Kim Dotcom: Mega Listing For Cyber Fugitive

A new company founded by one of the world's most wanted cyber fugitives is to be listed on the New Zealand stock exchange with an estimated value of more than £100m.

Internet file storage company Mega Ltd announced its planned listing just over a year after it was launched by indicted entrepreneur Kim Dotcom.

Mr Dotcom built the company from his lavish estate in New Zealand under the shadow of an extradition bid by United States authorities.

He is wanted on online piracy charges for founding the now closed file-sharing site Megaupload.

Since its launch, his new venture has amassed an estimated value of NZ$210m (£109m). 

The company, which offers encrypted cloud-based data storage, boasts an estimated seven million users who have stored roughly 860 million files.

The entrepreneur held a flamboyant launch party for Mega last year

Mr Dotcom took to Twitter on Tuesday to celebrate the news.

He wrote: "Indicted. Raided. On Bail. All assets frozen without trial. But we don't cry ourselves to sleep. We built #Mega from 0 into a $210m company."

Mega has said it will achieve its listing on the New Zealand stock market through a move known as a reverse takeover.

That involves using the small, already public, company TRS Investments as a vehicle.

TRS will buy Mega through a share issue to its shareholders. They will then own 99% of TRS, which will change its name to Mega.

The method can save time and money which would otherwise be spent on the complex process of a private company going public.

TRS shares were up 900% after news of the deal broke on Tuesday.

Mr Dotcom stepped down as director of Mega last August, although his wife continues to own 26.5% of the company through a trust.

Mr Dotcom was arrested in a dramatic raid on his New Zealand home in 2012

The German national, born Kim Schmitz, was arrested in 2012 alongside three Megaupload colleagues on charges of online piracy, money laundering and racketeering.

Their assets were frozen and the site was shut down. Mr Dotcom spent a month in prison before he was released on bail.

US authorities say Megaupload encouraged users to store and share copyrighted material which cost film studios and record companies an estimated $500m (£303m).

Mr Dotcom says he cannot be held responsible for users who stored illegally obtained content. His extradition hearing, which has been delayed several times, is scheduled to take place in July.

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Pistorius Trial Hears Messages From 'Baba'

Only four out of more than 1,700 messages exchanged between Oscar Pistorius and his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp were of them arguing, the athlete's murder trial has heard.

Texts and WhatsApp messages have been extracted from their phones and were pored over in court for a second day.

Defence lawyer Barry Roux said in spite of their arguments, the couple were exchanging "crosses, baby, things like that". In one message, the runner referred to her as "Baba", while she called him "Ozzy".

In another, Ms Steenkamp said to her boyfriend: "You are a very special person. You deserve to be looked after."

A picture Ms Steenkamp sent to Oscar Pistorius

Pistorius had tears running down his cheeks while the messages were read out. Ms Steenkamp's mother June also sobbed.

Emotional exchanges between the pair were read out on Monday. In one of them Ms Steenkamp texted Pistorius to say "I am sometimes scared of you". This was sent just weeks before she died.

Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford said of Tuesday's proceedings: "Roux is working very hard at painting this picture of South Africa's Romeo and Juliet, the star-crossed lovers in a WhatsApp age."

Texts exchanged between the pair

Under questioning from chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel, police IT expert Captain Francois Moller said there were no long, loving messages. This was a contrast Mr Nel tried to make with the texts of them arguing.

The court also heard communications data extracted from Pistorius' phone showed he was online an hour before Ms Steenkamp was shot. In his bail application, Pistorius said the pair had gone to sleep around 10pm.

There was activity on Ms Steenkamp's phone 11 hours after she died, records showed.

But the hearing was told incoming emails, updates or open websites could all give the impression of internet activity.

One of the messages between the lovers shown in court on Monday

Phone records also showed Pistorius made a flurry of calls after the shooting. The first was to estate manager Johan Stander at 3.19am, followed by the ambulance service a minute later. He then rang security.

The court heard there were five calls between Pistorius and Ms Steenkamp on the afternoon before she died - February 13. All of the conversations lasted less than five minutes.

Forensic expert Colonel Johannes Vermeulen returned to face more questions, and stood by his claim Pistorius was on his stumps when he knocked down a locked toilet door to reach Ms Steenkamp.

Pistorius said he put his prosthetic legs on, and his lawyer Mr Roux said he would present evidence that there was a third mark on the door consistent with this.

June Steenkamp (left) at a previous hearing

The trial has been adjourned until Friday so the athlete's defence team can consult with unused prosecution witnesses they might want to call.

Speaking outside afterwards, Pistorius said: "It's a tough time. We've still got a lot of stuff ahead of us."

Pistorius is accused of the premeditated murder of Ms Steenkamp, but says he shot her by mistake after mistaking her for an intruder.

He is also accused of illegally possessing ammunition and two further counts related to shooting a gun in public in two separate incidents before the killing. He denies all of the charges.

The trial is expected to last until the middle of May.

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Ukraine: Obama Talks Of Russia's Weakness

President Barack Obama has labelled Russia a "regional power" that is threatening its neighbours out of weakness, not strength - but admitted further encroachment into Ukraine was an increasing concern.

Speaking at a summit of the G7 industrial leaders in The Hague, the US president reiterated the West was ready to crank up sanctions against Russia should Russia continue to aggravate the crisis in Crimea and Ukraine.

Leaders of the G7 united this week to exclude Moscow from planned G8 talks.

And Mr Obama said: "Russia is a regional power that is threatening some of its immediate neighbours, not out of strength but out of weakness."

Barack Obama speaking on day two of a G7 summit in The Hague

Despite his worries over further encroachment into Ukraine, Mr Obama said Russia's annexation of Crimea was not a "done deal" as it has not been recognised by the international community.

"It is up to Russia to act responsibly and show itself once again to be willing to abide by international norms and if it fails to do so, there will be some costs," he said.

The Cold War-style showdown dominated international talks in The Hague for a second day.

During a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, British Prime Minister David Cameron warned that Russia faced further diplomatic and political isolation if it intervened in eastern Ukraine.

Speaking on the sidelines of an international nuclear security summit, Mr Cameron said: "What I think we need to do is just send the clearest possible message about the eastern Ukraine and the steps that we don't want to see (Russian President Vladimir) Putin take.

Mr Cameron said the international community must respond with "vigour"

"We need to send a very clear message that would lead to significant sanctions."

His comments came a day after the G7 - the US, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan -  agreed to pull out of a scheduled G8 meeting in Russia and hold its own meeting in Brussels.

The move effectively suspended two decades of cooperation with Moscow in the G8 "until Russia changes course".

In a joint statement, the G7 leaders said: "This group came together because of shared beliefs and shared responsibilities. Russia's actions in recent weeks are not consistent with them."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague described the move as a "huge blow" for the G8.

Western leaders are working to put forward a united front on the crisis

He also indicated that the West was considering tougher sanctions against Russia.

The US and European Union have already targeted some Russian individuals, but are yet to impose broader economic sanctions.

Mr Hague acknowledged that measures targeting Russia's economy could carry a negative impact in Europe, but said "we have to be prepared to do that."

"Every country would have to do what is necessary if more far-reaching sanctions were applied, accepting that that would affect different economies in different ways," he said.

"The United Kingdom is fully prepared to play its full part."

Sergei Lavrov meets with Ukraine's Andriy Deshchystsya. Pic: @mfa_russia

Russian representatives, also in the Hague, largely shrugged off the G7's comments.

Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, said the G8 had been useful to discuss issues such as the nuclear tensions with Iran and the civil war in Syria, but that it was not a vital tool.

Mr Lavrov said: "If our Western partners believe the format has exhausted itself, we don't cling to this format.

"We don't believe it will be a big problem if it doesn't convene."

Mr Lavrov held his own meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Deshchytsia on the sidelines of the nuclear talks.

It was the first time the pair had met since Ukrainian President and Kremlin ally Viktor Yanukovych was ousted last month following mass protests in Kiev.

Speaking ahead of the talks, Mr Deshchytsia warned that Ukraine would never give up Crimea.

Ukrainian troops have been withdrawn from Crimea

He also warned Russia against making further attempts to seize Ukrainian territory, amid reports that Russian troops are assembling along its borders.

Mr Deshchytsia told reporters: "Our military and civilians living in Eastern Ukraine, Ukrainians, Russians, other nationalities, they are ready to defend their homeland."

Earlier in the day, Ukraine announced it was pulling all its forces from Crimea, after losing another military base to Russian troops in the early hours of the morning.

Russian forces have gradually seized control of the region, since voters in Crimea agreed to join the Russian Federation in a swiftly-arranged referendum following Mr Yanukovych's removal.

Since then, Nato's top commander in Europe, General Philip Breedlove, has warned that Russia's military force massing on Ukraine's border was "very, very sizeable and very, very ready".

He said he was worried the Russian military could make a move for Moldova's breakaway Transdniestria region.

Transdniestria, a narrow strip of land to Ukraine's southwest, already has a Russian military presence and most people there favour a union with the country.

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Escaped Water Buffalo Spark Mayhem In Street

Two water buffalo left residents of a Sydney suburb stunned as they galloped down a main road after escaping from a film set.

Shocked pedestrians looked on as drivers swerved to avoid the duo, who had run away from a city park before travelling more than a mile down the street.

Witnesses told local media the buffalo - who were being used in a film for an advert - looked agitated.

The buffalo were later rounded up by firefighters. Pic: Abril Felman

"I was just waiting for the bus and instead of a bus, two random buffalo ran past," Abril Felman, a student at the nearby University of Sydney campus said.

"We were all standing back, we were all going 'That's really random' ...

"It's a very diverse community that lives there.

"It's not strange to see people dressed up in costumes running around at night. It's a bit of a free-spirited Bohemian culture."

Australian firefighters rounded up the animals while posting a series of updates on the operation on their Twitter page.

They said they used ladders and firefighting gear to corral the pair into a makeshift pen, before handlers from the film set arrived and took the absconding animals away.

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World Trade Center Jump Leads To Four Arrests

New York police have arrested four men in connection with a jump stunt from One World Trade Center tower.

Those held are three extreme-skydiving enthusiasts who jumped from the uncompleted tower last autumn, and another man accused of being an accomplice.

They all face charges including burglary, reckless endangerment and misdemeanour jumping from a structure.

One of the accused jumpers, Andrew Rossig, described the September 30 experience as "very exhilarating".

"It's a fair amount of free-fall time," he said of the jump from the 1,776-ft-tall tower, America's tallest skyscraper.

One World Trade Center tower is the country's tallest building

"You really get to enjoy the view of the city and see it from a different perspective," said Rossig, an avid BASE jumper. The acronym stands for "building, antenna, span, earth".

His co-defendants are James Brady, an ironworker who formerly worked at the site in Lower Manhattan; skydiving instructor Marko Markovich; and Kyle Hartwell, accused of being their cohort on the ground.

A five-minute video of their stunt was posted online. 

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the site, has condemned the stunt as a "lawless and selfish act that clearly endangered the public".

The incident has raised questions over security at a site that is supposed to be one of the most tightly protected in the country.

In March, a teen slipped through a gap in a fence, eluded an inattentive security guard and spent about two hours atop the tower.

A Defence lawyer for Rossig, Timothy Parlatore, said pulling off the stunt was easy.

"One of the first things my client said to me was that how surprised he was at how there was no security whatsoever, how easy it was to just walk right up in something that the mayor has just recently described as the No 1 terrorist target in the world," he said.

One World Trade Center is expected to open later this year, and will include a $40m (£24.2m) security system.

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Depardieu 'Proud To Be Russian' In Watch Ad

Gerard Depardieu, who was granted Russian citizenship last year, has become the face of a watch brand campaign with the slogan "Proud To Be Russian".

The French actor has become the face of the Swiss brand Cvstos and features in a new picture on the company's Facebook page.

The photo shows Depardieu wearing one of the luxury watches and a jacket, both branded with the Russian state symbol of a double-headed eagle.

It is believed the watches cost up to £18,000 ($30,000) each.

Depardieu and Mr Putin in January 2013

Depardieu formally registered as a resident of the region of Mordovia in February 2013 after being granted citizenship by President Vladimir Putin a month earlier.

The star made the move after the French government proposed raising the tax for those earning over one million euros to 75%.

His decision was widely criticised, as were his friendships with Putin and Chechnya's strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov

In November, Depardieu failed to turn up for the Moscow premiere of the French-Russian film Rasputin where he played the title role.

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Will Data Streaming Replace Black Boxes?

By Tom Cheshire, Technology Correspondent

In an era when you can stream Game Of Thrones at broadband speeds while sitting in an aircraft, the black box seems to be a dated piece of technology.

Why can't airliners also stream their critical operational data back to the ground?

The black boxes of Air France flight 447 lay 13,000 feet beneath the southern Atlantic Ocean for two years before they gave up their grim account.

The flight data recorders of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 will likely take even longer to recover.

Black boxes - which were originally introduced in the 1950s at the beginning of the jet age - already record reams of flight data each second.

The depth of the sea in the Indian Ocean search area

Critics of in-flight data streaming say to transmit that amount of information would be costly, and, given the relatively rare occurrence of planes being lost in extremely remote areas, uneconomic.

Some also argue that costly infrastructure would be needed to upgrade older planes.

"What is needed - and available - is data on demand, not all data all the time," said Richard Hadley, director of Canadian company Flyht, which makes in-flight data streaming equipment.

"The streaming function can be a background function in a system that is otherwise doing good things for an operator in normal operational circumstances."

In an emergency, the Afirs (Automated Flight Information Reporting System) streaming system made by Flyht can transmit a GPS location system back every second, and information on operational performance of a plane every four seconds.

Mr Hadley also argues that the system is easy to implement.

"There is no infrastructure investment required to globally implement aircraft triggered data transmission, and thereby no unusual cost associated with having such a capability in place on all aircraft," he said.

He said 40 operators already use the Afirs system.

On Monday, Chris McLaughlin from Inmarsat, the UK-based satellite company that tracked MH370, told Sky News a limited tracking system would cost $1 per hour of flight.

The cost of the search operation for Air France Flight 447 was at least $37m (£22.4m).

Data streaming could bring other benefits too.

The control room of UK company Inmarsat

Canadian manufacturer Bombardier's new C-Series of jets, due to enter service in 2015, will all feature live data streaming as standard and the company sees the forensic benefits as secondary to the immediate services it offers.

Live streaming offers live maintenance diagnostics, and airlines can use the rich data for flight and operations planning.

According to Ben Behm, vice-president of commercial airline programmes, streaming would be carried out using an array of technologies depending on coverage, including VHF, 3G towers on the ground and satellites.

Astraea, an ambitious UK-based attempt to create a system to fly normal aircraft from the ground, have tested the idea of a mesh network, in which planes in the air pass information between themselves and the ground.

One report into Air France Flight 447 found the Afirs system was too complex for a "short-term solution", but recommended a simpler form of live data streaming in the short and medium-term.

The report noted that the "additional cost of such messages represents only a small fraction of the total costs of communications for any transatlantic flight".

The final definitive BEA Air France report also suggested implementing a basic system by 2018.

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Nuclear Terror War Game Test For World Leaders

World leaders attending a summit in the Netherlands have taken part in a war game to see how they would respond to a nuclear terror attack.

Prime Minister David Cameron, US President Barack Obama, and other heads of government attending the meeting faced the  "fictitious but realistic scenario" of a weapon of mass destruction falling into the hands of terrorists.

During a series of tests in The Hague they were asked to respond to a variety of events using a touch screen to record their answers.

The event has been compared with the 1980s movie WarGames, which starred Matthew Broderick as a hacker who accesses a US military supercomputer, almost triggering a nuclear war.

The organisers of the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) said: "This is the first time that an interactive approach of this nature has been taken at such an extensive summit."

Ban Ki-moon talks to Mr Obama during the summit in the Netherlands

NSS spokesman Frank Wassenaar said they preferred to call it a "scenario-based policy discussion" rather than a war game.

The leaders were shown a video setting out the scenario, followed by a discussion on how best to respond.

This was followed by two more video updates, designed to reflect the fast-moving nature of the situation.

Mr Wassenaar said: "We had an enthusiastic reaction. It was quite innovative and not the convention in a summit like this. Usually the leaders of delegations just make a statement.

"The leaders debated freely. Of course, there is no good solution or bad solution."

The summit is aimed at preventing the kind of situation portrayed in the war game test.

Some 35 countries taking part in the summit, including the UK, agreed to allow teams of international experts to examine the effectiveness of their nuclear security measures.

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Missing Malaysia Jet Search Area Narrowed

The search area for missing flight MH370 has been narrowed by officials, as Malaysian Airlines defended its treatment of grief-stricken relatives.

The international operation to find the Malaysia Airlines plane will now focus on the southern tip of the southern flight corridor the plane is thought to have followed.

Officials say the search - which involves some 26 countries - has been called off in the northern corridor of the Indian Ocean.

Malaysia's acting transport minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, gave an update today on the search in a news conference at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

He said the search operation will concentrate on 469,407 square miles inside the southern part of the southern corridor.

Protests have been taking place outside China's Malaysian embassy

It comes amid criticism from the relatives of those on board the flight and protests at the Malaysian embassy in Beijing.

China has demanded Malaysia turn over the satellite data used to conclude that the plane crashed into the ocean, killing all 239 people on board.

Dozens of angry relatives of Chinese passengers clashed with police in Beijing after Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak confirmed that the plane had crashed.

The protesters shouted slogans including "the Malaysian government are murderers" and "return our relatives".

Scuffles broke out as uniformed security personnel attempted to block some of the relatives from reaching reporters, who were being kept in a designated area.

Sky's Jonathan Samuels in Beijing said there were distressing scenes as relatives accused authorities of lying to them.

"What's extraordinary about this is that these sorts of demonstrations don't usually happen in China," he said.

"The families may have made a point of sorts, but they still believe the Malaysian authorities are lying to them."

A high-level delegation will return to Beijing today to meet with frustrated relatives.

Malaysia Airlines is under mounting pressure over its handling of the search.

Chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya has said it is "not correct" to say the airline abandoned relatives.

Bad weather off the western coast of Australia is hampering the search

He also defended the airline's decision to send text messages to relatives of passengers informing them the plane had been lost.

"Our sole and only motivation last night was to ensure that in the incredibly short amount of time available to us, the families heard the tragic news before the world did," he said.

"We know that while there have been an increasing number of apparent leads, definitive identification of any piece of debris is still missing. It is impossible to predict how long this will take.

"But after 17 days, the announcement made last night and shared with the families is the reality which we must now accept."

He said he will decide later on whether he will resign over the handling of the search operation, saying it was a "personal decision" for later.

Grieving relatives have expressed their anger in Beijing

He has insisted the airline is doing its best to treat relatives with care and dignity.

"My heart breaks to think of the unimaginable pain suffered by all the families. There are no words which can ease that pain.

"Everyone in the Malaysia Airlines family is praying for the 239 souls on MH370 and for their loved ones on this dark day. We extend our prayers and sincere condolences."

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) earlier called off the hunt for wreckage from MH370 for the day due to gale force winds, rain and big waves.

"AMSA has undertaken a risk assessment and determined that the current weather conditions would make any air and sea search activities hazardous and pose a risk to crew," it said.

"Therefore, AMSA has suspended all sea and air search operations for today due to these weather conditions."

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Obama: We Hope But Mudslide Situation 'Tough'

Hopes of finding any more survivors are fading following a mudslide so devastating it was picked up by equipment that usually detects earthquakes.

"We hope for the best, but we recognise this is a tough situation," said Barack Obama, who is travelling in Europe.

The US president asked Americans to send their thoughts and prayers to all those affected by the tragedy in Washington State.

The wall of mud and rocks crashed through an entire neighbourhood

At least 14 people were killed as the mudslide smashed through the small community of Oso, about 55 miles (90km) north of Seattle, on Saturday morning.

Around 30 homes were destroyed and dozens more damaged as much of the riverside village was swept away.

Rescue workers have been sifting through mucky rubble with dogs, helicopters and heavy equipment, with relatives of the missing 176 scouring the debris with their bare hands.

Jacob Spiller was reunited with his mother

The threat of potential flash floods or another landslide is also looming over rescuers, adding to their sense of urgency.

"Family members are grieving, trying to focus on finding missing loved ones or working through the process of rebuilding what was lost," said Washington State Governor Jay Inslee.

The number of those possibly missing has grown dramatically to include not just residents, but visitors, contractors and people who might have been driving by when the wall of mud and rocks crashed through the neighbourhood.

Jo-Jo is among the missing, along with other members of his family

Relatives are clinging to hope but officials are not optimistic. 

"The situation is very grim," Snohomish County Fire District 21 Chief Travis Hots said, stressing that authorities were still in rescue mode and are holding out hope.

But he noted: "We have not found anyone alive on this pile since Saturday."

Quake instruments at University of Washington picked up the slide

Meanwhile, desperate families have gathered in the tight-knit community.

A four-year-old boy, Jacob Spiller, was rescued and reunited with his mother, who was not at home.

But his brother, Jovan, known as Jo-Jo, his father and other members of his family remain unaccounted for.

Rescuers found a chocolate Labrador named Buddy alive, and helped pull the dog from the rubble.

Parts of the community were entirely flooded

The mudslide blocked a mile-long stretch of road as well as sweeping through the village.

Researchers said the size of the affected area is staggering - an area 1,500ft wide (457m) to 600ft (182m) tall.

Kate Allstadt, a research seismologist at the University of Washington, said readings were similar to an earthquake, but recorded in a different manner.

"The main event left a really unstable cliff. And then lots of small landslides keep falling off," she said.

When analysed, this signal could provide details about the amount of earth that moved.

It is believed the mudslide was caused by heavy rain that left the ground unstable.

A scientist who documented the landslide conditions on the hillside that buckled had warned in a 1999 report filed with the US Army Corps of Engineers of "the potential for a large catastrophic failure", The Seattle Times reported late Monday.

That report was written by geomorphologist Daniel Miller and his wife, Lynne Rodgers Miller.

"We've known it would happen at some point," Mr Miller told the newspaper.

President Barack Obama, who is in Europe for a meeting with world leaders, has signed an emergency declaration ordering US government assistance to supplement state and local relief efforts.

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