Silk Road: Millions In Bitcoins Forfeited

US prosecutors have announced the forfeiture of $28m (£17m) worth of Bitcoins seized from Silk Road, a hidden online marketplace that was used to shop for drugs and other illegal activities.

Preet Bharara, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the forfeiture of 29,655 Bitcoins as well as the forfeiture of the Silk Road site.

It is the largest ever forfeiture involving the e-currency, a statement by Mr Bharara's office said.

Silk Road's owner and operator, Ross Ulbricht, was arrested in October in San Francisco after a federal investigation that started in 2011.

Ross Ulbricht denies the charges

He has been charged with computer hacking conspiracy, narcotics trafficking conspiracy, and money laundering.

Ulbricht, allegedly known online as Dread Pirate Roberts, denies the charges.

Mr Bharara's statement said the Bitcoins were forfeited "because those assets allegedly were used to facilitate money laundering and constitute property involved in money laundering".

The website, dubbed the eBay of the drug trade, used a privacy-protecting Tor network and Bitcoins which allowed buyers and sellers around the world to shield their identities.

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Spying: Obama To Set Out NSA Reforms

President Barack Obama is expected to announce some curbs to US spying operations in a major speech in response to months of revelations by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The leaks by Snowden, a former security contractor, have shown that surveillance activities by the National Security Agency are far more extensive than previously thought.

They have outraged human rights groups, who say the right to privacy of citizens has been violated, and soured relations with US allies whose leaders have been allegedly spied on, such as Germany.

Critics of US spying programmes have rallied in support of Snowden

US officials insist spying operations are an essential tool in the fight against terrorists, but the president has ordered a review of the programmes in the wake of the leaks.

In his speech, Mr Obama is expected to lay out plans to impose some limits on government surveillance and increase oversight of spying programmes, in an effort to restore confidence in the NSA.

The president will call for ending the government's control of phone data from millions of Americans, reports said. He will likely propose a transitional period and call on Congress to help determine subsequent changes.

He will have to strike a delicate balance between the competing needs of ensuring national security while safeguarding the privacy of American citizens.

In the latest revelations to stem from Snowden's leaked documents, The Guardian reported today that the NSA has been gathering nearly 200 million text messages a day from around the world.

People demonstrate in Washington against NSA surveillance tactics

That includes data on people's travel plans, contacts and credit card transactions.

Code-named Dishfire the NSA programme collects "pretty much everything it can", The Guardian said.

The newspaper said the documents also showed that the British spy agency GCHQ had used the NSA database to search the metadata of "untargeted and unwarranted" communications of people in the UK.

Snowden had already leaked secrets about mass collection of telephone data and other covert eavesdropping programmes before fleeing to Hong Kong and then to Moscow.

Russia has granted him temporary asylum. The US wants him back on charges that include espionage.

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Texas Rhino Hunter Receives Death Threats

A Texas man who won an auction to hunt an endangered black rhino in Namibia has said he has received death threats from animal lovers.

Corey Knowlton paid $350,000 (£212,000) for a permit which was auctioned by the Dallas Safari Club to raise money to protect and conserve the species.

Mr Knowlton has said he has had to hire full-time security due to death threats, after his name was posted on Facebook and picked up on by several websites.

An endangered east African black rhino

The FBI earlier this week said it was investigating death threats against members of the club.

"They're wanting to kill me, they're wanting to kill my children, they're wanting to skin us alive," he told television station KTVT.

According to Mr Knowlton's Facebook page, he leads international hunting trips for a Virginia-based company, The Hunting Consortium, and describes himself as a "hunter/conservationist".

He argued that those criticising him had failed to understand that the idea behind the hunt was to target an old, non-breeding male rhino because it was becoming aggressive and threatening other wildlife.

"We're just not going in there and saying 'hey we're on a rhino hunt and, here, have a beer we're going to find a rhino," he told Dallas television station WFAA.

"No, it is a scientific process and we're going to make sure we get the ones that are causing the most problems."

An estimated 4,000 black rhinos remain in the wild and tens of thousands of people have signed online petitions against the auction.

Animal rights groups condemned the "perverse" claims that the hunt was really about conservation.

"This auction is telling the world that an American will pay anything to kill their species," Jeffrey Flocken, North American regional director of the Massachusetts-based IFAW, said.

"This is, in fact, making a spectacle of killing an endangered species."

Experts say that growing demand for rhino horn in Asia is driving up cases of poaching.

In countries like China and Vietnam, there is a belief that powdered rhino horn has medicinal powers and can impact diseases like cancer. Horns can sell for around $65,000 a kilogram.

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Japan's Hidden WWII Jungle Soldier Onoda Dies

A Japanese soldier who hid in the jungle for three decades, refusing to believe World War Two was over, has died in Tokyo at the age of 91.

The soldier, centre, leaves the jungle nearly 30 years after the war ended

Hiroo Onoda only came out of the Philippines jungle to surrender when his former commander returned in 1974 and persuaded him to give up, bringing his one-man war to an end.

Leaflet drops and other efforts to convince him the Japanese army had been defeated had failed.

Trained as an information officer and guerrilla tactics coach, Onoda was sent to Lubang island in 1944 and ordered never to surrender, never to resort to suicidal attacks and to hold firm until reinforcements arrived.

He and three other soldiers continued to obey that order long after Japan's 1945 defeat.

Onoda surrenders his sword to the Philippines' President Marcos

In 1972, Onoda and the other surviving soldier were involved in a shoot-out with Philippine troops. His comrade died, but Onoda managed to escape.

The incident shocked Japan, which took his family members to Lubang in the hope of persuading him that hostilities were over.

But he refused to quit, saying later that he had believed attempts to coax him out were the work of a puppet regime installed in Tokyo by the US.

Onoda, believing WWII was raging on, focused on 'carrying out my orders'

Asked at a news conference in Japan after his 1974 return what he had been thinking about for the previous 30 years, he told reporters: "Carrying out my orders."

The Japan that Onoda returned to was very changed - gone from a strong militarist government that believed in its divine right to rule the region to an economy in the grip of a recession.

Japan was by then also avowedly pacifist.

Onoda had difficultly adapting to the new reality and, in 1975, emigrated to Brazil to start a cattle ranch, although he continued to travel back and forth.

"I don't consider those 30 years a waste of time," he said in an interview in  1995.

"Without that experience, I wouldn't have my life today."

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Weibo: Millions Stop Using 'Chinese Twitter'

Users of China's Twitter-like microblogging site Weibo has fallen for the first time amid challenges from new instant-messaging applications and stricter government controls.

According to a report published by China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC), the number of users of Weibo, known as the Chinese version of Twitter, dropped 9% from a year earlier to 281 million at the end of 2013.

This marked the first decline in usage of the platform in figures dating back to 2010.

In its annual report, CNNIC reported an overall fall in users of social media as a percentage of the entire population of internet users in 2013, but instant-messaging services such as WeChat experienced rapid growth.

Doug Young, author and former financial journalist in China. said: "WeChat has become the trendy hot thing of the day and is replacing Weibo.

"The crackdown has impacted a certain group of users on Weibo."

WeChat allows users to share information with circles of friends or open a public account that others can subscribe to, similar to the Twitter feature of having followers but without any word limit.

Observers believe the overall decline in use of traditional social media in China is also partly due to government restrictions on microblogs.

A new legal interpretation allows the government to jail microbloggers who post false information that has been reposted 500 times or viewed 5,000 times.

Willy Lam, a political analyst at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said: "I think there are several reasons, with the crackdown being one.

"People don't want to get into trouble, and they have found other means of communications."

In November, a top propaganda official declared a victory when asked to comment on the state of China's microblog-sphere.

Ren Xianliang, vice minister of the State Internet Information Office, said: "If we should describe the online environment in the past as good mingling with the bad, the sky of the cyberspace has cleared up now because we have cracked down on online rumours."

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China Defends Blocking Some Western Websites

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent in Beijing

China's ambassador to the UK has defended his country's long-standing decision to block some Western media companies, in an interview with Sky News.

Speaking to Sky's Jeff Randall, Ambassador Liu Xiaoming said the websites of the New York Times, Bloomberg, Facebook and Twitter would remain blocked because "they have to fall in the law of China and they have to serve the interests of the people".

"Are you really saying that you want propaganda rather than the truth?" Randall asked the ambassador.

"No. That's not true. We are looking for truth," the ambassador replied.

"We manage the media according to the law. The important thing is that the media, whether it's foreign or Chinese, they have to fall in the law of China and they have to serve the interests of the people.

"What we are concerned about is the healthy content, is whether it's in the interests of improving mutual understanding in China."

Asked what the media companies could possibly publish that would damage China's interests, Mr Liu said: "You should ask them.

Twitter and Facebook are among the websites blocked

"We expect them to be a good citizen in China rather than spreading rumours and bias against China, and we don't see that's the purpose of increasing mutual understanding between China and the outside world."

The blocking of the New York Times and Bloomberg websites is believed to stem from investigative journalism done by both organisations which exposed the huge wealth of China's leaders including the country's current president and general secretary of its Communist Party, Xi Jinping.

Twitter and Facebook are both unavailable inside China because of their ability, as the ambassador put it, to "spread rumours".

China has its own very popular version of Twitter called Weibo, but because it is controlled domestically, the authorities are able to censor it and delete posts which they deem damaging to their interests.

They are unable to do the same with Facebook and Twitter.

Many users in China, including most foreigners, manage to get round the so-called "Great Firewall of China" using virtual private networks (VPNs) which trick their computer or smartphone into believing it is operating outside China.

Since Mr Xi took office in March 2013, there has been a marked increase in the number of people detained for speaking out online against corruption or other aspects of displeasure with their local or national government.

This is the message that comes up if you try to access Bloomberg in China

Those detained include known "dissidents" of the Chinese Communist Party, but also other regular citizens, lawyers and academics.

Despite this, Mr Liu insisted that China was reforming in several key areas.

"Comprehensive deepening reform … five major areas including economic reform, political reform, education, cultural, environmental …," he said.

"So I think the country will be completely changed as a result of this reform."

Mr Liu said he believed the West suffered from a significant lack of knowledge of China, and said it was up to the Western media to "open their eyes" in China.

"Unfortunately, Western countries know not enough of China," he said.

"There is a big imbalance about how much Chinese people know about the outside world and how much the outside world knows China, especially in the Western world, there's still some people haunted by this so-called Cold War mentality.

"They see China through the stained glass and they see China through their stereotype mindset of China.

"So I think it's really up to the media, for Western journalists, they have to open their eyes to see the comprehensive picture of China."

However, foreign journalists operating in China are routinely blocked from carrying out their work objectively.

In March, Sky News faced detention for four hours after mentioning the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989.

And in November we were forcibly prevented from meeting the wife of the Nobel Peace prize winner Liu Xiaobo.

He remains in jail, convicted of subversion of the government.

Even seemingly simple reports are off limits: a comprehensive look at China's remarkably impressive high-speed rail network had to be filmed in the guise of tourists because a year-long attempt to get permission to film on trains and stations was rejected by the government with no reason given.

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Tiger Attacks: 'Man-Eater' Kills Seven People

The number of people killed by a tiger on the loose in India has reportedly risen to seven, as thousands of terrified villagers are forced to stay inside.

Hunters are looking for the female "man-eater" who has been prowling for food across a forested area spanning 80 miles in Uttar Pradesh state for the past fortnight.

The animal is said to be still hungry as it has been "running without rest and adequate food", according to the principal chief conservator of forests, Rupak De.

He said: "A hunt has been launched to kill the tigress that has turned into a man-eater."

Reports began surfacing late last year that a killer tiger was on the loose when a 65-year-old man was mauled in Sambhai district.

Its latest victim was a woman whose body was found on Tuesday.

People are terrified and have been told not to go into forested areas alone, according to an official.

Three hunters have been hired to kill the tigress, who is believed to have strayed into the area from Jim Corbett National Park.

But wildlife activist and MP Meneka Gandhi has asked the regional government not to shoot her.

In a letter to officials, she said the animal was only attacking people because it was hungry and would spare humans once it returns to its natural habitat.

She said the government should capture the tiger and release it in the neighbouring state of Uttarakhand.

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German Economy Slips As World Forecast Raised

The World Bank raised its forecast for global growth for the first time in three years just as Germany reported its worst economic performance since 2009.

The bank's latest Global Economics Prospects report predicts world output will firm from 2.4% in 2013 to 3.2% this year and 3.4% in 2015.

The growth would be led, the study said, by advanced economies starting to pick up pace following the financial crisis.

But just hours after the upbeat report was released, Germany confirmed its economy - Europe's biggest - slowed more than expected last year.

GDP output growth was measured at just 0.25% in the fourth quarter.

Germany, unlike many other countries in the 18-nation eurozone, avoided recession as the continent struggled to put its debt crisis behind it but the effects of the downturn hit demand as exports weakened.

Consumer spending is the main driver of German growth currently

Nevertheless, the Bank's rosier outlook suggests the wider world economy is finally breaking free of the shackles caused by the credit crunch and resulting depression - led by improving growth in the United States.

Its chief economist Kaushik Basu said: "For the first time in five years, there are indications that a self-sustaining recovery has begun among high-income countries - suggesting that they may now join developing countries as a second engine of growth in the global economy."

The bank again shaved its forecasts for developing countries, to 5.3% for 2014 from the 5.6% it predicted in June.

Emerging markets have grown at their slowest pace in a decade for the past two years, after chalking up growth rates of around 7.5% before the financial crisis hit.

However, the report warned that growth prospects remain vulnerable.

It cited the threat from rising interest rates and potential volatility in capital flows as the US Federal Reserve eases up on the extraordinary stimulus it has been providing to the US economy.

However, the bank said it expected the Fed and other major western central banks to keep their core interest rates low for at least another year.

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Iraq Car Bomb Attacks Kill Dozens In Baghdad

At least 44 people have been killed in a series of bomb blasts in Iraq, authorities in the country have said.

Car bombs exploded across the Iraqi capital Baghdad's mostly Shi'ite districts, killing dozens and wounding many more, police and hospital sources said.

In the deadliest single incident, a bomb blew up in a funeral tent in Buhriz - 35 miles north of Baghdad - where mourners were marking the death of a Sunni Muslim pro-government fighter.

At least 16 people were killed and 26 wounded, according to one report.

In Baghdad itself, a series of bombings killed at least 28 people.

Five shoppers were killed by a parked car bomb in the northern Shula neighbourhood, and another three also died in another blast nearby.

In Baghdad's southern suburb of Hussainya, a car bomb killed four civilians, officials said, while in the capital's eastern Palestine Street, a car bomb killed three civilians.

Civilians gather at the site of one of the explosions

Another market bombing killed three civilians in the eastern Maamil area, police said.

An explosion in the Shaab neighbourhood killed four people, while two bombs in the Karrada area killed six more people, medical officials said.

Nearly a hundred people were injured in the Baghdad attacks.

These latest attacks indicate that, two years after US troops left Iraq, violence has climbed back to its highest levels since the Sunni-Shi'ite bloodshed of 2006-2007, when tens of thousands of people were killed.

No organisation immediately said they were responsible but al Qaeda-linked militants are believed to be behind the attacks which were mostly directed at state targets, Shi'ite civilians and Sunnis seen as loyal to the Shi'ite-led government.

The violence occurred amid a continuing standoff between the Iraqi army and Sunni militants who overran the city of Fallujah west of Baghdad more than two weeks ago in a challenge to prime minister Nouri al Maliki's government.

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John Kerry 'Undeterred' By Messiah Jibe

By Tom Rayner, Middle East News Editor, Jerusalem

The US Secretary of State has said he will work "undeterred" on peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, despite being labelled "obsessive and messianic" by a leading Israeli minister.

Israel's Yediot Aharonot newspaper reported on Tuesday that Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon had made the comments in private conversations between Israeli and American officials.

The paper claimed Ya'alon had expressed hope that John Kerry would win the Nobel Peace Prize, so that he might focus his energies elsewhere.

"Kerry - who arrived here determined, and who operates from an incomprehensible obsession and a sense of messianism - can't teach me anything about the conflict with the Palestinians," he was reported as saying.

White House spokesman Jay Carney labelled the comments "offensive and inappropriate".

Moshe Ya'alon had made the comments in private

But at a news conference in Kuwait, Mr Kerry said he would not allow "one set of comments to undermine peace efforts".

According to the Haaretz newspaper, he said: "I will work undeterred ... after five months of negotiations, I believe strongly in the prospects for peace and I know the status quo is not sustainable.

"We've always known that as we approach the time for these difficult choices, it's going to be difficult."

Mr Ya'alon's office issued an apology on Tuesday evening following a long meeting with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"The defence minister did not intend to insult the secretary and he apologises if the secretary was hurt by the remarks attributed to the defence minister," the statement read.

The statement was issued after a senior US official called on Mr Netanyahu to publicly denounce Mr Ya'alon's remarks, after he was perceived to have offered too soft a rebuke in the Israeli parliament earlier in the day.

Mr Ya'alon apologised after a long meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu

Speaking in the Knesset, Mr Netanyahu had appeared to criticise the wisdom of singling out Mr Kerry individually, but not question the sentiment with regards to the US approach to negotiations.

"Even when we have disagreements with the United States, it is about the matter at hand and not about the person," Mr Netanyahu had said.

The diplomatic spat comes amid Mr Kerry's efforts to revive the faltering peace process and push for the establishment of a two-state solution.

The parties were brought back round the negotiating table in August and since then, Mr Kerry has made more than 10 visits to the region.

The current negotiating phase has a deadline on April 29, by which time Mr Kerry hopes both sides will have arrived at a framework agreement that could pave the way for a final deal on borders, refugees, natural resources and the status of Jerusalem.

Ariel Sharon's funeral took place on Monday

But the comments by Mr Ya'alon have stoked already existing tensions between the Obama administration and the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel was stinging in its opposition to the US-backed deal with Iran, that aims to see parts of the country's civil nuclear programme rolled back and made more transparent in return for sanctions relief.

The US administration also slammed last week's Israeli government announcement of 1,800 new permissions for settlement construction in the West Bank as "illegitimate".

Speaking at the funeral of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Monday, US Vice President Joe Biden insisted, despite some disagreements over specific policies, that American support for Israel was unwavering.

However, when speaking at the same service, Mr Netanyahu made specific reference to Mr Sharon's ability not to be pushed around by the US.

"He understood the importance of our relationship with the United States, but also knew how to stand for Israel's rights," he said during his eulogy.

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Giant Squid Caught By Japanese Fishermen

A group of Japanese fishermen have landed a giant squid while on the hunt for a completely different catch.

Shigenori Goto and his crew were hoping for a catch of yellowtail fish but instead the mammoth squid - weighing 163kg (360lbs) - came into view in the freezing seas of northern Japan.

"We were about 30 or 40 minutes into our day when we saw this huge reddish-brown thing come swimming up, rising from the depths," the 44-year-old revealed in a telephone interview.

The squid was first spotted under the surface. Pic: Shigenori Goto

"I'd never seen anything like it before. I was surprised, there's no other word for it. And then it was complete chaos on the boat - we all just started shouting 'giant squid, giant squid'," he added.

The squid, a male, died shortly after being pulled to the surface last Wednesday off the coast of Sado island in Niigata Prefecture.

Experts said the squid, which lost its super-long tentacles during the capture, was likely to have been around 8 metres (26 feet) in total, since the tentacles usually equal the rest of the body in length.

A man poses alongside the squid. Pic: Niigata Prefecture

The largest ever caught measured some 18 metres (60 feet) from the top of its head to tentacle tip.

The fisherman said he wished the squid had looked better when it was caught.

"I wish we'd been able to make the squid more presentable, but there are no fishing techniques for catching giant squid and I had no idea it was going to become such a big deal. Otherwise I'd have tried to treat it a bit more gently," he said.

Squid, both raw and cooked, is a popular food in Japan but Mr Goto said the thought of eating the catch never crossed his mind.

"It was a seriously big squid. Any smaller and we might have thought about eating it, but there was this really bad ammonia smell. I don't think it would have made for good food."

The squid was "too big for food". Pic: Niigata Prefecture

Giant squid, mysterious creatures thought to have inspired the myth of the monstrous "kraken", make occasional appearances near the Japanese archipelago.

After its capture, the squid was driven away away for tests at a nearby research institute.

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Hollande: Like The Others But Without Charisma

The whole thing is very French - the Actress and Le President. What's more, it is the one thing the French refuse to get angry about.

They'll bring Paris to a standstill over proposed changes to taxi laws - as happened on Monday - but it would be positively English to take issue with a two-timing head of state.

"It's private," is the most common response from Parisiennes asked about their President's alleged affair. The only question they seem to have is whether French taxpayers should be funding the lifestyle of the First Lady, Valerie Trierweiler, if she is no longer the President's girlfriend.

Francois Hollande must clarify, almost as if it were a cabinet decision, whether the First Lady will be reshuffled out, mid-term.

There is one other issue, however, which plays into Mr Hollande's general character. "He is as a man who can't commit," one Parisienne woman commented. "It's not good to be indecisive, if you are a President."

The calm before the storm: Mr Hollande with Valerie Trierweiler last week

Mr Hollande never married his first long-term girlfriend, the politician Segolene Royal - herself a former presidential runner - with whom he had four children.

Despite moving Valerie Trierweiler into the Elysee palace there's been no suggestion of marriage since they got together in 2007.

While he spent Christmas with the First Lady and her family, under the cover of a moped helmet he was also allegedly sneaking one street away from the Elysee Palace to the appropriately named Rue du Cirque (Circus Road) for flings with French actress Julie Gayet.

"If he can't decide on his girlfriend, how can he make a decision on the economy?" ask his opponents. "And if the First Lady can't trust him can we?"

Up until now he has managed to convey a straight-laced image; a man who may have been failing to re-energise the French economy but his one endearing quality was his workmanlike approach to the job.

How the Italian newspapers covered the Hollande saga

So if it turns out he's just like all the others, but without the charisma, what's left to like?

Political analyst Dominique Moisi said: "The fact is that this is the most unpopular president in the history of the Fifth Republic. He wanted to impress the French with the fact that he was a normal man, that he was a man of dignity, simplicity and moral rigour. And suddenly the French are discovering that he is like others, but in a less glorious manner, and really a more ridiculous manner.

"A president who has to hide under a helmet, driving with a bodyguard on a scooter to see his alleged mistress."

A sex scandal is the last thing France's president needs.

It has opened him to ridicule as well as dislike, and from now on he will forever be portrayed by cartoonists as a man wearing a helmet - with all the negative connotations that evokes.

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Egypt: Voting Begins On New Constitution

Voting on Egypt's new constitution is under way, the first ballot since the military ousted President Mohamed Morsi last year.

A yes vote is expected and the result could encourage a bid for the presidency by the head of the army, General Abdel Fattah al Sisi.

Tensions in the country are high as people go to the polls. Thousands of soldiers have been deployed to guard polling stations.

Hospital officials quoted by the AFP news agency said a man was killed in clashes between Islamists and civilian opponents in the central province of Beni Sweif.

A bomb exploded outside a court in Cairo less than two hours before polling stations opened. A police general cited by AFP said it caused little damage and no injuries.

Gen Sisi forced Mr Morsi, Egypt's first freely-elected leader, from office in July following mass protests involving millions of people.

Pope Tawadros II, Pope of the Coptic Church, after casting his vote

Islamist opponents view Gen Sisi as the man who caused violence and bloodshed unprecedented in the nation's modern history. At least 1,000 people, mostly Islamists, have been killed in clashes, with thousands imprisoned.

Supporters of Mr Morsi have called for a boycott of the poll, which is set to last for two days. They have been on the end of a brutal crackdown since the coup. 

Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement was declared a terrorist organisation in December. He is currently on trial over the deaths of protesters when he was in power and his escape from prison during the 2011 uprising that got rid of former president Hosni Mubarak.

Backers of the interim government argue the referendum is the first of several votes which will restore elected rule by the end of the year.

In a speech on Sunday, Interim President Adly Mansour urged Egyptians to cast their ballots. He said: "I call on you to live up to the responsibility you owe to your nation and to ensure a better future for this country to go to your polling station and vote."

The capital Cairo has been filled with banners urging Egyptians to vote yes, with many featuring military motifs such as a general's hat, a reference to Gen Sisi.

The aftermath of a bomb which exploded in Cairo on polling day

Rights lawyer Ragia Omran told AFP at least seven activists have been detained in the last week for distributing posters or leaflets critical of the new constitution. Most were released after a few days.

The new draft of the constitution has removed a lot of the Islamist-inspired wording of Mr Morsi's constitution. This was suspended when he was removed from power.

Supporters claim it expands women's rights and freedom of speech.

The powers of the military have been boosted. If passed, the army would have the right to appoint the defence minister for the next eight years and prosecute civilians for attacks on the armed forces.

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CAR Violence: Harrowing Stories From Conflict

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent

The most senior Muslim leader in the Central African Republic is to travel to Britain in a few days' time to appeal for help from Prime Minister David Cameron as religious attacks raged on in the poverty-stricken country.

The attacks have continued unabated despite last Friday's sudden resignation of the country's first Muslim president, Michel Djotodia.

Sky News accompanied Imam Oumar Kobine Layama as he visited Muslim neighbourhoods in the capital Bangui surrounded by armed guards, and saw hundreds of families cowering in fear in deserted schools and mosques.

"We are forgotten by the French troops," one young man shouted at us.

Another told us: "This is genocide, a big genocide.

"We have Christians living with us and we protect the Christians, but if a Muslim walks downtown then he will be killed."

Tears fell down the cheeks of a 50-year-old Muslim woman as she told us how she witnessed her husband and her son being slaughtered by the Christian anti-balaka militia.

These Christian men were filmed cutting pages of what looked like the Koran

Since the attack a month ago, she has been sheltering  with her two younger sons in the courtyard of a school along with about 40 other families.

They are desperate conditions and the fear is palpable.

Adam Ahamat shook violently as he told us how he witnessed Christian gangs burning his wife and two babies alive.

He said: "They locked the door of our home and then torched it.

"I've lost my life, I don't know what to do."

Mr Ahamat is still recovering from a machete attack on him as he tried to save his family.

He has slash wounds, but it is the emotional scars which will take a lot longer to heal.

But the Christians are suffering too.

More than a million Central Africans - both Muslims and Christians - are now living crowded in multiple camps and separated largely on religious lines, surviving in deplorable conditions where disease is now thriving.

Adam Ahamat said his wife and two babies were burned alive

A Christian woman said: "These are terrible conditions. We're abandoned here and we're still being threatened by the Muslim Seleka bandits."

We see several mosques which have been destroyed in the orgy of violence and vandalism which led up to the resignation of Mr Djotodia.

A group of Christian youths carrying machetes tell us proudly they took part in the destruction of the Muslim holy place we are looking at.

There are loose pages of what looks like the Koran still laying on the ground, and the youths pick them up and slice them with their machetes.

"It's the end of Muslims in this country," a young man said.

"Can you live in peace again?" I ask one of the machete-wielding men.

"Yes," he says. "We have lived side-by-side for decades but we need some help from  outside, I don't see anyone in the Central African Republic can sort it on their own."

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Francois Hollande Faces Media Over Affair Claims

Hollande: Like The Others But Without Charisma

Updated: 12:20pm UK, Tuesday 14 January 2014

By Jason Farrell, Sky News Correspondent, in Paris

The whole thing is very French - the Actress and Le President. What's more, it is the one thing the French refuse to get angry about.

They'll bring Paris to a standstill over proposed changes to taxi laws - as happened on Monday - but it would be positively English to take issue with a two-timing head of state.

"It's private," is the most common response from Parisiennes asked about their President's alleged affair. The only question they seem to have is whether French taxpayers should be funding the lifestyle of the First Lady, Valerie Trierweiler, if she is no longer the President's girlfriend.

Francois Hollande must clarify, almost as if it were a cabinet decision, whether the First Lady will be reshuffled out, mid-term.

There is one other issue, however, which plays into Mr Hollande's general character. "He is as a man who can't commit," one Parisienne woman commented. "It's not good to be indecisive, if you are a President."

Mr Hollande never married his first long-term girlfriend, the politician Segolene Royal - herself a former presidential runner - with whom he had four children.

Despite moving Valerie Trierweiler into the Elysee palace there's been no suggestion of marriage since they got together in 2007.

While he spent Christmas with the First Lady and her family, under the cover of a moped helmet he was also allegedly sneaking one street away from the Elysee Palace to the appropriately named Rue du Cirque (Circus Road) for flings with French actress Julie Gayet.

"If he can't decide on his girlfriend, how can he make a decision on the economy?" ask his opponents. "And if the First Lady can't trust him can we?"

Up until now he has managed to convey a straight-laced image; a man who may have been failing to re-energise the French economy but his one endearing quality was his workmanlike approach to the job.

So if it turns out he's just like all the others, but without the charisma, what's left to like?

Political analyst Dominique Moisi said: "The fact is that this is the most unpopular president in the history of the Fifth Republic. He wanted to impress the French with the fact that he was a normal man, that he was a man of dignity, simplicity and moral rigour. And suddenly the French are discovering that he is like others, but in a less glorious manner, and really a more ridiculous manner.

"A president who has to hide under a helmet, driving with a bodyguard on a scooter to see his alleged mistress."

A sex scandal is the last thing France's president needs.

It has opened him to ridicule as well as dislike, and from now on he will forever be portrayed by cartoonists as a man wearing a helmet - with all the negative connotations that evokes.

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Ariel Sharon Remembered As 'Military Legend'

'Bulldozer' Sharon Ruthless But Courageous

Updated: 1:54pm UK, Saturday 11 January 2014

By Sam Kiley, Middle East Correspondent

In October 1953, Israeli paratroops and commandos from the Jewish State's first special forces unit, attacked the Arab village of Qibya, on the West Bank.

Some 69 villagers, many of them women and children, were killed. International condemnation followed.

But the raid did nothing to slow down the rise of the then leader of the SF - Unit 101 - Ariel Sharon.

He went on to personify all that Israel stood for - not among moderates but among those who most hated Israel, and among many who most loved it.

Many in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jordan and beyond will celebrate the final passing of Mr Sharon.

His cunning, tactical finesse, brutality and uncompromising belief in the secular Zionist cause, meant he usually won battles and sometimes wars, against those who would annihilate Israel.

He will be mourned as one of the leading lights of Israeli statesmanship who began fighting for the nation before it existed, who shattered the Egyptians in the Sinai in 1967, and saved Israel from defeat in 1973.

But for one man Mr Sharon's death is a particular blow.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the current Israeli Prime Minister, will now inevitably face comparisons with Mr Sharon, and be found significantly wanting.

Mr Sharon was brave. He was ruthless. He may even have been murderous. But he also had political courage.

As prime minister of Israel from 2004-2005, he ordered the withdrawal of illegal Jewish settlements from the Gaza Strip.

He had been the champion of the settlements as both a Zionist enterprise and a tactical necessity.

But to advance peace with the Palestinians he turned on his own.

Some of his confidantes even believe that when he split with the Likud party to form Kadima, shortly before his stroke eight years ago, he had been planning to pull Israeli troops out of the West Bank too. 

Such dramatic moves could only be contemplated by a man who had impeccable hardcore credentials among Israel's right.

He had the medals, and he had earned international opprobrium in defence of Israel.

As defence minister he brought disgrace on the Jewish State after the massacre of Palestinians by Lebanese Christians allied with Israel at the Sabra and Shatila camps in 1982.

An Israeli government investigation found him personally responsible for the atrocity.

In September 2000, he ignited the al Aqsa Intifada by provocatively exercising his 'right' to enter the al Aqsa Mosque complex in a move which sparked immediate bloodletting.

Yet after all this hard-headed belligerence, Mr Sharon recognised that Israel could not survive indefinitely in a regional sea of hatred.

His plans to end the most poisonous aspect of Israel's relationship with her Arab neighbours, the occupation of Palestinian lands, were cut short when he suffered a stroke.

His political heir, Mr Netanyahu, was an officer for a while in Sarayet Metkal, Israel's special force founded by Mr Sharon.

He has led the Likud party and been prime minister for longer than the man they called "the bulldozer".

But his critics fear he does not have Mr Sharon's military credibility, popularity, nor the political backbone or the personal dash that Israel so badly now needs.

This will be the year in which Bibi gets the chance to prove that he is Mr Sharon's political son, not his shadow.

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Mexico Vigilantes Seize Town From Drug Cartel

Hundreds of heavily armed vigilantes have seized a key stronghold of a Mexican drug cartel.

Fierce gunfire erupted as members of the so-called self-defence group, riding in more than 100 pickup trucks, entered the western town of Nueva Italia, in Michoacan state, disarmed local police and surrounded the city hall.

At least two vigilantes were wounded in the ensuing battle with presumed members of the Knights Templar cartel.

Jaime Ortiz, a 47-year-old farmer and vigilante leader said: "They shot at us from two locations and the clash lasted around an hour-and-a-half."

Both federal police and soldiers were reported to have been present in the town during the clashes, but did not intervene.

Authorities later reported finding the bodies of two men hanging from a bridge on a highway leading to the town.

It was not immediately clear whether the killings were related to the vigilantes' advance, although Mexican cartels are known to have carried out a number of hangings.

The vigilantes have now surrounded the farming hub of Apatzingan, considered to be the Knights Templar's main stronghold, and are expected to advance in the coming days.

The self-defence group, which first emerged over a year ago, has grown in strength in recent months, taking control of several communities in Michoacan state in an effort to regain territory from the Knights Templar.

Members say they were motivated by the local police's inability or unwillingness to end drug-related crime including murder, kidnappings and extortion rackets.

In May, President Enrique Pena Nieto announced he was sending thousands of federal police officers and soldiers to the state to quell violence, although little success has been reported so far.

Michoacan State Governor Fausto Vallejo has formally asked the government for more assistance to deal with drug-related crime.

He said new "co-ordinated actions" with the federal government were to be announced on Monday.

The federal government has classified self-defence units as illegal, with many members carrying high-calibre weapons only permitted for military use.

It is, however, yet to take any action against them.

Critics of the vigilante group suggest it could be backed by a rival drug cartel – something the group fiercely denies.

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Polar Vortex II Set To Strike US This Week

America is set to be hit by another blast from the polar vortex - although temperatures are likely to be higher than last week's extreme conditions.

The polar plunge is expected to move south from Canada, bringing colder air and sub-zero temperatures to the US this week.

Forecasters say it will sweep over the lower Mississippi Valley and Midwest on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then hit the East on Thursday.

The main thrust of the cold air will follow up a couple of days later.

More sub-zero temperatures are set to hit the US. Pic: AccuWeather.com

However, the conditions will be far less challenging than last week's record-breaking polar air blast which affected more than half the US population.

"Following the retreat of Arctic air this weekend, waves of progressively colder air will move southward over Canada this week," said Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather.com's lead long-range forecaster.

"We will likely see a piece of the polar vortex break off and set up just north of the Great Lakes spanning January 16 to 20.

"This next main arctic blast will not rival, nor will be as extensive as the event last week."

Many areas are still recovering from last week's polar vortex, which saw the mercury plunge to -12C (11F) in New York City and -24C in Chicago.

The Niagara Falls froze during last week's polar vortex

Ice has blocked the Delaware River in New Jersey, forcing roads to close and causing a severe flood risk.

Water has built up behind the ice dam, and emergency services fear when temperatures rise it could devastate the area.

"If in fact the ice jam breaks then we'll have a rush of water which could cause flash flooding," said Qareeb Bashir, from Trenton Emergency Management.

A Coast Guard cutter was brought in to keep shipping lanes open, but the ice was too thick to break in places.

A 65ft-long cutter breaks up ice on the Delaware River

Residents have flocked to the river banks to take pictures of the polar conditions.

Rick Wilson, from Yardley, Pennsylvania, told an ABC TV station: "Incredible. I came down here just to take pictures of this. My grandchildren would not believe this. This looks like something you'd find in Antarctica."

Sky News weather producer Jo Robinson said: "After a milder spell, plunges of cold air are expected later in the week.

"The first is expected across parts of Canada, the Midwest and eastern parts of the US over the next few days.

"More significant cold air will affect those areas by the weekend, but thankfully it doesn't look to be as cold as last week."

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Central African Republic: 'Anarchy Is Over'

The "anarchy" in the Central African Republic between rival Christian and Muslim groups is over, the country's interim president has said.

Alexandre-Ferdinand Nguendet said during a speech at police headquarters: "To the ex-Seleka, to the anti-balaka and the lovers of looting, I'm giving you a severe warning: The party is over."

The Seleka rebels, who are mostly Muslim, brought the country's former president Michel Djotodia to power in March.

Mr Djotodia, the first Muslim leader in the majority Christian country, stepped down on Friday along with Prime Minister Nicolas Tiengaye.

His time in office was beset by violence. More than 1,000 people have been killed in the last month.

It is hoped Nr Djotodia's resignation will ease tensions in the state.

Thousands of soldiers and police have deserted their posts in recent months because they fear reprisals from the Seleka.

Some joined the Christian anti-balaka militia, which was formed to fight against the Seleka.

On Monday, hundreds of soldiers were seen returning to their posts in the capital Bangui by the AFP news agency.

It came after chief of staff General Ferdinand Bomboyeke urged troops to return to their barracks.

Colonel Desire Bakossa, who supervised the registration, told AFP: "They came in very large numbers and they're still coming.

"They answered the general's call. It's a relief. It's a very good sign."

Centres for police officers to register have also been set up in Bangui.

France has so far deployed 1,600 soldiers to help support the African Union MISCA force.

The CAR gained independence from France in 1960.

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Ireland Chess Killer 'Ate Victim's Body Parts'

A lodger has admitted killing a man during a row over a game of chess - and is said to have eaten his victim's heart.

Saverio Bellante claimed to have eaten his landlord's organ after a violent argument.

But a post-mortem found that while one lung was missing, the heart was intact.

The examination found that a lung was removed from the body of researcher Tom O'Gorman, 39, during the attack and had not yet been located, the Irish Independent reported, citing an undisclosed source.

Mr O'Gorman's body was found with multiple stab wounds at his home in Beech Park Avenue, Castleknock, in north Dublin, where the accused had been living as a tenant. He had also been beaten several times over the head with a dumbbell.

Bellante, 34, originally from Palermo on the Italian island of Sicily, has been charged with murder.

The paper said it had not been possible to establish whether Mr O'Gorman was already dead before his body was mutilated.

Irish police were alerted to the killing when the accused, who was described as "calm," phoned emergency services at 1.50am on Sunday.

Bellante appeared before Blanchardstown District Court on Monday. Detective Garda Patrick Traynor told the court that Bellante admitted the murder when he was cautioned.

Judge David McHugh ordered that he undergo a medical assessment.

It is understood Mr O'Gorman was a former journalist with The Voice Today, a Roman Catholic newspaper.

A graduate of University College Dublin, he had more recently been a researcher with the Dublin-based Catholic lobby group the Iona Institute for seven years, and is believed to have taken in a lodger in recent months to help supplement his income.

David Quinn, director of The Iona Institute, said Mr O'Gorman's friends and colleagues were left devastated by his death.

"On behalf of everyone at The Iona Institute, I would like to express our total shock and deep sorrow at the terrible and untimely death of Tom O'Gorman," he said.

"Tom was a friend as well as a work colleague to us all. He was a fond and dear friend and we will all miss him.

It is not thought alcohol or drugs were involved in the incident.

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Germany Plane Crash: 'Four Die' As Jet On Fire

Four people are believed to have died after a small jet flying from West Sussex crashed near an airfield in Germany.

The plane damaged an electricity pylon as it came down at a landfill site and was in flames when firefighters arrived at the scene near the western city of Trier.

Pictures from the scene apparently showed foam covering the aircraft after firefighters smothered the blaze.

A spokesman for Trier-Fohren airfield said the plane was travelling from Shoreham airport and all those who died were German.

The plane came down near the city of Trier

The plane, believed to be a Cessna Citation business jet, was carrying two pilots and two passengers.

It was not known what might have caused the tragedy but it was reportedly foggy at the time of the crash.

Police said a member of the public had called the emergency services and raised the alarm.

Experts were on their way to the scene to investigate how the crash happened, a spokesman said.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of the reports and are urgently looking into them."

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Ariel Sharon: Ex-Leader's Body Lies In State

The body of former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon is lying in state at his country's parliament building, the day after he died aged 85.

Mr Sharon's coffin is sitting in the plaza outside the Knesset in Jerusalem until 6pm local time (4pm UK time) for mourners to pay their respects.

Earlier, Israeli ministers held a minute's silence as they met for their weekly cabinet meeting.

Current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the cabinet: "He will be remembered in the heart of the Jewish people forever as one of our most outstanding leaders and most daring commanders."

Mr Sharon will be buried on Monday afternoon at his ranch in the Negev desert, in southern Israel, during a military ceremony.

Israel generals salute Mr Sharon's coffin

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was among those expected to attend.

Mr Sharon had been in a coma since suffering a stroke in January 2006.

His condition deteriorated on New Year's Day when he suffered serious kidney problems after surgery.

Mr Netanyahu said "his memory will forever be held in the heart of the nation", while President Shimon Peres said he would be "greatly missed".

World leaders also sent condolences, with US President Barack Obama describing him as a leader who "dedicated his life to the State of Israel".

Vice President Joe Biden will lead a US delegation to the memorial service due to be held in parliament on Monday before the burial.

Nicknamed "The Bulldozer", Mr Sharon was a veteran soldier who fought in all of Israel's major wars before beginning a turbulent political career in 1973.

He was elected premier in 2001 despite experiencing a period in the political wilderness because of his personal but "indirect" responsibility for the 1982 massacre of hundreds of Palestinians.

As an army officer addressing his troops of the famous Unit 101 in 1955

Ministers in Israel's right-wing government and the political opposition have mourned a leader who left big footprints on the region through military invasion, Jewish settlement building on captured land and a unilateral decision to pull Israeli troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip in 2005.

In Gaza, Hamas has welcomed Mr Sharon's death and celebrated in the streets.

"We have become more confident in victory with the departure of this tyrant," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zurhi said.

"Our people today feel extreme happiness at the death and departure of this criminal whose hands were smeared with the blood of our people and the blood of our leaders here and in exile."

Prime Minister David Cameron said: "Ariel Sharon is one of the most significant figures in Israeli history and as prime minister he took brave and controversial decisions in pursuit of peace, before he was so tragically incapacitated.

"Israel has today lost an important leader."

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Black Rhino Hunt: Permit Sells For $350k

A US hunting club has been criticised for selling a permit to kill an endangered black rhino in Namibia for $350,000 (£212,000).

Dallas Safari Club defended the sale, saying the cash would go towards animal conservation in the cash-strapped African country.

The permit allows the unnamed buyer to kill a single, post-breeding bull, with Namibian wildlife officials on hand to make sure an appropriate animal is targeted, said club executive director Ben Carter.

"Biologists in Namibia were hopeful that a US-based auction would produce a record amount for rhino conservation, and that's exactly what happened," he said.

There are around 4,000 black rhinos left on the plant

"These bulls no longer contribute to the growth of the population and are in a lot of ways detrimental to the growth of the population because black rhinos are very aggressive and territorial.

"In many cases, they will kill younger, non-breeding bulls and have been known to kill calves and cows."

Wildlife campaigners protested outside the Dallas convention centre where the sale took place, and 70,000 people signed an online petition calling for the auction to be scrapped.

They argued that all black rhinos should be protected, given their endangered status.

"This auction is telling the world that an American will pay anything to kill their species," said Jeffrey Flocken, North American regional director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

Protesters said all black rhinos should be protected

"This is, in fact, making a spectacle of killing an endangered species."

The FBI said it was investigating "multiple" death threats against members of the club.

Mr Carter says his family and club staff have received threats.

There are an estimated 4,000 black rhinos left on the planet - down from some 70,000 in the 1960s. Nearly half of those left are in Namibia.

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Venezuela: Vow To 'Rip Heads Off' Corrupt Cops

Venezuela's interior minister has given out his mobile phone number on television and asked police to call him and report corruption in their ranks.

Miguel Rodriguez said authorities would act on the information and "rip the head off" crooked officers.

It comes amid soaring crime levels in the country, which has one of the highest murder rates in the world.

Officers only solve eight out of every 100 murders and police corruption is often seen as part of the problem.

The nation's violent crime wave was highlighted in recent days by the murder of a former Miss Venezuela beauty queen and her British ex-husband, which provoked a national uproar.

Actress Monica Spear, 29, who had a starring role in a popular TV soap series, and 39-year-old Thomas Henry Berry were shot dead in front of their five-year-old daughter, who was wounded, during a robbery.

Murder victims Monica Spear and Thomas Henry Berry

The parents were killed after they had locked themselves in their car, which had broken down on a northwestern highway.

Their daughter, Maya, was treated in hospital after being shot in the leg.

The double murder is putting more pressure on President Nicolas Maduro for his failure to bring down the crime rate that has soared during 14 years of socialist rule.

And Mr Rodriguez said rooting out corruption was a way for police to regain the public's trust.

In a speech carried on state TV, he said: "New police will always have some great superiors, well-prepared ones.

The funerals have taken place in Caracas for the couple

"But they also are going to get some bad eggs. Report them fearlessly because their (corruption) undermines police authority for the Venezuelan people.

"Just give me the information right away, and we will rip the head off that immoral police superior."

Seven people, including a woman and two teenagers, have been arrested in connection with the double murder.

Although the weapon used in the robbery has not been found, it has emerged a digital camera stolen during the attack led police to a criminal group.

The group allegedly preyed on motorists on the stretch of road between Puerto Cabello and Valencia.

Two members of Venezuela's security forces

The camera was found at the home of one of the seven people arrested over the killings and helped officers trace other suspects in the case.

According to Jose Gregorio Sierralta, chief of Venezuela's criminal police, at least 11 people were involved in the crime - four of whom remain on the run.

The couple were buried in the capital Caracas on Friday while their daughter was being looked after by grandparents.

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Hollande 'Affair': First Lady In Hospital

The French first lady is being treated in hospital amid claims President Francois Hollande has been having an affair.

Valerie Trierweiler was in a hospital in Paris following revelations about an alleged affair between her partner, the French president, and an actress.

Valerie Trierweiler is undergoing tests in hospital

Aides to Ms Trierweiler said she had been admitted "for a rest and to undergo some tests" - and was expected to leave hospital on Monday. 

On Friday, Mr Hollande threatened to sue celebrity magazine Closer, complaining of breach of privacy after it alleged he was having an affair with Julie Gayet.

The aides said Ms Trierweiler was admitted to the hospital on Thursday, shortly after the news broke.

More follows...

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