South Sudan: US Sends Special Envoy Booth

Special envoys from the United States and Nigeria are flying to South Sudan as world leaders step up efforts to avert an all-out civil war.

The US envoy for Sudan and South Sudan Donald Booth was expected in the capital Juba on Sunday.

It follows a mission by foreign ministers from east Africa and the Horn and an appeal by UN chief Ban Ki-moon to end the violence that has gripped the country.

The fighting started a week ago when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of attempting a coup.

Mr Machar denies this, and has in turn accused Mr Kiir of carrying out a vicious purge of his rivals.

The clashes have left hundreds dead and sent tens of thousands of people fleeing to UN bases for protection or to safer parts of the country.

The United Nations compound in Juba

South Sudan has been blighted by ethnic divisions, corruption and poverty since it won independence in 2011.

Foreign governments, including the US, Britain, Uganda, Kenya and Lebanon, have been organising special evacuation flights to pull out their nationals.

On Saturday, four US servicemen were wounded when their aircraft came under fire as they approached the rebel-held town of Bor on an evacuation mission.

America says its citizens and others from "partner" nations have now been flown safely from Bor to Juba in consultation with the South Sudanese government.

The US aircraft incident underlined the increasingly dangerous situation in South Sudan, where at least one UN base has been attacked in recent days, with two Indian peacekeepers and civilians killed.

South Sudan gained its independence from the north two years ago

President Barack Obama has warned against continued fighting.

"Any effort to seize power through the use of military force will result in the end of longstanding support from the United States and the international community," the White House said.

South Sudan's government has acknowledged that much of Unity State, the country's main oil-producing area, is in the hands of rebels.

Forces loyal to Mr Mahar are also still in control of Bor, the capital of Jonglei state and about 125 miles (200km) north of Juba.

However, South Sudan's army spokesman Philip Aguer said government troops were advancing to retake it.

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British Airways Plane 'Crash' In Johannesburg

A British Airways plane has crashed into a building at Johannesburg Airport in South Africa.

The aircraft, carrying 182 passengers, sliced its wing through the building while taxiing on the runway, BA confirmed.

Posting on Twitter, the airline said: "One of our aircraft was damaged whilst taxiing at JNB airport. All 182 passengers disembarked safely with no injuries onboard."

There has so far been no comment made on whether anyone was injured in the building or on the ground.

The plane involved is believed to be a Boeing 747.

British Airways says nobody in the plane was injured. Pic: John Hart

Harriet Tolputt, Oxfam's head of Media, who was on the flight, posted pictures of the incident on Twitter.

She wrote: "BA plane crashes into building at J Burg airport. No one injured only the pilot's pride ... Not impressed that first class passengers get off before premium economy during an emergency."

Johannesburg Airport said it would be able to provide more information on the incident later in the morning.

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Paris Bar Pair Shot Dead At Point-Blank Range

A man and a woman have been shot dead in a Paris bar by a gunman who then fled the scene on foot.

The two were shot at point-blank range with one bullet each, police said.

They were sitting outside the Cafe Chineur in a residential area of the French capital's southern 14th arrondissement when the attack happened.

They tried to take refuge inside, but died as a result of their wounds. The two victims have not been named.

A local resident, who lives across the street from the bar, said: "I saw a trail of blood that went from the entrance to the inside."

Police investigator Jean-Jacques Herlem called the shooting "mysterious" and said no motive for the attack has yet been established.

Paris mayoral candidate Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, who lives nearby, went to the scene after learning of the shooting from friends.

"My children go to two schools in the neighbourhood. I'm shocked," she said.

"It's impossible not to make the connection with the growing concerns over security issues, even if we don't know anything at this stage."

France occasionally sees fatal attacks by armed criminals in bars, most often in southern cities such as Marseille, but sometimes also in Paris, though in places well away from the heavily policed centre favoured by tourists.

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Apple Strikes iPhone Deal With China Mobile

Apple has finally secured a deal to bring the iPhone to China Mobile, the world's biggest network, opening the door to a massive sales boost.

The state-owned network has more than 750 million subscribers.

The latest iPhone 5S and 5C will go on sale in the country from January 17 with analysts forecasting a sales surge of anywhere between 10 and 25 million over the next year.

China's granting of 4G licences earlier this month is thought to have helped the deal as the faster network is compatible with the iPhone.

In a statement promoting the deal, Apple and China Mobile said they were "excited" to finally be working together.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said: "Apple has enormous respect for China Mobile and we are excited to begin working together. China is an extremely important market for Apple and our partnership with China Mobile presents us the opportunity to bring iPhone to the customers of the world's largest network."

While popular around the world, the iPhone has faced tough competition in China from cheaper Android smartphones made by the likes of Samsung. Collectively, Android phones far outsell iPhone models.

Apple's cheaper 5C model, released earlier this year, was widely seen as an attempt to crack the Chinese market.

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Pussy Riot Members Freed From Russian Prison

The two remaining jailed members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot have been freed under an amnesty initiated by President Vladimir Putin.

They had been found guilty of hooliganism after a performance critical of the leader and were due to be released in March.

Maria Alyokhina, 25, was the first to be freed early from a two-year prison sentence.

But she dismissed the amnesty as a '"PR stunt", adding: "I do not think it is a humanitarian act. My attitude to the president has not changed."

Her lawyer Irina Khrunova said she was released from the prison colony outside the Volga river city of Nizhny Novgorod and immediately went to meet a group of human rights activists.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 24, who was serving time in the eastern Siberian city Krasnoyarsk, was freed a few hours later. 

The pair along with fellow bandmate Yekaterina Samutsevich, 31, were jailed over the performance at Moscow's main cathedral in March 2012.

Ms Samutsevich was released several months later on a suspended sentence.

Yekaterina Samutsevich (L) was freed a few months into her sentence

The band insisted their protest was meant to raise their concerns about increasingly close ties between the state and the church.

Russia's Supreme Court earlier this month ordered a review of the Pussy Riot case, saying a lower court did not fully prove their guilt and did not take their family circumstances into consideration when passing the verdict.

The Russian parliament ushered through an amnesty bill last week, allowing the release of thousands of inmates.

Ms Alyokhina and Ms Tolokonnikova qualified for the amnesty because they have small children.

The amnesty has been largely viewed as the Kremlin's attempt to soothe criticism of Russia's human rights records ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February.

Mr Putin also unexpectedly pardoned Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former oil tycoon who was widely seen by Kremlin critics and Western politicians as a political prisoner.

Mr Khodorkovsky was freed on Friday after more than a decade in jail and flown to Germany.

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Khodorkovsky Vows To Help Political Prisoners

Former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky has vowed to help get other political prisoners released from Russian jails after he was freed.

The Kremlin critic says people should not see him as a "symbol" that there are no other such detainees behind bars in the country.

The 50-year-old ex-inmate said he would do "all I can" to ensure they win their freedom.

He said Western governments should "remember I am not the last political prisoner in Russia" and he will not shy away from public activity.

But he cautioned he would not be "involved in the struggle for power" in Russia.

The former chief executive and founder of the Yukos oil giant said he had no plans to return to business but he claimed to be in a good financial situation.

Mr Khodorkovsky wears headphones to get translations

He had earlier told a Russian magazine, The New Times, that he would not be looking for a return of his enormous stake in the now-defunct oil company.

Once Russia's richest man, Mr Khodorkovsky spent 10 years in jail on what many in the West considered trumped-up political charges by President Vladimir Putin's government.

He was pardoned by the president on Friday and released from a prison camp in Segezha, northwest Russia, before immediately flying to Berlin.

At a packed news conference, he spoke at the Berlin Wall museum in the symbolic Cold War location of Checkpoint Charlie.

He revealed he had no choice about his end destination, saying he only learnt he would be going to Germany during his transfer.

The prison camp in northwest Russia where Mr Khodorkovsky was held

The ex-tycoon thanked German Chancellor Angela Merkel for working on his release.

Due to a lawsuit for hundreds of millions of pounds in damages stemming from his first 2005 conviction, there was "no guarantee" that if he returned to Russia he would be allowed to leave again.

Asked about his relationship with Mr Putin, Mr Khodorkovsky refused to be drawn into expressing hatred towards the leader.

He said that while he had been treated harshly "my family had never been touched".

He added that he was against a boycott of the Sochi Olympics next February, saying a "festival of sport should not be spoilt" amid claims it could be targeted over Russia's anti-gay laws. It should not, however, become a "festival of Vladimir Putin", he said.

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South Sudan Conflict: Last UK Airlift Mission

The UK is to charter its third and final flight to evacuate British nationals from the troubled East African state as fighting spreads.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said the plane would be sent to the capital city of Juba on Monday afternoon and warned that the government would struggle to help anyone who chose to stay behind.

An FCO spokesman said: "We strongly advise all British nationals in South Sudan to leave the country if they can do so safely. You may have difficulty leaving in the event of a further deterioration in security."

It comes as US President Barack Obama said any effort in South Sudan to seize power through military force will lead America and others to cut off support.

"This conflict can only be resolved peacefully through negotiations," the White House said in a statement.

Two previous planes have provided an escape route for British nationals

"Any effort to seize power through the use of military force will result in the end of longstanding support from the United States and the international community."

British military transport planes have been used to evacuate two groups of UK nationals over recent days.

On Saturday, a US rescue plane was hit by incoming fire leaving four American service personnel injured.

Officials said the aircraft was heading for an evacuation site in Bor, the capital of the state of Jonglei and the scene of some of the country's worst violence in the past week.

After being fired at it reportedly turned around and headed to Kampala in Uganda. From there the wounded service personnel were flown to Nairobi, Kenya, for medical treatment.

Some of South Sudan's worst violence has taken place in Bor

South Sudan blamed the attack on renegade troops.

Fighting broke out in the South Sudanese capital Juba between rival army factions last weekend following a reported coup attempt against President Salva Kiir Mayardit by soldiers loyal to his former deputy.

The violence has since spread to other regions and has claimed at least 500 lives, according to the United Nations.

Kenya said on Saturday it was sending troops to South Sudan to evacuate some 1,600 citizens. Many are trapped in Bor, which has been taken by rebels.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has "ordered the KDF (Kenya Defence Force) to commence immediate evacuation of the 1,600 Kenyans stranded in South Sudan", a spokesman said in a statement.

Up to 500 people are thought to have been killed since the reported coup

"Despite the relative calm in Juba, a number of other South Sudan towns have come under fire," he added, saying that Kenyans "are mainly in the town of Bor".

Others, in the towns of Rumbek, Ayod, and Panyabol "will also be airlifted to safety."

"The president has also ordered the immediate delivery of food, water and medicine to South Sudan (to help) tackle the emergency," the spokesman added.

"The delivery of these emergency supplies started this morning. Kenyan military aircraft are delivering consignments to South Sudan."

Kenya, which hosted the peace talks that ended the 1983-2005 civil war in Sudan, and which paved the way for South Sudan's independence two years ago, is also supporting efforts to end the latest crisis.

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Deadly US Storm Cuts Power And Hits Flights

A deadly storm has been sweeping across the central and southern US, leaving thousands without power and forcing many flights to be cancelled or delayed.

Tornadoes and powerful winds, as well as ice and flooding, came as millions of people were preparing to head home by air and road for Christmas.

The "particularly strong storm" threatened to frustrate travellers from Texas to Nova Scotia as it affected a 2,000-mile area.

At least two people have been killed in the strong gusts, including a man whose mobile home overturned in northern Mississippi.

Another man died when his car hit a tree that fell across a road in the southeastern part of the state.

At the storm's height, more than 22,000 people lost power in northern Mississippi.

Trees were brought down by the storm. Pic: CBS News

In Arkansas, at least five people were injured and two dozen homes were damaged after two apparent tornadoes struck.

In the northeast, ice and whipping winds battered parts of New York and Vermont as officials urged motorists to avoid travelling in dangerously slippy conditions.

More than 10,000 customers were without power in upstate New York as the storm was forecast to linger into Sunday afternoon.

About 5,000 flights have been hit nationwide with most of the disruption in and out of major hubs like Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.

Some 94.5 million Americans were planning to travel by road or air during the holiday season, which runs from Saturday until New Year's Day.

The system was a strange swirl of wintry and spring-like weather as it passed over areas in the Midwest, where there were freezing temperatures, and places like Memphis, where temperatures surpassed 70F (21C).

The National Weather Service said severe storms with damaging winds were possible on Sunday in northern Georgia, including Atlanta.

Forecasters says the storm is 'particularly strong'. Pic: CBS News

A flood watch for the region was in effect until Monday.

Weather service spokesman Ed Danaher told CBS News: "This is a particularly strong storm with very warm, near record-breaking temperatures in the East and very cold air in the Midwest.

"That contrast is the sort of conditions that are favourable for not only winter weather but also tornadoes."

Darren Hall, 45, of Raymore, Missouri., normally drives to St. Louis for the holiday.

But he decided not to risk it because of the freezing rain hitting the area and the promise of worse to come.

Instead, he waited for a train at Kansas City's Union Station.

He said: "You don't have to deal with all the roads. It's safer, less hassle."

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George Zimmerman Painting Sells For $100K

An original oil painting by George Zimmerman, the neighbourhood watch volunteer who shot Miami student Trayvon Martin, has fetched more than $100,000 on eBay.

The signed 18-inch-by-24-inch artwork depicts part of a blue American flag and includes the words "God," "one nation," and "with liberty and justice for all" printed in the stripes.

It was posted on the auction site by Mr Zimmerman on the morning of Monday, December 16, and sparked a bidding frenzy.

The first offer was for a mere $0.99 but within a day the bidding had reached an astonishing $99,999.

George Zimmerman says his art allows him to 'reflect' and 'remain indoors'

The painting eventually went for $100,099.99 when the auction closed at 9.55am on Saturday.

The unknown buyer was one of 24 people who put in a total of 96 bids for what Mr Zimmerman says was his "first hand-painted artwork".

In his eBay listing he added: "Everyone has been asking what I have been doing with myself. I found a creative, way to express myself, my emotions and the symbols that represent my experiences.

The painting's listing on eBay

"My art work allows me to reflect, providing a therapeutic outlet and allows me to remain indoors :-) I hope you enjoy owning this piece as much as I enjoyed creating it. Your friend, George Zimmerman."

Mr Zimmerman was accused of profiling, following and shooting Trayvon, 17, a guest in a gated development in Sanford, Florida as the teenager was returning from a trip to a local convenience store.

The 30-year-old claimed self-defence and was acquitted by a six-person jury earlier this year, a verdict which sparked nationwide protests.

The 30-year-old in court

Since his acquittal Mr Zimmerman has had several brushes with the law including being stopped twice for speeding, in Texas and Florida.

In September, he was questioned by police after his estranged wife called 911 saying he threatened her with a gun. He was not charged over the alleged incident, which occurred a week after she filed for divorce.

In November, Mr Zimmerman was arrested on domestic violence charges, which were later dropped after his girlfriend withdrew her complaint.

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Twitter Aids Row: 'Insensitive' PR Woman Sorry

A PR executive who sparked a row after "carelessly" tweeting about Aids in Africa as she headed to the continent has apologised for her insensitivity, saying she is "ashamed".

American Justine Sacco was sacked over the message from her Twitter account that read: "Going to Africa. Hope I don't get Aids. Just kidding. I'm white!"

The tweet, reportedly sent as she boarded a plane from London to South Africa, quickly spread on the microblogging site, with social media users expressing their disgust.

The controversy apparently erupted while Ms Sacco was on the plane with no internet access and she started trending.

Her account has now been deleted.

Ms Sacco, who was fired from her job at internet giant InterActive Corp, which owns popular websites like Match.com, Dictionary.com, and Vimeo, has released a statement.

It read: "Words cannot express how sorry I am, and how necessary it is for me to apologise to the people of South Africa, who I have offended due to a needless and careless tweet.

"There is an Aids crisis taking place in this country, that we read about in America, but do not live with or face on a continuous basis.

"Unfortunately, it is terribly easy to be cavalier about an epidemic that one has never witnessed firsthand.

"For being insensitive to this crisis - which does not discriminate by race, gender or sexual orientation, but which terrifies us all uniformly - and to the millions of people living with the virus, I am ashamed.

"This is my father's country, and I was born here. I cherish my ties to South Africa and my frequent visits, but I am in anguish knowing that my remarks have caused pain to so many people here; my family, friends and fellow South Africans.

"I am very sorry for the pain I caused."

InterActive Corp issued a statement on Saturday distancing itself from the tweet and saying the employee was fired.

"There is no excuse for the hateful statements that have been made and we condemn them unequivocally," it said.

"We hope, however, that time and action, and the forgiving human spirit, will not result in the wholesale condemnation of an individual who we have otherwise known to be a decent person at core."

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