North Korea: US Deploys Spy Plane To Japan

Tensions remain high on the Korean Peninsula amid reports the US has deployed an unmanned spy plane to Japan to boost its surveillance after North Korea readied missile launchers on its east coast.

The Global Hawk will be stationed at the US airbase in Misawa, northern Japan, in the first ever deployment of the aircraft in the country, the Sankei Shimbun reported, quoting government sources.

The US military informed Japan last month about plans to deploy the plane between June and September but has brought the date forward.

It comes after North Korea warned foreign diplomats they may not be safe in the country if war breaks out.

The spy plane will be stationed at the US airbase in Misawa, northern Japan

Pyongyang asked foreign embassies whether they were considering evacuating staff, saying the government could not guarantee their safety in the event of conflict from April 10.

The British Foreign Office dismissed the warning as "rhetoric".

However, an urgent international effort to defuse the situation is under way.

The heads of EU missions are to meet to hammer out a common position on the crisis, while the US works its diplomatic channels to resolve the stand-off with Pyongyang.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has been holding talks with officials in South Korea, as well as China - historically North Korea's ally - to see if the Chinese can put any more pressure on North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to back down.

Kim Jong-Un holding up a pistol as he supervises firing drills

Reporting from the South Korean capital Seoul, Sky's Asia Correspondent Mark Stone, said: "In the skies above the Korean Peninsula there are spy planes operating.

"There will be drones - American drones - operating before long from a base in Japan.

"They are trying to get as much of a sense as possible of what it is that Kim Jong-Un is doing on the ground with his weaponry.

"We know he has some pretty sophisticated weaponry.

"There are artillery rounds just over the border. They could in theory hit Seoul. That's a big concern for South Korea.

"That's why they are trying to put these intelligence reports together, as well as the diplomacy behind the scenes, to try and work out what Kim Jong-Un might be up to."

A South Korean soldier looks to the north at a border observation post

He continued: "The diplomats were warned by Pyongyang to leave by April 10 - no one quite knows why that date should be significant.

"It seems pretty clear, certainly speaking to western diplomats based in Pyongyang, their belief is this is just the latest round of rhetoric from North Korea.

"You would assume that if North Korea was planning some sort of war, it would actually want the diplomats from foreign countries to remain there so that they could be used as some sort of a bargaining chip - not kicked out of North Korea.

"I think it is alarming, but I think it's also probably just more rhetoric," he added.

Most governments have made it clear they have no immediate plans to withdraw personnel from the area.

A rally in support of Kim Jong-Un's order to put missiles on standby

Western tourists returning from organised tours in Pyongyang - which have continued despite the crisis - said the situation on the ground appeared calm, with life going on as normal.

"We're glad to be back but we didn't feel frightened when we were there," said Tina Krabbe, from Denmark, arriving in Beijing after five days in North Korea.

The embassy warning on Friday coincided with reports that North Korea had loaded two mid-range Musudan missiles on mobile launchers and hidden them in underground facilities on its eastern coast.

The Musudan have never been tested but are believed to have a range of around 3,000km (1,860 miles), which could theoretically be pushed to 4,000km (2,485 miles).

That would cover any target in South Korea and Japan, and possibly even reach US military bases located on the Pacific island of Guam - which Pyongyang has threatened to strike.

Tensions have soared on the Korean peninsula since December, when the North test-launched a long-range rocket. In February, it conducted its third nuclear test and drew fresh UN sanctions.

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Nelson Mandela Leaves Hospital After 10 Days

Former South African president Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital after being treated for pneumonia.

The 94-year-old was allowed to return home this afternoon "following a sustained and gradual improvement in his general condition".

An ambulance is understood to have taken him back to his residence in Johannesburg.

President Jacob Zuma's office said Mr Mandela would now receive "home-based" care.

Mr Mandela is believed to have been transported home in this ambulance

A statement said: "President Zuma thanks the hard working medical team and hospital staff for looking after Madiba so efficiently."

He also extended his gratitude to all South Africans, friends of the nation and to people around the world for their support.

Spokesman Mac Maharaj told Sky News: "We are all very happy with the news and grateful to the doctors and the hospital staff for looking after so well.

"The doctors say that given his age, they have to monitor him very carefully and they have to remain cautious all the time.

"He is frail, and we need to take into account his age ... but Madiba is a fighter and he is not ready to say goodbye to us."

It has been the third health scare in four months for the anti-apartheid leader.

He was in hospital briefly in early March for a check-up and again in December for nearly three weeks with a lung infection and following surgery to remove gallstones.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who became South Africa's first black president in 1994, is a global symbol of tolerance and the struggle for equality.

Mr Mandela stepped down as president in 1999 and has not been politically active for a decade.

He has a history of lung problems dating from when he contracted tuberculosis as a political prisoner.

He spent 27 years on Robben Island and in other jails for his attempts to overthrow the white-minority government.

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Rhino Horns Worth £2m Stolen In South Africa

Thieves in South Africa have stolen 66 rhino horns worth some $2.75m (£1.8m) in one of the biggest horn heists the country has ever seen.

The horns were taken after the thieves broke into the safe of game farm owner Johan van Zyl who runs the Leshoka Thabang Game Reserve in northern Limpopo province.They reportedly used a blowtorch to open the safe where the horns were kept.

The owner had removed the horns from living rhinos at his reserve to protect the animals from poachers who supply them illegally to international crime syndicates.

South Africans hold a protest outside the Chinese embassy in Pretoria

Demand is high in the Far East and particularly in Vietnam, where the newly affluent middle class believes it has strong medicinal powers. The treatments have no basis in science but demand has pushed the price up to around £43,000 a kilo, making it more expensive than gold.

"In my hands it is worth nothing, but in the hands of the guys who have it now, the horns are worth a lot of money," said Mr van Zyl.

The reserve owner has permits for horn removal and storage.

South Africa allows for private storage of horns, which must be registered, but forbids almost all sales.

South Africa uses armed guards to protect its rhinos

The country is home to the vast majority of rhinos on the continent, with numbers estimated at about 21,000.

Last year, more than 660 rhinos in South Africa were killed by poachers - a record high - and more than 800 rhinos could be killed this year if poaching continues at its current rate.

Several game reserve owners have dehorned rhinos to make them less likely to be killed by poachers, while South Africa has deployed its army to protect the animals in national parks.

Rhino horn has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine, where it was ground into powder to treat a range of maladies including rheumatism, sexual dysfunction, gout and even possession by devils.

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India: British Woman Murdered In Kashmir

A second man is being questioned after a British woman was found murdered on a houseboat in Indian-administered Kashmir, police have confirmed.

The son of the owner of the houseboat where Sarah Groves, 24, had been staying for up to two months is helping police with their inquiries, according to Sky sources.

Miss Groves, from Guernsey, was found in a pool of blood on the vessel at Srinagar's Dal Lake, a popular tourist destination.

A police officer at Dal Lake, a popular tourist destination

Local police said the victim had multiple stab wounds all over her body and a knife was found next to her.

The first arrested man - a Dutch national aged in his 40s - was said to have smashed open the door of her room during the night.

He was picked up as he tried to flee the valley with only his passport, senior police officer Abdul Ghani Mir said.

Miss Groves' body is being sent for medical examination to determine whether she was sexually assaulted before being killed.

Speaking to Sky News India correspondent Alex Rossi, Irfan Shoda confirmed his brother Samir was being questioned and described finding the victim's body in the early hours.

Onlookers gathered near the scene of the murder

Superintendent Tahir Sajjad told AFP: "We walked into a pool of blood in her room. We found a sharp-edged knife close to her body. The young lady had multiple stab wounds."

The Dutchman was held at Qazigund, in south Kashmir's Anantag district, around 100km (62 miles) from the lake where Miss Groves' body was found.

He had allegedly fled in a small boat which capsized as he was trying to reach the shore, forcing him to swim.

Speaking near the murder scene, Deputy Inspector General of Police for central Kashmir Syed Afadul Mujtiba said: "There is one houseboat over here in which there were two tourists living.

"She has been living here, an English tourist, and a Dutch tourist arrived two days ago, and now today in the morning the dead body of the female tourist has been found with incision wounds, sharp-edged weapon wounds."

The woman was killed in Indian-administered Kashmir

The weeping owner of the Kashmir houseboat, named Hafeeza, said she was shocked by Miss Groves' murder.

She said: "She was very dear to me, she was just like my daughter."

The Foreign Office says it is in touch with local authorities and Miss Groves' family has been informed.

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Iraq: 20 Dead, Dozens Hurt In Suicide Blast

A suicide bomber has killed 20 people and wounded dozens during a political rally in the Iraqi city of Baqouba, according to officials.

The bomber detonated his explosives as Muthana al-Jourani, a Sunni candidate for the provincial council, was hosting lunch for supporters in a large hospitality tent pitched next to his house, councilman Sadiq al-Huseini said.

The city, some 35 miles north-east of Baghdad and made up of Sunni and Shi'ite residents, has been a focus of insurgent attacks and sectarian conflict over the past 10 years.

The latest attack comes ahead of provincial elections on April 20.

A police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said the politician, who was injured in the attack, had not requested any extra security for the event.

Eyewitness Ahmad al-Hadlouj, a 34-year-old who was wounded in the blast, said hundreds of people had gathered in the side street for the rally. His father, a member of the candidate's political bloc, was also wounded.

"This is our blood (shed) for the people," said Mr al-Hadlouj. "We will still participate in elections."

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the police officer said the attack was the hallmark of al-Qaeda militants who have used suicide bombers, car bombings and coordinated attacks to shake security in Iraq, hoping that will undermine confidence in the Shiite-led government.

The hard-line Sunni extremists see Shiites and those who work with them as heretics.

A wave of deadly bombings and attacks in March prompted Iraqi officials to conclude that al-Qaeda's Iraqi branch, known as the Islamic State of Iraq, has been getting stronger.

They say rising lawlessness on the Syria-Iraq frontier and cross-border cooperation with the Syrian militant group Nusra Front has improved the militants' supply of weapons and foreign fighters.

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Whaling Haul Hits 'Record Low' In Japan

The haul from Japan's whaling mission in the Southern Ocean was a record low this year, a minister has said, blaming what he called the "unforgivable sabotage" by activists.

The hunt netted 103 Antarctic minke whales - less than half last year's tally - and no fin whales.

It was the lowest total since "research whaling" began in 1987.

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi blamed the Sea Shepherd environmentalist group, which has tried to disrupt the hunt of the Japanese fleet for several years.

Mr Hayashi said Sea Shepherd had committed "unforgivable sabotage", including a collision with a whaling vessel as it was being refuelled.

"We will seek more support from other countries to conduct research whaling in a stable manner," the minister said.

Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson is now a fugitive

During the 48-day-long whaling expedition, campaigners disrupted the hunt four times and the Japanese ships spent 21 days avoiding their vessels, the Fisheries Agency said.

Japan's annual whale hunt has long drawn criticism from activists and foreign governments, and Australia has taken Tokyo to court to challenge the legal basis of the research.

Tokyo defends the practice, saying eating whale is part of the country's culinary tradition.

Captured whales, later sold as food, are studied as part of an attempt by Japan's whaling research institute to prove their populations can sustain commercial whaling.

Activists charge Tokyo with using the loophole to get around an international ban on hunting.

Sea Shepherd was founded by Paul Watson, a Canadian marine conservationist who is now an international fugitive.

A Japanese vessel spraying water cannons at the activists

The group is known for its campaigns against whale hunts and shark finning, a practice that involves catching sharks, slicing off their fins and throwing them back into the sea, sometimes barely alive.

It has doggedly pursued Japan's whaling fleet and makes no secret of the fact it employs highly confrontational tactics.

The two sides have clashed violently in exchanges that have seen stink bombs thrown at Japanese crew and water jets trained on protesters.

A year ago, three anti-whaling activists boarded the Japanese vessel Shonan Maru No 2 and were held there for several days before being transferred to an Australian customs ship.

In 2010, the ship and a Sea Shepherd speed boat collided and the speed boat sank.

One of Sea Shepherd's ships

The organisation's ships Steve Irwin, Bob Barker and Sam Simon returned from their campaign this year with an estimated $1m (£658,000) damage bill after run-ins with Japanese whalers.

Their fourth ship, the Brigitte Bardot, was at an undisclosed location with Watson, wanted by Interpol after skipping bail last July in Germany, thought to be on board.

Norway and Iceland are the only nations that hunt whales in open defiance of a 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling.

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India Building Collapse: At Least 45 Dead

By Alex Rossi, Sky News India Correspondent

Rescuers have pulled out alive two toddlers from the wreckage of a Mumbai tower block after it collapsed leaving as many as 45 dead and 50 injured.

Most of the dead and missing are migrant construction workers who were living on the site in Thane, on the outskirts of the city, with their families.

Eleven of the dead are children.

As rescue teams combed the rubble for survivors two young children were plucked out alive to cries of "God is great".

A toddler is pulled out alive from the wreckage

Rescue workers with sledgehammers, gasoline-powered saws and hydraulic jacks struggled to break through the tower of rubble in their search for possible survivors.

More than 20 people remained missing and three floors of the building still needed to be searched, said R S Rajesh, an official with the National Disaster Response Force who was at the scene.

"All the three floors are sandwiched ... so it is very difficult for us," he said, adding that rescuers were continuing to pull survivors from the wreckage.

An investigation has now been launched into what has been described as one of the worst incidents of its kind in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.

Rescue workers search for survivors in the rubble

The collapse is being blamed on shoddy construction and unstable foundations.

The building was only supposed to be four storeys high but three extra levels had been illegally constructed on top.

Police said they have arrested the builder and his associates. They face a number of charges including manslaughter.

A local resident who gave his name as Ramlal said he could only watch as the disaster unfolded because it happened so quickly.

A crowd watches the rescuers at work

"The building collapsed like a pack of cards within three to four seconds," he said.

"Only labourers used to stay there. No rich person or well-to-do family stayed here. Only poor people stayed here."

Building collapses happen often in India.

As the economy has grown, so has the appetite for property and the quick profit that comes from unauthorised construction.

In one of the worst collapses, nearly 70 people were killed when an apartment building in a congested New Delhi neighbourhood crumpled in November 2010.

That building was two floors higher than legally allowed and its foundations appeared to have been weakened by water damage.

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Twin Babies Found After Mum Lay Dead For Days

Three-month-old twins have been found alive in a New Jersey apartment where their mother had lain dead for several days.

The pair were dehydrated but responsive. They are in hospital in a stable condition.

Authorities in Plainfield are awaiting post-mortem results on the 39-year-old woman, who was named by police as Alice Jackson.

Officers had responded to a call from a relative on Wednesday who was concerned that he had not heard from the mother for days.

Ms Jackson was found dead on her bed.

Police said she appeared to have died of natural causes.

The discovery comes a week after police in nearby Union discovered a malnourished toddler chain-locked inside an apartment with his dead mother.

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North Korea Warns Foreign Embassies Of Risks

By Mark Stone, on the South Korea border

The Foreign Office says it has no intention of evacuating its embassy in Pyongyang after North Korea warned foreign diplomats they may not be safe if war breaks out.

The North Korean government asked foreign embassies whether they were considering evacuating staff, saying it cannot guarantee their safety in the event of conflict from April 10.

Tensions in the region are high after reports that North Korea has now moved two missiles to its eastern coast and loaded them on mobile launchers.

The Foreign Office says it "has no immediate plans to withdraw our embassy" in Pyongyang, adding it condemned the "provocation" by the North Korean government.

Earlier, a spokesperson said: "The DPRK (The Democratic People's Republic of Korea) has responsibilities under the Vienna convention to protect diplomatic missions, and we believe they have taken this step as part of their continuing rhetoric that the US poses a threat to them.

"We are considering next steps, including a change to our travel advice."

It was not immediately clear why the date of April 10 had been mentioned, but there has been speculation that Pyongyang might schedule a firing to coincide with the birthday of the country's late founder Kim Il-Sung in mid-April.

Russia intends to "clarify the situation" before making a decision on any possible evacuation, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

North Korea's young leader Kim Jong-Un has escalated his rhetoric

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported earlier in the day that two North Korean intermediate-range missiles had been moved by train to the country's eastern coast.

The move fuels fears of an imminent firing.

"It has been confirmed that North Korea, early this week, transported two Musudan mid-range missiles by train to the east coast and loaded them on vehicles equipped with launch pads," the agency said, quoting what it said was a top government official.

The  mobile launchers had since been hidden in special underground facilities, according to the report.

Intelligence officials from the US, Japan and South Korea are monitoring the movement of the weapons.

US soldiers give a demonstration of their chemical equipment in South Korea

The Musudan missile is a mid-range weapon, meaning it is capable of reaching South Korea and Japan and perhaps also the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean.

"The range is between 3,000 to 4,000km (1,864 to 2,485 miles). There are major US military forces in Guam and a fixed number of troops to deal with the Korean peninsula, so I think these facts can reduce the possible danger there," said Kim Min-seok, South Korea's Defence Ministry spokesman.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said daily reports from Pyongyang were "really alarming and troubling" and urged North Korea to ease tensions.

"Nuclear threat is not a game, it is very serious," he said, adding that any misjudgement or miscalculation could have "very serious implications".

The South Korean military during an exercise near the border

Speaking to Sky News, a security adviser to the South Korean government said there is no doubt that North Korea's capability is concerning.

"The technological level of North Korean weapons has become much improved and better - especially their missile capability and their long-range artilleries," Kim Byungki said.

"It is more uncertain, it is less predictable, there are more ways for them to destabilise us and there are more ways for us to respond ... so it is more complex."

North Korea which, incensed at fresh UN sanctions and South Korea-US military drills, has issued a series of apocalyptic threats of nuclear war in recent weeks.

America says it is taking "all necessary precautions" to respond to the daily threats from the North Korean leadership.

President Barack Obama's spokesman, Jay Carney, said the barrage of rhetoric fitted a "regrettable but familiar" pattern of North Korean behaviour.

The Musudan, which is manoeuvrable on the back of a specially designed mobile launch pad, is untested and its accuracy is unknown. Most experts believe the North Koreans lack the technological ability to mount a nuclear warhead into its tip.

The US is preparing to move an advanced missile defence system to Guam

However, it can carry a significant load of conventional explosives which could cause considerable damage.

It is not clear whether military commanders in North Korea have been given orders to fire the weapon in anger or as a test.

Given the recent level of rhetoric delivered by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and the number of US and South Korean military assets that are now in the region, the missile would be shot down within minutes of any launch.

The concern is that this could then lead to an uncontrollable escalation in military action by both sides.

Sky News' Asia correspondent Mark Stone says South Korean people are "remarkably unconcerned about the threats that are coming from the North. Why? Because they're used to it. They've heard it for so many decades now."

Life goes on: South Korean Army reserves do Gangnam style

"They don't believe he'll press the button."

He added that governments are, however, concerned because Mr Kim, North Korea's new young leader, "is very unpredictable".

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One Dead As School Bus Overturns In Illinois

A man has died and more than 36 people have been hurt after a school bus overturned in northern Illinois.

The bus, which was taking 25 children to Newport Elementary School in Wadsworth, around 45 miles north of Chicago, is believed to have collided with two cars.

The driver of one of the cars was killed, although there were no fatalities among those on the bus.

Officials at two hospitals said the casualties they are treating are in a good to serious condition.

The accident happened around 8am about a mile from the school, which has some 400 students.

Television footage showed the coach on its side, with debris scattered in an adjacent farm field.

Fire department personnel were joined at the scene by a medical helicopter and several ambulances.

More follows...

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British Ski Coach Arrested At French Resort

A British ski instructor has reportedly been dragged off the slopes at the French ski resort of Megeve as part of a crackdown on 'unlicenced' teachers.

Alex Casey, 40, from Folkstone says he has been banned from instructing as he does not hold new qualifications being demanded by French authorities.

Some of Mr Casey's British clients held a noisy demonstration outside the police station after he was arrested on Tuesday.

He says his detention is the latest attempt to reduce the number of British instructors working in French resorts.

Simon Butler: 'It's a total protectionst system'

They were being unfairly victimised and wrongly accused of taking jobs from French instructors, he said.

"If I worked for a French ski school my qualifications would be fine and I'd be able to work without any restrictions," he said.

"But because I work for a British tour operator where we teach our own guests, they deem our qualifications to be illegal."

Simon Butler, who runs a ski school in the resort and employs Mr Casey, said the official French ski school, the Ecole Du Ski Francais (ESF) was trying to drive him off the slopes.

"They're trying to stop anyone other than their own instructors from being able to work and they're changing the rules to suit themselves. It's a total protectionist system," he said.

"On Tuesday they were checking that people on the mountain were qualified. But because we don't have French ski instructors our qualifications are not legal.

"Alex was arrested on the mountain by four gendarmes accompanied by French government officials before being held in a police cell for 24 hours.

"But we're a tour operator; our clients all come from the UK. They wouldn't come here if we weren't here so it's ridiculous to suggest we're taking work from French instructors."

Mr Butler claims he brings over one million euros to the local economy

In 2012 Mr Butler was arrested and taken to court for allegedly using unqualified instructors. But he says he won the case as the judge saw no difference between the ESF training system and his.

Now Mr Butler says the French authorities have told him he is not allowed to use any trainee instructors, although he insists all his  team are fully qualified.

"I've got to win this case or pack up," he said. I've been here 30 years and my kids go to school here.

"Our clients use local restaurants and we purchase 2,000 ski passes every year. Our clients bring over a million euros of business to the town.

"Yet as I'm talking to you now we have five gendarmes out on the mountain looking for our instructors. It's nonsense".

Mr Butler is to appeal against the latest arrest at a court hearing on May 30.

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Long-Lost 'Twins' Raise $35k Online To Meet Up

Two potential long-lost twin sisters, who first got in touch thanks to a YouTube video, have managed to raise more than $35k online to finally meet up.

Anais Bordier, 25, a French fashion student living in London, initially saw Los Angeles-based Samantha Futerman, also 25, in a short film clip last December.

Her resemblance to her YouTube lookalike was striking.

Anais, who grew up as the only child of French parents, soon made some more startling discoveries.

Both women were adopted soon after they were born on the same day - November 19, 1987 - and in the same town in South Korea.

Anais, finally decided to get in touch with her American doppelganger via Facebook. 

"About 2 months ago, my friend was watching one of your videos with Kevjumba on YouTube," she wrote.

"And he saw you and thought that we looked similar ... like ... VERY REALLY SIMILAR".

The "twins" grew up thousands of miles apart. Pic: Kickstarter.com

Samantha grew up in New Jersey and now lives and works as an actress in California.

"At first glance, I only saw my face staring back from her profile picture," she said.

"After just a few clicks and a personal message from Anais … I was positive that this girl was in fact my biological twin sister."

However, both acknowledge the coincidences might be just that. 

So they turned to crowdsourcing fundraising website Kickstarter.com to fund getting together in person.

They also plan to take DNA tests to prove their connection once and for all. 

The project has attracted donations from over 800 people and good wishes from many more.

But not everyone is convinced, with some expressing outright scepticism and others calling the whole thing a fake. 

While there may not be a fairytale ending to the story, the two "possible sisters" intend to use some of the money to film a documentary about their journey either way.

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Argentina Floods: Dozens Die As Rain Continues

At least 52 people have drowned in their homes and cars, or were electrocuted as floods swamped Buenos Aires.

Thousands have been evacuated from their homes

At least 46 died on Wednesday in and around the city of La Plata. Six deaths were reported a day earlier in Argentina's capital.

Many people climbed onto their roofs in the pouring rain after storm sewers flooded forcing water into houses.

"It started to rain really hard in the evening, and began to flood," Augustina Garcia Orsi, a 25-year-old student, said.

"I panicked. In two seconds I was up to my knees in water. It came up through the drains - I couldn't do anything."

Many claim officials have not done enough

The rains also flooded the country's largest oil refinery, causing a fire that took hours to put out.

The La Plata refinery suspended operations as a result, and Argentina's YPF oil company said an emergency team was evaluating how to get it restarted.

"Such intense rain in so little time has left many people trapped in their cars, in the streets, in some cases electrocuted," Governor Daniel Scioli said.

"We are giving priority to rescuing people who have been stuck in trees or on the roofs of their homes."

The region of Buenos Aires has been worst affected

President Cristina Fernandez visited Tolosa, a La Plata neighbourhood where she grew up and where her mother was among those evacuated.

She announced security measures to combat vandalism, help for identifying the dead, and three days of national mourning for the victims.

At least 2,500 people were evacuated from their homes to about 20 centres in the La Plata area, which is about 37 miles (60km) southeast of Argentina's capital.

The rains are expected to ease later

The flooding threatened to ruin food supplies across La Plata's metropolitan area, which has nearly one million people.

National Planning Minister Julio de Vido estimated that 280,000 people remain without power across the city and surrounding province of Buenos Aires, where most Argentines live.

"Our job is focused on restoring service, but we're going to wait until the equipment dries to guarantee the safety of the electricity workers, because we don't want any deaths," he said.

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North Korea Army: 'War Could Break Out Today'

By Mark Stone, in Seoul, South Korea

The North Korean military says it has ratified a "merciless" attack against the United States, potentially involving a "cutting-edge" nuclear strike.

"The moment of explosion is approaching fast," the army said in a statement on state news agency KCNA.

War could break out "today or tomorrow", the statement said, quoting a spokesman for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army.

"The merciless operation of (our) revolutionary armed forces in this regard has been finally examined and ratified.

"The US had better ponder over the prevailing grave situation."

The North's rhetoric has been met by a display of US military strength

The North's Committee for Peaceful Reunification of Korea was later quoted by KCNA as threatening to withdraw its 53,000 workers from the joint industrial zone it shares with the South.

Pyongyang informed Seoul on Wednesday that it was stopping the daily movement of South Koreans to the Kaesong complex, the last real surviving point of contact between the two countries.

And the committee said: "If the South Korean puppets and conservative news media keep badmouthing (us), we will order all our workers to pull out from Kaesong."

North Korea's latest pronouncements came as Washington scrambled to reinforce its Pacific defences, preparing to move an advanced missile defence system to the island of Guam.

Mr Hagel said North Korea posed a "real and clear danger"

The land-based weapon, which is primed to shoot down short and medium-range missiles, will be sent to the US territory to defend its bases there.

The Pentagon has already sent bombers, stealth aircraft and ships.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the North had moved a mid-range Musudan missile to its east coast.

The missile is believed to have a range of 1,875 miles (3,000km) or more, which would put all of South Korea and Japan in range and possibly also the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean.

North Korea is not believed to have tested these missiles, according to most independent experts.

Tensions have been soaring on the Korean peninsula since the North launched a long-range rocket in December and conducted its third nuclear test in February.

A military checkpoint linked to the Kaesong joint industrial complex

North Korea has threatened missile and nuclear strikes against the US and South Korea in response to UN sanctions and joint military drills.

European diplomatic sources speaking to Sky News from the North Korean capital have said there is nothing there to suggest war is imminent: no sign of conscripts being signed up or unusual troop movements.

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Wednesday that North Korea's "bellicose, dangerous rhetoric" posed a "real and clear danger" to America and its allies South Korea and Japan.

"They have nuclear capacity now, they have missile delivery capacity now," he said.

"We take those threats seriously, we have to take those threats seriously.

"We are doing everything we can, working with the Chinese and others to defuse that situation on the peninsula.

"I hope the North will ratchet its very dangerous rhetoric down."

The UK Government said it was not warning of an immediate risk to British citizens travelling to or living in South Korea.

In a statement to Sky News, the UK Embassy in Seoul said: "We have noted North Korea's most recent statement, we are monitoring the situation and are in close contact with allies.

"We have been clear to North Korea that its long-term interests will not be served by threatening the international community and increasing regional tensions.

"We have updated our Travel Advice, advising British nationals in Korea and those travelling here to follow the advice of local authorities and subscribe to our travel advice, Twitter feed and Facebook page. We currently assess there is no immediate risk to British nationals in or travelling to Korea."

The tensions surrounding Kaesong - established in 2004 and a crucial source of hard currency for North Korea - carry enormous significance.

Neither of the Koreas has allowed previous crises to significantly affect the complex, which is the only surviving example of inter-Korean cooperation and seen as a bellwether for stability on the Korean peninsula.

China, the North's sole major ally, appealed for "calm" from all sides, repeating Beijing's oft-declared position.

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Rogue Trader Admits $8.3bn Goldman Sachs Fraud

A rogue trader has pleaded guilty to defrauding Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs with unauthorised trades totalling $8.3bn (£5.5bn).

Matthew Taylor admitted that he exceeded internal risk limits and lied to Goldman supervisors to cover up his activities involving futures trade in 2007.

Taylor, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in a United States federal court in lower Manhattan after voluntarily turning himself in to authorities.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate pleaded guilty some four months after the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed a civil complaint against him.

The CFTC accused Taylor of fabricating trades to conceal a huge, unauthorised position in e-mini Standard & Poor's futures contracts, which bet on the direction of the S&P 500 index.

The court heard that Taylor's trading position at the firm exceeded risk guidelines set by his supervisors "on the order of 10 times."

He also admitted to making false statements to Goldman Sachs personnel who questioned him about the position.

In total, Taylor's actions led to a $118m (£78m) monetary loss for Goldman Sachs.

"I am truly sorry," he told the court.

Taylor outside court in Manhattan on April 3

Taylor, who joined Goldman in 2005, worked in a 10-person group called the Capital Structure Franchise Trading (CSFT), and was responsible for equity derivatives trades.

After his trading profits plunged in late 2007, his supervisors told Taylor his bonus was going to be cut and instructed him to reduce risk-taking.

Instead he "amassed a position that far exceeded all trading and risk limits set by Goldman Sachs, not only for individual traders ... but for the entire CSFT desk," court documents said.

He subsequently attempted to hide his actions by putting false information into a manual entry system.

When supervisors and other employees confronted him about discrepancies compared with his actual positions, Taylor repeatedly lied, the court heard.

Taylor said he covertly built the position in an effort to restore his reputation and increase his bonus.

At the time he earned a $150,000 (£100,000) salary and expected a bonus of $1.6m (£1m).

Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of 33 to 41 months and a fine of up to $75,000 (£50,000), based on his remuneration and not the actual loss suffered by the bank.

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North Korea To Restart Nuclear Reactor

North Korea will restart all nuclear facilities including its shuttered Yongbyon reactor, the official KCNA news service has said.

It will rebuild and resume its mothballed uranium enrichment facility and the 5 MW Yongbyon reactor, which was closed in 2007 as part of a disarmament-for-aid talks that have since stalled.

When it is fully running the reactor is capable of churning out one atomic bomb worth of plutonium - the most common fuel in nuclear weapons - a year.

A nuclear energy spokesman said the move was being made in line with a policy of "bolstering the nuclear armed force both in quality and quantity" as well as solving "acute" electricity shortages.

Kim Jong-Un has said the North is at war with South Korea

It wasn't immediately clear if North Korea had already begun work to restart facilities and experts estimate it could take anywhere from three months to a year to reactivate the reactor.

In response, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned that "nuclear threats are not a game".

"The current crisis has already gone too far. Things must begin to calm down. There is no need for the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) to be on a collision course with the international community," he said at a press conference.

China, Pyongyang's only major supporter, unusually described the north's plans as "regrettable".            

The step will boost fears in Washington and among its allies about North Korea's push for nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the US, technology it is not currently believed to have.

A cooling tower being demolished at Yongbyon nuclear plant in 2008

The North's leader Kim Jong-Un has been issuing daily war-like threats in recent weeks, including one to launch missile attacks on American targets in the region. He also claims the North is in a "state of war" with South Korea.

The rising rhetoric has been met by a display of US military strength including flights of nuclear-capable bombers and stealth jets at annual South Korean-US military drills.

Pyongyang conducted its third nuclear test in February, prompting UN sanctions that have angered its leaders and led to the current tensions.

The country has since declared that making nuclear arms and a stronger economy are the nation's top priorities.

The country added the 5 MW graphite-moderated Yongbyon reactor to its nuclear complex in 1986 after seven years of construction, adding the operation is aimed at generating electricity.

It takes about 8,000 fuel rods to run the reactor. Reprocessing the spent fuel rods after a year of reactor operation could yield about seven kilogrammes of plutonium - enough to make at least one nuclear bomb, experts say.

North Korea began building a 50 MW and a 200 MW reactor in 1984, but their construction was suspended under a 1994 nuclear deal with Washington.

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Brazil: CCTV Catches Police 'Ignoring' Murders

Eight Brazilian police officers have been arrested after security camera footage showed two teenagers being murdered as officers in a police car parked metres away apparently did nothing.

The footage, which was shown on Brazilian television, showed two men on a motorcycle gunning down two youngsters in the popular Bras neighbourhood of Sao Paulo.

Images from a separate camera show that at the time of the murders, a military police vehicle was parked around 50m away from where the victims were shot.

Police on patrol in a shantytown in Rio

After the shooting it was seen simply driving off in scenes that the Civilian Police Director of Sao Paulo described as "shocking".

She said: "We are working to find the third youth who was seen in the images and managed to flee."

The arrests came as police in Rio de Janeiro arrested three men in connection with the rape of an American student on a minibus.

The 21-year-old, who was studying in the city, was subjected to a horrific six-hour sex attack on the vehicle as her French boyfriend was forced to look on.

The couple boarded the bus in Copacabana and headed to Lapa, a trendy area home to popular bars and dance clubs.

Police in riot training preparation for the World Cup in 2014

Two men who also boarded the minibus ordered the rest of the passengers to get off and handcuffed their victims.

They then proceeded to beat the young man with a metal bar and rape the young woman as they rode around the city.

The incidents will be a damaging blow to Brazil, which is seeking to improve its image on crime, ahead of the World Cup next year and the Olympic Games, which will be hosted in Rio in 2016.

Sao Paul has seen a surge in violent crime in recent years and police in the country have been accused of excessive use of force and taking bribes from drugs gangs.

Reconstruction works at the Maracana stadium in Brazil

In December, Brazilian authorities arrested 61 police officers accusing them of taking bribes from drug traffickers to turn a blind eye to criminal activity in Rio.

The country had to reassure soccer fans on Saturday after rioting erupted before a match at a 2014 World Cup venue among angry fans in the northeastern city of Salvador.

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Survivor Doctor Kills Himself After Show Death

A doctor working on France's version of the reality TV show Survivor has committed suicide following the death of a contestant last month.

Thierry Costa killed himself on Monday in Cambodia, where the new season of Koh Lanta: The Revenge Of The Heroes was being filmed, according to French broadcaster TF1.

The 38-year-old left a suicide note blaming the media for smearing his name following the death of Gerald Babin from a heart attack during the first day of filming in March.

Copies of the handwritten letter on hotel stationery appeared in the French media, which stated the family had approved the publication.

Contestant Gerald Babin

"Unjust accusations and assumptions have been made against me," he wrote. "I am sure I treated Gerald with respect as a patient and not as a contestant."

An "involuntary homicide" investigation was launched following Mr Babin's death.

According to production company Adventure Line Productions, the contestant complained of arm cramps during one of the challenges set for contestants and received emergency medical care from Mr Costa.

He had reportedly taken part in a swim to shore from a boat and a tug-of-war.

Mr Babin was airlifted to hospital but later died.

Mr Costa was the doctor on four seasons of the show.

Cambodian police said at the time that there were no suspicious circumstances.

However, anonymous accusations have appeared in the media accusing Mr Costa and Adventure Line of negligence, a charge that all parties vehemently denied.

In a statement, TF1 said it "shares the pain" of the Costa family.

Filming was cancelled after Mr Babin's death and the contestants all returned home.

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Ukraine: Anti-Government Protests Rock Kiev

Thousands of protesters rallied outside Ukraine's parliament to press for early mayoral elections in Kiev - in the biggest such action against the president this year.

Protesters hold a rally outside parliament

The crowd, led by the country's main opposition parties, also held banners calling for the release of jailed opposition leader and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

The direct target was Olexander Popov, who was appointed by President Viktor Yanukovich as head of Kiev city's administration and now effectively mayor of the capital.

Riot police stand guard in Kiev

The ruling Party of the Regions is pushing for the Kiev mayoral election to be delayed for two years until after the 2015 presidential election, in which Mr Yanukovich is expected to run for a second term.

The last mayor, who left office in mid-2012, was effectively replaced by Mr Popov and opposition leaders are pushing for a vote in early June.

Interior Ministry members stand guard during the protest

Banners read "Popov as mayor means Kiev dies" and "Do not let Yanukovich steal elections from the people of Kiev" in a show of strength by the opposition which performed well in a parliamentary election in October.

The demonstration came as Ukraine's leaders hesitate between forging closer ties with the European Union or aligning themselves more closely with former Soviet master Russia.

Crowds demanded early mayoral elections

The European Union warned Mr Yanukovich in February that a free trade deal could be jeopardised if Ukraine did not show progress towards political reform by May.

For the EU, the deal is conditional on improved human rights and ending the practice of "selective justice" - meaning the jailing of political opponents such as Ms Tymoshenko, Mr Yanukovich's arch rival who is serving a seven-year jail sentence for abuse of office.

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Goal-Line Technology: Fifa Picks German Firm

Fifa will use the GoalControl goal-line technology system for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil - after it has been trialled at the Confederations Cup in June.

The German company's camera-based, ball-tracking system GoalControl-4D uses 14 high-speed cameras which are located around the pitch and directed at both goals.

If successful at the 16-match Confederations Cup this summer, it will be installed at the stadia hosting World Cup matches next year.

Football's rule-making panel approved goal-line technology last July.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter pushed for it to be used in Brazil after England midfielder Frank Lampard's disallowed against Germany at the 2010 World Cup.

GoalControl was selected ahead of three other companies: GoalRef and Cairos, which both use magnetic fields, and British-based Hawk-Eye, another camera system considered the favourite.

Hawk-Eye is already used in tennis and cricket and its English parent company was bought by World Cup sponsor Sony Corp before it began Fifa-endorsed testing in 2011.

All four systems met Fifa's demand that a signal is transmitted to the referee's watch within one second if a goal should be awarded.

Fifa said: "While all four companies had previously met the stringent technical requirements of the Fifa quality programme, the final decision was based on criteria relating more specifically to the tournaments in Brazil.

"(This included) the company's ability to adapt to local conditions and the compatibility of each GLT (goal-line technology) system in relation to Fifa match operations.

"The respective bids were also judged on cost and project management factors such as staffing and time schedules for installation.

"The use of GoalControl-4D in Brazil is subject to a final installation test at each stadium where the system will be installed."

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Afghanistan: Camp Bastion Equipment Return

A major operation to airlift thousands of tonnes of military equipment from Afghanistan has begun as troops prepare to leave the country.

In what could be seen as the biggest spring clean in the world, the redeployment effort will see everything from nuts and bolts to helicopters and armoured vehicles returned to the UK.

The British presence will be almost halved by the end of this year to 5,200 and all combat operations in the country should be over by the end of 2014, leaving Afghan forces in control.

The plan is to leave as little as possible behind.

At Camp Bastion, the main operating base in Helmand which has grown to the size of a town, there are now expanses of dust where canvas villages once stood as empty tents are removed.

From the heavily-armoured trucks to far smaller trailers and buggies, battlefield vehicles sit parked up in a 700-capacity compound.

Used and out-of-date ammunition is collected, ready to be sold for scrap.

Since January some £70m worth of British equipment has left Afghanistan and this is expected to increase rapidly as the withdrawal gathers pace.

A soldier stands in front of the Helmand base's distinctive sign

Lieutenant Charles Ashington-Pickett explained that as well as ensuring nothing goes to waste, the process should prevent weapons and other potentially lethal equipment going astray.

"We class this material as ACTO, meaning attractive to criminal and terrorist organisations," he said.

"This ranges from weapons and ammunition to radios, cameras and batteries."

Until the beginning of this year roughly £500,000 worth of equipment each month moved through six huge canvas warehouses at Camp Bastion.

They are now handling 60 times as much - about £30m each month. Some is reused within Afghanistan but increasingly it is being flown back to the UK and stored or sold on.

Major Katie Lamont's unit is responsible for sorting and packaging the loads. One of their roles is to handle spent ammunition and live rounds which can no longer be used.

These will be melted down as scrap metal, with the high brass and steel content meaning the decommissioned rounds can be sold for £2,000 per tonne.

Maj Lamont said: "One aircraft can carry 80 tonnes worth about £160,000. The cost of the flight is about £20,000 so it represents good value for money."

Unwanted armoured vehicles will go through an advanced service, similar to an MOT, and a high powered chemical car wash to ensure no insects or contamination are brought back to the UK.

Staff sergeant Paul Dunning, whose team of engineers are coming to the end of a six-month tour, expects to have serviced 370 vehicles ready to return by the time they leave this month.

Those in charge stress that the fight is not over. British troops still import more equipment than they export but this balance is shifting as the 2014 deadline approaches.

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Train Near Miss Video: Lucky Escape In Brazil

A woman is lucky to be alive after she narrowly avoided being crushed by a train.

It is thought she had climbed down to the tracks at the station in Sao Paulo, Brazil, after dropping her mobile phone.

Footage filmed on a mobile phone shows the moment she scrambled back onto the platform with barely a second to spare as a train pulled to a halt.

Two men at the scene helped to drag her to safety and she walked away unharmed, reports said.

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India Bus Rape: Female Tourist Visits Down

Falling levels of safety and security highlighted by the gang rape of a young student on a bus have led to a 25% slump in the number of tourists visiting the country, a survey of tour operators has revealed.

And it says that since December, when the attack occurred, the number of women tourists going to the country has gone down by 35%.

A survey by the Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (Assocham) says foreigners' fears and the global economic slowdown have combined to hit badly the number of visitors.

The bus rape suspects on the way to court

There was a wave of outrage across India and the world following the death of the 23-year-old physiotherapy student who was raped, allegedly by six men in front of a male friend on December 16.

The tourist slump has hit many major Indian cities, not just Delhi where the attack took place, the survey of 1,200 tour operators across the country reveals.

Assocham secretary general D S Rawat said the industry has primarily been hurt by deteriorating standards of safety and security. Tourists had chosen to visit other Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Mr Rawat said: "During last winter season, Goa, Jaipur, Agra and Kerala happened to be highly congested tourist spot(s) but due to recent incidents in India, there has been ... substantial fall in the tourist traffic."

More than seven in 10 tour operators said they had seen cancellations - especially from women - in the last three months, mainly from the UK, US, Canada and Australia.

Those who continued with their visits were "taking extra precautions and avoiding affected areas".

According to Indian tourism ministry data, in 2012 about 6.6 million international tourists visited India, earning the country almost $18bn (£12bn).

In March, a Swiss cyclist was allegedly gang-raped in Datia, Madhya Pradesh, and British tourist Jessica Davies jumped from a hotel balcony fearing an attack in Agra.

Mr Rawat said recent crimes against women could impact on tourism in the long term. Security needed to be further strengthened at major tourist sites, he said, and the importance of tourism and respect for tourists needed to be acknowledged.

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North Korea War Training Shown Off In Video

North Korea has released footage of troops in live-fire training exercises - with targets including a cartoon-like drawing of a US soldier.

The video from state TV emerged days after the country warned it was in a "state of war" with the South.

It is not clear when the footage was filmed, but it comes after Pyongyang voiced anger over joint US-South Korean military drills south of the border.

On Sunday, the North's leader Kim Jong-Un vowed to bolster its nuclear capability and described atomic weapons as "a national treasure".

The North's efforts to flex its military muscle are not being ignored

Mr Kim has been in an escalating war of words with the US in recent weeks, which has included him threatening to launch missile attacks on American targets in the region.

Meanwhile, the North has named former premier Pak Pong-Ju - a key confidant of the leadership dynasty who was sacked in 2007 for failed economic reforms - as cabinet chief.

His re-emergence marks a further move by the young leader to reaffirm his grip on power.

The move does however leave Mr Kim, the third of his line to rule the impoverished state, dangerously dependent on his aunt and uncle, who are key allies of Mr Pak.

South Korea's president Park Geun-Hye has promised a strong military response to any North Korean provocation, while the US has deployed stealth fighters to the South as part of its ongoing military exercise.

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James Holmes: Prosecuters Seek Death Penalty

Colorado state prosecutors have announced they are to seek the death penalty against Aurora gunman James Holmes.

The much-anticipated disclosure comes four days after prosecutors publicly rejected an offer by Holmes' attorneys that the former neuroscience graduate student would plead guilty to avoid execution.

Prosecutors had said the defence proposal was not a valid plea bargain offer, although they could still agree to a plea before the case goes to trial.

Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler said: "It's my determination and my intention that in this case for James Eagan Holmes justice is death."

Holmes' attorneys are expected to argue he is not guilty because he was legally insane at the time of the July 20 shooting that killed 12 people and wounded 70 others.

The shooting took place during a screening of a Batman film

They balked at entering that plea last month, saying they could not make such a move until prosecutors made a formal decision on the death penalty.

Survivors and families of the victims are uncertain about what happens next.

If the case goes to trial, "all of us victims would be dragged along potentially for years", said Pierce O'Farrill, who was shot three times.

He said: "It could be 10 or 15 years before he's executed. I would be in my 40s and I'm planning to have a family, and the thought of having to look back and reliving everything at that point in my life, it would be difficult."

Investigators carefully searched Holmes' Denver apartment

Investigators say Holmes methodically stockpiled weapons and ammunition for his assault on a packed midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises, and rigged his apartment to explode and distract any police who responded.

The massacre was repeatedly cited by gun control advocates who pushed a hotly contested package through the Colorado state Legislature last month.

The bills include a ban on the sort of high-capacity magazines that Holmes allegedly used to spray the theatre with dozens of bullets in a matter of seconds.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Denver on Wednesday to highlight the legislation as part of his push for more gun control following December's Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.

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First US Face Transplant Patient Marries

A man who became the first in the US to receive a full face transplant has married the woman he met at a support group.

Dallas Wiens, 27, was severely burned after a high-voltage wire touched his head while he repaired a church window in Fort Worth, Texas, in November 2008.

He spent months at Parkland Memorial Hospital, before undergoing a face transplant in Boston.

Mr Wiens met his new bride while they were at a burns support group

It was at the hospital that he met Jamie Nash, 29, who had suffered burns to more than 70% of her body after a car accident, in 2011.

The couple were married at Ridglea Baptist Church - where Mr Wiens was injured - in front of more than 150 people.

"I am blessed beyond measure that you have chosen me, and I love you with all my heart," the Dallas Morning News quoted Mr Wiens as saying.

His bride said: "Things happened that I didn't think ever could be possible for me, and you made them possible.

"You gave me hope, and you gave me tender love that I will always treasure."

The wedding was followed by a reception at the Flying Saucer in downtown Fort Worth.

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Bird Flu: New Strain Kills Two In China

Two men have died in China after contracting a strain of avian influenza that has never been passed to humans before, the Chinese official news agency has reported.

The men, aged 87 and 27, became sick late last month and died in Shanghai in early March, according to the Xinhua news agency.

The strain of the bird flu virus was identified as H7N9, which had not been transmitted to humans before, Xinhua said, quoting the national health and family planning commission.

There are no known vaccines against the H7N9 virus.

However, the strain does not seem highly contagious because no health abnormalities were detected among 88 of the victims' close contacts, the commission said.

Another woman in nearby Anhui province also contracted the virus in early March and is in a critical condition.

All three cases showed symptoms of fever and coughs that later developed into pneumonia.

It is unclear how the three were infected.

China is considered one of the nations most at risk from bird flu because  it has the world's biggest poultry population and many chickens in rural areas are kept close to humans.

The World Health Organisation says more than 360 confirmed human deaths from the H5N1 strain of avian influenza have been reported globally from 2003 until March 12 this year.

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Russia: Homeless Battling Brutal Cold Spring

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

Russia celebrated Maslenitsa, the traditional end of winter festival, a fortnight ago - but the weather does not seem to have taken the hint.

Large stretches of the Moscow river remain frozen, the streets are still packed with ice and snow.

The state weather service says the country is experiencing its coldest March for more than half a century.

Last week, temperatures dropped to -25C overnight.

The unusually cold spring is having serious consequences for the capital's homeless.

Sky News joined a mobile field kitchen run by a charity handing out food near one of Moscow's busiest stations.

The crowd began to gather just before 5pm, standing to one side of the busy pavement as the capital's rush hour hurried home.

Several people asked us to promise our footage would not be shown on Russian television as they were too ashamed for their families to see them.

Volunteers from the Just Help charity arrived to hand out small pots of pasta from the back of a van, with a couple of slices of bread and a hot drink.

It wasn't much, but for many of those gathered it was the only hot food they would eat all day, and a brief respite from the relentless cold.

One of the men, Yuri, told us: "When you are out in the cold 24 hours a day your whole body is cold all the time, you feel like you are freezing.

"Cold weather makes it much worse, you are losing your health. That's why I am trying to eat something hot once a day, trying to take care of myself."

Another man, Augustin, who had both hands amputated, sobbed as he told us: "I had a bladder infection and frostbitten feet, I even got into the hospital because of it, they gave me a surgery.

Homeless people queue at the mobile field kitchen run by Just Help

"My legs were really badly damaged, but the doctor managed to save them. This doctor is the best."

The charity is run by Dr Elizaveta Glinka, but everybody here knows her as 'Dr Liza'.

As she handed out warm socks and medical supplies from an ambulance, she told Sky News: "Many more of them [the homeless] die when spring comes.

"In winter they understand that it's dangerous and are more alert. In March and April, they die from road accidents and from cold as they start sleeping outside.

"Around 30 homeless people freeze every month - those are official statistics. When it gets warmer and the snow piles melt, there will be many bodies found."

A young man called Sasha told us he had been on the streets since he was eight years old and offered to show us how he survived the cold.

He took us to the railway station where he explained that sometimes he slept in the doorways, but often he would just ride around on the metro.

A single ticket is valid all day on the Moscow underground as long as you don't leave the station.

One route, he told us, takes three hours and let's you get some sleep.

Sasha said: "It's very cold in winter, I often get ill. It's much harder to find food. I have to sleep in railway stations and on the metro, but of course the metro is closed at night.

"Winter is a very hard season."

With that he headed off back down to the underground - disappearing into the crowds to take the trains in circles until the stations close.

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