Flood Warnings As River Levels Set To Rise

Homeowners in southern England have been warned to prepare for further flooding today after heavy rainfall caused the River Thames to burst its banks.

The Environment Agency (EA) has warned people living along the lower reaches of the Thames to be aware of the risk of rising water levels.

Further flooding is expected over the weekend in Oxfordshire, West Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey as recent rainfall flows downstream.

There are also risks of flooding along the River Parret in Somerset and the River Severn in the Midlands.

Rainfall in England and Wales over recent weeks. Pic: Environment Agency

Residents in Dorset, south Wiltshire, Hampshire and West Sussex have also been warned of likely flooding caused by high groundwater levels.

The EA has issued 94 flood warnings - meaning immediate action is required due to expected flooding - and 151 flood alerts across England.

The agency estimates that some 570 properties have been flooded since the New Year, while a further 239,000 properties have been protected by flood defences.

"Communities along the River Thames, particularly below Oxford, into Berkshire and through Surrey need to remain vigilant for further flooding," said the agency's head of incident management, John Curtin.

Flooding seen in the village of Muchelney, in Somerset

"River levels on the Thames are high and will continue to rise for the next few days and we urge people keep up to date with the latest flood warnings and take action.

"With so much standing water around, we would also remind people to stay out of flood water and not attempt to walk or drive through it."

The Thames burst its banks on Friday, forcing homeowners to carry out clean-up operations and protect their homes from damage.

Parts of the river, stretching from Buscot in Oxfordshire to Bourne End in Buckinghamshire, were under flood warnings as heavy rain over recent days caused river levels to rise.

Flood warnings along the River Thames (Pic: Environment Agency)

Residents were warned on Thursday to expect flooding, with many moving belongings to prevent damage.

Many homes close to the banks are underwater, with flood waters causing damage to ground floors and gardens.

Affected areas included Marlow and Cookham in Buckinghamshire, as well as Shiplake and Wargrave in Berkshire and parts of south Oxford.

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Shangri-La: Ancient Homes Destroyed By Fire

A 1,300-year-old Tibetan village has been partially destroyed by fire, according to state media.

The fire began at around 1.30am in Dukezong, in Shangri-La, in China's southwest Yunnan province, and destroyed more than 100 traditional wooden houses, Xinhua news agency said.

More than 1,000 firefighters were called in to battle the blaze

More than 1,000 firefighters were called in to battle the giant blaze, which at times had flames more than 10 metres high.

Local authorities said strong winds hampered efforts to control the fire, which was still spreading by mid-morning on Saturday.

Villagers were evacuated as the fire broke out and no casualties have been reported.

Strong winds hampered efforts to control the fire

The cause of the fire is still unknown but the cost of damage is expected to reach 100 million yuan (£10m), according to the Chinese news portal Zhongguo Xinwen Wang.

Dukezong, which means "town of the Moon", was founded around 1,300 years ago, and is known for its well-preserved ancient streets and traditional culture.

The fire is estimated to have caused £10m of damage

Earlier this week another high-profile site of Tibetan culture, the Buddhist Serthar institute in the nearby province of Sichuan, also went up in flames with ten buildings destroyed.

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Duggan Vigil: Police Fear Disorder In Tottenham

Protesters plan to "provoke disorder" at a vigil for Mark Duggan in London, police have warned.

Scotland Yard said it had extra officers on standby and would be ready to "intervene immediately" if trouble broke out.

Relatives and supporters of the 29-year-old will gather outside Tottenham police station from 2pm and have appealed for those taking part to remain peaceful.

The event has been arranged in protest at the "perverse" inquest finding that Mr Duggan was lawfully killed by police, despite jurors also finding that he was unarmed when he was fatally shot.

His killing by armed police sparked riots across the country in August 2011.

Mark Duggan's killing sparked riots across Britain

The statement issued by the Metropolitan Police said: "Today is a busy day in the capital and we have a policing operation in place across London.

"This includes having additional officers on standby that could respond to any incident that occurs.

"Part of this operation includes assessing all available information and intelligence, and we are aware of a limited amount of information that indicates a small number of people are expressing their desire to use this vigil as an opportunity.

"This information includes the intention of protest groups to attend and of people looking to provoke disorder. We will be ready to intervene immediately if required."

"The family has expressed that they wish this vigil to be held in a dignified and peaceful manner.

"The MPS has met with the organiser to ensure that we can appropriately facilitate their plans."

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Ariel Sharon Dead: Israel's Ex-PM Dies

Former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon has died following a long illness.

The 85-year-old's son was quoted as saying he had died, eight years since a stroke at the height of his powers left him in a coma.

Gilad Sharon said: "He has gone. He went when he decided to go."

Gilad Sharon announces his father's death

Sheba Medical Centre, where he was being treated, said he died at around 2pm (midday UK time).

Mr Sharon's condition suddenly deteriorated on January 1 when he suffered serious kidney problems after surgery.

Sharon's 2000 visit to a disputed Jerusalem site caused the second Intifada

Nicknamed 'The Bulldozer', the veteran soldier fought in all of Israel's major wars before beginning a turbulent political career in 1973.

Long considered a pariah for his personal but "indirect" responsibility for the 1982 massacre of hundreds of Palestinians by Israel's Lebanese Phalangist allies in Beirut's Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, he was elected premier in 2001.

Ministers in Israel's right-wing government and the political opposition mourned a leader who left big footprints on the region through military invasion, Jewish settlement building on captured land and a unilateral decision to pull Israeli troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip in 2005.

Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said in a statement: "The nation of Israel has today lost a dear man, a great leader and a bold warrior."

There was no immediate comment on the death from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, with whom Mr Sharon's Likud party successor, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been holding US-sponsored peace talks.

Mr Sharon was accused over the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre

But in Gaza, Hamas welcomed Mr Sharon's death.

"We have become more confident in victory with the departure of this tyrant," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zurhi said.

"Our people today feel extreme happiness at the death and departure of this criminal whose hands were smeared with the blood of our people and the blood of our leaders here and in exile."

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Northern Lights Aurora Borealis In The UK

Scientists say the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, came as low as the M4 corridor last night - and there will be an even better chance to see them tonight.

The natural light display, which usually takes place in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, may have been seen in the early hours by stargazers in southern Britain.

The northern lights appear as shimmering green waves of light when atoms in the Earth's high-altitude atmosphere collide with energetic charged particles from the sun.

The impact was weaker than expected on Thursday night, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting a much stronger display later.

According to reports on Spaceweather.com, NOAA forecasters estimate an 85% chance of activity.

Joe Kunches, of The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Colorado, told Sky News: "The geomagnetic storm that drives the aurora structure south is beginning right now.

"We're not sure how strong the storm will be but if it follows predictions there's a good chance of seeing it in southern Britain."

The SWPC predicted that the displays measured on what is called the KP Index could rise from a reading of one, which makes it visible in northern Scandinavia, to a reading of seven, visible in southern Wales and parts of southern England.

An eruption from the sun two days ago caused a cloud of electrically charged gas to move towards Earth, fuelling the rare event.

The phenomenon triggers a geomagnetic storm, increasing the chances of viewing the aurora.

However, Professor Jim Wild, a space scientist at Lancaster University, said the orientation of the magnetic field, which pushes the aurora south is not in the best position at present, although this could change.

He predicts that it is more likely that Scotland will witness the lights. Stargazers saw the aurora from northern Scotland earlier this week.

A key factor in viewing the lights again this evening will be how clear the skies are.

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Cockroach Burrows Into Sleeping Man's Ear

A man in Australia had to be rushed to hospital in terrible pain after a large cockroach crawled into his ear as he slept, and an attempt to suck it out with a vacuum cleaner failed.

Medical treatment initially only caused the inch-long insect to burrow further into the head of Hendrik Helmer.

The unwelcome invader was eventually extracted by a doctor with forceps, but only after Mr Helmer had endured the unpleasant sensation of it being in the "throes of death-twitching".

His ordeal began in the early hours of Wednesday morning when he was woken by a sharp pain in his right ear, according to Australian TV.

He said: "I was hoping it was not a poisonous spider ... I was hoping it didn't bite me."

As the pain got worse, Mr Helmer said he tried to suck the insect out with a vacuum cleaner before squirting water in his ear.

"Whatever was in my ear didn't like it at all," he told the broadcaster.

With the pain now excruciating, his flatmate rushed him to hospital where a doctor put oil down the ear canal.

Friends of Mr Helmer, from Darwin, are now going to bed with headphones on

But this only forced the two centimetre cockroach to crawl in deeper.

Mr Helmer, from Darwin, said: "Near the 10 minute mark ... somewhere about there, he started to stop burrowing but he was still in the throes of death twitching."

The doctor then pulled the insect out of his ear.

"She (the doctor) said, 'You know how I said a little cockroach, that may have been an underestimate'," he said.

"They said they had never pulled an insect this large out of someone's ear."

Mr Helmer said he would not be taking any added precautions when sleeping, although friends of his said they were so concerned over his experience that they had begun going to bed with headphones on.

Cockroaches are among the hardiest insects on the planet.

They are capable of surviving for long periods on little food and can even tolerate high doses of radiation.

They will eat almost anything, and some species can produce over 20,000 young in their lifetime.

Famous for their hissing, cockroaches can reach nine centimetres in length, although most species are much smaller.

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Costa Concordia May Be Towed To Middlesbrough

The team leading the Costa Concordia salvage operation has revealed they will begin removing the stricken cruise liner from near the Italian island of Giglio in June - before it is demolished later this year.

Exactly where the wreck will be towed to and destroyed has not yet been decided, but some 12 ports are in contention including ABLE Middlesbrough Port on the River Tees, among others in Italy, Norway, Turkey, France and the Netherlands.

The job of dismantling and recycling the vessel has been put out to tender which is being overseen by London Offshore Consultants.

It is hoped the salvage team will have made a decision on the ship's final destination by early March.

Italian environment minister Andrea Orlando and experts disclosed the details of the next phase of the mammoth operation at a news conference in Rome - three days before the second anniversary of the tragedy..

A technique known as parbuckling was used to right the ship

The 114,000-ton ship was hauled upright from its partially submerged position in September last year in a complicated 19-hour operation.

More than 1,000 concrete stacks and six underwater platforms are being used to keep the vessel stable.

It is expected to be towed away from the Mediterranean holiday island by the summer and eventually broken up for scrap.

Franco Porcellacchia, who is in charge of removing the wreck, said: "We will start fitting in the systems and equipment that are needed to enable us to remove the ship from mid-April. It is a very complicated operation.

"If there are no unexpected events the whole operation will be completed by the end of June, probably by the middle of June.

"Then we will have to make the wreck float again, and this will take about seven to 10 days, so our reasonable goal is to refloat the wreck by the end of June."

Costa Concordia raised from the depths

Michael Thamm, chief executive officer of Costa Cruises, said: "We are very confident that we can remove this ship within the month of June. This is not very far away - and then a great job will be done."

He said the company would maintain ownership of the vessel "until the very last moment", until the wreck is demolished later this year.

The full cost of the completed salvage operation was expected to reach around €600m (£497m), he added.

Cabin owners of the safes recovered from the wreck are to be contacted soon and their contents returned to them.

The seven-day Mediterranean cruise turned to tragedy just hours after the vessel, packed with more than 4,000 passengers and crew had left the port of Civitavecchia on January 13, 2012.

The Concordia's captain, Francesco Schettino, is on trial for alleged manslaughter, causing the shipwreck and abandoning ship during a confused and delayed evacuation.

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Plebgate Police Officer Admits Misconduct

A police officer involved in the Plebgate scandal has pleaded guilty in court to misconduct in public office.

PC Keith Wallis has admitted sending an email in which he lied when he said he had witnessed an incident between the former Chief Whip, Andrew Mitchell, and a police officer at the gates of Downing Street in 2012.

During the incident, Mr Mitchell was alleged to have called the officer a "****ing pleb" after they became embroiled in an argument when the PC refused to let him cycle through the main gates.

Details of the row appeared in the national newspapers and Mr Mitchell was forced to resign.

The Tory MP has always maintained that he never used the word "pleb" - the word judged to have caused the political damage - but admitted swearing during the altercation with PC Toby Rowland.

Mr Mitchell with his bike at the gates of Downing Street

Following the incident Wallis, a member of the Metropolitan Police Diplomatic Protection Group, sent an email to the deputy chief whip, John Randall, who was his MP, saying he had been sightseeing in the capital when he saw the row.

Wallis sent the email from a private address but it was quickly established that he was a serving officer and that he was not present at the gates of Downing Street during the incident.

At the Old Bailey today, Wallis, 53, of West Drayton, pleaded guilty to misconduct and the court heard that he would offer his resignation from the police force. He will be sentenced on February 6.

Andrew Mitchell at a press conference in November

Mr Mitchell, MP for Sutton Coldfield, said: "I am pleased that justice has been done in a criminal court today.

"It is very sad and worrying for all of us that a serving police officer should have behaved in this way. There remain many questions unanswered, in particular why Pc Wallis wrote this email and who else was involved in this process."

Prime Minister David Cameron said: "It is completely unacceptable for a serving police officer to falsify an account of any incident.

"Andrew Mitchell has consistently denied the version of events presented in the email and I welcome the fact that the officer concerned has now pleaded guilty."

The case and the subsequent police investigation into the incident have been acknowledged by the Metropolitan force to have significantly damaged the public trust in it.

Mr Mitchell's resignation letter to David Cameron

The guilty plea comes as the Met is facing a fierce backlash over the case of Mark Duggan, who was shot dead by officers on the streets of Tottenham and whose killing sparked the London riots in 2011.

An inquest jury this week concluded Mr Duggan was lawfully shot but there remain significant questions over the police handling of the case and claims regarding collusion over the evidence of officers.

Speaking after the guilty plea, Met Police Commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, said: "This investigation has been a ruthless search for the truth as at the heart of this are extremely damaging allegations that officers have lied and falsified statements against a Cabinet Minister.

"The evidence against PC Wallis was such that he has entered a guilty plea. To lie about witnessing something and provide a false account falls way below the standards that I and PC Wallis's colleague expect of police officers. His actions have also negatively impacted upon public trust and confidence in the integrity of police officers.

"I would also like to apologise to Mr Mitchell that an MPS officer clearly lied about seeing him behaving in a certain manner. I will be writing to him offering to meet and apologise in person.

"I expect my officers to serve the public without fear or favour, where officers break the law they must expect to be held to account and answer for what they have done."

The investigation into the Plebgate incident has cost the public more than £300,000 and involved 1,100 statements being taken and 439 exhibits seized.

Mr Mitchell has always claimed he was "stitched up" and that he was a victim of police revenge for Government-led cuts.

In November, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that it had no evidence to suggest that PC Rowland was involved in any wrong-doing and there is nothing to suggest he knew about the Wallis email.

Last month the officer announced he was suing Mr Mitchell for libel over comments made in the fall-out of the Downing Street incident.

Mr Mitchell announced in March that he was suing The Sun for libel over the original story.

There are 11 officers facing disciplinary proceedings in relation to the Plebgate story and risk losing their jobs.

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Niagara Falls Freeze As Polar Vortex Moves North

Tourists who braved record low temperatures to visit Niagara Falls have been treated to a spectacular sight.

Water turned to ice as it plunged over the 34-metre-high American Falls - one of three waterfalls which form the popular tourist attraction on the border between the United States and Canada.

Icy chunks tumbled over the crest of the falls and long icicles were left dangling above the frozen Niagara River below.

The unusual sight came as a polar vortex that gripped the US for four days, plunging temperatures to -37C (-35F) and leaving at least 21 people dead, finally began to ease its grip.

The crippling cold, which affected more than half the US population as it spread from the Midwest to the East and South, has been pushed northwards, leaving warmer weather and calmer winds in its wake.

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Brazil: Girl Dies After Bus Fire Attack

By Karine Mayer, Senior News Editor in Rio de Janeiro

Inmates of Brazil's most notorious jail are being blamed by police after a six-year-old girl was killed by a gang who torched a packed bus.

Ana Clara Santos Souza died three days after suffering 95% burns when armed men set fire to the vehicle while passengers were still on board.

Hundreds of people attended her funeral, demanding an end to a wave of gang-led terror that has swept the region since December.

Authorities in the northeastern city of Sao Luis believe the attack was ordered by gang leaders in revenge for a crackdown on violence in Pedrinhas prison.

CCTV footage shows a man board the bus and pull a handgun from his trousers.

As he orders people out of the vehicle, other armed gang members appear in the road and train their weapons on the terrified passengers.

The bus suddenly bursts into flames with people still on board, although at least one passenger manages to jump off.

But Ana appears to fall in the footwell of the bus before scrambling off engulfed in flames, which she desperately tries to put out.

Riot police have been deployed to control violence in the Pedrinhas jail

Her family said the gang had ignored her mother's pleas for mercy.

A relative told Brazil's O Globo newspaper: "Her mother asked the criminals not to harm the children, but they showed no mercy and set fire to the girl."

Four other people - including Ana's mother and older sister - were injured as four buses were set alight and a police station targeted in a drive-by shooting in the city on January 3.

The Maranhao state government says the attacks were ordered by criminals at the notorious Pedrinhas jail, where at least 62 inmates died last year.

Officials said in a statement: "The attacks are in reaction to recent measures to curb jail violence."

Brazil, which has the world's fourth-largest prison population, has been shocked by footage of the beheading of three Pedrinhas prisoners - apparently filmed on a mobile phone by other inmates.

The gruesome film is narrated by the killers, who gleefully display their victim's heads like trophies as they stand over pools of blood.

In October Maranhao asked for government help after several outbreaks of violence between rival gangs and military police were deployed after the beheadings in December.

Eight suspects have been arrested over the violence in Sao Luis and extra troops have been deployed across the city, state security secretary Aluisio Mendes said.

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