Israeli Shells Pound Gaza As Fighting Resumes

Hamas has vowed it will not back down as Israel pounded Gaza with a fresh wave of strikes, killing five Palestinians.

The Israeli military has launched 21 airstrikes on Gaza since midnight on Saturday as talks to extend the temporary ceasefire stalled.

Palestinian health officials claim senior Hamas official Moaaz Zaid was among three Palestinians killed in an attack on a mosque. Two people travelling on a motorcycle died when they were struck by a bomb.

Another two Palestinians were shot dead by soldiers and dozens wounded in clashes with Israeli forces amid violent protests in occupied West Bank.

Palestinians pray over the bodies of three members of the same family

The deaths bring the number of dead in the month-long conflict to nearly 1,900. The United Nations, which has condemned Israel's actions, say 1,354 of those killed have been civilians.

Israel has lost 64 soldiers during the conflict, while three civilians have died from rocket fire into the country.

Israel says Hamas has fired six rockets across the border since the 72-hour ceasefire ended on Friday morning, while Israel has carried out strikes on a total of 30 sites.

Smoke rises from what witnesses said was an Israeli strike on Gaza City

Hamas spokesman Fawzy Barhum said: "There will be no going back, the resistance will continue. The occupier's intransigence will get it nowhere and we will make no concessions on the demands of our people."

The resumption of violence came as Britain announced it would send a team of NHS experts to help victims wounded in Gaza.

Prime Minister David Cameron said: "The conflict in Gaza has taken a terrible toll.

"The NHS has always stepped up to the plate to help those in need and this expert team will play a crucial role in helping hundreds caught up in this conflict."

Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli border guards in West Bank

The UK team consists of doctors, nurses, surgeons, anaesthetists and paramedics - and their specialities include trauma and plastic surgery.

Mr Cameron is under increasing pressure to suspend arms exports from British manufacturers to Israeli forces following the resignation of foreign minister Baroness Warsi over the Government's line on Gaza this week.

Lady Warsi said the Government's approach had been "morally indefensible" and has stepped up her call for action to be taken.

A Palestinian boy sleeps in a UN-organised shelter

"For me at that moment the concern that I had was that even if the ceasefire had held, and I sincerely hoped it had, there was still no clear language from the Government in relation to the condemnation of what had happened," she said.

"There was no clear commitment that we would lead the international effort on accountability on both sides for what had happened.

"Our language was not there. It was lagging behind. I don't think it was just words that would have stopped me from doing what I did.

Baroness Warsi's resiganation has placed pressure on David Cameron

"I think it was a combination of issues. It was the language that we were using, I think it was our lack of support for international justice and accountability for the crimes that had been committed."

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has urged the coalition to halt arms export licences for ammunition, drone parts and armoured vehicles, which are being used in Operation Protective Edge. He had indicated on Thursday an announcement would be imminent.

The United States said it still hoped the three-day ceasefire could be revived and Egypt, which attempting to broker peace between Israelis and Palestinians with US and European mediators, insisted negotiations were making progress.

However, little movement seems to have been achieved and the two sides are still far apart on meeting terms of agreement.

In an interview with the New York Times on Friday, Barack Obama urged Israel to recognise Palestinians had a right to land and space to live.

He said: "It has consistently been my belief that you have to find a way to live side by side in peace with Palestinians ... You have to recognise that they have legitimate claims, and this is their land and neighbourhood as well."

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gaza 'Is Living In A Disaster Situation'

By Katie Stallard, Sky News Correspondent, in Gaza

The first ambulance came in at speed, tyres squealing.

Inside, was a 10-year-old boy.

They rushed him to the emergency ward, but there was nothing they could do to save his life.

We saw other children being brought in - a little girl, maybe five years old, carried in a paramedic's arms.

An ambulance brings a child to Gaza's Shifa Hospital

She looked absolutely terrified.

The doctors told us they treated a six-month-old baby for shrapnel wounds to the head.

We saw an 80-year-old woman, clearly very frail and confused and clearly seriously injured.

"Gaza is living in a disaster situation," said Dr Sobhi Skaik at Shifa Hospital.

"Again the war is coming to kill and kill and kill.

"Today is the 33rd day of this massacre in Gaza. This is inhuman and it has to be stopped."

Dr Sobhu Skaik tends to an injured 80-year-old woman

He said they need basic supplies now - surgical instruments, drugs, medication, and expertise - specifically vascular, orthopaedic and neurosurgeons.

One of the ambulances pulling up outside had blast damage to the windscreen and a bullet hole in the side.

Six medics have been killed in Gaza so far.

Paramedic Ahmed Abu-Ali said: "We feel we are targeted in any minute.

"All medical teams are now afraid they are targeted, it's very hard now.

"We wake up every day and we don't know if we are coming back to our homes or not."

We saw outgoing rockets too.

Although Hamas has not admitted firing any rockets since the ceasefire ended, Islamic Jihad and other smaller militant groups have said they fired on Israel.

But Israel says Hamas violated the ceasefire, and therefore Hamas is responsible for any resulting harm to the residents Gaza, who, it says, are being used as human shields.

But it's difficult to explain that argument to a parent carrying their child into the emergency ward.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Supersonic 'Flying Saucer' Video Released By Nasa

Footage of a supersonic "flying saucer" has been released by Nasa, as the agency attempts to find a process for landing heavier spacecraft on Mars.

The video of the spinning saucer, launched from Hawaii, shows it being shot 120,000ft into orbit by a giant balloon.

A giant balloon launches the craft into space

Officially called a Low Density Supersonic Decelerator, the spacecraft is part of a system designed to slow down landings in space.

The device borrows the rapid inflation technique of the Hawaiian puffer fish to slow the landing - reducing its velocity from four times the speed of sound to two and a half times the speed of sound.

The parachute is ripped to pieces

The footage, shot on June 28, shows a giant parachute being shot out once the slower speed is reached and then being ripped to pieces as the spacecraft punches a hole in the atmosphere.

Landing exploratory vehicles on Mars presents greater problems than landing spacecraft on Earth because the planet's atmosphere is much thinner.

The flying saucer is important for the future of Mars exploration

Giant parachutes, several times the size of those used for Earth landings, and a deceleration device are needed to put the brakes on so that rovers can be landed on the Red Planet safely and in one piece.

Nasa is working on the system because future missions to Mars will need heavier landers than the current one-ton Curiosity Rover.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Guinea Closes Borders To Stop Ebola Outbreak

Guinea has closed its borders with Sierra Leone and Liberia in an attempt to stop the spread of ebola in West Africa.

The outbreak - the most serious since the disease first emerged in Africa over 30 years ago - has so far killed nearly 1,000 people in the three countries this year.

"We have provisionally closed the frontier between Guinea and Sierra Leone because of all the news that we have received from there recently," Health Minister Rémy Lamah told a news conference.

She said the border has also been closed with Liberia.

More follows...

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Afghanistan Leaders To End Election Dispute

Afghanistan's feuding presidential candidates say they will resolve their dispute, form a unity government and name a new leader.

It comes after an audit of votes to decide the winner of the election, which was marred by allegations of polling fraud.

"Today, myself, our team, and Dr (Ashraf) Ghani and his team have taken another step forward in the interests of strengthening national unity in the country... and also to bring hope for the better future for the people of Afghanistan," Abdullah Abdullah said.

An inauguration date is likely to be set before the end of August.

Dr Ashraf Ghani

The breakthrough came as US Secretary of State John Kerry opened a second day of talks in Afghanistan aimed at preventing the country from collapsing into political chaos after the disputed elections.

The US believes the September 4 Nato summit would be an opportunity for the eventual election winner to present himself to the alliance and introduce his new cabinet.

Mr Abdullah is a former cabinet minister, while Dr Ghani is a former finance minister.

More follows...

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola: The Point Behind WHO's Declaration

Ebola Cure 'A Long Way Off': Facts About Virus

Updated: 12:08am UK, Thursday 07 August 2014

A cure for the deadly ebola virus, which has killed hundreds of people in West Africa, is "a very long way off", an expert has told Sky News.

David Evans, a professor of virology at Warwick University, said ebola is the latest disease to be transmitted "very efficiently" because of international travel.

More than 670 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria have fallen victim to the viral illness, which has a fatality rate of up to 90%.

Those with ebola will often be overcome by a sudden onset of fever, as well as weakness, muscle pain and headaches.

The body is then gripped by vomiting, diarrhoea, rashes, kidney and liver problems and bleeding.

The time between infection and symptoms appearing is anything from two days to three weeks.

Ebola is spread through the direct contact with the blood, organs or other bodily fluids of those infected.

The liquid that bathes the eye and semen can transmit the disease, Prof Evans said.

Horseshoe bats are believed to be the natural host of the viral disease, he said.

"These bats transmit the virus between themselves, but periodically it then ends up in probably primates or other types of bushmeat which are then hunted by villagers and the virus is then transmitted from the sick animals to humans," he said.

Transmission has also been documented through the handling of chimpanzees, gorillas and porcupines.

One of the reasons for the disease's rapid spread is a tradition at burial ceremonies for mourners to have direct contact with the body of the deceased.

"Therefore barrier methods that prevent that direct contact, including things like washing of hands and things like that provide a reasonable level of protection," he said.

Healthcare workers treating patients are particularly at risk.

Public Health England said in a risk assessment published earlier this month said that the current outbreak could increase the risk for Britons working in humanitarian and healthcare delivery.

But the threat to tourists, visitors and expatriates is still considered "very low if elementary precautions are followed".

Prof Evans said there had been "periodic outbreaks" of ebola since the first recorded instances in 1976, but this is the deadliest so far.

There were two simultaneous outbreaks in Nzara, Sudan and Yambuku, a village in the Democratic Republic of Congo located near the Ebola River.

Data from the World Health Organisation shows the previous deadliest outbreak was the one in the DRC, when 280 out of 315 people infected died.

In the same country in 1995 another outbreak claimed 254 lives, with 315 patients infected.

In 2000, there were 425 cases in Uganda and 224 people died.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola An International Health Emergency - WHO

Ebola Cure 'A Long Way Off': Facts About Virus

Updated: 12:08am UK, Thursday 07 August 2014

A cure for the deadly ebola virus, which has killed hundreds of people in West Africa, is "a very long way off", an expert has told Sky News.

David Evans, a professor of virology at Warwick University, said ebola is the latest disease to be transmitted "very efficiently" because of international travel.

More than 670 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria have fallen victim to the viral illness, which has a fatality rate of up to 90%.

Those with ebola will often be overcome by a sudden onset of fever, as well as weakness, muscle pain and headaches.

The body is then gripped by vomiting, diarrhoea, rashes, kidney and liver problems and bleeding.

The time between infection and symptoms appearing is anything from two days to three weeks.

Ebola is spread through the direct contact with the blood, organs or other bodily fluids of those infected.

The liquid that bathes the eye and semen can transmit the disease, Prof Evans said.

Horseshoe bats are believed to be the natural host of the viral disease, he said.

"These bats transmit the virus between themselves, but periodically it then ends up in probably primates or other types of bushmeat which are then hunted by villagers and the virus is then transmitted from the sick animals to humans," he said.

Transmission has also been documented through the handling of chimpanzees, gorillas and porcupines.

One of the reasons for the disease's rapid spread is a tradition at burial ceremonies for mourners to have direct contact with the body of the deceased.

"Therefore barrier methods that prevent that direct contact, including things like washing of hands and things like that provide a reasonable level of protection," he said.

Healthcare workers treating patients are particularly at risk.

Public Health England said in a risk assessment published earlier this month said that the current outbreak could increase the risk for Britons working in humanitarian and healthcare delivery.

But the threat to tourists, visitors and expatriates is still considered "very low if elementary precautions are followed".

Prof Evans said there had been "periodic outbreaks" of ebola since the first recorded instances in 1976, but this is the deadliest so far.

There were two simultaneous outbreaks in Nzara, Sudan and Yambuku, a village in the Democratic Republic of Congo located near the Ebola River.

Data from the World Health Organisation shows the previous deadliest outbreak was the one in the DRC, when 280 out of 315 people infected died.

In the same country in 1995 another outbreak claimed 254 lives, with 315 patients infected.

In 2000, there were 425 cases in Uganda and 224 people died.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

US Strikes ISIS Artillery In Northern Iraq

The US has carried out airstrikes against artillery used by Islamist militants in northern Iraq, the Pentagon says.

Two F/A-18 aircraft dropped 500-pound laser-guided bombs on a mobile artillery piece near Irbil, the capital of the Kurdish region.

Rear Admiral John Kirby said in a statement that the Islamist militants had been using the artillery to shell Kurdish forces defending the city, where US personnel are located.

The group has been advancing in Iraq

"The decision to strike was made by the US Central Command commander under authorisation granted him by the commander in chief," he said.

On Thursday President Barack Obama said he had authorised the strikes on Iraq to protect religious minorities and prevent a "genocide".

More follows...

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Russia Threatens EU And US Flight Ban

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has said the country is considering a ban on flights from Europe and the US to Asia.

Speaking at a government meeting he said the "serious measure" of blocking Russian airspace was a response to sanctions that recently stopped Dobrolyot, one of Russia's low-cost airlines, from flying.

It comes as Mr Medvedev confirmed the country has banned transit flights for Ukrainian airlines via its territory.

If Russia goes ahead with the ban on Western airlines, passengers could see ticket prices rise because carriers would be forced to use more fuel to reach destinations using longer flight paths.

The move could hit major European airlines such as British Airways, Lufthansa and Air France, leaving them faced with multibillion-pound losses.

Mr Medvedev said a response to sanctions against Russia was needed

Meanwhile Russia announced further details of its sanctions on food and agricultural products from the West.

Mr Medvedev said an immediate ban has been put on fruit, vegetable, meat, fish, milk and dairy imports from the European Union, United States, Australia, Canada and Norway.

He said: "Until the last moment, we hoped that our foreign colleagues would understand that sanctions lead to a deadlock and no one needs them.

"But they didn't and the situation now requires us to take retaliatory measures."

He said the food ban would last for a year, but could be lifted earlier if the West reacted with a "constructive approach".

Responding to the decision, the European Commission warned it was ready "to take action".

In a statement it said: "This announcement is clearly politically motivated.

"Following full assessment by the Commission of the Russian Federation's measures, we reserve the right to take action as appropriate."

In 2013 the EU's agricultural exports to Russia were worth €11.8bn (£9.4bn), while the US says its food and agricultural exports amounted to $1.3bn (£77m).

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ukraine: Russia Troop Build-Up Invasion Fear

Russia has built up the number of combat ready troops on the Ukrainian border to 20,000, according to Nato.

Officials fear the troop movements are a precursor to an invasion, which could be carried out under the pretext of a humanitarian or peacekeeping mission.

It comes as Russia bans beef, pork, fruit and vegetable produce, poultry, fish, cheese, milk and dairy imports from the EU, US, Australia, Norway and Canada. The move is a response to sanctions against Russia.

Fighting has continued in eastern Ukraine, where some 1,300 people have been killed since April, according to the United Nations.

The rebel leadership in the city of Horlivka, about 22 miles (35km) north of Donetsk, said 33 civilians had been killed and 129 wounded by shelling over the past few days.

The Ukrainian military said 18 of its soldiers had been killed and 54 injured in fighting over the past 24 hours, the highest number killed or injured in weeks.

Refugees fleeing fighting in south eastern Ukraine take shelter in Donetsk

It was also accused of carrying out its first airstrike on the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, as Ukraine said it was getting ready to recapture the city. 

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said: "The threat of a direct intervention (by Russia into Ukraine) is certainly greater than it was even a few days ago."

Nato spokeswoman Oana Lungescu added: "This is a dangerous situation."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to use his influence with the rebels to help stabilise the country.

Moscow said making claims about the movement of its troops was like "selling soap bubbles".

Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenikov said: "Movements of such forces of thousands of troops and equipment are not possible in such a short time."

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is visiting Ukraine to hold talks with President Petro Poroshenko.

A man inspects damage after what Donetsk locals described as an 'airstrike'

Many EU nations and US politicians blame Russia for the continued escalation of fighting in Ukraine, which resulted in Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 being shot down.

Since the jet was shot down, the EU, US and some other Western nations have engaged in a tit for tat exchange of sanctions with Russia.

Ukraine has made major military advances during the last month and says Donetsk has now almost been cut off from the Russian border and the second rebel stronghold of Luhansk.

More than 285,000 people have fled their homes in the last few months because of the fighting, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

Luhansk is said to be without power, running water, phone connections or fuel, while food supplies have been running low.

Meanwhile, investigators working on the MH17 crash site were forced to suspend their work on Wednesday due to shooting in the area.

Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott vowed that those responsible for shooting down the Malaysian airliner and killing all 298 people on board would be brought to justice.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Oscar Pistorius: 'Dropped The Baton Of Truth'

The love life of running star Oscar Pistorius and model Reeva Steenkamp in the weeks leading to her death has been picked through in court.

Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel has told the court: "This wasn't a normal relationship - this relationship ended in death."

In summing up his case against Pistorius, he told how the pair had exchanged messages proving their romance had "ups and downs" and added: "90% of the time he made her happy, but 10% of the messages she was unhappy. And seven days later she was dead."

Reeva's parents June and Barry Steenkamp listen to the hearing

Mr Nel has also accused the athlete's lawyers of presenting a dishonest defence against the murder charge.

He made the allegation in his closing speech against the athlete who shot dead Ms Steenkamp through a toilet door at his home in February 2013.

Mr Nel said a criminal trial was a "blunt instrument for digging up the truth," adding Pistorius' lawyers argued the athlete acted in self-defence as he feared an intruder was in his house, but also suggested he shot Ms Steenkamp because he was 'startled'.

"It's two defences you can never reconcile," said Mr Nel, who went on to accuse Pistorius of being an "appalling, vague" and "deceitful" witness.

Pistorius was "more interested in defending his life than telling the truth," Mr Nel said. "His story is so improbable it's a clear indication of his mendacity."

Mr Nel used Pistorius' career as an athlete as a metaphor for the trial, which the prosecution suggested was like a race with Pistorius holding the "baton of truth".

"You started the race by giving evidence," said Mr Nel, adding: "You dropped that baton. You cannot complete the race."

As Mr Nel summed-up some 100 pages of evidence submitted to the court last week, Pistorious occasionally shook his head in disagreement and held his head in his hands.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel accused Pistorius of being a 'deceitful' witness

Sky's Alex Crawford reporting from the court in Pretoria said: "It was like watching flashbacks from a horror film. Gerrie Nel picked up what he believed to be (Pistorius') most devastating moments in court.

"He drew a very ugly picture of Oscar Pistorius, the man and the personality. A hero who had fallen so low, in the view of Gerrie Nel."

Prosecution and defence lawyers will sum up their cases over the next two days in a final attempt to convince judge Thokozile Matilda Masipa before she reaches her verdict, expected in around two weeks' time.

Pistorius, 27, faces a minimum of 25 years in prison if found guilty of premeditated murder. He could also be convicted on lesser charges, such as culpable homicide or murder without premeditation.

The prosecution says Pistorius intentionally shot Ms Steenkamp in anger after they quarrelled. His defence insists he fired by mistake, thinking an intruder was in the toilet and that Ms Steenkamp was in the bedroom.

Ms Steenkamp's parents are in court listening intently to the closing speeches. It is the first time Ms Steenkamp's father Barry Steenkamp has attended court since the trial began.

The hearing in Pretoria has resumed after it was put on hold last month after hearing from 37 witnesses.

More follows...

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Khmer Rouge Leaders Sentenced To Life In Prison

Two former Khmer Rouge leaders have been sentenced to life in prison for their involvement in the genocide of an estimated two milllion people in Cambodia.

The UN-backed tribunal's verdicts were announced against Khieu Samphan, 83, the Maoist regime's former head of state, and Nuon Chea, 88, who was leader Pol Pot's deputy.

The charges centred on the forced exodus of millions of people from Cambodia's cities into the countryside, where they were starved or worked to death.

The case also involved an execution site in the northwest where thousands of people were shot and buried in mass graves.

Nuon Chea (L) and Khieu Samphan remained impassive as they were sentenced

Nuon Chea, wearing his trademark sunglasses, sat in a wheelchair in the dock as the verdict was read in the capital Phnom Penh, while Khieu Samphan stood next to him.

A man whose father and siblings died during the regime cries outside court

Survivors of the brutal regime - which oversaw the torture and execution of tens of thousands of Khmer people - cried and applauded as they were jailed following the two-year trial.

Skulls at a memorial at the Killing Fields where thousands were butchered

"This is the justice that I have been waiting for these last 35 years," said 70-year-old survivor Khieu Pheatarak.

"I will never forget the suffering but this is a great relief for me. It is a victory and an historic day for all Cambodians."

Cambodian and international journalists watch the trial

She was among tens of thousands of Cambodians taken from their homes at gunpoint in 1975 by the Khmer Rouge's peasant army.

A woman holds a traditional Khmer scarf as she awaits the sentencing

They were forced into agricultural work in an attempt to create a totally self-sufficient and classless agrarian society.

The men's lawyers said they would appeal the verdict.

Torture instruments used by Khmer Rouge activists displayed at Tuol Sleng

"It is unjust for my client. He did not know or commit many of these crimes," Son Arun, a lawyer for Nuon Chea, told reporters.

Despite both defendants denying any knowledge of the Khmer Rouge's crimes, they both eventually expressed remorse for the suffering inflicted.

Former Khmer Rouge leader Ieng Sary died while facing trial

Survivors fear the ageing men will not live long enough to serve more than a year or two of their sentence.

Former foreign minister Ieng Sary died aged 87 last year while on trial on charges of genocide.

An undated photo of Pol Pot (left) with Ieng Sary (centre)

His wife Ieng Thirith was released in 2012 after it was ruled she was too ill to stand trial.

Pol Pot was arrested by former Khmer Rouge colleagues and sentenced to life under house arrest in 1997. He died a year later.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola Outbreak: 45 Deaths In Three Days

Ebola Cure 'A Long Way Off': Facts About Virus

Updated: 3:54pm UK, Wednesday 30 July 2014

A cure for the deadly ebola virus, which has killed hundreds of people in West Africa, is "a very long way off", an expert has told Sky News.

David Evans, a professor of virology at Warwick University, said ebola is the latest disease to be transmitted "very efficiently" because of international travel.

More than 670 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria have fallen victim to the viral illness, which has a fatality rate of up to 90%.

Those with ebola will often be overcome by a sudden onset of fever, as well as weakness, muscle pain and headaches.

The body is then gripped by vomiting, diarrhoea, rashes, kidney and liver problems and bleeding.

The time between infection and symptoms appearing is anything from two days to three weeks.

Ebola is spread through the direct contact with the blood, organs or other bodily fluids of those infected.

The liquid that bathes the eye and semen can transmit the disease, Prof Evans said.

Horseshoe bats are believed to be the natural host of the viral disease, he said.

"These bats transmit the virus between themselves, but periodically it then ends up in probably primates or other types of bushmeat which are then hunted by villagers and the virus is then transmitted from the sick animals to humans," he said.

Transmission has also been documented through the handling of chimpanzees, gorillas and porcupines.

One of the reasons for the disease's rapid spread is a tradition at burial ceremonies for mourners to have direct contact with the body of the deceased.

"Therefore barrier methods that prevent that direct contact, including things like washing of hands and things like that provide a reasonable level of protection," he said.

Healthcare workers treating patients are particularly at risk.

Public Health England said in a risk assessment published earlier this month said that the current outbreak could increase the risk for Britons working in humanitarian and healthcare delivery.

But the threat to tourists, visitors and expatriates is still considered "very low if elementary precautions are followed".

Prof Evans said there had been "periodic outbreaks" of ebola since the first recorded instances in 1976, but this is the deadliest so far.

There were two simultaneous outbreaks in Nzara, Sudan and Yambuku, a village in the Democratic Republic of Congo located near the Ebola River.

Data from the World Health Organisation shows the previous deadliest outbreak was the one in the DRC, when 280 out of 315 people infected died.

In the same country in 1995 another outbreak claimed 254 lives, with 315 patients infected.

In 2000, there were 425 cases in Uganda and 224 people died.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Israel-Hamas Ceasefire As Troops Exit Gaza

A three-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears to be holding as Israeli ground troops are withdrawn to "defensive positions" on the border.

Tuesday saw the longest lull in fighting since the almost four-week conflict began, with both sides seemingly observing the terms of an Egyptian-brokered truce.

Some of the 440,000 Palestinians displaced by the fighting were able to make the trek from UN-run shelters back home to survey the damage.

Palestinians crowd into an ice cream shop as the truce comes into effect

Shops and local businesses also gradually reopened as confidence grew that the ceasefire was holding.

The truce began at 8am local time (6am UK time) and follows six previous ceasefire attempts which have all been marked by allegations from both sides of continued attacks.

But aerial assaults were put on hold as Israel's ground offensive, aimed at destroying Hamas' network of cross-border tunnels, also drew to a close.

Civilians could return to the streets of Gaza to enjoy the lull in fighting

Israel says its troops and tanks were redeployed in "defensive positions" near the border.

Israeli army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said the move came after the last of 32 tunnels located inside Gaza was destroyed overnight.

"Today we completed the removal of this threat," he said.

There was a rapid exchange of fire in the minutes leading up to the truce, with Hamas militants launching rockets over the border and Israeli warplanes carrying out airstrikes.

An Israeli soldier carries his gear after returning to Israel from Gaza

Hamas claimed the rockets were launched in retaliation for Israel's "massacres".

Israel's anti-missile system shot down one rocket over Jerusalem, while another struck a house in a town near Bethlehem.

Israeli warplanes also carried out at least five airstrikes before the ceasefire took hold and the skies fell silent.

Tuesday's ceasefire deal followed lengthy negotiations in Cairo attended by a Palestinian delegation, but shunned by Israel.

An Israeli delegation has now arrived in Egypt to join indirect talks aimed at thrashing out a more lasting deal.

Hamas has demanded Israel withdraw from Gaza and end a blockade of the territory.

It has also called for its prisoners to be released and for international assistance in rebuilding Gaza.

Bassam Salhi, a member of the Palestinian delegation, admitted brokering a peace deal which satisfies both sides will prove difficult.

"It's going to be tough negotiations because Israel has demands too," he said.

More than 20 Palestinians were killed on Monday, including an eight-year-old girl who died in an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in Gaza City, just minutes into a seven-hour partial truce.

Jerusalem, meanwhile, was rocked by two attacks which appeared to be in retaliation for violence in the Gaza Strip.

The driver of a digger was shot dead after hitting a bus, killing one person, in what Israel described as a "terrorist attack".

Palestinians returned their things to the remains of their destroyed homes

Several hours later a gunman shot and wounded an Israeli soldier before escaping on a motorbike.

Israel launched its military operation on July 8 with the stated intention of ending "persistent" Hamas rocket attacks.

It subsequently launched a ground offensive aimed at destroying cross-border Hamas tunnels, an objective Israel says it has now achieved.

More than 1,880 Palestinians and 64 Israeli soldiers have lost their lives since the conflict began. Two Israeli civilians and a Thai labourer working in Israel have also died.

Meanwhile, Foreign Office Minister Baroness Warsi has resigned saying she can no longer support the UK Government's stance on Gaza.

Lady Warsi, who is also Minister for Faith and Communities, announced her departure on Twitter, where she has been increasingly vocal in her condemnation of Israel's actions.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Russian Hackers 'Pull Off Biggest Data Theft'

Russian hackers have stolen 1.2 billion user name and password combinations in what could be the biggest ever data theft, according to a US security firm.

The information is said to relate to half a billion email addresses.

Hold Security, based in Milwaukee, says a 'Cybervor' gang stole the information from 420,000 web and FTP sites.

It claims the gang used a botnet, a network of infected computers controlled by a hacker, to identify weaknesses in websites that people visited.

Users typically do not know their machine is being manipulated by a botnet.

"The botnet conducted possibly the largest security audit ever," says Hold Security on its website, which says it spent seven months researching the alleged breach.

A botnet hunted vulnerabilities in sites used by unwitting computer users

"Over 400,000 sites were identified to be potentially vulnerable to SQL injection flaws alone.

"The CyberVors used these vulnerabilities to steal data from these sites' databases.

"To the best of our knowledge, they mostly focused on stealing credentials, eventually ending up with the largest cache of stolen personal information, totaling over 1.2 billion unique sets of emails and passwords."

Hold Security says the Russian gang targeted every site visited by an infected botnet machine and did not differentiate between well-known sites and smaller ones.

The company has not named the sites that were affected but says the list "includes many leaders in virtually all industries across the world, as well as a multitude of small or even personal websites".

The New York Times reports that so far it appears little of the information has been sold to other online criminals.

Instead, it says it is being used to send marketing pitches and junk messages on social networks such as Twitter.

Hold Security has a history of uncovering major hacking attacks and previously uncovered a large data theft from software company Adobe.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two British Nationals Killed In Borneo

Two British nationals, thought to be students, have been stabbed to death in Borneo, Malaysia, according to reports.

The Foreign Office (FCO) has confirmed that it was made aware of the deaths yesterday.

They are understood to be students from Newcastle University, with local reports in Borneo saying they are aged 22 and 23 and died after being attacked by a group of local men.

The National News Agency Of Malaysia reported that four men had been arrested following the murders at Jalan Padungan.

An FCO spokesman said: "We are providing consular assistance to their families at this difficult time."

More follows...

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Israel-Hamas Ceasefire As Troops Exit Gaza

The Battle To Win The War And Keep The Peace

Updated: 5:07pm UK, Monday 04 August 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Israeli tanks chew through the rubble at Rafah. Another child is killed. Some ceasefire. Some war.

For all the bluster and public relations stunts attached to several 'humanitarian truces', the claims to be the 'most moral army in the world', and the blaming of Hamas for deliberately getting fellow Palestinians killed, the Israel Defence Forces prosecute conflict with a bald honesty.

The purpose of war is to bend an enemy's will to one's own.

It's about smashing and maiming, dismemberment and mass grief.

When the threat is perceived as existential, it's conducted without rules but with great deliberation.

The firebombing of Dresden and the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki targeted women and children, the innocent, their homes, parks and pets - on purpose.

The Allies intended to break the will of the Axis powers utterly.

And that is the intent of the Israelis in Gaza.

The aim of the IDF is officially to 'dismantle the military capacity of Hamas (and other militant groups)'. It is to rid Israel of the threat posed by Gaza's rocket arsenal, and of its tunnel network with its tentacles that extend inside Israel.

The vast majority of Palestinian casualties, now numbering more than 1,700, are civilians, and many of them are women and children.

Israel's 'pinpoint accurate' munitions have been used to target hospitals and United Nations schools housing thousands of refugees with monotonous regularity.

It is true that Hamas has stored weapons in schools, fired rockets from close to playgrounds and hospitals, and used mosques as combat operations rooms.

Nonetheless Israel has come in for some bitter criticism from long-time ally the United States, from the United Nations, which the Israelis see as a hostile entity, and now from France.

On Monday French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called for a political solution to be "imposed" by the international community in the Gaza conflict.

"How many more deaths will it take to stop what must be called the carnage in Gaza?" Mr Fabius stormed.

"The tradition of friendship between Israel and France is an old one and Israel's right to security is total, but this right does not justify the killing of children and the slaughter of civilians."

The cold truth is that Mr Fabius has missed the point here.

Israel sees itself engaged in a near-perpetual existential struggle against Palestinian militants, especially Hamas, which is committed to the destruction of the 'Zionist entity'.

Israelis are generally horrified and outraged by any suggestion that civilians are deliberately targeted by the IDF which, they point out, regularly conducts investigations into the actions of its forces when they are accused of egregious killing.

But Israel's tactical aims are clear.

To crush Hamas and to send a clear message to Gazans that their future does not rest with the militant group.

The IDF has used devastating force to deliver that message and to try to wreck Hamas' military and civil structures.

And the Israeli government enjoys overwhelming support for the way that Operation Protective Edge has been conducted.

It accepts that war is not a sport.

But does not, yet, appear to comprehend that in Gaza Israel may have won another battle but is very far from winning the war - much less the peace it so craves.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nigerian Military 'Cut Throats' Of Detainees

Amnesty International has accused the Nigerian military and civilian militias of "extensive human rights violations" in their fight against extremists in the northeast of the country.

The global rights watchdog said gruesome video footage, images and witness testimonies collected during a research mission in Borno state found "fresh evidence of extrajudicial executions and serious human rights violations" in the region.

The footage includes detainees having their throats cut one by one and then dumped in mass graves by men who "appear to be members of the Nigerian military and the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF)", it said.

Salil Shetty, secretary general of Amnesty International, said: "The ghastly images are backed up by the numerous testimonies we have gathered which suggest that extrajudicial executions are, in fact, regularly carried out by the Nigerian military and CJTF.

Soldiers have been accused of executing captured Boko Haram militants

"These are not the images we expect from a government which sees itself as having a leadership role in Africa."

The video also shows the aftermath of a Boko Haram raid on a village, in which nearly 100 people were killed by the militants and scores of houses and buildings destroyed.

More than 4,000 people have been killed this year in the conflict between Boko Haram and the Nigerian military. More than 600 of these were extrajudicially executed, Amnesty said.

In April, the Boko Haram abducted 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in northeastern Nigeria. Some have managed to escape, but the militants are still holding 219 captive.

Boko Haram has staged attacks on villages in the remote northeast, where it aims to create a strict Islamic state.

Amnesty has called on Nigerian authorities to stop human rights violations in the military and urged it to hold investigations into the most serious allegations.

In a statement, Nigeria's defence ministry said it took the allegations "very seriously".

It said: "Much as the scenes depicted in these videos are alien to our operations and doctrines, (they have) to be investigated to ensure that such practices have not crept surreptitiously into the system."

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Shooting At British-Run Academy In Afghanistan

The Ministry of Defence is investigating reports of a shooting involving an Afghan soldier at a British-run academy near Kabul.

One soldier was killed and 15 troops including a German brigadier general were wounded in the shooting at the facility in Qargha, west of Kabul, authorities said.

Those wounded included "about a dozen" Americans, according to a US official.

The nationality of the dead soldier has not been released.

Reports suggest an argument erupted between some Afghans and an Afghan soldier, who apparently began shooting.

An MoD spokesman said: "We are aware of reports of an incident at Qargha.

"The incident is under investigation and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

The officer training academy in Qargha received its first cadets in October and will be the only British military presence remaining in Afghanistan after operations end this year.

A spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said: "We can confirm that an incident occurred involving local Afghan and Isaf troops at Camp Qargha in Kabul City, Afghanistan.

"The camp, also known as the Kabul ANA Officer Academy, is an Afghan National Security Forces facility.

The academy began taking its first officer cadets in October

"We are in the process of assessing the situation. More information will be released as we sort out the facts."

General Mohammed Afzal Aman, chief of staff for operations at the Afghan Ministry of Defence, said: "We are investigating, but it appears that an Afghan army officer opened fire.

"Three of our officers have been injured. Isaf troops have also suffered casualties.

"Isaf have quarantined the site, allowing nobody including Afghan forces to approach."

The facility is loosely modelled on the UK's officer training school Sandhurst, and has been dubbed the "Sandhurst in the sand".

The number of "insider attacks" - where Afghan troops turn on Isaf partners - has dropped in the last year.

Last year, there were 16 deaths in 10 separate attacks. In 2012, similar attacks killed 53 Isaf troops in 38 attacks.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Second American Ebola Patient Lands In US

A second American aid worker infected with ebola in West Africa has arrived in the US.

A plane believed to be carrying missionary Nancy Writebol, 59, arrived in Bangor, Maine, to refuel before the final leg of its journey.

She will be treated in a special isolation ward at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, according to her aid group.

Her fellow medical missionary, Dr Kent Brantly, 33, from Texas, was admitted to the same facility on Saturday.

Nancy Writebol was a hygienist at the Liberian hospital

Ms Writebol, a mother of two from Charlotte, North Carolina, took off in an air ambulance on Monday from Liberia's capital, Monrovia.

She is in a serious condition, her employer SIM USA said on Monday, though showing signs of improvement.

She and Dr Brantly contracted ebola while working on the same team treating patients at a hospital near Monrovia.

Ms Writebol was a hygienist whose job it was to decontaminate those entering or leaving the ebola treatment area.

Dr Kent Brantly walked unaided off the air ambulance in Atlanta

Both Americans being treated with an experimental drug never tested for safety in humans.

The drug, ZMapp, was identified as a possible treatment in January after research by the US government and the military.

Manufactured by San Diego's Mapp Biopharmaceutical, it works by boosting the immune system and is made from antibodies produced by lab animals exposed to parts of the virus.

Ms Writebol's arrival came a day after a New York hospital said it was testing a man for ebola after he turned up at the emergency department.

New York's Mount Sinai Hospital, where a man is being tested for ebola

The man - who was admitted to New York's Mount Sinai Hospital - was placed in isolation after displaying fever and gastrointestinal problems.

Health officials cautioned that the patient was probably suffering from a much more common condition.

But the incident underscored the heightened state of alert in the US as an ebola outbreak that has killed nearly 900 people rages in West Africa.

US border officials say they are screening airline passengers from Africa for symptoms of the viral haemorrhagic fever.

The ebola outbreak has killed nearly 900 people in West Africa

Border patrol agents at Washington's Dulles International and New York's JFK airports are on ebola watch as delegations from some 50 African countries arrive in the nation's capital for an economic summit this week.

Officials have been told to ask travellers about possible exposure to the virus and to look out for anyone with a fever or signs of sickness.

Real etsate tycoon Donald Trump meanwhile sparked controversy by lambasting "incompetent" US authorities for allowing the repatriation of the two ebola-infected Americans.

Symptoms of the virus include fever, vomiting, severe headaches, muscular pain and, as the patient nears the end, profuse bleeding.

It is spread by contact with blood or other bodily fluids and is not passed on through the air.

More follows...

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Thai Surrogate Vows To Stand By Sick Baby Boy

The Thai surrogate mother of a baby born with Down's Syndrome has promised to "never abandon" him.

Pattaramon Chanbua is now taking care of seven-month-old Gammy, who also has a heart defect and a lung infection, after his Australian parents reportedly took only his healthy twin sister.

The 21-year-old has vowed to raise the little boy, saying: "I am glad that in this unlucky situation there is a blessing that we are together.

"I never thought of having an abortion, I never thought to abandon him.

"I love him as my own baby ... he is my baby. I love him very much."

A fundraising page to cover Gammy's medical bills has raised over $200,000

She added: "I've never felt angry at them or hated them [the parents]. I'm always willing to forgive them.

"I want to see that they love the baby girl as much as my family loves Gammy. I want her to be well taken care of."

According to reports, the unnamed Australian couple who hired Ms Chanbua as a surrogate rejected the ill baby boy and returned to their home taking only the girl.

Ms Chanbua claims the parents wanted her to have an abortion once medical tests revealed Gammy had Down's Syndrome, but she refused because of her beliefs as a Buddhist.

But the parents allege they were not told their healthy daughter had a twin brother. The father told ABC they had "a lot of trouble" with the surrogacy agency and that the process had "taken every cent we have".

On Monday, Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison described Ms Chanbua as a "saint" and an "absolute hero".

He said: "It is terrible, just absolutely horrible and heartbreaking.

"Sure, there are lots of Australians who are desperate to be parents, but that can never I think sanction what we have just seen here."

He added that the law surrounding the case is "very, very murky". His office said in a statement that Gammy "may be eligible for Australian citizenship". Australian citizens are entitled to free health care in the country.

He said: "We are taking a close look at what can be done here, but I wouldn't want to raise any false hopes or expectations.

"We are dealing with something that has happened in another country's jurisdiction."

Commercial surrogacy - where a woman is paid to carry a child - is not allowed in Australia, but couples can use an "altruistic" surrogate who only receives medical and other reasonable expenses.

A "Hope For Gammy" fundraising website has already hit its $200,000 target to pay for the little boy's medical needs.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bangladesh Ferry Capsizes With '500 On Board'

A ferry in Bangladesh with hundreds of passengers on board has capsized - with fewer than 50 of them rescued so far.

The accident happened in the River Padma, near Munshiganj district, about 18 miles (30km) southwest of the capital Dhaka.

Reports said around 100 passengers had been been saved from the vessel, identified as the Pinak-6.

One official said that the boat was carrying passengers who were on their way home after celebrating the end of Ramadan.

The English language website of Dhaka daily newspaper Prothom Alo said the boat was in the middle of the river between the terminals of Mawa and Kawrakandi when it overturned at about 11am (6am UK time).

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Mawa zone manager Abdul Alim told the newspaper the passengers who were rescued had been travelling on the roof of the ferry.

Mr Alim put the number on the ferry at as many as 500.

Tugboats were involved in the rescue of the rest of the passengers, he added.

Lauhajang police officer-in-charge Md Tajul Islam said the exact number of the passengers rescued and missing was not yet known.

Local police chief Tofazzal Hossain told the AP news agency some of the passengers would have been able to swim to safety but many were feared trapped or drowned.

The ferry provides one of the main crossing points of the huge river which becomes the Padma after the Ganges leaves India and later joins the Jamuna River.

The crossing, which takes passengers across the 2.5 miles-wide (4km) river, provides many of those from the south west of the country with access to Dhaka.

In March 2012, a ferry sank near the same spot, killing around 145 people.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Digger Topples Bus In Israel 'Terror Attack'

Key Dates In The Gaza-Israel Conflict

Updated: 10:36am UK, Monday 04 August 2014

Israel's ground offensive in the Gaza Strip continues with forces attempting to destroy Hamas' weapons arsenal and rocketing-firing capabilities.

Here are the key events from the fighting that preceded and have followed Israel's operation:

:: July 8 - Israel launches "Operation Protective Edge" in a bid to quell near-daily militant rocket attacks in the aftermath of the abduction and killing of a Palestinian teenager in what appeared to be a revenge attack for the seizure and slaying of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank in June.

:: July 9 - Hamas rockets rain deep into Israel as the military pummels Palestinian targets. The military says 74 rockets landed in Israel, including in the northern city of Hadera, the deepest rocket strike ever from Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Hamas will pay a "heavy price".

:: July 10 - Israel intensifies its bombardment. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges an immediate ceasefire but neither side shows much interest in halting the fighting.

:: July 11 - Mr Netanyahu vows to press forward with a broad military offensive. The Israeli military says it has hit more than 1,100 targets, mostly rocket-launching sites, while Palestinian militants fired more than 600 rockets at Israel. The Lebanese military says militants there fired three rockets toward Israel and the Israelis retaliated with about 25 artillery shells.

:: July 12 - Gaza City becomes a virtual ghost town as streets empty, shops close and hundreds of thousands of people keep close to home. The death toll rises to more than 156 Palestinians after more than 1,200 Israeli air strikes.

:: July 13 - Israel widens its campaign, targeting civilian institutions with suspected Hamas ties, and briefly deploys ground troops inside Gaza to raid a rocket launching site. Four Israeli soldiers are hurt during the brief incursion. Egypt, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, continues to work behind the scenes.

:: July 14 - Israel says it's downed an unmanned drone along its southern coastline. Egypt presents a cease-fire plan that is praised by President Barack Obama at a White House dinner celebrating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

:: July 15 - Israeli Cabinet accepts Egypt's truce plan, halting fire for six hours but Hamas rejects the proposal, instead unleashing more rockets at Israel and prompting Israel to resume heavy bombardment. Rocket fire kills an Israeli man delivering food to soldiers, the first Israeli fatality in the fighting. Four Gaza boys, all cousins, are killed on a beach by shells fired from a navy ship.

:: July 16 - Hamas fires dozens of rockets into Israel, vowing not to agree to a ceasefire until its demands are met. The Gaza Interior Ministry's website says Israeli warplanes carried out dozens of airstrikes, targeting 30 houses, including those of four senior Hamas leaders. Later, both Israel and Hamas agree to a five-hour UN brokered "humanitarian" pause to start the following day.

:: July 17 - both sides trade fire in run-up to the brief truce, which Gazans use to restock on food and other supplies. Israel says it foiled an attack by 13 Gaza militants who infiltrated through a tunnel. Fierce fighting resumes after the truce expires, including an airstrike that kills three Palestinian children. After nightfall, the Israeli military launches a ground invasion into Gaza Strip.

:: July 18 - eight members of the same Palestinian family - two men, two women and four children - are killed by Israeli tank fire as the ground offensive to date claims the lives of 51 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier.

:: July 19 - Mr Ban says he wants to meet both sides to try to secure a truce as Israel pledges to step up its ground offensive. Hamas says its fighters are "behind enemy lines" as security alerts are triggered in southern Israel.

:: July 20 - Fresh airstrikes, artillery shelling and gun battles overnight kill 12 Palestinians and two more Israeli soldiers, as Israel intensifies its ground offensive in Gaza. Israeli minister Naftali Bennett defends the ground offensive in Gaza and accuses Hamas of "self-genocide" by using women and children as human shields.

:: July 21 - another airstrike kills 26 members of the same family, while seven more Israeli soldiers die in gun battles with Hamas fighters. Thirty of those wounded in the attack are reportedly medical staff.

:: July 22 - the Palestinian leadership proposes a ceasefire plan to mediators in Egypt which would be followed by five days of negotiations to stop the fighting which has claimed the lives of more than 600 Palestinians, many of them women and children, and 29 Israelis, including 27 soldiers.

:: July 23 - an international inquiry into Israel's actions in Gaza is launched, after the UN's Human Rights Commissioner says there is a "strong possibility" the country is guilty of war crimes. Several major airlines from the US, Europe and Canada suspend flights to and from Israel after a rocket fired from Gaza lands near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion international airport.

:: July 24 - British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond warns Mr Netanyahu the West is losing sympathy for Israel amid the rising number of civilian deaths during its offensive in Gaza, as international efforts to end the conflict intensify. However, hopes of an effective ceasefire quickly diminish after Israel vows to continue hunting Palestinian cross-border tunnels under any humanitarian truce, while Hamas also rejects a truce without the lifting of Israel's eight-year blockade of Gaza.

:: July 26 - the number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza offensive reaches 1,000, according to the territory's health ministry. Meanwhile, Israel agrees to extend a temporary humanitarian ceasefire for a further day.

:: July 27 - Hamas agrees to a 24-hour temporary truce ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid.

:: July 28 - the UN Security Council calls for an "immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza following an emergency session in New York. Both sides criticise the presidential statement, which is one step below a legally-binding resolution.

:: July 30 - a reported 128 Palestinians die in the bloodiest day of the three-week conflict. One attack, on the Jebalya refugee camp, provokes international condemnation, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon saying there is "nothing more shameful than attacking sleeping children".

:: July 31 - the UN says the total number of displaced people in Gaza now stands at 440,000.

:: August 1 - the Israeli army says 23-year-old Second Lieutenant Hadar Goldin has been kidnapped as a three-day ceasefire collapses within minutes.

:: August 2 - tanks and troops begin withdrawing from some parts of the Gaza Strip as an army spokesman says Israel is "quite close to completing" the destruction of Hamas' tunnels.

:: August 3 - Israel confirms missing soldier Second Lieutenant Hadar Goldin died in combat.

:: August 3 - Ban Ki-moon describes an apparent Israeli airstrike on a UN school-turned-shelter in Rafah as a "moral outrage and a criminal act". The US says it is "appalled" by reports of a "disgraceful shelling" in which 10 casualties are reported.

:: August 4 - Israel begins a seven-hour humanitarian truce but is immediately accused of breaching it with an attack on a refugee camp in Gaza City.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

World War One Centenary: Britain Remembers

This website uses cookies. Cookies remember you so we can give you a better service online. By using this website or closing this message you are agreeing to our cookies notice. Cookies FAQs.

x

A service in Liege marks 100 years since the German invasion of Belgium, and the solemn tributes continue at a cemetery in Mons.

2:09pm UK, Monday 04 August 2014

Video: Britain and Europe honours the dead of The Great War

Enlarge

• 

  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are met in Liege, Belgium, by King Filip and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, for a service marking the German invasion of Belgium in 1914 and Britain's entry into the conflict

  1 of 27

• 

  Queen Mathilde and King Philippe-Filip With Spain's King Filipe VI

  2 of 27

• 

  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge talk to French president Francois Hollande

  3 of 27

• 

  Queen Mathilde and King Philippe-Filip with Grand-Duke Prince Guillaume, of Luxembourg

  4 of 27

• 

  Kate with Mr Hollande

  5 of 27

• 

  The ceremony gets under way in Liege

  6 of 27

• 

  Prince William gives a speech during the ceremony

  7 of 27

• 

  Across the Channel in Folkstone, Kent, Prince Harry officially opens a Memorial Arch in dedication to the veterans of the Great War

  8 of 27

• 

  The Prince of Wales lays a wreath at a ceremony in George Square, Glasgow

  9 of 27

• 

  British Prime Minister David Cameron attends a remembrance service at Glasgow Cathedral

  10 of 27

• 

  Ceramic poppies are displayed in the moat of the Tower of London as part of the capital's commemorations

  11 of 27

• 

  Prince and Princess Michael of Kent with a group of Chelsea Pensioners before the start of a drive through London by 100 Edwardian cars

  12 of 27

• 

  Two of the pensioners admire some of the cars due to take part in the drive through

  13 of 27

• 

  Prince Michael at the wheel of one of the cars as it leaves Kensington Palace

  14 of 27

• 

  Another of the cars leaving the forecourt in front of the palace

  15 of 27

• 

  One of the 100 cars driving past the Cenotaph on Whitehall

  16 of 27

• 

  The cars drive in a line as the make their way through the centre of London

  17 of 27

• 

  Ex servicemen parade through Glasgow as part of the commemoration

  18 of 27

• 

  Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond prepares to leave a wreath of remembrance

  19 of 27

• 

  Leader of the opposition Ed Miliband and deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg leave wreaths at Glasgow's war memorial

  20 of 27

• 

  Prince Charles and David Cameron chat after the service in Glasgow

  21 of 27

• 

  Ireland's President Michael Higgins and his wife Sabina Higgins meet the King and Queen of Belgium in preparation for the ceremony in Liege

  22 of 27

• 

  Servicemen and ex servicemen hold a candle during the service to remember those who lost their lives at Glasgow cathedral

  23 of 27

• 

  Ex service men from Belgium hold standards at their ceremony in Liege

  24 of 27

• 

  Prince Charles during the service at Glasgow Cathedral

  25 of 27

• 

  The King of Belgium Philippe-Filip lays a wreath in Liege

  26 of 27

• 

  Prince Charles walk down the aisle of Glasgow Cathedral with others in the congregation

  27 of 27

Gallery: World Remembers Start Of WWI

Enlarge

• Prince Harry has attended a WW1 memorial service at Folkestone. Around ten million men passed through the town on their way to fight on the Western Front.

  Enlarge

• Prime Minister David Cameron says it is right to commemorate the Great War because it "had a massive impact on every community, every family in our country".

  Enlarge
• • 

    Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophia leaving Sarajevo's city hall to get into their car on June 28, 1914. Moments later, they were assassinated by a 19-year-old Bosnian Serb nationalist. This was a critical moment in the chain of events that led to the start of the First World War

    1 of 13

  • 

    Kaiser Wilhelm II ruled the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. He was the eldest grandson of Britain's Queen Victoria and first cousin of King George V. After setting Germany on a path to war, he eventually lost the support of the army, stepped down in 1918 and ran to exile in the Netherlands where he died in 1941

    2 of 13

  • 

    Britain's King George V took the throne in 1910. During the war, to calm a rise in anti-German sentiment, he changed the royal name from the house of Saxe-Coburg to the house of Windsor

    3 of 13

  • 

    Herbert Henry Asquith became British Prime Minister in 1908 and he led the nation to war. Renowned as a strong peacetime leader, he proved a weak head of state during the war and was replaced in 1916 by David Lloyd George

    4 of 13

  • 

    British statesman and soldier Horatio Herbert Kitchener (1850 - 1916) was Secretary Of State For War. He was a veteran military man who knew the war would be long and bloody and he understood Britain only stood a chance of success if the country boosted its small army

    5 of 13

  • 

    Kitchener set out on a massive poster campaign appealing for new recruits. But he was never to see the end of the war ... he died in June 1916, aged 65

    6 of 13

  • 

    In 1914, Winston Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty. He resigned from government after taking much of the blame for the Gallipoli disaster and feeling frustrated at not being able to work more. From there, he served on the Western Front. He eventually returned to politics and became Secretary of State For War in 1919

    7 of 13

  • 

    Churchill, showing his prowess on the polo field in 1914

    8 of 13

  • 

    Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian politician and military man who came out of retirement to lead German forces in WWI. He headed-up one of the Empire's most significant victories, the Battle of Tannenberg, early in the war. His brutal attack on Verdun was said to be designed to "bleed France white"

    9 of 13

  • 

    While the rest of the world went into battle, US President Woodrow Wilson was determined to stay out of it, firmly insisting it had all been caused by European corruption. But several major naval incidents, including the sinking of the Lusitania, eventually forced his hand. The turning point came in 1917 when he discovered Germany had offered to help Mexico win back three US states. Several more US ships were sunk and Teddy Roosevelt famously said: "If he does not go to war I shall skin him alive." America joined the war in March 1917

    10 of 13

  • 

    As Britain worried about the prospect of war, Labour leader and founder Keir Hardie gave speeches telling people they had no quarrel with Germany. He was outraged by the prospect of war and attempted to spark a pan-European general strike to stop the war. Hardie was a major supporter of conscientious objectors

    11 of 13

  • 

    War was declared by Britain at 11pm on August 4, 1914. All day, people had gathered in the capital waiting for news - sometimes in silent crowds, sometimes rising into patriotic song

    12 of 13

  • 

    This is the tombstone of Private John Parr, the first British soldier to be killed in World War One. A golf caddy from north london, he had joined the Army to better his prospects in life. When he was killed, on August 21, 1914, he had been out on a bicycle just outside the Belgian town of Mons on the lookout for the enemy. He was spotted by a German patrol and shot. Pte Parr is buried at the military cemetery of St Symphorien near Mons

    13 of 13

  Enlarge

• The Duke of Cambridge speaks of the importance of reconciliation across Europe during a WWI remembrance ceremony at the Cointe Inter-allied Memorial, Liege, Belgium.

  Enlarge

• The Royal family and political leaders have taken part in ceremonies to honour the dead of the First World War.

  Enlarge

• Video

  Europe Honours WW1 War dead

• Gallery

  World Remembers Start Of WWI

• Video

  Prince Harry Takes The Last Post

• Video

  PM: Great War Shaped Our World

• Gallery

  WWI Centenary - Who's Who In 1914

• Video

  William: We Will Remember You

• Video

  Solemn Tribute To WW1 Fallen

• Video: Britain and Europe honours the dead of The Great War

• Gallery: World Remembers Start Of WWI

• Video: Prince Harry at the ceremony in Folkestone

• Video: PM: Great War Shaped Our World

• Gallery: WWI Centenary - Who's Who In 1914

• Video: William: We Will Remember You

• Video: Prince Charles lays a wreath at George Sq, Glasgow

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More