State Of The Union: Obama's Gun Control Plea

Barack Obama used his State of the Union address to make an emotional plea to lawmakers over gun control.

The President demanded that Congress listened to the voices of the victims of gun crime, many of whom sat to hear him make his speech.

Among them was Gabrielle Giffords, the former Democrat representative who was shot in the head at a mass shooting two years ago in her Arizona district.

The parents of Chicago shooting victim Hadiya Pendleton, who performed at Mr Obama's inaugural parade just days before she was gunned down, were also there.

"Just three weeks ago, she was here, in Washington, with her classmates, performing for her country at my inauguration," Mr Obama said in paying tribute to the 15-year-old.

"And a week later, she was shot and killed in a Chicago park after school, just a mile away from my house."

Hadiya Pendleton: teenager shot dead after performing at the inauguration

Mr Obama also referred to the shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in December that claimed the lives of 20 young schoolchildren and six adults.

He said: "It has been two months since Newtown. I know this is not the first time this country has debated how to reduce gun violence. But this time is different."

Imploring Congress to tighten the country's gun laws, Mr Obama said: "Hadiya's parents, Nate and Cleo, are in this chamber tonight, along with more than two dozen Americans whose lives have been torn apart by gun violence. They deserve a vote.

"Gabby Giffords deserves a vote. The families of Newtown deserve a vote," he said, before turning to a list of other communities devastated in recent mass shootings.

"The families of Aurora deserve a vote," he said, to applause. "The families of Oak Creek, and Tucson, and Blacksburg, and the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence - they deserve a simple vote."

The President also vowed that the war in Afghanistan would end by late 2014 and that another 34,000 American troops would be returning over the next year.

"This drawdown will continue. And by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over," Mr Obama said in his annual address.

Michelle Obama arrives to hear her husband give his address

He said that al Qaeda was a "shadow of its former self" and no longer posed the kind of threat that needed tens of thousands of US troops to fight abroad.

However, he said that al Qaeda affiliates had appeared elsewhere in the world including Yemen and Somalia and said that in future the US would help those countries to provide their own security to fight terrorism.

Mr Obama also said he would take "firm action" against the "provocations" of North Korea, after the state carried out its third nuclear test.

He said: "The regime in North Korea must know that they will only achieve security and prosperity by meeting their international obligations.

"Provocations of the sort we saw last night will only isolate them further, as we stand by our allies, strengthen our own missile defence and lead the world in taking firm action in response to these threats."

Mr Obama promised to spark economic growth and create jobs.

He told Congress: "A growing economy that creates good, middle-class jobs, that must be the North Star that guides our efforts.

"It is our generation's task, then, to re-ignite the true engine of America's economic growth - a rising, thriving middle class."

He warned against dramatic budget cuts saying that they would cost jobs and threaten the military.

The President greets workers dealing with the aftermath of superstorm Sandy

He said: "That's why Democrats, Republicans, business leaders, and economists have already said that these cuts, known here in Washington as 'the sequester', are a really bad idea."

The President said that the United States and Europe would begin talks on what would be the world's largest free trade zone.

He said: "Tonight, I am announcing that we will launch talks on a comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union - because trade that is free and fair across the Atlantic supports millions of good-paying American jobs."

The move answered mounting calls from Europe to pursue a grand trade pact to spur growth on both sides of the Atlantic.

Mr Obama also warned Congress that if they didn't act on climate change, that he would.

He tackled climate sceptics in the rival Republican Party by noting that 12 of the world's hottest years on record took place in the past 15 years.

Mr Obama told them: "We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence.

"Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgement of science, and act before it's too late."

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Peugeot Citroen Hit By Record £4.29bn Loss

Embattled French car firm Peugeot Citroen has made a loss of 5bn euros (£4.29bn) for 2012, the worst result in its history.

But France's number one automaker said it had built the foundations for recovery after cleaning up its balance sheet and implementing a tough restructuring plan.

Peugeot blamed the results on a previously announced 4.7bn euro (£4bn) asset writedown last year and the crisis in the European car market.

The loss compared with a profit of 588mn euros (£505m) in 2011, while revenue for the year fell 5.2% to 55.4bn (£47.6bn) euros.

The results "reflect the deterioration of the automotive industry environment in Europe," chief executive Philippe Varin said in a statement.

But he added: "The foundations for our rebound have been laid."

According to What Car? editor-in-chief Chas Hallet, the firm suffers from combination of problems.

"Peugeot Citroen is losing out in several ways. For a start, its models mainly compete with each other, which makes little sense," Mr Hallet told Sky News.

"It is being undercut on price and quality by rivals, including the incredibly strong Korean makers. And unlike many of its rivals it does not sell cars globally and so take advantage of the scale that provides.

"Furthermore, it can't really compete with the might of the VW group, in Europe or anywhere else."

The results were worse than forecast by analysts and overshadowed the previous record loss of 1.2bn euros (£1bn) in 2009.

Net debt stood at 3bn euros (£2.5bn), the company said.

On Monday, the European Commission authorised France to shore up Peugeot temporarily to the tune of a six-month 1.2bn euro guarantee.

Peugeot Citroen, which has a strategic tie-up with General Motors (GM) of the US - itself bailed-out by the Obama administration - is in the midst of a restructuring involving deep job cuts.

Markets reacted positively to the balance sheet announcement, with shares up 5% in early trading.

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Afghanistan Nato Air Strike 'Kills Children'

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.

Three Taliban commanders, including a notorious al Qaeda-linked militant leader called Shahpoor, were also killed in the raid, district governor Abdul Zahir said.

The air raid was in support of a ground operation by US-led coalition and Afghan forces in a Taliban-controlled valley in the insurgency-plagued region, Mr Zahir said.

"The civilians were killed in the air raid," he said.

It is not clear if the owner of the house targeted was a member of the Taliban or a civilian, but the Taliban were visiting when the home was attacked, Mr Zahir added.

Four other children were wounded in the raid, Mr Wahidi said.

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Coca-Cola Habit Linked To NZ Mother's Death

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

A New Zealand mother died from a cardiac arrest after drinking up to 18 pints of Coca-Cola a day for two years a coroner has ruled.

The huge consumption of the fizzy drink by Natasha Harris, a mother-of-eight, played a substantial part in her death, the inquest heard.

The 30-year-old from Invercargill on New Zealand's south island died in February 2010 of cardiac arrhythmia - or a disrupted heartbeat - following about 18 months of ill health. She was found slumped in the bathroom at home, gasping for air.

Coroner David Crerar said: "It is more likely than not that the drinking of very large quantities of Coke was a substantial factor that contributed to the development of the metabolic imbalances which gave rise to the arrhythmia."

He added: "All constituents of Coke are entirely legal, are enjoyed by millions and Coca-Cola cannot be held responsible for the health of consumers who drink unhealthy quantities of the product."

Ms Harris had drunk Coke heavily since her teens and the amount she drank meant she had more than twice the safe daily limit of caffeine.

Her partner, Chris Hodgkinson, said she had a poor diet and would drink Coke first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

All her teeth had been removed because they were rotting, and one of her children was born without tooth enamel.

She did not drink alcohol or smoke cannabis, but smoked about 30 cigarettes a day.

Coca-Cola says the cause of death is not clear

Coca-Cola, however, said the cause of death was far from clear.

In a statement the company said the coroner himself acknowledged he could not be certain what caused Ms Harris' heart attack.

The statement said: "We are disappointed that the coroner has chosen to focus on the combination of Ms Harris' excessive consumption of Coca-Cola together with other health and lifestyle factors as the probable cause of her death.

"This is contrary to the evidence that showed the experts could not agree on the most likely cause."

The coroner recommended the New Zealand Ministry of Health considered whether current warning labels on soft drinks gave enough protection to consumers on the dangers of drinking too much of them.

He also recommended Coca-Cola should consider labelling how much caffeine is in its drinks, and include warnings on drinking too much caffeine.

In response, Katherine Rich from the industry body the NZ Food and Grocery Council, said: "In his finding, the Coroner recognises that tobacco warning labels made absolutely no difference to Ms Harris' decision to smoke up to 30 cigarettes a day, so it's hard to reconcile this with the recommendation that warning labels on caffeinated beverages should be considered and may have influenced her decision to consume excessive amounts of soft drink.

"The FGC does not support the coroner's call for warning labels on fizzy drink. No regulatory system can legislate for extreme cases."

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Pregnant Kate: Now Oz Mag To Show Pictures

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

An Australian publication has followed the lead of the Italian gossip magazine Chi and said it will publish photographs of the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge in her bikini.

The weekly magazine Woman's Day will be on sale on Monday and will feature the pictures of Kate and William's Caribbean holiday, where the Duchess was snapped wearing a blue bikini and strolling on a beach.

Editor Fiona Connolly has defended her decision to publish the prints, telling Sky News: "The photos are what our readers want to see. Kate looks beautiful, glowing and healthy."

Ms Connolly said it was her understanding that the photographs were taken by a member of the public rather than "a photographer hiding in the bushes" and, as a result, were not an invasion of the royal couple's privacy.

The editor said the pair had been mingling with others on a public beach and would have been aware that there were other holidaymakers around with cameras.

The issue will also feature pictures of Kate's sister Pippa Middleton, who was holidaying with the royals on the island of Mustique, staying in a £5.1m villa.

Ms Connolly said the photographs show Kate "fabulous, fit and glowing, out and about on a public beach".

She said British journalists and picture editors would no doubt be "frustrated" that they were not also running the pictures because of the "gentleman's agreement" between editors and the royal family about what sort of photos would be published.

Kate was on holiday in Mustique with her husband William and sister Pippa

"As a magazine that does publish photos of the royals, I am sensitive to the sort of pictures that shouldn't be published," she said, referring to the 2012 topless shots of the Duchess that appeared in various magazines.

"These are certainly not photos that they would disapprove of - they are happy."

"The last time we saw Kate looking really unwell, coming out of hospital and at a really tough time for her in her pregnancy - to see these photos where she's fit and healthy and really glowing is even more reason to celebrate."

The couple are expecting their first child in July.

In December Kate was admitted to hospital with a severe form of morning sickness, which pushed the couple to announce the pregnancy.

The news that an Australian magazine is publishing the pictures comes at a particularly sensitive time, just two months after a pair of Australian radio presenters made a prank call to King Edward VII's Hospital in London where Kate was being treated.

Pretending to be the Queen and Prince of Wales they were able to speak to a nurse about her condition. The nurse who put the call through, Jacintha Saldanha, subsequently committed suicide.

On news that Chi was publishing the photos St James's Palace issued a statement saying: "We are disappointed that photographs of the Duke and Duchess on a private holiday look likely to be published overseas.

"This is a clear breach of the couple's right to privacy."

Ms Connolly admitted the bidding for the photos between several of Australia's biggest selling weekly gossip magazines was "furious".

Last year the Royal Family launched legal action against French magazine Closer, over paparazzi pictures of Kate sunbathing in bikini bottoms on the balcony of a private chateau in the South of France.

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Madeleine McCann Lookalike DNA Test Results

Police have announced the results of DNA tests on a girl in New Zealand who has been mistaken for missing British youngster Madeleine McCann.

Members of the public have twice mistaken the girl for Madeleine and British police asked for testing to be carried out to confirm she was not the missing child.

The first sighting was last March and the second on New Year's Eve.

New Zealand police say in a statement that they sent the DNA samples to Scotland Yard officers who are still investigating Madeleine's disappearance.

Detective Inspector Steve McGregor said: "We have received confirmation from Scotland Yard that a DNA sample provided voluntarily from a girl mistaken as missing British girl Madeleine McCann on New Year's Eve in Queenstown last year does not provide a match for that of the missing girl.

"At the time of the sighting police made thorough inquiries and were completely satisfied that the girl was not Madeleine McCann."

New Zealand police say the unnamed girl's family has requested privacy.

Scotland Yard confirmed that following the DNA submission police were "satisfied" that the girl identified in New Zealand was not Madeleine.

Madeleine was nearly four when she disappeared from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal's Algarve on May 3, 2007 as her parents dined at a tapas restaurant with friends nearby.

Kate and Gerry McCann, of Rothley, Leicestershire, have campaigned tirelessly for information on their daughter's whereabouts, battling for a review by the Metropolitan Police, which has now been under way for more than 18 months.

Her disappearance has sparked a number of  false sightings around the world.

Portuguese police closed the case in 2008 after failing to find out what happened to her.

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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.

A sheriff's spokeswoman said charred human remains had been found in the rubble of the burned cabin.

It is not yet clear how the fire started - whether it was started from inside, or by police officers who were firing bullets and tear gas canisters at the cabin.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the fire set off ammunition which was being stored inside.

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."

It is unclear whether "the burn" refers to tear gas.

Jodi Miller said the remains were found late on Tuesday, and forensic tests would be carried out to determine if the remains are Dorner's.

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 of fire.

Authorities 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 had urged him: "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 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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'Sea Slug Grows New Penis After Sex'

The red-and-white sea slug gets rid of its penis after sex and then grows a new one in "extremely peculiar" behaviour, scientists have found.

The animal needs 24 hours between copulation to unroll an internally coiled and compressed juvenile penis to replace the used, external bit, they discovered.

It can even repeat this feat at least three times.

Named chromodoris reticulata in Latin, the human thumb-sized slug - technically a shell-less mollusc - inhabits warm waters in southeast Asia.

It is also an hermaphrodite, meaning it has both male and female sexual organs.

The animals perform dual sexual roles during copulation. They give sperm to a mating partner while simultaneously receiving sperm, which they store for later insemination.

Japanese biologists studied copulation between sea slugs that they had captured during scuba dives and held in a tank.

After each coupling, which lasted between dozens of seconds and a few minutes, every slug discarded its penis - a thread-like organ that it projects from its side into a partner's vagina.

The team also examined the microscopic structure and function of the male organs, observing an internal spiral structure they believe grows into a replacement penis.

The animal is an hermaphrodite (Photo: Prilfish/Flickr)

"We propose that the tissue at the spiral part of the penis is compressed and undifferentiated, gradually differentiating into the 'next penis'.

"It may need approximately a day for the spiral structure to be ready for copulation," the team wrote.

They also wrote in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters: "No other animal is known to repeatedly copulate using such 'disposable penes'."

In another revelation about the sea slug's sex life, the scientists found its penis was covered with spines - and suggested these may be used to remove the sperm of previous partners being held in store by their mate.

The spines are backward-pointing, making it difficult to withdraw the penis after copulation. This may explain the organ's disposable nature.

"Chromodoris reticulata may compensate for the short-term cost of decreased reproductive opportunities caused by the loss of a penis with the reproductive advantage gained by sperm displacement," wrote the study's authors.

Various animals are known to discard parts of their body, such as the gecko which sheds its tail.

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Pope In First Outing Since Resignation

The Pope has made his first appearance in public since the shock announcement of his resignation on Monday.

Benedict XVI received a lengthy standing ovation when he entered a packed audience hall in the Vatican, with applause from the audience, many of whom had tears in their eyes.

He repeated in Italian what he had told cardinals on Monday in Latin - that he simply did not have the strength to continue.

"I did this in full liberty for the good of the Church," he said, asking supporters "to continue to pray for the Pope and the Church".

The Pope's audience took place before he celebrated an Ash Wednesday mass in St Peter's Basilica, his last public mass and one of his last engagements as Pope.

The mass is traditionally held in the Santa Sabina Church on Rome's Aventine Hill.

Nuns wave to the Pope during his Vatican appearance

On this occasion, however, it was moved, out of respect for the outgoing pontiff and to accommodate the crowd of pilgrims who wanted to mark the end of his eight-year rule - one of the shortest in the Church's modern history.

"It will be an important concelebration, and the last led by the Holy Father in San Pietro," Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said before hand.

Key cardinals had been due to attend as the papal conclave began gathering in Rome to elect the next head of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.

No date has yet been set for the secret conclave, which will meet in the Sistine Chapel under Michelangelo's famous ceiling frescoes, but it could come within days of Pope Benedict's resignation.

Father Lombardi says he expects a new pope to be in place in time for Easter, which falls on March 31 this year. Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone will govern the Church during the transition.

More than 3,000 people attended the audience with the Pope

Candidates for the Vatican's top job will join bishops, monks, friars and pilgrims for the Ash Wednesday celebrations, during which the Pope anoints the foreheads of the faithful with ashes. The ceremony launches a period of penitence before Easter in the Christian calendar.

Pope Benedict's decision to step down - making him the first pontiff in 600 years to resign simply because he cannot carry on - sparked a flurry of rumours over his health, fed by revelations that he had had an operation to replace the batteries in his pacemaker three months ago.

Some observers saw his decision as a bid to avoid the fate of his predecessor John Paul II, whose drawn-out and debilitating illness was played out on the world's stage.

But Father Lombardi insisted: "The Pope is well and his soul is serene. He did not resign the pontificate because he is ill but because of the fragility that comes with old age."

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North Korea Ambassador Warned Over Test

North Korea's ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign Office over Pyongyang's nuclear tests.

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

Foreign Office minister Hugo Swire warned ambassador Hyon Hak Bong that the state faced "increasing isolation and further action" unless it engages with the international community.

The UN Security Council has unanimously condemned the test, which took place on Tuesday, as a clear threat to international security. China also expressed "firm opposition".

Monitors said it appeared twice as big as the previous test in 2009.

A Foreign Office statement said Mr Swire had summoned the ambassador to "underline the UK's firm opposition to this nuclear test and make clear to North Korea that it can either engage constructively with the international community, or face increasing isolation and further action by the international community".

Seismic location epicentres for nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013

After the meeting, Mr Swire said: "It is essential, as ever, that the international community is united in its approach to this situation and that we speak with one voice.

"I call on the North Korean regime to act in the best interests of its people and to choose the path they really want.

"Amid reports of widespread hardship and human rights abuses, the priority must be the health and welfare of North Korean people."

North Korea's state news agency said the test had been "carried out at a high level in a safe and perfect manner using a miniaturised and lighter nuclear device with greater explosive force than previously".

The move was said to be a response to the "reckless hostility of the United States".

Experts suggested the use of a smaller device could mean North Korea is getting closer to building a warhead for a missile.

In his State of the Union address overnight, US President Barack Obama insisted the regime's stance would only isolate it further, and pledged "firm action" to counter the threat.

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