South Sudan: UN Helicopter Shot Down

The UN says one of its helicopters has been shot down in South Sudan, killing all four crew members.

UN deputy spokesman Eduardo del Buey said the helicopter from the peacekeeping mission in the country was on a reconnaissance mission when it was shot down.

The mission, known as UNMISS, said the helicopter was not carrying any passengers.

"In subsequent communications between the mission and the South Sudanese Armed Forces, the SPLA told the mission that it has shot down the helicopter in the Likuangole area in Jonglei state," Mr del Buey said. The SPLA is South Sudan's army.

A UN official aware of the incident, who was not authorised to speak publicly, said the Russian-built Mi-8 helicopter was painted white - the traditional colour for UN aircraft - and had shared its flight plans with South Sudan's military.

Kieran Dwyer, spokesman for the UN peacekeeping department, said: "It's extremely concerning that a UN helicopter appears to have been shot down by the host country's army, and the investigation has to get to the bottom of it."

Mr del Buey said the UN mission is carrying out an investigation.

Earlier, SPLA spokesman Philip Aguer told AP that "the helicopter crashed somewhere between the SPLA base and the Yauyau base in the Pibor area".

He said he did not know what caused the crash. "I think the government of South Sudan and UNMISS need to investigate this jointly," Mr Aguer said.

Mr del Buey said "initial reports indicate that the UN helicopter crashed and burned" after being shot down.

The UN mission immediately launched a search mission which "confirmed the death of all four crew members". They were not immediately identified.

South Sudan became the world's newest country in July 2011, the culmination of a six-year peace process which began with the signing of a peace agreement with Sudan in 2005 that ended more than two decades of civil war.

On the eve of its independence, the UN Security Council unanimously approved a new peacekeeping force for South Sudan to provide military and police support to help maintain and consolidate peace and security.

UNMISS currently includes over 6,500 troops and military liaison officers and about 550 international police.

A Sudanese official later denied responsibility - blaming rebel fighters in the region for the incident.

"The SPLA (South Sudan's army) did not shoot down the helicopter. Rebels of Yau Yau shot it down," army spokesman Kella Kueth told Reuters, referring to rebels led by David Yau Yau, who have been fighting the army in Jonglei state.

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Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti Resigns

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has resigned, paving the way for a general election next year.

Mr Monti, a former European Commissioner, had been appointed last year to lead a technocratic government tasked with saving Italy from a worsening financial crisis.

He won plaudits in Europe for passing much-needed reforms but his austerity measures have also earned him the opposition of many Italians.

The prime minister held his last cabinet meeting on Friday and handed in his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano.

Earlier in the day, the Italian parliament had approved the 2013 budget drawn up by his government.

Mr Monti called his 13-month tenure "difficult but fascinating".

"The work we did ... has made the country more trustworthy, besides more competitive and attractive to foreign investors," he told diplomats, who gave him a standing ovation.

"I hope that it can continue this way also in the next legislative session."

Mr Berlusconi announced he will run for PM again

Mr Monti will give his year-end news conference on Sunday, when he is expected to announce whether he will participate in the election campaign.

The election is expected to take place in February. Mr Monti has not yet announced whether he will run.

Earlier this month, controversial politician and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi ended months of speculation, announcing he will try to become Italy's PM again.

Mr Berlusconi, 76, stepped down in disgrace last year as Italy was on the brink of financial disaster, and Mr Monti's government took over.

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John Kerry Nominated For Secretary Of State

John Kerry has been picked to succeed Hillary Clinton as US Secretary of State, President Barack Obama has announced.

Mr Kerry's nomination marks Mr Obama's first move in a sweeping overhaul of his national security team heading into his second term as President.

Standing alongside Mr Kerry at the White House, Mr Obama said the Vietnam War veteran's life "has prepared him for this role".

"He is not going not need a lot of on-the-job training," Mr Obama said.

"Few individuals know as many presidents and prime ministers or grasp our policies as firmly as John Kerry."

Mr Kerry is expected to be easily approved for the cabinet post by his longtime congressional colleagues.

The Democratic senator from Massachusetts leapt to the front of Mr Obama's list for the State Department job after UN Ambassador Susan Rice withdrew her name from consideration last week.

She faced harsh criticism from Republicans for her initial account of the deadly September attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

John Kerry has been nominated to take over from Hillary Clinton

Mr Obama vigorously defended Ms Rice, a close friend and adviser, but Republicans dug in, threatening to hold up her nomination if the President tapped her for the post.

Mr Kerry came to prominence during his failed presidential campaign against George W Bush in 2004.

He now serves as the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

But the 69-year-old has long sought the nation's top diplomatic post.

Mr Obama considered him for the job after the 2008 election, before later picking Mrs Clinton in a surprise move.

Since then, Mr Obama has dispatched Mr Kerry around the world to deal with diplomatic disputes in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

He was also part of the President's debate preparations team during the 2012 election, playing the role of Republican challenger Mitt Romney in mock debates.

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Sandy Hook Survivors: Date For New School Term

The survivors from Sandy Hook Elementary are to return to school immediately after the New Year's holiday.

Nearly 600 students from kindergarten to the fourth grade will start attending the former Chalk Hill Middle School in neighbouring Monroe, Connecticut, on January 3, Danbury's The News-Times reports.

Sandy Hook in Newtown has been closed indefinitely after last Friday's shooting that left 20 children and six adults dead.

The surviving students - aged five to 10 - will be given classrooms at Chalk Hill equipped with desks, chairs and other items from  Sandy Hook.

Their families will be allowed to inspect Chalk Hill on January 2, according to The News-Times.

Officials have been working around the clock to prepare the old middle school, which is seven miles (11 km) south of Sandy Hook.

Volunteers helped fire marshals and building inspectors get the building compliant with state safety codes. The school - built in the 1960s - has been mainly used as a parks and recreation facility since closing its doors to students in 2011.

Sandy Hook Elementary has been closed indefinitely

Representatives from both the Newtown and Monroe school districts hope to make the transition to the new school as seamless as possible for the young students.

A retired former principal from Sandy Hook Elementary, Donna Page, has agreed to reprise her role once the students start at Chalk Hill, her husband told the Hartford Courant.

Meanwhile, funerals for the victims continued on Thursday as five more children were laid to rest, along with teacher Anne Marie Murphy.

A memorial service was also held for teacher Lauren Rousseau.

In Washington, Vice President Joe Biden reiterated on Thursday the White House's commitment to taking action to prevent future gun violence in the US, saying something has to get done "even if we could only save one life".

Barack Obama has commissioned Mr Biden to oversee a panel tasked with creating proposals to curb gun violence. Mr Biden met with cabinet officials on Thursday, including Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

The massacre's far-reaching impact was underscored by an Associated Press poll conducted this week that named the mass shooting as 2012's top news story.

The annual survey of editors and news directors ranked the US election second and Superstorm Sandy third.

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Funeral For Shooter's Mother Nancy Lanza

A private funeral has been held for the woman whose son shot her dead at their Connecticut home and then drove to an elementary school and killed 20 children.

Kingston police Chief Donald Briggs said around 25 family members attended the ceremony at an undisclosed location in the town, where Ms Lanza once lived.

She was killed in her bed by her 20-year-old son, Adam Lanza, at their home in Newtown last week.

Adam Lanza then drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School, where he killed 20 children and six school employees before shooting himself.

The Newtown massacre is the second-worst shooting in US history after the 2007 Virginia Tech rampage, which left 33 people dead.

Lanza used an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle owned by his mother during his shooting rampage - which has led to fresh calls for more restrictive gun laws.

President Barack Obama commissioned a panel to create proposals designed to curb gun violence in the US.

It comes as the National Rifle Association (NRA) was set to stage a news conference on Friday at a hotel opposite the White House in Washington DC.

Support has grown for a ban on assault weapons

NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre and President David Keene will then appear on separate Sunday television talk shows for their first interviews since the murders last Friday.

The group kept quiet in the days after the shootings, but broke its silence on Tuesday to say it wanted to contribute to the gun control debate.

A school district in Boise, Idaho, cancelled planned assemblies at a number of its 50 schools after receiving threats that "something bad" would happen on Friday.

Authorities in Phoenix also arrested a 16-year-old girl on Thursday after she made threats on YouTube to kill herself and other students at a suburban high school.

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End Of World: French Village Ready For Doomsday

By Robert Nisbet, Europe Correspondent

A tiny village in the Pyrenees has been sealed off as police try to prevent an invasion by those seeking salvation from a predicted apocalypse.

The jagged mountain which dwarfs Bugarach is said to contain aliens, who plan to board a spacecraft and flee the Earth before the end of the world.

There are those, admittedly in a minority, who believe the ETs may take some humans for the ride, allowing them to perpetuate humanity.

About 500 gendarmes have blocked roads and paths leading to the mountain to prevent an unsightly, or even dangerous, stampede.

Police have blocked access to the mountain

Potholes in the mountain have also been sealed, to prevent anyone trying to find any alien life in its depths.

The mountain has long been imbued with mystical powers, so many in the village are sympathetic to new-age philosophies.

The local baker Dominic Lemmens told Sky News: "Many people from this village see something in the sky, but they won't speak (about it).

"I say, 'Did you see yesterday the light on the peak,' He says, 'No' - and I see an old guy from the village smile."

The village is nestled at the foothills of the Pyrenees

At a local cafe, the owner has stored dozens of clips of UFOs he said were spotted flying to and from the mountain.

Patrice Etienne believes it merits further investigation, but doubts whether today's prediction has anything to do with an alien shuttle bus.

He told me that the object could even be from another dimension.

"When we see the object go into the mountain it disappears. There is no door, no opening."

"A lot of people are coming back from the mountain saying they heard strange noises like an earthquake, or they had a problem with their camera or their mobile phone.

"So they don't know what it is."

Media from all over the world have descended on the tiny village

The prediction of the Earth's imminent demise comes from the end today of the 13th baktun, a period in the Mayan civilisation's "long calendar", which lasts 392 solar years.

While some believe it signals a new beginning, others predict it will mean the end of days.

Sharing the same day as the winter solstice has led one in 10 people to worry about some sort of event, according to a Reuters worldwide poll.

In Bugarach they will be pleased when the invasion of accredited journalists finally leaves, whether it be on a plane, a spacecraft, or in a fiery meteor shower.

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Army Seeks Death Penalty In Afghan Massacre

The US Army has said it will seek the death penalty for a soldier charged in the killing of 16 Afghan villagers during a pre-dawn raid.

Staff Sergeant Robert Bales is accused of going on a shooting rampage in two southern Afghanistan villages on March 11.

Wednesday's announcement followed Bales' pre-trial hearing last month, during which several witnesses testified from Afghanistan via video conference.

Prosecutors say Bales left his remote base early, attacking one village before returning to the base. He allegedly slipped away again to attack a second nearby village. Sixteen people were killed, including nine children.

No date has been set for Bales' court martial, which will be held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle.

Bales' civilian lawyer, John Henry Browne, did not immediately return an email seeking comment Wednesday.

But on Tuesday, he told the AP that he met with Army officials last week to argue that Bales should not face the possibility of the death penalty, given that Bales was serving his fourth deployment in a war zone.

Bales' defence team has said the government's case is incomplete and outside experts have said a key issue going forward will be to determine whether Bales, who served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

An Army criminal investigations command special agent testified at the pre-trial hearing that Bales tested positive for steroids three days after the killings, and other soldiers testified that Bales had been drinking the evening of the massacre.

Prosecutors, in asking for a court-martial trial, have pointed to statements Bales made after he was apprehended, saying that they demonstrated "a clear memory of what he had done, and consciousness of wrong-doing."

Several soldiers testified at the hearing that Bales returned to the base alone just before dawn, covered in blood, and that he made incriminating statements such as, "I thought I was doing the right thing."

The slayings drew such angry protests that the US temporarily halted combat operations in Afghanistan, and it was three weeks before American investigators could reach the crime scenes.

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Russia To Ban Orphan Adoption By US Citizens

By Yulia Bragina, Moscow Producer

The lower Russian Parliament has approved an amendment banning the adoption of Russian children by US citizens in a crucial second reading of the so-called Dmitry Yakovlev bill.

If the law is passed in a cosmetic reading on December 21 and gets signed by the upper chamber of Parliament and the President, it may come into force as early as January 1.

Around 30% of orphans in Russia are adopted by foreigners, one third of them by families from the United States, according to the Ministry of Education.

The bill is a reaction to the Magnitsky list, signed into law by President Obama last week, which targets Russian officials allegedly involved in the death of a whistle-blower Sergey Magnitsky, who unveiled a complex scheme of tax fraud involving high police officials and tax agency workers.

Since Mr Magnitsky's death in 2009 the only person tried in court in connection to the tax fraud scheme was Mr Magnitsky himself, posthumously. People mentioned in the Magnitsky whistle-blowing report kept their positions and some even got promoted.

The Magnitsky list imposes US visa bans and asset freezes for people responsible for Magnitsky's death and other human rights violations in Russia.

According to the Levada research centre, 39% of Russians approve the passing of the Magnitsky list.

The Dmitry Yakovlev bill was named after a Russian toddler who died as a result of negligence of his adoptive parent, who left him locked inside the car in the sunshine for nine hours in Virginia.

The Russian Parliament has given its backing to the Dmitry Yakovlev bill

The bill blacklists US human rights abusers and freezes their assets in Russia. The measure might be extended to citizens of any country which implements the Magnitsky list.

According to Russian officials, 19 adopted children died in the US over the last decade out of more than 60,000. There are more than 1,500 registered deaths of children adopted by Russians since 1996.

Children's ombudsman Pavel Astakhov says Russia has 650,000 registered orphans, which, according to some respected Russian newspapers, is more than any other country in the world.

The new legislation was supported by the overwhelming majority of Russian MPs (400 voted in favour, four against and two abstained) despite outrage from the public and human rights activist.

A combination of words translated as 'Scoundrel's law', referring to the amendment, was trending on Russian Twitter earlier in the day.

Around 20 people were arrested in front of the Parliament building for protesting against the bill. Opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta gathered more than 83,000 signatures under a petition opposing the measure in just 24 hours.

The MP Ilya Ponomarev, who was left in the minority for opposing the measure, said that there are 1,500 children awaiting  adoption by US families, 49 of them with disabilities.

"Do you realise, if we pass the amendment today, we will leave 1,500 children orphans, and kill 49 of them", he asked the Parliament.

Another amendment passed on the same day bans NGO's sponsored by the US and dealing with politics from operating in Russia.

The President's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media: "Certainly the executive branch's policy is more restrained but taking into account the well-known anti-Russian manifestations, Russian President Vladimir Putin understands the Russian lawmakers' position."

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Obama Commissions Panel To Curb Gun Violence

Barack Obama has commissioned a new panel tasked with developing proposals to curb gun violence, saying the country has a "deep obligation" to prevent events similar to Friday's massacre in Connecticut.

"If there is even one thing we can do to prevent any of these events, we have a deep obligation - all of us - to try," Mr Obama said.

Vice President Joe Biden - a longtime gun control advocate - will head up the panel, from which Mr Obama expects "concrete proposals" no later than January.

"This is not some Washington commission," he said. "This is not something where folks are going to be studying the issue for six months and publishing a report that gets read then pushed aside.

"This is a team that has a very specific task to put together real reforms right now."

Mr Obama said he plans to push through the proposed reforms as soon as the panel completes its work.

"I will use all the powers of this office to help prevent tragedies like this," the president said at the White House on Wednesday, less than a week after 20-year-old Adam Lanza went on a killing spree inside Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.

Adam Lanza killed his mother before shooting dead 20 children and six staff

Twenty children and six adults were killed by Lanza, who earlier shot dead his mother Nancy at the home they shared, and then killed himself at the school as police closed in.

Police say Lanza had hundreds of rounds of ammunition at his disposal as he conducted his shooting rampage with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.

The new panel will explore possible new gun legislation to rein in the sale of assault rifles and high-capacity magazines, but will also look at mental health policies and violence in popular culture.

The massacre has re-ignited the debate over gun control in the US, with some calling for a clampdown on firearms.

During a Google Hangout debate moderated by Sky News' Greg Milam on Wednesday, participants from across America voiced their disparate views on the future of gun control.

Connecticut resident Cheryl Rice said a reinstatement of the ban on assault weapons that expired in 2004 should not be considered a violation of the Second Amendment that gives Americans the right to bear arms. 

Dave Powell of West Virginia agreed, saying that hunting rifles and the like should suffice for self protection. 

Mr Powell called the American infatuation with handguns and automatic weapons "a national insanity". 

But Rosa Linda Roman, a New Mexico mother and gun owner, rejected the idea of being told what kind of gun she could use to protect her family.

"I feel and I've learned, living up here, that it's not just my right to defend my family but it's actually my responsibility", she said.

Protesters outside the NRA's headquarters in Washington DC

Mr Obama said this week he is backing a new bill to reintroduce the expired assault weapon ban. 

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the president is "actively supportive" of an attempt by California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein to write the bill early next year.

Meanwhile, the other Democratic senator from California, Barbara Boxer, introduced new legislation on Wednesday that would allow state's to seek reimbursement from the federal government if they choose to use National Guard troops to watch over schools.

"This legislation will help state and local officials protect our children by utilising all of the law enforcement tools at our disposal," Sen Boxer said in a statement.

Mr Obama has also telephoned pro-gun Senator Joe Manchin, who has shifted his position on firearms laws since Friday's carnage in Connecticut.

Mr Manchin, along with fellow democrat Mark Warner, who have so-called "A" ratings from the National Rifle Association, said the Newtown massacre has convinced them the time for reform has come.

The NRA broke its silence over the Sandy Hook school massacre on Tuesday, saying its members were "shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the news of the horrific and senseless murders".

The group pledged "to help to make sure this never happens again" and has scheduled a news conference for Friday.

On Monday, 75 activists demonstrated outside the NRA's headquarters in Washington DC.

"More than anyone else, the NRA is responsible for the more than 12,000 people murdered by guns every year in this country," said Josh Nelson, the campaign manager for the progressive Credo Action group that organised the protest.

"We call on the NRA's lobbyists to stand down and allow Congress to pass common-sense gun laws."

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US Benghazi Report Slams 'Inadequate' Security

An inquiry into the deadly September 11 attack in Libya that killed the US ambassador and three other Americans has described security arrangements as "grossly inadequate".

The independent panel blamed systematic management and leadership failures at the State Department for the attack on the mission in Benghazi.

The report singled out the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the Bureau of Near East Affairs for criticism.

It said there appeared to be a lack of cooperation and confusion over protection at the mission that was left relatively lawless after the revolution that toppled Muammar Gaddafi.

The report found the number of Diplomatic Security staff in Benghazi before and on the day of the attack "was inadequate despite repeated requests ... for additional staffing".

Despite those failures, the Accountability Review Board said no individual officials ignored or violated their duties and recommended no immediate disciplinary action.

Christopher Steven's murder was the first of a US ambassador since 1988

But it also said poor performance by senior managers should be grounds for disciplinary recommendations in the future.

The report appeared to break little new ground about the timeline of the Benghazi attack, during which Libyan Ambassador Christopher Stevens, information specialist Sean Smith and former Navy Seals Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods were killed.

But it confirmed that, contrary to initial accounts, there was no protest outside the consulate and said responsibility for the incident rested entirely with the terrorists who attacked the mission.

In the immediate aftermath, administration officials linked the attack to the spreading protests over an anti-Islamic film made in the US that had begun in Cairo, Egypt, earlier that day.

The review board found there had been no immediate, specific tactical warning of a potential attack on the 11th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

However, the report said there had been several incidents of concern in the run-up to the attack that should have set off warning bells.

The report made 29 recommendations to improve embassy security, particularly at high-threat posts.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she accepted all the recommendations.

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School Shooting: NRA 'Shocked And Saddened'

The National Rifle Association has broken its silence over the Sandy Hook school massacre, saying its members were "shocked and saddened" by the murders.

After a self-imposed media blackout, the powerful gun rights organisation made its first public statement on Friday's gun rampage by 20-year-old Adam Lanza.

He killed 20 pupils, aged six and seven, as well as six female members of staff after opening fire at the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.

Lanza earlier shot dead his mother Nancy at the home they shared, and the gunman later killed himself at the school as police closed in.

The NRA said its members were "shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the news of the horrific and senseless murders".

Protesters demonstrated outside the NRA's headquarters in Washington DC

The group also said it wanted to give families time to mourn before making its first public statement.

It pledged "to help to make sure this never happens again" and has scheduled a news conference for Friday.

The massacre has re-ignited the debate over gun control in the US, with some calling for a clampdown on firearms.

President Barack Obama backs a new bill to reintroduce a ban on assault weapons that expired in 2004.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Mr Obama is "actively supportive" of an attempt by Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein to write the bill early next year.

Adam Lanza killed his mother before shooting dead 20 children and six staff

The president has also telephoned pro-gun senator Joe Manchin, who has shifted his position on firearms laws since Friday's carnage in Connecticut.

Mr Manchin, along with fellow democrat Mark Warner, who have so-called "A" ratings from the NRA, said the Newtown massacre has convinced them the time for reform has come.

West Virginia's Senator Manchin told MSNBC it was time to "move beyond rhetoric" on gun control. He said: "I don't know anyone in the sporting or hunting arena that goes out with an assault rifle. It's common sense."

Senator Warner said "the status quo isn't acceptable" and in a later interview called for "rational gun control".

On Monday, 75 activists demonstrated outside the NRA's headquarters in Washington DC. They chanted: "Shame on the NRA," and demanded the organisation drop its hardline stance and make way for new gun control laws.

"More than anyone else, the NRA is responsible for the more than 12,000 people murdered by guns every year in this country," said Josh Nelson, the campaign manager for the progressive Credo Action group that organised the protest.

"We call on the NRA's lobbyists to stand down and allow Congress to pass common-sense gun laws."

:: Watch USA: The Gun Debate on Sky News on Wednesday at 8.30pm.

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South Koreans Vote For A New President

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

South Koreans are heading to the polls today to vote for a new president in what has become a very closely fought contest.

Voters will choose between the centre-right candidate for the ruling party, Park Geun-Hye and her centre-left rival Moon Jae-In.

If Ms Park, 60, wins she will become the first female president of a nation which is still heavily dominated by men.

A victory for her will, analysts believe, shatter a national 'glass ceiling' and be seen as a massive step forward for women's rights.

She is the daughter of General Park Chung-Hee, the former South Korean dictator whose autocratic rule over the country lasted for 18 years before he was assassinated by his own spy chief in 1979. Despite his dictatorship, he is widely credited for pulling South Korea out of poverty and turning it into the economic and technological success that it is today.

Mr Moon is a former human rights lawyer who was once jailed for his opposition to Park's fathers rule.  He is the son of North Korean refugees who fled to the south during the Korean War.

Whoever wins the election will be faced with a belligerent North Korea, a slowing economy and rising welfare costs.

On North Korea, both candidates have a desire for further engagement though Ms Park's approach is more cautious. Mr Moon has promised to resume aid to the country without preconditions.

A British diplomat in Seoul described to Sky News the difference between the two approaches on North Korea as: 'Stick then large carrot from Park; large carrot then small stick from Moon.'

Relations between the north and the south are tense. The two are still technically at war. The border between the two – the 38th parallel – is the most fortified and heavily mined border in the world.

The relationship worsened with the shooting by North Korea of a tourist from the South in 2008, the sinking of a South Korean warship; an incident which North Korea says it had nothing to do with and the shelling of a South Korean island in 2010.

Although North Korea will be a pressing issue for whoever wins, it has not played heavily in the campaigning despite the successful launch of a three-stage rocket by the North last week.

"It has been very much side-lined," Brendan Howe, a professor of International Relations based in Seoul, told Sky News.

"Both sides want engagement but neither side is putting it at the forefront of their campaign. It has not a massive issue in the election." he said.

An equally pressing issue is the widening gap between rich and poor in South Korea and the dominance of family-owned conglomerates like Samsung and Hyundai.

Wooing the crucial centralist voters has resulted in significant overlap between the two candidates policies.

They have both talked about 'economic democratisation' - reducing the social disparities that have come with rapid economic growth.

The new president will be one of a number of new leaders in the region. Japan has recently voted in right-wing candidate Shinzo Abe and China's new communist leadership, with their opaque direction, will take office in March.

The South Korean polls will close tonight at 0900 GMT. The winner will be announced by 1300 GMT.

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Colombia Bus Crash Kills 26 After 'Brake Failure'

At least 26 people have been killed after a bus swerved off a road and flipped over due to suspected brake failure.

Another 15 passengers were injured and rescue workers battled for hours to free people trapped in the mangled wreckage.

The accident happened as the vehicle carried visitors to a coffee fair in central Colombia.

The bus driver, who survived the accident, said that brake failure was to blame.

Firefighter Jorge Riobueno explained how the driver tried frantically to maintain control of the bus using the gears.

Emergency workers work to free survivors - and bodies from the wreckage

He said: "Unfortunately one of the vehicles - that was returning from a meeting and that was part of a caravan of vehicles - lost control.

"According to the versions we have, the bus's brakes failed and the driver was trying to control the vehicle using the gears.

"But unfortunately he lost control when the bus was going around a curve. The bus went off the highway and over the guardrails, killing more than 15 people.

Firefighter Jorge Riobueno tells how the driver reported brake problems

"Various people were injured and were rescued by personnel from the area."

Felipa Ruiz, who survived the accident, recounted moments of terror as the bus veered out of control.

She said: "In that moment I thought the worst and since we were practically on a slope I thought it was going to be more difficult to control. So I bent down and I started praying, nothing else.

Rescuers carry a person from the crash scene on a stretcher

"I don't remember anything else, the reactions or where we were, I don't know if we left the highway, or if we fell into an abyss, I don't know anything - I know that when I woke up I felt like something was cutting off my legs."

The bus was heading from Bogota to the city of Cali, some 500km (310 miles) to the southwest, highway police commander Francisco Patino said.

People on some of the other buses said the driver of the one that crashed had complained about the brakes on the first leg of the journey but that the bus company failed to replace the vehicle.

Survivor Felipa Ruiz tells of the moment the bus veered off the road

Earlier this month eight people died and 11 were injured when a bus flipped over in Ibague, 200km (120 miles) west of Bogota, apparently after speeding.

Approximately 5,000 people per year are killed in traffic accidents in Colombia.

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Nasa Space Probes Crash Into Surface Of Moon

A pair of Nasa space probes have crashed into the surface of the moon after their planned mission came to an end.

The pair of spacecraft, Ebb and Flow, have been orbiting the Moon since their launch in September 2011 to create a gravity field map of its surface.

But with not enough fuel to carry out further experiments, the American space agency opted for a "controlled descent" to avoid the risk of obliterating Neil Armstrong's footsteps on the moon.

Ebb plunged first, slamming into a mountain near the moon's north pole. Its twin, Flow, followed about a half minute later and aimed for the same target.

Neil Armstrong walks on the moon

After the double impacts, mission chief scientist Maria Zuber of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said the spot has been named after team member Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, who died earlier this year.

"It's really cool to know that when you look up now at the moon there's this little corner of the moon that's named after Sally," said Ride's sister.

Since the crash site was in darkness, the final act was not visible from Earth.

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, circling the moon will pass over the mountain and attempt to photograph the skid marks left by the washing machine sized-spacecraft as they hit the surface at 3,800mph.

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Hollywood Hacker Jailed After Stealing Nude Pics

A man who hacked into the personal emails of Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis, Christina Aguilera and a number of other women has been jailed for 10 years.

Christopher Chaney pleaded guilty to offences that included wiretapping and unauthorised access to a computer.

Prosecutors said Chaney, 35, illegally accessed the email accounts of more than 50 people in the entertainment industry between November 2010 and October 2011.

His arrest came after an 11-month investigation - dubbed Operation Hackerazzi - into the hacking of dozens of celebrities, of whom actresses Johansson and Kunis, and singer Aguilera were the highest-profile names.

The court heard a tearful videotaped statement from Lost In Translation star Johansson after nude photos, taken herself and meant for her then-husband Ryan Reynolds, were placed on the internet.

Aguilera said in a statement issued days before the sentencing that although she is often in the limelight, Chaney had taken private moments from her.

Chaney said the hacking began 'out of curiosity'

"That feeling of security can never be given back and there is no compensation that can restore the feeling one has from such a large invasion of privacy," Aguilera said.

Chaney also targeted two women he knew, and reportedly sent naked pictures of a former colleague to her father.

Those women said their lives have been irreparably damaged by Chaney's actions and called him "creepy".

One said she has anxiety and panic attacks, while the other said she is depressed and paranoid.

Explaining how the hacking began, Chaney said: "It started as curiosity and it turned to just being addictive ... seeing the behind-the-scenes of what's going on with the people you see on the big screen."

He denied having had any criminal intent, saying: "I wasn't saving the emails to blackmail someone."

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Jacintha Saldanha: Nurse's Funeral In India

The funeral of the nurse found dead after being duped by a prank call to the hospital treating the Duchess of Cambridge will take place in India today.

Mother-of-two Jacintha Saldanha was found hanging in her nurses' quarters at London's King Edward VII's Hospital on December 7.

Three days earlier the 46-year-old nurse had transferred a call from two Australian DJs, believing they were the Queen and Prince of Wales, to a colleague who described in detail the condition of the Duchess during her hospital stay for severe morning sickness.

Ms Saldanha's family have flown to her home country for the funeral, which will take place at Our Lady of Health Church in the town of Shirva, Karnataka, near Mangalore.

Her children described the "unfillable void" left in their lives by their mother's death as a mass was held at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday.

Ms Saldanha's coffin arrives in Mangalore, India

Following the service, her husband Benedict Barboza and two children Junal and Lisha paid an emotional tribute to a "kind-hearted, generous and well-respected woman".

Fighting back tears, Mr Barboza said: "My wife, you were the light in my darkness, who always showed me the way forward.

"From the day we met, you always stood by me in times of hardship and happiness.

"I feel a part of me has been ripped out."

Ms Saldanha's daughter Lisha, 14, said: "We will miss your laughter, the loving memories and the good times we had together. The house is an empty dwelling without your presence.

"We are shattered and there's an unfillable void in our lives."

A candle-lit vigil for the nurse was held in Mangalore at the weekend

Her son Junal, 16, said: "Our mother, kind hearted, generous and a well-respected woman in both of our lives. You were the core of the family who kept us together."

Standing outside the cathedral alongside their local MP Charlotte Leslie and MP Keith Vaz, who has been campaigning on behalf of the family, Mr Barboza said the family "could not have foreseen the unprecedented tragedy that has unfolded in our lives".

"The events of the last week have shattered our lives. We barely have the strength to withstand the grief and sorrow."

He thanked the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prime Minister David Cameron for their condolences.

Memorial services have already been held at the hospital where Ms Saldanha worked and in Bristol where her husband and children live.

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Afghanistan Bomb Blast Kills 10 Young Girls

Ten young girls have been killed by a landmine explosion in eastern Afghanistan, officials say.

The children were collecting firewood when one of them accidentally struck the mine with an axe, according to Chapahar district governor Mohammad Seddiq Dawlatzai.

The victims were all aged nine to 13. Two girls were critically injured and are being treated in hospital.

"An old mine left over from the time of the jihad (against Soviet troops in the 1980s) exploded, killing 10 girls and wounding two others," Mr Seddiq said.

Afghanistan is one of the most heavily-mined countries in the world

Since 1989, when the Soviets withdrew after a 10-year military occupation, nearly 700,000 mines and more than 15m other explosives left over from decades of war have been destroyed, according to UN figures.

But despite international clearance efforts, more than three decades of war have left Afghanistan one of the most heavily-mined countries in the world.

The explosives were placed during three recent conflicts: the 1980s war against the Russians, the 1990s civil war, and during fighting between the Northern Alliance and the Taliban before they were ousted from power in 2001.

The Taliban now plant bombs, or improvised explosive devices, to target Afghan troops and their Nato backers but these regularly kill civilians.

In the first six months of 2012, 1,145 Afghan civilians were killed and around 2,000 wounded, mostly by roadside bombs.

Women and children account for about 30% of this year's casualties.

More follows...

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Japan: New PM Shinzo Abe Fires China Warning

By Mark Stone, Asia correspondent

Japan's new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has issued an early warning to China, just hours after a landslide victory for his right-wing Liberal Democratic Party.

Speaking at his first news conference, Mr Abe reiterated Tokyo's claim of sovereignty over a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea which is contested by Beijing.

"China is challenging the fact that [the islands] are Japan's inherent territory," Mr Abe said.

"Our objective is to stop the challenge. We don't intend to worsen relations between Japan and China," he said.

The election result represents a dramatic lurch to the right for Japan.

The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) led by Yoshihiko Noda suffered a significant defeat winning just 57 seats, down from 230 in the last election.

Mr Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 294 seats, up from 118.

When combined with the New Komeito Party, its junior coalition partner, the LDP now has a two-thirds majority in the 480-seat lower house, enough to override the upper house in which no party has overall control.

PM Yoshihiko Noda resigned after his landslide election defeat

Mr Abe, 58 - who has already served as Prime Minister for a year between 2006 and 2007 - is seen as having a hawkish foreign policy and a radical economic agenda.

He characterised the win as more of a protest vote against the DPJ than a strong endorsement of his party.

"I think the results do not mean we have regained the public's trust 100%. Rather, they reflect 'no votes' to the DPJ's politics that stalled everything the past three years," he said.

"Now we are facing the test of how we can live up to the public's expectations, and we have to answer that question."

The win by his LDP Party is widely expected to produce a government with a hardline stance on the ongoing territorial dispute with China.

Japan bought the Senkaku islands from a private owner - and sparked a row

Mr Abe has said he wants Japan to play a bigger role in global security. He has pledged to change the country's pacifist constitution signed after World War Two.

A new right-leaning government combined with changes to the constitution and growing nationalist movement within Japan could significantly increase tensions in East Asia.

"We must strengthen our alliance with the US and also improve relations with China, with a strong determination that is no change in the fact the Senkaku islands are our territory," Mr Abe said after the victory.

China and Japan, who have a historically hostile relationship, both claim the group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. Beijing calls them the Diaoyu Islands and Tokyo refers to them as the Senkaku Islands.

China's claim had been dormant until the Japanese Government bought the islands from an individual who owned them earlier this year.

The sovereignty dispute has prompted mass protests in China

Last week, Japan scrambled fighter jets to the skies above the islands after a Chinese surveillance plane was spotted in air-space deemed by Tokyo to be Japanese.

Fixing Japan's economy will be the biggest domestic challenge for the incoming government. Mr Abe's policy is for 'unlimited' monetary easing and big spending on public projects.

Japan could be about to enter its fourth recession since 2000 and has a public debt twice the size of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Some of Japan's most famous companies like Sony and Sharp are struggling in the face of competition from rivals in China and South Korea.

Their woes are compounded by a strong yen, which has forced the price of their products in foreign markets up considerably.

Mr Abe's party also has a pro-nuclear energy policy despite last year's disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power station.

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Mandela Recovers As ANC Chooses New Leader

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent In Johnnesburg

Nelson Mandela is spending his ninth day in hospital, recovering from a lung infection and gallstones, while the party he once headed meets amid widespread squabbling over who should be their next head.

There is heavy security around the conference in Bloemfontein which meets every five years. It has drawn more than 4,000 delegates to the city, which is also known by its African name, Mangaung.

Whoever wins the election as African National Congress (ANC) leader is almost certainly going to be the next president of the country.

Eighteen years after their first democratic election, the ANC is still overwhelmingly dominant in South African politics.

The sitting president, Jacob Zuma, who is known to dance and sing in public, faces a challenge from his quiet, unassuming deputy Kgalema Motlanthe. His challenge is seen as evidence of very obvious discontent right at the heart of the ANC hierarchy.

The run-up to Mangaung has seen shootings and threats towards local ANC officials and a flurry of accusations that the voting figures were being manipulated in President Zuma's favour.

The 70-year-old president remains the hot favourite and commands a lot of influence amongst the Zulu population - the largest ethnic group in the country.

But there is huge discontent and unease over his leadership, and the party in general, elsewhere in the country.

South Africa's ruling ANC still dominates politics

A week before the conference, a group of the country's most influential religious leaders wrote a letter to the party accusing it of "moral decay".

Much of the South African media has been exorcised over reports that President Zuma has spent more than 200m rand (about £15m) on upgrading his homestead in Kwazulu Natal.

At the same time, his government was bulldozing homes in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, which had been apparently illegally built.

This at a time when South Africa has seen his credit rating downgraded and there is still much industrial unrest over poor wages and conditions.

For many black people, life post-apartheid may have meant getting the vote, but very little access to the country's wealth.

American civil rights activist Rev Jesse Jackson told me at the ANC's centenary celebrations in Bloemfontein at the start of the year he believed most people in South Africa were enduring an "economic apartheid".

Although there is a growing black middle class, the gap between rich and poor in the country is widening too - to such an extent that South Africa is considered one of the most unequal societies in the world.

Mr Zuma is the man who is drawing most of the ire about this inequality. He is a man with little or no formal education and apparently taught himself to write while cattle herding as a boy.

President Zuma has been blamed for his handling of the Marikana massacre

He has sterling ANC credentials having served time in prison during the fight against the country's racial segregation laws known as apartheid.

He rose through the party ranks and, apart from heading the party's intelligence branch, he went on to be deputy president but was fired by the then president, Thabo Mbeki, after being implicated in a corruption scandal involving an arms deal.

He is a polygamist who has been married six times and currently has four wives. He has 21 children but admitted in 2010 that he had fathered a child out of wedlock.

He stood trial accused of raping a family friend and told the court before being acquitted in 2006 that he had unprotected sex with the woman who was HIV-positive but had taken a shower believing it would protect him from Aids.

It was Mr Zuma and his poor stewardship of the government and industry which was largely blamed by the public, at the time at least, for the mining massacre at Marikana in August this year when police gunned down 34 striking miners outside the Lonmin plant.

It was the ANC and Mr Zuma as its head who was largely seen as responsible for causing so much discontent. The handling of the tragedy led to a number of other strikes across different sectors as workers fought for better wages and conditions.

It is in this atmosphere that the ANC elective conference is taking place - and despite the expectation that Mr Zuma will be re-elected, his return to leadership is not expected to see the dissolution of the mountain of problems the country is facing.

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Victim Vigil: My Sister Was A 'True Hero'

Gunman's Family Release Statements

Updated: 4:22am UK, Sunday 16 December 2012

The father of and uncle of dead gunman Adam Lanza have released statements, as America comes to terms with its most deadly school massacre.

Peter Lanza, who has been interviewed by police, said: "Our hearts go out to the families and friends who lost loved ones and to all those who were injured.

"Our family is grieving along with all those who have been affected by this enormous tragedy. No words can truly express how heartbroken we are.

Mr Lanza, who is an executive with General Electric, added: "We are in a state of disbelief and trying to find whatever answers we can. We too are asking why.

"We have cooperated fully with law enforcement and will continue to do so.

"Like so many of you, we are saddened, but struggling to make sense of what has transpired."

Meanwhile, Ms Lanza's brother has also released a statement for the families struggling to cope in the aftermath of the shooting spree.

James Champion, an ex-policeman who lives in Kingston in New Hampshire, said: "On behalf of Nancy's mother and siblings, we reach out to the community of Newtown to express our heartfelt sorrow for the incomprehensible loss of innocence that has affected so many."

According to the New York Times, Mr Champion confirmed that FBI agents questioned family members about Adam Lanza on Friday night.

Mr Champion declined to reveal what the FBI was told about his nephew, or if the gunman suffered from developmental disorders or mental illness.

He added that his sister had not working recently however she was previously a stockbroker.

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British Boy Dies In US School Shooting

A British-born boy has been named as one of the victims of the worst school shooting in America's history, Sky News has learned.

Dylan Hockley, 6, was shot dead by a gunman at an elementary school in Connecticut.

He was born in Hampshire to a British father and American mother.

Twenty children and seven adults, including the gunman's mother, died before Adam Lanza, 20, turned a gun on himself at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

It has been confirmed that US President Barack Obama will attend a memorial service in Newtown later today, and will speak at an interfaith vigil for families of the victims.

Meanwhile, a father has paid an emotional tribute to his murdered six-year-old daughter, after police released the names of the gunman's 27 victims.

Robbie Parker said his final conversation with Emilie was in Portuguese, the language he was helping to teach her.

Two women like candles in Newtown in memory of the victims

"She told me 'good morning' and asked how I was doing, and I said that I was doing well," he told reporters.

"She said that she loved me, and I gave her a kiss and I was out the door."

Headteacher Dawn Hochsprung and school psychologist Mary Sherlach both died as they tried to confront the gunman.

The pair were in a meeting with therapist Diane Day on Friday, when the gunman began shooting at 9.30am.

On hearing the shots, they both jumped out of their seats and ran out of the room.

"They didn't think twice about confronting or seeing what was going on," Ms Day said.

Ms Hochsprung is also believed to have switched on a loudspeaker system in the school to alert students and staff to the danger.

"She was just an amazing woman ... the kids loved her. It's a huge loss for our school and our town," said assistant librarian Maryanne Jacobs.

Fourth-grade teacher Theodore Varga said: "You could hear the hysteria that was going on.

"Whoever did that saved a lot of people. Everyone in the school was listening to the terror that was transpiring."

Another hero was said to be first-grade teacher Vicki Leigh Soto, 27, described by police as someone who "put herself between the kids and the gunman's bullets".

Her body was found huddled with the students in a classroom closet, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A woman and child pray outside a church in the town

Youth soccer coach David Flook, originally from Northampton, England, told Sky News of the turmoil his town is now in.

"Everybody is absolutely devastated. People don't know what they can do," he said.

He described Newtown as the "least dangerous place on earth".

He added: "It was the perfect town."

The father of gunman Adam Lanza released a statement on Saturday night. He said: "Our hearts go out to the families and friends who lost loved ones and to all those who were injured.

"We are in a state of disbelief and trying to find whatever answers we can. We too are asking why."

On Saturday, police released a list of all the victims of Lanza: Charlotte Bacon, age 6, Daniel Barden, 7, Olivia Engel, 6, Josephine Gay, 7, Ana M Marquez-Greene, 6, Dylan Hockley, 6, Madeleine F Hsu, 6, Catherine V Hubbard, 6, Chase Kowalski , 7, Jesse Lewis, 6, James Mattioli, 6, Grace McDonnell, 7, Emilie Parker, 6, Jack Pinto, 6, Noah Pozner, 6, Caroline Previdi, 6, Jessica Rekos, 6, Avielle Richman, 6, Benjamin Wheeler, 6, Allison N Wyatt, 6, Rachel Davino, 29, Dawn Hochsprung, 47, Nancy Lanza, 52, Anne Marie Murphy, 52, Lauren Rousseau, 30, Mary Sherlach, 56, and Victoria Soto, 27.

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