Twitter Aids Row: 'Insensitive' PR Woman Sorry

A PR executive who sparked a row after "carelessly" tweeting about Aids in Africa as she headed to the continent has apologised for her insensitivity, saying she is "ashamed".

American Justine Sacco was sacked over the message from her Twitter account that read: "Going to Africa. Hope I don't get Aids. Just kidding. I'm white!"

The tweet, reportedly sent as she boarded a plane from London to South Africa, quickly spread on the microblogging site, with social media users expressing their disgust.

The controversy apparently erupted while Ms Sacco was on the plane with no internet access and she started trending.

Her account has now been deleted.

Ms Sacco, who was fired from her job at internet giant InterActive Corp, which owns popular websites like Match.com, Dictionary.com, and Vimeo, has released a statement.

It read: "Words cannot express how sorry I am, and how necessary it is for me to apologise to the people of South Africa, who I have offended due to a needless and careless tweet.

"There is an Aids crisis taking place in this country, that we read about in America, but do not live with or face on a continuous basis.

"Unfortunately, it is terribly easy to be cavalier about an epidemic that one has never witnessed firsthand.

"For being insensitive to this crisis - which does not discriminate by race, gender or sexual orientation, but which terrifies us all uniformly - and to the millions of people living with the virus, I am ashamed.

"This is my father's country, and I was born here. I cherish my ties to South Africa and my frequent visits, but I am in anguish knowing that my remarks have caused pain to so many people here; my family, friends and fellow South Africans.

"I am very sorry for the pain I caused."

InterActive Corp issued a statement on Saturday distancing itself from the tweet and saying the employee was fired.

"There is no excuse for the hateful statements that have been made and we condemn them unequivocally," it said.

"We hope, however, that time and action, and the forgiving human spirit, will not result in the wholesale condemnation of an individual who we have otherwise known to be a decent person at core."

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Deadly US Storm Cuts Power And Hits Flights

A deadly storm has been sweeping across the central and southern US, leaving thousands without power and forcing many flights to be cancelled or delayed.

Tornadoes and powerful winds, as well as ice and flooding, came as millions of people were preparing to head home by air and road for Christmas.

The "particularly strong storm" threatened to frustrate travellers from Texas to Nova Scotia as it affected a 2,000-mile area.

At least two people have been killed in the strong gusts, including a man whose mobile home overturned in northern Mississippi.

Another man died when his car hit a tree that fell across a road in the southeastern part of the state.

At the storm's height, more than 22,000 people lost power in northern Mississippi.

Trees were brought down by the storm. Pic: CBS News

In Arkansas, at least five people were injured and two dozen homes were damaged after two apparent tornadoes struck.

In the northeast, ice and whipping winds battered parts of New York and Vermont as officials urged motorists to avoid travelling in dangerously slippy conditions.

More than 10,000 customers were without power in upstate New York as the storm was forecast to linger into Sunday afternoon.

About 5,000 flights have been hit nationwide with most of the disruption in and out of major hubs like Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.

Some 94.5 million Americans were planning to travel by road or air during the holiday season, which runs from Saturday until New Year's Day.

The system was a strange swirl of wintry and spring-like weather as it passed over areas in the Midwest, where there were freezing temperatures, and places like Memphis, where temperatures surpassed 70F (21C).

The National Weather Service said severe storms with damaging winds were possible on Sunday in northern Georgia, including Atlanta.

Forecasters says the storm is 'particularly strong'. Pic: CBS News

A flood watch for the region was in effect until Monday.

Weather service spokesman Ed Danaher told CBS News: "This is a particularly strong storm with very warm, near record-breaking temperatures in the East and very cold air in the Midwest.

"That contrast is the sort of conditions that are favourable for not only winter weather but also tornadoes."

Darren Hall, 45, of Raymore, Missouri., normally drives to St. Louis for the holiday.

But he decided not to risk it because of the freezing rain hitting the area and the promise of worse to come.

Instead, he waited for a train at Kansas City's Union Station.

He said: "You don't have to deal with all the roads. It's safer, less hassle."

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Syria 'Must Answer' For Brit Surgeon's Death

The Prime Minister has called for those responsible for the death of a British surgeon while in custody in Syria to be held to account.

He wrote a letter to Abbas Khan's mother Fatima on Friday, describing her son's death as an "appalling tragedy".

It reads: "Abbas' death is a sickening and appalling tragedy and it is right that the Syrian regime should answer for it.

Fatima Khan at Heathrow Airport after returning with her son's body

"Their despicable treatment of him and refusal to engage with us or the Czechs to enable us to support him is utterly unacceptable.

"We will continue to press for those responsible to be held to account."

Married father-of-two Dr Khan, 32, was arrested more than a year ago after travelling to the rebel-held city of Aleppo to treat injured civilians.

His family believe he was abused while in custody and have blamed the Syrian regime for his death, despite claims by authorities in Damascus that he took his own life.

The orthopaedic surgeon was on the verge of being released from prison and being allowed home for Christmas.

Mrs Khan and Abbas' brother Afroze arrived at London's Heathrow Airport from Beirut on the plane carrying his coffin, which has been taken to Romford Hospital.

She accused the Assad regime of murdering her son.

Dr Abbas Khan died while being held in custody in Syria

She said: "I don't know why they killed my son. I want to ask why on the release date they killed my son. I want answers why they killed my son.

"They are liars, every ministry there in Damascus is full of lies. They killed my son.

"He was in a civilian prison and on Friday it was a holiday in Damascus... and they went and picked him up, a helpless guy, brought him, kept him two days, tortured him more and they killed him Monday morning."

Abbas' brother Shahnawaz and sister Sara told Sky News the family felt let down by British authorities.

He said: "Everything that the Syrian government has done over these past 13 months to us has been arduous and has inflicted much insult upon us.

"I guess this was their final attempt to inflict as much misery upon us as they could."

He also dismissed allegations the surgeon had jihadi links and had "picked sides" in the Syrian civil war.

David Cameron described Abbas Khan's death as "sickening"

Sara Khan added: "We want the British Government to help the family in getting those answers from the Syrians as somebody needs to own up for this absolutely cruel injustice that has been done to my brother."

Michael Mansfield QC, a criminal barrister who has been advising the Khan family, said: "Once his body is taken to the place of burial...the coroner for that area - because it is a sudden, unnatural and violent death - has an obligation to investigate.

"Dr Khan was due to be released within two or three days, it's most unlikely that someone with the prospect of freedom having been incarcerated for 13 months would take their own life."

A Foreign Office (FCO) spokesman said on Sunday: "Responsibility for Dr Khan's death lies with the Syrian authorities and we are pressing for answers about what happened."

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Astronaut's Suit Problem Delays Next Spacewalk

Nasa has been forced to delay a spacewalk needed for urgent repairs after a new problem emerged with a US astronaut's spacesuit.

Rick Mastracchio checks out his suit before Saturday's spacewalk. Pic: Nasa

The decision to change the next outing on the International Space Station (ISS) from Monday to Tuesday will give the crew time to prepare a backup suit for Rick Mastracchio, the agency said.

A "configuration issue" emerged on Saturday after he re-entered the ISS airlock following the first phase to replace a broken cooling pump at the base.

Water may have entered the suit's sublimator - a device that helps to get rid of excess heat.

It could have been caused by Mr Mastracchio, 53, inadvertently turning on a water switch in the airlock for a couple of seconds.

It was not believed to be the same type of issue that caused a dangerous water leak in the helmet of Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano in July.

Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins on their spacewalk: Pic: Nasa

That was traced to contamination in a fan pump separator that circulates water and air in the suit and removes moisture from air.

The first spacewalk by Mr Mastracchio and fellow US astronaut Mike Hopkins lasted five and a half hours on Saturday - an hour earlier than planned.

They carried out their key task - disconnecting the old cooling pump which is about the size of a refrigerator.

They were also able to remove it from its pallet, which had been scheduled for Monday.

Mr Hopkins, 44, wore Mr Parmitano's spacesuit, but it had been fitted with a new fan pump separator.

The mission is to replace a cooling pump. Pic: Nasa

On the Americans' helmets were homemade snorkels from pieces of plastic tubing and Velcro, which they could have used for breathing in case of another water leak.

Nasa said: "During repressurisation of the station's airlock following the spacewalk, a spacesuit configuration issue put the suit Mastracchio was wearing in question for the next excursion - specifically whether water entered into the suit's sublimator inside the airlock.

Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins pictured on the ISS. Pic: Nasa

"Both Mastracchio and Hopkins reported dry conditions repeatedly throughout Saturday's activities and the two were never in danger."

They now plan to fit the new pump on Tuesday and may not need a third spacewalk if all goes to plan.

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South Sudan Conflict: Last UK Airlift Mission

The UK is to charter its third and final flight to evacuate British nationals from the troubled East African state as fighting spreads.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said the plane would be sent to the capital city of Juba on Monday afternoon and warned that the government would struggle to help anyone who chose to stay behind.

An FCO spokesman said: "We strongly advise all British nationals in South Sudan to leave the country if they can do so safely. You may have difficulty leaving in the event of a further deterioration in security."

It comes as US President Barack Obama said any effort in South Sudan to seize power through military force will lead America and others to cut off support.

"This conflict can only be resolved peacefully through negotiations," the White House said in a statement.

Two previous planes have provided an escape route for British nationals

"Any effort to seize power through the use of military force will result in the end of longstanding support from the United States and the international community."

British military transport planes have been used to evacuate two groups of UK nationals over recent days.

On Saturday, a US rescue plane was hit by incoming fire leaving four American service personnel injured.

Officials said the aircraft was heading for an evacuation site in Bor, the capital of the state of Jonglei and the scene of some of the country's worst violence in the past week.

After being fired at it reportedly turned around and headed to Kampala in Uganda. From there the wounded service personnel were flown to Nairobi, Kenya, for medical treatment.

Some of South Sudan's worst violence has taken place in Bor

South Sudan blamed the attack on renegade troops.

Fighting broke out in the South Sudanese capital Juba between rival army factions last weekend following a reported coup attempt against President Salva Kiir Mayardit by soldiers loyal to his former deputy.

The violence has since spread to other regions and has claimed at least 500 lives, according to the United Nations.

Kenya said on Saturday it was sending troops to South Sudan to evacuate some 1,600 citizens. Many are trapped in Bor, which has been taken by rebels.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has "ordered the KDF (Kenya Defence Force) to commence immediate evacuation of the 1,600 Kenyans stranded in South Sudan", a spokesman said in a statement.

Up to 500 people are thought to have been killed since the reported coup

"Despite the relative calm in Juba, a number of other South Sudan towns have come under fire," he added, saying that Kenyans "are mainly in the town of Bor".

Others, in the towns of Rumbek, Ayod, and Panyabol "will also be airlifted to safety."

"The president has also ordered the immediate delivery of food, water and medicine to South Sudan (to help) tackle the emergency," the spokesman added.

"The delivery of these emergency supplies started this morning. Kenyan military aircraft are delivering consignments to South Sudan."

Kenya, which hosted the peace talks that ended the 1983-2005 civil war in Sudan, and which paved the way for South Sudan's independence two years ago, is also supporting efforts to end the latest crisis.

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Colorado School Shooting: Teen Victim Dies

A Colorado student has died in hospital more than a week after she was shot by a high school classmate.

Claire Esther Davis, 17, had been in a coma since she was gunned down at point-blank range at Arapahoe High School in Centennial.

Friends and well-wishers had been posting messages online, and raising money to pay for her medical care.

Authorities say Karl Halverson Pierson, 18, entered the Arapahoe High School armed with a shotgun, a machete and three Molotov cocktails on December 13.

Officials said Pierson had been kicked off the school's debate team and apparently bore a grudge towards the team's coach.

His attack lasted just 80 seconds. He reportedly fired one bullet down a school hallway, before shooting Ms Davis, who was sitting nearby with a friend.

Pierson then turned the gun on himself and inflicted a fatal gunshot wound.

A student stands outside the Arapahoe High School in Colorado

A statement posted on the Littleton Adventist Hospital's Facebook page confirmed Ms Davis' death.

"It is with heavy hearts that we share that at 4.29pm (local time) this afternoon, Claire Davis passed away, with her family at her side," the statement said.

"Despite the best efforts of our physicians and nursing staff, and Claire's fighting spirit, her injuries were too severe and the most advanced medical treatments could not prevent this tragic loss of life.

"Claire's death is immensely heartbreaking for our entire community, our staff and our families."

The hospital said that details about a public memorial service would be released later.

The shooting took place just a few miles from the site of last year's Aurora cinema shooting that left 12 people dead and scores wounded during a Batman movie screening.

The school is also located close to the scene of the 1999 Columbine shooting in which 13 were shot dead.

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Spain Awaits €2.5bn El Gordo Lottery Results

Spain came to a virtual standstill as the winning numbers of the country's most popular Christmas lottery, offering €2.5bn (£2bn) in prize money, were announced.

The top prize - known as El Gordo, meaning the Fat One - gives lucky winners €400,000 (£334,660) per ticket, while the second-best number nets €125,000 (£104,581).

Millions of ticket holders were either glued to a television set or packed inside Madrid's Teatro Real opera house for the live draw in the hope that the schoolchildren singing the winning numbers would call out their ticket.

Inside the Teatro Real in Madrid where the draw was held

The top prize ticket number was revealed as 62246, and the second as 79712.

Among the audience was Jesus Lorente, who bought his second prize ticket at a gas station in Granadilla de Abona on the Canary Island resort of Tenerife.

Asked what he planned to do with the money, he said he would use it to clear his debts.

"The ticket is stored in a safe place at home," he said.

Second prize winner Jesus Lorente

Unlike lotteries that offer one large jackpot, El Gordo gives thousands of ticket holders a chance of scooping some prize money.

It comes just days after a Georgia woman claimed her half of the $636m (£389m) Mega Millions draw in the US.

The second winner has yet to step forward to claim their share of the second-largest jackpot in US history.

In March 2012, the largest jackpot in US history of $656m (£401m) was spilt among three winning tickets.

The El Gordo prize pot dwarfs the maximum EuroMillions jackpot, which can grow to a maximum of £161.5m. Any prize money which would boost the jackpot above that figure would be passed down to the next prize-winning level.

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Khodorkovsky Vows To Help Political Prisoners

Former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky has vowed to help get other political prisoners released from Russian jails after he was freed.

The Kremlin critic says people should not see him as a "symbol" that there are no other such detainees behind bars in the country.

The 50-year-old ex-inmate said he would do "all I can" to ensure they win their freedom.

He said Western governments should "remember I am not the last political prisoner in Russia" and he will not shy away from public activity.

But he cautioned he would not be "involved in the struggle for power" in Russia.

The former chief executive and founder of the Yukos oil giant said he had no plans to return to business but he claimed to be in a good financial situation.

Mr Khodorkovsky wears headphones to get translations

He had earlier told a Russian magazine, The New Times, that he would not be looking for a return of his enormous stake in the now-defunct oil company.

Once Russia's richest man, Mr Khodorkovsky spent 10 years in jail on what many in the West considered trumped-up political charges by President Vladimir Putin's government.

He was pardoned by the president on Friday and released from a prison camp in Segezha, northwest Russia, before immediately flying to Berlin.

At a packed news conference, he spoke at the Berlin Wall museum in the symbolic Cold War location of Checkpoint Charlie.

He revealed he had no choice about his end destination, saying he only learnt he would be going to Germany during his transfer.

The prison camp in northwest Russia where Mr Khodorkovsky was held

The ex-tycoon thanked German Chancellor Angela Merkel for working on his release.

Due to a lawsuit for hundreds of millions of pounds in damages stemming from his first 2005 conviction, there was "no guarantee" that if he returned to Russia he would be allowed to leave again.

Asked about his relationship with Mr Putin, Mr Khodorkovsky refused to be drawn into expressing hatred towards the leader.

He said that while he had been treated harshly "my family had never been touched".

He added that he was against a boycott of the Sochi Olympics next February, saying a "festival of sport should not be spoilt" amid claims it could be targeted over Russia's anti-gay laws. It should not, however, become a "festival of Vladimir Putin", he said.

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George Zimmerman Painting Sells For $100K

An original oil painting by George Zimmerman, the neighbourhood watch volunteer who shot Miami student Trayvon Martin, has fetched more than $100,000 on eBay.

The signed 18-inch-by-24-inch artwork depicts part of a blue American flag and includes the words "God," "one nation," and "with liberty and justice for all" printed in the stripes.

It was posted on the auction site by Mr Zimmerman on the morning of Monday, December 16, and sparked a bidding frenzy.

The first offer was for a mere $0.99 but within a day the bidding had reached an astonishing $99,999.

George Zimmerman says his art allows him to 'reflect' and 'remain indoors'

The painting eventually went for $100,099.99 when the auction closed at 9.55am on Saturday.

The unknown buyer was one of 24 people who put in a total of 96 bids for what Mr Zimmerman says was his "first hand-painted artwork".

In his eBay listing he added: "Everyone has been asking what I have been doing with myself. I found a creative, way to express myself, my emotions and the symbols that represent my experiences.

The painting's listing on eBay

"My art work allows me to reflect, providing a therapeutic outlet and allows me to remain indoors :-) I hope you enjoy owning this piece as much as I enjoyed creating it. Your friend, George Zimmerman."

Mr Zimmerman was accused of profiling, following and shooting Trayvon, 17, a guest in a gated development in Sanford, Florida as the teenager was returning from a trip to a local convenience store.

The 30-year-old claimed self-defence and was acquitted by a six-person jury earlier this year, a verdict which sparked nationwide protests.

The 30-year-old in court

Since his acquittal Mr Zimmerman has had several brushes with the law including being stopped twice for speeding, in Texas and Florida.

In September, he was questioned by police after his estranged wife called 911 saying he threatened her with a gun. He was not charged over the alleged incident, which occurred a week after she filed for divorce.

In November, Mr Zimmerman was arrested on domestic violence charges, which were later dropped after his girlfriend withdrew her complaint.

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'CIA Helped Kill Colombian Rebel Leaders'

A covert CIA programme has helped the Colombian government kill at least two dozen rebel leaders, according to the Washington Post.

The paper claims the National Security Agency (NSA) has also provided it with "substantial eavesdropping help".

In addition, the US gave Colombia GPS equipment that can transform regular munitions into "smart bombs" capable of homing in on targets, even in dense jungles.

The Post says Colombia used smart bombs when it killed a top commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in March 2008.

Paul Reyes was in one of the jungle camps set up by the rebels just across the border in Ecuador when the attack was carried out.

The Washington Post report is based on interviews with more than 30 former and current US and Colombian officials.

It said they had spoken on condition of anonymity because the CIA programme is classified and ongoing.

The CIA would not comment on the Post's report, although Colombian president Juan Santos said the CIA has been "of help", providing Colombian forces with "better training and knowledge."

The CIA hjas declined to comment on the story

The multibillion-dollar programme was apparently funded secretly and separately from $9bn in aid the US has openly provided to Colombia, mostly in military assistance.

It was authorised by President George W Bush and has continued under Barack Obama, the newspaper reported.

Colombia's government and FARC have been engaged in peace talks in Havana since late 2012, but there has been no ceasefire between the two sides.

Earlier this month, President Santos blamed the rebels for an attack on a police post that killed nine people, including civilians, military and a police officer.

The US-backed military build-up has reduced FARC's ranks to about 9,000 fighters and killed several top commanders,

The rebels, who took up arms almost 50 years ago in 1964, insist they are still a powerful force.

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