Colorado Avalanche: Five Snowboarders Killed

Five snowboarders have been killed after apparently triggering an avalanche in Colorado, authorities have said.

Search and rescue crews recovered the bodies several hours after Saturday's slide, according to Clear Creek County Sheriff Don Krueger.

A sixth snowboarder caught in the avalanche has been rescued.

The person's condition was not immediately known.

The avalanche occurred on a busy winter weekend as many skiers and snowboarders took advantage of late season snowfall in the Rocky Mountains.

The area is also popular among photographers and tourists seeking some of the most expansive views in Colorado.

Colorado Avalanche Information Centre forecaster Spencer Logan said there have been weak layers in the snowpack since early January.

"Our last series of storms made them more active again," he said.

US avalanche deaths climbed steeply after 1990, averaging 24 a year, as new gear became available for backcountry travel.

Until then, avalanches rarely claimed more than a handful of lives each season in records going back to 1950.

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Shots Fired At Colorado Marijuana Festival

One person has been shot in the leg and another suffered unknown injuries after shots were fired at a marijuana celebration held to mark the counterculture holiday 4/20.

Panic broke out in the crowd as the sound of gunfire rang out among the crowd of several thousand.

Witnesses said they heard three or more shots fired at the celebration just before 5pm local time.

Denver police rushed to the scene and crime tape was placed around a pavilion at the event.

Several thought firecrackers were being set off, then a man fell bleeding, his dog also shot.

Travis Craig, 28, who saw the shooting and said he used a belt to apply a tourniquet to the man's leg, said: "I saw him fall, grabbing his leg."

A group gathers at the celebration in downtown Denver

"He was just screaming that he was in pain, and wanted to know where his girlfriend was. She was OK. And then the cops showed up real quick, like, less than a minute. They put him on ambulance and left."

Aerial footage showed people running from the park.

The celebration on Saturday was the first since Colorado and Washington made marijuana legal for recreational use.

As many as 80,000 people were expected to attend.

A sizeable police force on motorbikes and horses watched over the event.

Officers at the festival did not arrest people for smoking marijuana in public, which is still illegal.

The term 4/20 is thought to refer to either an earlier police code for the offence of using marijuana or a day or time that became significant to the counterculture.

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Texas District Attorney Caught Drunk Driving

A District Attorney in Texas has been sentenced to 45 days in jail after being caught drunk-driving.

Rosemary Lehmberg, who is in charge of prosecuting in Travis County, was caught on video in a police station obstructing officers as they attempted to process her arrest.

The video, which was taken by jailers for evidence purposes, shows the 63-year-old slurring her speech and behaving erratically.

She was filmed kicking her cell door and shouting at officers.

She had been arrested earlier after being seen driving dangerously, with an open bottle of vodka found in her car.

The lawyer is considered one of the most powerful district attorneys in the US state of Texas.

She also was also filmed asking officers to "call Greg", referring to Travis County Sherriff Greg Hamilton.

At one point, when a female police officer tells Lehmberg she has been arrested for driving while intoxicated, the DA says: "That's y'all's (your) problem, not mine."

At another point, as officers are trying to remove her jewellery, she says: "Y'all are gonna be in jail, not me."

Officers who looked after her in custody accused her of being uncooperative and aggressive, saying they were forced to restrain her with handcuffs and leg irons.

She was also forced to wear a "spit mask", a white mask used on prisoners who attempt to spit on jailers, which officers said was for her own protection.

Police found the DA's blood alcohol level was nearly three times over the legal limit.

At a court hearing, Lehmberg was fined $4,000 (£2,600) and banned from driving for 180 days after pleading guilty.

Many people in Texas have called for her resignation, but so far Lehmberg has refused to quit.

The position of District Attorney in America is a political one, with lawyers elected by the public to the position of public prosecutor.

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Reporter Covers China Quake In Wedding Dress

A reporter from a local Chinese TV station has interrupted her own wedding to cover the news of the powerful earthquake that struck the city of Ya'an.

Chen Ying was getting her make-up done at a local photographic studio ahead of her wedding ceremony when the quake hit.

The bride sprung into action and started to interview people on the street - without initially realising the full extent of the disaster.

"I am standing at the Holiday Plaza. Fifteen minutes ago, a strong quake struck.

"But there haven't been casualties in this area where I am standing," she said in her piece to camera.

"Our residents in Ya'an have taken effective measures to prevent damages. I hope our city will be safe."

Ms Chen, who appeared on air wearing her wedding dress and veil, went viral online, with many viewers calling her the "most beautiful bride in the world".

Chen Ying interviews people in her wedding dress

She asked one woman what she was doing when the quake struck, to which the interviewee replied: "I was getting fuel for my car.

"My first feeling was this earthquake was stronger than the May 12 quake (in 2008).

"I feel pretty calm now. I feel much better after going through the May 12 earthquake."

Ms Chen asked another unidentified woman whether she was still scared, to which she replied: "Yes, I am still a bit in shock. I called around trying to find out where the epicentre is."

After conducting 10 minutes of interviews on the street, Ms Chen continued with her wedding - and went back to work after the brief ceremony.

The Ya'an quake on Saturday killed at least 186 people and injured more than 11,000 as well as leaving two dozen missing.

It was the worst in China since the 2008 disaster, which saw around 68,000 people lose their lives.

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Shark Attacks Man In Knee Deep Water On Beach

A man has been attacked by a shark while fishing on a beach in waters that were only knee deep.

Alan Saunders was bitten on both legs by the Grey Nurse Shark off the coast of New South Wales in Australia.

He reportedly suffered deep puncture wounds in the attack in the town of Crowdy Head.

His brother said he was bitten as he was releasing one of three sharks caught in a fishing net.

The victim reportedly suffered deep puncture wounds

Ray Saunders said: "Alan was involved in removing one of the sharks out of the wings of the net.

"He released that shark but another shark came in and bit him on both legs."

The 51-year-old is being treated in hospital in the city of Newcastle after being taken there by air ambulance.

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Syria: US Offers Rebels $123m Non-Lethal Aid

The United States is providing Syrian rebels with $123m (£80m) in new non-lethal aid that may include body armour and other supplies.

The money will double the amount of non-lethal assistance to the Syrian opposition, as well as increase humanitarian aid.

The aid could include armoured vehicles, night vision goggles and advanced communications equipment.

Foreign ministers from the main supporters of the rebels trying to topple the Syrian government have been meeting in Istanbul to increase pressure on Syrian President Bashar al Assad.

The United Nations estimates the fighting in Syria has killed more than 70,000 people.

"The stakes in Syria couldn't be more clear," said US Secretary of State John Kerry.

"Chemical weapons, the slaughter of people by ballistic missiles and other weapons of huge destruction, the potential of a whole country ... being torn apart into enclaves, the potential of sectarian violence.

John Kerry meets Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul

"This bloodshed needs to stop and that's what brought us here tonight on Saturday and a very early Sunday morning to talk about the possibilities for peace and transition."

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers said they welcomed the Syrian National Coalition's "firm rejection of extremism and its commitment not to use chemical weapons".

They cited those commitments in agreeing to enhance and expand support for all coalition institutions.

The foreign ministers said they recognised the "need to change the balance of power on the ground" and welcomed the additional pledges and commitments to further increase the support to the Supreme Military Council.

The head of the council provided a military briefing during the meeting.

Syrian opposition leader Moaz al Khatib said: "Our revolution is for the entire Syrian people."

US President Barack Obama has said he has no plans to send weapons or give lethal aid to the rebels, despite pressure from Congress, some administration advisers and appeals from the Syrian opposition leadership.

Since February, the US has shipped food and medical supplies directly to the Free Syrian Army, but Mr Obama recently expanded the aid to include defensive military equipment.

Mr Kerry's announcement on Saturday was the first under that new authorisation.

So far, the US has provided an estimated $117m in non-lethal aid to the Syrian opposition.

Today, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel heads to Israel in a week-long trip to the Middle East that will be dominated by the Syrian conflict as well as the Iran's nuclear programme.

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India Protests At Rape Of Five-Year-Old Girl

Protesters have staged a second day of rallies in Delhi in protest at the brutal rape of an abducted five-year-old girl.

It was the latest in a string of attacks on females that have brought thousands on the the streets of India's capital, angry at the way women are regularly subjected to violence.

The girl is being treated at Delhi's top government hospital where officials said she was in "stable condition".

The attack on the young child and the subsequent public revulsion was reminiscent of the horrifying gang-rape of a 23-year-old student on a bus last December, who died from her injuries.

That case led to weeks of protests and a national debate over the status of women in India, putting the spotlight on the level of sexual violence.

The girl suffered serious internal injuries during a two-day ordeal, allegedly at the hands of a garment worker who was arrested on Saturday.

Hospital medical superintendent DK Sharma told reporters: "She is in stable condition and showing signs of improvement.

"She is conscious and talking to her parents, doctors and nurses and it can be said there is no danger to her life now."

A woman protests outside the police headquaters in New Delhi

Demonstrators carrying flags and posters gathered outside the the city's main police headquarters for a second day of protest.

Another group headed to the hospital where the young victim girl is under round-the-clock observation.

The Times of India reported that many people sat in the road and sang songs as the police erected barricades to keep them in check.

Many called for the sacking of Delhi police commissioner Neeraj Kumar after it emerged two police officers have been accused of delaying an investigation into the case.

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the latest attack showed again work was needed to change attitudes and improve safety.

He said: "It is widely accepted that, as a country, we have vast improvements to make in these (safety, security and status of women) areas. These issues came into sharper focus after the horrific gang rape incident in Delhi last December.

"The gruesome assault on a little child a few days back reminds us of the need to work collectively to root out this sort of depravity from our society."

The 22-year-old suspect, said by media reports to be a tenant in the child's house, was apprehended after he fled to his in-laws' home in the eastern Indian state of Bihar.

He is accused of repeatedly attacking the child inside a locked room after kidnapping her on Monday in a lower middle-class area of Delhi.

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Boston: 'Pair May Have Planned More Attacks'

The brothers suspected of carrying out the deadly Boston Marathon explosions may have been planning more attacks, police say.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is in a serious condition in hospital after separate gun battles with police.

But Boston police commissioner Ed Davis said officers cannot be certain there were not more explosives in the city.

"It's possible, but we have already searched the locations that are directly connected with the two bombers. They clearly had other explosives," Commissioner Davis said on Fox News Sunday.

"We feel they had plans to use those explosives," he added.

Meanwhile, the city's mayor Tom Menino has said authorities do not know if they will ever be able to question the surviving suspect.

Incendiary devices were detonated on the boat by police

Dzhokhar, 19, was captured late on Friday after a gunfight with officers that ended the city-wide search.

He was shot in the throat and could not speak because of injuries to his tongue, said a source close to the investigation, preventing police from questioning him.

The suspect is under armed guard in hospital, as investigators try to find a motive for the attack.

A video has been released by officers showing the operation to seize him after being tipped off by a man who noticed blood under a tarpaulin covering his boat in his garden.

Thermal imaging footage from a helicopter depicts a glowing white mass - Tsarnaev - hiding in the boat before he was detained by officers.

Bombing suspects Tamerlan Tsarnaev (L) and his brother Dzhokhar

One section of the video was of a police vehicle using an extended robotic arm to remove a tarpaulin covering the vessel while others showed officers detonating incendiary devices on the boat.

His brother Tamerlan, 26, died earlier on Friday after a shootout with the police. Officers are working to determine whether the two ethnic Chechen brothers accused of the attack acted alone.

A law enforcement source said Tamerlan travelled to Moscow in January 2012 and spent six months in the region.

But it remains unclear what he did while he was there, or whether he had contact with militant Islamist groups in southern Russia's restive Caucasus region.

A website used by North Caucasus rebels has reportedly denied any link to the marathon bombings.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev leaves the boat he was hiding in

"The command of the Vilayat Dagestan mujahedeen... declares that the Caucasus fighters are not waging any military activities against the United States of America," the website said.

"We are only fighting Russia, which is not only responsible for the occupation of the Caucasus, but also for monstrous crimes against Muslims," the rebel site said.

Sky's Moscow correspondent Katie Stallard said the development was "very significant" because authorities will be looking for the ideology behind the attacks.

She said: "Until they are able to speak to Dzhokhar to get information from him, they will be working backwards through these men's history in terms of travel, where they have been physically, websites they have visited, material they have looked at online."

Police look around the corner as Dzhokhar was hiding in a boat nearby

Stallard added: "There are allegedly videos that the older brother Tamerlan had been looking at which identified him with the cause of the Caucases emirate.

"It's a separatist moment down in the south of Russia, started as a Chechen nationalist movement that has become a movement towards an independent Islamic state in that region."

The FBI, which interviewed Tamerlan in 2011 after he was flagged by Russian authorities, believes the older brother was the leader of the pair.

Investigators are checking on people who had contact with both brothers to see if anyone else was involved.

Dzhokhar had been hiding in the boat that was parked in the garden of a house in the suburb of Watertown. He was captured after the owner spotted blood on the vessel and called the police.

Massachusetts State Police used infra-red to spot Dzhokhar

Residents in Watertown have held a vigil to remember the three people killed and 176 others injured in the marathon attacks. 

As night fell, those gathered at the Watertown High School lit candles as a mark of respect for the victims.

Investigators are trying to establish whether the brothers had assistance leading up to the detonation of bombs made in pressure cookers and packed with ball bearings and nails.

Dzhokhar is being treated at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston.

It was unclear when he would be able to talk or when he would be charged.

"It's serious ... he's not yet able to speak," Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick told reporters. "We have a million questions - and those questions need to be answered."

During their getaway attempt, the brothers apparently killed Massachusetts Institute of Technology policeman Sean Collier and severely wounded another officer.

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Bahrain: F1 Race Goes Ahead Amid Protests

Police clashed with demonstrators ahead of Bahrain's Formula 1 Grand Prix, but a massive security presence prevented disruption to the race.

The Grand Prix, won by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, was overshadowed by sometimes bloody clashes away from the circuit which dragged F1 bosses into controversy for a second year in a row.

Police have fired pellets and tear gas to contain simmering resentment at a deadly 2011 crackdown by the Sunni royal family on Arab Spring-inspired protests.

On Sunday, masked youths set alight tyres on roads in Shiite villages just outside the capital Manama, but access remained open to the Sakhir circuit, south of the capital.

Police fired tear gas on Saturday night to disperse demonstrators who chanted against the "race of blood," said witnesses.

Armoured security vehicles, police cars and armed guards at road blocks lined the route into Sakhir in the morning.

Queues at the circuit confirmed a heavy security presence as every vehicle slowed to pass through a single file inspection by gun-carrying security guards.

Protesters set fire to barricades on the outskirts of the capital Manama

"Police are out in force to beef up security measures at the Bahrain International Circuit," said Major General Tariq Hassan, the country's public security chief.

"Security forces are deployed in all regions countrywide, undertaking pre-emptive and precautionary measures to ensure safety and security and protect public and private properties."

Hundreds of demonstrators who attempted to reach Manama's Pearl Square, the epicentre of the 2011 protests, were forcibly dispersed on Saturday night.

Police fired tear gas and some protesters retaliated with petrol bombs.

Hundreds had also taken to the streets of Shiite villages overnight on Friday, prompting clashes.

"Your race is a crime," chanted protesters armed with petrol bombs and stones. "No, no to the race of blood."

Police responded with tear gas and stun grenades.

The scenes have renewed pressure on motor racing bosses over their decision to keep Bahrain on the F1 calendar despite similar disturbances that clouded the event last year.

Sebastian Vettel celebrates his win in the Grand Prix

Talking to reporters at the track on Saturday, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa admitted there were "issues" affecting the kingdom, which was rocked by deadly unrest in the 1990s and has been hit by disturbances for the past two years.

But he dismissed criticism that Bahrain was exploiting the motor racing event in a bid to boost its image and economy.

"We've never used this race to say that everything's fine," said Prince Salman. "We recognise there are issues in the country but they are to be solved in a political process which is well underway."

Human rights groups say the political violence in Bahrain has killed at least 80 people since 2011.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said it was not for the sport to take a moral stand.

He said: "We're not here, or we don't go anywhere, to judge how a country is run.

"Human rights are that the people that live in a country abide by the laws of that country. So it's a case of whatever the laws are in a country. People need to respect them."

Strategically located just across the Gulf from Iran, Bahrain is home base for the US Fifth Fleet and also a major offshore financial and services centre for its Arab neighbours in the oil-rich Gulf.

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China Quake: Over 11,000 People Injured

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

The death toll in the Chinese earthquake is expected to rise above 200 today as rescuers find more bodies under rubble.

More than 11,000 people are confirmed to have been injured after the earthquake struck China's Sichuan province.

The Chinese news agency Xinhua said the quake, measured at varying magnitudes between 6.6 and 7.0, struck at 8.02am local time on Saturday close to the city of Ya'an in Lushan county.

The epicentre had a depth of a little less than eight miles (13km).

The quake triggered landslides and destroyed buildings. A major rescue operation involving emergency services and more than 6,000 troops has worked through the night to reach trapped people in various communities across the region.

The rescue effort is understood to have been hampered by aftershocks. Some of the tremors that followed the main quake have been almost as strong.

In one area, about 50% of buildings have been destroyed

According to local media reports, a vehicle carrying 17 soldiers fell off a cliff and into a river as it travelled to the epicentre. One soldier was killed and seven more injured, three seriously.

But extraordinary stories of survival are already emerging. According to one local media report, a mother managed to lift concrete weighing 50kg to rescue her son from the rubble.

Another report described how a woman gave birth at a bike shelter just a few hours after the quake hit.

And remarkable TV footage from one collapsed building shows rescue workers pulling a tiny baby alive from the rubble. The child's mother was also saved.

Tremors were felt in neighbouring provinces and in the provincial capital city of Chengdu. Users of Weibo, China's microblogging service, have posted images of damaged buildings and described scenes of panic as residents rushed outside.

Local seismologists registered the quake at magnitude 7.0 while the US Geological Survey (USGS) put it at 6.6.

The USGS said "significant" casualties were likely and "extensive damage is probable and disaster is likely widespread."

A Chinese general, flying over the region in a helicopter, told local media that as many as 50% of buildings in one area had collapsed.

Thousands of rescuers have been deployed

China's new Premier Li Keqiang has visited the region to survey the damage.

The quake is the first big test for the new Chinese leadership. Their ability to respond to it is likely to be scrutinised on an ever growing social media forum.

The epicentre is close to the location of the 2008 earthquake which killed 68,000 people. That quake had a greater magnitude of 7.9 but its epicentre was further underground.

The 2008 disaster destroyed large swathes of the province along with areas of neighbouring Shaanxi and Gansu. The government faced significant criticism for allowing badly constructed buildings to be erected and for covering up their failings.

This time, early indications suggest a much better level of preparedness.

Cai Jing, the Deputy Secretary-General of Sichuan's Provincial Government, attempted to reassure people at a late news conference last night.

"The main road sections in Lushan County have been reopened," he said.

"Hospitals in the province are ready to receive and transport the injured. A total of 28,971 rescuers from 95 professional rescue teams with 933 sets of equipment have been dispatched," he told reporters at the briefing in Chengdu City.

"At present, about 13,466 rescuers have arrived at the epicentre and 2,058 others are heading to the area. In addition, 13,547 rescuers are put on standby."

Better technology is also helping the authorities. For the first time, unmanned drones are being used over the disaster zone to send back pictures and assess damage.

But new technology is also putting increased pressure on the authorities. This is the first natural disaster in China in the "Weibo era". The twitter-like social media phenomenon has allowed "netizens" to openly criticise the government for failings.

International offers of assistance have already been received.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague sent the condolences of the nation.

"My thoughts are also with the Chinese authorities and the emergency services as they continue their rescue efforts. We are in contact with local authorities through our Consulate-General in Chongqing and will continue to follow the situation closely," he said.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin sent China's President Xi Jinping a telegram expressing his condolences and offering help.

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