Venezuela Prison Riot Kills Dozens Of Inmates

Up to 50 people have been killed and scores more injured in clashes at a prison in Venezuela, according to hospital officials and local media.

Television footage showed National Guard troops surrounding the Uribana prison as inmates in bloody clothes were taken out of the building.

Relatives of the prisoners, most of them women in tears, waited outside.

Iris Varela, the government minister responsible for Venezuela's jails and prisons, said the riot at the Uribana prison in northwest Lara state began after inmates objected to prison authorities planning to confiscate weapons.

She said that inmates fought with troops brought in to calm the situation and with each other as rival gangs battled for control of the prison.

Hospital official Ruy Medina said many of the dozens of casualties had suffered gunshot wounds.

The South American nation's 34 prisons were designed to hold just one-third of the 50,000 inmates now in them, according to local prison advocacy groups.

Many of the prisoners are armed and hundreds are killed each year in riots and gang fights.

In 2011, there was a month-long siege at El Rodeo prison, just outside the capital of Caracas, in which 22 people died before 5,000 soldiers were able to restore order.

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Anti-Doping Chief: Armstrong 'Lied On Oprah'

The head of the US Anti-Doping Agency has claimed shamed cyclist Lance Armstrong lied during a TV interview with Oprah Winfrey.

In an interview with CBS show 60 Minutes, which will air on Sunday, Mr Tygart said Armstrong was not telling the truth when he claimed he was clean of performance enhancing drugs when he made his comeback in 2009.

He said the 41-year-old has until February 6 to "cooperate fully" with USADA if he wants to lessen a lifetime ban from sports.

A report issued by the agency last year - on which it based Armstrong's lifetime ban and the forfeiture of all his cycling results since 1998 - found the variation of his blood values after making his comeback made it a "one to a million chance that it was due to something other than doping", Mr Tygart said.

He added that Armstrong could be motivated to lie about his comeback because under the statute of limitations for criminal fraud he would still be open to prosecution.

It comes after a lawyer for the cyclist told USADA his client will co-operate with their efforts to "clean up cycling".

Armstrong admitted last week in a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey that he took a variety of performance-enhancing drugs as he won seven Tour de France titles.

In letters sent this week between lawyers for Armstrong and the USADA, the agency's attorney William Bock asked that Armstrong testify under oath by February 6.

But Armstrong's attorney, Tim Herman, responded that Armstrong could make that deadline and called for the cycling union and the World Anti-Doping Agency to take up efforts to stamp out doping.

"As you have candidly confirmed, USADA has no authority to investigate, prosecute or otherwise involve itself with the other 95% of cycling competitors," he wrote.

"Thus, in order to achieve the goal of 'cleaning up cycling,' it must be WADA and the UCI who have overall authority to do so."

The letter said the disgraced cyclist was prepared to appear before a "truth and reconciliation" commission to be held by the International Cycling Union.

Armstrong told to Winfrey that he had used a banned "cocktail" of the blood-boosting agent EPO, blood transfusions and testosterone.

He had already been banned from cycling for life, stripped of his Tour titles and lost his Olympic gold medal - won in the 2000 games in Sydney - after USADA found him to be a central figure in "the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen".

It is thought Armstrong's full co-operation could lead to a reduction of his ban, perhaps to eight years.

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Many Dead After Football Fans Sentenced

Troops are being sent to Port Said after violent clashes erupted following the sentencing to death of football fans who rioted during a game in 2012.

As the sentence was read out in court and broadcast live on Egyptian television, families of those who died during the match wailed in disbelief and relief and shouted "God is great!" from the public gallery.

Defendants' lawyers said all those sentenced were fans of the Port Said team, Al-Masry. 

Jubilant: Fans of Al Ahly football club celebrate the verdict in Cairo

Meanwhile, relatives of those sentenced attempted to storm the prison where the defendants are being held, leading to fierce clashes with police which left at least 22 people dead, including two policemen.

Residents in Port Said, where the match was played, were also angry that people from their city were being held responsible for the tragedy. On hearing the verdict many rampaged through the streets and some attempted to storm a police station.

Die-hard soccer fans from both teams hold the police at least partially responsible for the Port Said deaths and criticise Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi for doing little to reform the force.

Firearms were used against police who responded with tear gas and troops are being sent to Port Said, a senior army officer said.

Al Ahly fans were considered by many to be the victims of the riot

"It has been decided to deploy some units to work for calm and stability and the protection of public establishments," General Ahmed Wasfi said in a statement.

Shops closed and armoured personnel vehicles were deployed as fighting raged in some streets around the prison.

In Cairo, there were explosions of jubilation at the verdict. One man who lost his son in the Port Said clashes wept outside court and said he was satisfied with the judges decision.

Another, Hassan Mustafa, had pinned a picture of his dead friend to his chest and said he was pleased with the outcome, adding that he wanted "justice served for those who planned the killing."

Joy: Families of fans killed shouted 'God is great' after the verdict

In February 2012 more than 70 people were killed in Port Said during clashes between fans of home side Al Masry and diehard supporters of Cairo's Al Ahly.

Doctors treating the victims said some had been stabbed to death. One player caught up in the rioting described it as "a war".

Witnesses said most of the deaths involved people who had been trampled in the crush of panicked crowds, or who fell from terraces.

After the violence, deputy health minister Hesham Sheiha told state television: "This is unfortunate and deeply saddening. It is the biggest disaster in Egypt's soccer history."

Some of the defendants accused of involvement in the violence

Among those on trial are nine security officials. The riot was the world's deadliest soccer violence in 15 years

The judge said in his statement read live on state TV that he would announce the verdict for the remaining 52 defendants on March 9.

As is customary in Egypt, the death sentences will be sent to religious authority, the Grand Mufti, for approval.

Executions in Egypt are usually carried out by hanging

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Adrian Donohoe Killing Condemned By Irish PM

The Irish leader Enda Kenny has described the fatal shooting of a Garda detective during a botched hold-up as "cold blooded violence".

Adrian Donohoe was with a colleague escorting a cash delivery to a credit union in Dundalk, County Louth, when he was killed.

Several shots were fired during the attack at the Lordship Credit Union, on the Cooley Road in the town at around 9.30pm.

Mr Kenny said: "This was an outrageous act of cold blooded violence that has left a family without a husband and father and the Garda Siochana without a brave and valued member.

"On behalf of the Government and of the people I would like to express my condolences to Adrian's wife and children and to all his extended family at this unbearably sad time."

It is believed the force is hunting four men who fled the scene in a grey Volkswagen Passat.

The shooting happened in Cooley Road, Dundalk

Sky's Ireland correspondent David Blevins said: "The Irish police set up checkpoints on the southern side of the Irish border and the Police Service of Northern Ireland have checkpoints on the northern side of the Irish border."

The officer, who was based at Dundalk Garda station, was fatally injured in the shooting.

Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan said: "I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of my colleague Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe.

"Detective Garda Donohoe died as a result of injuries sustained in the course of his duty following a shooting incident in Dundalk.

"At this time my thoughts and prayers and those of the entire force are with the family, friends and close colleagues of Adrian."

Det Donohoe is understood to leave behind three children. He lived in the Lordship area, half a mile from the credit union where he was killed.

Local councillor Jim Loughran described him as a quiet, decent family man.

"I just spoke to him last week on the street in town. I can't believe this has happened," he said.

The Sinn Fein councillor, who knew the detective through their local GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) club St Patrick's, also condemned those responsible for the shooting.

"This was not just an attack on a Garda detective, it was an attack on the whole community," he said.

It is believed staff at the credit union were locking up when the shooting occurred.

Gardai have appealed for witnesses to contact them at Dundalk Garda Station on 042-9388400.

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Bolshoi Acid Attack: Dancers Return To Stage

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

An acid attack on the artistic director of Moscow's Bolshoi ballet company has led several insiders to speak out about Russia's ballet wars.

Sergei Filin remains in hospital where surgeons are working to save his sight.

He believes the attack was linked to his work at the Bolshoi, but the precise motive is still unclear. No arrests have been made so far.

Other Russian directors have since come forward to say they have also received threats.

Sky News filmed a dress rehearsal of the premiere of a new show at the Bolshoi where dancers and theatre management are still in shock over what happened.

Prima Ballerina Svetlana Zakharova said: "You know, we all feel like abandoned orphans.

"We couldn't believe it. It still seems so absurd, but we have to get ourselves together, the premiere is very soon.

The Bolshoi

"So we are doing our best, we rehearse a lot, it's very hard, but we try. Of course we ask about Sergei's health all the time and we wait for his return."

Mr Filin said he was harassed and threatened in the weeks leading up to the attack, claiming his tyres were slashed and his email account hacked.

The artistic director of another Moscow theatre, the Gogol, has also come forward to say that he has received threats.

He received a text message, which said: "If you do not leave the Gogol, you will be next."

The manager of a St Petersburg production of Lolita told Sky News he was beaten up by three masked men last week, who threatened him at gunpoint.

Artyom Suslov said: "I was beaten up before for my art, but never in my life I was threatened with a gun. The whole situation is getting more and more tense.

"The incident with me is just a tiny part of what's happening. I am worried about people who may suffer next, because these people will not stop at anything."

Artistic tensions and professional rivalries had initially been suggested as possible motives for the attack on Mr Filin.

Former Bolshoi prima ballerina Anastasia Volochkova said she remembers other dancers putting staples in her slippers and cutting the ribbons in an attempt to sabotage her performance.

But she believes the acid attack has little to do with Mr Filin's art.

She said: "Behind-the-scenes the Bolshoi Theatre is like a mirror of Russia - everything that is going on in our country, you can see inside the Bolshoi.

"I think over the last ten years the Bolshoi Theatre became not a beautiful theatre, not a beautiful fairy tale, it has become an outrage, criminalised and corrupt, unfortunately."

"I couldn't believe that this could happen, not to a businessman, not to a politician, not to someone from the criminal world, but to an artist - a ballet dancer."

Mr Filin is expected to undergo more surgery in the next few days. Doctors have said there are signs of improvement in one eye.

:: Russian police have questioned star Bolshoi dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze as a witness over the attack on Mr Filin, the AFP news agency reports.

A police statement said other employees of the Bolshoi and relatives and acquaintances of the victim had also been questioned, although Mr Tsiskaridze is the first to be named.

Well known for his appearances as a judge on TV talent shows, Mr Tsiskaridze has condemned the attack and denied any link with it.

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Samsung Q4 Profits Surge 76% Over Smartphones

Samsung has seen its quarterly profits soar by 76%, boosted by the popularity of its Galaxy smartphones, which have outsold the iPhone for a fourth straight quarter.

Net profit for the final quarter of 2012 totaled 7.04 trn South Korean won (£4.1bn), up from 4.01trn a year earlier. 

Sales for the final quarter of 2012 rose 19% over the previous year, and operating income jumped 89%.

Samsung, which overtook Apple as the top smartphone maker last year, said increased sales of the phones were the key source of its profit growth.

Its operating profit from the division that makes and sells smartphones and tablets more than doubled to 5.44trn won in Q4, up from 2.56trn a year earlier.

Most analysts believe Samsung shipped more than 60 million smartphones, including the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II, during the three months ending in December, which would put the year's smartphone sales at more than 200 million.

On Wednesday, Apple said it sold 47.8 million iPhones in the quarter.

Hong Kong-based research firm Counterpoint Research said Samsung took 33% market share in the fourth quarter, compared with Apple's 21%.

But Samsung said that it now expects earnings to decline during the current quarter, because of seasonally low demand for consumer electronics, post-Christmas.

The company said the growing strength of the South Korean won may harm profits, with margins reduced as a result.

Unlike Samsung, Apple is keeping its iPhone price high

However, analysts believe that Samsung could be little affected by market demand thanks to its variety of products that range from affordable to expensive devices.

Samsung, which makes dozens of handset models a year and customises them for mobile operators, also sells cheaper smartphones.

Apple, on the other hand, which keeps its iPhone price high, might see iPhone sales plateau in coming years as more consumers snap up cheaper Android phones.

Still, Apple's business has been more profitable because of the high price of the iPhone, which generates a larger profit per sales.

Samsung is expected to introduce a new flagship smartphone in its Galaxy S series as early as April, which analysts say will shore up its bottom line.

The company said consumers seeking to replace its current handset and get a faster wireless connection will drive the demand for new models, easing concerns that sales would slow because of smartphone saturation in developed markets.  

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Egypt: Protests Begin In Cairo On Anniversary

Protests have started in Cairo's Tahrir Square on the second anniversary of the revolution that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak and brought in an Islamist government.

Despite President Mohamed Morsi calling for calm, protesters have been making their way to the city's main square to demonstrate, with some throwing missiles.

Some have already spent the night there after police clashed on Thursday with protesters who tried to dismantle a wall of concrete blocks closing a street leading to the square.

The secular-leaning opposition has called for mass protests against Mr Morsi and his party, the Muslim Brotherhood, using the same slogan that brought Egypt to its feet in 2011: "Bread, freedom, social justice."

Opposition leader and former head of the UN's atomic agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, wrote on his Twitter account: "Go out into the squares to finally achieve the objectives of the revolution."

An anti-Morsi protester tries to escape from a tent sent on fire by police

Tahrir Square is the iconic birthplace of the 2011 revolution, and demonstrators gathered in front of the presidential palace, where anti-Morsi rallies last December erupted into deadly clashes with Islamist supporters.

Rallies were also due to be staged elsewhere, notably in Egypt's second city Alexandria, and the authorities have prepared for a heavy security presence, an official said.

The Muslim Brotherhood has not officially called for its own rallies, instead marking the anniversary by launching a charitable and social initiative called: "Together we will build Egypt."

Mr Morsi urged Egyptians to spend the anniversary in a "peaceful and civilised way" in a speech on Thursday to mark the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed.

A man in Cairo works on graffiti representing the Muslim Brotherhood

But the threat of violence remained, ahead of a court verdict due on Saturday in the trial of dozens of defendants over the worst football disaster in Egyptian history.

More than 70 people were killed in Port Said in February last year during clashes in the Suez Canal city between fans of home side Al Masry and diehard supporters Cairo's Al Ahly, known as Ultras.

Al Ahly supporters warned of violent protests and a "new revolution" if Saturday's verdict goes against them.

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Algeria Siege: Norwegians Confirmed Dead

Two Norwegian oil workers have been confirmed dead after the al Qaeda hostage crisis in Algeria last week.

Norwegian oil firm Statoil confirmed the deaths following the siege at the Amenas gas plant.

The firm said three others were still listed as missing though the Foreign Ministry said these employees were also presumed dead.

The Algerian government has said it believes 37 foreign hostages of eight nationalities and one Algerian worker were killed during the crisis at the desert gas plant.

Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal said 29 of the militants who overran the facility had been killed and three captured alive.

Three Britons are known to have died and three more are believed to be dead. A UK resident from Colombia is also thought to have died.

The British oil company BP jointly ran the plant together with the Algerian state oil company Sonatrach and Norway's Statoil.

David Cameron has insisted responsibility for the deaths "lies squarely with the terrorists".

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Bindi Irwin Furious Over Clinton Essay Snub

Wildlife campaigner Bindi Irwin has withdrawn an essay she submitted to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's e-journal after she claimed it was edited to remove lines about over-population.

The 14-year-old wrote the 1,000-word essay which was due to be published in the December issue of the journal entitled Go Wild Coming Together For Conservation.

She had been asked to write the piece on why she had chosen to dedicate her life to wildlife conservation as part of Mrs Clinton's endangered species initiative.

But she said after submitting it, the Department of State returned it for final approval with large parts edited out.

In the essay, she wrote: "I believe that most problems in the world today, such as climate change, stem from one immense problem which seems to be the 'elephant in the room' that no-one wants to talk about.

Hillary Clinton's Department of State is thought to have edited the essay

"This problem is our ever expanding human population. We are experiencing Earth's sixth mass extinction right now.

"I must ask the question, how is it possible that our fragile planet can sustain these masses of people?"

The teenager used the analogy of throwing a party and having too many guests arrive to explain her point of view.

But she then pulled the essay from the publication after it was apparently edited.

Her mother, Terri Irwin, told news.com.au: "It's interesting that she was asked to write an essay about the environment and included the consideration of population and they returned her essay edited and completely edited that out.

"So Bindi wrote to Hillary Clinton's organisation and said 'what happened to freedom of speech? This is my opinion and I don't want that edited out'."

Bindi, daughter of the late "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, has followed in her father's footsteps in championing wildlife conservation since his death in 2006.

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North Korea Plans Nuclear Test 'Aimed At US'

North Korea plans a nuclear test and more long-range rocket launches, aimed at what it calls its "arch-enemy", the United States.

A declaration by the National Defence Commission, said: "We do not hide that the various satellites and long-range rockets we will continue to launch, as well as the high-level nuclear test we will proceed with, are aimed at our arch-enemy the United States."

The commission, which is commanded by the country's leader Kim Jong-Un, added: "Settling accounts with the US needs to be done with force, not with words, as it regards jungle law as the rule of its survival."

The Unha-3 rocket launched by North Korea in December

The threat is seen as a direct response to the UN Security Council's decision two days ago to increase sanctions against Pyongyang in response to its long-range rocket launch last month.

It marks an escalation in North Korea's hostility towards the West.

Sky's Asia Correspondent Mark Stone said: "We know that North Korea is always defiant on this issue but what's different here is that all along North Korea claimed that these rocket launches and these nuclear tests have been peaceful.

"Now, today, in a remarkable turn, they are saying from now on their rocket launches and their nuclear tests will be aimed at the United States."

The commission statement, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, did not mention when the test might be carried out, nor did it give explanation of the meaning of "high level".

The test would mark the country's third detonation of a nuclear device, the previous two were held in 2006 and 2009.

Kim Jong-Un in the rocket-launch command centre

North Korea's foreign ministry had denounced the move on Wednesday, when it also gave the first hint that Pyongyang would react with a nuclear test, saying the country would take "physical actions" to boost its nuclear deterrent.

China, North Korea's sole major ally, was quick to urge restraint following the announcement from Pyongyang.

Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei hoped that North Korea would "stay calm, be discreet in words and deeds and look at the long term interest and push for the resumption of the six-party talks".

The six-party negotiations over the North's nuclear programme have long since stalled, however, China's incoming leader Xi Jingping has indicated he is keen to see them resume.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency, citing a South Korean intelligence source, reported that Pyongyang had finished technical preparations and could conduct an atomic test within days of a decision by Kim Jong-Un.

The declaration signed by Kim Jong-Un authorising last month's launch

Last month, a US think-tank reached a similar conclusion based on satellite photos, suggesting the North had repaired rain damage at its nuclear test site and could conduct a detonation at two weeks' notice.

However, experts doubt North Korea has rockets capable of reaching the west coast of the US, despite reports from South Korea saying the rocket launched in December could have hit San Fransisco.

The US state department has yet to respond to North Korea's stance.

However, Glyn Davies, the US envoy to North Korea, said: "It is important that they heed the voice of the international community."

He said that if North Korea begins "to take concrete steps to indicate their interest in returning to diplomacy, they may find in their negotiating partners willing partners in that process."

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