian on the video.

"This will be our revenge."

The attacks at Volgograd railway station and on a city tram last month killed 34 people and injured more than 100.

Security has been ramped up at train stations ahead of the Winter Olympics

The video claims the blasts were the work of militant group Vilayat Dagestan and linked to an Iraqi faction called Ansar al Sunna.

Last year, Chechen rebel Doku Umarov, the leader of the Islamist insurgency in Russia's disputed North Caucasus region, which is close to Sochi, threatened to stage attacks to stop the Games from taking place.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin insists the event will be "safe and secure".

Vladimir Putin insists athletes and visitors will be safe during the Games

An unprecedented security operation will see 40,000 police officers from across the country deployed alongside troops to protect Games venues and other potential targets.

Drones will be used to spot suspicious activity and the Federal Security Service (FSB) will monitor telephone calls and internet traffic.

Around 6,000 athletes, coaches and officials from 90 countries are expected to take part in the Games.

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Indonesia Man Is 'Best Friends' With Tiger

An Indonesian man has struck up an unlikely friendship with a 28-stone Bengal tiger.

Abdullah Sholeh has become a best friend and full-time nanny to Mulan Jamilah since the animal was gifted to his Islamic school as a three-month-old cub.

Abdullah, 33, regularly sleeps, plays and fights with the huge tiger at the school in Malang in Indonesia's East Java province.

The pair are so close that Abdullah often chooses to sleep alongside the big cat in her enclosure instead of in his own bed.

Mulan now weighs 178kg (28 stone), is three metres long, including her tail, and one metre high.

For security reasons, metal bars have been installed to separate the pair when they are together in the enclosure.

Mulan is fed 6kg (13lbs) of chicken or goat meat twice a day. 

Tigers are believed to have killed more humans than any of the other big cats.

The most comprehensive study carried out so far estimated that 373,000 people had been killed by tigers between 1800 and 2009.

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American Jailed In North Korea Appeals To US

An American jailed in North Korea for more than a year has appealed to the US government to secure his release.

Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American Christian missionary, appeared before reporters in what he called a press conference held at his own request.

Kenneth Bae is the longest-serving US detainee in the country in years

Mr Bae was arrested in November 2012 while leading a group of tourists in the northeastern region of Rason in North Korea.

He was accused of crimes against the state and sentenced to 15 years of hard labour. 

During his brief appearance, Mr Bae, wearing a prisoner's uniform with the number 103 on his chest, spoke in Korean and remained under guard.

"I believe that my problem can be solved by close cooperation and agreement between the American government and the government of this country," he said.

He expressed hope that the American government would do its best to secure his release, and said he has not been treated badly in confinement.

Mr Bae was moved from a prison camp to a hospital last summer because he was in poor health and had lost more than 23kg (50 pounds). 

His mother visited him in hospital in October.

Mr Bae's mother, Myunghee Bae, said she was worried about her son

Mr Bae, who had been living in China for several years before his arrest, is the longest-serving American detainee in North Korea in recent years.

It is not unusual for prisoners in North Korea to say after their release that they spoke in similar situations under duress.

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Child Marriage 'Legitimises Lifetime Of Abuse'

By Niall Paterson, Sky News Correspondent

Child marriage often leads to a lifetime of abuse for girls, according to a new report.

Campaign group Equality Now says such underage unions, often when the children involved are too young to understand even the concept of marriage, are part of a "continuum of abuse" often linked to genital mutilation, rape, violence and sex trafficking.

It says ending child marriage should be a priority internationally - and suggests that it should be tackled not as a single incident of abuse, but in relation to other example of discrimination and violence against women and girls.

Jacqui Hunt, the London director of Equality Now, said "Child marriage directly affects approximately 14 million girls a year. It legitimises human rights violations and the abuse of girls under the guise of culture, honour, tradition, and religion.

"It is part of a sequence of discrimination that begins at a girl's birth and continues throughout her entire life.

"Furthermore, when a child bride gives birth, the vicious cycle of poverty, poor health, curtailed education, violence, instability, disregard for rule of law and legal and other discrimination often continues into the next generation, especially for any daughters she may have."

Child marriage affects about 14 million girls a year

Drawing together evidence from both the developed and developing world, the report concludes that without a comprehensive, joined up approach to tackling child marriage, linking together healthcare, education, a properly enforced legal framework and community and political leaders, girls will "remain vulnerable, not only to being married off at a young age, but to a lifetime of abuse".

Unicef estimates that between 2011 and 2021, 100 million girls will have become child brides - which equates to 25,000 a day.

Sky News spoke with one child bride who now campaigns against underage marriage.

Alematsahye Gebrekidan, the founder of the Former Child Wives Foundation, was married aged 10 in Ethiopia, to a boy himself only 16 years old.

"I was married when I was a little girl. The decision was taken by the parents, we [she and her husband] did not know. I was playing outside and they called me in and told me I was going to be married.

"I was scared, and ashamed, and embarrassed."

Alem Gebrekidan's was forced into marriage when she was just 10

Alem's wedding day was, for her, no happy occasion.

"I was crying, I was very upset and angry because I was scared. I didn't know what was happening to me.

"It is the culture [there]. If you are 15 years old they say you are old, too old, so you should be married.

"It's tradition."

She gave birth to a child at age 13. One month later, her husband was killed in the war. Forced to grow up at such a young age, she deeply regrets the loss of her childhood.

"I feel shamed. I feel empty inside, empty.

"When I see a child playing with a doll ... I miss those things."

And she has a simple message for others who have similar experiences: "Don't be ashamed, come out and get support.

"It's not your fault. It's not your choice."

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Thailand Explosions: Dozens Hurt In Bangkok

Dozens of people have been hurt after two grenade attacks at the site of an anti-government demonstration in Bangkok.

It is the latest violence in a political crisis dividing Thailand as the army urges both sides to settle their differences.

According to witnesses, the explosions in the capital happened two minutes apart, with the first about 100-200 metres from a stage set up by protesters.

The blast left a small crater beside a market stall, while the second was near a row of stalls selling anti-government T-shirts.

At least 28 people were injured, including seven seriously, in the explosions near Victory Monument in the north of the city, medics claimed.

Police said the blasts were caused by fragmentation grenades similar to one that killed a man and wounded dozens of other people on Friday in a similar explosion in Bangkok targeting protesters.

It is the latest in a series of attacks

Then on Saturday night, a gunman opened fire on anti-government protesters in the city's Lad Prao district, where demonstrators have taken over a key road junction.

A 54-year-old volunteer guard was shot in the back and seriously wounded in the attack about 300 metres from a protest stage.

It is still unclear who is behind the violence.

It is the latest episode in an eight-year-old crisis that broadly pits Bangkok's middle class and royalist establishment against poorer, mainly rural supporters of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her self-exiled brother Thaksin.

Hundreds of anti-government protesters at a rally in Bangkok

The demonstrators, who control several small areas of the city, are trying to overthrow her government and derail the upcoming February 2 elections.

​Ms Yingluck's opponents - a minority that can no longer win at the polls - argue the Shinawatras are using their electoral majority to impose their will and stifle democracy.

They accuse former Mr Shinawatra of corruption and nepotism. He has lived abroad since 2008 to avoid a prison sentence after being convicted of corruption.

The crisis boiled over again late last year after the ruling party attempted to push through an amnesty bill that would have allowed him to return from exile.

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Syria's Assad 'Not Ready To Give Up Power'

Syrian President Bashar al Assad has reportedly said he is not ready to give up power and the issue is not up for discussion.

According to Russia's Interfax news agency, Mr Assad said: "If we wanted to surrender, we would have surrendered from the start (of the nation's civil war)."

He reportedly added: "We are on guard for our country. This issue is not up for discussion."

The president apparently made the comments to Russian MPs ahead of an internationally backed peace conference on Syria.

The main opposition group has voted in favour of attending the talks next week aimed at ending the conflict.

The Syrian National Coalition (SNC) confirmed it will participate in the discussions after 58 of its 73 delegates voted in favour of attending.

Western and Arab sponsors of the opposition group have pressured the SNC to attend the talks, which are due to begin on Wednesday in the Swiss city of Montreux.

Mr Assad's language continues to be defiant

The Syrian government had already committed to attending the talks, which are backed by the United Nations.

The conference will be the first face-to-face meeting between representatives of Mr Assad's government and the opposition since war broke out in March 2011.

More than 100,000 people have been killed since the conflict began and millions have been displaced.

The US and Russia have been trying to hold the peace conference since last year, and it has been repeatedly delayed.

Both sides finally agreed to sit together at the negotiation table after dropping some of their conditions.

The aim of the conference, which has been dubbed Geneva 2, is to agree on a roadmap for Syria's future based on one adopted by the US, Russia and other major powers in June 2012.

The plan includes the creation of a transitional government and eventual elections.

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Norway Fire: Laerdal Inferno Engulfs Village

At least 90 people have been taken to hospital as a huge fire rips through a Norwegian village famous for its unique wooden buildings.

The blaze has destroyed at least 23 buildings in Laerdalsoyri

Scores of people have been evacuated from their homes in Laerdalsoyri and dozens taken to hospital with "light injuries", the municipality of Laerdal said in a statement.

Farmers have been helping as firefighters tackle the fire

The blaze has destroyed at least 30 buildings, including 16 homes, industrial buildings and community centres.

It also destroyed at least three buildings in the protected area of the village of Laerdalsoyri.

Parts of the village are on the Unesco World Heritage list

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, which started on Saturday night and quickly spread, fanned by strong winds.

Local firefighters, helped by farmers, have been struggling to contain the inferno.

The scale of the fire is clear from some distance away

Villagers are hoping a firefighting helicopter due to arrive on Sunday will help to contain the flames.

The inferno ripped through some of the village's famous wooden buildings

The Laerdal district is a popular tourist destination, known for its stave church and well-preserved 18th- and 19th-century wooden houses.

Parts of the western Norway village, which has a population of around 1,150, have made it on to the Unesco World Heritage list. 

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