Syria: Rebels Capture Key Military Base

Rebels have taken control of a key military base in northern Syria after weeks of fighting with Government forces.

Rebels were pictured celebrating inside Taftanaz airport, close to helicopters and tanks which had been used to attack them.

"The fighting at Taftanaz military airport ended at 11:00 am (0900 GMT) and the base is entirely in rebel hands," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.

Soon afterwards, it was raided by government jets, the Britain-based Observatory said.

"Warplanes are bombing Taftanaz military airport in an attempt to destroy it," a statement said.

Capturing the base is an important gain for the rebels who control vast swathes of Syria's north and east.

They are battling President Bashar al Assad's forces in most major cities and on the outskirts of Damascus.

"This is the largest airbase to be seized since the revolt began nearly 22 months ago," Abdel Rahman said.

The rebels had previously taken the relatively small Hamdan airport in Albu Kamal on the border with Iraq in the east.

They had also taken Marj al Sultan military airport in Damascus province.

The news came as UN-Arab League special envoy on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, met Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov and US undersecretary of state William Burns in Geneva.

After more than five hours of talks, Brahimi expressed an urgent need to end the conflict, but reported no major progress.

"We all stressed the need for a speedy end to the bloodshed and the destruction and all forms of violence in Syria," he told reporters.

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Man Gets Life For Burning Woman Alive In Lift

A handyman who burned a 73-year-old woman to death in a Brooklyn lift has been sentenced to a minimum of 50 years in prison.

Prosecutors said Jerome Isaac, 48, was sentenced for killing Deloris Gillespie inside her Brooklyn apartment building in December 2011.

Isaac had pleaded guilty to first degree murder charges in November, and a plea deal had called for a 50-year sentence.

The horrifying attack was captured on a security camera.

Isaac went to the fifth floor and lay in wait for his victim, who was returning home from shopping.

He is said to have first glued shut the locks on Ms Gillespie's apartment and then doused the lift door with accelerant.

As she opened it, Isaac sprayed her in the face, then covered her from head to toe in flammable liquid.

Ms Gillespie crouched down and threw her hands up to her face.

Having cornered the woman in the lift, he then ignited a Molotov cocktail - a wine bottle filled with accelerant with a rag stuffed in its neck.

The CCTV video went white as Ms Gillespie was set on fire using the bottle's wick.

Isaac then threw the bottle inside the lift, after crouching behind the door "as if he was anticipating an explosion", according to one policeman.

Isaac turned himself in the next day.

Police said Isaac attacked Ms Gillespie because he believed she owed him money.

Prosecutors said he told probation officials conducting a mental health evaluation that he acted on orders from the devil.

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Mali: French Air Strikes Drive Back Militants

Mali's army has driven back Islamist rebels from a strategic central town after France intervened with air strikes to stop militants controlling the country's desert north from advancing.

French President Francois Hollande took action in the West African country at the request of interim President Dioncounda Traore who has declared a state of emergency.

Western governments expressed alarm on Thursday after an al Qaeda-linked rebel alliance captured the town of Konna, a gateway towards the capital Bamako 600km (375 miles) south.

Mr Hollande said the "terrorist groups, drug traffickers and extremists" in northern Mali "show a brutality that threatens us all." He vowed that the operation would last "as long as necessary".

For the past nine months, the Islamic militants have controlled a large swathe of northern Mali, a lawless desert region where kidnapping has flourished.

"French armed forces supported Malian units this afternoon to fight against terrorist elements," Mr Hollande said in Paris.

He did not give any details of the operation, other than to say that it was aimed in part at protecting the 6,000 French citizens in Mali, where seven of them already are being held captive.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, when asked whether France had launched air strikes, said: "To the question of whether there was an air intervention, the response is yes." He refused to give any other details for security reasons.

President Dioncounda Traore and UN Special Envoy For Sahel Romano Prodi

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Senegal and Nigeria also responded to an appeal from Mali's president for help to counter the militants.

Late last year, the 15 nations in West Africa, including Mali, agreed on a proposal for the military to take back the north, and sought backing from the UN.

The Security Council authorised the intervention but imposed certain conditions. Those include the training of Mali's military, which has been accused of serious human rights abuses since a military coup last year sent the nation into disarray.

Al Qaeda's affiliate in Africa has been a shadowy presence for years in the forests and deserts of Mali, a country hobbled by poverty and a relentless cycle of hunger. Most Malians adhere to a moderate form of Islam.

In recent months, however, the terrorist group and its allies have taken advantage of political instability, taking territory they are using to stock weapons and train forces.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said his government was taking action because "in recent days, the situation unfortunately deteriorated very seriously".

The delay by the international community in taking action allowed "the terrorist and criminal groups of northern Mali ... to move toward the south with the goal of ... installing a terrorist state," he added.

The Islamists insist they want to impose Shariah only in northern Mali, though there long have been fears they could push further south.

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Eleven Killed In Hugo Chavez Rally Coach Crash

At least 11 people have been killed and more than 75 injured when two buses crashed into a lorry in western Venezuela on their way to a rally in support of cancer-stricken President Hugo Chavez.

Police said a fatal crash occurred on a highway in the western Venezuelan state of Zulia in the early hours of the morning.

Yonder Polo, a relative of one of those injured in the accident, told local media the buses were "heading to Caracas to supposedly support the Chavez rally".

The aftermath of the bus crash

Survivor Erwin Carrasquero could not hold back his tears as he recalled the horror of the collision that killed two of his friends.

"Sadly he lost his life, and another youngster that was with us, but thankfully we are here and we must be thankful to God because we are alive," he said.

Footage from the scene showed the mangled wreckage of the buses with rescue workers and Venezuela's highway patrol at the scene of the accident.

Tens of thousands of supporters rallied in honour of their beloved 58-year-old leader on the day he should have been sworn in as president for a new six-year term, but was too ill to attend.

President Chavez was too ill to attend his own inauguration

President Chavez remained on his sickbed in Cuba while his supporters staged the massive gathering.

The crowd chanted: "We are all Chavez!" Some wore paper cut-outs of the yellow, blue and red presidential sash to show they were symbolically swearing in themselves in, in their leader's place.

Mr Chavez is reported to be suffering complications from a fourth cancer operation in his pelvic area.

As well as the operations, the leader has undergone weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatment since being diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer in June 2011.

Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro speaks during Thursday's rally

He looked to have staged a remarkable recovery last year, winning a new presidential term in October. But within weeks of his victory he returned to Havana for more treatment.

Vice President Nicolas Maduro - a former bus driver who shares Mr Chavez's radical socialist views and is his designated successor - is in charge of day-to-day government until there is clarity over whether he will recover.

Addressing Thursday's rally, Mr Maduro, shouted "Viva Chavez!" and called for a round of applause for the president's Cabinet ministers, saying they were starting a new term.

Of the president himself, he said he is "in a battle".

A clutch of foreign friends, including the presidents of Uruguay, Bolivia, and Nicaragua, all joined the rally.

Venezuela's Supreme Court has ruled that President Chavez's inauguration date of 10 January could be postponed until he was well enough to attend.

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Colorado Cinema Massacre Suspect To Face Trial

A judge has ordered that the man suspected of killing 12 people in a cinema shooting in Aurora, Colorado, should stand trial.

Judge William Sylvester found that prosecutors had established there was "probable cause" to believe James Holmes committed the crimes.

"Therefore the court orders that Defendant shall be bound over for trial on all counts," he wrote in a 61-page ruling posted online.

The 25-year-old has been charged with 166 offences following the shooting during a showing of The Dark Knight Rises last July.

Holmes is set to be formally charged later although his lawyers have said he is not ready to enter a plea.

He could face the death penalty if convicted.

A promising neuroscience student, Holmes began to stock up on weapons, ammunition, explosives and combat gear in the spring of last year.

He began to see a university psychiatrist and then dropped out of his course.

The Aurora rampage was one of a number of mass shootings in the US last year, culminating with the killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, which have raised the issue of gun control.

A review ordered by President Barack Obama is due to report back within weeks, but the gun lobby has signalled it will oppose new restrictions.

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Dreamliner Hit By Fifth Fault This Week

A fifth Boeing Dreamliner fault has been discovered in as many days, raising more fears of the aircraft's safety.

Oil was discovered leaking from the left engine of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight operated by All Nippon Airways (ANA) on Friday.

An ANA spokeswoman said the leak was found after the domestic flight landed safely at Miyazaki airport in southern Japan.

It came on the same day another Japanese 787 suffered a cracked cockpit window while in flight on a domestic route.

The Dreamliner, the world's first carbon-composite airliner, which has a list price of $207m (£128m), has been beset by problems this week.

According to Reuters, US transportation officials will hold a news conference at 2.30 GMT to discuss issues related to recent problems on the new plane.

Other reports said aviation officials would review the engine systems and reliability on long-haul transocean routes.

The Dreamliner was designed to use power plants made by General Electric and Britain's Rolls-Royce.

On Wednesday, a domestic flight was halted by ANA because brake parts to the rear left undercarriage needed replacing, a spokesman at Yamaguchi Ube Airport said.

A Japan Air Lines (JAL) jet was grounded at Boston Logan International airport in the US following an engine fuel leak.

About 40 gallons of fuel spilled from the jet that was supposed to be bound for Tokyo.

That event followed the first incident of the week, which also occurred at Boston, on Monday.

Emergency services had been called after another JAL 787 filled with smoke shortly after passengers and crew had disembarked.

Firefighters used infra-red cameras to locate the fire in a battery pack in the belly of a different Boeing 787 and extinguished the blaze within 20 minutes.

After the Boston events British carriers including BA, Virgin Atlantic and Thomson Airways reaffirmed their plans to integrate 787s into fleets this year and next.

The 787 Dreamliner made its first commercial flight inlate-2011, after a series of production delays put deliveries more than three years behind schedule.

By the end of last year, Boeing had sold 848 Dreamliners, and delivered 49.

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Saudi Arabia Beheads Young Sri Lankan Maid

A young Sri Lankan housemaid has been beheaded in Saudi Arabia for killing a baby who was in her care.

Rizana Nafeek had denied strangling the four-month-old baby in 2005 and the execution came despite global appeals to call it off because she was only 17 at the time.

Rights groups said the death sentence was a violation of international codes governing the rights of minors.

Appeals by the Sri Lankan government were also rejected and Nafeek was executed in the town of Dawadmy, near the capital Riyadh, on Wednesday morning.

A Sri Lankan woman protesting against the death sentence

In a statement the Saudi interior ministry said she had been found guilty of smothering the infant to death after an argument with the child's mother, her employer.

Sri Lanka's President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, had made a series of personal appeals to try to stop the execution and grant a pardon to the maid.

Afterwards, the president said he and his government "deplored" the beheading.

Saudi households are highly dependent on housemaids from African and South Asian countries.

There have been reported cases of domestic abuse in which families mistreat their maids, who have then attacked the children of their employers.

Condemning the execution, Human Rights Watch senior women's rights researcher Nisha Varia said: "Saudi Arabia is one of just three countries that executes people for crimes they committed as children.

"In executing Rizana Nafeek, Saudi authorities demonstrated callous disregard for basic humanity as well as Saudi Arabia's international legal obligations."

Saudi is an absolute monarchy that follows the strict Wahhabi school of Islam and applies Sharia (Islamic) law. Judges base decisions on their own interpretation of Sharia rather than on a written legal code or on precedent.

In a statement Amnesty International said that it appeared Nafeek had had no access to lawyers either during her pre-trial interrogation or at her trial in 2007.

Hers was the second execution in Saudi Arabia this year after a Syrian man was beheaded on Tuesday for drug trafficking.

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Half Of All Food Produced Is 'Thrown Away'

As much as half of all the food produced in the world - two billion tonnes worth - ends up being thrown away, a new report claims.

The waste is caused by poor infrastructure and storage facilities, over-strict sell-by dates, "get-one-free" offers, and consumer fussiness, according to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Each year countries around the world produce some four billion tonnes of food.

But between 30% and 50% of this total, amounting to 1.2 to 2 billion tonnes, never gets eaten, says the report Global Food; Waste Not, Want Not.

In the UK, up to 30% of vegetable crops are not harvested because their physical appearance fails to meet the exacting demands of consumers.

Half the food purchased in Europe and the US is thrown away after it is bought, the report adds.

Vast quantities of water are also wasted in global food production, it is claimed.

Around 550 billion cubic metres of water is used to grow crops that never reach the consumer, according to the report. Producing one kilogram of meat is also said to take 20 to 50 times more water than producing the same weight of vegetables.

The report blames supermarket offers that encourage over-buying

The demand for water in food production could reach 10 to 13 trillion cubic metres a year by 2050, the institution said.

This is up to 3.5 times greater than the total amount of fresh water used by humans today, raising the spectre of dangerous water shortages.

Dr Tim Fox, head of energy and environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: "The amount of food wasted and lost around the world is staggering.

"This is food that could be used to feed the world's growing population - as well as those in hunger today.

"It is also an unnecessary waste of the land, water and energy resources that were used in the production, processing and distribution of this food."

He blamed the situation on poor engineering and agricultural practices, inadequate transport and storage infrastructure, and supermarkets demanding cosmetically perfect foodstuffs and encouraging consumers to overbuy through buy-one-get-one free offers.

By 2075 the United Nations predicts that the world's population will reach around 9.5 billion, resulting in an extra three billion mouths to feed.

Added stresses on the ability of the world to feed itself include global warming and the growing popularity of meat, which requires around 10 times more resources than staple plant foods such as rice or potatoes.

Dr Fox called on governments, development agencies and organisations like the UN to "work together to help change people's mindsets on waste and discourage wasteful practices by farmers, food producers, supermarkets and consumers".

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India Gang Rape: Men 'Beaten For Confessions'

A lawyer for three of the men charged with murdering and gang-raping a student in Delhi has accused police of brutality.

Speaking before a hearing at the city's Saket District Court, M.L. Sharma claimed the men had been beaten while in custody.

He said: "They (the police) have used the third degree to extract the statement that suits the evidence they have collected.

"My clients have been forced to confess to crimes that they did not commit."

A police spokesman refused to comment on the allegations.

Mr Sharma represents three of the five men accused of raping a 23-year-old medical student on a bus in Delhi on December 16.

She died in hospital in Singapore 13 days after the attack, which sparked mass protests across India.

Mr Sharma's clients are expected to plead not guilty to the charges they face.

All five men are due in court later, when the case is expected to be transferred to a fast-track trial court. If convicted, they could face the death penalty.

A sixth accused, who is 17, will be tried in a separate court for juveniles.

More follows...

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Chavez To Miss Inauguration In Venezuela

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is too ill to attend his planned inauguration on Thursday, and will be sworn in for a new term at a later date.

The announcement came in a letter from Venezuela's vice president Nicolas Maduro to the country's legislature, and was later approved by the country's National Assembly.

Mr Maduro wrote that, upon his medical team's recommendations, the 58-year-old socialist leader's illness would keep him in a Cuban hospital past the key date.

President Chavez, who has dominated the South American nation since 1999, has not been heard from since he underwent surgery on December 11 in Havana - his fourth operation since he was diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer in June 2011.

The unprecedented silence by the president - famous for regularly speaking for hours in meandering broadcasts - has left many convinced he could be in his last days.

A rally in support of the Venezuelan president's recovery

Mr Maduro, who is Mr Chavez's chosen successor, said the president was invoking a provision in the constitution allowing him to be sworn in before the Supreme Court at a "later date".

The letter added that the former soldier's condition was an "irrefutable unexpected reason" that made it impossible for him to attend the scheduled inauguration ceremony in Caracas.

The delay has outraged opposition leaders who insist that Mr Chavez must be sworn in before the National Assembly on January 10 as laid out in the constitution, or temporarily step aside and leave an ally in power.

But Government leaders insist Mr Chavez is completely fulfilling his duties as head of state, even though official medical bulletins say he has a severe pulmonary infection and has had trouble breathing.

President Chavez's resignation or death would upend politics in the oil-rich nation, where he enjoys a deity-like status among poor supporters thankful for his social largesse.

Chavez has instructed his supporters to back vice president Nicolas Maduro

His critics call him a fledgling dictator who has squandered billions of dollars from crude sales while dashing the independence of state institutions.

While leaders of both pro- and anti-Chavez camps say they do not expect violence to break out immediately, the dispute could lead to opposition questions about the legitimacy of government officials serving past the scheduled inauguration date.

The United States said it hoped the Venezuelan president would get better soon.

"Obviously we are, as we would be for anybody suffering what he is suffering, concerned for his health, and wishing a speedy recovery," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

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Australia Wildfires Rage On As Temperatures Ease

More than 100 bushfires are still raging across southeastern Australia, following a heatwave that saw the region scorched by record temperatures.

Cooler weather has now brought some relief - but highs of 50C are forecast for the weekend.

Meteorologists have been forced to readjust their scales to accommodate the unprecedented heat.

A NASA satellite image of the fires burning in southeastern Australia

After facing one of the highest-risk fire days in its history on Tuesday, residents in hard-hit New South Wales woke to shifting winds that caused temperatures to drop significantly.

While the mercury topped 42C in Sydney on Tuesday, it was forecast to peak at just 25C today, while the Victorian capital Melbourne was down to 20C.

The ratings on many bushfires were downgraded with none now at the "catastrophic" level which signifies fires will be uncontrollable, unpredictable and fast-moving, and evacuation the only safe option.

But NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons warned against complacency, with new fronts breaking out despite the colder weather and a total fire ban still in place.

Speaking from Bookham, a small village in Yass Shire west of Canberra where a fire has so far burnt out 16,000 hectares, he said: "It is far from over when it comes to the threat to New South Wales.

"We need to sustain the vigilance today. We are not out of the woods yet, the risk is very real and there's a long day ahead and a forecast for a return to hot conditions toward the weekend and into next week."

About 30 fires in New South Wales are out of control

More than 2,000 firefighters worked through the night tackling more than 140 blazes across New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, with 30 of those uncontained.

New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell said an estimated 10,000 sheep had perished in the Yass area alone.

The state of Victoria has also been experiencing extreme conditions with four homes destroyed and six people treated for minor burns or smoke inhalation in a bushfire in the farming community of Carngham, which was evacuated.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the federal and state governments were working together in the recovery effort and to support victims.

"Firstly, it's all hands on deck fighting the fires, dealing with the emergency, and then we move into the recovery phase," she said.

Bathers at Lake Conjola watch as smoke billows from a bushfire at Deans Gap

No deaths have so far been reported.

While it was initially believed as many as 100 people could be missing in the southern island of Tasmania after wildfires razed more than 100 homes over the weekend, police said there was confusion about movements during the crisis.

"We know there have been no significant injuries, which is amazing, and we are encouraged that we haven't found any human remains at this stage," Tasmanian acting police commissioner Scott Tilyard told Sky News.

Wildfires are a fact of life in arid parts of Australia. Some 173 people perished in the 2009 Black Saturday firestorm, the nation's worst natural disaster of modern times.

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Lance Armstrong To Speak On Drug Scandal

Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong will discuss the drug scandal that wrecked his career in a "no-holds-barred" interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The programme will be aired on Thursday, January 17.

The announcement comes just days after it was reported that Armstrong was ready to admit the charges against him.

The New York Times cited anonymous sources as saying the 41-year-old was considering a confession so he could return to competing in triathlons and running events.

His lawyer Tim Herman said he had no knowledge of any possible confession, and added: "When, and if, Lance has something to say, there won't be any secret about it."

Armstrong has been stripped of his Tour de France titles

And those wanting to hear Armstrong's side of the story will not have long to wait.

The interview, the first since he was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, will be held at his home in Austin, Texas.

A statement on Oprah Winfrey's website said the discussion will cover "the alleged doping scandal, years of accusations of cheating, and charges of lying about the use of performance-enhancing drugs".

Armstrong won the Tour de France from 1999-2005 after recovering from testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain.

He has steadfastly denied doping charges but his career has crumbled anyway after a report by the USADA detailed allegations of widespread drug use by Armstrong and his US Postal Service teammates.

Armstrong has lost most of his corporate sponsors and stepped down from the board of his cancer-fighting charity Livestrong.

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Australian Bushfires: 'Catastrophic' Conditions

The Australian state of New South Wales is facing one of the highest-risk fire days in its history, with temperatures climbing above 40C.

Firefighters are battling over 100 wildfires raging across the southeast of the country, with more than 20 deemed out of control.

Officials have evacuated national parks, warning that blistering temperatures and high winds are causing "catastrophic" fire conditions in some areas.

All state forests and national parks have been closed as a precaution and total fire bans are in place with temperatures expected to reach as high as 45C in some places.

Strong winds are also forecast, which could fan the flames in unpredictable directions.

There are warnings across New South Wales

Thousands of firefighters are on standby across the nation's most populous state of New South Wales.

NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said: "We are shaping up for one of the worst fire danger days on record.

"You don't get conditions worse than this. We are at the catastrophic level and clearly in those areas leaving early is your safest option."

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard urged people to stay safe as she warned the nation to prepare for possibly its worst day of bushfires.

She told Australian television: "This is a very dangerous day.

The Boomer Bay area was devastated by flames earlier in the week

"We of course are very concerned about these extreme weather conditions in New South Wales. The word catastrophic is being used for very good reason, So it is very important that people keep themselves safe."

One of the worst uncontained fires on Tuesday was around Cooma, about 100km (62 miles) south of the capital city Canberra.

The fire danger in the state of Victoria is also high. Main concern is about a blaze in the southwest, which has already burnt out more than 7,000 hectares of bushland.

No deaths had been reported, although officials in Tasmania were still trying to find around 100 residents who have been missing since a fire tore through the small town of Dunalley, east of the state capital of Hobart, last week, destroying around 90 homes. No bodies were found during preliminary checks of the ruined houses.

Wildfires have scorched 20,000 hectares of forests and farmland across southern Tasmania since Friday.

Bushfires are common during the Australian summer. In February 2009, hundreds of fires across Victoria killed 173 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.

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Illinois Lottery Winner Urooj Khan Poisoned

A man who died after winning $1m (£620,000) in the Illinois Lottery was poisoned with cyanide, a medical examiner has ruled.

Urooj Khan, who scooped the bumper prize in the summer, was initially found to have died of natural causes but a full toxicology test, demanded by a relative, has now revealed he had ingested a deadly amount of cyanide.

A murder investigation has been launched by the Chicago Police Department, and it is likely that the lottery winner's body will be exhumed as part of the inquiry.

Cook County medical examiner Stephen Cina said such cases of cyanide poisoning were "pretty unusual".

"I've had one, maybe two cases out of 4,500 autopsies I've done," he added.

The next step in the probe could be to exhume Mr Kahn's body

Mr Khan died on July 20, 2012, a day after the $425,000 (£264,000) cheque from his lottery win was issued.

Instead of taking the full amount in instalments, Mr Khan opted for a lump sum of just over $600,000 (£372,000). After taxes, the winnings amounted to about $425,000 (£264,000).

Mr Khan's cheque was cashed on August 15. If a lottery winner dies, the money normally goes to his or her estate.

The 46-year-old, who owned a number of dry cleaners, bought the winning scratchcard at a 7-Eleven shop near his home in West Rogers Park, Chicago.

He recalled the win days later at a ceremony in which Illinois Lottery officials presented him with the cheque, explaining how he jumped up and down and repeatedly shouted: "I hit a million!"

The 7-Eleven store where Mr Khan purchased his winning ticket

He said he was so overjoyed he ran back into the store and tipped the sales assistant $100 (£62).

"Winning the lottery means everything to me," Mr Khan added at the ceremony in June, which was also attended by his wife, their daughter, and several friends.

He said he would put some of his winnings into his businesses and donate some to a children's hospital.

At the time of Mr Khan's death, no signs of trauma were found and a post mortem was not carried out because they were not automatically performed by the Cook County medical examiner on those aged 45 and older unless the death was suspicious.

The cut-off age has since been raised to 50.

A basic toxicology screening for opiates, cocaine and carbon monoxide came back negative, and the death was ruled to be a result of the narrowing and hardening of coronary arteries.

But a family member, who has not been identified, came forward and asked the authorities to look into the case further.

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British Soldier Shot Dead In Afghanistan

A British soldier has been shot dead by a man wearing an Afghan army uniform, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

The soldier from 28 Engineer Regiment, attached to 21 Engineer Regiment, was killed in the southern Helmand province on Monday evening.

Isaf spokesman Major Martyn Crighton told Sky News: "A International Security Assistance Force Service member from the United Kingdom died yesterday when an individual wearing an Afghan National Army uniform turned his weapon against both Afghan National Army soldiers and Isaf troops at Patrol Base Hazrat, which is in Nahr-e Saraj district.

"During the engagement the attacker was killed and there were some other folks who were wounded. They were subsequently taken to an Isaf medical facility to be treated."

The soldier's family have been informed of the death.

Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Major Laurence Roche, said: "This is an extremely sad day for the Corps of Royal Engineers and everyone serving with Task Force Helmand. Our thoughts are with the soldier's family and friends at this time."

More than 60 personnel with the Nato-led International Security Assistance Forces (Isaf) were killed in 47 attacks by members of the Afghan security forces last year, eroding trust between Afghan soldiers and their foreign counterparts.

All six fatalities suffered by the current British six-month tour in Afghanistan are believed to have been the result of insider attacks.

The Taliban often claims such attacks, but Isaf officials say most stem from personal grudges and cultural misunderstandings

The international force is currently planning to withdraw most of its troops  from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

The patrol base where the latest attack happened was due to be handed over to Afghan control soon. Afghan forces already take the lead on security for 87% of the population ahead of the withdrawal.

The killing came as US President Barack Obama prepared to host his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai on Friday to discuss long-term US military and civilian support for Afghanistan.

Insider attacks are likely to be high on the agenda, as is the issue of a continued US military presence in Afghanistan beyond 2014.

Reports citing the US Defence Department suggest between 3,000 and 9,000 troops could remain to focus on preventing al Qaeda from regaining a foothold.

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Aurora Shooting Suspect James Holmes In Court

By Greg Milam, US Correspondent

Prosecutors will today begin to outline the case against the student accused of a shooting rampage which left 12 dead and dozens wounded at a Batman movie premiere.

A week-long preliminary hearing will determine whether there is enough evidence to put James Holmes on trial on more than 160 counts of murder, attempted murder and firearms offences.

Holmes is accused of opening fire during a showing of The Dark Knight Rises in the Denver suburb of Aurora.

Survivors and relatives of the victims will be in court and have been warned to expect to hear harrowing details. Video recorded inside the cinema on the night is expected to be shown.

A gagging order put in place by the judge means little is known about the evidence against Holmes.

A promising neuroscience student, he began to stock up on weapons, ammunition, explosives and combat gear in the spring of last year. He began to see a university psychiatrist and then dropped out of his course.

A memorial has been set up in Aurora for those killed at the cinema

After the shooting police discovered his flat was booby-trapped with explosive devices.

Holmes, who has cut a sometimes bizarre figure in court with bright red hair, could face the death penalty if convicted, but his lawyers claim he is mentally ill.

The Aurora rampage was one of a number of mass shootings in the US last year, culminating with the killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, which have raised the issue of gun control.

A review ordered by President Barack Obama is due to report back within weeks, but the gun lobby has signalled it will oppose new restrictions.

Sky News visited the Dragon Man shooting range in Colorado Springs, about an hour's drive from Aurora, and talked to those who believe the answer to gun violence is more guns.

Among the dozens of families at the range was Randall Niles and his son. Mr Niles said: "Obviously there is a notion of safety, you don't want to be a victim.

Sales of guns have risen since the Sandy Hook shooting

"The last place I want to go is a gun-free zone, where the bad guy can reload. Even my daughter walks into a campus and says 'That makes no sense because the bad guys don't read the law'."

Jessica Spain had come to shoot for the first time, she said, because she was worried about her personal protection.

She said: "I think everyone is a little scared of everything that is going on in the media and in the government. It is our right to protect ourselves and we have to protect that."

The range is owned by Mel 'Dragon Man' Bernstein and his gun shop is seeing unprecedented business. Like most firearms stores in the US, shelves are bare and prices are rising.

He said: "Unbelievable. I sold over 300 guns in two and a half weeks. We figured out that every 15 to 20 minutes somebody came in and bought a gun because they're afraid after that school shooting."

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Waterfall Death: Brit Killed In Australia

A 20-year-old British tourist has died after falling from a waterfall in New South Wales, Australia.

The man was walking with friends in the Blue Mountains near Sydney when he slipped over the edge of Wentworth Falls, according to police.

Emergency services - including police, paramedics and rescue teams - were called and the man, who has not been named, was declared dead at the scene.

The accident happened at noon local time on Sunday (1am GMT).

The man's body has now been recovered after a search by rescue crews and a police helicopter.

A police spokeswoman said: "The location is extremely rugged and difficult to access, despite the rescue crew being very experienced."

The accident happened at a waterfall in the Blue Mountains

The man was in a group of eight friends and had travelled from Sydney's Bondi area to the Blue Mountains for a picnic and a walk along a marked trail through the bush.

It is not believed the grouop was part of an organised tour.

One witness, who was at the bottom of the waterfalls, said he saw a group of French and English people "mucking around" on the rocks.

"It's very slippery, then they went down to the next one. I knew something was going to happen and then we just saw panic and a 20-year-old boy fell over 100 metres down the waterfall."

His family and the British Consulate in Australia have been notified of his death and a report will be prepared for the coroner, police said.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We are aware of the death of a British national in New South Wales, Australia, on January 6, 2013, and we are providing consular assistance to the family at this difficult time."

The Blue Mountains national park is about 37 miles west of Sydney and covers about a million hectares, according to the Destination New South Wales website.

A World Heritage site, the landscape of huge cliffs, deep rainforest gullies, sandstone canyons and waterfalls forms part of the traditional country of the Aboriginal people.

Wentworth Falls is a three-tiered waterfall near a town of the same name in the Blue Mountains. The overall height of the falls is 187 metres.

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Five Accused Of Gang Rape Appear In Court

Noisy protests have led to the first court appearance by five men accused of gang raping a medical student to be heard behind closed doors.

The magistrate presiding over the case, Namrita Aggarwal, said: "The court has become jam-packed. It has become impossible for this court to conduct proceedings."

The hearing had been delayed by rowdy protests by some lawyers denouncing other advocates who have stepped forward to defend the accused and police were called in to restore order.

The five defendants, who could face the death penalty if convicted, are also charged with kidnap, robbery and conspiracy over the attack on the 23-year-old student in New Delhi on December 16 that has sparked anger and protests across India.

The defendants have been named as Ram Singh, Mukesh Singh, Vijay Sharma, Akshay Thakur and Pawan Gupta.

Two of the accused, hiding their identity

A sixth accused, who is 17, is to be tried in a separate court for juveniles.

On Saturday, two of the accused, Sharma and Gupta, moved an application requesting they be made "approvers", or informers, against the other accused, according to public prosecutor Rajiv Mohan. The move is possibly in return for a lighter sentence.

It normally takes months for the prosecution to assemble such a case, but the legal proceedings are getting under way barely a week after the student died of her injuries in a Singapore hospital.

The government, sensitive to criticism that a sluggish justice system often compounds the agony of victims, has pledged to fast-track the case against the defendants.

Police pledged "maximum security" during the pre-trial hearing at the magistrates' court amid fears for the defendants' safety. Last week, a man was arrested as he allegedly tried to plant a bomb near the home of one of the men.

Protests have spread across India since the rape and murder of the woman

Legal experts say the court, in the Saket district of the capital, will likely transfer the case to a more senior court.

The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had spent the evening at a cinema with a male friend on the night of the attack before boarding the bus that they thought would take them home.

Instead, a gang are alleged to have taken it in turns to rape the medical student as well as sexually assaulting her with an iron bar that they also used to attack her companion. The pair were then thrown out of the moving vehicle.

Outlining their case before the court in Saket on Saturday, prosecutors said there was DNA evidence to tie the defendants to the crime scene.

"The blood of the victim tallied with the stains found on the clothes of the accused," said Rajiv Mohan, part of the prosecution team.

He also said police had recovered possessions stolen from the victim and her boyfriend.

As well as the forensic and other evidence, the woman's male friend has testified to police and has reportedly identified the offenders.

Rape cases are usually held in private in India and it will be up to the court to decide what the media will be allowed to report.

The police have issued an advisory saying "it shall not be lawful for any person to print or publish any matter in relation to such proceedings" unless they receive permission from the court.

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South Africa: Women Drinking To Harm Babies

By Alex Crawford in Port Elizabeth, Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape

Mothers in one of South Africa's poorest areas are drinking heavily to deliberately damage their unborn babies - just so they can claim disability benefit.

Life is so tough with unemployment high and crime rampant in South Africa's Eastern Cape, that a newborn baby represents a form of income for the mothers.

State benefits mean 250 South African rand (£20) per child per month for an impoverished family. But disability allowance is a far more lucrative 1200 rand a month (£85).

It has led to a spike in the numbers of babies born with disabilities.

Mothers who drink heavily during pregnancy run a far higher risk of giving birth to a child born with what is known as Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). The condition is usually irreversible and can mean speech problems, physical deformities, learning difficulties and behavioural issues.

More than three-quarters of the children at the Miracle Kids Centre in Helenvale suffer from FASD.

South Africa has the highest prevalence of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

The centre manager Genevieve Hendricks says the children struggle at school, end up dropping out and then many turn to crime to get by.

"It's so sad to see," she says cradling one of her young charges. "But we need to educate these mothers to know they are causing a lifetime of difficulties."

The Eastern Cape Liquor Board has now been prompted to launch a campaign to educate young mothers about the dangers of drinking heavily whilst pregnant.

South Africa has had the highest number of FASD cases in the world since 2002, according to the World Health Organisation.

Many of the problems link back to the prevalence of illegal shabeens, or drinking houses, where homemade, highly addictive and damaging alcohol is sold cheaply. For about two rand (14p), you can buy a litre of kah-kah as the locals call it.

"If I don't drink this, I'm like someone who is sick," Ruth tells us swigging from a transparent bottle containing kah-kah. "I can't sleep, and I cant think straight but when I have this then I am better and I can do anything."

Within two sips Ruth (not her real name) was slurring and dribbling. She staggered up to the door to try to change her baby's nappy before plonking the child on her lap, letting the baby breastfeed while she carried on drinking the toxic liquid.

She told me she drank about "five or six bottles a day" and that this started from "about nine o'clock" in the morning.

"I don't drink through the day because I have things to do," she said.

I'm afraid to say I didn't believe her and when we dropped by her house the following morning, her eight-year-old twins were at home alone with her 15-year-old daughter.

"She's at the shabeen," we were told.

Homemade alcohol is available in illegal drinking houses

The police continually conduct raids on the shabeens, closing them down and throwing away the illegal alcohol. But no sooner one is shut down, another springs up.

"It's cheap to produce and this represents an income to these people," Colonel Abdoerahgmaan Humphries told Sky News.

We are with the Gelvendale police team as they raid one of the shabeens.

The filthy shed is packed full of people, including at least two women cuddling tiny babies. Most appeared intoxicated.

The police move onto what appears to be a small concrete room opposite. Against the wall is a brown wooden panel and when the police pull it down, it reveals a small hole, just big enough for an adult to crawl through. It opens out into another room which is the brewery. There are three barrels half filled with a milky brown liquid - the kah-kah. There are also numerous crates of bottles - all filled and ready to be sold.

"Asse blief  bass (please boss)!" the man pleads. He wants to at least finish his own drink. Most of the brewers are themselves addicts.

The police take the crates out and pour the liquid away in front of the assembled residents, many of whom are drunk and now angry.

"Leave them! Leave us! It makes us happy," one of the women screams at them.

There are several attempts to try to snatch bottles before they are poured on the wasteground.

The police move off to attend to a shooting elsewhere in the area.

"They'll be back brewing some more right now," one says to me as we speed off.

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Venezuela VP Attacks 'Chavez Health Lies'

Chavez Illness Leaves Power Vacuum

Updated: 2:55am UK, Saturday 05 January 2013

By Lisa Holland, Foreign Affairs Correspondent

It seems almost certain that Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez will not be well enough to attend his own inauguration ceremony next Thursday, sparking a dispute between his supporters and opponents over what should happen next.

Venezuela finds itself in the middle of a power vacuum which Mr Chavez himself attempted to fill by telling people in the event of his death he wanted the Vice President Nicolas Maduro to be his successor.

Mr Chavez has not been seen for three weeks since he made the journey from Venezuela to Cuba for treatment for recurring cancer.

Officials in his government have said he is suffering from complications from the surgery - a "respiratory deficiency" following a severe lung infection.

They have described the 58-year-old's condition as "stable" but beyond that refuse to discuss further details about Mr Chavez's health or indeed what the long-term prognosis for him is.

That is central to Venezuela's current political crisis.

The opposition argues it is written in the country's constitution that if he is not well enough to attend his own inauguration then the country must hold fresh elections within 30 days.

But Mr Maduro says Mr Chavez can continue in office even if he is unable to take the oath of office next week.

Speaking on Venezuelan television, Mr Maduro said "the constitution allows him to be sworn in by the Supreme Court at a later date".

Mr Chavez's supporters want him to be given time to recover - but they've given no public indication that he is even getting better let alone whether he will make a full recovery or become fit enough to take up his role as President.

There are reports - which his supporters have been quick to dispel - of an internal power struggle within his own camp.

We know who Mr Chavez wants to continue his individual brand of socialism - yet others insist Diosdado Cabello, the current head of the National Assembly, should take over in the short-term.

In October Mr Chavez was elected for a fourth term in office having come to power in 1999.

He is one of the most visible, vocal and controversial leaders in the world - presenting his own weekly TV show and championing his own brand of revolutionary socialist policies.

People are divided over the legacy of Mr Chavez. He sought to create a new form of socialism with populist policies aimed at helping the poor with free health care, subsidised food and land reform.

But poverty and unemployment are still widespread in spite of the huge wealth his country enjoys from its vast oil reserves.

Mr Chavez has always denounced the wealthy elite but over time in power his critics say the champion of the poor turned himself into a dictator, changing Venezuela's constitution so he could keep running for office.

He has nationalised much of Venezuela's economy including the oil sector and his supporters say that's helped benefit the poor from oil export revenues.

But Mr Chavez's health and leadership are significant far beyond his country of 29 million people.

For decades he has been a counter to the regional and global power of Washington - a "bad boy" to the US.

A strident critic of America's foreign policy, he has been a thorn in Washington's side and has always been quick to offer shelter and vocal support to the countries America has struggled with.

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Honduras: Ambassador Quits Over Wild Party

Honduras has axed an ambassador amid reports his personal aide held a wild party - attended by prostitutes - at the embassy.

Ambassador to Colombia, Carlos Rodriguez, quit his post after the government requested his withdrawal, the Honduras foreign ministry said.

Mr Rodriguez's personal aide went out with friends on December 20, picking up some prostitutes in Bogota's red-light district before going to the Honduran Embassy in Bogota.

They drank alcohol and destroyed the facilities, El Heraldo daily reported. Mobile phones and computers were also stolen.

It was not clear if Mr Rodriguez was present but the ministry said an investigation was under way.

"Jorge Mendoza, an employee of the Embassy of Honduras, received us and informed us that the previous night (December 20) there had been a party inside the Honduran Embassy, in some of the offices and that two computers had been stolen," said Jose Baquero of the Bogota police.

"The sparse information that this man gave to the Bogota police is that they hired two sex workers from the Chapinero district but he did not give us any description of these people," he added.

Last year, about a dozen US secret service employees were accused of misconduct for bringing women, some of them prostitutes, back to their hotel rooms ahead of a visit to Colombia by President Barack Obama, in the biggest scandal to hit the agency.

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