Dreamliner Safety And Design Review Ordered

America's aviation watchdog has ordered a comprehensive review of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner after a spate of incidents involving the aircraft.

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said he is confident the Boeing 787 is safe, but he remains concerned about recent events, including a fire and a fuel leak earlier this week.

Michael Huerta, the FAA administrator, said there is nothing in the data the agency has seen to suggest the plane is not safe.

The watchdog announced it is undertaking a comprehensive review of the 787 to include "critical systems, including design, manufacture and assembly".

The manufacturer responded to fears over the plane and said: "Boeing is confident in the design and performance of the 787. It is a safe and efficient airplane that brings tremendous value to our customers and an improved flying experience to their passengers.

"The airplane has logged 50,000 hours of flight and there are more than 150 flights occurring daily."

Boston fire crews attend the JAL plane after it filled with smoke

The move by the US aviation authority was prompted after a fifth Dreamliner fault this week was reported on Friday morning.

Oil was discovered leaking from the left engine of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight operated by All Nippon Airways (ANA).

An ANA spokeswoman said the leak was found after the domestic flight landed safely at Miyazaki airport in southern Japan.

It came on the same day another Japanese 787 suffered a cracked cockpit window while in flight on a domestic route.

ANA said crew noticed a spider web-like crack in a window in front of the pilot's seat about 70 minutes into Friday's flight, which was close to its destination.

The Dreamliner, the world's first carbon-composite airliner, which has a list price of $207m (£128m), has been beset by problems this week.

The plane was designed to use power plants made by General Electric and Britain's Rolls-Royce.

On Wednesday, a domestic flight was halted by ANA because brake parts to the rear left undercarriage needed replacing, a spokesman at Yamaguchi Ube Airport said.

An investigator in the US examines a Boeing 787

A Japan Air Lines (JAL) jet was also grounded at Boston Logan International airport in the US following an engine fuel leak.

About 40 gallons of fuel spilled from the jet that was supposed to be bound for Tokyo.

That event followed the first incident of the week, which also occurred at Boston, on Monday.

Emergency services had been called after another JAL 787 filled with smoke shortly after passengers and crew had disembarked.

Firefighters used infrared cameras to locate the fire in a battery pack in the belly of a different Boeing 787 and extinguished the blaze within 20 minutes.

Sky sources revealed that if the battery fire had occurred during a transocean flight the aircraft may have been brought down.

The 787 Dreamliner made its first commercial flight in late 2011, after a series of production delays put deliveries more than three years behind schedule.

By the end of last year, Boeing had sold 848 Dreamliners, and delivered 49. JAL and ANA operate 24 of the planes.

After the Boston events, British carriers including BA, Virgin Atlantic and Thomson Airways reaffirmed their plans to integrate 787s into fleets this year and next.

In India - where state-owned Air India has taken delivery of six Dreamliners and has more on order - a senior official at the aviation regulator said there was concern at the recent spate of 787 glitches.

Meanwhile, an Air India spokesman said the airline's debut Dreamliner flight from India to Paris on Thursday went without a hitch.

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Syria: Rebels Capture Key Military Base

Rebels have taken control of a key military base in northern Syria after weeks of fighting with Government forces.

Rebels were pictured celebrating inside Taftanaz airport, close to helicopters and tanks which had been used to attack them.

"The fighting at Taftanaz military airport ended at 11:00 am (0900 GMT) and the base is entirely in rebel hands," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.

Soon afterwards, it was raided by government jets, the Britain-based Observatory said.

"Warplanes are bombing Taftanaz military airport in an attempt to destroy it," a statement said.

Capturing the base is an important gain for the rebels who control vast swathes of Syria's north and east.

They are battling President Bashar al Assad's forces in most major cities and on the outskirts of Damascus.

"This is the largest airbase to be seized since the revolt began nearly 22 months ago," Abdel Rahman said.

The rebels had previously taken the relatively small Hamdan airport in Albu Kamal on the border with Iraq in the east.

They had also taken Marj al Sultan military airport in Damascus province.

The news came as UN-Arab League special envoy on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, met Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov and US undersecretary of state William Burns in Geneva.

After more than five hours of talks, Brahimi expressed an urgent need to end the conflict, but reported no major progress.

"We all stressed the need for a speedy end to the bloodshed and the destruction and all forms of violence in Syria," he told reporters.

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Eleven Killed In Hugo Chavez Rally Coach Crash

At least 11 people have been killed and more than 75 injured when two buses crashed into a lorry in western Venezuela on their way to a rally in support of cancer-stricken President Hugo Chavez.

Police said a fatal crash occurred on a highway in the western Venezuelan state of Zulia in the early hours of the morning.

Yonder Polo, a relative of one of those injured in the accident, told local media the buses were "heading to Caracas to supposedly support the Chavez rally".

The aftermath of the bus crash

Survivor Erwin Carrasquero could not hold back his tears as he recalled the horror of the collision that killed two of his friends.

"Sadly he lost his life, and another youngster that was with us, but thankfully we are here and we must be thankful to God because we are alive," he said.

Footage from the scene showed the mangled wreckage of the buses with rescue workers and Venezuela's highway patrol at the scene of the accident.

Tens of thousands of supporters rallied in honour of their beloved 58-year-old leader on the day he should have been sworn in as president for a new six-year term, but was too ill to attend.

President Chavez was too ill to attend his own inauguration

President Chavez remained on his sickbed in Cuba while his supporters staged the massive gathering.

The crowd chanted: "We are all Chavez!" Some wore paper cut-outs of the yellow, blue and red presidential sash to show they were symbolically swearing in themselves in, in their leader's place.

Mr Chavez is reported to be suffering complications from a fourth cancer operation in his pelvic area.

As well as the operations, the leader has undergone weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatment since being diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer in June 2011.

Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro speaks during Thursday's rally

He looked to have staged a remarkable recovery last year, winning a new presidential term in October. But within weeks of his victory he returned to Havana for more treatment.

Vice President Nicolas Maduro - a former bus driver who shares Mr Chavez's radical socialist views and is his designated successor - is in charge of day-to-day government until there is clarity over whether he will recover.

Addressing Thursday's rally, Mr Maduro, shouted "Viva Chavez!" and called for a round of applause for the president's Cabinet ministers, saying they were starting a new term.

Of the president himself, he said he is "in a battle".

A clutch of foreign friends, including the presidents of Uruguay, Bolivia, and Nicaragua, all joined the rally.

Venezuela's Supreme Court has ruled that President Chavez's inauguration date of 10 January could be postponed until he was well enough to attend.

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Colorado Cinema Massacre Suspect To Face Trial

A judge has ordered that the man suspected of killing 12 people in a cinema shooting in Aurora, Colorado, should stand trial.

Judge William Sylvester found that prosecutors had established there was "probable cause" to believe James Holmes committed the crimes.

"Therefore the court orders that Defendant shall be bound over for trial on all counts," he wrote in a 61-page ruling posted online.

The 25-year-old has been charged with 166 offences following the shooting during a showing of The Dark Knight Rises last July.

Holmes will appear in court later for an arraignment hearing.

He could face the death penalty if convicted.

A promising neuroscience student, Holmes began to stock up on weapons, ammunition, explosives and combat gear in the spring of last year.

He began to see a university psychiatrist and then dropped out of his course.

The Aurora rampage was one of a number of mass shootings in the US last year, culminating with the killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, which have raised the issue of gun control.

A review ordered by President Barack Obama is due to report back within weeks, but the gun lobby has signalled it will oppose new restrictions.

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Saudi Arabia Beheads Young Sri Lankan Maid

A young Sri Lankan housemaid has been beheaded in Saudi Arabia for killing a baby who was in her care.

Rizana Nafeek had denied strangling the 4-month-old baby in 2005 and the execution came despite global appeals to call it off because she was only 17 at the time.

Rights groups said the death sentence was a violation of international codes governing the rights of minors.

Appeals by the Sri Lankan government were also rejected and Nafeek was executed in the town of Dawadmy, near the capital Riyadh, on Wednesday morning.

A Sri Lankan woman protesting against the death sentence

In a statement the Saudi interior ministry said the maid had been found guilty of smothering the infant to death after an argument with the child's mother, her employer.

Sri Lanka's president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, had made a series of personal appeals to try to stop the execution and grant a pardon to the maid.

Afterwards, the president said he and his government "deplored" the beheading.

Saudi households are highly dependent on housemaids from African and South Asian countries. There have been reported cases of domestic abuse in which families mistreat their maids, who have then attacked the children of their employers.

Condemning the execution, Human Rights Watch senior women's rights researcher Nisha Varia said: "Saudi Arabia is one of just three countries that executes people for crimes they committed as children.

"In executing Rizana Nafeek, Saudi authorities demonstrated callous disregard for basic humanity as well as Saudi Arabia's international legal obligations."

Saudi is an absolute monarchy that follows the strict Wahhabi school of Islam and applies Sharia (Islamic) law. Judges base decisions on their own interpretation of Sharia rather than on a written legal code or on precedent.

Amnesty International, in a statement before the execution, said that it appeared Nafeek had no access to lawyers either during her pre-trial interrogation or at her trial in 2007.

This is the second execution of the year in Saudi Arabia after a Syrian was beheaded on Tuesday for drug trafficking.

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Bushfires: Firefighters Race To Beat Heatwave

Firefighters in Australia are racing against the clock to bring the remaining bushfires under control before another heatwave hits parts of the country.

Forecasters are warning more hot weather is on the way this weekend, bringing the risk of more infernos.

Fires have been raging across Australia for nearly a week and while many have been contained, over 100 are still burning and about a dozen remain out of control in the country's most populous state, New South Wales.

A cooler weather front that brought some relief on Wednesday continued in many parts on Thursday, but temperatures are set to soar once again to well over 40 degrees Celsius on Friday, piling pressure on the emergency services.

Fires continue to burn across four states

NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said crews were working flat out to do all they could before the heat returned.

"It's about focusing on getting as much contained and consolidated as we can ahead of a return to hotter and dryer conditions dominating much of NSW over the coming days," he told ABC television.

"We're looking at temperatures across much of NSW into low-to-mid 40s and extending into the high 40s on Saturday.

"The only reprieve, if you can call it that, is that we are not expecting significant wind strengths to build.

Thousands of sheep have been killed by the fires

"But it is almost academic. With such hot, dry and dominant (weather) movement from the northwest, even a moderate breeze is going to be problematic and risky for communities and firefighters over the weekend."

The blazes have burned more than 350,000 hectares (865,000 acres) of land in New South Wales alone, and while more than 100 homes were razed in Tasmania state last weekend, only a handful have been destroyed around the country since then.

No deaths have been reported.

The biggest impact has been on farmers, with vast amounts of pasture, crops and animal feed lost, as well as thousands of head of stock and agricultural infrastructure such as sheds and outbuildings.

A firefighter extinguishes one of the bushfires

In Yass Shire, one of the worst hit areas to the west of Canberra, a fire has so far burnt out 16,000 hectares and killed 10,000 sheep.

As well as New South Wales, fires continue to burn in the states of Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland.

Wildfires are a fact of life in arid Australia, where 173 people died in the 2009 Black Saturday firestorm, the nation's worst natural disaster of modern times.

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Chavez To Miss Inauguration In Venezuela

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is too ill to attend his planned inauguration on Thursday, and will be sworn in for a new term at a later date.

The announcement came in a letter from Venezuela's vice president Nicolas Maduro to the country's legislature, and was later approved by the country's National Assembly.

Mr Maduro wrote that, upon his medical team's recommendations, the 58-year-old socialist leader's illness would keep him in a Cuban hospital past the key date.

President Chavez, who has dominated the South American nation since 1999, has not been heard from since he underwent surgery on December 11 in Havana - his fourth operation since he was diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer in June 2011.

The unprecedented silence by the president - famous for regularly speaking for hours in meandering broadcasts - has left many convinced he could be in his last days.

A rally in support of the Venezuelan president's recovery

Mr Maduro, who is Mr Chavez's chosen successor, said the president was invoking a provision in the constitution allowing him to be sworn in before the Supreme Court at a "later date".

The letter added that the former soldier's condition was an "irrefutable unexpected reason" that made it impossible for him to attend the scheduled inauguration ceremony in Caracas.

The delay has outraged opposition leaders who insist that Mr Chavez must be sworn in before the National Assembly on January 10 as laid out in the constitution, or temporarily step aside and leave an ally in power.

But Government leaders insist Mr Chavez is completely fulfilling his duties as head of state, even though official medical bulletins say he has a severe pulmonary infection and has had trouble breathing.

President Chavez's resignation or death would upend politics in the oil-rich nation, where he enjoys a deity-like status among poor supporters thankful for his social largesse.

Chavez has instructed his supporters to back vice president Nicolas Maduro

His critics call him a fledgling dictator who has squandered billions of dollars from crude sales while dashing the independence of state institutions.

While leaders of both pro- and anti-Chavez camps say they do not expect violence to break out immediately, the dispute could lead to opposition questions about the legitimacy of government officials serving past the scheduled inauguration date.

The United States said it hoped the Venezuelan president would get better soon.

"Obviously we are, as we would be for anybody suffering what he is suffering, concerned for his health, and wishing a speedy recovery," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

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Lance Armstrong To Speak On Drug Scandal

Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong will discuss the drug scandal that wrecked his career in a "no-holds-barred" interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The programme will be aired on Thursday, January 17.

The announcement comes just days after it was reported that Armstrong was ready to admit the charges against him.

The New York Times cited anonymous sources as saying the 41-year-old was considering a confession so he could return to competing in triathlons and running events.

His lawyer Tim Herman said he had no knowledge of any possible confession, and added: "When, and if, Lance has something to say, there won't be any secret about it."

Armstrong has been stripped of his Tour de France titles

And those wanting to hear Armstrong's side of the story will not have long to wait.

The interview, the first since he was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, will be held at his home in Austin, Texas.

A statement on Oprah Winfrey's website said the discussion will cover "the alleged doping scandal, years of accusations of cheating, and charges of lying about the use of performance-enhancing drugs".

Armstrong won the Tour de France from 1999-2005 after recovering from testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain.

He has steadfastly denied doping charges but his career has crumbled anyway after a report by the USADA detailed allegations of widespread drug use by Armstrong and his US Postal Service teammates.

Armstrong has lost most of his corporate sponsors and stepped down from the board of his cancer-fighting charity Livestrong.

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Illinois Lottery: $1m Winner Poisoned To Death

A man who died after winning $1m (£620,000) in the Illinois Lottery was poisoned with cyanide, a medical examiner has ruled.

Urooj Khan, who scooped the bumper prize in the summer, was initially found to have died of natural causes but a full toxicology test, demanded by a relative, has now revealed he had ingested a deadly amount of cyanide.

A murder investigation has been launched by Chicago Police Department, and it is likely that his body will be exhumed as part of the inquiry.

Cook County medical examiner Stephen Cina said such cases of cyanide poisoning were "pretty unusual".

"I've had one, maybe two cases out of 4,500 autopsies I've done," he added.

The next step in the probe could be to exhume Mr Kahn's body

Mr Khan died on July 20, 2012, a day after the $425,000 (£264,000) cheque from his lottery win was issued.

Instead of taking the full $1m (£620,000) over installments, Mr Khan opted to take his winnings in a lump sum of just over $600,000 (£372,000). After taxes, the winnings amounted to about $425,000 (£264,000).

Mr Khan's cheque was cashed on August 15. If a lottery winner dies, the money typically goes to his or her estate.

The 46-year-old, who owned a number of dry cleaners, bought the winning scratchcard at a 7-Eleven near his home in West Rogers Park, Chicago.

He recalled the win days later during a ceremony in which Illinois Lottery officials presented him with an oversized check, explaining how he jumped up and down and repeatedly shouted, "I hit a million!".

The 7-Eleven store where Mr Khan purchased his winning ticket

He said he was so overjoyed he ran back into the store and tipped the salesman $100 (£62).

"Winning the lottery means everything to me," Mr Khan added at the June 26 ceremony, also attended by his wife, their daughter, and several friends.

He said he would put some of his winnings into his businesses and donate some to a children's hospital.

At the time of Mr Khan's death, no signs of trauma were found during external checks and no post mortem was done because they were not automatically performed on those aged 45 and older unless the death was suspicious. The cut-off has since been raised to 50.

A basic toxicology screening for opiates, cocaine and carbon monoxide came back negative, and the death was ruled a result of the narrowing and hardening of coronary arteries.

But a family member, who has not been identified, came forward and asked the authorities to look into the case further.

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Australian Bushfires: 'Catastrophic' Conditions

The Australian state of New South Wales is facing one of the highest-risk fire days in its history, with temperatures climbing above 40C.

Firefighters are battling over 100 wildfires raging across the southeast of the country, with more than 20 deemed out of control.

Officials have evacuated national parks, warning that blistering temperatures and high winds are causing "catastrophic" fire conditions in some areas.

All state forests and national parks have been closed as a precaution and total fire bans are in place with temperatures expected to reach as high as 45C in some places.

Strong winds are also forecast, which could fan the flames in unpredictable directions.

There are warnings across New South Wales

Thousands of firefighters are on standby across the nation's most populous state of New South Wales.

NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said: "We are shaping up for one of the worst fire danger days on record.

"You don't get conditions worse than this. We are at the catastrophic level and clearly in those areas leaving early is your safest option."

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard urged people to stay safe as she warned the nation to prepare for possibly its worst day of bushfires.

She told Australian television: "This is a very dangerous day.

The Boomer Bay area was devastated by flames earlier in the week

"We of course are very concerned about these extreme weather conditions in New South Wales. The word catastrophic is being used for very good reason, So it is very important that people keep themselves safe."

One of the worst uncontained fires on Tuesday was around Cooma, about 100km (62 miles) south of the capital city Canberra.

The fire danger in the state of Victoria is also high. Main concern is about a blaze in the southwest, which has already burnt out more than 7,000 hectares of bushland.

No deaths had been reported, although officials in Tasmania were still trying to find around 100 residents who have been missing since a fire tore through the small town of Dunalley, east of the state capital of Hobart, last week, destroying around 90 homes. No bodies were found during preliminary checks of the ruined houses.

Wildfires have scorched 20,000 hectares of forests and farmland across southern Tasmania since Friday.

Bushfires are common during the Australian summer. In February 2009, hundreds of fires across Victoria killed 173 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.

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Syrian President Assad Gives Live TV Address

Syria's president has blamed Islamic extremists and "outside forces" for orchestrating the conflict in his country in a rare public address to the nation.

The embattled leader, who appeared before cheering crowds at an opera house in the capital Damascus, struck a defiant tone and was frequently interrupted by supporters chanting: "With our soul with our blood we sacrifice ourselves for you O Bashar."

With insurgents fighting their way closer to the seat of his power, President Bashar al Assad spoke about the latest developments and "suffering" in Syria.

He said the conflict was not between the state and opposition, but the "nation and its enemies".

"We are now in a state of war in every sense of the word," he said.

"This war targets Syria using a handful of Syrians and many foreigners. Thus, this is a war to defend the nation."

An opposition fighter during an air strike in Taftanaz, near Idlib

"We meet today and suffering is overwhelming Syrian land. There is no place for joy while security and stability are absent on the streets of our country.

"The nation is for all, and we must all protect it," he said to rapturous applause inside a packed House of Arts and Culture.

"There are those who seek to partition Syria and weaken it. But Syria is stronger ... and will remain sovereign ... and this is what upsets the West."

Mr Assad called for a "full national mobilisation" to fight against the rebels, whom he branded al Qaeda "terrorists" and "murderous criminals".

While outlining proposals for what he described as a peace plan including a new constitution and amnesty, there was no suggestion of him relinquishing his power.

He asserted the government and army would continue military operations against opposition groups.

Mr Assad said change must come through constitutional means and appealed for dialogue once the fighting had ended.

"Regional and international countries must stop funding the armed men to allow those displaced to return to their homes ... right after that our military operations will cease," he said.

"We will not have dialogue with a puppet made by the West."

A protest against the Assad regime in Kafranbel, near Idlib, on Friday

They were his first public comments since he dismissed suggestions that he might go into exile to end the civil war, telling Russian television in November that he would "live and die" in Syria.

The United Sates dismissed Mr Assad's remarks as "detatched from reality".

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the speech was "yet another attempt by the regime to cling to power and does nothing to advance the Syrian people's goal of a political transition". 

According to Sky sources, the internet in Damascus was shut down during his address - at the end of which Mr Assad needed to be ushered away by security officials when he appeared to be mobbed by jubilant supporters.

The hour-long live broadcast came as fighting between Syrian rebels and government forces continued to rage across the country.

Mr Assad's appeals for a reconciliation are likely to be rejected by opposition forces and rebels, who insist he must step down.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague dismissed the calls "empty promises".

Responding to the address, he tweeted: "#AssadSpeech beyond hypocritical. Deaths, violence and oppression engulfing #Syria are his own making, empty promises of reform fool no one."

The European Union called on Mr Assad to step down, while the opposition coalition in Syria rejected the address.

Sky's chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay said: "Whatever the support he had inside Damascus there, it's not reflected nationally.

"There are a huge number of people now who obviously want him to leave. As he said, they are in a midst of a very nasty war, and there is nothing to indicate, especially after this speech, that's going to change at all."

The 21-month uprising against Assad has become a civil war that the United Nations says has killed 60,000 people.

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Five Accused Of Gang Rape Due In Court

Five men charged with the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a bus in New Delhi last month are to appear in court for the first time today.

The five, who could face the death penalty if convicted, also charged with kidnap, robbery and conspiracy over the attack on December 16 that has sparked protests across India.

The defendants have been named as Ram Singh, Mukesh Singh, Vijay Sharma, Akshay Thakur and Pawan Gupta.

A sixth accused, who is 17, is to be tried in a separate court for juveniles.

It normally takes months for the prosecution to assemble such a case, but the legal proceedings are getting under way barely a week after the student died of her injuries in a Singapore hospital.

The government, sensitive to criticism that a sluggish justice system often compounds the agony of victims, has pledged to fast-track the case against the defendants.

Five of the accused will appear at the district court in Saket

Police have pledged "maximum security" during the hearing at the magistrates' court amid fears for the defendants' safety. Last week, a man was arrested as he allegedly tried to plant a bomb near the home of one of the men.

Legal experts say the court in the Saket district of the capital would likely transfer the case to a more senior court during today's hearing.

The student, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had spent the evening at a cinema with a male friend on the night of the attack before boarding the bus that they thought would take them home.

Instead, a gang are alleged to have taken it in turns to rape the medical student as well as sexually assaulting her with an iron bar that they also used to attack her companion. The pair were then thrown out of the moving vehicle.

Outlining their case before the court in Saket on Saturday, prosecutors have said there is DNA evidence to tie the defendants to the crime scene.

Protests have spread across India since the rape and murder of the woman

"The blood of the victim tallied with the stains found on the clothes of the accused," said Rajiv Mohan, part of the prosecution team.

He also said police had recovered possessions stolen from the victim and her boyfriend.

As well as the forensic and other evidence, the woman's male friend has testified to police and has reportedly identified the offenders.

Rape cases are usually held behind closed doors in India and it will be up to the court to decide what the media will be allowed to report.

The police have issued an advisory saying "it shall not be lawful for any person to print or publish any matter in relation to such proceedings" unless they receive permission from the court.

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South Africa: Women Drinking To Harm Babies

By Alex Crawford in Port Elizabeth, Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape

Mothers in one of South Africa's poorest areas are drinking heavily to deliberately damage their unborn babies - just so they can claim disability benefit.

Life is so tough with unemployment high and crime rampant in South Africa's Eastern Cape, that a newborn baby represents a form of income for the mothers.

State benefits mean 250 South African rand (£20) per child per month for an impoverished family. But disability allowance is a far more lucrative 1200 rand a month (£85).

It has led to a spike in the numbers of babies born with disabilities.

Mothers who drink heavily during pregnancy run a far higher risk of giving birth to a child born with what is known as Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). The condition is usually irreversible and can mean speech problems, physical deformities, learning difficulties and behavioural issues.

More than three-quarters of the children at the Miracle Kids Centre in Helenvale suffer from FASD.

South Africa has the highest prevalence of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

The centre manager Genevieve Hendricks says the children struggle at school, end up dropping out and then many turn to crime to get by.

"It's so sad to see," she says cradling one of her young charges. "But we need to educate these mothers to know they are causing a lifetime of difficulties."

The Eastern Cape Liquor Board has now been prompted to launch a campaign to educate young mothers about the dangers of drinking heavily whilst pregnant.

South Africa has had the highest number of FASD cases in the world since 2002, according to the World Health Organisation.

Many of the problems link back to the prevalence of illegal shabeens, or drinking houses, where homemade, highly addictive and damaging alcohol is sold cheaply. For about two rand (14p), you can buy a litre of kah-kah as the locals call it.

"If I don't drink this, I'm like someone who is sick," Ruth tells us swigging from a transparent bottle containing kah-kah. "I can't sleep, and I cant think straight but when I have this then I am better and I can do anything."

Within two sips Ruth (not her real name) was slurring and dribbling. She staggered up to the door to try to change her baby's nappy before plonking the child on her lap, letting the baby breastfeed while she carried on drinking the toxic liquid.

She told me she drank about "five or six bottles a day" and that this started from "about nine o'clock" in the morning.

"I don't drink through the day because I have things to do," she said.

I'm afraid to say I didn't believe her and when we dropped by her house the following morning, her eight-year-old twins were at home alone with her 15-year-old daughter.

"She's at the shabeen," we were told.

Homemade alcohol is available in illegal drinking houses

The police continually conduct raids on the shabeens, closing them down and throwing away the illegal alcohol. But no sooner one is shut down, another springs up.

"It's cheap to produce and this represents an income to these people," Colonel Abdoerahgmaan Humphries told Sky News.

We are with the Gelvendale police team as they raid one of the shabeens.

The filthy shed is packed full of people, including at least two women cuddling tiny babies. Most appeared intoxicated.

The police move onto what appears to be a small concrete room opposite. Against the wall is a brown wooden panel and when the police pull it down, it reveals a small hole, just big enough for an adult to crawl through. It opens out into another room which is the brewery. There are three barrels half filled with a milky brown liquid - the kah-kah. There are also numerous crates of bottles - all filled and ready to be sold.

"Asse blief  bass (please boss)!" the man pleads. He wants to at least finish his own drink. Most of the brewers are themselves addicts.

The police take the crates out and pour the liquid away in front of the assembled residents, many of whom are drunk and now angry.

"Leave them! Leave us! It makes us happy," one of the women screams at them.

There are several attempts to try to snatch bottles before they are poured on the wasteground.

The police move off to attend to a shooting elsewhere in the area.

"They'll be back brewing some more right now," one says to me as we speed off.

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Venezuela VP Attacks 'Chavez Health Lies'

Chavez Illness Leaves Power Vacuum

Updated: 2:55am UK, Saturday 05 January 2013

By Lisa Holland, Foreign Affairs Correspondent

It seems almost certain that Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez will not be well enough to attend his own inauguration ceremony next Thursday, sparking a dispute between his supporters and opponents over what should happen next.

Venezuela finds itself in the middle of a power vacuum which Mr Chavez himself attempted to fill by telling people in the event of his death he wanted the Vice President Nicolas Maduro to be his successor.

Mr Chavez has not been seen for three weeks since he made the journey from Venezuela to Cuba for treatment for recurring cancer.

Officials in his government have said he is suffering from complications from the surgery - a "respiratory deficiency" following a severe lung infection.

They have described the 58-year-old's condition as "stable" but beyond that refuse to discuss further details about Mr Chavez's health or indeed what the long-term prognosis for him is.

That is central to Venezuela's current political crisis.

The opposition argues it is written in the country's constitution that if he is not well enough to attend his own inauguration then the country must hold fresh elections within 30 days.

But Mr Maduro says Mr Chavez can continue in office even if he is unable to take the oath of office next week.

Speaking on Venezuelan television, Mr Maduro said "the constitution allows him to be sworn in by the Supreme Court at a later date".

Mr Chavez's supporters want him to be given time to recover - but they've given no public indication that he is even getting better let alone whether he will make a full recovery or become fit enough to take up his role as President.

There are reports - which his supporters have been quick to dispel - of an internal power struggle within his own camp.

We know who Mr Chavez wants to continue his individual brand of socialism - yet others insist Diosdado Cabello, the current head of the National Assembly, should take over in the short-term.

In October Mr Chavez was elected for a fourth term in office having come to power in 1999.

He is one of the most visible, vocal and controversial leaders in the world - presenting his own weekly TV show and championing his own brand of revolutionary socialist policies.

People are divided over the legacy of Mr Chavez. He sought to create a new form of socialism with populist policies aimed at helping the poor with free health care, subsidised food and land reform.

But poverty and unemployment are still widespread in spite of the huge wealth his country enjoys from its vast oil reserves.

Mr Chavez has always denounced the wealthy elite but over time in power his critics say the champion of the poor turned himself into a dictator, changing Venezuela's constitution so he could keep running for office.

He has nationalised much of Venezuela's economy including the oil sector and his supporters say that's helped benefit the poor from oil export revenues.

But Mr Chavez's health and leadership are significant far beyond his country of 29 million people.

For decades he has been a counter to the regional and global power of Washington - a "bad boy" to the US.

A strident critic of America's foreign policy, he has been a thorn in Washington's side and has always been quick to offer shelter and vocal support to the countries America has struggled with.

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