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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