Helicopter Blows Deer Trapped On Ice To Safety

A struggling deer stranded on thin ice in Canada has been rescued by a quick-thinking helicopter pilot.

The stricken animal and her fawn were trapped in Antigonish Harbour, Nova Scotia, with the mother slipping and sliding each time she tried to move.

Rescuers would have fallen through the brittle salt-water ice had they launched a conventional rescue attempt.

Experienced pilot David Farrell devised a cunning plan to blow the deer across the ice to safety using the wind created by his helicopter's rotor blades.

Realising the frightened animal was in serious danger if he didn't act, the pilot put his plan into action.

Mr Farrell told the Canadian TV station CTV: "As long as you can keep that deer moving along the ice, it tends to calm down. I don't know if it understands we're trying to help or, I don't know what's going through its mind, but it works good."

The inventive rescue mission was caught on camera by local resident Ian Waugh.

Mr Waugh sparked the rescue mission when he alerted the Department of Natural Resources to the deer's predicament. He told CTV: "I was waiting for all kinds of different things, but that solution I was not prepared for, and I thought, just brilliant."

But Mr Farrell played down talk that his actions made him a hero, saying he was just doing his duty as a pilot.

"You can do it a thousand times and it shows up on camera once, and then you can appreciate what you're doing, spur of the moment. It's your job."

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Pedal-Power Helicopter Heads For $250k Prize

Students at the University of Maryland in the US are a step closer to claiming a sought-after prize for a human-powered helicopter flight.

The American Helicopter Society Sikorsky Prize was introduced in 1980 but has never been claimed.

The students' helicopter, the Gamera II, achieved a world record flight of 65.1 seconds in August 2012, but failed to qualify for the lucrative prize as their craft strayed outside the required area.

The students have now designed a control system to overcome this hurdle, and have their sights firmly set on the claiming the cash reward.

Gamera II weighs 32kg (71 pounds) and is powered by a combination of hand and food pedalling.

To claim the Sikorsky prize, a helicopter must fly under human power for at least 60 seconds. The craft must also reach an altitude of three metres and remain within a 10m square.

Named after Russian-American aviator Igor Sikorsky, the prize offers a $250,000 (£164,000) reward.

Qualifying flights must be certified by a representative of the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics world records, the FAI.

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Son Arrested After Mum's Body Found In Bin Bags

By Sky News US Team, in New York

Two men, including the victim's son, have been arrested after a woman's dismembered remains were found in rubbish bags in New York City.

Bahsid McLean, 23, and 26-year-old William Harris were arrested on suspicion of unlawfully dissecting a human body and hindering prosecution.

Police have not filed murder or manslaughter charges and said they were still investigating.

The remains of Tanya Byrd, 45, were found stuffed in several bags scattered along four blocks in the Bronx.

Her death came to light when a local resident's dog sniffed out one of the sacks in the early hours of Tuesday.

A heavy-duty plastic garbage bag stuffed in a duffel bag with the woman's bloodied leg inside was found in a rubbish pile in the Melrose neighbourhood.

Police then found three other bags containing the victim's head, limbs and part of her torso.

Witnesses told police a sport utility vehicle dropped the bags off sometime on Monday night or early Tuesday morning.

Family members described McLean as a troubled man who had long harboured anger toward his mother.

His father, James McLean, told the Daily News: "He did destructive things. He set fires; nobody could control him."

Ms Byrd, a health aide, was described by friends as an upbeat and generous woman.

"Anything you would have needed, she would have given it to you," Elizabeth Cruz told WCBS-TV.

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Australia: Huge Meth Bust Is Record Seizure

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

Australian police have made their biggest ever haul of methamphetamine after seizing more than half a ton of the illegal drug - worth around £300m.

A total of 585kg of the substance - known as 'ice' or 'crystal meth' - was smuggled into Sydney hidden in shipments of chemicals from China.

Almost double the previous Australian record of 306kg, police say the quantity would have sold for $438m AUS (£297m).

Three men - an Australian, a Singaporean and a Hong Kong passport holder - have been charged with attempting to possess the drug. They were all refused bail at a Sydney court - and face life sentences if convicted.

Police said methamphetamine was "the sort of drug that sends people mad"

New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said: "There's over half a ton of hideous drugs that were taken off the streets with a street value approaching half a billion dollars - hundreds of millions of dollars.

"There are three people that have been arrested and will be prosecuted. There are more that will likely be arrested."

Police were alerted to the major drug smuggling operation by a telephone call from a member of the public.

"That one phone call was the one thread that allowed us to pull and unravel a syndicate that will be stopped forever," said Mr Scipione.

The police investigation began in September last year in response to the tip-off.

Law enforcement officers found 38 bags of the drug

Police and customs officers were directed to four suspicious shipping containers in a Sydney wharf, which had come from the port city of Shen Zhen in China.

Inside officers found the huge drugs haul, hidden amongst a shipment of chemical cleaner.

They substituted the drugs with a harmless substance then allowed the consignment to be delivered to their original address.

Australia is becoming an increasingly lucrative market for international drug networks because of the strength of the local currency and resilience of the national economy compared to other wealthy nations.

New South Wales police commissioner Andrew Scipione, said it was "very fortunate that somebody took the time to make that phone call".

"This is the sort of drug that sends people mad," he said.

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South Africa: 'Man Dragged Behind Police Van'

A taxi driver in South Africa died after being handcuffed to a police vehicle and dragged hundreds of yards, it has been alleged.

Independent police investigators are looking into the claims after video footage emerged showing a man being dragged along a road behind a police van.

The man, named locally as 27-year-old Mido Macia from Mozambique, was later found dead in a police cell in Daveyton, Johannesburg, on Tuesday.

Officers have claimed they put Mr Macia in a police van in order to take him to a police station on the East Rand, and cannot explain how he later died.

But the video, obtained by South Africa's Daily Sun newspaper, shows officers struggling to overpower a man - believed to be the taxi driver - before attaching him to a point at the rear of their vehicle and then driving off leaving him hanging outside.

Officers are seen restraining the man and handcuffing him to the van

At one point they attempt to carry his legs while the vehicle is moving forward but have to drop him as the police van speeds up.

The footage then shows the man trying to stay on his feet as he is dragged behind the vehicle for several hundred metres.

The person filming the incident attempts to keep up with the truck dragging the taxi driver, but has to give up as the vehicle is going too fast.

The van then starts to move away with the man hanging on

Inmates in the cells he was taken to have claimed he was later beaten to death by police.

The incident has inflamed local feelings and Sky's Alex Crawford who is outside the police station says a crowd has gathered to protest.

South Africa's Independent Police Investigation Directorate (IPID) said on Wednesday that officers had initially attempted to arrest Mr Macia because he was allegedly obstructing traffic.

At one point they lift his legs but have to let go when the van speeds up

IPID spokesman Moses Dlamini said: "We are investigating an incident involving the death of man, allegedly at the hands of the police. We are shocked by the footage which has been released.

"The circumstances surrounding his death are still allegations ... let's find out what really happened," he said.

He said there were reports Mr Macia had tried to disarm a police officer before the attack.

The taxi driver was then allegedly beaten once inside the police holding cells.

He is understood to have been found dead by another police officer later the same day.

The van then starts to accelerate away and the suspect is dragged behind

Mr Dlamini told the South African website News 24 that an investigation had begun before Mr Macia's death into allegations he carried out an assault resulting in grievous bodily harm.

A post-mortem on the dead suspect indicated he had died from head injuries with internal bleeding.

Police in South Africa are known for heavy handedness when dealing with the public, and the police watchdog is handling numerous cases of police brutality.

In the 12 months before March 2010, according to Amnesty International, there were 920 complaints of serious assault and 294 deaths in custody.

The police department could not confirm if the officers had been suspended.

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Tumbleweed Invasion Buries House In Texas

The brutal storm system that brought snow and high winds to much of America's midsection this week delivered something very different to one Texas family.

Gusts in excess of 60mph pushed hundreds of tumbleweeds up against a house in Midland.

One side of Josh Pitman's home is almost entirely obscured by the rambling plants. 

They are stacked one on top of the other, blocking some doorways.

"The most ridiculous thing I've ever seen," he told KWES-TV.

A backyard gate is completely blocked by the tumbleweeds. Pic: KWES-TV

"My wife sends me a text message with the picture of the entire left side of our house here and it's just completely covered with tumbleweeds!"

Mr Pitman said he recently tore down a fence that would have protected his home from the rambling weeds.

He expects to spend the rest of the week clearing away the tumbleweeds.

"I didn't even know this many tumbleweeds existed," he joked.

Tumbleweeds are formed when the Salsola family of plants dry out and break loose from their roots in order to spread their spores across a wider area.

The plants are not native to the US but are so widespread that they have become closely identified with America's Wild West.

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Dennis Rodman Meets North Korean Leader

Basketball great Dennis Rodman has met the North Korean leader and told him: "You have a friend for life".

Delegation spokesman Alex Detrick told The Associated Press that Kim Jong Un joined the ex-NBA star to watch an exhibition basketball game in Pyongyang.

Rodman, along with three Harlem Globetrotters and a VICE television crew, is in North Korea to shoot a documentary about the secretive communist state for HBO.

The unlikely trip and meeting come after North Korea's recent nuclear test, which was condemned around the world.

Kim, a diehard basketball fan, told Rodman he hoped the visit would break the ice between the US and his country, Detrick added.

Kim later invited the Americans to dinner.

The leader plied the group with alcohol, according to VICE TV producer Jason Mojica.

"Um ... so Kim Jong Un just got the VICEonHBO crew wasted ... no really, that happened," Mojica wrote on his Twitter feed from Pyongyang.

VICE correspondent Ryan Duffy later invited Kim to visit the US, a proposal met with hearty laughter, Detrick said.

Rodman, 51, most famously played for the Chicago Bulls, winning five championships during his career and is considered one of the sport's best defensive players.

State TV showed Rodman having a look at towers and buildings in central Pyongyang as a guide told him about the secretive state's founder Kim Il Sung.

The official news agency said the flamboyant star, known as "The Worm", also visited a palace where Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il lie in state, and said he paid "high tribute".

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Anastacia: Heartbreak As Breast Cancer Returns

Pop star Anastacia has been diagnosed with breast cancer again having successfully battled the disease 10 years ago, she has revealed.

The US singer, who is best known for the song I'm Outta Love, made the announcement in a statement on her Facebook page.

She was originally diagnosed with the condition in 2003 when she saw a surgeon about having her breasts reduced because they were causing her back strain.

She has now told fans that because of the new diagnosis she has been forced to cancel plans for a forthcoming tour of Europe which was due to start in London on April 6.

The singer said in a statement: "I feel so awful to be letting down all my amazing fans who were looking forward to 'It's A Man's World Tour'.

"It just breaks my heart to disappoint them."

The 44-year-old shot to prominence when she released I'm Outta Love as her debut single, which was number one in several countries in Europe and number six in the UK.

The album from which the single was taken, Not That Kind, made it to number two in the UK charts and was top 10 in most European or Antipodean albums charts.

Her follow up album Freak of Nature, released in 2001, went triple platinum and was also a hit around continental Europe.

The entertainment world was shocked when in 2003 she went for a routine mammogram only to be told she had breast cancer at the age of 34.

She immediately had surgery and started treatment and soon after was told she was in remission.

The album and singles she released after recovering from the disease were also highly popular.

In recent years she had continued to record and tour to moderate success.

Although she has not reached the level of sales she did in the early 2000s, she was a guest judge in the 2012 series of The X Factor.

It is not known what her treatment will involve this time.

She said she will continue writing and recording her new album and hopes to schedule a new tour as soon as possible.

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Report: Senior Al Qaeda Leader Killed In Mali

French forces in Mali have killed Abdelhamid Abu Zeid, a commander of al Qaeda's north Africa wing, Algerian Ennahar TV says.

The station said 40 militants including Abu Zeid were killed in the region of Tigargara in northern Mali three days ago.

A French Defence Ministry official has declined to comment on the report.

Abu Zeid is a leading field commander of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, a group known as AQIM, and is regarded as one of its most ruthless operators.

He is believed to have executed British national Edwin Dyer in 2009 and a 78-year-old Frenchman, Michel Germaneau, in 2010.

Edwin Dyer was executed after four months in captivity

France launched an assault to retake Mali's vast northern desert region from AQIM and other Islamist rebels in January, after a plea from Mali's caretaker government.

The operation dislodged the rebels from several main towns they had occupied, driving them back into desert wilds.

AQIM has earned tens of millions of dollars in ransom payments for Western hostages taken to its strongholds in northern Mali.

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Pope Benedict Leaves Vatican For Last Time

Pope Benedict XVI has left the Vatican for the final time as leader of the Catholic Church.

He gave thanks to senior staff who have been by his side during his papacy before stepping out from his apartments for the last time.

As he bid the Vatican farewell, he tweeted: "Thank you for your love and support. May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the centre of your lives."

The 85-year-old was then driven to the Vatican helipad, where he boarded a helicopter and flew off into history to Castel Gandolfo in Lazio - the Pope's summer residence on the outskirts of Rome.

He is expected to spend the first two months of his retirement there, before he retreats from public life for good.

When he returns to the Vatican to see out his days in prayer and meditation, he will no longer be Pope, but will be known as Emeritus Pope.

He will move into the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery of cloistered nuns inside the Vatican.

His resignation makes him the first Pope to stand down from the role in 600 years.

More follows...

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