Russia Coal Mine Explosion Kills 16 Miners

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

Sixteen miners have died and two are thought to be trapped underground after an explosion at a coal mine in northern Russia.

Rescue teams are attempting to reach the men at the Vorkutinskaya mine in Vorkuta, Komi region, around 1,160 miles northeast of Moscow.

A ministry spokesperson told Sky News a methane explosion was reported at the mine at 10.28 local time this morning.

She said a plane carrying medical personnel would be dispatched to the region from Moscow.

The Russian prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, has asked for a report on the situation and urged help for the miners' families.

The mine belongs to a division of Severstal, one of Russia's largest steel producers.

"Our rescue team has only just gone out to the mine," said Yevgeny Sukharev, a spokesman for Vorkutaugol, a coal supplier for Severstal.

"Clearly, an incident has occurred, but we cannot yet say exactly what happened and what scale (it is on)," he added.

Russian state TV said the families of those killed in the explosion would receive two million rubles, around £42,000, in compensation.

The mine in the northern city of Vorkuta has been working since 1973. 

According to its website, it won a corporate award in 2011 for "worthy working conditions - the basis for respect in the work force".

Once the powerhouse of the Soviet economy, Russia's coal mines have a poor safety record, with frequent accidents reported despite recent efforts to improve conditions.

Last month four workers died in an explosion at a mine in western Siberia.

In 2010, 68 people were killed in two methane blasts at Russia's biggest underground coal mine, the Raspadskaya mine in Siberia.

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Pope Benedict Resigns, Vatican Confirms

Pope Benedict XVI is to resign on February 28 due to his "deteriorating" health.

He will be the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to resign in almost 600 years, with his departure expected to leave the post vacant for around three weeks.

The 85-year-old German's resignation letter said: "After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.

"I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering.

"However, in today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me."

He will step down after almost eight years in the post, having been elected in April 2005.

The Vatican

Speaking at a hastily-arranged news conference, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said: "The pope caught us a bit by surprise.

"We should have a new pope for Easter."

He told reporters a conclave could be held within 15 or 20 days of the resignation - and insisted Pope Benedict XVI was not stepping down because of any difficulties in the papacy.

Pope Benedict will head to his residence outside Rome, Castel Gandolfo, then back to Rome to live in a monastery of cloistered nuns on the Vatican hills.

Mr Lombardi added that the pope's vigour had "sadly diminished in recent times", but praised the pontiff's "humility and great honour".

The pope's brother, Georg Ratzinger, said the pontiff had been advised by his doctor not to take transatlantic trips for health reasons - and that he had been considering resigning for months.

He said his brother was having increasing difficulty walking and that his resignation was part of a "natural process."

The pope on his visit to the UK in 2010

His age is weighing on him," the 89-year-old said of his 85-year-old brother. "At this age my brother wants more rest."

The final post on Pope Benedict XVI's Twitter page, sent on Sunday, said: "We must trust in the mighty power of God's mercy. We are all sinners, but His grace transforms us and makes us new."

Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, said: "Pope Benedict's announcement today has shocked and surprised everyone. Yet, on reflection, I am sure that many will recognise it to be a decision of great courage and characteristic clarity of mind and action.

"The Holy Father recognises the challenges facing the Church and that "strength of mind and body are necessary" for his tasks of governing the Church and proclaiming the Gospel. I salute his courage and his decision."

Cardinal Keith O'Brien, leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland, said: "Like many people throughout the world, I was shocked and saddened to hear of the decision by Pope Benedict XVI to resign.

"I know that his decision will have been considered most carefully and that it has come after much prayer and reflection."

Sky News Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall said: "Seven years as pope is not very long.

"Last time, there was a lot of speculation that it was time for the first black pope. What Pope Benedict has done in recent years is to pack the ranks of the Vatican with lots of Europeans."

The last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII, who stepped down in 1415 in a deal to end the Great Western Schism among competing papal claimants.

While there are several papal contenders, there is no obvious front-runner to take over - which was also the case when Benedict was elected pontiff in 2005 after the death of Pope John Paul II.

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Pope Benedict Resignation: Global Reaction

Reaction to Pope Benedict XVI's decision to resign as head of the Catholic Church has started to come in from around the world.

Political reaction was led by Prime Minister David Cameron, who said: "I send my best wishes to Pope Benedict following his announcement today. He has worked tirelessly to strengthen Britain's relations with the Holy See.

"His visit to Britain in 2010 is remembered with great respect and affection. He will be missed as a spiritual leader to millions."

Conservative MP Mark Pritchard, who has met Pope Benedict several times, said he would be a "sad loss" to the Catholic Church, while former MP Anne Widdecombe added: "He's given the church stability. He was very much an authority figure and he was very, very trusted by church."

Diarmaid MacCulloch, professor of the history of the church at Oxford University, said the announcement had taken many people by surprise.

"What's very noticeable is the sheer disarray around the statement," he said. "Clearly no one in the upper hierarchy in this country knew anything about it.

"Normally these things are very well prepared but this hasn't been. It may be the result of an elderly man reflecting in private and coming to a sudden decision."

Robin Gill, professor of applied theology at the University of Kent, described Pope Benedict as a "very intelligent, very astute man" who had managed to "hold Catholics together".

"I think he knew that if he continued, he would be unable to function properly. He saw his predecessor become increasingly frail and I think he has made a very wise decision."

Pope Benedict XVI visited the UK in 2010

Elsewhere, Father Christopher Jamison, a Benedictine monk, told Sky News: "My reaction is one of great shock and surprise.

"He's reached out very strongly to non-believers and fully recognises that people today won't necessarily join the church.

"On his visit to the UK in 2010, people were surprised to discover that he wasn't a terrible ogre of a man but someone of great wisdom."

John Arnold, Auxillary Bishop of the Diocese of Westminster, recalled the Pope's trip to Britain with fondness.

"Those were four extraordinary days," he said. "He came as a friend and he came to give us a very important message about the Church in our country and our society.

"When he began his pontificate, he said there was a possibility of retiring if became frail, and I think everyone had rather forgotten that.

"I saw him last October and he was something of a changed character. He was moving much more slowly and we've seen him needing assistance in various places over the last few months, so clearly his energy levels had dropped."

Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols added: "On reflection, I am sure that many will recognise (this) to be a decision of great courage and characteristic clarity of mind and action."

The Pope, who was born in Germany, visited the country in 2011

Further afield, the German government said it was "moved and touched" by the surprise resignation of Pope Benedict, who was born in the country.

Spokesman Steffen Seibert said: "The German government has the highest respect for the Holy Father, for what he has done, for his contributions over the course of his life to the Catholic church.

"He has been at the head of the Catholic Church for nearly eight years. He has left a very personal signature as a thinker at the head of the Church and also as a shepherd."

Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande said the Pope's decision to resign was "eminently respectable".

In the Philippines, President Benigno Aquino said the country was grateful for the "many prayers and comforting words Pope Benedict XVI dedicated to Filipinos in times of calamity and challenge".

"All peoples and nations of goodwill are filled with great regret," his spokesman said.

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Profile: The Pope Known As 'God's Rottweiler'

Pope Benedict XVI was one of the oldest new popes in history when he was elected in 2005 at the age of 78.

Previously known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he served longer as a cardinal than any pope since Benedict XIII (1724-30) and had said he was looking forward to retirement when his predecessor Pope John Paul II died in 2005.

He took over a church facing its biggest crisis in decades, amid a flood of allegations, lawsuits and official reports into clerical child sex abuse.

While some Vatican figures lashed out with claims of an anti-Catholic conspiracy, Pope Benedict demanded that the church take responsibility for "sin within the Church".

The Pope (R) in 1977 - the year he was made a cardinal

He met victims and made an unprecedented apology for years of abuse and ordered fast-tracking of abuse reports through the Church hierarchy.

But he also faced tough questions over his previous role as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for 24 years, which gave him direct oversight of some clerical abuse.

As the Vatican's enforcer of doctrinal purity he earned the nickname "God's rottweiler" for his uncompromising conservative views - clashing with homosexuals, feminists and even rock musicians.

Critics said he did not grasp the seriousness of child abuse allegations and allowed cases to languish unattended for years, or even put victims' welfare after that of the Church itself.

Cardinal Ratzinger's conservative views led gay groups to protest in 2003

But supporters say he did more than any other Pope to to tackle abuse head on - one of his first acts as Pope was to banish senior Vatican figure Marciel Maciel over sexual and criminal misconduct.

An embarrassing leak of documents from the Pope's desk revealing corruption and mismanagement inside the Vatican led to the conviction of his butler in 2012. The affair gave a damaging impression of a power struggle at the Holy See.

But Benedict also was an active Pope, travelling the world and reaching out to other faiths with visits to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

The Pope with the Queen during his 2010 UK visit

And he took the Church into the digital age - blessing followers with the first papal tweet in December 2012.

His Papal visit to the UK in 2010 was seen as something as a public relations recovery, with tens of thousands of people turning out to events in Scotland, London and the Midlands where the Pope expressed "deep sorrow to the innocent victims" of clerical abuse.

Joseph Ratzinger was born in a Bavarian village in 1927 and ordained into the priesthood in 1951, enjoying a distinguished career as a university theologian during the social upheaval of the 1960s, which contributed to his conservative, traditional views.

He had been enlisted into Germany's compulsory Hitler Youth at the age of 14 and was briefly held as a prisoner-of-war by the Allies in 1945.

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New Orleans Mardi Gras Shooting: Four Injured

Four people have been shot in New Orleans' famed Bourbon Street during the city's annual Mardi Gras celebrations.

One man was critically injured and has undergone surgery after he was shot in the abdomen, thigh and pelvic area.

Another man and two women are said to be in a stable condition, following the shooting as crowds gathered for the festivities.

Crowds pack the streets ahead of the shooting

Police have obtained a bystander's video which shows revellers partying in costumes before an apparent argument between the most seriously injured male and two other men.

Four rapid shots can then be heard and then screams.

The shooting happened on Saturday just before 9.30pm local time in the crowded French Quarter.

Bars and other establishments immediately closed for several hours while police sealed off the crime scene.

Paramedics arrive at the scene after four people are wounded

Patrick Clay, 21, told The Times-Picayune he was standing on the corner of Bourbon Street when suddenly he saw a crowd running and people screaming that there was a shooting.

"Everyone immediately started running and the cops immediately started running toward where people were running from," he said.

"I was with a group of about seven people and at that point we all just kind of grasped hands and made our way through the crowd as soon as possible."

Early on Sunday, crowds packed the city's French Quarter once again to continue the celebrations that each year build to a climax on Mardis Gras - French for Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday - which falls on February 12 this year.

It is one of the city's signature events, along with Jazz Fest and major sporting events such as the recent Super Bowl.

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US Blizzard: Warnings Of Flash Flooding

A major clear-up is under way after a blizzard battered the northeast US.

People in New England began the job of digging out from as much as a metre of snow, while emergency crews used snowmobiles to reach shivering motorists stranded overnight in New York's Long Island.

Many now fear heavy flooding when the snow begins to melt, and some residents in Massachusetts are being told to evacuate their homes. In the town of Hull, a mandatory evacuation order for coastal areas was issued.

At least eight deaths have been were blamed on the storm, including three in Canada.

About 475,000 homes and businesses were still without power late on Saturday night.

Roads across the New York to Boston corridor of roughly 25 million people were impassable, while many cars remained stuck in drifts.

The snow was so deep that some people could not open their front doors.

"It's like lifting cement," said Michael Levesque, from Quincy, Massachusetts. "They say it's two feet, but I think it's more like three feet."

One of the reported deaths was of an 11-year-old boy in Boston, who was overcome by carbon monoxide as he sat in a running car to keep warm while his father shovelled snow.

Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee said that while the snow had stopped, the danger had not passed.

"People need to take this storm seriously, even after it's over. If you have any kind of heart condition, be careful with the shoveling."

However, the storm was not as bad as some of the forecasts led many to fear.

In New York, around 30cm of snow was recorded in Central Park. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city had "dodged a bullet".

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Afghanistan: New General To Oversee Withdrawal

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

A new man takes control of Isaf forces in Afghanistan today.

A ceremony in Kabul will mark the end of General John Allen's 19 months in the job as he hands over to fellow US Marine General Joseph Dunford.

He becomes President Obama's fifth commander of the war in Afghanistan but it's expected that with the planned withdrawal of forces from the country, starting later this year, General Dunford's command will be the last.

General Dunford's appointment late last year coincided with General Allen fighting a scandal about his potentially inappropriate connections with a woman in Florida.

General Allen, whose career future was in doubt, has since been cleared to become Nato's supreme allied commander in Europe.

The Afghanistan conflict is America's longest-running war

His farewell message to all Isaf troops was both bullish in its praise but also spoke of the ongoing challenge for his successor.

"This campaign is, and always has been, about winning. And we are winning," he wrote. "Our victory may never be marked by a parade of point in time when victory is declared.

"This campaign will be won when the population is protected by its own forces and recognises its government as legitimate and representative of the democratic will of people.

"It is then that Afghanistan will be a free and sovereign state, and terrorists will no longer find safe haven within its borders."

General Dunford is highly thought of in the US Marines. He has been variously described as calm and thoughtful and has experience as a Commander in Iraq.

General Allen becomes supreme allied commander in Europe

But his high military profile doesn't match his public reputation – he is largely unknown, having preferred a quiet, assured progression to the top.

At a recent Senate hearing, former Presidential candidate John McCain questioned General Dunford's appointment on the grounds of his limited experience in Afghanistan.

Military officials have downplayed this by pointing out that General Dunford's work has taken him to Afghanistan many times and reminding all that General David Petraeus - former head of the CIA and widely considered one of the foremost Isaf commanders in Afghanistan - had little previous experience in the country before assuming his role.

General Dunford's primary task will be to oversee the drawdown of Isaf troops from Afghanistan.

Washington is yet to formalise its own itinerary but the UK government has already committed to pulling around 3,800 of its 9,000 personnel back by the end of this year.

The US has considerably more troops in the country - 60,000 - but questions persist over how many will remain in a training and oversight capacity post-2014. President Obama is expected to reveal some details in his upcoming State of the Union address.

US officials have played down the prospect of a "zero-option" which would see all American troops leave the country by the end of next year.

General Dunford was chosen over better known candidates, such as General David Rodriguez because his instinct to think outside the box has previously impressed Washington.

He will need to be astute but equally mindful that this skill might run contrary to the job description as the final commander: to carry out President Obama's withdrawal plan without fuss or controversy.

What might stand him in good stead and endear him to an Afghan government that has had previous and numerous disagreements with Washington, is his intense study of Afghan history since being appointed to the role.

Isaf forces will cede the majority of operations to their Afghan partners this spring and their ability to cope during the next fighting season might have a bearing on wider drawdown plans.

Recently the preparedness of Afghan soldiers has been questioned.

General Dunford will have to decide how aggressive his soldiers should be in fighting a threat that is still present.

The post-2014 mission will focus on training, counter-terrorism and supporting diplomatic and development operations.

Towards the end of the conflict in Iraq, Baghdad and Washington failed to achieve an agreement on post-operation security for the remaining forces.

That led to a quicker than expected withdrawal of troops form the country, something that has been criticised in retrospective analysis.

Such a bilateral agreement must be reached between Presidents Obama and Karzai if an equivalent scenario isn't to be repeated.

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Charlie Sheen's Video Message To Wanted Cop

Charlie Sheen has released an online video urging an ex-cop accused of three killings to call him, after the actor was named in the man's chilling online manifesto.

Police are hunting for Christopher Dorner, a 33-year-old former LA Police Department officer who threatened to go on a murder spree against police and their families to avenge his sacking five years ago.

In a rambling online statement - in which Dorner threatened "unconventional and asymmetrical warfare" against the LAPD - he at one point describes Sheen as "awesome".

Sheen - who was fired from the hit US sitcom Two And A Half Men in 2011 and has a long history of hard partying and scandal - addressed Dorner directly in a brief video posted on celebrity website TMZ.com.

"Christopher Dorner? Charlie Sheen," the actor says.

"You mentioned me in your manifesto, so thank you for your kind words.

"I am urging you to call me. Let's figure out together how to end this thing. Call me, I look forward to talking to you."

An undated photograph of Dorner

Dorner is wanted for the killings of Monica Quan, the daughter of a former LAPD captain and her fiance, Keith Lawrence. They were found shot in their car at their apartment in Irvine on February 3.

Authorities also said Dorner opened fire early on Thursday on police in cities east of Los Angeles, killing an officer and wounding another.

Officers found weapons in Dorner's burnt-out pick-up truck in the San Bernadino mountains, around 80 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. They also revealed the truck had a broken axle, but it was unclear whether it had broken down or was set on fire as a diversion.

Dorner singled out various celebrities and prominent people in his online manifesto, including Sheen, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton and Kate Winslet.

As the manhunt continues, the LAPD said it would reopen the investigation that apparently led Dorner to seek revenge against former LAPD colleagues who he believed cost him his career.

Police chief Charlie Beck said the department would thoroughly re-examine Dorner's allegation to assure the public that the LAPD is fair and transparent. 

He said that if Dorner wants to surrender, the LAPD will "be happy to hear what he has to say".

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China Ready To Usher In Year Of The Snake

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

China is preparing to usher in the Year of the Snake as 1.3 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year.

In cities, towns and villages across this vast country, one fifth of the world's population is marking the close of the Year of the Dragon and the dawn of a new year.

Beijing's Temple of the Earth Park has been transformed into a sea of red lanterns. Crowds are gathered around traditional dance performances.

Hundreds of stalls sell food, drinks, toys, souvenirs and snake-themed items of an apparently infinite variety.

Police officers march as part of a re-enactment of an ancient ceremony

Food and family are the two dominant themes for Chinese New Year.

In the park we met An Ying and her parents. She lives in Beijing but is originally from Inner Mongolia.

Her parents have travelled to Beijing to be with her; a break with tradition which usually dictates that younger generations travel back to their family home.

"I will celebrate with my family here in Beijing and we will gather to watch the gala on television," she told me.

The New Year gala is a long-standing institution in China. Broadcast live on state television it is a celebration of the year with performances from comedians, singers and musicians.

This year Celine Deon will become the first non-Chinese person to perform at the gala.

All around the park are families absorbing the atmosphere, the colour and the sounds in the frozen temperatures.

A woman and a child pose for photo next to a snake sculpture

Some are carrying inflatable or stuffed toy snakes and the more superstitious will be wondering what the coming year will bring. There is significantly less affection for the snake than there was for last year's rather more auspicious dragon.

Fearful that the Year of the Snake might bring with it all that the slithering reptile represents, there has been a rush of weddings and attempts at carefully planned births to ensure they fell within the last year and not the coming one.

In an attempt to overcome people's suspicions, the toy snakes produced for the new year all seem to sport unusually happy or smiley faces.

The less superstitious insist that the snake does have its value. Some refer to the snake as the little dragon. It is said that children born in the year of the snake will be rational, organised and intelligent.

As dusk falls on Chinese New Years Eve, the tradition is to gather at the family home and watch the gala before eating a meal together at midnight.

For a country that has changed beyond recognition over the past three decades, the desire to stick to tradition is still remarkably strong though there are increasing signs of strains every year.

As the Chinese middle class grows with more money to spend, many are opting to travel abroad for the break rather than to spend it with families.

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Dozens Hurt In Street Clashes Across Egypt

Protesters have marched in the streets chanting slogans against Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in cities across Egypt.

A few hundred people attacked the presidential palace in Cairo with petrol bombs and rocks.

Riot police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters, many of whom had to be taken to hospital after suffering from suffocation.

In Alexandria, Egypt's second city, dozens of protesters threw stones at police.

Earlier on Friday, a few thousand people marched around the city. The clashes took place in front of one of the city's main police stations.

Anti-regime protesters set fire to the presidential palace in Cairo

At least 45 people were hurt during the day across the country, medical sources at the health ministry said.

Two officers and three soldiers of the Republic Guard were wounded in clashes, the state news agency MENA reported.

Protests erupted last month over what demonstrators saw as Mr Morsi's attempts to monopolise power as well as wider political and economic grievances.

The main opposition alliance signed an agreement with the ruling Muslim Brotherhood last week rejecting violence and had not officially called for marches on Friday.

But distrust of Mr Morsi and of the Muslim Brotherhood - as well as a sense of political and economic malaise - continue to bring people into the streets across Egypt, however the number of protests has declined in recent weeks.

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