Double Arm Transplant For Injured US Soldier

An American soldier who lost all four limbs in a roadside blast in Iraq has received a double-arm transplant.

Brendan Marrocco, who is from New York City, was injured in 2009.

The 26-year-old had the operation last month at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. 

The transplants are only the seventh such double-hand or double-arm transplants ever conducted in the United States.

Mr Marrocco is due to discuss his new arms at a news conference on Tuesday at the hospital.

But he has already mentioned the transplant on Twitter and posted photos.

"Ohh yeah today has been one month since my surgery and they already move a little," he tweeted earlier this month.

The US military sponsors transplant operations for  wounded troops.

About 300 or so have lost arms or hands in the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns.

The 13-hour operation was led by Dr W P Andrew Lee, who said it will take more than a year to know how fully Mr Marrocco will be able to use the new arms.

"The maximum speed is an inch a month for nerve regeneration," he explained.

"We're easily looking at a couple years" until the full extent of recovery is known.

Mr Marrocco also received bone marrow from the same donor who supplied his new arms.

This should help his body accept the new limbs with minimal medication to prevent rejection.

He has appeared in public many times since he was injured, including a visit to the September 11 Memorial last year, where he said he had no regrets about his military service.

"I wouldn't change it in any way ... I feel great. I'm still the same person," he said.

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Bill Gates: Eradicating Polio Is Possible

Bill Gates, whose foundation has donated billions of dollars to improving global health and fighting polio, has said the disease can be defeated within six years.

The billionaire philanthropist said investment must be kept up if polio is to be eradicated in the three countries where it remains endemic: Pakistan, neighbouring Afghanistan and Nigeria.

"It's not going to be easy but it's doable," Mr Gates told Sky News.

"It'll be between two and four years, I think, before we get the cases to zero, and then we have to keep vaccinating for two years to make absolutely sure we didn't miss anything.

"So the full final certification could be in the six-year time frame."

According to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which was launched in 1988, about 2.5 billion children around the world have been vaccinated against the highly infectious disease, which can cause paralysis in a matter of hours.

The number of polio cases per year has decreased by 99% to just 222 last year.

But the job is not done, Mr Gates said.

Authorities had to suspend a vaccination campaign in areas of Pakistan in December after nine workers were killed by gunmen.

The campaign resumed this month, but police said that an officer who was escorting a team of polio workers in northwestern Pakistan had been shot dead on Tuesday.

The Taliban has accused health workers of acting as US spies and claimed the vaccine makes children sterile or impotent.

Efforts in Pakistan have been hampered by attacks on the health workers

Mr Gates, one of the world's most prominent philanthropists, called the death of the workers in December an "incredible tragedy".

"It's a great illustration of why we need a lot of resources, a lot of very smart people to get it done in the three countries," he said, adding that those nations are going to be the "very toughest".

"We owe it to them to make sure that they don't suffer because being paralysed in these countries is such an awful thing," Mr Gates added.

If the efforts are successful, polio would become the second disease to be completely eradicated after smallpox, Mr Gates said.

"It would energise us to do a lot more important work."

The Microsoft founder was speaking from Berlin. He was in Davos last week for the World Economic Forum.

The foundation co-chaired by him and his wife Melinda is the world's biggest private philanthropic organisation with an endowment worth more than $33bn (£21bn).

It is spending about $80m (£51m) a year on water, sanitation and hygiene issues.

Mr Gates said he gets great joy from his philanthropy and urged other wealthy people to pick a cause, be active about it and put their wealth to good use.

"It's certainly better than passing it along in your will or lavishing it on luxuries," he said.

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Kazakhstan: 20 Feared Dead In Plane Crash

A plane reported to be carrying 20 passengers and crew has crashed near Almaty, Kazakhstan.

All 20 people - 15 passengers and five crew - on board were killed, Russia's Interfax news agency reported, quoting SCAT airlines.

The accident reportedly happened near Almaty, the financial capital of the Central Asian country, close to the border with neighbouring Kyrgyzstan.

The plane had been en route from the city of Kokshetau in northern Kazakhstan to the southeast city when it crashed near the village of Kyzyl Tu, Interfax said.

There was thick fog in the area.

"There was no fire, no explosion. The plane just plunged to the earth," said Yuri Ilyin, deputy head of the city's emergency department.

SCAT is based in Kazakhstan and operates extensive domestic services and some international flights.

The type of plane involved in the crash is not yet known; SCAT flies Boeing 757s and 737s, along with the Yak-42 and the An-24, according to reports.

It was the second plane crash in the former Soviet republic in just a over a month.

A military transport airplane crashed in bad weather near the southern Kazakh city of Shymkent on December 25, killing all 27 people on board.

Prosecutors have said that a fatal combination of technical problems, bad weather and human errors caused that accident.

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Iraqis Seek UK Troop Abuse Public Inquiry

Scores of lawyers representing Iraqis are going to the High Court seeking an "independent" public inquiry into allegations that British interrogators were guilty of the systemic abuse of civilians in Iraq.

Lawyers for the Iraqis allege there were a number of unlawful killings as well as incidents of torture from March 2003 to December 2008 in British-controlled detention facilities.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond plans to investigate the claims through the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT), which includes members of the Royal Navy Police (RNP).

Public Interest Lawyers (PIL), who are acting on behalf of 192 Iraqis, are seeking judicial review on the grounds that the RNP lack sufficient independence as numerous Royal Navy officers were involved in interrogations with the UK Joint Forward Interrogation Team (JFIT).

PIL said a number of unlawful killings and cases of inhuman and degrading treatment were linked to JFIT's activities as interrogators sought to extract information.

They argue justice requires a fully independent public inquiry.

Two judges sitting in London will hear accusations that civilians were subjected to a number of techniques to disorientate and debilitate them, including deprivation of sleep, food and water.

Sir John Thomas (President of the Queen's Bench Division) and Mr Justice Silber will be told there was also hooding, forced nudity, sexual humiliation and repeated and lengthy interrogations.

The three-day application is the second legal challenge in a case in which PIL say there was systemic abuse, as opposed to ill treatment by "a few bad apples".

Ministry of Defence lawyers are opposing the application, saying any acts that have been proven were in isolation.

British soldier Corporal Donald Payne was jailed in 2006 after he was filmed shouting at detainees who were hooded and being held in stress positions. 

An MoD spokesman recently said: "The IHAT is the most effective way of investigating these unproven allegations rather than a costly public inquiry."

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Egypt Crisis 'Could Lead To State's Collapse'

The political crisis in Egypt could lead to the state's collapse, the head of the country's armed forces has warned.

 Failure to resolve the situation "could lead to grave repercussions if the political forces do not act" to tackle it, General al Sisi said on the official army Facebook page, as he promised to protect the country's vital infrastructure, particularly the Suez Canal.

"The continuing conflict between political forces and their differences concerning the management of the country could lead to a collapse of the state and threaten future generations," he said in extracts of a speech to students at a military academy.

The general also warned that the political, economic, social and security problems facing Egypt constituted "a threat to the country's security and stability".

General al Sisi with President Morsi in Cairo last year

"The attempts to undermine the stability of state institutions is a dangerous thing that harms national security and the future of the country," he said, adding: "The army will remain strong... as a pillar of the state's foundations."

Fifty-two people have died in five days of violence that started on Thursday night, as the country marked the second anniversary of the start of the uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak.

A curfew has been imposed in three provinces - Port Said, Ismailiya and Suez.

The bloodiest clashes and most of the deaths have occurred in Port Said, Rioting broke out on Saturday after 21 supporters of a local football club were sentenced to death for their roles in a deadly football riot last year.

Egypt has already deployed troops to Port Said and Suez provinces, which lie at each end of the vital Suez Canal.

"The deployment of the army in Port Said and Suez aims to protect strategic infrastructure, especially the Suez Canal, which we will not allow to be harmed," General al Sisi said, adding that the army was to assist interior ministry forces.

But, he said, the army's task was difficult. One the one hand it "did not want to confront Egyptian citizens who have a right to protest" but, on the other, it "has to protect vital institutions."

"That is why protests must be peaceful."

Analysts say it is unlikely that the army wants to take back the power it held, in effect, for six decades since the end of the colonial period and in the interim period after the overthrow of former general Hosni Mubarak two years ago.

But, they say, it sends a powerful message that Egypt's biggest institution, with a huge economic as well as security role and a recipient of enormous US subsidies, is worried about the fate of the nation after five days of turmoil in major cities.

 

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French Jogger Murder: British Man Is Arrested

A British man has been arrested in France over the murder of a mother who was killed while out jogging.

The woman's body was discovered on a track in Nimes last week.

The man, who has not yet been named, is being questioned by police.

According to reports, he is 32 and originally from Chatham in Kent.

He is understood to have been living in the region, in southwest France, with his mother.

The woman's body was discovered in Nimes

The dead woman - understood to be a 33-year-old mother-of-three - was reportedly found lying near a cemetery, a few hundred metres from the local police academy, last Thursday afternoon.

Traces of blood were found on two stones, and a blade was discovered close to her body, according to regional newspaper La Depeche.

She appeared to have been badly beaten, with blows to the face and neck.

A post-mortem examination revealed she also suffered knife wounds in the attack.

Nimes prosecutor Laure Beccuau told the paper: "A knife was seized, among other things."

A local police spokesman said: "A British man has been arrested. The matter is now being handled by police in Montpellier."

The dead woman was reported missing by her partner after he was contacted by the children's school when she failed to pick them up at the end of the day, La Depeche reported.

The housewife, of Tunisian origin, was said to go jogging regularly in the quiet Courbessac area where she lived.

She would go out for around 20 minutes before collecting her children.

Police mounted a search following her disappearance on Thursday and her body was found shortly after 10pm.

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Mali Conflict: British Troops To Train Forces

Up to 200 British military personnel could be deployed to West Africa to help train a regional intervention force for Mali, the Government has said, in a further deepening of the UK's involvement in the conflict to drive out Islamist militants.

Downing Street said the troops would be in addition to up to 40 personnel that Britain is offering to contribute to a European Union training mission to build up the Malian army.

In addition, the UK has offered to supply a roll-on, roll-off ferry to help transport heavy equipment to the French intervention force currently spearheading the fight against militants.

It will also allow allies such as the United States to fly air-to-air refuelling missions from British airbases in support of the French operation.

However an offer to establish a joint Anglo-French logistics headquarters in Mali to organise supplies to the French force has not been taken up by Paris.

With around 90 UK personnel already committed in the region with the RAF Sentinel surveillance aircraft and two C-17 transport aircraft already operating in support of the French mission, it could take the numbers involved to more than 300.

A spokesman for David Cameron said the Prime Minister remained adamant that British troops would not be involved in combat operations against the militants.

Mali shares its border with seven countries

Answering an urgent question from Labour in the Commons, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed the deployment numbers and said the 200 British troops would assist Anglophone West Africa countries.

He said the role of UK soldiers "is clearly not a combat role and will not extend to a force protection role".

When pressed by the opposition party about exit strategies, Mr Hammond said he shared plans outlined by France that it should be a "short intervention to stabilise the situation on the ground". 

The Defence Secretary added that Britain was "very clear" about the risks involved and the Government had "defined very clearly the support we are willing and able to provide to the French and Malian authorities".

The mission to train a West African force known as Afisma - which has been under consideration since late last year - was being discussed at a donor conference for Mali being organised by the African Union in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

British personnel will be involved in training troops from countries, such as Nigeria, which is expected to be one of the largest contributors to Afisma which is slated to take over from the French once their mission is over.

Speaking from the historic city of Timbuktu, which was taken by the French forces on Monday, Sky News special correspondent Alex Crawford said British soldiers would help "bolster" the Malian forces, which she described as "very depleted".

Local troops had been unable to fight off militants entering Timbuktu last year and simply put down their weapons and fled - leaving the already armed radical jihadists with further weaponry.

Crawford added: "Malians themselves as an army have a reputation for being ill-disciplined, badly motivated and are accused in some towns of carrying out human rights abuses, so there's clearly a lot of training to be done there."

Looting and violence broke out in Timbuktu on Tuesday. Homes and businesses of suspected jihadist supporters were broken into as local residents vented their anger at the regime which had controlled the city until French troops moved in.

Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy told Sky News that Labour supported the Government's decision to send troops to Mali for training purposes.

But Mr Murphy cautioned that the public were "wary" about military commitments after the UK's involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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Missile Launcher Shows Up At Gun Buyback

A surface-to-air missile launcher was among hundreds of weapons brought to a gun amnesty organised by authorities in Seattle.

Police witnessed numerous private cash exchanges on the sidelines of the buyback event, as gun collectors turned up to tempt those standing in long lines to sell their weapons rather than hand them in.

A man standing outside the weekend event bought the launcher for $100 from another person there, according to investigators.

Officers are now working with army officials to determine whether it was legal or possibly stolen from the military.

The single-use device is a launch tube assembly for a Stinger portable surface-to-air missile.

It had already been used but as a controlled military item it is not available to civilians through any surplus or disposal programme offered by the government.

"It was absolutely crazy what we saw out there," Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn said at a news conference.

Officers saw guns changing hands without proper checks, he said.

Mayor McGinn added that the private sales of the missile launcher and other weapons illustrated the need for comprehensive background checks as proposed by President Obama.

The amnesty allowed people to anonymously turn in their weapons for a shopping gift card worth $100 for each handgun, rifle or shotgun and $200 for each assault weapon.

Officials collected 716 weapons - including four confirmed stolen - and distributed about $70,000 in gift cards.

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ArcelorMittal Steelworkers Protest In Belgium

ArcelorMittal workers in Belgium have clashed with police during a protest at plans to close steel plants in the province of Liege.

Six officers were injured in the demonstration of around 2,000 steel workers, who gathered outside regional government offices in Namur.

The demonstrators threw stones and other small items at police, who fired tear gas and a water cannon in return.

Police said two officers were sent to hospital and four others sustained minor injuries.

The protesters are calling for the regional government to intervene and halt plans to close a coke plant and six production lines in the country, resulting in 1,300 job losses.

The leading steel and mining company blamed collapsing demand for steel and overcapacity in the sector for the planned closures in the area, which has a 200-year old steel industry.

Bernard Dehut, the chief executive of ArcelorMittal Liege, said the economic conditions made it "increasingly apparent that further action is required" to stem the company's losses.

The company said it would continue to operate five steel production lines which employ 800 people

The protest followed earlier demonstrations against the planned closures in Brussels.

Meanwhile in neighbouring France, Renault employees demonstrated against the company's new labour deal on the access road to the firm's factory in Flins, near Paris.

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Syrian Group: 65 People Shot Dead In Aleppo

A Syrian opposition group says 65 people have been found shot dead, with their hands bound, in Aleppo.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll could rise as high as 80, calling the killings a "new massacre".

Photos posted online by opposition activists showed the muddied bodies of several men lying by a small river near the western outskirts of the city in northern Syria.

Close-up shots of some of the corpses showed they had what appeared to be gunshot wounds to the head.

Most have their hands tied behind their backs.

It was not clear who carried out the killings.

Restrictions on independent media in Syria make it difficult to verify reports from activists.

The fighting, which began almost two years ago, has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

More than 700,000 people have fled the violence, according to the United Nations.

Human rights groups have accused both government forces and the rebels of carrying out summary executions.

Aleppo, the country's most populous city, has seen fierce fighting since the summer. The rival forces are stuck in a stalemate, with the city divided roughly in half between the two.

Fighting in Aleppo has left the city divided between the two sides

Both sides blamed the other for the killings.

An officer with the Free Syrian Army, the rebel force, told the AFP news agency that at least 68 bodies, including some of teenagers, had been recovered and that many more were still being dragged from the water.

He said all had been "executed by the regime".

A senior government security source told AFP that many of the victims had been reported kidnapped earlier.

The source accused "terrorists" - the term usually used by the government to refer to the rebels - of carrying out the executions and spreading propaganda to deflect responsibility.

In the video, a cameraman is walking along a river filming over 50 bodies lying on a concrete path, blood seeping from their heads.

Some of the men were dressed in jeans, shirts and sneakers.

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