Taylor Swift Accused Of Endangering Rare Birds

The Bad Blood singer's production company was given permission to film at Bethells Beach near Auckland, home to the critically-endangered New Zealand dotterel.

But conservationists claim the crew failed to follow rules limiting them to two vehicles on the sand - instead using up to a dozen vans and 4x4s.

New Zealand's Department of Conservation says there are around 1,700 dotterels left in New Zealand and warns that their nests on beaches are "easily destroyed by careless feet, dogs and off-road vehicles".

Waitakere Ranges Local Board chair Sandra Coney told Sky News: "There are restrictions on the number of vehicles and what they can do when they're on the beach. 

"So this particular filming company was given permission for two vehicles, which is what they asked for, but considerably more vehicles actually went onto the beach.

"And we don't know yet whether they followed the rules, which are that they shouldn't be going more than 10kmph and they should have a spotter in front of any vehicle that's moving on the beach."

Ms Coney said she would ask Auckland Council to investigate the 25-year-old star and her crew.

She said: "I certainly don't think we're going to shake it off because the part of the Auckland Council that is responsible for giving film permits will be getting in touch with the film company and having a conversation with them and I don't know what will follow from that."

film company, Cherokee Films, issued an apology and absolved Swift of responsibility over the incident.

The company said: "As the local film production company...we accept responsibility and apologise for this situation.

"Taylor Swift and her management team were in no way at fault and did not do anything that violated permits or ordinances."

The company said it had followed guidelines issued by the authorities and had stayed away from dotterel habitats during the shoot.

The statement added: "In acknowledgement of the concern this has added to those in charge of protecting local dotterel population Cherokee Films will make a donation to the breeding program as we support your concerns."

Bethells Beach is regularly used for filming and featured in Jane Campion's Oscar-winning film The Piano, starring Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin.

In 2013, a Mad Max-style ad for Samsung featured a stampede of elves, Maori warriors and chariots on the sand.

Russian jet navigator: 'No warnings at all'

The surviving crew member of a Russian fighter jet shot down by Turkey has rejected Ankara's explanation of the incident, saying there were no warnings given before the plane was attacked.

Turkey said the fighter jet violated its airspace on its southern border with Syria, an assertion that navigator Konstantin Murakhtin denied.

"No, this is impossible, not even for a second," Murakhtin told Russian media on Wednesday.

The navigator was rescued by Russian and Syrian special forces, but the pilot was shot dead by rebels as he parachuted to the ground.

Turkey on Wednesday released what it said was an audio recording of a warning given to the Russian fighter jet.

A voice in one of the recordings can be heard saying in English: "You are approaching Turkish airspace, change your heading."

According to Turkish armed forces, the warnings were issued by the Diyarbakir airbase and not by pilots.
However, Murakhtin said he heard nothing.

"In actual fact, there were no warnings at all, neither by radio, nor visually. There were no contacts whatsoever."

Turkey's military said it invited Russian military attaches to its headquarters and explained that Ankara shot down the Russian jet because its rules of engagement went into effect after the plane did not respond to the alleged warnings.

In a written statement on Wednesday, Turkish armed forces said it had made great efforts to find and rescue the pilots of the plane, and had called military authorities in Moscow to express readiness for "all kinds of cooperation".

"The nationality of the plane was not known ... and the rules of engagement were automatically used" after the plane did not respond to "10 different warnings", the military said.

"All questions have been answered, radar maps have been used to explain the issue to the Russian side and [our] readiness to share any kind of information have been expressed."

Meanwhile, fighting has resumed in Kassab, Syria, where the Russian jet came down, further complicating investigations into the incident. 

Parts of the plane landed in Turkey, leaving resident Mevlut Horoz injured.

"We heard the sound of an explosion. We heard a loud boom. For a moment I thought I was dying. Then I saw my ear was bleeding. I also saw something went into my leg. Blood was dripping from my face."

The downing of the jet was one of the most serious publicly acknowledged clashes between a NATO member and Russia in half a century.

Sky News Eco-Rally Puts Green Cars To The Test

We will be comparing the best-selling electric vehicle, the Nissan LEAF, against the first hydrogen-powered car, a fuel-cell version of Hyundai's ix35 SUV.

The COP21 Conference signals the beginning of the end for the internal combustion engine that powers almost all cars today.

The EU has pledged to cut carbon dioxide emissions by at least 40% over the next 15 years - impossible to achieve with petrol and diesel vehicles.

Technology correspondent Tom Cheshire will drive the electric LEAF from Sky's studios in west London.

But the 270 mile journey is beyond the range of the car's battery.

It's likely he will have to plug in to a recharging point two or even three times, each stop adding at least 30 minutes to his time.

Science correspondent Thomas Moore will drive the hydrogen ix35.

He will have the advantage of a three-minute refuelling time and a theoretical range that puts Paris within reach.

But a hydrogen filling point at Heathrow is his only chance to take on gas. The current lack of a fuelling stations means that if he runs out he will be stranded.

also have to take the cross-Channel ferry. Gas-powered cars are banned in the tunnel even though experts say the hydrogen fuel is as safe, if not safer, than petrol.

That should put Tom in his electric car ahead at the half-way point in Calais.

Tom said: "Electric is the established technology; everyone from Silicon Valley start-ups to 100-year old car companies are betting on it.

"Batteries get better and charging stations are proliferating over Europe. That means we avoid range anxiety and can get on with the driving.

"Also, I'm a fantastic driver, reminiscent of a young Damon Hill."

Thomas is confident that his hydrogen vehicle will get to Paris first.

"Hydrogen fuel cells are no longer just found in concept cars at trade shows.

"They're now a reality, combining the range of a petrol car with the emissions-free driving of an electric.

"Crack the refuelling problem and what's not to like?"

PM: We Must Bomb IS In Syria To Keep UK Safe

The Prime Minister is to set out the case for RAF jets and drones to strike IS (also known as ISIL) targets in Syria as well as Iraq.

"It is in Syria, in Raqqa, that ISIL has its headquarters, and it is from Raqqa that some of the main threats against this country are planned and orchestrated," he will say.

"We have to deny a safe haven for ISIL in Syria.

"The longer ISIL is allowed to grow in Syria, the greater the threat it will pose.

"It is wrong for the United Kingdom to sub-contract its security to other countries, and expect the aircrews of other nations to carry the burdens and the risks of striking ISIL in Syria to stop terrorism here in Britain."

The Prime Minister will unveil his seven point plan for dealing with IS and Syria and answer questions posed in a report by the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC), which raised doubts about the need for and effectiveness of extending airstrikes.

The Seven Point Plan:

:: Maintain counter-terrorism capabilities to protect the UK
:: Advance a political settlement
:: Deliver a Syrian government that credibly represents all of the Syrian people
:: Defeat IS through military and wider action
:: Continue to provide humanitarian support to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people
:: Plan for the stabilisation and reconstruction of Syria
:: Work with international partners to mitigate the impact of IS on the stability of the region

"Whether or not to use military force is one of the most significant decisions that any government takes," he will say.

"The need to do so most often arises because of a government's first duty: the responsibility to protect its citizens.

"It is right that Parliament, on behalf of the people, asks difficult questions and holds the Government to account."

Mr Cameron will stress there is no guarantee a vote will actually happen unless he can be assured of a clear majority.

The Prime Minister suffered embarrassment in 2013 when he was defeated on a vote for airstrike in Syria against the Bashar al Assad regime. 

He has said a similar defeat would damage the nation's reputation.

Downing Street said: "There will only be a Commons vote on the extension of airstrikes if there is a clear majority because we don't want to hand ISIL a propaganda victory."

Turkey Has Released Audio of Its ‘Warnings’ to the Downed Russian Plane

military has released an audio recording of what it says were warnings to the Russian fighter jet it shot down on Tuesday, the BBC reported.

In the recording, a garbled voice is heard saying “change your heading south immediately” — a warning that the jet’s navigator says he never received before a Turkish missile struck his plane. The other pilot was killed by gunfire while parachuting from the aircraft, the BBC says.

The surviving pilot, Captain Konstantin Murakhtin, denies that the plane entered Turkish airspace. It ultimately crashed on a mountainside in Syria near the country’s border with Turkey.

Tensions have escalated between Ankara and Moscow in the wake of the incident. Turkey claims that it has tried to collaborate with the Russian military to prevent such conflicts.

Why did Turkey shoot down a Russian plane?

Military analysts and observers have long warned of the dangers of Syria's "internationalised" conflict, where a range of world powers are carrying out military action for different ends.

On Tuesday, those fears where vindicated when Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet, ostensibly because it had crossed into Turkish airspace.

Turkey has warned Russia before about border incursions, and says it warned the plane ten timesbefore shooting it down.

Russia says its jet never crossed into Turkish airspace, and that it was attacked one kilometre inside Syria.

But the competing versions do little to explain the wider struggle for power and influence in Syria.

Russia has been bombing Syrian rebel groups, some of whom are supported by Turkey, since it began its air campaign on September 30.

Of most concern to Turkey is Russia's targeting of Syrian Turkmen. They are ethnic Turks who are concentrated in an area north of Latakia.

The Turkmen were among the first groups to take up arms against President Bashar al-Assad. Now they find themselves on the receiving end of Russian air strikes.

Is Turkey sending Russia a warning about its actions in Syria? And how will this incident affect ongoing efforts to reach a political solution in the country?

Dangerous ‘Kissing Bug’ Spreads to More Than Half of U.S.

A dangerous insect known as the “kissing bug” has crawled its way through more than half of the U.S., health officials said.

The blood-sucking bugs that usually feed on the faces of their victims have been reported in 28 states, mostly in the South, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The kissing bug recently made its way to Georgia, Alabama and California, although health officials said the insect has been around the U.S. since the 1850s.

The insect, also called the triatomine bug, resembles a cockroach and has been known to carry a parasite that causes Chagas disease, which can be fatal if left untreated, the CDC said. There are currently about 300,000 cases of Chagas in the U.S., although most of those people were infected in Latin America, according to the agency.

It’s rare to contract Chagas from the kissing bug and it takes more than just a single bite, CDC spokeswoman Amy Rowland told TIME in an email. According to Rowland, transmission only occurs when the bug’s feces gets rubbed into a break in the skin or comes in contact with the eye.

The bugs are typically found outdoors but they can tend to hide under beds and mattresses, according to the CDC.