Goa Building Collapse Kills 14 And Traps Dozens

Fourteen people have been killed and dozens more are trapped after a building collapsed in the Indian state of Goa.

Police Superintendent Shekhar Prabhudesai said authorities are still trying to determine how many people were on site when the five-storey structure, which was under construction, crumpled in Canacona, about 44 miles (70km) from the state capital of Panaji.

Rescuers are digging through the debris in the coastal village in search of survivors.

Witnesses said about 40 workers were on site.

"It was like an earthquake when the building fell," said Ramesh Naik. "You could not see what exactly had happened because of the dust."

Rescue workers using cranes and bulldozers, shovels and bare hands, struggled to shift concrete slabs and other debris to free the workers as hundreds of onlookers stood watching the rescue efforts.

Ambulances took at least three seriously injured workers to a hospital for treatment.

The cause of the collapse is not yet known.

"We will immediately arrest the builder, the contractor and municipal officials involved in sanctioning this construction site," Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said.

"I am personally monitoring the situation," he added.

Building collapses are common in India, as massive demand for housing and lax regulations often encourage builders to cut corners by using substandard materials or add unauthorised extra floors.

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Schumacher Investigators Seek 'Fall' Video

French investigators want to get hold of a mobile phone video that apparently captures the moment Michael Schumacher hit a rock while skiing, leaving him fighting for his life.

The footage was taken by a 35-year-old flight attendant who said he was filming his girlfriend on the slopes when he inadvertently videoed the Formula One star's fall in the background.

A blurred figure, believed to be Schumacher, was apparently seen travelling off-piste at a "leisurely pace" of up to 20kph (12mph) before he fell, according to German magazine Der Spiegel.

Schumacher's head struck a rock in the French Alps and he was left in a critical condition in hospital.

The publication, which said it had seen the footage, claimed the air steward contacted the magazine and plans to hand over the video to prosecutors in Albertville.

The ex-F1 star was skiing off-piste when the accident happened

Prosecutor Patrick Quincy said investigators are taking steps to obtain a copy of the video.

The magazine said the witness' view that he was going up to 20kph supports a claim by the former Formula One world champion's manager Sabine Kehm that he was not travelling fast.

Ms Kehm also claimed that before the accident, the German sports star had been helping a friend who had fallen in the snow in the resort of Meribel.

There had initially been speculation that Schumacher may have been going at up to 100kph (60mph) after it was revealed that his helmet had split on impact.

Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm speaks to reporters

Meanwhile, a camera reportedly attached to the helmet was being examined in the hope it will reveal more about the circumstances of his accident.

Authorities are checking the device and Ms Kehm said the helmet had been handed over to authorities "voluntarily".

The seven-time world champion, who turned 45 on Friday, suffered a serious head injury in the accident in December 29.

He is in a medically-induced coma in a Grenoble hospital and his condition remains "critical but stable".

Schumacher, known affectionately as Schumi by fans, is the most successful F1 driver in history, racking up a record 91 race wins. He retired for a second time in 2012.

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Syria Rebels Battle Al Qaeda-Linked Group

A group of Syrian rebels has launched an offensive against 'extremist' insurgents they accuse of imposing a reign of terror on areas under their control, including kidnappings, torture and executions.

The newly formed Army of Mujahideen have begun what they call a second "revolution," against the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), nearly three years since the revolution against President Bashar al Assad.

Ibrahim al ldelbi, an activist in northwest Syria with close ties to the rebels, wrote on his Facebook page: "The revolution has returned to its true path, and the rays of the sun have started to shine on Syria."

Another rebel wrote: "January 3, 2014: The revolution against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant begins."

Battles have raged for two days across northern Syria since the Army of Mujahideen declared war on the ISIL.

Two other rebel alliances have also joined the battle against the ISIL. The Islamic Front and the Syrian Revolutionaries Front, which bring together tens of thousands of opposition fighters, have both condemned the ISIL.

The offensive comes nearly three years since the 'first' Syrian revolution

The latest fighting appeared to have been ignited by the torture and murder of an opposition doctor, Dr Hussein al-Sleiman.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based group that relies on sources inside Syria, said the doctor belonged to the Ahrar al Sham rebel group and alleged "one of his ears was cut off before he was shot".

"His body was handed over on Tuesday as part of a prisoner exchange," the group said.

The group also said at least 36 ISIL members and supporters had been killed and another 100 captured by rebels.

The group's setbacks in Syria came as it advanced in neighbouring Iraq, seizing the city of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi in the volatile Anbar province.

It has also claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in a Hezbollah stronghold of southern Beirut that killed at least five people, describing the Shia Muslim group as the "Party of Satan".

The ISIL rebels have also advanced in Ramadi in neighbouring Iraq

Aron Lund, an expert on Syria's insurgency, said ISIL's vision of itself, not as a mere rebel group but as a burgeoning Islamic state governed by a harsh interpretation of sharia law, has alienated other rebel groups, including less radical Islamists.

"We see what the other groups say; that they've given ISIL one chance after another, but that they keep burning their bridges," said Mr Lund, editor of the Syria in Crisis website.

President Assad has insisted the rebels are foreign terrorists; but dissidents say his regime has largely ignored the ISIL while going after peaceful activists and more moderate rebels.

Ahmad al-Khatib, an activist in the Jabal al-Zawiya region in northwestern Idlib, says Islamic rebels have given ISIL members an ultimatum to surrender by Saturday afternoon.

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Baby Deaths: Hospital Recalls IV Supplies

Authorities in France have recalled a batch of nutrient bags used to feed infants after three babies died from bacterial contamination.

The parents of the three babies have filed criminal complaints for manslaughter following the deaths last month at a hospital in Chambery, southeastern France.

The bags were used to feed newborns intravenously in the hospital's neo-natal intensive care ward.

Analysis of several unused bags found they were contaminated with bacteria, the hospital told the parents.

"We've lodged the complaint to find out what happened," said the 37-year-old father of one of the babies.

Hospital director Guy-Pierre Martin confirmed the IV bags were contaminated

"There was a failure in the system and this failure needs to be found so it never happens again."

The director of the hospital, Guy-Pierre Martin, said the contaminated IV nutrient bags were provided by a French pharmaceutical firm.

He refused to identify the firm, saying that was the responsibility of French government authorities.

France's health minister Marisol Touraine has announced that all the affected IV bags had been withdrawn.

She called the deaths "an extremely grave accident".

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Ashes: Australia Thrash England In 5-0 Sweep

England's cricket captain has apologised after Australia crushed England by 281 runs to claim a 5-0 Ashes series whitewash on the third day of the final Test in Sydney.

Mitchell Johnson (L) takes the wicket of England's Gary Ballance

Alistair Cook said sorry to England fans who had travelled to Australia only to see the team "hit rock bottom".

"It's tough knowing you've played in five games and been beaten badly in five games," he told the crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

England's Ben Stokes walks off the field after his dismissal by Australia

"We weren't good enough to turn it around.  When you hit rock bottom the only way is up. We have to look at ourselves, look at where we want to go.

"We have a huge amount of talent in England. We haven't shown it in these five games."

Australia's George Bailey catches out England's Kevin Pietersen

Addressing the England fans, he added: "I'm sorry we've let you down, we haven't played very well but we really do appreciate your support."

The 5-0 series sweep was only the third in the history of Ashes encounters after Australia's 1920-21 and 2006-07 triumphs.

Australia celebrate after taking the wicket of England's Scott Borthwick

The humiliating defeat for England is expected to have major ramifications for English cricket after they beat Australia 3-0 just months ago.

Sky's Australia correspondent Jonathan Samuels, in Sydney, said: "When England arrived here they were over-confident and they under-estimated how angry and determined Australia was going to be.

England's Michael Carberry goes for an unsuccessful catch off Ryan Harris

"England were riding high on the back of three Ashes wins, but their batsmen haven't performed; even Graham Gooch, who has been coaching the batsmen has been questioning the techniques he's been passing onto them.

"It wasn't the most exceptional side Australia put out, but their bowlers have been quite remarkable."

England's Michael Carberry broke his bat in the final throes of the game

England coach Andy Flower conceded his team "underperformed badly" throughout the Ashes series, but he paid tribute to the Australian team.

"We've underperformed in the first innings for quite a long period of time. We haven't scored many runs, haven't scored any first innings above 400 for a long time, and people lost confidence early on in this tour.

But he took a catch to dismiss Australia's Ryan Harris

"The pace rocked the batting order in the first Test and we never quite recovered.

"I would like to pay tribute to the Australia camp. Their bowling attack has been outstanding.

Australia's Mitchell Johnson after taking the wicket of Alastair Cook

"We've seen a sustained style of bowling, exceptional pressure and (Mitchell) Johnson's pace has been a huge difference between the two sides."

During the game England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow was caught by George Bailey off a ball from spinner Nathan Lyon for a three-ball duck and Scott Borthwick was magnificently caught by skipper Michael Clarke off another Lyon ball for just four runs.

Shane Watson of Australia is applauded as he leaves the field

England skipper Alastair Cook, Ian Bell,and Kevin Pietersen all fell in the middle session as England limped to tea on just 87-3.

Cook, who has endured a miserable series with the bat, was caught behind off Johnson for seven and was followed by Bell, who was snapped up the gully off Ryan Harris.

Australia's Brad Haddin is congratulated during a lap of honour

Things got worse after the interval as Australia took four wickets in just two overs, England despairing against inspired Australian bowling and fielding. 

Stuart Broad managed to hit four sixes and three fours to take 42 runs off 36 balls before he was bowled by Harris, and Boyd Rankin was the last man out, caught overhead by Clarke at second slip to complete the victory.

5-0: The Australian team salute their win

The tourists capitulated against the home side's attack by losing seven wickets in under an hour and were beaten for 166 in 31.4 overs; which was not even close to the 448 target they needed for a win.

It is the second time in three away Ashes series that  England has lost all five test matches. The last time was in 2006 to 2007 when Australia were considered a much stronger side.

Today's result also means Australia have overtaken England in the International Cricket Council rankings as the England team dropped to fourth place.

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Rodman Names Ex-NBA Stars To Face North Korea

Basketball star Dennis Rodman has named a team of former NBA players to take part in an exhibition game against North Korea.

Rodman first visited the communist state a year ago after accepting an invitation from North Korean leader and basketball enthusiast Kim Jong-Un, whom he later said he considered a "friend for life".

He visited again just before Christmas to train their national team.

However, Rodman has been slated for refusing to discuss North Korea's human-rights record with Mr Kim. The country is considered to have one of the worst reputations for human-rights abuses in the world, according to activists.

And said the trip next week would not be affected by Mr Kim ordering the execution of his uncle last month, which has drawn criticism from human-rights organisations around the world.

Rodman has described the game against the isolated state as "basketball diplomacy".

Rodman visited North Korea last year to train their national team

"My previous travels have allowed me to feel the enthusiasm and warmth of fans," he said.

"The positive memories and smiles on the faces of the children and families are a testament to the great efforts we have put into fulfilling our mission wherever we go voiding any politics.

"We are all looking forward to arriving in Pyongyang, meeting the citizens, visiting various charities and using the opportunity to develop new relationships that result in our annual return."

Rodman will lead a team that includes former NBA All-Stars Kenny Anderson, Cliff Robinson, and Vin Baker. Craig Hodges, Doug Christie and Charles D Smith will also be on the team.

Charles Smith (R) said the visit "is all about sharing"

Smith, who played for the New York Knicks, said he was looking forward to the game, following revelations some members of the team were scared about travelling to the secretive state.

"Dennis and I are total opposites but we work very well together," said Smith. "Dennis is one of the few people I know that doesn't just talk but actually lives a culturally diverse life.

"We have travelled everywhere together so I was not surprised with his first visit to North Korea. Cultural exchange is about sharing. Sharing ideas and thoughts on education, culture and life."

The team will play against a top North Korean Senior National squad on Wednesday to mark Mr Kim's 31st birthday.

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Eusebio: Portugal Football Legend Dies

Former Portugal footballer Eusebio, often ranked as one of the best players ever, has died at the age of 71, his former club has confirmed.

The forward was the top scorer in the 1966 World Cup as he guided his team to third place in the tournament.

The 71-year-old reportedly died early on Sunday morning of cardiac failure.

Portuguese state television channel RTP quoted his his biographer, Joao Malheiro, as saying: "Having followed his life close up and on a daily basis, I was a witness to his health having become very fragile and there were clear signs of this in recent years.

"At the moment though this isn't the most important thing, what's most important is to remember the man who was, and always will be, in the place of the imortals of this country and was clearly of emblematic importance for Portuguese in the 20th century, above all during the 1960s when Portugal lived under a dictatorship."

The 71-year-old's health was reportedly deteriorating for some time

Nicknamed the Black Panther or the Black Pearl, Eusebio spent most of career with Benfica in Portugal after moving from the then Portuguese territory Laurenco Marquez, now Mapatu in Mozambique.

The club's fans will be offered the chance to pay their final respects to the player at the Estadio da Luz later on Sunday.

"Eusebio's body will be brought to the stadium later today and all fans will be able to say goodbye," the spokesman said.

"It's a very sad day for all of us."

Eusebio spent most of his career with Benfica in Portugal

Current Portugal star Ronaldo posted a picture of himself and Eusebio on his Facebook page.

"Eusebio will always be eternal. Rest in peace," he wrote alongside the picture.

Former Portugal captain Luis Figo, the 2001 FIFA world player of the year, tweeted: "The king!! Great loss for us all! The greatest!!"

Franz Beckenbauer, the former Germany player and manager, said: "One of the greatest football players ever has passed away. My friend Eusebio died last night. My thoughts are with his family."

Eusebio with current Portugal captain Ronaldo in 2008

Eusebio scored 733 goals in 745 competitive games - including 317 goals in 301 appearances for Benfica - over his career and in a poll conducted for Uefa's Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2004 he was voted as the 7th best European footballer to have played the game.

He won the European Cup with Benfica in 1962 and was named European Footballer of the Year in 1965.

In an interview in 2011, recalling his tears after a 2-1 World Cup semi-final loss to England, Eusebio said: "I was the best player in the world, top scorer in the world and Europe. I did everything, except win a World Cup."

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WW1 Cemetery At Heart Of Commemorations

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent, in Mons

In an immaculately kept cemetery, a few miles east of the town of Mons in Belgium, two graves face each other only yards apart.

They mark the final resting place of two Privates: John Parr, of the Middlesex, the first Briton to die on the Western Front, and George Ellison, of the Royal Irish Lancers, the last British soldier to die - killed just 90 minutes before the Armistice was signed.

That they should be buried so close to each other is, to the best of anyone's knowledge, pure coincidence.

The St Symphorien Military Cemetery was established by the German Army in 1914.

They were granted permission to bury their dead on the land by a local farmer, but on one condition: that they should bury the British dead with equal respect.

There are 284 German and 230 Commonwealth casualties buried on this site, which will be the focus of international commemorations on August 4 honouring the dead on all sides.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission looks after 268,000 graves in Belgium and France including St Symphorien.

Work at the St Symphorien Military Cemetery is happening around the clock

In preparation for the centenary, the CWGC has been working literally day and night, cleaning existing headstones and making new ones.

"Our aim is to see that all casualties are adequately commemorated throughout out this centenary period," Carl Liversage, from CWGC, explained.

"What we have done in the past few months is increase the production with extra machines on site and made the day longer working 24/5 significantly."

The CWGC is also installing digital panels in many of the cemeteries so that visitors can interact using mobile phones. The panels will reveal the personal stories of soldiers and details of nearby battles.

At 8pm every evening in the town of Ypres, a ritual is observed as it has been since 1928.

The road under the Menin Gate, the great arch that recognises the Commonwealth soldiers whose bodies were never found, is closed to traffic.

The Last Post ritual in Ypres

Hundreds of tourists and locals gather all year round to listen to The Last Post, played by the town's firemen. It is sounded in memory of the Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Ypres Salient during World War One.

In the four major battles that took place around the town, more than 250,000 soldiers from Britain, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand  Canada, India and Pakistan, lost their lives.

More than 100,000 of these soldiers have no known grave. The names of 54,896 of those are inscribed in the stone of the Menin Gate.

The sober ceremony under this awesome memorial has continued as Ypres's recognition of the soldiers' sacrifice.

"I do it with pleasure. Every night I do it with pleasure," said Brian Clays, from the Ypres Last Post Association. "I am Belgian, I'm not British but I do it with pleasure."

Politicians, historians and commentators might disagree on the legacy of World War One, but for most people who visit the Western Front, and walk silently among the graves, it is tragically simple: The Great War is now a conflict summed up by tales of unthinkable horror and the most phenomenal death toll - impossible to comprehend.

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Iraq: US 'Will Not Join' Battle For Fallujah

The US has said it will not get involved in the fight for Fallujah and Ramadi after the Iraqi cities fell under the control of al Qaeda-linked militants.

The US Secretary of State John Kerry made it clear that, although Washington would provide "assistance" to Iraqi security forces, they will not put US "boots on the ground".

Clashes erupted after the predominantly Shia government cleared a Sunni-Arab protest camp in Ramadi last week.

After a few days the fighting spread to neighbouring Fallujah, a hotbed of insurgent activity in Anbar province following the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Now Fallujah is reportedly to be under the control of fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an Islamist insurgent group active in Iraq and Syria.

Iraqi security forces said they were preparing for a major attack on Sunday which would allow them to retake the cities.

Armed men roam a street in the western, mainly Sunni Muslim city of Ramadi

Earlier, Lt Gen Rashee Fleih of the Anbar Military Command said it would take "two to three days" to dislodge the militants.

The army is currently paused on the edge of Fallujah while residents are allowed to leave, officials said.

There are four separate groups involved in the battle for control of Anbar province; the Iraqi security forces, Sunni tribes loyal to the government, the anti-government Military Council of the Tribes, and the ISIL.

Mr Kerry told reporters in Jerusalem: "We are not obviously contemplating returning, we are not contemplating putting boots on the ground, this is their fight.

"But we're going to help them in their fight ... we are going to do everything that is possible to help them."

In 2004, Fallujah saw some of the worst fighting of the Iraq conflict, with US troops trying to root out insurgents during violent street battles which left much of the city-centre destroyed.

Friends and relatives pray over the coffin of a man killed in Fallujah

US forces eventually took control of Anbar province from militants with the support of Sunni Arab tribesmen who joined forces with the US in 2006.

Mr Kerry said Washington was "very, very concerned" about the resurgence of the ISIL after some 160 people were killed over the weekend.

The ISIL is currently enjoying a significant resurgence in Iraq and Syria, where it has become a major player in the three-year-old revolution against President Bashar al Assad.

But it has received strong criticism for imposing strict Sharia law in the areas it controls.

Meanwhile, at least 15 people have been killed in a series of bombings in commercial areas of the capital, Baghdad.

The deadliest attack took place in northern Baghdad's mainly Shia district of Shaab where two car bombs went off killing at least nine people and wounding 25. 

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Polar Vortex To Plunge US Temperatures to -60C

Windchills of nearly -60C (-70F) are threatening to turn states in the north and northwest US into an icy deep freeze.

A phenomena described as a polar vortex is set to suck super-chilled air from the Arctic into North and South Dakota, the Great Lakes states and New England, sending temperatures plunging.

Washington DC has already seen its coldest temperatures for 20 years and several states in the Midwest have recorded their lowest mercury readings for more than a decade.

Icy weather is feared to have been a factor that led to a Delta Airways flight skidding off the runway at JFK Airport on Sunday.

None of the flight's 35 passengers were injured and the aircraft was safely towed to a gate.

The busy New York airport suspended operations for about two hours due to slick runways.

Weather Bell meteorologist Ryan Maue described current weather conditions as a once in a generation event.

"If you're under 40 (years old), you've not seen this stuff before," he said.

With much of the northeast of the country already under thick snow and well below zero, a newly emerging weather system is threatening to cause further misery.

Scituate, Massachusetts, is among the places to have seen blizzards

The 'polar vortex' is an anti-clockwise rotating pool of cold, dense air that forms close to the North Pole, but typically hangs over Canada.

Meteorologists say that unusually, this year, it is heading south and moving towards the north and eastern United States.

Fargo in North Dakota is expected to dip to -31C (-25F), International Falls, Minnesota will fall to -35C (-31F) and Indianapolis, Indiana and Chicago, Illinois, will reach -26C (-15F).

Forecasters say that at those temperatures exposed skin can get frostbitten in minutes and hypothermia can quickly set in as wind chills may reach 50, 60 or even 70 below zero F (45.5,  51 or even 56.7 below zero C).

The frigid forecast prompted Minnesota public school officials to announce a statewide closure for Monday, marking the first such mass closing in 17 years.

The Wisconsin cities of Milwaukee and Madison have also announced school closures to start the week.

Also in Wisconsin, Sunday's NFL playoff game at Green Bay's Lambeau Field could be among the coldest ever played, with temperatures at kickoff expect to be at -19C (-2F).

People enjoy Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro during a heatwave in Brazil

The coldest NFL game on record was the 1967 Championship Game at Lambeau between the Packers and Dallas Cowboys. Temperatures for that game - dubbed The Ice Bowl - fell to -25C (-13F). 

Elsewhere, parts of New England have already dropped into the negatives with some places hitting -35C (-30F) in Vermont and -38C (-36F) in Maine.

At least 16 deaths have been blamed on a snow storm that swept across the eastern half of the US at the end of last week.

Only a few thousand people have been left without power in the US despite heavy snowfalls, but in Canada, which has seen unusually heavy snow in a country used to cold winters, nearly 90,000 are without power in Newfoundland.

Temperatures were also expected to plummet to -35C in northwestern Ontario and Environment Canada issued a special weather statement on Saturday night for much of southern Ontario, warning of heavy snowfalls.

Meanwhile, in Brazil, soaring temperatures in Rio de Janeiro set off fire sprinklers in shopping malls as the thermometer topped 40C (102F).

Thousands headed to the beach as temperatures rose to more than 50C in the sunshine.

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