Virus Wakes Up After 30,000 Years In Frost

A virus frozen in the Siberian permafrost for the past 30,000 years has come back to life.

Pithovirus sibericum was discovered by French scientists when a deep layer of frost thawed.

It is not dangerous to humans or animals, but its revival raises the possibility of other more deadly viruses such as smallpox being exposed amid global warming.

"It has important implications for public health risks," said France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

"The revival of viruses that are considered to have been eradicated, such as the smallpox virus, whose replication process is similar to that of Pithovirus, is no longer limited to science fiction.

"The risk that this scenario could happen in real life has to be viewed realistically."

The virus was found buried 30 metres (100ft) down in frost.

It is part of a family of giant viruses discovered 10 years ago that are so big they can be seen under a microscope.

At 1.5 millionths of a metre, Pithovirus sibericum is the biggest virus ever discovered, but it has not infected anything since mammoths and Neanderthals walked the Earth 30,000 years ago.

The virus infects amoebas, but does not attack human or animal cells.

But Professor Jean-Michel Claverie, from CNRS, said the exposure of permafrost to global warming and industrial exploration was now a "recipe for disaster".

Researchers are examining DNA from the frost to see what else might lurk within.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pistorius Trial: Reeva 'Couldn't Have Screamed'

Oscar Pistorius' defence team has said claims by a neighbour that she heard Reeva Steenkamp scream after she had been shot multiple times will be thrown into doubt by expert evidence.

The claim came on an emotional day in court, where Pistorius was seen wiping his eyes with a hankerchief and the prosecution's key witness wept.

Sky's Alex Crawford, who was in court, said: "We saw for the first time a crack in the athlete's demeanour. He spent a lot of time taking notes, but this really broke him."

Oscar Pistorius shot dead his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp

Neighbour Michelle Burger, who says she heard Ms Steenkamp being killed by Pistorius, was grilled by the athlete's defence team on the second day of the trial.

She told the packed courtroom in South Africa's administrative capital Pretoria she heard a woman screaming after shots were fired in Pistorius' residence.

Pistorius chats with his legal team during a break

But Pistorius' lawyer Barry Roux said: "We will debate the sequence of the bullets. We will have experts state that there was serious brain damage after the shot to the head, that it would not have been possible for her to scream at all.

"With the head shot, she would have dropped down immediately."

Ms Burger replied: "As I said [on Monday], I heard her voice just after the last shot. It could have been that it was as the last shot was fired."

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel interjected to say it was the last of four shots that struck Ms Steenkamp's head.

Pistorius looks on from the dock as the case unfolds

Mr Roux opened Tuesday's questioning by saying he wanted to focus on two aspects of Ms Burger, her "credibility and reliability".

The defence lawyer has repeatedly attempted to establish that Ms Burger had already decided she did not believe Pistorius' account of the evening - that he believed there was an intruder in his home - when she gave evidence contradicting his story.

She is the prosecution's key witness, as her account of hearing a woman's screams suggest Pistorius would have known that it was his girlfriend rather than an intruder when he opened fire.

The world's media is watching the case closely

But the defence says the screams came from Pistorius, who was upset that he had killed Ms Steenkamp.

A tense exchange between Mr Roux and Ms Burger came to a climax when he said he had asked her the same question eight times.

"I'm going to be really slow this time," he said. "You heard at the bail application that it was put on behalf of Mr Pistorius that Reeva did not scream that night, is that correct?"

After giving an unclear answer, Judge Thokozile Masipa intervened and insisted that she had to make herself clear. Eventually, the witness admitted she had heard about Pistorius' claims.

Pistorius' family are in the public gallery

Mr Roux said: "You've watched Sky News, you've watched other channels, and you've got retrospective knowledge, and you take that knowledge and you come and give evidence today as if it's the knowledge of that fateful evening."

Ms Burger, who had been composed through two days of aggressive cross-examination, wept as she finished her testimony and broke down as she recalled the "raw emotion" she felt after the killing.

She said she often relives the "terrifying screams".

At around the same time, Pistorius was seen reaching for a hankerchief from his inside pocket and wiping his eyes.

The Pretoria home of Pistorius pictured after the shooting

Later, Ms Burger's husband Charl Peter Johnson took to the witness stand.

He said: "We were under the impression that they were being held up in their house.

"I lay in bed thinking of how I can improve the security around my house. I fell asleep at about 4am.

"I went to work early around 6am and I remembered surfing on the web for security gates for costs."

Pistorius turns to chat to his uncle

He said he too heard screams.

Earlier, the trial was temporarily delayed after an image of the witness was used by a South African news organisation.

The trial is being televised, but witnesses can choose not to appear on camera.

Ms Burger did not want to be filmed or pictured, and the case was temporarily adjourned in the morning after Judge Masipa was alerted. She said she viewed the error as "serious" and ordered an investigation.

The Paralympic athlete looks down at his notes

Pistorius, a double-amputee, is accused of the premeditated murder of Ms Steenkamp last Valentine's Day after a jealous row.

He is also accused of the illegal possession of ammunition and two additional counts relating to shooting a gun in public in two separate incidents before the killing.

The 27-year-old, who is known as the Blade Runner, denies all the charges and claims he shot his girlfriend after mistaking her for an intruder.

The trial, large parts of which can be broadcast live after a landmark ruling, is scheduled to last for three weeks and will hear from more than 100 witnesses.

South Africa does not have a jury system. Instead, Judge Masipa will decide his fate.

If Pistorius is found guilty he could be jailed for at least 25 years.

:: Sky News is broadcasting live coverage of the trial, and a special highlights programme will be broadcast every weekday at 9.30pm.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Storm Cripples Washington As It Moves East

Winter has kept its icy grip on the US, with a new storm forcing school and office closures and grounding more than 2,600 flights.

The nation's capital could see up to 10in (25cm) of snow

Snow began covering a thin layer of ice in Washington DC early on Monday, driven by a blustery wind that stung the faces of those who ventured outside.

Officials warned people to stay off treacherous, icy roads - a refrain that has become familiar to residents in the Midwest, East and even Deep South this year.

The latest frigid blow of the harsh winter threatened to bring as much as 10in (25cm) of snow by the end of the day in Washington.

Winter-weary residents were forced to brave yet another storm

In Philadelphia, a dusting fell early in the day, while up to 8in (20cm) were expected in parts of New Jersey.

The governors of Virginia and Tennessee each declared a state of emergency as snow and ice threatened to make a mess of roads.

Authorities have warned of possible power outages and flight disruptions from weather that could affect millions.

More than 2,600 flights were cancelled on Monday

The storm comes on the back of a harsh winter that has affected tens of millions of Americans across the nation, with ice, snow and sleet brought about by a Polar Vortex.

"We're tired of it. We're sick of it," said Martin Peace, a web developer from the Washington suburb of Arlington, summing up the feelings of winter-weary Americans.

In the capital, buses have been halted and federal workers have been told to stay home.

This NASA image shows the storm bearing down on the East Coast

The US Office of Personnel Management, which sets leave policies for 300,000 federal workers in the region, says non-emergency personnel are granted excused absences for the day.

School systems in Baltimore, Washington and many suburban areas were closed, as were all Smithsonian museums except for the National Air and Space Museum.

However, the Supreme Court is expected to be open.

Just days ago, snow blanketed the White House

In northern Virginia, the Jukebox Diner in Manassas opened up at its regular 6am time, but not a single customer had come in by 8.15, waitress Irene Auiler said.

"I had to drive in to open, and the worst thing was the windshield keep freezing over. I had to stop the car. I can't be late, though," Auiler said.

More than 2,600 flights in the United States were cancelled as of Monday morning, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.com.

Airlines have cancelled more than 87,000 domestic flights since December 1, a record number. There are more than 30,000 flights in the US on a typical day.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Snake Eats Crocodile After Four-Hour Battle

A 10ft python swallowed an entire crocodile after an epic battle lasting four hours in Australia.

Witnesses said they were "shocked" Pic: Marvin Muller/ABC North West

Onlookers watching the fight were left stunned when they saw the snake coil itself around the crocodile, which was around 3ft, before devouring it.

Tiffany and Travis Corlis, who are both local authors, saw the end of the fight at Queensland's Lake Moondarra.

"Our local canoe club had a race meet on the lake - the battle was actually taking place at their finish line," Mrs Corlis told Sky News.

"We went down to the water's edge, by that stage the croc was still alive and was fighting to keep its head above water.

There were many onlookers to the battle Pic: Tiffany Corlis The battle lasted around four hours Pic: Tiffany Corlis

"The snake was firmly wrapped around the croc.

"When the snake finally did kill the croc, it dragged it to the bank and consumed it in around 15 minutes.

"They had quite the struggle in the water.

The snake was around 10ft long Pic: Tiffany Corlis

"We were just standing there in amazement watching it."

Mt Isa resident Marvin Muller also snapped the wrestling match, telling ABC North West: "Pretty cool experience, not something you think you're going to see but I guess up in Mount Isa in the outback you see some pretty cool things."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Policeman Shot Five Sword-Wielding Terrorists

A policeman who shot five men as they slayed people with swords has recalled the night of terror which left 29 civilians dead in China.

The officer and three colleagues were on patrol when they were called to what state media have described as "China's 9/11".

A further 143 people were injured during the train station attack in the southwestern city of Kunming on Saturday night.

The unidentified officer told state television: "When we arrived at the site I saw some people were wielding curved swords, maybe four to five, to hack people around them.

"Some people had been put down onto the ground but the attackers still stabbed them."

Police investigate the scene of the massacre

The officer was leading his team and carried their only automatic firearm.

After pulling up 15 metres (nearly 50ft) from the attackers he fired a warning shot and ordered them to throw down their swords.

He told China Central Television: "The five attackers turned around to me and rushed at me wielding their swords.

"I fired another shot into the air and ordered them again to put down their swords.

"When a thin one in a black mask with a curved sword about 60-70 centimetres long was about one metre from my gun muzzle, I shot him down."

Officers patrol the site where 29 civilians were killed

He said the others continued to rush at him "more crazily", and that he shot all of them in a matter of seconds.

Officials said an eight-strong gang carried out the attack, four of whom were shot dead.

One was injured at the scene and three other suspects were captured on Monday.

China has attributed the attack to militants in the far-western region of Xinjiang, though no group has claimed responsibility.

Uighur separatists have waged a rebellion against Chinese rule in Xinjiang.

China says these fighters have links with international Muslim terror organisations.

However, some analysts believe citing ties abroad is China's way of vindicating its heavy approach in Xinjiang.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Kicked Out' Teenager Sues Her Parents

A teenager is suing her own parents, claiming they kicked her out of home and refused to pay for her college education.

The lawsuit filed by Rachel Canning, an 18-year-old cheerleader, is set to be heard today in Morristown, New Jersey.

Rachel Canning said in court documents her parents abandoned her when she turned 18 and refused to fund her education even if she had been accepted at various universities.

Her father, Sean, said his daughter voluntarily left home in October because she did not want to abide by reasonable household rules, such as being respectful, keeping a curfew and doing some chores.

Miss Canning has been staying with a friend

"We love our child and miss her. This is terrible. It's killing me and my wife. We have a child we want home," Mr Canning told the local newspaper The Daily Record of Parsippany.

"We're not draconian and now we're getting hauled into court. She's demanding that we pay her bills but she doesn't want to live at home and she's saying, 'I don't want to live under your rules.'"

Mr Canning added: "We're heartbroken, but what do you do when a child says, 'I don't want your rules but I want everything under the sun and you to pay for it?'"

He also said she is a "good kid" but "an incredibly rebellious teen" who has been getting bad advice.

The teenager has been living with the family of her best friend.

The newspaper reported that the friend's father, former Morris County Freeholder John Inglesino, is funding the lawsuit.

In New Jersey, the fact that a child has turned 18 does not automatically mean they are legally emancipated and is not an automatic reason to stop financial support, the newspaper said.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ukraine: Russian Troops Fire Warning Shots

Ukraine Protests: Timeline Of Events

Updated: 10:13am UK, Tuesday 04 March 2014

Protesters in Ukraine have staged three months of demonstrations at the decision to reject an EU deal in favour of closer ties with Russia. Here are the key events:

:: November 2013 - Ukrainian authorities suspend talks on an Associated Agreement with the EU in favour of closer economic ties with Russia. The decision prompts pro-European opposition groups to call for protests.

:: December 1, 2013 - A crowd of up to 500,000 gathers on Independence Squaure in Kiev, setting up a camp and building barricades.

:: December 11, 2013 - Security forces move against protesters in Kiev but are forced back.

:: December 17, 2013 - President Viktor Yanukovych travels to Moscow where he secures a $15bn (£9bn) bailout deal and a huge price cut for Russian gas.

:: January 19, 2014 - Dozens are injured in clashes between police and protesters in the capital after 200,000 defy new restrictions on demonstrations.

:: January 22, 2014 - Police smash barricades in central Kiev. Protesters respond by hurling rocks and firebombs.

:: January 25, 2014 - Yanukovych offers opposition leaders Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Vitali Klitschko entry to the government, but they decline.

:: January 28, 2014 - Prime Minister Mykola Azarov resigns, parliament scraps the anti-protest laws.

:: January 29, 2014 - Parliament passes an amnesty bill, but the opposition rejects its conditions.

:: February 2, 2014 - Yatsenyuk and Klitschko call for international mediation and Western financial aid in Kiev.

:: February 4, 2014 - Klitschko calls for an "end to the dictatorship" during a heated parliament session.

:: February 5, 2014 - EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and top US envoy to Europe Victoria Nuland visit Kiev.

:: February 7, 2014 - Yanukovych meets his ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.

:: February 9, 2014 - 70,000 protesters gather on Independence Square.

:: February 10, 2014 - The EU stops short of any immediate threat of sanctions.

:: February 14, 2014 - All 234 protesters who have been arrested since December are released, but charges against them remain in place.

:: February 16, 2014 - Protesters evacuate Kiev city hall after occupying the building since December 1. A day later, protesters are granted amnesty.

:: February 17, 2014 - Moscow says it will release $2bn (£1.2bn) from a vital aid package to Ukraine "this week".

:: February 18, 2014 - At least 25 people are killed in the bloodiest day of clashes in nearly three months of protests. Riot police encircle Independence Square, where thousands of protesters remain after a deadline set by security forces.

:: February 19, 2014 - Ukraine's president announces a truce with the opposition.

:: February 20, 2014 - More than 50 people are killed in more clashes between riot police and protesters.

:: February 21, 2014 - President Yanukovych agrees to form a coalition government, hold early presidential elections and make constitutional changes to limit his powers. Mr Yanukovych leaves Kiev.

:: February 22, 2014 - Parliament votes to remove Mr Yanukovych and hold new elections. Yulia Tymoshenko is freed and addresses a huge crowd in Independence Square.

:: February 23, 2014 - Presidential powers are assigned to the Ukraine parliament's new speaker, Oleksandr Turchinov. Pro-Russian protests begin in Crimea, where Russia has a major naval base.

:: February 24, 2014 - Ukraine's interim government draws up an arrest warrant for Mr Yanukovych.

:: February 27, 2014 - Masked gunmen seize regional parliament and government buildings in Crimea. Mr Yanukovych is granted refuge in Russia.

:: February 28, 2014 - Ukraine says Russian troops have taken up positions around strategic locations on the Crimean peninsula. Mr Turchynov says he has put armed forces on full readiness.

:: March 1, 2014 - Russian troops take control of Crimea.

:: March 2, 2014 - Ukraine appeals for international help. The US says it believes Russia has more than 6,000 troops in Crimea. Preparations for June's G8 summit in Russia are suspended.

:: March 3, 2014 - Troops take control of a ferry terminal in Kerch. The Ukrainian military says it was given a deadline of 3am on March 4 to surrender or face a "full assault". Russia denies issuing the ultimatum. The US suspends all military engagements with Russia.

:: March 4, 2014 - Russian military exercises on the Ukraine border end. Russian troops fire warning shots at Ukraine servicemen outside Belbek airbase in Crimea.

23.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Putin's TV Appearance Was Laced With Threat

Laced with threat. Dripping with reason. Oozing confidence and with a fine comprehension of how to be frugal with the truth, Vladimir Putin sat slouched and held forth on Ukraine and his longstanding commitment to international law.

:: For the latest on the Ukraine crisis click here

On Kiev's new leadership, now recognised by the West - the products of a coup d'etat partly orchestrated with military training from Western mercenaries.

"We believe the coup d'etat was very meticulously planned and included some fighting units. We saw their work and their Western instructors did a very good job," the Russian president told a specially selected group of journalists during his first news conference in two weeks.

Putin's news conference was attended by a select group of journalists

The Ukrainian opposition which deposed former leader Viktor Yanukovych, and is now the power in Kiev, has no legitimacy, he added.

On Russia's bloodless occupation of Crimea - he insisted that Russian troops had only reinforced their own locations after getting intelligence that nationalists were heading towards Crimea to cause trouble.

The men in Russian uniforms, driving Russian vehicles, carrying Russian weapons and speaking Russian, who have occupied government buildings, were not Russians, he said.

"A few days ago the group of armed men who occupied the parliament (in Crimea) were people who were concerned about security and they formed self-defence forces and took over government buildings," he insisted.

As he spoke, Ukrainian video footage showed Ukrainian air force officers confronting Russian commandos who have occupied the Belbek airbase just outside Sevastopol, the Ukrainian and Russian naval base. 

Putin's confident nonsense concerning the deployment of his troops inside a sovereign nation was coupled with other, more problematic and technically true asserting.

Mr Putin arrives in the Leningrad region to watch war games on Monday

Yanukovych was unpopular. He has employed known oligarchs and criminals coming from a tradition going back decades, fomented by successive Russian regimes of intense corruption. He had lost his way politically - and Ukrainians yearned for a change in the faces of their politicians.

Putin condemned the man he is now providing with sanctuary since he ran from office last week.

He insisted that Yanukovych was finished politically, but added that he should have been deposed at the ballot box. Yanukovych was, after all, elected, unlike the new government, which has received instantaneous backing from the West.

"I understand the people of the Maidan (Kiev's revolutionary centre), who demanded not just a slight refurbishment of the state but wanted a most serious change ... But this should have been done with elections," he said.

He said he would only intervene in Ukraine with military force to protect Russian-speaking citizens who looked to Moscow for their leadership and culture.

In other words, he served the new government in Kiev with an outright warning - and attempted to appeal to ordinary Ukrainians, insisting he would act only within the strictures of international law.

He established a "right of precedent" for intervention in the name of ethnic Russians in Georgia in 2008 when the international community did nothing to stop his invasion of South Ossetia.

But, as he observed, the West manipulated a "no-fly zone into a bombing campaign" in Libya and twisted United Nations Security Council resolutions to allow the use of force in Iraq.

Facing threats of economic sanctions, he almost smiled.

"They can be mutually damaging," he warned.

There will be little the West can do, he knows, to undermine such confidence.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.13 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ukraine: Ministers Hold Talks With Russians

Putin's TV Appearance Was Laced With Threat

Updated: 3:52pm UK, Tuesday 04 March 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Laced with threat. Dripping with reason. Oozing confidence and with a fine comprehension of how to be frugal with the truth, Vladimir Putin sat slouched and held forth on Ukraine and his longstanding commitment to international law.

:: For the latest on the Ukraine crisis click here

On Kiev's new leadership, now recognised by the West - the products of a coup d'etat partly orchestrated with military training from Western mercenaries.

"We believe the coup d'etat was very meticulously planned and included some fighting units. We saw their work and their Western instructors did a very good job," the Russian president told a specially selected group of journalists during his first news conference in two weeks.

The Ukrainian opposition which deposed former leader Viktor Yanukovych, and is now the power in Kiev, has no legitimacy, he added.

On Russia's bloodless occupation of Crimea - he insisted that Russian troops had only reinforced their own locations after getting intelligence that nationalists were heading towards Crimea to cause trouble.

The men in Russian uniforms, driving Russian vehicles, carrying Russian weapons and speaking Russian, who have occupied government buildings, were not Russians, he said.

"A few days ago the group of armed men who occupied the parliament (in Crimea) were people who were concerned about security and they formed self-defence forces and took over government buildings," he insisted.

As he spoke, Ukrainian video footage showed Ukrainian air force officers confronting Russian commandos who have occupied the Belbek airbase just outside Sevastopol, the Ukrainian and Russian naval base. 

Putin's confident nonsense concerning the deployment of his troops inside a sovereign nation was coupled with other, more problematic and technically true asserting.

Yanukovych was unpopular. He has employed known oligarchs and criminals coming from a tradition going back decades, fomented by successive Russian regimes of intense corruption. He had lost his way politically - and Ukrainians yearned for a change in the faces of their politicians.

Putin condemned the man he is now providing with sanctuary since he ran from office last week.

He insisted that Yanukovych was finished politically, but added that he should have been deposed at the ballot box. Yanukovych was, after all, elected, unlike the new government, which has received instantaneous backing from the West.

"I understand the people of the Maidan (Kiev's revolutionary centre), who demanded not just a slight refurbishment of the state but wanted a most serious change ... But this should have been done with elections," he said.

He said he would only intervene in Ukraine with military force to protect Russian-speaking citizens who looked to Moscow for their leadership and culture.

In other words, he served the new government in Kiev with an outright warning - and attempted to appeal to ordinary Ukrainians, insisting he would act only within the strictures of international law.

He established a "right of precedent" for intervention in the name of ethnic Russians in Georgia in 2008 when the international community did nothing to stop his invasion of South Ossetia.

But, as he observed, the West manipulated a "no-fly zone into a bombing campaign" in Libya and twisted United Nations Security Council resolutions to allow the use of force in Iraq.

Facing threats of economic sanctions, he almost smiled.

"They can be mutually damaging," he warned.

There will be little the West can do, he knows, to undermine such confidence.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.13 | 0 komentar | Read More