Price controls fuel illegal trade in Venezuela

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro is struggling to deal with an economic slowdown that has been partly blamed on the Socialist government's policies, including a complex exchange-rate system.

The Venezuelan trade ministry says it is being corrected in the latest attempt to bring down one of the highest inflation rates in the world. But price controls have only boosted illegal trade.

Miguel Perez, an illegal food trader, says: "We work directly with the Chinese shop-owners who sell us the subsidised goods for a profit. We turn around and re-sell them for more. Unfortunately, the only loser is the consumer."

Government subsidies, in place for more than a decade, have created the perfect breeding ground for a black market. And with inflation wresting value from salaries, more and more Venezuelans are joining Perez's illegal line of business.

So much so, that a new word - bachaqueros - has even been coined for this new breed of entrepreneurs which comes after a native ant.

Like their namesake, the illegal traders work hard, and usually at a small scale.

"I don't see it as a crime, but I do see it as a deterioration of society, because in the long-run we are all harming each other," says Perez.

With an economy strapped for cash, the government is likely to reduce imports. As food becomes scarcer, experts predict that this ant-like trade will be replaced by more sophisticated forms of selling contraband.

And when this happens, the bachaqueros will stand to lose their livelihood.

Syria war: Thousands fleeing fighting mass at Turkey border

The frontier is shut but Turkey has said it is prepared to feed and shelter the refugees.

In the past few days, the Syrian army backed by Russian air power has made a series of gains in Aleppo province.

The advance threatens to surround the city of Aleppo, Syria's largest, landing a major blow to the rebels.

Nato has accused Russia of "undermining" Syrian peace efforts through its strikes, which it says are mainly aimed at opposition groups. Russia insists it only targets what it calls terrorists.

On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Russia of being engaged in an "invasion" of Syria, saying it was trying to create a "boutique state" for ally President Bashar al-Assad.

Mr Erdogan said Russia and the Syrian government were together responsible for 400,000 deaths in Syria.

On Thursday Russia accused Turkey, key backer of Syria's opposition, of preparing a ground invasion, an accusation Mr Erdogan called "laughable".

Turkey and Russia have been embroiled in a row since Turkey shot down a Russian jet it accused of violating its airspace in November.

According to the UN, up to 20,000 Syrians have gathered at the Bab al-Salam border crossing.

"Humanitarian organisations are responding to the needs of those displaced, but ongoing military conflict is making access to populations in need increasingly difficult," the UN's Linda Tom told the AFP news agency.

She said another 5,000-10,000 displaced people had gathered at Azaz, a north-western Syrian city close to the Turkish frontier. 

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The Syrian war and Aleppo

March 2011: Anti-government protests erupt across Syria, but Aleppo is initially untouched as a result of a state crackdown

February 2012: As the rebellion turns into a conflict, clashes between rebels and the government are reported with increasing frequency in Aleppo province

July 2012: The battle for Aleppo begins. Rebels make swift advances, but are unable to consolidate their gains and the city becomes divided

2013: The government begins bombarding rebel districts with barrel bombs, causing thousands of casualties

September 2015: Syria launches a fresh offensive in the wake of Russia's intervention in the conflict

February 2016: The government captures towns north of Aleppo, threatening to encircle the city

Aleppo profile

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Separately, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said 15,000 people had arrived at the border and that many more were on their way.

In a televised speech, he said Turkey would not leave them "without food or shelter" but would not say if they would be allowed in.

Friday saw further gains for the Syrian government on the ground, with its forces recapturing the town of Ratyan, north of Aleppo.

Earlier in the week, it claimed a major victory by breaking the rebel siege of two towns in Aleppo province, severing an opposition supply line from Turkey to Aleppo city.

"It feels like a siege of Aleppo is about to begin," said a spokesman for aid group Mercy Corps, David Evans, who said the main humanitarian route had been cut off.

Since 2012, Aleppo has been divided into rebel and government-held areas. Before the conflict it was a key commercial centre and home to over two million people.

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What is the Syria conflict?

Why is there a war in Syria?

Anti-government protests developed into a civil war that, four years on, has ground to a stalemate, with the Assad government, the Islamic State group, an array of Syrian rebels and Kurdish fighters all holding territory.

Who is fighting whom?

Government forces concentrated in Damascus and the centre and west of Syria are fighting the jihadists of Islamic State and al-Nusra Front, as well as less numerous so-called "moderate" rebel groups, which are strongest in the north and east. These groups are also battling each other. 

What's the human cost?

More than 250,000 Syrians have been killed and a million injured. Some 11 million others have been forced from their homes, of whom four million have fled abroad - including growing numbers who are making the dangerous journey to Europe.

How has the world reacted?

Iran, Russia and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement are propping up the Alawite-led Assad government, while Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar back the more moderate Sunni-dominated opposition, along with the US, UK and France. Hezbollah and Iran are believed to have troops and officers on the ground, while a Western-led coalition and Russia are carrying out air strikes.

Pussy Riot releases new video criticising Russian justice system

Pussy Riot has released a new video criticising the Russian criminal justice system.

Lead singer Nadya Tolokonnikova says she has not thought about the prospect of being sent back to prison.

Three members of the group were jailed in 2012 for performing a protest against Putin in Moscow's main cathedral.

Colombia reports three suspected Zika-linked deaths

Friday's announcement is the first instance in which Zika virus has been directly blamed for deaths [EPA]

Colombian health officials say they believe three people have died after contracting the Zika virus and developing a rare nerve disorder called Guillain-Barre.

The announcement on Friday is the first instance in which health officials have directly blamed the mosquito-borne Zika virus for causing deaths.

"We have confirmed and attributed three deaths to Zika," Martha Lucia Ospina, head of Colombia's National Health Institute, said.

"In this case, the three deaths were preceded by Guillain-Barre syndrome. Guillain-Barre is a rare disorder in which the immune system attacks the nervous system."

Cases of Guillain-Barre, which causes weakness and sometimes paralysis, have increased in tandem with the outbreak of the Zika virus currently sweeping Latin America.

The timing has raised health officials' suspicions that the neurological condition is a complication of the mosquito-borne virus.

Zika may also be connected to an increase in the number of babies born with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads and brains.

Most Guillain-Barre patients recover but the syndrome is sometimes deadly.

Ospina, an epidemiologist, said another six deaths were under investigation for a possible link to Zika.

"Other cases [of deaths linked to Zika] are going to emerge," she said.

"The world is realising that Zika can be deadly. The mortality rate is not very high but it can be deadly."

Colombia has been hit hardest by the Zika outbreak of any country except Brazil, with more than 20,000 cases, including more than 2,000 pregnant women.

Zika normally causes mild flu-like symptoms and a rash, or goes unnoticed altogether.

But Alejandro Gaviria, Colombian health minister, said the apparent risk of deadly complications was "worrying".

Brazil warns against kissing

Meanwhile, across the eastern border in Brazil, a top health official has cautioned pregnant women to think twice before kissing for fear that it could spread the virus.

Paulo Gadelha, president of the Fiocruz Research Institute in Rio de Janeiro, said scientists have found live samples of the Zika virus in saliva and urine samples.

He said the possibility it could be spread by the two body fluids required further study.

Friday's announcement coincided with the start of Carnival, a five-day-long festival in Brazil, where kissing as many people as possible is a pastime.

Gadelha said that the discovery need not alter Carnival plans for anyone but pregnant women.

Earthquake measuring 6.4 hits southern Taiwan

The quake was very shallow, at depth of 10km, which would have amplified its effects, the USGS said [AP]

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake has struck southern Taiwan near the city of Tainan, triggering at least one building to collapse trapping scores of people.

While there were no immediate reports of deaths following the quake, but the local fire brigade reported that 123 people had to be rescued from a seven-storey collapsed building in the city.

Images posted on social media also showed a collapsed building and several people trying to rescue those who were trapped. Another building was also shown partially collapsed.  

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake, initially reported as a magnitude 6.7, was centred 43km southeast of the city of nearly two million people.

The quake was very shallow, at a depth of 10km, which would have amplified its effects, the USGS said.

At least five aftershocks of 3.8-magnitude or more shook Tainan about half an hour after the initial quake, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau.

Taiwan's China Post newspaper said on its website that more than one building collapsed in the quake.

"Collapsed buildings reported in Tainan, with rescue workers arriving on scene. The city government there has set up a level one emergency response centre. Onlookers are urged not to block access to emergency crews moving into the area," the newspaper said.

Tainan city's fire department said earlier that it was on its way to the site of one building that had partially collapsed and Liu Shih-chung, an official with the Tainan City Government, said the city had set up an emergency response centre.

Many people in Taiwan said the tremor was strong. "I hugged the wall and put my face to the wall," Pao-feng Wu, a Tainan resident, told Reuters after the quake hit.

The quake hits the island republic as it gears up for the annual Lunar New Year, one of the biggest holidays there and in other predominantly Chinese countries.  

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is regularly hit by earthquakes.

In September 1999, a powerful quake also hit southern Taiwan killing an estimated 2,400 people.

Dumper Truck Rampage Caught On Police Cameras

Nicholas Churchill, 40, was high on amphetamines when he left a trail of destruction across Norfolk and Suffolk.

He was followed by six police cars and a helicopter for two hours during the 40-mile pursuit, Norwich Crown Court heard.

Driving at a maximum speed of 30mph, the father-of-one rammed three patrol vehicles along the way, causing £28,000 of damage.

Churchill, inset, was jailed for 14 months

Churchill stole the vehicle after a row with his boss. He had complained about its air conditioning, saying he was too hot to work.

Norfolk Police released footage of the chase after Churchill was jailed for 14 months after admitting dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking and driving while unfit through drugs.

Judge Anthony Bate also banned him from driving for two years, saying: "You left a trail of destruction and damaged police vehicles in your wake.

"It was a shocking piece of sustained dangerous driving."

Footage taken from a helicopter, CCTV and car-mounted cameras showed the truck veering wildly across busy roads, including the A140, A11 and A134, and dodging police road blocks.

A Volvo patrol car was written off after being rammed by the truck

An officer inside one of the cars said in a statement read in court: "I thought I was going to die, I was petrified and never felt anything like this before in my career.

"I believe the vehicle was so large and heavy it could have driven over our police car."

A female officer said: "In my 30-year career, I've been kicked, punched and spat at. I've never been so petrified."

Officers deployed a stinger device to disable the truck but its tyres were so thick it did not work.

Shoppers fled as the truck careered down a high street and over a pedestrianised square before coming to a halt near Churchill's home in Brandon, Suffolk.

Officers said a police Ford Focus and Volvo were written off and a BMW X5 was damaged.

Manhattan Crane Collapse

The clip shows the massive structure crashing down an entire block in the Tribeca neighbourhood.

David Wichs, 38, was sitting in a parked car when he was killed in Friday morning's incident.

The Prague-born immigrant worked at a computerised trading firm, said his sister-in-law, Lisa Guttman.

A 45-year-old woman suffered a leg trauma and a 73-year-old man had a cut to the head, said officials.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said the incident occurred as the 565ft (172 metre) crane was being lowered as a precaution because of gusty winds.

The death toll could have been even higher had the crew not been directing people away from the area as the structure was being shifted.

There have been gas leaks as the result of the collapse, said Mr de Blasio.

Images from the scene showed the crane's boom had landed across several parked cars, crushing their roofs.

Debris littered the street and the impact damaged the roof of a nearby building.

An employee at Bay Crane, whose company name is on the structure, said an investigation was under way.

More than 100 firefighters and emergency personnel have responded to the scene after the 8.24am collapse.

Streets were closed as emergency services searched cars for anyone who might be trapped.

Robert Harold, who works at the Legal Aid Society, said: "It was right outside my window. It was a crashing sound.

"You could feel the vibration in the building."

Buildings have been evacuated as officials check for structural damage.

Officials told the New York Daily News firefighters are investigating a report a wrecking ball attached to the crane snapped off and fell through a building's roof.