THE United Nations says an outbreak of hepatitis E has killed 111 refugees in camps in South Sudan since July.
UN refugee agency spokesman Adrian Edwards says the influx of people to the camps from neighbouring Sudan is believed to be one of the factors in the rapid spread viral disease of the liver.
Edwards said on Friday that 6017 cases had been diagnosed.
The virus is spread through contaminated food and water.
Olympic amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius (C) has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend. Source: AAP
A SOBBING Oscar Pistorius has been formally charged with the Valentine's Day murder of his model girlfriend.
The 26-year-old Paralympian gold medallist wept on Friday as Pretoria magistrate Desmond Nair announced a single charge of killing blonde covergirl Reeva Steenkamp.
The double amputee sat hunched as the court was told prosecutors would argue the murder was premeditated, a charge that could carry a life sentence.
Steenkamp, 29, who was due to appear in a celebrity reality show from this weekend, was shot four times at Pistorius's upmarket Pretoria home in the early hours of Thursday.
She was shot with his 9mm pistol, suffering wounds to the head and hand and died at the scene.
The Beeld newspaper, which first broke the dramatic news of his arrest, said on Friday the shots that killed Steenkamp were fired through a bathroom door, but there has been no police confirmation of this.
Pistorius had been expected to make an application for bail on Friday, but the hearing was postponed until Tuesday to allow the defence more time to prepare. He will remain in police custody until then.
Known as Blade Runner because of his carbon fibre prostheses, Pistorius has inspired millions by becoming the first double-amputee to compete alongside able-bodied athletes at the Olympics.
Journalists from around the world crammed in the courtroom to cover the case.
Police, who were called to Pistorius's home about 4am on Thursday, denied initial reports that Pistorius had shot Steenkamp, his girlfriend since late last year, after mistaking her for a burglar.
Steenkamp, once an FHM cover girl, was described as "the kindest, sweetest human being; an angel on earth," by Sarit Tomlins of her management agency.
Born in Cape Town, she grew up in Port Elizabeth where she graduated with a degree in law.
Police said there had been previous allegations of domestic disputes at Pistorius's home.
"There were always rumours attracted to Oscar Pistorius, but most of them I just put down to him being a celebrity," said Kyle Wood, 25, a fellow resident of the gated community.
In 2009, Pistorius spent a night in jail after allegedly assaulting a 19-year-old woman at a party.
He has often spoken publicly about his fondness for guns. Last year a UK newspaper reported that he has a pistol, machine gun, cricket bat and baseball bat placed around his home for fear of burglars.
In November, Pistorius tweeted about arriving home and hearing the washing machine on "and thinking it's an intruder to go into full combat recon mode into the pantry! waa".
Pistorius is known as an adrenaline junkie, with a love of speed reflected in a passion for motorbikes. Four years ago he crashed his boat in a river south of Johannesburg, breaking two ribs, an eye socket and his jaw.
Empty alcohol bottles were found in the boat, but he was not tested for alcohol.
Any problems off the track were eclipsed by his athletics success.
The Johannesburg-born athlete won gold in the 4x100m relay and the 400m individual at the Paralympic Games in London. He was triple gold medallist in the Beijing games in 2008.
He was named by Time Magazine last year as one of the world's 100 most influential people.
Pistorius had both legs amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old after being born without lower leg bones.
Sponsors are now racing to distance themselves from the sprinter.
A South African pay television channel has canned a campaign featuring the runner.
There was no immediate comment from global sports giant Nike on its sponsorship of Pistorius, whom it featured in an advert showing the runner setting off from the starting blocks with the line "I am the bullet in the chamber".
ACTIVISTS say some 150 rebels and government troops have been killed in fierce fighting for control of the international airport in the northern city of Aleppo and a major military air base nearby.
The director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that death toll is from fighting on Wednesday and Thursday and is almost evenly divided between opposition fighters and regime soldiers.
The Observatory and the Local Co-ordination Committees activist group say rebels and President Bashar Assad's forces are shelling each other in renewed clashes on Friday in and around the airports.
Rebels launched a major attack on Aleppo's civilian airport and the nearby air base of Nairab on Wednesday. They have captured most of the "Brigade 80" force that is in charge of protecting the area.
ANTI-WHALING group Sea Shepherd says Japanese whalers have harpooned a large minke in Australian Antarctic waters.
The group says the Yushin Maru No 2 harpooned the whale shortly before 6pm (AEDT) inside Australia's Antarctic Territory, some 92 kilometres from Australia's Davis research station.
The Sea Shepherd's SSS Bob Barker has positioned itself between the whale and the mothership Nisshin Maru.
"The Yushin Maru No 2 has made nine unsuccessful attempts to transfer the dead whale, coming as close as 10 metres to the Bob Barker," the Sea Shepherd said in a statement.
"The Bob Barker has not moved."
Activists in small boats are protecting the anti-whaling ship against possible attempts to damage the vessel's propeller with long lines.
The group fears that once the minke is transferred to the whale factory ship, the Yushin Maru No 2 will move on to kill more whales.
Japan and some other countries do not accept Australia's claim over Australian Antarctic waters.
Opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt told AAP late on Friday that the government had "turned a deliberate blind eye", despite receiving multiple warnings about the possibility of a confrontation between the Japanese fleet and activists.
"Allegations that a whale has been slaughtered in Australian waters are deeply disturbing," he said.
"We are against whaling anywhere but if the Australian government is unable to protect our waters, that is a double blow."
The coalition has pledged to send a Customs vessel to monitor next year's hunt if it wins the September election.
Environment Minister Tony Burke has been approached for comment.
The confrontation comes the same day the US Supreme Court upheld an injunction ordering Sea Shepherd to keep away from Japanese whaling ships in the Southern Ocean.
Sea Shepherd appealed to the court to lift the injunction, issued in December, which bans the group and its former head Paul Watson from attacking or endangering the whaling ships.
The injunction was sought by the Institute of Cetacean Research which undertakes the Japanese government's whaling program through a loophole in International Whaling Commission rules that allows whales to be killed for research.
Olympian Oscar Pistorius has reportedly shot his girlfriend dead after mistaking her for a burglar. Source: AAP
SOUTH African Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius has been arrested after his model girlfriend was shot dead at his home.
According to local media reports, Reeva Steenkamp, 29, may have been mistaken for an intruder at the property in the Silver Lakes Golf Estate in Boschkop in Pretoria.
There was speculation the shooting may have been a Valentine's Day surprise gone wrong.
Pistorius is known as the Blade Runner because of the ground-breaking prosthetics he uses for racing.
He had been expected to race in Australia in March.
Steenkamp, described in her Twitter biography as a model, cover girl and law graduate, had tweeted about Valentine's Day on Wednesday, writing: "What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow??? #getexcited #ValentinesDay".
Police spokeswoman Katlego Mogale told the South African Press Association police were called to Pistorius' home early on Thursday following the shooting.
She said: "Paramedics declared the woman dead on the scene and police proceeded with their investigation. The woman sustained wounds to her head and the upper body."
A 9mm pistol was recovered. According to unconfirmed reports four shots were fired.
Pistorius, 26, was expected to appear in court on Thursday.
Police said a case of murder was being investigated.
The athlete, who lives on a guarded estate, appeared to have serious concerns about his safety.
He was said to keep weapons at his home and sleep with a revolver by his side.
A journalist from the UK's Daily Mail who interviewed Pistorius noted: "This being South Africa, one baseball bat and one cricket bat lie behind Pistorius' bedroom door.
"A revolver is at his bedside. A machine gun by his window."
During the interview, published in August, he described himself as "really blessed".
He told the paper: "All I want is not to spend my career discussing my legs."
He made history at the London 2012 Olympics when he became the first amputee sprinter to compete in the able-bodied Games, running in the 400m and 4x400m relay.
The Johannesburg-born athlete, who was born without fibulas in his legs and had the limbs amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old, had to win a legal battle over his blades with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 2008 for the right to compete in able-bodied competition.
Tropika Island of Treasure - an entertainment show starring Steenkamp due to be broadcast this weekend - posted a tribute to Steenkamp on its website.
It says: "We are deeply saddened and extend our condolences to Reeva's family and friends."
Athletes joined fans in paying tribute to Steenkamp.
On Wednesday Pistorius was active on his Twitter account, retweeting South African movie channel MNet.
The tweet was about a film the channel is showing as part of its Oscars film awards celebrations - a campaign Pistorius is a brand ambassador for, according to his website.
Just three days ago, Pistorius tweeted about his excitement regarding his first race of 2013, accompanied by a photograph of him in action.
The Tropika Island of Treasure website also features a profile of Steenkamp in which she is described as a top model and reality television star who "prefers to read a book on her off days and spend quality time with friends and family".
The profile says: "Reeva was born in Cape Town and moved to Port Elizabeth as a child where she continued her studies after matriculating, eventually graduating with a degree in law.
"She moved to JHB (Johannesburg) six years ago after being scouted and named the first face of cosmetics giant Avon South Africa.
"Since then, Reeva has travelled between JHB and Cape Town to film and shoot some of SA's leading campaigns and commercials.
"Toyota, FHM, Clover and Italian brand Zui are some of the more prestigious clients she has worked for.
"With a background in TV presenting, once the live roaming presenter for FashionTV in South Africa, Reeva is currently working on some major projects that include smaller TV roles as well as a lead in a new reality TV show.
"Reeva has a passion for cars and cooking."
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said: "At this time the IPC would like to offer its deepest sympathy and condolences to all families involved in this case."
KATIE Peters loved animals and dreamed of becoming a vet after finishing her summertime job as a firefighter.
Ms Peters, 19, died alongside 34-year-old Corryong man Steven Kadar as the two Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) firefighters battled a large blaze burning in Victoria's Alpine region on Wednesday afternoon.
The two were part of a team working on the edge of the 27,000-hectare fire at Pheasant Creek Track, a remote area in the Alpine National Park, when a tree fell on their vehicle.
Ms Peters' family said Katie developed her love of animals while growing up on a dairy farm in the small town of Tallandoon, in the Mitta Valley.
"Her family remembers even from a young age having to call her in from the bush at dusk to return home for dinner. She had been in the bush riding her horse, often with her dog and cat in tow," they said in a statement.
"Katie will always be held in the hearts of those who knew her."
The fourth of five children, Ms Peters was in her second fire season with the DSE.
Her family said she planned to study to become a vet once the current season finished.
Mr Kadar started with DSE as a project firefighter in 2004 and progressed into a full time field services officer.
"Steven was a highly valued and experienced firefighter and very much respected by his colleagues," DSE said in a statement.
DSE will issue a statement on behalf of Mr Kadar's family on Friday.
DSE chief fire officer Alan Goodwin said Ms Peters was always willing to have a go - and would be the first to volunteer to drive a tanker or use a chainsaw.
"She made time for everyone, she loved working with her mates and was incredibly down to earth," he told reporters in Melbourne.
He described the loss of the two firefighters as heart wrenching.
"The death of any firefighter is tragic - to lose young, dedicated people out there doing their jobs is especially so," he said.
Police say the pair were struck by the falling tree around 3.35pm (AEDT) on Wednesday but it took until after 8pm to reach them due to the hazardous conditions.
Towong Shire Council Deputy Mayor David Wortmann said his 19-year-old son had witnessed the incident when he driving in the convoy right behind the pair.
"I just felt so sorry for him and his crew to have witnessed and experienced such a tragedy," he told ABC Radio.
Australian Workers Union (AWU) Victorian secretary Cesar Melhem said DSE firefighters were unsung heroes who worked in difficult conditions, often with little recognition.
The two firefighters have been praised for their courage and sacrifice, as flags flew at half mast on government buildings across Victoria on Thursday in their honour.
Premier Ted Baillieu said the loss was tragedy.
"The loss of those two firefighters has obviously had an enormous impact on their families, their friends, on the wider fire-fighting community, on DSE and I believe on all Victorians," he said.
Fire officials believe the Harrietville-Alpine North fire, which was started by lightning on January 21, will continue to burn until the region receives significant rainfall.
THE International Nuclear Energy Agency (IAEA) sees no point in continuing its talks with Iran at this point, after the two sides failed to reach common ground on Tehran's suspected nuclear weapons program.
"We will work hard now to try and resolve the remaining differences, but time is needed to reflect on the way forward," IAEA chief inspector Herman Nackaerts said in Vienna on his return from Iran on Thursday.
He said the IAEA team and Iranian officials had failed to agree on conditions under which the IAEA would get access to nuclear officials, documents and sites, including the Parchin military site where nuclear weapons parts were allegedly tested.
No date for a new meeting was set.
Nackaert's statement contrasted with comments by Iran's IAEA envoy, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, who said on Wednesday that some disagreements were now settled, and who talked about a new meeting at an unspecified time.
The unsuccessful outcome of Wednesday's talks was less than two weeks before the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany are scheduled to restart wider-ranging nuclear negotiations with Iran on February 26 in Kazakhstan.
Iran should show flexibility in the upcoming negotiations to achieve "substantial progress", EU chief diplomat Catherine Ashton said on Wednesday at the Security Council.
The United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany want Iran to come clean on its nuclear program and to halt uranium enrichment, fearing it might be used to make nuclear weapons.
In return, the six-party group that is led by Ashton has offered a limited set of technical co-operation projects.
OLYMPIC champion ice skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have admitted to a romantic past.
After decades of denying any affair, the pair who won gold at the 1984 Games, have changed their story during an interview with British TV host Piers Morgan.
In a report published by tabloid the Daily Star, Morgan tweeted ahead of broadcasting the interview: "@torvillanddean finally admit to a romantic past, albeit a very short one ...".
Under questioning by the chat show host, the pair is reported to have admitted: "yes, we dabbled".
British Torvill, now 55, and Dean, 54, left a global audience wanting more after they achieved a perfect score for their freestyle performance to Ravel's Bolero at the Sarajevo Games.
The duo has found continued fame most recently for their appearance on TV show Dancing On Ice.
Dean, who has been married twice, is now reported to be in a relationship with show judge Karen Barber. Torvill is a married mother of two.
A NATO airstrike has hit two houses, killing nine Afghan civilians and four insurgents in an eastern province near the Pakistani border, a local politician says.
The attack occurred during a joint NATO-Afghan operation in the Shigal district of Kunar province on Tuesday night. The US-led military alliance in Kabul said on Wednesday it was looking into the claim.
Wagma Sapay, a member of parliament from Kunar, said the civilians killed were in one house while four senior Taliban leaders were slain as they were gathering next door in the village of Sharpool in the Chawkam area.
She said the civilians killed included five children and four women. Police confirmed the death toll as nine but did not provide other details.
Provincial Governor Sayed Fazelullah Wahidi said the local government had not been informed about plans for the strike.
He put the death toll at eight - four women and four children.
The conflicting casualty numbers couldn't immediately be reconciled.
"This operation was by coalition and Afghan forces," he said. "We were not aware of it."
The killing of civilians at the hands of US and other foreign forces has been one of the most contentious issues in the 11-year war.
Jamie Graybeal, a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force, said the alliance was aware of the allegations of civilian casualties in Kunar, but could not confirm any details.
"We take these allegations very seriously and we are in the process of determining the circumstances surrounding this incident," he said.
The reported attack came as President Barack Obama announced in his State of the Union speech that he will bring home within a year about half of the 66,000 US troops now in Afghanistan in a step toward withdrawing all foreign combat forces by the end of 2014.
The UN body monitoring the rights of children said last week that attacks by US military forces in Afghanistan, including airstrikes, have reportedly killed hundreds of children over the past four years.
The Geneva-based Committee on the Rights of the Child said the casualties were "due notably to reported lack of precautionary measures and indiscriminate use of force."
ISAF, which is composed mainly of American forces, dismissed that claim, saying that it takes special care to avoid civilian casualties.
BRITISH police have arrested six current or former journalists in a new probe into alleged phone hacking at Rupert Murdoch's defunct News of the World tabloid.
Investigators had identified a "further suspected conspiracy" by staff at the paper in 2005 and 2006 which was separate to the alleged hacking under which a number of people have been charged, Scotland Yard said in a statement on Wednesday.
The News of the World closed in disgrace in 2011 amid allegations that it had hacked the mobile phone voicemails of hundreds of celebrities, politicians and victims of crime and terrorism.
"Detectives on Operation Weeting have identified a further suspected conspiracy to intercept telephone voicemails by a number of employees who worked for the now defunct News of the World newspaper," the statement said.
"As part of the new lines of inquiry six people were arrested this morning on suspicion of conspiracy to intercept telephone communications... All of them are journalists or former journalists."
Police arrested three men, aged 46, 39 and 45, and two women, aged 33 and 40, in London, and a 39-year-old woman in Cheshire, northwest England, and were questioning them at various police stations, the statement said.
Searches were also under way at a number of addresses.
"In due course officers will be making contact with people they believe have been victims of the suspected voicemail interceptions," the statement said.
British media reported that two of those arrested now work for Murdoch's daily tabloid The Sun.
Those already facing trial over hacking at the News of the World include British Prime Minister David Cameron's ex-spokesman Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks, the former head of Murdoch's British newspaper wing.
Operation Weeting was launched in January 2011 to investigate a string of allegations over hacking at the weekly News of the World, which was Britain's biggest selling newspaper.
