Rapes Linked To Dating Websites Up Sixfold

The National Crime Agency says 184 people reported being raped by someone they met online in 2014.

This compares with 33 in 2009.

Sean Sutton, head of the NCA Serious Crimes Analysis Section, says the "pseudo-closeness" people can feel towards those they meet online is a factor.

"This pseudo-closeness can happen very, very quickly, and we are saying you could be talking to a 14-year-old boy or a 60-year-old woman," said Mr Sutton.

Rape Victim Care 'Falling Short'

"Come back a step and take it on a face-to-face basis when you meet in public for the first time."

The force is launching a campaign to raise awareness about what Mr Sutton warns could be a "new breed" of rapist without previous convictions.

Figures show that while 84% of people convicted of stranger rape have a criminal record, this figure drops to 49% where the parties meet online.

Twice as many people now report being raped by someone they met online than by a bogus taxi driver - a threat that has seen a huge public awareness campaign.

More than nine million Britons have signed up to dating websites and the NCA stressed it is not claiming they are inherently dangerous.

Australian Grandmother Freed By Al Qaeda

Jocelyn and Ken Elliott, both in their 80s, were abducted in the north of the West African country, near the border with Mali, last month.

Mrs Elliott stood with Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou at a news conference in Dosso, southwestern Niger, as officials said they were intensifying efforts to secure the release of her surgeon husband.

On Friday, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said they had kidnapped the couple and would release Mrs Elliott due to public pressure and guidance from its leaders "not to involve women in war".

The circumstances of her release and how she arrived in Niger were not immediately clear.

Friends said the couple dedicated their lives to improving medical services in the country.

For over 40 years, they ran a 120-bed clinic in the northern town of Djibo, where Dr Elliott was the only surgeon and was supported by local staff.

They were abducted from the town on 15 January - the same day al Qaeda fighters raided a restaurant and hotel in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou, killing 30 people.

Six Canadians, two French people, two Swiss nationals and an American were among those killed.

The Elliotts, originally from Perth in Western Australia, have two sons, a daughter and three grandchildren.

Storm Imogen Set To Bring 80mph Winds And Rain

The Met Office has issued amber "be prepared" warnings for the South West and yellow "be aware" alerts stretching from southern Wales to the Thames Estuary.

"Some very large waves are also likely to affect many coasts, in particular north coasts of Cornwall and Devon," it said.

It also warned commuters and households to be "prepared for disruption to travel as well as possible damage to trees and structures and interruption of power supplies".

Gusts of between 60-70mph are widely expected, while winds of 80mph will hit the most exposed areas, particularly the Cornish coast.

With high winds expected to carry thundery downpours throughout Monday, the Met Office said there would be enough rain to cause surface flooding and spray on roads.

Imogen is the ninth named winter storm and comes days after Storm Henry, which brought winds of up to 90mph in places, causing schools to shut and disruption to transport.

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said: "An area of low pressure is set to bring damaging winds of 70 to 80mph across southern areas later tonight and during Monday.

Starting across Kerry and Cork tonight, the severe gales will spread to southwest England and Wales for the morning rush hour, extending along the south coast through the day.

"Bands of heavy showers will add to the difficult travelling conditions."

North Korea to launch rocket with satellite as soon as Sunday

North Korea could launch a rocket that it says will carry an earth observation satellite as soon as Sunday, bringing forward and shortening the time frame for the launch, the Japanese and South Korean governments said on Saturday.

North Korea had earlier told the International Maritime Organization it would launch the rocket some time between Feb. 8 and Feb. 25, triggering international opposition from governments that see it as a long-range missile test.

Japan and South Korea said North Korea had issued a Notice to Airmen that the launch would take place some time between Sunday and the following Sunday, Feb. 14. The International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency, also said on Saturday it had received a notification from North Korea of the change.

Isolated North Korea says it has a sovereign right to pursue a space program. But it is barred under U.N. Security Council resolutions from using ballistic missile technology.

Tension has been high on the Korean peninsula following the North's fourth nuclear test, on Jan. 6. A rocket test now would compound fears about North Korea putting a nuclear warhead on a missile that could reach not only South Korea and Japan but possibly even the west coast of the United States.

North Korea last launched a long-range rocket in December 2012, sending into orbit an object it described as a communications satellite.

The new time frame was set amid rising expectations that a launch was likely to happen soon, with U.S. government sources on Friday saying North Korea could be ready by the U.S. Super Bowl kickoff on Sunday, which will be Monday in Korea.

Satellite images taken this week of North Korea's Sohae rocket launch site show apparent fueling activity, seen in the past shortly before a rocket launch, said Washington-based 38 North, a North Korea-monitoring project.

North Korean state media has not reported on the changed schedule.

On Friday, President Obama spoke by telephone with President Xi Jinping of China, North Korea's main ally and neighbor, and agreed that a North Korean launch would represent a "provocative and destabilizing action," the White House said.

Obama and Xi also said they would coordinate efforts to respond to North Korea's nuclear test last month and said they would not accept North Korea as a nuclear weapon state.

"The leaders emphasized the importance of a strong and united international response to North Korea's provocations, including through an impactful U.N. Security Council Resolution," the White House said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi criticized North Korea in remarks made on Friday in Namibia, according to a report released on the Chinese foreign ministry’s website, calling on the U.N. Security Council to take further action.

The United States and China have appeared divided over how to respond to North Korea, with Washington urging tougher sanctions and Beijing stressing the need for dialogue.

Japan has said it would shoot down the rocket if it threatens the country, and on Saturday accelerated the deployment of two additional PAC-3 missile units in response to the revised launch time frame, a Japanese defense ministry official said.

Rubio and Cruz face attacks at US Republican debate

Bush (L) was seen as a political mentor to Rubio (R), but said that his inexperience was similar to that of President Obama's in 2008 [AP]

Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, first-term senators on the rise in the US presidential race, faced a barrage of attacks in Saturday night's Republican TV debate ahead of the New Hampshire primary.

Rubio exceeded expectations to finish third in the Iowa caucuses and appears to be gaining steam heading into Tuesday's primary.

His rise is a threat not only to frontrunners Donald Trump and Cruz but to several other candidates, including Jeb Bush, who need a strong showing in New Hampshire to stay in the campaign.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie took immediate aim at Rubio on Saturday night, saying that the Florida senator has "not been involved in a consequential decision where you need to be held accountable".

Bush, in turn, said Rubio was a gifted politician but warned voters against again putting the White House in the hands of a first-term senator: "We've tried it the old way, with Barack Obama and soaring rhetoric," he said.

Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher, reporting from the debate hall in New Hampshire, said that "Christie attacked [Rubio] quite early on in the debate, and he never really seemed to recover". 

Rubio said he was proud of his service in the Senate and suggested that Obama's "problems" were less about experience and more about ideology.

He also defended his decision to walk away from the sweeping immigration bill he originally backed in the Senate and said he would not pursue similar legislation as president.

"We can't get that legislation passed," Rubio said of the bill that would have provided a pathway to citizenship for millions of people in the US illegally.

'Washington ethics'

Cruz, who was the winner in Iowa, also faced criticism for messages his campaign sent to voters ahead of the caucuses, saying rival Ben Carson was dropping out and urging the retired neurosurgeon's supporters to back Texas senator instead.

Cruz apologised for his campaign's actions on Saturday, but not before Carson jabbed him for having "Washington ethics". Those ethics, he said, "say if it's legal, you do what you do to win".

Trump was back on the debate stage after skipping the last contest before the Iowa caucuses.

After finishing second in Iowa, he sought to refocus on the core messages of his campaign, including blocking Muslims from going to the US and deporting all people in the country illegally.

Trump currently leads the polling in New Hampshire, but the debates have heavily shifted support for candidates in the past, Fisher reported.

"Marco Rubio will spend the next 72 hours scanning the poll numbers to make sure no lasting damage was done at the debate here," Fisher added.

The debate began shortly after North Korea defied international warnings and launched a long-range rocket that the UN and others call a cover for ballistic missile test.

Asked how he would respond to North Korea's "provocations", Bush said he would authorise a pre-emptive strike against such rockets if it was "necessary to keep America safe".

Cruz said he would not speculate about how he would handle the situation without a full briefing, whilst Trump said he would rely on China to "quickly and surgically" handle North Korea.

Carson Fumbles Debate Entrance As Trump Returns

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson missed his cue to walk on to the debate stage, waiting in the wings as if he just could not face it.

That seemed to cause a traffic jam, with Donald Trump awkwardly piling up behind him. Then came Jeb Bush, who looked baffled before patting Mr Trump on the back and walking past him.

Ben Carson hesitates during his entrance

It was a fitting fiasco for a party immersed in a messy bloodbath.

It was meant to be Marco Rubio's big moment, a chance for the Florida Senator to shine and send his establishment rivals packing.

he was everyone's punch bag. Chris Christie gave him the combative 'New Jersey treatment', taking the early advantage and acting as the perfect attack dog, seeking to expose Mr Rubio's inexperience.

The 44-year-old struggled to fight back, the audience jeering as he kept repeating the line, "Obama knows exactly what he's doing".

This debate was regarded as the last chance saloon for some of his more mainstream opponents. But Jeb Bush, who Mr Trump has repeatedly goaded for lacking energy, had his best performance yet.

He was on the front foot this time and at one point, Mr Trump had to ask him to "be quiet".

The billionaire businessman was generally less gladiatorial than we are used to seeing. It appeared as though he was trying to be more statesman-like and less outlandish. But he reserved his biggest attack for the audience, dismissing them for booing him.

Senator Ted Cruz, Iowa's golden child, at times looked unsteady. Asked if waterboarding was torture, he seemed to falter before stating that it was not, but rather "enhanced interrogation".

It often felt like Mr Rubio was being interrogated and he failed to rise the occasion.

In so doing, he has allowed far more of his competitors to keep going in this increasingly ugly and fractious battle.  

Mr Carson spent a lot of the night bemoaning the fact he was not able to talk more. His greatest contribution to proceedings was his entrance - a piece of performance art to add to the long list of bizarre spectacles in this race.

Refugees pouring into Greece and Italy surpass last year's numbers

More than 74,000 people have arrived on the shores of Greece and Italy so far this year — a sign that the European refugee crisis shows no signs of abating in the new year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Friday.

Meanwhile, just this week thousands of other refugees have fled rapidly worsening violence in the Syrian city of Aleppo and tried crossing into Turkey. 

In the first four days of February, about 7,500 people — most fleeing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan — arrived in Greece and Italy, the IOM reported. That is more than in the entire month of February in 2015, the organization said.

So far this year, 74,676 people have arrived on the shores of Greece or Italy, compared to 11,834 in all of January and February last year.The vast majority of them went to the Greek islands.

Nearly half are men, 22 percent are women and 34 percent children. Last year, about 850,000 people entered the European Union through Greece out of the nearly one million people who crossed the bloc's borders.

Aid organizations expect tens of thousands more to arrive in Europe in the coming days as people flee a surge of violence in Aleppo. Rights group Amnesty International urged Turkey to let in the refugees after reports that the country's border remained closed.

Syrian government troops fighting rebels in that country have in the past two days cut off the main supply route to Aleppo with the aim of isolating the population and depriving them of aid, humanitarian groups say. 

Many of the people fleeing Aleppo and attempting to cross the Turkish border come carrying luggage on their heads, Reuters reported.

"The situation in Aleppo is a humanitarian catastrophe,” said a Syrian opposition spokesman in Geneva. “The international community must take urgent, concrete steps to address it.”