Message In A Bottle Reunited With Family

A message in a bottle found 76 years after it was thrown into the sea has been reunited with the family of the man who wrote it.

The bottle was found on a beach in New Zealand by Geoff Flood in November 2012, but had been set adrift in 1936.

Inside was a note, dated March 17, which said: "At sea. Would the finder of this bottle kindly forward this note, where found, date, to undermentioned address."

Underneath the note was written the name: "H E Hillbrick, 72, Richmond Street, Leederville, Western Australia".

The message had been written on headed paper bearing the mark of the shipping company P&O and the ship's name SS Strathnaver.

Mr Flood had been out for a walk on Ninety Mile Beach at the top end of New Zealand's North Island when he made the discovery.

He told local media he was astonished and quickly decided to find out how the bottle had got there.

He said: "As I picked it up and started looking, I could see it was an old envelope with P&O on it and I thought this might be something special.

"There was a bit of mad panic to carefully extract it. I carefully cut a couple of bits of wire and quietly wound it up with the bits of wire so we didn't damage it.

"[I thought] Who knows where it's been. How many times around the world, you just wouldn't know, would you?"

It took him a couple of months to find the sender, who turned out to be a man called Herbert Ernest Hillbrick.

Sadly, Mr Hillbrick had died in the 1940s, but further investigation led Mr Flood to Herbert's grandson Peter Hillbrick, who was living in Perth, Western Australia.

Peter Hillbrick, who was also amazed by the discovery, said: "For this one to be floating around in the ocean for 76 years and just all of a sudden pop up in New Zealand. Where has it been? What story is it going to tell?"

His only theory was that his grandfather had dropped it into the sea during a P&O cruise. His family still have photos that Herbert and his wife Ethel took on board the ship.

The SS Strathnaver was a British Royal Mail Ship that carried people between England and Australia, but which also travelled between ports Down Under at the time.

He said that because his grandfather had died so many years ago, he had never got to know him so was delighted another link had turned up.

"The only connection I have with Grandfather is now that bottle. That's about all. So, it's a fascinating story," he said.

Mr Hillbrick has decided to donate the bottle to a maritime museum in New Zealand.

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Avalanche Survivor Leapt To Safer Ground

A survivor of an avalanche that killed four climbers in the Scottish Highlands escaped by leaping from the collapsing sheet of snow and wedging his ice pick into firmer ground.

The man, who did not want to be named, said in a statement: "All in the group loved the mountains and are experienced winter walkers.

"My sincere thanks goes to the members of the public, mountain rescue teams and other emergency services who assisted."

PhD students Christopher Bell and Tom Chesters, and junior doctor Una Finnegan, were swept 1,000ft (305m) to their deaths while descending from a mountain in Glencoe on Saturday afternoon.

A second woman also killed in the accident was later named as Dr Rachel Majumdar, 29, who worked at Harrogate District Hospital.

Dr Majumdar was originally from Merseyside, but was most recently living in Leeds. Her next of kin had asked for her name to be withheld until her extended family were informed.

Christopher Bell and Una Finnegan died in the avalanche

Friends of the group said Mr Chesters and Dr Majumdar had been dating for several years and had "such a good future together".

Another survivor, a 24-year-old woman, remains in a critical condition after suffering severe head injuries.

She is being treated at Glasgow's Southern General Hospital, where she was flown after initially being treated at Belford Hospital in Fort William.

Friends have been paying tribute to the three young climbers killed.

Mr Bell, 24, from Blackpool, Lancashire, was studying for a PhD in ocean mapping in Oban, while 28-year-old Mr Chesters had been living in Leeds and working towards his qualification at Hull University.

Their friend Sam Morris, 35, said both were elite outdoor pursuits competitors who spent most of their free time on the mountains.

"It was so few years lived but I know there's not much either one of them would have done differently," he said.

"They seized every opportunity. They'd do things that people who spend their whole lives sitting behind a desk wish they could have done.

"When they died they were with the people they loved, doing what they loved."

Ms Finnegan, 25, who was living in Edinburgh, was originally from Coleraine in Co Londonderry.

Rachel Majumdar and Tom Chesters were in a relationship

Independent councillor David McClarty said his thoughts and prayers were with the Finnegan family.

"This young woman, a qualified doctor, had her whole life ahead of her and then it is tragically cut short.

"The family is a Christian one and hopefully they will get some comfort from the fact that she died doing something she enjoyed."

The tragedy struck at about 2pm as the group of six made their descent on Bidean Nam Bian.

A major search operation was launched involving both Glencoe and Lochaber mountain rescue teams, and specialist police dogs.

Andy Nelson, deputy head of Glencoe Mountain Rescue, who co-ordinated the rescue, said the avalanche would have unfolded in "a split second".

"Being in an avalanche is literally like standing on a carpet and having it pulled out from underneath you. Any thoughts of trying to swim out from out of it is futile," he said.

"You are on steep ground, essentially standing on a raft of snow that is sliding downhill at speeds of maybe 40mph to 50mph.

"It would have unfolded in a split second, they would have felt the snow moving and then they would have been travelling at a speed that was impossible to stop.

"The man that survived was standing above the snow and we think he actually jumped and got his ice axe into firmer snow.

"They slid over some very rocky ground and ended up about 1,000 feet below, under between 1.5 and two metres of snow.

"It's a brutal experience. There are enormous forces at work and you are being twisted about at high speed," he added.

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Mali Conflict: France Recaptures Diabaly

French troops have wrested back control of the key Malian town of Diabaly from Islamist fighters.

After a week of heavy fighting, French and Malian troops were uncertain whether the militants had fled.

However they met no resistance when they entered the town on Monday.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement that it was now under the control of French and Malian troops, and that the central town of Douentza had also been retaken.

A Malian soldier searches through a building destroyed by air strikes

French warplanes have pounded suspected Islamist positions around both towns since France swept to the aid of the crippled Malian army on January 11, a day after the Islamists made a push towards the capital Bamako.

Diabaly, which lies 250 miles north of Bamako, was seized by the Islamists a week ago in an attack that surprised observers, as the town lies deep within supposedly government-held territory.

Sky's special correspondent Alex Crawford, in Diabaly, said: "The Malian army is going round telling everyone that it has been, in their words, liberated.

"There's evidence of an enormous number of air strikes and very pinpoint precision."

She added that it had taken troops a lot longer than originally expected to retake the town.

Douentza is located in what was Islamist territory east and north of the town of Konna, whose capture earlier this month by extremists sparked the French intervention.

Konna was recaptured by the Malian army last week.

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EastEnders Actress Was 'Abusive' To Brother

The brother of former EastEnders actress Gemma McCluskie endured months of abuse from her, culminating in her threatening him with a knife on the day he killed her, he is expected to tell a jury.

Tony McCluskie, 35, will describe how his sister's behaviour had become volatile and abusive towards him, and she pulled a knife on him on March 1, 2012 - the day of her death.

McCluskie admits killing 29-year-old Miss McCluskie, but denies murder.

He claims he has no memory of killing and dismembering his sister, and the Old Bailey has heard that he will adopt defences of lack of intent and loss of control. He will give evidence this afternoon.

Miss McCluskie's torso was found in a suitcase in the Regent's Canal in east London, followed by her limbs in plastic bags.

Her head was found six months later and she was officially identified by dental records.

The prosecution said pot-smoking McCluskie bludgeoned his sister to death in the flat they shared after a row about an overflowing sink.

Opening the defence case, McCluskie's barrister, Jeremy Dein QC, told the jury: "The first line of defence raised for your consideration is lack of intent.

"Albeit that Mr McCluskie will say that he cannot recall what happened, he will maintain that he did not intend or, given that he cannot recall what he actually did, cannot have intended either to kill Gemma McCluskie or to cause her at least really serious bodily harm.

"The second line of defence, loss of control. Even if, contrary to our submissions, you feel sure that Mr McCluskie did intend either to kill Gemma McCluskie or to cause her really serious bodily harm, the defence of loss of control is raised.

"In this case then, the background of months of Gemma behaving frequently, not always, Mr McCluskie will say, in a volatile and abusive way towards the defendant, that trigger, according to the evidence he will give, was the production of a knife and the making of threats on March 1."

Miss McCluskie played Kerry Skinner, the niece of Ethel Skinner, in the BBC soap in 2001.

Mr Dein told the jury that 35-year-old McCluskie had a "long and committed work record", despite long-standing use of Class B drugs, particularly skunk.

"The defendant will tell you that, from his point of view, as the fateful day, March 1, approached, he was becoming increasingly worn down by problems, losing sleep, losing weight, losing motivation and worried about losing his job and possibly, on that fateful day, even losing his self-control," the barrister told the court.

He said McCluskie was concerned about his "gravely ill" mother at that time, and had also separated from his long-term partner in early 2012, while also having problems at work.

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Sex Ring Trial: Victim Could Not Say 'No'

By Mark White, Home Affairs Correspondent

A victim of a child sex abuse ring has told the Old Bailey she was forced to have sex with groups of Asian men when she was just 14.

The witness, who is now 21 but cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court she was often threatened and felt pressured into having regular sex with the men.

Nine men are on trial accused of abusing the youngster and five others in the Oxford area.

The jury was told the young woman had been in and out of care homes from her early teens and had met four of the men in Oxford after she and a friend absconded from one particular home.

She said she met the men on regular occasions, that they were kind at first and would give her alcohol, but they later became more threatening.

Sometimes the men would invite others along and she would be forced to have sex with them at various locations around Oxford, she added.

The men are accused of 51 separate counts, including allegations of rape, grooming, sex trafficking and sexual assault of a minor. All deny the charges against them.

On trial are Kamar Jamil, Akhtar Dogar, Anjum Dogar, Assad Hussain, Mohammed Karrar, Bassam Karrar, Mohammed Hussain, Zeeshan Ahmed and Bilal Ahmed. All are aged between 24 and 38.

The witness told the court that although they were not aggressive at first, the men used increasingly threatening behaviour as time went on.

She said one of the men "once told me that he had a gun".

Noel Lucas QC for the prosecution asked her: "Did you believe him?"

She replied: "I did, I was scared."

On another occasion she said she was forced to have sex with one of the men in the back of his people carrier.

Mr Lucas asked her why she didn't stop him.

The witness replied: "Because I felt I didn't have a choice, I couldn't say 'no' to him."

The trial started on Tuesday last week and is expected to last another seven weeks. The men are all in custody.

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Two Die As Winter Weather Continues Grip On UK

A 25-year-old woman found collapsed in the snow could have died after falling in sub-zero temperatures after a night out, Kent police said.

The woman, named as Bernadette Lucy Lee by Sky sources, was discovered by a man walking his dog in Church Meadows in Deal at 7.30am on Sunday morning.

A man also died following a crash in snowy conditions on the A12 near Kelvedon in Essex about 7pm on Sunday.

Ms Lee was found dead in Deal (Kent Online)

Police are still investigating the cause of Ms Lee's death but confirmed they are looking at the possibility that the she got into difficulties as she made her way to her sister's house, which was near to where she was found. 

A police spokesman said: "There are other possibilities we are looking out but one theory is that this is a tragic accident where a young woman was on her way home from a night out, but she didn't make it to where she was staying.

"We don't know if that was because of the cold, or she slipped or she was drunk or she became ill."

Earlier, police said the woman was pronounced dead at the scene and the death was not being treated as suspicious but it was unexplained.

A post-mortem examination will be held later this week.

Police said Ms Lee's death may have been a "tragic accident"

The man killed in the car crash was a 59-year-old from the Colchester area, police said. He died at the scene after his car left the road and crashed into a tree on the embankment.

His passenger, a 57-year-old woman, also from the Colchester area, was taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries. 

And a teenager who was badly injured while sledging in Middlesbrough remains critically ill in hospital, police said.

Liam Stafford, 16, hit a tree in Flatts Lane Country Park, Normanby, about 1pm on Sunday.

He would usually be playing football for his team North Ormesby FC Under-16s, but the game was cancelled due to the weather.

He was flown by the Great North East Air Ambulance to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough suffering from head injuries.

In Kent, a man was taken to hospital with broken bones in his face when he was racially attacked after confronting a group of youngsters throwing snowballs at him.

Also, a young woman who was seriously hurt in an avalanche that killed four of her friends in the Scottish Highlands remains in a critical condition in hospital.

The freezing temperatures and icy conditions are once again causing delays and disruption, with more than 3,000 schools shut and motorists being urged to take extra time and care on roads.

The bus slipped off the road in icy conditions in Caerphilly

The icy conditions caused a school bus with 20 children and three adults on board to skid off the road before going down an embankment in South Wales.

Fire crews were called to the scene of the accident in Llanfach, Caerphilly, south Wales, just after 9am.

No-one was injured but some of the youngsters, who were all aged eight to 12, were taken to a doctor's surgery as a precautionary measure.

As much as 10 to 20cm (four to eight inches) of snow is expected across Scotland and northern England, prompting the Met Office to issue amber warnings which urge the public to be prepared.

Yellow warnings - which advise people to take extra care - continue for parts of the north, east and southeast England as well as Northern Ireland, where up to five centimetres (around two inches) of snow could fall. 

"Today's snowiest areas will be northeast England and eastern Scotland," said Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang.

"Although sleety on the east coast, it will be snow inland where 10 to 20cm is forecast. Drifting snow, poor visibility and blizzard conditions are likely over higher routes.

"The snow will continue in the northeast tonight and into Tuesday although it should turn drier across northeast England.

"Later tonight and during Tuesday morning the weather is set to deteriorate across the southwest with the potential for some heavy snow across South Wales and parts of southwest England."

The temperatures will not start rising until the weekend, said Lang.

"Until then there will be further problems with ice and snow and daytime temperatures will continue to struggle to climb much above freezing," she said.

"Wednesday and Thursday look largely dry and cold with ice and patchy fog. Friday should see a slow change spread eastwards and westerly winds bring a rise in temperature later and a slow thaw."

On the roads, there are lane closures on motorways up and down the country, with hazardous driving conditions on the M4 at Bristol.

Heavy snowfall has closed two major roads across the Pennines, the A628 Woodhead Pass and the A66 between Brough and Bowes.

The Highways Agency said both routes were closed for some hours and advised drivers to find alternative routes across the Pennines.

Spennymore in County Durham

A section of the M6 in Cumbria was temporarily closed after a Land Rover vehicle towing a trailer of bullocks overturned.

Heavy falls in the North East made for a tricky morning commute for many. Northumbria Police said the A68 in Northumberland was blocked, with problems at its junction with the A69.

Drivers were advised to avoid the B6341 at Rothbury and reported a four-vehicle collision on the Spine Road at Cramlington, next to the 3 Horse Shoes roundabout.

Officers also said the A1 in the Newcastle area suffered traffic congestion.

There is also another day of snow and ice-related delays and cancellations on the country's rail network.

Virgin Trains warned of some cancellations in its services between London and Birmingham and the North West, while services into London King's Cross were also affected.

Eurostar said snow and ice in the UK and northern France were leading to speed restrictions and delays on all its trains. Six services were also cancelled, with customers told they could exchange their tickets for another date.

South West Trains said it was running a revised timetable throughout its network because of the weather, and would be concentrating on its mainline services.

Freddy the Boston Terrier plays in the snow in Nottingham

The company said there would be no services between Ascot in Berkshire and Ash Vale in Surrey, between Virginia Water and Weybridge, or from Salisbury to Bristol. It was also running revised timetables on other routes.

Southern said trains were unable to operate between Lewes and Haywards Heath in Sussex or between Horsham and Dorking or Reigate and Redhill in Surrey. The Southern service between South Croydon and Milton Keynes was also suspended.

At Heathrow Airport planes have been grounded for a fourth day and passengers were advised to check the status of their flights before travelling to the airport. More than 180 flights have been cancelled - about 10% of the day's capacity.

People were left fuming after 260 flights were cancelled - 20% of the airport's usual business - on Sunday.

Gritters have been out in force at Gatwick Airport to keep the planes running. The airport has only had two cancellations on Monday morning, although there are delays of around an hour on the Gatwick Express train service.

Flights have also been suspended at Leeds Bradford, Doncaster Sheffield, Norwich airports and East Midlands airports.

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HMV Gift Vouchers To Be Accepted After U-Turn

HMV's administrators have bowed to public pressure and said they will accept gift cards at the collapsed music chain.

Despite HMV continuing to sell gift cards until the day before the music chain went into administration, Deloitte stopped accepting them once appointed to the business last week.

But after a storm of protest from consumers, the administrators have now said gift cards and vouchers will be redeemed in stores from Tuesday.

Earlier, Sky's City Editor Mark Kleinman revealed the existence of a restructure deal which would allow HMV gift cards to be honoured.

Administrator Nick Edwards said the decision had been made after assessing HMV's financial position.

He also said proceeds of charity releases, including the Hillsborough Justice Collective single, would be paid in full as soon as possible.

He added: "We recognise that both of these matters have caused concern for individuals and organisations affected and we are pleased to have reached a positive outcome."

Mr Edwards said Deloitte was still assessing the longer term options for the business and was hopeful the process would result in the business continuing as a going concern.

HMV hit the wall last week after suffering dismal Christmas sales, putting more than 4,000 jobs at risk at its 223 stores.

Entertainment giants including Universal Music, Warner Music and Sony are planning to offer potential buyers for HMV generous credit terms and cut the price of CDs and DVDs to help keep the chain's presence on the high street, it was reported at the weekend.

Fears that consumers would lose out on gift vouchers and cards last week prompted experts to call for an urgent change in the rules.

Richard Lloyd, executive director of consumer watchdog Which?, said it was "outrageous" that consumers were left out of pocket when retailers refused to honour gift vouchers.

Dean Dunham, the founder of youandyourrights.co.uk, also called for change.

He said: "A gift voucher should be as good as a banker's draft. You should be guaranteed that you'll either be able to redeem it or get your money back."

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Algeria Crisis: Some Hostages Were 'Executed'

Algeria's prime minister says 37 foreign hostages were killed during the four day gas plant crisis - with several executed with a bullet to the head.

Abdelmalek Sellal said at least one Canadian was among the gang of kidnappers also from Egypt, Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Tunisia and that the kidnappers crossed the border from northern Mali before swooping on the desert installation.

He said that 29 of the militants were killed and three arrested as the siege was brought to an end by an Algerian military assault at the weekend.

The update came as Prime Minister David Cameron addressed parliament on the hostage crisis - saying Britain's top priority was to bring home the bodies of the victims.

Mr Cameron spoke about the growing terror threat in North Africa, which he said is becoming a "magnet for jihadists" who share a "poisonous ideology".

Paul Morgan

Mr Sellal said one Algerian hostage was also killed - bringing the total hostage death toll to 38 - and that at least five foreigners are still missing.

The hostage-takers' leader Mohamed el-Amine Bencheneb, an Algerian militant known to the country's security services, was killed during the army assault, Mr Sellal said.

Three Britons are now known to have died in a four-day siege at the BP gas plant and three more are believed to be dead. A UK resident from Colombia is also thought to have died.

Mr Cameron told the House of Commons there should be a "strong security response" and "intelligent political response" to tackle the "murderous violence" seen in Algeria.

Another image shown on Algerian TV

"We must frustrate the terrorists with our security beat them militarily address the poisonous narrative they feed on; close down the ungoverned space in which they thrive; and deal with the grievances they use to garner support," he said.

Veteran terrorist Mokhtar Belmokhtar's Mulathameen Brigade has threatened to carry out more attacks unless Western powers cease operations in neighbouring Mali, according to a Mauritanian news agency.

In a statement the al Qaeda linked group, whose name means "The Masked Ones", reportedly said the hostage-takers offered negotiations on freeing the gas plant captives but that Algerian authorities responded with a military assault.

A Downing Street spokesman has ruled out the possibility of Britain sending troops into combat to support France's intervention against Islamist rebels in neighbouring Mali.

The first two British victims to be officially named are Paul Morgan, 46 and Garry Barlow, 49, both from Liverpool.

Mr Morgan was reported to be a former Foreign Legion soldier and Gulf War veteran who was in charge of security at the In Amenas plant.

His mother Marianne, 65, and partner Emma Steele, 36, described him in a statement as a "true gentleman".

They said: "Paul was a true gentleman, a family man, he very much loved his partner Emma, his mum, brothers and sister, of whom he was very proud.

"He loved life and lived it to the full. He was a professional man proud to do the job he did and died doing the job he loved.

"We are so proud of him and so proud of what he achieved in his life. We are devastated by Paul's death and he will be truly missed."

Married father-of-two Mr Barlow was a system supervisor for BP at the In Amenas plant.

In a statement released through the Foreign Office, his widow Lorraine said: "Garry was a loving, devoted family man. He loved life and lived it to the full.

"He was very much loved by myself, his sons, mother and sister and the rest of his family and friends and will be greatly missed.

"He was very proud of his family, as they were of him. We are totally devastated by the news of his death."

The siege ended on Saturday and Algerian authorities warned the figure of 23 hostages killed at the remote facility would rise sharply.

Bomb squads searching for booby-trap devices left by the Islamist militants discovered 25 bodies, some so badly disfigured they could not be identified.

A Filipino survivor of the siege has told how foreign hostages were used as human shields to prevent Algerian troops firing on them from helicopters.

Father-of-four Joseph Balmaceda said: "Whenever government troops tried to use a helicopter to shoot at the enemy, we were used as human shields.

"We were told to raise our hands. The government forces could not shoot at them as long as we were held hostage."

Mokhtar Belmokhtar sent a video to a Mauritanian-based news website in which he claimed one of his cells, known as "Those Who Sign In Blood", was responsible for the attack.

Foreign Secretary William Hague branded the militants "cold-blooded murderers" and said reports they had "executed" seven of their hostages before the final battle could well be true.

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Michael Winner: Film Director Dies Aged 77

Film director and restaurant critic Michael Winner has died at the age of 77.

Winner, who had been ill for some time, died on Monday at his London home in Kensington, where he was being nursed by his wife Geraldine.

Mrs Winner, a former dancer who he married two years ago, said in a statement: "Michael was a wonderful man, brilliant, funny and generous.

"A light has gone out in my life."

Actor John Cleese also paid tribute, describing Winner as "the dearest, kindest, funniest and most generous of friends".

"I shall miss him terribly," he said in a statement.

In a film career spanning more than 50 years, Winner made more than 30 films including the blockbuster Death Wish series, and he worked with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, including Marlon Brando, Robert Mitchum and Faye Dunaway.

He later reinvented himself as a restaurant critic, writing about food in his typically flamboyant style in his Winner's Dinners column for The Sunday Times.

Sky's Lucy Cotter said: "His first film was Shoot To Kill in 1960. The turning point in his career came in 1972 when he directed Marlon Brando in The Nightcomers.

Winner in 1965

"But it was really Death Wish which starred Charles Bronson which was seen as his most famous work, and at the time was incredibly shocking.

"People around the country will also know him for being a food critic.

"He wrote for The Sunday Times. He had a column, Winner's Dinners, for about 20 years.

"He was very humourous, very cantankerous. I think the people whose restaurants he came into would have in some ways dreaded him coming in because he did not hold back in those columns.

"He had been ill for a while, but people will be quite surprised to hear this sad news."

DJ Danny Baker wrote on Twitter: "A chum, a funny man who twinkled."

And former newspaper editor Piers Morgan tweeted: "Very sad to hear Michael Winner has died. Hilarious, often preposterous, always generous, highly intelligent man. And terrific writer. RIP."

TV mogul Simon Cowell said: "Laughter was never far away when Michael was around and he is someone who the more I got to know, the fonder I got of him. I am sure there are a lot of other people who, like me, will really miss him."

Winner, whose appearance in adverts for motor insurance coined the catchphrase "Calm down dear, it's only a commercial", also founded and funded the Police Memorial Trust following the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984.

More than 50 officers have been honoured by the trust at sites across the country.

Steve Lloyd, trust manager, said: "There is no doubt that Michael's work will be continued, and we at the Trust pass on our sympathies to his family at this sad time.

"The work he did on behalf of the policing family bought a lot of comfort to those he recognised."

Winner, who was given 18 months to live by liver specialists last October, suffered several health scares over the years.

In February 2003, he spent two nights in Cromwell Hospital in London as a result of a heart condition.

Three years later, he embarked on a diet and wrote a book entitled The Fat Pig Diet in which he claimed to have lost four stone eating caviar, chocolate, cake and Doritos.

The simple message he was putting across was: "Eat what you like - but eat less of it".

In 2007 he became seriously ill after eating a bad oyster in Barbados and almost had to have a leg amputated. He then contracted the superbug MRSA while in hospital.

Last year he revealed he had researched the possibility of ending his life at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland.

He said: "I checked Dignitas on the computer and you need to go through so much. It's not a walk-in death.

"You don't just go in and say 'Here I am, do your worst'."

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Obama To Take Second Public Oath Of Office

Barack Obama is due to take a public oath of office and make his second inaugural address on the steps of the US Capitol in Washington in front of a crowd of hundreds of thousands.

Millions more across the world will tune in to see the star-studded ceremony, followed by a traditional parade and formal balls where the presidential couple will dance for the cameras.

On Sunday the US President was quietly sworn in at a small ceremony at the White House to mark the start of his second term.

Mr Obama took the oath on a family bible held by first lady Michelle Obama in the Blue Room, surrounded by portraits of former presidents.

"I did it", Mr Obama tells one of his daughters after the ceremony

At the end of the brief ceremony officiated by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Mr Obama hugged his family, telling one of his daughters: "I did it".

There was no repeat of 2009, when he stumbled over the oath, prompting the White House to request a redo the following day.

The mood on the streets of the capital is less festive than it was in January 2009, when the swearing-in of the country's first black president drew a record 1.8 million people.

High unemployment, a bruising election campaign and partisan fights over fiscal policies have taken a toll.

Still, between 500,000 and 700,000 people are expected to flock to Washington for the event. The inauguration includes acts by Beyonce and Katy Perry.

Thousands of workers and volunteers have been making final preparations for the ceremonies. Hotels and government buildings along the parade route were adorned with red, white and blue bunting.

The President and his family began inauguration day by attending services at St John's Episcopal Church near the White House.

A quirk in the calendar this year pushed the public swearing-in onto the national holiday honouring the slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

In his inaugural address, Mr Obama is expected to talk about the need for political compromise where possible, as well as detailing the priorities and goals of his second term.

The president's legacy will be tested by foreign crises, including the war in Syria and Iran's nuclear programme, as well as domestic issues, such as immigration and a weak economy.

Mr Obama is also seeking new restrictions on guns and ammunition.

Michelle Obama sports her new fringe

He will face strong opposition by the Republican Party, as the country remains highly polarised.

Away from the politics, the President has given his opinion on what he jokingly called the most significant event of the inaugural weekend: his wife's new haircut.

"I love her bangs," Mr Obama said. "She looks good. She always looks good."

First lady Michelle Obama unveiled the new fringe last week to coincide with her 49th birthday.

And it has been the talk of the town and social media ever since.

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