Bear Mauling Victim Is Rescued 36 Hours Later

A hunter who was mauled by a brown bear in remote region in Alaska has survived 36 hours in the wilderness until he was rescued.

The man was part of a group on a hunting trip about 30 miles north of Anaktuvuk Pass, a tiny village in the Gates of the Arctic National Park.

He was identified by the Alaskan newspaper Anchorage Daily News as hunting guide James Tuttle.

Initial rescue efforts by local search teams and by the Alaska State Troopers were turned back because of dense fog, and the he Alaska Air National Guard was called in.

Crews equipped with night-vision goggles and flares staged a middle-of-the-night rescue, and managed to find him amid low clouds and difficult conditions.

Mr Tuttle had suffered severe blood loss and other injuries, but a medical professional who happened to be in a nearby hunting party reached him soon after the attack.

The Brooks Range mountains are seen in the backdrop

Officials credited the medical professional with saving the man's life.

"He was able to decrease the blood loss and maintain life until help could arrive," said Master Sergeant Armando Soria, a search and rescue controller with the coordination centre.

"He provided expert care with limited resource for several hours, ultimately stabilising, warming and re-hydrating the victim."

Mr Tuttle was brought to an Air Force base, and then taken by ambulance to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.

He was reported in a stable condition this weekend.

Parajumper Chris Bowerfind, who was part of the rescue mission, told the Anchorage Daily News that Mr Tuttle was in good spirits and cracking jokes despite looking like "he'd gone a couple rounds with a UFC fighter".

Mr Tuttle told Mr Bowerfind he was walking to the caribou carcass when the bear attacked him on Alaska's remote Brooks Range.

"The only thing he remembers is hearing a grunt and a grumble from the brush, and as he turned he said she was right on top of him," Mr Bowerfind recounted.

The bear batted at Mr Tuttle, then walked away only to charge again in a second attack that appeared to inflict most of the injuries, Mr Bowerfind said.

Nonetheless, Mr Bowerfind said he was surprised at how well Mr Tuttle seemed to be faring.

"He was a great patient, all things considered. Just in a lot of pain."

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China's Bo Xilai Goes On Trial On Thursday

Disgraced senior Chinese politician Bo Xilai will stand trial later this week for bribery, corruption and abuse of power, it has been announced.

Bo, once one of the country's most powerful leaders, will face the charges on Thursday at Jinan Intermediate People's Court in the eastern province of Shandong, Xinhua news agency said.

"The open trial will start at 8:30 am (0030 GMT) on August 22 at its 5th courtroom," Xinhua said.

Bo's wife Gu Kailai has been jailed for the 2011 murder of British businessman Neil Heywood in Chongqing, where Bo was Communist Party chief.

The scandal emerged last year, ahead of a once-a-decade leadership transition in which Bo had been considered a candidate for the Politburo Standing Committee, China's most powerful body.

Gu has been jailed for Mr Heywood's murder

But his glittering career came crashing down amid the allegations his wife - later convicted of murder - was involved in Mr Heywood's death and Bo had sought to block the police investigation.

The case has also seen Bo's police chief Wang Lijun jailed for 15 years.

Bo, who has been in custody since his dramatic downfall, was indicted on the charges last month.

It is almost certain 64-year-old Bo, a "princeling" son of a late vice premier, will be convicted as China's prosecutors and judges are controlled by the ruling Communist Party.

Mr Heywood was found dead in his hotel room in 2011

President Xi Jinping came to power in March vowing rid the country of corrupt officials - from the high-ranking "tigers" to low-level "flies".

How Bo's case is handled will be a test of Mr Xi's battle against corruption and also show his authority over the party.

During Gu's trial, she admitted to poisoning Mr Heywood, claiming that she had acted after he threatened her son, Bo Guagua, when a business deal turned sour.

Before he was found dead in a Chongqing hotel room in November 2011, Mr Heywood had been a long-time friend of Bo and Gu and helped their son settle into Britain.

Last week, Mr Heywood's Chinese wife and British mother announced they were seeking compensation for his death.

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Russia: Anti-Gay Row 'Invented' By Western Media

Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko says the controversy over his country's anti-gay propaganda law is "an invented problem" by Western media.

The new legislation, which makes it illegal to give under-18s information about homosexuality, has led to calls for a boycott of next year's Winter Olympics in Russia.

Debate over the law, which was introduced in June, has intensified during the World Athletics Championships in Moscow.

But Mr Mutko, who is chairman of the Moscow 2013 Organising Committee, told a press conference today the issue has been blown out of all proportion.

"I think this is kind of an invented problem," he said. "We don't have a law banning non-traditional sexual relations, we have a different law.

"It is the informational protection of the young generation. We want to prevent the young generation, whose psyche has not been formulated.

"We want to protect them against drunkenness, drugs and non-traditional sexual relations. We want them to grow up and when they become adults they have to define what they want."

The news came as two female Russian athletes kissed on the winner's podium at the World Athletics Championships yesterday - sparking a huge debate on Twitter and other media about whether it was in protest at the government's anti-gay law.

But sources in the Russian camp claimed Kseniya Ryzhova and Tatyana Firova - who had just won gold in the 4x400 metres relay - were just exchanging a congratulatory kiss and there was no political message involved.

Critics say Isinbayeva should be axed as a Youth Olympics ambassador

On Friday, Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva claimed she was "misunderstood" when she apparently spoke out in support of her country's controversial new laws on homosexuality.

Isinbayeva, 31, made her comments after other athletes made statements and gestures - including painting their nails in rainbow colours - opposing the Russian law.

"It's disrespectful to our country, disrespectful to our citizens because we are Russians," Isinbayeva told a news conference - in English - after Swedish athlete high jumper Emma Green-Tregaro criticised the law.

"Maybe we are different than European people and people from different lands."

However, a day later, Isinbayeva suggested she was misunderstood because English is not her first language.

"What I wanted to say was that people should respect the laws of other countries particularly when they are guests," she said in a statement.

"But let me make it clear I respect the views of my fellow athletes, and let me state in the strongest terms that I am opposed to any discrimination against gay people on the grounds of their sexuality (which is against the Olympic charter)."

Opponents of the law have called on the International Olympic Committee to remove Isinbayeva from her role as an ambassador for the Youth Olympics.

Ryzhova and Firova won gold in the 4x400 metres relay

The double Olympic gold medallist is also due to be the mayor of the main athletes' village at the Sochi Games.

US runner Nick Symmonds became the first international athlete to stand against the laws, dedicating his world 800m silver medal to his gay and lesbian friends.

The Russian authorities have said all athletes will be free and safe to compete at Sochi regardless of their sexual orientation, but must obey Russian law.

Foreigners found guilty of violating the law can be fined up to 5,000 rubles (around £100) and face administrative arrest of up to 15 days and eventual deportation.

Broadcaster Stephen Fry has led growing calls for a boycott of the event, comparing President Vladimir Putin's treatment of gay people to Adolf Hitler's treatment of Jews.

He said allowing the Games to go ahead in Russia would be comparable to the decision to hold the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany.

:: In Italy, a local politician has been forced to resign for saying Yelena Isinbayeva "should be taken and raped in a square" after she appeared to back Russia's anti-gay legislation.

Gianluigi Piras, who served in a small municipality in Sardinia, apologised for his Facebook comments, saying he only meant them as a "paradox".

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Syria: Fears Over Refugee 'Major Exodus'

Thousands of Syrian refugees have been streaming over the border into Iraqi Kurdistan, the UN refugee agency has said.

Up to 10,000 people - mainly women, children and the elderly - crossed on Saturday, days after 7,000 fled a deteriorating security situation in north eastern parts of Syria.

The latest refugees have been taking advantage of a new pontoon bridge over the River Tigris - with Save the Children claiming the aid effort has been "overwhelmed" by the sheer numbers.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says the movement is one of the single biggest waves of refugees it has faced since the uprising against President Bashar al Assad started in March 2011.

The line of refugees stretches across the barren area Pic: UNHCR/G GUbaeva

The agency's Iraq representative Claire Bourgeois said: "UNHCR is witnessing a major exodus from Syria over the past few days unlike anything we have witnessed entering Iraq previously."

Abdulkarim Brendar, who trekked to the border with his five children, told AFP: "There was war and looting and problems. We did not find a morsel (of food), so with our children we came here."

Save the Children said around 7,000 refugees have been taken to an emergency camp, but thousands are still waiting to be registered at the border in temperatures of up to 40C.

Most are families of women, children and the elderly Pic: UNHCR/G Gubaeva

The charity has launched an emergency response to deal with the stranded families and expects to distribute more than 40 litres of water in the coming days.

Save the Children's emergency team leader Alan Paul said: "This is an unprecedented influx of refugees, and the main concern is that so many of them are stuck out in the open at the border or in emergency reception areas with limited, if any, access to basic services.

"The refugee response in Iraq is already thinly stretched, and close to half of the refugees are children who have experienced things no child should. We urgently need to cover their basic needs- food, water and shelter."

The refugees are more exposed at night pic: UNHCR/G Gubaeva

The flood of refugees came as UN chemical weapons inspectors arrived in Damascus to start a mission that has been delayed several times.

Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad vowed that Syria will "fully cooperate" with the team led by Swedish expert Ake Sellstrom, who were flanked by a 20-strong security team as they arrived at their five star hotel.

The UN team's mission will be limited to investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons in three areas, in particular the March 19 attack in the Aleppo suburb of Khan al Assal, which Mr Assad blames on rebels.

Mr Assad's government and the rebels each say the other side has used chemical weapons during the 28 month conflict.

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Gibraltar: Spanish Boats In Royal Navy Stand-Off

Spanish fishermen have been involved in a stand-off with Royal Navy boats after making an illegal incursion into British waters around Gibraltar.

A flotilla of more than 30 fishing boats was "corralled" by UK military and police vessels after protesting near the spot where Gibraltar's government placed 70 concrete blocks in disputed waters next to the British territory.

The demonstration comes as the Royal Navy warship HMS Westminster is due to arrive in Gibraltar in a visit described by the Ministry of Defence as "long-planned".

Gibraltar says it has created the concrete artificial reef there to protect local fish stocks from trawling, but Madrid says it restricts their right to fish.

The move has led to further tensions between the UK, Gibraltar and Spain - which has imposed tougher border checks in retaliation.

British patrol boat blocks a Spanish fishing vessel

Chief Inspector Castle Yates, of the Royal Gibraltar Police, said the Spanish boats crossed into Gibraltan waters before being "pushed" out again.

"We had our own police cordon along with Royal Navy and other assets and we corralled them in the area of the south mole," he said.

"They tried to breach the cordon several times but they were not successful."

More than 30 fishing vessels set out from the "Campo de Gibraltar" in southern Spain to form a floating protest - a smaller number than expected.

Sky's David Bowden, at the scene, said hundreds of Gibraltarians turned out in force to rebuff the protest.

"They lined the bay as a flotilla of small fishing boats sailed across from Spain at the other side of the Bay," he said.

The border checks have led to massive queues in recent weeks

"The flotilla, only a dozen or so boats strong, was escorted by a handful of sleek Spanish Guardia Civile speedboats.

"They were met by an equally strong show of force from the Gibraltar marine police in patrol vessels and highly manouvreable ribs making sure the Spanish invaders did not stray off the imaginary line in the sea that marks Spain from British Gibraltar."

The Spanish government has accused Gibraltar of laying the blocks "without the necessary authorisation" in "waters that are not theirs".

It responded by introducing additional checks at the fenced border, and suggesting a 50 euro (£43.30) fee could be imposed on every vehicle entering or leaving Gibraltar.

On Friday, Prime Minister David Cameron raised the matter with European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso.

He said the checks - which have seen huge delays at the border in recent weeks - were "politically motivated and disproportionate" and therefore contrary to the EU right of free movement.

HMS Illustrious docks at Rota naval base on Gibraltar

UKIP MEP William Dartmouth, member for the South West of England and Gibraltar, has suggested that a member of the Royal family should visit Gibraltar to mark 300 years of British sovereignty.

"Nothing could demonstrate more to the citizens of Gibraltar how strongly Britain stands behind them in wishing to stay part of the United Kingdom than a visit by a member of the royal family," he said.

The row has set relations between Spain and the territory back 40 years, according to Edward Macquisten, chief executive of the Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce.

He said it was also having an impact on Gibraltar's high season tourist trade, which usually sees hordes of British visitors from Spanish resorts.

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Egypt Crisis: Irish Siblings 'In Cairo Jail'

Four Irish siblings caught up in the violence in Cairo are being held by Egyptian authorities, their family has said.

Omaima Halawa, 20, her two sisters Fatima, 22, Somaia, 27, and their younger brother Ibrihim, 17, were among hundreds of people cleared out of the al Fath mosque when security forces stormed the building on Saturday.

They were forced to seek sanctuary in the mosque on Friday after violent clashes between supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi and the security forces killed more than 80 people.

Hundreds of Morsi supporters also fled to the building in the Ramses area of Cairo, shoving furniture against the doors to stop police from breaking their way in.

Speaking from the family home in Firhouse, south Dublin, another sister Nasaybi Halawa said her four siblings were being held at one of Cairo's jails.

"The latest we know is that they are in one of the jails in Cairo. But we do not know if they are all together or whether they have been separated - boys and girls," she said.

Hundreds of Morsi supporters fled to the mosque

They are concerned that teenage Ibrihim, who has just completed his Leaving Certificate, may have been separated from his sisters.

"It is very hard. We just know that they are being held," Ms Halawa said.

"We don't know if they have food supplies or water, whether they have slept or whether or not they will be released.

"We are worried - are they safe, were they beaten or injured while leaving the mosque? We just don't know."

The siblings, whose father is the imam of Dublin's largest mosque, have not been able to contact their family directly and it is understood their mobile phones have been seized.

Ms Halawa said her mother, who is staying with relatives in Egypt, had been contacted by a woman who had seen Omaima in one of the detention centres.

The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed they are working closely with counterparts in Egypt in a bid to secure the safe release of the family.

The Halawas had travelled to Egypt earlier this summer for a holiday and were joined by their mother a fortnight ago.

Ms Halawa said: "They thought the mosque is a holy place and that they would be safe there.

An Islamist man is carried out of the mosque as forces clear the building

"They phoned my father and told him they were in the mosque and that they were going to pray and afterwards would leave. But, by the time prayer time had finished they were surrounded."

Speaking from inside the mosque on Saturday Omaima Halawa, a student, said she did not feel safe enough to leave the building without a diplomatic escort.

She also told Irish national broadcaster RTE that "thugs" outside the mosque had threatened to kill her if she left the building and said others who had tried to flee were "taken".

The interior ministry said 385 people inside the mosque had been arrested.

Following the chaos, Egypt's army chief General Abdel Fattah al Sisi vowed to stand firm in the face of violence.

"Whoever imagines violence will make the state and Egyptians kneel must reconsider; we will never be silent in the face of the destruction of the country," he said on Sunday.

Morsi supporters called off rallies they planned to stage in Cairo on Sunday, citing concerns about security.

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Diana's Death: Police Handed New Information

New information that alleges Princess Diana was murdered has been passed to Scotland Yard through military sources, it has emerged.

The information, thought to include the allegation that the Princess of Wales, Dodi al Fayed and their driver were killed by a member of the British military, will be assessed by officers from the Specialist Crime and Operations Command.

According to Sky sources it was given to the police by the former parents-in-law of a former soldier.

The deaths of Princess Diana and Mr al Fayed in Paris in 1997 were investigated and examined during a 90-day inquest led by Lord Justice Scott Baker at the Royal Court of Justice in 2007.

On April 7, 2008, the jury concluded their verdict as "unlawful killing, grossly negligent driving of the following vehicles and of the Mercedes".

Princess Diana and Dodi al Fayed leaving the Ritz Hotel on August 31, 1997

The Metropolitan Police said its assessment was not a re-investigation and does not come under Operation Paget, the inquiry led by Lord Stevens into conspiracy theories surrounding Princess Diana and Mr al Fayed's deaths.

A royal spokeswoman said there will be no comment on the matter from Prince William or Prince Harry, or from Clarence House.

After the inquest, the Metropolitan Police said it had spent £8m on services arising from it and the Operation Paget investigation from 2004 to 2006.

Former Met Police commissioner Lord Stevens published his report in December 2006, rejecting claims that Princess Diana and Mr al Fayed had been murdered.

The wreckage of the Mercedes the pair were travelling in when it crashed

Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said: "We understand this information includes an allegation that Princess Diana and Dodi al Fayed and the driver of their car were killed by a member of the British military.

"The information we're told was passed to Scotland Yard quite recently. It also includes, we understand, references to something known as Diana's diary.

"These are very early days, the information has just come in, and Scotland Yard is adamant in saying that this is not a reopening of its investigation from 2004 when it spent three years looking into the circumstances of the Princess' death.

"But it is taking the information seriously and it is considering and it is possible that a new investigation may open."

Princess Diana, Mr al Fayed and their driver Henri Paul died after the Mercedes crashed in a Paris tunnel on August 31, 1997.

Diana was 36 at the time of her death and Mr al Fayed, the son of former Harrods owner Mohamed al Fayed, 42.

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