Child Killer Father Hangs Himself In Jail

A father who cut his children's throats after a custody battle with his French former wife has hanged himself in prison, according to legal officials in France.

Julian Stevenson was living in the French city of Lyon when he slit 10-year-old Matthew and five-year-old Carla's throats with a kitchen knife in May.

The 47-year-old, who had a history of violence and alcoholism, murdered his children in a fit of rage then fled the scene on rollerskates.

The flat block in Lyon where Julian Stevenson lived

He was discovered moments later walking the suburban streets covered in blood.

Stevenson had been embroiled in a bitter custody battle with his assistant accountant former wife and was banned from having contact with his children without a third person present in 2010.

However, this order was partially reversed in the weeks before the murder, and Stevenson was believed to be having his first visit alone with his children when he killed them.

A murder notice was pinned to the door of the flat

In the hours before their deaths Stevenson, an unemployed former haulage firm manager, was captured on CCTV in a bakery with them buying sweets – they were each carrying a balloon.

But Stevenson's former wife, Stephanie, whom he had badly beaten in 2005 and 2010, became anxious about the visit and arrived at his Lyon flat to find him in the stairwell of the four-storey block covered in blood.

Stevenson, who had been living in France for a decade, appeared briefly in court in May and was being held in Corbas prison in Lyon where he was found hanged on Monday.

A source at the local public prosecutors' office told the news agency AFP: "He hanged himself  on Monday in a sports hall reserved for inmates held in solitary confinement."

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of the death of a British national in detention in France on December 30. We are providing consular assistance to the family."

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Schumacher Showing 'Slight Improvement'

Michael Schumacher has shown "slight improvement" after a surgical procedure but is not out of danger, doctors treating him have said.

The operation to remove the largest of a series of blood clots in the racing driver's brain took around two hours, and the coming hours are 'critical' according to medical staff in Grenoble, France.

Schumacher continues to be kept in an artificial coma after he suffered a severe head injury while skiing off-piste in the resort of Meribel on Sunday.

He was reportedly travelling at speeds of up to 60mph when the accident happened, and is thought to have been saved by his skiing helmet, which split on impact.

Rescuers were on hand within minutes and he was initially conscious after the fall before deteriorating into a critical condition.

Doctors have refused to give a prognosis for the 44-year-old Formula One champion.

Schumacher's family are being kept fully informed about his treatment.

Following the surgery, a new scan on Tuesday morning showed "a slight improvement" said the hospital's director general Jacqueline Hubert.

But Professor Emmanuel Gay, one of the specialists treating Schumacher, told a news conference: "The dangers are still there. We cannot say that we have won because there are still some highs and some lows, but it's better than yesterday.

"He is still in a very critical condition, this has not changed. And we still cannot tell how he will be, which state he will be in when he does wake up.

"We cannot speculate on the future because once again it would be too early to do so."

The seven-times F1 champion was admitted to hospital suffering from intracranial haematoma - blood clots - bruising and swelling of the brain.

Professor Gay warned: "There are still many haematomas in the brain, with little bits everywhere.

"That is what makes the situation critical and it needs to be looked at hour by hour, day by day.

"The situation can still evolve, but we won't be able to evacuate the other haematomas at the moment because they are not accessible. They are not as big as the one we removed yesterday."

Schumacher has received an outpouring of support from the racing world, with former and current stars urging him to pull through.

German chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "extremely shocked along with millions of Germans" to learn of the accident.

Schumacher retired from F1 for the final time in 2012 after a three-season comeback with Mercedes.

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Michael Schumacher: Hospital Press Conference As It Happened

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North Dakota Train Blast Prompts Evacuation

Many residents have left a town in North Dakota after a train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded, but officials warned that toxic smoke could blow into the area.

No injuries have been reported

A mile-long train derailed just outside the small town of Casselton, starting a series of blazes and sending an enormous fireball high into the sky.

People said the blasts rattled the windows of properties in the area, including the town's City Hall.

There were fears of smoke overwhelming Casselton, and health experts were testing the quality of the air.

Cass County sheriff's office advised the town's 2,400 residents to evacuate because of concerns about the smoke - and about two-thirds of the town's residents had heeded the recommendation.

A shelter was set up in Fargo, about 25 miles (40km) away.

The fire burned out but smoke remained in the area.

"Is it highly hazardous or did most of it burn off in the fire?" Sheriff Paul Laney said of elements in burning crude that could be risky for health.

"We just don't know."

Investigators say they are still trying to work out what caused several of the carriages from the  train to leave the tracks on Monday afternoon.

They said it appears to be the result of the train colliding with a grain carriage.

The explosion occurred about a mile outside Casselton

Nobody was injured, but the mayor of Casselton told the AP news agency he felt like a bullet had been dodged.

"There have been numerous derailments in this area," Mayor Ed McConnell said.

"It's almost gotten to the point that it looks like not if we're going to have an accident, it's when.

"We dodged a bullet by having it out of town, but this is too close for comfort."

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Fontana Killings: Four Dead In California Home

Two children and two adults have been found dead in a home in southern California.

Police went to the Fontana home after a 16-year-old boy called on Monday night to say his family members had been injured or killed in the house.

The deaths were being treated as homicides.

Police found a bloody scene as they discovered the bodies of a boy, believed to be about 10 years old, a girl about 12 years old, and a man and woman both about 35 or 40 years old.

"There is some amounts of blood in different areas of the house," Fontana police Sergeant Doug Imhof told local station KABC-TV.

"There's a couple of weapons that have been seen by our detectives just looking, but they haven't been able to search the house because they can't until they obtain a search warrant."

It appeared all four lived in the home, though their relationship was not immediately established, he said.

A neighbour in Fontana - a city of about 200,000 people about 50 miles (80km) east of downtown Los Angeles - told KABC that there was arguing coming from the house earlier in the evening.

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Phoenix Bank Robbery: Video Released

Police have released surveillance footage of a bank robbery in Phoenix that led to a shoot-out in the streets in which the suspect was killed.

The video shows the robber, identified as Mario Edward Garnett, 40, entering the Compass Bank branch in west Phoenix, a mask on his face and a gun in his hand.

He then filled a bag with money from the tellers and the vault, police said, and is seen in the video fleeing the scene.

Garnett died moments later as he ran into police who shot and killed him outside the bank.

No one else was injured in the robbery or gun battle.

Authorities have connected Garnett to a December 23 bank robbery attempt in Atlanta, a bank robbery later that same day in Tupelo, Mississippi, where a police officer was shot dead.

The robberies came about five months after Garnett was released from federal prison.

He was detained for nearly two years after pleading guilty to threatening to kill President Barack Obama in 2010.

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Young People Sell Future Earnings To Investors

By Hannah Thomas-Peter, New York Correspondent

A new industry is offering people the chance to "sell" a portion of themselves to investors in return for a cut of their future earnings.

Start-up companies such as Pave match carefully vetted, mainly young individuals, known as "prospects" with those willing to offer a one-time cash infusion.

On average prospects seek to raise around $20,000 (£12,100), although so far amounts have ranged between $3,000 (£1,800) and $50,000 (£30,300).

They choose to repay up to 10% of their future earnings on an annual basis for either five or 10 years.

Pave determines what the percentage repayment will be based on the qualifications of the candidate.

The company's co-founder and COO Oren Bass told Sky News: "There's a huge debt issue in the States, particularly for young people.

"They don't have a funding option that really enables them to make choices to think long-term. So there are two big issues that Pave addresses.

"One is that under the Pave agreement the payments are always linked to income so they are by definition always affordable, and that allows the prospect to actually take risks that they may not have taken if their funding was debt for example, which is a specified payment regardless of what happens to you during their lifetime.

Pave matches 'prospects' to people willing to make an investment

"The second value proposition is that because real people are actually funding you, you can benefit from their guidance and their mentorship and advice."

Many of the prospects are social entrepreneurs who are saddled with student loans, but there are also journalists and musicians on the site.

Ify Walker has founded her own education recruitment company and is a typical prospect: bright, driven and keen to monetise her potential.

She told Sky News: "My husband and I went to law school and we both have several degrees and we walked out with over $200,000 dollars in loans.

"Pave is one of the very few organisations that is saying look, we have a solution to this: we want to accelerate the potential of young people and we want to do that immediately, we don't want to wait ten years for people to give their best selves to society, so let's actually do that now, let's take backers who have resources, let's connect them to people who have a vision and a goal and let's make that partnership work for the better of our community and our world."

There are protections in place for those who choose this alternative method of funding.

If prospects don't earn above a certain amount, they don't have to pay, which sets the arrangement apart from a traditional fixed debt scenario, and if an individual becomes very successful they can choose to buy themselves out of the contract for five times the amount raised.

Almost half of the prospects at Pave use their investment to pay off punitive debt.

They also often have multiple backers, allowing them access to more expertise and networks than might be afforded by a single investor.

A company called Fantex tries to sell stock in American football players

Upstart is another company with a similar set up.

It caps payments at up to 7% of earnings.

Like Pave, it takes a 3% fee from its "upstarts" and a smaller service fee from investors.

Hedge fund partner Benjamin Borton has invested in five upstarts.

He said: "There's an economic return and a social return.

"If you invest in a company, particularly a start-up company, the numbers would suggest that 50% of those will go out of business, whereas if you invest in a person, the chance of getting zero pay back is very low if you are good at choosing someone.

"So even if they take a job and that job doesn't work out, they can go on to the next one.

"If we can accelerate the speed with which these kids get to that place of optimal productivity, then we've done great and I think if you do that, then you are going to achieve a good rate of return as well."

So far 282 backers have invested more than $2m (£1.2m) through Upstart. Almost 200 individuals have achieved their funding goals.

The state of Orgeon has recently given preliminary approval for public universities to pilot the model for students.

One company called Fantex is trying to sell stock in American football players, although it has had limited success so far.

Sceptics warn that this is an as-yet unregulated industry, and there is nothing to stop someone setting up a more exploitative business as long as it operates within the law.

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Crop Circles On California Farm In Salinas Valley

A giant and intricate crop circle that appeared, seemingly overnight, on a farm in Salinas Valley, California has been drawing large crowds.

The circle was reported by two friends who claimed on YouTube to have witnessed two bursts of light before dawn on Sunday morning.

Such is the demand to see the mysterious phenomenon that security guards have been employed to keep onlookers at bay.

So far no one, terrestrial or extra-terrestrial, has come forward to claim responsibility.

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Right-To-Life Family Wins Jahi Court Order

A family in California have won an 11th-hour court order to keep a brain-dead girl on life support until at least January 7.

A judge ordered that 13-year-old Jahi McMath should be kept alive beyond a prior court-appointed deadline, which was set for 5pm local time Monday (1am UK time).

Jahi's family want to move her to a New York facility (Pic: KPIX/CBS)

The new order was issued by Judge Evelio Grillo in the Alameda County Superior Court.

Jahi suffered complications after she underwent a tonsillectomy at the Children's Hospital of Oakland on December 9.

She began to bleed heavily when she awoke from the operation, and eventually went into cardiac arrest.

Both the hospital and an independent paediatric neurologist from Stanford University have concluded the girl is brain dead.

But Jahi's family are hoping to keep her alive and move her to a facility in New York.

Speaking after the latest court order, Jahi's mother Latasha Nailah Winkfield said: "I need some more time to get her out of here, so I'm really, really happy about this. 

"I believe my daughter is alive. I don't care what they say."

After two California care homes withdrew offers to accept her, Jahi's family view the New York option as their "last, last hope", according to the family's lawyer, Chris Dolan.

The hospital says it would need to confirm there is "lawful transportation" included in any plan to transfer Jahi, and written permission from the coroner.

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Doctor On Trial For Selling Baby She Delivered

A doctor has gone on trial in China accused of selling a newborn baby boy she had helped deliver.

Zhang Shuxia, an obstetrician at the Fuping County Maternal an Child Health Care Hospital in Shaanxi Province, has been charged with trafficking infants.

On July 16, 23-year-old Dong Shanshan gave birth to a baby boy, delivered by Dr Zhang.

According to police reports, she told the new mother that her son had congenital defects and would be better off in state care.

The baby was taken away before Mrs Dong or her husband even saw their child.

It is alleged that Dr Zhang sneaked the baby out of the hospital and sold him to traffickers for around £3,000.

His parents came to believe that he might have been abducted and reported his disappearance to police four days later.

The baby's parents were told their child had congenital defects

The child was eventually found in the neighbouring province of Henan a fortnight later at the home of a man who had three daughters, but wanted a son.

He was dramatically reunited with his grateful but emotional mother.

Dr Zhang and five other suspects involved in the case were detained on suspicion of human trafficking.

The case was widely reported in the Chinese media, leading to the parents of at least 10 other children to come forward.

All said that Dr Zhang told them their babies were already dead or seriously ill and it would be best if she took them away.

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WikiLeaks: Assange Dad Assad Visit 'Unapproved'

Wikileaks has said it was unaware of and did not approve a delegation to Syria which met with President Bashar al Assad, and reportedly included Julian Assange's father.

It came after Australia's Wikileaks Party announced it was to to take part in the "solidarity delegation", which it said aimed to show opposition to violence and Western military intervention.

John Shipton, the father of the WikiLeaks founder and chief executive of Australia's WikiLeaks Party, was said to be among those who travelled to the conflict-torn country.

The group met with Mr Assad on December 23, according to a post on the Syrian president's Twitter feed.

The visit has sparked an angry backlash in Australia, with the centre-left Labour opposition branding it "extraordinary" and "irresponsible".

Australia's WikiLeaks Party was founded by Julian Assange

Labour frontbencher Chris Bowen said: "The Assad regime has been widely criticised and correctly criticised around the world.

"For an Australian political party to think it's sensible to go and have discussions and try and provide some legitimacy, is something I think which they have to explain."

The WikiLeaks Party was founded by Mr Assange as part of his failed campaign for election to Australia's parliament this year, but is separate to the controversial leaks website.

WikiLeaks has distanced itself from the delegation. On its official Twitter feed, the group said: "Peace brokering a good idea, but obvious meeting would be spun without care. Did not know or approve."

According to The Australian newspaper, the delegation included Mr Shipton and WikiLeaks national council member Gail Malone, as well as Sydney university academic Tim Anderson and refugee activist Jamal Daoud.

Mr Shipton announced plans to set up a WikiLeaks Party office in Damascus in a show of solidarity with ordinary Syrians, reported The Australian.

It came as it was reported that Scandinavian escort vessels preparing to remove Syria's chemical weapons had been returned to port, after it became apparent an end-of-year deadline would not be met.

The US-Russia deal for Syria to surrender more than 1,000 tons of chemical agents avoided American-led military strikes after a chemical weapons attack on August 21 near Damascus, which the US says killed 1,400 people.

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Archbishop To Condemn Israel At Midnight Mass

By Tom Rayner, Middle East editor

One of the most influential Catholic Bishops in the Middle East is expected to criticise Israel during the Christmas Eve midnight mass in Bethlehem.

It is thought the Latin Patriach of Jerusalem, Archbishop Fouad Twal, will label Israel's continued construction of illegal settlements in the Palestinian Territories an obstacle to regional stability.

Thousands of pilgrims across the world will gather to hear the mass, delivered at the Church of the Nativity, built on the site where Jesus is believed to have been born in a stable more than 2,000 years ago.

The Archbishop will also call for an immediate end to conflict in Syria and to the persecution of Christians in the region.

But with negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority now resumed after years of stagnation, he is expected to take the opportunity to address the talks directly.

An Israeli Jewish settlement on disputed land near Jerusalem

At a news conference last week, Archbishop Twal said the efforts of US Secretary of State John Kerry to find a peaceful resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict were being "hampered by the continuous building of Israeli settlements".

Archbishiop Twal added: "As long as this problem is not resolved, the people of our region will suffer.

"While the attention has shifted from the situation in the Holy Land to the tragedy in Syria, it must be stated that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains crucial to the region and is a major obstacle in the development of our society and stability in the middle east."

Israel's approval of new settlement housing units since August, when the latest round of talks began, has been criticised by many western diplomats, including John Kerry.

Father Jamal Khader, Director of the Catholic Seminary in Bethlehem, who is close to the Patriach, told Sky News he expects the message to be reiterated later today.

"What we need is freedom," he said. "What we need is independence and what we need is an end to the occupation. I think the Patriarch will call for an end to the occupation."

Bethlehem, which lies around 10km (six miles) south of Jerusalem, is governed by the Palestinian Authority but is surrounded by Israel's separation wall, check-points and numerous West Bank settlements, which are deemed illegal under international law.

US Secretary of State John Kerry

Construction of the separation wall began in 2002 as a security measure in response to waves of suicide bombings in Israel during the Second Intifada. But critics say it is also being used as a means of extending Israel's borders and confiscating Palestinian land.

While more than a million tourists have visited the town in 2013, the movement restrictions faced by those resident in the Palestinian Territories can make it difficult for Palestinian Christians to visit the Church in normal circumstances.

Over the Christmas period these restrictions have been eased, with Israel putting in place measures to allow Christians from elsewhere in the West Bank and Gaza to join the celebrations.

This will include permits for 500 residents of Gaza, aged under 16 or over 35, who will be authorised to travel to Bethlehem until the end of January.

Lt Col Eyal Zeevi, Head of the Israel Defence Forces' Bethlehem District Coordination Office, said: "Israel is making a significant effort to safeguard freedom of religion in the area, facilitate participation in religious ceremonies and ensure that Christians in the region enjoy the holiday spirit."

Similar measures are also likely to be implemented in May 2014 when Pope Francis is due make a brief visit to both Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

The visit is being seen as an attempt by the Catholic Church to draw attention to the growing persecution of Christians in countries across the region.

But for Bethlehem's tourism-dependent economy, it also promises to be a blessing, with the likelihood of thousands more pilgrims heading to the town, where the Pope will hold the only public mass of his visit.

In his Christmas message, President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, said he welcomed the visit and hoped the Pope would "spread the message of justice and peace for the Palestinians".

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British Airways Plane 'Crash' In Johannesburg

A British Airways plane has crashed into a building at Johannesburg Airport in South Africa.

The aircraft, carrying 182 passengers, sliced its wing through the building while taxiing on the runway, BA confirmed.

Posting on Twitter, the airline said: "One of our aircraft was damaged whilst taxiing at JNB airport. All 182 passengers disembarked safely with no injuries onboard."

There has so far been no comment made on whether anyone was injured in the building or on the ground.

The plane involved is believed to be a Boeing 747.

British Airways says nobody in the plane was injured. Pic: John Hart

Harriet Tolputt, Oxfam's head of Media, who was on the flight, posted pictures of the incident on Twitter.

She wrote: "BA plane crashes into building at J Burg airport. No one injured only the pilot's pride ... Not impressed that first class passengers get off before premium economy during an emergency."

Johannesburg Airport said it would be able to provide more information on the incident later in the morning.

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Spacewalk On Christmas Eve For US Astronauts

Two space station astronauts have begun a Christmas Eve spacewalk in hopes of wrapping up urgent cooling system repairs.

The ISS flies about 250 miles above Earth. Pic: Nasa

It is the second spacewalk in four days for US astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Michael Hopkins.

The pair removed a faulty ammonia pump at the International Space Station during Saturday's outing.

Today, they are to install a new ammonia pump in what is hoped will be the final fix at the system.

Images from the spacewalk on Saturday. Pic: Nasa

The spacewalk is expected to last about six hours. It had been originally planned for Monday, but a suit problem prompted NASA to delay it by one day.

It is only the second Christmas Eve spacewalk in NASA history.

The external cooling line - one of two - shut down on December 11.

It is only the second Christmas Eve spacewalk in NASA history. Pic: Nasa

The six-man crew had to turn off all nonessential equipment, including experiments.

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Tiger Kills Mate In Botched Bid To Breed

A female Malayan tiger at the San Diego Zoo has been fatally mauled by her intended mate during an attempt to breed.

The female tiger, named Tiga Tahun, died of neck injuries and breathing difficulties, the zoo said.

The encounter "began with positive interaction between the two big cats",  the zoo said in a statement.

"Unfortunately this changed quickly and zoo-keepers were unable to separate the two animals."

Saturday's attempt was the first breeding encounter for either animal, the only Malayan tigers at the facility.

No visitors saw the attack.

The tigers had rotated between being on exhibit and in their bedrooms, making them familiar with the other's scent, a zoo spokeswoman said.

They had seen each other often and even touched noses, separated by a barrier – leading zoo-keepers to believe the timing was right.

Tiga Tahun was born in 2009 at the Bronx Zoo, while her intended mate, Connor, was born at the San Diego Zoo in 2011.

Fewer than 500 Malayan tigers are believed to be living in the wild worldwide, and another 60 live in captivity in North American zoos.

Fatal attacks are rare, but behaviour can be unpredictable during breeding, experts say.

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Paris Bar Pair Shot Dead At Point-Blank Range

A man and a woman have been shot dead in a Paris bar by a gunman who then fled the scene on foot.

The two were shot at point-blank range with one bullet each, police said.

They were sitting outside the Cafe Chineur in a residential area of the French capital's southern 14th arrondissement when the attack happened.

They tried to take refuge inside, but died as a result of their wounds. The two victims have not been named.

A local resident, who lives across the street from the bar, said: "I saw a trail of blood that went from the entrance to the inside."

Police investigator Jean-Jacques Herlem called the shooting "mysterious" and said no motive for the attack has yet been established.

Paris mayoral candidate Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, who lives nearby, went to the scene after learning of the shooting from friends.

"My children go to two schools in the neighbourhood. I'm shocked," she said.

"It's impossible not to make the connection with the growing concerns over security issues, even if we don't know anything at this stage."

France occasionally sees fatal attacks by armed criminals in bars, most often in southern cities such as Marseille, but sometimes also in Paris, though in places well away from the heavily policed centre favoured by tourists.

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Pussy Riot Members Freed From Russian Prison

The two remaining jailed members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot have been freed under an amnesty initiated by President Vladimir Putin.

They had been found guilty of hooliganism after a performance critical of the leader and were due to be released in March.

Maria Alyokhina, 25, was the first to be freed early from a two-year prison sentence.

But she dismissed the amnesty as a '"PR stunt", adding: "I do not think it is a humanitarian act. My attitude to the president has not changed."

Her lawyer Irina Khrunova said she was released from the prison colony outside the Volga river city of Nizhny Novgorod and immediately went to meet a group of human rights activists.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 24, who was serving time in the eastern Siberian city Krasnoyarsk, was freed a few hours later. 

The pair along with fellow bandmate Yekaterina Samutsevich, 31, were jailed over the performance at Moscow's main cathedral in March 2012.

Ms Samutsevich was released several months later on a suspended sentence.

Yekaterina Samutsevich (L) was freed a few months into her sentence

The band insisted their protest was meant to raise their concerns about increasingly close ties between the state and the church.

Russia's Supreme Court earlier this month ordered a review of the Pussy Riot case, saying a lower court did not fully prove their guilt and did not take their family circumstances into consideration when passing the verdict.

The Russian parliament ushered through an amnesty bill last week, allowing the release of thousands of inmates.

Ms Alyokhina and Ms Tolokonnikova qualified for the amnesty because they have small children.

The amnesty has been largely viewed as the Kremlin's attempt to soothe criticism of Russia's human rights records ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February.

Mr Putin also unexpectedly pardoned Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former oil tycoon who was widely seen by Kremlin critics and Western politicians as a political prisoner.

Mr Khodorkovsky was freed on Friday after more than a decade in jail and flown to Germany.

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AK-47 Inventor Kalashnikov Dies Aged 94

Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of the world's most widely used firearm, has died at the age of 94.

The AK-47 - "Avtomat Kalashnikov" - was created in 1947 when he was in his 20s two years after the end of World War Two and has sold an estimated 100 million worldwide.

General Kalashnikov died in a hospital in Izhevsk, the capital of the Udmurtia republic where he lived, according to a spokesman for the republic's president.

Mr Kalashnikov insisted he did not feel guilt for inventing the weapon

The weapon has become favoured by guerrillas and terrorists, as well as with soldiers of many armies.

But he often said he felt personally untroubled by his contribution to the bloodshed.

In 2007, he said: "I sleep well. It's the politicians who are to blame for failing to come to an agreement and resorting to violence."

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised him, saying the Kalashnikov rifle "is a symbol of the creative genius of our people".

An estimated 100 million AK-47s have been sold

Over his career, he was decorated with honours including Hero of Socialist Labour, Order of Lenin and the Stalin Prize.

The weapon's suitability for jungle and desert fighting made it ideal for insurgents backed by the Soviet Union, and Moscow not only distributed the AK-47 widely, but also licensed its production in some 30 other countries.

At a ceremony marking the assault rifle's 60th anniversary, Gen Kalashnikov said: "During the Vietnam War, American soldiers would throw away their M-16s to grab AK-47s and bullets for it from dead Vietnamese soldiers."

A bronze bust has been put up in his native village of Kurya, in the Siberian region of Altai.

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Egypt: 14 Dead In Police Headquarters Explosion

At least 13 people have been killed in an explosion at a police headquarters in the Egyptian city of Mansoura.

The blast injured around 100 others, state media reported.

Investigators are trying to find out whether the blast, which happened at around 1am, was caused by a car bomb of from explosives planted around the five-storey regional security headquarters in the Nile Delta province of Daqahliya.

The blast damaged surrounding buildings and wrecked nearby cars

Most of those killed are understood to have been police officers who were inside the building at the time of the blast. 

The explosion reportedly damaged surrounding buildings and wrecked dozens of vehicles.

Security forces cordoned off the area, closed major entrances and exits to the city and set up checkpoints.

State TV called on residents to rush to hospitals to donate blood.

Egypt's interim government accused the Muslim Brotherhood of orchestrating the attack, branding it a "terrorist organisation".

The movement itself strongly condemned the attack.

The bombing comes just weeks ahead of a referendum on a new constitution billed as the first major step towards democracy after Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi was forced from power in July.

Interim Prime Minister Hazem el Beblawi expressed condolences to the families of the victims and vowed the perpetrators would "not escape justice".

The attack comes a day after an al Qaeda-inspired group called on police and army personnel to desert or face death at the hands of its fighters.

It is the first major attack in the Nile Delta, spreading the carnage to a new area and bringing it closer to Cairo.

Previous violence that has killed scores of people has taken place in Sinai or in Suez Canal-area cities such as Islamilia.

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Afghanistan: British Soldier Killed By Enemy Fire

A British soldier understood to have been serving in the Special Forces has been killed in action in Afghanistan.

"It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) must announce the death of a soldier from the Royal Engineers in Afghanistan on 23 December, 2013," the MoD said in a statement.

"The serviceman was killed in action as a result of enemy fire whilst on operations east of Kabul."

Next of kin have been informed.

The death takes the number of UK service members who have lost their lives since operations began in Afghanistan in October 2001 to 447.

The majority of British forces are in Helmand Province, in the south of the country, but some also operate elsewhere, including in and around the capital, Kabul.

British combat troops are due to have left the country by the end of 2014.

There are just four bases remaining outside Camp Bastion, due to be closed down one by one in the new year, and the number of personnel has been reduced from 9,000 at the start of the year to around 5,200.

Prime Minister David Cameron said during a visit to the base last week that Afghanistan was "mission accomplished" and that British troops could return to the UK with their "heads held high".

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South Sudan: 'Ethnic Killings' As Graves Found

Mass graves have been uncovered in South Sudan amid evidence of ethnic killings in the world's newest state.

Dozens of bodies were discovered at a site in South Sudan's oil rich Unity State, as the death toll from a week of fighting increases.

Violence has flared in a power struggle between President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and his ex-deputy Riek Machar, an ethnic Nuer.

The bodies in the grave are thought to be among 75 Dinkas who have gone missing.

A displaced woman lies on her belongings

Meanwhile, a journalist in the capital, Juba, quoted witnesses as saying more than 200 people, mostly Nuers, had been shot by security forces.

The official total dead is 500, but the real figure is believed to be far higher, aid workers say.

Britain has sent a senior diplomat to South Sudan to assist efforts to restore peace, as the UN prepared to vote on boosting the size of its force.

Reports suggest that British nationals are among an estimated 3,000 foreigners trapped in the city of Bor, which has experienced some of the worst violence. 

South Sudan is the world's newest nation

UN spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said the victims discovered in the grave were reportedly members of the Sudan People's Liberation Army.

She said there were unconfirmed reports of least two more mass graves in Jebel-Kujur and Newside, near Juba.

Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have fled to the countryside, leading to warnings of an imminent humanitarian disaster.

UN soldiers on guard to protect the displaced people

Tens of thousands more civilians have sought protection at badly overstretched UN bases.

At least 20,000 are sheltering at two bases in Juba, and another 17,000 in rebel-held Bor, capital of the precarious eastern Jonglei state.

"The estimated number of people displaced in the current crisis in South Sudan has risen to 81,000," a UN report said.

"Given the limited access to civilians outside population centres, the number is likely to be significantly higher."                 

Bor, around 200km (125 miles) north of Juba, is an area of special concern, with the army saying it is preparing to launch an assault to recapture the town which it lost last Wednesday.

"In Bor, the situation for the 17,000 people sheltering at the base is challenging, the lack of food and shelter is becoming urgent," the UN warned, adding there had been "large-scale looting of humanitarian compounds and civilian property" in the town.

"The situation in Jonglei deteriorated further, with reported clashes between different armed factions south of Bor ... the base is being reinforced with additional protective barriers, including the area hosting the displaced civilians," it added.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned warring factions that reports of crimes against humanity will be investigated and asked the Security Council to vote to almost double the size of the UN mission in the country.

Fighting started more than a week ago when President Kiir accused his former deputy of attempting a coup.

Mr Machar has denied the claim and has in turn accused Mr Kiir of carrying out a vicious purge of his rivals.

The country has been blighted by ethnic divisions, corruption and poverty since it won independence in 2011.

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Google: Mandela Is Year's Most-Searched Term

Nelson Mandela was the world's most searched for term on Google for 2013.

Searches for Mr Mandela were already high this year, but following his death on December 5 people all over the world used the search engine to find out more about the anti-apartheid leader and his legacy.

Deaths of celebrities featured highly on the Google Zeitgeist list of searches around the world.

Hollywood actor Paul Walker, who was killed in a car crash on November 30, was listed second, and Glee star Cory Monteith, who died on July 13 from an alcohol and heroin overdose, was the fourth most popular search.

The latest gadgets also featured prominently, reflecting the global importance of new technology, with Apple's iPhone 5s at three on the list, the Samsung Galaxy 4s at eight and the Sony PlayStation 4 at nine.

Moments of joy and great sorrow also gripped Google users around the world, with the birth of the royal baby the seventh most popular search and the Boston Marathon bombing the sixth most searched for item.

The secretive communist North Korea state also piqued interest, reaching number ten on the list.

A certain dance music video completed the top ten global searches - the Harlem Shake has been uploaded to YouTube in more than 1.7 million video versions, propelling it to number five on the global list.

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Six US Servicemen Killed In Helicopter Crash

Six US service members have been killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan, according to officials.

One person on board the aircraft was injured, but survived the crash in the southern Zabul province.

A statement issued by the Nato international military coalition said the crash was under investigation and stressed there was no insurgent activity in the area at the time.

The helicopter is thought to have developed engine trouble.

Mohammad Jan Rasoolyar, deputy governor of Zabul, said the helicopter came down in the remote Shajau district.

This year, 109 members of the US military have died in Afghanistan, from a total of 139 in the coalition.

The death toll has dropped significantly since the coalition handed over responsibility for security to Afghan forces last summer. Coalition troops are now training and assisting their Afghan counterparts.

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Fighting Continues In South Sudan After 'Coup'

Fierce gun battles continued in South Sudan overnight as troops loyal to the president fought rival soldiers accused of staging a coup.

Residents in the capital, Juba, barricaded themselves inside their homes as gunfire resumed in the early hours of Tuesday.

Oxfam worker Emma Jane Drew, who is working in Juba, told the AFP news agency that the atmosphere is extremely tense.

"We can still hear sporadic shooting from various locations. The situation is very tense," she said.

She said her team is holed up in their compound, unable to leave because of the fighting.

"It's continued shooting. Shooting could be heard all through the night. We don't know who is fighting who," she said.

South Sudan's president Salva Kiir (R)

Clashes began on Sunday after South Sudan's President Salva Kiir accused troops loyal to his arch-rival, former vice president Riek Machar who was sacked from the government in July, of a plot to overthrow the government.

On Monday, Mr Kiir said his troops were "in full control of the security situation in Juba" and imposed an overnight curfew.

However, the fighting resumed several hours later.

Officials said several former government ministers have been arrested over the violence, but the whereabouts of Mr Machar is unclear.

Former vice president Riek Machar

At least 26 people have been killed in the violence and 130 injured, according to South Sudan's Under-Secretary for Health Makur Korion.

Around 7,000 civilians have taken refuge at UN offices, according to UN radio.

Ms Drew told AFP there are unconfirmed reports of soldiers conducting violent house raids.

"We have heard unconfirmed reports of house-to-house military checks of civilians including the use of brutality and violence, though this is unconfirmed," she said.

South Sudan won its independence in 2011 after a vote to split from the north and form a new nation.

But the world's youngest country has struggled with ethnic violence and corruption, and political tensions have worsened in recent weeks.

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New Pipeline To Loosen Russia's Grip On Energy

By Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor

The UK Foreign Secretary William Hague is in Azerbaijan today at a ceremony to sign a £27.6bn pipeline deal which will provide another alternative to energy supplies from Russia to Europe.

The deal will make Britain the biggest foreign investor in the country.

BP is the lead shareholder in an international consortium to bring gas from the Caspian Sea into Italy, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Greece.

British officials do not openly admit that part of the strategy behind the Shah Deniz 2 deal is to loosen Russia's grip on energy supplies to Europe, but Mr Hague did hint at that in a speech in the capital Baku, telling Sky News: "Energy security is a major concern to much of Europe and this new gas corridor will bring a new supply of energy and will increase competition.

"With major involvement of BP and other British companies, it will also be a major boost to British companies and jobs."

Behind the statement lies the idea that countries west of Russia could become less beholden to Moscow for energy, and that Russian gas prices may have to come down due to this new route.

One source told Sky News: "Europe is too reliant on too few sources of gas and oil, this makes it vulnerable."

Human Rights campaigners have criticised the deal claiming it will boost Azerbaijan's President lham Aliyev who is accused of human rights abuses and of rigging elections.

In October a government phone app appeared to release the results of this year's Presidential election a day before the polls opened. It gave the President a landslide victory over his rival Jamil Hasanli.

According to the country's electoral commission it was a "technical glitch" and a "misunderstanding".

The manager of the company making the app told local media that the test result was data from the previous presidential election. Not everyone believed this and pointed out that Mr Hasanli had not then been standing for President.

Mr Aliyev duly won the election by a landslide.

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N Korea Marks Anniversary Of Kim Jong-Il Death

North Korea's political and military elite have publicly pledged their loyalty to Kim Jong-Un during a large memorial in Pyongyang to mark the second anniversary of the death of his father.

The public display of support came only days after the execution of the young leader's uncle, Jang Song Thaek, considered the second most powerful man in the secretive state.

The ousting of Jang overlaps with a propaganda drive that has tied the younger Kim to his father's legacy in the weeks leading up to the anniversary.

Official television footage showed Kim Jong-Un sitting centre stage beneath a huge red mural of a flag emblazoned with a picture of his smiling father Kim Jong-Il.

A noticeable absentee on the stage was his paternal aunt Kim Kyung Hui, Kim Jong-Il's sister and Jang's wife.

She and Jang had been the "Pyongyang power couple" considered to be the real force behind the North Korean leadership.

Mr Kim, who is believed to be about 30, took over when his father died suddenly in December 2011.

In a relatively short period of time he has followed his father's programme by ordering the North's third nuclear test and successfully launching a long-range rocket in the face of increasingly tight UN sanctions.

His first two years in power have also been marked by construction, with a flagship project being the Masik Pass ski resort near Wonsan, on North Korea's east coast.

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China: Rare Tiger Mauls Keeper To Death

A keeper at Shanghai zoo has been mauled to death by an endangered species of tiger.

The news was announced on the zoo's blog which said investigators were looking into the cause of the incident. No other details were given.

State media reports named the victim as a 53-year-old man with the surname of Li.

Unidentified colleagues were quoted as saying the man had entered the tiger's enclosure to clean and was not seen again.

In other reports, witnesses said the tiger was seen suddenly jumping out and biting the keeper in the neck.

The tiger enclosure. Pic: Xinmin.cn

By the time help arrived, the man was dead.

Zoo staff had reportedly said the tiger had not been fed for more than a day.

"It must have been starving," a witness told the Shanghai Daily.

The animal involved was a highly endangered South China tiger, considered effectively extinct in the wild after decades of being hunted.

Built on a former golf course, Shanghai Zoo is one of China's largest and most popular urban animal parks.

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Syria: Missing UK Doctor 'Dies In Detention'

The Foreign Office is investigating reports that British doctor Abbas Khan has died in custody in Syria.

Dr Khan, 32, an orthopaedic surgeon from Streatham, south London, had been held in Syria for more than a year.

He was seized by government troops in the rebel-held city of Aleppo after he entered the country with a visa on a humanitarian mission.

A statement from the Foreign Office said: "We are extremely concerned by reports that Dr Khan has died in detention in Syria and are urgently seeking confirmation from the Syrian authorities.

"If these tragic reports are true, responsibility for Dr Khan's death lies with them and we will be pressing for answers about what happened.

"We have consistently sought consular access to Dr Khan and information on his detention, directly and through the Russians, Czechs and others.

"In November, minister Hugh Robertson wrote making clear our concerns about his welfare and treatment, stressing that the regime's failure to provide any information that would indicate Dr Khan's continued detention is legitimate meant his position should be reviewed immediately.

"These requests have consistently been ignored.

Dr Khan with his son. Pic: FreeAbbasKhan/Facebook

"All UK consular services in Syria were suspended some time ago and we continue to advise against all travel to Syria."

Dr Khan's brother, Afroze, told the BBC: "My brother was going to be released at the end of the week. We were given assurance by the Syrian government.

"My brother knew that. He was ready to come back home. He was happy and looking forward to being released."

He added that the family was angry at the Foreign Office for "dragging their feet" for more than a year.

A message on the Free Dr Abbas Khan Twitter feed said his life was "taken meaninglessly".

It added: "He was the best brother I could ever asked for and I know no one with a purer heart than him. His release was due to be this week."

A statement issued by Bradford West MP George Galloway said the MP "had been negotiating for months with the Syrian government over the release of Dr Khan and was due to fly out this week to bring him home".

Mr Galloway said: "I think we will have to wait for clarification on how exactly he died but this is heartbreaking and devastating news for his family who have been working so hard for so long to secure his release, particularly because his freedom had been agreed and he was due to return with me in the next few days.

"My sincere condolences go out to his family whose pain is unbearable."

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'Mafia Using Flower Power To Fund Mobsters'

Christmas flowers are at the centre of an alleged scam after four suspected mafia members were arrested by police in Italy.

Red poinsettia plants - a traditional Christmas gift in Italy - were allegedly being forcibly sold to shopkeepers around Naples in order to raise money for jailed mobsters.

According to police, mafia members were selling them at over 20 times their original price and if the owners did not buy them they faced retribution.

Business owners usually sell the flowers for around three euros but the mobsters were forcing shopkeepers to buy them for up to 100 euros (£85).

The four men are alleged to belong to the Camorra, based in Naples, and the largest of the Italian mafia organised crime groups.

A police statement said: "In some parts of Naples, the Christmas poinsettias, which should soften people's hearts, have a whiff of crime about them."

Since Christmas 2011 the investigation has been ongoing and the festive season is reportedly a peak time for mafia protection racket demands in Italy.

The Camorra is one of the four main mafia groups in Italy. Others include the Sicilian mafia, the 'Ndrangheta mafia (based in Calabria) and the Sacra Corona Unita (based in the Puglia region).

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India: US Embassy Barriers Removed Over Spat

India has launched a series of reprisals against US officials in retaliation for the arrest and alleged heavy-handed treatment of an Indian diplomat in New York.

The government ordered the return of identity cards for US consular officials that speed up travel into and through India.

Import clearances for the US embassy will also be stopped, while New Delhi police used two trucks and bulldozers to remove concrete security barricades from in front of the US embassy.

ID cards for US consular officials have also been seized

Politicians in India, including the leaders of the two main political parties and the national security adviser, refused to meet a delegation of US politicians earlier this week.

Devyani Khobragade, India's deputy consul general in New York was arrested while dropping her daughter at school last week, for allegedly underpaying her nanny and committing visa fraud to get her into the US.

She was also allegedly handcuffed during her arrest,  strip-searched and "confined with drug addicts" before being released on $250,000 bail and surrendering her passport. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Devyani Khobragade is India's deputy consul general in New York

National security adviser Shivshankar Menon branded the treatment "barbaric".

Foreign minister Salman Khurshid said the arrest was "completely unacceptable".

He added: "We have put in motion what we believe would be effective ways of addressing the issue but also (put) in motion such steps that need to be taken to protect her dignity."

But US State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said that diplomatic security staff had followed standard procedures during the arrest and then handed her over to US Marshals.

Indian TV reported the foreign ministry was considering checking the salaries paid by US embassy staff to domestic helpers and the withdrawal of certain privileges for some US diplomats and their families.

A statement issued by the public attorney for the Southern District of New York claimed Ms Khobragade had agreed with her nanny to pay just over a third of the $9.75 US law minimum rate.

India summoned the US ambassador on Friday to protest at the arrest.

Ms Khobragade faces a maximum of 15 years in jail if convicted on both counts.

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Russia And Ukraine Sign Deal Despite Protests

Russian President Vladimir Putin has slashed the cost of gas sold to Ukraine and agreed to buy billions of government bonds.

The deal comes amid massive protests in the Ukraine over the government rejecting closer ties with the European Union in favour of a new alliance with Russia.

Mr Putin agreed the deal after talks in Moscow with his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yanukovych.

Protesters have been camped on Kiev's main square for nearly a month angry at the prospect of being drawn back under the influence of its powerful neighbour.

Hundreds of thousands protested in Kiev on Sunday

Opposition leaders had warned Mr Yanukovich not to bother coming back to Ukraine if he "sells out" to Russia.

The deal sees Russian state-controlled gas monopoly Gazprom cutting the price of gas deliveries from January to $268 (£165) per 1,000 cubic metres from $400 (£246) per 1,000 cubic metres.

Mr Putin also said Russia would invest $15bn ($9.2bn) in Ukraine's government bonds.

The Russian President tried to ease concerns over the deal by saying the two leaders had not discussed the idea of Kiev joining a Kremlin-led free trade bloc.

Folk singers at one of the Kiev protest camps on Tuesday

"I would like to calm everyone down, today we have not discussed the issue of Ukraine joining the Customs Union at all," Mr Putin said.

The ex-Soviet nation has been at the heart of a diplomatic tug of war between east and west since Mr Yanukovich's refusal to sign an EU trade deal last month.

The demonstrations began on November 21, but have grown in size and intensity since after unsuccessful attempts by police to clear the protest camp.

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets on Sunday in a huge rally dubbed the 'day of dignity', where they demanded the resignation of the government and called for European human rights.

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US To Lose '$35bn A Year' Over NSA Spying

California's Silicon Valley is set to lose up to $35bn (£21bn) in revenue as companies and citizens use computer services in other nations to avoid snooping by US intelligence agencies, a new study has suggested.

In a report for the Washington DC-based Information Technology & Innovation Foundation think tank, senior analyst Daniel Castro said America's "entire tech industry has been implicated and is now facing a global backlash".

The possible loss, which covers the next three years, is based on the assumption that many companies outside the US will buy services in other countries rather than risk copies of their data being turned over to the US government.

The estimate comes amid claims some US tech firms have given access to spies to scoop up data from servers and 'cloud computing' warehouses.

In June National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden began leaking details of the extent of snooping done by US spies into the lives of ordinary people and companies.

Balfour Beatty led a $1.2bn consortium to build the NSA Utah data centre

All non-US citizens are considered legitimate surveillance targets of the NSA, which dwarfs the CIA in budget, manpower and signal intelligence (sigint) capabilities.

While the spies say they are thwarting terrorism, Mr Snowden's leaks have shown surveillance is much more widespread than previously realised, raising the ire of both Americans and foreigners.

But Britain may not be a winner in the data storage war, as many may turn towards continental European and Scandinavian alternatives. Irrespective of location, cloud computing is liable to being breached by illicit means.

Codebreakers at Britain's GCHQ - with surveillance treaty links dating back to 1943 with the US military - have also been implicated in widespread telephone, email and internet surveillance.

The Snowden revelations have claimed that both organisations, aided by their 'Five Eyes' second-tier partners in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, have infiltrated numerous financial institutions, governance organisations and companies.

The United Nations, money transfer firms and even online games have reportedly been targets.

The US has led the world in information technology and more than $1.3trn in shareholder wealth is tied up in Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Yahoo! alone, and the companies collectively employ more than 243,000 people.

Edward Snowden revealed widespread NSA eavesdropping

On Monday, eight top tech firms in the US sent an open letter to Barack Obama urging reform on American snooping.

The impact on offshore cloud computing could be large. According to the US International Trade Commission, exports of digitally enabled services from the US totalled $356bn (£210bn) in 2011.

Forrester Research analyst James Staten initially estimated the loss at $60bn (£36bn) a year but has since reassessed the loss to other nations as $20bn (£12bn) annually.

US tech firms are also worried about internet users curbing their social media usage and the amount of information they are willing to expose online - which directly impacts their revenue through lower advertising returns.

"We are now entering a new phase of the internet that I call 'data wars'," internet privacy specialist and SpiderOak chief executive Ethan Oberman said.

"It's all about who can amass the most personal data because that data has become so valuable that whoever accumulates the most is going to win."

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Zimmerman Girlfriend Wants Gun Case Dropped

George Zimmerman's girlfriend, who had accused him of pointing a gun at her, now wants a prosecutor to drop a domestic violence case against him.

Mr Zimmerman was arrested last month after Samantha Scheibe accused him in a 911 call of pointing a gun "at my frickin' face", smashing a coffee table and pushing her outside their Florida home.

He has now filed an affidavit from Ms Scheibe saying she does not want him charged with aggravated assault, battery and criminal mischief.

Ms Scheibe also wants a judge to lift an order that blocks her from seeing Mr Zimmerman, whom she called "my boyfriend".

"I am not afraid of George in any manner and I want to be with him," Ms Scheibe wrote.

She said detectives had misinterpreted what she said.

During the altercation in November, Mr Zimmerman also called dispatchers, denied pointing a gun at her and blamed her for the broken table.

Samantha Scheibe outside her Florida home

Prosecutors must now decide whether they will pursue the case against Mr Zimmerman, which they can despite the affidavit.

Mr Zimmerman's lawyer, Jayne Weintraub, said: "I'm hoping that the prosecutors will take a good hard look at this and take the target off of George's back and drop the charges."

Mr Zimmerman was acquitted of murder after the shooting of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old unarmed black teenager.

The case stirred racial tensions and led to demonstrations across the country.

Since the July ruling, however, the former neighbourhood watch volunteer has had several run-ins with the law.

He and his estranged wife, Shellie, were involved in a domestic dispute in September.

Police said no charges were filed against either of them because of a lack of evidence.

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Nelson Mandela Memorial: World Leaders In SA

Nelson Mandela: Obituary Of An Icon

Updated: 6:30am UK, Friday 06 December 2013

Nelson Mandela's long but ultimately successful struggle to liberate South Africa's oppressed black majority made him a figure of hope and inspiration for millions of people around the world.

Feisty young lawyer, determined founder of the ANC's youth movement, militant commander, prisoner, president - his role in the fight for freedom was constantly evolving throughout his life.

Alongside mentor Walter Sisulu and great friend Oliver Tambo, he brought focus to the anti-apartheid campaign where it was needed, but became an enemy of the state in the process.

In 1963, already behind bars and facing the death penalty during a sabotage trial, Mr Mandela gave his famous "speech from the dock".

The words - combative, but measured and full of hope - signalled the emergence of the statesman who would become an icon of the 20th century.

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He said: "I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination.

"I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.

"It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

The apartheid government jailed Mr Mandela and his comrades for life in 1964 but they could not lock away the ideas he embodied and the righteousness of his cause.

To allies of South Africa's racist regime - including some in Britain - Mr Mandela remained for many years a "terrorist".

But for campaigners Mr Mandela's 27-year ordeal behind bars, often in a cramped cell on Robben Island or in solitary confinement, represented all that was wrong with apartheid.

Pressure to free "prisoner 46664" went hand-in-hand with diplomacy and sanctions as the world set its sights on ending the injustice of South Africa's racial rule.

The beaming smile and joyful raised fist as he walked free from Paarl's Victor-Verster Prison with his wife Winnie on February 11, 1990, proved beyond doubt to most South Africans that a dark chapter in the country's history was coming to a close.

As President from 1994, Mr Mandela sought to build his "Rainbow Nation" - feted by world leaders as he crossed the globe outlining his vision of a non-racial democracy.

His campaign to unite the nation - black and white - behind the victorious Springboks rugby team during the 1995 World Cup in South Africa made many believe that vision could really be achieved.

An often troubled and traumatic personal life - including the split from Winnie following her kidnapping and assault trial - was never allowed to eclipse the greater goal of guiding South Africa into a new era.

After retiring in 1999, Mr Mandela - fondly known by his tribal name "Madiba" - settled into the role of "Father of the Nation".

Passing on the presidency to Thabo Mbeki, he was happy taking a step back from the political frontline, but always there to reassure his people  - a symbol of hope until the end.

Nelson Mandela was born in 1918 into the Madiba tribal clan, part of the Thembu people, in a small village in the eastern Cape of South Africa.

Born Rolihlahla Dalibhunga, he was given his English name by a teacher, Miss Mdingane, at his first school. It was customary for all children to be given English names.

His father, a counsellor to the Thembu royal family, died when Mr Mandela was a child, and he was placed in the care of the acting regent of the Thembu people, chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo.

He joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944, first as an activist, then president of the ANC Youth League.

Mr Mandela married his first wife, Walter Sisulu's cousin Evelyn Mase, in 1944 and the couple went on to have four children during a 14-year marriage.

In 1952, he and friend Oliver Tambo opened South Africa's first black law firm, using their offices to take on many civil rights cases and mount challenges to the apartheid system.

Mr Mandela was first charged with high treason in 1956 following the adoption of the Freedom Charter in Soweto - a document with demands including multi-racial, democratic government and equal rights for blacks - but was cleared when the prosecution failed to prove he was using violence.

In 1958 he divorced Evelyn and married Winnie Madikizela, who later became prominent in the ANC and the campaign to free her husband.

He was convinced to take up arms against the government following the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre - when police shot dead 69 peaceful demonstrators who were protesting against the segregationist Pass Law, which limited the freedom of the black population.

The government followed the massacre by banning the ANC, cracking down on strikers and protesters and applying apartheid restrictions even more severely as a state of emergency was declared.

As commander-in-chief of the ANC's armed wing from 1961, Mr Mandela secretly left the country to raise money and undergo military training in Morocco, Algeria and Ethiopia.

He returned in July 1962, but was arrested at a road block after briefing the ANC leadership on his trip.

Mr Mandela stood trial for incitement and leaving the country without a passport and this time there was no chance of an acquittal as he was jailed for five years and sent to Robben Island Prison for the first time.

He was behind bars when a group of his comrades were arrested in 1963. They were charged with sabotage in what became known as the Rivonia Trial - named after the farm raided by police.

In June 1964 - following a lengthy trial condemned by the UN Security Council - Mr Mandela and seven other activists were sentenced to life in prison.

He remained imprisoned on the infamous Robben Island for 18 years before being transferred to Pollsmoor jail on the mainland in 1982.

In the space of 12 months between 1968 and 1969, his mother died and his eldest son was killed in a car crash, but he was not allowed to attend their funerals.

In 1980, Oliver Tambo, who was in exile in London, launched an international campaign to win Mr Mandela's release. International resolutions and rock concerts alike were harnessed to highlight the cause.

As the world community upped the pressure against South Africa, with the US approving tough economic sanctions in 1986, secret talks began between Mr Mandela and PW Botha's government.

In 1990, President FW de Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC - paving the way for Mr Mandela's release on February 11.

The ANC and ruling National Party began talks about forming a new non-racial democracy for South Africa.

Relations between Mr Mandela and Mr de Klerk grew tense against a backdrop of violence between ANC supporters and Chief Buthelezi's Inkatha movement.

But the two leaders continued to meet and in December 1993 they were both awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Five months later, for the first time in South Africa's history, all races voted in democratic elections and Mr Mandela became president - having himself voted in an election for the first time in his life.

As president, Mr Mandela entrusted much day-to-day government business to his deputy Thabo Mbeki.

While his time in office was hailed as a triumph in terms of building the new South Africa, there was criticism for a failure to tackle the Aids epidemic and conditions in the country's slum townships.

Mr Mandela divorced Winnie in 1996 and married 52-year-old Graca Machel two years later, on his 80th birthday.

Mr Mandela stepped down as president after the ANC's landslide victory in the national elections in the summer of 1999, in favour of Mr Mbeki.

After his retirement he continued travelling the world, meeting leaders, attending conferences and raising money for good causes.

With thousands of requests every year, his problem was fitting everything in and not exhausting himself.

In June 2004, aged 85, Mr Mandela announced he would be retiring from public life as he wanted to enjoy more time with his family.

But he did make an exception to speak out about his son Makgatho's death from Aids in 2005 - challenging the taboo that surrounds the disease in Africa.

The 2010 World Cup closing ceremony in Johannesburg was the world's last glimpse of the iconic leader in a public role.

He may have been looking frail, wrapped up against the cold and not speaking, but the famous smile as he basked in South Africa's success underlined how far his country had come.

In recent years he battled bouts of ill health, with South Africans struggling to come to terms with the reality that he could not go on forever.

Mr Mandela had hospital treatment in early 2012 for abdominal pain and then endured another 18-day stay at the end of the year suffering from gallstones and a chest infection.

A picture taken on February 2 at his Johannesburg home - showing him holding great-grandson Zen Manaway on his lap - proved to be the last time Nelson Mandela's millions of admirers saw the world's most famous smile.

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Central African Republic: French Troops Killed

Two French soldiers have been killed in the Central African Republic, officials in Paris have confirmed.

The deaths represent the first French casualties since President Francois Hollande deployed 1,600 troops to restore order there.

A statement from the Elysee Palace said: "With much sadness, the president learned of the deaths in combat of two French soldiers last night in Bangui.

"They lost their lives to save many others.

"The president expresses his profound respect for the sacrifice of these two soldiers and renews his full confidence in the French forces committed - alongside African forces - to restoring security in the Central African Republic, to protecting the people and guaranteeing access to humanitarian aid."

Mr Hollande, who is in South Africa to attend the memorial for Nelson Mandela, was due to visit French troops in the Central African Republic later along with foreign minister Laurent Fabius.

The French troops are part of a UN-mandated effort to restore order in the CAR, a former French colony and one of the world's poorest countries.

The African Union is due to boost the existing peacekeeping mission to 6,000 men.

On Monday, peacekeeping troops began disarming fighters after a wave of sectarian violence in the capital left nearly 400 people dead.

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PIP Breast Implant Boss Jean-Claude Mas Jailed

The founder of a company that made substandard breast implants has been jailed for four years.

Jean-Claude Mas of Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) was found guilty of fraud after using industrial-grade silicone in thousands of breast implants sold worldwide.

The 74-year-old, dubbed "the sorcerer's apprentice of implants" by prosecutors, plans to appeal, according to his lawyer.

The scandal first emerged in 2010 after doctors noticed abnormally high rupture rates in PIP implants.

A global health scare erupted in 2011 with some 300,000 women in 65 countries believed to have received the faulty implants.

Jean-Claude Mas arriving in court for the verdict

Mas was also ordered to pay a €75,000 (£45,638) fine and has been permanently banned from working in medical services or running a company.

Four other former PIP executives were also convicted by the court in Marseille and given lesser sentences.

During a month-long trial in April, the defendants admitted using the industrial-grade silicone but Mas, who spent eight months in pre-trial detention, denied the company's implants posed any health risks.

More than 7,500 women have reported ruptures in the implants and in France alone 15,000 have had the PIP implants replaced.

But health officials in various countries have said they are not toxic and do not increase the risk of breast cancer.

More than 7,000 women had declared themselves civil plaintiffs in the case.

Mas, a one-time travelling salesman who got his start in the medical business by selling pharmaceuticals, founded PIP in 1991 to take advantage of the booming market for cosmetic implants.

He built the company into the third-largest global supplier of implants, but came under the spotlight when plastic surgeons began reporting an unusual number of ruptures in his products.

Health authorities later discovered he was saving millions of euros by using industrial-grade gel in 75% of the implants.

PIP's implants were banned and the company eventually liquidated.

PIP had exported more than 80% of its implants, with about half going to Latin America, about a third to other countries in western Europe, about 10% to eastern Europe and the rest to the Middle East and Asia.

In a similar case, a commercial court last month ordered the German company TUeV, which cleared PIP for certification, to pay damages to more than 1,600 women and six distributors.

The implants were filled with industrial-grade silicone and were prone to leaking.

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Nevada Family Go Missing In 'Brutal' Cold

Rescue teams are racing against the clock to find a couple and four children who have been missing in the bitter Nevada cold for almost two days.

The rescue teams have worked into the night to locate James Glanton, 34, his girlfriend Christina McIntee, 25, and the four children: a 10-year-old, two four-year-olds and a three-year-old.

Two of them are the couple's children, while one is a niece and one is a nephew, according to the Pershing County sheriff's office.

"It's got to be brutal out there," said Mark Turney, a spokesman for the US Bureau of Land Management.

Lovelock is in a rugged area where the group is believed to be. Pic: KOLO

"Let's hope they are found quick."

Temperatures plunged to minus 16F (minus 26C) on Monday in Lovelock, a rugged area where officials say the group might be, about 100 miles northeast of Reno.

The temperature is expected to drop below zero again today.

Planes and ground teams have combed the area.

While inches of snow have blanketed the area, the black top on the silver 2005 Jeep should help make it easier to spot from the air, authorities said. 

Clear skies expected today could also work in the pilots' favour. 

The family have not been heard from since they went missing on Sunday, according to the sheriff's office.

They went to the Seven Troughs area at about noon, and it was unclear what supplies they might have been carrying.

Several inches of snow have blanketed the area. Pic: KOLO

The Seven Troughs area is named after a series of seven parallel canyons, and is a remote and rocky area.

A cold snap has been gripping much of the US, with temperatures dropping to as low as minus 42F (minus 41C) in Montana.

Ice and snow have covered the mid-Atlantic and Texas before pushing up the East Coast.

The storm has forced the cancellation of thousands of flights, led to fatal incidents on treacherous roads, and caused power outages.

Another round of snow is in the forecast for the mid-Atlantic region today.

Public schools were closed in a number of areas including Washington, Philadelphia and parts of Kentucky and Tennessee.

In Ohio, overnight snowfall in central and southwest parts of the state was making the morning commute slow and messy and delayed the opening of hundreds of schools.

Valley Forge National Park in Pennsylvania

The cold weather also led officials in Washington to postpone a National Transportation Safety Board hearing into the crash-landing of an Asiana jet at San Francisco International Airport in July.

The agency said it hopes to reschedule the hearing into the crash, which left three dead, for later in the week.

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'Smoking Thief Sets Cars And Himself On Fire'

CCTV footage shows the moment a man accidentally set several cars on fire after allegedly lighting a cigarette while trying to steal petrol.

The 26-year-old, who was later found by police with burns on his leg, also appeared to be engulfed by flames.

He was charged with arson and illegal interference with a motor vehicle following the incident at a car park in Millicent, Australia, reports The Advertiser.

The scene of the fire

Fire crews were called and managed to stop the blaze from spreading to nearby buildings.

The damage is estimated at £60,884.

Car yard owner Angus McDonald told Channel Ten Eyewitness News: "He was trying to get the fuel out of the car by punching a hole in the tank - that's when the explosion happened.

"There's about $110,000 worth of cars that have been lost and there's a bit of damage to the walls.

"We were very lucky the workshop didn't catch on fire because there's cars just over the other side of the wall."

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Christian Brothers Criticised Over Child Abuse

By Vicki Hawthorne, Ireland Correspondent

Child abuse allegations were made against 325 members of one Catholic diocese in Ireland over a 38-year period but just 12 were convicted, an audit has found.

A review found the Christian Brothers' initial response to the need to report abuse to the authorities was not systematic and was inadequate.

It revealed allegations were made against a total of 325 Christian Brothers - only 50 of whom are still alive - with 870 complaints of abuse in the 38-year period, all of which have been reported to the authorities.

It is one of many reports into how Catholic diocese and religious orders in Ireland manage abuse allegations against priests by The National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church, which was set up to monitor child protection in the church.

In the Christian Brothers, the inspection board said one brother was returned to ministry after an allegation and only 12 brothers were convicted of offences against children.

It described the level of abuse from members of the order as substantial.

The report stated: "The number of convictions by the courts, compared to the numbers accused of child abuse, is significantly small."

The board has been analysing records of allegations against religious members from 1975 to the present day.

Since internal reviews in 2007 and 2009, the safeguarding board said it is now satisfied that reports are made promptly.

The Christian Brothers have said they accept that a safeguarding deficit existed in the past.

In a statement the religious order said: "We want to learn from the mistakes of the past and to create a safe environment for all children and young adults."

Another report found that in the Armagh Archdiocese, run by Ireland's most senior Catholic cleric Cardinal Sean Brady, the audit warned that it found little information on the receipt and management of allegations before 1995.

The report found Cardinal Brady, on taking up his role as Primate of All-Ireland in 1996, made a "commendable decision to gather and document whatever information was available".

Cardinal Brady has been heavily criticised in the past for swearing two victims of a paedophile priest to secrecy during an internal church inquiry in 1975. 

In a statement he said: "I know that for you, survivors of abuse and your families, days such as today are especially difficult.

"You have suffered terribly and I am truly sorry.

"I pray for you and will work to ensure that you are supported on your journey towards healing and peace."

He added: "While we acknowledge the report's findings that in the past the response was not as prompt, robust and co-ordinated as in the present, we will continue to do all we can to ensure that current high standards of safeguarding practice are maintained."

In preparation for the publication of the board reports, helplines in Ireland for survivors of clerical abuse have extended their opening hours.

:: The Towards Healing group is a free confidential counselling and support service which can be contacted on 1800 303416 from anywhere in Ireland, 0800 0963315 from Northern Ireland and the UK or by email on info@towardshealing.ie

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Obama And Castro Handshake At Mandela Tribute

Barack Obama has shaken hands with Cuban President Raul Castro at a memorial service for Nelson Mandela.

The handshake between the leaders of the two Cold War enemies came during a ceremony in Johannesburg that is largely focused on Mr Mandela's legacy of reconciliation. 

Mr Castro smiled as the US leader shook his hand on the way to the podium to pay tribute to the late South African president, a global symbol of peace.

It was an extremely rare gesture between the leaders of two nations that have been at loggerheads for more than half a century. US officials often have gone to great lengths to avoid having presidents meet Cuban leaders, even in passing.

It was Mr Obama who offered the handshake in a new sign of his willingness to reach out to US enemies, a US official told the AFP news agency.

Mr Obama and First Lady Michelle upon arrival in South Africa

In Havana, the government website Cubadebate.cu ran a photograph of the moment with the caption: "Obama greets Raul: May this image be the beginning of the end of the US aggressions against Cuba".

The two nations have had only limited ties for half a century, most of it under the iron fist rule of Raul's brother, Fidel Castro. 

The US maintains a five-decade-old embargo against the communist island nation, which Havana says has cost the economy $1.1tn.

Recently, the US and Cuba have taken small steps toward rapprochement.

The countries have reached agreements on cooperation on air and maritime rescue and on migratory issues. In 2011, Mr Obama eased restrictions on visas, remittances and travel.

Sky News Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall noted Mr Obama had to walk past Mr Castro on his way to podium. 

But he added: "The Americans will have pinpointed every single movement, every single second of Obama, from the moment he lands to the moment to he leaves.

"So they will have had the seating plan and so they did not take any steps to prevent it -  and I think that does tell us that there is the possibility of a rapprochement between the two countries."

Mr Obama spoke by telephone to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (R)

In 2009, Mr Obama made waves when he shook hands with the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, a strident US critic, at the Summit of the Americas.

In September, the US leader spoke by telephone with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in the first such gesture since the 1979 revolution in the Islamic republic.

The ceremony in memory of Mr Mandela, who died on Thursday at age 95, gathered heads of state from around the world.

Mr Obama also shook hands with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who has clashed with the US over alleged National Security Agency spying.

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