Australia Bushfires Rage Across Tasmania

Australia's prime minister has promised help to dozens of people who have been made homeless by a series of bushfires sweeping the south of the country.

Hundreds of residents have been forced to leave their homes in the island state of Tasmania, with fires breaking out across the region amid blistering temperatures and high winds.

Around 80 buildings have been destroyed in and around the small town of Dunalley, east of the Tasmanian capital of Hobart, including the town's school, police station and bakery.

Officials are investigating reports that one person has been killed in the blaze, but there have been no confirmed deaths or injuries from the fire.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said: "For those who have lost their homes - a devastating experience, and we will be working with them, as will the state government to support people through.

"There are media reports that a life has been lost - I'm not in a position to confirm that, but bushfires are very dangerous things," she added.

The heatwave sent the temperature in Hobart soaring to a record high of nearly 42C on Friday.

Conditions had eased across much of the region on Saturday, but fire officials warned that the danger from some of the fires remained high.

"We reached catastrophic fire danger ratings at times," Tasmania fire service chief officer Mike Brown said.

Bushfires are common seasonal hazard during the Australian summer.

In February 2009, hundreds of fires across the state of Victoria killed 173 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.

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Six Tourists Killed In Snowmobile Crash

By Nick Pisa, Sky Reporter

A mother and her daughter were among six Russians killed after their snowmobile crashed through a safety barrier and fell 300ft in the Italian Alps.

Two others were seriously injured in the late night tragedy, which police have blamed on excessive speed and icy conditions on the Mount Cermis in north east Italy.

Officials said the run is usually lit at night but it had closed early because of the icy conditions, and was shrouded in darkness when the accident happened on Friday night.

The group were on black run known as Olimpia 2, and were returning to their two separate hotels after a night out.

Members of the Italian Alpine rescue team took part in the rescue operation

Police said that some of the group were thrown from a trailer – not intended for passenger use - which was being towed by the snowmobile.

The snowmobile itself also had too many people on it.

A police spokesman added that the force of the impact threw the group from the trailer and snowmobile and into an area of rocks and thick forest.

A helicopter was called in to airlift the dead and injured from the mountain and one of those hurt was taken to the nearby hospital at Cavalese, while the other was flown to nearby Trento.

Local officials said the accident was caused by an "irresponsible act"

The dead - two women and four men - were named by police as Larissa Pshenichnaya, 51, the manager of the Sporting Hotel in Cermis and Liudmila Iudina, 48, who was killed along with her daughter Julia, 25, while her 17-year-old son Boris was seriously hurt.

The other victims were named as Irina Kravchenko, 45, Denis Kravchenko, Viacheslav Sleptsov, 52, while the other seriously injured man was are Azat Agafarov 47.

Those hurt do not have "life threatening injuries".

Police said that all of the group apart from Pshenichnaya and Agafarov were tourists from Krasnodar in southern Russia.

The group were in Italy to celebrate the Russian Orthodox Christmas on January 6 and the area is popular with Russian tourists who flock to the mountains every year.

Alcohol tests will be carried out on the two survivors.

Cermis mayor Silvano Welponer said: "I'm very sad that six people have lost their lives but at the same time this was an irresponsible act - they were on a closed black run at night, when they should not have been there. They chose to be there. It was not a mistake."

Witness Cesare Perini said: "We were coming down Olimpia 3, a run which was open and lit when all of a sudden a police snowmobile came racing up the slope with its lights flashing and siren on.

"When we got down to the bottom a policeman told us to get off the piste. The ski lift operator said the run was closing because there had been fatalities up the mountain."

In 1998, a US Marine jet, flying low on a training run from a nearby air base, accidentally sliced a ski gondola's cable on Mount Cermis, sending the cable car crashing to the ground and claiming 20 lives.

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India Gang Rape Victim's Friend Speaks Of Attack

The male friend of the Indian gang rape victim has spoken for the first time of how he tried to save her and begged her attackers to stop the "cruelty that should never be seen".

He broke his silence as New Delhi district magistrate Namrita Aggarwal confirmed that the five men charged with the victim's rape and murder will appear before her for the first time on Monday.

The victim's 28-year-old male companion said getting on to a private bus that night, because they could not find a rickshaw to take them home, was "the biggest mistake I made".

Speaking in public for the first time, he hit out at the hospital treatment his 23-year-old friend received, the police and at passers-by for failing to help after they were thrown naked from the bus following the two-and-a-half-hour ordeal.

Press gather outside the district court in New Delhi

The software firm employee said that the woman was left naked and bleeding in the street for nearly an hour before a police van arrived to help.

"What can I say? The cruelty I saw should not be seen ever. I tried to fight against the men but later I begged them again and again to leave her," he told AFP.

"I was not very confident about getting into the bus but my friend was running late, so we got into it.

"This was the biggest mistake I made and after that everything went out of control.

The "driver and the other men raped my friend and hit her in the worst possible ways in the most private parts of her body.

"I cannot tell you what I feel when I think of it. I shiver in pain," he said.

Fresh protests and prayers in the capital on Saturday

The man, who suffered a fractured leg and other injuries in the attack, recounted the savagery of the night of December 16 after he and his friend, who died from her injuries on December 29, had been to see a film in New Delhi.

He told the Hindi-language cable channel Zee News: "The occupants of the bus, which had tinted windows and curtains, had laid a trap for us. They were probably involved in crimes before also. They beat us up, hit us with an iron rod, snatched our clothes and belongings and threw us off the bus on a deserted stretch.

"The bus occupants had everything planned. Apart from the driver and the helper, others behaved like they were passengers. We even paid 20 (rupees) as fare. They then started teasing my friend and it led to a brawl. I beat three of them up but then the rest of them brought an iron rod and hit me. Before I fell unconscious, they took my friend away."

"From where we boarded the bus, they moved around for nearly two and a half hours. We were shouting, trying to make people hear us. But they switched off the lights of the bus. We tried to resist them. Even my friend fought with them, she tried to save me. She tried to dial the police control room number 100, but the accused snatched her mobile away," he said.

Police have used water cannons and tear gas to dispel protesters

The attackers also violated the victim with an iron bar, causing the immense internal damage that lead to her death, before throwing them from the bus.

The friend said: "There were a few people who had gathered round but nobody helped. Before the police came I screamed for help but the auto rickshaws, cars and others passing by did not stop."

He said when police arrived: "We kept shouting at the police, 'please give us some clothes' but they were busy deciding which police station our case should be registered at."

"It took an hour and a half for us to be taken to hospital," he added.

The police have arrested six suspects - five men and a juvenile believed to be aged 17 - who were formally charged with murder, rape and kidnapping on Thursday.

A hearse carrying the body of the 23-year-old rape victim

The case has sparked massive protests across India, where statistics show a woman is raped every 20 minutes.

Protesters have called for all rape suspects to be hanged and want a better deal for women so the streets are safer and men who rape women are put on trial.

National crime records show that 228,650 of the total 256,329 violent crimes recorded in India last year were against women and rape cases more than doubled between 1990 and 2008.

Police in Delhi have filed charges against Zee News under laws which protect the anonymity of victims of offences such as rape. In India, the criminal justice system defines rape as a crime against the state, and it the responsibility of the state to defend the victim.

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Fashion Designer Missing As Plane Vanishes

Italian designer Vittorio Missoni, head of one of Italy's oldest fashion houses, was aboard a small plane that disappeared off the coast of Venezuela, a company spokeswoman has confirmed.

The Los Roques where the plane took off

The aircraft reportedly went missing shortly after take-off from the resort of Los Roques, a group of islands off the coast of Venezuela that is popular with tourists.

Also reported to have been on board were Mr Missoni's wife, Maurizia Castiglioni, another couple believed to be their friends, and two Venezuelan crew members.

"The Missoni family has been informed by the Venezuelan consulate that Vittorio Missoni and his wife are missing, but we don't know any more," said Maddalena Aspes, speaking on behalf of the company.

Venezuela's interior minister said the plane was expected at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas and was declared missing when it failed to arrive.

It is understood that Mr Missoni, 58, and his wife had spent Christmas and New Year at Los Roques.

According to the Corriere della Sera newspaper, the pilot of the Britten Norman BN2 Islander plane was 72-year-old German Merchan.

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France Plane Crash: Five Die Near Alps

Five people have died after their plane crashed shortly after taking off from an airport in the French Alps, police have confirmed.

The aircraft crashed in a forest in an uninhabited area outside Grenoble, a city that is the gateway to the mountain resorts of the Alps in southeastern France.

An official with the French gendarmerie said the plane crashed on Saturday shortly after it took off from Grenoble's airport.

It was not clear what kind of plane they were flying in but everyone aboard died, police said.

The plane had been due to stop in Spain before heading to Morocco where it was registered.

There were no immediate details of the cause of the crash or the identity of the passengers.

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Australia Heatwave Leads To Bushfire Alert

Australians are sweltering through one of the worst heatwaves for years, with temperatures well above 40C in some places.

Much of the country will be on alert for bushfires this weekend as temperatures reach record levels.

Adelaide in southern Australia registered a top temperature of 45C (113 Fahrenheit) on Friday, its fourth-hottest day on record.

Around 80% of the country has been affected by the mass of hot air spreading east from Western Australia.

Australians are braced for more bushfires

Emergency services warned of the risk of bushfires that could threaten homes and farms and health officials are urging people to drink plenty of water and stay out of the heat.

Experts say the last time such large areas of the country experienced similar heat was in 2001.

John Nairn, of The Bureau of Meteorology, said that while heatwaves are a normal part of the Australian summer, the current blast is unusual for the large area it is covering.

Among the hottest parts of the country on Friday were Wudinna, on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula, which hit 48.2C. Hobart reached a record 41.8C - one degree hotter than the record set in 1976.

Tasmania Fire Service chief officer Mike Brown told a news conference they reached "catastrophic fire danger ratings" at times during Friday afternoon, with up to 40 fires burning around the state.

The bureau of meteorology told The Australian that the scorching heat bearing down across many states will continue "unabated" well into next week.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has called on people to be careful.

"Take care and stay safe as we face extreme heat around our nation. Listen to warnings on the high bushfire risk. JG," she tweeted.

Police have also warned that leaving children, elderly people or pets unattended in cars could prove fatal in the hot weather.

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China Shuts Down Pro-Reform Magazine Website

Chinese journalists have openly confronted state censors after authorities shut the website of a leading pro-reform magazine over an article calling for political change.

Yanhuang Chunqi, which means China Through The Ages, revealed on its official Sina Weibo microblog that it had been informed its website registration had been cancelled and said it had not been given a reason.

Attempts to open the website bring up a cartoon picture of a policeman holding up a badge and the message that the site has been closed.

But the article which apparently offended authorities is still up on the magazine's microblog.

It states: "In more than 30 years of reform, the abuses caused by lagging economic and political reform have become daily more visible, and the factors for social instability have gradually accumulated.

"Promoting reform of the political system is an urgent task."

President-in-waiting Xi Jinping takes power in March

It comes after 60 journalists from the Southern Weekly newspaper in Guangdong province issued a complaint after they were forced to change a New Year editorial on reform into a tribute praising the Communist Party.

Another 35 former reporters at the newspaper also called for resignation of the province's propaganda chief.

The state-run Global Times newspaper hit back, saying media cannot exist "romantically" outside the country's political reality.

The Communist Party tolerates no challenge to its rule and has shown little sign of wanting to pursue reform.

President-elect Xi Jinping portrayed a softer and more open image after taking over as party boss in November, but it is unclear if he will pursue the long-stalled reforms when he takes power in March.

Last month, a prominent group of Chinese academics warned the country risked "violent revolution" if the government does not respond to growing pressure for more political freedom.

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Syria: How Activist Vanished Into 'Black Hole'

Zed always knew the Syrian secret police would come for him, he just did not know the date. It was December 15, 2012.

Zed, committed to peaceful change in Syria, has been one of the bravest and most outspoken activists in the opposition movement, and one of the few prepared to show his face on the foreign media.

Last year he told me: "I know eventually they will bring me in, but what can I do, we have to change this system by peaceful means."

And then last month he stopped responding to emails, and calls to his mobile went unanswered.

When I was in Damascus in December I called a few times. To my shame I did not follow up on his unexplained silence and have found out later than I should that he has vanished into the secret police system.

Zed is the nickname of 38-year-old Dr Zaidoun al Zoabi, a dean at the European College in Damascus.

It is thought he is being held in the notorious "Building 215" in Damascus along with his 22-year-old brother Souhaib al Zoabi who is a medical student.

Their families are unsure of exactly what has happened to them.

This Christmas was the first he had spent away from his family.

His wife has told their children that he is "travelling". His daughter wrote him a Christmas letter saying how much she misses him.

The Christmas letter written to Dr Zaidoun al Zoabi by his daughter

We first met in a dilapidated tower block in the centre of town. He and an elderly opposition politician were in a shabby office.

The paint was peeling from the walls and the room lit by a single bare light bulb, such is the life of the political opposition.

I was there to interview the other man, Abdul Aziz al Khair, but something attracted me to this burly, humorous activist who was happy to play second fiddle to the established opposition figure.

I left Abdul with our producer Kelvin O'Shea and went off for coffee with this young sardonic firebrand.

We stayed in touch and developed a friendship which both sides kept at a distance, both of us knowing that some of our movements were monitored, but also because I did not want to get too close and thus compromise objectivity.

Zed must have become seriously worried for his safety last year when his mentor, Mr al Khair disappeared on the road to the international airport. He has not been seen since. 

The last time I saw Zed was in the early autumn in Damascus. I showed him a report we had made from the city of Homs depicting daily life in the ruined district of Khaldia.

He broke down in tears during one section and then explained he was feeling under immense pressure.

An influential relative had died, leaving him with even less protection than he had, and his wife was pleading with him to give up his activism for the sake of his children.

To my knowledge Zed never supported the violent opposition to the Assad government.

He does criticise the regime, he has participated in demonstrations, but not violence.

He is responsible for driving me around Damascus a few times, he has explained the peaceful activist's strategy, he has even told me in advance about demonstrations, but I've never known him to be involved in what the secret police might legally regard as criminal activity, and he always took great care to distance himself from the armed opposition.

One of several activist groups trying to publicise the al Zoabi's plight is the Syrian Expatriates Organisation which says: "There are serious concerns for the life and safety of Dr Zaidoun al Zoabi and Sohaib al Zoabi in detention.

"Zaidoun is a man of conviction and integrity who worked tirelessly for the cause of freedom and justice in Syria."

There is also a Facebook page publicising their detention.

Whenever Zed and I met we were always aware we were being watched.

Sometimes he would even come to our hotel, despite knowing that there is usually a government man somewhere in the lobby watching who goes in and out.

But Zed said for the first time in his life he felt free, free to speak out. No longer.

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Burma Spitfires: Team To Start Dig For Lost Planes

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

A British team is preparing to fly out to Burma in an attempt to recover a hoard of "lost" WW2 Spitfire planes.

Aviation archaeologists believe up to 20 of the famous aircraft were buried in 1945 and have not been disturbed since.

Lincolnshire farmer David Cundall has spent over 15 years trying to pinpoint their location and then organise everything needed for a careful archaeological dig.

Mr Cundall told Sky News that he believed the planes were buried in the Burmese jungle at the end of the war.

He said: "We have eyewitnesses who actually saw them being buried. The war was over so somebody gave the order to dig a big hole and bury them."

Mr Cundall said the planes were buried "at depth" and so would not be corroded by oxygen.

"I'm totally convinced that they will be restorable. We want to restore them to flying condition so we can see them flying at air shows in three years time."

The Spitfires were flown out to the Far East to support the Burma campaign towards the end of the war but were never actually used in conflict.

The team believe they are buried 10 metres underground on the site of Rangoon International Airport

On a visit to the country last year Prime Minister David Cameron signed an agreement with Burmese authorities to co-operate on the project.

The excavation is due to start next week.

Project Archaeologist Andy Brockman said: "This a rigorous, evidence-driven archaeological  process - we are solving the mystery of what happened. It is a fascinating mystery."

The team will make an announcement about their findings later in January.

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Falkland Islanders Hit Back At Argentina

Angry Falkland Islanders have written an open letter to Argentina's president over the South American country's continued claims to the islands.

A group of the islanders, called Falklands United, have responded to a letter by Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner published in The Guardian and Independent in which she called for the UK to give up the Falklands.

They wrote: "Our home is a British Overseas Territory, not a colony as you seemingly wish to convince people.

"We have never been prouder of our association with the United Kingdom and our unique relationship.

"Any decision to change that would be OUR and not YOUR choice.

"In 1982 we didn't have a voice. In 2013 we do. We are OUR own people and we have a right to OUR own democracy and to where OUR sovereignty lies."

It comes after a British tabloid published a full page newspaper advert in Argentina, warning Ms Kirchner to keep her "hands off" the Falklands.

The Sun was responding to Ms Kirchner's open letter, in which she called for the islands to come under Argentine sovereignty.

David Cameron insists the islanders must decide their own future

A referendum on the islands' status is to take place in March.

Prime Minister David Cameron has insisted that residents of the Falkland Islands must decide their own future.

The Sun's message to Ms Kirchner - printed in English language paper The Buenos Aires Herald - raises the issue of Argentina's 1982 invasion of the islands.

It mentions the 649 Argentine and 255 British servicemen who lost their lives and says the invasion was in "direct conflict" with the UN principle of self-determination.

The ad in the paper - read by some 50,000 people - disputes Argentina's claim to the islands and points out that British sovereignty dates back to 1765.

It concludes: "Until the people of the Falkland Islands choose to become Argentinian, they remain resolutely British.

"In the name of our millions of readers and to put it another way: 'HANDS OFF!'"

Ms Kirchner's open letter was published in The Guardian and Independent and called for the UK to give up the Falklands - known as Las Malvinas in Argentina.

She urged Mr Cameron to abide by a 1965 UN resolution to "negotiate a solution" to the dispute.

But the PM told the leader that she should "listen" to the result of the March referendum.

He said: "The future of the Falkland Islands should be determined by the Falkland Islanders themselves, the people who live there.

"Whenever they have been asked their opinion, they say they want to maintain their current status with the United Kingdom.

"They're holding a referendum this year and I hope the president of Argentina will listen to that referendum and recognise it is for the Falkland Islanders to choose their future."

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Mullah Nazir Killed In Pakistan By US Drone

A senior Pakistani militant leader has been killed by a US drone strike in Pakistan, local officials have said.

Mullah Nazir, who had sent insurgents to fight in Afghanistan, died alongside nine other militants in Pakistan's tribal belt.

He was the main militant commander in South Waziristan, part of the tribal zone where militants linked to the Taliban and al Qaeda have bases.

He is one of the most high-profile drone victims in recent years.

Mullah Nazir was killed in the strike in South Waziristan

Pakistani officials said a US drone fired two missiles at his vehicle in the Sar Kanda area of Birmil in South Waziristan, and five of his loyalists including two senior deputies were also killed.

"Mullah Nazir and five associates died on the spot," one of the officials said.

The official said the attack happened at 10.35pm local time on Wednesday, but that it took time to confirm the reports from the far-flung and mountainous area along the Afghan border.

Another Pakistani official said Nazir and his fighters were targeted as they prepared to swap vehicles when their pick-up encountered a mechanical fault.

Two of his influential deputies, Atta Ullah and Rafey Khan, were among those killed, the official added.

In the neighbouring district of North Waziristan, two more missiles fired from a US drone killed four other militants on Thursday but their identities are not yet known.

Nazir was wounded in a suicide attack in South Waziristan on November 29 and had survived previous attempts on his life.

In April 2007 he gave a rare news conference at which he said he had never met Osama bin Laden but would protect him if asked.

Covert US drone strikes are publicly criticised by the Pakistani government as a violation of sovereignty, but American officials believe they are a vital weapon in the war against Islamist militants.

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Gunman Shoots Three Dead In Switzerland

A gunman has killed three people and injured two others after opening fire in a village in southern Switzerland.

The 33-year-old started shooting in Daillon near the city of Sion on Wednesday night, using a historic Swiss military rifle and a hunting rifle.

He fired around 20 shots, instantly killing three women aged 32, 54 and 79 and injuring two men aged 33 and 63, according to officials.

Terrified residents drinking in nearby bars when the shots rang out hid in the dark to avoid being caught up in the attack.

The gunman had started shooting from his apartment down onto the street and at neighbouring buildings before emerging.

Police rushed to the scene shortly after 9pm when witnesses reported several people were lying on the ground.

The man, who has not been named, was shot in the chest by police after he threatened officers. He was arrested and taken to hospital for treatment.

Police "immediately intervened and neutralised the suspect," a statement said. No officers were injured in the exchange.

Officials said the man had spent time in a psychiatric hospital in 2005, at which point his weapons had been confiscated.

He was unemployed, living off benefits and was being supervised by authorities in charge of providing services and counselling to the disabled.

Daillon is around 145 miles from the Swiss capital Bern

He was also known to police as a drug user.

"We have no words to express ourselves after an event like this," said Christophe Germanier, head of the Conthey district.

The reason for the shooting has not yet been established.

Prosecutor Catherine Seppey said the gunman knew several of the victims, but "he was not known for making threats".

They were all shot at least twice in the head and chest.

Swiss media quoted local residents as saying he had been drinking heavily before the attack.

Resident Marie-Paule Udry told news website 20Minutes.ch the man had been in a local restaurant and "had drunk a lot".

His two youngest victims, the woman aged 32 and man aged 33, are reported to be a couple with young children.

Forensic investigators are now at work in the picturesque village which has just 200 inhabitants and is perched at an altitude of 1,000m (3,280ft) surrounded by vineyards.

Cantonal police spokesman Jean-Marie Bornet insisted that police had only returned fire after coming under threat.

"There was an exchange of gunfire because he was threatening police officers. He was hit and wounded," he said.

"There is bewilderment and shock in Valais. This is a man who lived in Daillon and opened fire on his neighbours."

Gun ownership is widespread in Switzerland, where the law allows any citizen aged over 18 to possess arms under certain conditions.

The defence ministry says there are some two million weapons in private hands among the country's estimated eight million inhabitants.

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India Murder-Rape Suspects Could Face Death

By Alex Rossi, India Correspondent

Five men have been formally charged with the murder, kidnap and gang rape of a medical student in Delhi in India.

The 23-year-old - who has not been named - died at the weekend in a hospital in Singapore where she was being treated for major internal injuries.

If the five men are convicted of murder they could face the death penalty.

A sixth suspect is believed to be under the age of 18.

Indian women hold placards during the Women Dignity march in Delhi

Investigators have ordered bone tests to establish his exact age, as juveniles cannot face murder charges.

The men are in custody at Delhi's Tihar prison.

According to the police the charge sheet is more than 1,000 pages long and it is expected when the trial gets under way that more than 30 witnesses will be called.

The document also contains a statement given by the victim to two different judges while she was being treated in hospital.

Investigators allege that members of the gang were drunk and joyriding in a bus when they picked up the woman and her male companion, who were on their way back from the cinema in South Delhi.

They then beat up the couple with an iron bar before gang-raping the woman.

It is claimed they then threw the pair from the moving bus and tried to run over the victim.

Delhi's Bar Association has stated none of its members will act for the men on "moral grounds", and the accused have no legal representation.

The rape has caused national outrage in India since it happened three weeks ago.

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets on a daily basis to demand tougher penalties for rapists and fast track courts.

Rape and violence against women is all too common crime in India with the latest figures suggesting that the problem is worst in Delhi.

Last year there were 635 reported cases of rape in the capital but there was only one conviction.

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Sandy Hook Survivors Head Back To School

The children who escaped last month's shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut returned to classes on Thursday in a neighbouring town in a refurbished school now named after their old one.

Newtown Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson announced that the students' new school, the former Chalk Hill Middle School in Monroe, has been renamed Sandy Hook Elementary School.

She said the Sandy Hook staff made that decision.

"That's who they are. They're the Sandy Hook family," Ms Robinson said after a news conference at a park in Monroe a few miles from the school.

An open house was held for parents and students on Wednesday.

Parents who want to be close to their children were told they could visit and stay in classrooms or an auditorium throughout Thursday.

The classrooms are located at the former Chalk Hill School

Ms Robinson said renaming the Chalk Hill school will allow staff and students to keep "their identity and a comfort level".

Security outside of the Monroe school was tight early on Thursday.

Several police officers were guarding the entrance to the school, and were checking the IDs of parents dropping off children.

Asked about the level of security at the new school, Monroe police Lieutenant Keith White said: "I think right now it has to be the safest school in America."

Ms Robinson said Chalk Hill School has been transformed into a "cheerful" place for the surviving students to resume normal school routines. She said mental health counsellors continue to be available for anyone who needs them.

Several signs welcoming the Sandy Hook students to their new school were posted along the road leading to the school in a rural, mostly residential neighbourhood.

Signs welcoming the children are posted along the road

Teams of workers, many of them volunteers, prepared the Chalk Hill school with fresh paint and new furniture and even raised bathroom floors so the smaller elementary school students can reach the toilets.

The students' desks, backpacks and other belongings that were left behind following the shooting were taken to the new school to make them feel at home.

Ms Robinson said teachers are trying to make it as normal a school day as possible for the children.

"We want to get back to teaching and learning," she said. "We will obviously take time out from the academics for any conversations that need to take place, and there will be a lot of support there.

"All in all, we want the kids to reconnect with their friends and classroom teachers, and I think that's going to be the healthiest thing."

Sandy Hook's home in Newtown has become a shrine to the victims

The school where the shootings occurred remains closed and guarded by police.

Newtown officials have not decided yet on the building's future.

It has been nearly three weeks since the December 14 massacre, when gunman Adam Lanza killed 20 students and six educators.

Lanza also killed his mother at the home they shared in Newtown before the school shootings, which ended when Lanza fatally shot himself as police arrived.

Police have not released any details about a motive.

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Falklands Row Reopened By President's Letter

David Cameron has dismissed a call by the president of Argentina for Britain to hand back the Falkland Islands.

Cristina Kirchner demanded in an open letter that the Prime Minister abide by UN resolutions to "negotiate a solution" to the row.

But Mr Cameron insisted that the future of the islands was up to the people who live there, not Argentina.

He told the leader that she should "listen" to the result of a referendum due to be held in March.

And he vowed that Falklands residents would have his full backing if they choose to remain British.

"The future of the Falkland Islands should be determined by the Falkland Islanders themselves, the people who live there," he said.

"Whenever they have been asked their opinion, they say they want to maintain their current status with the United Kingdom.

"They're holding a referendum this year and I hope the president of Argentina will listen to that referendum and recognise it is for the Falkland Islanders to choose their future.

"As long as they choose to stay with the United Kingdom they have my 100% backing."

The Foreign Office added that the Falkland Islanders "are British and have chosen to be so".

"They remain free to choose their own futures, both politically and economically, and have a right to self-determination as enshrined in the UN Charter," a spokesman said.

"This is a fundamental human right for all peoples. There are three parties to this debate, not just two as Argentina likes to pretend.

"The islanders can't just be written out of history. As such, there can be no negotiations on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands unless and until such time as the islanders so wish."

Port Stanley in the Falklands

Ms Kirchner made her latest appeal in a letter published in The Guardian and Independent newspapers.

It claimed Argentina had been "forcibly stripped" of the islands her country calls Las Malvinas in a "blatant exercise of 19th-century colonialism".

"The Argentines on the Islands were expelled by the Royal Navy and the United Kingdom subsequently began a population implantation process similar to that applied to other territories under colonial rule," she said.

"Since then, Britain, the colonial power, has refused to return the territories to the Argentine Republic, thus preventing it from restoring its territorial integrity.

"The Question of the Malvinas Islands is also a cause embraced by Latin America and by a vast majority of peoples and governments around the world that reject colonialism."

Ms Kirchner first made calls for the return of the islands during last year's 30th anniversary of the two countries going to war.

She and Mr Cameron also clashed over the issue when they came face-to-face at the G20 summit in Mexico last June.

The Prime Minister rejected her call for negotiations about sovereignty and said she should respect the results of a referendum due in March.

The Falklanders will vote then on whether they wish to retain their ties with Britain.

The Argentine president tried again to push the issue when she appeared at the United Nations, appearing at the annual meeting of the little-known UN Decolonisation Committee on the 30th anniversary of the British victory.

She used the occasion to reiterate Argentina's opposition to any more wars and to criticise the Prime Minister's decision to mark the day by flying the Falklands flag over Number 10.

In December, Argentina protested at Britain's decision to name a vast swathe of Antarctica Queen Elizabeth Land. Its foreign ministry handed a formal protest note to British ambassador John Freeman in Buenos Aires.

The area, which makes up around a third of the British Antarctic Territory, is also claimed by the South American country.

Barry Elsby, a member of the Islands' Legislative Assembly, said: "We understand that the Argentine government has put out a letter that both calls our home a colony and claims that the United Kingdom is ignoring United Nations General Assembly resolutions.

"We are not a colony; our relationship with the United Kingdom is by choice. Unlike the government of Argentina, the United Kingdom respects the right of our people to determine our own affairs, a right that is enshrined in the UN Charter and which is ignored by Argentina."

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Indian Gang Rapists 'Tried To Run Over Victim'

A gang of rapists who assaulted and murdered a woman on a bus in New Delhi tried to run her over afterwards, according to reports.

The woman's boyfriend, who was beaten up and thrown off the bus after she had been repeatedly raped, managed to pull her to safety just in time, police will allege in court on Thursday.

The claims have been made by newspapers in India which say they have seen extracts of the 1,000-page charge sheet.

The 23-year-old medical student, whose ordeal triggered widespread protests about sex crime in India, bit three of her attackers as she attempted to fight them off, the papers claim.

The suspects' injuries, forensic evidence including blood, semen and hair samples and the testimony of the injured boyfriend are expected to form the main evidence against the accused.

Five men have been arrested and will formally face murder and rape charges on Thursday in a fast-track court set up to try them.

Indian holy women perform a prayer ritual in memory of a gang rape victim

A sixth suspect is aged 17 and is expected to be tried in a court for juveniles.

"The woman and her friend were stripped and thrown out of the bus," The Indian Express reported. "Her friend pulled her away when he saw the bus reversing to run her over."

The Times of India newspaper said one of the charges against the accused relates to the destruction of evidence, since the driver had tried to wash the bus and burned the clothes that were snatched from the victim.

The woman died at the weekend after a 13-day struggle to keep her alive in which she underwent three major operations and suffered a cardiac arrest.

Lawyers have refused to defend the men accused of the attack.

Displays and tributes to the victim are still in place across Delhi

"We have decided that no lawyer will stand up to defend the rape accused as it would be immoral to defend the case," said Sanjay Kumar, a lawyer and a member of the Saket District Bar Council.

Mr Kumar said the 2,500 advocates registered at the court have decided to "stay away" to ensure "speedy justice", meaning the government would have to appoint lawyers for the defendants.

In 2008, Indian lawyers also refused to defend a gunman who took part in attacks on Mumbai which killed 166 people, leaving him with a government-appointed lawyer. He was executed in November last year.

Meanwhile, India's top court says it will decide whether to suspend politicians facing sexual assault charges.

The move came as thousands of women gathered at the Ghandi memorial to demand stronger protection from attackers.

Chief Justice Altamas Kabir agreed to hear a petition from retired government administrator Promilla Shanker asking the Supreme Court to suspend those sitting on national and state legislatures who face prosecution for crimes against women.

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Angola Stampede: 16 Killed At New Year Vigil

At least 16 people, including four children, have been killed in a stampede during a religious gathering at a stadium in the Angolan capital.

Angop, the Angolan news agency, cited officials as saying that 120 people were hurt in the crush in the southern African nation's capital, Luanda.

It came as Ivory Coast, in western Africa, began three days of national mourning after a stampede among crowds gathered for New Year's Eve fireworks left at least 60 people dead and hundreds injured.

The deadly crush in Angola also happened on New Year's Eve, when panic spread amongst the tens of thousands of people gathered at the stadium for the evangelical vigil.

One of the young children hurt in the crush in Luanda

Paulo Gaspar de Almeida, deputy commander-general of the Angolan police, said the victims were killed "due to asphyxia, shoving and trampling of faithful at the entrance of Cidadela stadium".

The event was organised by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, an evangelical group founded in Brazil in 1977.

"We were expecting 70,000 people but far more turned up," Ferner Batalha, a bishop of the church, was quoted as saying.

The Ivory Coast government said 60 people had died in the crush in Abidjan and the average age of those killed was 18.

Earlier, the head of military rescue workers, Lieutenant Colonel Issa Sako, told journalists that 61 had died.

Witnesses said the stampede had broken out after the fireworks ended, though the cause remained unclear.

Abandoned shoes and clothing after the Ivory Coast crush

It erupted near the stadium's main entrance, where security had set up tree trunks as crowd control barriers.

Two survivors, who were in hospital, said some barricades that were set up unofficially created the crush.

They said that after the fireworks display people were prevented from moving along the Boulevard de la Republic by the wooden barricades.

According to a police source, the crush occurred when two streams of spectators going in opposite directions crossed paths.

Lieutenant Colonel Sako said the flow of people at the stadium had caused a "very large crush" and that "in the crush, people were walked over and suffocated by the crowd".

The Ivory Coast has started three days of mourning

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has ordered an immediate investigation into the causes of the stampede.

He said the government would open a crisis centre to help families find missing people and to take testimony from witnesses.

After the crush, piles of abandoned shoes and clothing were scattered near the stadium, where around 50,000 people had gathered for the fireworks.

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Prince Harry: Afghan Warlord's Claims 'Absurd'

The Ministry of Defence has rejected claims by a warlord that Prince Harry "kills innocent Afghans while he is drunk" as "simply absurd".

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former Afghan prime minister who leads the militant group Hizb-i-Islami, also claimed that foreign forces in the country have failed.

He told the Daily Telegraph that Prince Harry, who has been serving in Afghanistan since September as an Apache helicopter co-pilot, was a "jackal" who was drunk on duty.

"The British prince comes to Afghanistan to kill innocent Afghans while he is drunk," said Hekmatyar, who has been in hiding since the mid-1990s.

"He wants to hunt down Mujahideen with his helicopter's rockets, without any shame.

"During the Mujahideen's attack on the American base the prince saw that he was the one about to be hunted and was searching for a hole in which to hide himself."

Hekmatyar is considered a terrorist by the US

The Ministry of Defence said it was "simply absurd" to suggest that the third-in-line to the throne or any other member of the British armed forces was conducting operations under the influence of alcohol.

"The consumption of alcohol by UK military personnel is not permitted under any circumstances while deployed in Afghanistan," a ministry spokesman said.

A military source also dismissed Hekmatyar's comments, saying: "The idea that highly skilled and professional Apache pilots operate drunk is patently ridiculous and completely made up.

"It is nothing more than a see-through attempt to undermine the very real progress being made in Afghanistan by UK troops and their Afghan partners."

Hekmatyar founded Hizb-i-Islami, notorious for its bloody siege of Kabul in the 1990s, and is considered a terrorist by the US.

Prince Harry has been in Afghanistan since September

In the interview, Hekmatyar also accused Britain of being dragged into the war to please its American allies and said its role in the conflict would have no significance after 2014.

"Britain dragged herself into this unjustified, useless but cruel conflict to please the White House," he said.

"The British did not gain anything, instead they lost blood and treasure. They never had a positive role in Afghan affairs and they will not have any significance after 2014.

"I don't understand how the British public accept their children being sent to certain death in order to please American generals."

The interview comes just weeks after UK Prime Minister David Cameron signalled that British troops could be withdrawn from Afghanistan even faster after better-than-expected progress by the country's own security forces.

But Hekmatyar said: "The fact is that the government has failed. The authorities have lost their credibility completely. They have fallen victims to severe internal disputes and seem hopeless and worried.

"We might have a dreadful situation after 2014 which no one could have anticipated."

The Nato coalition has been fighting the Taliban insurgency for 11 years

The MoD spokesman said: "UK troops deployed and remain in Afghanistan to protect our national security by removing what was a safe haven for international terrorism.

"Now, it is Afghan forces that now have lead security responsibility for around 75% of the population in the country and lead up to 80% of conventional partnered operations.

"It is this sort of progress that has allowed almost 60% of UK bases in Helmand to be shut or handed over and will allow us to leave a stronger more secure Afghanistan when combat operations cease by the end of 2014."

Hekmatyar's Hizb-i-Islami, which means Islamic Party, has widespread national support in Afghanistan and shares some of the Afghan Taliban's anti-foreigner, anti-government aims, and wants to oust international forces.

The US State Department has listed Hekmatyar as a "terrorist" since 2003 for supporting Taliban and al Qaeda attacks.

Hekmatyar is a fierce rival of Taliban leader Mullah Omar, and became a hero to many Afghans while leading mujahideen fighters against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s.

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US Fiscal Cliff: Markets Rally After Late Deal

Global markets have rallied in response to a deal in the United States to avert its so-called fiscal cliff.

The market boost came after US Democrats and Republicans finally agreed a deal that will stop hundreds of billions of dollars in automatic tax increases and spending cuts that risked plunging the world's biggest economy into recession.

Stocks around the world started 2013 with hefty gains as investors welcomed the vote in the House of Representatives.

London's FTSE 100 was up 2.27% at 1pm, after earlier busting through the 6,000-point mark for the first time since July 2011.

Key European markets were up over 2% while in Asia Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shot up 2.9% at the close, its highest finish since June 1, 2011.

After the opening bell in Wall Street, the Dow Jones index rose around 200 points.

The lights of the Capitol burned late into the night as the deal went on

"Investors are trading with a sense of relief after lawmakers in Washington agreed on a compromise to avoid the fiscal cliff that has been the dominant theme in equity markets since the presidential elections back in November," Mike McCudden, head of derivatives at stockbroker Interactive Investor, said.

The fiscal cliff deal is likely to remain the focus of attention in financial markets, as US institutions open for trading.

Mr Obama welcomed the agreement and said it was just one step in a broader effort to strengthen the economy.

He said: "Thanks to the votes of Republicans and Democrats in Congress I will sign a law that raises taxes on the wealthiest 2% of Americans while preventing tax hikes that could have sent the economy back into recession."

Some House Republicans had wanted to amend the bill to incorporate more spending cuts but dropped the idea.

Mr Obama headed to Hawaii for a break after the deal was brokered

In the end, 172 Democrats and 85 Republicans voted in favour of the bill, which marks a triumph for the president less than two months after he secured re-election while campaigning for higher taxes on the wealthy.

The legislation cleared the Senate hours after Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, veteran negotiators, sealed the deal.

The fiscal cliff deadline would have triggered tax increases of $536bn (£328bn) and spending cuts of $109bn (£67bn) from domestic and military programmes.

The compromise Senate deal extends the tax cuts for Americans earning under $400,000 (£246,000) - up from the $250,000 (£153,000) level that Democrats had originally sought.

But longer-term fiscal problems remain and Mr Obama will likely face more battles with the Republican-dominated House of Representatives.

"Cynics will point out that another argument has been booked in for two months' time, when the debt ceiling comes up for debate, IG market analyst Chris Beauchamp said.

"And Republicans will be looking to make progress on the spending cuts that haven't featured in the New Year deal."

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Syria: Petrol Station Strike 'Kills Dozens'

Dozens of people have been killed after an air strike on a petrol station in the capital Damascus, according to opposition activists.

Mohammed Saeed, an activist who visited the site, said "tens of people were killed or wounded" in the strike, while "body parts could be seen on the ground".

Amateur video, which cannot be verified, showed block smoke billowing from the petrol station in the eastern suburb of Mleiha and casualties fleeing the scene.

Some activists said more than 30 people died in the strike, although the exact number was not confirmed.

Mr Saeed said drivers were waiting in line for fuel when the petrol station was targeted.

The blast happened in the Syrian capital, Damascus

Syria has been facing a fuel crisis and people often queue for hours to refuel.

Meanwhile, the UN said more than 60,000 people have died in the conflict in Syria since fighting began in March 2011.

Using data from seven different sources, it said the number of fatalities rose from 1,000 a month in the summer of 2011 to 5,000 a month within one year.

In the provinces of Homs and Damascus, around three-quarters of those who were killed were male.

Navi Pillay, the UN's human rights commissioner, described the number of casualties as "truly shocking" and "much higher than we expected".

"Cities, towns and villages have been, and are continuing to be, devastated by aerial attacks, shelling, tank fire, bomb attacks and street-to-street fighting," she said.

"Unless there is a quick resolution to the conflict, I fear thousands more will die or suffer terrible injuries as a result of those who harbour the obstinate belief that something can be achieved by more bloodshed, more torture and more mindless destruction."

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Indian Gang Rapists 'Tried To Run Over Victim'

A gang of rapists who assaulted and murdered a woman on a bus in New Delhi tried to run her over afterwards, according to reports.

The woman's boyfriend, who was beaten up and thrown off the bus after she had been repeatedly raped, managed to pull her to safety just in time, police will allege in court on Thursday.

The claims have been made by newspapers in India which say they have seen extracts of the 1,000-page charge sheet.

The 23-year-old medical student, whose ordeal triggered widespread protests about sex crime in India, bit three of her attackers as she attempted to fight them off, the papers claim.

The suspects' injuries, forensic evidence including blood, semen and hair samples and the testimony of the injured boyfriend are expected to form the main evidence against the accused.

Five men have been arrested and will formally face murder and rape charges on Thursday in a fast-track court set up to try them.

Indian holy women perform a prayer ritual in memory of a gang rape victim

A sixth suspect is aged 17 and is expected to be tried in a court for juveniles.

"The woman and her friend were stripped and thrown out of the bus," The Indian Express reported. "Her friend pulled her away when he saw the bus reversing to run her over."

The Times of India newspaper said one of the charges against the accused relates to the destruction of evidence, since the driver had tried to wash the bus and burned the clothes that were snatched from the victim.

The woman died at the weekend after a 13-day struggle to keep her alive in which she underwent three major operations and suffered a cardiac arrest.

Lawyers have refused to defend the men accused of the attack.

Displays and tributes to the victim are still in place across Delhi

"We have decided that no lawyer will stand up to defend the rape accused as it would be immoral to defend the case," said Sanjay Kumar, a lawyer and a member of the Saket District Bar Council.

Mr Kumar said the 2,500 advocates registered at the court have decided to "stay away" to ensure "speedy justice", meaning the government would have to appoint lawyers for the defendants.

In 2008, Indian lawyers also refused to defend a gunman who took part in attacks on Mumbai which killed 166 people, leaving him with a government-appointed lawyer. He was executed in November last year.

Meanwhile, India's top court says it will decide whether to suspend politicians facing sexual assault charges.

The move came as thousands of women gathered at the Ghandi memorial to demand stronger protection from attackers.

Chief Justice Altamas Kabir agreed to hear a petition from retired government administrator Promilla Shanker asking the Supreme Court to suspend those sitting on national and state legislatures who face prosecution for crimes against women.

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Angola Stampede: 16 Killed At New Year Vigil

At least 16 people, including four children, have been killed in a stampede during a religious gathering at a stadium in the Angolan capital.

Angop, the Angolan news agency, cited officials as saying that 120 people were hurt in the crush in the southern African nation's capital, Luanda.

It came as Ivory Coast, in western Africa, began three days of national mourning after a stampede among crowds gathered for New Year's Eve fireworks left at least 60 people dead and hundreds injured.

The deadly crush in Angola also happened on New Year's Eve, when panic spread amongst the tens of thousands of people gathered at the stadium for the evangelical vigil.

One of the young children hurt in the crush in Luanda

Paulo Gaspar de Almeida, deputy commander-general of the Angolan police, said the victims were killed "due to asphyxia, shoving and trampling of faithful at the entrance of Cidadela stadium".

The event was organised by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, an evangelical group founded in Brazil in 1977.

"We were expecting 70,000 people but far more turned up," Ferner Batalha, a bishop of the church, was quoted as saying.

The Ivory Coast government said 60 people had died in the crush in Abidjan and the average age of those killed was 18.

Earlier, the head of military rescue workers, Lieutenant Colonel Issa Sako, told journalists that 61 had died.

Witnesses said the stampede had broken out after the fireworks ended, though the cause remained unclear.

Abandoned shoes and clothing after the Ivory Coast crush

It erupted near the stadium's main entrance, where security had set up tree trunks as crowd control barriers.

Two survivors, who were in hospital, said some barricades that were set up unofficially created the crush.

They said that after the fireworks display people were prevented from moving along the Boulevard de la Republic by the wooden barricades.

According to a police source, the crush occurred when two streams of spectators going in opposite directions crossed paths.

Lieutenant Colonel Sako said the flow of people at the stadium had caused a "very large crush" and that "in the crush, people were walked over and suffocated by the crowd".

The Ivory Coast has started three days of mourning

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has ordered an immediate investigation into the causes of the stampede.

He said the government would open a crisis centre to help families find missing people and to take testimony from witnesses.

After the crush, piles of abandoned shoes and clothing were scattered near the stadium, where around 50,000 people had gathered for the fireworks.

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Prince Harry: Afghan Warlord's Claims 'Absurd'

The Ministry of Defence has rejected claims by a warlord that Prince Harry "kills innocent Afghans while he is drunk" as "simply absurd".

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former Afghan prime minister who leads the militant group Hizb-i-Islami, also claimed that foreign forces in the country have failed.

He told the Daily Telegraph that Prince Harry, who has been serving in Afghanistan since September as an Apache helicopter co-pilot, was a "jackal" who was drunk on duty.

"The British prince comes to Afghanistan to kill innocent Afghans while he is drunk," said Hekmatyar, who has been in hiding since the mid-1990s.

"He wants to hunt down Mujahideen with his helicopter's rockets, without any shame.

"During the Mujahideen's attack on the American base the prince saw that he was the one about to be hunted and was searching for a hole in which to hide himself."

Hekmatyar is considered a terrorist by the US

The Ministry of Defence said it was "simply absurd" to suggest that the third-in-line to the throne or any other member of the British armed forces was conducting operations under the influence of alcohol.

"The consumption of alcohol by UK military personnel is not permitted under any circumstances while deployed in Afghanistan," a ministry spokesman said.

A military source also dismissed Hekmatyar's comments, saying: "The idea that highly skilled and professional Apache pilots operate drunk is patently ridiculous and completely made up.

"It is nothing more than a see-through attempt to undermine the very real progress being made in Afghanistan by UK troops and their Afghan partners."

Hekmatyar founded Hizb-i-Islami, notorious for its bloody siege of Kabul in the 1990s, and is considered a terrorist by the US.

Prince Harry has been in Afghanistan since September

In the interview, Hekmatyar also accused Britain of being dragged into the war to please its American allies and said its role in the conflict would have no significance after 2014.

"Britain dragged herself into this unjustified, useless but cruel conflict to please the White House," he said.

"The British did not gain anything, instead they lost blood and treasure. They never had a positive role in Afghan affairs and they will not have any significance after 2014.

"I don't understand how the British public accept their children being sent to certain death in order to please American generals."

The interview comes just weeks after UK Prime Minister David Cameron signalled that British troops could be withdrawn from Afghanistan even faster after better-than-expected progress by the country's own security forces.

But Hekmatyar said: "The fact is that the government has failed. The authorities have lost their credibility completely. They have fallen victims to severe internal disputes and seem hopeless and worried.

"We might have a dreadful situation after 2014 which no one could have anticipated."

The Nato coalition has been fighting the Taliban insurgency for 11 years

The MoD spokesman said: "UK troops deployed and remain in Afghanistan to protect our national security by removing what was a safe haven for international terrorism.

"Now, it is Afghan forces that now have lead security responsibility for around 75% of the population in the country and lead up to 80% of conventional partnered operations.

"It is this sort of progress that has allowed almost 60% of UK bases in Helmand to be shut or handed over and will allow us to leave a stronger more secure Afghanistan when combat operations cease by the end of 2014."

Hekmatyar's Hizb-i-Islami, which means Islamic Party, has widespread national support in Afghanistan and shares some of the Afghan Taliban's anti-foreigner, anti-government aims, and wants to oust international forces.

The US State Department has listed Hekmatyar as a "terrorist" since 2003 for supporting Taliban and al Qaeda attacks.

Hekmatyar is a fierce rival of Taliban leader Mullah Omar, and became a hero to many Afghans while leading mujahideen fighters against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s.

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US Fiscal Cliff: Markets Rally After Late Deal

Global markets have rallied in response to a deal in the United States to avert its so-called fiscal cliff.

The market boost came after US Democrats and Republicans finally agreed a deal that will stop hundreds of billions of dollars in automatic tax increases and spending cuts that risked plunging the world's biggest economy into recession.

Stocks around the world started 2013 with hefty gains as investors welcomed the vote in the House of Representatives.

London's FTSE 100 was up 2.27% at 1pm, after earlier busting through the 6,000-point mark for the first time since July 2011.

Key European markets were up over 2% while in Asia Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shot up 2.9% at the close, its highest finish since June 1, 2011.

After the opening bell in Wall Street, the Dow Jones index rose around 200 points.

The lights of the Capitol burned late into the night as the deal went on

"Investors are trading with a sense of relief after lawmakers in Washington agreed on a compromise to avoid the fiscal cliff that has been the dominant theme in equity markets since the presidential elections back in November," Mike McCudden, head of derivatives at stockbroker Interactive Investor, said.

The fiscal cliff deal is likely to remain the focus of attention in financial markets, as US institutions open for trading.

Mr Obama welcomed the agreement and said it was just one step in a broader effort to strengthen the economy.

He said: "Thanks to the votes of Republicans and Democrats in Congress I will sign a law that raises taxes on the wealthiest 2% of Americans while preventing tax hikes that could have sent the economy back into recession."

Some House Republicans had wanted to amend the bill to incorporate more spending cuts but dropped the idea.

Mr Obama headed to Hawaii for a break after the deal was brokered

In the end, 172 Democrats and 85 Republicans voted in favour of the bill, which marks a triumph for the president less than two months after he secured re-election while campaigning for higher taxes on the wealthy.

The legislation cleared the Senate hours after Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, veteran negotiators, sealed the deal.

The fiscal cliff deadline would have triggered tax increases of $536bn (£328bn) and spending cuts of $109bn (£67bn) from domestic and military programmes.

The compromise Senate deal extends the tax cuts for Americans earning under $400,000 (£246,000) - up from the $250,000 (£153,000) level that Democrats had originally sought.

But longer-term fiscal problems remain and Mr Obama will likely face more battles with the Republican-dominated House of Representatives.

"Cynics will point out that another argument has been booked in for two months' time, when the debt ceiling comes up for debate, IG market analyst Chris Beauchamp said.

"And Republicans will be looking to make progress on the spending cuts that haven't featured in the New Year deal."

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Syria: Petrol Station Strike 'Kills Dozens'

Dozens of people have been killed after an air strike on a petrol station in the capital Damascus, according to opposition activists.

Mohammed Saeed, an activist who visited the site, said "tens of people were killed or wounded" in the strike, while "body parts could be seen on the ground".

Amateur video, which cannot be verified, showed block smoke billowing from the petrol station in the eastern suburb of Mleiha and casualties fleeing the scene.

Some activists said more than 30 people died in the strike, although the exact number was not confirmed.

Mr Saeed said drivers were waiting in line for fuel when the petrol station was targeted.

The blast happened in the Syrian capital, Damascus

Syria has been facing a fuel crisis and people often queue for hours to refuel.

Meanwhile, the UN said more than 60,000 people have died in the conflict in Syria since fighting began in March 2011.

Using data from seven different sources, it said the number of fatalities rose from 1,000 a month in the summer of 2011 to 5,000 a month within one year.

In the provinces of Homs and Damascus, around three-quarters of those who were killed were male.

Navi Pillay, the UN's human rights commissioner, described the number of casualties as "truly shocking" and "much higher than we expected".

"Cities, towns and villages have been, and are continuing to be, devastated by aerial attacks, shelling, tank fire, bomb attacks and street-to-street fighting," she said.

"Unless there is a quick resolution to the conflict, I fear thousands more will die or suffer terrible injuries as a result of those who harbour the obstinate belief that something can be achieved by more bloodshed, more torture and more mindless destruction."

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Last-Minute Deal Reached On US Fiscal Cliff

The US Senate has approved legislation aimed at averting the so-called fiscal cliff by stopping most tax hikes and across-the-board spending cuts that had been due to begin with the New Year.

The legislation was approved with an overwhelming 89-8 vote, and came well after midnight on New Year's Day.

The House of Representatives must still approve the measure.

President Barack Obama praised the agreement, saying: "While neither Democrats nor Republicans got everything they wanted, this agreement is the right thing to do for our country and the House should pass it without delay."

Without the legislation, economists had warned of a possible new recession and a spike in unemployment.

The White House-backed legislation would prevent middle-class taxes from rising, and raise rates on incomes over $400,000 (£246,000) for individuals and $450,000 (£277,000) for couples.

It also blocks spending cuts for two months, extends unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless, prevents a 27% cut in fees for doctors who treat Medicare patients and prevents a spike in milk prices.

Vice President Joe Biden after a Senate Democratic caucus meeting on Monday

The deal would allow the White House and politicians time to regroup before plunging quickly into a new round of budget brinkmanship.

This is certain to revolve around Republican calls to rein in the cost of the Medicare health programme for the elderly and other government benefit programmes.

Officials also decided at the last minute to use the measure to prevent a $900 pay rise for politicians which had been due to take effect this spring.

Vice President Joe Biden, who negotiated the deal with Republican Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, was on Capitol Hill to sell it to Democratic senators.

The tax hikes and spending cuts were due to come into force at midnight. But as global markets are closed on New Year's Day, politicians have time to vote the deal into law.

The White House and Congressional leaders hope to send legislation to Mr Obama within a day or two, meaning consumers should not notice any impact.

Mr Obama had originally campaigned for tax hikes to kick in for those making $250,000 and above, and his acceptance of a higher threshold has already angered liberals, though still represents a political victory.

The president said the deal would extend tax credits for clean energy firms and also unemployment insurance for two million people.

Both sides are already gearing up for the next legislative showdown over the need to lift the government's statutory borrowing limit of $16.4trn (£10.1trn), which was reached on Monday.

The Treasury will now take extraordinary measures to keep the government afloat for an undisclosed period of time until the ceiling is raised. Republicans are already demanding spending cuts in return.

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Seven Die In Gun Ambush In Northern Pakistan

Gunmen have ambushed and shot dead six female aid workers and a male doctor who were travelling in a van in northern Pakistan.

The group's vehicle was raked with gunfire as they returned home from a children's community centre run by the Pakistani charity Ujala, according to district police officer Abdur Rashid Khan. 

The driver of the vehicle was seriously wounded in the attack.

The ambush occurred on the outskirts of the town of Swabi, in northern Pakistan.

Doctors at the Shah Mansoor Medical Complex in Swabi have confirmed that they received the seven bodies.

The attack occurred on the outskirts of the town of Swabi

Militants in the conservative Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province - where the attack took place - oppose female education and have attacked female students and blown up their schools.

Last month, gunmen killed nine health workers taking part in a national polio vaccination drive in a series of attacks.

Aid workers have frequently been kidnapped or killed in Pakistan, which is struggling to contain a Taliban insurgency and plagued by corruption and violent crime.

No group has claimed responsibility for today's attack.

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Ivory Coast Stadium Stampede Kills 61

Sixty-one people have died and dozens of others have been injured in a New Year's Eve stampede at a stadium in Abidjan in Ivory Coast.

It happened at around 2am local time after crowds gathered to watch a fireworks display.

Officials said 61 people had died and 48 been injured, although some estimates of the number hurt were much higher.

Many of those who were injured are believed to be children.

Abidjan is Ivory Coast's largest city

Rescue coordinator Lieutenant Colonel Issa Sako said the number of people trying to get into the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium to watch the fireworks had caused the accident.

He said: "In the crush people were walked over and suffocated by the crowd."

One local woman, Assetou Toure, said her children had been at the event and she did not know if they had survived.

"My two children came here yesterday. I told them not to come but they didn't listen," she said.

"They came when I was sleeping. What will I do?"

A Reuters correspondent said there were bloodstains and abandoned shoes outside the stadium on Tuesday morning, and rescue workers and government officials were still on the scene.

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Delhi Gang Rape Suspect To Undergo Bone Tests

One of six suspects held over the gang rape and murder of a student in India is to undergo bone tests to determine whether he is old enough to answer for the crime.

Murder convictions carry the death penalty in India. However, only those aged 18 or more can be put on trial.

If the suspect is found to be underage, it is unclear whether he could still be tried for rape, which carries a life sentence.

Protesters light candles around a mannequin representing the rape victim

The six males are jointly accused of raping and killing an unnamed 23-year-old woman on a bus in Delhi on December 16.

The victim was airlifted to Singapore for emergency treatment, but died on Saturday.

She was cremated in New Delhi the next day. Her ashes were set to be submerged in the holy river Ganges near her home town in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, in accordance with Hindu customs.

Police have clashed with protesters since the December 16 attack

Indians have been demanding the death penalty for those responsible, holding demonstrations almost every day since the attack.

Protesters and politicians from across the spectrum called for a special session of Parliament to pass new laws to increase punishments for rapists - including possible chemical castration - and to set up fast-track courts to deal with rape cases within 90 days.

Thousands of people have lit candles, held prayer meetings and marched through various cities and towns to express their grief, and to demand stronger protection for women and the death penalty for rape.

Activists are calling for politicians to pass tough new laws

The protests continued on Tuesday, ahead of the first court appearance for the six suspects on Thursday.

Details of the charges run to more than 1,000 pages, according to reports, and some 30 witnesses are named in the prosecution's documents.

On Monday, the Indian army and navy cancelled their New Year's celebrations, as did Sonia Gandhi, the head of the ruling Indian National Congress party.

Several hotels and clubs across the capital also decided not to hold their usual parties.

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Pakistan Bomb Blast: Explosion In Karachi

At least two people have died after a bomb exploded in a crowded area of Karachi, according to Sky sources.

More than 30 people have been injured in the explosion, which damaged six buses and four motorbikes.

Senior police official Imran Shouakat said the cause of the blast was a motorbike planted with explosives.

The southern port city is home to 18 million people and is the financial capital of Pakistan.

Authorities there have been unable to clamp down on militancy and violent crime.

Between five and 10 people are murdered there every day, but bombings are less common.

More follows...

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Chavez Suffers New Setback After Cancer Op

Hugo Chavez has suffered "new complications" following his cancer surgery in Cuba and his condition is "delicate", Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro has said.

In a televised address from Havana, Mr Maduro said: "We have been informed of new complications that arose as a consequence of the respiratory infection we already knew about.

"President Chavez's condition is still delicate," Mr Maduro added, warning that the unspecified complications "are being treated in a process that is not without its risks".

Mr Maduro, who said he had spoken with Mr Chavez, added that the 58-year-old president was facing a "tough situation".

The vice president said he would stay in Havana in the coming hours "with El Comandante and his family, closely following his condition and its evolution".

"We trust that the global outpouring of love for Chavez will help him heal", said Mr Maduro, with Rosa Virgina Chavez, one of the president's daughters, Science and Technology Minister Jorge Arreaza, and top prosecutor Cilia Flores.

The vice president gave his address alongside Mr Chavez's eldest daughter, Rosa, and son-in-law Jorge Arreaza, as well as Attorney General Cilia Flores.

A supporter of Mr Chavez writes a message for him in Caracas

The Venezuelan leader, who has been the face of the Latin American left for more than a decade, has not been seen or heard from since undergoing his fourth cancer-related surgery on December 11.

Mr Chavez, who has been in power since 1999, won another six-year term in October's presidential election.

He is scheduled to be sworn in on January 10, but his health has raised concerns over the future of his leftist movement and whether he will even be well enough to attend the inauguration.

On Monday, the Venezuelan government said there had been a "slight improvement" in his condition as he recovers from the post-operative respiratory infection.

Officials have never disclosed the type or severity of Mr Chavez's cancer, first diagnosed in June 2011, and he only designated a political successor - Mr Maduro - earlier this month.

The Venezuelan leader had, in fact, asserted before embarking on his arduous re-election campaign earlier this year that he was cancer-free - but he was later forced to admit he had suffered a relapse.

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Fiscal Cliff: Markets Fall As Deadline Looms

Investors are reacting nervously as the clock ticks down to the New Year deadline for a deal to prevent the US falling over the so-called 'fiscal cliff'.

A series of costly tax rises and spending cuts worth more than $500bn will come into force as 2013 begins in America, unless Congress and the White House can agree compromise measures to stop them being implemented.

The 'fiscal cliff', as it came to be known, was designed to help tackle the country's huge debt pile in the event squabbling politicians could not do a deal beforehand to ease the burden.

The fiscal cliff worries investors as economists fear the pain of implementing the measures will tip the US back into recession and therefore hit world demand and growth prospects.

In London, the FTSE 100 lost 0.5% of its value to close at 5897 in what was a shortened trading day because of the New Year holiday.

The CAC 40 in France bucked the trend as legal opposition to the country's controversial plan to tax the rich at 75%, helped add value.

While Germany's DAX is closed, the Dow Jones will be open for business on Wall Street later as Democrats and Republicans begin their final push for a deal to avert the fiscal cliff.

Dow Futures currently point to a higher opening after five days of falls despite a deal palatable to both sides remaining elusive.

US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he has made a counter-offer to a Republican proposal put forward on Saturday but later admitted "serious differences" remain.

The two sides have reportedly moved closer on tax increases while Republicans have indicated they could withdraw a contentious proposal to slow the growth of social security retirement benefits.

Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid still heading in different directions

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said he had asked Vice President Joe Biden to become involved in a last-minute effort to reach an agreement.

He added that there was no single issue blocking an agreement but that "the sticking point appears to be a willingness, an interest, or courage to close the deal."

"I'm willing to get this done, but I need a dance partner," Mr McConnell said.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives now have little time to debate and then pass a deal that has eluded the White House and Congress for weeks.

President Obama, who called congressional leaders to the White House on Friday, addressed the crisis once more as he appeared on NBC's Sunday morning talk show Meet the Press.

The President said Republicans were unwilling to see tax rates raised for the richest taxpayers.

"They say that their biggest priority is making sure that we deal with the deficit in a serious way," Mr Obama said.

"But the way they're behaving is that their only priority is making sure that tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans are protected.

"That seems to be their only overriding, unifying theme," he added.

If a compromise can be found, the two parties will then decide whether to put it to the vote on New Year's Eve in the Senate and then the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

President Obama has pressed lawmakers to clinch a deal, even if they must reach a compromise that lacks the significant deficit-reduction measures both sides had sought.

"I was modestly optimistic yesterday, but we don't yet see an agreement," the President told NBC in the interview recorded on Saturday. "And now the pressure's on Congress to produce."

At least one senior Republican said he was optimistic of a deal, and a "political victory" for Mr Obama.

Senator Lindsey Graham told Fox News that the odds are "exceedingly good" a deal can be done.

"I don't think people want to go over the cliff," he said.

The US is facing the fiscal cliff because tax rate cuts dating back to George W Bush's presidency expire at the end of the year.

Mr Obama originally insisted on letting the tax cuts expire on households earning more than $250k (£154k) but later upped that threshold to $400k (£246k).

The pending reductions in spending, which will hit everything from social programmes to the military, were put in place last year as an incentive to both parties to find ways to cut America's soaring deficit.

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Newtown Gunman's Body Claimed For Burial

The body of the man who killed 26 people at a Connecticut school has been claimed for burial.

A spokesman for Adam Lanza's family said on Monday that his father Peter Lanza claimed the remains, but did not specify when.

The 20-year-old gunman shot dead 20 young children and six staff members at the Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14.

He also killed his mother in their Newtown home before going on the rampage.

He finally took his own life at the school.

The coroner ruled his death a suicide, but is awaiting results of toxicology tests before completing the case.

A private funeral was held earlier this month in New Hampshire for his mother, Nancy Lanza.

Nancy Lanza and Peter Lanza. Pic: LinkedIn

It is unclear if the same funeral home would be handling her son's burial.

Peter Lanza - who lives in Stamford and is a tax director at General Electric - had little contact with his son in the past two years.

Adam Lanza also had an older brother Ryan, aged 24. 

Before removal, samples were taken from the killer's body by geneticists who were asked to study his DNA.

The University of Connecticut scientists are looking for abnormalities or mutations in Lanza's genome that could have increased the risk of aggressive or violent behaviour.

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