Bulgarian Government Resigns Amid Protests

The Bulgarian premier and his whole government is resigning from office after nationwide protests against austerity.

Prime Minister Boiko Borisov had tried to calm protests against high electricity prices by sacking his finance minister, pledging to cut power prices and punish foreign-owned companies but the measures failed to defuse discontent.

Twenty-five people were taken to hospital after protesters clashed with police in the capital Sofia late on Tuesday while tens of thousands hit the streets over the weekend.

Many Bulgarians are also unhappy over power monopolies, low living standards and corruption in the European Union's poorest country.

"I will not participate in a government under which police are beating people," said Mr Borisov who will hand in his resignation after a regular Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

"We have dignity and honour. It is the people who put us in power and we give it back to them today," the prime minister told parliament, adding that he would not participate in an interim government.

The premier did not say if a parliamentary election scheduled for July would now be brought forward.

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North Korea Video Shows Obama In Flames

A new North Korean video shows President Barack Obama and American troops in flames and blames US hostility for its recent nuclear test.

The footage was uploaded on YouTube - two weeks after a separate video that showed New York City burning after an apparent missile attack.

Both videos were uploaded by the North's official website, Uriminzokkiri, which distributes news and propaganda from the state media.

The latest video came with a series of Korean-language captions, arguing that North Korea had been forced into conducting its latest nuclear test on February 12 because of US hostility.

"The North's high-level nuclear test aimed at US invaders, is the nuclear deterrent to safeguard our sovereignty," one caption read.

"The US practically guided the North towards conducting the nuclear test," it added.

The video showed images of Mr Obama waving and preparing to deliver his State of the Union address - all superimposed against a background of rising flames.

It ended with an animated sequence of a nuclear bomb being detonated in an underground bunker and the message: "The whole world is now watching. The US must answer now".

The North's latest test was its biggest yet in terms of explosive yield and, according to Pyongyang, marked a breakthrough in its efforts to develop a "miniaturised" warhead that could fit on a ballistic missile.

The earlier video posted by Uriminzokkiri had to be withdrawn, after it emerged that the footage of a burning New York was taken from the Call of Duty video game.

The makers of the game, California-based Activision, filed a copyright complaint.

The US is negotiating in the Security Council for stronger UN sanctions against Pyongyang following its nuclear test in the far northeast, the country's third since 2006.

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India: Sisters Raped And Dumped In Well

Three sisters aged six, nine and 11 were raped and murdered before their bodies were dropped in a village well in rural India, police said.

The children's bodies were found last week, two days after they went missing on February 14 from their home in the Bhandara district of Maharashtra state, police superintendent Aarti Singh said.

"The bodies of the three young girls were found in a well, with their schoolbags and footwear," he told reporters.

"The post-mortem has confirmed that the girls were raped and then murdered."

No arrests have been made but the superintendent said four people had been detained for questioning and investigations were still under way.

Family members said the girls had gone out to look for their mother and no one heard from them again.

India's NDTV broadcaster reported their grandfather as saying they were lured away by strangers who promised them food. 

The girls, who lost their father four years ago, live in abject poverty. 

The incident has led to protests in the village, echoing angry rallies in the capital New Delhi after the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a bus in December.

That incident sparked a nationwide debate about the treatment of women and girls and their safety in India.

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Elephant Campaign Targets China Consumers

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

The power of the internet is being used to transcend language and cultural barriers in an effort to halt a massive spike in the slaughter of elephants in east Africa.

A leading elephant welfare charity has launched a campaign with the help of New York artist Asher Jay aimed at targeting Chinese consumers who are thought to be fuelling the illegal and bloody trade in ivory.

"Last year's unofficial figure was 149 dead of which 139 were illegally killed, and there are many more uncounted." Dr Joyce Poole, the co-founder of ElephantVoices told Sky News in an email from her field research in the Maasai Mara game reserve in Kenya.

"In the last few days I have had word of five dead from one area of the Mara. This could all be stopped if we can get the word out in Asia. Surely people need to understand that tusks have to be hacked out with an axe."

The charity is basing its campaign on two works of art commissioned from artist Asher Jay. The two posters display slogans written in Chinese.

The slogans read 'Every Tusk Costs A Life; Don't Buy Ivory' and 'Every Tusk Costs A Life; Stop The Trade' and the Chinese characters are designed to resemble elephants.

"ElephantVoices is doing something unique by making the graphic art available online in several versions, so they can be shared on social networks and be used for T-shirts, bumper-stickers, posters and banners", executive director Petter Granli said.

Sky News has decided to make a Chinese translation of this article available online in an attempt to broaden awareness of the campaign. The article will be posted on the Chinese version of Twitter - Weibo.

Elephant tusks are used in the ivory trade

With an ever increasing foothold and influence in Africa, China is widely believed to be behind a concerning increase in ivory poaching which is illegal worldwide. The ivory is smuggled by ship and also in commercial flights from east Africa to China and other Asian countries.

There it is manufactured into high-end decorative goods which are increasingly popular with China's growing middle class. ElephantVoices and other charities are concerned that those who buy the ivory have no idea of the impact it is having.

"Tusks are not shed like antlers, they do not drop out and they just cannot be removed from living elephants. To obtain them you must hack them out with an axe." ElephantVoices explained in their campaign.

"The tusks of male elephants are much larger than those of females. Poachers target elephants with the largest tusks, killing the mature, breeding males first. When they are dead and gone, poachers set their sights on younger males."

But it is the legendary intelligence of the elephant which focuses attention on their plight that much more. Experts explain that in many cases, when an elephant is slaughtered, it cries out.

Other elephants then hear that crying and in keeping with their social nature, they follow the noise. They too are then drawn into the poachers trap.

"We are asking people to help us reach out to potential buyers of ivory who don't realise that elephants are dying in record-high numbers for trinkets and decorations. The only way to stop this wanton slaughter of elephants is to choke demand for ivory and stop the trade," Dr Poole said.

An elephant that was killed by poachers

ElephantVoices describes elephant societies at the moment as resembling human communities after a prolonged war: most of the adult males - with their big tusks - have been killed.

"There are no role models for the elephant sons. As the number of adult males available to kill declines, poachers turn to the older females - the leaders of elephant society." ElephantVoices explained.

"They kill the family elders first, taking out the matriarchs, one by one. As the price of ivory increases with rising demand, the poachers slaughter the elephant mothers and daughters, causing the disintegration of entire families.

"An elephant's child, like a human child, cannot survive without the loving care of its mother. Africa's elephant orphans are succumbing in droves to starvation, grief and death."

ElephantVoices says it believes the Chinese government and the people of China have a special responsibility to end the killings. They claim that 90% of the ivory available in China is from slaughtered elephants.

"Chinese buyers deserve to know that tens of thousands of elephants are being killed to supply them with ivory. Every tusk costs a life. China has the ability to raise public awareness and to enforce their strict laws to quickly strangle the trading, buying and poaching," Ms Poole said.

"China can stop her countrymen causing the destruction of Africa's heritage and biodiversity, while concurrently protecting her enormous investments on the African continent. We urge China to take action now to end any trade in ivory - we cannot afford to lose Africa's keystone species." she said.

A Chinese translation of this Sky News article is available and will be posted on the Chinese version of Twitter - Weibo - in an effort to broaden the awareness of the issue.

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Dali Work Stolen And Then Returned By Mail

US authorities have charged a man with stealing a Salvador Dali painting from a Manhattan gallery – only to return it in the mail.

The 29-year-old suspect, Phivos Istavrioglou of Greece, called his own attempt "stupid", according to an account of a confession contained in court papers.

He left fingerprints that helped authorities track him down and was arrested for the theft of the work, called Cartel de Don Juan Tenorio.

Istavrioglou appeared in court on Tuesday.

As soon as he had stolen the work, he "was scared and couldn't believe what a stupid thing he did," the papers say, according to The Associated Press.

Prosecutors say Istavrioglou stole the painting in broad daylight while visiting the Upper East Side gallery in June.

After pulling it off the wall, he stashed it in a shopping bag and flew with it back to Athens, authorities said.

"It was almost surreal how this theft was committed - a thief is accused of putting a valuable Salvador Dali drawing into a shopping bag in the middle of the afternoon, in full view of surveillance cameras," District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said.

News reports say the work is valued at approximately $150,000 (£97,000).

After security video images of the man were widely circulated, Istavrioglou panicked, rolled up the watercolour in a cardboard tube and mailed it back to New York without a return address, prosecutors say.

After he was identified by police, investigator posing as an art gallery owner tricked Istavrioglou into returning to New York by offering him a possible position as a consultant.

Federal agents intercepted Istavrioglou at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday.

He pleaded not guilty to grand larceny during a brief court appearance in Manhattan where a judge set bail at $100,000 (roughly £65,000).

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Oscar Pistorius: Prosecution Outlines Case

Prosecutors have directly challenged two of Oscar Pistorius' key claims about the night he shot and killed his girlfriend.

Investigating officer Hilton Botha says a witness saw lights on after the shooting - despite the Paralympian earlier claiming he was too frightened to switch on the light fearing intruders were inside his home.

A statement on behalf of the 26-year-old athlete - read out in court on Tuesday - also said he was not wearing his prosthetic legs at the time and felt vulnerable.

But Mr Botha said that the trajectory of the shots fired through the bathroom door was downward, suggesting that he was firing from a standing position at a height where he must have a been wearing the limbs.

The court was also told that "non-stop shouting" was heard coming from Pistorius' home before Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead.

A diagram of Oscar Pistorius' bathroom was shown to the court

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said the prosecution team has a witness who heard the shouting between 2am and 3am.

The details were revealed as the second day of the 26-year-old athlete's bail hearing began at Pretoria Magistrates' Court.

In an affidavit, Pistorius has denied murdering the model Miss Steenkamp, 29, at his home in the early hours of Thursday.

He has said the couple were in love and he fired through a closed toilet door within the bathroom, hitting the victim, thinking a burglar or burglars were inside.

Mr Botha described the moment he arrived at the athlete's house in the early hours of the morning and found Miss Steenkamp's body lying on the ground floor at the bottom of the stairs.

Miss Steenkamp's funeral was held in Port Elizabeth

He said she was dressed in white shorts and a black top, and covered in towels.

The officer told the court that he saw a firearm on the shower mat, and one bullet cartridge in the passageway and three in the bathroom.

He said unlicensed .38 calibre ammunition was found at his home, and he wanted the Olympian charged with unlawful possession.

Needles and testosterone were also found in his bedroom, the court heard.

The court heard that he had previously arrested Pistorius for assault after a woman complained the athlete had assaulted her - the case was later dropped.

Later in the day Pistorius' lawyers launched a strong defence of the star, and Sky's Alex Crawford said it had been a good day for the defence.

Earlier the Paralympian arrived at the court in the back of a police car with a blue blanket covering his head. He entered the courtroom wearing a dark suit and tie just after 8am UK time.

The chances of Pistorius being given bail lessened at the first bail hearing on Tuesday after Magistrate Desmond Nair ruled the case a schedule six offence - meaning premeditated murder.

It means his lawyers now have to prove "exceptional circumstances" for him to be granted bail until he goes to trial.

Mr Botha told the court that Pistorius is a "flight risk" and could flee if given bail.

He admitted that he initially had no objections to Pistorius being given bail, but changed his mind after speaking to the forensics team.

He said the athlete has offshore accounts and a house in Italy, and stresses that South Africa does not have extradition agreements with all countries.

Pistorius has said he had been a victim of crime and received death threats, but the court heard there were no records of this.

His father Henke and brother Carl - who have supported him in the two previous hearings - looked on from the public gallery.

The proceedings were delayed as more than 100 journalists squeezed into court to report the hearing.

There were chaotic scenes as one reporter fainted, an overflow room was set up to provide more space and courtroom screens had technical problems.

The hearing was adjourned until Thursday, but one court official has speculated that it could run until Friday.

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Kansas City Fire: Sniffer Dogs Search Scene

Rescue teams with cadaver dogs are searching through the rubble of a Kansas City restaurant after a gas explosion sparked a massive blaze.

At least 14 people were injured in the fire in an upscale shopping district in the city in Missouri, which completely destroyed JJ's restaurant.

No fatalities were immediately reported but at least one woman who worked at the restaurant was still missing.

A man who had previously been unaccounted for has now been found.

Fire Chief Paul Berardi said several patrons were likely inside the restaurant when it went up in flames, and cadaver dogs were brought in to help sift through the charred debris.

"We are concerned that there may be additional people that were not able to get out of the structure," he said, adding that the blaze erupted during happy hour.

"I would always fear there are fatalities in a scene like this."

He said results of the search would take hours.

Utility workers try to repair gas lines near the scene of the blast

The blaze occurred shortly after 6pm local time.

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

City Manager Troy Schulte said it appeared an accident by a utility contractor had caused the blast, and a statement from utility Missouri Gas Energy late Tuesday reiterated that possibility.

Mr Berardi said there had been reports of a strong smell of gas before the fire, but he stressed the cause was still being investigated.

St Luke's Hospital was treating eight people, including one who had suffered extensive burns, officials said.

The University of Kansas Hospital was treating six people injured in the blast, including one in serious condition, according to spokesman Bob Hallinan. They had all suffered traumatic injuries, including broken bones, rather than burns or smoke inhalation.

The shopping area was established in 1922 by J.C. Nichols. Based on the architecture of Seville, Spain, it includes retail shops, restaurants, apartments and offices.

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Oscar Pistorius' Defence Team Grills Top Cop

The police detective investigating the killing of Reeva Steenkamp has admitted there were no signs that she had defended herself against an assault before she died.

Oscar Pistorius' defence lawyer Barry Roux grilled investigating officer Hilton Botha as the South African sports star sought bail.

He also raised doubts over the reliability of a witness who said they heard screaming and saw lights on in Pistorius' house after the shots were fired – in direct contradiction of the star's earlier statement.

Mr Roux pointed out that the apparent witness was hundreds of metres away from the house.

The prosecution, which wants to prove that the runner had deliberately planned to kill Miss Steenkamp, was also forced to admit that Pistorius's claim that he mistook her for an intruder matched the crime scene.

"It sounds consistent," Mr Botha said.

He also admitted that he walked through the crime scene without foot covers, possibly contaminating it.

"You were in the house walking with unprotected shoes," Mr Roux said. "That should not happen."

Oscar Pistorius denies murdering his girlfriend

A prosecution claim that Pistorius sleeps on the right side of the bed was also challenged.

Mr Roux said: "He normally sleeps on the right side of the bed. But he had a shoulder problem so that evening he slept on the left side."

Mr Botha told the court on Wednesday that a police search found testosterone and needles in Pistorius' bedroom, amid speculation that performance-enhancing drugs may have influenced his mental state.

But Mr Roux said the substance was not testosterone but an acceptable supplement: "It's a herbal remedy and he can use it and he has used it before."

Sky's Alex Crawford, reporting from the court, said: "I think very much the family feels this has been a good day for the defence."

Pistorius, the first double amputee to compete against able-bodied athletes in the Olympics, says he shot her by mistake through a locked bathroom door, believing she was a burglar.

The 26-year-old said he kept a firearm under his bed at night because he had been a victim of violence and burglaries before and had received death threats.

But the state prosecutor said the athlete would face an additional charge of possessing unlicenced .38 special calibre ammunition.

Magistrate Desmond Nair said he could not rule out that there was some planning involved in the killing, which may be considered as a premeditated murder, setting a high bar for bail.

The bail hearing was adjourned until Thursday.

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Oscar Pistorius: What Police Found At The Scene

During the second day of Oscar Pistorius' bail hearing, police described what they found in his house after the body of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was discovered at the foot of stairs on the ground floor.

Bedroom

:: Investigating officer Hilton Botha told the court police found two boxes of testosterone, needles and injections in the bedroom.

Defence lawyer Barry Roux said the box contained herbal medication called Testocompasutium co-enzyme, not testosterone.

:: Mr Botha said a gun holster was found on the left side of the bed where Ms Steenkamp's slippers and overnight bag were.

::  Pistorius illegally possessed .38-caliber ammunition in a safe in his bedroom, according to Mr Botha but the defence lawyer said it belonged to the athlete's father.

A diagram of Pistorius' house shown in court

Bathroom

:: Mr Botha said he saw a firearm on the shower mat, one bullet cartridge in the passageway and three in the bathroom.

:: Mr Roux said there was a spent bullet inside the toilet bowl, which Mr Botha had failed to find.

:: An iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 were found on the shower mat, which Mr Botha said had not been used to call the ambulance. However, Mr Roux said Pistorius had called Netcare hospital at 3.20am and the housing complex manager received a call asking for help.

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France's Goodyear Workers 'Too Lazy To Save'

An American tycoon has ruled out the rescue of the Goodyear tyre factory in France because he thinks its workers are "too lazy" to make the business viable.

French minister Arnaud Montebourg had hoped Maurice M Taylor Jr, the president of the American Titan group, would step in to keep the plant in the north of the country going.

But in a letter sent earlier this month to Mr Montebourg, the American said a very emphatic "non".

"I and Titan have a 40-year history of buying closed factories and companies, losing millions of dollars and turning them around to create a good business paying good wages," he wrote.

"Goodyear tried for more than four years to save part of the Amiens jobs that are some of the highest paid around but the French unions and French government did nothing but talk.

Police in Paris are hit with paint at a protest at the closure of Goodyear

"I have visited that factory a couple of times. The French workforce gets paid high wages but works only three hours. They get one hour for breaks and lunch, talk for three and work for three. I told this to the French union workers to their faces. They told me that's the French way!

"You are a politician so you don't want to rock the boat. The Chinese are shipping tyres into France - really all over Europe - and yet you do nothing. The Chinese government subsidises all the tyre companies. In five years, Michelin won't be able to produce tyres in France.

"Sir, your letter states that you want Titan to start a dialogue. How stupid do you think we are? Titan is the one with the money and the talent to produce tyres. What does the crazy union have? It has the French government.

"The French farmer wants cheap tyres. He does not care if the tyres are from China or India and these governments are subsidising them. Your government doesn't care either: "We're French!"

Goodyear announced last month it is to close its main French plant and cut its workforce in the country by almost 40%, as car demand falls and labour disputes increase.

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