Egyptians Celebrate Revolutionary Encore

By Dominic Waghorn, in Cairo

Elated crowds thronged Tahrir Square and let loose fireworks into the night sky as they celebrated what they say is a second revolution.

One young protester told Sky News: "I feel proud, I feel happy I feel relieved that Egypt has changed a regime, a very fascist regime, to a multi-party regime, hopefully a democratic one."

In numbers rivalling those that saw off Hosni Mubarak two and a half years ago, protesters gathered all day as they have since last week, in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and other towns.

Even among those who voted for Mr Morsi, there was an impatience to see him go.

Farmer Mansour told Sky News he bitterly regrets helping to put him in power because, he said, life has only got worse.

He said: "There's no gas to make our machines work, and all the plants die, what can people do, kids have no milk, no medicine, nothing."

Protesters concede Mr Morsi was voted president in elections, but accuse him of hijacking their revolution for his own ends.

They hope their revolutionary encore gives Egypt a second chance. But there were many expressing fear about the consequences, worried the Muslim Brotherhood will now take violent revenge.

There was a profound and surreal sense of deja vu about the events in Cairo to those of us who witnessed the first revolution.

But this is different. Instead of removing a dictator, the people and the military have deposed an elected president.

Egypt remains divided and its revolution in crisis, and violence seems likely.

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Severed Heads Found Beside Mexico Highway

Police have discovered seven severed heads stuffed in plastic bags on the edge of a highway near a city in central Mexico.

Three alleged kidnappers under arrest led police to the heads at a farm near Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest city.

Coroners in Jalisco state will carry out DNA tests to identify the victims.

Violence has surged in recent months in Jalisco as two rival drug cartels fight ongoing turf battles.

The discovery is a reminder of the criminal violence still plaguing Mexico, despite assurances from the government that the murder rate is falling.

More than 70,000 people have died in drug-related unrest in the country since 2006.

Murders were up more than 5% during the first five months of this year compared with the same period a year ago, according to Mexican police.

Earlier this week, the bodies of two schoolboys suspected of bullying the son of a powerful drug trafficker were found in Jalisco.

In March, Jalisco's tourism minister was shot dead in Guadalajara only a week after taking office.

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Doctor Punches Heart Surgery Patient In Chest

Footage has emerged of a doctor punching a patient in the chest just after a heart bypass operation.

Highly-regarded Russian anaesthesiologist Dr Andrey Votyakov told investigators he was extremely tired after a 36-hour shift and grew angry when the patient started abusing him.

He is seen hitting the man in the face and striking his fist at his chest while he is strapped on to a bed.

The patient reportedly died later at the Federal Centre for Cardiovascular Surgery in Perm, a city in the Urals, although his death is not believed to be linked to the attack.

Dr Votyakov said: "As soon as I came into the room with my team he started to call me various derogative names. And I just got blown away by it.

"We had spent so much time with his very complicated case to help him recover and he said not a single word of gratitude.

"And then the chronic tiredness added to it. I got carried away, and I punched him several times."

Dr Votyakov said he was "very sorry" and has reportedly apologised to the patient's parents.

It happened in February and at the time the doctor was head of anaesthesiology and intensive care at the hospital.

He was sacked after the incident became public and it is being investigated by police.

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Human Liver Created From Stem Cells In Mouse

Scientists have for the first time created a functional human liver from stem cells derived from skin and blood - suggesting organs could be grown in labs in another 10 years.

The research could alleviate an acute shortage of donor organs across the world for patients with liver, heart, kidney and other organ failure.

Japanese scientists, based at the Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, said they grew tissue "resembling the (human) adult liver" in a lab mouse.

The team used induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are often taken from blood and skin, to make three different cell types that would normally combine in the natural formation of a human liver.

These were then mixed to see if they would grow into three-dimensional structures called "liver buds" - the precursor clusters that develop into a full liver organ.

Scientist mixed various cells to see if they'd grow into liver buds

The buds were then transplanted onto a mouse brain, where they were observed transforming into a "functional human liver" complete with blood vessels, the scientists wrote in the journal Nature.

"To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating the generation of a functional human organ from pluripotent stem cells," said the report.

Takanori Takebe, who led the study, said the liver also performed certain human-specific liver functions - producing proteins and processing specific drugs.

He was so encouraged by the success of this work that he plans similar research on other organs such as the pancreas and lungs.

The technique has yet to be tested in humans, but serves as an important proof of concept, the report added.

Stem cells are infant cells that can develop into any part of the body.

The liver developed blood vessels and performed liver functions

Until a few years ago, when iPS cells were created, the only way to obtain stem cells was to harvest them from human embryos.

This is controversial because it requires the destruction of the embryo, a process to which religious conservatives and others object.

Scientists commenting on the research described it as promising.

"The promise of an off-the-shelf liver seems much closer than one could hope even a year ago," said Dusko Illic, a stem cell expert at King's College London who was not directly involved in the research but praised its success.

He said, however, that while the technique looks "very promising" and represents a huge step forward, "there is much unknown and it will take years before it could be applied in regenerative medicine".

Malcolm Allison, a stem cell expert at Queen Mary University of London, who was not involved in the research, said the study's results offered "the distinct possibility of being able to create mini livers from the skin cells of a patient dying of liver failure" and transplant them to boost the failing organ.

Chris Mason, a regenerative medicine expert at University College London said the greatest impact of iPS cell-liver buds might be in their use in improving drug development.

He said: "Presently to study the metabolism and toxicology of potential new drugs, human cadaveric liver cells are used.

"Unfortunately these are only available in very limited quantities".

A team of American researchers said in April they had created a rat kidney in a lab that was able to function like a natural one, but their method used a "scaffold" structure from a kidney to build a new organ.

And in May last year, British researchers said they had turned skin cells into beating heart tissue that might one day be able to be used to treat heart failure.

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Teen Mauled While Trying To Kiss Captive Lion

A teenager has been mauled by a captive lion after she tried to kiss the animal through the bars at a South African wildlife park.

Lauren Fagen, of Montreal, suffered severe flesh wounds when the male lion dragged her feet and legs into the enclosure at Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.

The 18-year-old volunteer worker is recovering in hospital and says she is lucky to be alive.

"I didn't realise he could stick his paws through. I should have died or lost a leg," Ms Fagen told The Globe and Mail newspaper.

"It was a miracle that I survived. He could have ripped off my skin and I would have died of blood loss."

Ms Fagen began volunteer work at the wildlife centre in June cleaning the lion cages and feeding other animals.

The attack happened while Ms Fagen was cleaning a feeding cage on Monday.

A five-year-old male lion named Duma began rubbing his face against an adjoining cage, and Ms Fagen said she decided to kiss the animal's fur.

She told the newspaper she screamed for help until fellow student volunteers came to her rescue.

"It didn't feel real," Ms Fagen said.

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Mandela Children Reburied After Court Order

The remains of Nelson Mandela's three deceased children have been reburied at their original resting site two years after a grandson moved the bodies.

Family members and community elders attended a ceremony on the Mandela property that included the singing of hymns.

The reburial took place in Qunu, Mr Mandela's hometown and the place the former president has said he wants to be buried.

Forensic tests earlier confirmed the remains were those of Mr Mandela's children.

Grandson Mandla Mandela moved the bodies to his village of Mvezo - Nelson Mandela's birthplace - in 2011. The two towns are about 15 miles apart.

Fifteen Mandela family members pursued court action last week to force the grandson to again move the bodies.

Mandla Mandela - the oldest male Mandela heir and a tribal chief - told a news conference that "my grandfather like myself would be highly disappointed in what is unravelling".

Mr Mandela and his grandson Mandla Mandela

The bitter family feud comes as Mr Mandela remains in a critical condition nearly a month after being taken to hospital for a recurring lung infection.

In legal documents filed as part of the court battle, members of the Mandela family said medics advised switching off the revered leader's life support as he was in a "persistent vegetative state".

Mr Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years during white racist rule in South Africa and was freed in 1990 before being elected president in all-race elections.

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Bernie Nolan: Singer Dies After Cancer Battle

Irish singer and actress Bernie Nolan has died aged 52 after a long battle with cancer, her publicist confirmed.

The former lead vocalist of The Nolans was told in 2010 she was clear of breast cancer but last year discovered it had spread to her brain, lungs, liver and bones.

A spokeswoman for the family said: "Bernie passed away peacefully this morning with all of her family around her.

"The entire family are devastated to have lost beloved Bernie, a wonderful wife, adoring mother and loving sister; she is irreplaceable.

"They kindly ask people to respect their privacy at this difficult time."

The Nolan sisters (Bernie: top right)

Nolan shot to stardom with her singing sisters and the group is best known for the 1979 hit I'm In The Mood For Dancing, which sold millions of records around the world.

The Nolans also enjoyed success with songs such as Don't Make Waves, Attention To Me and Gotta Pull Myself Together and became huge in Japan where they are said to have sold more records than The Beatles.

They also supported Frank Sinatra on the European leg of his world tour.

Nolan was born in Ireland and grew up performing with her singer parents and eight siblings in pubs and clubs at night as a family troupe.

She once said: "It got to the stage where they didn't talk about whether the new baby was going to be a boy or a girl, but whether they could sing."

Bernie during her cancer battle in 2010

The girls' father Tommy became their manager and after his death Anne, the eldest sister, revealed he had sexually abused her from the age of 11.

Nolan quit The Nolans in 1994 to focus on her solo career.

But the group reunited in 2009, in a sell-out UK reunion tour, which led to a dispute with two of the sisters, Denise and Anne, who had been excluded.

Siblings Coleen, Bernie, Maureen and Linda said that the record company made the decision.

Nolan, who gave birth to her daughter Erin in 1999, also enjoyed an acting career, with credits included Diane Murray in Channel 4 soap Brookside, and Sheelagh Murphy in ITV police drama The Bill.

She took part in Channel 4 series The Games and ITV's Popstar to Operastar, and in 1988 on Saturday morning children's show On The Waterfront.

On stage, Nolan performed in Blood Brothers, Flashdance The Musical and the UK tour of Chicago The Musical in 2012 and a touring production of Calendar Girls.

Nolan, who married drummer Steve Doneathy in 1996 and whose first daughter Kate was born stillborn in 1997, was the third Nolan sister to have cancer.

In an interview last year, she told Hello! magazine she felt "a weight has been lifted" after she went public about her illness.

She said: "There's no point dwelling on it, I've got to fight it, be positive and get on with it. I say a positive mantra to myself every day."

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Mandela: Doctors Said 'Turn Off Life Support'

Doctors advised that Nelson Mandela's life support should be turned off because he was in a 'permanent vegetative state', court documents show.

The declaration from members of the former president's family came as part of a family dispute over the graves of three of his children.

In documents dated June 26 they said: "He is in a permanent vegetative state and is assisted in breathing by a life support machine.

"The Mandela family have been advised by the medical practitioners that his life support machine should be switched off.

"Rather than prolonging his suffering, the Mandela family is exploring this option as a very real probability."

The "certificate of urgency" document was obtained from a lawyer representing Mandela family members who had successfully sought a court order to return the children's remains to the revered South African leader's childhood home.

The legal battle was launched after Mr Mandela's grandson Mandla Mandela had them moved from the family estate in Qunu to his own village 15 miles away.

The document was presented to South Africa's Eastern Cape High Court as President Jacob Zuma reported that Mandela's health had faltered and cancelled a trip to Mozambique.

The next day Zuma reported that Mandela's condition had "improved during the course of the night".

"He is much better today than he was when I saw him last night. The medical team continues to do a sterling job," Zuma said in a statement dated June 27.

Since then the government has said Mandela's condition remains "critical but stable", but has provided few details, citing patient confidentiality.

Lawyers for Mandela's relatives, family members themselves and government officials were not immediately available for comment.

Earlier, Mr Mandela's wife said the former president is sometimes uncomfortable but seldom in pain while being treated in a hospital.

Graca Machel spoke about her husband's condition at a fundraising drive for a children's hospital that will be named after the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader.

"Whatever is the outcome of his stay in hospital ... he offered his nation an opportunity to be united under the banner of our flag, under the banner of our constitution," she said.

More follows...

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Honduras Boat Crew 'Survived On Rainwater'

Nine crew members rescued after five days adrift in their boat off the coast of Honduras have said they survived by drinking rainwater.

The crew said they ran out of fuel and only survived by catching rain as their boat was tossed around in stormy weather.

One of the rescued crew members, Tasha Brown, said they had no food and caught drinking water from two storms in buckets and containers.

"In the middle of the night we hit two storms ... and it just poured and poured," the 20-year-old Canadian told ABC News.

"We flipped over every bucket that we had, ever container, every surface that could catch water. ... [We] prayed that we weren't going to be flipped over by the storm and that we would have water for the next day."

The 28ft vessel was spotted by a US Coast Guard plane about 66 miles from the western coast of Roatan, Honduras, where it had set sail on Saturday afternoon.

The group had run out of fuel during an 18-mile trip to Utila Island.

USCG spokesman Gabe Somma said the eight people on board - two Americans, a Canadian and six Hondurans - were all alive.

They were hoisted into a US Army helicopter on Wednesday afternoon and taken to Clearwater in Florida for treatment.

The search covered more than 4,000 square miles after a family member of the US citizens reported the boat missing.

The multi-agency mission included the Coast Guard, the Honduran navy, and aircraft attached to the US Southern Command in Honduras.

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Egypt Coup: Judge Sworn In To Lead Transition

Egypt's top judge has been sworn in as interim president, a day after the overthrow of the country's first democratically elected leader, Mohamed Morsi.

Adli Mansour, the chief justice of Egypt's supreme constitutional court, took his oath of office under an army transition plan during a ceremony that was broadcast live on state television.

Shortly afterwards, officials announced they had arrested the supreme leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group of the deposed president.

Mohammed Badie was arrested on Wednesday night in a coastal city west of Cairo and flown to the capital on a military helicopter.

As the swearing-in ceremony got underway, military jets staged a series of fly-pasts across the capital.

Above Tahrir Square, for days the centre of anti-government protests, Air Force planes painted the sky in the colours of the national flag.

"I swear to preserve the system of the republic, and respect the constitution and law, and guard the people's interests," Mr Mansour said.

He praised the mass protests, saying they united Egyptians, but also invited the deposed president's Muslim Brotherhood "to take part in the political life".

"The most glorious thing about June 30 is that it brought together everyone without discrimination or division," he continued.

Anti-Morsi supporters celebrate his overthrow in Tahrir Square on Thursday

"I offer my greetings to the revolutionary people of Egypt.

"I look forward to parliamentary and presidential elections held with the genuine and authentic will of the people.

"The youth had the initiative and the noblest thing about this glorious event is that it was an expression of the nation's conscience and an embodiment of its hopes and ambitions. It was never a movement seeking to realise special demands or personal interests," he added.

The ceremony followed the dramatic removal of Mr Morsi by the military, the suspension of the Islamist-drafted constitution and a declaration of fresh presidential and parliamentary elections.

Mr Morsi, who was elected a year ago, remains in custody at an undisclosed facility.

Egypt's chief justice Adli Mansour is sworn in

The Muslim Brotherhood, which renounced violence decades ago, said it would boycott the new military-sponsored political process, but vowed not to take up arms, according to a senior leader of the group, Mohamed El-Beltagy.

But he warned that the overthrow might push other groups towards violent resistance.

The "second revolution" - after the Arab Spring uprisings that led to the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in 2011 - leaves Egypt's 84 million people deeply divided.

In Cairo's Tahrir Square, millions celebrated the news of Mr Morsi's removal with fireworks. At a square near Cairo University, his supporters were stunned into initial silence at the news.

An army tank guard the constitutional court during the swearing-in ceremony

The president's ousting prompted clashes across Egypt that left at least 14 people dead and hundreds wounded.

Fearing a violent reaction by Mr Morsi's supporters, troops and armoured vehicles were deployed across the streets of Cairo and elsewhere, surrounding Islamist rallies.

British Prime Minister David Cameron called for a return to the democratic process.

"We never support in countries the intervention by the military but what now needs to happen … is for democracy to flourish and for a genuine democratic transition to take place," he said.

"All parties need to be involved in that, and that's what Britain and our allies will be saying very clearly to the Egyptians."

Muslim Brotherhood supporters clash with riot police in Cairo

Amid a crackdown on Islamist movements, prosecutors sought the arrest of the Muslim Brotherhood's top leaders and of some 300 members of the group and other organisations.

In a televised address, the commander of the armed forces, General Abdul Fatah Khalil al Sisi, said Mr Morsi had "failed to meet the demands of the Egyptian people".

Flanked by military officials, Muslim and Christian clerics and political figures, he unveiled details of a political transition which he said had been agreed with them.

As acting leader, Mr Mansour will be assisted by an interim council and a technocratic government until new presidential and parliamentary elections are held. No details were given as to when the new polls would take place.

Soldiers keep guard near a camp of pro-Morsi supporters in Cairo

The military chief also announced a national reconciliation committee that would include youth movements, and said the armed forces and police would deal "decisively" with any violence.

"Those in the meeting have agreed on a road map for the future that includes initial steps to achieve the building of a strong Egyptian society that is cohesive and does not exclude anyone and ends the state of tension and division," he said.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed for a peaceful settlement of the crisis, saying he would personally deliver a message to the country's leaders later in the day.

He said the "voices and aspirations of the people should have been heard" and that it was important to restore the democratic process in a "very volatile" situation.

General Abdul Fatah Khalil al Sisi announces the overthrow of Mohamed Morsi

President Barack Obama voiced his concern over the military intervention and urged a speedy return to a democratically elected government.

In a statement he said: "We are deeply concerned by the decision of the Egyptian Armed Forces to remove President Morsi and suspend the Egyptian constitution.

"I now call on the Egyptian military to move quickly and responsibly to return full authority back to a democratically elected civilian government as soon as possible through an inclusive and transparent process, and to avoid any arbitrary arrests of President Morsi and his supporters."

Anti-Morsi protesters react to the army statement

The US and other world powers have not branded Mr Morsi's removal as a military coup - which might trigger sanctions.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he had talked with his Egyptian counterpart and had been reassured that "there will be early presidential elections".

He said: "It is the problem with a military intervention that it is a precedent for the future, that if this is going to happen to a democratically elected president it can happen to another in the future, and that's why it's so important to entrench democratic institutions."

Muslim Brotherhood members and pro-Morsi supporters react in Cairo

The Foreign Office has advised British citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Egypt apart from the Red Sea resorts, and to monitor travel advice from the Foreign Office.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton condemned the bloodshed and also called for a swift return to democracy.

Mr Morsi's overthrow came after days of demonstrations against the government. He rejected calls to step down and defied an army deadline.

Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sam Kiley said the atmosphere among Muslim Brotherhood supporters was "extremely subdued", with many going underground.

A soldier cheers with anti-Morsi protesters

"One person, asking to remain anonymous, says that he feels that for them the regime has gone back to the days of Hosni Mubarak, when they were a banned organisation and their leadership was in jail."

The Brotherhood's TV station was taken off air and its managers arrested hours after Mr Morsi was overthrown.

The Egypt25 channel had been broadcasting live coverage of rallies by tens of thousands of pro-Morsi demonstrators in Cairo and around the country, with speeches by leading Muslim Brotherhood politicians denouncing the military intervention to oust the elected president.

The offices of Al Jazeera's Egyptian television channel were also reportedly raided by security forces and prevented from broadcasting from a pro-Morsi rally. Several members of staff were also reportedly detained.

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