George HW Bush: Condition Worsens In Hospital

The health of former US President George HW Bush has worsened and he is in intensive care with a "stubborn fever".

Mr Bush was admitted to the intensive care unit on Sunday and has been put on a liquids-only diet.

He has been battling bronchitis for the last month and has been in and out of hospital.

Spokesman Jim McGrath: "It's an elevated fever, so it's actually gone up in the last day or two. It's a stubborn fever that won't go away.

"He's had a series of setbacks now that have landed him in guarded condition in the intensive care unit."

Mr Bush had been making a good recovery early last week, he added.

Mr Bush, a Republican, served a single term in the White House from 1989 to 1993, despite sending US forces to victory in Iraq in the first Gulf War, expelling Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait.

He had previously served as Vice President to Ronald Reagan, from 1981 to 1989. His son George W Bush became president of the United States in 2001, serving two terms.

Mr Bush Snr was first admitted to Methodist Hospital in Houston on November 7 for bronchitis treatment and released on November 19.

The 88-year-old was readmitted on November 23 after his cough flared up once more.

Doctors had initially hoped to be able to send the elder statesman home for Christmas, but instead he spent the holiday in hospital, where he was joined by his wife Barbara, son Neil and grandson Pierce.

Mr McGrath said: "I wouldn't say he was able to celebrate it in the traditional sense.

"His family was with him, and he's conscious and he's able to engage in humorous banter with his doctor."

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US Snow Storm Heads East After Hitting Midwest

A severe US snow storm is threatening more devastation as it heads east after pounding the Midwest, killing six people.

Up to 18 inches of snow is forecast inland on Thursday, from western New York to Maine, before tapering off into a mix of rain and snow closer to the coast.

It follows snowy gusts of 30mph and an outbreak of 34 tornadoes on Tuesday in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama – causing travel chaos and power cuts.

More than 1,600 flights were cancelled or delayed on Wednesday while scores of motorists got stuck on icy roads or slid into drifts. The storms left more than 100,000 in the region without power.

The storm has blanketed the Midwest

The major storm system, which spawned Gulf Coast region tornadoes on Christmas Day and an historic amount of snow in Arkansas, pushed through the Upper Ohio Valley and moved into the Northeast.

By Wednesday night, The National Weather Service said spotters had reported up to a foot of snow in some Pennsylvania counties.

And a mix of snow, sleet and rain accompanied by high winds had arrived in western Massachusetts.

"The way I've been describing it is as a low-end blizzard, but that's sort of like saying a small Tyrannosaurus rex," said John Kwiatkowski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Indianapolis.

Snow and rain is expected to hit New York City

Two passengers in a car on a slippery Arkansas road died when the vehicle crossed the centre line and struck a sport utility vehicle.

In Oklahoma, a 76-year-old woman died when a truck crossed into oncoming traffic and hit the car she was in. A 28-year-old woman was killed in another crash.

The storm's winds were also blamed for toppling a tree onto a truck in Texas, killing the driver, and a tree onto a house in Louisiana, killing a man.

Cameras captured the approach of the large funnel cloud in Mobile, Alabama, the biggest city hit by numerous twisters.

A large section of the roof on the city's Trinity Episcopal Church was missing, said Scott Rye, a senior warden at the church.

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Netflix Blames Amazon For Xmas Eve Outage

The online film streaming service Netflix is blaming Amazon after millions of people were unable to access its service on Christmas Eve.

Netflix says a problem at Amazon Web Services (AWS), which rents out computing power in data centres in the internet "cloud", left more than 27 million of its members unable to get the films they wanted.

The Netflix issue began in California on Monday afternoon and lasted late into the night, according to the company.

No problems were reported with viewing offerings at Amazon's rival online film service.

In a message on Twitter, Netflix referred to the problem as "terrible timing". It noted that users in Europe were not affected.

"We are happy that people opening gifts of Netflix or Netflix capable devices on Christmas morning could watch TV shows or movies and apologise for any inconvenience caused Christmas Eve," the company said in a separate statement.

"We are investigating the cause and will do what we can to prevent reoccurrence."

Netflix allows customers to access films online

Amazon told the AFP news agency that the Netflix outage was due to "issues with the Elastic Load Balancing service" that affected some AWS customers in the United States.

Reports in the US suggest the problem stretched from Brazil to Canada.

AWS began recovering late on Christmas Eve and was back in proper working order on Christmas Day, according to Amazon.

The outage exposed a risk inherent in the trend towards depending on "cloud" servers for services ranging from web-based email to digital news publications and business tasks which have traditionally been the responsibility of on-site IT departments.

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China: Shark Tank Explodes At Shopping Centre

Sixteen people were hurt when a 33-ton aquarium containing sharks, other fish and turtles exploded at a shopping centre in the Chinese city of Shanghai.

CCTV pictures captured the moment the giant tank burst, sending glass and fish flying into the crowd.

A man who was taking pictures of the aquarium when it broke was swept away by water.

Shoppers, store assistants and security staff suffered cuts and bruises as they were hit by pieces of 15cm-thick acrylic glass.

Three lemon sharks and dozens of small fishes and turtles were killed, according to reports.

Police have begun an investigation after the tank burst without warning.

"I was just walking by and heard the explosion of this water tank. I heard a bang, then water flushed out," said an unnamed passer-by.

"A cosmetics counter collapsed. The shop assistant was pulled out by other people," said another unidentified witness.

A safety expert said: "According to experts' preliminary investigation, the main cause of the incident is that the material used to make the aquarium ruptured under low temperatures after long-time use."

The Orient shopping centre said it had no plans to rebuild the aquarium which had become a popular attraction since it was installed two years ago.

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Nelson Mandela Discharged From Hospital

By Emma Hurd, Sky News Correspondent

Former South African President Nelson Mandela has "not yet fully recovered" despite being discharged from hospital and will continue to receive medical care at home, a spokesman said.

The 94-year-old was released from hospital on Boxing Day after 18 days of treatment for a lung infection and gallstones.

President Jacob Zuma's spokesman, Mac Maharaj, said Mr Mandela had had "ups and downs" in hospital but his doctors had decided to discharge him after observing "steady progress" over the past few days.

The anti-apartheid leader has extensive medical facilities at his home in Houghton, Johannesburg, and his own medical team will remain with him.

Mr Maharaj said "pulmonary care" would be part of the "home based high care".

Mr Mandela has had recurring lung problems since contracting tuberculosis during his 27 years in prison under the apartheid regime.

The Nobel Peace Laureate had been due to spend Christmas with his family at his ancestral home in Qunu in the Eastern Cape.

But on December 8 he was flown to a hospital in Pretoria renewing fears over his health.

The South African government has been criticised for failing to provide sufficient updates on his condition to a worried public.

Mr Mandela - usually affectionately referred to by his clan name "Madiba" - is still revered as the founder of the "rainbow nation". He retired from public life several years ago and his known to be increasingly frail.

This was his longest stay in hospital he was released from prison in 1990.

On Christmas Day, President Zuma visited his bedside and declared him to be in "high spirits".

Announcing his discharge from hospital, Mr Maharaj said Mr Mandela now needed privacy as he continues his recovery at home, where he is surrounded by members of his family, including his wife Graca Machel.

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Spider-Man Lives As Peter Parker Is Killed Off

After 50 years of spinning webs and catching master criminals, student-turned-superhero Peter Parker has been consigned to Marvel Comics history.

Parker became the Amazing Spider-Man in 1962, the creation of Marvel's Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

Issue 700 is the last of The Amazing Spider-Man series

He was turned into a human spider and superhero after being accidentally exposed to radioactive rays and bitten by a spider during a lab demonstration.

The character has spawned a series of hit movies, a stage show, toys and books as well the iconic Marvel comics.

The 700th and final issue of The Amazing Spider-Man was published on Wednesday and sees Parker killed off when his mind is forcibly swapped with rival Doctor Otto Octavius.

According to Marvel, while Parker dies his body lives on, although with Doc Ock, whose own body was dying, occupying his mind, so Spider-Man returns next month in a new title - Superior Spider-Man.

Title editor Stephen Wacker said: "The Amazing Spider-Man series ends with a defining death and birth meshed among the Spidey mythos."

He said the teen from Queens has been put in every possible situation, except this ultimate one.

Dan Slott, who has been writing the Marvel Comics character for the best part of the last 100 issues, called it "an epic turn" and has promised some surprises in the new comic.

The momentous event brought a flurry of angry comments on Marvel's Facebook site.

Ryan Gandara wrote: "Why, Marvel why would you allow this to happen to one of the most popular heroes of all time and a hero to everyday normal people!"

Kevin Fitzgerald said: "He'll be back because of protesters ... no one but Peter Parker should be Spider-Man ... He is Spider-Man. You can't have him dead.."

And Manuel Martinez added: "This actually made me tear up a bit. How could they do that to Spider-Man? How could they let it end that way for Peter? This "Superior Spider-Man" is some sick joke. Doc Ock masquerading around in Peter's body?"

He added: "I'm not even mad, just sad and sick."

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Indian Tea Plantation Boss Burnt To Death

Hundreds of disgruntled workers on a tea plantation in India have surrounded the owner's home before setting it on fire, killing him and his wife.

The bodies of Mridul Kumar Bhattacharyya and his wife, Rita, were found by police at a tea estate in the Tinsukhia district of Assam on Wednesday.

Their deaths come two weeks after some of the plantation's workforce were reportedly suspended.

The deaths occurred in the Indian state of Assam

Around 700 workers armed with bows and poison-tipped arrows surrounded Mr Bhattacharyya's house, trapping him and his wife inside. The building burned down by the time police arrived.

Speaking to local television channel News Live, one female worker, who was not named, said: "They deserved to be killed as the planter has exploited us for a long time and tortured us for petty things."

Police Superintendent P.P. Singh said officers are investigating, although no arrests have been made.

The plantation is about 310 miles (500km) northeast of Assam's capital, Gauhati.

More than half of India's tea production comes from the region's 800 tea estates.

Plantations, also known as gardens, employ thousands of women to pick the leaves from tea bushes.

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Antarctic Lake Drilling Attempt Abandoned

An attempt to melt a borehole through the continental ice sheet to reach a hidden Antarctic lake has been abandoned by a team of British scientists and engineers.

The freshwater Lake Ellsworth, which has been sealed off by the ice 3km (2 miles) down for up to half a million years, could hold life forms not seen before.

But in the early hours of Christmas Day the mission for this Antarctic season ended after running into problems with the drilling.

Professor Martin Siegert, principal investigator, said: "We took the decision to cease our efforts to directly measure and sample Subglacial Lake Ellsworth. 

"Although circumstances have not worked out as we would have wished, I am confident that through the huge efforts of the field team, and our colleagues in the UK, we have done as much as we possibly could have done, and I sincerely thank them all."

Drilling stopped after the team was unable to form properly the water-filled cavity 300 metres beneath the ice. 

Hot water was used in the drill to penetrate the ice

This cavity was to link the main borehole with a secondary borehole used to recirculate drilling water back to the surface.

The delicate drilling operation used water heated to 90 degrees Celsius and pressurised to 2,000 PSI - 20 times more powerful than a car jet-wash.

Engineer Andy Tait, from British Antarctic Survey, said before drilling started: "This will be the deepest borehole ever made this way. It is the most effective way to obtain rapid, clean access to Lake Ellsworth."

The purpose built equipment (Pic: www.ellsworthlive.org.uk)

The project began 16 years ago and will continue with further attempts to drill though the ice where the team hope to find previously unknown clues to ice and climate history.

Prof Siegert said: "I remain confident that we will unlock the secrets of Lake Ellsworth in coming seasons."

The project statement said: "For reasons that are yet to be determined the team could not establish a link between the two boreholes at 300m depth, despite trying for over 20 hours.

"During this process, hot water seeped into the porous surface layers of ice and was lost. 

"The team attempted to replenish this water loss by digging and melting more snow, but their efforts could not compensate.  

"The additional time taken to attempt to establish the cavity link significantly depleted the fuel stocks to such a level as to render the remaining operation unviable.

"Reluctantly the team had no option but to discontinue the programme for this season."

Lake Ellsworth's location in Antarctica

Prof Siegert said: "This is of course, hugely frustrating for us, but we have learned a lot this year. By the end the equipment was working well, and much of it has now been fully field tested."

The mission is a consortium of the British Antarctic Survey, the National Oceanography Centre and nine universities. It is funded by the National Environment Research Council.

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India Protests: Rapists To Be Named Online

The names, addresses and photographs of convicted rapists will be posted online by police in India to publicly shame them for their crimes.

Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh, the country's junior home minister, said the measure would begin in New Delhi, where a 23-year-old woman was assaulted by six men as she travelled on a bus in the city.

"We are very serious about dealing with the problem and taking all possible action as early as possible," he said.

The victim of the gang-rape in New Delhi on December 16 has been flown to Singapore for treatment for severe internal injuries.

Police said six people had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the attack.

Meanwhile, the son of the Indian president has been criticised by his sister, after he described women who took part in mass protests in the wake of the assault as being middle-aged and covered in makeup.

Abhijit Mukherjee said some of the demonstrators were "dented and painted" - a phrase used by mechanics who mask damaged bodywork and rust on second-hand vehicles with a thick coating of paint.

"These pretty women ... have no contact with ground reality," Mukherjee, who is also a member of parliament, told a regional television news channel.

Mr Mukherjee's critics included his sister Sharmishtha, who described his comments as "a bit of a shocker" and said her father, President Pranab Mukherjee, also disapproved.

"It is definitely something that we as a family don't agree with," she told the NDTV network.

"It's not just one protest, it's accumulated rage over the way women are being treated, raped, molested ... my father is absolutely with me on this."

Mr Mukherjee later apologised, saying he had not intended "to hurt anyone".

The Indian government has set up two committees in response to the protests.

The first will look at speeding up sexual assault trials while the second will investigate what can be done to improve women's safety.

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Fiscal Cliff: Obama Cuts Holiday Short

Opinion: President Obama Must Find Diplomacy Skills

Updated: 3:58pm UK, Thursday 27 December 2012

By David Buik, Cantor Index

President Obama and his charming wife Michelle recently posed for Christmas holiday photographs in Hawaii – all chilled out, very avant-garde in their dress and without appearing to have care in the world.

Clearly his advisers were not in concert with his thinking and summoned him back to Washington in response to an uncomfortable poll, where 47% were of the opinion that a solution will not be found before 1st January 2013 to avoid the 'fiscal cliff!'

I do not subscribe to that intense feeling of uncertainty.  However this impasse with the Republican majority in Congress cannot prevail without serious consequences!

Falling off the Fiscal Cliff would mean that $600bn of tax increases would be immediately implemented affecting many from the US middle-class to the tune of $2,000 per annum plus expenditure cuts totalling $100bn, including austerity measures on an already stressed defence budget.

Measures of such magnitude could send the US economy into recession. Many feel that this frustrating level of prevarication or if you prefer political brinkmanship could take 0.5% off GDP in 2013.

There has always been some degree of posturing by Congress when the opposition holds the majority of votes.  However this time around there appears to be an excess of 'bad blood' between the warring parties. Democrat House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, senior majority leader in the Senate, would hardly qualify as candidates for a first class honours degree in diplomacy, always pouring oil on the flames of discontent on any negotiations which are not in line with their thinking.

John Boehner, the GOP's majority leader has not exactly excelled himself either in terms of presentation.  He preens himself like a peacock, without a hair out of place, when updating the media on the disappointing progress of the negotiations, thus irritating the Democrats for the perceived intransigence of the Republicans.

For the market place easily the most disappointing performance of all from these budget negotiations has come from the President himself.  Despite the fact that he has a larger majority than he gained at the Presidential election in 2008, he still has no majority in Congress.  That's a fact of life and unless the constitution is changed, and frankly 'hell has a better chance of freezing over,' an agreement has to be found within the framework of Congress – like it or not.

Let's not mince words.  There is an air of arrogant confidence about President Barack Obama's demeanour.  Unfortunately he has a lousy relationship with the Republicans in Congress, which is almost understandable; but what is unforgivable is the perception that his relationship with the Democrats in Congress is one of aloofness, irritation and indifference.

He may well protest at that allegation – no matter! As Commander-in-Chief it is the President's job to cajole and steer the acceptance of the US government's legislation and policies through Congress.

President Obama has a very strong case that those earning over $250,000 a year should shoulder more of the tax burden.  However what is terrifying to the market place is what seems to be the threat of abrogation of responsibility in dealing with the unacceptable and gargantuan levels of debt.

Objective people accept that in 2008 President Obama took an economic 'hospital-pass' from President George W Bush, which sent the economy in to recession.  Of that there is no doubt. TARP was a successful ruse!  Treasury Secretary Geithner and FED Chairman Bernanke's next little trick, which fell out of 'Pandora's Box' was quantitative easing!

It was a decent temporary solution and it bought time and restored confidence.  However there are only 4 aces in a pack of cards. Geithner and Bernanke may think there are six. Zero interest rates can only last so long.  Eventually someone has to pick up the tab!  Since 2008 the deficit has risen from $9tn to $16t. This is unacceptable.

In my humble opinion debt is the greatest threat to democracy! The US government cannot rely on China to keep buying Treasuries with an insatiable appetite, regardless of liquidity, if the US government does not attend to its responsibilities. 

Governments, banks and Consumers are all-over borrowed.  De-leveraging must be implemented.

If the market and China in particular decides that the debt burden is too great and consequently withdrew their automatic support with yields from 0.25% to 2% rising meteorically, that would send the cost of servicing debt in to orbit. The worst case scenario would be recession, massive unemployment and civil unrest!

President Obama, please avoid possible turmoil and 'go bang a few heads' together diplomatically!

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Russia's Vladimir Putin: I'm Not Authoritarian

Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied he runs an authoritarian system, saying he has had plenty of chances to change the constitution but never has.

In his first major news conference of his third term as president, he said: "I cannot call this system authoritarian, I cannot agree with this.

"If I considered a totalitarian or authoritarian system preferable, I would simply have changed the constitution, it was easy enough to do, it doesn't even require any sort of national vote," Mr Putin said.

Critics, including in the United States and Europe, have accused him of trying to smother dissent by pushing through laws that they say can be used to stifle opponents.

Earlier Russian investigators said prominent opposition activist Alexei Navalny had been charged with fraud and money laundering.

Mr Navalny, who made his name exposing rampant corruption in state-controlled companies, spearheaded a series of street rallies in Moscow that drew up to 100,000 people and followed last December's fraud-tainted parliamentary vote.

The Kremlin

He said the charges are a reprisal for his efforts to mobilise opposition to Mr Putin

During the broadcast, Mr Putin also backed tough legislation pending that would make it illegal for Americans to adopt Russian children in retaliation for a US human rights law.

The highly-controversial draft legislation would end around 1,000 adoptions a year and comes as a reminder of the rapid deterioration in Russia-US relations since Mr Putin's election in March.

The bill also includes a clause that bans any Russian non-government organisations involved in politics that receives funding from the US.

The State Duma lower house of parliament is due to vote on the bill in its final reading on Friday, before it passes to the upper chamber and then for the president's signature.

Sitting behind a large desk in front of 1,200 journalists in a Moscow conference centre, Mr Putin remained calm, rarely smiled and was still going after three hours.

Actor Gerard Depardieu

Covering a wide range of topics, the president went on to say he would offer French movie star Gerard Depardieu a Russian passport to resolve his tax row, calling him a friend.

"If Gerard really wants to have a residency permit in Russia or a Russian passport, we can consider this issue resolved positively," he said.

The website of Le Monde newspaper quoted Depardieu on Tuesday as telling friends that "Putin has already sent me a passport".

Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to the report that "most likely he was joking".

Mr Putin also dismissed talk that he is suffering from health problems, saying such speculation served the interests of his political opponents.

"This is only beneficial for political opponents who are trying to question the legitimacy and the effectiveness of the authorities," he told the news conference.

The president was seen limping at a September Asia-Pacific summit and Russian government sources said he was suffering from back trouble.

Meanwhile, a Russian prosecutor has requested that oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky's jail sentence for multibillion-pound theft and money laundering be reduced by almost two years.

Mr Khodorkovsky is serving 13 years in a prison near the Arctic circle after a Russian court convicted him in 2010 in a case that Kremlin critics have described as politically motivated.

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India Elections: Modi Inches Closer To Top Job

By Alex Rossi, India Correspondent

Early election results in the Indian state of Gujarat suggest the controversial Hindu nationalist leader Narendra Modi will win a fourth successive term by a landslide - sealing his status as a frontrunner in the 2014 national polls.

According to the latest polling data, Mr Modi's BJP party is on course for an overwhelming victory.

He has won at least 60 seats and should win a further 56 in the 182-seat assembly.

The massive win will only enhance Mr Modi's standing as a potential future prime minister of the country - he has long been tipped for the top job.

The next national elections are due by 2014.

Mr Modi addresses his supporters during an election rally in Dokar

But Mr Modi is seen as an extremely divisive figure in a country with a sizeable minority non-Hindu population.

He was chief minister during the Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2002 in which more than a 1,000 people were killed - most of them were Muslims.

Mr Modi stands accused of not doing enough to stop the unrest.

It is a charge though that he vehemently denies and this election result will be a huge boost for him and his party.

It is also a sign that he is a real contender for the top office.

Internationally, there are signs of acceptance as well.

In October, the British Government decided to end a 10-year diplomatic boycott of Mr Modi.

After the 2002 violence, the UK, the US and some European nations imposed a travel ban on Mr Modi.

But that has now been lifted by Britain - much to the anger of many Indian human rights campaigners.

The UK has been accused of cosying up to Mr Modi because of the possibility that he may one day lead India.

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Body Of Endangered Whale Washes Up On Beach

One of the most endangered whales in the world has washed up dead on a beach in northeast Florida.

Officials said the 26ft-long (8 metre) North Atlantic right whale washed up overnight on a beach near Palm Coast.

Federal marine spokesman Barb Zoodsma says biologists are not sure what caused the death.

A necropsy will be conducted on the beach since the one-year-old whale is too large to move. The whale will then be buried on the beach.

There are fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales left in the world.

The whales are found from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia. Pregnant females travel to waters off the southeast coast to give birth.

Vessel strikes and entanglement in fixed fishing gear are the two greatest threats to their recovery.

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Oz Customs Staff Held Over Drug Smuggling

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

An alleged major drug smuggling operation involving a network of customs officials has been uncovered at Australia's biggest airport.

Eight people have been arrested - with more expected - after police swooped on Sydney Airport following a two-year corruption probe.

It is claimed that large quantities of drugs were smuggled through the airport in backpacks and suitcases, with corrupt officials using their knowledge of security systems to allow the narcotics to pass through the international terminal undetected.

Australian Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said one customs officer, one quarantine officer and two members of the public were arrested this week.

The other four were arrested in August and October.

"There is no place for corruption in our law enforcement agencies," he said. "Where it exists we have to weed it out."

Local media reported that customs officers at Sydney Airport had allegedly been working with organised crime figures to import drugs.

Up to 20 officials are suspected of being involved in either serious misconduct or corrupt dealings, ranging from criminal association to leaking information, drug trafficking and bribery.

They are suspected of importing pseudoephedrine, cocaine, steroids and possibly even weapons.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Tony Negus said alleged couriers were sent overseas to collect drugs before returning through customs with the help of people in trusted positions.

It is understood more arrests are possible.

Mr Clare said the majority of law enforcement officers were good, honest, hard-working people.

"But we can't be naive," he said, adding there would always be people who would be tempted.

"There will always be the risk that our law enforcement officers could end up working for the crooks."

Mr Clare said the thousands of customs officers heading to work on Thursday morning would be disgusted by the reports of corruption.

"My message to them is this: you can expect more stings, you can expect more arrests and you can expect more reform," he said. "If you're corrupt we'll hunt you down and lock you up."

The Australian Government will now establish a Customs Reform Board to provide advice and recommendations to ministers on how to bolster integrity in the agency.

Australian Customs and Border Protection Service acting chief, Michael Pezzullo, said his job now was to drive further integrity reforms.

"I'm not so naive as to think that criminal elements will not attempt to penetrate this service, its systems and its staff," he said. "We're going to root out these cells."

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Barack Obama Trapped By Spider-Man's Web

A photo of Barack Obama getting caught in Spider-Man's web outside the Oval Office has been released by the White House.

The playful encounter between the US president and a staff member's child dressed up for Halloween was captured by his official photographer Pete Souza.

Mr Obama raises his hands in mock fear as he pretends he has been trapped by the superhero.

The intimate snap has been seen by thousands of people since it was posted onto the president's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

On Wednesday Mr Obama was named as Time magazine's person of the year for the second time in four years.

The magazine said the US was in the midst of huge cultural and demographic changes and deemed the president to be both the symbol and in some ways a driving force behind that transformation.

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Knife Attacks: Pupils Taught To Combat Threat

Chinese schools are teaching young students how to fight off knife-wielding attackers following a string of stabbings aimed at children.

Twenty-seven people have been killed and more than 80 injured since March in a spate of knife attacks that have alarmed the public.

The most recent school attack, on Friday, saw Min Yongjun stab and slash 22 students at a primary school in the central Chinese province of Henan. 

No-one died in Friday's violence but the official news agency Xinhua said eight of the children were taken to hospital for surgery for facial wounds.

The previous day, a man wielding a knife injured 15 students and a teacher at a primary school in southern China.

One of the children hurt in Friday's attack talks to her mum on the phone

And on Sunday, a man injured six women with a cleaver in southern China before killing himself by jumping from a building.

With much of the violence taking place on school grounds, there have long been calls for stronger protection for students.

The deaths of children strike an especially deep chord in a country where most urban families are allowed to have only one child, said Yang Dongping, an education expert at the Beijing Institute of Technology.

The attacks also fuelled concerns about the social malaise underneath China's rapid economic growth, as some attackers - usually young men - had recently lost jobs or felt left out of the country's economic boom.

There are also calls for the government to offer more psychological consultations across the country.

Earlier this week police released surveillance footage of Friday's school attack showing the attacker pursuing a group of children through a school gate.

Students stand behind a policeman as they learn to defend themselves

Panicked children stream out of the school gates to escape Min, before adults appear holding straw brooms and chase him out.

Authorities said that Min, 36, had been "influenced by rumours of the end of the world", which some people believe is due to occur on December 21, in line with supposed Mayan prophecies.

The attack happened on the same day that 20 children were shot dead at a US primary school in Connecticut.

Chinese social media users complained that while the US massacre received ample coverage, the Henan attack barely registered with official state media.

"The headlines are still dominated by the American attack, I haven't seen reports about the attack in Henan which happened on the same day," wrote one user of Sina Weibo - a website similar to Twitter.

"Aren't Chinese children's lives also important? It's a tragedy."

Another user said: "On the same day as the US shooting, 22 children were slashed at the school in Henan, but mainstream media were virtually mute on this. Are the lives of Chinese children worthless to them?"

According to instructions obtained by the China Digital Times - a website following social and political developments in China and run by the University of California -  the government's central propaganda department told Chinese media to play down the Henan attack.

It quoted officials as telling media not to put the news on the front page or lure readers to it, and not to produce reports or comment on it other than those provided by Xinhua.

Criticism of official media coverage follows the installation last month of a new Communist Party chief, Xi Jinping, who has told the media not to shy away from focusing on genuine news.

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Ben Affleck Calls On US To Help Congo

Actor/director Ben Affleck has addressed members of Congress to appeal for stronger US leadership over the "desperate" situation in Congo.

Appearing before the House Armed Services Committee, the Argo star said a desperate humanitarian situation in Congo requires a stronger display of US leadership, and it will get worse without one.

Affleck said he had travelled to Congo regularly in recent years, seeing both the effects of violence and the potential of the African country, and called for the US to show moral leadership in the region.

"They deserve better than this cycle of violence and upheaval," he said of the people of Congo. "Without persistent, high-level leadership by the United States, the key players will not come to the table and do their part."

Affleck has been going to Congo for several years

Smartly dressed in a suit and tie, Affleck told the committee the US should lead an effort to reshape the role in the region of the United Nations, which has failed to stop rebels terrorising eastern Congo.

An estimated five million people have been killed since a second regional war began in 1997.

Affleck was one of five witnesses, including academic experts and government officials, to testify to the committee about Congo - but the only one asked to pose for pictures.

He was appearing before the committee on the strength of his experience in founding the East Congo Initiative, a not-for-profit organisation formed in 2010 that helps direct aid to the war-torn region.

The actor, who has three children with wife Jennifer Garner, revealed that he plans to travel to Congo again next year.

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US Shooting Spurs Bulletproof Backpack Sales

Sales of bulletproof backpacks have soared in the days after the shootings of 20 young children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut.

One company, Amendment II, sells Avengers and Little Mermaid-themed bags for boys and girls respectively, with integrated protective armour inserts.

"Sewn into the rear of the pack, you can always be confident that the armour hasn't been accidentally left at home and that you or your child are protected in case of the unthinkable," the company promises.

Other companies have also seized the moment to push sales. Prices range from $150 (£92) to almost $500 (£308).

BulletBlocker claims to have sold around 40 per day since last Friday's massacre.

The makers say bulletproof panels inside the bags could save lives

"Light, easy to use, it is as big as a book," says Elmar Uy, vice president at the New Hampshire company.

"We don't guarantee anything. It is just peace of mind, security for parents."

Devin Standard says his company, Black Dragon Tactical, has been selling 30 "ballistic panels" a day.

"The question is: is your life worth $229? Most people, when they think about this, they say, 'Yes,'" Mr Standard said.

"If you have a car, you have car insurance. If you have a house, you have home insurance. It (the bulletproof panel) is always there, just in case you are at the wrong place one day."

The reaction to the Connecticut school shooting can also be seen at gun stores and self-defence retailers across the nation.

A spike in gun sales is common after a mass shooting, but the latest rampage generated record sales in some states, particularly of assault weapons similar to the AR-15 rifle the gunman used at Sandy Hook.

Semi-automatic rifles are out of stock at many gun stores

Aaron Byrd, co-owner of Patriot Shooting Sports in Youngsville, North Carolina, sold out of the rifle and the high-capacity magazines that go with it.

"Things have been crazy the past couple of days. A lot of people have been coming in looking to purchase semi-automatic rifles," he said.

"They're worried that the government's going to ban semi-automatic rifles and high-capacity magazines, so they've been coming in looking for those."

Colorado set a single-day record for gun background check requests the day after the shootings, while Nevada saw more checks in the two days that followed than any other weekend this year.

Records were also set in Tennessee, California and Virginia, among others.

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Deadly Snakes Hatch In Oz Toddler's Wardrobe

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

An Australian mother has found a box of deadly snakes in her three-year-old son's wardrobe.

Donna Sim, from Townsville in the state of Queensland, gave her toddler a plastic container when he was playing in the garden a few weeks ago.

Kyle Cummings put some eggs he had found inside the box and left it in the warm confines of his wardrobe.

But, when Ms Sim opened the wardrobe this week she got the fright of her life, seeing seven baby snakes writhing around inside.

The reptiles, later identified to be eastern brown snakes, are regarded as the world's second deadliest species behind the inland taipan.

Fortunately, Kyle had clamped the lid of the container down firmly, and the snakes had not yet grown large enough to push it off and escape.

"I was pretty shocked, particularly because I don't like snakes," Ms Sim told the Townsville Bulletin newspaper.

The snakes were handed over to wildlife carers in Townsville.

North Queensland Wildlife Care reptile co-ordinator Trish Prendergast, who released the seven eastern browns, said: "This little boy was extremely lucky he didn't get bitten."

Ms Prendergast said it was illegal to interfere with protected wildlife but the mum and her family would not face any charges.

The reptile co-ordinator said eastern browns were "born killers" and even as babies have enough venom to kill people, although their fangs are very small when they are young.

"If he'd opened the container he might not be here today." she said.

"He's always out in the yard, he always loves playing out there," Kyle's older sister Shannon told the paper.

"He's a real country boy. He was a bit sorry to see them go. He wanted to keep them."

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Hollande Recognises French Brutality In Algeria

French President Francois Hollande has acknowledged the brutality of France's occupation of Algeria, but stopped short of an apology.

In a speech at the Palais des Nations in Algiers on the second and final day of his landmark visit to the former French colony, he accepted the "unjust" and "brutal" nature of France's colonial history in the North African country.

He also recognised the "massacres" by the French during the seven-year war that led to Algerian independence in 1962.

Mr Hollande and Mr Bouteflika get down to business

It is the deep scars of the 1954-1962 conflict, in which hundreds of thousands of people died, that Mr Hollande has been seeking to remedy on his first state visit since his election in May.

Ties between the two countries have been fraught with tension since the Algerian War.

As the North African nation celebrates 50 years of independence from France, Mr Hollande believes it is time for a "new era".

Having already made clear on Wednesday that he was not on a visit to "repent or apologise" for France's colonial past in Algeria, he told the country's parliamentarians on Thursday: "History, even when it is tragic, even when it is painful for our two countries, must be told.

"For 132 years, Algeria was subjected to a profoundly unjust and brutal system.

Mr Hollande addresses the Algerian parliament

"I recognise here the suffering that colonisation has inflicted on the Algerian people."

Mr Hollande notably listed the sites of three massacres, including one at Setif where seven years ago current Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika compared French methods to those used by Nazi Germany and asked France to make a "gesture ... to erase this black stain".

The two leaders have agreed to relaunch relations with a new pact between the two nations, bolstered by economic, trade, cultural, agricultural and defence ties.

Mr Hollande, who brought with him senior executives from some of France's top firms, announced French carmaker Renault had agreed to build a factory in Algeria to produce some 75,000 cars a year.

A new start must "be supported by a base", Mr Hollande said, and "this base is truth".

"Nothing is built in secretiveness, forgetting, denial," he added.

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Man Held Over Facebook Child Abuse Video

Police have arrested a mechanic for alleged child abuse after a video of a toddler being hit by his stepdad was put on Facebook.

A 32-year-old suspect was held over the nine-minute video which was first posted by Facebook user Vasu Amaithi Padai on Tuesday, according to the New Straits Times.

The video, which has 44,537 shares, shows the three-year-old being physically abused by his stepfather whilst a baby and another toddler are in the room.

The child is slapped to the ground, held in the air and punched repeatedly and beaten with a various objects.

He is now being treated in a Malaysian hospital and under the supervision of social welfare officers.

Many Facebook users expressed outrage and demanded the police take action against the individual and the video-maker.

Facebook user, Alice Perumal, commented: "Oh my god! It is so cruel! Is this his real father? Who is doing the shooting (the video)? I can't stop crying after watch this ..."

In a statement to the media through their Facebook account, the Royal Malaysian Police confirmed that the man in the footage was the stepfather to the three-year-old toddler, said the newspaper.

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Brazil: Team Quits Final Over 'Gun Threat'

The final of South America's second biggest football competition was abandoned after the away team claimed they were beaten and had guns pulled on them at half-time.

Brazil's Sao Paulo were awarded the Copa Sudamericana after their Argentinian opponents refused to play the second half of the final's second leg, claiming the players feared for their safety.

There were ugly scenes as players fought while leaving the pitch at the end of first half, with the Brazilian side leading 2-0 in front of their home fans.

The referee leaves the field to discuss Tigre's concerns about safety

Things apparently got worse for Tigre during the break, with coaches claiming security personnel entered the changing room and attacked their players with clubs.

Tigre manager Nestor Gorosito briefly returned to the pitch and, referring to unspecified security officials, told reporters: "They pulled two revolvers. We're not going to play any more".

Tense negotiations took place outside the changing room area

While it was unclear what happened in the changing room, Argentine television showed what appeared to be blood stains spattered on walls.

After the break, referee Enrique Osses of Chile awarded the trophy - South America's equivalent of the Europa League - to Sao Paulo after waiting around 30 minutes for Tigre to retake the field.

Tigre's coach Tigre Gorosito told reporters guns were pulled on his team

"Police entered and struck our players with sticks," Gorosito told Argentine television. "It was crazy. What happened was crazy."

Romer Osuna, a Bolivian official with Conmebol, South America's governing body of football, said Tigre players were afraid to carry on with the game.

Earlier, Sao Paulo star Lucas had given the home side the lead

"The Tigre people declined to play because they considered security was not good enough," Osuna told Fox Sports.

Fans at the 72,000 capacity Morumbi stadium celebrated Sao Paulo's first Copa Sudamericana win as if the violence had never happened, but the incident may raise questions about Brazil's ability to host the 2014 World Cup.

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Ancient Peruvian Priestess Face Reconstructed

The reconstructed face of a high ruling Peruvian priestess has been unveiled by researchers from Utah Valley University.

They revealed the reconstruction during a presentation at the Bruning Museum in Lambayeque, Peru.

Priestesses were very powerful in ancient Peru and this one is said to have governed in around 1200 AD.

"This was probably one of the most powerful people in Lambayeque 800 years ago, so she was a central person in the political and religious structure," said Haagen Klaus one of the project's land researchers.

The ruler's mummified remains were discovered in a tomb last year near the city of Lambayeque, at the Chotuna Chornancap archaeological site.

Carlos Wester, the director of the Chotuna Chornancap project, outlined the hard work behind the archaeological feat.

"This (facial reconstruction) takes an average of five or six months of hard work from our colleagues at Utah Valley University.

"We must look to other areas, not just to things of value or shiny objects, but to highlight the physical presence of people, such as we can see with this image that we are so proud of," said Mr Wester.

The reconstruction involved a combination of the priestess's mummified remains, old photographs of women from the region and computer generated images.

Investigators believe the priestess was between 30 and 40 years old when she died.

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Chef Jamie Oliver Sued In 'Pink Slime' Row

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is among those being sued in the US by a worker laid off by a beef processing firm after "pink slime" was apparently used in fast food and school lunches.

Bruce Smith is one of 750 employees fired earlier this year by Beef Products Incorporated (BPI) following a flood of reports about the substance. He is suing Oliver, ABC News, and blogger Bettina Siegel.

The lawsuit accuses them of "the dissemination of untrue facts and misinformation" about Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB) and argues they "engaged in negligent, wilful and reckless behaviour" against BPI.

The process involves heating beef scraps and running them through a centrifuge to separate out fat, then treating the final product with ammonium hydroxide to prevent contamination by e.coli and other pathogens.

The company, which had produced 350,000 tons of the substance each year, insists LFTB is a "significant, safe and reliable source of lean beef meat" and that the ammonium hydroxide is not considered an ingredient.

"Pursuant to USDA and FDA regulations, LFTB was, and is, 100% beef," it said.

Mr Smith, 58, has requested $70,000 (£43,000) in compensation, saying a larger amount may mean the case is transferred out of his Nebraska community and into a US federal court.

A worker in Nebraska feeds offcuts into the processing line

He said he wants the public to understand "how consumer fears and concerns were falsely hyped and manipulated by the traditional and social media, celebrities, politicians and others".

In an episode in April 2011 of his Food Revolution show, Oliver spun beef scraps in a washing machine and doused them with ammonium hydroxide to illustrate the process, referring to the finished product as "pink slime".

"You've just turned dog food into potentially your kids' food," Oliver said at the end of the demonstration, adding "everything about this process to me is about no respect for food, or people, or children".

The following March, Ms Siegel, author of The Lunch Tray blog, launched an online petition to ban LFTB in school lunches, gathering 250,000 signatures. ABC News then ran a series of stories on the substance.

At around the same time, a picture of strawberry-coloured chicken paste was widely circulated on the internet, falsely labelled as LFTB.

ABC News and Oliver could not immediately be reached for comment, but Ms Siegel wrote on her blog that she was confident the constitutional freedom of speech protects her from "meritless attempts at censorship like this one."

She added: "I will vigorously defend my right, and the rights of all of us, to speak out on matters of public importance and to petition the federal government."

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Japan Murder Mystery: Elderly Suspect Dead

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

Efforts to solve a string of murders in Japan have been complicated after the main suspect - a grandmother - was found dead.

Miyoko Sumida, 64, was the suspected mastermind behind a series of deaths in Amagasaki in Japan's Hyogo prefecture.

In an extraordinary and hugely complicated case, it is alleged that Sumida and a number of her family members murdered an unspecified number of other family members and acquaintances and concealed their bodies underground and in concrete.

In an investigation which has gripped Japan, she and eight other people including her husband, adopted sons and daughter-in-law were arrested in November 2011 for multiple murders.

She was found dead in her police cell on Wednesday having apparently taken her own life.

According to investigators in the murder case, Sumida built up a complex network of relatives and other acquaintances, who she controlled with violence.

The arrests came following the discovery of the body of 66-year-old Kazuko Oe in a concrete-filled drum at a warehouse in the city of Amagasaki.

In October this year three more bodies were discovered.

Police found them hidden underneath the home belonging to the 88-year-old grandmother of Sumida's daughter-in-law.

Local media reports have identified them as Takashi Tanimoto, 68, Mariko Nakashima, who was the 29-year-old sister of Sumida's daughter-in-law and Mitsue Ando, 71 years-old and the partner of Sumida's older brother.

A fifth body, identified as Jiro Hashimoto, 53, was found in a concrete-filled drum retrieved from the sea in Japan's Okayama prefecture at the end of October.

The sixth body, understood to be that of 88-year-old Nori Minayoshi, was found in a farm shed in early December. Other relatives are still understood to be missing.

Sumida was being held in a cell at the police headquarters in the city of Kobe. She had been placed on suicide watch after repeatedly telling police that she wanted to die.

Police found her in the cell with a long sleeve shirt around her neck. Attempts to revive her failed.

Given the complexity of the relationships between the alleged murderers, accomplices and victims, police had been struggling to piece the crime together.

Sumida's apparent suicide, before her trial, is likely to make the police and prosecution job even harder.

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Nasa Video Debunks 'End Of World' Theories

Scientists at Nasa have released a video dismissing theories that the world will end on December 21.

Experts at the American space agency are so confident of their argument, that they have posted the December 22-dated video more than a week before the supposed doomsday.

The short film, called 'Why The World Didn't End Yesterday', debunks various apocalyptic theories linked to the ancient Mayan calendar.

The video says: "If you're watching this video, it means one thing: the world didn't end yesterday.

"According to media reports of an ancient Mayan prophecy, the world was supposed to be destroyed on December 21 2012.

"But look around you. The whole thing was a misconception from the very beginning."

Dr John Carlson, director of the Centre for Archaeoastronomy, said the Mayan calendar did not end on that date and that the Mayans had never predicted the world would end then.

The Mayan calendar has been cited as evidence of the apocalypse

He explained that their calendar simply "rolls over" on December 21 2012.

The video also quotes Don Yeoman, head of Nasa's near-earth comet programme, as saying no known asteroids or comets were on a collision course with earth.

"Neither is a rogue planet coming to destroy us," he said.

Nasa astrobiologist David Morrison said: "If there were anything out there like a planet heading for earth, it would already be one of the brightest objects in the sky. Everybody on earth (would be able) to see it.

"You don't need to ask the Government, just go out and look. It's not there."

The video also dismissed suggestions that solar flares meant the sun posed a threat to human existence.

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Hans Christian Andersen's First Tale Discovered

A Danish historian has found a copy of a previously unknown fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen at the bottom of a box.

The historian Esben Brage accidentally found the copy in a filing box at the National Archives of Funen.

The six-page text entitled Tallow Candle is dedicated "to Mme Bunkeflod, from her devoted HC Andersen".

Mme Bunkeflod was a neighbouring widow who was very close to Andersen.

Hans Christian Andersen died in 1875

The tale is a fictional story of an unloved, unlit candle which is set alight and saved by a "little flame".

Andersen expert Ejnar Stig Askgaard said this is likely to be one of Andersen's earliest works, written in the 1920s seven years before his official debut.

Anderson wrote nearly 160 tales, including The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid, which have been translated into hundreds of languages.

The Danish daily Politiken has since published the translated tale online.

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Town In Chile Struck By 170 Earthquakes

More than 170 tremors have been felt in the coastal town of Navidad in quake-prone Chile in just five weeks.

The strongest - of 5.9 magnitude - struck during a funeral and sent panicked mourners fleeing into the street.

The town, with a population of 5,500, has become one of the shakiest spots on Earth.

Seismologists cannot say whether the recent quakes have been aftershocks from Chile's devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake two years ago - or warnings of another huge disaster to come.

The town's residents, though, have learned to take the quakes in their stride.

Navidad means Christmas in Spanish - and with the festive season in full swing Navidenos have been taking extra precautions to ensure the celebrations pass as smoothly as possible.

Families have taken to decorating their Christmas trees with quakes in mind, wiring ornaments to the branches or taking extra efforts to secure the base.

Some restaurant owners have even switched from bottled beer to cans.

Children at public schools have been practicing drills every day and everyone has been equipped with a 'quake bag' comprising flashlights and food.

"We were born, grew up and were raised with earthquakes," acting Mayor Rodrigo Soto said.

"It seems like the world for the first time has discovered Navidad. Everyone asks us if we're scared and all we can say is that we need to be prepared."

The town has an inadequate tsunami alert system - a siren that sounds like a car alarm and lacks the volume needed to reach all the townspeople. But after so many tremors, he said Navidenos know in their bones when to run.

"People are afraid because in the past weeks it shook so much," said 18-year-old waitress Karen Contreras.

"It's still trembling, but at least people know where to evacuate if it's strong," she added.

The February 2010 quake hit central Chile, killing hundreds of people and wrecking 220,000 homes.

The country suffered 150 strong aftershocks in the immediate days following the disaster, and it was also reported that the initial tremor was so powerful, it may have shifted the Earth's axis and made days slightly shorter.

No-one was killed by the huge quake in Navidad, but some 200 homes were lost or severely damaged, and most households had no power or water for a month.

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Litvinenko: Russia 'Was Involved' In Death

The UK has evidence the Russian state was involved in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, who was working for MI6 when he died, a coroner has heard.

The pre-inquest review was told the former KGB spy had been hired by MI6 for a number of years and was also working with Spain to investigate the Russian mafia shortly before his death.

Mr Litvinenko was poisoned with polonium-210 after allegedly drinking tea at a meeting with two former Russian colleagues - Andrei Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun - in London's Millennium Hotel in November 2006.

Russia has refused to extradite the prime suspects, Mr Lugovoy and Mr Kovtun, both of whom deny involvement.

The hearing revealed for the first time that Mr Lugovoy - now a Russian MP - was double-crossing his government and helping with an investigation into the Russian mafia's links with the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The former spy's wife Marina arrives at the pre-inquest review

Hugh Davies, counsel to the inquest into Mr Litvinenko's death, said assessments of confidential material submitted by the British Government had "established a prima facie case as to the culpability of the Russian state in the death of Alexander Litvinenko".

After the hearing, Mr Litvinenko's wife Marina said she was pleased the alleged involvement of the Russian government in her husband's murder would now be considered by the inquest.

"We've been saying this many times but this is the first time this question has been raised in court," she said.

"I appreciate all that was done today and I'm looking forward to any decision, which will be taken by the coroner after today's hearing."

It was also heard that Mr Litvinenko would regularly meet with an MI6 handler, named only as Martin, in central London and was paid by both the British and Spanish secret services into a joint bank account he held with his wife, the hearing was told.

Dmitry Kovtun (L) and Andrei Lugovoy (R) deny involvement in the murder

Ben Emmerson QC, representing Mrs Litvinenko, said the inquest should also consider whether MI6 failed in its duty to protect against a "real and immediate risk to life".

Mr Davies said assessments of confidential material that was submitted by the British Government showed there was no evidence to suggest the UK was involved in the poisoning of Mr Litvinenko or that it failed to take necessary steps to protect him.

The evidence also ruled out the involvement of other parties, including friend Boris Berezovsky, Chechen-related groups and the Spanish mafia, he added.

Mr Emmerson said Mr Litvinenko had been asked by MI6 to work with the Spanish secret service and the inquest should consider whether "detailed risk assessments" were carried out.

Mr Litvinenko in 1998

He had been due to travel to Spain with Mr Lugovoy shortly before his death to provide intelligence in the Russian mafia investigation, Mr Emmerson said.

The investigation was looking at links between Russian political parties, organised crime and arms trafficking, he added.

Neil Garnham QC, representing the Home Office, told the hearing he could "neither confirm nor deny" whether Mr Litvinenko was employed by British intelligence services.

The Russian Federation has now indicated its wish to become an interested party in the inquest, which is to be held on May 1.

The inquest will be held before High Court judge Sir Robert Owen, who has been appointed assistant deputy coroner.

Mr Litvinenko died three weeks after he was poisoned - after authorising the release of a photo showing the devastating impact of radiation poisoning on his body.

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Royal Hoax Radio Staff 'Moved Into Safehouses'

Staff at a radio station behind a hoax call that led to the apparent suicide of nurse Jacintha Saldanha have been moved to safehouses, according to reports.

Managers at Sydney radio station 2Day FM have also recruited 24-hour bodyguards to protect employees.

Mrs Saldanha was found dead days after the DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian called London's King Edward VII hospital, where the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for severe morning sickness.

They impersonated the Queen and Prince Charles, with the "monarch" making enquiries about her "granddaughter".

Nurse Jacintha Saldanha was found dead after receiving a hoax call

Australian news website news.co.au said police have launched an investigation due to staff receiving death threats, with one letter specifically targeting Christian.

The letter reportedly said there are "bullets out there with your (Christian's) name on" and contained further threats involving a shotgun.

An inquest into the 46-year-old's death opened at Westminster Coroner's Court on Thursday, and heard injuries were found on her wrists and that she had left three notes.

Two of the notes were found in her room at the hospital. The other was among her possessions.

The mother-of-two's body was released to undertakers on behalf of the family after the hearing.

The court heard that police are exploring emails and texts sent by the 46-year-old, who was discovered by a colleague and a security guard on Friday.

Officers are also interviewing Ms Saldanha's friends and family, and staff at the Australian radio station responsible for the prank.

Detective Chief Inspector James Harman said: "On Friday December 7 Jacintha Saldanha was found by a colleague and a member of security staff. Sadly she was found hanging.

"There were also injuries to her wrists. The London Ambulance Service was called to the scene. At this time there are no suspicious circumstances."

The inquest came as pressure mounted on bosses at the radio station to name the executives responsible for airing the hoax call.

Sky News understands Australia's independent media watchdog, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), has had 2,500 complaints from around the world over the 2Day FM segment.

ACMA has announced a rare fast-track investigation into the prank, which saw Ms Saldanha put two radio hosts through to a fellow nurse who unwittingly revealed details about Kate's treatment.

Australia's radio broadcasting code stipulates that it is a breach to record a person in conversation, and also air it, without their knowledge.

The radio station insists it did not break the law and says it tried to contact the hospital on five separate occasions. The hospital disputes any contact was ever sought.

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Philippines Typhoon: Deadly Scale Becomes Clear

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

The number of people killed in the Philippines typhoon may rise as high as 500.

Rescuers and recovery teams are continuing to discover devastated communities in remote regions of Mindanao Island.

Typhoon Bopha hit the east of Mindanao, far south of the capital Manila, at dawn on Tuesday morning.

Initial reports suggested that no one had been killed and only a few people injured.

However, as communication was restored and remote regions accessed, the reality became clear.

TV footage shows scores of dead bodies all caked in mud. Those who survived sit, stunned, next to their dead relatives.

A family wash clothes surrounded by a devastated banana plantation

One young boy is carried to safety by his cousin. His father is in hospital but his mother and his brother are dead.

Hundreds of the injured across Mindanao will have the same stories. Many thousands more are homeless.

Mindanao has the perfect landscape for storm destruction - much of the population live in shacks along the coastline, but inland the island is dominated by mountains and rivers.

Many people and their homes were wiped away by flooding and landslides.

In the Compostela Valley in the island's south-east, communities were evacuated to a local school and a community centre which were then hit.

"We didn't think the winds would get that strong. The floods were rushing towards us. We didn't imagine it would turn out that way, so we didn't come here to evacuate," one villager said.

The recovery will continue and the repair work will now begin. However, forecasters predict another storm within the next two weeks.

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Oscar Niemeyer: Brazilian Architect Dies At 104

Brazilian icon Oscar Niemeyer, who revolutionised modern architecture, has died just a few days short of his 105th birthday.

Mr Niemeyer designed some 600 works and was renowned for his contribution to the global skyline.

He is most famous for constructing the futuristic capital of Brasilia.

"Brazil today lost one of its geniuses. It's a day for mourning," President Dilma Rousseff said in a statement posted on her official blog.

The architect's death was caused by a worsening respiratory infection, according to Samarintano hospital, where he was being treated.

Mr Niemeyer's body has been flown to Brasilia for a funeral at the presidential palace, one of his major works, before being returned to Rio for another ceremony.

The Museum of Contemporary Art near Rio de Janeiro

Winner of architecture's top award in 1988, the Pritzker Prize, Mr Niemeyer started his career in the 1930s and went on working until his death at 104, with some 20 projects left unfinished.

"I am not attracted by the angles or the hard and inflexible straight lines created by man … what attracts me is the free and sensual curve," he told the Spanish newspaper ABC.

The architect was a lifetime communist and argued that "poor people don't get to take part, but they can be brought to a halt in front of a building that is so different that it sparks a moment of surprise and emotion".                

Mr Niemeyer created buildings all over the world, including the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London's Hyde Park, the United Nations building in New York and the headquarters of the French Communist Party in Paris.

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Rhino Drones: Google Backs Poacher Surveillance

Google is putting up $5m (£3.1m) to help keep an eye on poachers trying to hunt rhinos.

The internet giant has donated the funds to the World Wildlife Fund to increase its fleet of unmanned surveillance drones.

The WWF has already been using drones in Nepal where they act as "eyes in the skies" in remote regions for park rangers hunting for poachers, according to Mother Jones.

With the new injection of cash the organisation will be able to expand its programme into Asia and Africa to help protect not only rhinos but elephants and tigers.

Rhinos are highly desired for their horns, the elephants for their tusks and the tigers for everything from their eyes to their reproductive organs.

Animal parts are prized among some societies as having mysterious powers which, they believe, can help men with sexual dysfunction.

Demand for the animal parts for medicine cures has always been present but the rewards for poachers have grown so dramatically that rhinos risk being extinct within 10 years unless poaching is stopped, WWF said.

Poaching of rhinos and elephants has risen so sharply in Africa that the fate of the species is now at risk. Tens of thousands of elephants and at least 588 rhinos were killed in 2012.

The charity hopes the increased use of drones will help in its efforts to stop illegal trading as the drones will help spot poachers in places where they would not usually be caught.

The machines - with cameras attached - can be launched by hand and programmed to fly about 18 miles for up to 650ft for almost an hour allowing rangers to monitor from the ground.

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Blind Pupil Dragged Down Corridor By Teachers

A Santa Fe teacher who dragged a blind six-year-old special needs student by the ankle has been suspended after video of the incident went viral.

The woman, who was not identified, said the boy was unco-operative when she asked him to walk with her to another classroom at Gonzales Community School.

Another teacher joined in and grabbed his other leg, while a third person stood watching.

The teacher said she was not trying to harm the boy, but police said the act was still negligent.

"We don't believe the teacher was intentionally trying to hurt the child, but our problem is the blatant neglect for his safety," said Sergeant Andrea Dobyns, from the Santa Fe Police Department.

"The boy's parents like this teacher ... (She) has been working with their child for quite some time," she added.

The child's family did not want to press charges, but both teachers who were caught on camera could be prosecuted for child abuse.

The third person, who did not intervene, could also face charges for failing to report the incident.

The child complained to a school nurse that his head hurt afterwards, but he required no medical attention.

The incident occurred on November 15, but police were not notified until a week later by school staff.

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Marijuana Law: Seattle Cops Say 'Get Baked'

A new law on recreational marijuana use has come into force in Washington state, allowing smokers to light up at home but not in public.

The authorities issued their own advice - with a light touch - via the official Seattle Police Blotter on the dos and don'ts of rolling a joint.

"Does this mean you should flagrantly roll up a mega-spliff and light up in the middle of the street? No.

"But the police department believes that, under state law, you may responsibly get baked, order some pizzas and enjoy a Lord of the Rings marathon in the privacy of your own home, if you want to."

Even so some users celebrated the new law by gathering at midnight to smoke in public beneath Seattle's Space Needle.

Others partied outside the headquarters of Hempfest, the 21-year-old festival that attracts tens of thousands of pot fans every summer.

Marijuana fans light up under the lights of Seattle's Space Needle

"This is a big day because all our lives we've been living under the iron curtain of prohibition," said Hempfest director Vivian McPeak.

"The whole world sees that prohibition just took a body blow."

But after a short grace period, Seattle police officers are now under orders to tell smokers to "take it inside".

Washington's new law decriminalises possession of up to an ounce for those over 21, but for now selling marijuana remains illegal.

The state has a year to come up with a system of state-licensed growers, processors and retail stores, and it will levy a 25% tax at each stage.

It could mean hundreds of millions of dollars a year in revenue for schools, health care and basic government functions.

However, an ongoing federal ban means agents can still arrest people for possession, which remains illegal at federal properties, including military bases and national parks.

The US Justice Department has not said whether it will sue to try to block the new laws in Washington and Colorado, which also voted to legalise recreational use from January 5.

A Washington same-sex couple show off their new marriage licence

Midnight in Washington also saw dozens of same-sex couples obtaining marriage licences.

The state joined several others that already allow gays and lesbians to wed after last month's vote.

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North Sea Ship Collision 'Human Error'

"Human error" may have caused a cargo ship to collide with another vessel and sink off the Dutch Coast, killing at least five crew members, its Greek manager has reportedly said.

The Dutch defence ministry said the North Sea was treacherous when the 485ft (148m) Baltic Ace collided with the 440ft (134m) container ship Corvus J near busy shipping lanes, some 40 miles off the coast of the southern Netherlands.

However, Panagiootis Kakoliris, operations manager at Stamco Ship Management Co Ltd, said the conditions were normal at the time of the collision.

"You cannot control some things. This happened in good weather, normal weather. There was good visibility, so I feel most probably there was a human error," he said.

Baltic Ace, which was heading from the Belgian port of Zeebrugge to Kotka in Finland with a crew of 24, sank shortly after the collision in 15 minutes.

The 23,500 tonne ship was carrying more than 1,400 new cars, most of them Mitsubishis from Japan and Thailand.

The collision occurred in one of the North Sea's busiest shipping lanes

Corvus J was on its way from Grangemouth in Scotland to Antwerp, Belgium, and was also damaged but assisted in the search for the missing crew of the sunken ship immediately afterwards.

"We can confirm that four bodies have been found, along with 13 people rescued alive," said coastguard spokesman Marcel Oldenburger.

A major air and sea rescue operation involving several helicopters, planes and two navy patrol ships resumed on Thursday and recovered another body from the waters, bringing the confirmed death toll to five..

The Dutch coastguard said it had given up any real hope of recovering any more survivors. Six people are still missing.

"Given the water temperature and the amount of time that's passed, we don't have any hope for more survivors, said coastguard spokesman Peter Westenberg.

It is thought some of the crew  - from Poland, Bulgaria, Ukraine and the Philippines - may have gone down with the stricken vessel.

Earlier, rescuers pulled four bodies from the sea, before suspending the search overnight.

A Royal Dutch navy ship involved in the rescue operation

Some 13 crew members were also rescued from the Baltic Ace despite strong winds and waves of up to 9.8ft (3m) hampering the operation.

Four were flown to a hospital in Rotterdam, seven taken by rescue helicopter to a hospital in Belgium and two were being treated on board a ship that found them.

Mr Oldenburger said they were "all in shock" and suffering from hypothermia, but their lives were not in danger.

Eleven crew members on board the Baltic Ace were Polish, according to Janusz Wolosz, second secretary at the Polish Embassy in The Hague.

Four Poles including the captain had been taken to hospital in Belgium, another to Rotterdam, and the sixth was being treated on a rescue ship, he said, adding that five were still missing.

The foreign ministry in Sofia said one Bulgarian national had been aboard the Baltic Ace but was among the 13 rescued sailors and was in good health.

The Philippines and Ukrainian embassies could not say how many of their nationals had been aboard.

The Dutch marine gendarmerie has launched a probe to determine the cause of the collision, while the police are in talks with the state prosecutor's office about whether the collision falls part of their jursisdiction.

"This incident took place out of our territorial waters," said Jos Klaren, a spokesman for the Dutch police.

The shipping lane where the accident happened is one of the busiest in the North Sea and an important passing point for ships sailing into Rotterdam port, Europe's largest and the fifth-largest in the world.

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Egypt: Tanks Move In As Protesters Ordered Out

The Egyptian army has issued an ultimatum to protesters to move away from the presidential palace, or they will clear the area.

The announcement follows the deployment of tanks around the complex after a night of running street battles in which five people were killed and as many as 600 injured.

The decision followed a meeting between the President, Mohamed Morsi, his defence minister and other members of the government.

In a statement, the Republican Guard said that after "unfortunate events" around the palace it was "banning the gathering of any demonstrations in the vicinity of establishments belonging to the president of the republic."

Supporters of Mr Morsi and his opponents attacked each other with firebombs, rocks and sticks in the worst outbreak since Egypt's new crisis erupted two weeks ago.

Riot police were injured as they tried to break up the fighting

The violence broke out on Wednesday after thousands of Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood supporters marched on the palace where 300 of the president's opponents were staging a sit-in.

Riot police were sent in and fired tear gas but were unable to stop the fighting at the complex in the north of Cairo, which continued until early morning.

Three tanks and three armoured vehicles have been moved outside the palace as the army prepares to clear the area.

Opposing sides used lasers against their rivals in the clashes

According to the state news agency: "The Republican Guard began a deployment around the headquarters of the presidency ... to secure the headquarters of the presidency in its capacity as a symbol of the state and the official headquarters of government."

Violence between the president's supporters and opponents has escalated rapidly since the first protests on November 22, after Mr Morsi assumed sweeping new powers, leading critics to brand him the "new pharaoh".

It has been exacerbated by the hasty drafting of a new constitution.

Mr Morsi's supporters stand by a tank outside the presidential palace

Despite the fighting, the president appears to be pressing ahead with plans for a constitutional referendum to pass the new charter.

Violence has spread to other parts of the country and protesters have set fire to the offices of Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood party in Suez and Ismailia, east of Cairo.

In Alexandria, the country's second biggest city, security officials said a senior Muslim Brotherhood official was taken to hospital after being severely beaten.

The offices of Mr Morsi's Muslim brotherhood was set on fire in Ismailia

Four of the president's advisers resigned on Wednesday, joining two other members of his 17-member advisory panel who have abandoned him since the crisis began.

The opposition is demanding that Mr Morsi rescind the decrees giving him nearly unrestricted powers and shelve the controversial draft constitution, which was rushed through last week.

The opposition is demanding that Mr Morsi rescind the decrees giving him nearly unrestricted powers and shelve the controversial draft constitution, which was rushed through last week.

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Taliban In Afghan Spy Chief Assassination Bid

By Mustafa Kazemi, in Kabul, Afghanistan

A Taliban suicide bomber has attempted to assassinate Afghanistan's intelligence chief, leaving him with significant injuries.

Asadullah Khalid, the chief of National Directorate of Security (NDS), was receiving visitors at his guesthouse in Kabul when an explosion targeted him.

He suffered injuries to the lower half of his body and had to be taken to the NDS medical hospital for surgery.

Within two hours of the attack, the Taliban had claimed responsibility for the attack on Mr Khalid, saying it had caused "numerous deaths and injuries including Asadullah Khalid".

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, claimed that a number of intelligence officials were injured in the blast and that Mr Khalid was in a coma.

Asadullah Khalid (File pic)

An NDS official said: "The head of NDS escaped a cowardly attempt on his life today. He is thankfully fine and under treatment.

"Mr Khalid received moderate injuries on his lower body as the result of a minor explosion in one of our guest houses."

According to security officials in Kabul, the NDS guesthouse is located in 4th Police District in the downtown Kabul.

President Hamid Karzai visited Mr Khalid in hospital, where medical staff said his health was improving.

In a statement, President Karzai said there was "a lot of hope for improvement of his health".

Mr Khalid is a former governor of Kandahar province, and a former minister in President Karzai's cabinet.

He was a minister when Mr Karzai appointed him to lead the country's intelligence agency in August 2012, after firing the former NDS chief in a sudden cabinet reshuffle.

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Travolta And Newton-John Grease Video Panned

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John have recreated scenes from Grease in a video for their new Christmas album.

But this time around their singing and dancing has been widely panned - even being labelled "creepy" and "odd".

The pair, who starred as Danny and Sandy in the 1978 musical, released This Christmas last month honouring Travolta's late son Jett.

It is the first time the stars have recorded together in more than 30 years.

The first single from the album, I Think You Might Like It, was written by John Farrar, who penned their famous pop duet You're The One That I Want.

The pair line dance in the video

But the Grease-inspired video for their new track has been ridiculed since its release earlier this week.

Guardian columnist Sali Hughes said on Twitter: "This has blown my mind. Oddest video ever."

US radio host Kelly Collis tweeted: "This is the most awkward Christmas Song with Olivia Newton and John Travolta."

New York Magazine's entertainment section Vulture has published a list called: "Ten Things That Creep Us Out About John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John's New 'Music Video".

But the clip does have its fans.

Travolta and Newton-John said they were still close friends

Emily, who tweets as cpfcrox, said: "I can't lie, I absolutely love the John Travolta & Olivia N-J album. It is fantastic. Camp, cheesy and Christmassy, all I need!"

Proceeds from the album, which also features Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett and James Taylor as guest artists, are going to charities The Jett Travolta Foundation and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne.

Mashable writer Brian Anthony Hernandez said: "The pair's dance moves in the new music video aren't very reminiscent of the swagger they exuded as Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsen in Grease, but the good thing is proceeds from This Christmas benefit charities."

The Grease co-stars said they remained close friends since the 1978 hit, and were delighted to be working together again.

"My desire was to make This Christmas an intimate album, not something too ostentatious or showy," 58-year-old Travolta said in the press release for the album.

A promotional flyer for Grease

"From the moment we decided to do this, magic happened," said the US star of Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty and Hairspray.

Newton-John, 64, said she was still surprised at the success of Grease, which is about the love affairs of 1950s high school students.

"We still have little kids coming up to us who are discovering the movies. It's like three generations who love the movie, who are going to be thrilled to see Danny and Sandy, as they think of us, together again," the Australian said.

Jett Travolta died in 2009 aged 16 after suffering a seizure. His father said Christmas could be a difficult time for his family.

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Iran Earthquake: Six Dead As Buildings Flattened

An earthquake has shaken eastern Iran, killing at least six people and injuring more than a dozen others.

The quake of 5.5 magnitude hit Iran's Zohan district at 8:38 on Wednesday evening.

Five villages were destroyed and at least 11 others damaged, according to Hassan Qadami, head of Iran's crisis management organisation.

Streets in Khorasan province were crowded with panicked locals after buildings collapsed.

Many others were trapped under rubble waiting for help.

Iran's Red Crescent Society dispatched 15 rescue teams to the villages overnight.

A family walks through the wreckage of a building

Survivors had no clean water or means of communication and were bracing for below-zero temperatures when rescue teams found them.

At least 12 aftershocks have been registered since the quake.

Iran sits astride several major fault lines and has experienced devastating earthquakes in the last 10 years.

The south-eastern city of Bam was flattened by a quake in 2003 with 25,000 fatalities and in August this year 300 were killed in north-west Iran.

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Afghan Girl's Throat Slit Over Refusal To Wed

A 15-year-old girl in Afghanistan has been murdered after her family refused a marriage proposal.

The teenager had her throat slit as she was carrying water from a river to her village home in the northern Kunduz province on Wednesday.

Two men have now been arrested over the attack.

Police said one of suspects had earlier proposed to the girl but the offer had been rejected by her family.

A police spokesman added: "The two men attacked her and slit her throat with a knife.

"They were arrested and are in police custody."

Extreme violence against women and girls remains a major problem in the conservative Muslim nation more than a decade after US-led troops brought down the notoriously brutal Taliban Islamist regime.

Figures from Oxfam show 87% of Afghan women have experienced physical, sexual or psychological violence or forced marriage.

Last month a 20-year-old woman was beheaded by her husband's family in the western province of Herat after she refused to become a prostitute, police said. Four people were arrested over the brutal killing.

And in September, five people were arrested over the public flogging of a 16-year-old girl for allegedly having an affair.

The girl was whipped 100 times in front of village elders and family members in the central Ghazni province. Her alleged boyfriend was fined.

Unmarried girls are often confined to the home and forbidden from maintaining any contact with men outside the immediate family.

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