Illinois Lottery Winner Urooj Khan Poisoned

A man who died after winning $1m (£620,000) in the Illinois Lottery was poisoned with cyanide, a medical examiner has ruled.

Urooj Khan, who scooped the bumper prize in the summer, was initially found to have died of natural causes but a full toxicology test, demanded by a relative, has now revealed he had ingested a deadly amount of cyanide.

A murder investigation has been launched by the Chicago Police Department, and it is likely that the lottery winner's body will be exhumed as part of the inquiry.

Cook County medical examiner Stephen Cina said such cases of cyanide poisoning were "pretty unusual".

"I've had one, maybe two cases out of 4,500 autopsies I've done," he added.

The next step in the probe could be to exhume Mr Kahn's body

Mr Khan died on July 20, 2012, a day after the $425,000 (£264,000) cheque from his lottery win was issued.

Instead of taking the full amount in instalments, Mr Khan opted for a lump sum of just over $600,000 (£372,000). After taxes, the winnings amounted to about $425,000 (£264,000).

Mr Khan's cheque was cashed on August 15. If a lottery winner dies, the money normally goes to his or her estate.

The 46-year-old, who owned a number of dry cleaners, bought the winning scratchcard at a 7-Eleven shop near his home in West Rogers Park, Chicago.

He recalled the win days later at a ceremony in which Illinois Lottery officials presented him with the cheque, explaining how he jumped up and down and repeatedly shouted: "I hit a million!"

The 7-Eleven store where Mr Khan purchased his winning ticket

He said he was so overjoyed he ran back into the store and tipped the sales assistant $100 (£62).

"Winning the lottery means everything to me," Mr Khan added at the ceremony in June, which was also attended by his wife, their daughter, and several friends.

He said he would put some of his winnings into his businesses and donate some to a children's hospital.

At the time of Mr Khan's death, no signs of trauma were found and a post mortem was not carried out because they were not automatically performed by the Cook County medical examiner on those aged 45 and older unless the death was suspicious.

The cut-off age has since been raised to 50.

A basic toxicology screening for opiates, cocaine and carbon monoxide came back negative, and the death was ruled to be a result of the narrowing and hardening of coronary arteries.

But a family member, who has not been identified, came forward and asked the authorities to look into the case further.

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'Dating Game' Killer Sentenced In 1970s Murders

A California serial killer has been sentenced in New York to an additional 25 years to life after pleading guilty to murdering two young women in the 1970s.

Rodney Alcala said last month he wanted to plead guilty to the two New York murder counts so he could get back to California - where he was sentenced to death for convictions on five other killings - to pursue an appeal there.

The 69-year-old, dubbed the Dating Game killer, had complained that his jailers in New York would not give him access to a laptop computer and legal records.

Family and friends of Cornelia Crilley and Ellen Hover filled the courtroom in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, having waited decades since the losses of their loved ones for this day.

Cornelia Crilley (L) and Ellen Hover

Ms Crilley, 23, was found strangled with a stocking in her Manhattan apartment in 1971.

Ms Hover, also 23, was living in Manhattan when she vanished in 1977. Her remains were found the next year in the woods on a suburban estate.

The emotions in the courtroom were running high.

"This kind of case is something I've never experienced - hope to never again," Judge Bonnie Whittner said, choking back tears as she sentenced Alcala.

When she finished pronouncing the sentence, she put her head in her hand.

Tearful family members react to the sentencing

Alcala was indicted in 2011 in the killings of the two young women in New York, partly on evidence that emerged during a California murder trial.

Alcala has spent the last three decades tangling with California authorities in a series of trials and overturned convictions.

He eventually was found guilty in 2010 of killing four women and a 12-year-old girl in southern California in the 1970s.

He represented himself at trial, offering a defence that involved showing a clip of his 1978 appearance on the popular former television show The Dating Game and playing Arlo Guthrie's classic 1967 song Alice's Restaurant.

Alcala had been a suspect in Ms Hover's death for decades and in Ms Crilley's killing for at least several years.

A detective went to talk to Alcala again in 2005. According to court papers, on learning that the investigator was from New York, Alcala asked: "What took you so long?"

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Afghanistan: Green On Blue Attacks Rising

The central role of the foreign forces deployed in Afghanistan is to train the national army and police to a level so they can maintain order in the country and counter the threat of the Taliban when Nato withdraws by the end of 2014.

Given the scale of the task and the speed with which it has to be completed, many have always doubted it could be achieved to anything but a mediocre level.

The advent and increasing growth of so-called "Green on Blue" attacks, where Afghans turn their weapons on their foreign mentors, is in danger of making even that mediocre goal seem almost impossible.

The bulk of the training and mentoring is carried out by British and American forces based in Helmand and Kandahar.

These are the two most deadly provinces, where the Taliban are strongest and where the production of opium-providing poppies gives them an unstoppable revenue stream.

The latest attack happened in Nar-e Saraj in Helmand Province

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the latest attack that killed a soldier from 28 Engineer Regiment. That may or may not be true, but they have promised to infiltrate for years and the poppy revenue gives them the ability to pay would-be converts far more than the Afghan government pays its armed forces.

Isaf force commanders have attempted to introduce protocols to protect their people.

On patrol and in remote camps soldiers regularly appoint a colleague, a so-called Guardian Angel, to watch their backs while they work, soldiers always carry loaded weapons, counter-intelligence has been boosted and recruitment procedures have been tightened to better assess who is signing up.

The effect: Relations between Nato personnel and their Afghan colleagues have worsened and the Green on Blue attacks have actually got worse.

Nato commanders and the Afghan government have continued to maintain that these attacks are largely a clash of cultures.

It is claimed Afghan soldiers angered by a perception of Western decadence and lack of respect, or angered at carrying out orders from foreign mentors, "snap" and attack unexpectedly.

Certainly this has happened. I have been on many joint patrols where relations between the two forces have been terrible. But in my experience the British soldiers do almost all the hard work; manually stacking water and food, lighting fires and - oh yes - actually doing all the fighting.

I have witnessed many instances where young British soldiers have slept outside in freezing conditions rather than risk being sexually molested by Afghan soldiers and thereby avoiding an understandable and likely confrontation.

However, there have been some well documented atrocities by American soldiers on civilians and also stories about the desecration of the Koran and the bodies of dead Taliban fighters. Those, and the policy of night raids (now greatly controlled and reduced) on villages that have led to civilian casualties, certainly acted as a recruiting sergeant for the Taliban.

But in reality, having realised they couldn't defeat the Western forces, the Taliban have moulded their war of attrition to suit their strengths. Persuading men to turn against the army, the police and their mentors is certainly part of their plan.

The Taliban know that the war is unpopular in the West. They know that more deaths, when the withdrawal is imminent, seem a pointless waste to much of the population in the coalition countries.

The decision to announce a timetable for the withdrawal, and sticking to it, means the Taliban have no desire to negotiate anything. They can bide their time and undermine the credibility of the whole Afghan project.

When the withdrawal happens the Taliban will strengthen its grip on the south of the country and use its opium revenues to fund a potential civil war with the cities where the government clings to power.

President Karzai travels to the US this week to meet President Obama for talks about future troop levels. He can be certain that the Green on Blue issue will be at the top of the agenda.

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Ivory Poachers Kill Elephant Family In Kenya

A family of 11 elephants has been killed by poachers in Kenya in what officials describe as the biggest single mass shooting of the animals on record in the country.

A gang of about 10 attackers hacked off the elephants' tusks in Tsavo East National Park on Saturday, officials said - the latest sign of a rise of mostly Asian demand for ivory jewellery and ornaments.

"It shows the great lengths these criminal cartels are ready to go to get ivory. It's really tragic," Kenya Wildlife Service spokesman Paul Udo said.

He said it was the worst single incident of its kind recorded in the East African country.

Smuggled elephant tusks recovered from Nairobi airport last year

Elephant poaching in Kenya fell sharply after 1989 when the government banned trade in ivory.

But there has been a rise in the illegal practice in recent years.

Demand for ornamental ivory is rising fast in Asia in tandem with growing Chinese influence and investment in Africa.

The Kenya Wildlife Service said foot, dog and aerial units were hunting the gang.

"The entire family of 11 elephants have been confirmed poached and tusks chopped off. All the carcasses had bullet wounds," the service said in a statement.

In May last year, 359 tusks weighing 1.6 tons impounded in Sri Lanka were found to have come from Kenya's Mombasa port.

Then, last October, police found 214 tusks worth £820,000 hidden in a coffin and fertiliser bags in neighbouring Tanzania.

Smugglers had planned to transport the ivory to Kenya for onward shipment to Asia, police said.

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British Soldier Shot Dead In Afghanistan

Green On Blue Attacks Worsening

Updated: 12:19pm UK, Tuesday 08 January 2013

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent

The central role of the foreign forces deployed in Afghanistan is to train the national army and police to a level so they can maintain order in the country and counter the threat of the Taliban when Nato withdraws by the end of 2014.

Given the scale of the task and the speed with which it has to be completed, many have always doubted it could be achieved to anything but a mediocre level.

The advent and increasing growth of so-called "Green on Blue" attacks, where Afghans turn their weapons on their foreign mentors, is in danger of making even that mediocre goal seem almost impossible.

The bulk of the training and mentoring is carried out by British and American forces based in Helmand and Kandahar.

These are the two most deadly provinces, where the Taliban are strongest and where the production of opium-providing poppies gives them an unstoppable revenue stream.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the latest attack that killed a soldier from 28 Engineer Regiment. That may or may not be true, but they have promised to infiltrate for years and the poppy revenue gives them the ability to pay would-be converts far more than the Afghan government pays its armed forces.

Isaf force commanders have attempted to introduce protocols to protect their people.

On patrol and in remote camps soldiers regularly appoint a colleague, a so-called Guardian Angel, to watch their backs while they work, soldiers always carry loaded weapons, counter-intelligence has been boosted and recruitment procedures have been tightened to better assess who is signing up.

The effect: Relations between Nato personnel and their Afghan colleagues have worsened and the Green on Blue attacks have actually got worse.

Nato commanders and the Afghan government have continued to maintain that these attacks are largely a clash of cultures.

It is claimed Afghan soldiers angered by a perception of Western decadence and lack of respect, or angered at carrying out orders from foreign mentors, "snap" and attack unexpectedly.

Certainly this has happened. I have been on many joint patrols where relations between the two forces have been terrible. But in my experience the British soldiers do almost all the hard work; manually stacking water and food, lighting fires and - oh yes - actually doing all the fighting.

I have witnessed many instances where young British soldiers have slept outside in freezing conditions rather than risk being sexually molested by Afghan soldiers and thereby avoiding an understandable and likely confrontation.

However, there have been some well documented atrocities by American soldiers on civilians and also stories about the desecration of the Koran and the bodies of dead Taliban fighters. Those, and the policy of night raids (now greatly controlled and reduced) on villages that have led to civilian casualties, certainly acted as a recruiting sergeant for the Taliban.

But in reality, having realised they couldn't defeat the Western forces, the Taliban have moulded their war of attrition to suit their strengths. Persuading men to turn against the army, the police and their mentors is certainly part of their plan.

The Taliban know that the war is unpopular in the West. They know that more deaths, when the withdrawal is imminent, seem a pointless waste to much of the population in the coalition countries.

The decision to announce a timetable for the withdrawal, and sticking to it, means the Taliban have no desire to negotiate anything. They can bide their time and undermine the credibility of the whole Afghan project.

When the withdrawal happens the Taliban will strengthen its grip on the south of the country and use its opium revenues to fund a potential civil war with the cities where the government clings to power.

President Karzai travels to the US this week to meet President Obama for talks about future troop levels. He can be certain that the Green on Blue issue will be at the top of the agenda.

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Waterfall Death: Tributes Paid To Josh Furber

The British tourist who died after falling from a waterfall has been named as Josh Furber.

The 20-year-old, reportedly from Runcorn in Cheshire, had been living near Sydney's Bondi Beach with friends.

He was killed on Sunday afternoon whilst on a walk in the Blue Mountains near Sydney when he slipped over the edge of Wentworth Falls, according to police.

In the weeks before his death, Mr Furber had written on Twitter about how he loved living in Australia.

One tweet said: "The world is a beautiful place." In others he wrote about walking on the beach, living his dreams and being excited for New Year's Eve in Sydney.

Friends have paid tribute on Twitter and Facebook.

One wrote: "Still shocked!! Can't believe it! RIP @JoshFurb thinking of you an your family!!"

Another posted: "Madness RIP @JoshFurb taken way to soon still shocked. At least he died living what most people dream of. Sending love to his family."

New South Wales police said Mr Furber, a student at Leeds Metropolitan University, had travelled to the mountains with friends for a walk and a picnic.

He is believed to have fallen around 100 metres after slipping on rocks.

A police spokeswoman described the area as "extremely rugged and difficult to access".

The Blue Mountains national park is about 37 miles west of Sydney and covers around a million hectares, according to the Destination New South Wales website.

A World Heritage site, the landscape of huge cliffs, deep rainforest gullies, sandstone canyons and waterfalls forms part of the traditional country of the Aboriginal people.

Wentworth Falls is a three-tiered waterfall near a town of the same name.

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Milky Way 'Has 17 Billion Earth-Like Planets'

The Milky Way is home to at least 17 billion planets of a similar size to Earth, according to a new estimate by scientists.

The galaxy containing our solar system is known to host about 100 billion stars, meaning that around one in six has an Earth-sized planet around it.

However, Dr Francois Fressin of the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, said it was "simply too early to call" how many were located in areas which could make them habitable.

To support life, a planet must not only be the right size but also in the so-called Goldilocks zone where it is not too hot or too cold for water to be in liquid form on the surface.

Dr Fressin and his team came up with their figure by conducting a fresh analysis of data collected by Nasa's Kepler telescope, which was launched in 2009 to track down other Earths.

"If you look up on a starry night, each star you're looking at - almost each one of them - has a planetary system," he said.

They found that 17% of stars have a planet 0.8 to 1.25 times the size of Earth in an orbit of 85 days or less.

Kepler-22b is believed to be the most Earth-like planet ever discovered

About a quarter of stars have a super Earth (1.25 to twice the size of Earth) in an orbit of 150 days or less, with a same fraction having a mini Neptune (two to four times the size of Earth) in orbits up to 250 days long.

Larger planets are a much rarer occurrence. Only about 3% of stars have a large Neptune (four to six times the size of Earth) and only 5% have a gas giant (six to 22 times the size of Earth) in an orbit of 400 days or less.

Separately, Nasa's Kepler mission announced it had discovered 461 new possible planets, bringing the total to 2,740 potential planets.

Four of them are less than twice the size of Earth and orbit their sun's "habitable zone," where liquid water might exist on the planet's surface.

"You need very specific conditions to have liquid water," explained Christopher Burke, a scientist with the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California.

"You can't have your planet too close to your star where it's too hot. You can't have it too far away for the planet conditions to be too cold.

"We're trying to find these planets in this very specific habitable zone."

The Kepler telescope works by tracking slight decreases in the amount of light coming from 160,000 target stars caused by a planet or planets passing by, or transiting, relative to the telescope's point of view.

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India Gang Rape: Two Men To Plead Not Guilty

Two of the men accused of gang-raping and killing a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus in Delhi will plead not guilty to all charges, their lawyer has said.

Mukesh Singh and Akshay Thakur are among five suspects charged with abduction, rape and murder over the December 16 attack on the medical student.

A sixth accused, who is 17, will be tried in a separate court for juveniles.

M L Sharma, who says he represents Thakur and Singh, the brother of the bus driver involved in the attack, said: "They will plead not guilty to all charges.

"Nothing has been proven yet."

Protesters are calling for the death penalty

Officials at Tihar jail, the maximum security prison where the accused are being held, said Mr Sharma had met the two defendants earlier on Tuesday.

Police earlier told reporters they have identified bloodstains linking the men to the attack, but Mr Sharma said he would challenge police over their handling of evidence.

Mr Sharma refused to give further details.

On Monday, the five accused men faced court for the first time since the attack.

But the hearing had to be closed after noisy protests from lawyers objecting to the suspects being given defence counsels, and a crush of journalists straining to hear proceedings in the tiny room.

The next hearing, which will be held behind closed doors, has been scheduled for January 10 when a magistrate is expected to transfer the case for trial in a special fast-track court.

The case has sparked massive protests across India, where statistics show a woman is raped every 20 minutes, and protesters are calling for all rape suspects to be hanged.

Two of the accused, hiding their identity, at the court appearance

Further protests erupted after a popular Indian spiritual guru said the 23-year-old victim should share blame with her attackers for the December 16 attack.

Asharam, known to his followers as "Bapu", or father, told his devotees the victim was also at fault because she should have begged for mercy.

"This tragedy would not have happened if she had chanted God's name and fallen at the feet of the attackers. The error was not committed by just one side," he said in video footage which has been widely circulated on the internet.

The 71-year-old's remarks drew a chorus of condemnation, including from Ravi Shankar Prasad, spokesman for the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.

Mr Prasad said: "For him to make the statement in relation to a crime which has shocked the conscience of the country is not only unfortunate but deeply regrettable."

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Boeing 787 Dreamliner Catches Fire In Boston

An electrical fire onboard a Boeing 787 aircraft has prompted further concerns about the Dreamliner's delayed introduction.

The Japan Air Lines jet filled with smoke after arriving at Boston, following a non-stop flight from Tokyo.

The fire chief at Logan airport said a a fault occurred in the battery pack for the plane's auxiliary power unit, which runs the jet's electrical systems when it is not getting power from its engines.

Fire crews using infrared equipment found flames in a small compartment in the plane's belly and had the fire out in about 20 minutes, he said.

A Boston fire chief inspects the Dreamliner

Massachusetts Port Authority's fire chief Bob Donahue said there was a flare-up later when a rechargeable battery exploded.

He said it was too soon to know the cause.

About 15 minutes after all 173 passengers and 11 crew members had disembarked, a mechanic spotted light smoke in the cockpit and cabin.

"When we arrived, it was a heavy smoke, and that was in three minutes, so this was advancing," Mr Donahue said.

The model was originally planned for launch in 2009 but production has been beset with technical problems. It was first delivered in late 2011.

In November 2010, a test flight had to make an emergency landing after an in-flight electrical fire - delaying test flights for several weeks.

Last month, a United Airlines 787 flying from Texas to New Jersey diverted to New Orleans because of an electrical problem with a power distribution panel.

The head of Qatar Airways recently criticised Boeing after its delivery-delayed planes were grounded for five days because of the electrical faults.

A prototype Dreamliner was displayed at Farnborough in 2010

It came as the US aviation watchdog discovered fuel line assembly errors.

It said that the faults could result in fire risk from leaks dripping on hot engine parts or causing the aircraft to run out of fuel.

British Airways has ordered 24 Dreamliners from Boeing and is still expecting its first 787 in May, with a further three due for delivery before the end of 2013.

Virgin Atlantic has 16 Dreamliners on order and told Sky News it still expects its first delivery in 2014.

Thomson Airways has also placed orders for the hi-tech long-haul Boeing plane, which has been marketed as being more comfortable and environmentally friendly than other aircraft.

A spokeswoman for Thomson told Sky News: "Our first Thomson Dreamliner is still on track to be delivered early this year. Boeing has reassured us that they are taking action to rectify the issues highlighted to them."

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Weather Map Scale Changed Amid Australia Heat

Record temperatures have forced the Australian government's weather bureau to increase its scale to 54C to reflect the extreme highs forecast for next week.

The temperature in parts of central Australia could soar to above 50C next Monday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).

Head of climate monitoring and prediction David Jones said the new scale, which features a purple and pink colour code for temperatures from 52 to 54C, shows there is potential for records to be smashed.

"The scale has just been increased today and I would anticipate it is because the forecast coming from the bureau's model is showing temperatures in excess of 50 degrees," Mr Jones told local newspapers.

Australia's all-time record temperature is 50.7C, set in January 1960 at Oodnadatta in the state of South Australia.

The nation as a whole experienced its hottest day on record on Monday with the average maximum temperature across the country hitting 40.33C, surpassing the previous mark of 40.17C set in 1972.

More than 100 fires blazed in New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, where officials described the heat, wind and dry vegetation conditions as among the worst the state had ever seen for bushfires.

Dunalley in Tasmania has been destroyed by bushfires

"We had the hottest day on record for Australia (on Monday) and today it looks like we may well go better again," said Mr Jones.

"This really puts the national dimension of this heat event into bigger context."

Speaking about devastating bushfires that razed 100 homes in the southern island state of Tasmania at the weekend, Prime Minister Julia Gillard warned this week that Australia would see more extreme events due to global warming.

"Whilst you would not put any one event down to climate change, weather doesn't work like that, we do know over time that as a result of climate change we are going to see more extreme weather events and conditions," Ms Gillard said.

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