China Internet Users Increase By 51 Million

The number of people using the internet in China rose by 10% last year despite the introduction of tighter content rules by Communist leaders.

The increased popularity of mobile web surfing is thought to be behind the surge which brings the current number of web users in China to 564 million, a rise of 51 million.

According to the China Internet Network Information Centre, the number of Chinese web users who logged onto the internet from mobile phones, tablet computers and other wireless devices rose by 18.1% to 420 million in 2012.

In China, which is known for its strict censorship laws, the state encourages use of the internet for business or education, but blocks access to content believed to encourage disloyalty to the ruling party.

Access to overseas websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, is also blocked through what has become known as the "Great Firewall of China".

Only last month, the Communist Party enforced a law requiring all internet users to disclose their identity while online.

And in April, China's most popular microblog site Weibo was shut down for three days while operators deleted posts believed to have violated censorship rules.

Despite such attempts to control how the public use the internet, the web appears to be a hit with the Chinese.

Weibo, China's equivalent to Twitter, has more than 300 million users and the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass blocks on overseas websites remains popular in the country.

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Mali: First RAF Aircraft Lands With Supplies

An RAF transport aircraft loaded with French armoured vehicles has touched down in conflict-stricken Mali to help the fight against Islamist rebels.

French forces have been carrying out air attacks on the al Qaeda-backed rebels in the West African state in recent days.

The UK has offered two C-17 Globemaster transport planes to help out, but the Foreign Office has said there are no plans to deploy British ground forces.

The National Security Council will meet in London later but ministers insist the UK is only providing "limited logistical support".

French soldiers are tackling Islamist rebels in Mali

One aircraft has already landed and a second C-17 is due to leave shortly after suffering a "minor technical fault" in Paris.

Speaking in Abu Dhabi, French President Francois Hollande told Sky News: "We have obtained results. We have a goal, it's very simple; to obtain the withdrawal of terrorists and to push them abroad.

"We want the African (countries') armies to come as soon as possible to take their place. I know that the British government is behind us."

He had earlier said French forces carried out further air strikes overnight in Mali "which hit their targets".

"For now, we have 750 men and the number will increase so that as soon as possible we can leave the place to the African forces," he said.

Foreign Office minister Mark Simmonds said the situation in Mali is a "grave concern" to the UK due to fears the rebel-held north could become a "springboard for extremism".

But he stressed that David Cameron had offered only limited back-up support to Mr Hollande.

Troops from other West African countries are on their way to Mali

"The Prime Minister has made categorically clear that the initial supporting deployment will be for a period of one week," he told the Commons.

"He has also made clear that there will be no combat troops from the UK involved and we have no plans to provide more military assistance."

The US is also providing intelligence-gathering assistance to the French and the UN has now backed the military action.

The Security Council expressed unanimous "understanding and support" for military intervention, according to France's UN ambassador Gerard Araud.

The UN says more than 30,000 people have fled the fighting and accused the Islamists of stopping thousands of them from travelling south to government-held zones.

The Mali government appealed for France's help last week when the rebels began moving south.

Hundreds of French troops were deployed after the rebels overran the strategically important town of Konna - about halfway between Mali's northern and southern borders - on Thursday.

Thousands of African troops are also expected in Mali, to support local and French forces in their fight against the rebels.

On Sunday, French forces forced back Islamists from the strategic town of Konna.

But there was a setback when government forces lost the garrison village of Diabaly in central Mali, taking the rebels within 250 miles of Bamako.

Up to 60 Islamists are reported to have been killed in air assaults on Sunday, which were centred around Gao and Kidal.

Former foreign office minister Peter Hain has expressed scepticism at predictions by the French that their troops would be out of the country "in a matter of weeks".

"That seems to me pretty unlikely," he said. "This could become an incredibly long, drawn-out and difficult morass."

EU foreign ministers are to hold an extraordinary meeting this week, probably on Thursday, to discuss the situation.

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Egypt: Train Crash Leaves 19 Dead Near Cairo

At least 19 people have died and more than 100 are injured after a train derailed in Egypt.

Two coaches at the rear of the train, which was carrying army recruits, jumped the track shortly after midnight local time just outside the capital Cairo.

More than 60 ambulances were sent to the scene, where rescuers tried to reach survivors and bodies from a twisted heap of metal left on the side of the rails.

Health ministry officials said 107 people were being treated in hospitals near the site of the accident in Giza's Badrasheen neighbourhood.

Egypt's prime minister Hesham Qandeel was met with howls of outrage when he arrived at the scene, with local residents shouting, "You have blood on your hands, Mr Hesham," according to witnesses.

The accident is the latest in a string of deadly road and rail crashes in Egypt which have claimed thousands of lives.

It comes less than two weeks after a new transportation minister was appointed to overhaul the rail system.

According to media reports, it is the fifth fatal train accident since President Mohamed Morsi was sworn in as Egypt's first Islamist president in June.

The state-owned news website Ahram reported that the 12-carriage train was carrying 1,328 conscripted Egyptian soldiers heading north to Cairo from Assiut, about 350km (£217m) south of the capital.

Roy Hamad Gaafar, a survivor, said he was on board when the last two carriages detached from the rest and derailed.

He told the website: "I saw my colleagues' body parts strewn on the tracks."

The post of transport minister had been left vacant in the aftermath of an accident that killed 49 primary school children in November when a speeding train crashed into their school bus.

Accidents due to negligence regularly killed scores during the three-decade rule of the previous president Hosni Mubarak.

Widespread corruption has also been blamed for the underfunding of government services, like railways, particularly in poor provinces outside Cairo.

According to official statistics, rail and road accidents claimed more than 7,000 lives in 2010.

Transport minister Hatem Abdel Latif, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, said an investigation will be launched.

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Cleaner Steals Train And Hits House In Sweden

A cleaner has been arrested after stealing a train before it crashed at high speed into a house, Swedish officials say.

Police officers at the scene of the crash

The woman was seriously injured when the train derailed at Saltsjobaden station, southeast of Stockholm, and collided with the building, police spokesman Lars Bystrom confirmed.

She was flown to hospital in the capital city and has been arrested on suspicion of endangering the public.

The woman driving the train was seriously injured

The cleaner stole the four-carriage train at a depot then drove it around a mile (1.6km) before it crashed, a spokesman for train operator Arriva said.

Witnesses said the train did not slow down when it reached the station before smashing through the stop barriers at the end of the track.

No-one in the house, which sits around 50 metres from the stop barriers, was injured and there were no passengers on board the train at the time.

The building hit by the train was evacuated following the crash

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Japan: Heavy Snow Leaves Thousands Stranded

Thousands of people were left stranded at Tokyo's Narita International Airport after 71 flights were cancelled due to heavy snow.

A total of 3,400 travellers were forced to spend the night in the terminal as the season's first deluge in the Japanese capital left around three inches of snow.

Central Tokyo and Narita received some of the worst weather on Monday - a national holiday in Japan - causing major delays to traffic and trains.

Airport officials distributed sleeping bags, water and crackers to those passengers stuck at the airport.

But there was some relief for travellers, with only a few delays reported to flights at Narita on Tuesday.

Major Japanese train operator JR East said trains were also running on schedule.

But sections of several highways around Tokyo were still closed as workers battled to cleared away snow and ice.

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Pakistan: Clashes At Protests Called By Qadri

By Alex Rossi, Asia Correspondent

Security forces in Pakistan have fired live rounds in the air and used tear gas to try to control anti-government protests.

Television pictures also showed demonstrators throwing stones at a rally in Islamabad organised by the Sufi cleric Tahirul Qadri.

His supporters said the crowds prevented the cleric from being arrested by government forces.

Mr Qadri claimed the size of the crowd gathered on the main avenue leading to the government quarters was four million, but that figure is hugely exaggerated.

Mr Qadri spearheaded the unrest

City officials have put the number of protesters at roughly 30,000, which is in line with pictures streaming on Pakistani news networks.

Mr Qadri is a new - and possibly powerful player - in the opaque world of Pakistani politics.

He has just arrived in the country after spending many years in Canada and has set himself up as a champion of the people, pushing an anti-corruption agenda.

His call for widespread reforms has presented the ruling Pakistan People's Party with a massive headache.

It is blamed across the country for being corrupt, failing to deal with a growing Taliban insurgency, huge power shortages and an economy in freefall.

But many Pakistanis are sceptical about Mr Qadri's motives.

It is widely rumoured that he has the backing of the country's powerful military and is being used as a pawn in the run-up to the country's elections - which are expected to be held in May.

Mr Qadri is calling for the poll to be suspended indefinitely until Pakistan's endemic corruption is cleared up - something that would play into the army's hands as it could assume the role then of a caretaker government indefinitely.

Some analysts suggest this has the all the hallmarks of a soft coup in the making.

The military denies backing him, and it is far from clear where his campaign's finances come from.

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German Bank Heist: Robbers Tunnel Into Vault

Robbers dug a 30-metre tunnel into the vault of a Berlin bank, German police have said.

The criminals escaped with the contents of safety deposit boxes, setting fire to the tunnel as they left to destroy any evidence.

Berlin police spokesman Thomas Neuendorf said the tunnel led from an underground garage into Volksbank's safe deposit room.

Mr Neuendorf said the tunnel was "very professional" and must have taken weeks or possibly months to complete.

It was elaborately constructed and even had ceiling supports.

Police were alerted to the break-in early on Monday when a security guard noticed smoke coming from the deposit room.

Mr Neuendorf said officers were still trying to determine what valuables had been stolen from the deposit boxes.

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Gun Laws: New York Steals A March On Obama

New York state has independently agreed to bring in the toughest gun controls in the US, before Barack Obama has even had time to present his own nationwide proposals.

The president is only just weighing up steps to curb gun violence in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre which killed 20 children and six adults last month.

Meanwhile, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is poised to sign a bill which cracks down on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines and includes measures to keep the mentally ill from guns.

The legislation - which had bipartisan support - easily passed the state Senate and is expected to breeze through the Assembly after the chamber takes it up on Tuesday.

"This is a scourge on society," Gov, Cuomo said. "At what point do you say, 'No more innocent loss of life.'"

Governor Cuomo is poised to sign tough new gun laws

In Washington, Mr Obama and his vice president, Joe Biden, will face a much tougher task.

The president, facing a polarised Congress reluctant to tighten restrictions, said politicians would have to "examine their own conscience".

Mr Obama is examining 19 steps that could be taken through the president's executive powers alone, congressional officials have said.

He could reveal more details as early as Wednesday.

They include a crackdown on those who lie on background checks; only a tiny number are now prosecuted.

Barack Obama takes questions from reporters on gun laws on Monday

Such a step has support from the powerful gun lobby, the National Rifle Association, which has consistently argued that existing laws must be enforced before new ones are considered.

Mr Obama proposals are also expected to include steps for improving school safety and mental health care, as well as recommendations for addressing violence in entertainment and video games.

At the same time the president is vowing not to back off his more controversial changes which will require congressional backing.

However the NRA and its political allies are fiercely opposed to any laws that would limit access to guns and ammunition.

The assault weapons ban, which the president has long supported, is expected to face the toughest road in Congress.

Mr Obama will also need congressional help to limit high-capacity ammunition magazines, like the ones used by the Newtown shooter, and to require background checks for anyone seeking to purchase a gun.

The president's new resolve follows a lack of movement in tackling gun violence throughout much of his first term, despite several high-profile shootings.

Ian and Nicole Hockley at the launch of the Sandy Hook Promise group

He called the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, the worst day of his presidency and has vowed to take action.

One month on, parents of the murdered children - including those of British victim Dylan Hockley - called for a national dialogue on Monday to help prevent similar tragedies.

"This is a promise to do everything in our power to be remembered not as the town filled with grief and victims, but as the place where real change began," Nicole Hockley said.

"Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday; other times it feels like many years have passed. …It's so hard to believe he's gone," she said.

"I still find myself reaching for Dylan's hand to walk through the parking lot, or expect him to come crawling in to bed for morning cuddles before he goes off to school."

The families have created an organisation called the Sandy Hook Promise to lobby for change.

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Pakistan: Top Court Orders PM Ashraf's Arrest

Pakistan's supreme court has ordered the arrest of prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf over corruption claims.

The surprise move plunges the country into fresh political turmoil and came as populist cleric Tahirul Qadri demanded the resignation of the government in protests attended by thousands in capital Islamabad.

Mr Ashraf is currently fighting allegations he received payments in return for his role, while energy minister, in overseeing the introduction of "rental power" projects that are said to have produced very little power.

Nicknamed 'Raja Rental' by the press, he is also accused of buying property in London from money earned through corruption in a series of scams.

Lawyer Aamir Abbas said: "The chief justice ordered that all concerned, regardless of their rank, who have been booked in the case be arrested and if someone leaves the country, then chairman of NAB (anti-corruption watchdog) will be held responsible along with his investigating team.

"The 16 include Raja Ashraf."

Mr Qadri, who is believed to be backed by the military, mentioned the supreme court's decision during his speech to protesters, who responded with chants of "long live supreme court".

The prime minister's adviser, Fawad Chaudhry, condemned the court's order, calling it unconstitutional.

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Lance Armstrong Interview: Oprah 'Surprised'

Oprah Winfrey has said Lance Armstrong "did not come clean in the manner I expected" during a two-and-a-half hour interview with the disgraced cyclist.

The shamed sportsman reportedly admitted using performance-enhancing drugs to the US talk show host, ending a decade of denial.

And speaking to CBS after the interview, Winfrey said she was "satisfied" with the confessional.

"I would say he did not come clean in the manner that I expected," she said.

The interview will be aired on Oprah Winfrey's television network

"It was surprising to me. I would say for myself, my team ... we were mesmerised and riveted by some of his answers.

"I feel he answered the questions in a way that (suggested) he was ready. I can only say I was satisfied with the answers."

Asked if Armstrong was contrite during the interview, Winfrey said: "I choose not to characterise.

"I would rather people make their own decisions about whether he was contrite or not. I felt that he was thoughtful, I thought that he was serious, I thought that he certainly had prepared himself for this moment. I would say that he met the moment.

"At the end of it... we were both pretty exhausted."

She also dismissed fears expressed before the interview that she may give Armstrong an "easy ride" adding that the confessional would be screened over two shows, to avoid cutting it down too much.

Winfrey said she had not planned to comment on the interview before it was screened, but decided to do so after it was widely reported he had admitted drug use.

Meanwhile, cycling's governing body, the International Cycling Union (UCI) urged Armstrong to testify before its independent commission on doping.

"If these reports are true, we would strongly urge Lance Armstrong to testify to the Independent Commission established to investigate the allegations made against the UCI in the recent USADA reasoned decision on Lance Armstrong and the United States Postal Service (USPS) team," the federation said in a statement.

Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles last year after a US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) report said he was a ruthless competitor, willing to go to any lengths to win the prestigious race.

USADA chief executive Travis Tygart labelled the doping regime allegedly carried out by the US Postal Service team that Armstrong once led "the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen".

The interview with Winfrey is Armstrong's first public response to the report.

He is not expected to have provided a detailed account about his involvement, or addressed in depth many of the specific allegations made in the more than 1,000-page report.

A government source has told ABC News that Armstrong had also met authorities to discuss paying back some of his former team's sponsorship money from the US Postal Service.

The source also suggests Armstrong may give the names of others involved in illegal doping - leading to a possible reduction of his lifetime ban.

The American has apologised to staff at his Livestrong Foundation, saying he was sorry for the distress he had caused. He vowed he would repair the foundation's reputation.

Armstrong is said to be worth around $100m (£62m). However, most sponsors dropped him after USADA's scathing report - at the cost of tens of millions of dollars - and soon after, he left the board of Livestrong.

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