Lostprophets Singer In Court On Abuse Charges

Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has appeared in court to face allegations of plotting to rape a baby.

The 35-year-old, whose band has sold more than 3.5m records worldwide, was arrested with two women earlier this month.

As well as being charged with conspiring to rape a child under the age of 13, Watkins faces five other sex abuse charges.

They include conspiring to engage in sexual activity with two young children as well as making, downloading and distributing child pornography and accessing "extreme pornography" relating to animals.

During a previous hearing at Cardiff Magistrates Court, Watkins' legal team said the Last Summer singer would be denying the charges against him.

He was remanded in custody over the Christmas period with two other women – who face similar child sex charges.

The pair, aged 20 and 24 from Doncaster and Bedford respectively, cannot be named for legal reasons.

Watkins and his co-defendants appeared in Cardiff Crown Court via video-link.

All three only spoke to confirm their names at the preliminary hearing, a formality in the legal process, which lasted less than 10 minutes.

Among those looking on from the public gallery was his mother Elaine.

Watkins was refused bail and remanded in custody with a plea and case management hearing scheduled at Cardiff Crown Court for March 11.

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Kim Kardashian Pregnant! Kanye's Big News

Reality television star Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West are expecting their first child, it has been revealed.

The performer announced the news that his girlfriend is pregnant at his concert on Sunday night.

He told the crowd of more than 5,000 fans at the Ovation Hall at the Revel Resort in Atlantic City by singing: "Now you having my baby."

West also told concertgoers to congratulate his "baby momma" and that this was the "most amazing thing".

Kardashian's family have also been talking on Twitter about the news.

Her sister Kourtney Kardashian tweeted: "Been wanting to shout from the rooftops with joy and now I can! Another angel to welcome to our family. Overwhelmed with excitement!"

While her other sister Khloe wrote: "I'm excited for Kanye and my sister! There's nothing like bringing life into this world! Let's keep Gods blessings coming!"

Messages of congratulations also came from Kardashian's younger sisters Kendall and Kyle Jenner, who tweeted: "Whos excited about the KIMYE babbyyy?!", and "Congrats to this beautiful couple. I love you guys."

Her mother Kris Jenner also tweeted, writing: "Oh BABY BABY BABY!!"

Kim and her family star in the television reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, as well as a number of spin off series.

Representatives for the couple have not yet issued a statement about the pregnancy.

The rapper and reality TV star went public with their relationship in March.

Kardashian married NBA player Kris Humphries in August 2011, but separated just two months after their lavish wedding.

It was aired on US television channel E! as a two-part special with magazines paying for exclusive pictures.

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Novak Djokovic: Star Hurt Signing Autographs

The world's top tennis player Novak Djokovic suffered a bizarre injury scare as he was signing autographs for fans at a tournament in Australia.

The star hurt his leg after a board surrounding the court collapsed as a group of supporters, including children, pushed towards him.

The Serbian left his racquets and bag on the court and limped along the players' tunnel to get a medical assessment in the locker room.

Djokovic was unable to complete a television interview he had agreed to after his victory over Italian Andreas Seppi in the Hopman Cup.

However he later recovered to take part in a doubles match which was won by Italy 7-6, 6-4.

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Hillary Clinton In Hospital With Blood Clot

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been admitted to hospital after the discovery of a blood clot stemming from an accident earlier this month.

Mrs Clinton, 65, initially fell ill with a stomach bug that led to her fainting and sustaining a concussion. Officials had insisted she was recovering.

But her spokesman Philippe Reines said in a statement: "In the course of a follow-up exam today (Sunday), Secretary Clinton's doctors discovered a blood clot had formed, stemming from the concussion she sustained several weeks ago.

The New York Presbyterian Hospital

"She is being treated with anti-coagulants and is at New York Presbyterian Hospital so that they can monitor the medication over the next 48 hours.

"Her doctors will continue to assess her condition, including other issues associated with her concussion. They will determine if any further action is required."

Mrs Clinton has been off work since her return from her last foreign trip on December 7, although her staff have said she was working from home.

Her lengthy absence from public life had sparked claims from critics that she is trying to avoid testifying in a congressional investigation into a deadly attack on a US mission in Libya.

Earlier this month, the State Department said Mrs Clinton had contracted a bad stomach virus during her five-day stay in Europe. She had to cancel a planned trip to North Africa and Abu Dhabi due to the illness.

A week later, Mrs Clinton's doctors said she had become severely dehydrated due to the effects of the stomach bug and had fainted, suffering a concussion.

They recommended she rest at home and avoid the high-intensity travel she had been accustomed to taking as secretary of state.

Mrs Clinton has flown almost a million miles since taking office four years ago, visited 112 countries and spent some 400 days in a plane.

Mr Obama (L) announcing Mr Kerry's (R) nomination as secretary of state

Her health kept her from giving evidence on December 20 about the attack on the US diplomatic post in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on September 11.

The assault, in which the US ambassador and three other American officials were killed, sparked a political firestorm in the United States, and Republicans criticised Mrs Clinton's absence from the hearings, calling on her to testify in January.

Mrs Clinton, who is due to step down from her post in early 2013, also stayed away from the White House last week when President Barack Obama nominated her replacement, veteran Senator John Kerry.

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Northern Ireland Bomb: Family's Lucky Escape

A policeman in Northern Ireland targeted by a car bomb was taking his family for Sunday lunch when he found the device, it has emerged.

Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton revealed that the officer was going out with his wife and two young children when he checked his car as a matter of routine.

He found the bomb - believed to have been planted by dissident republicans - underneath his vehicle outside his home in Belfast.

The property is close to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) headquarters at Knock and the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont.

"If that officer had not checked his car, we would have been looking at a murder or multiple murders," Mr Hamilton told a news conference as he appealed for witnesses to come forward.

Army robot used to examine the device

"We believe the consequences of this would have been absolutely devastating for the officer, his family, for the police family and for the communities across Northern Ireland.

"For some reason, those people who are anti-peace, who are still hanging on to the past, who aren't prepared to move forward, have tried to murder this officer and his family.

"We consider that completely repugnant. It's inhumane. By any standards in any society, this is wrong and we utterly condemn this attack."

He warned that there was a severe threat level across Northern Ireland and appealed to officers to be vigilant and check under their cars.

It is hoped that the bomb will be useful as evidence because it was discovered and did not engage.

Justice minister David Ford said: "It is ironic that this latest attack was carried out so close to Stormont, where those who are democratically elected seek to move matters forward through debate.

The bomb was planted on Upper Newtownards Road

"The people responsible for this and other recent attacks have no mandate and speak for no one. They need to recognise the futility of their campaign and respect the wishes of the vast majority of our community who want an end to all violent acts."

A second device was found close to a police station in County Armagh on Monday, prompting residents to be evacuated.

The bomb in Tandragee was declared "viable" after it was examined by army technical officers but it was made safe without anyone getting hurt.

Dissidents have repeatedly targeted security force members in recent years.

Over the last five years there have been 115 arrests and 35 charges and 64 officers have had to leave their homes, a police spokesman said.

In November, long-serving prison officer David Black, 52, was shot dead in a motorway ambush in Co Armagh as he drove to work.

A group styling itself the "new IRA" claimed that attack. The faction was formed in the summer when a number of splinter groups joined forces.

In April 2011 newly qualified police officer Ronan Kerr, 25, died when a dissident booby trap car bomb exploded under his vehicle at his home in Omagh.

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Iraq Violence: '22 People Killed' In Blasts

A series of bombings across Iraq has killed at least 22 people, including three policemen, officials said.

Around 50 people are also believed to have been injured in the violence, which struck the northern ethnically-mixed provinces of Kirkuk and Diyala and south of Baghdad in Babil province.

The attacks targeted government officials, security forces and Shi'ite Muslims in the lead-up to major commemoration ceremonies.

No one has yet claimed responsibility.

Tensions between Shi'ite, Kurdish and Sunni factions in Iraq's power-sharing government have been on the rise this year.

Militants continue to strike almost daily, and carry out at least one big attack a month.

The latest violence followed more than a week of protests against Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki by thousands of people from the country's minority Sunni community.

Seven people from the same Sunni family were killed by a bomb planted near their home in the town of Mussayab, south of Baghdad.

And in the Shi'ite majority city of Hilla, also in the south, a parked car bomb went off near the convoy of the governor of Babil province, missing him but killing two other people, police said.

"We heard the sound of a big explosion and the windows of our office shattered. We immediately lay on the ground," said Mohammed Ahmed, 28, who works at a hospital near the site of the explosion.

"After a few minutes I stood up and went to the windows to see what happened. I saw flames and people lying on the ground."

Although the levels of violence have dropped since 2006 and 2007, about 2,000 people have been killed in Iraq this year following the withdrawal of troops last December, who led an invasion in 2003 to overthrow Saddam Hussein.

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Facebook New Year Message Flaw Found

Facebook has disabled a New Year messaging feature after a student uncovered a flaw which let him read strangers' private messages.

The New Year's Midnight Delivery feature was set up on Facebook Stories so users could write messages to friends which would automatically be sent after midnight.

But Aberystwyth University student Jack Jenkins discovered that by tweaking the Url after sending a message, he could read and even delete other users' messages.

He blogged about the error, writing: "I just wanted to share this. I don't know how a site like Facebook can continue to take these kinds of risks.

"PLEASE Don't go deleting random messages, but try and delete one of mine that I set up especially if you want."

Facebook promptly disabled the feature upon discovering the issue.

A spokesman confirmed the site was back up and running again, having been taken offline while staff dealt with the issue.

Facebook Stories is a separate site from the main Facebook site, and does not affect messaging on Facebook itself.

The error comes after a picture posted by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's sister Randi led to her claiming her privacy had been breached.

A marketing director tweeted the private family photograph that Ms Zuckerberg had shared on her personal Facebook page.

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Hong Kong And Shanghai Latest To See In 2013

Celebrations marking the New Year are continuing on a grand scale with Hong Kong and Shanghai the latest to welcome 2013.

This year's 12.5 million Hong Kong dollar (£0.99m) fireworks display is said to be the biggest ever in the southern Chinese city, with police expecting as many as 100,000 people to watch.

Meanwhile, North Korea has welcomed 2013 with reportedly the first ever New Year's fireworks display the country has held as Tokyo reverberated to the sound of the city's Watch-Night Bell.

The bells are struck 108 times at temples all over Japan to symbolise the beginning of a prosperous new year.

The simultaneous celebrations follow one of the most impressive New Year fireworks displays which took place in Sydney, Australia, as it became the second major city to welcome 2013.

Shanghai ushers in the new year

Some 1.5 million people are estimated to have turned out to watch the event centred on the Sydney Harbour Bridge with more than 100,000 firework patterns, costing 6.5m Australian dollars (£4.2m).

The countdown to 2013 began with a spectacular fireworks display in Auckland, New Zealand.

Crowds packed the city centre to watch the annual event at the city's Sky Tower, ensuring the new year was seen in with a bang.

There had been concerns that poor weather might hinder the pyrotechnic display but conditions held up and revellers were treated to a dazzling display of lights.

In London, the night sky is set to be illuminated with pyrotechnics to round-off a momentous year in the capital city.

North Korea put on a pyrotechnic display in Pyongyang

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who has organised the event, said: "Our New Year's Eve fireworks will cap a triumphant year for London.

"As we welcomed the world to the magnificent celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the glorious success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, London was at its very best.

"From the thrilling sporting action to the breathtaking cultural celebrations, it has been an unforgettable year and I am immensely proud of the contribution that our Ambassadors made to that success.

"As we go into 2013 with a spectacular fireworks display I hope we can build on that energy and enthusiasm to make ours the best big city in the world."

Up to 250,000 people are expected to crowd on to the banks of the Thames to watch the display, with millions more seeing it on television.

Following their hard work during the London 2012 Games, more than 150 of the mayor's 'Team London Ambassadors' will volunteer at the event to help ensure it is a success.

Auckland began the countdown to 2013

They will be giving out maps, helping direct people to the viewing areas, and providing guidance and advice on getting home safely.

Scots rockers Simple Minds will be headlining the Hogmanay concert and street party in Edinburgh.

The View, Bwani Junction, Reverend and the Makers and The OK Social Club will also be playing to an anticipated crowd of 80,000, and fireworks will be set off to mark the start of 2013.

Celebrations got under way in the city last night with a torchlight procession. A record crowd estimated at 35,000, including 7,000 torch carriers, were led by the massed pipes and drums and the Up Helly Aa' Vikings from Shetland.

The procession made its way through the city streets to the burning of the effigy of a Viking boat and a spectacular Son et Lumiere display on Calton Hill.

The central Pacific Ocean island of Kiritimati (Christmas Island) and the eastern-most island in the island nation of Kiribati were the first to usher in the new year at 1000 GMT.

American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the US in the southern Pacific Ocean, will be the last place on Earth to herald in the new year on Tuesday at 1100 GMT.

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No Deal As US Nears Fiscal Cliff Deadline

Investors are reacting nervously as the clock ticks down to the New Year deadline for a deal to prevent the US falling over the so-called 'fiscal cliff'.

A series of costly tax rises and spending cuts worth more than $500bn will come into force as 2013 begins in America, unless Congress and the White House can agree compromise measures to stop them being implemented.

The 'fiscal cliff', as it came to be known, was designed to help tackle the country's huge debt pile in the event squabbling politicians could not do a deal beforehand to ease the burden.

The fiscal cliff worries investors as economists fear the pain of implementing the measures will tip the US back into recession and therefore hit world demand and growth prospects.

In London, the FTSE 100 lost 0.5% of its value to close at 5897 in what was a shortened trading day because of the New Year holiday.

The CAC 40 in France bucked the trend as legal opposition to the country's controversial plan to tax the rich at 75%, helped add value.

While Germany's DAX is closed, the Dow Jones will be open for business on Wall Street later as Democrats and Republicans begin their final push for a deal to avert the fiscal cliff.

Dow Futures currently point to a higher opening after five days of falls despite a deal palatable to both sides remaining elusive.

US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he has made a counter-offer to a Republican proposal put forward on Saturday but later admitted "serious differences" remain.

The two sides have reportedly moved closer on tax increases while Republicans have indicated they could withdraw a contentious proposal to slow the growth of social security retirement benefits.

Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid still heading in different directions

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said he had asked Vice President Joe Biden to become involved in a last-minute effort to reach an agreement.

He added that there was no single issue blocking an agreement but that "the sticking point appears to be a willingness, an interest, or courage to close the deal."

"I'm willing to get this done, but I need a dance partner," Mr McConnell said.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives now have little time to debate and then pass a deal that has eluded the White House and Congress for weeks.

President Obama, who called congressional leaders to the White House on Friday, addressed the crisis once more as he appeared on NBC's Sunday morning talk show Meet the Press.

The President said Republicans were unwilling to see tax rates raised for the richest taxpayers.

"They say that their biggest priority is making sure that we deal with the deficit in a serious way," Mr Obama said.

"But the way they're behaving is that their only priority is making sure that tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans are protected.

"That seems to be their only overriding, unifying theme," he added.

If a compromise can be found, the two parties will then decide whether to put it to the vote on New Year's Eve in the Senate and then the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

President Obama has pressed lawmakers to clinch a deal, even if they must reach a compromise that lacks the significant deficit-reduction measures both sides had sought.

"I was modestly optimistic yesterday, but we don't yet see an agreement," the President told NBC in the interview recorded on Saturday. "And now the pressure's on Congress to produce."

At least one senior Republican said he was optimistic of a deal, and a "political victory" for Mr Obama.

Senator Lindsey Graham told Fox News that the odds are "exceedingly good" a deal can be done.

"I don't think people want to go over the cliff," he said.

The US is facing the fiscal cliff because tax rate cuts dating back to George W Bush's presidency expire at the end of the year.

Mr Obama originally insisted on letting the tax cuts expire on households earning more than $250k (£154k) but later upped that threshold to $400k (£246k).

The pending reductions in spending, which will hit everything from social programmes to the military, were put in place last year as an incentive to both parties to find ways to cut America's soaring deficit.

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Fears For Woman Missing From North Sea Ferry

Police say they fear for the safety of a woman who went missing from a North Sea ferry.

Teresa Cowley, from Mickleover, Derby, was last seen heading towards the deck of the Pride of Rotterdam ferry in the early hours of Friday.

The 43-year-old's disappearance is being investigated by Harbour Police in the Dutch port of Rotterdam, who are liaising with Derbyshire police.

In a statement, Derbyshire Constabulary appealed for anyone with information about Mrs Cowley's whereabouts to come forward.

Mrs Cowley, who had no money with her when she went missing, boarded the ferry with her husband at about 8.30pm on Thursday in Hull.

After visiting a bar, the couple returned to their cabin but the door key did not work and Mr Cowley went to a reception area to resolve the problem, leaving his wife sitting outside the cabin.

The police statement said: "CCTV and witness accounts show Mrs Cowley go alone to a sun lounge on the ship shortly after 1am on Friday.

"Searches of the ship failed to locate Mrs Cowley, who has since been reported missing."

Mrs Cowley is described as white, of medium build, around 5ft 4ins. She has black bobbed hair with red highlights.

She was last seen wearing a grey jumper, black leggings and black boots and has several distinctive tattoos, including the words "Mrs Cowley" written on her forearm.

She also has a tattoo of a black panther on one of her ankles, and a large tattoo on the right side of her body made up of a dozen roses joined together.

Although detectives from Dutch Harbour Police are currently investigating the disappearance, it is not thought that anyone else is involved or any criminal offence has taken place.

Anyone with information is asked to call Derbyshire police on 101 and ask to speak to Peartree CID.

Mr Cowley, who is now believed to have returned to the UK, is said to be too upset to speak to the media about his wife's disappearance.

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