Fire Wrecks Yachts On Australia's Gold Coast

A fire has destroyed three 40-foot yachts and badly damaged another at a marina on Australia's Gold Coast.

The fire started at 3am local time on Wednesday outside the luxury Palazzo Versace hotel.

Australian media estimated the cost of the damage at £2.65m (A$5m) and said police were trying to trace the owners.

The wreckage of one of the luxury yachts

Queensland Fire and Rescue spokesman Todd Murray told Australia's ABC News that it had been a difficult operation for the seven crews of firefighters on the scene.

"Limited water supplies, limited access. We were very lucky. We were able to isolate it just as the three boats that were initially on fire," he said.

Local boat owner Ross MacCullum said: "I dragged a couple of luxury boats out of the way otherwise they would have gone up as well."

Palazzo Versace Hotel. Pic: Erik K Veland

As daylight came police and staff at the Mirage Marina were seen trying to pull debris from the water after the fire had been put out.

Police said the cause of the blaze was unknown.

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Vin Diesel Shows Off His Beyonce 'Moves'

A bizarre video of Hollywood star Vin Diesel dancing to Beyonce's Drunk In Love has become an online hit.

The video, titled: "You know I love music ...", was posted on the actor's Facebook page and has since been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.

But Diesel is unlikely to win any awards for his moves and Beyonce certainly has nothing to worry about.

In the seven-minute video, the actor starts off with some rhythm-less dancing to Katy Perry's song Dark Horse before returning to what looks like his kitchen floor for Drunk In Love.

Beyonce and husband Jay-Z performed the raunchy track at the Grammys in Los Angeles on Sunday night.

Vin Diesel (R) with Paul Walker

Introducing his own performance, Diesel says: "Did you guys see the Grammys last night? Like I said, I couldn't go, because I had to work."

Then, while looking into the camera, he begins some cringeworthy actions while singing along and clapping his hands.

The video has been trending on Twitter, with Perry even posting: "YES VIN DIESEL."

Diesel is preparing to finish filming for Fast & Furious 7. Shooting on the film was halted after the death of Diesel's co-star Paul Walker in a car crash in November.

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Texas Skydiver Falls 3,000ft And Survives

A 16-year-old girl from Texas has survived a fall of more than 3,000ft in a skydiving accident in Oklahoma.

Makenzie Wethington is in good condition, despite multiple injuries, including to her liver, pelvis lumbar spine in her lower back, shoulder blade and several ribs, trauma surgeon Jeffrey Bender said.

"I don't know the particulars of the accident, as I wasn't there. But if she truly fell 3,000 feet, I have no idea how she survived," the surgeon from Oklahoma said.

Makenzie is expected to leave the intensive care unit soon, he said.

Makenzie and her father dressed for the flight

The teenager's parents had allowed her to take the jump but father Joe has now said the skydiving company should not have allowed it.

The company involved has defended its decision, saying the father went up with his daughter and was the first to jump.

Robert Swainson, instructor and owner of the company involved, said Makenzie's parachute had opened as it should have done but she began to spiral downward when the chute went up but not out.

Makenzie and Joe Wethington before takeoff

He said skydivers were given instruction during a six-to-seven-hour training session on how to deal with such problems.

The instructor also said Makenzie had a radio hookup in her helmet through which someone gave her instructions.

"It was correctable, but corrective action didn't appear to have been taken," he said.

Makenzie has injured her liver, spine and shoulder

Mr Swainson said he did not jump out to help Makenzie because there was no way he could have reached her.

Also, he explained, another jumper had become scared and refused to make the jump so it was protocol for him to remain with the frightened person because instructors do not know what that person will do.

"The most I could have done is screamed," he said.

Nancy Koreen, director of sport promotion at the US Parachute Association, said its safety requirements allow someone who is 16 to make a dive with parental consent, though some places set the age higher.

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World Cup 2014: Brazil Protesters Hit Streets

By Jason Farrell, Sky News Correspondent, in Rio de Janeiro

Anti-World Cup demonstrators have taken to the streets of Rio de Janeiro and occupied the city's central station.

The protesters jumped barriers at Central do Brasil Station singing "Fifa pay my fare!" and expressed outrage at the mounting public cost of hosting the World Cup.

Police in riot gear lined the streets of Rio de Janeiro

Riot police armed with tear gas guns and batons looked on as demonstrators invited commuters to "jump the turnstiles" and board trains without paying.

They encouraged them, chanting: "The state will pay your fare".  In the chaos, several appeared to take up the offer.

An activist called Rosimete told Sky News, "We don't like Fifa because the World Cup is costing the people so much money, and all this expense is just for the tourists. There is no benefit to Brazil."

Around 200 turned up to protest - a small crowd compared to the hundreds of thousands who took to the streets during the Confederation Cup.

But the movement is starting to reinvigorate and is expected to grow as the Cup draws closer.

They also chanted "There will be no World Cup."

Protesters jumped the barriers at Rio's main railway station

The slogan has become a Brazilian social media hashtag which has caused authorities to respond with the rival hashtag: "There will be a World Cup."

Campaigner Thomas Ramos told Sky News that the Rio Carnival would be the city's dress rehearsal for World Cup protests, with floats created to mock state spending.

"There's dissolution with the World Cup. We love football but we don't like the economic and social consequences of the Cup.

"So artists are getting together to organise something called 'Occupy Carnival'. We're not going to disrupt the Carnival but we will use it to creatively express our feelings."

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New Zealand Could Drop Union Jack From Flag

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

The Union Jack could disappear from New Zealand's flag after the country's prime minister mooted the possibility of a referendum on changing its design.

Prime minister John Key told reporters a black flag with a silver fern might be more appropriate.

"The silver fern is something that applies to our greatest sporting teams and so many other things we do," he said.

"It has international recognition and sometimes our flag gets confused with Australia's."

A referendum on changing the flag could be held at the same time as this year's general election, but Mr Key says it is not a priority.

"It's something that may be worthy of consideration, we would have to discuss it with senior ministers to decide whether it's an issue we want to progress," he said.

"It's not on my agenda now, it's not a number one issue, but it's certainly a decision we have to make as to whether or not to progress it."

New Zealand's flag is the British Blue Ensign with the Union Jack in the top-left corner, along with the four stars of the Southern Cross.

New Zealand's PM said sport meant the silver fern was recognised worldwide

Mr Key thinks a referendum should present a simple choice of two alternatives, otherwise it would be confusing.

While many are open to the idea, the proposal has been criticised by some as being inappropriate and insensitive, especially to those who fought and died under the flag.

Traditionalists argue it is right to maintain a symbol of the historically-strong relationship with the UK.

John Banks, leader of New Zealand's Act party said: "No. Men fought under that flag and sacrificed their lives in many war campaigns.

"I'm a bit old-fashioned, I don't want the name of the country changed, or the flag, or God Save the Queen."

Winston Peters, leader of the New Zealand First party, said it should be sorted out and that a "long conversation" with New Zealanders would be needed.

"I don't think we could do it in eight months," he said.

"The debate should last at least two-and-a-half years and then put to a referendum."

The New Zealand flag debate has come up numerous times in recent years.

In July 2013, a poll by TV3's The Vote programme found 39% of respondents would keep the flag while 61% would change it.

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Battir Threatened By Israeli Separation Wall

By Tom Rayner, Middle East News Editor, Jerusalem

The future of a potential world heritage site hangs in the balance ahead of a court judgement on an extension of Israel's controversial separation wall.

A plan to extend the path of the barrier through the ancient West Bank village of Battir has been appealed at the Israeli Supreme Court for Justice.

A ruling is expected on Wednesday morning.

Battir, which straddles a valley in the Bethlehem hills, just miles from Jerusalem, is famed for its unique terraced hills which have been built by hand over millennia.

A Palestinian farmer irrigates her land in the West Bank village of Battir

The fertile lands of the Palestinian village are filled with vegetables, fruit crops and olive groves, all fed by natural spring water which flows through Roman irrigation systems, built more than 2,000 years ago.

However, plans put forward by Israel's Defence Ministry to extend the separation barrier - which in some areas nearby is an eight metre concrete wall - would divide the village off from around 35% of its ancestral land.

The area under threat lies on the opposite side of the valley, across the 1949 armistice line which separates Israel from the West Bank, known as the "green line".

Residents of Battir were guaranteed continued access to the land by the Israeli state after the 1948 war, in return for a pledge that the railway which runs along the line would not be vandalised.

The creation of the wall along the proposed course would end that agreement, and cut the land off both from the water that irrigates it, and the residents of Battir who tend to it.

Israel claims the wall is necessary for security, and says it has prevented suicide attacks in the country.

But many in the international community, as well as the Palestinians, see it as a means of appropriating land beyond Israel's pre-1967 borders.

Battir is famed for its unique terraced hills built by hand over millenia

Akram Badir, the head of Battir Village Council, said claims the routing of the wall through Battir was necessary for security were misplaced.

"This village is living in peace. Destroying this site and taking off nearly 40% of the land of Battir means destroying the peace situation as well as the landscape," he said.

Over the last few years, new Israeli settlements, deemed illegal under international law, have been constructed on hills overlooking the village.

The construction of the separation barrier is also coming closer.

It is already at the gates of the nearby village of Walaja, which has led to a gathering of momentum in the battle to protect Battir.

But there has been some annoyance among residents of the village that more has not been done by the Palestinian Authority to assist them in their bid to protect the land.

As a member of Unesco, the Palestinian Authority has the ability to make an emergency application to the UN body to grant Battir world heritage site status.

The barrier would cut the land off from the water that irrigates it

Given that Battir has already been awarded a prize by Unesco identifying it as a place of unique importance, there is thought to be a good chance such an application would be swift and successful.

World heritage site status would almost certainly rule out the possibility of Israel's barrier being routed through the village's land.

Yet those involved in the lobbying effort to the Palestinian Authority say the application process has been held back for fear of disrupting peace negotiations with Israel.

In the meantime, the village has won support from an unlikely quarter - the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority.

The body has backed the appeal against the Defence Ministry's planned routing of the barrier - the first time one arm of the Israeli state has publicly opposed another on this matter.

At earlier court hearings Israel's Defence Ministry insisted residents of Battir would still be able to access the land through special security gates, but Gidon Bromberg, an Israeli spokesman for Friends of the Earth Middle East, said such a plan risked the cultural and environmental importance of the land.

He said: "This site is so unique that we must protect it, not just for Israelis and Palestinians, but for humankind as a whole. We can meet the legitimate security concerns by alternative means."

Construction of Israel's separation barrier, which Palestinians call the "apartheid wall", began in 2002 in the midst of a wave of suicide bombings inside Israel during the Palestinian uprising known as the Second Intifada.

As of July 2012 Israel had completed construction of 62% of the planned 439-miles of separation barrier, and 85% of the route is beyond the "green line" inside the West Bank.

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State Of Union: Obama Vows To Bypass Gridlock

President Barack Obama has vowed to bypass a divided Congress and take action to boost the US economy after a troubled year in office.

Facing strong Republican opposition and low approval ratings after the worst year of his presidency, Mr Obama unveiled actions that do not need congressional approval to bypass partisan gridlock that has held back his presidency.

They include raising the hourly minimum wage for new federal contracts to $10.10, helping the long-term unemployed find work and expanding job training programmes.

He said: "Inequality has deepened. Upward mobility has stalled.

Michelle Obama stands with Sergeant First Class Cory Remsburg

"The cold, hard fact is that even in the midst of recovery, too many Americans are working more than ever just to get by - let alone get ahead.

"And too many still aren't working at all."

He was greeted with warm applause as he arrived to give the address to a joint session of Congress.

Speaking on partisan politics that have stalled action, including his flagship Affordable Care Act, he said: "We are not doing right by the American people.

"After five years of grit and determined effort, the US is better positioned for the 21st century than any other nation on Earth.

"Let's make this a year of action. That's what most Americans want - for all of us in this chamber to focus on their lives, their hopes, their aspirations."

Mr Obama also singled out the gender pay gap and said bridging the difference between women's and men's salaries would help the US succeed.

He said: "A woman deserves equal pay for equal work. She deserves to have a baby without sacrificing her job.

"A mother deserves a day off to care for a sick child or sick parent without running into hardship - and you know what, a father does, too.

"It's time to do away with workplace policies that belong in a 'Mad Men' episode. Because I firmly believe when women succeed, America succeeds."

He promised to improve US education, by connecting 15,000 schools and 20 million students with high-speed broadband in the next two years.

The initiative will be supported by charitable partnerships with companies including Apple, Microsoft, Sprint and Verizon.

Mr Obama proposed new incentives for vehicles which run on natural gas and alternative fuels, as well as expansion of the earned-income tax credit, which helps boost the wages of low-income families through tax refunds.

He also called on Republicans to stop attempts to stall his health reform.

And he warned Congress he would veto new economic sanctions against Iran as negotiations to limit its nuclear programme continue. An estimated $7bn in international sanctions have been lifted against Iran in exchange for it slowing the programme.

He also vowed to support democracy in Ukraine, warned al Qaeda's threat had evolved and yet again urged Congress to let him close the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In a televised response, Republican Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers criticised Mr Obama's healthcare and called for lesser government involvement.

She said: "I'd like to share a more hopeful, Republican vision.

"It's one that champions free markets and trusts people to make their own decisions, not a government that decides for you."

A poll this month found 45% of those surveyed approved of Mr Obama, compared to 53% against.

Republicans have blocked many of Mr Obama's initiatives, including on gun control and climate change, and this year's mid-term elections make it unlikely they will rally behind his proposals.

In the autumn, federal government in the US shut down for 16 days and brought the country to the brink of default as Republicans refused to sign through budget proposals.

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Syrian Refugees To Be Taken In By Britain

By Darren McCaffrey, Political Reporter

Britain is to take in some of the most vulnerable refugees from the Syrian civil war, the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has announced.

In a deal struck within Government, refuge will be provided for some of those most traumatised by the crisis, such as vulnerable women or children.

No figure is being put on the number of displaced people the UK will take, as the Government has ruled out quotas, but hundreds are expected to arrive over the coming year.

Mr Clegg said Britain would "reach out" to the most vulnerable refugees

The United Nations sanctuary scheme aims to resettle up to 30,000 vulnerable Syrians in Western nations, but Mr Clegg said the UN High Commission for Refugees backs the Government's plans.

Home Secretary Theresa May formally confirmed the plans in a statement to the House of Commons on Wednesday, ahead of a debate called by Labour, which wants Britain to join the UNHCR scheme.

Mrs May stressed that there would be no quota for the number of refugees to be admitted and that it would operate in parallel to the refugee relocation programme run by the UNHCR.

"We are determined to ensure that our assistance is targeted where it can have most impact on the refugees at greatest risk," she said.

"Some of the worst abuses in the Syrian conflict involve the use of sexual violence, including in regime detention centres

"We will be providing emergency sanctuary to people who are most at risk, including victims of torture and violence."

Mr Clegg said: "The coalition Government wants to play our part in helping to alleviate the immense suffering in Syria.

"The £600m we have provided makes us the second largest bilateral donor of humanitarian aid in the world.

The Syrian civil war has been raging for three years

"But as the conflict continues to force millions of Syrians from their homes, we need to make sure we are doing everything we can.

"Sadly we cannot provide safety for everyone who needs it, but we can reach out to some of those who need it most."

The Prime Minister had resisted signing Britain up to the UN sanctuary programme, arguing it is not the solution to a crisis which has seen millions of Syrians flee their homes in a three-year civil war.

However, after coming under pressure from Labour and Liberal Democrats, he told MPs at Prime Minister's Questions last week he was ready to consider taking in refugees in cases of extreme hardship.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper welcomed the news but told Sky News: "In addition, ministers need to confirm that these will be additional places and will not be at the expense of help for other refugees.

Many Syrians are now living in makeshift camps in neighbouring countries

"It would (also) be helpful for the Home Secretary to explain why ministers resisted for so long and to look urgently at removing refugees from the Government's net migration target.

"Immigration policy is very different from Britain's long tradition of providing sanctuary for those fleeing persecution and the two things should not be confused.

"The dreadful conflict in Syria has caused a humanitarian crisis. As well as helping all those we can in the region, it is right that we also do our bit to provide the most desperate refugees with a place of safety."

No target will be set for the numbers of refugees to be admitted, with the UK instead working with the UNHCR on a case-by-case basis to identify those most in need of assistance.

Refugees are expected to arrive on a gradual basis over the coming months.

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Pope Francis Is 'SuperFran' In Rome Graffiti

Graffiti art depicting Pope Francis as SuperFran - or Superpope - has appeared on a building near the Vatican.

The street mural depicts the Pope with his right fist clenched in the air, while his left hand carries a briefcase bearing the word 'valores', Spanish for values.

Spilling from the case is a blue and red scarf – the colours of his boyhood football club, San Lorenzo in Argentina.

Street artist Maupal poses with his work

The Vatican clearly approves of the image as its communications office tweeted it with the caption: We share with you a graffiti found in a Roman street near the Vatican.

The painting, by pop artist Maupal, comes as Francis this week became the first ever Pope to grace the cover of Rolling Stone magazine alongside the caption 'Pope Francis: The Times They Are A-Changin'.

The mural comes in the same week as the Pope graces Rolling Stone's cover

The current Pope was elected to lead the Catholic church in March 2013, succeeding the Pope Benedict.

While Superman fought a never-ending battle for truth and justice, Pope Francis has vowed to eliminate corruption in the Vatican and bring the 1.2 billion-member Catholic Church closer to the poor.

He has charmed the masses with his simple messages and was named Person of the Year by Time magazine for 2013.       

However, the 77-year-old earned the wrath of animal activists this week by releasing doves from a Vatican window.

Italy's National Animal Protection Agency declared in an open letter that because doves are bred in captivity, the Pope's act of releasing them was 'condemning them to certain death'.

The graffiti shows Pope Francis in his white papal cloak The 'Superpope' image was tweeted by the Vatican

The letter pleaded: "Do not use animals and their lives anymore, for these already outdated traditions.

"Animals born in captivity, not being wild animals, aren't able to recognise predators as such and are thus incapable of fleeing from possible dangerous situations."

Before releasing the doves from his window, Pope Francis had appealed for peace in Ukraine after several killings during clashes.

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Congressman Threatens To Break Reporter In Half

A US congressman has threatened to throw a reporter off a balcony and "break him in half" after an interview while the camera was still rolling.

Representative Michael Grimm was asked by New York 1's Michael Scotto about his thoughts on President Obama's State of the Union address.

The Republican then took great exception to being questioned about allegations surrounding his campaign finances.

Mr Scotto said: "And just finally before we let you go, since we have you here: We haven't had a chance to kind of talk about some of the..."

"I'm not speaking about anything that's off-topic," Mr Grimm interrupted.

"This is only about the president's speech tonight. Thank you."

He then walks away, and Mr Scotto says: "So Congressman Michael Grimm does not want to talk about some of the allegations concerning his campaign finances.

"We wanted to get him on camera on that but he, as you saw, refused to talk about that. Back to you."

New York 1 reporter Michael Scotto

With the camera still rolling, Mr Scotto suddenly looks to his left and Mr Grimm, again on-camera, but off-mic, can be heard speaking to Mr Scotto in a low voice.

Mr Grimm said: "Let me be clear to you, you ever do that to me again I'll throw you off this f*****g balcony."

"Why?" Scotto said. "I just wanted to ask you..."

Mr Grimm is heard again saying, "If you ever do that to me again..."

"Why? Why?" Scotto asks. "It's a valid question."

As the argument continues, Mr Grimm says: "No, no, you're not man enough, you're not man enough. I'll break you in half. Like a boy." Mr Grimm then walked away.

Cable news station NY1 said Mr Grimm released a statement following the incident saying: "I was extremely annoyed because I was doing NY1 a favour by rushing to do their interview first in lieu of several other requests.

"The reporter knew that I was in a hurry and was only there to comment on the State of the Union, but insisted on taking a disrespectful and cheap shot at the end of the interview, because I did not have time to speak off-topic.

"I verbally took the reporter to task and told him off, because I expect a certain level of professionalism and respect, especially when I go out of my way to do that reporter a favour.

"I doubt that I am the first member of congress to tell off a reporter, and I am sure I won't be the last."

NY1 political director Bob Hardt also released a statement, saying: "It is extremely disturbing when anyone threatens one of our reporters - let alone a US congressman.

"The NY1 family is certainly alarmed and disappointed by the behaviour of Representative Grimm and demands a full apology from him. This behaviour is unacceptable."

According to NY1: "The FBI earlier this month charged 47-year-old Diana Durand with using straw donors to exceed the maximum allowable contribution to Grimm's campaign committee.

"After contributing $4,800, the maximum amount allowed under federal law, Durand allegedly offered to reimburse four friends if they contributed to the campaign. Grimm is not charged with any wrongdoing in connection with the probe."

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