Silvio Berlusconi: Ex-Wife To Get £82k A Day

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has been ordered to pay his ex-wife maintenance of 100,000 euros (£82,000) a day as part of their divorce settlement.

Mr Berlusconi, 76, will be able to keep the family home, said to be worth 78 million euros (£64m), and the daily figure he will pay to Veronica Lario amounts to more than 36 million euros (£29m) a year.

However, it was not immediately clear how long the terms lasted.

The decision was made by a judge in Milan just before Christmas and details have now been revealed.

The ruling said the money would allow Ms Lario, the mother of Mr Berlusconi's three children, to "live in the manner that she was accustomed to during her marriage" and it also noted she was "without a home as part of the settlement".

Ms Lario began proceedings against Mr Berlusconi three years ago after it emerged he had attended the 18th birthday party of lingerie model Noemi Letizia - which sparked fury from his then wife who accused him of never attending birthday parties of their own children.

The ex-Italian PM attended the 18th birthday party of Noemi Letizia

As a result, she said that she could "no longer live with a man who associates with minors" and she instructed lawyers to begin divorce proceedings against her husband, who is one of the world's richest men with a personal fortune estimated to be around seven billion euros.

Initially Ms Lario, 55, had wanted to keep the family home at Macherio and also 300,000 euros (£245,000) a month in maintenance but after two years of legal wrangling she has settled for an increase in the financial settlement and to leaving the house which was also home to their three children Barbara, 27, Eleonora, 25 and Luigi, 21.

Ms Lario has spent 19 of the last 30 years at Macherio near Milan and she met Mr Berlusconi in the early 1980s, while he was still married to his first wife Carla Dall Oglio, when she performed topless in a play called The Magnificent Cuckold.

There had been some suggestion she also wanted a 'slice' of his extensive business empire Fininvest but it is understood that is not part of the settlement and remains in his hands although Mr Berlusconi is said to have ensured the three children as well as his two from his first marriage are covered.

Initially Ms Lario had threatened to "make things messy" for Mr Berlusconi in what many believed was a reference to his relationship with Miss Letizia who it later emerged had been among dozens of women invited to parties he hosted at his home on the island of Sardinia.

According to reports in the Italian media, the settlement authorised by judge Gloria Servetti was reached with both parties agreeing not to blame each other for the split.

Mr Berlusconi has confirmed he is dating Francesca Pascale

The relationship had been strained since 2007 after Mr Berlusconi was spotted telling TV star Mara Carfagna, who later went on to serve in his Cabinet, that he would marry her if he was not already married.

Ms Lario was furious and demanded a public apology which she got from Mr Berlusconi with a grovelling sorry published on the front page of all Italian newspapers and reported extensively on TV.

Maria Morelli, Ms Lario's lawyer, was unavailable for comment at her Milan office and Mr Berlusconi's legal team who negotiated the settlement, Ippolita Ghedini and Cristina Rossello, could also not be reached.

Mr Berlusconi is currently on trial accused of having underage sex with a prostitute and he has also thrown his hat into the ring for the general election which takes place in February.

He also recently confirmed he is seeing former TV showgirl Francesca Pascale, 27, who he described as ''beautiful on the inside and beautiful on the outside".

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Russia: Putin Signs American Adoption Ban

Vladimir Putin has signed a law banning Americans from adopting Russian children.

The controversial bill is part of a harsh response to a US law targeting Russians deemed to be human rights violators.

Mr Putin signed it less than 24 hours after receiving it from parliament, where both houses passed it overwhelmingly.

The law also calls for closure of non-governmental organisations (NGO) receiving American funding if their activities are classified as political - a broad definition many fear could be used to close any NGO that offends the Kremlin.

It is not immediately clear when the law would take effect, but presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying "practically, adoption stops on January 1".

Children's rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov said 52 children who were in the pipeline for adoption in the US would now remain in Russia.

The bill has angered some Americans and Russians who argue it victimises children to make a political point, cutting off a route out of frequently dismal orphanages for thousands.

"Our unlucky children, our orphans are suffering because they became small change in a political game between two states. This is immoral, this is cannibalism", veteran human rights campaigner Lyudmila Alexeyeva has told the state news agency RIA Novosti.

Vladimir Lukin, head of the Russian Human Rights Commission and a former ambassador to Washington, said he would challenge the law in the Constitutional Court.

US State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell has expressed regret and urged Russia to "allow those children who have already met and bonded with their future parents to finish the necessary legal procedures so that they can join their families".

Unicef estimates that there are about 740,000 children not in parental custody in Russia while about 18,000 Russians are on the waiting list to adopt a child.

The US is the most common destination for adopted Russian children - more than 60,000 of them have been taken in by Americans over the past two decades.

Mr Putin has also issued an order for the government to develop a programme to provide more support for adopted children.

The law is in response to a measure signed into law by US President Barack Obama this month that calls for sanctions against Russians assessed to be human rights violators.

That stems from the case of Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who was arrested after accusing officials of a $230m (£143m) tax fraud. He was repeatedly denied medical treatment and died in jail in 2009.

Russian rights groups claimed he was severely beaten and accused the Kremlin of failing to prosecute those responsible. A prison doctor who was the only official charged in the case was acquitted by a Moscow court on Friday.

Mr Putin has claimed Russian resentment of the US, funded and encouraged the wave of massive anti-government protests that arose last winter.

The Russian parliament initially considered a relatively similar retaliatory measure, but amendments have expanded it beyond a tit-for-tat response.

Many in Russia have been distressed for years by reports of Russian children dying or suffering abuse at the hands of their American adoptive parents.

The new law was dubbed the Dima Yakovlev Bill after a toddler who died in 2008 when his adopted American father left him in a car in extreme heat for hours.

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Gang-Rape In India: Teen Victim Kills Herself

A 17-year-old Indian girl who was allegedly gang-raped killed herself after police pressured her to drop the case and marry one of her attackers, police and a relative said on Thursday.

It comes as the 23-year-old Indian medical student who was gang-raped on a bus in New Delhi arrived at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital for further treatment.

A hospital spokesperson said the patient is in an "extremely critical condition" after the attack on December 16.

She was transferred overseas for better treatment.

The latest case, in the Patiala region in the Punjab, has again shone the spotlight on the police's handling of sex crimes.

One police officer has been sacked and another suspended over their conduct after the assault during the festival of Diwali on November 13, according to officials.

The teenager was found dead on Wednesday night after swallowing poison.

Her death came as it emerged that the names, addresses and photographs of convicted rapists will be posted online by police in India to publicly shame them for their crimes.

Inspector General Paramjit Singh Gill said that the teenager had been "running from pillar to post to get her case registered" but officers failed to open a formal inquiry.

"One of the officers tried to convince her to withdraw the case," Gill, the police chief for the area, told AFP.

Before her death, there had been no arrests, although three people were detained on Thursday. Two of them were her alleged male attackers and the third was a suspected woman accomplice.

The victim's sister told Indian television that the teenager had been urged to either accept cash or marry one of her attackers.

"The police started pressuring her to either reach a financial settlement with her attackers or marry one of them," her sister told the NDTV network.

Meanwhile, the Press Trust of India reported that a police officer has been suspended for allegedly refusing to register a rape complaint in the northern state of Chhattisgar.

The woman and her husband later brought the case to the attention of a more senior officer and a hunt has now been launched for her attacker, an auto rickshaw driver.

Official figures show that 228,650 of the total 256,329 violent crimes recorded last year in India were against women.

The real figure is thought to be much higher as so many women are reluctant to report attacks to the police.

During an address to the chief ministers of India's states on Thursday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged to bring in new laws to cover attacks on women.

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Fiscal Cliff: Obama 'Optimistic' After Talks

Barack Obama has called for "immediate action" to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff after urgent talks with Congressional leaders.

He urged politicians to agree a deal, saying: "The hour for immediate action is here. It is now."

He said he remained "optimistic" that an agreement could be reached to avoid millions of families being hit with big tax increases and spending cuts.

Mr Obama described the hour-long meeting with Congressional leaders as "good and constructive".

He referred to "dysfunction in Washington" and said the American public was "not going to have any patience for a politically self-inflicted wound to our economy".

Surprisingly, after weeks of post-election gridlock, Senate leaders said they hope to reach a compromise that could be presented to lawmakers by Sunday -  little more than 24 hours before the year-end deadline.

Majority leader Harry Reid and Republican leader Mitch McConnell gave a relatively upbeat assessment after what Mr McConnell called a "good" meeting with Mr Obama.

House Speaker John Boehner arrives at the White House for the talks

"I am hopeful and optimistic" of reaching a deal, Mr McConnell said.

Mr Reid promised he would be "going to do everything I can" to make a deal happen, but added: "Whatever we come up with is going to be imperfect."

House Speaker John Boehner appears for the moment to have ceded the struggle to the Senate, saying he would put any agreed bill before his chamber and let the vote proceed. 

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.

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 the US's soaring deficit.

It followed their inability to reach an agreement in 2011.

If Congress cannot agree a deal to rein in government spending, Mr Obama said Congress should allow a vote on a basic package that would keep tax cuts for middle-class Americans while extending unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed.

The stock market was down again on Friday as the wrangling continued in Washington.

Experts say if the looming tax increases and spending cuts are not scaled back, the recovering but fragile US economy could slip back into recession.

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Ex-England Cricket Captain Tony Greig Dies

Former England cricket captain and television commentator Tony Greig has died at the age of 66 after being diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this year.

South Africa-born Greig, who played 58 Tests for England, initially developed bronchitis, with further tests showing a lesion at the base of his right lung.

He became synonymous with world cricket as a commentator for Australian television network Channel Nine following his retirement.

"Beloved Tony Greig, former England cricket captain, has passed away today at the age of 66," Channel Nine said in a statement.

"Initially diagnosed with bronchitis in May, the condition lingered and testing revealed he had lung cancer."

Greig scored 3,599 Test runs at an average of 40.43 and was also a useful bowler, claiming 141 wickets at an average of 32.20.

He finished playing for England at the age of 30 to take up a position in Kerry Packer's breakaway World Series Cricket competition, where he was one of the star recruits.

The Channel Nine statement continued: "Tony Greig is a name synonymous with Australian cricket - from his playing days as the English captain we loved to hate, to his senior role in the revolution of World Series Cricket ... and more than three decades of colourful and expert commentary.

"To his family and friends we pass on our best wishes."

Greig made his Test debut for England against Australia in 1972, and captained the national team from 1975-1977 after succeeding Mike Denness as skipper.

He lived in Sydney from the late 1970s and commentated on cricket for Channel Nine for 33 years.

Reports in Australia indicated he suffered a heart attack at home and was taken to hospital where attempts to revive him failed.

"He was rushed into St Vincent's hospital. The staff of the emergency department worked on Mr Greig to no avail," a hospital spokesman was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.

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Harry Carey: Western Movie Veteran Dies At 91

Character actor Harry Carey Jr, who appeared in nine of Hollywood director John Ford's classic Westerns, has died at the age of 91.

He died peacefully of natural causes in the seaside town of Santa Barbara, California, surrounded by family members, said his daughter, Melinda Carey.

"No cancer or nothing, he just got old. He went out as gracefully as he came in," she said of her father, who is survived by his wife of 68 years, Marilyn, and three adult children.

Carey made 11 movies alongside Ford's favourite leading man, John Wayne, and had scores of other films and television shows to his credit.

His career spanned more than 50 years and included such Ford classics as She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, The Searchers and The Long Gray Line.

Harry Carey Jr in a 1940s publicity shot for She Wore A Yellow Ribbon

He began his association with Wayne in another 1948 release, Howard Hawks' Red River, which also starred his father, silent movie star Harry Carey.

While he lacked Wayne's leading-man stature, Carey Jr's boyish looks and horse-riding skills kept him in demand.

He and fellow character actor Ben Johnson famously learned to stand simultaneously on two galloping horses - a trick known as Roman riding - for the 1950 film Rio Grande.

Among his last screen appearances were his turn as a US marshal in the 1993 film Tombstone alongside Val Kilmer and Kurt Russell, and a supporting role in the 1997 TV movie Last Stand At Saber River, which starred Tom Selleck.

In addition to a movie career that encompassed more than 90 films, Carey was a fixture on television during an era when Westerns proliferated on the small screen.

He popped up in various character roles on such prime-time hits as Bonanza, Gunsmoke and Wagon Train in the 1960s and 1970s.

Later in life, he appeared in the movies Gremlins and Back To The Future Part III.

His memoir, Company Of Heroes: My Life As An Actor In The John Ford Stock Company, was published in 1994.

In it he wrote: "My journey has been that of a character actor.

"I've worked with the great and the not-so-great. But mostly I've worked with men and women who loved their profession, and who like me, had kids to raise and houses to pay for."

Carey was born in 1921 on his family's 1,000-acre ranch, which has now been turned into a Los Angeles County historic park called Tesoro Adobe.

He graduated from Hollywood's Black-Foxe Military Institute and during the Second World War he served in the Navy and worked with Ford on propaganda films for the US military.

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Firefighter Ambush Deaths: Charge Over Guns

A 24-year-old woman has been charged in connection with two weapons used by William Spengler when he killed two firefighters responding to a house fire in New York state.

New York State Police Senior Investigator James Sewell said Dawn Nguyen, of Rochester, faces a state charge of filing a falsified business record.

According to Mr Sewell, the charge relates to the purchase of an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun that Spengler had with him when firefighters Michael Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczowka were gunned down on Monday.

Three other people were injured before the 62-year-old killed himself.

US attorney William Hochul said Nguyen is alleged to have bought the guns on behalf of Spengler - who as a convicted criminal was barred from possessing weapons - in June 2010.

"She told the seller of these guns, Gander Mountain in Henrietta, New York, that she was to be the true owner and buyer of the guns instead of William Spengler," Mr Hochul said.

"It is absolutely against federal law to provide any materially false information related to the acquisition of firearms. It is sometimes referred to acting as a straw purchaser and that is exactly what today's complaint alleges."

Spengler lured the firefighters by torching his home on Christmas Eve

Nguyen and her mother, Dawn Welsher, lived next door to Spengler in 2008.

Spengler spent 17 years in prison for killing his grandmother in 1980.

The identity of remains found in the burnt-out home in Webster is still to be confirmed.

Investigators have said they believe the remains are those of Spengler's 67-year-old sister, Cheryl, who also lived in the house on the shore of Lake Ontario and has been unaccounted for since the killings.

The Spengler siblings had lived in the home with their mother, Arline Spengler, who died in October. In all, seven houses were destroyed by the flames.

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India Rape Death: Six Charged With Murder

Indian police have charged six men with murder, hours after a woman who was gang raped on a bus in New Delhi died in hospital.

The men could face the death penalty if convicted, in a case that has triggered protests across India.

The 23-year-old victim was savagely beaten and raped for almost an hour before being thrown out of the moving vehicle.

She was flown to Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore for specialist treatment, but later died from severe organ failure.

The victim's body is being flown back to India from Singapore

Sky's India Correspondent Alex Rossi said: "The general thinking behind it as far as the prosecution service is concerned is that the way she was treated on that bus, the manner in which she was subjected to such a brutal attack, the fact that she was thrown from the bus whilst it was still moving and was unconscious suggests that they're fairly confident now that there was pre-meditation in the attack."

Her uncle has called for those responsible to be given the "strictest possible sentence".

"This is a very sad day, and a very very sad happening," he said. "My condolences are with my niece's family."

Indian police are braced for more protests

Sonia Ghandi, the president of India's National Congress, has promised to fight for change.

She said: "(The death) strengthens our resolve to fight with all our might, and all the powers of our laws and our administration, for the safety and protection of all women of our country, and to ensure swift and fitting punishment for the perpetrators of such brutal acts."

More than 1,000 protesters have gathered in New Delhi city centre for a sit-in, demanding political change to protect women from violence.

Activists light candles in memory of the rape victim

The area is home to the president's palace, the prime minister's office and key defence, foreign affairs and home ministries.

Authorities fear a repeat of demonstrations a week ago, where police fired tear gas and water cannon at activists after violence broke out.

But Daily Telegraph journalist Rahul Bedi, who is in New Delhi, said protesters were likely to remain peaceful to "avoid giving the politicians a tool" to criticise them.

Police have closed-off parts of New Delhi with metal barriers

"I think there's a conscious decision on the part of the protesters in the land of Gandhi to protest in a non-violent way," he added.

"These sit-ins are going to continue for a long time. This crime has shocked the country, rape is something this country has been dancing around for the last 30 or 40 years."

A chartered aircraft is flying the victim's body back to India, along with members of her family.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he was deeply saddened by the woman's death and described the reaction to the case as "perfectly understandable from a young India and an India that genuinely desires change".

"It would be a true homage to her memory if we are able to channel these emotions and energies into a constructive course of action," he added.

A small demonstration is also taking place near the Indian High Commission in London.

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Survivor's Family Sue Over Sandy Hook Massacre

Lawyers for a six-year-old who survived the Sandy Hook massacre are seeking permission to sue the state of Connecticut for $100m (£62m) for failing to protect its schoolchildren.

The legal notice was filed earlier this week with the claims commissioner, who will decide whether the state's usual immunity from prosecution should be waived.

It is the first apparent litigation attempt following the mass shooting two weeks ago, which killed 20 children and six members of staff.

New Haven lawyer Irving Pinsky said the girl, only identified as Jill Doe, was in her classroom at the elementary school in Newtown on December 14 when "the horrific confrontation" with gunman Adam Lanza came over the loudspeaker.

Gunman Adam Lanza shot himself after killing 20 children and six adults

Mr Pinsky said the student was traumatised by the killings of her schoolfriends, and accused the state of failing to protect students from "foreseeable harm".

"The State Board of Education, Connecticut Department of Education and State Commissioner of Education failed ... to provide a safe school setting at Sandy Hook Elementary School," the claim reads.

"As a consequence, the ... child has sustained emotional and psychological trauma and injury, the nature and extent of which are yet to be determined," the lawsuit goes on.

The lawyer told The News-Times newspaper that he took the case because, "we must stand together to protect our children. If we don't, nothing will change."

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Russia Plane Crash: Four People Killed

Four people have died after a passenger plane overshot an airport runway as it landed in Russia.

The Red Wing Airlines aircraft burst through a perimeter fence onto a motorway next to Moscow's Vnukovo airport.

Officials said the Tu-204 plane - travelling from the Czech Republic - was carrying eight crew members and no passengers.

A statement from the Ministry of Healthcare said four of those on board were killed, while four others are suffering from brain injuries.

The crash took place during high winds and a snowstorm, but the cause of the accident is not yet clear.

Prior to Saturday's crash, there had been no fatal accidents reported for Tu-204s, which entered commercial service in 1995.

The plane is a twin-engine mid-range jet with a capacity of about 210 passengers.

Vnukovo, on the southern outskirts of Moscow, is one of the Russian capital's three international airports.

The airport was closed after the crash and flights were routed to Moscow's other airports, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo.

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