Ukraine Activist 'Crucified And Had Ear Cut Off'

A Ukrainian activist who went missing during anti-government protests has stumbled into a village near Kiev saying he was beaten and tortured.

Dmytro Bulatov, 35, told Ukraine's Channel 5 television: "They crucified me, they nailed down my hands. They cut off my ear, they cut my face. There isn't a spot on my body that hasn't been beaten."

Mr Bulatov, a member of Automaidan, a group of car owners that has taken part in the protests against President Viktor Yanukovych, was reported missing on January 22.

In the television interview his face and clothes were seen covered in clotted blood, his hands were swollen and bore the marks of nails.

Protesters in central Kiev after clashes with riot police

He is among several activists whose disappearances have increased tensions the country.

One of the activists, Yuriy Verbytsky, was found dead in a forest while another, Igor Lutsenko, survived a severe beating and was hospitalised.

Opposition leader Vitali Klitschko, who visited Mr Bulatov in hospital, said: "What was done to Dmytro was an act to frighten all citizens who are being active now."

The UN's human rights office has called on Ukraine to launch an independent investigation into deaths, kidnappings and torture during the weeks of political unrest.

An anti-government protester at the site of clashes in Kiev

Rupert Coville, spokesman for the UN high commissioner for human rights, said the issue "should be promptly, thoroughly and independently investigated".

The UN statement came as Russia's outspoken Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin tweeted that US Secretary of State John Kerry's planned meeting with Mr Klitschko was a "circus".

The talks on Saturday are also expected to include Ukraine's pro-opposition popstar Ruslana.

Russian Deputy PM Dmitry Rogozin ridiculed US talks with the opposition

Mr Rogozin suggested: "It's also necessary to involve Verka-Serdyuchka in the talks," referring to a Ukrainian drag queen popstar.

"Her/his authoritative opinion should be heard by the White House and taken into account!"

Meanwhile, President Yanukovych, 63, who sparked protests when he backed out of an agreement to deepen ties with the European Union in November, has taken sick leave.

Mr Yanukovych decided the ex-Soviet republic should strengthen ties with Russia.

The embattled leader, who has an acute respiratory illness and high fever, has already lost his prime minister Mykola Azarov, who resigned on Tuesday.

Ukraine's armed forces today urged the president to take "urgent steps" to ease the crisis, entering the fray on a political level for the first time.

"Servicemen and employees of Ukraine's armed forces ... have called on the commander-in-chief (Mr Yanokovych) to take urgent steps within the limits of existing legislation with a view to stabilising the situation in the country and reaching consent in society," the defence ministry said in a statement.

They "noted that a further escalation of the confrontation threatens the country's territorial integrity," the statement added.

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'Suspicious Powder' Found Near Super Bowl Site

A white powder sent to at least five hotels near the Super Bowl site in New Jersey appears to have been a hoax threat, police have said.

The envelopes were posted to hotels close to the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, where more than 80,000 NFL fans are expected for Sunday's game.

They were found at an Econo Lodge, a Renaissance Inn and the Homestead Inn, while two other envelopes destined for a Holiday Inn Express and a Hampton Inn were intercepted by police.

No injuries were reported and an investigation by FBI counter-terrorism officers and hazardous substances teams found the contents of the envelopes were harmless.

A package containing white powder was also posted to an address in New York where the city's former mayor Rudy Giuliani has a consulting firm.

A spokesman for the New York Police Department said the envelope was the only suspicious package they were investigating.

It is thought the envelopes sent to the hotels were all posted from the same source, although it is not known whether they are linked to the package found in New York.

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US Tight-Lipped Over Knox Extradition Chances

The US will not reveal whether it has received a request to extradite Amanda Knox after her murder conviction was upheld.

The 26-year-old, who lives in Seattle, faces a 28-and-a-half year jail sentence after an Italian court reinstated the guilty verdicts against her and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito.

They are accused of killing 21-year-old British student Meredith Kercher in 2007.

The State Department's deputy press secretary Marie Harf said: "We've been following it closely as it's gone through the Italian legal system.

Knox wiped away tears during a TV interview in the US

"I don't have any more analysis of the Italian judicial procedure for you. But again, we'll just keep monitoring it and if we have anything else to say as we get further along in the process, we will.

"Extradition requests I understand, are legally private and confidential, so I don't think I have more comment than that. We do have an extradition treaty, which has been in force since 1984."

On Friday, Knox wept on television as she vowed to fight her latest conviction for the murder of Miss Kercher "to the very end".

She broke down several times in the TV interview and said: "This really has hit me like a train."

Exchange student Miss Kercher lived with Knox

She made it clear she would never voluntarily return to Italy to serve the sentence handed down by a court in Florence.

Legal experts say there is no reason why the US should refuse Italy's request, meaning Knox could be jailed in Italy.

Lyle Kercher, Meredith's brother, said: "If somebody's found guilty and convicted of a murder - if an extradition law exists between those two countries - I don't see why they (the US) wouldn't.

"It would set a difficult precedent if a country such as the US didn't choose to go along with laws they themselves uphold when extraditing convicted criminals from other countries."

Members of Ms Kercher's family want Knox extradited

Sollecito, who was not in court for the verdict but had attended lengthy hearings earlier in the day, was sentenced to 25 years.

The 29-year-old has been held by Italian police after being stopped near the country's border with Austria on Friday morning.

Lawyers for Knox and Sollecito have said they intend to appeal to Italy's highest court and a long legal battle for Knox's extradition is expected.

Knox and Sollecito were charged in 2007 after Miss Kercher's semi-naked body was found with her throat cut in the bedroom of the house she shared with Knox in the central Italian city of Perugia.

Sollecito has been held by police near the Austrian border

The Leeds University student from Coulsdon, Surrey, had been sexually assaulted.

Two years after the pair were found guilty at their original trial in 2009 - and handed jail terms totalling more than 50 years - the verdicts were overturned and both walked free from court, with Knox returning to the US and going on to sign a book deal.

Their acquittals in 2011 came after a damning 100-page report outlined a catalogue of errors and breaches of procedure that had been made in collecting evidence.

The third trial began last September in Florence.

After nearly 12 hours of deliberations on Thursday, the court upheld the 2009 convictions.

Drug dealer Rudy Guede was sentenced to 16 years for Miss Kercher's murder. Investigators said he did not act alone.

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Knox Says 'Heart In Mouth' Ahead Of Verdict

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

Amanda Knox has said her "heart will be in her mouth" as she awaits a new verdict expected in the Meredith Kercher murder case.

Knox told Italian television via Skype that she would be at home in Seattle with her mother and family and that her lawyer would inform her of the outcome.

Insisting she was not involved in the murder, she said: "The proof is in the facts. There is no proof that I was there when this happened. I remember Meredith as a person who gave me friendship from the very beginning.

"If I am convicted I understand that I will be seen as a fugitive but I will continue to fight until the end."

Patrick Lumumba lost his livelihood after Amanda Knox wrongly accused him

:: See the latest updates on the Knox and Sollecito verdict here.

In a final appeal to the court her lawyer Luciano Ghirga said his client should be cleared "because there is no proof she was at the scene".

"There is no blood from Meredith on the blade," he said.

Miss Kercher was found with her throat cut

He also added that it was "inadmissible and unfounded" that custodial measures should be imposed on Knox if she was found guilty.

It comes as Patrick Lumumba, the barman Knox wrongly accused of killing Miss Kercher in 2007, urged Knox to come to court "'if she is as innocent as she claims".

Mr Lumumba was held in custody after Knox told police she had ''covered her ears as he killed'' Miss Kercher in the student house the girls shared.

However, he was cleared after two weeks when a university professor provided a watertight alibi, while Knox was charged with murder and sexual assault along with her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito.

The pair's conviction was overturned on appeal but the Italian Supreme Court ordered a retrial of that appeal and the verdict is due this week. Sollecito was in court on Thursday for the fresh verdict.

Arline Kercher, Meredith's mother, told Sky News: "We just want justice," adding that she thinks about Meredith "all the time".

Meredith's sister Stephanie and brother Lyle said: "We just want to find out the truth on what happened on that night and to get justice.

"The only people that can do that are the judges, the jury, who are there with the evidence.

Amanda Knox and Raffaelle Sollecito

"They are the ones who will make the decision based on what they have heard. As we have always said we don't want the wrong people to pay, we are ready to accept whatever decision."

Mr Lumumba, who lost his bar following Knox's allegations and is now an unemployed musician, wants to see the 26-year-old back in the courtroom.

Speaking ahead of Thursday's verdict, he said: ''If she (Knox) is innocent she should come to court for the decision. I will be there. If she is so sure that she had nothing to do with it, then she should be in court to hear the judge's decision.

''I think she is running away - I'm the one who has been left in a real mess because of what she said. My bar closed and my business folded - I have nothing now and no work.

''Because of what she said I was put in jail for two weeks and my bar was impounded by the police for four months. My friends tried to help me as best they could but it wasn't enough because they were all having a hard time as well.

The house where Meredith was killed in 2007

''The false arrest had a real negative impact on my personal life and my business life - things have never really recovered and it's all because of what Amanda wrongly told the police. I haven't even been paid any compensation by her that I'm owed.''

As a result of the false accusation, Mr Lumumba was dragged from his home in front of his children and wife in a dawn raid.

Knox was convicted of slandering him and ordered to pay him €22,000 in 2011.

She and Sollecito, 29, were originally charged in 2007 after Miss Kercher was found semi-naked with her throat cut in the bedroom of her house in Perugia, Italy.

Knox was sentenced to 26 years and Sollecito to 25 years but in 2011 the verdicts were overturned and both walked free.

The retrial began last September in Florence, 100 miles from where the murder took place.

Though Knox has remained in the US, she did email the court to protest her innocence in a statement read out by her lawyer in which she insisted she ''was not a monster".

Judge Alessandro Nencini described the emailed statement as unusual, adding that defendants ''should be in court if they wanted to speak".

It is not entirely clear if the Italian authorities would seek Knox's extradition even though a treaty exists between both countries.

To add to the confusion, any verdict will go to a further automatic appeal at the Supreme Court - so a final decision could be years away.

The retrial has shifted the alleged motive away from a sex game gone wrong to a simple bitter feud of jealousy between Knox and Miss Kercher - with the British girl uncomfortable at her American flatmate's untidiness and habit of bringing men home.

However, Knox and her lawyers insist the theory is rubbish, with Knox herself stressing that the two were ''good friends'' and that she has expressed several times a desire to visit Miss Kercher's grave and meet her family.

Miss Kercher's sister Stephanie and brother Lyle are expected to travel from their home in Coulsdon, Surrey, for the verdict - the third time in seven years they have attended a court trial.

Stephanie said the family "just want everything to be over", adding "we can only accept what the judges say and accept the Italian judicial system".

A third man, Rudy Guede, 27, described as a drifter from the Ivory Coast, is serving a 16-year sentence for murder and sexual assault and is expected to be released on parole next year. He, like Knox and Sollecito, has always protested his innocence.

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Ukraine's President Yanukovich On Sick Leave

Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovich, who has faced protests calling for his resignation, has taken sick leave.

The embattled leader, who has an acute respiratory illness and high fever, has already lost his prime minister Mykola Azarov, who resigned on Tuesday.

It is not clear how long Mr Yanukovich, 63, will be away from his desk.

The president, who does not have a history of illness, has strong backing in the parliament, and his absence could create a power vacuum.

He has faced violent protests on the streets calling for early elections and other demands, and many state buildings have been occupied by anti-government demonstrators.

Protesters take to the streets in freezing conditions in Kiev

An attempt by parliament to resolve the crisis earlier this week, by repealing harsh anti-protest laws, failed to appease the opposition who said it did not go far enough.

On Wednesday, it passed a measure offering amnesty to some of those arrested on condition demonstrators vacated most of the buildings they occupy. However, the opposition quickly rejected the offer.

The demonstrations, being held in sub-zero conditions, began when Mr Yanukovich backed out of a long-awaited agreement to deepen ties with the European Union, instead turning towards Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered a $15 billion bailout deal.

But they quickly came to stand for a wide array of discontent over corruption, heavy-handed police and dubious courts.

One estimate puts the number of arrests at more than 300. Two activists have been shot dead in front of police lines.

Serhiy Arbuzov, who was Mr Azarov's first deputy, has stepped in as interim prime minister.

Serhiy Arbuzov pictured at Davos

Mr Azarov was deeply unpopular among protesters, whom he has referred to as "terrorists".  

The 66-year-old was considered a key figure in the government's decision not to sign the EU trade deal in November.

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US Astonished At New Turn In The Knox Story

Everyone In Court Except The Two Accused

Updated: 2:36am UK, Friday 31 January 2014

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

At just before 10pm a bell sounded to mark the return into court of Judge Alessandro Nencini after almost 12 hours of deliberation.

As a hush descended in the packed courtroom there were two notable absences in the room - Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, the accused.

Sollecito had made a brief appearance earlier in the day, dressed in a military style long trenchcoat and sunglasses - even though it was pouring with rain outside.

Accompanied by his father he told the media: "I'm here out of respect for the system. Whoever said I wouldn't turn up was just trying to badmouth me."

But as soon as the judge retired, Sollecito raced away from the court in a taxi vowing to "return for the verdict".

It was no surprise when he failed to keep his promise.

Knox on the other hand had chosen to stay back home in Seattle, letting her lawyers do the talking - although she had emailed the court a lengthy five page email stressing her innocence and adding she was not "a monster".

It failed to cut any ice with the judge - who actually took a dim view to the fact that she had written to the court instead of actually showing up in person to make her statement.

Seasoned court watchers who have been following the case since the first trial started in 2008 had no doubt that the pair would be convicted and the original sentences upheld.

The real question was just how long the sentences would be for each of them and in the end Sollecito's remained at the original 25 years he had been given in 2009, while Knox's was increased by two and a half years.

Prosecutor Alessandro Cirini had requested an extra four on top of the 26 years she had been sentenced to so was happy that they got more than half of what they had asked for.

Knox quickly released a statement after the verdict insisting it was "not a consolation" for the Kercher family and that she was "frightened and saddened" by the result.

Sollecito on the other hand was said to have been left "speechless" as he watched the verdict from his home more than 300 miles away in Bisceglie near Bari in southern Italy.

Italian newspaper websites and bulletins were dominated by the news as the verdict was broadcast live both online and on TV cameras scanning the faces of Meredith's brother Lyle and sister Stephanie for reaction.

As usual, they remained calm and collected, this was the third time they had travelled to an Italian court to hear a verdict in a murder case for their sister - a journey which Meredith's mother Arline had been unable to make.

Earlier she had simply summed it up saying: ''We just want justice for Meredith. Not a day goes by that we don't think of her.''

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State Of Union: Obama Vows To Bypass Gridlock

President Barack Obama has vowed to bypass a divided Congress and take action to boost the US economy after a troubled year in office.

Facing strong Republican opposition and low approval ratings after the worst year of his presidency, Mr Obama unveiled actions that do not need congressional approval to bypass partisan gridlock that has held back his presidency.

They include raising the hourly minimum wage for new federal contracts to $10.10, helping the long-term unemployed find work and expanding job training programmes.

He said: "Inequality has deepened. Upward mobility has stalled.

Michelle Obama stands with Sergeant First Class Cory Remsburg

"The cold, hard fact is that even in the midst of recovery, too many Americans are working more than ever just to get by - let alone get ahead.

"And too many still aren't working at all."

He was greeted with warm applause as he arrived to give the address to a joint session of Congress.

Speaking on partisan politics that have stalled action, including his flagship Affordable Care Act, he said: "We are not doing right by the American people.

"After five years of grit and determined effort, the US is better positioned for the 21st century than any other nation on Earth.

"Let's make this a year of action. That's what most Americans want - for all of us in this chamber to focus on their lives, their hopes, their aspirations."

Mr Obama also singled out the gender pay gap and said bridging the difference between women's and men's salaries would help the US succeed.

He said: "A woman deserves equal pay for equal work. She deserves to have a baby without sacrificing her job.

"A mother deserves a day off to care for a sick child or sick parent without running into hardship - and you know what, a father does, too.

"It's time to do away with workplace policies that belong in a 'Mad Men' episode. Because I firmly believe when women succeed, America succeeds."

He promised to improve US education, by connecting 15,000 schools and 20 million students with high-speed broadband in the next two years.

The initiative will be supported by charitable partnerships with companies including Apple, Microsoft, Sprint and Verizon.

Mr Obama proposed new incentives for vehicles which run on natural gas and alternative fuels, as well as expansion of the earned-income tax credit, which helps boost the wages of low-income families through tax refunds.

He also called on Republicans to stop attempts to stall his health reform.

And he warned Congress he would veto new economic sanctions against Iran as negotiations to limit its nuclear programme continue. An estimated $7bn in international sanctions have been lifted against Iran in exchange for it slowing the programme.

He also vowed to support democracy in Ukraine, warned al Qaeda's threat had evolved and yet again urged Congress to let him close the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In a televised response, Republican Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers criticised Mr Obama's healthcare and called for lesser government involvement.

She said: "I'd like to share a more hopeful, Republican vision.

"It's one that champions free markets and trusts people to make their own decisions, not a government that decides for you."

A poll this month found 45% of those surveyed approved of Mr Obama, compared to 53% against.

Republicans have blocked many of Mr Obama's initiatives, including on gun control and climate change, and this year's mid-term elections make it unlikely they will rally behind his proposals.

In the autumn, federal government in the US shut down for 16 days and brought the country to the brink of default as Republicans refused to sign through budget proposals.

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New Zealand Could Drop Union Jack From Flag

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia correspondent

The Union Jack could disappear from New Zealand's flag after the country's prime minister mooted the possibility of a referendum on changing its design.

Prime minister John Key told reporters a black flag with a silver fern might be more appropriate.

"The silver fern is something that applies to our greatest sporting teams and so many other things we do," he said.

"It has international recognition and sometimes our flag gets confused with Australia's."

A referendum on changing the flag could be held at the same time as this year's general election, but Mr Key says it is not a priority.

"It's something that may be worthy of consideration, we would have to discuss it with senior ministers to decide whether it's an issue we want to progress," he said.

"It's not on my agenda now, it's not a number one issue, but it's certainly a decision we have to make as to whether or not to progress it."

New Zealand's flag is the British Blue Ensign with the Union Jack in the top-left corner, along with the four stars of the Southern Cross.

New Zealand's PM said sport meant the silver fern was recognised worldwide

Mr Key thinks a referendum should present a simple choice of two alternatives, otherwise it would be confusing.

While many are open to the idea, the proposal has been criticised by some as being inappropriate and insensitive, especially to those who fought and died under the flag.

Traditionalists argue it is right to maintain a symbol of the historically-strong relationship with the UK.

John Banks, leader of New Zealand's Act party said: "No. Men fought under that flag and sacrificed their lives in many war campaigns.

"I'm a bit old-fashioned, I don't want the name of the country changed, or the flag, or God Save the Queen."

Winston Peters, leader of the New Zealand First party, said it should be sorted out and that a "long conversation" with New Zealanders would be needed.

"I don't think we could do it in eight months," he said.

"The debate should last at least two-and-a-half years and then put to a referendum."

The New Zealand flag debate has come up numerous times in recent years.

In July 2013, a poll by TV3's The Vote programme found 39% of respondents would keep the flag while 61% would change it.

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Battir Threatened By Israeli Separation Wall

By Tom Rayner, Middle East News Editor, Jerusalem

The future of a potential world heritage site hangs in the balance ahead of a court judgement on an extension of Israel's controversial separation wall.

A plan to extend the path of the barrier through the ancient West Bank village of Battir has been appealed at the Israeli Supreme Court for Justice.

A ruling is expected on Wednesday morning.

Battir, which straddles a valley in the Bethlehem hills, just miles from Jerusalem, is famed for its unique terraced hills which have been built by hand over millennia.

A Palestinian farmer irrigates her land in the West Bank village of Battir

The fertile lands of the Palestinian village are filled with vegetables, fruit crops and olive groves, all fed by natural spring water which flows through Roman irrigation systems, built more than 2,000 years ago.

However, plans put forward by Israel's Defence Ministry to extend the separation barrier - which in some areas nearby is an eight metre concrete wall - would divide the village off from around 35% of its ancestral land.

The area under threat lies on the opposite side of the valley, across the 1949 armistice line which separates Israel from the West Bank, known as the "green line".

Residents of Battir were guaranteed continued access to the land by the Israeli state after the 1948 war, in return for a pledge that the railway which runs along the line would not be vandalised.

The creation of the wall along the proposed course would end that agreement, and cut the land off both from the water that irrigates it, and the residents of Battir who tend to it.

Israel claims the wall is necessary for security, and says it has prevented suicide attacks in the country.

But many in the international community, as well as the Palestinians, see it as a means of appropriating land beyond Israel's pre-1967 borders.

Battir is famed for its unique terraced hills built by hand over millenia

Akram Badir, the head of Battir Village Council, said claims the routing of the wall through Battir was necessary for security were misplaced.

"This village is living in peace. Destroying this site and taking off nearly 40% of the land of Battir means destroying the peace situation as well as the landscape," he said.

Over the last few years, new Israeli settlements, deemed illegal under international law, have been constructed on hills overlooking the village.

The construction of the separation barrier is also coming closer.

It is already at the gates of the nearby village of Walaja, which has led to a gathering of momentum in the battle to protect Battir.

But there has been some annoyance among residents of the village that more has not been done by the Palestinian Authority to assist them in their bid to protect the land.

As a member of Unesco, the Palestinian Authority has the ability to make an emergency application to the UN body to grant Battir world heritage site status.

The barrier would cut the land off from the water that irrigates it

Given that Battir has already been awarded a prize by Unesco identifying it as a place of unique importance, there is thought to be a good chance such an application would be swift and successful.

World heritage site status would almost certainly rule out the possibility of Israel's barrier being routed through the village's land.

Yet those involved in the lobbying effort to the Palestinian Authority say the application process has been held back for fear of disrupting peace negotiations with Israel.

In the meantime, the village has won support from an unlikely quarter - the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority.

The body has backed the appeal against the Defence Ministry's planned routing of the barrier - the first time one arm of the Israeli state has publicly opposed another on this matter.

At earlier court hearings Israel's Defence Ministry insisted residents of Battir would still be able to access the land through special security gates, but Gidon Bromberg, an Israeli spokesman for Friends of the Earth Middle East, said such a plan risked the cultural and environmental importance of the land.

He said: "This site is so unique that we must protect it, not just for Israelis and Palestinians, but for humankind as a whole. We can meet the legitimate security concerns by alternative means."

Construction of Israel's separation barrier, which Palestinians call the "apartheid wall", began in 2002 in the midst of a wave of suicide bombings inside Israel during the Palestinian uprising known as the Second Intifada.

As of July 2012 Israel had completed construction of 62% of the planned 439-miles of separation barrier, and 85% of the route is beyond the "green line" inside the West Bank.

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Syria: 'Women And Children Free To Leave Homs'

The Syrian government has agreed to allow women and children safe passage from the besieged, rebel-held city of Homs, says UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi.

Mr Brahimi announced the news at the end of the second day of negotiations at the Syria peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland.

"What we have been told by the government side is that women and children in this besieged area of the city are welcome to leave immediately," he told reporters.

"Hopefully starting tomorrow, women and children will be able to leave the old city in Homs."

Homs, one of the first cities to rise against President Bashar Assad, had a pre-war population of one million, but most residents have fled.

Children will now be allowed to leave Homs

Activists say about 800 families are trapped in the rubble-strewn city, without regular access to food, medicine and basic necessities.

"The regime is blocking all convoys to Homs and has been doing so for months," said a senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the peace talks.

"The situation in Homs is extremely urgent. Anything the government says to the contrary is false."

A young girl pleads for help in the old city of Homs

Mr Brahimi, an Algerian diplomat representing the UN and Arab League, acknowledged that the agreement to free women and children fell short of his hope of sending aid convoys into the city.

But, he said, "to bring Syria out of the ditch in which it has fallen will take time."

He said he was pleased with the general tone of talks between Syria's regime and opposition leaders, and was hopeful of a breakthrough in the nearly three-year-old civil war.

"Now we are approaching a solution - at least for the civilians," said Mr Brahimi.

The talks have yet to touch on President Assad's future

"I am happy, because in general there is mutual respect and they are aware of the fact that this attempt is important and we must continue. I hope that this mood will continue."

The deal is being seen as the first tangible - if limited - sign of progress in talks aimed at ending a war which has so far claimed 130,000 lives and made two million people refugees.

The talks have yet to touch upon Mr Assad's future.

The thorniest topic - a possible transitional government - will not come up until at least Monday, Mr Brahimi said.

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Trierweiler Visits India After Hollande Split

Valerie Trieweiler has arrived in India, where she is due to make her first public appearances since French President Francois Hollande announced the couple's split.

The former French first lady was greeted by a media scrum at the airport in Mumbai, where she is due to promote a French charity during a two-day visit.

Ms Trierweiler, 48, arrived on an Air France flight just after midnight from Paris for the mission organised by Action Against Hunger (Action Contre la Faim, ACF).

She did not speak to the group of around 50 journalists gathered at the terminal but made her way to a waiting car which was expected to whisk her to the luxury Taj Mahal hotel.

Her entourage reportedly said she was accompanied on her India trip by a presidential bodyguard.

Ms Trierweiler was whisked away from the airport to a Mumbai hotel

A source close to her told AFP: "She is on good terms with the president and she is better."

Mr Hollande, 59, announced on Saturday he was splitting with longstanding partner after press reports two weeks ago of his alleged affair with actress Julie Gayet.

Ms Trierweiler has not commented on the break-up, apart from a tweet saying: "All my thanks to the extraordinary staff at the Elysee.

"I will never forget their devotion or the emotion of my departure."

In Paris, 20 police were injured during anti-Hollande protests

She was treated in hospital for a week after Closer magazine published claims about Mr Hollande's involvement with Ms Gayet, and she had since then been holed up in a presidential retreat outside Paris.

In Mumbai, Ms Trierweiler will visit a hospital where ACF has a feeding project for malnourished children and witness a training programme for medical staff, the charity has said.

She will have lunch with the wives of top local businessmen and attend a charity gala dinner at the Taj hotel where she is staying.

The journalist will be shown around the city by French actress Charlotte Valandrey, who is involved in the cause of promoting organ donations and transplants.

Riot police block a road during 'Day of Anger' protests in Paris

Ms Trierweiler visited India in February last year when, accompanied by Mr Hollande, she visited a shelter for street children in New Delhi and spoke of her desire to become a champion of children's rights.

India at the time decided to treat her as if she were the president's wife, resolving a potential protocol headache in the conservative country.

Although they were not married, she had been his partner for eight years and assumed the role of first lady at official functions after he was elected president in May 2012.

Mr Hollande has not denied an affair with Ms Gayet but has so far steadfastly refused to answer questions about his love life.

On Sunday, several thousand people marched through Paris to rally against many of the president's policies - such as last year's law backing gay marriage.

The 'Day of Anger', which ended with 20 police officers injured and 150 arrests after clashes with protesters, also saw many in the crowd complain about Mr Hollande's tangled love life.

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Israel 'Must Lead Battle' Against 'Quenelle'

By Tom Rayner, Middle East News Editor, Jerusalem

Israel must lead from the front in banning the use of Nazi language and symbols if it expects other countries to take tough measures against anti-Semitism, an Israeli MP has told Sky News.

Shimon Ohayon said the rise of the "quenelle" gesture in Europe should be seen as a reason for the Israeli parliament to fast-track his proposed new law.

The bill he has put forward would criminalise the use of the word "Nazi" as an insult in Israel.

The "quenelle" gesture, coined by French comedian Dieudonne M'bala M'bala, has been perceived by many as an inverted Nazi salute.

French comedian Dieudonne coined the 'quenelle' gesture

Fans have been pictured making the "quenelle" pose outside places such as the Anne Frank museum in Amsterdam and the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland.

Dieudonne has numerous convictions for hate speech against Jews, and his show has recently been banned in some French cities.

He denies it is anti-Semitic, saying it is instead a symbol of emancipation.

Shimon Ohayon wants to ban the use of 'Nazi' as an insult in Israel

While Mr Ohayon welcomes the support that France's President Francois Hollande has given to the bans issued to Dieudonne, he says Israel must lead by example when it comes to passing tougher laws.

"We have to lead. Israel as a Jewish state must lead this battle, to be on the front," he told Sky News.

"If we are expecting other countries to pass legislation to prohibit Nazi symbols we have to lead."

Within Israel itself, it is not so much anti-Semitism as the use of Nazi references as insults between Jews which prompted the drafting of the law.

At sports fixtures opposing fans have often been heard to sing chants accusing their opponents of being "Nazis".

On Facebook, opposition to particular government policies have sometimes resulted in doctored photographs being uploaded, showing the ministers responsible with superimposed Hitler-esque moustaches or wearing SS uniform.

Protests against extending the compulsory military draft in the country to ultra-orthodox Jews has also resulted in demonstrations in which Holocaust imagery was used.

Children have been paraded wearing yellow Star of David badges

Ultra-orthodox children have been paraded wearing striped pyjamas and yellow Star of David badges - the implication being that the Israeli authorities themselves are behaving like the Nazis.

Similar use of yellow stars was employed by settlers who were removed from Gaza in Israel's unilateral withdrawal in 2005.

There are fears that use of Nazi references in these ways erodes understanding of the significance and importance of the Holocaust, but critics say the proposed new law would be overly draconian and would curtail freedom of speech.

Others, such as Avner Shalev, the director of the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum and memorial in Jerusalem, believe the problem can be tackled with other means.

"I do believe that educational means might do the same function, they have made the difference in the past," he said.

"I think they can create the right atmosphere in public discourse, and build up the culture of public discourse, which is more important than the bill."

The draft law has passed its first reading in the Israeli parliament.

It will be debated a further two times before it can be voted into law.

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China Jails Lawyer Xu Zhiyong For Four Years

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

A prominent Chinese lawyer and academic has been sentenced to four years in jail after a one day trial in Beijing.

Xu Zhiyong, 40, a lawyer and a lecturer at the Beijing University of Post and Telecommunications, was convicted of "gathering crowds to disrupt public order".

As a founding member of the New Citizens Movement, Mr Xu had repeatedly called for transparency within the Chinese government and an end to corrupt practices.

The movement called for the Chinese leaders to live up to their own constitution and attracted a following around China large enough to raise concerns among China's Communist leadership.

Mr Xu refused to defend himself at his trial on Wednesday because, according to his lawyer, he refused to recognise the court.

Mr Xu has appeared in the Chinese edition of Esquire

During the sentencing, Mr Xu managed to say a few words before being silenced.

"The last bit of dignity of Chinese justice has been completely destroyed by you," he said, according to his lawyer.

Roseann Rife, East Asia Research Director at Amnesty International, and Brad Adams, Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, both criticised the verdict.

Ms Rife said: "This is a shameful but sadly predictable verdict. The Chinese authorities have once again opted for the rule of fear over the rule of law.

"At best the injustice of prosecuting Xu Zhiyong is hypocrisy of the highest order. On the surface his calls to expose corruption coincide with President Xi Jinping's own much heralded clampdown."

Mr Adams said: "The harsh sentence for a moderate critic who reflected widespread public concern about corruption shows just how little tolerance there is towards dissent in China today.

"Xi Jinping has made fighting corruption the linchpin of his presidency, but when an average citizen takes up the same cause, he is sent to prison. This hypocrisy makes a mockery of the president's anti-corruption campaign."

But the message sent from the courtroom today runs far deeper: In Xi Jinping's China, the Communist Party maintains a monopoly on the political process and anyone that speaks out will be severely dealt with.

At the end of the trial on Wednesday, Mr Xu read about 10 minutes of a lengthy closing statement before the judge stopped him claiming it was "irrelevant".

Mr Xu has been jailed for four years

"You have accused me of disrupting public order for my efforts to push for rights to equal access to education, to allow children of migrant workers to sit for university entrance examinations where they reside, and for my calls that officials publicly declare their assets," Mr Xu's statement reads.

"While on the face of it, this appears to be an issue of the boundary between a citizen's right to free speech and public order, what this is, in fact, is the issue of whether or not you recognise a citizen's constitutional rights."

"If the country's rulers have any intention to take citizens' constitutional rights seriously, then of course we are innocent," he wrote. 

"The day will come when the 1.3 billion Chinese will stand up from their submissive state and grow to be proud and responsible citizens. China will become a country that enjoys a civilised political system and a happy society in which freedom, justice, and love prevail."

At Wednesday's trial, a small group of his supporters briefly unveiled a banner supporting him. They were quickly detained and taken away.

A group of foreign diplomats, including senior embassy staff from the American and British Embassies tried to observe the trial. They were refused access and were instead subjected to harassment outside court.

The American Embassy's First Secretary was pushed away as he tried to speak to journalists including Sky News.

Mark Stone was harassed by officials outside court during Mr Xu's trial

Sky News, the BBC and CNN were all physically prevented from filming in the public space outside the court, prompting a statement from the American Ambassador.

"The United States Government calls on Chinese authorities to release Xu and other political prisoners immediately, to cease any restrictions on their freedom of movement, and to guarantee them the protections and freedoms to which they are entitled under China's international human rights commitments." Ambassador Gary Locke said.

"I am deeply concerned that police mistreated foreign journalists ... I urge Chinese authorities to take measures to ensure that foreign reporters working in China are able to carry out their journalistic responsibilities in accordance with internationally recognised conventions." he said.

The Chinese government has remained largely silent about the trial but an editorial in the state-run Global Times newspaper said that Mr Xu's movement and his "disruption of public order" were separate issues.

"It's a misleading thought to forcefully connect Xu's Movement and his trial as cause and effect. Xu's advocacies are a matter of politics and public opinion, not the business of the court. But the court will function if public order is disrupted." it read.

Mr Xu, who was arrested in July last year, intends to appeal according to his lawyer.

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World Cup: Protests Turn Violent In Sao Paulo

At least 1,000 protesters have taken to the streets of Sao Paulo in violent protests against the World Cup.

Activists attacked a police patrol vehicle and tried to turn it over while others smashed the windows of shops and banks.

A mother carries her daughter away from their car after it caught fire

A number of members of the public were caught up in the violence, including a mother who was pictured carrying her terrified daughter to safety after their car caught fire as it was driven through a flaming barrier. 

The demonstrators are angry at what they say is a decline in public services as a result of money being diverted to stage the tournament.

Protesters attempt to turn over a police car in Sao Paulo

So-called 'back block' anarchists marched through the streets of the city shouting: "If we have no rights, there will be no Cup."

University student Leonardo Pelegrini dos Santos said: "We are against the millions and millions of dollars being spent for the Cup. It is money that should be invested in better health and education services and better transportation and housing.

"By 'rights' we mean the people's right to decent public services."

Demonstrators attack a Caixa bank during the protests

Fellow student Juliana Turno said: "This is a small sample of the protests that will happen when the World Cup begins."

Protests also took place in Rio de Janeiro when 50 protesters gathered in front of the Copacabana Palace hotel holding signs with anti-World Cup slogans.

Demonstrators hold banners that read "There will be no World Cup"

Another activist group sat on lavatories on Ipanema beach in the city to protest against what they say is a lack of basic sanitation in the city.

Activist group My Rio said the aim of the protest was to raise awareness of the thousands of litres of untreated sewage they say is pumped into the sea off the city every day.

Demonstrators run through a bar after clashing with military police

Activist Leona Deckelbaum said: "The Olympics are coming, the World Cup is coming, it's a chance to draw attention and maybe the world can talk about what's happening here in Rio.                

"To me it is unbelievable that there's not basic sanitation in a city like Rio."

Rio residents who were sunbathing on the beach and who saw the protest, also expressed concern about the safety of the water in the city.

Activists also want cleaner beaches for Rio

"We come to enjoy. And here we get the impact (from sewage problems). It's really dirty. The sand, everything," said Ruth Ferreira.

The protesters also carved-out coloured silhouettes of common bacteria found in sewage which they laid on the sand.

Some 70% of Rio's sewage is untreated and flows into the sea off Copacabana, Ipanema and the Guanabara Bay.

These beaches are due to host several of Rio's events at the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics.

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Ukraine Unrest: Opposition Offered Top Jobs

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has offered to share power with opposition leaders in an attempt to resolve the country's deepening political crisis.

The move comes as violence and protests continue in Ukraine with demonstrators trying to seize government buildings across the country.

Mr Yanukovych offered opposition chiefs Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Vitali Klitschko the posts of prime minister and deputy prime minister in a new government.

Anti-government protesters attempt to enter the 'Ukrainian house'

But the fig leaf was rejected by world boxing champion Mr Klitschko.

"Our demand is the holding of presidential elections this year... We will not yield but talks will continue," he told tens of thousands of protesters in Independence Square in Kiev.

Mr Yatsenyuk, head of the Fatherland party, gave no clear response to the proposal in his speech.

He said the opposition was prepared to take on responsibility, but added: "The people will determine the power in Ukraine. We will not step down from our position."

Demonstrators have tried to seize government buildings across the country

In recent talks between Mr Yanukovych and the opposition, both sides agreed the protests and police presence in Kiev would be scaled down, raising hopes of a resolution to the crisis.

Mr Yanukovych also said he was willing to consider changes to the constitution that would reduce the presidency's huge powers.

He also promised to consider changes to anti-protest laws passed by parliament on January 16 which sparked the latest crisis.

Until the past week, protests had centred mainly in Kiev, with only smaller rallies elsewhere.

But following the latest clashes, a series of government buildings have been seized in the west of the country, where support for Mr Yanukovych is weak.

Opposition leader Vitaly Klitschko (L) at a rally in Independence square

Protesters clashed with riot police as they forced their way into a regional administration office in the town of Vinnytsia, around 120 miles from Kiev.

And about 100 anti-government activists rushed the country's energy ministry in Kiev, where clashes with police have continued.

Energy Minister Eduard Stavytsky said their actions had threatened the country's entire power supply.

Protesters also continue to occupy Kiev city hall, which they have turned into a makeshift headquarters.

Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovich (2nd L) meets with opposition leaders

The rallies began in November last year after Mr Yanukovych scrapped a treaty with the European Union in favour of a bail-out loan from Russia, following lobbying by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt suggested Mr Yanukovych was losing control over his country. He posted a map of Ukraine on Twitter showing which regions had been hit by protests.

"If Kiev regime tries a military solution to this situation, it will be very bloody and it will fail," he tweeted.

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