Athens Floods: Woman Saved Amid Traffic Chaos

Hours of relentless rainfall have flooded roads and homes in Athens, causing gridlock across the Greek capital and forcing authorities to close a central metro station.

A woman was rescued after getting stuck with her car north of Athens

The Greek fire brigade has been inundated with more than 600 calls to pump out water in the greater Athens region.

No injuries have been reported, but a woman whose car was caught in the flooding in Chalandri suburb, north of the city, had to be pulled to safety. 

With muddy waters racing by, a man comes to her rescue

In some areas, ankle-high water filled the streets and parked vehicles were swept away by racing waters.

Police closed underpasses and motorways in low-lying parts of the city after they were submerged in floodwaters.

"There are cars immobilised on several Athens highways and we have dispatched tow trucks to clear the roads," Dimitris Papanagiotou, a senior traffic police officer, told state television NET.

A parliament employee narrowly avoided injury when a glass roof on the building's ceiling gave way as she tried to clear away rainwater from it.

The damage was quickly repaired, a parliament press officer said.

The city's tram system had to be shut down, while urban rail schedules were disrupted after a tree fell on the tracks.

"We have around 60 fire crews operating, we believe the rain will abate before midday," deputy fire chief Vassilis Papageorgiou told NET.

Lightning strikes during the thunderstorm

Meanwhile in Catania on the Italian island of Sicily, torrential rainfall caused flooding and disruption, turning streets into rivers, and dragging along parked cars, motorcycles, chairs and tables.

A flooded road in Athens following a severe thunderstorm

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Oscar Pistorius Gets Bail Over Reeva Killing

Oscar Pistorius has been granted bail by a court in South Africa after spending a week in custody charged with murdering his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp.

Magistrate Desmond Nair's decision drew cheers from the Pistorius' family and supporters, while the athlete burst into tears.

The magistrate set bail at one million rand (£73,000) and postponed the case until June 4.

Pistorius will also be required to live at an undisclosed address, hand in his two South African passports and report twice a week to a police station in Pretoria.

The double amputee is also banned from drinking alcohol, must hand over his guns and stay away from the estate where he lived.

Pistorius leaving the court with his sister Aimee

Prosecutors had warned that the star has the "money, means and motive" to flee South Africa if he was given bail, but his lawyers successfully argued the Blade Runner was too famous to flee justice.

In his two-hour statement to Pretoria Magistrates Court, the judge said he did not believe Pistorius to be a "flight risk" or "pose a danger to society".

But the magistrate said Pistorius still has lots questions to answer.

"I have difficulty in appreciating the accused did not ascertain the whereabouts of his girlfriend when he got off the the bed," Mr Nair said.

"I have difficulty with the accused not seeking to verify who was in the toilet when he could have asked.

"I have difficulty understanding why the deceased didn't scream back from the toilet."

Pistorius' supporters prayed after the decision was announced

Sky's Alex Crawford said Pistorius burst into tears when the decision was read out.

"He had been crying quietly anyway, and it just seemed to prompt even more sobbing from him," Crawford said.

"His family are hugely relieved, some of them are crying, they're gathered together in a little huddle ... hugging each other, some are sobbing, they are holding hands, and some at least appear to be praying."

The star is charged with premeditated murder over the shooting death of Miss Steenkamp, 29, in the early hours of February 14.

Despite the bail decision, prosecution spokesman Medupe Simasiku said:  "We're still confident in our case."

The magistrate said Pistorius still has a lot of questions to answer

About an hour after the decision was read out, Pistorius was driven away from the court in a silver Land Rover.

Outside the court, a friend and former flatmate of Miss Steenkamp, Kim Myers, said it has been a very sad time and people must remember the trial has not started.

"The bail application is not a trial and we hope and trust that justice will prevail," she said.

"We need to remember that someone still lost their life. Our hearts and thoughts and prayers just go out to the Steenkamp family."

Nicholas Van Eden, a spokesman for the Steenkamp family, later said: "We're not sure what to feel in the case. We just want to know the truth, and whatever happens it's not going to bring Reeva back.

"We just want justice and the truth."

Family and friends cheered and cried as the decision was read out

The Olympian's uncle Arnold Pistorius said: "Although we are obviously relieved that Oscar has been granted bail, this is still a very sad time for the family of Reeva and for us.

"We are grateful that the magistrate recognised the validity and strength of our application.

"As the family, we are convinced that Oscar's version of what happened on that terrible night will prove to be true."

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Syria: More Than 50 Killed In Bomb Blast

At least 53 people have been killed in a car bombing near the headquarters of the ruling Baath party in Syria's capital, state media said.

Around 200 others were hurt, it claimed, adding the atrocity was a suicide attack by "terrorists" battling President Bashar al Assad in a two-year uprising.

The attack was "carried out by armed terrorist groups linked to al Qaeda that receive financial and logistic help from abroad," the ministry said in a statement, using government terminology for rebels battling the Syrian regime.

Most of the victims in the Mazraa district of Damascus were reportedly civilians, including children, possibly from a school behind the Baath building, and it was the deadliest attack inside the capital in nine months.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors violence via a network of sources inside Syria, said at least 42 people were killed.

The organisation reported the device was detonated at a checkpoint close to the Baath party building, about 200 metres from the Russian embassy, and members of the Syrian security forces also died.

Syrian television broadcast footage of several bodies along a main street and firefighters dousing dozens of burning vehicles.

President Assad's forces are battling Syrian rebels

Debris was spread over a wide area and black smoke billowed into the sky.

The windows of the Russian embassy were blown out by the blast but none of its staff were hurt, Russian news agencies reported.

One local resident said: "It was huge, everything in the shop turned upside down."

Damascus has so far mostly avoided the large-scale violence that has destroyed other Syrian cities.

But rebels who control districts to the south and east of the capital have been attacking Mr Assad's power base for nearly a month, and have carried out devastating bombings several times in the last year.

The United Nations has said around 70,000 people have died in the uprising since it began in March 2011.

The attack came as the opposition umbrella group, the National Coalition, was meeting in Cairo, Egypt, to discuss proposals to hold conditional talks with Mr Assad's regime.

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Three Dead In Las Vegas Strip Shooting Crash

By Sky News US Team, in New York

Gunshots fired from a black Range Rover on the Las Vegas Strip has caused a Maserati to crash into a taxi, creating a fireball and killing three people.

Police believe the deadly car-to-car shooting and crash in the heart of the Strip at Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road started with an argument in the valet area of the Aria resort, Sheriff Doug Gillespie said.

The crossroads is the site of several major hotel-casinos, including Bellagio, Caesars Palace and Bally's.

"This doesn't happen where we come from, not on this scale," said Mark Thompson, who was visiting from Manchester, England, with his wife. "We get stabbings, and gang violence, but this is like something out of a movie. Like Die Hard or something."

Police at the scene of the shooting incident in Las Vegas

Police are looking for the distinctive black Range Rover with dark tinted windows and black rims that left the scene after the early morning crash.

Las Vegas Police Sergeant John Sheahan said the Range Rover was last seen near the Venetian resort as it headed north from the shooting scene on Las Vegas Boulevard.

Witnesses also told police the sport utility vehicle and Maserati had come from the nearby CityCenter area, just south of the site of the shooting.

"We have numerous witnesses to this," Sgt Sheahan said. "But what is the genesis of this? We don't know yet."

The shooting and accident took place near the desert town's popular casinos

Police also have video from traffic cameras at the intersection and were checking hotel surveillance systems. The video will not be made public, Sgt Sheahan said.

In all, five vehicles were involved. The Maserati driver, the taxi driver and a passenger in the cab were killed.

The Range Rover has paper dealer plates, although it is not clear what state they are from, police said.

Authorities are checking with law enforcement agencies in California, Arizona and Utah in their search for clues.

The taxi was affiliated with the Desert Cab company, according to general manager Sandy Shaver. He declined to comment further.

Several people were taken to hospital, including a passenger from the Maserati. Four were taken to University Medical Centre where spokeswoman Danita Cohen said three people were treated and released.

One person remained in hospital whose condition was not released.

Sky's Jeff Randall, who was on the Las Vegas Strip, said it was one of the most surreal things he had ever seen in America.

"The strip is completely blocked off in a rather macabre way; it has now become a tourist scene because people are arriving here to take pictures," he said.

"People here are utterly bewildered because this is a city that has tried to portray itself as family friendly and the last thing in the world the leisure barons want here is a rolling gun battle and what police are describing as a massive crime scene."

The intersection is expected to be closed for hours as officers investigate.

A tourist who witnessed the aftermath of the crash told KLAS-TV the burning taxi looked like a fireball.

The shooting and crash is the latest in a series of violent actions on the tourist corridor since the beginning of the year.

Two people were critically wounded in a shooting at a parking garage on February 6, and a tourist was stabbed in an elevator at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay on February 16.

A spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Jeremy Handel, said his organisation did not immediately have a comment on the incident and deferred to the police unit that patrols the tourism district.

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Armstrong Refuses To Talk To Doping Officials

Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong says he will not cooperate with American anti-doping investigators, despite having said he would help clean up cycling.

The former athlete had until Wednesday to respond to a request from US officials, who had wanted him to tell them everything he knows about drug use in the sport.

But his lawyer announced Armstrong - who last month admitted using drugs to Oprah Winfrey - would not take part in any interviews.

The US Anti Doping Agency (USADA) had told him he must take part if he wanted to reduce the lifetime ban on taking part in sports he had previously received.

His lawyer Tim Herman said Armstrong would not participate in the process as it was designed "only to demonise selected individuals".

USADA had been negotiating with Armstrong's representatives for more than two months before the announcement.

Armstrong had previously said he was willing to participate in an international effort to clean up cycling.

The former cyclist was at the top of his sport for years, winning the Tour de France seven times during a career that also saw him take other titles.

His success made him rich as sponsors queued up to be associated with his name

In January, he admitted to taking performance enhancing drugs in order to win the seven Tour de France titles. He has now been stripped of the titles.

His confession to taking part in doping has caused the former road cycling star a number of problems.

He is being sued by a Dallas-based promotions company which is seeking to recoup £7.6m in bonuses they paid him for winning the Tour de France.

The US Anti Doping Agency has been locked in a war of words with Armstrong for some time and last month - after his confession - accused him of lying when he claimed he was clean when he made his comeback in 2009.

Armstrong claimed on the Oprah interview he should be given the opportunity to compete again, saying that his life ban felt like a "death penalty".

He told the chat show host: "I can't lie to you. I'd love the opportunity to be able to compete, but that isn't the reason that I'm doing this.

"Frankly, this might not be the most popular answer, but I think I deserve it."

An estimated 3.2 million Americans tuned in to watch Winfrey's interview with him. 

It has since been announced Paramount Pictures and producer JJ Abram are planning a film of the cyclist's life.

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Masked Thugs Attack Spurs Fans In Lyon Bar

Three Tottenham fans are reported to have been taken to hospital after a group of up to 50 masked thugs attacked a bar on the eve of their team's game in Lyon.

Eyewitnesses said the group of attackers smashed doors and threw cast iron chairs, wooden objects, and a flare in to the Smoking Dog pub in Lyon.

Up to 150 Spurs fans were drinking in the bar, popular among ex-pats in the French city, ahead of tonight's Europa League match.

It is the second time that Tottenham fans have been targeted by an apparent anti-Semitic attack in the last three months.

In November, fans of the club, which has a traditionally strong Jewish following, were ambushed inside a pub in Rome on the eve of their game against Lazio.

Eyewitnesses inside the Smoking Dog said the thugs attacked the bar at 10.18pm on Wednesday night and then returned shortly after to launch another assault on the pub, which was damaged extensively as a result.

The pub's landlord, Dave Eales from Retford, said: "At 10.18 the pub was rammed with Tottenham fans watching the Champions League on the television.

"The front of the pub, which is made up of reinforced glass, was attacked by 20-25 people.

Scene of the attack on Spurs fans in Rome in November

"They threw projectiles through the windows. There was a stand off. They didn't get in to the bar. Then it calmed down. Then they came back a second time and it all started again.

"There were three injured Tottenham fans taken away by ambulance. One of them had a head injury. I'm not sure how bad it was."

Far-right thugs were blamed for the knife attack on Tottenham's supporters in Rome and two eye-witnesses claimed the attack could have had an anti-Semitic motive.

One, who did not want to be named, said: "There were 50 who attacked in the first wave and 25 in the second.

"It's a pretty scary thing when you're confronted by people doing Nazi salutes."

Spurs fan Christian Radnege, who was in the bar at the time of the attack, said: "They came in making Nazi salutes. It was frightening."

Mr Eales, 42, said he had anticipated trouble may occur, and that he had told the Lyon police as much earlier this week.

He added: "The most disappointing thing is that I spoke to the police a couple of days ago about the potential for trouble because of what people associate Tottenham being."

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are aware of reports of an attack on British nationals in France and are offering consular assistance."

Tottenham said they were aware of reports of the attack.

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Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali Resigns

Tunisia's prime minister has resigned after his offer of a non-political government was turned down by his own party.

Hamadi Jebali's decision to step down follows days of protests in the country, which were sparked by the assassination of opposition leader Chokri Belaid earlier this month.

His offer of a new government was welcomed by the opposition but his own party, Ennahda, rejected the idea, saying the country should continue to be led by politicians.

Chokri Belaid, a member of the Popular Front party, was shot dead

Mr Jebali announced his resignation after a meeting with President Moncef Marzouki.

"Today there is a great disappointment among the people and we must regain their trust and this resignation is a first step," he said.

Mr Jebali became prime minister in December 2011, 11 months after Tunisians overthrew President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, triggering the Arab Spring.

However, the coalition government has struggled to deliver the improved living standards many had hoped for.

The country is facing an economic crisis, with unemployment at 18% and a 10% inflation rate that has sent prices soaring.

International ratings agency Standard & Poor's had downgraded Tunisia's rating to BB-, saying arguments over the shape of the government had affected economic recovery and knocked investor confidence.

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At Least 14 Injured In Kansas City Gas Blast

Fourteen people have been injured after a huge gas explosion in a shopping district in Kansas City.

Images show dozens of firefighters battling the blaze that spread through a number of buildings including shops, restaurants, flats and offices.

The manager of JJ's restaurant, which was destroyed in the blaze, has been unable to account for three people but it was unclear whether they were caught in the blaze or had left earlier.

Kansas City Manager Troy Schulte revealed there had been a gas leak shortly before the explosion.

Earlier police spokeswoman Rhonda Flores said a car appeared to have crashed into the gas main near the restaurant at around 6pm local time.

An initial call for three ambulances was then increased to 10 as the blaze took hold.

Kerry O'Connor, a spokeswoman for St Luke's Hospital, said several patients were sent to the hospital. She added they "appear to be critical at this time".

The University of Kansas Hospital was treating five people injured in the blast, according to spokesman Bob Hallinan.

He said one was in critical condition, two in serious condition and two others were expected to be released. They had all suffered traumatic injuries, including broken bones, rather than effects of the fire.

The area, a shopping district, includes retail shops, restaurants, apartments and offices.

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South Africa: Shooting At Anglo American Mine

At least 13 workers have been wounded by machetes and rubber bullets in the latest wave of violence to hit a South African mine.

Police said the attacks at the Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) site in Rustenburg were provoked by a dispute between two rival unions.

The news agency Reuters said around 1,000 members of the Association for Mineworkers and Construction Union gathered at the mine, about 70 miles northwest of Johannesburg, after four people believed to belong to the National Union of Mineworkers tried to occupy an office.

Security guards at the mine used rubber bullets to disperse the rival groups.

Machetes were seen during separate disputes in the country in 2012

A police spokesman said the 13 injured workers were admitted to hospital.

Anglo American, which owns the mine and is listed on the London Stock Exchange, saw a 2.75% fall in its share price on the FTSE 100 when news of the trouble emerged.

The violence follows a two-month illegal strike at the same site last autumn, when police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades to separate groups of workers.

The continuing dispute is related to anger over Amplats' plans to lay off an additional 14,000 workers amid poor company results which showed a loss of $225m (£143m) for 2012.

It is among several mining companies in South Africa grappling with higher expenses amid the worst industrial action the country has seen for decades.

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Pistorius: 'Murder Would Be Out Of Character'

Oscar Pistorius is preparing to return to court to learn whether he will be granted bail following the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The Paralympian is charged with the premeditated murder of the 29-year-old model in the early hours of last Thursday.

Police said she was shot four times with a pistol owned by Pistorius at his home in South Africa, where she died from her injuries.

Sky News will have live coverage of Oscar Pistorius' bail hearing

The bail hearing comes after Pistorius' former headteacher said he was "shocked" by allegations the 26-year-old had deliberately killed Miss Steenkamp, a law graduate who he had been dating for three months.

"From my knowledge of Oscar, it would have been completely out of character, and that's why I find it so hard to accept or to understand," Bill Schroder told Sky News.

"The scary thing for all of us is that they seem to want to charge him with premeditated murder.

Oscar Pistorius broke down in tears during his last court appearance

"That's horrendous; it's the ultimate crime and carries the ultimate penalty, and I truly don't want to believe that he's capable of that."

Pistorius, who won two gold medals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, has been held in a police cell in Pretoria since he was arrested and charged with Miss Steenkamp's murder.

His family has vowed to fight the charge in the "strongest terms" and insisted that evidence will refute "any possibility of a premeditated murder or indeed any murder at all".

Reeva Steenkamp and Oscar Pistorius had been dating since November

Miss Steenkamp's family and friends are expected to attend an hour-long memorial service later before a private cremation in her home town of Port Elizabeth.

Her mother, June Steenkamp, told the Times of South Africa: "She had so much of herself to give and now all that is gone - just like that, she is gone.

"In the blink of an eye and a single breath, the most beautiful person who ever lived is no longer here.

"All we have is this horrendous death to deal with ... to get to grips with.

"All we want are answers ... answers as to why this had to happen, why our beautiful daughter had to die like this."

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