Fugitive Cop Died Of 'Self-Inflicted' Gunshot

Christopher Dorner, who began a retribution campaign against his Los Angeles police colleagues, died of a single gunshot wound, a coroner has said.

The fugitive officer's charred remains were found in a burned-out California mountain cabin after a "war-zone style" standoff with armed police.

Dorner declared 'war' on his colleagues in an online manifesto

Coroner examiners have yet to determine who fired the fatal shot that killed Dorner, though San Bernardino County Coroner Kevin Lacy said current evidence suggests the 33-year-old committed suicide.

"We are not yet able to speak about the manner of death and tell you whether or not it was the result of a self-inflicted wound or another round," he said at a news conference.

But he added: "The information we have seems to indicate that the wound that took Christopher Dorner's life was self-inflicted."

The ex-LAPD cop went on the run last week after allegedly killing a couple and a policeman, and wounding three people.

Another police officer was killed and one wounded before the cabin in which Dorner was holed-up went up in flames.

Officials also said at the news conference that they had found a cache of weapons at various sites connected with Dorner.

Dorner had posted online a chilling manifesto in which he threatened to bring "warfare" to LAPD officers and their families, and blamed the LAPD for treating him unfairly in his sacking in 2008.

The six-day manhunt reached a climax on Tuesday when Dorner barricaded himself inside the cabin.

The charred remains of the mountain cabin

San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said there was a prolonged firefight with Dorner.

He said when "other means had been exhausted", SWAT officers used a tractor-type device to open up the windows and walls of the cabin, and threw in pyrotechnic tear gas canisters to try to force Dorner to surrender.

A blaze erupted, starting at one corner of the cabin.

Sheriff McMahon said that as the flames took hold, after a period of no firing, there was "a distinct single gunshot coming from inside the house".

The sound of it "indicated to me (that) a different kind of weapon had been fired," he added.

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China Film Market Set To Take Over Hollywood

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

China has become the world's second largest film market and is predicted to be the largest, overtaking Hollywood, by the end of the decade.

The country already boasts what is claimed to be the largest film studio in the world.

Hengdian is a three-hour flight south of Beijing. Twenty years ago it was a tiny farm village. Now it is bigger than Universal and Paramount Studios combined.

"Forget about Hollywood, here we can have 40 separate productions at the same time," Zeng YuLin, the spokesman for the studio tells me.

With a guide and a golf buggy, we took a tour of the site. There appears to be no limit to what they are able to create: we drove passed a spectrum of Chinese history from colonial Hong Kong to pre-war Guangzhou all recreated to minute detail.

Hengdian is the sight of the largest film studio in the world

At the heart of it all is a staggering full-size recreation of Beijing's Forbidden City. None of the sets are temporary and there seems to be one for every conceivable scene.

In one corner we stumbled across the filming of what appeared to be a key fight scene in a forthcoming war film. Surrounded by extras in outsized costumes was lead actor, Qi Dao.

Immaculately dressed in the uniform of a 1930s policeman, Dao was on his fifteenth take of the morning. In a brief break, he told us about Hengdian.

"It's getting better every day," he said. "There's still a way to go before it is at an international standard like Hollywood. But it is getting better and better."

He then touched on the one issue that many believe is holding China back: censorship.

China's film market is set to overtake Hollywood by the end of the decade

"Of course I'd like censorship to loosen up a bit. That would give a bigger space for us artists to create, and to deliver fresh productions to the audience."

Every TV programme and film that is produced in China is subjected to the censors for approval. The Communist Party's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television is responsible for checking everything that is filmed.

Anything remotely political is off limits, which explains the somewhat cliched subject matter of everything we saw at Hengdian.

The Japan-bashing war films and Ming period dramas may conform with Communist Party regulations but they only have a limited popularity. That may go some way to explaining why less than 5% of Chinese movies broke even in the first half of 2012.

Zhang Jingkun, a director who works regularly at Hengdian, acknowledges the restrictions but doesn't belive they have a big impact on domestic production.

Every TV programme and film produced in China is subjected to censors

"There are restrictions. The policies from different countries are different," he says.

"Compared to the capitalist system, our socialist system has restrictions on policies. But it doesn't affect the productions domestically. It's the different tradition between the east and the west, it takes time to change. It's a progress."

The censorship also has an impact on western production houses who want access to the Chinese market. All films shown in China are checked by the censorship department.

Skyfall, the latest Bond film, was released in China in January but only after one plot thread was altered and another scene was cut altogether.

Anything remotely political is off limits in the Chinese film market

Part of the film is made in Shanghai but one scene in which a Chinese security guard is shot dead in a skyscraper lobby has been removed.

In addition, the Chinese subtitles have been altered to remove any reference in the dialogue to Chinese torture and prostitution.

The threat of censorship has not put foreign production houses off the Chinese market. Foreign films make up 60% of the Chinese box office market.

Chinese producers like Yu Zheng, who is filming a Qin period drama at Hengdian, hopes to offer his work to the world.

"I hope China's TVs will go to the world." he says. "English dramas like Downton Abbey, together with a lot of American dramas, draw large audiences in. I hope many of our beautifully produced TV series will develop into the world markets."

He and his executive producer were reluctant to speak about the issues surrounding censorship.

"I'm reluctant to be associated with issues like this," Mr Yu said. "I can't answer your question."

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Meteor: Team Of 20,000 Sent To Ural Mountains

A 20,000-strong rescue team has reportedly been sent by the Russian authorities to the Ural Mountains after a meteor struck.

Some 1,100 people were injured after the meteor blazed across the western Siberian sky with a blinding flash and booming shockwave.

The Russian Academy of Sciences said it entered the Earth's atmosphere at 33,000mph (54,000kph) - 15 times the speed of a rifle bullet - and shattered into pieces around 18-32 miles (30-50km) high in the sky.

The meteor lit up the sky

It reportedly exploded with the force of 20 atomic bombs.

Nasa estimated its speed was even faster at 40,000mph, and said it exploded at about 12-15 miles high and left a trail 300 miles long.

The meteor weighed an estimated 7,000 tons and was about the size of a bus, Nasa said.

The meteorite was travelling at up to 40,000mph

Fragments of at least one meteorite were seen falling from the sky in the Chelyabinsk region at around 9am local time on Friday, around 930 miles (1,500km) east of Moscow.

The fall of such a large meteor estimated as weighing dozens of tonnes and the size of a double-decker bus, was extremely rare, while the number of casualties as a consequence of its burning up around a heavily-inhabited area was unprecedented.

"There was panic. People had no idea what was happening," said Sergey Hametov, of Chelyabinsk.

More than 1,000 people have been injured

Many were hurt by flying glass as windows were blown in. Witnesses described feeling a pressure wave and hearing explosions overhead as the object hurtled to Earth.

Lessons had just started at Chelyabinsk schools when the meteor exploded, and officials said 258 children were among those injured. Amateur video showed a teacher speaking to her class as a powerful shock wave hit the room.

Schools were closed for the day and theatre shows cancelled across the region after the shock wave blew out windows amid temperatures as low as minus 18 degrees Celsius (zero degrees Fahrenheit).

There was no immediate word on deaths or anyone struck by rock fragments.

Viktor was injured by a shock wave

Meteors typically cause sonic booms when they enter the atmosphere because they are travelling much faster than the speed of sound.

The defence ministry said it had identified a six-metre crater at a lake in the region and has sent soldiers to the site of the apparent impact of one fragment.

Thousands of rescue workers were dispatched to help the injured and locate those needing help.

Many drivers in Russia have video recorders fitted in their cars in case of accidents or disputes with traffic police. Footage from these uploaded to YouTube show the fireball crashing to the ground.

The meteor explosion appears to be one of the most stunning cosmic events above Russia since the 1908 Tunguska Event, when a massive blast most scientists blame on an asteroid or a comet impact ripped through Siberia.

The crash site of a piece of meteor (Pic: Chelyabinsk MVD)

"I am scratching my head to think of anything in recorded history when that number of people have been indirectly injured by an object like this... it's very, very rare to have human casualties," Robert Massey, deputy executive secretary of Britain's Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), said.

There were reports of traffic in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk grinding to a halt and people seeking shelter in buildings as the fireballs lit up the sky.                

Schools were closed for the day across the region and mobile phone networks were temporarily cut.

The meteor hit Chelyabinsk

The meteor hit hours before the asteroid 2012 DA14 made the closest recorded pass of an asteroid to the Earth, although scientists said the two events were not linked.

Resident Anna Pinkus told Sky News she saw a bright light outside her window and then heard three explosions.

"It was a very loud sound," she said. "After that our windows began to shatter and shiver so it was very terrifying. First we thought it was a plane crash."

Planetary scientist Professor Ian Crawford of Birkbeck University said this was an unusual case as meteorite hits rarely cause any damage.

"Several times a year meteorites are observed to fall on the earth's surface but damage to people or property is very unusual," he said. "There are only several recorded cases of buildings being hit by meteorites."

Describing the course of the meteorite he said: "I think it's very likely that it would have been a larger lump of rock that broke up in the Earth's atmosphere - this is usually what happens.

"The rock comes in from space and hits the Earth's atmosphere. That decelerates it and puts a lot of stress on it. Then it's likely to fragment into lots of pieces."

The office of the local governor said that a meteorite had fallen into a lake outside the town of Chebarkul in the Chelyabinsk region and television images pointed to a six-metre (20-foot) hole in the frozen lake's ice.

However it has yet to be finally confirmed if meteorite fragments made contact with the Earth and there were no reports that any locals had been hurt directly by a falling piece of meteorite.

Chelyabinsk is Russia's industrial heartland, home to many factories and other huge facilities that include a nuclear power plant and the Mayak atomic waste storage and treatment centre.

A spokesman for Rosatom, the Russian nuclear energy state corporation, said that its operations remained unaffected.

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Backpacker Sam Woodhead Found Alive In Australia

Missing British backpacker Sam Woodhead has been found alive in the Australian outback.

The 18-year-old disappeared from a cattle station in the Australian state of Queensland on Tuesday when he went for a jog.

A police spokesman said Mr Woodhead was a little sunburned when he was found, but was hydrated and otherwise well.

His father Peter told Sky News: "It's an incredibly exciting and happy ending to what's been a real nightmare. We believe he's being flown to Longreach hospital mainly for precautionary reasons.

"Our thanks go to all those who have joined the search, a lot of which have been volunteers in very hostile territory."

The former Brighton College student is being returned to the homestead at the central Queensland cattle station where he was staying for a medical assessment, before being transferred to a hospital in the nearby town, Longreach.

There were unconfirmed reports that he was found during a helicopter search, police said.

His sister Rebecca, posted the news on Facebook today, saying: "We have been told that they have found sam!! We have no information on his condition or where he was found yet, so keep your fingers crossed."

Local authorities launched a search for Mr Woodhead, reportedly from Richmond Upon Thames in Surrey, amid fears he may have become lost in the hot, isolated region.

Rescuers searched for him by land and air. His mother is understood to have urged police to widen their search as her son, an experienced long-distance runner, could have travelled some way from his base.

Temperatures have been around 37C (98.6 Fahrenheit) in the area this week.

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Oscar Pistorius Arrives At Court

Olympic star Oscar Pistorius has arrived at court where he is charged with the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Lawyers for the athlete, who was being held at Boshkop police station in Pretoria, are expected to apply for bail at the hearing.

However, police have said that they will oppose the application.

The body of Miss Steenkamp, a top South African model, was discovered at the athlete's property in the Silver Woods gated community in eastern Pretoria on Thursday morning.

She had been shot four times. A 9mm pistol was found at the scene.

Pistorius spent the night in custody and was subject to blood-alcohol, DNA and other tests, as forensics experts continued to work at the crime scene at his home in an upmarket gated estate.

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Crippled Carnival Cruise Ship Finally Docks

Thousands of passengers stranded on a crippled cruise ship for nearly a week have finally docked in Alabama.

There were cheers as the Carnival Triumph finally docked in Mobile, Alabama, after its first attempt failed when the towline being used to manoeuvre it into position snapped.

Passengers were slowly disembarking from the ship in a process that Carnival officials said could take as long as five hours.

Many then face long journeys home after days enduring what the company's Chief Executive admitted were "poor conditions".

What began as a four-day voyage in the Gulf of Mexico last Thursday has turned into a holiday nightmare. Passengers have described overflowing toilets and say food has been scarce and some of those on board have become unwell.

Speaking as the 14-storey ship docked, Carnival Chief Executive, Gerry Cahill, said that his priority was to go on board to apologise and to help passengers disembark as quickly as possible.

Relieved passengers begin to disembark from the Carnival Triumph

He said: "I know that the conditions on board were very poor. I know it was very difficult and I want to apologise again for subjecting our passengers to that.

"We pride ourselves on providing our guests with a great vacation experience but clearly we failed in this particular case."

The ship left Galveston, Texas, for a four-day cruise last Thursday. It was about 150 miles (240 km) off Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula when an engine room fire knocked out its primary power source, crippling its water and plumbing systems and leaving it adrift on only backup power.

Frustrations with the cruise line were simmering on and off the ship, as passengers and their relatives questioned why it has taken so long to get back to dry land.

Renee Shanar, of Houston, said from her mobile phone: "There's poop and urine all along the floor. The floor is flooded with sewer water ... and we had to poop in bags."

Ms Shanar, who is on the ship with her husband, said the couple had a cabin with no windows, so they have been sleeping outside for days. She said food has been distributed on the ninth floor, and some of the elderly have needed younger people to bring it to them.

A relative waiting at Mobile talks to a passenger on the ship

They were initially only given cold cuts, like turkey and vegetable sandwiches. Then another cruise line dropped off hamburgers and chicken sandwiches, but the line for that fare was nearly four hours long.

"And then people started getting sick from the food," she said.

The company has disputed the accounts of passengers who describe the ship as filthy, saying employees did everything to ensure people were comfortable.

Carnival said that passengers would receive a full refund, discounts on future cruises and a compensation sum of $500 (£322).

Carnival Corp Chairman and CEO Micky Arison faced criticism in January 2012 for failing to travel to Italy and take personal charge of the Costa Concordia crisis after the luxury cruise shop operated by Carnival's Costa Cruises brand grounded on rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio.

The tragedy unleashed numerous lawsuits against his company.

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Israel Admits 'Prisoner X' Secret Jailing

Israel has admitted for the first time that it secretly jailed an Australian - who apparently killed himself in his prison cell.

The man, who came to be known as "Prisoner X", is believed to have been Ben Zygier, 34, a national of both Israel and Australia who allegedly worked for Israel's intelligence agency Mossad.

Prisoner X had been arrested on serious, but unspecified charges, in 2010.

Israel's justice ministry broke its silence after an Australian Broadcasting Corporation report into the case sparked an outcry over media gagging orders.

"For security reasons the man was held under a false identity although his family was immediately informed of his arrest," a statement said.

The man was found dead in his cell and a judicial inquiry ruled he took his own life, the ministry added, although it did not reveal his identity or the charges against him.

"Following an extensive investigation it was ruled six weeks ago that it was suicide," said the ministry. "The prisoner was held in jail under a warrant issued by a court."

But other details of the case remained under a gagging order, leaving local media obliged to quote foreign reports.

Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr initially said he only became aware of the man's incarceration after his death, but has now admitted the government knew of his detention at the time.

He told a parliamentary committee the information had been gathered through Australian intelligence channels.

"They provided the name of the citizen, in relation to serious offences under Israeli national security legislation," he said, adding that Canberra had sought assurances that he was not being mistreated.

The story first emerged in June 2010 when Israel's Ynet news website briefly ran a report about a prisoner being held in top secret conditions whose identity and alleged crime were not even known to his jailers.

The story was quickly taken offline and a complete media blackout imposed, but it resurfaced on Tuesday through Australia's public broadcaster.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called an urgent meeting with top editors to ask them to withhold publication of information "pertaining to an incident that is very embarrassing to a certain government agency", the Haaretz newspaper said, in a clear allusion to Mossad.

Shortly afterwards, three MPs raised questions over the issue in parliament, effectively sidestepping the censor in a move that forced a slight easing of the reporting restrictions.

While Israel has not revealed the charges, The Australian newspaper suggested he had been detained for treason.

It cited Israeli Army Radio as saying: "Why was he interned? The suspicion is because of treason against Israel."

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Zygier was being investigated by Australia's overseas espionage agency ASIS, which suspected him of using his Australian passport to spy for Israel.

The Herald said he was one of at least three dual Australian-Israeli citizens who emigrated to Israel in the past decade whose cases were probed.

It said that in each case the men used the passports to travel to Iran, Syria and Lebanon - countries that do not allow Israelis to enter.

When the newspaper confronted Zygier in early 2010, he angrily denied he worked for Mossad.

"I have never been to any of those countries that you say I have been to," he said at the time.

"I am not involved in any kind of spying."

Tensions between Australia and Israel were high in 2010 following the alleged assassination of the senior Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Mabhouh by a Mossad team at a Dubai hotel.

The team was said to have used four forged Australian passports, and Canberra expelled the Israeli Mossad station chief over the affair.

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LA Manhunt: Police Believe Body Is Dorner

Police officers who tracked Christopher Dorner to the remote cabin where he is believed to have staged his violent last stand faced a "warzone", US authorities have said.

Charred human remains discovered inside the property in California's Big Bear Lake area have not yet been "absolutely" identified, but the San Bernardino County sheriff said he considered the six-day manhunt for the fugitive ex-cop to be over.

Sheriff John McMahon also confirmed the fire that engulfed the mountain cabin had started after police used highly flammable tear gas canisters in an attempt to drive out the suspected murderer.

Sheriff McMahon paid tribute to wounded officer Deputy Sheriff Alex Collins and his colleague, Detective Jeremiah MacKay, who was killed in the gun battle with Dorner.

He said: "The deputy sheriffs who responded to this active shooting situation are true heroes, the rounds being fired, it was absolutely incredible.

"It was like a warzone and our deputies continued to go in and tried to neutralise and stop the threat. The rounds kept coming but the deputy sheriffs didn't give up."

The sheriff said the results of forensic tests were due soon, but the description of the man pursued by police and the behaviour of the suspect at the cabin matched Dorner.

Suggestions that police intended to start the blaze that brought the stand-off were untrue, Sheriff McMahon said.

He said officers had tried to order the suspect out of the cabin and then fired "cold" tear gas canisters before switching to "hotter" pyrotechnic tear gas - commonly referred to as "burners".

He said: "We did not intentionally burn the cabin ... we introduced those canisters and a fire erupted."

Deputy Collins is said to be recovering well in hospital after he was injured in the shootout in the forest.

Sheriff McMahon said Detective MacKay, who died from injuries sustained in the battle, had been with the department for 15 years and had a daughter, seven, and a four-month-old son.

The noise of the gun battle was broadcast by KCAL-TV, whose reporter suddenly found himself near the scene.

A law enforcement official said a single shot was heard as police moved in on the cabin.

The suspect did not come out of the property as it was engulfed in flames.

In one audio clip purporting to be a police scanner conversation, a male voice can be heard saying: "All right, Steve, we're gonna go, er, we're gonna go forward with the plan, with, er, with the burn. We want it, er, like we talked about.

"Seven burners deployed and we have a fire."

Authorities focused their hunt for Dorner, 33, in the mountains after he apparently launched a campaign to exact revenge against the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) for dismissing him.

Dorner, a former US Navy reservist, is suspected of killing a couple on February 3 and then ambushing two policemen early last Thursday, killing one of them.

He made threats against the LAPD in an angry rant on Facebook, after which officers were assigned to protect members of staff and their families.

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Oscar Pistorius Held 'For Shooting Girlfriend'

Paralympic and Olympic star Oscar Pistorius has allegedly shot dead his girlfriend after mistaking her for an intruder.

A body was discovered at the athlete's home in the Silverwoods country estate in eastern Pretoria, South African police said.

Pistorius reached the 400m semi-finals at the London 2012 Olympics

A journalist in South Africa has told Sky News that Pistorius' girlfriend was allegedly shot as she woke him, trying to surprise him on Valentine's Day.

Pistorius was arrested early Thursday morning following the shooting and is expected in court later.

The 26-year-old is alleged to have shot his 30-year-old girlfriend in the head and arms.

Paramedics were called to his home between 4am and 5am local time.

Police arrived shortly afterwards and a 9mm pistol was recovered from the scene.

"The deceased was shot four times and died on the scene. It is believed that she was the girlfriend of the accused," said police spokesman Katlego Mogale.

South African journalist Kalay Maistry told Sky News: "It is alleged that he thought his girlfriend, who'd come in to try to surprise him for Valentines Day, was an intruder. It's alleged that he shot her at least twice in the arm and head.

"I think what this actually highlights is the level of fear ordinary South Africans have.

"This is a man who has gone to bed, it's an innocent surprise from a girlfriend … and the moment he thinks someone is trying to break in he grabs his gun.

"This has come as a complete surprise for a man who's considered a national hero."

The athlete know as the "Blade Runner" made history in 2012 when he became the first amputee to compete in the Olympics.

He won gold in the 4x400m relay at the Paralympic Games.

The athlete had both legs amputated below the knee before he was aged one, because of a congenital condition, and runs on carbon fibre blades.

Last year Time Magazine named him as one of the world's 100 most influential people.

Silverwoods is understood to be a high security estate with electrified walls, a guarded entrance and regular patrols.

South Africa has some of the world's highest rates of violent crime and some home-owners carry weapons to defend themselves against intruders.

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North Korea Nuclear Test 'Strongly Condemned'

The UN Security Council has criticised North Korea's third nuclear test, describing it as a "clear threat" to world peace.

Speaking after an emergency meeting, South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan, whose country is president of the council this month, said its 15 members "strongly condemned" the test, which he described as a "grave violation of Security Council resolutions".

He said the council, which last month warned North Korea that it faced "significant action" in the event of a new nuclear test or missile launch, would now consider "appropriate measures".

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama described the test as a "highly provocative act" that would leave North Korea "increasingly isolated".

He said: "The danger posed by North Korea's threatening activities warrants further swift and credible action by the international community."

North Korea confirmed it had carried out a third nuclear test after monitoring agencies reported an "unusual seismic event".

The test, just north of a site where Pyongyang carried out experiments in 2006 and 2009, triggered an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.9.

"The nuclear test was conducted as part of measures to protect our national security and sovereignty against the reckless hostility of the United States," the state-run Korean Central News agency said.

The South Korean defence ministry, which raised its military alert level after the quake, said the blast had an explosive yield of between six and seven kilotons (kt) and was of "enormous destructive power".

In comparison, the nuclear weapons detonated above Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 carried estimated yields of 15kt and 22kt respectively.

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LA Manhunt: Dorner Shootout Ends In Cabin Fire

A gun battle between Christopher Dorner and police has ended after fire ripped through the remote cabin where the murder suspect was thought to have been hiding.

TV footage showed flames rising from the property in California's Big Bear Lake area, which also had thick black smoke billowing from it.

However, police stressed that no body had been found and the wreckage was still too hot to be searched.

A law enforcement official said a gunshot was heard before the fire broke out, and the suspect did not come out of the cabin as it was engulfed in flames.

Police had urged the fugitive to turn himself in as authorities surrounded the cabin where he was reportedly holed up with an arsenal of weapons.

Dorner had earlier exchanged gunfire with federal authorities.

San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon told a news conference that a sheriff's deputy had died of wounds he suffered during the shootout. Another deputy was also injured in the exchange.

Authorities have focused their hunt for Dorner in the mountainous area since they said he launched a campaign to exact revenge against the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) for sacking him.

LAPD Commander Andrew Smith had urged Dorner to surrender, telling him: "Enough is enough."

It is believed the 33-year-old - who is suspected of three other killings - may have held a couple hostage in a holiday home before police tracked him down.

Commander Smith said: "It's time for you to turn yourself in. It's time to end the bloodshed."

Another police officer told the Associated Press that Dorner robbed the cabin and tied up the holidaymakers, but one was able to get away and make a phone call.

Dorner reportedly fled in a stolen white Dodge pickup truck and a California Fish and Game ranger fired on the vehicle.

He then abandoned the truck and ran into the forest.

The noise of the gun battle was broadcast by KCAL-TV, whose reporter suddenly found himself near the shooting. Someone could be heard yelling at the reporter to get out of the area.

The manhunt has centred on the San Bernardino mountains since Dorner's pickup truck was found in the area last Thursday.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Jodi Miller said a stolen vehicle report from a residence was received at 12.20pm on Tuesday and the owners of the car described the suspect as looking similar to Dorner.

Police had been following up hundreds of new leads prompted by a $1m (£640,000) reward for information.

Dorner, a naval reservist, is suspected of killing a couple on February 3 and then ambushing two policemen early on Thursday, killing one.

An angry Facebook rant with threats against the LAPD led officials to assign officers to protect officers and their families.

Within hours of the release of photos of Dorner, described as armed and "extremely dangerous," the suspect then ambushed police in Riverside County, shooting three and killing one police officer.

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Women And Children Killed In Nato Air Strike

A Nato air strike on a Taliban hideout in Afghanistan has killed nine women and children, local officials say.

"Five children, four women and a man were killed in the raid," said Kunar provincial governor, Sayed Fazulullah Wahidi.

A spokesman for Nato forces said they were investigating the allegations.

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Pope Benedict Resignation: Global Reaction

Pope Benedict XVI's decision to resign as head of the Catholic Church has shocked political leaders, religious figures and commentators alike.

Political reaction was led by Prime Minister David Cameron, who said: "I send my best wishes to Pope Benedict following his announcement. He has worked tirelessly to strengthen Britain's relations with the Holy See.

"His visit to Britain in 2010 is remembered with great respect and affection. He will be missed as a spiritual leader to millions."

Conservative MP Mark Pritchard, who has met Pope Benedict several times, said he would be a "sad loss" to the Catholic Church, while former MP Ann Widdecombe added: "He's given the church stability. He was very much an authority figure and he was very, very trusted by church."

Diarmaid MacCulloch, professor of the history of the church at Oxford University, said the announcement had taken many people by surprise.

"What's very noticeable is the sheer disarray around the statement," he said. "Clearly no one in the upper hierarchy in this country knew anything about it.

"Normally these things are very well prepared but this hasn't been. It may be the result of an elderly man reflecting in private and coming to a sudden decision."

Robin Gill, professor of applied theology at the University of Kent, described Pope Benedict as a "very intelligent, very astute man", who had managed to "hold Catholics together".

"I think he knew that if he continued, he would be unable to function properly," he said. "He saw his predecessor become increasingly frail and I think he has made a very wise decision."

Pope Benedict XVI visited the UK in 2010

Meanwhile, Madeleine Teahan, associate editor of the Catholic Herald, who was only 17 when Pope Benedict was elected, said: "Young people were so inspired and so encouraged by him."

Elsewhere, Monsignor Andrew Faley, of the Catholic Bishops' Conference, told Sky News: "He is extremely popular and is a Pope who will be remembered by ordinary people, as well as by political leaders, as a man who appreciated the humanity of everyone he met.

"He is someone who gives you his complete attention when you meet him and it's that sense of humanity and openness that he gave to everyone that he will be remembered for."

Father Christopher Jamison, a Benedictine monk, told Sky News: "My reaction is one of great shock and surprise.

"He's reached out very strongly to non-believers and fully recognises that people today won't necessarily join the Church.

"On his visit to the UK in 2010, people were surprised to discover that he wasn't a terrible ogre of a man but someone of great wisdom."

John Arnold, Auxillary Bishop of the Diocese of Westminster, recalled the Pope's trip to Britain with fondness.

"Those were four extraordinary days," he said. "He came as a friend and he came to give us a very important message about the Church in our country and our society."

The Most Reverend Justin Welby, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, added: "It wa  with a heavy heart but complete understanding that we learned of Pope Benedict's declaration of his decision to lay down the burden of ministry as Bishop of Rome, an office which he has held with great dignity, insight and courage."

The Pope, who was born in Germany, visited the country in 2011

Further afield, the German government said it was "moved and touched" by the surprise resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, who was born in the country.

Spokesman Steffen Seiber  said: "The German government has the highest respect for the Holy Father, for what he has done, for his contributions over the course of his life to the Catholic Church.

"He has been at the head of the Catholic Church for nearly eight years. He has left a very personal signature as a thinker and also as a shepherd."

In the Philippines, President Benigno Aquino said the country was grateful for the "many prayers and comforting words Pope Benedict XVI dedicated to Filipinos in times of calamity and challenge".

"All peoples and nations of goodwill are filled with great regret," his spokesman said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the Pope's "courage", while Rabbi Yona Metzger, the country's Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, said he had helped to reduce anti-Semitism around the world.

Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande said the Pope's decision to resign was "eminently respectable".

However, some groups have expressed disappointment that the Pontiff is stepping down.

Anne Doyle from BishopAccountability.org believes he could have done more to help victims of child abuse.

"Joseph Ratzinger leaves the papacy having failed to achieve what should have been his job: to rectify the incalculable harm done to the hundreds of thousands of children sexually abused by Catholic priests. He leaves hundreds of culpable bishops in power and a culture of secrecy intact," she said.

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Pope Resigns: Frontrunners Emerge For Role

The Pope: What Happens Next?

Updated: 3:13pm UK, Monday 11 February 2013

Whenever a pope dies or abdicates, their successor is drawn from the cardinals - the senior Roman Catholic bishops who normally assist the Pope in the Vatican or head up the various dioceses around the world.

He is chosen by a group of cardinals called the Cardinal Electors, who are all the cardinals under the age of 80.

Normally, between 15 and 20 days after the death of a pope, the Cardinal Electors must meet and start to decide who takes over.

The election process always takes place in secret in the Sistine Chapel, in the Vatican, in a meeting called a conclave.

In 1970 Pope Paul VI determined that the college of cardinals was to be limited to 120. He also ordered measures to prevent bugging of the proceedings.

In the period between when a pope dies or resigns and a new pope is chosen, the temporary head of the Roman Catholic Church is the Cardinal Camerlengo, the chief administrator of the church's property and wealth.

The cardinals must take an oath of secrecy when they enter the conclave. The penalty for breaking the oath is automatic excommunication.

In order to prevent a deadlock, which happened in the 13th century, the cardinals are traditionally locked up and given only bread and water as a means of inducing them to draw the proceedings to a close. They are only given a doctor and a cook to assist them.

Ballot papers are distributed and each of the Cardinal Electors writes the name of the cardinal he would like to become the Pope, and in the process pledges he is voting for "the one under God" he thinks "ought to be elected".

The ballot papers are then folded and placed on a plate, on top of a chalice, that has been placed on an altar.

The plate is used to prevent a cardinal attempting to put two or more ballot papers in without those supervising being able to see.

When a vote has been checked to make sure it is correct, it is allowed to fall into the chalice.

Before they are unfolded, the ballot papers are counted to make sure they add up to the number of Cardinal Electors. If the number is different, all the ballot papers are burnt and the process is repeated.

If the number of ballot papers is correct, each vote is read aloud and is pierced with a needle and  threaded on to a string.

Four ballots are held each day, two in the morning and two in the evening. The process is repeated until one cardinal emerges with a majority of two thirds.

Every time a vote takes place, the ballots are burned and smoke appears out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, telling the world a vote has been held.

If the vote has been unsuccessful, a black dye is put in with the ballot papers so black smoke emerges, informing the world a decision has not been made.

When a new pope is finally successfully elected, the ballot papers are burned without the dye so white smoke emerges, confirming the decision.

When Pope Benedict XVI was chosen, church bells were also rung to signal a new pope had been elected.

Before 1978, within a couple of days of the Pope's election, a Papal Coronation would have been held with a huge procession leading from the Vatican. The coronations have not taken place since Pope John Paul II was elected.

The vast majority of popes have been Italian and until the election of Pope John Paul II, who had previously been Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the last non-Italian pope had been Pope Adrian VI from the Netherlands who was elected in 1522.

There have been previous resignations of popes but the last one was in 1415 when Pope Gregory XII resigned in order to end a schism in the Roman Catholic Church.

Before resigning, he formally convened an official church council and authorised it to elect his successor.

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North Korea Confirms 'Successful' Nuclear Test

North Korea has confirmed it has carried out a third nuclear test after monitoring agencies reported an "unusual seismic event".

"A third nuclear test has been successfully staged," the North's state-run Korean Central News agency said.

"The nuclear test was conducted as part of measures to protect our national security and sovereignty against the reckless hostility of the United States that violated our republic's right for a peaceful satellite launch."

A 4.9 magnitude earthquake was detected just north of a site where Pyongyang conducted nuclear tests in 2009.

The South Korean defence ministry, which raised its military alert level after the quake, said the blast had an explosive yield of between six and seven kilotonnes (6-7kt).

Spokesman Kim Min Seok said it had "enormous destructive power".

Nuclear weapons detonated above Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 carried a yield of 20kt.

A Japanese seismic official shows where the blast occurred

A UN nuclear test monitoring organisation detected what it called an "unusual seismic event" in North Korea.

Tibor Toth, the executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO), said the event's location was "roughly congruent with" nuclear tests carried out by North Korea in 2006 and 2009.

"If confirmed as a nuclear test, this act would constitute a clear threat to international peace and security, and challenge efforts made to strengthen global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, in particular by ending nuclear testing," he added.

The UN Security Council will hold urgent talks on the blast later.

US President Barack Obama said the test posed a threat to the US, and international peace and security.

Mr Obama said the US will "continue to take steps necessary to defend ourselves and our allies" and it will work with other nations "to pursue firm action".

He added that North Korea's action "warrants further swift and credible action by the international community".

A North Korean soldier stands guard after the test

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "I strongly condemn this development, which is a violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1718, 1874 and 2087.

"North Korea's development of its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities poses a threat to international and regional security.

"Its repeated provocations only serve to increase regional tension, and hinder the prospects for lasting peace on the Korean peninsula."

After the blast a North Korean newsreader urged the Korean People's Army (KPA) to prepare for combat against its foes.

She stressed that If an order was given "the KPA should blow up the stronghold of aggression at a strike".

"And wipe out the brigandish US imperialists and South Korea puppet army to the last man and thus accomplish the historic cause of national reunification."

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DNA Riddle As Twins Held In Rapes Case

French police investigating a series of rapes are perplexed after DNA evidence matched a set of twins - but they cannot tell which brother may be to blame.

With telling the difference between the twins' DNA extremely difficult and expensive, police in the southern city of Marseille have in the meantime charged both men, identified only as Elwin and Yohan, and are holding them without bail.

"It's a rather rare case for the alleged perpetrators to be identical twins," chief investigator Emmanuel Kiehl said.

The two men, both 24-year-old unemployed delivery drivers, deny any involvement in the rapes of six women between between September and January.

Police admit that without far more extensive tests it will be difficult to figure out which of the twins was possibly behind the attacks or whether both men were indeed involved.

Police tracked the twins down through video footage recorded on a bus and a mobile telephone allegedly taken from one of the victims and found in the brothers' possession.

The victims' mobile phones were taken in each of the attacks, which took place in the corridors of buildings and involved women aged 22 to 76.

Police said the victims were also able to identify the suspects, but not to tell them apart.

Mr Kiehl said DNA evidence was found at some of the crime scenes but that regular tests were incapable of differentiating between the twins.

The cost of extensive-enough tests would be "onerous", he said.

Local newspaper La Provence reported that police were told it could cost up to 1m euros (£845,000) for the necessary tests.

Only the smallest of differences exist in the DNAs of identical twins.

"For a normal analysis we compare 400 base pairs," a DNA expert told La Provence, adding that with twins: "We would be looking at billions."

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Falling Lifeboat Kills Five In Canary Islands

Five people have been killed after a lifeboat fell from a cruiseliner and capsized in the sea, trapping its victims in the Canary Islands.

It happened during a safety drill on board the Thomson Majesty cruise ship while the vessel was docked at the pier of the port of Santa Cruz in La Palma.

Those killed during the exercise were all reported to be crew, including three Indonesians, a Filipino and a man from Ghana.

A further three suffered injuries -  two Greek nationals and a Filipino - and received treatment at a hospital on the holiday island, west of Tenerife.

About 1,400 passengers were on board, but none were involved.

Thomson Cruises issued a statement, saying "there was an incident involving the ship's crew during a safety drill".

A picture taken from the deck of the ship

"We can also confirm that there have sadly been five crew fatalities and three crew members injured.

"One person has been discharged from hospital and we expect the other two people to be released from hospital imminently.

"Our thoughts are with the families of those involved.

"We are working closely with the ship owners and managers, Louis Cruises, to determine exactly what has happened and provide assistance to those affected by the incident. We are also working closely with all relevant authorities and will be co-operating fully with their investigations."

An investigation has begun to determine what caused the lifeboat to plunge into the water.

Ship was docked at La Palma

Spanish national broadcaster RTVE said the lifeboat fell while staff were conducting an evacuation drill on the cruise ship.

Television images showed a small, white two-hulled lifeboat capsized beside the ship.

One passenger, who did not wish to be named, told Sky News that passengers were being asked to stay off the deck.

He said the lifeboat was still in the sea, and that he had seen two bodies pulled from the water.

The 40,000-tonne cruise ship was due to sail to Funchal, the capital of Madeira but is now being held in the dock.

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Dozens Killed In Stampede At Indian Festival

At least 36 people, mostly women, have been killed in a stampede at a railway station near India's Kumbh Mela festival.

Amit Malviya, a spokesman for the northern and central railway, confirmed that 20 bodies had been identified, with authorities waiting for relatives to come forward to claim 16 others.

Of those identified, 14 are female and six are men, with the youngest victim being an eight-year-old girl. The oldest victim was a 75-year-old man.

"Twenty persons have been identified (and) we are trying to ascertain the identities of the remaining persons," he said.

Dozens more were injured in the stampede.

The stampede occurred at Allahabad station when pilgrims were heading home from the most auspicious day of the Kumbh Mela, which drew 30 million people to the banks of the River Ganges.

Hindus believe a swim in the sacred waters of the river cleanses them of their sins.

Local officials said the railings on a bridge at the station had given way under the pressure of the mass of people, while witnesses said that police had baton-charged the crowd, triggering panic.

Injured people were taken away in ambulances from Allahabad station, but relatives said emergency services took hours to reach the scene.

"My sister is lying here unattended to for the last two hours. Why is no-one coming?" a woman from the state of Bihar told the NDTV channel from the platform.

After the stampede, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh issued a statement saying that he was "deeply shocked to learn of the unfortunate incident".

Railways Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal headed to Allahabad to investigate the accident.

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China Ushers In Year Of The Snake

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

Across Asia and beyond, well over one billion people have welcomed in the Lunar New Year, this year represented by the snake.

In China, the traditional heart of what is also known as Chinese New Year, one fifth of the world's population marked the close of the Year of the Dragon and the dawn of a new year with all the traditional fanfare.

In the capital Beijing, fireworks have been echoing in the skies for hours. Traditionally set off to ward off evil spirits, they are sold and lit on almost every main street corner.

Beijing's Temple of the Earth Park has been transformed into a sea of red lanterns. Crowds are gathered around traditional dance performances.

Police officers march as part of a re-enactment of an ancient ceremony

Hundreds of stalls sell food, drinks, toys, souvenirs and snake-themed items of an apparently infinite variety.

Food and family are the two dominant themes for Chinese New Year.

In the park we met An Ying and her parents. She lives in Beijing but is originally from Inner Mongolia.

Her parents have travelled to Beijing to be with her; a break with tradition which usually dictates that younger generations travel back to their family home.

"I will celebrate with my family here in Beijing and we will gather to watch the gala on television," she told me.

A woman and a child pose for photo next to a snake sculpture

The New Year gala is a long-standing institution in China. Broadcast on state television it is a celebration of the year with performances from comedians, singers and musicians.

This year Celine Dion became the first non-Chinese person to perform at the gala singing her Titanic hit "My Heart Will Go On".

Through the day families have been absorbing the atmosphere, the colour and the sounds in the frozen temperatures.

Some carry inflatable or stuffed toy snakes and the more superstitious will be wondering what the coming year will bring. There is significantly less affection for the snake than there was for last year's rather more auspicious dragon.

Fearful that the Year of the Snake might bring with it all that the slithering reptile represents, there has been a rush of weddings and attempts at carefully planned births to ensure they fell within the last year and not the coming one.

In an attempt to overcome people's suspicions, the toy snakes produced for the new year all seem to sport unusually happy or smiley faces.

The less superstitious insist that the snake does have its value. Some refer to the snake as the little dragon. It is said that children born in the year of the snake will be rational, organised and intelligent.

The lunar calendar follows a 12-year cycle with 12 animals representing each year.

As dusk falls on Chinese New Years Eve, the tradition is to gather at the family home and watch the gala before eating a meal together at midnight.

For a country that has changed beyond recognition over the past three decades, the desire to stick to tradition is still remarkably strong though there are increasing signs of strains every year.

As the Chinese middle class grows with more money to spend, many are opting to travel abroad for the break rather than to spend it with families.

But for the traditionalists who have stayed at home and travelled to see families, the festivities will draw to a close at the end of the week with the traditional Lantern Festival.

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Tunisia: Protests As PM Threatens To Resign

The Tunisian Prime Minister has threatened to resign if he fails to form a new government within next few days sparking protests from ruling party supporters.

Hamadi Jebali has offered to form a new nonpolitical government in the wake of the assassination of the opposition leader Chokri Belaid.

It would be a key concession to the opposition who have been protesting against the Islamist government since the murder of Mr Belaid outside his home in broad daylight on Wednesday.

However, some in the ruling Ennahda party are fiercely opposed to the proposal and pro-government supporters who have rallied in the capital are protesting against his proposals.

Mr Jebali said: "I will present the team no later than the middle of next week.

"If it is accepted … I will continue to carry out my duties as head of the government. Otherwise, I will ask the president of the republic to find another candidate to form a new government."

Thousands gathered for pro-government demonstrations

He said that key ministries held by fellow Islamists would be assigned to independents in his planned new government and said: "All the ministries will be independent, including the interior, justice and foreign affairs ministries."

Several thousand supporters of the moderate Ennahda party rallied in the capital in support of the government and against the Prime Minister's plan.

The supporters also hurled insults at France accusing the country's former colonial ruler of interfering in North African politics after the French Interior minister branded the assassination of Mr Belaid as an attack on "the values of Tunisia's Jasmine revolution".

Hamadi Jebali has threatened to go unless he can form a new government

Demonstrators gathered in front of the National Theatre in Tunis, waving flags of the Ennahda party and shouting "Get out, France."

Mr Valls had said on Europe 1 radio on Thursday that Mr Belaid was "one of the democrats and we must support these democrats so that the values of the Jasmine Revolution are not betrayed. There is an Islamic facism rising everywhere, but this obscurantism must, of course, be condemned because it denies the democracy for which the Libyan, Tunisian and Egyptian people have fought."

Mr Valls was clearly pointing the finger at Salafists, with their strict interpretation of Islam, who have come to the fore, and smeared Ennahda's moderate image. 

Demonstrators were seen with black Salafist flags

At least one black Salafi flag was spotted in the sea of white Ennahda flags at the demonstration, which took place several hundred metres from the French Embassy.

The rally came the day after 50,000 gathered on Friday in the capital of Tunis for the funeral of Mr Belaid following days of increasingly violent protests in the country following his killing.

Chokri Belaid had been a staunch critic of the Tunisian government

A general strike in protests was also called by the biggest labour union, which saw Tunis shutdown and flights in and out of the country halted.

It has been the worst violence since the overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011, which was the trigger for the Arab Spring.

Mr Jebali said he was confident he could get Ennahda's support for his proposals for a new government, however it has exposed its own divisions between moderates and hardliners.

But the coalition's failure to stem the country's economic crisis and stop the often-violent rise of hardline Salafi Muslims have drawn fierce criticism, especially from staunch secularists such as Mr Belaid.

He had also accused Ennahda of backing some of the political violence through its own goon squads.

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US Blizzard Dump Cuts Power To 500,000

A massive storm packing hurricane-force winds and blizzard conditions has dumped up to 3ft (0.9m) of snow on the northeast of the US and knocked out power to 500,000 customers.

A state of emergency has been declared in five states and thousands of air flights have also been affected as a result of the monster storm.

The storm has been blamed for at least eight deaths in the US and Canada.

One of the victims includes an 11-year-old boy who died of carbon monoxide poisoning in Boston after being overcome as he sat in a running car to keep warm while his father was shovelling snow.

High winds blastered houses with driving snow

The Boston Fire Department said the boy was helping his father shovel the snow on Saturday but got cold, so his father started the car and the boy sat inside.

The car exhaust pipe was covered by a snow bank, causing the fumes to collect in the vehicle.

Some of the worst of the storm appeared to hit Connecticut, where even emergency responders found themselves stuck on highways all night.

More than 28 inches of snow had fallen in parts of central Connecticut by early Saturday, and areas of southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire notched over two feet or more.

The area affected stretches from Ontario through Maine to New York City

Massachusetts has also prohibited vehicles from using any road in the state.

Throughout the Northeast, hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses lost electricity.

Airlines cancelled more than 5,300 flights through Saturday, and New York City's three major airports and Boston's Logan Airport closed.

Numerous cars that had been abandoned on the Long Island Expressway on Friday night remained stuck on Saturday morning, trapped by ploughed snow.

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Saturday morning that he had made an offer of help to neighbouring states.

Boston was expected to receive more snow on Saturday

"They have gotten an enormous amount of snow, and the snow continues to come down," he said.

"I think it is fair to say we were very lucky," he said.

A nuclear power plant in Plymouth, Massachusetts, automatically shut down due to the snow but regulators say there is no threat to public safety.

The most intense part of the storm moved into Connecticut on Saturday morning as conditions eased around New York City.

Connecticut governor Dannel Malloy said: "This has been a record breaking storm."

According to forecasters, the storm is expected to continue to batter New England late on Saturday, with 75mph winds and a risk of up to 36 inches of snow.

The NWS also warned about the risk of flooding along the Atlantic Coast possibly affecting up to eight million residents.

Mr Bloomberg earlier advised against panic buying of food and fuel, which happened during Hurricane Sandy last year.

A little more than 11in (279mm) fell in New York.

Flights to and from Britain and other international destinations have been badly affected and airport staff advised passengers to check status with their airlines.

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