Obama Signs Order To Start Spending Cuts

President Barack Obama has signed an order authorising $85bn cuts in domestic and defence spending following the failure of efforts to strike a deal with Republicans on cutting the US deficit.

Mr Obama and Republican leaders in the House and Senate declared themselves still deadlocked after a last-minute White House meeting last night.

The two sides are at odds over the president's insistence on increasing tax revenue as part of any plan to tackle the country's $16.6trn debt.

Mr Obama signed the order which officially enacts the across-the-board reductions - known as a "sequester" in government budget language. Under the law, the president had until midnight.

The $85bn cuts apply to the remainder of the 2013 fiscal year, which ends on September 30. But the legislation that requires the spending reduction will continue slashing government spending by about $1trn more over a 10-year period.

Speaking after the White House meeting, Mr Obama said: "Let's be clear, none of this is necessary."

He blamed the deadlock on Republicans who he said refused to close tax loopholes that benefit the wealthy, adding that "the pain will be real" for the American people.

"I am not a dictator. I'm the president," Mr Obama said, warning he could not force his Republican foes to "do the right thing," or make the Secret Service barricade Republicans leaders in a room until a deal is done.

"These cuts will hurt our economy, will cost us jobs and to set it right both sides need to be able to compromise," Mr Obama added.

US Speaker of the House John Boehner walked out of the meeting

Republican John Boehner, speaker of the House of Representatives, walked out of the meeting to say there would be no compromise as long as Mr Obama insisted on higher tax revenue.

Republicans are standing fast against further increasing taxes and will not compromise on achieving debt reduction through spending cuts alone.

The opposition party is still feeling the sting from its most conservative members after agreeing at the end of 2012 to allow the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts for Americans earning $400,000 or more a year.

Friday's meeting was the first the two sides have held this year on the budget battle, and it lasted less than an hour.

The immediate impact of the cuts on the public is uncertain, but they will carve 5% from domestic agencies and 8% from the Pentagon between now and October 1.

Defence officials say they will be forced to reduce the working week of 800,000 civilian employees, scale back flight hours of warplanes and postpone some equipment maintenance.

The deployment of a second aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf has also been cancelled.

The US Navy will gradually stand down several hundred planes starting in April, the Air Force will curtail flying hours and the Army will cut back training for all units except those deploying to Afghanistan.

Several major programmes will be unaffected, including the Social Security pension programme, the Medicaid health care programme for the poor and food stamps.

Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel warned that the budget cuts will endanger the US military's ability to conduct its missions.

"This will have a major impact on training and readiness," he said. "Later this month, we intend to issue preliminary notifications to thousands of civilian employees who will be furloughed."

Mr Hagel also acknowledged that the budget cuts "will cause pain, particularly among our civilian workforce and their families".

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Sharks: 'Hundred Million Are Killed A Year'

Nearly 100 million sharks are killed each year and they need to be better protected or many species could face possible extinction, according to a new study.

The rate of commercial fishing far exceeds what many populations need to recover, scientists have warned.

Sharks take years to sexually mature, produce small litters and are exceptionally vulnerable to overfishing.

They are being caught at an average rate that is 30% to 60% higher than they can sustain, the study said.

The fish are often targeted for their fins, which are used in shark fin soup, a delicacy in Asia where a bowl of it can reportedly sell for £65.

The practice known as "shark finning" - where the fish are caught and thrown back after their fins are cut off - is globally widespread, according to the researchers from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada.

Some areas including Europe, the US, Canada and Australia have introduced anti-finning legislation but the practice continues in most other parts of the world, they added.

The Porbeagle shark is also under threat

Sharks are also caught accidentally by vessels looking for tuna, swordfish and other species.

The researchers, using information from nearly 100 papers, estimated global reported catches, unreported landings, discards and finning totalled 97 million fish caught in 2010.

The number is only slightly less than the estimated 100 million caught in 2000, and the 2010 figure could actually be as high as 273 million, said the study published in the journal Marine Policy.

It is thought between 6.4% and 7.9% of all sharks are killed each year, less than the 4.9% that means population stability can be maintained.

Anything over that threatens the long-term survival of species like the oceanic white tip, porbeagle and several kinds of hammerheads.

"There's a staggering number of sharks being caught every year and the number is way too high considering the biology of species," says Dalhousie biologist Boris Worm, the study's lead researcher.

The study said "protective measures have to be scaled up significantly in order to avoid further depletion and the possible extinction of sharks, with likely severe effects on marine ecosystems around the world".

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Britons Hurt In Coach Crash In Kenya

A number of Britons are being treated in hospital after the coach they were travelling in crashed in Kenya.

Around 15 people are believed to have been in the vehicle when the accident happened in the coastal city of Mombasa.

The Foreign Office has said it is providing consular assistance to the wounded British nationals.

One of the injured passengers is said to be critically ill, while the others suffered more minor injuries, said police chief Joshua Omukata.

It is not known how many Britons were caught up in the crash.

The number of Britons involved is not yet known

Earlier, a Foreign Office spokesman said: "There has been a coach crash that we are aware of.

"We believe there are British nationals involved, and there are some injuries.

"We are sending staff there now and we'll have more details later.

"Indications are the injuries are not life-threatening but we won't know for certain until our people are on the scene."

People stand at the side of the road following the crash

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Protesters Torch Egypt Police Station

Protesters have set a police station in Port Said ablaze as US Secretary of State John Kerry landed in Cairo for talks.

The interior ministry said in a statement that around 500 protesters threw stones and petrol bombs at the police station, setting it on fire, and then blocked fire engines from getting to the scene.

The protests had begun outside the station after two men were injured when a police truck hit them during earlier clashes in the city - now entering its third week of a general strike.

One person was killed and dozens injured in clashes between police and protesters in the Nile delta city of Mansura, according to security officials.

The dead protester was reported to have been crushed underneath an armoured police vehicle.

Regular clashes have been taking place across Egypt amid a stalemate between Islamist President Mohamed Morsi and his secular-leaning opposition ahead of parliamentary elections next month.

It comes as Mr Kerry arrived in Egypt to press bickering leaders and opposition politicians to forge a consensus that will allow the country to emerge from economic crisis.

He is due to meet a number of opposition figures before seeing Mr Morsi on Sunday.

US officials said Mr Kerry is particularly concerned that Egypt takes the reforms necessary to qualify for a $4.5bn International Monetary Fund loan package.

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Sinkhole Swallows Man: Frantic 911 Call

A recording of a woman's frantic 911 call pleading for help after a sinkhole swallowed her relative under his bedroom has emerged.

Jeff Bush, 37, is thought to have died after vanishing when the ground opened up in Florida.

Five other people were at the Seffner property as the floor began to fall through into the hole estimated to be six metres across and six metres deep.

But no one else was injured at the "seriously unstable" house.

A relative telephoned the emergency services to raise the alarm.

Screaming, she said: "Yes, we need the ambulance and cops...he's stuck under the house. The house just fell through."

The woman was asked: "What happened to the house?"

She replied: "The bedroom floor just collapsed, and my brother-in-law is in there, he's underneath the house."

Mr Bush's brother Jeremy said he jumped into the hole but could not see his sibling.

He had to be rescued himself by a sheriff's deputy who reached out and pulled him to safety as the ground crumbled around him.

"The floor was still giving in and the dirt was still going down, but I didn't care. I wanted to save my brother," Mr Bush said. "But I just couldn't do nothing."

Jeff Bush is presumed dead

He added: "I could swear I heard him hollering my name to help him."

Mr Bush went on: "All I could see was the cable wire running from the TV going down into the hole. I saw a corner of the bed and a corner of the box spring and the frame of the bed."

Engineers are planning to resume their work at the site to do more tests on the unstable and dangerous ground.

They have already found the soil in the slowly growing sinkhole around the home is very soft and believe the entire property could eventually be swallowed up.

They said they may have to demolish the small, sky-blue house, even though from the outside there appeared to be nothing wrong with the four-bedroom, concrete-wall structure, built in 1974.

Officials lowered equipment into the sinkhole and saw no signs of life, said Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Jessica Damico.

A dressing table and a television set had vanished down the hole, along with most of Mr Bush's bed.

County administrator Mike Merrill described the home as "seriously unstable".

He said no one can go in the house because officials were afraid of another collapse and losing more lives.

Florida is highly prone to sinkholes because there are caverns below ground of limestone, a porous rock that easily dissolves in water.

They are so common that state law requires home insurers provide coverage against the danger.

Mr Bush said someone visited the home a couple of months ago to check for sinkholes and other things, apparently for insurance purposes.

"He said there was nothing wrong with the house. Nothing. And a couple of months later, my brother dies. In a sinkhole," he said.

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New Zealand Shark Attack: Wife Told By Text

The wife of a man killed by a great white shark at a New Zealand beach was told about the deadly attack by text message as she sat having coffee nearby, it has emerged.

Meg Strange was chatting with a friend at a cafe near Muriwai Beach in west Auckland when the pair heard there had been an attack, The New Zealand Herald has reported.

Mrs Strange tried to contact her husband Adam, who she believed was on the beach, after finishing an ocean swim.

When she got no answer, her friend sent a text message to Muriwai Lifeguard Service chairman Tim Jago.

"I got the text, 'I hear there's been a shark attack'," Mr Jago told the Herald.

"I said, 'Yes, I'm on the beach now.' And she said, 'I'm having a cup of coffee with Meg. She can't contact Adam.'

Adam Strange, a father-of-one, was a TV commercial director

"And I had to send a text back saying, 'It was Adam.' That's how quickly it happened."

Mrs Strange returned to Muriwai Beach on Thursday for a memorial for her husband, a father-of-one.

The prolonged attack by the 12-foot shark has shocked witnesses.

"He wasn't letting go. Normally two boats out there, guns being fired and being whacked over the snout with a paddle a couple of times would be enough,"  Mr Jago told The Herald.

Nigel Bradbury was at the beach with his daughter when he filmed the event on his phone.

''I was going to have a swim but we decided to have a picnic instead, and then we saw the inflatable (rescue boat) racing along the beach along with the quad bike towards Maori Bay,'' he told The New Zealand Herald.

Mr Bradbury said a police car parked next to him and within three minutes the police officer was in the rescue boat shooting at the shark to release Mr Strange's body.

''You could see it clearly, even though it was a fair way offshore. The water spraying up when he fired the gun - rapid fire and then you could hear the sound,'' he said.

Earlier, Mr Jago said Mr Strange was "a good water man" and was well known to the lifeguards who tried to save him.

Lifeguards had been traumatised, and were being offered support and counselling, he said.

Mr Strange was a TV commercial director and had worked around the world on several projects.

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Delhi Rape: Seven-Year-Old 'Attacked In School'

A seven-year-old girl has been raped at a government school in northwest Delhi, according to Indian media.

The Times of India newspaper said the attack happened in the Mangolpuri area of the capital.

The girl's parents informed police after the injured child was taken to hospital.

It is understood a school guard has been detained and other staff at the facility, run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), are being questioned.

Dr Sanjay Kumar, who helped treat the girl, said she had injuries consistent with rape.

Angry mobs gathered at the hospital and threw stones at a nearby bus, shattering its windows. Police cordoned off the road and were trying to disperse the crowd.

There has been a nationwide debate in India in recent months about the treatment of woman and girls and their safety.

Last month three sisters, aged six, nine and 11 were raped and murdered before their bodies were dropped in a village well.

In December a 23-year-old medical student was gang raped and attacked on a bus in Delhi. She died 13 days later after being flown to a hospital in Singapore.

Six men, including a 17-year-old, have been charged with her murder.

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China Parades Convicts On TV Before Execution

Four gang members from south-east Asian countries have been executed in China for the murder of 13 sailors on the Mekong river, after being paraded first on live state television.

Naw Kham, a Myanmar drug gang leader, and three of his accomplices faced lethal injection with a mixture of defiance and fear in the broadcast on CCTV which showed them being taken from prison to the execution site.

The four, along with two other accused, admitted at their trial last year pre-meditated murder, drug trafficking, kidnapping and hijacking in connection with a raid on two Chinese riverboats in October 2011, state news agency Xinhua said.

Naw Kham was described as "the boss of the largest armed drug trafficking gang" on the river which flows through China, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. He was nicknamed "the Godfather".

The incident sparked outrage in China, where photographs of the gagged and blindfolded victims circulated online, and the progress of the case has been given prominent coverage by state media.

Naw Kham was said to be the boss of a huge armed drug trafficking gang

In the broadcast, Naw Kham, 43, smiled slightly before grimacing as a restraining rope was tied around him in the prison in Kunming, in the southern province of Yunnan.

He then emerged into bright sunlight and a bank of television cameras, before being put into a van and driven away.

His fellow inmates, named by state media as Hsang Kham, 61, from Thailand, Yi Lai, 55, stateless, and Zha Xika, 28, from Laos, followed. The two older men looked grim-faced, while the younger convict's features crumpled.

CCTV cut to interviews with police officials outside the prison before returning to a studio discussion on the case. "He's eaten well, he's slept well, he's looking better than when he was arrested," said one of the panel.

Before the conclusion of the programme, which ran for almost two hours, a statement on the Yunnan provincial security bureau's website said all four had been executed.

Interviewed by CCTV earlier this week, Naw Kham said: "I miss my mother. Good people will turn bad in the Golden Triangle, you can't resist the temptation.

"I hope my children will not follow my example. I wish them a good future and hope they will study hard."

Shown a picture of the families of the dead, he said: "I have sent money to the relatives of the victims. Their pains are just like mine, I have children, I want to be with them when I get old.

"I want to live, I don't want to die."

Recent reports in Chinese state media said that officials considered killing him with a drone strike in Burma during the hunt but instead decided to capture him alive. In the event he was arrested in Laos and flown to China.

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South Africa Cops Held Over Van Man Murder

Eight South African police officers have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a video showed a man being handcuffed to a moving van.

South Africa's police watchdog arrested the men over the death of a Mozambican taxi driver who died in custody after being dragged by the police vehicle.

Earlier, police in Pretoria held a press conference to placate a nation outraged by the footage showing Mido Macia being dragged through the streets.

He was later found dead in a police cell with serious head and internal injuries.

National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, General Riah Phiyega, said the eight officers had been suspended and disarmed.

The station commander in Daveytown, a township east of Johannesburg, had also been removed from his post, she said.

"Any one death is one too many," Ms Phiyega said. "We believe in the principle of police being policed."

The Daily Sun, a South African newspaper, posted footage of the dragging incident, which occurred on Tuesday.

It was apparently filmed by several people on mobile phones.

Witnesses said Mr Macia, 27, drew the attention of police when he parked in a way that blocked traffic, and then got into an row with officers.

"We are going to film this," several onlookers shouted in Zulu as the police subdued Mr Macia.

One bystander can be heard shouting: "What has this guy done?"

President Jacob Zuma condemned the killing of Mr Macia.

Some commentators drew comparisons with the 1977 death of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, who also suffered head injuries in police custody.

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Harlem Shake Dance Stirs The Middle East

By Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor

The dance craze sweeping the globe has arrived in the Middle East and is being used by young Arabs to poke fun at what they see as the austere, dull, religious restrictions the ruling Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is trying to impose on them.

The move chimes with the strain of political humour shown by many young Arabs over the past two years during the uprisings across the region.

In Egypt about 400 students, wearing a variety of costumes, showed up outside the MB headquarters in Cairo and filmed themselves doing the pelvic thrusting dance.

As the dancing began the students chanted "Leave leave!" to the Islamists inside. In the building the lights were turned out and the doors locked.

This man tries to do Gangnam style in Tunisia: YouTube pic ...and is quickly moved on by the Harlem Shake: YouTube pic

Last weekend in an incident, which may not have been political, four semi-naked students filmed themselves performing the dance in a middle class area of the capital. 

That they were then arrested could be taken to show that things have not changed so much since the Mubarak era, but the fact that they indulged themselves in a craze which their peers around the world are having fun with shows that these are indeed different times.

"Dance as politics" also reached Tunisia where the Arab uprisings began. Several dozen students turned up outside the HQ of the ruling Ennahda Party which is a de facto branch of the MB.

More dancers in Egypt: YouTube pic

They were confronted by a small group of Salafists, one of whom shouted: "Our brothers in Palestine are being killed by Israeli's and you are dancing."

He tried to explain what Islam considers forbidden. But one of the students reacted saying: "Mind your own business … no guy like you is going to stop us from doing what we want!."

In that one sentence he summed up the feelings of hundreds of thousands of young Arabs across the Middle East.

The argument led to scuffles between the groups. One of the Salafists was found to be carrying a petrol bomb but this was not used.

The dance craze really gained ground in Tunisia when it was performed at a Tunis school.

This prompted the Education Minister to launch "an investigation" and promise to expel students.

The response was a wave of performances of the Harlem Shake in schools across the country and questions raised about why the minister had not ordered an investigation when the black flag of al Qaeda was raised over another school.

A mass Harlem Shake was planned in front of the Ministry of Education.

The phenomena has underlined how, among the freedoms many young Arabs are fighting for, is the freedom to poke fun at power, to use humour for politics, and indeed, the freedom to be silly.

It is a powerful weapon.

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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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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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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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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.

More follows...

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Pope Benedict XVI's Papacy Enters Final Hours

Pope Benedict XVI's tenure as leader of the world's Catholics is drawing to a close.

The 85-year-old stands down as Pontiff after nearly eight years and at a time when the Church is mired in controversy.

This morning, more than 100 cardinals said their farewells to the Pope at a gathering in the Clementine Hall in the Apostolic Palace.

In an unexpected speech, he promised "unconditional reverence and obedience" to his successor during the gathering and urged his cardinals to work in unity as they select the next pope.

The Pope waves from his 'popemobile' at the end of his last weekly audience

Just before 4pm UK time, Benedict will leave his apartments for the last time, give his thanks to the senior staff who have been by his side during his papacy, and then make his way to the Vatican helipad.

From there he will fly to Castel Gandolfo - the Pope's retreat on the outskirts of Rome.

Then, at around 4.30pm, he will make his last brief appearance on a balcony in front of an expected crowd of around 7,000 before withdrawing from public life for good.

At 7pm the doors of the villa will close and the Swiss Guard will stand aside marking the end of Benedict's papacy.

From then on he will be known as Emeritus Pope and devote his days to prayer and meditation.

Once renovations are complete, Benedict will move to a monastery in the grounds of the Vatican.

He will still wear a white cassock normally reserved only for pontiffs, but without a doubled shoulder cape.

Spokesman Frederico Lombardi said he has chosen to swap his trademark red shoes for a brown pair given to him by artisans in Mexico during a trip last year.

Edward Pentin, from the Catholic Herald, said Benedict will live a monk's life and not interfere in the work of his successor.

The next pope will be chosen by secret ballot during the conclave of eligible cardinals who will vote in the Sistine Chapel.

Pope Benedict XVI's departure from the Vatican sets in motion a timetable of centuries-old traditions in what is an unprecedented resignation in modern Catholic history.

After 7pm on Thursday, the Catholic Church enters a period known as "Sede Vacante" (vacant See) during which a senior cardinal takes over interim powers until a new pope is elected.

That cardinal, referred to as the camerlengo or chamberlain, will be Italy's Tarcisio Bertone.

The camerlengo has traditionally had the role of officially certifying the death of a pope - once carried out by tapping the pontiff's forehead three times with a special silver hammer and calling out his birth name.

He is also charged with destroying the Fisherman's Ring - a gold signet ring specially cast for each new pope - which symbolises the end of a papacy.

From Monday, cardinals from around the world will hold a series of meetings known as general congregations.

The meetings are aimed at identifying priorities for the Roman Catholic Church for the future, but are also a good way of vetting possible candidates for next pope.

The cardinals then meet in a secret conclave to choose the next pope under a system adapted in the 13th century.

All conclaves have been held in the Sistine Chapel and the cardinals are sworn to absolute secrecy under pain of ex-communication during voting.

Two ballots are held in the morning, and two in the afternoon, until one candidate wins two-thirds of the votes.

At the end of each session, the ballots are burned in a stove by the chapel, releasing smoke above the Apostolic Palace. The smoke is black after each unsuccessful ballot, white once the vote succeeds.

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Pistorius: Reeva's 'Last Text' Home Revealed

Reeva Steenkamp sent a text to her flatmate on the night she was shot dead, saying she would not be driving home because it was "too late".

Gina Myers, who shared a home with Miss Steenkamp in Johannesburg, told Sky News' Alex Crawford that the text was the last message she received from her friend.

Miss Myers said she had met Oscar Pistorius, who is accused of murdering his 29-year-old girlfriend at his luxury home in Pretoria, a few times and did not know him well but had liked him.

She said Miss Steenkamp had been happy with the gold medal winning Paralympian and would not have been with him otherwise.

She told Sky News: "It was like any other relationship. There was nothing that flashed a warning sign. She was happy. She was very happy.

"Reeva was not the kind of person to complain about stuff but she would never have been with anyone if she wasn't happy ... Her motto this year was 'to be happy and never settle'."

Miss Myers was speaking as it emerged that Pistorius held a private memorial service for Miss Steenkamp at his uncle's house in Pretoria.

The South African athlete has been staying at his uncle Arnold's house since he was released on bail last Friday after being charged with the model's murder.

Reeva Steenkamp was "happy" with her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius

His aides confirmed plans for a memorial service for Miss Steenkamp after details were leaked to the media.

The 26-year-old, who also competed in the Olympics last summer, denies murder and claims he shot Miss Steenkamp by mistake believing she was an intruder.

A statement from his representatives said: "Oscar Pistorius, will hold a private memorial service for Reeva Steenkamp at the house of his uncle, Arnold Pistorius tonight.

"Oscar specifically requested the memorial service as he continues to grieve and remains in deep mourning for the loss of his partner Reeva."

It added: "Since it is such a sensitive issue, Oscar has asked for a private service with people who share his loss, including his family members who knew and loved Reeva as one of their own."

Miss Steenkamp's funeral was held in Port Elizabeth last week, as her boyfriend appeared in court over her murder and insisted her death was an accident.

Reeva Steenkamp's funeral was held last week

He was released on bail but has to abide by strict conditions, including reporting to a police station in Pretoria twice a week.

The athlete was also ordered to surrender his two passports, post bail of one million rand (£75,000) in cash and guarantees, and refrain from drinking alcohol until his case resumes on June 4.

Pistorius was also ordered to hand in any guns he owns and keep away from his home in a gated community in Pretoria, which is now a crime scene.

Prison service officials can drop in at his uncle's house at any time of day or night to ensure the athlete is complying with the bail terms.

Pistorius, who had his lower legs amputated at the age of 11 months after he was born without either fibula, rose to global fame with his fight to be allowed to run in the Olympics against able-bodied athletes.

He reached the semi-finals of the 400 metres at last year's London Games.

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Iran Describes Nuclear Talks As 'Positive'

By Tim Marshall, Foreign Affairs Editor

Negotiations between Iran and international powers have ended with only an agreement to meet again.

A breakthrough was not expected during the two days of talks in the Kazakh city of Almaty, but the Iranian side did say they had been "positive".

Technical negotiations will now be held in Istanbul on March 18 and there will be another round of political talks in early April.

Six world powers, the US, France, Germany, Britain, Russia, and China went into the talks hoping to persuade Tehran to reduce its uranium enrichment and close the Fordow plant due to suspicions that Iran is attempting to build nuclear weapons.

An offer to ease economic sanctions against Iran was on the table.

Iran, which says its enrichment work is only for peaceful purposes, responded by saying it would discuss the offer.

Its chief negotiator Saeed Jalili said the six powers had tried "to get closer to our viewpoint" and was prepared to discuss reducing uranium enrichment at a later date, but appeared to rule out closing Fordow which is buried deep inside a mountain.

If Iran is serious, then the talks could be presented as a small step towards a peaceful resolution of what is feared could turn into a crisis leading to military action. 

The sanctions against Iran do now appear to be hurting the regime in Tehran.

This could be the cause of the slightly more conciliatory tone from Iran at the talks, but in the past Iran has repeatedly played for time, whilst speeding up its enrichment process en route to getting to a "break out" position when it can quickly move to building a weapon.

Possible evidence of that work has appeared in the Daily Telegraph, which published a satellite picture of the Arak heavy-water production plant in Iran.

It shows what looks like steam coming from a building. This indicates the production of heavy water which is required to produce plutonium.

If Iran is doing this, it suggests a dual path towards a nuclear weapon.

Both uranium and plutonium can be used to make a nuclear device. 

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Swiss Shooting: Three Killed At Factory

Three people have been killed and seven others injured in a shooting at a factory in Switzerland, according to prosecutors.

A gunman struck at the wood processing plant in the town of Menznau on Wednesday morning, with police alerted at 9am.

A witness cited by local newspaper Neue Luzerner Zeitung said the gunman had opened fire in the company canteen.

Prosecutors' spokesman Simon Kopp told Swiss newspaper Blick: "There were three dead and seven injured, some of them seriously injured."

The assailant was among the dead, he added. Police confirmed the gunman was a 42-year-old employee at the factory.

The shooting happened in the Swiss town of Menznau

Emergency services are at the factory, called Kronospan, and the area has been largely cordoned off.

Kronospan Chief Executive Mauro Capozzo said the suspected shooter had been "with us for more than 10 years - a quiet man, no other incidents involving him are known".

The shooting comes weeks after a gunman killed three women and wounded two men in the Swiss village of Daillon, stirring a debate about Switzerland's gun laws.

Male citizens in Switzerland are allowed to retain guns after their mandatory military service.

There is no national gun register in the country, but some estimates indicate that at least one in every three of Switzerland's eight million inhabitants keeps a gun, many stored at home.

Citizens outside the military can apply for a permit to buy up to three weapons from the age of 18.

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Pope Speaks Of 'Difficult Times' In Farewell

The Pope has given an emotional last general audience before stepping down as Pontiff, during which he spoke of "difficult moments".

Benedict XVI told the 150,000-strong crowd in St Peter's Square in Rome that he had been aware of the "gravity" of his decision to step down but it was for the good of the Church.

The Pope stunned the Catholic Church when he announced on February 11 he no longer had the mental or physical strength to carry on in the role.

He will officially stand aside on Thursday evening, the first pope to do so in 600 years.

As he arrived in the square, Benedict greeted pilgrims in St Peter's Square and waved to tens of thousands of people who gathered to bid him farewell.

He was driven around in an open-sided vehicle, surrounded by bodyguards. At one point he stopped to kiss a baby handed up to him by his secretary.

The crowd fell silent as he started to speak.

The Pope began by saying he will keep the faithful in his prayers and he has "great trust" in the future of the church.

Many in the audience chanted "Benedetto"

"To love the church means also to have the courage to take difficult, painful decisions, always keeping the good of the church in mind, not oneself," Benedict said to thundering applause.

He recalled that when he was elected pope on April 19, 2005, he questioned if God truly wanted it. "It's a great burden that you've placed on my shoulders,'" he recalled telling God.

He said his Papacy had faced joy, but also had undergone "difficult moments". He said that during his time as leader of the 1.2 billion Catholics around the world, he had negotiated "turbulent seas".

Drawing on a Biblical analogy, he said: "The Lord gave us days of sun and of light breeze, days in which the fishing was good. There were also moments when there were stormy waters and headwinds.

"But I always knew that God was in that boat and I always knew that the boat of the Church is not mine, is not ours, but is his and he will not let it sink," he added.

Pope Benedict XVI said he was aware of the "gravity and novelty" of his decision to resign and would "accompany" the Church in prayer even after his resignation the following day.

"I took this step in full awareness of its gravity and novelty but with profound serenity of spirit," he said.

Pope Benedict told the crowd he was not "coming down from the Cross", but would remain in the service of the Church through prayer.

He asked the faithful to pray for the cardinals as they faced a weighty task choosing his successor and for whoever they chose.

After he had finished speaking, the crowd gave a rousing round of applause that lasted nearly a minute.

He went on to say a few extra words in other languages, one of which was English.

Tens of thousands of people, some toting banners saying "Thank you!" had earlier began filling St Peter's Square in preparation for his appearance.

Cardinals await the final public appearance of the Pope

Many of the cardinals who will choose the next Pope were among those listening.

Later it was revealed that the Pope had expressed his gratitude for the welcome he received during his visit to Britain in 2010 and for the prayers of British Catholics since he decided to step down.

A letter written on his behalf by Vatican official Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu thanked his UK-based followers.

Once he completes his resignation, the Pope will leave the Vatican and fly by helicopter to the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, until renovations have been completed on a monastery inside the Vatican walls.

The Pope will live out the rest of his days in the new monastery in prayer and meditation.

At precisely 8pm (Rome time) the villa gates at Castel Gandolfo will close and the Swiss Guard will withdraw - a symbol that Pope Benedict XVI's papacy is over.

Benedict will then be known as Emeritus Pope and wear a simple white cassock and brown shoes rather than his trademark red loafers.

On Thursday morning, he will bid farewell to his cardinals who will begin a series of meetings to determine his successor.

A total of 115 "cardinal electors" are scheduled to take part after one said he was too sick and British cardinal Keith O'Brien said he would not be taking part after allegations of inappropriate behaviour regarding four priests emerged at the weekend.

The Pope today named the Archbishop of Glasgow as temporary successor to Cardinal O'Brien in one of his last acts as head of the Catholic Church.

Philip Tartaglia will govern the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh until a permanent successor is appointed, but will not be able to attend the conclave.

The date for the conclave - when eligible cardinals vote in secret in the Sistine Chapel - has yet to be announced, but must take place within 15 to 20 days of the Pope's last day.

Another of the Pope's last acts was to announce that the Turin Shroud will be put on display again for one day on March 30. It has only been shown five times in the last 100 years.

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China: Children Die In School Staircase Crush

Four children have been killed and 14 others injured in a crush on a staircase at a primary school in central China's Hubei province, state media has reported.

The incident occurred around 5.40am local time when more than 80 students gathered on the staircase between the first and second floor waiting to be let out of the dormitory building of the Qinji Elementary School, according to state television CCTV.

Without waiting for the teachers to unlock the iron gate at the entrance to the building, the students pushed, causing the loosely-attached gate to fall, the report said.

Two boys and two girls died in hospital, and seven out of the 14 injured are still in hospital, with three of them in a critical condition, it added.

A man leans down to talk to a little girl caught in the crush

The principal of the Qinji Elementary School - a four-storey building built in 1990 - has been taken into custody.

Du Yongjie, principal of the Xueji Central Elementary School, to which the Qinji school is affiliated, said teachers were supposed to open the gate at about 6am every morning, but the students were so excited that they woke up early on Wednesday after their first night at the boarding school.

When teachers heard the noise and rushed to the site, it was already too late, he added.

"It (the rush) lasted about five minutes. The gate was locked for the safety of pupils living there. Girls of grades five and six lived there. The gate to the dormitory is locked after the students go to bed," said Mr Du.

"So the students woke up earlier (than usual). Earlier than usual. Usually we don't have such things. They usually wake up after 6am," he added.

An investigation into the incident is under way.

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Markets Dive Amid Italian Election Stalemate

World markets have been rocked after elections in Italy seen as crucial for the eurozone ended in deadlock.

No group emerged as a clear winner after the vote, which saw a populist anti-austerity party make a stunning debut.

The Italian stock market fell 5% on opening and state borrowing costs rose as investors took fright at the political stalemate.

Banking stocks were particularly badly hit, although some of the damage was erased after the initial plunge in prices and the extent of the declines eased across the day.

Comic Beppe Grillo's protest party appears the real winner

The euro also fell to an almost seven-week low against the dollar in Asia on fears about the eurozone debt crisis, down as far as $1.3042, its lowest since January 10.

While other European stock markets, including the FTSE 100 in London, saw falls greater than 1% the Dow Jones opened positively on Wall Street following a 1.6% loss on Monday.

The market reaction reflects concerns that the election result could spark a new crisis in Italy, which has the eurozone's third largest economy.

Pier Luigi Bersani's centre-left bloc has a majority in the lower chamber

There are fears it will jeopardise tough reforms required to heal its economic woes and prevent a new round of global financial turmoil.

The centre-left block of Pier Luigi Bersani will have a majority in the lower house thanks to a premium of seats given to the largest block in the chamber.

In the upper house, the Senate, seats are awarded on a region-by-region basis. Here, the centre-left looks set to end up with around 119, compared to 117 for the centre-right but 158 are needed for a majority to govern.

Any coalition government that may be formed must have a working majority in both houses to pass legislation, which means Italy is now in a state of limbo with a hung parliament that is unprecedented in its post-war history.

"It is clear to everyone that this is a very delicate situation for the country," Mr Luigi Bersani said.

Former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has already indicated his centre-right could be open to a grand coalition with the centre-left under Mr Bersani but he wants a recount for the Senate vote.

"Italy cannot be left ungoverned, we have to reflect," he said, describing the market reaction as "a bity crazy" and saying all sides had to "sacrifice something" if the impasse was to be broken.

An ally of conservative German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Italy to stick with reforms pursued by the outgoing technocratic emergency government of Mario Monti.

But the poor showing by Mr Monti's centrist bloc, which took just 10.6%, showed a weariness with austerity that was exploited by both Mr Berlusconi and comic Beppe Grillo.

Silvio Berlusconi did better in the Senate

The latter's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement won more votes than any other party, taking 25% nationally.

In just three years, the 5-Star Movement - heavily backed by a frustrated generation of young Italians increasingly shut out from permanent full-time jobs - has grown from a marginal group to one of the most talked about political forces in Europe.

Comparing single parties without coalitions, it is now the biggest party in the lower house with 25.55% to the Democratic Party's 25.41% - a shock success that analysts predicted would reverberate around an austerity-weary Europe.

"The 'non-party' has become the largest party in the country," said Massimo Giannini, commentator for the Rome newspaper La Repubblica about Grillo, who mixes fierce attacks on corruption with policies ranging from clean energy to free Internet.

"This is fantastic! We will be an extraordinary force!" Mr Grillo said on his website, warning mainstream politicians they would "only last a few more months".

"We'll have 110 people in parliament and we'll be millions outside."

Mr Monti said: "It's not that surprising if you consider how much people were let down by politics in its traditional forms."

Some Democratic Party officials suggested fresh elections may have to be held within a few months after a reform of Italy's complex electoral laws. Others said some form of agreement could be found with the anti-austerity 5-Star Movement.

Political analysts suggested a possible return to the grand coalition agreement between right and left seen over the past 18 months, or even dissolving the Senate alone to hold fresh elections for only one chamber of parliament.

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Egypt Balloon Explosion: Three Britons Dead

Three Britons are among 19 people who were killed when a hot air balloon exploded near the ancient Egyptian city of Luxor.

The Foreign Office confirmed the "tragic deaths of two British nationals and one British resident" in the crash.

Another British national survived and was in a Luxor hospital in a stable condition, the Foreign Office said. 

The only other survivor was the pilot, an Egyptian man, who also remained in hospital.

He jumped from the basket when it was 10-15m (yards) from the ground, said Ahmed Aboud, head of an association representing Luxor balloon operators. 

The site at Luxor 40 minutes before the crash (Pic: @chrismichel)

The balloon, which was carrying 20 tourists and the pilot, was preparing to land when a cable got caught around a helium tube and a fire erupted, according to an investigator with the state prosecutor's office.

The balloon then shot up in the air, the investigator said. The fire set off an explosion of a gas canister and the balloon plunged some 1,000 feet (300m) to the ground, according to an Egyptian security official.

It plunged into sugar cane fields as it travelled over Qurna, in Luxor's West Bank.

The British resident initially survived the crash, but died later in hospital, the Foreign Office said.

France's Foreign Ministry has confirmed that two French nationals also died in the crash.

Japanese citizens, as well as nine tourists from Hong Kong, are believed to be among other casualties.

Luxor Governor Ezzat Saad has imposed an immediate ban on all hot air balloon flights in the province as Prime Minister Hesham Qandeel ordered an investigation into the accident.

Witness Christopher Michel was travelling in one of several balloons in the air above Luxor early on Tuesday morning.

He told Sky News: "I was in one of about eight balloons that were flying that morning. We were approaching landing ... coming down in a remote field just outside of Luxor.

"We heard a loud explosion behind us, and I looked back and saw lots of smoke. It wasn't immediately clear that it was a balloon. We were surrounded by the balloons that had been flying with us.

Ballooning in Luxor is very popular with tourists visiting its temples

"Then we could see the reaction of the pilot on the balloon and he said that this hasn't happened in a long time."

The Foreign Office said: "The next of kin have been informed and our thoughts are with them and their families at this difficult time. We are providing them with consular assistance."

Thomas Cook UK & Continental Europe CEO Peter Fankhauser said: "What happened in Luxor this morning is a terrible tragedy and the thoughts of everyone in Thomas Cook are with our guests, their family and friends.

"We have a very experienced team in (the) resort ... and we're providing our full support to the family and friends of the deceased at this difficult time."

Hot air ballooning is popular with tourists who go to Luxor to visit its ancient temples and the tombs of the Valley of the Kings.

But the activity is not without its dangers. In April 2009, 16 people were hurt - including two British women - when a balloon crashed during a tour of Luxor.

The balloon was believed to have hit a mobile phone transmission tower near the banks of the Nile.

Following the 2009 crash, early morning hot air balloon flights over the Valley of the Kings were suspended for six months while safety measures were tightened up.

During the break, all 42 pilots from the eight companies who operate flights had extra training.

A notice on the Foreign Office website warns tourists: "There were three serious hot air balloon accidents in Luxor in 2009. You should consider the operator's safety arrangements carefully."

Egypt's tourism industry has suffered a sharp downturn in visitor numbers since the 2011 uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, with two years of political instability scaring off foreign tourists.

Thomas Cook UK has opened a hotline for families who have relatives in Egypt: 0800 107 5638.

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Pope Gets New Title And Drops 'Prada' Shoes

By Sally Arthy, Senior News Editor, Rome

Pope Benedict XVI will be called "Emeritus Pope" after he retires later this week, the Vatican has announced.

Benedict himself had made the decision in consultation with others, settling on "Your Holiness Benedict XVI" and either emeritus pope or emeritus Roman pontiff, according to Vatican spokesman Rev Federico Lombardi.

Rev Lombardi said the Pope is praying and preparing to move out on Thursday when he officially stands down as leader of the world's 1.2billion Catholics.

Fifty thousand tickets have been given out for the Pope's final General Audience on Wednesday morning in St Peter's Square.

He will greet his followers from the Popemobile and the proceedings will be televised live.

On Thursday, Pope Benedict will meet his cardinals for the last time before leaving the Vatican that afternoon for a short flight by helicopter to Castel Gandolfo.

The Pope will give up his red shoes, rumoured to be Prada

There he will greet members of the local parish from a balcony in his last public appearance as Pope.

That night, the gates of Castle Gandolfo will close and the Swiss Guard will withdraw as Pope Benedict's tenure officially comes to an end.

Vatican police will take over guarding Benedict XVI when he is no longer the Pope.

Rev Lombardi said he will continue to wear a simple white cassock but his footwear will change.

Gone will be the red "Prada" loafers, replaced by brown shoes made in Leon, Mexico.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien resigned amid claims of 'inappropriate behaviour'

A pair was given to the Pope on a recent trip there. After Thursday, the Pope's "fisherman's ring" will also be destroyed.

Benedict XVI will remain at Castel Gandolfo until renovations have been completed on the monastery inside the walls of the Vatican where he will spend the rest of his days.

Rev Lombardi said the general congregations, when all Cardinals meet to discuss the problems facing the Catholic Church, will probably begin on March 4.

A date for the start of the conclave to elect a new Pope has not yet been announced but the rules have been changed allowing the calendar of events to be moved forward.

The election of a successor comes as the Catholic Church continues to be mired in scandal.

On Monday, Scotland's Cardinal Keith O'Brien resigned amid allegations of 'inappropriate behaviour'.

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Google Battles European Judges Over Privacy

By Niall Paterson, Media and Technology Correspondent

European judges are considering a case which could have significant implications for how personal information on the internet is managed.

Their decision potentially has huge repercussions for search engines like Google.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) is to rule on whether the technology giant invades personal privacy after a referral from Spain's high court.

A leading Spanish surgeon complained that Google search results treat him unfairly.

Charged with criminal negligence in 1991, he was later acquitted - but when a Google search of his name is carried out, only references to his arrest are immediately visible.

Spain's equivalent of the Data Protection Agency, the Agencia Espanola de Proteccion de Datos (AEPD), argues that the online "right to be forgotten" enshrined in European Directive should include the ability to delete incorrect or out-of-date information.

Google has argued that to do so would be an attack on freedom of expression, arguing that it is not the creator nor the controller of the information.

Instead it sees itself as an intermediary, and that it should not be compelled to remove data from its website when it has been published entirely legally elsewhere on the internet.

The ECJ will also decide on where data protection complaints should be heard - and which rules should apply.

Google says that as its headquarters are in California, and that Google Spain is only responsible for selling advertising so the wider company is subject to US data protection legislation.

But the AEPD argues that Google indexes Spanish websites and has a Spanish domain name - and that the "centre of gravity" of the litigation is in Spain, as it involves information about Spanish citizens, on Spanish websites, in Spain.

Google has in the past filtered its search results in certain jurisdictions to comply with the law.

In France and Germany, it deletes results for neo-Nazi and racist groups, and in the US it blocks sites known for copyright violation.

If the search engine is unsuccessful, it would have to delete the information concerned from its Spanish website, and deal with a further 88 complaints to the AEPD.

But it would then undoubtedly face similar complaints from citizens of other European countries.

Google's mission statement - to "organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful" - might soon need a bit of redrafting.

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Pistorius To Hold Private Memorial For Reeva

Oscar Pistorius is to hold a private memorial service for his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his uncle's house in Pretoria tonight.

The South African athlete has admitted killing Ms Steenkamp but denies murder.

More follows...

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Gerard Depardieu Visits Chechnya Leader

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

French actor Gerard Depardieu has taken to the dancefloor to celebrate his new Russian citizenship with Chechnya's strongman president Ramzan Kadyrov.

Some have concerns about the Chechen leader's record on human rights, but apparently not Depardieu, who greeted Mr Kadyrov warmly in the capital Grozny before taking part in a traditional dance, known as the Lezginka.

Depardieu had flown in to the once war-torn city on board his private jet,  where he was welcomed personally by the Chechen president.  The two men hugged on the tarmac, before sampling an offering of bread and salt.

The 63-year-old actor was granted Russian citizenship after objecting to French president Francois Hollande's plans for a 75% tax on income over 1 million euros, although he has previously denied he is leaving France for tax reasons.

Russia has a flat 13% tax rate.  

Speaking at the reception in Grozny, the Cyrano de Bergerac star said: "I very much like to see these people with this pride.  I heard, like everybody, about the Chechen temperament, but I had never been to this country, to this state."

The Kremlin-backed channel Russia Today reported that Depardieu had been made an honorary citizen of Chechnya, and presented with the key to a five-bedroom flat in the capital.

The Chechen government's website said the star had promised to return to the city to make a film about the region.

When asked why he was visiting the city, Depardieu was quoted as saying: "I am visiting my friend … Secondly, I want to film a movie here to show that a big movie can be made in Grozny.

"I can't say anything about the details of the film but I know that we are definitely coming back here, this is only the beginning.

"I am sure happy people live here, in order to sing and dance like that, you have to be really happy."

Depardieu's move to Russia has been seized upon by senior officials as an opportunity for some positive PR - to show that successful people are choosing to move to the country.

Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, personally presented Depardieu with his passport at a televised ceremony in January.

And Mr Kadyrov, who is the son of a Chechen warlord and has been accused of grave human rights abuses in the region, was quick to associate himself with Russia's favourite new son.

He told reporters: "Everyone wants to come to Russia, and nobody leaves us. If such great people are coming to Russia, that means that Russia has created all of the conditions for that. We are very happy that he came and that he found the time to be our guest."

Depardieu received his registration papers on Saturday and is now officially a resident of Saransk, a city of approximately 300,000 people in the central Russian republic of Mordovia, about 640 km east of Moscow.

"Glory to Russia; glory to Mordovia!" he said after the ceremony. "This region doesn't have oil or gas but has rich people who make their wishes come true in life."

He told reporters he was planning to build a small house in the countryside and open a restaurant in the city.

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Helicopter Prison Break Foiled In Greece

A helicopter swooped down on a Greek prison courtyard as its passengers fired machine guns at guards in a dramatic escape plot.

A rope was lowered down to convicted killer Panagiotis Vlastos, but the fourth attempt to break him out of jail was foiled when he was shot and the aircraft forced to land.

It was the latest in a series of bids to escape prison involving helicopters in Greece, and the first time such plans have failed.

Authorities say the chartered aircraft - carrying two armed passengers, a pilot and a technician - first tried unsuccessfully to rip off the chicken-wire fence surrounding Trikala prison with a hook dangling from a rope.

The men on board used AK47 assault rifles to fire on the prison guards as the rope was lowered, with one guard slightly injured by shards of flying glass.

He and others returned fire, injuring Vlastos, who had managed to climb into the helicopter, and the helicopter's technician.

Vlastos fell from a height of around 10 feet into the courtyard, and the helicopter was eventually grounded in the car park.

The 43-year-old is a convicted murderer and racketeer serving a life term. He had tried and failed three times before to escape from jail.

Prison officials told TV stations Mega and NET they recovered more than 500 bullets fired from the helicopter, while the Ministry of Justice said the helicopter passengers also carried - but did not use - "improvised explosive devices".

Justice Minister Antonis Roupakiotis suggested a tip-off had led to the plot being foiled, saying: "We had information that there were some jails we needed to keep an eye on, including Trikala prison."

Authorities said Vlastos was wounded in the legs but is being treated in the prison hospital because his injuries were not deemed serious enough for a transfer elsewhere.

It was not immediately clear if the pilot and flight technician had willingly participated in the escape attempt or had been forced to fly to the prison, which is 205 miles northwest of Athens.

An unnamed Albanian prisoner is also thought to have been part of the attempted escape, although it is not known whether he knew of the scheme in advance or just happened to be in the courtyard and tried to take advantage of the situation.

Vlastos was first arrested in 1994 in the murder of two members of a rival criminal gang. He was convicted last year as the behind-bars mastermind of the kidnapping of shipping tycoon Pericles Panagopoulos.

Panagopoulos was kidnapped in January 2009 and released after eight days, when a ransom of 30m euros (£26.2m) was paid.

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South Korea's First Female President Sworn In

Park Geun-Hye has become South Korea's first female president, demanding North Korea "abandon its nuclear ambitions" immediately at her inauguration.

Taking the oath of office less than two weeks after Pyongyang carried out its third nuclear test, Ms Park -  the daughter of late military strongman Park Chung-Hee - called on the regime to rejoin the global community.

"North Korea's recent nuclear test is a challenge to the survival and future of the Korean people, and there should be no mistake that the biggest victim will be none other than North Korea itself," she said.

"I will not tolerate any action that threatens the lives of our people and the security of our nation.

"I will move forward step by step on the basis of credible deterrence."

A traditional dance troupe performs at the inauguration

The mood of the two-and-a-half hour ceremony in a chilly Seoul was lightened when pop sensation Psy starred in a musical warm-up.

He performed his global hit Gangnam Style, and children and the elderly alike joined him as he did the horse-riding dance he made famous in the song's video.

Ms Park's election in December was an important moment for women in South Korea, who on average earn nearly 40% less than men.

The 61-year-old takes office a little more than 50 years after her father, a vehement anti-communist, seized power in a military coup.

Ms Park's election was an important moment for women in South Korea

Park Chung-Hee ruled with an iron fist for the next 18 years until his assassination.

He remains a divisive figure - credited with dragging the country out of poverty but reviled for his regime's human rights abuses.

Park Chung Hee was assassinated

At 22, Ms Park cut short her studies in Paris to return to Seoul and act as the country's first lady after an assassin targeting her father instead killed her mother.

Ms Park left the presidential Blue House five years later, in 1979, after her father was shot and killed by his spy chief during a drinking party.

Becoming the leader of Asia's fourth-largest economy, Ms Park faces challenges of slowing growth and soaring welfare costs.

The bulk of Ms Park's inauguration speech focused on the economy, and included commitments to job creation and expanded welfare, as well as the promise of a miracle.

South Korea's extraordinary economic revival from the rubble of the 1950-53 Korean War - known as the "Miracle on the Han" - has faltered in recent years, with key export markets hit by the global downturn.

Ms Park promised another miracle, saying her administration would build a new "creative economy" that would move beyond the country's traditional manufacturing base.

"At the very heart of a creative economy lie science and technology and the IT industry, areas that I have earmarked as key priorities," she said.

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Syria: Regime 'Ready' For Talks With Rebels

The Syrian government says it is ready for talks with its armed opponents, amid continuing unrest in the country.

Ahead of talks with his Russian counterpart in Moscow, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al Moualem said: "We are ready for dialogue with everyone who wants it ... even those who have weapons in their hands".

"Even with those who carry arms. We are confident that reforms will come about not with the help of bloodshed but through dialogue," he said. 

Mr Lavrov and Mr Moualem during the talks

"What's happening in Syria is a war against terrorism. We will strongly adhere to a peaceful course and continue to fight against terrorism."

Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, whose country is one of Syrian President Bashar al Assad's closest allies, said the conflict could only be resolved through political talks.

He said further fighting "risks the collapse of the state and society".

"The Syrian people should decide their fate without external intervention," he added.

However, Syrian rebel leader Selim Idris said there could be no negotiations unless Mr Assad stepped down and leaders of the army and security forces were put on the trial.

"We will not go (into talks) unless these demands are realised," he told the Al Arabiya network.

And the leader of of Syria's main opposition coalition said the government had not been in contact.

"We have not been in contact yet, and we are waiting for communication with them," Syrian National Coalition leader Moaz Alkhatib told reporters in Cairo.

At least 53 people died in a bomb blast in Damascus last week

The UN estimates that around 70,000 people have been killed since fighting began in Syria almost two years ago.

On Thursday, at least 53 people died in a car bombing near the headquarters of the ruling Baath party in the capital, Damascus.

State media said the attack was carried out by "armed terrorist groups linked to al Qaeda that receive financial and logistical help from abroad".

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that at least 105 people were killed in violent clashes across the country on Sunday.

It also updated its death toll from Friday's missile attack on the northern city of Aleppo, saying at 58 people died, including 36 children.

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Oscar Pistorius: Bailed Paralympian 'Reports'

Oscar Pistorius is said to have reported to the authorities in the South African capital of Pretoria as part of his bail conditions.

A spokeswoman for the Paralympian said he had visited correctional officers - but did not specify their location in the city.

The double-amputee had been expected to make his first public appearance since he was granted bail on Friday.

He denies the premeditated murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his Pretoria home on Valentine's Day.

Pistorius claims he killed the 29-year-old model accidentally, mistaking her for an intruder.

It was thought he must sign in at Pretoria's Brooklyn police station - where he had been held for more than seven days during his bail hearing - twice a week as part of his bail conditions.

The athlete has also had to hand in his two South African passports and his guns and is obliged to stay away from the estate where he lived.

Reeva Steenkamp's funeral took place last Tuesday

He is banned from contacting any witnesses and from drinking alcohol and has been staying with his uncle Arnold since he was released on bail.

Magistrate Desmond Nair set bail at one million rand (£73,000) and postponed the case until June 4.

On Sunday it emerged his older brother, Carl, who was a constant presence in court last week, is himself facing trial over the death of a woman.

Carl Pistorius is charged with culpable homicide over the death of a woman motorcyclist in a traffic accident in 2008.

The case has no relation to the charges against Oscar Pistorius.

It is the second time someone associated with the Pistorius case has been found to face a serious charge that has been dropped and then reinstated.

It was revealed that the chief police investigator in the case is facing charges of seven counts of attempted murder for shooting at a vehicle with seven passengers.

Following the revelations, Hilton Botha was removed from the Pistorius investigation and a new chief detective - Lieutenant General Vineshkumar Moonoo - was appointed on Thursday.

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Las Vegas Crash: Suspect Named After Shooting

Police have named a prime suspect in a Las Vegas shooting that killed a rapper and led to the deaths of two other people.

Ammar Harris, 26, is being sought in connection with the attack following the discovery of a Range Rover.

The vehicle is believed to have been used in the shooting that killed aspiring rapper Kenny Clutch, 27, who was driving his Maserati down the city's main boulevard.

The attack resulted in a six-vehicle crash on the famous Strip near the Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Bally's and Flamingo resorts.

The black Range Rover thought to have been used in the shooting

"His location is unknown," police Captain Chris Jones said of Harris.

Police said he had been arrested for working as a pimp and warned he should be considered armed and dangerous.

The Range Rover, with blacked out windows and distinctive black rims, was found at an apartment complex near the boulevard, and was impounded as evidence, Captain Jones said.

Taxi driver Michael Boldon died after his vehicle burst into flames

Kenny Clutch, whose real name is Kenneth Cherry Jr, died when his dark grey Maserati was peppered by gunfire from the 4x4.

Taxi driver Michael Boldon and passenger Sandra Sutton-Wasmund, of Maple Valley, Washington, died when the Maserati hit their taxi, which exploded in flames.

Mr Boldon, 62, was a family man who moved from Michigan to Las Vegas. Ms Sutton-Wasmund, 48, was a businesswoman and a mother of three children.

A passenger in the Maserati was wounded in the arm, and four people from four other vehicles were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

"My son was a good boy," Kenneth Cherry Sr told reporters in a news conference convened by Las Vegas lawyers Vicki Greco and Robert Beckett.

Mr Beckett said they wanted to respond to rumours that the 27-year-old victim - who produced a rap video using the name Kenny Clutch - was a gangster and a troublemaker.

The lawyers had previously represented the rapper, and now represent his estate and family.

"My son was a victim just like the two people in that taxi," Mr Cherry said. "Trouble found him. The people in the taxicab, trouble found them."

Court records show Kenneth Cherry Jr had no criminal cases or convictions in Las Vegas, and police said there was no record of arrests.

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Pistorius Brother To Stand Trial Over Death

The brother of Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius is facing charges over the death of a woman in a road crash in 2008.

Carl Pistorius, who was a constant presence in court over the past week to support his younger sibling Oscar, is charged with culpable homicide over the alleged accidental death of a female motorcyclist.

Lawyer Kenny Oldwage said in a statement from the family that "there is no doubt that Carl is innocent and the charge will be challenged in court."

"Blood tests conducted by the police at the time proved that he had not been under the influence of alcohol, confirming that it was a tragic road accident after the deceased collided with Carl's car," the statement said.

Carl Pistorius arrving at his uncle's house in Pretoria on Sunday

The family statement also said that the charges had at one stage been withdrawn but then reinstated.

Carl Pistorius was already in court last Thursday, as his brother Oscar was facing a bail hearing, and will appear again at the end of next month.

On Sunday morning, Carl Pistorius arrived at his uncle's house in an affluent suburb of the South African capital Pretoria. He declined to speak to the media outside the property.

Oscar Pistorius, 26, is staying at the luxury three-storey villa after a judge released him on bail on Friday.

Oscar Pistorius was released on Friday

He has been charged with premeditated murder in the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine's Day.

But the athlete denies murder, saying he killed the 29-year-old model accidentally. He says he opened fire after mistaking Miss Steenkamp for an intruder in his home.

Both brothers are being represented by the same lawyer, Kenny Oldwage.

The Oscar Pistorius case took a dramatic turn last week when it was revealed the lead investigator, Hilton Botha, was facing charges of attempted murder himself.

Botha, who denies the charges, was questioned at the athlete's bail hearing, where he gave an often confused testimony.

But the day after he was questioned in court, a judge dropped him from the case because of the charges.

Prosecutors admitted that the timing of the attempted murder charges had been "totally weird".

Carl Pistorius and his sister Aimee have been in court to support Oscar

On Saturday, the Pistorius family distanced themselves from a tweet on Carl's account thanking people for the support offered to both families.

A spokeswoman for the family said the account had been hacked. They said Pistorius' siblings would cancel their social media accounts.

It came as Miss Steenkamp's father spoke about the case, saying Oscar Pistorius will "suffer" alone if he is lying about how his daughter died.

"It doesn't matter how much money he has and how good his legal team is, he will have to live with his conscience if he allows his legal team to tell lies on his behalf," Barry Steenkamp told Beeld, an Afrikaans newspaper.

Miss Steenkamp was killed on Valentine's Day

"But if he is telling the truth then maybe I can forgive him one day. If it didn't happen the way he said it did, he must suffer, and he will suffer... only he knows."

Her mother June said that the Pistorius family had sent a card and flowers offering condolences for the death of her daughter but she added it meant little because: "They are not to blame."

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Ten-Car Crash At Daytona Track Injures 29

At least 28 fans and one driver were injured after a 10-car crash at the Daytona Speedway when debris flew into the crowd.

On the last lap of the Nationwide Nascar race, competitor Regan Smith was turned sideways and took out several racers behind him, causing a pile-up.

Large chunks of driver Kyle Larson's car landed in the grandstands, and one of his tyres appeared to fly over the fence and into the stands. 

His car went airborne when it hit the pile-up and it was flung into the fence that separates the track from the seats. 

The car itself had its entire front end sheared off, with the burning engine wedged through a gaping hole in the fence.

Larson managed to climb out of the wreckage afterwards unscathed.

Race officials said 14 fans were taken to hospital, with another 14 being treated on the scene at the Florida track.

Driver Michael Annett, of the Richard Petty Motorsports team, was being treated in hospital for bruising on his chest, his team said.

Dan Wetzel, Yahoo Sports national columnist, spoke to fans in the damaged grandstand.

Twenty-eight fans were injured by flying debris

He told Sky News: "They described it as like a war zone, you simply had nothing you could do.

"The car is moving at 200 miles per hour, so you can't really dodge anything. An entire wheel slammed into one person."

Driver Tony Stewart won the race, but skipped the traditional post-race victory celebration because of the dramatic turn of events.

The Nationwide race was a curtain-raiser for American stock car racing's biggest event, the Daytona 500, which is going ahead as planned.

Nascar president Mike Helton told cable TV network ESPN: "There was obviously some intrusion into the fence, and fortunately with the way the events are equipped, there was plenty of emergency workers ready to go. They all jumped on it pretty quickly.                

"We've always known since racing started this is a dangerous sport."

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Thousands Attend Pope's Final Sunday Prayers

The Pope has delivered an emotional last Sunday prayer in St Peter's Square, saying God had told him to devote himself to prayer but assuring supporters he would not "abandon" the Church.

Tens of thousands of supporters turned out for Benedict XVI's historic prayers ahead of his formal resignation on Thursday, often interrupting the Pope with their clapping, cheering and chanting.

"The Lord is calling me to climb the mountain, to dedicate myself even more to prayer and meditation. But this does not mean abandoning the Church," the Pope told the crowd from the window of his residence in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.

"If God is asking me to do this it is precisely so I can continue to serve with the same dedication and love as before but in a way that is more appropriate for my age and for my strength."

A group of nuns wave to the Pope during his address

The 85-year-old leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics has said he is stepping down because he no longer has the strength of mind and body to carry on.

His shock resignation ended an eight-year pontificate dominated by the priest child sex abuse scandal and efforts to counter rising secularism in the West.

He thanked the crowd with a final unscripted call, telling them: "We will always be close."

The Vatican and Rome police estimated the numbers at more than 100,000 people - many times more than usually attend the traditional Sunday prayer.

It was estimated that up to 100,000 people were at prayers

There was tight security in and around the Vatican, with more than 100 police officers and snipers on surrounding buildings with the security being seen seen as preparation for the Pope's final general audience in St Peter's on Wednesday.

The Vatican has said Benedict will retire to the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo near Rome for the next two or three months while a former monastery inside the Vatican is renovated.

Benedict has said he will live "hidden from the world" but Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi has said he could provide "spiritual guidance" to his successor and would probably continue to publish his theological research.

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Topless Protest At Berlusconi As Italy Votes

By Robert Nisbet, Europe Correspondent

Three topless feminists lunged at Silvio Berlusconi as he arrived at a polling station in Milan to vote in Italy's general election.

Polls opened in the country earlier amid concern the outcome could lead to political gridlock in Europe's fourth largest economy.

As voters queued at a polling station at a Milan school, the three half-naked women, who had the slogan "Basta Berlusconi" ("Enough With Berlusconi") scrawled on their backs, broke through a crowd of journalists.

The topless trio then jumped over some tables toward the former leader, but they failed to reach him.

They were quickly detained by police and dragged away screaming.

Italian news reports said the three were members of the Femen protest group. 

Beppe Grillo at a rally in the run-up to the election

Mr Berlusconi, the former prime minister, is leading a centre-right coalition in the election and polls indicate he will come second to the centre-left.

Italy is in its worst recession in two decades. Unemployment is above 11% and rising, while the public debt mountain as a proportion of GDP is second only to Greece in the eurozone.

The current administration, led by the unelected economist Mario Monti, has prescribed a tough medicine of economic reform, budget cuts and tax increases.

While the austerity programme was welcomed by those trying to stabilise the single currency, it has been deeply unpopular among Italian voters.

Support for his small coalition of centrist parties has foundered, while those who have taken an EU-critical, anti-austerity position have seen their popularity increase.

Voter intention surveys are banned in the days leading up to elections in Italy, but pollsters use elaborate ruses to disguise their findings. The most common features the political parties as competitors in fictional horse races.

They suggest the unconventional anti-corruption Five Star Movement, led by the comedian Beppe Grillo, could take up to 20% of the vote, which political analysts believe could throw parliament into chaos.

Franco Pavoncello, the president of Rome's John Cabot University, told Sky News: "Mr Grillo will not even be a member of parliament (because of a conviction for vehicular manslaughter in 1981).

Former PM Mario Monti casts his vote

"So the question is what's going to happen when you have 70 young and inexperienced people as MPs without the leader who got them elected?

"I think we might be in for some very interesting phenomena after the election."

Italy's European neighbours, including Britain, don't want interesting phenomena. They want calm in the crisis-wracked eurozone.

Because of the quirks of the Italian electoral system, it seems unlikely the two-day poll will deliver a clear working majority for any single party.

While the centre-left's Pier Luigi Bersani, leader of the Democratic Party, is likely to emerge as prime minister - thanks to a bonus of 55 seats awarded to the biggest vote-getter in the lower Chamber of Deputies - he may find it hard to win over the Senate.

A law brought in by Mr Berlusconi apportions extra seats in the upper house to the most populous regions.

That favours the media magnate's centre-right PdL party, which is polling well in areas such as Sicily and Lombardy.

Mr Berlusconi, who was considered a spent force after his resignation in November 2011, may find he holds the balance of power as any law needs the approval of both houses.

Giovanni Ragusa, an economist from LUISS university, in Rome, says a political stalemate could be disastrous for Italy and for Europe.

"When Italian voters realise there's not going to be a strong government able to pass new laws and that the tax increases they have been subjected to for the past few years are not going to be temporary, then the discontent is going to spill over onto the streets," he warned.

Any political problems in Italy could effect the ability of the EU to bring about reforms which would ensure the stability of the euro, which the British Government insists is necessary to help the struggling UK economy.

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