Syria War: 11,000 Refugees Flee In 24 Hours

As many as 11,000 people have fled Syria in 24 hours - one of the biggest refugee exoduses the country has seen in its 20-month conflict.

The refugees were escaping fierce fighting between rebels and government forces for control of the northeastern Syrian town of Ras al Ain on the border with Turkey.

The exodus signals the escalating ferocity of the conflict, which has killed more than 36,000 people since March 2011.

The United Nations has warned that an estimated four million people inside Syria will need humanitarian assistance by early next year as winter sets in - up from 2.5 million now.

Of the 11,000 Syrians who fled in the 24-hour period that began on Thursday, 9,000 crossed into Turkey, while Jordan and Lebanon each absorbed another 1,000 refugees, according to UN officials.

Video from Turkey's news agency Anadolu showed Syrians jumping over and climbing through a razor-wire fence on the border to cross into the Turkish town of Ceylanpinar.

The influx has caused alarm in Turkey, which has long expressed worry over its ability to cope with such large numbers and has called for a buffer zone to be set up inside Syria where refugees could be housed.

Turkish soldiers guard the border with Syria near the town of Ceylanpinar

The flood of Syrians into Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon was "the highest that we have had in quite some time," said Panos Moumtzis, the UN refugee agency's coordinator for the region.

Despite the bloodshed, President Bashar al Assad said in a rare TV appearance that there was no civil war in Syria.

"It is about terrorism and the support coming from abroad to terrorists to destabilise Syria. This is our war," Mr Assad said in an interview by broadcaster Russia Today, which was aired on Friday.

Mr Assad has insisted he would not step down, saying he would "live and die in Syria".

But Syrians still in the country faced an increasingly desperate situation, senior UN official John Ging, in Geneva, said.

"Every day our humanitarian colleagues on the ground are engaging with people who are ever more desperate, ever more fearful for their lives and for the lives of their families because of this conflict," he said.

Also on Friday, Syria's main opposition bloc in exile, the Syrian National Council, elected veteran activist George Sabra, a Christian, as its new head.

The group has come under heavy criticism from international allies for being ineffective in the fight against Mr Assad and for being riven by personal disputes.

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Spain: Suicide Death Jump As Bailiffs Move In

A mother in Spain jumped to her death as bailiffs approached to evict her from her fourth-floor flat, officials have said.

Amaia Egana's death was the country's second apparent suicide linked to evictions, with authorities under mounting pressure to ease tough mortgage laws.

Around 500 evictions are being carried out each day across Spain, which is beset by a sinking economy.

Mrs Egana reportedly jumped from the balcony of her home in Barakaldo, in the northern city of Bilbao, as bailiffs approached to evict her for failing to pay her mortgage.

She worked at a local bus depot, was married to a former town councillor and had a 21-year-old daughter.

While protests against Spain's mortgage rules took place in Madrid, neighbours of the 53-year-old held a vigil outside her building.

One of them, Francisco Algazira, said: "Shame on the government for these things.

A woman passes a Madrid bank painted with graffiti reading: 'Assassin'

"They are cutting and cutting and we can't live anymore. The same thing that happened to that woman could happen to me tomorrow."

Jose Luis, a 52-year-old former teacher, said: "They need to stop rescuing the banks and start rescuing people because we are heading nowhere and the loan sharks must have a limit."

Local judge Juan Carlos Mediavilla told reporters that it was "necessary to amend current mortgage legislation" to prevent a recurrence of such events.

And employment and social security minister Fatima Banez said the government deeply regretted Mrs Egana's death.

On Thursday the European Court of Justice's advocate general, Juliane Kokott, handed down a non-binding legal opinion that criticised Spanish legal rules regarding evictions.

The ruling came in response to a query from a Spanish court on a 2011 lawsuit over an eviction due to an unpaid mortgage.

Ms Kokott said the Spanish system did not sufficiently protect consumers against possible abusive clauses in mortgage contracts.

In October, Jose Miguel Domingo, 53, was found dead in the courtyard of his building in Granada moments after bailiffs appeared to evict him.

A day later, another 53-year-old man, who had been unemployed for four years, jumped out of his apartment window in the eastern town of Burjassot as eviction loomed. He survived but with injuries.

Spain's unemployment rate stands at 25% and the government predicts its economy - which is now in recession - will not grow until 2014.

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Turkey Helicopter Crash: 17 Troops Killed

Seventeen Turkish soldiers have died after their helicopter crashed in southeastern Turkey in bad weather, an official has said.

The Sikorsky aircraft came down on Herekol mountain, in the Pervari district of Siirt province, according to Siirt governor Ahmet Aydin.

The victims were members of gendarmerie special forces and there were no survivors on board, he said.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash which reportedly happened in thick fog.

The helicopter was transporting troops to Pervari, where the Turkish army has been involved in operations against Kurdish rebels for three days, security sources told AFP.

The military has been on Herekol mountain in an attempt to flush out militants from outlawed separatist group the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) who have hideouts there.

Since the summer, there has been an upsurge in PKK attacks in southeast Turkey, particularly in the Hakkari region.

Turkish jets and helicopters have pounded PKK positions along the border with Iraq and Iran for three days, killing 42 militants, Hakkari's governor said.

Last month, a Sikorsky crashed in southeastern Diyarbakir province after it hit power lines, killing one soldier and wounding seven.

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Syria: 'Casualties After Two Large Blasts'

Two large explosions have struck the Syrian city of Deraa, causing multiple casualties, according to the state-run news agency.

The blasts were reportedly followed by clashes between regime forces and rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad.

Activists said dozens of members of the Syrian security forces were killed when two cars loaded with explosives drove into a military camp.

In what could have been a double suicide attack, the first car was driven into the camp and exploded, followed by the second vehicle, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Deraa was the birthplace of the Syrian uprising against Mr Assad

The blast from the second vehicle caused the casualties, it added.

Deraa, in the south of the country, was the birthplace of the Syrian uprising against Mr Assad, which erupted in March 2011.

The conflict began largely with peaceful protests against his rule but turned bloody after rebels took up arms in response to the regime's crackdown.

Activists say more than 36,000 people have died in Syria during the 19-month-long uprising.

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Massacre: Boy Testifies At Soldier's Hearing

A boy who survived a massacre that killed 16 people has given evidence against the US soldier accused of carrying out the shooting in Afghanistan.

The teenager, called Sadiquallah and believed to be 13 or 14-years-old, testified by video link from Kandahar during a hearing at a military base outside Seattle for Staff Sergeant Robert Bales.                 

Bales, 39, is accused of killing 16 civilians, including nine children, on March 11 in an attack on two villages near his base at Camp Belambay. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

Speaking through an interpreter, the boy said a neighbour woke him up when she screamed that an American had "killed our men".

He said he and another boy ran to hide in a storage room and ducked behind a curtain, where a bullet grazed his head.

The other child was hit in the thigh and also survived.

"I was hiding behind the curtains. A bullet hit me," he said.

Earlier, a relative of some of the victims said he found their bodies piled together and burned.

Khamal Adin told the hearing, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, that on the morning after the killings he arrived at a compound belonging to his cousin, Mohammed Wazir.

He found Wazir's mother lying dead in a doorway, a gunshot to her head.

Further inside, Mr Adin said he found the bodies of six of his cousin's seven children, the man's wife, and other relatives. The fire that burned the bodies was out, but Mr Adin said he could smell smoke.

"Everybody was shot on the head ... I didn't pay attention to the rest of the wounds," he said.

The evidence is part of a preliminary hearing to help determine whether Bales, a father of two from Lake Tapps, Washington, should face a court martial. He is charged with 16 counts of premeditated murder and six counts of attempted murder.

Prosecutors say Bales carried out his attack in two parts, attacking one village before returning to the base and then departing again to raid another.

It is alleged that in between his attacks, he woke a fellow soldier, reported what he had done, but the soldier did not believe what he said and went back to sleep.

Bales has not entered a plea and is not expected to testify. Bales' lawyers say he has post-traumatic stress disorder and suffered a head injury during a prior deployment to Iraq.

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China To Step Up Space Ambitions In 2013

China is stepping up its ambitious space exploration programme with another manned space mission early next summer, according to its official news agency Xinhua.

The Shenzhou-10, with three crew members, is aiming for a primary launch window in June according to Niu Hongguang, deputy commander-in-chief of the manned space programme.

Mr Niu, speaking on the sidelines of China's 18th Communist Party Congress in Beijing, said officials had identified a back-up launch window for July or August.

He also revealed that one of the three astronauts would probably be a woman.

Shenzhou-9 astronauts, from left, Liu Wang, Jing Haipeng and Liu Yang

China sent its first female astronaut, Liu Yang, into space earlier this year on the Shenzhou-9 in the country's first manual space docking mission.

The docking procedure was a major milestone in the country's ambitious space programme that has a goal of building a space station by 2020.

China has said it is working towards landing a man on the moon, but has not specified a time-frame.

The last time a man landed on the moon was during the United States' 1972 Apollo 17 mission.

Beijing has said it will also attempt to land an exploratory craft on the moon for the first time in the second half of next year and transmit back a survey of the lunar surface.

China sees its space programme as a symbol of its rising global stature, growing technical expertise, and the Communist Party's success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation.

The country sent its first man into space in 2003. It completed a space walk in 2008 and an unmanned docking between a module and rocket last year.

The US is not expected to test a new rocket to take people into space until 2017, and Russia has said manned missions are no longer a priority.

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'Harassing Emails Exposed' CIA Boss' Affair

The FBI investigation that led to the discovery of CIA boss David Petraeus' affair and resignation was reportedly triggered by "harassing" emails allegedly sent by 'lover' Paula Broadwell to another woman.

The receiver of the emails went to the FBI for protection and to help track down the sender, said the Washington Post.

A US official told the Associated Press the FBI's investigation began several months ago with a complaint against Ms Broadwell, who is Gen Petraeus' biographer.

That inquiry reportedly led agents to her email account, which uncovered the alleged relationship with the 60-year-old retired four-star general, who earned acclaim for his leadership of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Amid concerns the emails he exchanged with Ms Broadwell, 40, raised the possibility of a security breach, the FBI brought the matter up with Gen Petraeus directly, according to the official.

The FBI was also alerted that Ms Broadwell may have had access to his personal email account, said Fox News.

The agency then apparently determined she allegedly had emailed a number of government workers.

Paula Broadwell reportedly had an affair with General Petraeus (Pic: News)

It was at one point trying to establish whether any of the employees were being stalked, sources told Fox.

The person who complained about Ms Broadwell's purported harassing messages was not a family member nor a government official, the network added.

Gen Petraeus announced on Friday he was quitting, abruptly ending a high-profile career that might have culminated in a bid for the presidency.

He has been married for 38 years to Holly, who he met when he was a cadet at the US Military Academy at West Point.

She was the daughter of the academy superintendent. They have two children, and their son led an infantry platoon in Afghanistan.

Ms Broadwell, who is married with two young sons, has not commented on the claims.

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Israel Fires 'Warning Shots' Into Syria

Israel says its forces have fired "warning shots" into Syria after stray mortar fire from fighting in the civil war-hit nation struck the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

It was the first time Israel has been drawn into the unrest in the neighbouring country, and was the first Israeli fire directed at the Syrian military since the 1973 war.

The Israeli army said: "A mortar shell hit an IDF (Israeli Defence Force) post in the Golan Heights adjacent to the Israel-Syria border, as part of the internal conflict inside Syria.

"In response, IDF soldiers fired warning shots towards Syrian areas."

Sky's Middle East correspondent Sam Kiley said: "Sky sources tell me the warning shot was an anti-tank missile fired by Israel into Syrian territory, close to the crew that was identified as having fired this mortar round.

"So, already the Israelis are signalling that both sides should back off. They don't want another front line opening up in their ongoing conflicts, not least because in the last 24 hours there has been an escalation of violence in Gaza."

The shell overshot the Golan disengagement fence and exploded near a Jewish settlement without causing casualties, it was claimed.

There were no reports of damage or injuries inside Israel.

A string of mortar shells have struck the Golan during the 19-month long Syrian conflict between rebel fighters and forces loyal to President Bashar al Assad.

Israel's military chief, Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz, warned troops on the Golan Heights a week ago: "This is a Syrian issue that could become our issue."

The Jewish state captured the Golan from Syria in the 1967 Mid-East war.

Meanwhile, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was "prepared to escalate" its response to Palestinian rocket fire, after one of the worst flare-ups along its border with Gaza in recent years.

The latest unrest began on Saturday evening when Gaza militants fired an anti-tank missile at an Israeli jeep along the Gaza border, injuring four soldiers, one of them severely.

Israel retaliated with air strikes, shelling and artillery fire that left six Palestinians dead and 35 injured by Sunday afternoon, and Palestinian militants fired at least 82 rockets into southern Israel.

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At Least 12 Feared Dead In Burma Earthquake

A strong earthquake has struck northern Burma, leaving at least 12 people feared dead and dozens more injured.

The 6.8-magnitude quake was reported 70 miles (120km) north of the city of Mandalay, on Sunday morning.

While no casualties or damage were reported in the city, small towns around the epicentre of Shwebo were badly-hit.

The largest single death toll was reported by a local administrative officer in the Sintku township, where six people died in a gold mine collapse and another 11 were injured.

In nearby Thabeikyin, a primary school, 100 homes, and some government buildings were damaged. In Shwebo a bridge under construction across the Irrawaddy River collapsed.

A 5.8-magnitude aftershock was reported later on Sunday, but there were no initial reports of new damage or casualties.

Burma has a poor official disaster response system, despite a devastating cyclone in 2008 which killed 140,000 people.

"This is the worst earthquake I felt in my entire life," said Soe Soe, a 52-year-old Shwebo resident.

She said the huge concrete gate of a local monastery collapsed and that several sculptures from another pagoda in the town were damaged.

Other damage was reported in Mogok, a major gem-mining area just east of the quake's epicentre. Temples were damaged there, and some abandoned mines.

The quake was felt in Bangkok, the capital of neighbouring Thailand. It comes just a week ahead of a scheduled visit to Burma by President Barack Obama.

He will be the first US president to visit the one-time pariah nation, which is emerging from decades of military rule.

The disaster is the second to strike the area in three days.

On Friday, a tanker train derailed about 80 miles (127km) north of Shwebo, and at least 25 people were killed when overturned carriages burst into flames as they were trying to skim fuel from them.

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Sandy: 150,000 Homes Still Without Power

More than 150,000 homes and businesses are still waiting for the lights to come back on two weeks after Superstorm Sandy.

The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) in New York has about 130,000 customers still without power.

Most of the remaining homes without power are located in New Jersey.

The totals do not include the tens of thousands of homes that are too damaged to have electricity restored.

Consolidated Edison, which serves New York City, says damaged equipment affected thousands and needs to be inspected and repaired before power can be returned.

The prolonged lack of electricity, as well as a dearth of information about when it will be restored, has angered residents and government officials.

On Saturday, hundreds of residents gathered outside the LIPA office in Hicksville, New York, to complain about the slow response to outages.

"We are sitting in a cold house. No one comes by," said John Mangin of Levittown, New York.

"There should be criminal charges against the CEO and the executive board of LIPA for failure to do their jobs."

LIPA chief operating officer Michael Hervey said he was aware that customers had not received the information they needed, partly because of an outdated information technology system which is in the process of being updated.

"I certainly feel the frustration of customers whose power remains out. Our hearts go out to them," Mr Hervey said.

But he said workers are repairing the unprecedented storm damage as quickly as possible.

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