Governor Christie 'Knew About Lane Closures'

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie apparently knew about controversial lane closures on one of the country's busiest bridges, according to a former Port Authority official.

Earlier this month, Mr Christie denied he knew about the shutdown on the George Washington Bridge which caused traffic chaos for hundreds of thousands of residents last September.

In a letter released via his lawyer, David Wildstein claimed the lanes were closed under "the Christie administration's order".

David Wildstein oversaw the lane closures last September

The old school friend of the governor added that "evidence exists as well tying Mr Christie to having knowledge of the lane closures, during the period when the lanes were closed, contrary to what the Governor stated publicly in a two-hour press conference".

Sky's US Correspondent Dominic Waghorn says the revelations are potentially damaging to the governor's career and could end his hopes as a Republican front-runner for the White House in 2016.

Mr Wildstein was a Christie appointee who personally oversaw the lane closings at the time.

As the scandal grew, he resigned from his job at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls the bridge.

In the letter, Mr Wildstein urged the Port Authority to pay for his legal fees for legislative proceedings connected to the scandal.

Earlier this month, Mr Christie sacked one of his top aides for closing the lanes allegedly as political revenge against a New Jersey town mayor who did not endorse Mr Christie as mayor.

Mr Christie has strongly denied he knew before this month that anyone in his administration was responsible and his administration has tried to portray the move as the actions of a rogue staff member.

The sudden and unexpected lane closures, which lasted for four days caused traffic gridlock in the borough of Fort Lee at the New Jersey end of the bridge.

It has been reported that as a result of the lane closures emergency services had been delayed in attending four medical calls.

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Amanda Knox Judge Describes Agony Of Decision

By Nick Pisa, for Sky News in Italy

The judge who upheld Amanda Knox's murder conviction has spoken of his pain at making the decision.

Judge Alessandro Nencini made his comments as fellow judge Claudio Pratillo Hellman, who cleared Knox and Raffaele Sollecito in 2011, criticised the verdict.

Judge Nencini and his panel of six jurors took almost 12 hours to make their decision.

It saw them uphold the original murder convictions against Knox, 26, and Sollecito, 29.

Knox wiped away tears during a TV interview in the US

''I have two children and this was a painful sentence for me as well but I and all the jury have a clean conscience," he said.

''I feel liberated because the moment of decision is always agony.

"I have two children and to give two young people sentences of 25 and 28 years is emotionally very strong.''

Judge Nencini added that the decision reached was ''shared'' by all the jury and that they all knew the ''severity'' of the Florence appeal court ruling.

"This (case) involves young people and entire families. This is a story that has overturned many lives," he said.

Exchange student Miss Kercher lived with Knox

Meredith was found semi-naked and with her throat slashed, in the bedroom of the house she shared with Knox in Perugia seven years ago.

She was killed just weeks after arriving in Italy as part of her university degree course.

Knox and Sollecito were originally convicted of murdering and sexually assaulting the British student Meredith Kercher by a court in 2009.

But then two years later they were dramatically cleared by Judge Hellmann at appeal - and walked free.

Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellman delivers his verdict in 2011

Then in a further twist, that decision was overturned by Italy's Supreme Court and sent back to the appeal court .

Knox was sentenced to 28 years and Sollecito to 25 years on Thursday.

Speaking about the latest decision, Judge Hellmann said: "I remain certain that there is no concrete evidence at all against these two young people.

"This new sentence was on the cards - it's tied to the decision made by the Supreme Court - Amanda's not doing a bad thing by not coming back to Italy."

In its ruling last year the Supreme Court decided that "errors" had been made in the 2009 appeal court hearing and that these should be "remedied".

Members of Ms Kercher's family want Knox extradited

Key to the case is DNA evidence which in the appeal trial was exposed as being flawed. It emerged that forensic officers had not followed correct procedures at the crime scene when collecting evidence.

This was the key to Knox and Sollecito's release from jail.

The Florence appeal court once again heard that DNA evidence from a 30cm kitchen knife found at Sollecito's house and thought to be the murder weapon was also questionable.

Experts ruled that although Knox's DNA was on the handle and a small amount of Meredith's was on the tip, it was deemed too small to be significant.

But the court chose to overlook this.

Sollecito has been held by police near the Austrian border

Sollecito's lawyer said the case was a milestone as it was the first time that ''two people have been convicted of a crime when there is no evidence putting them at the scene".

The appeal court will release its reasons and motivations for the verdict sometime in April but judge Nencini stressed they were ''all convinced'' of their verdict.

The ruling now marks the start of a long legal battle as both Knox and Sollecito's defence teams have announced they will appeal the verdict to Italy's Supreme Court.

That hearing is unlikely to start until spring 2015.

Only at that point, and if the sentences are confirmed, will extraditing Knox from America back to Italy be discussed.

Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito kissing in the aftermath of the murder

The US will not reveal whether it has received a request to extradite Knox.

The State Department's deputy press secretary Marie Harf said: "We've been following it closely as it's gone through the Italian legal system.

"I don't have any more analysis of the Italian judicial procedure for you. But again, we'll just keep monitoring it and if we have anything else to say as we get further along in the process, we will.

"Extradition requests I understand, are legally private and confidential, so I don't think I have more comment than that. We do have an extradition treaty, which has been in force since 1984."

On Friday, Knox wept on television as she vowed to fight her latest conviction "to the very end".

For Sollecito, the outlook is arguably bleaker as he is already in Italy. He has had his passport confiscated and been banned from leaving the country.

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Castaway Washes Up After '16 Months Adrift'

A castaway has washed up in the remote Marshall Islands claiming he drifted at sea for more than a year - travelling 8,000 miles from where he set sail.

The Mexican man, who identified himself as Jose Ivan, is said to be recovering on Ebon Atoll after the ordeal, surviving by eating turtles, birds and fish and drinking turtle blood when there was no rain.

He had no fishing equipment on the boat, suggesting the man caught food with his bare hands.

Locals discovered Mr Ivan when his 24-foot fibreglass boat with propellerless engines floated onto a reef. He had long hair and a beard and was wearing only ragged underpants.

He told his rescuers he set sail from Mexico for El Salvador in September 2012 and had been floating in the ocean ever since.

He claimed he had a friend with him but he died many months ago.

Ebon mayor Ione de Brum said: "We've been feeding him nutritious island food and he's getting better. He has pain in both knees so he cannot stand up by himself. Otherwise, he's OK."

De Brum said she was communicating with the man using drawings because he cannot speak English and she does not speak Spanish.

Ebon Atoll is in a remote area of the Pacific

"I've gotten to know him through pictures he's drawing. He said he was on his way to El Salvador by boat when it started drifting," she said.

Although communicating with him is difficult, Ms de Brum said the community was doing its best to help him and keep him comfortable; bringing him clothes, food and mosquito coils.

A navy ship has been sent to bring him to the capital Majuro and is expected to arrive in Ebon on Saturday night. After it returns to Majuro the process of getting the man back to Mexico will begin.

There are virtually no islands in the 8,000 mile expanse of the Pacific north of the equator between southern Mexico and the Marshall Islands.

If he had not washed onto the reef at Ebon, it is likely he would have drifted for another 1,000 miles of ocean before making landfall in Papua New Guinea or the Solomon Islands.

Such stories of survival have surfaced before. In 2006, three Mexicans were discovered drifting near the Marshall Islands nine months after setting out on a shark-fishing expedition.

They survived on rainwater, raw fish and seabirds, keeping their hopes of being found alive by reading the Bible.

Castaways from Kiribati in the south often make land in the Marshall Islands after weeks or months at sea in small boats.

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'Suspicious Powder' Found Near Super Bowl Site

A white powder sent to at least five hotels near the Super Bowl site in New Jersey appears to have been a hoax threat, police have said.

The envelopes were posted to hotels close to the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, where more than 80,000 NFL fans are expected for Sunday's game.

They were found at an Econo Lodge, a Renaissance Inn and the Homestead Inn, while two other envelopes destined for a Holiday Inn Express and a Hampton Inn were intercepted by police.

No injuries were reported and an investigation by FBI counter-terrorism officers and hazardous substances teams found the contents of the envelopes were harmless.

A package containing white powder was also posted to an address in New York where the city's former mayor Rudy Giuliani has a consulting firm.

A spokesman for the New York Police Department said the envelope was the only suspicious package they were investigating.

It is thought the envelopes sent to the hotels were all posted from the same source, although it is not known whether they are linked to the package found in New York.

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Norovirus Outbreak Hits Caribbean Cruise Ship

More than 170 cruise ship passengers and crew members heading to the Caribbean have fallen sick with the gastrointestinal illness norovirus.

The Caribbean Princess was forced to return two days early to the Bayport Cruise Terminal in Houston, Texas, late on Thursday.

Health officials will oversee an "extensive sanitation of the ship" on Friday.

Norovirus is a highly contagious illness that can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Princess Cruises, which owns the ship, initially said the ship was returning early due to fog but later confirmed the spread of norovirus.

The ship embarked on the seven-day trip on January 25 with more than 4,200 people aboard. It had been set to return on Saturday.

Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas returned to New Jersey on Wednesday after nearly 700 aboard fell sick with the same gastrointestinal illness.

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Man, 102, Breaks Cycling Record For Second Time

A 102-year-old man has broken his own world record after cycling 16.7 miles in one hour.

Robert Marchand set a new record in the over-100s category on Friday, beating his previous best distance in the race against the clock by 1.5 miles.

The Frenchman set his previous record two years ago.

The current overall world record for one hour is 30.9 set by Czech Ondrej Sosenka in 2005.

Marchand, a retired firefighter and logger, received a standing ovation and was surrounded by dozens of photographers at the finish line in France's new National Velodrome.

The 74m euro (£60m) complex officially opened its doors Thursday.

Supported by two assistants, he smiled and raised his arms and said: "It was very good, but at the end it started to become very hard.

"You have to know there are people who came from 600 kilometres away to see me today. It is incredible. That's all I can say."

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Brazil's Hot Summer Causes Massive Algae Slick

By Karine Mayer, In Brazil

A large red slick of algae visible from space is taking over the Brazilian coastline.

The dark red patch stretches almost 500 miles from Rio de Janeiro past Sao Paulo to the southern state of Santa Catarina.

It is a reaction to the hot summer in Brazil, with record temperatures and the lowest rainfall for 70 years.

It is made up of decomposing algae which has been eaten by micro-organisms and then killed by the rising sea temperatures. Although it is not toxic it can affect marine life.

Oceanographer David Zee told Sky News that a great amount of organic material which feeds off algae combined with the unusually warm sea water created the enormous red slick.

He added that the January heatwave has been so intense that only a big storm will break it and then split up and shift the red mass.

While the water at the top remains at 30C and the sea currents are not shifting the pollution from rivers the red slick will continue there.

In normal circumstances winds, rain and maritime currents do not allow such a slick to form.

Tourists saw green foam over several days on the beaches in Rio which was a product of the red slick.

Although it was not harmful many were put off by the sticky foam which came onto the sandy beaches.

But the hot temperatures mean that many are still heading to the beaches to cool off.

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Shark Cull Protesters Hit Australia's Beaches

Thousands of people have gathered on beaches across Australia to demand the end of a new policy which allows sharks to be caught and killed.

Baited hooks are being placed on drum lines off popular beaches in and around Perth to kill white, bull and tiger sharks.

Any shark longer than three metres (10 feet) snagged by the lines will be killed, with the first shark shot dead last week.

Shark soft toys were popular at the Cottesloe Beach protest

The Western Australia state government policy says smaller sharks are to be released, but an undersized tiger shark was found dead on a hook on Saturday morning.

Another tiger shark - believed to be about 2.3m long - was also snagged on Saturday, but it was released offshore.

The cull is in response to seven fatal shark attacks in Australia's southwest in three years, but the policy has caused widespread anger.

A protester at Cottesloe Beach

On Cottesloe Beach in Perth, an estimated 6,000 people, including environmentalists, divers and surfers, gathered carrying shark soft toys and signs calling for an end to the cull.

"Rights, rights, rights for great whites," the crowd chanted.

The protest action started about 4.30am (local time) when a female activist chained herself to a fisheries boat at Cottesloe to prevent it leaving to set and monitor baited hooks.

Emergency services cut the 19-year-old from the vessel, which was reportedly delayed by about two hours.

About 2,000 people rallied at Manly Beach in Sydney's north, while hundreds of South Australians protested at Glenelg.

Shark attack survivor Rodney Fox told the Glenelg rally that the money being spent on culling sharks should be used to research their behaviour.

Politicians, including Greens leader Christine Milne, addressed the rallies

"We've tagged them with satellite tags with sonic tags. There's just not enough money to put enough sonic or satellite tags to find out where they go, what time of year, when there's more around. The money should be put into science," he said.

Marine biologist Dan Monbeux says there is no scientific evidence to suggest that killing sharks will reduce the risk of attacks.

"We need to understand their feeding and foraging behaviours," he said.

"I think we also need to bring the users of the marine environment, particularly those who are out at remote surf breaks who are at highest risk to understand they are sharing waters with large predators who will follow seals which are often seen at those same surf breaks."

Several celebrities have also criticised the cull, including Sir Richard Branson, who said it was "very sad" such a bad example was being set to the rest of the world.

"Last year, Australia was praised all over the world for creating the biggest marine reserves," he said.

Sir Richard Branson is one of high-profile figures criticising the cull

"This year, the world is looking at Australia - and particularly Western Australia - and wondering 'what on earth is going on?'"

As well as Sir Richard, high-profile figures such as comedian Ricky Gervais and diver Tom Daley have added their voices to the anti-cull campaign.

While sharks are common in Australian waters, deadly attacks are rare, with only one in 15 attacks a year on average proving fatal.

But the WA government has said a spike in shark attacks has dented tourism and leisure businesses, with recreational diving operators reporting a greater than 90% plunge in people learning to dive.

The catch-and-kill policy lasts until April, when it will face a full environmental assessment.

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Thailand Protesters Clash On Eve Of Elections

At least three people have been injured as gunfire and explosions broke out during clashes between rival protesters in Thailand.

The violence came during fighting between government supporters and opposition demonstrators, who had surrounded a ballot box distribution centre in the capital, Bangkok.

Security personnel and journalists ran for cover after a man pulled an assault rifle from a bag and began firing, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

"One victim was apparently shot in the chest and was hospitalised," an official from the city's Erawan emergency centre said.

The two others were reportedly hurt in two blasts in the north of Bangkok, where supporters of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's Puea Thai Party had gathered to ensure Sunday's election was not disrupted.

Some opposition supporters have vowed to block the polls in order to prevent the re-election of Ms Yingluck.

The protesters have demanded the government be replaced by an unelected council that would implement political and electoral reforms.

The prime minister has refused to step down, arguing she is open to changes and such a council would be unconstitutional.

Three months of anti-government protests in Bangkok have left 10 people dead and nearly 600 wounded. Advance polling in the capital last week descended into chaos.

Polling day is unlikely to resolve the crisis as protesters managed to stop candidates from registering in some areas, meaning parliament will not have enough members to convene.

This could leave Thailand in political limbo as Ms Yingluck will be unable to form a government or pass a budget.

The protests took hold late last year after Ms Yingluck's party tried to push through an amnesty bill that would have allowed her brother Thaksin Shinawatra to return from exile.

He was forced from power in 2006 but remains popular with the rural majority in the north. However, Bangkok's elite and many in the south consider him and his family a corrupting influence on the country.

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Volcano Sinabung Erupts Killing 14 In Indonesia

Eleven people, including four pupils on a school trip, have been killed after a volcano in Indonesia erupted, officials have said.

Mount Sinabung, on the western island of Sumatra, sent hot rocks and scorching ash up to 2,000m (16,000ft) into the air.

The victims, including the high school students, were found dead in Sukameriah village, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency.

The students were on a sightseeing trip to the volcano, the spokesman said.

A man and his son were also caught up in the deadly clouds when they went to pay respect at the graves of relatives in Sukameriah, which is 1.7 miles (2.7km) south of Sinabung crater. 

Another man, who had returned to the village to check on his abandoned house, was also trapped and injured by the clouds, officials said. 

Sinabung spews ash in November last year

The eruption blanketed the surrounding countryside with grey dust, said volcanologist Kristianto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

About 33,000 people have taken refuge since Sinabung started erupting in September after remaining dormant for four years.

Some villagers had returned home on Friday following advice from the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation that houses outside of a 5km radius of Sinabung were safe. 

Sinabung had been quiet for around 400 years until it rumbled back to life in 2010, and again in September last year.

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