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43 minutes ago   From the section Europe Share Image copyright AFP Image caption Mr Hollande's speech was briefly interrupted by the gunshot A French police sniper has accidentally shot and injured two people during a speech by President Francois Hollande in western France. The shot was fired as the officer moved position on a roof about 100m (328ft) from a tent where Mr Hollande was speaking in the town of Villognon. The bullet went through the canvas of the tent, where drinks were being made. It passed through a waiter's thigh and lodged in another person's calf. The injuries were not life-threatening. Mr Hollande was inaugurating a new stretch of railway when a loud noise like a gunshot was heard. He interrupted his speech for a few moments, but reports said there was no panic. "I hope it's nothing serious. I think not," Mr Hollande said as he paused his address to ask whether anyone had been hurt. The president later visi...

Image Caption: The sinkhole where it is thought up to 4,000 bodies are buried A sinkhole - once a local curiosity in Iraq - has reportedly been turned into a mass grave for up to 4,000 victims of Islamic State killers. Local residents living near the Khasfah - the Arabic word for a sinkhole - have described how IS transformed the area into a "place of death" after capturing it in 2014. Villagers say the sinkhole, outside Mosul, was used as an execution site and a mass grave where bodies were dumped. Video: On the frontline in the fight against Islamic State Mohamed Yassin, 56, who lives in nearby Hammam al Alil, said: "They would bring them blindfolded, their hands tied behind their backs. "The Khasfah would be in front of them, they would make them kneel down, shoot them in the head and push them in. "People became afraid of the place, it became a place of death, a place where you'd be executed." Mr Yassin said he saw ex...

10:43, UK,   Tuesday   28   February   2017 Image Caption: The man, who has remained anonymous, bought the winning ticket in January 2016 Have you given up on finding that lottery ticket you lost? Well you might want to look a little harder. An Australian grandfather has become an instant millionaire after finding his lost ticket while cleaning his car - a year after the winning numbers were drawn. The unidentified winner from Newcastle in New South Wales bought the ticket in January 2016 and found it at the bottom of a shopping bag. "I was cleaning rubbish out of my car on the weekend and thought it was time to put new cartons in the bottom of all my bags as they were starting to get torn and I got quite a surprise," he said. "The ticket was hidden in underneath it and I didn't know it was there. "I'm glad I didn't just get the old bags and take them to the dump." He checked the numbers online and found he had won just over ...

SpaceX to fly two tourists around the Moon next year 10:40, UK,   Tuesday   28   February   2017 SpaceX has announced plans to fly two private citizens around the Moon next year, in the first manned US mission since the 1970s. The tourists, who have paid a "significant deposit" for the week-long trip, will travel using a spaceship being developed for NASA astronauts - as well as a heavy-lift rocket that is yet to be flown. SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk said he hopes the privately funded flight - the first ever to travel beyond the International Space Station - will happen in late 2018. Mr Musk did not reveal who his two customers are, nor how much they paid, but the entrepreneur told reporters they are not from Hollywood. The pair's long lunar loop could seen them travel hundreds of thousands of miles - as a one-way trip to the Moon covers about 240,000 miles alone. When asked whether his customers are aware of the dangers of space travel, Mr Mu...

08:47, UK,   Tuesday   28   February   2017 Image Caption: The aftermath of the plane crash in Riverside, California Three people have been killed and another two injured after a small plane crashed into two homes and caused a huge fire in southern California. Riverside Fire chief Michael Moore said a husband, wife and three teenagers were returning to San Jose on Monday after a weekend cheerleading conference at Disneyland. One of the teenagers, a girl, was thrown from the plane on impact and suffered only minor injuries. She was able to talk to firefighters about what happened as she was taken to hospital. Image Caption: The aftermath of the plane crash in Riverside, California An unconscious victim from one of the homes is in surgery. Three bodies have been found in the wreckage, but firefighters have not established how many were from the plane and how many are from the homes. They are searching for two possible victims in the wr...

4 hours ago   From the section Australia Share Image copyright 9NEWS.COM.AU Image caption The man after his arrest in rural New South Wales A man suspected of trying to advise the so-called Islamic State on missiles has been arrested in Australia. Haisem Zahab, 42, was arrested at Young, in rural New South Wales, on Tuesday, PM Malcolm Turnbull said. Police allege the electrician was helping to develop a long-range guided missile, and designing a laser device to warn of incoming munitions used by forces in Iraq and Syria. The arrest did not relate to a planned attack in Australia, Mr Turnbull said. Image copyright EPA Image caption Mr Turnbull (L) said the arrest was a reminder of the need for vigilance Mr Zahab was an Australian citizen and planned to provide IS "with the technical capability, and high-tech capability, to detect and develop missiles", the prime minister said. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin alleged the ...

4 hours ago   From the section Asia Share Image copyright AFP Samsung's heir apparent Lee Jae-yong is to be formally indicted on multiple charges including bribery and embezzlement, prosecutors said. The case is tied to the scandal which led to the impeachment of the country's president, Park Geun-hye. South Korea's special prosecutor's office announced the charges against the de-facto Samsung chief, along with four other company executives. Three of those executives resigned on Tuesday following the announcement. Samsung also said it was dismantling its corporate strategic office, a unit coordinating the various arms of the huge conglomerate. Samsung is accused of giving donations to non-profit foundations operated by Choi Soon-sil, a friend of Ms Park, in exchange for government favours. He had been arrested earlier this month as prosecutors prepared the indictment. What's the accusation? Prosecutors accused Mr Lee of giv...