Schumacher Remains 'Critical But Stable'

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

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

Schumacher's wife Corinna arrives at hospital this morning

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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China: Falling Girl Saved By Air-Con Unit

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

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

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

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

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

He was said to be watching television at the time.

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US Weather: 16 Dead As Snow Batters Eastern US

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

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

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

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

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

A composite Nasa satellite image shows snow blanketing the Eastern seaboard

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Goa Building Collapse Kills 7 And Traps Dozens

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

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

Rescuers are digging through the debris in search of survivors.

Witnesses said about 40 workers were on site.

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

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

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

The cause of the collapse is not yet known.

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China Drugs Raid Nets Huge Crystal Meth Haul

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Obesity Rates Triple In Developing World

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

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

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

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

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

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

Obesity rates in China have almost doubled since 1980

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Cambodia: Deadly Crackdown On Garment Workers

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

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

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

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

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

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy denounced the crackdown.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Schumacher: Ferrari Mark F1 Driver's Birthday

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

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

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

Fans show their support outside the hospital treating the injured driver

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

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

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

Rolf (left) and Ralf Schumacher arrive at the hospital

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

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

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

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

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

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

Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik made this message

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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South Sudan: Warring Factions Set For Talks

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Pakistan: Musharraf Suffers 'Heart Problem'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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