Oscar Pistorius Breaks Down In Tears In Court

Olympic star Oscar Pistorius has broken down in tears as he appeared in court charged with murdering his girlfriend.

He stood before magistrate Desmond Nair with his head bowed as the charge was read out.

Prosecutors say they intend to prove Pistorius is guilty of premeditated murder of the top South African model Reeva Steenkamp.

Local news correspondent Barry Bateman described him as "sobbing uncontrollably" as he sat in the dock.

Pistorius' father Henke leaned forward and placed his hand on his son's back during the 40-minute hearing.

Oscar Pistorius is charged with murdering Reeva Steenkamp

Prosecutors had asked to deal with the bail hearing as a section six offence, meaning the accused has to provide exceptional circumstances to be released on bail. The defence opposes this.

The case was postponed until Tuesday, and Pistorius will remain in custody until then.

A statement on behalf of his family and management said he denies the charge in the strongest terms.

The body of 29-year-old Miss Steenkamp 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.

A police officer holds a gun taken from Pistorius' home

Local media have reported that she was shot through a bathroom door.

Pistorius, 26, spent Thursday 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.

His lawyer Kenny Oldwage said his client was "very well, obviously emotional, but fine".

Police were called to Pistorius' home at around 4am on Thursday by neighbours who heard gunshots. He is the only suspect in the case.

Pistorius made history at the London Olympics last year when he became the first double-amputee track athlete to compete at any games.

He did not win a medal but did make the semi-finals of the 400 metres and the final of the 4x400 relay, propelling the world's best-known Paralympian to the level of an international track star.

Meanwhile a celebrity reality show featuring Miss Steenkamp will still be broadcast on South African television despite her death, the producers have said.

The pre-recorded show filmed in an exotic location in Jamaica features the blonde model and several local personalities competing for prize money.

Producers of Tropika Island of Treasure said they had decided not to shelve the show, which will premiere on Saturday, two days after she was shot dead.

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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 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 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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Ex-LAPD Cop Manhunt: Remains Confirmed As Dorner

The burned remains found in a California mountain cabin following a "war zone-style" shootout have been confirmed to be those of fugitive Christopher Dorner.

The former LAPD cop, who launched a deadly revenge campaign against fellow officers, was identified using his dental records.

Jodi Miller, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County sheriff-coroner, confirmed that the remains were those of Dorner but did not give the cause of death.

The search for Dorner began last week after he published a manifesto warning that he would bring "warfare" to LAPD officers and their families.

The wreckage of the cabin where Dorner's remains were found

The manhunt ended at Big Bear Lake, 80 miles (129 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, where they found Dorner's burned-out pickup truck abandoned.

Dorner, 33, hid in a cabin belonging to Karen and Jim Reynolds. When they returned he bound them and put pillowcases on their heads. At one point, he explained that he had been there for days.

"He said 'I don't have a problem with you, so I'm not going to hurt you,'" Jim Reynolds said. "I didn't believe him; I thought he was going to kill us."

Karen and Jim Reynolds discovered Dorner in their cabin

Police have not commented on the Reynolds' account, but it has sparked questions about the search for a man who authorities declared was armed and extremely dangerous.

Resident Shannon Schroepfer said: "They said they went door-to-door but then he's right there under their noses. Makes you wonder if the police even knew what they were doing.

"He was probably sitting there laughing at them the whole time."

The cabin was across the street from the command post where police officers involved in the search would gather for daily briefings.

Officers in the search for on-the-run Christopher Dorner

"Chilling. That's the only word I could use for that," said Ed Tatosian, a retired SWAT commander for the Sacramento Police Department. "It's not an unfathomable oversight. We're human. It happens. It's chilling (that) it does happen."

The Reynolds said Dorner was upstairs in the cabin when they arrived to prepare it for holidaymakers. Dorner, who wanted three murders, confronted the couple with a gun, "jumped out and hollered 'stay calm,'" according to Mr Reynolds.

His wife screamed and ran downstairs but Dorner caught her, Reynolds said. The couple said they were taken to a bedroom where he ordered them to lie on a bed and then on the floor. Dorner bound their arms and legs with plastic ties, gagged them with towels and covered their heads with pillowcases.

Dorner's burnt-out pickup truck

"I really thought it could be the end," Karen Reynolds said.

The couple believes Dorner, a former Navy reservist, had been staying in the cabin at least since Feb. 8.

After he fled in their purple Nissan Rogue, Mrs Reynolds managed to call police.

Dorner finally barricaded himself inside another cabin and during a gun battle with officers killed Deputy Sheriff Jeremiah McKay, 35, and injured another.

The siege ended when the cabin went up in flames after officers threw pyrotechnic tear gas canisters into the holiday home.              

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Crippled Carnival Cruise Ship Finally Docks

The crippled cruise ship Carnival Triumph, carrying more than 4,200 passengers, has finally docked.

Passengers will now have to wait as long as five hours before they can disembark at after days drifting at sea.

The ship finally docked at Mobile, Alabama, after its first attempt failed when the towline being used to manoeuvre it into position snapped.

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.

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.

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 are doing 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).

More follows...

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British Teen Backpacker Missing In Outback

An 18-year-old British backpacker, who was hoping to join the armed forces, is missing in the Australian Outback after setting out on a hike to "improve his fitness".

Police launched a land and air search for the teenager after he failed to return from his expedition on Tuesday evening.

He had set off from the Upshot Station homestead, about 130km (80 miles) from the far-flung Queensland town of Longreach, some 700km inland from the coast.

Officers fear for the man's safety due to his lack of familiarity with the property, which sprawls across 3,200 acres.

"Lack of water, the heat, venomous snakes and injury are probably our greatest concern," Sergeant Dave Perry told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The teenager went missing 80 miles from Longreach

He said the missing man was apparently hoping to enter the armed forces once back in Britain and had some survival training.

"He may have been using some of the rougher country and the jump-ups to improve his fitness," said Perry.

Planes, motorbikes, and four-wheel drives were being used in the search.

Local people were also combing the area on foot and horseback and an emergency services helicopter carrying medical staff had been sent out.

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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 San Bernardino County's sheriff said he considered the six-day manhunt for the fugitive ex-cop to be over.

Sheriff John McMahon also confirmed that 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.

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

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

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 sacking him.

Dorner, a former naval 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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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: Body Found After Dorner Shootout

A Swat team has moved in on a remote cabin where former police officer and murder suspect Christopher Dorner is thought to be 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.

According to the Associated Press, a charred body was discovered in the rubble of the burned out cabin.

A law enforcement official said a gun shot was heard before the fire broke out and that 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.

Earlier Dorner exchanged gunfire with federal authorities and 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 his firing.

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

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

Cmdr 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 reward for information.

Dorner went on the run on February 6 after the murder of a former police captain's daughter and her fiance were linked by police to an angry Facebook rant he posted.

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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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 Benedict Resigns And Stuns The World

Pope Benedict XVI is to resign on February 28 due to his "deteriorating" health.

He will be the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to resign in almost 600 years, with his departure expected to leave the post vacant for around three weeks.

The 85-year-old German's resignation letter said: "After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.

"I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering.

Lightning struck St Peter's dome in the Vatican on Monday

"However, in today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me."

He will step down after almost eight years in the post, having been elected in April 2005.

Speaking at a hastily-arranged news conference, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said: "The Pope caught us a bit by surprise.

"We should have a new pope for Easter."

He told reporters a conclave could be held within 15 or 20 days of the resignation - and insisted Pope Benedict was not stepping down because of any difficulties in the Papacy.

The Vatican has been keen to stress that the Pope has not stepped down due to any specific illness.

The Vatican

And while Mr Lombardi said his vigour had "sadly diminished in recent times", he praised the Pontiff's "humility and great honour".

Pope Benedict will now head to his Castel Gandolfo residence outside Rome, before returning to the city to live in a monastery of cloistered nuns on the Vatican hills.

The Pope's brother, Georg Ratzinger, said the Pontiff had been advised by his doctor not to take transatlantic trips for health reasons - and that he had been considering resigning for months.

He said his brother was having increasing difficulty walking and that his resignation was part of a "natural process".

"His age is weighing on him," the 89-year-old said of his 85-year-old brother. "At this age my brother wants more rest."

The last post on Pope Benedict XVI's Twitter page, sent on Sunday, said: "We must trust in the mighty power of God's mercy. We are all sinners, but His grace transforms us and makes us new."

Pope Benedict has championed Christianity's European roots and showed his conservatism by repeatedly stressing family values and fiercely opposing abortion, euthanasia and gay marriage.

The pope on his visit to the UK in 2010

He has looked increasingly weary in recent months and has often used a mobile platform to move around St Peter's Basilica during church services.

His next scheduled major public appearance will see him host a general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, said: "Pope Benedict's announcement today has shocked and surprised everyone. Yet, on reflection, I am sure that many will recognise it to be a decision of great courage and characteristic clarity of mind and action.

"The Holy Father recognises the challenges facing the Church and that "strength of mind and body are necessary" for his tasks of governing the Church and proclaiming the Gospel. I salute his courage and his decision."

Cardinal Keith O'Brien, leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland, said: "Like many people throughout the world, I was shocked and saddened to hear of the decision by Pope Benedict XVI to resign.

"I know that his decision will have been considered most carefully and that it has come after much prayer and reflection."

Dr Rebecca Rist, an expert in the history of the Papacy from the University of Reading, said: "The cardinals will now have to elect a new Pope - perhaps someone from South America or Africa - areas of the world where the Church is growing in numbers.

Benedict greeting Cardinal Marc Ouellet - who is being tipped to take over

"The new Pope will have huge global issues to prioritise - poverty, education, human rights, the environment - and not least the importance of faith and belief in an increasingly secularised Europe.

"Benedict is a distinguished theologian and will doubtless use his retirement to dedicate himself to further study."

Sky News Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall said: "Seven years as Pope is not very long.

"Last time, there was a lot of speculation that it was time for the first black Pope. What Pope Benedict has done in recent years is to pack the ranks of the Vatican with lots of Europeans."

The last Pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII, who stepped down in 1415 in a deal to end the Great Western Schism among competing papal claimants.

There are several Papal contenders but no obvious front-runner to take over, which was also the case when Pope Benedict was elected Pontiff in 2005 after the death of Pope John Paul II.

Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet has been installed as favourite for the job.

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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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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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