Right-To-Life Family Wins Jahi Court Order

A family in California have won an 11th-hour court order to keep a brain-dead girl on life support until at least January 7.

A judge ordered that 13-year-old Jahi McMath should be kept alive beyond a prior court-appointed deadline, which was set for 5pm local time Monday (1am UK time).

Jahi's family want to move her to a New York facility (Pic: KPIX/CBS)

The new order was issued by Judge Evelio Grillo in the Alameda County Superior Court.

Jahi suffered complications after she underwent a tonsillectomy at the Children's Hospital of Oakland on December 9.

She began to bleed heavily when she awoke from the operation, and eventually went into cardiac arrest.

Both the hospital and an independent paediatric neurologist from Stanford University have concluded the girl is brain dead.

But Jahi's family are hoping to keep her alive and move her to a facility in New York.

Speaking after the latest court order, Jahi's mother Latasha Nailah Winkfield said: "I need some more time to get her out of here, so I'm really, really happy about this. 

"I believe my daughter is alive. I don't care what they say."

After two California care homes withdrew offers to accept her, Jahi's family view the New York option as their "last, last hope", according to the family's lawyer, Chris Dolan.

The hospital says it would need to confirm there is "lawful transportation" included in any plan to transfer Jahi, and written permission from the coroner.

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Video Of North Dakota Train Crash Fireball

A huge explosion sparked by an oil train crash in North Dakota has been caught on camera, as hundreds of residents were urged to leave the area.

No injuries have been reported

There were fears of smoke overwhelming the town of Casselton after a number of carriages derailed, starting a series of blazes and sending an enormous fireball high into the sky.

Several explosions were reported and people said the blasts rattled the windows of properties in the area, including the town's City Hall.

Cass County sheriff's office said it was advising people in the town - which has 2,400 residents - to evacuate because of concerns about smoke being blown over their homes.

A shelter was set up in Fargo, about 25 miles (40km) away.

Investigators say they are still trying to work out what caused several of the carriages from the mile-long train to leave the tracks on Monday afternoon.

They said it appears to be the result of the train colliding with a grain carriage.

There were no reports of injuries as firefighters brought the scene under control on Monday evening.

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Schumacher Showing 'Slight Improvement'

Michael Schumacher has shown "slight improvement" after a surgical procedure but is not out of danger, doctors treating him have said.

The  intervention to remove the largest of a series of blood clots in the racing driver's brain took around two hours, and the coming hours are 'critical' according to medical staff in Grenoble, France.

Schumacher continues to be kept in an artificial coma after he suffered a severe head injury while skiing off-piste in the resort of Meribel on Sunday.

He was reportedly travelling at speeds of up to 60mph when the accident happened, and is thought to have been saved by his skiing helmet, which split on impact.

Rescuers were on hand within minutes and he was initially conscious after the fall before deteriorating into a critical condition.

Doctors have refused to give a prognosis for the 44-year-old Formula One champion.

Schumacher's family are being kept fully informed about his treatment.

Following the surgery, a new scan on Tuesday morning showed "a slight improvement" said the hospital's director general Jacqueline Hubert.

But Professor Emmanuel Gay, one of the specialists treating Schumacher, told a news conference: "The dangers are still there. We cannot say that we have won because there are still some highs and some lows, but it's better than yesterday.

"He is still in a very critical condition, this has not changed. And we still cannot tell how he will be, which state he will be in when he does wake up.

"We cannot speculate on the future because once again it would be too early to do so."

The seven-times F1 champion was admitted to hospital suffering from intracranial haematoma - blood clots - bruising and swelling of the brain.

Professor Gay warned: "There are still many haematomas in the brain, with little bits everywhere.

"That is what makes the situation critical and it needs to be looked at hour by hour, day by day.

"The situation can still evolve, but we won't be able to evacuate the other haematomas at the moment because they are not accessible. They are not as big as the one we removed yesterday."

Schumacher has received an outpouring of support from the racing world, with former and current stars urging him to pull through.

German chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "extremely shocked along with millions of Germans" to learn of the accident.

Schumacher retired from F1 for the final time in 2012 after a three-season comeback with Mercedes.

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Michael Schumacher: Hospital Press Conference As It Happened

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Volgograd: At Least 14 Dead In Bus Bombing

At least 14 people have reportedly died in an explosion on an electric bus in the Russian city of Volgograd in the second deadly attack in the city in as many days.

Investigators have described the blast, during the morning rush-hour on a trolleybus, as "an act of terror".

Russian investigators said the bus explosion was caused by a male suicide bomber.

A statement from the Federal Investigative Committee said: "It is now possible to preliminarily say that the explosive device was set off by a suicide bomber - a man whose body fragments have been collected and sent for genetic testing."

The death toll could rise further

It comes just a day after a female suicide bomber was blamed for killing 17 people and leaving dozens more injured at the city's main railway station.

Police identified that bomber as a Dagestan national called Oksana Aslanova - who had been married to two Islamists killed by Russian forces.

She apparently detonated a bomb in front of a metal detector inside the main entrance of the station. Russian television is suggesting there may have been two attackers.

That attack was the deadliest in Russia since January 2011, when a male suicide bomber from the North Caucasus killed 37 people in the arrivals hall of a busy Moscow airport.

Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for Russia's main investigative agency, said the latest explosion involved a bomb similar to the one used to target Volgograd railway station. The bomb contained 4kg of TNT equivalent explosive.

He said: "That confirms the investigators' version that the two terror attacks were linked. They could have been prepared in one place."

Security has been stepped up after the station blast

President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russia's counter-terrorism agency to step up security in Volgograd and nationwide in the wake of the two attacks, the Kremlin announced.

The explosions have put the city on edge and highlighted the terrorist threat that Russia is facing as it prepares to host the Winter Olympics in February.

Volgograd is about 400 miles northeast of Sochi, where the Games are to be held.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for either of the attacks.

In July, Doku Umarov, leader of an ongoing insurgency in the nearby North Caucasus region, urged militants to use "maximum force" to disrupt the Winter Olympics, a project close to Mr Putin's heart.

Russian authorities have pledged to make the event the "safest ever".

Sky's Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall said: "It's 39 or 40 days until the Winter Olympics open, this is the opportunity for the Islamic separatists in the Caucasus region to really put themselves on the world map.

"The more this sort of thing happens, if it is indeed them, the more that cause is going to get on the front pages around the world, spoil Putin's Olympics and, more seriously, the more lives it will take."

Known in Soviet times as Stalingrad, and previously as Tsaritsyn, Volgograd is a major industrial centre with a population of more than a million people.

The North Caucasus is the region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, bordered by Georgia and Azerbaijan to the south.

It includes the predominantly Muslim Krasnodar Kai, Stavropol Krai, Adygea, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan.

Insurgents have carried out attacks on Russian military and civilians following two wars against Chechnya in 1994-1996 and from 1999 to 2009.

The violence has spread into neighbouring republics and even Moscow as insurgents attempt to establish an Islamic state in the region.

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Schumacher Fighting For His Life, Say Doctors

Former motor racing world champion Michael Schumacher is in a coma following a skiing accident in France - and doctors say they "cannot predict his future".

The 44-year-old German is fighting for his life at a hospital in Grenoble and surgeons are working "hour by hour" to save him.

Michael Schumacher was skiing with his son at the time of the accident

At a press conference this morning, in Grenoble, doctors said he had suffered many lesions to his brain and his prognosis was unclear.

Surgeons operated to remove a blood clot in his brain and are now trying to reduce "dangerous swelling", meaning his condition could go either way. 

The hospital revealed that Schumacher was being kept in a state of hyperthermia by controlling his temperature to keep it at 34C-35C (93.2F-95F).

He is under general anaesthetic in an induced coma.

"He's in a critical situation - this is considered to be extremely serious," Chief Anaesthetist Jean-Francois Payen told journalists.

The doctor said that Schumacher's family were at his bedside and friends had flown in to the hospital to lend their support.

"We are working day and night at his bedside," Dr Payen said. "It is too early to say anything as far as prognosis is concerned," he added.

The F1 racer was taken to hospital by helicopter

Neurosurgeon Stephan Chabardes said an emergency brain scan had revealed internal bleeding, and injuries including contusions and lesions.

"On his arrival we examined him clinically and we realised he was in a serious condition, in a coma, with in fact cranial pressure," Dr Chabardes said.

"The brain scan showed a number of pieces of information, some intercranial haematoma but also some cerebral contusions and oedema.

"We operated urgently to try to eliminate the haematoma. After the operation we saw that we had been able to eliminate these haematoma but also sadly the appearance of various bilateral lesions.

Doctors could not give a prognosis at a press conference in Grenoble

"So therefore he was taken to intensive care to try to help.

"I am very worried just like his family, we are very worried about his condition. The doctors won't tell you more because they can't tell you more, they are working hour by hour." 

Schumacher was wearing a helmet when he hit his head on a rock while skiing in the French Alps resort of Meribel with his 14-year-old son.

"Someone who had suffered this accident without a helmet would not have made it this far," Dr Payen said

The motor-racing champion was conscious when first responders arrived on the scene, although agitated and in shock, according to a resort spokesman.

He was first airlifted to a local hospital and then later brought to Grenoble for more intensive treatment, when his condition deteriorated.

The German Formula One legend skiing in Italy in 2006

The French Mountain Gendarmerie had earlier said Schumacher's life was not in danger.

A leading neurosurgery specialist in London has described Michael Schumacher's condition as "very dangerous".

Christopher Chandler, of the London Neurosurgery Partnership, warned that his injuries may take several days to "reach their peak".

He said the haematoma and bruising could cause "ferocious swelling".

The accident occurred in the resort of Meribel in France

"An intra-cranial haematoma is a blood clot, which causes swelling and pressure on the brain," he said.

"The scenario may be that he had a blood clot in his brain that required immediate removal, which would explain the surgery."

Former Ferrari team boss Jean Todt and Professor Gerard Saillant, a brain and spine injury expert, are at the Grenoble University Hospital Centre.

Schumacher made a comeback to Formula One for Mercedes in 2010

Professor Saillant co-ordinated Schumacher's medical care after the driver broke his leg in the 1999 British Grand Prix.

Schumacher, a seven-time world champion, first retired from Formula One in 2006.

He has been hurt seriously once before, in a motorcycling accident in February 2009 when he suffered neck and spine injuries.

Schumacher recovered sufficiently from those injuries to make a comeback to Formula One in 2010.

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Forty Killed As Army Storms DRC Buildings

Government troops from the Democratic Republic of the Congo regain the state TV building and international airport from gunmen.

The buildings, along with the army headquarters, in the capital Kinshasha were attacked in an apparent attempt to seize power by supporters of religious leader Paul Joseph Mukungubila.

Government spokesman Lambert Mende said 40 of the gunmen had been killed by security forces, adding: "We have total control of the situation."

More follows...

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YouTube Videos Add To Missing Doctor Mystery

YouTube videos of a doctor who disappeared three weeks ago talking to an unidentified love interest are being examined by investigators searching for her.

Teleka Patrick, who was serving her residency in Michigan, was last seen on December 5.

After completing a shift, the 30-year-old tried unsuccessfully to rent a hotel room in Kalamazoo before being dropped off by the hotel shuttle driver in the car park of the medical centre where she worked, according to the FBI.

"The shuttle driver said she seemed nervous, even ducking down between vehicles, as if she was afraid of being seen by someone," Carl Clatterbuck, a private investigator hired by the family, said.

"I would say she was agitated, but if she was worried about something or someone, she never told anyone about it."

Later that night, Dr Patrick's car was found about 100 miles away, abandoned in a ditch in Indiana with a possible flat tyre, the FBI said.

Her belongings were in the car, including clothing, a wallet that contained her driver's licence, credit cards, and a small amount of cash.

The YouTube videos, which show Dr Patrick singing and speaking to the unidentified love interest, were uploaded in early November.

In one of them she addresses someone as "baby" and "love" while in the other she shows two plates of breakfast.

But her parents said their emergence created more confusion about the situation. 

"We are aware of the YouTube videos that have surfaced today. However, their relevance to her disappearance remains a mystery," they said.

"These videos have led to more questions than answers. To our knowledge, Teleka was not in a romantic relationship and it is unclear to whom she is making reference in the videos."

Dr Patrick has bought an airline ticket to Florida to visit her parents for Christmas and was supposed to join them on December 23.

Her disappearance is being investigated by police in two states as well as the FBI.

A Facebook page has been created in an attempt to help track her down.

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Israel Fires Shells In Response To Rockets

Israel has fired 20 artillery shells into Lebanon in response to two rockets that were launched in the opposite direction.

The Lebanese rockets landed in a field near the town of Kiryat Shmona, the Israeli military said in a statement, causing no injuries or damage.

Israel responded with artillery fire, with witnesses in southern Lebanon reporting more than 20 shells hitting two towns.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

An Israeli military spokesman said: "The Israeli artillery responded to rocket attacks from Lebanon against Israel that left no victims, targeting the area where these projectiles were fired from."

The border between the two countries has been relatively quiet since a war between Israel and Lebanon's Hizbollah militant group in 2006.

A Lebanese soldier examines the remains of an Israeli artillery shell

However, tensions rose this month when an Israeli soldier was shot dead by Lebanese troops while driving near the border on December 16.

Last week, Hizbollah blamed Israel for the assassination of one of its commanders in Beirut, an accusation Israel has denied.

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Female Suicide Bomber Blamed For Russia Blast

A female suicide bomber has been blamed for an explosion at a railway station in Russia which is thought to have left at least 13 people dead.

The blast, at a station in the southern city of Volgograd, is thought to have left another 40 people wounded.

A National Anti-Terror Committee official was quoted as saying that a female suicide bomber was responsible.

She apparently detonated a bomb in front of a metal detector inside the main entrance of the station.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered law enforcement agencies to take "all necessary measures".

Federal police spokesman Vladimir Kolesnikov said security would be stepped up at train stations and airports.

Regional interior ministry spokeswoman Svetlana Smolyaninova told the ITAR-TASS news agency that the explosion took place inside the train station at around 12.45pm local time (8.45am UK time).

Firefighters at the scene

One witness, who gave his name as Vladimir, told a Russian TV station: "I heard the blast and ran toward it.

"I saw melted, twisted bits of metal, broken glass and bodies lying on the street."

Train station store attendant Valentina Petrichenko said: "It was a very powerful blast.

"Some people started running and others were thrown back by the wave of the blast. It was very scary."

The attack comes just weeks before the start of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, a town 430 miles southwest of Volgograd.

Sky News Moscow producer Yulia Bragina said: "It's very concerning with two months to go to the Sochi Olympics.

Police have promised extra security

"The Russian security services are working 24/7 to make the Games safe for the sportsmen and people who want to visit the Olympics in Russia.

"There will be a big investigation into what has happened."

A female suicide bomber killed seven people in Volgograd in October, one of the deadliest such attacks outside the troubled North Caucasus region in more than two years.

Known as Stalingrad in Soviet times and previously as Tsaritsyn, Volgograd is an important industrial centre with a population of over a million.

On Friday, a car bomb killed three people in the southern city of Pyatigorsk, 170 miles east of Sochi.

In July, Doku Umarov, one of the leaders of an ongoing insurgency in the North Caucasus, an area close to Sochi, urged militants to use "maximum force" to disrupt the Winter Olympics, a project close to Mr Putin's heart.

Organisers have pledged to make Sochi the "safest Olympics in history".

Female suicide bombers in Russia are often known as "black widows" who aim to avenge the deaths of their militant husbands.

So-called "black widows" were responsible for explosions at two Moscow metro stations in March 2010 which left more than 35 people dead.

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India Gang Rape Victim Was Attacked Twice

A young woman was kidnapped and raped by two gangs in India - a year after a fatal rape shook the nation.

Police have arrested 10 people and charged six of them with raping the 21-year-old victim in southern India.

Officer Monika Bharadwaj said the woman was abducted and raped while visiting a friend in Karaikal, a port city in Pondicherry state.

Ms Bhardwaj said that the woman had been hospitalised but that she did not suffer serious injuries.

Police have also detained a juvenile male for not informing the police about the crime.

There were protests after the gang rape of a student on a bus last year

Police said the woman was first kidnapped by three of the accused around midnight on Tuesday and released after nearly three hours of captivity.

As she called her friend to pick her up after she was freed, another group of seven people came in a vehicle and took her away, Ms Bhardwaj said.

Police were questioning the accused to find out whether they knew each other or belonged to two separate groups.

The assault came days after India marked the anniversary of the fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus in New Delhi.

That rape and murder sparked nationwide protests.

The outrage spurred the government to adopt more stringent laws that doubled prison terms for rape to 20 years.

Fast-track courts have been created for rape cases.

Four attackers in the New Delhi case were sentenced to death and a juvenile was sent to a reform centre for three years.

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