Toulouse Gun Attack: Two Accomplices Arrested

French police have arrested two alleged accomplices of Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah, who shot seven people dead in Toulouse in March.

A man, identified as Charles Mencarelli and described by police as a member of the traveller community, was arrested in the southern town of Albi, about 45 miles (70 km) northeast of Toulouse.

He was arrested without incident and was to be brought to Toulouse for questioning, police sources told the AFP news agency.

Mencarelli's former partner was arrested separately at her home in Toulouse.

They are both being held on suspicion of helping Merah, 24, carry out the al Qaeda-inspired attacks, the sources said.

Merah, a Frenchman of Algerian origin, shot a rabbi, three Jewish schoolchildren and three French paratroopers before being shot dead in a police siege.

Abdelghani Merah published a book unreservedly condemning his brother

Merah's elder brother, Abdelghani, previously told French media that the gunman had accomplices, including someone from the traveller community who may have been involved in stealing the scooter Merah used in his attacks.

Another brother, Abdelkader, was also arrested as a suspected accomplice and remains in custody.

Merah, a petty criminal lured into Islamic extremist circles in Toulouse, visited Afghanistan and Pakistan before he carried out the attacks.

French intelligence services have been heavily criticised for failing to realise the threat posed by Merah.

His attacks prompted a rethink of French security policies. Legislation is being considered that will allow authorities to prosecute citizens who attend militant Islamist training camps abroad and to boost monitoring of extremist websites.

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US Navy: No Drones Missing After Iran Claim

The US Navy has denied Iran's claim that it has captured one of their drones that was flying in the country's airspace and gathering intelligence over Gulf waters.

The Iranian Fars news agency reported that the ScanEagle drone was captured "in the last few days" by the naval unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

It offered no details on the location or how it had been seized.

Ali Fadavi, the Revolutionary Guards' naval commander, was quoted by state TV as saying the unmanned aircraft was now in Iran's possession.

He said the drone "was conducting a reconnaissance flight and gathering data over the Persian Gulf" and "was captured by the Guard's navy air defence unit as soon as it entered Iranian airspace".

He said such drones are normally launched from large warships.

A member of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard

But a US Navy spokesman said no US drones were missing in the Middle East despite Iran's claims.

"The US Navy has fully accounted for all unmanned air vehicles (UAV) operating in the Middle East region. Our operations in the Gulf are confined to internationally recognised water and air space," Commander Jason Salata, from the US Navy's 5th Fleet, said.

"We have no record that we have lost any ScanEagles recently."

He added that US ScanEagles have been lost into the sea in the past.

The US says all of its drones are accounted for

The 5th Fleet is based in Bahrain.

If it is confirmed, the incident is likely to escalate tensions between the US and Iran.

The two countries are locked in a dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme, which Washington and its allies believe is aimed at developing an atomic bomb.

Iran says its programme is peaceful, but the country has come under tough international sanctions.

Last month, Iran said a US drone had violated its airspace. The Pentagon said the unmanned aircraft had come under fire at least twice but was not hit, and insisted the Predator drone was over international waters.

In 2011 Iran said it had brought down a CIA spy drone after it entered Iranian airspace from its eastern borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Tehran later said it had retrieved data from the RQ-170 Sentinel, a top-secret drone equipped with stealth technology.

The ScanEagle, manufactured by Boeing Co, is significantly smaller than the stealth drone.

According to the firm's website, the drone is 4ft (1.2 metres) long and has a 10ft (three-metre) wingspan.

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Runny Nose Turns Out To Be Leaking Brain Fluid

A woman who complained for months about her runny nose was horrified to find out that fluid was leaking from her brain.

Several doctors had reassured Aundrea Aragon from Tucson, Arizona, that the clear liquid was simply caused by allergies.

"I was scared to death and desperate," the 35-year-old mother said. "I knew it could not be allergies. The fluid would come out like a puddle."

The steroids and antibiotics she was prescribed had no effect.

"I was walking around with toilet paper shoved up my nose and changing it every ten minutes," Mrs Aragon recalled.

Cerebral spinal fluid streamed through Aundrea Aragon's nose. (File image)

Surgeons at the University of Arizona eventually noticed two small cracks in the back of her sphenoid sinus, which were caused by cerebral pressure.

While the human body replaces brain fluid, Mrs Aragon was at risk of developing meningitis, according to surgeon Dr Michael Lemole.

"If you are leaking brain fluid out your nose then you have the potential for catastrophic meningitis, the kind where bacteria crawls into your brain and 24 hours later you are essentially in a coma or dead," he explained.

Using an endoscopic procedure, doctors were able to avoid invasive surgery and fix the condition with a minimal recovery period.

They used tissue from her nose and belly to repair the cracks.

Mrs Aragon is now recovering well at home after the operation in October, but she will need to be monitored for the rest of her life in case of another leak.

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Cancer Patient Taken From Hospital By Mother

Fears are mounting for an 11-year-old girl with leukaemia and a heart catheter who was removed from a Phoenix hospital by her parents.

The child, Emily, had been receiving chemotherapy up until last week after an infection forced doctors to amputate her right arm and insert a catheter in her heart.

The device was due to be taken out when her mother unexpectedly changed her clothes and walked her out of the hospital last Wednesday night.

Police have said if the catheter is left in too long, it could lead to serious complications.

"If she contracts an infection, it really could just be a matter of days that could result in the young girl's death," Sgt Steve Martos said. "It's pretty serious."

The authorities had been held back initially by US health privacy laws that kept them from releasing the parents' names.

But police said on Monday that the US Border Patrol stopped the girl's father, Luis Bracamontes, 46, as he crossed into Arizona from Mexico over the weekend.

But he provided no clues to the girl's whereabouts and denied having any involvement in removing her from the hospital.

Police also released his wife's name, Norma Bracamontes, 35.

Neither parent is charged with a crime yet, but authorities want the child brought back to the hospital before it is too late.

The girl's father is a Mexican citizen with US residency. Emily and her mother are US citizens.

Authorities speculated they might have been concerned about paying the hospital bill.

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George Zimmerman Photo Shows His Bloody Nose

A newly-released photograph of George Zimmerman shows him with a bloody, swollen nose on the night he shot and killed black teenager Trayvon Martin.

The image was made available by the defence team for the Florida neighbourhood watch volunteer, who is charged with murdering the unarmed 17-year-old in February this year.

Zimmerman claims he shot the teenager in self-defence during a struggle, but the case sparked a national debate and protests on racial profiling, guns and Florida's controversial Stand Your Ground law.

His lawyers say the photo is significant because it shows vividly the injuries that he incurred.  

"It's not a game changer," lawyer Mark O'Mara admitted.

But he added: "Does it really show what happened that night to George? Yes."

Previous police images of George Zimmerman and his wounds

However Ben Crump, who represents Trayvon's family, said the photo taken by police in Sanford adds nothing new to the case.

"Trayvon Martin was defending himself. He had every right to stand his ground to defend himself," Mr Crump said.

A grainy, black and white version of the photo was released previously, along with other evidence that Zimmerman was hit in the nose during the fight with the teenager.

Mr O'Mara said he only received the new clearer digital image from prosecutors after repeated demands by his office.

He pledged to make all public documents related to the case available on the defence team's website ahead of the trial set for June next year.

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Man Who Threw Rabbit In River Is Jailed

A man has been jailed for snatching a homeless man's rabbit and hurling it into a river.

The animal's owner, John Byrne, had been begging on Dublin's O'Connell Bridge when his pet Barney was taken from his arms and thrown into the River Liffey.

The 37-year-old jumped into the water after his beloved pet and gave him the kiss of life, but was unable to save the rabbit. Both were pulled from the river by firefighters.

Gary Kearney pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court to cruelly torturing or terrifying an animal and was sentenced to four months in prison.

The 20-year-old, who is originally from the Crumlin area of Dublin and was brought up in care, also admitted breach of the peace during the incident on July 3, 2011. He has 138 previous convictions.

Outside the court, Mr Byrne, who has been living on the streets for 23 years, said he was in shock when he saw Barney swimming around in circles, looking up at him.

John Byrne was scared a seal would eat his rabbit

"I wasn't going to leave him there," he said.

"I had to get him, I had to jump in to get him. Barney died in my arms. I got him under the bridge and gave him the kiss of life."

Mr Byrne said the sentence sent out a clear message to people who abuse animals that they will not walk out of court laughing.

He said: "I was scared. Wouldn't anybody (be scared) going into freezing cold water? And there is a seal there that would have eaten Barney.

"I can swim and I'd done life-saving before. Only for that I was gone. The current would have pulled me under."

He added that one of his three dogs, Lily, would not go out begging with him after witnessing the incident.

Within days of his pet's death, Mr Byrne was given a Compassionate Citizen Award for going above and beyond the call of duty to help an animal in need.

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YouTube Boast About Robbery Catches Out Teen

A YouTube video has landed a 19-year-old woman from eastern Nebraska in jail.

Hannah Sabata from Stromsburg filmed herself boasting about stealing a car and then robbing a bank.

The video shows her holding handwritten signs detailing her alleged crime.

She holds up car keys, saying: "My new car is shiny. Of course I already took the plates off."

Later she shows a sign that reads "then I robbed a bank with a gun, a pillow case and a note".

She then holds a large bundle of cash in front of the camera.

Unfortunately for Sabata, her description and the clothes she is wearing in the video matched details of a robbery the day before at the Cornerstone Bank branch in nearby Waco.

York County Sheriff officers arrested her the same day the video was posted.

She is now facing robbery and theft charges.

The YouTube video will be turned over as evidence in the case.

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Dutch Linesman Death: Teens To Be Charged

Dutch prosecutors say they will charge three teenagers with manslaughter for allegedly taking part in an attack on a linesman over a youth football match.

Volunteer linesman Richard Nieuwenhuizen died in hospital on Monday, a day after he was beaten and kicked by players from Amsterdam team Nieuw Sloten.

Mr Nieuwenhuizen's own son had been playing in the game, which was held in the town of Almere.

Prosecutors said the three males, two 15 and one 16, would be arraigned on Thursday on charges of manslaughter, assault and public violence. Their identities were not released.

Mr Nieuwenhuizen's team, Buitenboys, have not announced the exact cause of his death, but Dutch TV station RTL said he had brain damage.

Mr Nieuwenhuizen left after Sunday's match and was not aware anything was wrong. He returned to his club later that night and collapsed.

"You can't believe this could happen. That kids of 15 or 16 are playing football, you come to watch and see something like that," said Buitenboys chairman Marcel Oost.

"He did it every week. He enjoyed doing it. He was a real football man - he was always here."

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said in a statement he was "deeply shocked" by Mr Nieuwenhuizen's death.

Dutch sports minister Edith Schippers said: "It is absolutely terrible that something like this can happen on a Dutch sports field."      

Parents and other volunteers regularly referee and officiate at sports matches involving their children in The Netherlands, where youth football and hockey is popular and well organised.

Anton Binnenmars, of the Royal Netherlands Football Association, said: "It is too crazy for words that somebody involved in a sporting hobby becomes a victim of this kind of aggression."

Police said they would not rule out arresting more suspects.

Nieuw Sloten said in a statement on their website they had banned the players involved and pulled their team out of the league. Such incidents "do not belong on a football field", the statement added.

The Dutch FA said all Nieuw Sloten's matches next weekend had been cancelled at the club's request.

The attack in Almere was even discussed at a news conference in Spain on the eve of Ajax's Champions League match against Real Madrid.

"You can't imagine it happening," said Ajax coach Frank de Boer. "That boys of 15, 16 years short circuit like that. You wonder about the parenting ... this is too ridiculous for words."

The death is almost exactly a year since a Dutch amateur footballer fatally kicked a 77-year-old supporter following a match.

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Typhoon Bopha: 40 Dead In Philippines

More than 40 people have been killed in a powerful typhoon in the Philippines, including soldiers and villagers who were in an army truck that was washed away.

Typhoon Bopha, packing winds of up to 130mph, hit land on Mindanao island's east coast at dawn on Tuesday.

At least 33 of the victims drowned in the town of New Bataan when torrents of water dumped by the typhoon rampaged down a mountain. 

Governor Arturo Uy said the victims included villagers who had fled from their homes to a village hall, which was swamped by the flash flood, and those on board the army truck that was swept away.

The typhoon made landfall on Mindanao island

The dead included three children who were buried by the wall of mud and boulders that plunged into the village of Marapat.

Their bodies were wrapped in blankets by their grieving relatives and placed on a stage in a basketball court.

"The only thing we could do was to save ourselves. It was too late for us to rescue them," Valentin Pabilana, who survived the landslide, said.

The death toll could rise further because several other bodies could not immediately be retrieved from floodwaters strewn with huge logs and debris, governor Uy said.

Army troops and police were not able to reach the town because access roads were blocked by landslides and fallen trees, he said.

Trees were brought down across a wide area hit by the typhoon

Eight people have died elsewhere on Mindanao island in the country's south.

About 60,000 people fled their homes to escape what was the strongest storm to hit the country this year.

Two entire provinces lost power and more than 100 domestic flights were cancelled.

Residents evacuated high-risk coastal villages and along rivers, including in southern provinces that were devastated by a deadly storm a year ago.

Typhoon Bopha, which has a 370-mile wide rain band, was expected to barrel across southern and central provinces before blowing out into the South China Sea on Thursday, forecasters said.

:: The Philippines is battered by about 20 typhoons a year, with 1,500 deaths recorded last year from storms.

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Syria: Obama Warns Against Chemical Warfare

Barack Obama has warned Syrian President Bashar Assad of the "consequences" if he were to make the "tragic mistake" of using chemical weapons against his own people.

The US President's remarks came as security officials said they had detected activity at chemical weapons depots.

"I want to make it absolutely clear to Assad and those under his command, the world is watching. The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable," he said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton echoed Mr Obama's caution that such action would cross a "red line" for the United States that would prompt action.

She did not, however, address the reports of movement at Syrian chemical weapons depots - or go into detail about what the response might be - but insisted that Washington would address any threat that arises.

Buildings destroyed by regime missiles in the village of Houla, near Homs

"We have made our views very clear: This is a red line for the United States," she said on Monday while in Prague for meetings with Czech officials.

"I'm not going to telegraph in any specifics what we would do in the event of credible evidence that the Assad regime has resorted to using chemical weapons against their own people. But suffice it to say, we are certainly planning to take action if that eventuality were to occur."

She added: "We once again issue a very strong warning to the Assad regime that their behaviour is reprehensible, their actions against their own people have been tragic.

"But there is no doubt that there's a line between even the horrors that they've already inflicted on the Syrian people and moving to what would be an internationally condemned step of utilising their chemical weapons."

White House press secretary Jay Carney added: "We are concerned that in an increasingly beleaguered regime, having found its escalation of violence through conventional means inadequate, might be considering the use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people."

Hillary Clinton says chemical warfare would be a "red line" for the US

The warning came as Lebanese security officials said Syria's foreign ministry spokesman had left the country and was heading to the UK on a flight from Beirut.

However, it was unclear whether Jihad Makdissi had defected from Mr Assad's regime.

Syria has been careful never to confirm that it has any chemical weapons - any use of which would draw international condemnation.

Its ministry of foreign affairs said Syria "would not use chemical weapons - if there are any - against its own people under any circumstances".

Syria is believed to have several hundred ballistic surface-to-surface missiles capable of carrying chemical warheads, and there are concerns its chemical and biological weapons could fall into the wrong hands should the regime in Syria collapse and lose control of them.

The US has opposed military intervention or providing arms support to Syria's rebels for fear of further escalating a conflict that activists say has killed more than 40,000 people since March 2011.

Meanwhile, the United Nations said it was suspending its aid operations in Syria and withdrawing all non-essential international staff due to attacks on humanitarian aid convoys and the hijacking of goods or vehicles in recent weeks.

The European Union said it too was scaling back its activities in the Syrian capital Damascus due to the worsening security situation.

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