Pennsylvania town’s $1,000-a-day fine is for the birds, residents say

A retired Pennsylvania couple is facing a $1,000-a-day fine for feeding birds at their Bethlehem Township home, The Morning Call reported.

The couple has been feeding the birds for 25 years at their home, which is north of Philadelphia, but their bird feeder has been deemed out of compliance with town code.

Those who support the fine say the bird-feeding ordinance is in place to deter the habitation of squirrels and other rodents in the area, the report said. The ordinance, in part, calls for a squirrel-proof top and catch basin affixed at the bottom of all bird feeders. 

Increased enforcement of the ordinance appears to be the result of a resident complaining about bird feeders in the area attracting deer.

"After all this, it's all about deer," said Diane Ganssle, the homeowner who was visited by a code enforcement officer in December. "Deer are there without the feeders."

Ganssle said after the officer left her house, she took down the dozen feeders, but left up a 3-foot tube feeder, the report said. But that tube feeder was found to be not in compliance.

"And I am required to empty [the basin] at least once a day," Bill Ganssle, her husband, told the paper. "But sometimes I do it twice, and sometimes I'm out there six, eight times a day chasing the squirrels."

Commissioners President Tom Nolan told the paper that the ordinance has flaws and said, "The board will get together to review this ordinance. There is something quite valid in what you are saying ... and we do feel compassion for the animals.''

UK storms wash away railway line and leave thousands without power

The railway line in Dawlish is hanging in mid-air, as Jon Kay reports

Parts of Britain are being hit by a powerful storm which has washed away a stretch of railway line and left thousands of homes without electricity.

The Environment Agency says around 328 homes have been flooded since Friday evening - with more heavy rain forecast into the weekend.

A section of the sea wall in Dawlish, Devon, collapsed and left the main railway line suspended in mid-air.

David Cameron has announced an extra £100m for flood works.

At Prime Minister's Questions he pledged £75m for repairs over the next year, £10m for urgent work in Somerset - where several rivers have flooded - and £15m for maintenance.

He said: "Whatever is required, whether it is dredging work on the rivers Tone and Parrett, whether it is support for our emergency services, whether it is fresh money for flood defences, whether it's action across the board, this government will help those families and get this issue sorted."

'Force of nature'

Forecasters have warned the storm is heading east, with rain, thunder and hail expected, along with winds of up to 50mph in London.

Dawlish resident Robert Parker said the storm was "like the end of the world".

He said: "It was like an earthquake. I've never experienced anything like it. I've been in some terrible storms in the North Sea, but last night was just a force of nature."

Western Power Distribution said about 44,000 customers had been affected by power cuts since Tuesday afternoon and 9,680 were still without power across the South West. In Cornwall, 7,800 are cut off.

The company said around 800 staff were working to restore supplies.

On the Somerset Levels, residents of more than 150 homes at Fordgate and Northmoor are being advised to leave their properties.

Avon and Somerset Police said flood defences were in danger of being overwhelmed.

Mr Cameron is chairing a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee to discuss the floods following widespread criticism of Environment Secretary Owen Paterson's handling of the crisis.

A section of rail track dangles over the sea after the wall collapsed at Dawlish

Waves continued to lash the seafront

Earlier, First Great Western said all lines between Exeter St Davids and Penzance were closed because of the collapsed track at Dawlish and adverse weather conditions. It advised against travel for the rest of the day.

Patrick Hallgate from Network Rail, who is assessing the damage at Dawlish, said it could take between four and six weeks to fix the line, which is the main rail link between south Devon and Cornwall.

"This is probably the biggest structural engineering feat we've faced in the South West for at least the last decade," he said.

First Great Western said some branch lines in Devon and Cornwall were starting to operate.

The Environment Agency has nine severe flood warnings in place, meaning "danger to life", covering much of the south coast from Cornwall to Dorset and two areas of Somerset.

High winds and stormy seas have led to further damage to the Grade I listed West Pier in Brighton, East Sussex

The Met Office said gusts of up to 70mph and 20mm of rain had spread from the South West to south-west Wales and eastern Northern Ireland overnight.

Overnight 'pasting'

Teams of engineers worked through the night to fix the faults, and the company said it would also switch circuits to work around individual problems.

Robert Parker, from Dawlish, was evacuated from his home overnight

Phil Davies, network service manager for the company, said they had had "quite a pasting in the South West overnight".

"We are importing some staff from south Wales and the Midlands to help and we are confident we can get everybody back [with power] today."

In other developments:

• Twenty people were evacuated from Kingsand in Cornwall because their homes were being damaged by stones washed ashore and coming through their windows
• Devon and Cornwall Police received 300 emergency calls overnight. About 100 trees were reported blown over
• In Brighton, a significant section of the West Pier skeleton collapsed in high winds and stormy seas
• Homes were evacuated on the seafront in Torcross, Devon, after waves smashed the front of four buildings
• Portsmouth Historic Dockyard was closed because high winds were causing roof tiles to blow around
• Southeastern said Network Rail had put a 40mph speed restriction in place across parts of its network, making journeys on some services longer
• South West Trains said a speed restriction of 50mph would be imposed on some routes between 10:00 and 19:00 GMT on Wednesday
• Winds of up to 92mph (148km/h) were reported in the Isles of Scilly
• Labour MP for Exeter, Ben Bradshaw, said damage to the railway infrastructure could "absolutely devastate" the economies of Devon and Cornwall
• Coastal areas of Devon suffered severe damage
• Looe quay, in Cornwall, is awash with sea water.

In Wales, a number of main roads were closed by fallen trees or flooding.

Firefighters have also been called out to deal with dangerous structures. There have been two incidents in the Tenby area of Pembrokeshire with roofing being blown off buildings.

The Met Office has an amber severe weather warning - meaning "be prepared" - for wind for south west England and Wales until 19:00 GMT on Wednesday, as well as warnings for wind and rain for other parts of the UK.

The Environment Agency's severe flood warnings cover South Cornwall, South Devon from Start Point to Dawlish Warren, South Devon from Exmouth to Lyme Regis, Lyme Regis harbour, West Bay in Dorset, Weymouth seafront, Chiswell on the Isle of Portland, and two areas of Somerset - the A361 East Lyng to Burrowbridge, and Salt Moor and North Moor.

It also has about 60 flood warnings and more than 200 flood alerts in England and Wales.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has one flood warning for Kirkcaldy in Fife, and several flood alerts.

On Tuesday, the Prince of Wales met residents on the Somerset Levels where thousands of hectares of land remain under water and whole villages have been cut off for weeks.

Somerset residents have expressed anger at the pace at which the Environment Agency and the government have responded.

Many said there has been a slow response from the authorities to the flooding, which has affected many parts of the Levels since December.

In Cornwall, the local authority estimated storms had caused more than £4m of damage across the county in the past month.

The Met Office said another band of rain was expected to arrive from the south on Thursday.

Jack Lew: US could default on debt by 'end of month'

Mr Lew said now was not the time to cut the US government's budget dramatically

US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has warned the US may default on its debt by the end of the month if Congress does not raise its borrowing limit.

Mr Lew said he could rely on emergency measures to pay US debts after the limit is reinstated on 7 February.

But he anticipated the treasury's reserves would quickly be exhausted as it issues annual income tax refunds.

Congress suspended the debt limit in October as part of a deal to reopen the federal government after a shutdown.

The $16.7tn (£10.2tn) cap will be reinstated on Friday.

"Without borrowing authority, at some point very soon, it would not be possible to meet all of the obligations of the federal government," Mr Lew said at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington on Monday.

The treasury secretary said the US treasury department could resort to accounting mechanisms to avoid breaching the limit until the end of February.

But soon after, the US will only be able to pay its debt and other obligations with cash on hand.

And in the spring, Mr Lew noted, the US issues tax refunds to Americans who overpaid income taxes last year, straining its cash reserves.

While Republicans have in the past demanded budget cuts in return for agreeing an increase in the borrowing limit, the party's leaders have signalled reluctance to do so this time around.

Long-term fiscal challenges

In any case, the White House has said it will not negotiate budget policy in exchange for raising the debt limit.

And Mr Lew argued that dramatically cutting back on the federal government's spending was unnecessary for the moment.

"I'm not sure this is the year for the long-term fiscal challenge to be dealt with," he said, adding the US deficit had been declining. "I actually believe that we've made so much progress in the short and medium term, we have a little time to deal with the longer term."

During the partial government shutdown in October, Republican lawmakers threatened to block a rise in the debt limit unless the Democrats agreed to undermine or repeal President Barack Obama's signature healthcare reform law.

In 2011, the Republicans won reductions in US government spending in return for agreeing to raise the limit.

Now, the debt limit debate returns to the fore as the Democrats and Republicans appear to have called a momentary truce in their long-running budget fight.

Cross-party negotiations in Congress in December and January yielded a two-year federal budget.

Guttmacher: US abortion rate drops to lowest since legalisation

Inside Mississippi's last abortion clinic

The rate at which US women had abortions fell between 2008-11 to the lowest level since abortion was legalised in 1973, a study suggests.

The Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights, also reported the total number of abortions fell 13%.

Researchers said the drop coincided with a declining pregnancy rate and increased use of contraceptives.

They said the decline predated passage of a recent wave of state laws restricting access to abortion.

"Contraceptive use improved during this period, as more women and couples were using highly effective long-acting reversible contraceptive methods, such as the IUD," the study's lead author Rachel Jones said in a statement accompanying the report.

"Moreover, the recent recession led many women and couples to want to avoid or delay pregnancy and childbearing."

The report, which took into account numbers of abortions reported by clinics and state health departments, found the US abortion rate fell to 16.9 abortions per 1,000 women in 2011, down from the 1981 peak of 29.3 per 1,000.

It was the lowest rate since 1973, when the rate was 16.3 abortions per 1,000 women.

In 1973, the US Supreme Court legalised abortion across the country, in a landmark decision known as Roe v Wade.

In the 2008-11 period of the study, the number of clinics offering abortion only decreased 1%.

But Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee, said the overall drop in abortion numbers was evidence that the anti-abortion movement's efforts were working.

"It shows that women are rejecting the idea of abortion as the answer to an unexpected pregnancy," she said.

The highest abortion rates were in New York, Maryland, Washington DC, Delaware and New Jersey.

The lowest were in Wyoming, Mississippi, South Dakota, Kentucky and Missouri.

However, Guttmacher said many women in Wyoming and Mississippi, where there are very few providers, go out of state to get abortions.

Republicans made extensive gains at the state level in the 2010 elections, using their new-found power to pass anti-abortion measures in states across the country.

According to a Guttmacher Institute tally, a total of 205 abortion restrictions were passed between 2011-13, more than in the entire previous decade.

Stars pay tribute to actor Philip Seymour Hoffman

Tributes paid to Seymour Hoffman

Tributes are pouring in following the death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman at his home in New York on Sunday.

The Oscar-winning actor, 46, was found by a friend who called emergency services. He was declared dead at the scene.

A police spokesman said investigators found two small plastic bags and a substance suspected of being heroin.

Robert De Niro was among many fellow actors expressing their sorrow, describing him as "a wonderful actor".

"I'm very, very saddened by the passing of Phil. He was a wonderful actor. This is one of those times where you say: 'This just shouldn't be'," he said.

In a statement, his family said: "We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Phil."

A memorial for Hoffman was placed outside a restaurant in Manhattan

Hoffman had spoken of receiving treatment for drug abuse

Hoffman is survived by his partner Mimi O'Donnell, and their three children.

Jennifer Lawrence, who starred with Hoffman in The Hunger Games, described him as an "such a incredible actor."

"You played an excellent Plutarch. So sad," she wrote.

Julianne Moore, who co-starred with Hoffman in Boogie Nights, Magnolia and The Big Lebowski, said: "I feel so fortunate to have known and worked with the extraordinary Philip Seymour Hoffman, and am deeply saddened by his passing."

George Clooney, who appeared alongside Hoffman in The Ides of March, said: "There are no words... It's just terrible."

Philip Seymour Hoffman

• 1 best actor Oscar for Capote, 2005
• 3 supporting actor Oscar nominations
• 51 feature film releases, 1991-2014
• 29 dramas, 21 comedies, 1 animation
• 3 real life characters played: Lester Bangs, Truman Capote, Art Howe

Source: IMDB, The Numbers

The actor Ken Stott, who became friends with Hoffman while making Charlie Wilson's War, described the actor as "compelling" on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"It was a real shock. We were always in touch... he demanded respect, he had a quiet, friendly attitude to his work."

When asked about the circumstances of Hoffman's death, Stott said: "This event I believe to be misadventure."

Director Mike Nichols, who directed Hoffman in Charlie Wilson's War and in Death of a Salesman, said: "No words for this. He was too great and we're too shattered."

Hoffman won an Oscar for best actor with his portrayal of writer Truman Capote

Kevin Costner told the Associated Press: "Philip was a very important actor and really takes his place among the real great actors. It's a shame.

"Who knows what he would have been able to do? But we're left with the legacy of the work he's done and it all speaks for itself," he added.

Hoffman had candidly spoken in the past of his struggle against drug addiction, including a 2006 interview in which he told CBS he had at times abused "anything I could get my hands on. I liked it all".

Comedian and actor Steve Martin praised Hoffman's 2012 Broadway performance in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.

'Unspeakable loss'

And Gary Oldman told Sky News: "He was on a list of mine as an actor to work with and hoped to be directing.

"He had that little bit of danger to him and vulnerability to him, all those qualities that I think make somebody watchable and very special."

Kevin Spacey tweeted: "A tragedy to lose as supremely talented an actor as Philip Seymour Hoffman. An unspeakable loss for film, theatre & all who knew him. RIP."

Eddie Marsan starred opposite Hoffman in God's Pocket, which premiered at Sundance last month.

He tweeted his tribute to his co-star.

Hoffman won a best actor Oscar in 2005 for Capote and was nominated a further three times - for The Master, Doubt and Charlie Wilson's War.

He also picked up three Tony nominations for his work on Broadway, including Death of a Salesman.

One of his earliest movies was Scent of a Woman in 1992 and he had a breakthrough role as a gay member of a porn film crew in Boogie Nights, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, who he also collaborated with on other films including The Master.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Hoffman had completed his work for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, and had only seven days remaining to shoot on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.

It is thought the films' scheduled release dates of 21 November 2014, and 20 November 2015, respectively, will not be affected by Hoffman's death.

He was also set to star in his first major TV series, Happyish, for Showtime but theHollywood Reporter said the series was not yet in production.

Showtime issued a statement following the news of Hoffman's death, saying: "Philip Seymour Hoffman was one of our generation's finest and most brilliant actors. He was also a gifted comedic talent.

"It was a great privilege and pleasure to work with him and we are all absolutely devastated by this sudden loss. Our thoughts go out to his family at this very difficult time."

Meanwhile, Screen Daily reported that Ezekiel Moss, to be directed by Hoffman, will not now be presented as planned at the European Film Market in Berlin this week.

The Prohibition-era film was to star Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams.

"Exclusive Media is deeply saddened to learn the shocking news of Philip Seymour Hoffman's passing," the company said in a statement.

Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano spews ash and lava

Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano sent huge clouds of ash and smoke into the sky

The Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador has been spewing lava and ash, covering villages hundreds of kilometres away with a white dusting.

The ash travelled as far as Loja province, on the border with Peru.

The volcano, which became active again in 1999 after a long period of dormancy, lies 135km (85 miles) south-east of the capital, Quito.

The latest series of eruptions began on Saturday with two moderate explosions followed by a third of greater size.

There have been three eruptions since Saturday

Ash clouds reached a height of 8km (5 miles)

The blasts launched an 8km-high column of ash above the volcano.

The lava reached the Acupashal mountain pass, blocking the route to the town of Banos, local authorities said,

The authorities have declared an orange alert, the second highest, but the president of the Emergency Operations Committee, Hermuy Calle, said the activity was "simply a release of pressure", and that the volcanic activity was not expected to increase further in the coming hours.

El Salvador presidential poll to go into run-off

Mr Sanchez Ceren could become the first former rebel to lead the country

Left-wing candidate Salvador Sanchez Ceren of the FMLN party has a convincing 10-percentage-point lead in El Salvador's presidential election, according to preliminary results.

However, Mr Sanchez Ceren fell short of the 50% needed to avoid a run-off.

Mr Sanchez Ceren, a rebel during the country's civil war, will face right-winger Norman Quijano on 9 March.

The poll reflects the deep political rift which still divides the Central American nation 22 years after the war.

Popular policies

Mr Sanchez Ceren's party, the Farabundo Marti Liberation Front (FMLN), turned from a rebel group into a political party at the end of El Salvador's civil war (1980-1992).

Norman Quijano came second in the presidential poll, preliminary results suggest

When the FMLN won the 2009 presidential election, Mr Sanchez was named vice-president.

Analysts say the party's welfare programmes, such as free school supplies, were popular with voters.

Mr Sanchez Ceren, 69, won 48.9% of the votes, with the right-wing Arena party candidate, Norman Quijano, trailing with 38.95%.

Former president Antonio Saca (2004-2009) came third with 11.4%.

It is not clear who Antonio Saca's supporters will back in the 9 March run-off, which will pitch the top two candidates against each other.

Gang war

Mr Quijano, who quit his post as mayor of San Salvador to run for president, campaigned on a promise to crack down on the country's criminal gangs.

Candidates have clashed on how to deal with gangs, as Will Grant reports

El Salvador has one of the world's highest murder rates, which is blamed largely on the fights between two rival gangs: Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18.

The two gangs entered into a truce in 2012, but the number of murders has recently been going up again and some analysts fear it may not hold much longer.

Mr Quijano said he would deploy the army against the gangs and accused the FMLN government of negotiating with criminals.

If Mr Sanchez Ceren wins the run-off, he will become the first former rebel to serve as El Salvador's president.