Hollande 'Affair': Actress Sues Over Pictures

Actress Julie Gayet is suing a magazine which claimed she was having an affair with French president Francois Hollande.

The 41-year-old is seeking €50,000 (£41,650) in damages and €4,000 (£3,330) in legal costs from the French edition of Closer, which she claims breached the country's privacy rules.

The magazine published photos taken outside a Paris apartment block, which allegedly showed Mr Hollande arriving on the back of a scooter with his face covered by a helmet before leaving in the morning.

Closer pulled the story from its website following a request from Ms Gayet's lawyer but did not order copies of its magazine to be pulled from newsstands.

The issue featuring the photos was on track to sell 600,000 copies, twice the magazine's usual circulation.

Closer has said there will be another series of pictures and fresh revelations about the affair in its next edition, which is to be published on Friday.

Mr Hollande and his long-term partner Valerie Trierweiler

Earlier this week, Mr Hollande admitted he was going through a "painful time" in his life but said "private matters should be dealt with privately".

He said he was "totally indignant" about the story, which he claimed threatened France's principle of "respect for private life and people's dignity".

Mr Hollande, who has himself threatened legal action over the pictures, is not married but has a long-term partner, Valerie Trierweiler, who acts as France's first lady.

She has been in hospital since Closer published its allegations and is said to be in a state of shock.

Ms Gayet, a mother-of-two, is an established actress in France who also appeared in a 2012 election film for Mr Hollande, in which she described him as "marvellous", "humble" and a "really good listener".

She took legal action in March over internet rumours about her alleged relationship with the president.

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Ohio Execution Took 25 Minutes With New Drugs

An Ohio killer appeared to gasp several times as a previously unused combination of drugs was used to execute him.

It took almost 25 minutes for Dennis McGuire to die after doses of two drugs, the sedative midazolam and the painkiller hydromorphone, were used in the lethal injection.

It was one of the longest executions since Ohio resumed capital punishment in 1999.

McGuire received the death penalty for the 1989 rape and fatal stabbing of Joy Stewart, a pregnant woman, in Preble County in western Ohio.

A Dayton Daily News reporter, who was present at the execution said; "At 10:29am, his eyes rolled back as if he were going to sleep, and at 10:35am, McGuire, who appeared to be unconscious, was convulsing, gagging and struggling to breathe."

McGuire's daughter, Amber, said "Oh my God" as she watched her father's final moments. 

Officials opted for the new execution method when supplies of the state's previous drug dried up after the maker decided it no longer wanted it used for lethal injections.

Federal public defender Allen Bohnert called McGuire's death "a failed, agonising experiment by the state of Ohio".

Prior to the execution, McGuire's lawyers warned that he was at substantial risk of a medical phenomenon known as air hunger, which would cause him to experience terror as he strained to catch his breath.

But Ohio officials presented counter evidence disputing the risk.

A statement released by Carol Avery, the sister of McGuire's victim, said: "We have forgiven him, but that does not negate the need for him to pay for his actions."

Ms Stewart's slaying went unsolved for 10 months until McGuire, jailed on an unrelated assault and hoping to improve his legal situation, told investigators he had information about the woman's death.

His attempts to blame the crime on his brother-in-law quickly unravelled and soon he was accused of being the killer.

More than a decade later, DNA evidence confirmed McGuire's guilt, and he acknowledged that he was responsible in a letter to the state's governor last month.

McGuire, 53, sought a reprieve in recent weeks but his legal team's argument that a jury never got to hear the full extent of his chaotic and abusive childhood was dismissed.

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Australia Bushfires: One Dead Amid Heatwave

More than 80 bushfires are burning across Victoria and South Australia states as temperatures continued to top 40C (104F).

Both states have endured several days of scorching temperatures, with winds helping to increase the speed of the fires.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Ken Lay said one person died at their home in Roses Gap in the Grampians region, northwest of Melbourne.

He said the death was fire-related, but gave no other details.

Bushfires are burning across two states in Australia

Mr Lay said that 12 of the fires burning across Victoria, Australia's second most populous state, have been deliberately lit. Arson detectives are investigating.

Victoria Fire Commissioner Craig Lapsley said a blaze burning over 52,000 acres of woodland near the Grampians generated a seven-mile high convection column - a column of rising hot air - that was triggering lightning and sparking spot fires.

Residents in the region had been advised to evacuate their homes, but several people decided to stay and protect their properties, he said.

He added: "They have a right to do so... but they also take on that risk themselves.

"They risk the fact that these fires will be very intense and erratic this afternoon."

Fire conditions in Victoria are at their worst since 2009, when wildfires killed 173 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.

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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.

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

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.

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

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.

Tensions in the country are high. Thousands of soldiers and police have been deployed to guard polling stations.

Rights lawyer Ragia Omran told the AFP news agency 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.

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.

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

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.

More follows...

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China: High-Speed Rail Network To Be Doubled

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent, in Beijing

China has announced it will spend £60bn this year in an effort to almost double the size of its high-speed rail network.

The investment forms part of a project which represents the largest and fastest rail expansion programme in the world.

Since 2008, and in the time Britain has taken only to debate the merits of one line - HS2 - which would be just over 100 miles long, China has built 6,000 miles of track, much of it elevated, and invested in 1,000 high-speed trains.

The network is currently almost double the combined length of Europe and Japan's railway networks.

The programme, the government says, forms a key part of the country's drive to modernise, urbanise and pull the Chinese people out of poverty.

Sky News took a ride on the 10am from Shanghai to Beijing. Bang on time, the shiny new bullet train pulled out of the city's Hongqiao station.

The train, 16 carriages long, has three classes: standard, first and business, which resembles the interior of an aeroplane.

China has built 6,000 miles of track since 2008

Sitting in a fully reclining airline-style seat is businessman Paul Zhou.

He said: "Our country is building an entire high-speed rail system and it has made our travel easier.

"It has shortened the journey between cities. It helps a lot on our work and life.

"On the airlines, there are always delays. They are very unreliable.

"I used to travel by plane, but now I almost always use our high-speed trains to go everywhere. They are comfortable, environmentally friendly, and always on time."

Out of the window the Chinese countryside is a blur as the train reaches its cruising speed of 190mph.

China now boasts the world's fastest conventional train. The CRH380A, manufactured by the Qingdao Sifang Company, has a top speed of 237mph, but in test runs it reached 302mph.

The trains run on a network of new lines, many of which are elevated. Together they knit together more than 100 cities across the country.

The country has the world's fastest train with a top speed of 237mph

Each of the cities has a vast new station. Most look more like airport terminals and they are packed - proof that this railway revolution has got China moving.

Another passenger, Zhao Changhua, is an office worker from the city of Jinan. She has just started commuting to Shanghai for work - a distance of 535 miles, but a journey time of just four hours.

She told Sky News: "It's very comfortable. It's convenient and fast. I'm very proud of it.

"It's the result of the fast development of our country's technology. It has given great benefits to our lives.

"This is my second time on a high-speed train, I think it's much easier than taking a plane.

"Airports are far away from the city centre while train stations are closer. So I choose high-speed trains."

The journey from Shanghai, west, then north, to Beijing is 800 miles - the length of the UK. It is completed in four hours, 48 minutes.

In second class, it costs the equivalent of £55, in first it is just under £100 and in business it costs £175.

Outside we see glimpses of rural China carved up by the new lines, but we also spot new cities springing up. It is evidence that the new rail network is stimulating the local economy at every stop.

Designer Roland Boal says the China network is a huge opportunity

Of all the passengers we spoke to, none had a bad word about the service. Most hoped that China could help the UK with its high-speed train development.

Mr Zhou said: "I hope the British government will use Chinese technology, let China help you to build your high-speed railway."

What none of the passengers realise is that the train they are on is actually designed, in part, with the help of a UK firm.

Priestmangoode is a design consultancy based in the UK but with a growing footprint in China. The company has combined the UK's flair for quality design with China's willingness to pay for it.

Roland Boal, head of Priestmangoode's China division, explained that China's "can do" attitude and seemingly bottomless pockets are a huge opportunity.

He told Sky News: "There is a hunger for new and exciting things. China is moving really fast and moving forward.

"There is a certain sense of excitement among people here and I think they want products that reflect that, whether it's a train or a plane.

"If it's a high-speed train, then make it look really fast. Not pared back; make it look fast.

"Western companies need to pay a lot more attention to what's happening here.

The country's high speed network runs on elevated lines

"I get very upset when I hear things like 'of course it broke, it was made in China' or 'I don't buy that company's products because they're made in China'. I think there is such an out-of-date attitude towards the obvious capability of manufacturing in China."

This railway revolution is not without significant controversy, though.

In 2011, two high-speed trains collided. Forty people were killed and 172 others injured.

Had the trains been travelling at full speed, the number of dead would have been significantly higher.

A signalling failure was blamed; the whole project was questioned and almost cancelled.

A further controversy stems from the fact that the technology behind the network is not Chinese.

In the early stages of the project, China bought high-speed train sets and technology from Canada's Bombardier, Japan's Kawasaki, Germany's Siemens and France's Alstom.

Chinese engineers then combined these technologies and produced their own trains.

Corruption has also plagued the project. In July last year, the country's railways minister, Liu Zhijun, was jailed for corruption, bribery and abuse of power. His demise brought the financial cost into focus.

At the last count, the existing project had cost £24bn through Chinese government loans, according to figures published in the Chinese state media.

The government hopes to recoup some of those costs by selling its success abroad.

China is in talks with countries including Romania, Georgia, Thailand, Burma and several in South America.

There is also a desire to help the US and the UK with their own projects.

The Chinese government, which runs the network through its Ministry of Transportation, declined our request for an interview for this report and refused Sky News all official access to their trains and stations. No reason was given.

The report was compiled without their agreement.

However, speaking to the Chinese media, and addressing the safety concerns, Deng Xiaojun, deputy chief engineer of Qingdao Sifang, one of the state-owned locomotive manufacturers, said that the trains are designed according to international standards and in some areas even stricter.

He told China's Xinhua news agency: "We have a rounded mechanism to ensure the train's safety operation."

Back on the train, and on time - almost to the second - the 10am from Shanghai pulls into Beijing South station. 

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Australia Heatwave Sparks Bushfire Danger

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

A major heatwave is heading towards southern Australia with authorities warning the region could face some of the worst fire danger since a 2009 inferno which killed 173 people.

Temperatures are set to reach as high as 45C (113F) this week, with forecasters describing the situation as "severe to extreme heatwave conditions".

The last time such a heatwave hit the state of Victoria in 2009 the so-called Black Saturday firestorm flattened entire villages and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.

Acting state premier Peter Ryan said: "These next four days promise to be amongst the most significant that we have faced in Victoria since Black Saturday."

Tens of thousands of firefighters were on standby, and 1,290 brigades were in a "state of high preparedness", he added, with the peak danger day expected on Friday when very strong winds are forecast.

"We are alive to the fact that we face these challenges over the course of these coming four days, including today. But on the other hand we are well prepared, we are ready to go," Mr Ryan said.

Victoria was hit by the Black Saturday firestorm in 2009

Bushfires on the west coast of Australia have already destroyed more than 50 houses, and one person died while defending his home from the flames.

It is thought the major blaze could have been started by a problem with a power line.

Hospitals and emergency authorities are on standby for an influx of heat-related call-outs, with Ambulance Victoria urging people with non-threatening medical conditions to seek alternative treatment.

The service has already seen a 10% jump in the number of call outs expected at this time of year.

Operations manager Paul Holman said: "We have recalled all available staff, every available vehicle will be on the road."

The country faces its worst danger since fires killed 173 four years ago

The extreme temperatures could even force tennis matches to be cancelled at the Australian Open, which is currently under way in Melbourne.

Wildfires and hot weather are common in Australia's December-February summer months, but the current event is unusual because it is occurring in what is supposed to be a neutral period in the El Nino pattern bringing average conditions.

El Nino, a phenomenon characterised by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, is generally associated with hotter, drier conditions in Australia.

Last year in Australia was officially the hottest year on record with numerous temperatures being broken.

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Thai Protests: Tourists Flee On Night Buses

By Sarah Yuen, in Thailand for Sky News

Tens of thousands of anti-government protestors are flooding into the Thai capital, Bangkok, blocking major highways and intersections with their vehicles.

As determined demonstrators gather for the final push to drive caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from office, the tourists have been fleeing – hundreds queuing for the night buses to take them out of the capital to other locations.

In Bangkok's Khaosan backpacker area, foreign visitors have been isolated in a tiny oasis of normality for weeks.

Demonstrator numbers have grown from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands around the city's Democracy Monument, just one street away.

Now the protesters are on the move - to occupy seven key traffic intersections in Bangkok indefinitely, in an attempt to "shut down" the city.

Tourists have been confined to Khaosan Road, the backpacker haven

As well as blocking highways with cars the protesters are laying their roll mats or pitching their tents across once busy and now deserted roads.

The leader of the anti-government protestors, Suthep Thaugsuban, insists they will stage peaceful sit-ins to bring the city, and Thai politics, to a "dead end".

He says the caretaker prime minister will then have no option but to resign.

Mr Suthep's People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) is intent on preventing the snap election Yingluck Shinawatra has called for on February 2.

It wants to establish a Reform Council to "shake-up" Thai politics.

Protestors are moving to block off major routes in the city

Thailand's Electoral Commission has already warned the caretaker government that a successful election is unlikely, and recommended a postponement.

With just three weeks to go until polling day, not a single candidate has been registered in 28 constituencies in eight southern provinces.

All of the opposition Democrat Party MPs have announced they will not run.

For a new Thai parliament to be legitimate, 95% of 500 MPs must attend the first session, but it is unlikely there will be 500 MPs.

The caretaker government has accused the Election Committee of not organising the election properly.

Yingluck Shinawatra has promised the authorities will not use force against the protestors.

Sandbags have been stacked across highways

But the Centre for Administration for Peace and Order (CAPO) has drawn a line in the sand at the eleventh hour.

It states that nobody is to enter any government offices, or any of the seven planned demonstration sites.

This advisory was distributed after thousands of protesters had already taken up position around the caretaker prime minister's home, in the government complex.

They were also across roads and at public transport entrances at three of the seven published sites.

So far, Thailand's Army Chief General Prayuth Chan-Ocha has given only enigmatic replies to questions asking if the military will stage a coup to restore order in the event of violence.

The tension is palpable in both the anti-government and pro-government camps.

Groups of men with homemade sharpened bamboo sticks, and stone-tipped axes and machetes, merge with anti-government protesters armed only with colourful plastic clappy hands.

PDRC security men, all in black with their faces obscured by balaclavas, search everyone trying to enter the demonstration areas.

This weekend there was another attack on anti-government protesters in which seven people were injured in gunfire.

The protesters promised they would not prevent access to the monorail elevated public transport system.

But as the new phase of the demonstrations got underway, they sealed off the access walkways; they claim out of fear that they will be used by pro-government gunmen as vantage points to fire down into the crowd.

Protesters also promised they would not target the city's two international airports.

But photographs are circulating on Twitter of anti-government protesters blocking access to the airport trains into the city, inside Suvarnabhumi airport.

Thailand has long been called the "Teflon Economy" because it has come through so many upheavals in the past few years, apparently without lasting damage to its prospects.

But now with international airlines drastically cutting their flights into the country due to falling demand, and not a single private jet on the runway at Don Muang Airport - a situation never seen before - concerns are growing about the impact of these latest demonstrations, and the ramifications of a protest which could stretch on for days, or even weeks, in the Thai capital.

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Australian Bushfires: Man Dies Protecting Home

By Johnathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

A man has died trying to defend his house from bushfires in Western Australia which have destroyed more than 40 homes.

The 62-year-old man was on the roof of his property when he collapsed and died. 

Emergency crews in the Perth suburb of Hovea were unable to reach him because of the flames.

Two firefighters had to be treated for heat exhaustion as crews battled blazes along the west coast where temperatures reached 43C (109F) in Perth on Saturday, the city's hottest day in six years.

Heatwave temperatures are forecast for much of Australia this week.

Scores of firefighters have been joined by water-bombing aircraft crew to fight blazes as embers caused spot fires in the tinder-dry conditions.

The massive fire, which blazed through communities near Mundaring, east of Perth, was contained overnight on Sunday, but is still not under control.

Authorities say 44 homes have been destroyed, although that figure could rise.

One resident in Chidlow told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: "There are embers coming down like ash - we are getting the hell out of here.

"We are taking the animals, some clothes and the tax files in a box and we are leaving everything else. If it burns, it doesn't matter."

Evacuated residents of Perth Hills wait to inspect their properties

As more reports of damage emerged, the premier of Western Australia, Colin Barnett, attended a community meeting of 600 people affected by the fires.

Mr Barnett has cut short his annual leave to deal with the aftermath of the fires, including an assistance package for victims.

Photographs of the damaged properties will be shown to residents to confirm their loss, before they are taken to the ruins.

"This is the nightmare that everyone knows can happen. Yesterday was just catastrophic fire conditions, the heat the night before, the heat in the day and the wind,'' said the state's Emergency Services Minister Joe Francis.

"It is ugly, and a catastrophe for this community. I have got very good (firefighter) mates up there hoping they can knock it off this morning."

The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

Two evacuation centres have been set up for people whose homes have been destroyed or damaged.        

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Ariel Sharon Funeral: Israel Beefs Up Security

'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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CAR: More Violence As Foreigners Set To Leave

More violence has broken out in the Central African Republic (CAR) capital of Bangui following the resignation of the country's president and prime minister.

At least three people were killed in the clashes, including a Christian vigilante, an ex-Seleka rebel and a civilian, according to the Central African Red Cross.

The fighting came as the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) prepared to evacuate thousands of stranded foreigners caught up in the fighting. 

Sporadic gunfire was heard in Bangui and there were widespread reports of looting in the city.

The head of the Central African Red Cross, Pastor Antoine Mbaobogo, said many looters were targeting Muslim-owned shops.

Crowds gather in the streets of Bangui after the president's resignation

"Those who were looted when the (mainly Muslim) Seleka arrived (in March last year) are now looting in turn," he said.

President Michel Djotodia, the first Muslim leader in the majority Christian nation, resigned on Friday alongside his prime minister, Nicolas Tiengaye.

During his tenure, Mr Djotodia set up a transitional council and promised open elections but unrest and sectarian fighting began within months of his appointment. 

It was hoped his resignation would help ease tensions in the country.

The CAR has seen spiralling violence between the mainly Muslim Seleka rebels who brought Mr Djotodia to power last year, and Christian militias.

Michel Djotodia was the nation's first Muslim leader

More than 1,000 people have been killed in the past month alone and signs of sectarian conflict remain in Bangui where a mosque was targeted by a gang of young looters.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has called on the African Union to provide promised troops to help end the "terrible crisis" in the nation. 

So far, France has deployed 1,600 troops to help support the African Union MISCA force, which is meant to have up to 6,000 troops but has not yet reached 3,500.

European nations on Friday agreed in principle on a plan to launch a joint military operation in the country, with a final decision expected later in the month.

An interim parliament will hold a special session on Monday to discuss Mr Djotodia's replacement.

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

The body of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will lie in state in front of the Israeli parliament building today following his death at the age of 85.

Mr Sharon's body will lie in state at the Knesset in Jerusalem between 10am and 4pm local time.

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

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.

Prime Minister Benjamin 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.

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

Long considered a pariah for his personal but "indirect" responsibility for the 1982 massacre of hundreds of Palestinians by Israel's Lebanese Phalangist allies in Beirut's Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, he was elected premier in 2001.

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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Hypnotist Falls To Death Off Sydney Balcony

The American stage hypnotist Dr Scott Lewis has died after falling from the balcony of an apartment in Australia.

Dr Lewis was in Sydney to perform his hypnosis act alongside six other performers in a show which opened at the Sydney Opera House last week.

Police discovered his body at the apartment complex in the inner-city suburb of Pyrmont early on Saturday.

Officers say the hypnotist, who was staying at the complex with his fellow performers, had fallen to his death from a balcony on the 11th floor.

A police spokeswoman said officers have ruled out any suspicious circumstances, but said police had yet to determine whether the death was a result of "misadventure or self-harm".

Tim Lawson, a co-producer of The Illusionists 2.0 show, said future performances will continue despite Mr Lewis' death.

"The company is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of Dr Lewis," Mr Lawson said in a statement.

"The entire company has decided to continue the show in his honour, and send our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends."

The Sydney Opera House said in a statement that Dr Lewis "was a wonderful performer and he will be greatly missed".

Dr Lewis's website said he had the distinction of having "the longest-running family-friendly comedy hypnosis show in Las Vegas history".

He had performed at Vas Vegas' Riviera Hotel for nine years.

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