Hundreds of Haitian-Americans and others rallied in Times Square

A woman shouts during a rally against racism in opposition to US President Donald Trump's recent disparaging comments about Haiti and African nations in Times Square in New York. Photo / AP

United States: Hundreds of Haitian-Americans and others have rallied in Times Square in New York City to denounce racism and remarks that US President Donald Trump is said to have made disparaging African countries and questioning further US acceptance of Haitian immigrants. Politicians including Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio joined the demonstration. Protesters carried Haitian flags and signs with messages including "peace, love, power, dream". Police at one point ushered demonstrators out of space designated for walking, but there were no immediate reports of any arrests. Trump is accused of questioning why to allow more immigrants from Haiti, rather than countries like Norway. The Republican has said the comments "weren't made" and that he's not a racist.

Austria: Two German climbers have been killed after plunging hundreds of metres from a rock face in the Austrian Alps. The two men had been climbing the western peak of the Geierkopf mountain massif in the Ammergau Alps when the accident happened, police in the nearby town of Reutte said. They had already climbed between nine and 10 rope lengths when the first climber fell. A piton supporting the pair then came out of the rock face and they plunged around 350m to their deaths. The exact causes of the accident would be investigated, police said. Conditions had been cloudy but visibility was good.

Science: Teenagers who watch lots of TV with ads are more likely to eat junk food, suggesting a "strong association between advertisements and eating habits", according to a report. Cancer Research UK warned that being bombarded by TV ads for unhealthy, high-calorie food could lead youngsters to eat more than 500 extra snacks such as chips, biscuits and fizzy drinks throughout the course of a single year. When they watched TV without adverts, researchers found no link between screen time and the likelihood of eating more junk food, suggesting that the ads on commercial TV may be driving youngsters to snack on more unhealthy food. Lead author Dr Jyotsna Vohra said: "This is the strongest evidence yet that junk food adverts could increase how much teens choose to eat. Our report suggests that reducing junk food TV marketing could help to halt the obesity crisis."

A study says there is a link between TV advertising of snacks and eating habits. Photo / AP

United States: One person has been shot and wounded in a parking garage outside a Rhode Island shopping centre, leading to an evacuation of the mall and a search for any suspects. The shooting happened on the second floor of the Providence Place mall parking garage outside a door to Nordstrom department store. Police say the 19-year-old who was shot was targeted. The injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. Police say the mall was cleared out of an abundance of caution.

Colombia: Ten construction workers have been killed and four injured when a partially-constructed bridge collapsed in central Colombia. The bridge, located in Chirajara on the border of Cundinamarca and Meta provinces, was to be part of the highway that connects the capital Bogota and the city of Villavicencio, and was not yet in public use. The cause of the collapse, which sent pieces of the bridge down into a canyon below, is under investigation.

Philippines: Glowing red lava is rolling down the slopes of a Philippine volcano as authorities maintain a warning of a possible hazardous eruption. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology says the lava is quietly flowing in some places but at times Mount Mayon was erupting like a fountain. Lava had advanced up to 2km from the crater, and ash was falling nearby. Nearly 15,000 people have fled the danger zone already. The alert level remained three on a scale of five, indicating an increased prospect of a hazardous eruption "within weeks or even days." Mayon lies in Albay province about 340km southeast of Manila. It has erupted about 50 times in the last 500 years.

Lava cascades down the slopes of the Mayon volcano in the Philippines yesterday. Photo / AP

United States: Crews working around the clock cleared boulders, trees and crushed cars from all lanes of US 101, but California officials said the key coastal highway would remain closed for another week after being inundated during mudslides that killed 20 people. Much of the water on the highway near the devastated town of Montecito had receded, allowing workers to use bulldozers and other heavy equipment to push away solid debris. "It is not until you can see the damage with your own eyes that you can come to understand the magnitude of the incident, the response that is necessary, but most importantly the impact to the citizens and families of Santa Barbara County," said Jim Shivers, a spokesman for the California Department of Transportation.

Samuel Lethbridge is in hospital. Photo / Facebook

Australia: The father of a teenager who spent 30 hours trapped in a crashed car in New South Wales bush says he knew his son hadn't run away so following his intuition he hired a helicopter to look for him. When 17-year-old Samuel Lethbridge failed to return to his home in Blacksmiths at Lake Macquarie, his family decided to search for him. Tony Lethbridge suspected his son may have been in a car crash and the helicopter he hired was used to spot the car in bush off the Pacific Highway at Crangan Bay. By the time emergency services reached Samuel, he had been in the smashed Hyundai for more than a day suffering multiple fractures. "Everybody was saying he's probably run away and all that kind of stuff. That's just not Samuel," Lethbridge told Network Seven today. Samuel was trapped inside the vehicle and had to be cut free by emergency services. He was taken to John Hunter Hospital where he's undergone surgery for multiple fractures and remains in a serious condition.

Meghan and Tony Lethbridge, sister and father of Samuel Lethbridge. Photos / Channel 7

Science: Women who go through early menopause are at higher risk of heart disease and stroke, research has shown. A study, led by the University of Oxford, also found a strong link between women's reproductive health and the risks of cardiovascular problems. The data suggests that women who began their periods early, had pregnancy complications such as stillbirth, or needed a hysterectomy were also more likely to develop heart issues. The research team drew on data from the UK Biobank, a study of more than half a million men and women, up to the age of 69. Women who went through the menopause before the age of 47 had a 33 per cent heightened risk of cardiovascular disease, rising to 42 per cent for their risk of stroke, they found. Those who began having periods before the age of 12 were at 10 per cent greater risk of cardiovascular disease than those who were 13 or older when they started, the study said.

Burma: A top Burma official said that a camp to house Rohingya Muslim and Hindu refugees who return from Bangladesh will be ready by its promised deadline next week. More than 650,000 ethnic Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh since Burma's military launched a brutal crackdown in August following attacks on police posts by a militant group. Though Burma's army claimed it was a clearance operation against the terrorists, the United Nations, United States and others have said the operations were "ethnic cleansing" to remove the Rohingya from the country. Burma and Bangladesh signed an agreement in November to repatriate Rohingya and set up a working group last month to oversee the return of people who had fled violence in the northern part of Rakhine state.

- agencies